Yu-Gi-Oh! DF Extended, Yu-Gi-Oh! DA/DE Crossover Special COMPLETED! + News of Stuff to Come *UPDATED 12/21/13*!

[legendhiro]

more info on the new chapters, which i'm calling the lost chapters. i've said a few times (i think) that DF is a very old idea of mine, and, well, it used to be something very different. i came up with the idea just after the second season of the yugioh anime began airing in the states. my idea was to create four kids, loosely based on me, my sister, my cousin, and my brother, all of us being fans of the show at the time. the characters would be family, but they wouldn't be a team. instead they would compete in some local tournaments, until they caught the eye of Pegasus and were asked to a secret tournament on Duelist Kingdom for new Duelists. there they would form the duel force and compete against Team Beatdown for four magic Millennium Crystals (which would eventually become the Souls in the later versions). Team Beatdown wanted to use the Crystals for evils, and John and his team would have to win to keep them from obtaining such great power.

obviously the elements of the story are all there. my brother lost interest in yugioh, and i replaced him with Tucker, the characters all changed considerably until they barely resembled the people upon whom they were based, the story changed to incorporate more up to date yugioh lore, and the current version of DF was born.

the chapters i want to add are a brief storyline involving Jen, Sarah, and Jen's sister Kris (this would have been her first appearance, rather than book 3), and their participation in a local tournament, based on some of the early chapters of the original concept. i wanted to include it first run, but i decided to cut it to make the first storyline more compact. now i've decided to incorporate it back into the storyline. i hope to have the new chapters up in the next few days. there will be six or seven chapters total, and they will take place between "Legend of the Duelist" and "Enter the Duelists of the Order". in the revised version, rather than going straight from Duelist Kingdom to the airport, the duel force returns home until the following week, which is their spring break.

i also plan to do this to some of the other book, exploring some ideas that i never got to use for one reason or another. hope everyone likes it!


~Legendhiro

[Stigma_Horrizone]

after reading DF， I just realized something:

Damien Johnson=Christopher Johnson's son?

[legendhiro]

[quote name='Stigma_Horrizone' timestamp='1322279101' post='5666215']
after reading DF， I just realized something:

Damien Johnson=Christopher Johnson's son?
[/quote]he sure is.

The first of the lost chapters is ready. I'm posting them in the general thread first, and once they're all up, I'll add them to the first post.



[spoiler=Chapter Eleven]

Jen’s Saga; A Tournament as Preparation

 
[b]Jen[/b]

 
To say that my life was changing rapidly would be an understatement. You know the story, since my cousin just told it to you, so I won’t waste your time. I will say, however, that for a strategist like me, for someone who was always looking forward and planning ahead, finding out that I had some kind of unknown destiny involving magic and evil was a little more than unsettling. Ever since arriving home from Duelist Kingdom, I’d been trying to prepare for what I knew was coming, for a confrontation with an enemy that I couldn’t comprehend. It was driving me crazy. There was only so many times that I could look at the same cards.

I held my head in frustration and looked up from my deck, which was deconstructed and spread out over the game table in my basement. Everything [i]looked[/i] in order. I stacked my cards, shuffled, and drew a test hand. I shuffled and drew again. Then I shuffled and drew again. Shuffled and drew, shuffled and drew. Every hand was a good one, but I still didn’t feel confident. I was on the verge of a potential nervous breakdown when I was saved by the ring of the doorbell.

[i]Who’s that?[/i] I wondered, standing up and making my way upstairs. By the time I turned the corner into the living room to check the door, there was no one there, and Sarah was sitting with my sister, Kris, on the couch. Kris was busy pestering Sarah about letting her go with us to Egypt. She’d been like that ever since I’d told her about what had really happened during our time on Pegasus’ island.

“We’ve been over this, Kris,” I told her. “It’s a miracle that Mom bought the story that Industrial Illusions fed her about our trip. Taking you along would just make things too complicated.”

“But I’m a Duelist-.”

“None of this,” I’m a Duelist, too stuff,” I argued. “You just started playing. You aren’t ready. I’m not even sure that [i]I’m[/i] ready.”

“But we never get to do anything together anymore,” Kris whined, sticking her lip out and giving me the big brown puppy dog eyes, but I ignored her. She looks almost exactly like me, so all of her cutesy little tricks were ones that I’d used myself. I was immune.

Sarah looked from me to Kris and back again, “I might actually have an idea of somethin’ you can do together today.”

“You do?” Kris asked, her sympathetic demeanor disappearing in an instant.

“Yeah,” Sarah replied proudly, “that’s why I came over.”

She gestured at me, “I know you’ve been bendin’ over backwards to try and prepare for this Egypt thing, so I did some asking around, and I found out about this little shop tournament at a store down toward the city where the Duelists are known for using really unique decks. I figured it would be a good way to test your deck against some unusual opponents. If we hurry, the three of us should be able to make it there by bus in time to enter.”

“Cool!” Kris exclaimed, much more loudly than she needed to. “Finally, a chance to prove how good I am!”

“Yeah,” Sarah agreed. She looked at me, “You’re welcome.”

We caught the next bus heading downtown. Altogether the wait and the ride to the stop closest to the shop took about an hour and a half, but finally we arrived at our destination. It was a relatively small hole in the wall down a shallow embankment and across a ditch, right off of the highway. A section of the parking lot had been raised and flattened off into a makeshift Duel Disk arena. There were easily twenty kids hanging out around the arena, watching two kids duel on it with rather unimpressive cards.

We made our way inside the building. There were even more people packed inside. Luckily they weren't all there for the tournament, because there were only thirty-two slots. By the time we were able to sign up, there were only six left. The shopkeeper, an overweight guy in his mid twenties with greasy hair, was excited that there were actually some girls in his rather unpopular store, even if we were young, and allowed us to forgo the entry fee in the hopes that we would return for many years to come (so, until we were hot).

"This place is cool!" Kris exclaimed, a bit spacily, as she took everything in.

"This place is dodgy," I told her. "If you wanna look around, be sure to stick with either me or Sarah."

"Don't worry, Jen," Sarah assured me, and the two wandered off. We still had an hour until the tournament started. All we could do was wait.

I started wandering the store, looking in displays at single cards and booster packs. They had a few rare cards, but they were all overpriced. After awhile, I just started walking aimlessly, waiting for something to happen, and finally it did.

I saw an African-American boy, about my sister's age, sitting at one of the tables in the back of the shop. I was drawn to him because the look of frustration on his face mirrored the frustration that I'd felt earlier.

"Hey," I asked, sitting down across from him at the table, "you okay? You need some help?"

"No," he said flatly, "I'm fine."

"You sure?" I asked. "If it's a problem with your deck, I can help. You don't even have to show me your deck. You can just tell me what kind of problem it is. I'm good at this kind of thing."

He hesitated, probably suspecting me of trying to learn about his deck for my own selfish purposes.

"I'm Jen," I told him, offering him my hand, attempting to build a rapport.

The boy finally looked up at me. He looked nervous. He shook my hand carefully, "I'm Daryl."

"I bet I can help with your problem, Daryl," I told him. "I'm good with strategies."

Daryl sighed, running his fingers through his short, curly black hair, "It's just that I wanted to be in the tournament today, and I've got some good cards, but I only have a couple of effect monsters, and they aren't that good. I don't have any destruction effect cards, or Counter Traps. My monsters are the backbone of my deck. Without effects, they're helpless. I just don't know what to do."

"I've never had a problem just like that before," I told him, "but you know, I've always found that, when you discover that you're at a disadvantage, you have to try and make that disadvantage into your niche. If all you have are some pretty good Normal Monsters, then find away to turn Normal Monsters themselves into your advantage."

As I spoke, I saw Daryl's eyes light up.

"Looks like you've got an idea," I said, standing up. "I'll leave you to figure things out. I hope I see you in the tournament."


I killed more time until the tournament bracket was finally posted. The shopkeeper, in an attempt the be dramatic, had split the thirty-two entries into two separate brackets of sixteen, and wouldn't let anyone see the opposite bracket. Sarah, Kris and I were all in the B bracket. The way we were spaced, we wouldn't have to duel each other until close to the end.

As we were checking the brackets, I guess I was smiling or something, because Sarah asked, "Feelin' better already? You're welcome, again."

"I guess I am," I replied. "I got to help this kid figure out his deck. It felt pretty good."

"I don't get your whole deck building mentality," Kris told me. "All that stuff about creating multiple strategies and then using them to build one big 'evolving strategy' as you put it. I prefer my strategy, one big sequence of combos that builds upon itself, fitting together like a well-oiled machine. It's really the only way."

"It's [i]a[/i] way," I replied. My sister and I have this discussion a lot.

"Well-oiled machine, Jen," Kris insisted. "Well-oiled machine."

She walked off proudly. The first round began in minutes. Sarah and I ended up at tables close to each other. Kris had her first duel at a table on the other side of the room. My opponent, whose name was also Jennifer (note the [i]two[/i] n's), still had twenty-nine of her four thousand Life Points. After some clever stalling, she'd used a combination of 'Stray Lambs' and 'Book of Taiyou' to summon 'Garnecia Elephantis' (ATK: 2400), a monster that she was quite proud to announce as her strongest.

"Attack 'Basic Insect'," she said.

"Then I'll use a Trap," I countered, flipping over a card, "Relieve Monster', exchanging 'Basic Insect' for the 'Pinch Hopper' in my hand. You destroy it instead, and I get to summon [i]my[/i] best monster, 'Insect Queen' (2200 + 200 = 2400)."

Okay, maybe "best monster" wasn't quite accurate, as I've worked hard to collect a lot of great Insect cards, but she's up there.

"I've never understood why someone would use that monster," my opponent said. "It gets a power-up, but you have to tribute a monster just to attack, and each time it destroys a monster, it summons a weak Token monster that's completely vulnerable."

"The trick," I explained, "is learning the weaknesses of the cards and evolving by learning how to use them to your advantage. Lesson one, 'Insect Queen' only gets a power-up from insects, and your opponent probably doesn't use insects, so a good insect Duelist will use 'DNA Surgery'," I flipped over my Trap, "to change that (2400+200=2600).

"I summon 'Skull-marked Ladybug' and tribute it to attack, increasing my Life Points and destroying your monster. You're out of face-down cards, so I'm going to guess that you can't stop me."

She nodded, mildly annoyed as she put her Beast-Warrior into her Graveyard.

"I end by setting a card," I concluded, "and summon a Token."

I placed a coin on the table, face-up to indicate Attack mode (ATK: 0). My opponent drew, "You only have eighteen hundred Life, so I summon 'Flying Elephant' and attack the Egg for the win."

"Not if I reveal 'Covering Fire'," I explained, "increasing the Attack of the Egg by the Attack of the 'Insect Queen' (0 -> 2800). That's lesson number two; with the right cards, any weakness can become a proportionately greater strength. If you don't have any more cards to play this turn, then I win."

"You win," Jennifer conceded, "but hey, I learned a lot. Next time we duel, I won't go down so easy."

We shook hands, made our way over to the counter to report the winner, and then parted ways on friendly terms. I made my way over to Sarah's table, where they were cleaning up their cards, Sarah saying, "And that'll teach you that nobody calls me 'Tomboy' except my brother, and only if I've called him 'Jerk' first."

Her opponent, a boy a little older than me, walked away sulking.

"I assume you won," I told her as me headed over to the counter to report her duel result as well.

"Of course," she answered.

We reached the counter and found Kris there as well.

"So, sis," I asked, "how'd your well-oiled machine do?"

She hunched over, disappointed, "Not good, sis. Not good."

The three of us had a good laugh. "No, but seriously," Kris said, "even though I lost, I could tell that the skill level here isn't much higher than mine. You guys really shouldn't have a problem."

"Yeah," Sarah agreed, "at least not until we have to face each other."

I was about to agree with her when I thought about Daryl (if he'd been able to enter) and all of the opponents to come, not to mention the eventual winner of A block, whoever they turned out to be.

"I dunno, 'cuz," I told her. "I think this tournament might surprise us yet."[/spoiler]





[B]Next Chapter[/b] The Tournament Heats Up; Sarah vs. The Millennium Swordswoman!

Sarah faces Mina, a girl with an unusual, but powerful, deck.

[legendhiro]

Already? But Legendhiro, we like it when it takes you months to post a chapter!



[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]

The Tournament Heats Up; Sarah vs. The Millennium Swordswoman!


Sarah and I made it through the next couple rounds of the tournament without much trouble. I took another look at the B bracket, and I didn't see Daryl's name anywhere. If he was in the tournament, he was in the other block.

Finally we came to the block B semifinals. It was pretty obvious who we were supposed to face, me against a sandy-haired, jockish guy named Ray, and Sarah versus a tiny little Asian girl named Mina, and because we couldn't find the shopkeeper anywhere in the store, we decided just to start. We were sitting down to begin when the shopkeeper burst through the front door and stopped us.

"Come outside," he told us. "We'll be having the block B semifinals on the Duel Disk arena outside. The eliminated Duelists are waiting outside for a good show."

"What about block A?" Kris asked.

"Oh," he answered, shrugging, "They're behind you guys, and they don't all have Duel Disks. Now come on."

Kris, Sarah, the other finalists and I followed him outside and found ourselves face-to-face with a crowd of other Duelists, only about half of which looked even slightly excited. "This is pretty sad," I told Kris. "He's only making us do this to show off his arena."

"Yeah," she agreed.

"I don't mind," said Mina, having overheard. "My deck is way cooler in Solid Vision."

"Mine, too," Ray agreed.

"Alright," the shopkeeper called, taking a place at the front of the crowd, "it's time for the block B semifinals, on [i]my[/i] new Duel Disk arena. The first semifinal match will be Sarah, signed up under the mantle of Team Duel Force, against Mina, to self-appointed Millennium Swordswoman."

Sarah and Mina climbed up on opposite ends of the arena and faced each other, activating their Duel Disks.

The shopkeeper flipped a coin, "Sarah will go first."

"Alright!" Sarah exclaimed. "Let's get things started strong with 'Water Magician', equipped with 'Steel Shell'."

The water sorceress appeared, twirling her staff, a steel-spiked shell strapped to her back (ATK: 1400+400=1800).

"I set a card," Sarah concluded, "and end my turn. Just [i]try[/i] to come at me."

Mina's only response was a confident smile.

"Draw," she declared, "and activate 'Cost Down', discarding 'Labyrinth of Nightmare' to lower the Level of every monster in my hand by two during this turn. I set a monster and a card, and pass."

A hologram of the face-down monster appeared. I smiled, [i]I actually think I know which monster she just set. If I'm right, this next turn is gonna hurt.[/i]

Kris was smiling. She saw it too.

"I know you're trying to bluff me," Sarah announced, "but, honestly, I'm kinda bored, so I'm just gonna attack anyway. Besides, I'm curious. I summon 'Amazon of the Seas', and attack with 'Water Magician'."

A mermaid appeared alongside Sarah's original monster, and the sorceress summoned a stream of water from her staff. It poured over Mina's monster, which revealed itself as a golden shield embedded with a jewel and etched with an Egyptian eye.

"My monster is the 'Millennium Shield'," Mina explained, beaming with pride (DEF: 3000).

"Well crap," Sarah replied. The 'Shield''s jewel glowed, and a barrier appeared around it, deflecting the water back at Sarah (4000+1800-3000=2800).

"My turn again," Mina declared. "I reveal my face-down 'Reckless Greed', allowing me to draw two cards, I set three cards, activate 'Weapon Change', and end my turn."

Sarah looked a little annoyed, "How about I show you why no one ever won a fight with a shield."

She drew and smiled, "I tribute 'Amazon of the Seas' to Tribute Summon 'Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness'."

An enormous killer whale with launchers in its back and belly and a crane arm attached to the base of its tail, appeared in place of the mermaid, hanging in the air above its master's head (ATK: 2100).

"I reveal "Ultimate Offering" and pay five hundred Life to summon 'Torpedo Fish'," a large, torpedo-shaped fish appeared, loading itself into the launcher on the 'Orca''s belly.

"'Orca'," Sarah commanded, "fire the 'Torpedo Fish' at the 'Shield' and destroy it."

"Not quite," Mina countered. "Reveal 'Reinforce Shield'. I place one Shield Counter on a Warrior monster that I control, and the Shield Counter is destroyed instead of my monster."

'Orca' fired the 'Torpedo Fish' at the 'Shield'. It exploded, but the 'Shield' was left unharmed.

"My turn," Mina announced, "and I start off with the effect of my Continuous Spell 'Weapon Change'. By paying seven hundred Life, the Attack and Defense points of my 'Millennium Shield' swap."

"They what now?" Sarah asked, more than a little stunned. Mina's Life took a plunge (4000-700=3300), and the 'Millennium Shield' changed shape, becoming a medieval, golden longsword with a silver Egyptian eye and a jewel in the hilt. Making good use of the Duel Disk's Solid Vision technology, Mina grasped the sword in both hands (ATK: 3000).

"I attack the 'Water Magician'," Mina declared. She swung the sword, flinging a wave of red energy at the 'Magician', slicing her in half (2300+1800-3000=1100).

"I dare you," Mina taunted, "to come at [i]me[/i]."

Sarah drew, giving Mina the evil eye.

"Of course," Mina interjected, "you don't really have a choice. I reveal 'Careless Opening', allowing your 'Orca' to attack me for half damage, but forcing it to attack immediately."

The 'Orca' produced a giant cannon from its mouth.

"Next," Mina continued, "I reveal 'Staunch Defender' redirecting the forced attack toward my 'Millennium Sword'."

The 'Orca' fired, and again Mina swung her sword, her energy wave cutting through the 'Orca''s cannon bolt, and the 'Orca' itself. Sarah took another big hit (1100+2100-3000=200).

"You kinda pissed me off just now," Sarah said. "I play 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards, set a monster and a card, and end my turn."

"Draw," Mina declared, "and I pay to sustain my 'Sword' (3300-700=2600), equip it with 'Fairy Meteor Crush', giving it a piercing effect, and attack for the win!"

"Not likely," Sarah replied indignantly. "I reveal 'Negate Attack'."

Mina's attack was sucked into a vortex, rendered harmless.

"My turn," Sarah announced, a wicked smirk worthy of her brother playing across her face. "I remove 'Torpedo Fish' in my Graveyard from play to summon 'Aqua Spirit'."

Sarah's blue-skinned water sprite appeared at her side (ATK: 1600).

"Next," Sarah continued, "I Flip-Summon 'Penguin Soldier', returning the 'Aqua Spirit' and your monster to our hands."

A small, sword-wielding penguin appeared and directed 'Aqua Spirit' to attack 'Millennium Shield', and the two monsters disappeared from the field in a flash.

"I remove 'Amazon of the Seas' from play to re-summon 'Aqua Spirit'," Sarah concluded, "and I tribute 'Penguin Soldier to summon 'Giga Gagagigo'."

'Aqua Spirit' reappeared, and 'Penguin Soldier' disappeared, replaced by the fierce, armored reptile (ATK: 2450).

"My monsters attack."

Mina stood helpless as the two monsters struck together, reducing Mina's Life to zero.

"And the winner is," Sarah said, "me."

She stepped down and made her way to mine and Kris' side, "Now let's get on with this so I can win this tournament."[/spoiler]





[B]Next Chapter[/b] The Master of Laser Guns; Jen vs. Ray

Jen takes on her next opponent. Is she up to the challenge?

[legendhiro]

I'm on a roll!



[spoiler=Chapter Thirteen]


The Master of Laser Guns; Jen vs. Ray


The shopkeeper stepped up in front of the crowd again, "What an exciting duel! Now, let's get right to the next one. I wanna close early today. Next up is Jen, also a member of the Duel Force, against Ray, the store champion!"

There was clapping. Apparently the crowd was a bit more excited now that they'd already seen one good duel.

I made my way up to the arena. Ray did the same, pausing every few minutes to wave at his seven fans. Finally he faced me, "Alright, Jen, let's give these guys a show. And don't expect me to go easy 'cause you're a girl."

"I wouldn't dream of something like that," I told him, dripping sarcasm, "though I really wish you would."

I didn't even wait for the shopkeeper, "I'm going first. I summon 'Giant Rat' and set one card."

"Cute," Ray commented, "but it's not much to me. I summon 'Oni Tank T-34'!"

A tank with a demon face appeared behind Ray, taking aim with its gun (ATK: 1400).

"I equip 'Oni Tank' with 'Machine Conversion Factory'," Ray continued. There was a series of clanks and mechanical sounds, and the tank's gun reconstructed itself into a beam cannon (1400+300=1700).

"Impressive," I told him, speaking sarcastically.

"You'll really think so when I do this," Ray announced. "I activate 'Plasma Wave'. I can activate this card when I control a machine equipped with an Equip Spell, to negate and destroy one Spell or Trap that you control."

He smiled like an arrogant punk as his 'Oni Tank' fired its cannon at my 'Zero Gravity', destroying it easily.

"Now I attack," Ray declared, "with Onibeam!"

'Oni Tank' blasted my 'Rat' with ita cannon, raporizing him (4000+1400-1700=3700).

"Thanks," I began. "When 'Giant Rat' goes to the Graveyard, I get to summon an Earth monster from my deck."

I was confident, but my confidence was shattered when Ray replied, "Not if I play 'Disruptor Pulse'. Because I control a Machine equipped with an Equip Spell, I can negate the activated effect of any one monster, even if it's in the Graveyard."

'Oni Tank' fired a pulse from its cannon, causing energy to crackle over my Graveyard, and my combo was brought to a screeching halt.

"I end my turn," Ray concluded, still beaming like an idiot.

"Draw," I declared, not wasting even one extra minute on this guy, "and I activate 'Monster Reborn' to revive my 'Rat' and tribute him for 'Insect Queen'."

A humanoid bug woman with four elegant arms and glossy transparent wings appeared at my side (ATK: 1900).

"My monster attacks and destroys the 'Oni Tank', with Pheromone Attack," I commanded, a cloud of dust spreading out from the 'Princess'' wings.

"Your pheromones can't harm a machine," Ray said, laughing.

I smiled, "But they can summon about a million little helpers who can."

As she spoke, a swarm of holographic insects bore down on the tank, crawling inside and chewing cables until the tank exploded (4000+1700-1900=3800).

"End."

"That's pretty good," Ray told me, still unshaken, "but I've still got more coming."

He drew, "I summon 'Gradius', and equip it with 'Cyclon Laser'."

A futuristic fighter jet appeared with two laser cannons appearing a moment later on its underbelly (ATK: 1200+300=1500).

"Next," Ray continued, "I play 'Fairy of the Spring' to return 'Factory' from the Graveyard to my hand, set a card, and end my turn."

He shot me a flashy grin, "Good luck. You're gonna need it."

I scowled, [i]What a jerk. But still, he's pretty good. I need to reinforce my offensive.[/i]

"I summon," I declared, "my 'Arsenal Bug'."

An insect carrying a shield and sword appeared alongside the 'Princess' (ATK: 2000).

"And I," Ray interrupted, "activate 'Stun Wave'. Because you summoned a monster, and because I control a Machine equipped with a Spell, None of your monsters can attack this turn."

'Gradius' fired his beams in a wide arch, hitting both monsters. They curled up, as if in pain, electricity rolling across their bodies.

[i]Make that [/i]really[i] good,[/i] I decided.

"In that case," I said, " I set a card and end."

"Alright!" Ray exclaimed. "I draw, and equip 'Gradius' with 'Machine Conversion Factory' (1500+300=1800) and 'Intermittent Overload Command'. Thanks to my newest Equip Spell, the Attack boosts of all other Spells equipped to 'Gradius' are doubled during my Battle Phase. I attack the 'Insect Princess' (ATK: 1800 -> 2400)!"

'Gradius' fired its beams at full power, vaporizing 'Insect Queen' with a single shot (3700+1900-2400=3200)."

"Now take your turn, little lady," Ray told me, which was, of course, the last straw.

"Sorry, Ray," I said. "You did good. You really did. But I win."

I drew my card, "Reveal 'Call of the Haunted' to revive the 'Princess', and I tribute both monsters for 'Metal Armored Bug'."

My two monsters disappeared, and behind me appeared the massive beetle with the metal shell (ATK: 2800).

"Next I play 'Doubl Attack', discarding the higher Level 'Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth' to allow 'Bug' to attack twice.

"My monster attacks, smashing your 'Gradius'," I commanded, the beetle reaching out with its razor-sharp claw, ripping 'Gradius' to pieces (3800+1800-2800=2800).

"And I attack again," I told a truly stunned, speechless Ray as my monster struck. I smiled, "Next time we duel, maybe I should go easy on [i]you[/i]."

Ray and I stepped down from the arena, Ray sulking pitifully. I walked over to stand with Sarah, who gave me a high five, and Kris, who was busy studying the sky, as the shopkeeper addressed the crowd once again, "Alright, we've officially decided the finalists of B block!"

Sarah and I looked at each other, each of us beaming with determination, as the shopkeeper announced, "The next match will be Sarah against her friend and teammate Jen!"

"You ready for this, 'cuz?" Sarah asked.

"Oh yeah," I told her, "I am ready. To win."

And with that began one of the most difficult duels I've ever played.[/spoiler]




[B]Next Chapter[/b] Duel Force vs. Duel Force!

Jen duels Sarah! Who will come out on top?

I've reduced the number of Lost Chapters to five, and I hope to have the other two up tonight!

[legendhiro]

And the next one!



[spoiler=Chapter Fourteen]

Duel Force vs. Duel Force!


The crowd got all worked up. They didn't know who we were, but they thought it was interesting that two members of the same team were going to duel. We ignored the shopkeeper's half-assed attempt to introduce us as we made our way up to the arena.

"I've never dueled anyone that I know in a tournament before," said Sarah. "I wonder how this is gonna go, considering that we know each others' decks so well."

"I guess it'll come down to who has the best strategy," I answered, smirking, "and that's me."

Sarah smirked back, "I wouldn't count on that. You aren't the only one who's been preparing for this Egypt thing."

We parted, each taking up a different end of the arena.

Sarah gave me the smug face. I shot her mine back. I think the shopkeeper flipped a coin, but we ignored him, the air between us charged with competitive energy.

"I'll go first," Sarah declared.

"Fine by me," I told her, and our voices rang out, "Duel!"

She drew, "Let's start out with a classic. I summon 'Mother Grizzly' and equip her with 'Steel Shell'."

The blue-furred grizzly appeared, Sarah's apparently favorite Equip Spell appearing on its back (ATK: 1400+400=1800).

"I set a card," Sarah concluded. "Go, so I can beat the next guy and win this tournament."

I drew my opening hand, [i]Her monster is a searcher. She knows that I know that, but then again any Duelist worth their salt knows what 'Mother Grizzly' can do. All [/i]I[i] can do is prepare as much as possible for what's coming. And the best way to do that is to summon a monster of my own with the power to Special Summon.[/i]

"I summon," I declared, "my 'Pinch Hopper', equipped with 'Insect Armor with Laser Cannon'."

"Like I didn't see that coming," Sarah quipped. My monster appeared, the massive cannon on its back.

I ignored Sarah, "I activate the Field Spell 'Forest', making my monster even stronger."

The field around us changed, becoming a dense forest. The 'Pinch Hopper' got even stronger (ATK: 1000+700+200=1900).

"I attack," I declared, and 'Pinch Hopper' fired its cannon, vaporizing 'Mother Grizzly' in an instant (4000+1800-1900=3900).

"You destroyed my 'Mother Grizzly'," Sarah explained unnecessarily, a huge grin on her face, "which means I get to summon a monster from my deck. I summon 'Water Magician'."

The sorceress appeared, her staff in hand and a smile on her face (ATK: 1400).

"I also get to reveal my 'Numinous Healer'," she added, her Life Points climbing (3900+500=4400).

"In that case," I told her, "I set one card, and end."

[i]She likes 'Water Magician',[/i] I thought, [i]but their are plenty of better monsters in her deck that she could have summoned. That means that her 'Water Magician' is just a stepping stome to something bigger.[/i]

"Ready to be shocked?" Sarah asked. Without waiting for an answer, Sarah continued, "I remove 'Mother Grizzly' from play to summon 'Aqua Spirit' and tribute both to summon a monster even stronger than your go-to metal bug," the 'Spirit' appeared, and both monsters disappeared, giving way for a an even larger, fiercer version of Sarah's favorite lizard warrior, "my 'Gogiga Gagagigo!"

The monster roared (ATK: 2950).

"Even with your Field out," Sarah declared, "I think my monster and I can handle whatever you summon with 'Hopper''s effect. I set a card and attack!"

The lizard warrior crushed my 'Hopper' with its mighty claws (4000+1900-2950=2950).

"With the effect of my 'Hopper'," I declared, "I summon the monster that your 'Gagagigo' can supposedly beat; 'Metal Armored Bug'! And thanks to my Field, my monster outclasses yours easily (ATK: 2800+200=3000)."

"Well," Sarah said, a look of resignation on her face, "I really didn't think you had that in your hand."

She was convincing, but I still saw a glint of confidence in her eyes. I looked at the hologram of her face-down card, and I knew what she was planning.

I smiled, [i]Clever, but it won't work on me.[/i]

"Draw," I told her, "and I play the Spell card 'Cell Budding'. I tribute my 'Metal Armored Bug' to summon 'Insect Tokens' up to the Attack of the tributed monster divided by five. That's five tokens."

My 'Bug' disappeared, and five worm-like insects took its place (ATK: 500+200=700 (each)).

"I tribute two 'Insect Tokens'," I continued, "to summon 'Insect Queen'."

Two of the Token monsters disappeared, and my 'Insect Queen', a massive monster with a humanoid upper body and the lower body of a grotesque insect, appeared in their place with a screeching roar (ATK: 2200+200+800=3200).

"I play 'Monster Reborn' to revive 'Metal Armored Bug'," I continued, and my monster reappeared, towering over even the 'Queen' (ATK: 2800+200=3000/3200+200=3400).

Sarah frowned.

"I tribute an 'Insect Token' to attack with the 'Queen'," I declared. The 'Queen' ate one of the Tokens (ATK: 3400-200=3200). She turned to 'Gagagigo' and inhaled.

"Reveal 'Dust Tornado'," Sarah declared, "to destroy 'Forest'."

A powerful dust devil tore through the forest, reducing it the splinters and scattering it to the wind. My monsters got weaker (3200-200=3000/3000-200=2800).

"I restore 'Queen''s power," I countered, "with 'DNA Surgery', changing all of your monsters into Insects."

Sarah's monster grew insect legs from its shoulder, a mandible from its jaw, and a bug eye. The 'Queen' grew stronger again (3000+200=3200), and she spit acid at 'Gagagigo', melting him on the spot (4400+2950-3200=4150).

"I end my turn," I concluded, "with the Attack of my 'Bug'."

The giant 'Bug' slashed Sarah (4150-2800=1350).

"At the end of my turn," I explained, "my 'Insect Tokens' are detroyed," the two worms disappeared, and the 'Queen' laid an egg, "and I summon an 'Egg Token' (ATK: 0)."

Sarah scowled, looking frustrated up at the two powerful insects. She drew, "I play my 'Monster Reborn' to revive 'Gogiga' and kill the 'Metal Armored Bug'."

'Gagagigo' reappeared, regrowing his insect parts, and lunged at the enormous bug, ripping through it with his claws (2950+2800-2950=2800).

I smiled, [i]This duel is [/i]really[i] good. I haven't had this much fun in months![/i]

"I end," Sarah concluded, "by tributing 'Gagagigo' for 'Neo Aqua Madoor'."

A masked sorcerer appeared, summoning up a wall of ice around him (DEF: 3000).

"I equip 'Madoor' with 'Heart of Clear Water', making him invincible in battle, and making it immune to Spells."

I looked down at my deck, and my empty hand, [i]I really don't have anything else planned. It all comes down to this next draw.[/i]

I drew, and I sighed, [i]That might work.[/i]

"I activate 'Pot of Greed' to draw two."

I drew again, and I smiled. "Next up," I continued, "I summon 'Big Insect', and I play 'Share the Pain'. I tribute 'Big Insect' to force you to tribute a monster."

"Oh, come on," Sarah exclaimed. Her sorcerer and my 'Insect' lunged at each other, destroying each other.

"I tribute 'Egg Token'," I concluded, "to attack for the win."

My 'Queen' absorbed the 'Egg', and attacked, dropping Sarah's Life to zero.

Sarah frowned, "Oh well, I was getting sick of this tournament anyway."

She smiled at me, "Go, get this last guy."

I nodded, "I will. I can't imagine that whoever it is will be harder to beat than that."

Sarah stepped down from the arena. I moved to do the same, but the shopkeeper pushed his way through the crowd, calling, "Wait, stay up there. Block A has finished, and their finalist has borrowed a Duel Disk so he can duel you out here, in one big, epic final battle."

I nodded, "Okay, have him step up then."

The shopkeeper turned to reveal the block A finalist, who was waiting behind him. Even before I saw my opponent, I knew who it was. There, behind the shopkeeper, stood Daryl, looking shy and on the spot.

"Get on up there, Daryl," the shopkeeper urged. Daryl looked up at me, and I smiled and nodded. He seemed to find a bit of confidence, and he stepped up to face me.

"Alright," the shopkeeper cheered, "let the finals begin!"

I drew my opening hand. I expected to beat Daryl easily, at least more easily than I'd beaten Sarah. I was very wrong.[/spoiler]




[B]Next Chapter[/b] A Battle of Understanding! Jen vs. Daryl

Jen must defeat the same Duelist that she helped before the tournament. What will this duel teach her?

[legendhiro]

I totally did it! Five chapters in one night! I feel super proud of myself.



[spoiler=Chapter Fifteen]

A Battle of Understanding! Jen vs. Daryl


The shopkeeper flipped his coin, catching it in the air, "Jen, the block B champion, will make the first move."

I drew, "I'm glad you made it onto the tournament, Daryl, and I'm really glad that you made it so far. I hoped I'd get the chance to duel you."

"Same here," Daryl replied. "After you helped me, after you gave me the idea to make Normal monsters the theme of my deck, I was able to not only finish my deck, but find my confidence. I know Duel Monsters is a game, but it's a game that you can really make into something good for yourself. I've always wanted to play, and thanks to you I can."

He looked down at his deck, "I wasn't completely honest earlier. Truth is, I probably could have gotten some good Effect monsters if I'd traded my best Normal monsters, but they were my favorites. I couldn't trade them. Now, thanks to you, I don't have to.

"You have a gift, Jen," he told me. "I saw the end of that last duel. You figured out what your opponent was plannin' and you managed to overcome it."

"I knew my opponent," I protested.

"You dueled like an elite Duelist," Daryl insisted, "and the point is, as good as you are, I wanna beat you, to prove myself."

I smiled, "Then give it your best shot, but know that I'm not going to hold back.

"I summon," I began, "my 'Big Insect', and I equip it with 'Invigoration' and 'Insect Armor with Laser Cannon'."

A giant ant appeared. It came under the affect of 'Invigoration' and grew even larger, until it was taller than me. The laser cannon appeared on its back (ATK: 1200+400+700=2300).

"I end my turn," I declared, speaking with confidence.

"Then I draw," Daryl declared, sounding proud and forceful, "and I play 'Heart of the Underdog' and 'Non-Spellcasting Area'."

[i]'Non-Spellcasting Area'? No way.[/i]

"'Heart of the Underdog' lets me draw an additional card each time I draw a Normal monster during the Draw Phase, and 'Non-Spellcasting Area' shields all non-effect monsters from the effects of Spells. That means your 'Big Insect' loses its Equip Spells."

I watched as the 'Big Insect' returned to normal. I was surprised. Now it made perfect sense, but at the time of my conversation with Daryl earlier, I'd never considered 'Non-Spellcasting Area'. I'd been taken completely by surprise.

"Next," Daryl continued, "I set a card, and I summon 'Kimouri Dragon' and destroy the 'Big Insect' with Devil Dragon Flame (ATK: 1500)."

The arrow-headed devil dragon breathed black fire over the 'Insect', incinerating it (4000+1200-1500=3700). I took a deep breath. I was near panic. I wasn't even fighting the Order yet, and already I was trapped in a situation that I'd never foreseen.

I drew and looked at my hand. I didn't know what to do.

"I summon "'Pinch Hopper' in defense," I declared, "and pass."

"Then here I come," Daryl declared. "I draw," he looked at his cards, "and I show you 'One-Eyed Shield Dragon' to draw again."

He checked his next card, "I show you 'Armail' to draw again."

He checked again, and again, "I show you 'Warrior Dai Grepher' to draw again, and then 'Serpent Night Dragon' to draw a fifth card."

He checked his next card, and finally he didn't show it to me, but that didn't mean he was done drawing.

"Next I reveal 'Common Charity'," Daryl continued, "to draw to cards, and then remove 'Neon Knight' in my hand from play."

He drew again, "I play 'Pot of Greed' to draw two more cards."

He drew one final time. I was impressed. He had put together a strong deck, and I had a feeling that I knew what was coming.

"Next up," Daryl continued, "I play 'Polymerization', fusing 'Armail' and 'One-Eyed Shield Dragon' into 'Dragoness the Wicked Knight'."

A awordsman in yellow armor with wings, carrying a curved blade, appeared at Daryl's side (ATK: 1200).

"I summon 'Warrior Dai Grepher'," a swordsman in leather armor appeared as well (ATK: 1700), "and I play 'Ancient Rules' to Special Summon 'Serpent Night Dragon', my favorite card."

Darkness spread out like a dark cloud overhead, and a blue, serpentine dragon with a spear-tip-shaped head emerged from the darkness with a screeching roar (ATK: 2350).

I watched, in awe, as I was faced with a small army of monsters. Daryl didn't give me time to react. "Attack 'Pinch Hopper'," he commanded, "with 'Kimouri Dragon'."

The dragon incinerated 'Pinch Hopper' in a single blast. I looked at my hand, wondering if it was even worth it to use 'Hopper''s effect, and I was surprised to find that I still had an idea of how to win. It would take some luck, but...

"When 'Pinch Hopper' is sent to the Graveyard," I explained, "I can Special Summon an Insect from my hand. I summon 'Empress Mantis', in attack mode."

The frilly-necked preying mantis queen appeared at my side, rubbing her digits together eagerly (ATK: 2200).

"Then 'Serpent Night Dragon' destroys your new monster," Daryl declared, "and 'Dragoness' and 'Warrior Dai Grepher' attack directly."

'Serpent Night Dragon' flapped its wings, releasing a barrage of blade energy blades that shredded the 'Mantis' in seconds (3700+2200-2350=3550). The two swordsmen attacked together (3550-1200-1700=650). The impact was so severe that it almost hurt.

"I end my turn," Daryl finished, "with 'Two-Man Cell Battle'. While this card is in play, we can each Special Summon a Level Four Normal monster during each of our End Phases. I Special Summon 'Blackland Fire Dragon'."

Another monster, a green, winged dragon, appeared alongside the others (ATK: 1500).

[i]Five monsters,[/i] I thought. [i]He's been in this duel for two turns, and he's summoned five monsters.[/i]

"You have a lot of talent for this game, kid," I told my opponent. "More than I do. I'm actually shaking."

I showed him my shaking hand.

I drew, and looked at my newest card, "But shaken or not, I'm not finished dueling yet. I play 'Pot of Greed' to draw two cards. And I follow up with 'Graceful Charity', drawing three cards and discarding 'Gokibore' and 'Insect Queen'."

I added my newest cards to my hand and smiled. Once again, I had a complete plan. Of course, their was still a chance that it wouldn't work.

"I play 'Monster Reborn'," I continued, "to revive 'Big Insect'."

The giant ant reappeared at my side, hissing.

"I play 'Multiplication of Ants', turning one ant into two." As I spoke, the ant split into two smaller ones.

"I tribute both of my monsters," I continued, "to summon 'Metal Armored Bug' in attack mode, and I attack 'Dragoness the Wicked Knight' with Metal Claw."

My monster crushed the knight (4000+1200-2800=2400), scoring me my first hit of the duel.

[i]Everything's falling into place. Just a little more.[/i]

"I set a card, and end my turn."

[i]If I'm right, he's going to summon a monster that can beat mine,[/i] I realized, [i]and if I'm right, it won't matter.[/i]

Daryl drew his card, "This was a fun duel, but its over. I'm gonna summon a monster so strong that only one Normal monster is stronger. I tribute 'Kimouri Dragon' and 'Blackland Fire Dragon' to summon 'Tri-Horned Dragon'!"

Daryl's weaker dragons disappeared with a roar, and a massive blue dragon with a crown of three horns appeared in their place with a roar of his own that boomed, shaking the store (ATK: 2850).

"My monster destroys 'Metal Armored Bug'," Daryl commanded, and the dragon slashed with deadly-looking claws. The were inches from my giant beetle when they bounched off of a barrier projected by three chanting priests.

"Reveal 'Waboku' to prevent damage to my monsters for the turn."

Daryl didn't look happy. He was smart enough to know that he might have used his last chance.

"I change my other monsters to defense mode," Daryl declared, "and pass."

"Then here goes," I drew. "I play 'Pot of Avarice', shuffling the five Insects in my Graveyard into my deck to draw two cards."

I shuffled my deck, and I drew. I almost died of relief when I saw the two cards that I'd drawn.

"I finish this," I continued, "with 'Heavy Storm', allowing me to use Spells on Normal monsters again, and I play 'Swarm from Underground'. I increase the Attack of my 'Metal Armored Bug' by two hundred. Then I send the top five cards from my deck to the Graveyard and increase my monster's Attack by another six hundred for every Insect that I discard."

I picked up five cards from my deck and fed them into my Graveyard one at a time; 'Insect Whistle', 'Pinch Hopper', 'Insect Princess', 'Flying Kamikiri #1', and 'Great Moth'.

"That's four monsters," I said with a smile. "My monster's Attack increases by a total of twenty-six hundred!"

My monster was surrounded by an aura, and its power climbed (ATK: 2800+2600=5400).

"I attack," I commanded, "and finish this duel."

'Metal Armored Bug' ran the dragon through with its claws, and Daryl's Life Points fell to zero. Our monsters faded from the field. At first I though Daryl was disappointed, but then he smiled, "That was the best duel ever! Did you see how good my strategy did? I think with a little more tweaking I might really be able to make somethin' outta it."

"Yeah," I told him. "I think you definitely could."

"Thanks," Daryl told me, "for everything."

I shook Daryl's hand, and we parted ways. He returned his borrowed Duel Disk and left, walking down the street, and I rejoined Kris and Sarah.

"Good duel," said Sarah. "You feeling any better about the whole Egypt thing?"

I thought about it. I thought about how I'd just fought a duel that had completely surprised me, and yet I was still able to pull through.

"You know, 'cuz," I answered, "I think I am."

We bid the grungy little shop farewell and caught the next bus home, each of us feeling a little brighter about the future.[/spoiler]




All five Lost Chapters will be up in the first post shortly.

[legendhiro]

So I know I haven't been here for a while, and I have probably lost many of the readers that I did have, and rightfully so. Real life caught up with me fast, and I had to focus entirely on that for a while. Either way, I should have come back here to let everyone know what was going on, and I apologize for that, but I'm back now, and updates will resume to a point.

First of all, I've decided to put my Epic Battles thread on hold for the time being. The primary purpose of Epic Battles was always to bring together characters from other fics in, well, epic battles against other fic characters as well as canon characters, but doing someone elses character justice takes time, which I just don't have at the moment. I do, however, intend to resume this thread once my life settles further, so any readers I still have can look forward to that.

Second, my DFR thread featuring the sequel to my original Duel Force series is also put on hold for now, but the reasons are a bit more positive...

Which brings us to my third point of interest, I am reviving Duel Force. I have been talking for a while now about doing one last installment of the Duel Force's story, but I've decided to go beyond that. That's why I'd like to announce a new Duel Force continuity special that crosses over my DA book and my DE book, bringing the old and new characters featured in those stories together against a common threat, and leading into the story of the aformentioned next installment. There may also be another special somewhere down the line, but it's uncertain. I also want to let everyone know that the completely updated Duel Force series is just about complete and should be up in this thread within only a few days' time, along with the first of several character art pages that I've been dabbling with for over a year now.

And finally, and most excitingly I think, I've decided to give it a go at turining Duel Force into a web comic. I'm a decent artist, but my illustration skills are a little weak. Still, I think it'll work out well enough, and working on the comic will help me improve. Once I've gotten the details of that worked out I'll post more about it.

So I guess the gist of it is that I'm back, I will try to keep my readers better informed in the future, and I have some fun stuff lined up, so yeah.

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Book Two, Reign of the Reaper]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

Mysterious Arrival


I’m not one for exposition, but in the case of my life lately, I don’t see any choice but to catch you up. So here’s how it is. My name’s John. I have an attitude, I have a bad habit of finding trouble, especially when I don’t want to, and I’m bound and determined to make a difference in the name of all things good. If I were less modest, I’d go so far as to say that I’m a hero. You see, I’m a Duelist, which is to say I play the collectible card game Duel Monsters, and I play it well. Until recently I thought that Duel Monsters was just a game, but I was wrong. I’m sure you’ve heard of Duel Monsters, unless you live under a rock. Believe it or not Duel Monsters is really the modern form of an ancient contest that started back in ancient Egypt, or even further back, that allowed sorcerers to settle disputes or even to wage wars against each other. They did so by invoking the Shadow Games through the use of magic artifacts. Those artifacts still exist today, and so modern Duelists have revived the Shadow Games to further their own goals. But that’s not really what my story’s about.

See, I also learned recently that I have a destiny. Not just me, but my friend Tucker, my cousin Jen, and my sister Sarah, and eight other people who are supposedly tied to me. I’m supposed to bring together the four of us with the remaining eight so that we can defend twelve unique artifacts, the Duelist’s Souls, from the group that wants them for their incredible power. Not only that, but we’re supposed to [i]keep[/i] protecting the Souls until the original bearer of the first Duelist’s Soul is revived from the dead to take back his powers and defeat his evil half, and if that’s not enough, before any of that could happen the four of us had to go all the way to Egypt to release the Souls into the world, facing mortal danger along the way.

Crazy, I know, but true.

Anyway, it had been a few weeks since my team and I, the Duel Force, had returned home from the previously mentioned quest to Egypt and begun searching for the recipients of the remaining eight Duelist’s Souls. We were surprised when another of my family, mine, Sarah’s, and Jen’s youngest cousin Amanda, was already in possession of the green crystal, the Soul of Wind.

As soon as we found out about Amanda’s Soul, I sat down with her and explained the situation. She was very young, but also very smart for her age, and very mature. I figured that she would be able to understand the situation, and she did, even before I was finished explaining things.

I told Amanda the story of the Forgotten Duelist as we’d heard it from Duel Monsters creator Maxamillion J. Pegasus. I told her how he fought his evil half many times, finally ending up backed into a corner with no way out. To save himself, he’d given up his entire life force and the memory of all of his good deeds to cast a spell that would split his Duelist’s Soul, preserving his power, and send he and his evil half, Blackheart, forward in time where he’d have a second chance to win the fight. I went on to tell Amanda all about our roll in things, as guardians of the twelve Souls, and about our enemies, the members of the underground group, the Duelists of the Order of the Divine Cards, who wanted to defeat us and take our Souls back to their mysterious master. Amanda immediately understood the situation, taking it calmly in stride and declaring that she knew she’d be okay as long as me and the others were around. Amanda’s also a Duelist, and as a Duelist there was one sure fire way to make sure we were always around to protect her.

So that’s how Amanda became the fifth member of the Duel Force.

Amanda, Sarah, and I were all sitting together at the game center at the mall. The game center is like a combination restaurant and arcade dedicated to Duel Monsters. Jen and Tucker were up on the Duel Disk arena in the center of the large, high-ceilinged room. They had been dominating the Duelists in the game center in two-on-two Tag Duels all day. While they played, I spoke with Sarah about ways to discover potential wielders of the remaining Souls.

“So far the Souls seem to represent different attributes, like wind, water, and fire,” I said. “Pegasus told us that we would meet up with all of the Soul Wielders eventually, so it makes sense that they would be people we know, or people that we would have a chance of meeting normally. The Soul attributes also seem to be related to the preferred attribute of the Duelists that they belong to. If we wanna find other Soul Bearers, we should try to find the best Duelists around with attribute specific decks.”

“If there is a Soul of Darkness,” Said Sarah, “there will be a Soul of Light too.”

“And,” Amanda said, pitching in absentmindedly as she watched two kids Dueling at the table beside ours, “I have the Soul of Wind, so there should be a Soul of Earth.”

“Then those are the ones we’ll look for first,” I said, “the best Earth and Light Duelists in the area, and as quickly as possible. The Order won’t stay away forever, and we could really use the added numbers.”

As I finished speaking, Jen and Tucker finished thrashing another pair of Duelists.

“Oh yeah,” Tucker cried in true Tucker fashion, “two more down! Anyone else want to take on the dream team?”

Everyone in the audience began to murmur and turn away. None of them wanted to face the Duel Force. We were well on the way to making a name for ourselves.

I was torn away from my conversation, excited to see what would happen next, my gamer’s spirit getting the best of me. Then suddenly the Soul spirit Hiro, the only remaining part of the ancient Duelist’s spirit, appeared from his home within my Soul of Darkness in the form of a ghost that only I could see. [i]John,[/i] he said, [i]someone…strange has just arrived, with more power than anyone that you or your team has faced before.[/i]

As Hiro finished speaking, someone in the back of the crowd spoke up. “I’ll take you on. Both of you, at once.”

The crowd fell silent, turning toward the source of the voice. I looked, as the crowd parted to let the challenger through. He was about my height, wearing blue jeans and a large, almost black hooded sweatshirt, the hood of which obscured his face in shadows.
“I’ll take you both on,” the hooded kid repeated as he stepped up to the opposite end of the arena, his hands in the pouch on the front of his shirt. He was, of course, wearing a Duel Disk on his left arm.

“Before we start,” he said, “let’s make things interesting. I happen to have a few of my spare cards with me.”

He held up seven cards, ‘Masked Beast Des Gardius’, ‘The Masked Beast’, ‘Curse of the Masked Beast’, ‘Melkid the Four-Faced Beast’, ‘Grand Tiki Elder’, ‘Mask of Brutality’, and ‘Mask of Remnants’. Seven rare cards that made up a powerful and highly sought after combo.

“If you win,” the kid said, “I’ll give you these seven rare cards. But if I win, I get the two strongest monsters from each of your decks.”

“We can’t lose,” said Tucker, his eyes flashing behind bright red bangs, “and those cards will be worth a mint in trade value!”

“You’ve got a deal,” Jen agreed, brushing her long brown hair behind her ear and flashing the mystery opponent a confident smile. Jen is usually a careful person, but even she couldn’t say no to such an offer when the odds were clearly in her and Tucker’s favor.

Jen and Tucker re-shuffled their decks from the last duel and re-placed them in their Duel Disks. The hooded kid activated his Duel Disk and faced them down.

“I’ll move first,” said the ever-impulsive Tucker (LP: 4000), drawing his card, “and I’ll begin with one monster in defense mode and a face-down card.”

“My move,” said Jen (LP: 4000). “I’ll do the same.”

I sat back, [i]They aren’t pulling any punches, are they?[/i]

“Then it's my turn,” the hooded kid declared (LP: 8000). He picked up his opening hand, and even though he had to have an idea what Jen and Tucker were up to he didn’t seem worried at all. “I begin the slaughter with the Spell card ‘Call of the Mummy’. Now, if I control no monsters, I can Special Summon any zombie from my hand. So I Special Summon ‘Ryu-Kokki’,” a creature with the body of a snake and the torso of a man, all made of skulls and bones appeared (ATK: 2400), “and then I normal summon the deadly shadow, ‘Fear from the Dark’.” A man-sized creature made of shadows appeared alongside the first monster (ATK: 1700).

“Now,” said the hooded kid, “I’ll place three cards face-down and attack both of your monsters!”

I was surprised, [i]Either he [/i]doesn’t [i]know what they’re up to, or he’s far more confident than he has any business being. Unless he’s really that much stronger than both of them.[/i]

The shadow, ‘Fear from the Dark’, reached forward and slashed through Tucker’s monster, a large green turtle with a UFO for a shell. ‘Ryu-Kokki’ slashed Jen’s monster, a large gray rat with piercing red eyes and long bony claws.

“You destroyed my ‘UFO Turtle’,” said Tucker. “That means that I can summon any Fire monster with low attack from my deck. I summon ‘Flame Ruler’.” A bare-chested man wrapped in an aura of fire appeared (ATK: 1500).

“Also,” said Jen, “because you destroyed my ‘Giant Rat’ I can summon a low attack monster of my own. I choose ‘Pinch Hopper’.” A large dog-sized green grasshopper appeared at Jen’s feet (ATK: 1000).

“Next,” Tucker said, “I reveal ‘Backfire’. You take five hundred Life Points worth of burn damage whenever a Fire monster is destroyed.” A pocket of air near the hooded kid’s chest exploded (8000-500=7500).

“And now, since it’s my turn again,” said Tucker, “I draw, and then I sacrifice my ‘Flame Ruler’ to summon the mighty ‘Tyrant Dragon’!” Tucker’s secret weapon, a huge copper-scaled dragon, appeared behind him, roaring triumphantly, taking the place of Tucker’s weaker monster (ATK: 2900).

“The jewel in my monster’s forehead makes him immune to targeting Trap cards,” Tucker explained, “so don’t even bother trying to counter this. ‘Tyrant Dragon’ attacks and destroys your ‘Ryu-Kokki’, and then, using his ability, destroys your ‘Fear from the Dark’, Tyrant Burst attack!”

Flames burst from the dragon’s mouth, incinerating the hooded kid’s monsters (7500+2400-2900+1700-2900=6300).

“Now for my turn,” said Jen. “I reveal my Spell card ‘Multiplication of Insects’. This split’s the one ‘Hopper’ into two, and activates its ability, letting me summon any Insect from my hand.”

The one grasshopper became two, and behind Jen appeared an insect with a massive thorax, a humanoid torso, and long, strong insect legs. “Meet the rarest insect in my deck,” said Jen, “the ‘Insect Queen’ (ATK: 2200+(200x3)=2800)!

“I sacrifice my ‘Hopper Token’ (2800-200=2600),” Jen continued, “to attack you directly.”

The token monster disappeared, and the ‘Queen’ spit venom at the kid (6300-2600=3700).

“So, Hoody,” Tucker taunted, “how was that? One more round, and you’ll be dead.”

“Wrong,” said the kid, chuckling. “You can’t kill me. I am Death. Death cannot be overcome, outrun, or destroyed. Death is coming for you!

“I draw, and I activate the Spell card ‘Card of Demise’, letting me draw until I hold five cards, as long as I give up my hand in five turns.”

The hooded kid drew, and grinned, “Next, using the effect of ‘Call of the Mummy’, I summon ‘Spirit Reaper’ and his faithful steed, ‘Nightmare Horse’.”

“You’ll summon what and what?” Tucker asked. For once I couldn’t blame him for his confusion. I’d heard of the cards, but I’d never seen them, and I only knew generally what they could do.

On the kid’s field appeared a floating ghost-like creature wearing a long dark cloak and carrying a scythe. Beside him appeared a blue ghost horse wrapped in tattered bandages.

“These are companion monsters,” the hooded kid explained pridefully, “able to merge into the very instrument of death. I play ‘Polymerization’ to fuse my two monsters into ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’!”

‘Spirit Reaper’ flew over and settled onto the ‘Horse’’s back. The ‘Nightmare Horse’ neighed, and the ‘Reaper’ raised his scythe high (ATK: 800).

“Now, ‘Reaper’,” the hooded kid commanded, “attack the Fire Duelist directly.” The ‘Reaper’ flew right past Tucker’s monster, to Tucker’s surprise, and slashed him with his scythe (4000-800=3200).

“Hey,” Tucker protested, “you can’t do that!”

“I can,” the kid argued. “My monster has that ability. And because he successfully attacked you my ‘Reaper’’s second effect activates and you discard one card randomly from your hand.”

Tucker shuffled his hand and picked a card without looking, his ace monster ‘Legendary Flame Lord’. He placed it into his Graveyard.

“Interesting move,” said Tucker, “but you made a big mistake. By leaving your monster in attack mode, you made yourself vulnerable. I draw, and I attack your ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ with ‘Tyrant Dragon’, Tyrant Burst‘!”

Behind Tucker, the mighty dragon inhaled and exhaled, spewing flames across the field, engulfing the ‘Reaper’ in a torrent of fire.

[i]Something feels strange about this,[/i] I thought.

[i]I agree.[/i]

I was surprised to hear Hiro’s voice in my mind, as he usually didn’t stay outside of the Soul for very long, [i]Hiro? You’re still watching?[/i]

[i]Yeah,[/i] Hiro replied, and I saw him again hovering at my side, [i]I am, and you’re right. There’s something strange about that ‘Spirit Reaper’ card. It’s surrounded by the enemy Duelist’s aura, and I get the feeling that it’s a lot more powerful than it looks.[/i]

I watched as ‘Tyrant Dragon’’s flames faded. At first it seemed like there was nothing left of the ‘Reaper’, but then I noticed a cloud of black smoke. Something began to form from the smoke. “What?” Tucker said, as before his eyes, the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ reappeared, completely unharmed.

“I told you, you can’t overcome death. In keeping with this rule, the ‘Spirit Reaper’ cannot be destroyed by battle.”

“Yeah,” said Jen, “but you still take battle damage.”

“Not thanks to this,” the hooded kid replied as his face-down card revealed itself. “My ‘Spirit Barrier’ Trap protects me from all battle damage that I would receive while I control at least one monster.”

“Then how are we supposed to win?” Tucker asked, agitated.

The hooded kid smiled wickedly, “You’re not!”

“Calm down Tuck,” said Jen. “His combination is good, but just because his monster is invincible in battle, it doesn’t mean that it can’t be destroyed using Spell and Trap card effects. I activate the Spell card ‘Offerings to the Doomed’. By giving up my next Draw Phase, I can destroy any monster on the field.”

Mummy wraps burst up out of the ground beneath the ‘Reaper’, reaching toward him, but as they were about to ensnare their target a strange mask appeared over the ‘Reaper’’s face. A red light emanated from the mask, and the wraps were disintegrated.

“Reveal,” the kid said, “the handy Trap card ‘Mask of the Undead’, negating the effect of a card that specifically targets a Zombie.”

“You mean you have rare cards like that at your disposal too?” Jen asked, sounding somewhere between intimidated and impressed.

“Your deck doesn’t have many openings,” Tucker asked, “does it?”

“My deck,” the hooded kid replied, his voice full of pride, “is unbeatable. And now to further demonstrate why.”

The hooded kid drew a card, giving him three, “My only move this turn will be to attack again with the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.” The ‘Reaper’ flew straight at the ‘Insect Queen’. She slashed with her sharp exoskeletal fingers, but the ‘Reaper’ slid to the side like smoke and carried on past her, reforming in time to slash Jen with his sickle (4000-800=3200). Jen discarded one card without looking, a thoughtful look on her face.

“Your turn’s over now,” said Tucker. “That means I have another chance to defeat your combo.” He drew, and he smiled at his newest card. He looked up at the kid and said, “And it looks like I drew into just the way to do it! I play ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’.”

A powerful wind picked up, threatening to tear the hologram of the kid’s ‘Spirit Barrier’ card apart, ending its effect.

“Nice try,” said the hooded kid, “but I have another Trap card protecting me, the Counter Trap ‘Magic Drain’. You must discard a Spell, or the Spell you played is negated.”

“Crap! I don’t have another Spell,” said Tucker, and the whirlwind died out. Once again my team and the kid had skirmished, and once again the mysterious hooded kid had come out on top. From where I was standing, it didn’t look like there was much that Jen and Tucker could do.

Jen and Tucker took turn after turn, but they were unable to draw into anything capable of beating the hooded kid’s combination. Meanwhile the hooded kid continued to alternate attacking Jen, then Tucker, then Jen again, turn after turn, destroying their hands and preventing them from forming any combos of their own, until it came down to one final move.

Tucker had just been defeated, and his and Jen’s last chance was for her, her hand empty, to top deck a powerful card. “I draw,” she said, and she smiled triumphantly, relief apparent in her expression. “I activate the Spell card ‘Smashing Ground’!”

An invisible force came down from above. I expected the hooded kid to deflect the Spell, as he had every other, so I was a bit shocked when the force of Jen’s Spell smashed the ‘Reaper’ to smoke that dissipated rather than reforming.

“Now I attack with my ‘Insect Queen’, sacrificing ‘Hopper Token’ to do so,” Jen commanded, glad to finally deal the kid some more damage. The final ‘Hopper’ disappeared, and ‘Queen’ struck (ATK: 2600-200=2400), hitting the hooded kid with her venom (3700-2400=1300). The kid was still completely unconcerned.

“Activate ‘Book of Life’,” he declared almost absentmindedly. “I remove a monster in your Graveyard, your ‘Giant Rat’, from play to breathe life back into my symbol of death, ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’!”

The black smoke reappeared, coming back together to form the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.

“Oh come on!” said Jen, real worry in her eyes. “Just stay dead!”

The hooded kid laughed, “I told you, you can’t destroy death. But death can destroy you! ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’, end it, Deadly Slash!”

The ‘Reaper’ flew straight past the ‘Insect Queen’ and slashed Jen across the chest. She fell to her knees, utterly defeated (800-800=0).

In only about twenty minutes, two of my team had been hopelessly beaten by a single opponent. Reluctantly they handed over their cards. Tucker lost ‘Tyrant Dragon’ and ‘Legendary Flame Lord’, two of the few rare cards that he actually had. Jen lost ‘Insect Queen’ and ‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’, monsters that she’d spent years collecting.

As soon as the kid had Jen and Tucker’s cards in hand, he stepped down and headed toward the exit. He stopped a few feet from my table and spoke without looking at me, saying, “When you come looking for me, and we both know you will, listen to your Soul. It’ll know the way.”

With that he continued outside.

[i]He knows about the Souls![/i] I realized, shocked.

[i]He is likely an agent of the Duelists of the Order,[/i] Hiro said. [i]We should pursue.[/i]

I stood up and looked up at a confused Sarah and said, “I’m going after him.” I concentrated and flared up my Soul reaching out for the kid’s location. He was still moving, making it difficult. I stood there silently for several minutes before I finally found him. I ran through the interior entrance to the game center, out into the open hallway that led to the main area of the mall, intended to run to meet him, but before I could, the shadows along the wall reached out to me, pulling me through them spitting me back out behind the mall where the kid waited at the edge of a small patch of woods, his hands in his shirt pouch. He had already been waiting for me.

“Glad you could make it, John,” said the hooded kid. “My name is Max, and I’m here to test your strength for myself. You see, some of my allies have claimed that you’re too strong for us to fight against.”

“‘Us’ being the Order,” I replied.

“That’s right,” Max agreed. “But you see I don’t believe them. I think that I can prove here and now that you’re no threat to us. I think that I can fight you at only half strength, as I just did your friends, and defeat you as I did them. I think that I can defeat you here and now in a Shadow Game, using magic borrowed from my master, and take your Soul.”

I tried to remain strong in the face of my enemy, but as I stood there alone, having just seen what I had seen, I worried that my opponent might just be right.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

Pursue the Enemy;
A Battle with High Stakes

“Max is it?” I said, trying my best to seem confident. “So you’re the next red shirt that the Order’s sent to take us on, are you?”

“No,” Max replied. “It’s true that I’m one of the Order’s best, but I’m not interested in the rest of your team. I only fought those two losers because I knew taking their cards would motivate you to fight me yourself. My magic isn’t too strong on its own, since it’s not even my magic, so I can’t force someone with a Soul to fight me when they have nothing to gain. By taking your friends’ cards I assured that you’d have a desire to fight me. Even a subconscious desire to fight me would be enough to assure our game. A game that I’m sure to win, seeing how my ‘Spirit Reaper’ deck has never been beaten.”

“We’ll see about that,” I told him. “I learned just recently that no deck is truly invincible. Let’s get this over with.”

Max smiled, “Would you really so recklessly risk your Duelist’s Soul just for the chance to win back your friends’ rare cards?”

“Yes,” I said with a smirk, “I absolutely would, because I know I’m going to win. After all, if I can’t beat you I won’t stand a chance when your leader finally come knocking. If I can’t beat you, I have no business carrying a Duelist’s Soul in the first place.”

Max smiled beneath his hood, “Then the challenge is set and the Shadow Game begins. I’ll bring about your death!”

“Wait!” came a voice behind me. I turned to see Sarah running up to stand by my side. “John, this guy took down Jen and Tucker easily, and you just changed your deck around recently, in case you forgot. Let me help you on this one.”

I didn’t want her to fight with me. I was playing the part of the confident challenger, but the truth was I was really worried for exactly the reasons that Sarah had just given. I was hoping that my opponent would refuse my sisters admittance into the duel.

I looked at Max. “She can duel too,” he said, sounding bored, “but she must bet her Soul as well.”

I looked at Sarah and she nodded. Our Duelist’s Souls flashed and darkness began to form from nowhere and swirl around us threateningly. The Shadow game had begun, and if anyone tried to cheat or to back out of the agreed upon terms the Shadows would make sure that they were placed at the mercy of their opponent.

“I’ll go first,” I said. I drew my opening hand, expecting to draw one of my super powerful new cards. [i]Crap! [/i]I thought,[i] Almost all high level monsters none of which can be summoned this early in the duel. This is easily the worst hand I’ve ever drawn![/i]

I was worried, but I couldn’t let my opponent see. “I summon ‘Sangan’ in defense mode,” I declared, a brown fur ball with three eyes appearing between me and Max (DEF: 600), “and I set a card. I end my turn.”

“My move,” said Sarah, a fierce edge to her voice that I knew too well from the various altercations that she and I had had over the years, “and I start with my newest rare card, ‘Revival Jam’. I also play two face-down cards and activate the Spell card ‘Card of Safe Return’. As long as this card remains on the field, I draw one card whenever a monster is revived from my Graveyard.”

On Sarah’s field appeared a creature of barely coherent liquid that was only vaguely human in shape with a distorted face (ATK: 1500).

“Excellent move,” said Max earnestly. “Bravo Water Duelist. John, not so excellent. I expected more. But it’s my move now so it doesn’t matter anyway.”

He drew and looked over his hand, “I begin with the Field Spell card ‘Fusion Gate’.” Behind Max appeared a portal, emanating green light. “With ‘Fusion Gate’,” He explained, “I can remove monsters from play to summon a Fusion Monster instead of using the ‘Polymerization’ card. I remove ‘Spirit Reaper’ and ‘Nightmare Horse’ in my hand from play to summon ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.”

‘Spirit Reaper’ and ‘Nightmare Horse’ appeared. They circled around behind and flew through the gate, emerging in their combined form (ATK: 800).

“Next,” said Max, “since I have no cards in my Graveyard, I can activate ‘Dimension Distortion’ to summon one of my monsters that is removed from play. The monster I choose is ‘Nightmare Horse’.”

Beside the ‘Reaper’ the air rippled, and the ‘Nightmare Horse’ reappeared.

“Now,” said Max, “I remove my ‘Nightmare Horse’ and a second ‘Spirit Reaper’ from play to summon a second ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’!”

Again Max’s monsters flew through the gate, and again they emerged as one monster. Max had managed to summon two nearly indestructible monsters in only his first turn, when I had barely been able to make any move at all. Needless to say my worry was growing.

“As you know from before,” Max declared, “my ‘Reapers’ can attack you directly, so I attack, once for each of you.” His two ‘Reapers’ rose up into the air and moved to strike, but before they could get close enough to attack, they were deflected by a wall of living liquid.

“Reveal,” said Sarah, “my ‘Jam Defender’ Trap. As long as I control this card, you can only attack my ‘Revival Jam’.”

As she spoke, her ‘Jam’, which had stretched to form the aforementioned wall, returned to its original shape and size, and Max lost Life Points from the recoil of his failed attacks (8000+800-1500+800-1500=6600).

“Now unless you have another move,” I said, “it’s my turn again.” [i]Nice move sis,[/i] I thought. [i]My face-down was a total bluff![/i]

Max sounded mildly frustrated, but otherwise as sure as ever as he said, “I end my turn by placing one card face-down.”

[i]Alright deck. I know I just changed you around a lot, but I also know you’ve got plenty of good cards hidden within you. Give me one of ‘em![/i]

I drew. The card I got couldn’t destroy the ‘Reaper’, but it would do for now.

“I sacrifice ‘Sangan’,” I declared, “to summon my ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’.”

‘Sangan’ disappeared, and a tall, green-skinned, cape-and-headdress-wearing, horned demon appeared in his place, holding a wine glass full of a red liquid that looked a lot like blood (ATK: 2450).

“Now,” I said, “I use my ‘Sangan’’s effect to take a monster with fifteen hundred or less Attack from my deck and add it to my hand. I choose my ‘Magician of Faith’, and I attack your ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ with my ‘Dark Ruler’’s Darkness Energy Orb.”

‘Dark Ruler’ raised his free hand and summoned a ball of dark energy, firing it at the first ‘Reaper’. The ball exploded, but Max and his ‘Reaper’ remained unharmed.

“Reveal,” said Max, “the Trap card ‘Spirit Barrier’. I think you both should remember its effect.”

I scowled, [i]Damn! I was hoping to deal some damage before he could draw that[/i].

“My turn next,” said Sarah, doing well not to let her own worry show. “As your turn ends, I reveal the Continuous Trap card ‘Solemn Wishes’. Now, whenever I draw, I gain five hundred Life Points. I draw (4000+500=4500), and I summon my ‘Water Magician’ in attack mode.” A woman in a green cape appeared, carrying a staff (ATK: 1400).

“Of course I can’t destroy your monsters yet,” Sarah concluded, “so I’ll simply pass, for now.”

“This is interesting,” Max said. “I expected to see bigger plays from the leader of the Duel Force, but so far my greatest obstacle has been his baby sister.” At the word “baby” Sarah huffed angrily, but she stood her ground. Max laughed, an arrogant and decisively wicked sound.

“My hand is empty,” said Max, “and my monsters can’t penetrate your ‘Jam’ Wall, but it’s like I say, Death can’t be overcome.

“I draw,” He declared, smiling wide upon seeing his newest acquisition, “and I couldn’t have asked for a better card. Activate ‘Card of Demise’, letting me draw five cards, as long as I give up my entire hand in my Standby Phase five turns from now.”

Max drew five cards, and he smiled again. He had clearly drawn something good.

“I start off,” Max said, “with the fiend monster ‘Dark Jeroid’, a monster that can drain an enemy’s strength, summoning it in defense mode.” A strangely deformed headless blue-skinned mutant with multiple limbs and a face in its abdomen appeared (DEF: 1500). It stuck ‘Revival Jam’ with two stingers coming off of it’s back and ‘Revival Jam’ lost power (ATK: 1500-800=700).

“Next,” Max declared, “I play the Spell card ‘Pyramid Energy’, raising the Attack power of my two ‘Reapers’ by two hundred apiece (800+200=1000 (each)). Now I have one ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ attack ‘Revival Jam’, and the other attacks you directly.”

Both ‘Reapers’ rushed Sarah. The first slashed the ‘Revival Jam’, splattering it across the ground (4500+700-1000=4200), and the second flew past the first and slashed Sarah across the chest (4200-1000=3200). She clenched her teeth. In a Shadow Game the enemy’s attacks and Spells always hurt as if they were real, and the worst attacks were always consecutive ones. I knew it had to hurt, but I also knew that it would take more than two attacks to throw my sister off of her game.

“I pay one thousand Life Points (3200-1000=2200),” Sarah said, talking through clenched teeth, “to activate the effect of my ‘Jam’. During my next Standby Phase the ‘Revival Jam’ will return to the field.” As she spoke, the splatter created when the ‘Revival Jam’ was killed came together as an undulating ball of plasma.

“Don’t forget to throw away two cards,” Max said, still wearing the same confident smile.

“Don’t worry,” Sarah said, finally straitening up as the pain subsided, “I didn’t forget.” She discarded two cards without looking.

“I end my turn,” Max said, “with a new face-down card.”

“My turn,” I declared. I drew my card and when I saw it I was visibly relieved, “I activate the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’. I draw three cards and then discard two.”

I drew again, but the only card I could use out of the ones I’d drawn was a card from my old deck. I discarded the others.

“And now,” I declared, “I make my final stand with these.” I placed two cards on the Duel Disk, and the skeletal demon and the black dragon with the red eyes appeared.

“Go, ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ and ‘Summoned Skull’, fly through the ‘Fusion Gate’, and combine!”

The two monsters entered the gate, and a black skeletal dragon emerged, “Form, ‘Black Skull Dragon’!”

In terms of sheer beginning attack strength, the ‘Black Skull Dragon’ was my strongest card. It circled around behind me and landed at my side with a roar (ATK: 3200). But even with this mighty dragon at my command, I still had no way to overcome my opponent’s combo.

[i]This duel is going to be tricky.[/i]

“Kill ‘Dark Jeroid’,” I commanded, and my dragon blew Max's monster away in a barrage of fireballs.

“I end my turn.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

A Slim Victory


Max looked over my new monster with amusement. He knew that he still had the upper hand. Meanwhile Sarah drew a card (2200+500=2700). “During my Standby Phase,” Sarah explained, “my ‘Revival Jam’ returns from the Graveyard, and I draw one card from the effect of ‘Card of Safe Return’ (2700+500=3200).”

[i]Awesome,[/i] I thought, smiling, as the ‘Jam’ monster returned to its original form. [i]She uses her ‘Solemn Wishes’ and ‘Card of Safe Return’ to eliminate the cost of ‘Revival Jam’’s effect and gain an extra card all at once, each time ‘Revival Jam’ returns by its own effect.[/i]

“Next,” Sarah continued, “I sacrifice my ‘Water Magician’ to summon ‘Mobius the Frost Monarch’!” Sarah’s new monster, a tall humanoid creature in blue armor appeared (ATK: 2400), painting me impressed for a second time in as many plays.

“When ‘Mobius’ is normal summoned to the field,” Sarah explained, “he destroys any two Spell or Trap cards with his Arctic Freeze ability.”

A cold wind picked up, directed at ‘Spirit Barrier’ and ‘Fusion Gate’. The two cards collected frost, and the cards and the ‘Fusion Gate’ itself faded into darkness.

“In case you didn’t notice,” Sarah declared, her voice full of pride, “your ‘Barrier’ is gone, and without it you’re vulnerable. ‘Mobius’ and ‘Revival Jam’, attack ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’!”

‘Mobius’ summoned a powerful wind, directing it at one of the ‘Reapers’, encasing it in a block of ice. The ice exploded into splinters, reducing the ‘Reaper’ to a cloud of smoke which reformed just in time to be blasted apart again by the impact of the ‘Revival Jam’ slamming the ‘Reaper’ in the chest. Finally Max took some serious damage (6600 -> 4300), nearly doubling over in pain, only to recover quickly.

Max drew, “I set one monster, and I’ll change my two ‘Reapers’ to defense mode (DEF: 700 (each)).”

“It won’t matter,” I said, as I drew my card, “because my new deck doesn’t pay any attention to defense. Activate the face-down Spell card ‘Meteorburst’.”

“‘Meteorburst’?” Sarah said, puzzled. “But you told me once that you don’t like that card.”

“Thanks to my Spell,” I continued, ignoring her, “one of my attacks becomes a Piercing attack until the end of the turn. I attack your ‘Reaper’, Black Fire Meteor!”

Fireballs flew from the dragon’s mouth and hit the ‘Reaper’ inflicting even more damage on our opponent (4300+700-3200=1800).

“My move again,” said Sarah, “but unlike my brother, apparently, I don’t have moves that will work against you at the moment, so I set a monster and pass.”

“Then it's time that I took back control of this duel,” said Max. “You really should have paid more attention, Water Duelist. If you had, maybe you could have stopped this. I Flip Summon my ‘Mask of Darkness’, allowing me to return a Trap in my Graveyard to my hand, and I place that Trap face-down. Your ‘Revival Jam’ still poses a problem, so I’ll just have to get rid of it. I summon ‘Newdoria’,” An insane-looking fiend, hunched over, bound by metal collars and bands, appeared on Max’s field (ATK: 1200).

“‘Newdoria’, attack ‘Revival Jam’.”

“Well that’s stupid,” said Sarah, though she sounded nervous.

“Not really,” Max explained, “because when ‘Newdoria’ dies he seals the soul of another monster to his and takes it with him.” ‘Revival Jam’ stretched his arms and plunged them through ‘Newdoria’’s chest, and ‘Newdoria’’s body opened up, becoming a black hole that sucked the ‘Revival Jam’ in before it closed and faded away. Sarah couldn’t decide whether to be shocked, or angry.

“Now,” Max said, “with your wall gone, you’re open to attack. Activate ‘Secret Pass to the Treasures’. I select the ‘Mask of Darkness’ with a current Attack of only nine hundred. It can now attack directly until the end of the turn. Next I activate a Field Spell, ‘Mystic Plasma Zone’, raising the attack of all Dark monsters on the field by five hundred.”

Above us in the sky overhead a swirling black cloud appeared. Lighting flashed within it, and the power of every Dark monster rose, including my fiend and my dragon (3200+500=3700/2450+500=2950/800+500=1300 (each)/900+500=1400).

I realized what Max’s plan was. “No, Sarah!”

“‘Mask of Darkness’ and my ‘Reapers’,” Max commanded, “attack and destroy my only real opposition.”

The three monsters charged forward. The ‘Mask’ slammed into Sarah’s stomach (3700-1400=2300), and fell back, pushed by the recoil, making way for the ‘Reapers’ to attack, one after another (2300-1300-1300=0).

“No,” I said. The ‘Reapers’ and the ‘Mask’ returned to their original positions on Max’s field.

“John,” Sarah said, standing as tall as she could, her face contorted in pain, “you have to win this, no matter what it takes. We can’t lose the Souls to this guy.”

“I know,” I said. “I’ll end it this turn. Promise.”

Then I watched as my sister collapsed. She was hurt, and I got the feeling that the only way she would recover was if I managed to keep my promise and win.

I drew. [i]Finally,[/i] I thought upon seeing my newest card. [i]Seems like my new deck has finally decided to come through for me.[/i]

“I play the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’,” I announced, “letting me draw two new cards from my deck.”

I touched the top card of my deck. [i]Okay, I need to draw something now that I can use. If I give this guy even one turn, I might not survive![/i]

I picked up my two cards. Two of my new cards. Neither of them was any good in this situation. I was about to end my turn and admit defeat when I remembered my face-down monster.

“I continue my turn by Flip Summoning my ‘Magician of Faith’,” I declared, “letting me take a Spell, like my ‘Graceful Charity’, from my Graveyard into my hand. I activate it, letting me draw three cards and then discard two.”

[i]Alright deck, I know you’ve still got it, even if I did just rebuild you. Give me something. Anything![/i]

I was aware that I was actively pleading with my cards as I drew again. [i]None of these new cards will help,[/i] I realized,[i] but this one that I kept from my old deck is just what I needed![/i]

“It looks like your strategy just got blown away,” I told Max, realizing after the fact just how cheesy I sounded. “You have no face-down cards, so you can’t protect your ‘Spirit Barrier’ from this, my ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’!”

A massive gust of wind picked up. The wind tore through the hologram of the ‘Spirit Barrier’ card, reducing it to shreds. I expected Max to be angry, but he merely smiled.

“Now I finish this duel, Black Fire Meteor.”

‘Black Skull Dragon’ roared and let loose its attack, bombarding the ‘Reaper’. There was an explosion, and when the debris cleared, Max stood alone, trying his best not to show the pain that he was feeling. I had won, but barely.

I walked over to Max, “It's over, give me the cards.”

“The cards are yours as I agreed,” Max said, his face twisting back into the same arrogant smirk that I knew so well, “but you’re wrong. This is far from over. I was right to test you in this weakened Shadow Game first. As I thought, you’re going to be just as challenging an opponent as I expected. But I will beat you. Your Soul is the core. The key to the others. It will be mine.”

He handed me the four cards that he’d taken from Jen and Tucker and walked away, deeper into the woods, where he seemed to fade from view.

I looked back at Sarah, who was sitting up rubbing her head, and asked, “You okay?”

She took a deep breath, “No. But I’ll feel better just as soon as we get the hell outta here. Let’s get back to the others.”

I helped her up and we started back inside, neither of us willing to reveal just how scared we really were.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

The Order Returns;
Enter the Duelist of Earth

“With the very strong chance that the Order will be making another move soon,” I said, “we need to work that much harder to find the recipients of the other Souls.” Sarah and I had met with my friends following our duel with Max. We were in the Game Center, sitting together once again around our usual out of the way table.

“I know a kid who could be set for a Soul,” said Tucker, shuffling his newly returned cards back into his deck. “His name’s Robert Stone. He uses Earth attribute Rock monsters. He’s a good guy, and one of the toughest Duelists I’ve ever seen.”

“Do you know where he might be?” I asked

“He comes for the Duel Monsters Bi-Weekly here every Saturday,” Tucker answered.

“Then I guess we have a tournament to enter tomorrow.”

Tucker smiled, “You took the words right out of my mouth!”


We arrived back at the Game Center the next day at 9:00 AM for the tournament. Seeing as we were part of a fully-fledged Duel Monsters team, the members of the Duel Force were given slots on the roster, despite the fact that we were entering at the last minute.

“Alright boys and girls,” I said, addressing my team. “The first person to duel this Robert kid, ask him if he would be interested in talking to us after the tournament.”

The others agreed, and we set out with purpose, preparing to face our individual opponents.


[b]Jen[/b]


Those of you who have been following this story from the beginning should know me pretty well by now, but for those of you who haven’t, allow me to introduce myself. You already know my name, so I’ll skip that and tell you a little about myself. You know that one character in your favorite TV drama who always seems in control of the situation, no matter what, using his intellect alone to manipulate everything to his benefit? That’s who I am to the Duel Force. I’m the chess master. I’m always two steps ahead of everyone, or at least I usually am. Needless to say I’d disappointed myself during my duel with Max, and despite the fact that everything had worked out, I needed to blow off some steam. I was looking forward to the tournament, at least until I met my first opponent.

He was a blonde boy, about John’s age, named Nate. I walked up to the designated area within the Center, and I found Nate admiring himself in a pocket mirror, combing back his hair like a first-rate tool. He saw me and looked up over the rim of the mirror.

“Well hey there honey,” Nate asked in a vaguely southern accent that reminded me of that actor, Matthew Mc-something, “you here to ask ol’ Nate on a date?”

[i]Ugh![/i] “No you moron, I’m your opponent.”

“Ohh, well then, Nate is pleased,” Nate replied in true douche bag fashion. “Nate will wow you with his incredible skills and dashing good looks!”

I drew my opening hand, mumbling under my breath, “Get a life creep.”

“Allow Nate to make the first move,” my opponent declared (LP: 4000). “Go ‘Reflect Bounder’!”

A robot with mirrors on its chest and arms appeared (ATK: 1700), and to my utter dismay, Nate wasn’t done yet, “Next Nate sets a card. End turn.”

“Good,” I said, “because the more I hear you talk the harder it is to keep from hitting you. I think I’ve had about enough of this. I’ll end this duel this turn. I play ‘Pot of Greed’. All I need is to draw one of several cards, and it’ll all be over for you.”

“Impossible,” said Nate, combing his hair again. “Nate is superior.”

“Don’t think so,” I said as I picked up my newest cards, “’cause even though it will take every card in my hand, this duel ends now. I begin with one of my most powerful cards, my mighty ‘Pinch Hopper’ (ATK: 1000).”

“Mighty,” Nate asked as the oversized grasshopper appeared, “that thing?”

“That’s right,” I said, “and I’ll show you why. Activate ‘Multiplication of Insects’, sending ‘Pinch Hopper’ to the Graveyard to summon two ‘Hopper Tokens’ with half the stats of the original (ATK: 500/DEF: 600). Next, because my ‘Hopper’ went to the Graveyard, I can summon any insect from my hand. I summon ‘Nobleman-Eater Bug.”

As I spoke an eight and a half foot tall beetle with a brown exoskeleton appeared, holding it’s sharp claws up, ready to strike (ATK: 950).

“Next,” I said, “I play ‘Insect Imitation’, sacrificing the level five ‘Nobleman-Eater Bug’ to summon a level six monster from my deck.”

‘Nobleman-Eater Bug’ disappeared and was replaced by an egg. The egg split open and a beautiful and elegant four-armed glossy-winged insectoid woman emerged from within.

“Meet ‘Insect Princess’,” I told my opponent, “my favorite card (ATK: 1900).”

Nate ignored me, focusing entirely on his own reflection. Pitiful.

“Okay. Well then, here goes. Activate ‘Premature Burial’, bringing my ‘Pinch Hopper’ back from the Graveyard, and I follow up with the Spell card ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying every Spell and Trap card on the field.”

“What?” Nate said, finally paying attention to the game, “but that’ll destroy your ‘Premature Burial’ card, and your ‘Pinch Hopper’ too!”

Nate watched as a strong wind carried away my Spell card and his Trap card, which was revealed as the powerful ‘Mirror Force’.

“True, my ‘Hopper’ is destroyed again, but if you’d been paying attention you’d know that when my ‘Hopper’ returns to the Graveyard I can summon another monster from my hand!”

Almost as soon as it reappeared the ‘Pinch Hopper’ disappeared and a huge insect with a massive thorax and an almost humanoid body appeared in its place with a hiss.

“Introducing,” I declared, “the ‘Insect Queen’! Now I attack your ‘Reflect Bounder’ with ‘Hopper Token’.” The grasshopper lunged at the machine and was destroyed in a burst of light via ‘Reflect Bounder’’s effect, dealing me seventeen hundred damage, but destroying the ‘Reflect Bounder’ as well (3200-1700=1500).

“And I finish it,” I said. “‘Insect Queen’, ‘Insect Princess’, attack!”

“Noooo,” my opponent wailed.

‘Insect Princess’ released spores from her wings, and the remaining ‘Hopper Token’ disappeared, feeding my ‘Insect Queen’, who sprayed Nate with acid (4000-1900-2600=0).

“But Nate can’t lose!” Nate insisted.

“Sorry,” I told him, “but it looks like Nate just did.”


[b]Tucker[/b]


I was a bit luckier than Jen. My first opponent was the guy we were looking for, Robert Stone. He and I had competed against each other before and he recognized me. “Hey, it’s Tucker, right? How’s it goin’.”

“Pretty good.”

“I haven’t seen you here for a while. I heard you’re on that team, the Duel Force. The team that beat that Christopher Johnson guy’s team.”

“You heard right,” I replied, feeling a little proud.

Robert was shuffling his deck when suddenly his eyes grew wide and he stopped, staring right at my Soul of Fire, “Do you mind if I ask where you got that necklace?”

“That’s actually why my friends and I are here today,” I said, choosing my words carefully. “We need to talk to you. You have one of these necklaces too, don’t you?”

Robert ran his fingers through his dark hair and reached into the breast pocket of his vest, pulling out an amber-colored Soul. “This necklace just appeared one day out of thin air,” he said. “If you can tell me anything about it, I’d be happy to hear it. But what do you say we have a good duel first?”

I smiled, “Robert, you took the words right out of my mouth.”


[b]John[/b]


“During the duel,” Tucker told me and the others, “I told him everything, about the Duel Force, the Order, and the Souls. He seemed to believe me, and he wants to talk to you. I told him to meet us outside the Food Court and we’d all get some grub and he could talk to you. He wants to meet you.”

“But you’re sure he believed you?” I asked, thinking hard.

“He sure seemed to,” Tucker said. “Realize he saw the Soul of Earth appear out of thin air. If that doesn’t open your mind, what does?”

“Good point,” I said, still wondering. Just because this Robert had a Soul didn’t automatically mean that he could be trusted. If the Order had managed to get to him first, there might be another reason why he was so easily convinced.

We neared the area that made up the entrance way to the Food Court. I looked around. Robert was nowhere to be found.

“Where is he?” Sarah asked.

“I dunno,” Tucker said, looking around blankly.

“Well,” I said annoyed, “this probably isn’t good.”

[i]Soul of Darkness,[/i] I thought, pleading silently, [i]help me find a boy named Robert Stone and the Soul of Earth.[/i]

My Soul glowed, and I closed my eyes, information pouring into my mind. “He’s behind the mall,” I said hastily, already on the move. “We should hurry. He’s in trouble.”


We ran outside and circled the building as fast as we could. When we reached the back alley near the border of the woods where Sarah and I had fought Max we found Robert, surrounded by several large, athletic young men. They rushed him. He caught one attacker’s fist in his palm, turned, and flipped the attacker into the side of a dumpster. He turned back toward his attackers, deflecting another strike before was caught by a kick and sent sprawling. “Stay here,” I said to Sarah, Jen, and Amanda. Tucker and I ran forward, prepared to do what we do best. [i]Well,[/i] I thought, snatching something up off of the ground as I passed, [i]looks like Robert isn’t working for the Order after all.[/i]

The attackers moved in to strike the killing blow, unaware of our approach, and were met by a rusty metal pipe to the face. I stepped in between the slowly rising thugs and their target, planting the end of the pipe I had picked up firmly in the asphalt and said, “Sorry, but you might as well go home. You won’t get past me.”

[i]Be careful, [/i]said Hiro in my mind. [i]There’s a strange energy surrounding them.[/i]

[i]Well then,[/i] I thought, [i]I’d better end this quick.[/i]

The sun was setting. There were shadows everywhere. My Soul glowed, and the shadows lashed out like thick black whips, slamming into the remaining attackers, knocking them out.

I turned to Robert and offered him a hand. “Hello Robert,” I said. “I’m John, leader of the Duel Force.”

He took my hand, and I helped him up. “Please,” he said, “my friends call me Rocky.”


“Those guys surrounded me in the mall,” Rocky said. He was sitting with me and my friends in the Food Court, sipping a Pepsi. “They said that the Duelists of the Order of the Divine Cards wanted my Soul of Earth, and that they would start hurting people if they didn’t get it. I couldn’t let anyone get hurt because of me. I learned to fight because I wanted to help people. So I told them that if they followed me outside I’d give them the Soul. They agreed, and I led them away from everyone. I tried to fight them, but there were too many. If you guys hadn’t found me I would’ve died.”

I put my elbows on the surface of the table and interlaced my fingers. “Well you know what this means,” I said. “The Order is officially back in force, and I get the feeling that this might be just the beginning.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

The Duelist of Light;
John is Defeated!?

“My mom has been training some girl named Kimi at Duel Monsters for a while now,” I said. “She uses Light attribute monsters. If I’m right, she’ll be the one to get the next Soul.”

“Whoa, wait,” said Rocky, combing his fingers through his hair, “your mom is a Duelist too?”

“Yeah,” I said. “I taught her to play a few years ago. She developed her own style. She’s a natural. She’s at least as strong as I am, maybe even stronger.”

“And she trained this girl?” Rocky asked.

“Yep, that’s how I know that this Kimi girl has to be strong too.”

“This will be the Soul of Light right?” Sarah said. “That’s your opposite, John. Kimi could be as strong as you are.”

“Yeah,” I said, excited by the prospect, “I know.”

We were riding the bus to the mall. We had arranged to meet Kimi at the Game Center. She already knew all about the Souls and the Order and everything. My mom sort of has a problem with keeping important things secret sometimes. This meeting wasn’t about the Souls, or even whether Kimi would join with us. It was a challenge. She was challenging me to a duel. She said that she had a point to make. One that could change the team forever.


When we arrived at the Game Center, Kimi was waiting for us. I’d met the petite, dark-haired Japanese girl many times as she was learning Duel Monsters from my mom, but we’d rarely spoken, making this situation even more interesting. “Hey John,” she said, “I bet you’ve been wondering what this is all about.” She sounded serious, which was rare for her, and I couldn’t help but feel serious as well.

“Yeah,” I said, “I have.”

“Your mom asked me to duel you because she’s noticed something about you ever since you came back from Egypt. She thinks that whatever happened over there changed you, and that’s why you so radically changed your deck.”

“What does she think changed?” I asked, more than a little annoyed with my mother, not for the first time and certainly not for the last.

“She thinks that you’re afraid. She thinks that deep down you are afraid of the Order’s power, or your responsibility to oppose it, and that you responded by over-compensating and throwing off the balance of your deck. She says that you won’t make it unless someone proves it to you that you have a problem. Honestly I don’t know what she means, not really, but she seems sure. She wants me to prove her point to you, that you’re going to lose to the Order unless something changes.”

I groaned, “Why can’t she remember that I taught her how to play this game, not the other way around? And what does she know about the Order anyway, except what [i]I[/i] told her?”

Kimi ignored me, flipping back her shoulder length jet black hair, “You’ve lost your connection to your cards, a loss that could prove dangerous to even an average Duelist, but fatal to someone like you who relies on Dueling to defend yourself. And before you decline my challenge, keep in mind that accepting is the only way to get me to join your team. And you wouldn’t be here if you didn’t want me on your team.”

That got my attention, “Then does that mean-?”

“Yep,” Kimi said, holding up a pale yellow Soul.

“Fine,” I said, looking from Kimi to Sarah and back, “but if I win, you and everyone else have to drop the subject of my deck, for good.”

Kimi nodded, “Sounds fair to me.”

I activated my Duel Disk and drew my opening hand. A small crowd was beginning to gather, but because we were not on the main stage most of them turned their attention elsewhere within a few minutes.

“I start this duel off,” I declared, “with the ‘Mad Dog of Darkness’.” An orange-haired dog the size of a small horse appeared between me and Kimi, growling loudly (ATK: 1900). “I end my turn with a face-down card.”

“Sempei warned me of your offensive style,” Kimi said, and it took me a second to realize that she meant my mom, “so I’m prepared for your strategy.

“I begin my move by placing one monster face-down in defense mode,” Kimi declared, “and I end it with three other face-own cards.”

[i]Okay,[/i] I thought. [i]She can’t beat my ‘Mad Dog’ head on, at least not yet, but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t have a plan. Of course, if I don’t attack, I’ll never beat her. It’s my only choice.[/i]

“Alright, here goes,” I said. “I begin my turn by attacking your face-down monster.”

“Reveal,” Kimi said calmly, “the Trap card ‘Wall of Revealing Light’, paying three thousand Life Points to do so. As long as this Trap is active, monsters with fewer Attack Points than the Life Points I paid cannot reach me or my monsters.”

My ‘Mad Dog’ lunged, but a wall of light came up, blocking his advance.

“Risky move,” I said, “but it stopped me for now. I end my turn.”

“Before I draw again,” said Kimi, “I reveal ‘Solemn Wishes’. Now each time I draw, I gain Life points (5000+500=5500). Next, I Flip-Summon my ‘Agent of Creation Venus’.”

A female angel wearing a brown dress appeared to Kimi’s right (ATK: 1600).

“My ‘Agent of Creation’ has the power to summon beings of light,” said Kimi. “I pay five hundred Life Points to summon ‘Mystic Shine Ball’ from my deck (5500-500=5000).”

There was a flash and a shining glass orb appeared in the air, hovering above ‘Venus’’ right shoulder (ATK: 500).

“Now I sacrifice both ‘Agent of Creation - Venus’ and ‘Mystic Shine Ball’,” Kimi continued, “to summon my favorite card, the mighty angel ‘Wingweaver’.”

There was a huge flash and both of Kimi’s monsters faded away. The light faded and a new angel lowered to the ground in their place. She was tall with long purple hair and six wings, wearing an elegant flowing gown (ATK: 2750).

“‘Wingweaver’, attack ‘Mad Dog of Darkness’ with Shining Breeze!” ‘Wingweaver’ flapped her wings and shining feathers rained down on ‘Mad Dog’ from her wing tips.

“Reveal the Trap card ‘Blast Held by a Tribute’.”

“Counter Trap, ‘Solemn Judgment’ (5000/2=2500)!”

My monster was destroyed, and I lost Life Points (8000+1900-2750=7150). I had next to no moves left already.

“All I can do is set one monster,” I said.

“Good,” said Kimi. “I really want to end this fast. Your mom’s right, you have become weak. I barely know you and I know you’re supposed to be stronger than this. I draw (2500+500=3000) and summon ‘White Magician Pikeru’.”

A young girl appeared, wearing a loose fitting white dress and a Sheep Token headdress, carrying a staff (ATK: 1200).

“‘White Magician Pikeru’, attack the face-down monster, Light Flare!”

Sparks enveloped my monster, my ‘Sangan’, and destroyed it. “Destroying ‘Sangan’,” I said, “allows me to search my deck for a monster.”

“That won’t protect you from the direct attack of my ‘Wingweaver’,” Kimi countered, “Shining Breeze!”

The rain of shining feathers slashed at me (7150-2750=4400).

“Now I set another card and end my turn.” A hologram of Kimi’s face-down card appeared below her monster.

“My move,” I said. I drew, and I got my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’. In my hand I had ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’ and ‘Sword of Dark Destruction’. If I combined all three I could break through the ‘Wall of Revealing Light’ and destroy the ‘Wingweaver’ all in one shot.

[i]Come on pal, you’ve never let me down before. We’ll finish this together![/i]

“For my next move, I summon my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.”

My yellow-armored warrior appeared, but he was different. He turned to face me, his face filled with pain and disappointment. It hurt me to see it. Then, before my eyes, my favorite card dissolved into a cloud of black smoke and disappeared.

“No.”

“Do you see now?” Kimi asked. “Your deck resents you for butchering it. You won’t be able to win any serious duels until you settle things with your cards.

“Activate another Counter Trap, ‘Divine Wrath’,” she declared. “I discard one card when you activate the ability of a monster card to negate that ability and destroy the monster. It’s my turn. I draw (3000+500=3500), and activate the effect of ‘Pikeru’, recovering four hundred Life Points for every monster I control (3500+800=4300). Next I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards (4300+500=4800).

“Now I finish it,” Kimi declared. “Summon ‘Shining Friendship’, equipped with ‘Malevolent Nuzzler’.”

Kimi’s monster, a spherical green creature with tiny angelic wings and a halo appeared, surrounded by a purple aura (ATK: 1300+700=2000).

“My monsters attack,” Kimi commanded. I heard my friends talking behind me in hushed tones.

“No way,” said Jen.

“Did John just lose?” Tucker asked in disbelief.

I would have been bothered by this, but I was too deep in thought.

The three monsters attacked and I found myself engulfed in a wave of light. It faded and Kimi’s monsters disappeared (4400-1200-2000-2750=0).

Kimi walked over to me and looked me in the eyes. She was a head shorter than me and had to look up to do so.

“Go home,” she said, “and fix your deck.” She put her Soul around her neck, “Your team will be waiting.”

I went home and sat on my bed, pulling the card boxes out from under it and setting my deck out in front of me. I removed many of my new cards, keeping only the ones that I felt a real connection to. Then I went through my spare cards, reaching out with my Soul, feeling each card out. Soon I had a new more balanced deck consisting of cards that I knew were or would become a part of me, just as the cards in my old deck had been.

[i]We still need a way to test it,[/i] Hiro said. I hadn’t realized that he had been watching. I looked over and saw him in his transparent ghostly form leaning against the wall.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “There’s a tournament in the park this Saturday that should do nicely.”

Then I realized something, and I asked him, “Did you know that something was up with my deck?”

Hiro looked uncomfortable, [i]Of course I did, but I know you. The only way you would ever believe that you had a problem was if someone proved it to you, which I can’t do. But I have been watching you, ready to support you if ever you needed it.[/i]

I smiled, “Well then, I hope you don’t mind keeping up with the support, because new deck or not, I get the feeling I’m going to need it.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]

A Group Outing


“Listen, dude,” Tucker said, his hands tucked nervously into the pockets of his black flame-decal jeans, his back hunched, making apparent his profound frustration as we approached the far-too-lavish mall entrance, “Robert, or Rocky, or whatever, he’s a nice enough guy, and that Kimi girl’s kinda cute and all, but you know I’m not good with new people.”

“You’re not getting’ out of this, Tuck,” I told him. “We’re all a team now, we need to act like one. Besides, you get along fine with Amanda.”

“That’s because your littlest ’cuz is way awesome for a little kid,” Tucker replied as we passed through the outer set of doors.

“Don’t argue, man,” I said as I swung open the inner doors, held them open for an elderly couple on their way out, and then stepped through into the food court with Tucker at my side, “you’ve gotta at least try and get along. Rocky’s a good guy, and Kimi’s already helped me out. They deserve for you to give them a chance.”

Tucker huffed, “Fine, but only because you haven’t been wrong about this whole team thing so far.”

We made our way across the food court to our favorite table, where we’d talked to Rocky the night he was attacked by the Order. The table was more crowded than usual, seating Sarah and Jen as it often did, as well as Rocky, Kimi and Amanda. Jen and Rocky were very seriously discussing Duel Monsters, Jen doing most of the talking, while Kimi and Amanda made general girly small talk which Sarah was trying hard to follow.

“Hey guys,” I said, Tucker and I sitting down next to each other, between Kimi and Rocky, across from my sister. We were greeted pleasantly, and soon we found ourselves integrated into Jen and Rocky’s conversation. Eventually our conversation degenerated into a discussion about strategy in general, which eventually became a discussion about gaming, which drew the girls in as well. I talked to Kimi more that night than I had the entire time I’d known her. She didn’t have the same grasp of strategy as Jen or Rocky, or even me or Sarah, but she was charming and upbeat, and she was clever. She, and Rocky for that matter, were easily well on their way to solidifying themselves as perfect choices to join the Duel Force, maybe too perfect, as if the Souls knew who would work well together and only picked compatible people. Despite this, however, Kimi and Rocky didn’t seem to get along with each other. Rocky never argued a point of debate with Kimi, even if he clearly had a better grasp of the subject matter, and he avoided her eye, while still glancing over at her awkwardly whenever she wasn’t looking.

It was weird.

Finally, after a couple hours or so, the conversation changed again, becoming more general. That’s when I started to tune out. I’d much rather talk about gaming than about celebrities and music and pop culture. Still, I was happy to see my friends and allies getting along, more or less. Things were already going better than I’d expected. I felt confident that I could leave them to their discussion and head to Wilson’s cards for an hour or so before heading home to bed.


[b]Rocky[/b]


John excused himself at around seven p.m. I’d expected it. He seemed even less interested in the current topic of conversation than I was. After a few more minutes I considered leaving as well until, not for the first time, I glanced involuntarily at Kimi, blushed, and looked quickly down at my hands which danced nervously above the top of the table. Kimi was expressing her optimism regarding the future of some already-doomed celebrity relationship, garnering friendly disagreement from the others. I sat there uncomfortably, adding a bit to the conversation here and there just to make clear that I did know what we were talking about.

I couldn’t believe it. I had a crush on Kimi.

So I stuck around. Then, finally, once it was late enough that everyone began to worry whether they’d make curfew, our little gathering dissolved on its own. As we left I caught up with Kimi. There were two bus stops near the mall, one that ran in the direction of the home neighborhoods of the rest of the Duel Force, and another running in the direction of mine and Kimi’s homes.

“Hey,” I said as Kimi and I arrived at our stop.

“Hey,” Kimi replied politely, though I got the feeling that she didn’t really like me. Not that I blamed her. I’m not the most social person.

“That went well,” I said. “There are a lot of different types of people on Team Duel Force. I honestly didn’t expect everyone to get along so well. Maybe it’s just me.”

“I knew we’d get along,” said Kimi. “You can get along with anyone as long as you have some common ground with them.”

“Yeah,” I said, not as sure as Kimi but not wanting to argue, “I guess you’re right.”

Kimi seemed to notice how bummed I was, because she continued, “But yeah, things did go really well for a first meeting.”

She smiled at me nicely, and I smiled back awkwardly. Then her smile turned sad, and she stopped walking about halfway across the parking lot, the bus stop visible in the distance, “Listen, I know where this is going, but I don’t really wanna date or anything like that. I’m always busy studying, and when I’m not studying I’m dueling. Besides, my parents are only going to be in the States on business long enough for me to finish high school. After that I go back to Japan for college. I’d rather save something like dating for after my life’s settled down.”

I felt like someone had just hit me in the chest with a hammer and then fed me the hammer, and I guess it showed.

“But we can still hang out,” Kimi added hastily. “We’re already part of a team, we might as well be friends. You seem like you’d make a good friend, Robby.”

“It’s Rocky,” I told her, disappointed.

“But I thought your real name was Robert?” Kimi asked as we started walking again, more slowly now than we’d been before.

“Yeah,” I answered.

“Well then,” Kimi said, “it makes more sense to call you Robby, so that’s what I’m gonna call you.”

She smiled cheekily and picked up pace. I followed suite and the two of us reached the bus stop at virtually the same time, just as the bus pulled up to receive us. We sat across the aisle from each other, riding in awkward silence until we reached Kimi’s stop, which was only two stops before mine. Kimi rose from her seat, smiled and waved, and stepped off the bus, the double doors closing behind her. The bus started moving again, but just as it did my Soul of Earth began to glow faintly, and I was overcome with an odd but unmistakable feeling.

Kimi was in danger.

I jumped up from my seat and ran to the front of the bus, calling out that I’d missed my stop. The driver reluctantly stopped and let me out, and I took off running, back to Kimi’s stop, around a corner, and around another. I’m not sure how I knew exactly which way to go, but I did, and as I turned the corner into Kimi’s neighborhood, an upscale gated community with newly paved roads, beautifully landscaped trees, bushes and decorative flower beds lining grand two and three story houses, I came to a surprising realization that caused me to pick up my pace. This was the kind of place where retired cops and decorated military officers lived, where the streets were monitored by a neighborhood watch. It was not the kind of place that you would ever find yourself prey to a mugging, which meant the danger that Kimi faced was something even greater.

As I turned a final corner around a row of tall, expertly trimmed bushes lining one of the properties, there she was, being herded up against an old ’80’s sedan by a pair of assailants. Kimi was desperately gripping her Soul of Light in her right hand as she took one final step back against the sedan, nowhere else to go. That’s when she saw me.

“Robby!” she called. She reached for me with her free hand just as the first of her assailants struck, and with a flash of her Soul she disappeared, only to appear suddenly just in front of me. I had to catch her just to keep her from falling over. Not even pausing a moment to ponder the fact that Kimi had just beam-me-up-Scotty’d herself twenty feet we turned to make a break for it, only to find ourselves face to face with a third assailant who’d likely been playing lookout for the others. I saw this one’s face clearly, and my suspicions were confirmed. The third thug, a muscular African-American guy who was much taller than me even though he didn’t look much older, was familiar. I recognized him as one of the Order goons who’d attacked me in the alley behind the mall. In fact I could even see the welt on his head where John had hit him with the pipe.

The thug looked excited to get back at me, and he was already moving to attack. I had to act fast. I knew that his allies wouldn’t be far behind us, and there was no way I could take on all three at once. I ducked under his first strike and moved in close, turning, gripped his arm, and flipped him over my shoulder onto his back. Then, before he could rise, I stuck him in the bridge of the nose with the palm of my hand, making sure to direct the blow so that it would be non-lethal, and knocked his head back into the ground, knocking him out cold.

By then the other two were on us. I pushed Kimi behind me and turned to face them, blocking a punch from the first thug, a blond-haired jockish guy who I also recognized from the other night, diverting his strike to the side, caught the foot of the third thug, a big, black-haired guy, as he made an attempt to high kick me in the head. I gripped his foot as best I could and stepped back, causing him to overextend, only letting go once I heard the muscles in the back of his thigh pop.

Meanwhile the jockish thug moved in close, swinging the Duel Disk on his arm like an axe. I threw my own Duel Disk up just in time to deflect his, rolled into his torso, and elbowed him hard in his celiac plexus, knocking the wind out of his lungs and causing him to double over as he tried to catch his breath. He hobbled back out of my reach quickly, dragging his ally along with him, and the two of them limped to their feet, frustrated, cradling different parts of their anatomy.

The jockish thug smirked. “I see the girl has already allied herself with another Soul Wielder,” he wheezed, “and one that I’ve already met, no less. I guess it’s a good thing we came armed with something more that some borrowed magic and our fists this time.”

He pulled a round amulet with three red gems embedded in it, arranged in a horizontal row, out from behind his t-shirt.

“This is a Shadow Item from our master’s stores,” the jockish thug explained. “Of course we aren’t supposed to have it, but once we return it [i]and[/i] hand our master two Duelist’s Souls he’ll definitely forgive us for swiping it.”

“Except that you won’t be getting our Souls,” I insisted.

Both of the thugs laughed at that. The jockish thug held up the amulet, “We’ll see about that.”

The three gems began to glow a deep, evil-looking crimson and waves of force so thick that they rippled the air spread from the amulet and slammed into us, nearly knocking me off my feet. Kimi had to grab onto my arm just to remain standing. Without thinking I gestured at some gravel in a nearby flower bed. My Soul glowed a faint rusty color and the gravel flew at the thug. A lot of it missed, but enough hit to knock the amulet out of his hand and cause him to step back even further, breaking his spell.

I concentrated, levitating a larger rock as much as I could (though he didn’t know that), just to about waist level and told him, “You’re not the only one with magic.”

Jock Thug smiled, “Then we challenge you to a Shadow Game. If we win you give up your Souls, but if you win we leave and promise not to come after you again.”

I looked over at Kimi. Even though she wasn’t looking as chipper as she usually did, she nodded.

“Take your unconscious buddy with you,” I told them, gesturing at the third thug, who was still sprawled on the ground, “and it’s a deal.”

The jewels in Jock Thug’s Shadow Item began to glow again, and the darkness around us seemed to deepen even as it began swirling threateningly around the four of us. I faced off against Jock Thug, and Kimi faced off against the still-limping Big Thug, and the Shadow Game began.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]

A Duel of Survival, Part One


Kimi and I stood almost back to back, facing our opponents. My Soul of Earth pinged, and I could sense a little bit about the level of power that these guys had. I couldn’t be sure since I didn’t have a lot of experience with the Soul and its powers, but I got the feeling that a duel against these two would be very difficult. In fact it made me glad that I’d already beaten one of them.

“You won’t escape me again, kid,” said Jock Thug, drawing his first hand of the game. “I begin with ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards.”

He did just that, selecting one of his newly-drawn cards, “Next I play ‘Magical Mallet’, shuffling three cards from my hand into my deck to draw three cards.”

He drew a third time, and his face lit up, “Finally I place one card face-down and activate two copies of ‘Jam Breeding Machine’.”

Behind my opponent appeared two large machines, like round metal pods each with a circular hole in the side facing the battlefield.

“Each turn, during my standby phase,” my opponent explained, “each of these machines will produce a ‘Jam Token’. I’ll never run out of monsters!”

I frowned, [i]This guy’s already building up for a big sacrifice. Still, his strategy is risky. He may start summoning a lot of monsters next turn, but right now he’s left himself completely open. His face-down must be a Trap to protect him from a direct attack.[/i]

I drew my opening hand and looked it over, [i]I’ll attack with a weaker monster and bait him into using his Trap early.[/i]

I put on my best smug face, “I don’t care how many monsters you plan to summon later, because right now you have exactly zero monsters to defend yourself with. I summon my ‘Destroyer Golem’, one of the few purely offensive monsters in my entire deck.”

As I spoke a giant statue warrior was formed from the rocks and gravel all around us, brandishing his larger, sturdier right arm, which he used as his weapon (ATK: 1500).

“‘Destroyer Golem’,” I commanded, “attack him directly with Battle Fist!”

Jock Thug laughed, “If that’s the best you can do against me then I’ve grossly overestimated you.”

My monster charged, his fist raised. I expected my opponent to use his Trap, if only to protect himself from being physically harmed. After all this was a Shadow Game. Weak of not the strike from my monster would hurt. Bad.

I was wrong, however, watching with disbelief as the giant monster punched my opponent with all of his might, sending him sprawling (8000-1500=6500).

I frowned again as my opponent rose to his feet, laughing confidently, [i]I misinterpreted his strategy completely, and I’m already feeling the extra strain of the Shadow Game. I have to prepare for whatever’s coming next.[/i]

I selected several cards from my hand, “I place three cards face-down and end my turn.”

My opponent shot me a sneer, “I can see you over there, scrambling to prepare a defense against an attack that you know is coming. For your sake, I hope you’ve prepared well enough.”


[b]Kimi[/b]


The darkness curled around us and I immediately felt constricted, like a weight had been placed on my chest, a weight that was getting heavier with each passing minute. I gasped. The others had told Rocky and me all about the stresses of fighting in a Shadow Game, but this was worse than I’d expected. But I could handle it. After all, I didn’t have a choice, and besides, it served to push the image of Rocky standing over me protectively like a super hero out of my mind.

I drew my opening hand, [i]I don’t know how tough this guy is yet, and I can’t imagine that it would be much fun to lose Life Points in a game like this, so I’ll start out with a strong defense and try to buy some time until I know more.[/i]

“I summon,” I announced, “the ‘White Magician Pikeru’ in defense mode, and I equip her with ‘Heart of Clear Water’, protecting her from battle damage and from the effects of other Spell cards.”

A young sorceress in a white dress appeared wearing a headdress that looked like one of the ‘Sheep Tokens’ summoned by the Spell card ‘Scapegoat’. She raised her staff and became surrounded by a transparent magical bubble.

“I also set a card,” I concluded. “Do your worst. I’m ready for it.”

“You think that because you’ve so completely protected your monster that I can’t touch you?” my opponent asked. “Well you’re wrong. I don’t care about your monster. It’s like football. The only player who really matters is the QB. Take him out and the play’s over.”

He drew his cards, “I summon the direct attacker, ‘Jinzo #7’!”

[i]Oh well,[/i] I thought, the remnants of my usual good mood that had survived the last few minutes disappearing with his announcement, [i]that’s just wonderful.[/i]

My opponent’s monster, a metal-plated android with a white 07 painted on his chest, appeared at the thug’s side (ATK: 500).

“My monster attacks,” my opponent declared, “with Cyber Energy Fist!”

The robot charged at me, teleporting past my monster and punching me in the chest with an energized fist. I gritted my teeth, resisting the urge to cry out (8000-500=7500). Just like the strains of the Shadow Game, being attacked in a Shadow Game was worse than I’d expected. Lucky for me I don’t tend to stay injured for long when dueling.

“I didn’t expect that,” I said, projecting (false) confidence, “but I came to the party prepared. At the end of your turn I activate the Continuous Trap card ‘Solemn Wishes’!”

I drew my next card and my pain subsided in a rain of healing light.


[b]Rocky[/b]


Jock Thug drew his next card, “During my Standby Phase two ‘Jams’ appear.”

As he spoke each of his machines produced a small blob creature with a wicked face (ATK: 500 (each)).

“I bet you’re expecting me to sacrifice my two monsters,” Jock Thug told me, “but I have other plans for them. I play the Field Spell card ‘Wetlands’.”

“What-lands?” I wondered as the area from me to my opponent transformed into a soggy, swampy marshland.

“‘Wetlands’,” my opponent explained, “increases the Attack of every Level Two or lower Water monster I control by 1500!”

“What?!” I exclaimed, the two ‘Jams’ growing larger, their watery forms undulating fiercely (ATK: 500+1500=2000).

“Next,” Jock Thug continued, “I reveal ‘Aqua Chorus’. My monsters with the same name resonate with each other, increasing each other’s strength.”

The two ‘Jams’ were wreathed in blue light (ATK: 2000+500=2500).

“My monsters attack,” Jock Thug announced, sneering. One of the two ‘Jams’ stretched portions of its body into a dozen spears that pierced my ‘Destroyer Golem’, causing him to crumble (8000+1500-2500=7000). The other monster produced a liquid tentacle, striking me in the gut, causing me to gasp (7000-2500=4500).

“You’re already overwhelmed,” my opponent declared, “and my army of monsters will only keep growing larger!”

He chose another card from his hand, “I set a card, and I end my turn.”

He smiled arrogantly, as if daring me to take on his combo. I drew, uncertain as to do what I could do. I was happy when I saw my newest acquisition.

“I activate ‘Miracle Rupture’,” I announced, “discarding one Rock monster from my deck to draw a card.”

I drew again, “Next I plat the card I just drew, a second ‘Miracle Rupture’, discarding again to draw again.”

I decided to take a risk, sending the one monster that could save me to the Graveyard. I drew for a third time, and I was relieved to see that even though the card that I’d drawn wasn’t what I was hoping for, it was strong enough that it just might allow me to turn the duel around anyway. All I had to do was time everything just right.

“I summon,” I announced, my mind racing, “the powerful ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’, my favorite card!”

A giant warrior made of solid rock appeared, hunched down over me protectively (DEF: 2000). I glanced at the face-down card at my feet which, when combined with my monster, should allow me to stop my opponent’s attacks cold.

Of course, as much as I tried to convince myself, I knew that this duel wasn’t going to be so easy, and my doubts were solidified when my opponent laughed.

“Double the defense of that monster,” Jock Thug said, “and you still wouldn’t be able to stop me. I win next turn!”

He drew his card, and two more powerful monsters appeared at his side.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eight]

A Duel of Survival, Part Two


“In case you’re too overwhelmed to count for yourself,” Jock Thug explained, beaming with pride, “I now control four powerful monsters, and one of them is about to grow even stronger!”

He chose a card from his hand, “I equip the first of my ‘Jams’ with ‘United We Stand’, increasing his Attack by eight hundred for every monster I control!”

The blue aura around one of his original ‘Jams’ grew brighter and fiercer (ATK: 2500+(800x4)=5700).

“My lead ‘Jam’ crushes your ‘Soldier of Stone’,” Jock Thug declared, “and the remaining ‘Jam’ monsters finish you off!”

The strongest ‘Jam’ struck my ‘Soldier’, crushing him to rubble, and the remaining ‘Jams’ slammed into my torso, causing me to stumble back, coughing. Jock Thug laughed menacingly, waiting for my Life Points to be depleted, so it was understandable that he was surprised when I not only remained standing, but asked, “Are you finished yet, because I’m anxious to take my turn (LP: 4500-3000=1000).

“What?” my opponent demanded, taken aback.

I smiled, finally in a position to return some of his smug attitude, “Your deck isn’t the only one with a few built-in surprises.”

I gestured toward the battlefield all around us. Gone was the swampy marsh, replaced by an aurora of shimmering white lights. My opponent didn’t say anything, but I could see the question on his face.

“When you Special Summoned your two Tokens,” I explained, “I chained ‘Demise of the Land’, replacing your ‘Wetlands’ field with my ‘Chorus of Sanctuary’, which increases the Defense of every monster in Defense Mode by five hundred.”

I gave him my best smug face, “It’s true, I didn’t see your ‘United We Stand’ coming, but maybe if you hadn’t been so arrogant you would have noticed the change of scenery before you attacked (ATK: 5700-1500=4200/ATK: 2500-1500=1000).

“Now let’s carry on on a high note, shall we?” I announced. “I reveal two copies of ‘Rock Bombardment’. I send two Rock monsters from my deck to the Graveyard to deal you one thousand points of damage!”

I discarded my monsters, and two large chunks of rock appeared in the air, shattered into shards, and pelted my opponent, leaving behind cuts in his face and arms, and in his clothes (6500-1000=5500).

“Next,” I continued, “I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards,” I drew, “and I play ‘Card Destruction’. We each discard our hands and draw the same number of cards.”

I discarded three monsters and replenished my hand with three new cards. I felt a tingling from the Soul of Earth as I did, and when I looked over my new hand, I sighed with relief. I’d drawn just what I needed.

“Next I play ‘Monster Reincarnation’, discarding ‘Rock-Gun’ to return a monster sent to the Graveyard earlier via ‘Miracle Rupture’ to my hand.”

A card ejected from my Graveyard.

“Now, I remove ‘Destroyer Golem’, ‘The Statue of Easter Island’, ‘Moai Intercept Cannon’, ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’, ‘Alpha the Magnet Warrior’, ‘Millennium Golem’, ‘Stone Dragon’, ‘Medusa Worm’, and ‘Rock-Gun’ from play to Special Summon my most powerful monster!”

As I spoke the monsters I’d named off appeared and shattered into chunks of rock which merged together, forming a huge, four-legged, wingless dragon which towered over the field, letting loose a truly intimidating roar.

“The Attack of my monster, the mighty ‘Megarock Dragon’,” I explained, “is equal to seven hundred times the number of monsters that I removed from play to create him (ATK: 6900). In case you’re too overwhelmed to count for yourself, that makes him stronger than [i]any [/i]of your monsters.”

I made an aggressive gesture, “‘Megarock Dragon’, attack!”

My monster stomped the ground, knocking loose a huge chunk of stone which floated into the air and launched at one of the weaker ‘Jams’, a move which would have won me the game if not for a ring of light that appeared just in time to redirect the attack at the stronger ‘Jam’, splattering it across the ground (5500+4200-6900=2800). The ring of light settled on the ground on my opponent’s side of the field, surrounding his remaining monsters protectively.

My opponent looked shaken, but he smiled, “I activate my ‘Pixie Ring’. Now you can’t attack the monster I control with the lowest Attack. And as a nifty side effect, if every monster I control has the same Attack, you can’t attack me at all.”

He laughed and drew his next card, two more monsters appearing beside him.

“I can’t lose,” Jock Thug announced pridefully, “not when I control a never-ending army of monsters. Sooner or later draw another ‘Wetlands’ or ‘United We Stand’, and I’ll win. Why don’t you just save us both some time and give up?”

I shook my head, “I’ll never surrender to someone like you, not when I have someone to protect, and definitely not while I’m [i]winning[/i].”

My opponent was visibly intimidated, a bead of sweat forming on his brow, “I change the ‘Jams’ that were on the field at the beginning of the turn to defense mode, giving them the benefit of your ‘Chorus of Sanctuary’ card.”

Three of the ‘Jams’ changed their posture and were surrounded by a shimmering light (DEF: 500+500=1000).

“Take your turn,” Jock Thug said, “for all the good it’ll do you.”

I did as I was told, looking my opponent in the eye, marveling at the fact that, as skilled as he was, he couldn’t tell that he’d already lost.


[b]Kimi[/b]


My Life Points increased due to the effect of my ‘Solemn Wishes’ (7500+500 =8000), just as they would every time I drew cards from now on.

“Attacking me directly is basically useless,” I told my opponent, a bit of my cheekiness returning. “Not only do I increase my Life when I draw, I also increase my Life with the effect of my ‘White Magician’.”

‘Pikeru’ waved her wand, and I was surrounded once again by an wave of light (8000+400=8400).

“Next,” I continued, “I draw again and gain even more Life Points by playing ‘Graceful Charity’.”

I drew three cards, and discarded my ‘Shining Angel’ and her counterpart ‘Happy Lover’ (8400+500=8900).

“Now I remove the two monsters I discarded from play to summon a monster,” a beautiful woman made of pure white light appeared, wearing a flowing dress, “my ‘Soul of Purity and Light’ (ATK: 2000). I change ‘Pikeru’ to Attack Mode (ATK: 1200), and I attack with both of my monsters.”

‘Pikeru’ waved her staff, launching a flare of light from its tip, vaporizing ‘Jinzo’ (8000+500-1200=7300), and ‘Soul of Purity and Light’ raised her hands up above her head, calling down a rain of sparkling orbs of light the size of marbles that pelted my opponent, exploding against him like tiny fireworks (7300-2000=5300).

“I tribute both of my monsters,” I declared, “for my favorite monster, ‘Wingweaver’.”

My two weaker monsters disappeared and were replaced by a six-winged angel with long purple hair, wearing a flowing yellow dress (ATK: 2750).

“I set a card,” I concluded, “and end on a high note.”

But my opponent wasn’t worried. In fact, he was smiling as he drew, “Sorry to disappoint you, girl, but you’ve already lost.”

He selected a card, “I summon the most powerful monster in my deck. Come out, ‘Bat’!”

A monster that looked like a flying robotic probe with bat-like wings and a single lens for an eye appeared. It flapped its wings in a way that was supposed to be threaten-ing, but came off as silly (ATK: 300).

I stared at the miniscule little machine for a few moments, and then I burst out laughing. I couldn’t help it.

“That’s your most powerful monster?” I asked, trying to catch my breath.

“You won’t be laughing soon, girl,” my opponent told me, serious as can be. “I play ‘Machine Duplication’ and ‘Delta Attacker’, summoning two more ‘Bats’ and allowing them to attack directly this turn.”

I was still laughing as two more of the drones appeared alongside the first.

“Next,” my opponent announced, “I play ‘Triangle Power’ and ‘Limiter Removal’. The Attack of my monsters increases by two thousand, and then their attack doubles (ATK: 300 -> 4600 (each)).”

“Say what now?” I asked, stunned, the laughter subsiding.

“My monsters attack,” my opponent commanded, his monsters rising into the air, flying in a triangular formation, “for a total of thirteen thousand eight hundred damage! No matter what you do, you’ll never survive that!”

I smiled, shocked but not defeated, “We’ll see.”

The three ‘Bats’ swerved around my ‘Wingweaver’ and swooped low, skimming the ground before veering upward and toward me, only to be defected by a wall of light that sprung up around me, knocking the assailants away violently.

“What?!” my opponent roared.

“You assumed that I only increase my Life as I battle,” I explained, “but I understand that my Life energy is my greatest weapon in a duel, and I know how to use it. I reveal ‘Wall of Revealing Light’, paying five thousand Life Points to prevent any monster with five thousand Attack points or fewer from attacking me at all (8900-5000=3900). Your monsters were affected by ‘Triangle Power’ and ‘Limiter Removal’. At the end of your turn, your monster will be destroyed, while my monster remains unharmed.”

My opponent looked shaken, even more so after his monsters exploded in his face. I was in pain, strained from having given up so much Life all at once, but I was handling it, and victory was within my reach.

“Draw,” I declared, light restoring a portion of my lost Life and relieving my pain ever so slightly (3900+500=4400).

I looked over my hand. As strong as my opponent was, his combo, should it fail, left him completely vulnerable. So vulnerable, in fact, that I was about to beat him, and there was nothing he could do about it.


[b]Rocky[/b]


“You think you’re invulnerable,” I told my opponent, “but you’re wrong. You rely too much on your Spell and Trap cards. Normally your deck is quick enough that your opponent doesn’t have a chance to exploit that weakness. But I survived what was meant to be your final attack. You’re wide open and you don’t even know it.”

“My ‘Pixie Ring’-.”

“Won’t help you,” I interrupted, “once I destroy it with my ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’.”

I activated my Spell, and a gust of magical wind shattered the magic ring, causing my opponent to falter.

“Now,” I said, “I’m free to attack any one of your monsters that I want, including your monsters in attack mode.”

My opponent said nothing, but the defeat on his face told me that he knew what was coming.

“Go back to your allies in the Order,” I told him, “and let them know that the Duel Force is out of their reach. Make sure they know that not only are we stronger, but as long as we stick together it won’t matter how many of you come for us, we’ll never fall.”

Of course I knew they wouldn’t listen.

“‘Megarock Dragon’,” I commanded, “finish this.”

My monster launched his attack yet again, tearing through one of the ‘Jams’ and carrying through to my opponent, knocking him out cold.


[b]Kimi[/b]


“You focus too much on your opponent,” I explained, “and not enough of their monsters, or keeping your own monsters in play.”

My opponent scowled, “If you’d just [i]died[/i] when you were supposed to it wouldn’t have mattered.”

“Well, clearly,” I replied. “The point is that I didn’t die, and you have nothing left to fight me with, or even to defend yourself. Not only that, but you’re plenty weak enough for me to beat you in just one more turn.”

I chose a card from my hand, “I summon ‘Agent of Creation – Venus’, using her effect to summon two more monsters in exchange for one thousand Life.”

My monster, a beautiful angel in a flowing brown dress, appeared, glowing brightly. Her light spread, and from it emerged two of the angelic glass orbs, and I shuttered as I gave up more Life (4400-1000=3400), “Come out, ‘Mystic Shine Balls’ (ATK: 1600/500/500).

“My ‘Venus’ and her companions attack you directly,” I declared, “with Wave of Light!”

Light poured from the three monsters, flowing over my opponent and singeing him like a bad sun burn (5300-2600 =2700).

“I finish it,” I declared, “with ‘Wingweaver’, Shining Breeze!”

‘Wingweaver’ flapped her six wings, summoning up a barrage of shimmering feathers that rained down on my opponent. He jerked as if he’d been stabbed, and collapsed.

I looked over at Rocky, and my heart skipped a beat as his monster launched its final attack as well, knocking his opponent to the ground. Our monsters melted into the shadows, just as the shadows themselves parted and faded back into the everyday darkness from which they’d come. I looked into Rocky’s eyes, and I realized that being friends with him wouldn’t be so bad.

Just friends. Really.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nine]

The New Duel Force
vs.
The Duelists of the Order

[b]John[/b]


I got the entire team together the following weekend to go with me to the tournament. We arrived at the park less than ten minutes from the start of the first round, which I knew was cutting it close, but that was okay. Like the tournament the week before at the Game Center, we were pretty much guaranteed spots. I led the others over to the sign-up table, and just as I was about to sign my name, getting us started, I felt something through the Soul of Darkness.

“Uh oh guys, we may have a problem,” I said. “Follow me.”

I led the way, following the feeling emanating from the Soul, until we reached a deserted area of the park where nobody ever went anymore, known as The Old Park. It was incredibly run-down and there wasn’t much there, just a walking track that led to an old gazebo, some benches, a half basketball court, and Karen, Monty, and Lawrence of the Duelists of the Order, waiting for us.

“Didn’t we already beat you three?” Sarah asked dismissively.

“That’s why we’re here,” said the slender and beautiful brown-haired, brown-eyed Karen. “Our master has given us one more chance to defeat you and redeem ourselves in his eyes.”

“You were lucky that the Souls appeared when they did during our last con-frontation,” added Monty, who had spiky dark brown hair, and was the only member of the trio who even seemed remotely reasonable.

“Because if things had kept going the way they were,” Lawrence added, his lips curled into a wicked smirk, his amber-colored eyes flashing hungrily behind the bangs of his semi-short sand-colored hair, “you all would have died.”

“There’s no point in trying to escape,” said Karen. “The Shadow Game has already begun. Just by following your Soul to us you accepted our challenge.”

I looked around. Everything was darker than usual. I felt with my Soul. She was right. We were trapped.

I turned to Tucker, Jen and Sarah and said, “Alright guys, let’s make this quick. After all, we have other problems right now.”

“Wait John,” said Amanda. She, Rocky, and Kimi stood between us and the trio from the Order.

“You’ve been going through a lot lately, John,” said Rocky, “and I owe you one anyway. Leave this to us.”

“Can’t you feel it?” Kimi asked, smiling, her Soul glowing faintly. “These guys are no match for us. We can handle these three.”

“You don’t get it guys,” said Tucker. “These are the big leagues. They’re on a whole other level.”

But while he spoke I was still stuck on something that Kimi had said, that Karen and her goon squad felt weak. I summoned the power of the Soul of Darkness, and I felt what she felt, that Karen and the others were holding back. It was almost like the inner aspects of their personalities were fighting against each other within their minds, dividing their attention. In fact, when I concentrated, I could almost see it happening. Although I didn’t know what this meant at the time, I could tell that they were in no shape to duel.

“Hold on Tuck,” I said, “let’s give them a chance. I want to see what happens.” I turned to the Order and said, “You’re opponents will be these three,” I gestured toward Amanda, Rocky, and Kimi. “When they win, we go free.”

“And when we win,” Karen said, “your Souls are ours.”

“Agreed,” I replied.

As Karen and I spoke, Kimi moved to face Monty, Rocky moved to face Lawrence, and Amanda moved to face Karen. I was worried about them, sure, but more than anything, I was curious as to why their opponents seemed only to be operating at half strength. As I watched with an intense and somewhat selfish interest, six voices rang out across the otherwise deserted Old Park, “Duel!”


[b]Amanda[/b]


“So I guess you’re Karen?” I asked. “You don’t look like a bad guy, and you’re pretty, just like my cousin said. Anyway, I’m gonna go first. I set two cards face-down and summon ‘Harpie Girl’ in defense mode.”

My monster, a young girl wearing a black jumpsuit with pink feathers running down her arms and talons for hands and feet appeared, crouched down into a defensive posture (DEF: 500).

“A Wind deck huh?” said Karen. “Better finish you fast. If I let you get going it could spell real trouble, even for me. I play ‘Toon World’, paying one thousand Life Points to do so (8000-1000=7000).”

A giant green book appeared, falling open and floating in the air beside Karen.

“That sounds important,” I said. Anything that cost a thousand points had to be important, right? “I think I’ll get rid of it,” I said. “Reveal ‘Dust Tornado’!”

A powerful dust devil picked up, ripping the book to shreds.

“If that’s the case,” said Karen, looking truly confounded, as if she should have seen my move coming but didn’t, but that she was trying to hide it, “I set a monster and end my turn.”


[b]Kimi[/b]


“You’re the one that uses Spellcasters, right?” I asked. John, Sarah, Jen and Tucker had told us a little about these three from the Order, and I found myself wishing that they had told us more. I like to think of the glass as half full, but I was truly worried this time around. I wasn’t confident enough in my training, and I wouldn’t show it, but I was afraid that I would lose.

“Yes,” Monty replied, “I use magicians, and by the color of your Soul crystal, I’m going to guess that you use Light monsters.”

“You’re right,” I replied, impressed by my opponent’s observational skills. “Your prize is watching me go first.”

I drew, “I summon my ‘Agent of Creation - Venus’.”

My angel descended to the ground at my side (ATK: 1600).

“I also place two cards face-down,” I concluded, making sure to cover all of my bases, “and end my turn.”

“Draw,” said Monty. He paused and closed his eyes for a moment, like he was struggling to remain focused. Then he regained his composure and said, “Summon, ‘Skilled Dark Magician’.”

A robed sorcerer carrying a staff tipped by a spherical crystal appeared, three more crystals gleaming on the collar of his cloak (ATK: 1900).

“‘Skilled Dark Magician’, Dark Flash Attack!” The sorcerer twirled his staff, aimed at ‘Venus’, and fired a burst of dark energy. The spell was moments from the target when it was deflected by a transparent dome-shaped barrier that surrounded me and my monster.

“I discard ‘Marie the Fallen One’,” I declared, “to activate my ‘Hallowed Life Barrier’, protecting me and my monsters from all damage this turn.”

“In that case,” said Monty, looking more frustrated than I would have expected, “I end my turn with one face-down card.”


[b]Rocky[/b]


“I move first,” I said, trying my best to sound confident. “I summon ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ in defense mode,” a stone face and hands appeared, made of colored bricks (DEF: 2000), “place three cards face-down, and end my turn.”

“I’ve dueled your type before,” said Lawrence with a wicked grin, intimidating me more than I should have allowed, if just for a second, “and I’ve taught them all the same lesson; you can’t win by defending! I’ll prove it by gaining complete field advantage in just the first turn. Then, of course, I’m going to kill you, but yeah. Anyway, I summon ‘Lord of Dragons’, and I combine him with two of the magical ‘Flute of Summoning Dagon’ Spell cards to call three dragons from my hand!”

On Lawrence’s field appeared the emerald-skinned ‘Luster Dragon #2’, the diamond-skinned ‘Hyozanryu’, and the armless, legless, four-winged ‘Different Dimension Dragon’. The three dragons roared (ATK: 2400 / ATK: 2100 / ATK: 1200). My monster and I were equally un-fazed. After all, I don’t appreciate threats.

“Now I attack and destroy the ‘Statue’, and hit the Duelist directly!”

The three dragons roared again. As far as they and their master could tell, I was completely at their mercy.

I smiled, [i]Won’t they be surprised.[/i]


[b]Amanda[/b]


“I’m gonna assume that your set monster has an effect,” I told Karen, having absolutely no idea what her monster could be and not really caring, “so I’ll set another card, to be safe, and summon my ‘Harpie Lady 2’, attack mode.”

A monster that looked like the adult version of my ‘Harpie Girl with long orange hair appeared beside me (ATK: 1300).

“Next I change ‘Harpie Girl’ to attack mode (ATK: 500),” I said, “and I attack with ‘Harpie Lady 2’. When she destroys a monster, its effect is negated. Go, Scratch Attack.”

My ‘Harpie’ flew forward with a battle-hungry smile on her face and slashed the face-down monster to bits with her claws. It was a woman with a staff wearing a purple gown. John uses her. I think she’s called ‘Magician of Faith’.

“And I attack with ‘Harpie Girl’, Youthful Scratch!” The girl flew forward with even more enthusiasm than her elder counterpart and scratched Karen in the face before returning to my side, giggling (7000-500=6500).

“And I guess I’ll set one more card,” I said, “even though it only leaves one card in my hand. End turn.”

“I think I’ve let you play enough,” said Karen. She seemed mad that I’d killed her monster. “It’s time I finished this. I initiate the ‘Black Illusion Ritual’, offering ‘Thousand-Eyes Idol’ to summon the God of Assimilation, the mighty ‘Relinquished’!”

A monster too weird to accurately describe (Google Image it) appeared in a burst of black fire, its body opening up like two flaps so that it could suck my ‘Harpie Lady 2’ inside. The flaps lowered, and my monster half emerged from the ‘Relinquished’’s flesh, and the Ritual monster’s Attack points went up (ATK: 0 -> 1300).

“‘Relinquished’,” Karen commanded, “attack ‘Harpie Girl’, Scratch Attack!”

The weird monster slid forward, hanging in the air, until it reached my other monster. The absorbed ‘Harpie’ stretched out from the creature’s body, preparing to strike.

“Reveal,” I said, “the Trap card ‘Fairy Box’.” A box with holes like a whack-a-mole game appeared around my ‘Harpie Girl’. She stuck her head out of the hole, and ‘Harpie’/’Relinquished’ reached. ‘Harpie Girl’ ducked inside, and the absorbed ‘Harpie’ overexerted herself (ATK: 1300 -> 0). Then ‘Harpie Girl’ shot up out of the hole and slashed the older ‘Harpie’, destroying her. My opponent and I both took the hit to our Life Points (8000-500=7500/6500-500=6000), which really surprised me, even though I shrugged it off.

“Now,” I said, “if I’m right, your ‘Relinquished’ is defenseless. But that’s not the worst of it, at least as far as you’re concerned. I discard ‘Harpie’s Pet Dragon’, the only card in my hand, to activate ‘Rope of Life’, returning my ‘Harpie Lady 2’ destroyed in battle this turn to the field with an extra 800 Attack Points.”

The orange-haired bird woman returned (ATK: 1300+800=2100).

“I protect my monster,” said Karen, “with one of my most powerful combos. Three face-down cards. End turn.”

“I don’t think so,” I said, unconcerned. “Reveal ‘Giant Trunade’, returning all Spells and Traps to our hands.” A wind picked up, lifting Karen’s cards into the air, revealing them as ‘Physical Double’, ‘Stanch Defender’, and ‘Rush Recklessly’. John had told me about that combo. I was glad that she hadn’t been able to use it.

“Activate three more Spells,” I said, “‘Monster Reborn’ and two copies of ‘Elegant Egotist’, reviving ‘Harpie’s Pet Dragon’ and summoning ‘Harpie Lady 1’ and ‘Harpie Lady 3’ from my deck.”

A large red dragon wearing an elegant necklace, and two more ‘Harpies’, one with red hair, and one with blue hair, appeared on my side of the field. The dragon gained Attack for every ‘Harpie’ that I controlled (ATK: 2000+900=2900 / ATK: 1300 (each)).

“Next all of my monsters gain three hundred Attack and Defense from the effect of ‘Harpie Lady 1’,” I explained, my monsters becoming even stronger before my eyes (2900+300=3200 / 2100+300=2400 / 1300+300=1600 (each) / 500+300=800).

“I attack with ‘Harpie Girl’,” My favorite monster flew forward and slashed the bizarre ‘Relinquished’ apart (6000+0-800=5200), “and I finish you with Pet Flame and Triangle Ecstasy Spark!”

The dragon breathed fire, and the three ‘Harpie Ladies’ released a wave of energy, hitting Karen and dropping her to her knees (5200-3200-5000=0).

I looked down at my defeated opponent, “Wow, I didn’t even know what [i]any[/i] of your cards did, and that was still one of the most boring duels I’ve ever fought.


[b]Rocky[/b]


“I reveal,” I told my arrogant ass of an opponent, “all three of my face-down cards, ‘Staunch Defender’, ‘The Reliable Guardian’, and ‘Cross Counter’. ‘Staunch Defender’ draws all of your attacks toward my monster, and ‘The Reliable Guardian’ raises the ‘Statues’’s Defense by seven hundred points (2000+700+2700).”

The various fire and beam attacks launched by the dragons were pulled toward the ‘Statue’, and were caught by a red light barrier that he summoned from his eyes, and compressed into a swirling ball of light and fire.

“My ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ already doubles the battle damage that you take from attacking it,” I explained, “but thanks to ‘Cross Counter’, your attacks are reversed and the damage is doubled again.”

“That’s not possible,” said Lawrence dismissively. “That would mean that you deal me-.”

“That’s right,” I said confidently, “fifteen thousand six hundred damage.”

Lawrence swallowed nervously, “Are you serious?”

“Why don’t you find out?”

My ‘Statues’’s eyes flashed, and the energy from the attacks erupted out, en-gulfing Lawrence’s field, destroying his monsters and knocking him forcefully onto his back. I walked over to him as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, groaning indignantly.

“That,” I said, “is how you win a duel.”


[b]Kimi[/b]


“I begin my turn,” I said, “with the effect of ‘Marie the Fallen One’. Each turn that she remains in the Graveyard, I gain two hundred Life Points (8000+200=8200). And I follow up with the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your face-down card.”

A burst of wind ripped Monty’s card in half. “You managed to disarm my ‘Spellbinding Circle’,” Monty said. “Good move.”

“Thank you,” I replied smugly. “Next, I pay fifteen hundred Life Points to summon three ‘Mystic Shine Balls’ to the field.” Three of the colorful glass orbs appeared, circling my angel’s head (ATK: 500 (each)).

“Next I reveal ‘Solar Ray’, allowing each of my monsters to attack you for six hundred points of burn damage,” I declared. My four monsters fired beams of light that hit Monty directly (8000-1600=5600).

“Now,” I said, “I sacrifice two ‘Shine Balls’ to summon my ‘Wingweaver’,” two of the orbs gave way to the six-winged angel, “and equip her with ‘Cestus of Dagla’, increasing her Attack.”

In each of ‘Wingweaver’’s outstretched hands appeared a curved blade (ATK: 2750+500 =3250).

“Every Life Point that my ‘Wingweaver’ takes from you using these swords is transferred to me,” I explained. “I attack with all three of my monsters.”

‘Wingweaver’ slashed the ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ in half, and ‘Shine Ball’ and ‘Venus’ hit Monty with waves of light (5600+1900-3250-500-1600=2150/6700+ 1350=8050).

“You made a good move,” said Monty, “but I still have a few tricks up my sleeve. I pay eight hundred Life Points (2150-800=1350) to activate ‘Premature Burial’ and summon ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ from the Graveyard. Next the activation of ‘Premature Burial’ resolves, and my monster gains a Spell Counter.” One of the three crystals on the ‘Magician’’s robe lit up.

“Next I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ and chain ‘Serial Spell’. Essentially I throw out my hand and draw four cards. But, more importantly, my ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ gains another two counters,” the other two crystals lit up as well.

“Now,” Monty declared, “I sacrifice ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ bearing three Spell Counters to summon ‘Dark Magician’ from my Graveyard.” The ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ disappeared, and in a swirl of light the most famous Spellcaster, the purple-clad, staff-wielding ‘Dark Magician’, took his place (ATK: 2500).

“Equip ‘Dark Magician’ with the Spell card ‘Magic Formula’,” a book appeared in the ‘Magician’’s free hand, “and I disarm you ‘Wingweaver’ with the Spell card ‘Dark Magic Attack’.”

‘Dark Magician’ launched a beam of dark light that hit the twin swords and my face-down card.

“Chain,” I countered, “a second ‘Solar Ray’, allowing my monsters to counter-attack for six hundred points of damage apiece, just like before.”

“Brilliant,” said Monty, and I got the sense that he was genuinely impressed. As he spoke my three monsters rose up above the blast from the ‘Dark Magic Attack’ and released their light, erasing the ‘Dark Magician’ and hitting my opponent, wiping him out of the duel.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Ten]

The Story of the Order

[b]John[/b]


“No,” said Karen, “this can’t happen.” She stepped back. Monty and Lawrence moved to join her. Monty looked thoughtful, and Lawrence looked angry, but not at us. Rocky, Kimi, and Amanda moved to join me, Sarah, Tucker, and Jen across the walking path from our enemies.

By then I’d formed a pretty good theory as to what was going on with the Duelists of the Order. Just as I’d guessed, as impressive as my three newest team-mates had been, the Order would have won had they been fighting at full strength. I had a theory, but before I acted, I needed proof.

[i]Hiro,[/i] I asked mentally, [i]you still watching?[/i]

[i]Yeah, [/i]Hiro answered, and I could sense him there with me in spirit, [i]and I think I’m thinking what you’re thinking.[/i]

[i]So that energy that you sensed around the thugs behind the mall, [/i]I said,[i] you sense it around these three as well?”[/i]

[i]Yes, [/i]Hiro answered, and I had all of the proof I needed.

Meanwhile, the darkness behind the Order came to life, forming a large face with glowing red eyes. It approached the three and said, “You have failed me again. I have already told you that failure will not be tolerated. Now, return my magic to me, and prepare to feel your spirits devoured!”

Tendrils of energy linking the shadow with the Duelists of the Order retracted, and I felt their magical energies disappear into the shadow’s incoherent form. All three members of the Order took deep breaths, shocked looks on their faces, like they were waking up from a dream. I sensed in that moment that the fighting within their psyches had stopped.

They were free of the shadow form’s control.

The shadow reached out to them, and they took up defensive stances. With the shadow’s full attention focused on the Order, I took the opportunity to act. I walked slowly toward the shadow, my hands in my pockets to indicate just how confident I was. My Soul flared up, and the shadow’s “hands” dissolved. “You may want to rethink that,” I said. “You are made of shadows. I control shadows. These three are under my protection now.”

The shadow smiled, “I’m surprised, Dark Duelist, that you would protect these three after all that they have done to you.”

“Cut the act. I already figured it out. These three didn’t do any of those things of their own free will. You made them through brainwashing, or through some form of magic mind control, I’m not really sure which. Either way, I know now that they are not my enemies, but that you are. Now leave, or I swear, wherever and whatever you are, my next attack will destroy you.”

The shadow frowned, “This isn’t over. Their souls are mine, they belong to me. I will have them!”

And the shadow and the darkness that surrounded us faded away.

Karen sighed, truly relieved, “Thank you. You saved us from Yami.”

“Yami?” I asked.

She smiled, still disoriented, “The master of the Order. We call him Yami because he’s never been seen without a shroud of darkness covering his face.”

“And he’s been controlling you?”

“Not completely,” said Monty, blinking like he was trying to clear his vision. “It’s more like he was influencing us, dredging up the darkest parts of us and bringing them to the surface.”

I looked at Lawrence, expecting him to speak as well, but he only glared at me, [i]Guess his real self is just as charming as his “influenced” self.[/i]

“I don’t understand,” said Tucker, standing at my side.

“Well then,” said Karen, “I guess I should start at the beginning.”


“It all started a couple years ago,” Karen said. The ten of us were sitting in the old gazebo in the back of the Old Park. “Apparently Yami, whoever or whatever he is, was trapped in the Shadows as a penalty for losing a high ranking Shadow Game. But he managed to hang on ever so slightly to his place in this dimension. Soon he started to take advantage of his new non-corporeal form, communicating subliminally with duelist in our dimension.”

She noticed Tucker scratching his head, confused, but she continued anyway, “After enough time perfecting his new abilities, Yami discovered a way to influence certain duelists the way that he influenced us. It takes a lot of energy, and he can only control people who have experienced tragedy, or people who have evil hearts, so he’d rather not exert force over someone if he doesn’t have to. That’s why when anyone proves too weak to serve his purposes, he gets rid of them, like he tried to do to us, consuming their souls to increase his power. There is a rumor that he can appear in our realm, but only for short periods of time.

“I was training under Maxamillion Pegasus at Duelist Kingdom, part of a program for orphaned kids, the first time I felt Yami’s presence in my mind,” Karen explained, sparking a feeling of sympathy from me, “though I barely even noticed back then. Eventually I decided that Pegasus’ program wasn’t for me and, guided by Yami’s influence, I found my way to the Order, which promised to take in troubled kids,” she glanced over a Lawrence, “or kids with troubles, who were good Duelists, and help them make lives for themselves.

“I was teamed with Monty and Lawrence and the three of us trained to work together. But when Yami put us together, he screwed up. He let us see enough of the Order that we were able to figure out the truth. The Order wasn’t helping kids, it was turning them into soldiers to use to hunt down the magical Shadow Items, even going so far to train its more loyal members in the use of the Shadow Items and to kill anyone who got in their way. The Shadow Items are powerful. Powerful enough to turn even an amateur Duelist into a serious threat, and to increase Yami’s magical powers in this realm in order to one day facilitate his return. We faced Yami, meaning to confront him about his real plan, and he hit us with a mental attack meant to force his will upon us, but somehow it backfired, at least partially. Even though we were unable to control our darker impulses during our waking hours, whenever we slept the same mental link that let Yami control us allowed us to communicate in our dreams.”

“Best we can figure,” Monty added, “because Yami hit all three of us with his metal attack at once, he created a bridge between our minds. While we slept we could come together in a single dream and do our best to continue to fight Yami.”

“We got to know each other,” Karen continued. “I learned about how Monty sought out the Order after his parents died, and how Lawrence, a student of Seto Kaiba, joined the Order to escape from his foster home. The three of us became friends. We were under the influence of a dark force when we attacked you and we’re sorry.”

“I’m not,” said Lawrence. Monty elbowed him in the ribs.

I ignored them, “Don’t think anything of it. It’s not like you wanted to hurt us.”

Tucker huffed. He didn’t yet believe our former enemies, but I did. Lawrence huffed right back, and Monty hit him again. Karen shot them a look, and they fell in line immediately. I was impressed.

“Anyway,” Karen went on, “we managed to limit our own power during our most recent duels, betting that when Yami came to destroy us, you would see what was going on and step in, and we might actually get the chance to go free.”

Lawrence huffed again and shot a look at Rocky, “I didn’t.”

Rocky smiled proudly.

“So what you’re saying,” Tucker asked, “is that you were counting on your worst enemies to rescue you?”

“No,” Karen replied, “I was counting on John to rescue us. I knew he was a good person, and that if any of you were to see the truth it would be him with his powers over darkness, and that he would help us when the time came.”

I couldn’t help but blush in light of the compliment.

“So thank you,” Karen said. “Thanks to you we can continue to resist Yami.”

“Not alone you won’t,” I said, shaking my head. “I don’t know when, but I know one day it will fall upon us, the Duel Force, to bring down Yami. You’ll join us, and we’ll beat him together.”

I stood and walked over to Karen, offering her my hand. She stood and accepted it. Just like that my team grew to ten members, and a powerful new alliance was formed.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eleven]

Attacked by the Master;
Former Foes Unite!


After our little meeting, Karen and I walked off together to discuss some things. Kimi had agreed to let Karen stay with her, and I had agreed to let Monty and Lawrence stay with Tucker. He has a big basement.

“You three may not have Duelist’s Souls,” I said to Karen, “but I know that you have even more reason to want to resist the Order than we do. I just don’t want you three doing anything stupid.”

“Don’t worry,” said Karen. “We never intended to go it alone.”

I smiled, intrigued, “You planned for me to ask you to join us from the start.”

“Yep,” said Karen, brimming with pride, “I’m just that brilliant.”

Then she stopped, “But really, thanks. Without you, we’d be dead, or maybe even worse, a part of that thing.” She leaned in and she kissed me on the cheek.

I blushed again, “Really, don’t mention it.”

We kept walking.

“So,” said Karen, “how many of the Souls have you found?”

“Only the ones you’ve seen,” I replied.

“I’m not sure seven Souls will be enough. The more Souls you find the more danger you’ll be in, but the closer you’ll come to destroying the evil that pursues them. We’ll help you. We know a lot about the Order, and we’re some of their strongest.”

“But not [i]the[/i] strongest,” I said. “We’ve already faced someone stronger, a kid my age. He called himself Max.”

“Ah, so you’ve met Max. Did you beat him?”

“Once,” I said, “but he was only testing me. Last time it took me and Sarah to beat him. I don’t think he’ll be happy until he faces me one-on-one to settle the score. For some reason Max only seems interested in my Soul.”

“Max is different,” Karen said. “He’s closer to Yami, and he’s been with the Order almost since it was founded. He has a theory that all the Souls are tied together through yours, and that all that is needed to capture all twelve is your [i]one[/i]. Yami is giving him a chance to prove his theory. If he fails, I have no doubt that Yami will do to him what he tried to do to my team and me.”

“Is Max being controlled by Yami?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Karen replied thoughtfully, “but I do know that Max is powerful. At [i]least[/i] as powerful as me and you, maybe even more powerful, and if it took two of you to beat him it means that he’s grown even stronger since I last met him. Now that he’s determined your limits he’ll be back. He’ll force your hand, and if he beats you, he’ll take your Soul and maybe all of the Souls.”

“And,” I said grimly, “if Max knows that his life is on the line, he could become even more dangerous.”

Karen nodded, “My thoughts exactly.”

“Then I guess we should be ready for anything,” I told her, though I could tell that she was as unsure as I was as to how exactly to accomplish such a monumental feat when we had no idea what might be coming next. We kept walking. Despite the fact that we had never met before on friendly terms, I felt comfortable with Karen. There was a connection between us. It would take me a long time to discover just what that meant.

We had been walking along a part of the path that led through the woods for several minutes. We had just curved back toward the gazebo where the others were waiting when the surrounding area began to grow dark. Karen didn’t notice, so I pushed her behind me, shielding her as best as I could.

Then she noticed too, “Oh great.”

“Yeah,” I said. “It looks like when Yami said he’d be back he really meant it.”

[i]You catch on quick,[/i] spoke a voice in my head. A wicked voice. Out of the surrounding shadows emerged a man-shaped shadow apparition with red eyes, the same red eyes as the much weaker shadow form that had appeared earlier. He looked and sounded different than last time, but there was enough resemblance for me to recognize the Master of the Order.

“I can’t say it’s good to see you again, Yami,” I told him, trying to sound more confident than I felt. Yami laughed. It echoed in my head. It was very unpleasant.

[i]I see that my former minion has filled you in on the details of my existence,[/i] Yami said. [i]If only she knew half as much as she thinks she does about me and my powers then maybe I’d have reason to expect a real fight from you. Now, let’s skip the pleasantries, or lack thereof, and get right to the point. Dark Duelist, I’m here for the girl and the others, and this time you will not keep me from what is mine.[/i]

“Sorry Yami,” I said, “but it’s like I told you, these three are under my protection from now on.”

[i]I’m afraid that your protection won’t be enough anymore. This is a Shadow Game now. Destroying this body that I have conjured would be treated as cheating and your lives would become forfeit. We will duel, and if you win I will back off, for now. But if, or I should say when the two of you lose, I will kill you, and your spirits as well as the spirits of the other two will be mine to do with as I please.[/i]

I looked over at Karen. She seemed nervous, so I took the heat for her, “Forget it, I’ll fight you alone before I let my ally get hurt.”

“No,” Karen interrupted, “you can’t beat him alone. This may not be his true form, but even in a weakened state he’s still stronger than any single Duelist.”

She faced Yami, “If I have no choice, I’ll fight.”

[i]If that’s what you want,[/i] said Yami, laughing wickedly. [i]Just remember, girl, that you were given a chance to spare yourself the pain of the game to come. Now, let’s get started. I’ll move first.[/i]

A duel disk emerged from the shadowy form’s wrist, deck and all.

“We need to be careful,” Karen told me. “Yami’s using a manifested deck. It could be made up of any combination of cards in existence.”

I nodded, “Okay, I’ll be ready.”

[i]For my first move,[/i] said Yami in a grandiose tone, [i]I set a monster and place one card face-down.[/i]

“If that’s all,” Karen said, trying to sound confident, “then maybe I have less to worry about than I thought. My move. I play ‘Mirage of Nightmare’. Now, during your next Standby Phase, I draw until I hold four cards. Next I place three cards face-down and play ‘Toon World’ (LP: 8000-1000=7000). Finally I summon my ‘Toon Mermaid’,” the caricaturized mermaid of which I was all too familiar appeared, this time as my ally, her bow string drawn (ATK: 1400). Karen sighed nervously, “I end my turn.”

“Giving me,” I said, also trying to hide how frightened I really was, and failing miserably, “a chance to strut my stuff. And seeing how I’m the last one to move, I can attack, so I’ll start out strong with ‘Giant Orc’ in attack mode.”

A twelve foot tall gray-skinned goblin appeared carrying a club (ATK: 2200).

“‘Giant Orc’,” I commanded, “attack the face-down monster with Club Slam.”

The ‘Orc’ rushed my opponent’s field, but he was stopped abruptly, wreathed in a red light.

[i]Reveal,[/i] said Yami, laughing like an amused child, [i]my ‘Ordeal of a Traveler’. Each time you attack you must select one card from my hand and declare Spell, Trap, or Monster. If you choose correctly, your attack succeeds. But if you choose incorrectly, your attack fails and the attacking monster returns to your hand.[/i]

“I do know a little about this game,” I said sarcastically. I pointed at one of the cards in Yami’s hand, to the far right, “That one’s a Trap.”

[i]Wrong,[/i] said Yami with a wicked chuckle, revealing the card. I couldn’t make out what card it was in the darkness, but I could tell that it was a Spell. My ‘Giant Orc’ disappeared from the field in a flash of red light, and I returned his card to my hand.

“I’ll protect myself,” I said, “with a face-down card.”

[i]It won’t be enough,[/i] Yami said tauntingly, laughing wickedly. [i]My move! I place one card face-down and I pass.[/i]

As Yami spoke, Karen drew her four cards in silence. She drew one more and said, “At the start of my Standby Phase I reveal ‘Emergency Provisions’, sending ‘Mirage of Nightmare’ and two face-down cards to the Graveyard to gain three thousand Life Points. I give one thousand of it to my partner, and I keep the rest for myself (LP: 7000+2000=9000/ 8000+1000=9000). Next I follow John’s lead and set a card to finish my turn.”

“I take the baton as it’s passed,” I said to Yami, pulling my next card and giving it a once over before placing it on the field, “by setting one card and re-summoning my ‘Giant Orc’ back to the field in attack mode.”

I smiled, “Let’s see what you’re planning Yami. Contrary to my nature, I’m going to wait. Your move.”

Yami laughed again, [i]As you wish. For my next turn, I Flip-Summon my ‘Gravekeeper’s Spy’, letting me summon another Gravekeeper monster from my deck, my ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’.[/i]

The ‘Gravekeeper’s Spy’, an Egyptian man in a black cloak, appeared in a crouch, ready to pounce (ATK: 1200). Beside him appeared ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’, an older man in a similar cloak, carrying a crooked staff (ATK: 800).

[i]When my ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’ is Special Summoned it triggers my face-down ‘Inferno Reckless Summon’, [/i]Yami explained, and I understood just what type of deck I was facing.[i] I choose one opposing monster in order to activate this card, and then I summon up to two more copies of the Special Summoned monster. In exchange my opponent can summon up to two more copies of the selected monster. Because it’s likely that you only have one copy of ‘Giant Orc’ in your deck, I choose him as the target of my Spell card’s effect.[/i]

“Well that’s the first bit of truly good luck I’ve had so far,” said Karen, flashing the same smug smirk that she’d once directed toward me. “Reveal ‘Fairy’s Hand Mirror’, forcing your Spell card to target my ‘Toon Mermaid’ instead of the ‘Giant Orc’. Because I control ‘Toon World’, I can Special Summon my other two copies of ‘Toon Mermaid’ from my deck.”

Two more ‘Curses’ appeared in a flash of dark light, and two more ‘Mermaids’ appeared in a puff of pink smoke from the book. Even though Karen’s monsters were stronger, Yami seemed completely unconcerned.

[i]When ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’ is summoned,[/i] Yami explained, [i]each of my opponents take five hundred damage.[/i]

The three ancient-looking sorcerers raised glowing staves, and Karen and I took damage (9000-1500=7500 (each)). My body burned, like I had been thrown into a fire, and then it passed. It was a horrible sensation, even for a Shadow Game. I looked at Yami, glaring. He was laughing. Hurting us gave him some kind of sick pleasure. It was nearly a full minute before he finally stopped laughing, licking his shadowy lips.

[i]I end my move,[/i] said Yami, [i]by sacrificing one ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’ to set a monster, and by placing two cards face-down.[/i]

“Because I have three monsters out now,” said Karen, her teeth clenched against the pain of ‘Curse’s’ effect, “it should be safe to attack. I pay fifteen hundred Life Points (7500-1500=6000) to attack with all three ‘Mermaids’, Animated Archery!”

All three ‘Mermaids’ pulled back their bowstrings, arrows loaded, and all three were stopped dead when their bodies were wreathed in the familiar red light. At this point Yami only had two cards in his hand so at best at least one of Karen’s attacks would get through, and at worst she would reveal Yami’s hand and make it easier to hit him later. Coupled with the fact that her monsters could be Toon Summoned right back to this field, it made for a brilliant strategy, which was no surprise.

“For my first ‘Mermaid’’s attack,” Karen declared, a look of confidence returning to her face, “I choose the card on the right and say that it is a Spell card.”

[i]Incorrect,[/i] said Yami, chuckling wickedly, revealing a monster called ‘Nubian Guard’. Karen picked up the first card, and the first monster disappeared.

“Alright,” said Karen, as Yami shuffled his hand, “for the second attack I choose the card on the right again and say it’s a monster.”

Yami smiled wickedly again, shuffling his hand, and said, [i]You are correct, but I’m prepared with a second ‘Ordeal of a Traveler’. Now you must choose again.[/i]

“Well,” I said, “that should make things a bit more interesting.”

“I choose the card on the right one more time,” said Karen, “and one more time I say monster.”

[i]Wrong,[/i] said Yami, revealing the Trap card ‘Rite of Spirit’.

Karen returned the second ‘Mermaid’ to her hand as well, but she wasn’t worried. She’d already accepted this as a possible outcome to her turn.

“For my final attack,” Karen continued, “I choose the card on the right, and I’ll say it’s your ‘Nubian Guard’.”

Yami chucked softly, smiling tauntingly, [i]Correct.[/i]

He shuffled his hand, Karen watching like a hawk. [i]Good job, [/i]said Yami, [i]but before you choose again, I reveal ‘Reload’. I shuffle my hand of two cards into my deck and draw two new cards![/i]

“Crap!” said Karen, letting her composure falter. Now neither of us knew any of the cards in Yami’s hand. Yami threw his head back and laughed. I scowled.

“I choose the card on the left,” said Karen, “and I’ll say Spell this time.”

Yami turned his card around, revealing it as a second ‘Reload’, sounding annoyed for the first time, [i]You would be correct.[/i]

“Yes,” I exclaimed. The ‘Toon Mermaid’ let her arrow fly, hitting Yami square in the chest (8000-1400=6600). I expected Yami to be angry, but instead he seemed excited. He was enjoying this, all of it. The pain of the Shadow Game was all part of the fun to him.

“My turn isn’t over yet either,” said Karen. “I place three cards face-down and return my ‘Mermaids’ to the field.”

Pink smoke gushed from the pages of the green book that was ‘Toon World’. From the smoke emerged the two ‘Toon Mermaids’ that had recently been removed from the field (ATK: 1400 (each)).

“My turn,” I declared, “and what a turn it will be.”

I gave Yami [i]my [/i]smug face, “I summon my favorite card, a monster that represents me on the dueling field, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

At my side appeared the yellow-armored warrior, his fists held ready to strike. I looked over at him, and he nodded. I smiled confidently. My monster was with me once again (ATK: 2200).

“Now I attack with the ‘Giant Orc’, choosing the card on the right. I say Spell.”

[i]Wrong,[/i] Yami said, showing me the monster ‘Aswan Apparition’. I smiled as I placed the ‘Orc’ back into my hand. Now I knew both of Yami’s cards.

[i]Now that I know every card in his hand,[/i] I thought, finally feeling that the duel was going my way, [i]getting through his combo should be a piece of cake. But I have to be careful to choose correctly. My life and the lives of Karen and her team depend on it![/spoiler][/i]
[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]

The Invulnerable Guardian Sphinx Deck


“‘Fiend Megacyber’, attack with Megacyber Impact!” I called out my monster’s attack just as I felt my breathing become labored.

[i]It must be this Shadow Game, [/i]I thought. [i]This one’s way more intense than any I’ve fought before. It’s taking a toll on my body even when I’m not under attack![/i]

I looked over at Karen. She seemed weak too. [i]I have to finish this![/i]

My monster charged at Yami’s monsters and became wreathed in the red light of Yami’s Trap.

“The card on the right is the Spell card ‘Reload’,” I declared, eager to continue. Despite the haste of my guess, I knew what the outcome would be.

[i]You are correct,[/i] Yami said, still smiling as he showed me ‘Reload’.

‘Excellent,” I told Yami. “I just hope I have such good luck when I choose again.”

I watched carefully as Yami shuffled his cards rapidly, smiling all the while. When he was done I said, not trace of doubt in my mind, “The left card is ‘Reload’.”

[i]You are correct,[/i] Yami said, his good mood faltering, [i]but how did you know?[/i]

“Easy,” I said, holding up three fingers and counting down, “I’m best at three things in this order: Strategy RPG’s, Duel Monsters, and visual puzzle games. Among puzzle games I’m best at shuffle puzzles. You know, hand is quicker than the eye type things. I can follow a target card in your hand, no matter how fast you shuffle. Heck, I can even tell you how far down in your deck that ‘Rite of Spirit’ card is that you shuffled back in earlier.”

[i]That is a rather unique talent,[/i] said Yami with a smirk that did little to hide how shaken he was. [i]Too bad for you I’m planning to shuffle my hand into my deck again next turn using[/i] another[i] ‘Reload’.[/i]

“That’s fine,” I said, “because right now I can only worry about right now, and speaking of right now, right now my ‘Megacyber’ attacks!”

[i]No![/i]

“Yes!”

‘The Fiend Megacyber’ shot forward and punched ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’. Yami lost Life Points again (6600+800-2200=5200) as one of his monsters finally fell.

“And remember Yami,” I said, “I still have my face-down card. You better watch yourself or you might just lose this. How embarrassing would that be?”

[i]I hope for your sake that your face-down card can stop every one of my next series of attacks, [/i]Yami laughed in response. [i]You may have fought Shadow Games before, but this is different. You have never fought so deep within the Shadows. Even with your power over darkness a Duelist as inexperienced as you in the ways of Shadow Magic could not hope to survive a series of attacks with no time to recover. [/i]

His evil smile returned,[i] your body would give out and you would die![/i]

“Show me your worst Yami,” I replied, worried all the while that he was speaking the truth, that my disadvantage was really so great. I glanced over at Karen, who had been silent during this whole exchange. She had no powers over darkness protecting her, and it was showing. Her breathing was even more labored than mine.

“I end my turn,” I concluded, “by re-summoning my ‘Giant Orc’ in attack mode.”

[i]Then I draw,[/i] Yami exclaimed, [i]and I’ll activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards! Next I place one card face-down and activate ‘Reload’, shuffling my hand of two cards into my deck and drawing two more cards, opening up a whole new realm of truly delicious possibilities[/i].

[i]But my turn doesn’t end there,[/i] Yami continued. [i]Its time I went on the offensive. I Flip-Summon my ‘Guardian Sphinx’, the strongest creature in my deck![/i]

Behind Yami rose a massive Egyptian sphinx, and not the worn out ancient kind either. This sphinx was brand new and gleaming gold, and it towered overhead, its front legs wrapping the entire battlefield (ATK: 1700).

[i]When ‘Guardian Sphinx’ is Flip-Summoned, [/i]Yami explained,[i] all opposing monsters return to their owners’ hands.[/i]

‘Fiend Megacyber’, ‘Giant Orc’, and the three ‘Mermaids’ were surrounded by a red light and disappeared from the field.

[i]Now,[/i] said Yami, [i]Your field is clear. ‘Guardian Sphinx’, ‘Gravekeeper’s Spy’, ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’, attack the Dark Duelist directly![/i]

‘Curse’ raised his staff and burned my Life away (7500-800=6700), and ‘Spy’ rushed over to my side of the field, punching me in the gut before jumping back to Yami’s side (6700-1200=5500). Finally, ‘Guardian Sphinx’’s eyes glowed. Red beams shot from its eyes, aimed straight at me.

“Reveal,” I said, “the Trap card ‘Draining Shield’!”

A barrier appeared surrounding my body. The beams hit, but they were blocked, their energy absorbed into my Life Points (5500+1700=7200). However, despite my high Life score, I felt drained almost to the point of exhaustion from the two consecutive attacks, not to mention that the strain of summoning and maintaining a barrier was almost too much on its own.

[i]Another round of attacks like that will finish me, [/i]I thought. [i]I can only imagine what it would do to Karen, who has no magic of her own. I have to end this soon.[/i]

[i]I finish my move,[/i] said Yami, [i]with a special ability. ‘Guardian Sphinx’, return to face-down position![/i]

The ‘Sphinx’ faded back into the Darkness.

“My…turn,” said Karen, gasping. “I begin by Special Summoning my ‘Mermaids’, and I…I…” She closed her eyes and swallowed her pain, “I pass.”

[i]Looks like you’ve already reached your limit,[/i] said Yami. [i]Well I haven’t. Reveal the Trap card ‘Rite of Spirit’, summoning a Gravekeeper back from the Grave. Return now, ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’![/i]

‘Curse’ reappeared and hit us again with his special ability (7200-500=6700/ 6000-500=5500). Karen yelped, and I felt like I’d been hit in the heart. If this kept up, at the very least we would collapse and lose the duel by default. At worst, well, I didn't want to think about it.

[i]One more turn,[/i] I thought. [i]I have one more turn, two tops.[/i]

“My move,” I said, struggling, “and I begin with my ‘Giant Orc’ and my ‘Fiend Megacyber’.”

My monsters reappeared and I continued, not eager to waste time, “I attack ‘Curse’ with Megacyber Impact!” My monster was once again wreathed in red light.

“The card on the right,” I declared, “is a Trap.”

[i]Wrong,[/i] said Yami, showing me a monster, ‘Mask of Egypt’. ‘Fiend Megacyber’ returned to my hand instantly.

“Alright then,” I said, “my ‘Orc’ attacks ‘Curse’ with Club Slam!”

‘Giant Orc’ was surrounded by the familiar red light. I pointed at one of Yami’s cards. “That one’s the monster.”

[i]Correct,[/i] Yami scowled. I tried to follow his monster card as he shuffled his hand, but my vision blurred for a second and I lost track.

[i]Looks like this one comes down to chance, [/i]I thought. [i]Alright,[/i] “The card on the left is ‘Mask of Egypt’.”

[i]Correct again,[/i] said Yami distastefully, and the red light faded. ‘Orc’ ran forward and crushed the ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’ with his club (5200+800-2200=3800), over-exerting himself. He stumbled back to my side of the field and fell onto his back and into defense position (DEF: 0).

[i]My turn,[/i] said Yami, still confident, though noticeably less so than he’d been at the start of the Shadow Game. [i]I think you know what I’m going to do next. Flip-Summon ‘Guardian Sphinx’ and return all of your monsters to your hand![/i]

Once again the ’Sphinx’ appeared, and our monsters were surrounded by red light, and once again they disappeared.

[i]Now I can attack you directly,[/i] Yami declared, arrogance creeping into his voice once again. [i]‘Guardian Sphinx’, attack![/i]

“Not so fast!” said Karen, smiling despite the pain that I knew she was feeling.

“Reveal ‘Physical Double’,” Karen declared. Behind her appeared a lump of clay that expanded and reformed into a duplicate ‘Guardian Sphinx’ (ATK: 1700).

“Now I follow up with ‘Staunch Defender’ and ‘Rush Recklessly’, drawing all of your attacks to my ‘Mirage Token’ monster, and raising my monster’s Attack by seven hundred (1700+700=2400).”

‘Curse’ and ‘Spy’ moved to attack Karen’s Token monster and were caught in the ‘Token’’s eye beams (3800+800-2400+1200-2400=1000). Then the ‘Guardian Sphinx’ and its duplicate fired their eye beams at each other. The beams met in midair, and the duplicate’s attack began to overtake the original’s. I released a held breath. I was sure Karen had just won us the duel. Then I saw Yami’s face. He was smiling. There was a flash, and the ‘Sphinx’ disappeared, returned to face-down position. The ‘Token’’s attack sailed over Yami’s head harmlessly, and the ‘Token’, its purpose fulfilled, melted away.

[i]Reveal,[/i] said Yami, [i]the Spell card ‘Book of Moon’, flipping my ‘Sphinx’ face-down, negating its attack, and ending my turn.[/i]

“I go…then,” said Karen. She was pale and shaking. The effort of creating such a long effect chain had pushed her past her limit, and yet she fought on. Pink smoke poured from the ‘Toon World’ and the ‘Toon Mermaids’ reappeared. “I summon…my monsters,” Karen said stubbornly, “and…I pass.”

“My move,” I said. I wasn’t in much better shape than Karen, but I refused to let Yami cause her another moment of pain. My desire to protect her was the only thing keeping me going. [i]Okay deck, [/i]I thought,[i] I know you’ll come through for me. I need a way to turn this duel around, right now![/i]

Beside me appeared the ghostly form of the Soul Guardian, Hiro. He was wearing more modern clothing than he had when we first met; jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket, similar to mine. His face was relaxed, his hands placed casually in the pockets of his jeans. [i]Maybe I can help,[/i] He said.

[i]Oh,[/i] said Yami, [i]I see that the Soul spirit has finally joined us![/i]

“Wait,” I said. “You mean you can see him?”

“John,” Karen demanded, confused, “who…is that? What’s…going on?”

[i]Huh,[/i] Hiro said thoughtfully. Then he shrugged, [i]Oh well, as I was saying, If I’m here, I might as well help out. I don’t know if this will work, but I think we have to try. John, let me lend you my strength. We’ll win this duel together![/i]

“Alright,” I said, smiling and breathing heavily. “And just in time too. I feel like I’m about to pass out.”

Hiro nodded and disappeared, and I suddenly felt renewed. Mine and Hiro’s minds merged into one. I was a new, stronger version of myself. My mind was clear. My strength was returning. I felt more connected to my Soul than ever!

“Yami,” I said, “this is a whole new game, and this time I can’t lose.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Thirteen]

Hiro’s Assist;
Destiny Draw!


“This duel is over, Yami,” I said. I fingered the top card of my deck and declared with absolute determination, “Destiny Draw!”

I pulled my next card, my Soul flashing as I did. I knew without a doubt that it would be just the card that I needed.

“Activate the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’.” I continued. “I draw three cards and then discard two. Draw, and discard ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ and ‘Darkness Approaches’. Next I activate a second Spell card, ‘Monster Reborn’, letting me restore any fallen monster to life. The monster that I revive is, in case you can’t guess ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

In a flash of yellow static, the armored warrior returned to my side, his arms crossed defiantly (ATK: 2200).

“Now it’s time I turned this duel around,” I said. I looked over at Karen. She would know what my plan was. She looked up at me weakly and nodded. I nodded back, “Activate, ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying every Spell and Trap card on the field!”

The two ‘Ordeal of a Traveler’ cards were destroyed, but sadly, so was ‘Toon World’ and all of Karen’s monsters, each one disappearing in a puff of smoke.

[i]Good move,[/i] said Yami, cockily, [i]but you forget, my ‘Guardian Sphinx’ has twenty-four hundred Defense points. Even with your ‘Fiend Megacyber’, you can’t get past him this turn. And Soul spirit or not, your body will not survive the strain of this game much longer. You’ve lost already. Just give up and make it easier on all of us.[/i]

“You’re right,” I said, “my ‘Megacyber’ can’t get past your ‘Sphinx’, not on his own, and it is true that the two of us won’t survive for much longer as things stand, but even if this monster can’t penetrate your defense,” I declared, gesturing toward my ‘Fiend Megacyber’, “my next monster can. I summon one of the newest additions to my deck, the Interdimensional Sword-Wielder ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’!”

There was a swirl of light in the air beside ‘Fiend Megacyber’. Through that swirl of light a woman appeared. She wore a silver jumpsuit and carried a glowing katana. Her golden blond hair flashed brightly, even here in the Shadows (ATK: 1500).

“Whenever my ‘Warrior Lady’ battles,” I explained, “she has the option of using her sword to open a rift to the Different Dimension, pulling herself and her opponent out of play. I attack ‘Guardian Sphinx’ now, Dimensional Rift Blade!”

‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ leapt up, her katana held high, and the ‘Sphinx’ appeared once again (DEF: 2400). The ‘Warrior Lady’ slashed, catching her blade in the stone of the giant creature’s shoulder. My Life Points fell, but I barely even noticed.

From the point of impact, energy blossomed from the ‘Warrior Lady’’s sword, swallowing her and the ‘Sphinx’. The energy faded, and both monsters were gone, leaving Yami wide open.

“Now,” I said, “I finish this duel with one final attack. ‘Fiend Megacyber’, Megacyber Impact!” My monster rushed forward and punched Yami in the chest. His shadowy body dispersed as his Life Points fell (1000-2200=0).

The darkness around Karen and I faded. Hiro and I separated, and he returned to the Soul, and Karen and I finally gave in and passed out.


I was awoken several minutes later by Tucker, kneeling at my side. “Bro, you okay?” he asked as he helped me up.

I looked to my left and saw Monty and Jen helping Karen awake. She seemed alright, and that made me feel better. “Yeah, Tuck,” I said, “I’m alright.”

“Good,” he said stepping back to stand by the others, “’cuz if not I was gonna kick your ass. Now tell us what happened to you.”


We walked back to the gazebo and sat down. Karen and I told the others all about our encounter with Yami. About how he had dominated us in the duel, dealing us serious damage and draining our life force with the shadow game. I told them that we won when I pulled a lucky card at the end, just in time. Karen noticed that I didn’t mention Hiro, and so she didn’t either.

“We’re sorry about this,” said Karen. Lawrence started to say something, but Monty cut him off, “We all are.”

“My team and I promise,” said Karen, “to do whatever we can to protect the Souls from Yami. That’s what’s really important.”

She looked to her friends, and they both nodded (a bit reluctantly in one case). Suddenly I got the feeling that something had physically become different, like someone had sworn an oath or signed a contract. Out of nowhere there was a flash of light, and three orbs of light, each a different color, appeared. An orb settled against each Karen’s, Monty’s, and Lawrence’s chests, becoming Duelist’s Souls. Monty’s depicted a silvery wave of cloth, like the outline of a robed sage, representing knowledge. Lawrence’s Soul depicted a draconic beast in forceful motion, representing strength. I looked at Karen’s Soul. There was no symbol, which was a symbol in and of itself, representing a truly open mind. The symbol of imagination.

“Well,” I said, easily as surprised as any one of my friends, “would you look at that, three more Souls.”


After the rather exciting events at the park the ten of us waited at the nearest bus stop for the bus that was our way home. Jen and I had to pool our money to pay the way for our three newest allies. Mine and Sarah's stop was one of the first on the route, then Tucker, Kimi and Karen’s right after that, then Rocky, and then Jen several stops later. Because my stop was less than fifteen minutes away I felt pressed to use what time I had to talk to Karen. She was sure to have questions for me.

“So,” I asked, taking a seat beside her, “you really okay?”

“I’m tired,” she said, “and a little sore, but I’ll be fine. So, are you gonna tell me what happened back there?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” I replied, “but I have an idea. When my original team and I entered the Burial of the Soul, a spirit appeared to me. He said that he was the guardian of the Souls, and that he was also the last remnant of the Forgotten Duelist, mainly his magical power and his gaming knowledge. He told me that his life force came from the Soul of Darkness, and that to leave the Burial and come with me he would have to keep living in the Soul, basically hanging out in the back of my mind. The Soul trusted him, so I agreed to let him tag along.

“The others couldn’t see him,” I explained, “so the Soul spirit, Hiro he calls himself, and I decided to keep him a secret, at least for now. It was pretty weird that you and Yami could see him. Maybe it has to do with base power. You, me and Yami are still a bit above the others”

“If that’s the case,” said Karen, “then as your friends get stronger, they’ll start to see him too. It could complicate things.”

“Yeah,” I said, “I got that. Anyway, one of the things that Hiro and I agreed on was that he would help out when he could. He tried to give me some of his power back there in the duel, but he and I somehow merged. Looking back, it wasn’t the most pleasant experience, but it was effective. But now he’s buried deep in there. Whatever happened drained him.”

I shook my head, and Karen and I sat together in silence until Tucker said, “Hey John, this is your stop!” I looked out the window. Sarah was already standing on the curb, watching me through the window with an annoyed look on her face.

I jumped up and ran for the door, yelling to the driver, “Whoa, wait for me!”


I walked the couple of blocks from the bus stop to my house, the uninjured Sarah quickly pulling ahead of me and out of sight. I climbed the stairs to my room, and sat back on my bed, my hands behind my head, looking up at the ceiling. I lay there for an hour, waiting, but after an hour I still hadn’t heard from him. I still hadn’t heard from Hiro. It had started to get dark out before he finally appeared.

[i]Interesting ability that we’ve uncovered,[/i] he said. He was leaning back against the wall off to the left of my bed, his sudden reappearance startling me out of a doze.

“Yeah,” I said, “but not one we can use very often. It’s way too hard on you, and it could be dangerous for me too for all we know.”

[i]True,[/i] Hiro replied, [i]but this is too great a power to ignore. Despite the risks we may have need to use it again. Your concerns are well founded, however. Powerful as this ability is, we won’t use it again, unless we have no other choice.[/i]

I nodded, “Agreed.”

Then I rolled over, completely spent, and fell into one of my rare dreamless sleeps.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fourteen]

Invitation to the Final Battle


My mom woke me up the following Saturday. I was registered in a regional tournament at the Game Center, and even with everything else going on, I didn’t want to miss it. Of course I’d forgotten my alarm, so I was running a little late. Since I’d missed the tournament in the park, I still needed to fight some one-on-one duels with the goal of testing my new deck. I wanted to be ready when Max returned.

I showered, dressed, grabbed my bag containing my deck, and grabbed my Duel Disk, all at super speed. My mom agreed to drive me. That way I would still make it there a bit early and get a chance to scope out the competition.

“I still don’t understand why you have a problem with me entering one of these things,” Mom said, her dark blond hair blowing in the breeze through the car window. “Don’t you think it would be fun to face off in a big duel?”

“Not in public,” I said. “You may be a Duelist, but you still embarrass me as much as any mom can be expected to embarrass her son.”

“You know,” she said, thoughtfully, “I think I kinda resent that.”

We arrived at the mall only a few minutes later. I grabbed my bag and jumped out of the car, running straight through the Game Center’s outer entrance, eager to show off my new strength.


[b]Shannon[/b]


I watched John run inside the Game Center. I was proud of him, fighting to save the world and all. I was worried a little, sure, but I knew he was strong enough.

[i]Besides,[/i] I thought, [i]he has Kimi and Jenifer and Sarah and his other friends there to help him. If Duel Monsters is really the key to defeating these evil forces, and of course I know it is, then these kids are the ones to be doing this. They’re the best.[/i]

I was pulling out of the parking lot and back onto the street when I noticed that John had left his Duel Disk on the back seat, next to where he had set his bag on the way over. He had probably meant to put it in his bag, but forgot.

[i]I’d better run it in to him,[/i] I decided. [i]He’ll probably need it to duel with.[/i]

I turned the car around and pulled into a space relatively close to the door. I grabbed John’s Disk and exited the car, making my way toward the entrance.

I was nearly there when I got the strange sense that I was being followed. I turned around and found myself face to face with a boy about John’s height wearing faded jeans and a baggy hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, obscuring his eyes.

“You must be Max,” I said calmly, speaking loudly enough to let my voice carry across the several yards that separated us.

“Yes,” Max said almost politely. “I’m here for you.”

“Why me?” I asked, though I was pretty sure I already knew the answer.

“Simple,” Max replied. “Right now I don’t have anything to offer your son in exchange for a duel, a duel that I have no choice but to fight, so I need to take one of his loved ones. And the only one incapable of fighting me is you.”

“Well,” I said, a bit hurt, putting John’s Duel Disk on and inserting my own deck, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not some weak middle-aged lady who can’t defend herself. I’m a Duelist too, and you can’t make me come with you.”

Max looked at me carefully. He seemed intrigued, “Well then, if you really want to fight me, a bit of borrowed magic and a Shadow Game will force you into submission.”

The area around us grew darker, like the color was being drained away. I shrugged, “Okay young man, but remember, I won’t go easy on you.”

Max looked even more interested now. “This should be…unusual,” he said. “I’ve never dueled an old lady before. Allow me to go first. I draw, and I summon the vampire bat ‘Blood Sucker’, attack mode.” A red-skinned man bat appeared, hissing loudly, its teeth bared (ATK: 1300).

“I’ll also set two cards face-down,” said max, “and end my turn.”

“Well,” I said, “I guess that makes it my turn. I just hope I remember what to do.”

“Nice try,” said Max, “but I see it now. You can’t fool me, your Duelist spirit is [i]very[/i] strong.”

I smiled, “You can’t blame me for trying.”

Max smiled back, a wicked sight, “Not at all.”

“I begin,” I said, “with a face-down monster. Your move.”

“Hmm,” said Max, “interesting move. Simple. Nothing to concern myself with. I activate ‘Overpowering Eyes’, allowing my monster to attack directly,” ‘Blood Sucker’’s eyes flashed red and it zipped across the field, biting me on the shoulder, and zipped back. I felt the wound and found that I was bleeding, but that didn’t surprise me (8000-1300=6700).

“Next,” said Max, “because you were damaged by ‘Blood Sucker’, you must discard the top card of your deck.”

I nodded and discarded my card, the pink pterodactyl dragon ‘Seiyaryu’. I had to restrain from smiling at my good fortune.

“My move again,” I almost sang. Despite the stakes I was excited to be dueling like this again. “I Flip-Summon ‘Crystal Seer’,” I began, “letting me check the top two cards of my deck, add one to my hand, and return one to the bottom of my deck. Essentially, I look into my future to gain control of my present.”

A woman appeared, robed in red, wearing a blue cape and a cloth over her face, carrying a crystal ball in her left hand (ATK: 100).

“Next I summon another monster, my ‘Herald of Creation’,” an elegant woman in a golden gown appeared, wearing a silver breast plate, a golden helm, a cloth across her face, and carrying a gleaming golden staff (ATK: 1800).

“‘Herald of Creation’ let’s me discard one card,” I explained, “to return a Level seven or higher monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I toss out one card to return the card added to the Graveyard by your monster effect.” I inserted one card into the Graveyard of the Duel Disk, and a different card emerged. I took it into my hand.

“Now,” I continued, “I activate the ‘Double Summon’ Spell card, allowing me one more Normal Summon this turn. I sacrifice ‘Crystal Seer’ and ‘Herald of Creation’ to summon ‘Seiyaryu’!”

The pink dragon appeared in the air above me in a swirl of wind and flashing light (ATK: 2500). She roared, anxious to attack.

“‘Seiyaryu’,” I commanded, just as anxious, “attack, Breath of Light!” A beam shot from the dragon’s mouth, engulfing the ‘Blood Sucker’, wiping him out (8000+1300-2500=6800).

“Good play,” said Max, excitement in his voice. “This could be more challenging than I thought.”

“I’m not done yet,” I said, confidently. “I place one card face down. Now you can go. And hurry up, I don’t want to take too much longer.”

“I see where your son gets his smug attitude from,” Max said. “Don’t worry, I’ll make it quick, though I wouldn’t say painless. Begin turn, and activate ‘Different Dimension Capsule’. I place one card from my deck out of play, and in two turns I add that card to my hand. Plus, a second ‘Capsule’, letting me do the same a second time.”

He searched his deck for two cards and placed them in the pocket of his shirt.

“Next I activate the Continuous Spell ‘Call of the Mummy’, place a card face down, and reveal two copies of ‘Pyro Clock of Destiny’, moving time on the field forward two turns, letting me open my ‘Capsules’ now.”

Two Egyptian capsules, each like a slightly too small sarcophagus, rose out of the ground and opened, revealing the holograms of two cards. The ‘Capsules’ and the card holograms faded as Max took two cards from the pocket of his sweatshirt and placed them in his hand.

“Now I activate ‘Card of Demise’,” Max continued, “letting me draw until I hold five cards, as long as I throw out my entire hand in five turns. And I reveal my face-down card, ‘Soul Release’, removing five cards in my own Graveyard from play.”

Max took five cards from his Graveyard and placed them in his shirt pocket. I wondered what he was planning, hoping that I was wrong.

“Now,” Max declared, “I summon ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, removing the last two cards in my Graveyard from play to raise his attack points.”

A fiendish warrior appeared, riding a motorcycle, carrying a pike in his left hand (ATK: 1400+(300x2)=2000).

“But that’s not what this has all been about,” Max said. “The entire point of this whole thing was to remove seven of my cards from play while leaving zero cards in my Graveyard. Now I can play the Spell card ‘Chaos End’, destroying every monster on the field!”

There was a blast and a shockwave, the realism of it singeing my skin, and ‘Gustaph’ and ‘Seiyaryu’ were destroyed.

“And now that you’re wide open,” Max said, “I use the effect of ‘Call of the Mummy’ to Special Summon ‘Despair from the Dark’.”

The shadows all around us expanded and merged, forming a massive torso that rose from the ground, towering over the field (ATK: 2800).

“Now, finally,” Max declared, “I set another card and attack, Shadow of Despair!”

“Reveal,” I countered, “the mighty ‘Spellbinding Circle’, ensnaring your monster and blocking its attack.” A magic circle appeared and flew toward the shadow, but before it could reach its target, a burst of wind shattered it.

“Activate,” said Max, “the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your Trap before it can do any harm.”

As Max spoke, the shadow creature reached forward and slashed me with his claws. It hurt. Bad (6700-2800=3900).

“My move,” I said, feeling a little feint. “I gain two hundred Life Points from the effect of ‘Marie the Fallen One’ sent to my Graveyard by the effect of ‘Herald of Creation’ (3900+200=4100). Next I activate ‘Summoner’s Art’, adding a high level monster from my deck to my hand.” I revealed the card to Max, the monster card ‘Splendid Venus’.

“Next,” I continued, “I play ‘Monster Reincarnation’, discarding ‘Venus’ to return a monster in my Graveyard to my hand.”

A light flashed, and I added a monster from my Graveyard to my hand yet again.

“Next I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to Special Summon the monster that I just sent to the Graveyard.”

There was a flash of red light in the shape of an Egyptian ankh. The flash of light faded, and a glorious angel emerged. She was tall with four white wings, wearing a pale yellow gown, over which she wore golden armor. Over her face she wore a golden mask, and over her head she wore a golden crown. In her left hand she carried a gleaming golden staff (ATK: 2800).

“The ‘Splendid Venus’,” I said, “is one of the most powerful monsters in the game. The light that reflects from her golden armor is strong enough to cut the Attack of all non-Fairy monsters by five hundred.”

The Attack power of Max’s ‘Despair from the Dark’ fell rapidly, the monster itself cringing as if afraid of the light (2800-500=2300).

“‘Venus’,” I commanded, “attack, Eternal Radiance!”

Light poured from ‘Venus’, overpowering ‘Despair’ and washing it away (6700+2300-2800=6200).

“You triggered my Spell,” said Max, “the ‘Deal with Dark Ruler’. When a level eight monster that I control bites the dust, this Spell card kicks in, calling my most terrifying monster to the field. Cower in fear before my ‘Berserk Dragon’!”

There was a swirl of dark energy that pushed back ‘Venus’’ light. From the center of the swirl appeared a skeletal dragon with red eyes and tufts of brown hair coming off of the back of its head (3500-500=3000).

[i]Oh no,[/i] I thought, [i]what now?[/i]

“I also summon ‘Reborn Zombie’,” Max declared, and a ghostly skeleton appeared dressed in tattered rags.

‘Berserk Dragon’ breathed fire over my monster, incinerating her, and the zombie charged in and struck me with his bony fist (4200+2800-3000-1000=3000).

“I also place one card face-down,” Max concluded, “and end my turn. My ‘Berserk Dragon’ loses Attack based on its own effect (3500-500=3000).”

And I saw it, the opening that would win me the duel. I smiled, “Max, do you know what I am? I’m a Master Summoner. I can summon any monster, at any time.”

I drew, and placed a card in the Spell slot in the back of the Duel Disk, “I activate ‘Swing of Memories’ to revive a normal monster, like ‘Seiyaryu’!”

The pink dragon descended to my side.

“Next I play ‘Symbol of Duty’,” I declared, “sending the dragon back to the Graveyard to summon an effect monster in her place, like ‘Venus’.”

The bright golden light returned, and the radiant angel took the place of my dragon. The ‘Berserk Dragon’ roared as its Attack fell further (3000-500=2500).

“‘Venus’,” I commanded, “Eternal Radiance.”

Max laughed his wicked laugh. “You fought well, Master Summoner,” he said, “but it’s too late. Reveal ‘Reverse Trap’, changing all increases to Attack and Defense into decreases, and all decreases into increases.”

Max’s dragon roared again, and its power rose, (2500+1000+1000=4500). Darkness flared around the dragon, pushing back my angel’s light. ‘Berserk Dragon’ spit fire, incinerating my angel yet again (3000+2800-4500=1300).

“Now I draw,” said Max, “and I finish you, Berserk Flame.”

‘Berserk Dragon’ fired its attack (1300-2500=0).

I fell to my knees, my strength drained. As I faded out of consciousness I was well aware that, in my failure, I had given Max everything he needed to carry out his plan.


[b]John[/b]


I was in the Game Center for almost twenty minutes before I realized that I’d forgotten to put my Duel Disk in my bag. The tournament would start in less than five minutes, but my first match wasn’t for fifteen. I had just enough time. I ran back outside and pulled my cell phone out of my pocket. If I could get a hold of my mom, she would likely be able to get my Duel Disk back to me before I was disqualified. I dialed, and as I waited, I heard something. I pulled the cell phone away from my ear. My mom’s phone was ringing somewhere nearby. I followed the sound and found my mom’s phone, my Duel Disk, and my mom’s cards sitting on a bench. Beside it all was a note. It read:

[font=comic sans ms,cursive][b]John-[/b][/font]
[font=comic sans ms,cursive][b]I have your mom. Meet me at the construction site across the street from the mall tonight, or she’ll die.[/b][/font]
[font=comic sans ms,cursive][b]-Max[/b][/font]

I looked across the street at the old, run-down construction site. It had been shut down months ago due to some kind of scheduling conflict. It was big, and it was secluded. It was the perfect place for a final battle.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fifteen]

Epic Final Battle;
John vs. Max


With my Duel Disk and my deck in hand I made my way from the bus stop to the construction site. It was about nine thirty. My friends, save young Amanda, were in tow.

“Where is he?” Karen asked as we made our way across the threshold and deeper into the site itself.

“Can’t tell,” I answered. “It’s pretty dark.”

“I’ll help with that,” said Kimi. Her Soul lit up. Rocky pulled a small flashlight out of his survival vest pocket, and Tucker took out his lighter. With the three of them in front, the Duel Force headed deeper into the abandoned work zone, searching for Max, and my mom.

We walked for several minutes, searching every half-finished building for signs of life as we passed. It wasn’t long before we saw a light up ahead. We walked toward it and found ourselves in an open area lit by a set of massive heavy duty industrial lights. At the far end of the clearing was a crane. In the control box, tied to the seat, was my mom.

“Mom!” I cried.

“Hey honey!” she replied jovially.

“How could you lose to Max?”

“Sorry!”

I was about to say something else when the Soul alerted me to a presence behind me. I turned, and there, stepping out of the shadow of a nearby building was Max, wearing a sinister smile. He walked past me and moved to stand at the opposite end of the clearing directly across from me and my friends, near the crane.

“I’m glad you made it,” said Max tauntingly. “Now we can get on with this, our final confrontation.”

“Give me my mom, Max”

“Not until you beat me. This will be a Shadow Game, your mom for your Soul.”

Sarah started to speak up, likely to voice her desire to beat Max’s face to mush, but I stopped her rather than allow her to make the situation worse.

“Alright,” I said, “but you should know the balance of my deck has been restored, and my cards haven’t had a chance yet to fully stretch their legs. They’re anxious to fight. You can’t defeat me.”

“We’ll see,” Max said. “After all, it’s impossible to overcome Death.”

We activated our Duel Disks, Life Points rising to eight thousand each. “Allow me to alleviate some of this building tension,” Max offered, “and go first.”

As he spoke, the color seemed to drain from the objects around us, and the darkness became more pronounced. I had hoped that the magic that Max had received from Yami would have been depleted, but if anything this Shadow Game felt more intense than the one he’d initiated before.

“I begin,” said Max, “with two copies of the powerful Spell card ‘Different Dimension Capsule’.” Two Egyptian capsules appeared and opened. There was a flash, and suddenly each capsule had a card in it. The capsules closed, and they sunk into the ground.

“Each ‘Capsule’ now holds a card from my deck,” Max explained. “In two turns, both ‘Capsules’ will emerge and those two cards will be added to my hand. Next, because my hand is looking a little small, I’ll activate the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’. I draw two cards, and then I summon the savage ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’,” The fiendish warrior appeared, pike in hand, riding his motorcycle (ATK: 1400). “I activate his ability by removing my ‘Pot of Greed’ from play. Now my monster gains three hundred Attack until the end of your next turn.”

‘Chaosrider’ was surrounded by a glowing aura that traveled down to the tip of his pike, and his power rose (1400+300=1700).

“For [i]my[/i] opening move,” I said, working hard to keep the nerves out of my voice, “I activate the Continuous Spell card ‘Soul Absorption’. Now each time a card is removed from play I gain five hundred Life Points. Next I activate the powerful Spell card ‘Painful Choice’. I select five cards from deck and show them to you, you must choose one to add to my hand, and I send the rest to the Graveyard.”

“Interesting,” said Max, smiling curiously, intrigued by the clear changes that I’d made to my deck and my strategy, “choose your cards.”

I pulled my deck from the Duel Disk’s deck loader and sifted through, choosing five cards. Then I shuffled my deck and replaced it, and placed the five cards on my Duel Disk. Holograms of the five cards appeared for Max to see. They were ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’, ‘Summoned Skull’, ‘Giant Orc’, ‘Strike Ninja’, and a new card, ‘D.D. Scout Plane’.

“Tough choice,” said Max. “Those are all very powerful cards. But seeing how you have no monsters in play, I think I’ll let you have the two-sacrifice ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’.”

“I thought you’d do that,” I said, “so I was ready with another Spell card, ‘Monster Reincarnation’. By sending ‘Red-Eyes’ to the Graveyard, I can return the ‘Strike Ninja’ that you sent to my Graveyard to my hand. Now, I summon ‘Strike Ninja’ in attack mode, and end my turn.”

My ‘Strike Ninja’ appeared, standing at my side, kunai knife in hand (ATK: 1700). My ninja was strong, but thanks to ‘Gustaph’’s effect, the opposing monster was just as strong. My attack would have to wait.

“When your turn ends,” said Max, “my ‘Chaosrider’ loses strength.” ‘Gustaph’’s aura faded, and his Attack returned to normal (1700-300=1400), “but it won’t matter in the slightest. ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ still has strength enough to overcome your monster.

“I draw,” Max continued, “and I activate the Spell card ‘Pyramid Energy’, raising the power of my monster by two hundred (1400+200=1600), and because ‘Pyramid Energy’ is in the Graveyard I can remove it from play to increase the Attack of my monster even further (1600+300=1900). In case you can’t count, he’s stronger than your ‘Ninja’ now. Attack, Battle Pike!”

‘Chaosrider’ raised his pike and rode straight toward my monster, his engine revving. My ninja was confident. He stood unmoving with his arms crossed. ‘Gustaph’ rode past the ‘Ninja’, carrying him past me as well, and slashed, but his pike hit only air.

“Where did the ‘Strike Ninja’ go?” Max demanded.

“Easy,” I answered. “I can remove two Dark monsters in my Graveyard from play to activate my monster’s ability, so I removed ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ and ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ from play, allowing him step out of play until the end of the turn. He is a ninja after all.”

“Very clever,” said Max, “but my monster hasn’t completed his attack yet, so instead of having him attack a monster, I’ll have him attack you.”

I looked over my shoulder at the ‘Rider’. He revved his engine and rode back toward Max, passing me, and slashing me with his pike. I smiled through the pain (8000-1900=6100).

“Remember,” I said, my teeth clenched tight, “that I have ‘Soul Absorption’ in play, so I gained two thousand Life Points before your attack even began (6100+2000 =8100). Your monster’s weapon barely stung.”

“This duel has just begun,” said Max, “and I have plenty of tricks left. For now, though, I place a card face-down and end my turn.”

“Then my ‘Strike Ninja’ returns,” I announced, and the black-clad ‘Strike Ninja’ appeared out of thin air at my side. “Also the ability of my ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ activates, and it appears on the field as well.”

A metal orb with a lens in the center and several multi-jointed arms attached to it along its equator appeared in a ripple of light (ATK: 800).

I drew to begin my turn, and I smiled. My newest card was my favorite monster, the powerful ‘Fiend Megacyber’. [i]Alright my friend, you and I are gonna show this guy what the two of us can do. We’ll show him our real power![/i]

“I begin my turn by sacrificing my ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ to summon the mighty ‘Fiend Megacyber’!”

The yellow-armored warrior appeared, his fists raised, charged with energy.

“Now I’ll gain the lead by attacking ‘Gustaph’,” I commanded, “Megacyber Impact!”

‘Fiend Megacyber’ rushed forward and punched ‘Gustaph’ in the chest. The ‘Chaosrider’ dissolved into wisps of darkness, bike and all (8000+1400-2200=7200).

“Next I’ll attack directly with ‘Strike Ninja’, Ninjitsu Shuriken!”

‘Strike Ninja’ leapt up and threw a kunai at Max, hitting him in the chest (7200-1700=5500).

“I place one card face-down,” I concluded, “and I’ll end my turn.”

[i]I can do this,[/i] I said, taking a deep breath. [i]Against my new deck, Max doesn’t stand a chance![/i][/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Sixteen]

Epic Final Battle;
Different Dimension Deck


“It’s my move,” said Max, his expression turning intense as he realized for the first time that this duel was not going to be as easy as he’d originally thought, “and I’ve got plenty of moves left. To start, I draw, and my two ‘Different Dimension Capsules’ return, opening to reveal my two cards.”

The ‘Capsules’ emerged from the ground, opened, and then disappeared. Max reached into the pouch in his shirt where he keeps his removed from play cards and pulled out two of them, adding them to his hand.

“Next,” said Max, “I play ‘Monster Reborn’ calling ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ back from the dead.” There was a flash, and ‘Gustaph’ appeared, motorcycle and all. “I’ll also activate the Spell, ‘Card of Demise’, letting me draw until I hold five cards.”

Max picked up three cards and added them to his hand. He looked them over, “Perfect. I got just what I needed. Activate ‘Soul Release’ to remove four cards in my Graveyard from play.”

“In case you forgot,” I said as Max took four cards out of his Graveyard and pocketed them, “for each card that you remove, I gain five hundred Life Points courtesy of ‘Soul Absorption’ (8100+2000=10,100).”

“It doesn’t matter,” Max replied, “because soon my combo will be complete and I’ll be able to devastate your Life Points, no matter how high they might be. I remove the two remaining cards in my Graveyard from play to increase ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’’s strength to its maximum value (1400+600=2000). But this is nothing compared to my true plan. I have seven cards removed from play, and I have no cards in my Graveyard. This unlocks a whole new side of my deck.

“First I activate the Spell card ‘Chaos Greed’, allowing me to draw two cards from my deck.” Max drew his cards, smiling all the while. “Next,” he declared, “I activate the Spell card ‘Chaos End’, opening a vortex that will destroy every monster in play!”

“You forget,” I said proudly, “that by removing ‘Summoned Skull’ and ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ from play, my ‘Ninja’ can avoid your effect.” ‘Strike Ninja’ jumped up, and disappeared in a ripple in the air, just as a vortex appeared above us, in the sky.

“But your strongest monster, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, bites the dust,” said Max. ‘Megacyber’ and ‘Chaosrider’ were pulled upward, but only ‘Chaosrider’ was destroyed. Moments before he would have been pulled into the vortex, ‘Fiend Megacyber’ was hit by a sweeping red beam. The air around him shimmered, and he disappeared.

“Trap card activate,” I declared, “‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’, pushing my ‘Megacyber’ out of play until the end of the turn as well. And don’t forget ‘Soul Absorption’. More cards removed from play means more Points for me (11,100+ 2000=13,100).”

The vortex faded away, and Max scowled, “My Spell did something at least. It opened you up to attacks until the end of the turn. Now I can summon a powerful monster and attack you directly. Continuous Spell card ‘Call of the Mummy’ activate. Now, whenever I don’t control any monsters, I can Special Summon a zombie from my hand. This means that I can summon the mighty ‘Despair from the Dark’!”

The massive shadow creature rose up, towering over the field (ATK: 2800).

“Now,” said Max, “I normal summon ‘Regenerating Mummy’.”

A tall, gangly mummy appeared, wearing yellowing and faded bandages (ATK: 1800). “‘Despair from the Dark’, ‘Regenerating Mummy’,” Max commanded, “attack him now!”

The two monsters struck one after another, hitting me square in the gut (13,100-2800-1800=8500). I coughed, and I tasted blood. This shadow game was taking its toll. Even with high Life Points, If I wasn’t careful I wouldn’t make it to the game’s end.

“That’s all I’ve got for now,” Max taunted. “Make your next move quickly so that we can get on with your funeral.”

As soon as Max passed his turn ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ and ‘Strike Ninja’ returned, along with the ‘D.D. Scout Plane’.

“Gladly,” I replied as I drew, “and I think ‘Despair from the Dark’ has been out on the field for long enough already. I equip ‘Fiend Megacyber’ with the Spell card ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’.”

‘Fiend Megacyber’ held his right arm across his chest, holding his hand in the shape of a knife. The armor on his arm grew out over his hand, stretching and sharpening into a long blade (2200+800=3000).

“Now attack,” I commanded confidently, and the armored warrior rushed forward, his blade flashing with static energy. “Kill ‘Despair’,” I commanded, “with ‘Megacyber Slash’!”

‘Fiend Megacyber’ stabbed his sword into the shadow and jumped up, slicing the creature in half vertically. It cried out in pain as the two halves of its body fell apart and melted away. ‘Megacyber’ did a back flip and landed beside me, his sword held ready at his side.

“Good move,” said Max earnestly. “You defeated one of my strongest monsters, but you haven’t defeated [i]me[/i]. Reveal ‘Spirit Barrier’, the key card in my immortality combo. Now to damage my Life Points, you have to knock down every one of my monsters first.”

“Makes sense that you would use that card,” I said, “since I can’t knock out any more of your monsters this turn. But I can do this. ‘D.D. Scout Plane’, attack ‘Regenerating Mummy’.”

“What kind of move is that?” Tucker whispered fiercely from his place behind me where he stood alongside the rest of my allies.

My ‘Scout Plane’ rushed forward, but before it could hit the mummy, it was wrapped in bandages and crushed. It hurt, but it also allowed my strategy to progress.

“Why would you let your own monster be destroyed?” Tucker demanded, but I didn’t have to answer.

Quietly enough that Max wouldn’t hear, even though I was sure Max had figured me out, Karen said, “Think. He’s been using ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ to recycle the effect of ‘Strike Ninja’. But he’s out of ways to return it to the Graveyard for free, so he had to risk losing some Life Points (8500+800-1800=7500).

“Risky,” said Max. “Is saving a mediocre monster like ‘Strike Ninja’ for one more turn really worth one thousand Life Points? Well, I guess we’ll find out. For my move, I summon my spirit, the immortal ‘Spirit Reaper’, and I play the Spell card ‘Timespace Hole’, allowing him to attack directly this turn."

The ‘Reaper’ appeared, turning to smoke and slinking right past me, slashing me in the back with his scythe (8500-300=8200).

“My ‘Reaper’ also forces you to shuffle your hand and discard a card at random when it hurts you,” Max explained. I shuffled my hand, but little did Max know I was able to keep track of every card effortlessly. I discarded the card that was least important to my strategy, the Spell, ‘Darkness Approaches’.

“Next,” said Max, eager to continue his onslaught, “I attack with ‘Regenerating Mummy’ against your ‘Strike Ninja’.” The ‘Mummy’ lashed out with the bandages on his arms. They stretched and reached toward my monster.

“I remove ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ and ‘Giant Orc’ from play to save my ‘Ninja’ (8200 +1500=9700),” I explained needlessly. The ‘Ninja’ jumped up, disappearing. “If you still want to attack,” I said, smiling, “you can still attack my ‘Fiend Megacyber’.”

“Nice try,” Max said, “but I’m not that stupid.” The ‘Mummy’ pulled back its outstretched arms, and its bandages retracted. Max was smiling darkly.

“I’ve finally gained the upper hand,” Max said, confidently, “and you don’t even know it. I’ll ensure my advantage with a face-down card.”

“You haven’t gained a [i]complete[/i] advantage yet,” I replied, well aware that I’d allowed Max to string together his best combo. “I can still destroy your ‘Mummy’, even if it won’t hurt you. And, of course, at the end of the turn, ‘Strike Ninja’ and ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ return to play.”

‘Strike Ninja’ appeared again just as the ‘Scout’ shimmered back into existence.

“Now, I draw,” I declared, “and I attack ‘Regenerating Mummy’. Let’s see it regenerate from this, Megacyber Slash!”

‘Fiend Megacyber’ shot forward and swung with his sword. Then he jumped back and landed at my side. As soon as his feet hit the ground, the ‘Mummy’ split in half at the waist and died, reduced to a cloud writhing black smoke. Max didn’t take damage thanks to ‘Spirit Barrier’. Plus, he still had the virtually indestructible ‘Spirit Reaper’, and a face-down card. Even with ‘Megacyber’ at my side, this duel was nowhere close to being over.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seventeen]

Epic Final Battle;
Dimensional Victory


Despite the fact that my opponent had the upper hand, I was still in the duel for one simple reason; I had a plan, a plan that, so far, had gone off without a hitch.

“I place one card face-down,” I declared, “and then I’ll finish off with ‘Card of Sanctity’, giving each of us a whole new hand.”

[i]If I’m right about Max’s next move,[/i] I thought,[i] this [/i]should[i] work. [/i]If[i] I’m right.[/i]

“If you’re really finished,” Max said, clearly wondering why I would draw so many cards just to pass, “then I move. Reveal ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Spirit Reaper’ with the ‘Nightmare Horse’ on hand to form ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.”

The mummified ghost horse from my previous duel with Max appeared alongside my opponent’s second most dangerous monster. ‘Spirit Reaper’ flew over and settled onto the horse’s back, forming the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’, arguably Max’s [i]most[/i] dangerous monster, a monster that I had honestly hoped to avoid fighting.

“Next,” Max continued, “I seal your fate with the face-down Continuous Trap card ‘Robin’ Goblin’. Now, whenever I deal you battle damage, you must discard one card from your hand at random.

“‘Reaper’,” Max commanded, “bypass his monsters and mount a direct attack!”

‘Reaper’ flew strait at ‘Fiend Megacyber’, but when my monster struck with his sword in an attempt to defend me, the ‘Reaper’ turned to smoke and slid past him, reforming directly in front of me. He slashed with his scythe (8200-800=7400).

“Now,” said Max, “you must discard one card due to the effect of ‘Reaper’, and an additional card due to the effect of ‘Robin’ Goblin’.”

I shuffled my hand and discarded two cards, not at random but on purpose, my ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’ and ‘Jinzo #7’.

“Good move,” I said, honestly, “but I’m not even close to finished with you.” I drew my next card, smiling with relief at my ‘Dark Core’ Spell.

“Discard ‘Dark Master - Zorc’,” I declared, “to activate ‘Dark Core’, sucking your monster into the void.”

A black hole appeared above the ‘Reaper’, but before he could be pulled inside, the ‘Mask of the Undead’ appeared on the ‘Reaper’’s face, and he was surrounded by a transparent red barrier that canceled the energy from my Spell.

“I counter,” said Max, “with my ‘Mask of the Undead’, negating your ‘Dark Core’ and removing my monster from harm’s way.”

“I’ve seen that card enough times to know what it does,” I said, annoyed. “Since I’m out of options, I attack ‘Reaper’ with ‘D.D. Scout Plane’. It may not be able to defeat your ‘Reaper’, but it’ll go back to the Graveyard, allowing me to re-use my ‘Ninja’’s effect yet again.”

As I spoke, ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ lunged at the ‘Reaper’ and swiped with its arms. The ‘Reaper’ dissolved into smoke, reformed, and slashed the ‘Scout Plane’ in half with his scythe, causing it to explode.

“To begin my turn,” said Max, “I reveal the Spell card ‘Book of Life’, removing ‘Dark Master - Zorc’ in your Graveyard from play to revive a Zombie from my Graveyard. Rise again, ‘Nightmare Horse’!”

The ghost horse reappeared alongside its fused counterpart (ATK: 500).

“Don’t forget my ‘Soul Absorption’ card,” I countered, my Life Points rising (7400+500=7900).

Max ignored me, “Now I activate my second ‘Pyramid Energy’, increasing the Attack of my monsters by two hundred apiece (ATK: 800+200=1000/500+200=700). And because all of my monsters share the same ability,” Max explained, smiling wickedly, “I attack you directly with ‘Nightmare Horse’ and ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’!”

The two monsters swarmed me. ‘Nightmare Horse’ kicked me onto my back, knocking the wind from my lungs (7900-700=7200). I sat up painfully, and there was the ‘Reaper’, right in my face. He slashed, and I fell back, writhing in pain (7200-1000=6200). My Life Points were still high, but my body felt like it was coming apart at the seams. I wouldn’t survive much longer.

“And don’t forget,” Max said, “you must discard three cards.”

Without even rising I selected three cards, sending them to the Graveyard. Then, still lying there, I pulled my next card. I looked at it, deciding beforehand that I would be happy no matter what it was. I had done my best, which was all I could really ask of myself, right?

I looked at my card, and I smiled, pushing myself back to my feet. “Sorry Max,” I said, “but I have to beat you now.”

“That’s impossible,” he replied, dismissively.

My smile widened, “Watch, and learn. I sacrifice ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ to summon a new monster.” I looked at my old friend. He nodded, and I nodded back. He disappeared, and a bulky and massive humanoid monster appeared, wearing silver armor. He had puffy green hair, and electricity danced across his body.

“The Dark monster ‘Fiend Megacyber’ gives way,” I declared, “to the Light monster ‘Zaborg the Thunder Monarch’. When he’s summoned, he can instantly destroy any one monster on the field.” The new monster (ATK: 2400) raised his palm, charged with electricity.

“My ‘Reaper’?” Max asked, remaining remarkably calm.

“No,” I said, “I’m aiming for your ‘Nightmare Horse’.” Even as I spoke, my monster released the built up energy, vaporizing the ‘Horse’ in an instant.

“Now,” I said, “I reveal the Trap card ‘Skull Lair’, removing five monsters in my Graveyard from play to destroy the level five ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.”

I took five cards from my Graveyard and placed them in my pocket where I keep my removed cards (6200+2500=8700). My card flipped up, and a ball of energy formed, launching forward and engulfing the ‘Reaper’. There was a crash and a crackle, and ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ was gone, leaving Max’s field wide open.

“It doesn’t matter,” said Max. “Next turn I’ll play the ‘Monster Reborn’ card in my hand, and my ‘Reaper’ will return, leaving you right back where you started. You’ve exhausted your hand and your Spell and Trap cards. When my ‘Reaper’ returns, his ability will leave you top decking, unable to mount a counterattack, until your body finally succumbs to the stress of this Shadow Game and you die. There is nothing you can do, and it is far too late for you to admit defeat.”

“I said I’d win this turn,” I replied fiercely, “and I wasn’t bluffing. It’s time for me to activate my ace card for this duel. I pay two thousand of the Life Points that I’ve been accumulating to activate the most powerful Spell in my deck, ‘Dimension Fusion’!”

There was a crackle, and the sky above me seemed to fold over. Our dimension merged with the Different Dimension where all removed from play cards go, creating a bridge.

“Thanks to my Spell card,” I explained, smiling with smug satisfaction, “I’m able to summon three of my monsters that have been removed from play, one for each of my open Monster Card Zones.”

As I spoke, ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’, ‘Summoned Skull’, and ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ flew through the fold in the sky. The dragon and the demon setting down behind me, and the warrior landed at my side, arms crossed defiantly as he stared our opponent down.

“Next I fuse ‘Red-Eyes’ and ‘Summoned Skull’ using ‘Polymerization’,” I declared, “forming the ‘Black Skull Dragon’!”

‘Summoned Skull’ and ‘Red-Eyes’ merged into the skeletal dragon which had already been Max’s bane once since I’d met him, appearing with a roar (ATK: 3200).

“Now,” I commanded, “attack, Black Fire Meteor and Ninjitsu Shuriken.”

‘Strike Ninja’ threw his knife, and ‘Black Skull Dragon’ launched a barrage of fireballs at Max. He was hit and thrown backward through the air (6000-3200-1700= 1100). He steadied himself, landing firmly in a kneeling position, and looked up into the angry face of my ‘Fiend Megacyber’.

“‘Megacyber’,” I commanded, “finish this farce of a duel, Megacyber Impact.”

‘Fiend Megacyber’ punched my opponent in the face, throwing Max onto his back (1100-2200=0). Our monsters faded, and the darkness around us lessened, the color returning to our surroundings. Max struggled to his feet. For a while we just stood there, my team and I waiting to see exactly what Max would do. Then I sensed something, and my eyes narrowed, [i]Is that fear, coming from Max?[/i]

I thought about it and I remembered something that Karen had said during our one-on-one conversation in the park, that if Max weren’t a willing follower of Yami, if he lost, Yami might try to do to Max what he had tried to do to Karen and her allies.

[i]Would he really try it again?[/i] I wondered. [i]Would he really challenge me a third time in only a few days?[/i]

Before I could even contemplate what the answer might be, I got an answer, straight from Yami himself. The darkness around us seemed to come together, and the shadowy face from the park returned, not looking at Max, but at me, taunting me. Then Yami looked down at Max and said “You failed me again Max. You will get no more second chances. I will use your spirit to fuel my own.”

“No,” I said, “you won’t. You won’t take any more spirits on my watch Yami.”

I stepped forward and flared up my Soul, but Yami was unconcerned. I realized that he was not really interested in Max, but in me, that he was testing just how far I would go to oppose him. Of course Max didn’t know that. Despite the fear that I felt from him, he did something that I found truly impressive.

“No,” said Max defiantly, looking the dark form of Yami right in the glowing red eyes, “I won’t cower behind others ever again, and I won’t let myself be pushed around, even if it means my death. If you want to take me, Yami, and if you really think you can take on Death, then come and get me.”

He stepped in between me and Yami, and Yami laughed, “You conceded fool! You have no power over me, and I have the greatest power over you, the power of fear!”

“No,” Max argued, “you don’t. See, I realized something today, that I don’t have to be afraid, even when I should be. I learned how to have courage. Not confidence, [i]real [/i]courage, and I will wear that courage to my grave.”

Then something happened that I surprisingly still found astonishing. Around Max’s neck, in a flash of light, appeared an amber-colored Soul adorned with a symbol like a golden Egyptian Ankh. I felt Max’s fear literally melt away, dispelled by the new Soul’s magical aura.

“No,” said Yami. “I won’t let another Soul awaken in someone else’s hands.” He reached out with his shadowy hand, but Max wasn’t afraid. In fact, he was laughing.

“Sorry Yami,” he said, “but you don’t have any power over me anymore.” He raised his hand, and Yami’s shadowy arm dissolved.

“Leave here Yami,” I said, stepping up to Max’s side. I raised my hand, and Yami’s body began to melt away.

Yami struggled, but his efforts were useless.

“This isn’t over,” Yami said, melting into the ground. “This isn’t over. I will have the Duelist’s Souls!”

And just like that, Yami was gone.

I turned to Max, my Soul ready, just in case, as the light of Max’s Soul faded. I asked him, “You okay?”

“I am now,” he said. “Now that I’m free of him.”

I looked over at the crane control booth where my mom was being held. Rocky and Tucker were already helping her down. The ropes were scorched where Tucker had burned them away with his lighter and frayed where Rocky had cut it with his Swiss Army Knife. I turned back to Max, “So Yami had you brainwashed too?”

“No,” he answered, “but Yami has more than one way of controlling a person.”

“How so?” I demanded, still unsure about the validity of Max’s sudden reformation.

Max smiled, “I’m definitely not the most open person, but there’s something that you all should know, so that maybe you can understand. After what I’ve put you through, the least I can offer you is understanding.”

So my friends, my mom and I gathered around, and with a deep breath, Max began to tell his story.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eighteen]

Max’s Story

[b]Max[/b]


When I was young, my parents died. That’s when Death and I first became acquainted. I was put into a foster home. My foster parents treated me like dirt under their feet. All I was to them was a monthly government check and something to kick around. They were in tight with the social worker that was assigned to me, so they got away with it. It was like a living hell. I wanted to die. I was seven, and I already wanted to die. But I was too scared to kill myself. I had walked the border between life and death for awhile, and Death and I had come to know each other pretty well. That was my life until I was nine, when the state finally found out what was going on. They arrested my first foster parents and placed me in a second foster home. My new foster parents were great, but the damage was already done. I was weird. Jittery. And I would talk about death and dying, because I didn’t know that I shouldn’t. Nobody had ever taught me any different. My new foster parents were afraid of me, thinking that I might be a sociopath or something equally distasteful. They gave me up, and when Social Services were unable to find another home for me I landed in an orphanage. There wasn’t a single kid there who would give me the time of day.

Then I met Randy. I was twelve when he was only eleven. We were on our way to the school down the street from the orphanage where we attended when some kids my age, Mark and Thomas, started bullying him. They dumped out his bag and started tossing it around, just out of Randy’s reach. It reminded me of the way I’d been treated for years by my original foster parents. It hurt me to see it happening. I stepped in and helped Randy fight the bullies away. Then I started helping Randy pick up his stuff, and I saw something that had been in his bag, something that changed my life for the better.

“What are these?” I asked, handing him the pile of cards that had fallen from his upturned bag.

“Those are Duel Monsters cards,” Randy replied. “I have a ton of extra ones. When we get back after school I’ll show you. You can build a deck of your own and I’ll teach you how to play if you want.”

“Alright!” I said, excited for the first time that I could remember. I knew that he was just trying to be nice to pay me back for helping, but still, no one had ever wanted to hang out with me. Even if Randy didn’t really want to be my friend, it couldn’t hurt to pretend that he was, just for a day, right? What harm could it do? I went in thinking that I was in for an eventual disappointment, and in the weeks to come, as Randy and I became real friends, all I seemed able to feel was surprise. I had a friend! I couldn’t believe it, and it took a year for me to finally realize that Randy wasn’t going anywhere.

I was thirteen when we heard about the Order. As far as we knew, it was just some club where duelists could escape their real lives and focus on becoming better at the game. The Battle City Tournament had just ended with the duel between Yugi Muto and Marik Ishtar and their Egyptian God cards. The game had reached its prime. Everyone wanted to get as good as they could. So we joined the Order, Randy becoming a star in the Order’s ranks, and me, the rising star that stood by his side. By that point he’d even taught me a bit about how to correctly interact with other people. We were like the closest of brothers. Nothing could separate us.

For a while everything was great. We hung out in the hidden Order Refuge in our sector and picked up on new combos and the like. We watched as new Duelists joined every day, proud that we were some of the first.

Then we started hearing strange rumors about the founder of the Order. That he was always hidden in the darkness, that he was sending Duelists to capture strange ancient items from all over the map, and that anyone who stood up to him was never the same again. They were changed, still similar to who they had been, only darker, with an intense desire to do anything that Master Yami said, even if it meant that they had to kill, or die, in his name. We also heard that the mysterious Yami was moving from Refuge to Refuge to inspect the members of his Order, and that the next stop on his route was ours. Randy formed a wild theory, as he tended to do, that Yami was reshaping the minds of the Order members, brainwashing them into the perfect soldiers. I didn’t believe it, but I agreed to come along with him to confront Yami. Randy was confident. We were both confident, too much so. We were both strong, but we had no clue how powerful Yami was or what dark magic he was capable of.

We decided that we would meet Yami head on the morning after his arrival. But I was late, and Randy was too impulsive. He went to face Yami on his own. When I arrived they were already dueling in the first Shadow Game that I’d ever seen, and the worst. Randy was an amazing, undefeated Duelist, but Yami was so much better.

Yami had ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’ (ATK: 800), three face-down cards and twenty-four hundred Life Points. Randy had the monster card ‘Dark Assailant’, a thin swift-looking humanoid Duel Monster wearing a skull mask marked with an eye, carrying a set of throwing knives (ATK: 1200). He also had a face-down monster, and a face-down card. His Life Points were lower, at only sixteen hundred.

“I activate ‘The Inexperienced Spy’,” Randy announced, “letting me see the last card in your hand.”

The shadowy form of Yami placed his last card on his duel disk and a hologram of it appeared, revealing it as ‘Guardian Sphinx’.

“Perfect,” said Randy, his confidence apparent. “Reveal ‘Cloak and Dagger’. Now, when you summon your ‘Sphinx’, even by Flip-Summon, your ‘Sphinx’ is destroyed and removed from play.”

“Then I’ll have to counter,” said Yami in a thick raspy voice, his lack of concern just as apparent, “with the Counter Trap ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’, paying one thousand Life Points to disarm and destroy [i]your[/i] Trap (2400-1000=1400).”

“It doesn’t matter much,” said Randy. “I’ve got you. When I win I’ll give you one of those Penalty Games you were talking about. I’ll banish you from this dimension and turn everyone that you’re controlling back to normal. I Flip-Summon ‘Night Assailant’ to destroy ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’!” A cloaked figure with a short blade in hand appeared, lunging toward the monster.

“Reveal ‘Quick Summon’,” said Yami, “letting me sacrifice my ‘Gravekeeper’s Curse’ to set a monster.” The ‘Gravekeeper’ disappeared and was replaced by a hologram of a face-down card. ‘Night Assailant’ sailed right over it, landed, and jumped back to Randy’s side (ATK: 200).

“I figured as much,” said Randy, though he was clearly shaken. “Summon, my spirit, ‘Dark Hunter’, the greatest assassin card ever made.” His signature monster appeared, a man in a cloak and a bird-head mask. “I sacrifice my monster to activate his effect, destroying all face-down monsters on the field. Then I’ll attack with ‘Dark Assailant’ and ‘Night Assailant’ and finish you off!”

The assassin monster lunged, preparing to destroy the ‘Sphinx’, but found himself suddenly drained of his power. He jumped back to Randy’s side.

“Reveal,” Yami declared, sounding quite amused, “my final card, ‘Shadow-Imprisoning Mirror’, stripping all Dark monsters of their effects.

Yami laughed, “Wannabe heroes, how I enjoy them so. I draw, and I Flip-Summon ‘Guardian Sphinx’, returning all of your monsters to your hand!”

The three assassins disappeared as the massive stone monster rose up, casting a shadow over the field. “Attack him directly,” Yami commanded, “now!”
‘Guardian Sphinx’ fired his eye beams, hitting Randy dead on. This attack wasn’t some hologram. The beams hit, and my friend was vaporized, his body torn to pieces no larger than bits of dust, and while this was happening, while my friend screamed in agony, Yami laughed.

I was terrified. I was about to run, when Yami said, “Did you enjoy the show?” He was still staring at the spot where Randy had been, but I felt like he was watching me, looking into my very soul.

“Wh-what did you do?”

“I killed him,” Yami replied in a matter of fact sort of way, “something that I will do to you, unless you continue to serve me and my Duelists of the Order.”

Yami looked directly at me, and I felt like all hope was gone from my heart and mind. He was playing with me. Either I’d agree and he’d get to take his time, enjoying every moment of his oppression of me, or I’d refuse and he’d get to kill me. Either way, he won. “So,” he asked, “what will it be?”


[b]John[/b]


“So,” Max concluded, “I had no choice. Yami would have killed me. I was afraid. I may be Death, but Yami was my master, The Master of Death. There was nothing I could do. I had nothing. No family, no friends. Only the Order. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t bring myself to truly be like Yami. I began to withdraw. I think that’s why Yami sent me after you. Even as I was hoping to defeat you and get back in Yami’s good graces, Yami was hoping that I would be defeated, or that even if I wasn’t, I would get him the Souls before he appeared and finished me off himself. He never expected that I would stand up to him.

“But I’d already decided,” he went on, furious, “after seeing the courage that you displayed in our duel, that I would no longer let myself fall prey to fear. That I wouldn’t let it be my master. That I would instead become [i]its[/i] master. I decided that when Yami appeared, I would stand up to him as I should have years ago. That I would die regaining the dignity that I’d lost.”

“Couldn’t you have decided that a little earlier?” I asked, making Tucker laugh suddenly.

“You have a Soul,” said Kimi to a surprised Max, “and that means you’re a good person deep down.”

“Yeah,” I said, “you should join up with us and help us fight off the Order. Try out some of that newfound courage.”

Max looked right at me, his expression purposely blank, unreadable. “You would accept me, even after what I put you through?”

“They accepted us,” said Karen, stepping forward, gesturing to Monty and Lawrence.

“You were only pawns,” said Max spitefully. “I was a willing follower of Yami.”

“I wouldn’t say that,” I said. “It’s like you said, there’s more than one way to control someone.”

“I don’t know,” said Max. “I need some time to think.”

“Take your time,” my mom said from her place beside Rocky and Tucker. “Whenever you decide, know that you have allies here.”

Max nodded thoughtfully. He seemed overwhelmed by the support and forgiveness that we were showing him. After hearing his story I couldn’t blame him. Without another word, he turned, took a step forward, and vanished into the shadows of a half-finished building.


Nearly three weeks had passed since my battle with Max at the construction site (coincidentally, construction resumed the next day). Karen, Sarah, Kimi, Rocky and I were sitting at our favorite table in the Game Center, watching Tucker show off by dueling one powerful opponent after another, hogging the arena. He hadn’t lost a single match so far, but it was Tucker, so it was only a matter of time.

I watched Tucker finish off another opponent, marveling at how quickly he’d improved, going from a hothead to a skilled Duelist that thought his moves through, at least most of the time.

I’d expected to see Max again eventually, but I was surprised nonetheless when he showed up at the Game Center. He stood in the entrance, his hood up, and watched me, as if inviting me outside to have a word. I stood up and followed him outside to the open area behind the mall where we’d had our [i]first[/i] battle.

“I’ve decided to join you,” said Max. “I believe that your Soul is the key to everything, and that you are in turn the key to defeating Yami and ending his reign of evil once and for all. I want to be there to aid you in any way I can.”

“Then I guess I should say ‘welcome’,” I said, offering Max a hand. He lowered his hood. He had spiky blond hair and fierce blue eyes. He shook my hand carefully as if he didn’t quite know what to make of the gesture, marking the beginning of a powerful alliance.

The only question left was, would our alliance prove powerful enough?[/spoiler]
[/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Special #1, Of Life of Fate]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

The Remarkable Ancient Cards


[b]Eight-Thousand B.C.[/b]


Atop a mountain millennia before you were born, two dragons faced off against each other to determine the fate of the world’s future. The smaller of the two, a purple dragon with wings like a butterfly’s who commanded the life around him said, “You will never defeat me. You could fight me a hundred times throughout the next ten millennia, and still, at the time of our final battle, I would win. You are an inferior force.”

“Never,” said the larger dragon, a winged serpent with white wings and scales of gold and green, who commanded the forces of the spirit realm. “I would defeat you again and again and I would make the world mine in the end!”

The smaller dragon breathed a wave of life itself over the body of his evil enemy, and the larger dragon’s body began to fade away.

“I won’t let this happen!” the larger dragon cried. “I will use of my power to bind us to your words! We will wander the world for ten millennia, battling whenever we meet, until our one hundredth battle when our quarrel will finally be decided!”

In a blaze of light, the two dragons disappeared, not to be seen again until the renewal of their battle, doomed to wander the world for ten thousand years.


[b]Present Day[/b]


My name is John. I’m a Duelist from Checker Township Ohio, in the United States, and the leader of a fairly well known team of Duelists, known as the Duel Force. You probably haven’t heard of us, but I’ll fix that. One day the entire world will know the name Duel Force. I’m going to see to it.

At this time in the story of the Duel Force, I was at the Industrial Illusions Game Center in my local mall competing in a tournament. My old rival, Christopher Johnson, was back in town for a few days, and the winner of the tournament got to duel him. He owed me a rematch. Well, I guess from his perspective I owed him a rematch.

Either way, I had made it to the semi-finals. My next opponent was some kid named Ned. I hadn’t seen any of his duels in the tournament so far, but I’d heard talk that he was good.

I stepped up onto my end of the Duel Disk Arena, my hands in my pockets. People in the crowd cheered. A lot of them had seen my duel with Christopher the last time, and even more of them had heard about it after the fact. More than a few of them were hoping for a rematch.

I took my hands out of the pockets of my favorite black jacket, brushed my brown hair out of my brown eyes, and looked up at my opponent. He was a couple years younger than me and about my height. He had hair almost as dark as mine. He seemed a bit anxious.

“You ready to start?” I asked him. He nodded. “Okay,” I said. “Just try not to look so nervous, okay? Calm down and have fun!”

“Yeah,” he said, “alright. It’s just that the buzz around here is that you’re one of the best Duelists in the region. I’m a little worried about how well I’ll measure up.”

“You’ll do fine,” I said. I drew my opening hand, saying, “Why don’t you go first.”

“Okay,” he said, picking up his first hand as well. When he did, something happened.

You see, I’m not just a Duelist. My team and I are the heirs to a legacy, the legacy of a man known as The Forgotten Duelist. We each possess a magical item, a spherical crystal pedant. The items are known as the Twelve Duelist’s Souls. My Soul, the Soul of Darkness, saw a great power within this kid. A power that I wanted to see with my own eyes.

[i]Do you see it too?[/i] I asked Hiro, the shadow of The Duelist’s spirit who dwelt within my Soul of Darkness.

[i]Yes, [/i]He answered. [i]I’m more than a little curious about this boy’s power. See if you can draw it out.[/i]

[i]I already planned to.[/i]

“I start out,” said Ned, “with ‘Yin, Apprentice Magician’.” A glowing white sorcerer appeared, a staff in hand (DEF: 2000). “I’ll also set two cards and end my turn.”

I frowned. [i]What kind of monster is that?[/i] Hiro asked, appearing by my side in his transparent and invisible spirit form.

[i]I don’t know,[/i] I replied. [i]I’ve never seen that card before.[/i]

[i]Be careful,[/i] He said.

[i]Don’t worry, [/i]I said, [i]I will. Time to see what this kid can do.[/i]

“Come on,” I said, “can’t you do better than that?” He didn’t say anything, but looked determined.

“I hope you don’t mind,” I said, “but I’m going to make you show me exactly what you can do. I activate ‘Graceful Charity’, letting me draw three cards,” I picked up three cards, “and then discard two cards,” I threw out two cards from my hand. “Next I play ‘Monster Reborn’, summoning the monster that I discarded. My favorite monster, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

A static bolt appeared at my side, becoming a warrior in yellow armor, his fists charged with power (ATK: 2200).

“Next,” I declared, “I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing two monsters into a new monster.” A black dragon and a red-violet-colored skeletal demon appeared and merged into a large dark gray skeletal dragon with huge, powerful claws. “Summon,” I said, “the ‘Black Skull Dragon’ (ATK: 3200)!

“Now, ‘Fiend Megacyber’,” I commanded, “attack with Megacyber Impact!” My warrior punched, but Ned’s magician was surrounded by a barrier of light before the attack could hit.

“I discard a Spellcaster from my deck,” my opponent explained, “to prevent my monster from being destroyed once per turn, and I chain, the Trap cards ‘Ancient Blast’ and ‘Ancient Codex’. Each time a card is discarded from my deck you take three hundred damage from the effect of ‘Ancient Blast’,” a pulse of energy shot from his Trap and hit me directly (4000-300=3700), “and then, by the effect of ‘Ancient Codex’ I can increase your Life Points by five hundred to shuffle that discarded monster back into my deck.”

A tablet with glowing writing emerged from my opponent’s second Trap, I was surrounded by an aura, and my Life Points were restored (3700+500=4200).

“Then I’ll attack,” I said, “with ‘Black Skull’, Black Fire Meteor!” The dragon spat fireballs, striking the magician, blowing him away.

“My Battle Phase ends,” I said. “Because all of my summons so far have been Special Summons, I can sacrifice both of my monsters to summon my ‘Maju Garzett’, a monster whose Attack is equal to the total Attack of the sacrificed monsters.” My monsters disappeared in a swirl of light, and they were replaced by a demon. One half of his body was like a brown skeleton, and the other half was covered in long yellow hair (ATK: 5400).

“Finally,” I said, “I activate ‘Double Summon’, sacrificing ‘Maju Garzett’ for the ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

The demon melted away, becoming thick black smoke that took on the form of a much larger brown skeletal demon with a red sphere in his forehead and a red sphere in each of his shoulders.

“The demon, ‘Great Maju Garzett’,” I explained, “has Attack equal to twice the Attack of the sacrificed monster.” The demon roared (ATK: 10,800).

“I activate the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’,” I declared, “letting us each draw until we hold six cards. Then I set a card, and I end my turn.”

I looked into my opponent’s eyes as the crowd cheered for me. Not many Duelists could summon a monster with ten thousand plus Attack points in their first turn, and many of the spectators were impressed. I don’t know what I expected to see in my opponent’s eyes, but it wasn’t confidence. I looked into his eyes, and I saw confidence there. He really was strong. The real question now was, was he strong enough?

“Come on,” I said, “I don’t think you can beat my monster. Prove me wrong.”

“Okay,” my opponent replied, “I will. I start out with the Spell card ‘Colour Burst’, discarding ‘Neon, Recurring Failure’, ‘Ancient Hieroglyphic’, and ‘Meditation’ from my deck to draw three cards and increase your Life Points by one thousand.”

He drew his three cards, and once again I was surrounded by an aura and my Life increased (4200+1000=5200).

“But of course,” my opponent explained, “because I discarded three cards from my deck, you take nine hundred damage.” I was hit again by the energy burst from his Trap (5200-900=4300).

“Next up I play the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’,” said Ned, “to call ‘Yin’ back from the dead.” His magician reappeared.

“Now,” he continued, “for my key card. I activate ‘Spiritual Promotion’, discarding ‘Lin, Keeper of Peace’ and ‘Shao, Keeper of Rage’ from my deck to transform ‘Yin’ into the ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’, and to deal you another six hun-dred points of damage.”

Another burst fired at me from his Trap card (4300-600=3700), and ‘Yin’ was surrounded in a bright light that pulsated outward. The magician became a large pure white dragon. The dragon looked down at his master and then looked back up at me and roared (ATK: 2500).

“Next,” said Ned, “I summon ‘Yang, Fearless Warrior’.” A warrior in gleaming blue armor appeared, his helm shaped like a dragon, riding aback a horse in similar armor (ATK: 1600). “Next I activate ‘Magical Stone Excavation’,” Ned declared, “discarding ‘Keeper’s Impact’ and ‘Natural Selection’ to return ‘Spiritual Promotion’ to my hand.

“I reactivate ‘Spiritual Promotion’,” Ned continued, “discarding another Dark monster and another Light monster from my deck to the Graveyard, transforming ‘Yang’ into ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’!” I was hit again by his Trap card (3700-600=3100), and in a flash of dark light, the warrior became a second dragon, ‘Yin’’s twin, except that it was stark black in color (ATK: 3000).

“Finally,” said Ned, “I activate the Spell card ‘Ancient Dragons’ Judgment’. Because I control both ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’ and ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’ I can discard ‘Nessor, Goddess of Darkness’, ‘Aria, Goddess of Light’, ‘Last Stand’, and ‘Waboku’ from my deck to destroy every face-up card that you control and deal you five hundred damage.”

The two dragons spread their wings and radiated a pulse of dark and white light that washed over the field, destroying my monster (3100-500-1200=1400).

“I finish it,” said Ned, “with the Attack of ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’, Positive Force!”

The white dragon inhaled, pure white energy building within its mouth.

“Reveal,” I said, “the Trap card ‘Shadow Spell’, blocking your attack,” chains made of shadows ensnared the dragon, preventing his attack.

“Then I attack with my ‘Yang Dragon’ instead,” he said, “Negative Force!” The dragon built up a pulse of negative energy and fired it at me from above. It hit, and my Life Points fell to zero (1400-3000=0).

I walked over and shook my opponent’s hand. “You’re good,” I said. “Those are some good cards.”

“Yeah,” he said. “I’ve had them ever since I was a little kid.” He shot me a wide smile, “They sure are something, aren’t they? I think you could have put up a better fight though if you’d tried. You were testing me, right?”

“Yeah,” I said, “sorry.”

“It’s cool,” he said. “I’m only in town for today anyway, but I hope we get to duel again someday. Then you can show me what you can really do!”

We parted ways then. I’d missed my chance to duel Christopher, but I’d had a very interesting duel in exchange. It was a duel that I would never forget.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

The Warning


After my loss in the tournament I headed home by bus. It was only 10:30 in the morning. There was still time to catch a couple Saturday Morning Cartoons while I surfed the web for Duel Monsters news. I’d just have to get my rematch with Christopher another time, [i]Oh well.[/i]

I got off of the bus down the street from my house and walked the rest of the way home. When I stepped onto my front porch I saw a package with my name on it sitting beside the door. The return address indicated that the package was sent by an old ally of mine, Maxamillion Pegasus, head of the gaming giant Industrial Illusions, and creator of the Duel Monsters Trading Card Game. I frowned as I picked up the package and carried it inside, [i]I wonder what Pegasus wants this time.[/i]

I headed upstairs to my room. My mom was home, cleaning up the kitchen. Despite the fact that she was a capable Duelist, I didn’t like bugging her with the kinds of stuff my team and I were always faced with. I didn’t want her to worry, ya know? So I decided to take the package up to my room and open it there, just in case.

I jumped onto my bed, the only place to sit in my entire room, and sat back against the wall, tearing the package open almost before I was settled. It was a video cassette. [i]Of course it’s a video, [/i]I thought. [i]What else would it be? Hasn’t Pegasus heard of DVD? Or email?[/i]

I stood up and reached across the room, inserting the tape into my VCR. It started playing automatically. I stepped back and sat on the edge of my mattress, waiting anxiously to hear what the whimsical but often-wise Pegasus had to say.

The screen went blue for a second before an image flickered onto it. Pegasus was sitting at a desk, his fingers resting on the desktop. He had an uncharacteristically nervous look in his visible eye. The one not covered by his shoulder-length white hair.

“Greetings my friend,” said the recording. “I’m afraid I have some bad news. But before I give you said bad news, I must tell you a story.”

[i]Huh,[/i] I thought, [i]He cut right to the chase. No one-sided banter or bad jokes. This must be serious.[/i]

“I recently acquired,” Pegasus said, “a large collection of ancient scrolls. I intended to use these scrolls to help research new material for the Duel Monsters game, but instead I discovered an ancient legend that, according to astronomical evidence, is about to come to fruition. Two massively powerful forces which have been fighting a back and forth battle for ten thousand years are about to fight their final battle.

“According to the legend,” Pegasus continued, “the two forces, one that represents good fortune, and one that represents bad fortune, have been battling periodically for the last ten thousand years. Every one of their battles contributed to the fate of the world until the next time they would meet. Every time that the spirit of misfortune won, the next age was filled with destruction and despair. You of course know of the Dark Ages. Now they are coming up on their one hundredth and final battle. If the evil Divine Dragon defeats his ancient enemy, then the world will be forever shrouded in misfortune!

“From what I can tell,” Pegasus explained, “astrological signs suggest that their final battle, a great Shadow Duel, will take place near your hometown within twenty-four hours of when I made this tape. Its ten P.M. here. You will not get this tape until tomorrow, giving you a window of [i]at most[/i] twelve hours in which the battle can begin.

“The spirit of fair fortune will have found a Duelist from our time to wield his power,” said Pegasus, beginning to wrap up. “You must find this Duelist and warn him of the coming battle. It may not make a difference, but I think you will agree that you have to try. I do not know in what form the Divine Dragon will appear, but I do want to warn you that he could easily mistake the power of your Soul for the power of his Ancient Rival. He may come after you first. If he does, do everything in your power to avoid fighting him. It is a battle that you cannot win. Good luck.”

I was speechless. The tape came to a stop and rewound completely before I finally wrapped my head around what Pegasus had said. How was I supposed to find some Duelist that I probably didn’t even know? Pegasus had way too high an opinion of me.

[i]But he’s right, [/i]I admitted to myself, [i]I have to try. Even if it ends up that it doesn’t matter, I have to do everything that I can. I have to try to find this Duelist and warn him of what’s coming, and around here, if you’re looking for a Duelist, there’s only one good place to start. [/i]I got up and headed out, back to the Game Center.


I had to wait almost thirty minutes for the next bus to arrive, and, of course, the bus took time getting me to where I was going. By the time I reached the stop closest to the mall, I could sense a powerful evil presence in the air. Something strong was coming. A dark cloud rolled in, casting a shadow over the entire area. The Divine Dragon Spirit could arrive at any moment. Naturally I took the distance between the bus stop and the mall at a run.

I ran straight for the Game Center’s outer entrance. You’ll never guess who was walking out the door just as I approached. There in the doorway was my rival, Christopher Johnson. He had dark brown hair and almost yellow brown eyes and he wore a red shirt, dark blue jeans, and a jean jacket tied around his waist.

He smiled and moved to stand in my way. “Well,” he said, “this sure is a pleasant surprise. I was disappointed that you lost. I was looking forward to our rematch, especially since I’m about to leave for a tour along the west coast for the next eight months.”

“Sorry Christopher,” I said, “but I don’t have time for this right now. I’m looking for someone and I have to find them as soon as I can.”

“Okay,” he said, switching his Duel Disk on (LP: 4000). “Beat me and I’ll let you through.”

[i]I guess I don’t have a choice,[/i] I thought, switching my Duel Disk on as well. Fighting him would be faster than running around and then through the mall to reach the Game Center from the other side. But before the duel could begin, my Soul sensed the approach of a powerful invisible Duel Monster Spirit. Maybe more than one. I looked around and I finally saw them through the power of my Soul. There were four of them standing on the Game Center roof, right behind Christopher. They were a cat-like beast with wings made of white energy, a wolf-like beast made of red energy, a large bird made of gold energy, and a sort of flying lizard made of blue energy. There was a fierceness about them.

[i]I have to use my Soul to see them. That means Christopher won’t be able to tell that they’re there. I have to convince him to leave before they attack.[/i]

“Christopher, I don’t think this is a good time. You should just go.” I glanced up at the Duel Monster Spirits, and Christopher followed my gaze, stepped back, and gasped. He could see them!

“So you can see Duel Monster Spirits too,” he said to me. “I always thought I was the only one.”

“You have to get out of here. They’re after me.”

“Yeah,” said Christopher, his voice dripping sarcasm, “because you’re really that important.”

It was about then that we heard someone approaching us from the parking lot. We turned. A tall man with gray-white hair and incredibly pale skin wearing a trench coat stopped twenty yards away. His expression was blank and his eyes were unfocused, and when he spoke it was obvious that the deep intense voice that he used has not his own.

“You are not the one I’m looking for,” the man said, “but you are strong. Tell me where I can find the one with the Ancient Spirits, or die.”

“Sorry,” I said, “but I honestly don’t know.

“Then I will crush you and take your duel energy to increase my own power,” the man said. The four Spirit Monsters jumped down, landing around the three of us at four equidistant points. They reached out with their own energy, creating a sort of energy cage around us, preventing our escape. Then the four Spirits became energy and plunged into the man’s deck.

“This guy’s being controlled by something,” said Christopher, “and I don’t think he’s going to let us go until we duel him.”

“Wow,” I said sarcastically, “you think?”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

The Spirits Strike!


“You cannot escape our power,” said the man who was being used like a puppet. By “our” he was likely referring to the four Duel Monster’s spirits.

“I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with,” said Christopher. “I’m Christopher Johnson, Regional Duel Monsters Champion.”

“Don’t underestimate this guy,” I said. “He’s more powerful that he looks.”

“You just want me to be careful so you can beat him and show me up again.” Christopher replied. “Well I’m not going to let that happen.”

He looked over at me, smiling confidently, and said, “Don’t worry, it’s not like he can beat both of us.”

“I’m going to destroy you,” the Puppet Man said, “and I’ll begin with a face-down monster and one face-down card.”

“That’s all?” Christopher said. “John, you’re next. Show this guy what a real Duelist can do.”

“Right,” I said. [i]This guy’s strong, I can feel it. Better play it safe for now.[/i]

I drew my card, “I summon my ‘Strike Ninja’ and set a face-down card of my own.” As the black-clad ninja appeared at my side, I looked over at Christopher and said, “Don’t get carried away. You aren’t invincible. Our last duel should be proof of that.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, “I know what I’m doing.”

He drew his card, “I’m going to show you both exactly why I’m called the King of OTK by winning this duel this turn! I begin with the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and discarding two cards.” He drew his three cards, then selected two cards from his hand and placed them in his graveyard.

“This,” said Christopher, “activates the effect of the ‘Polarity Dragon card that I discarded by ‘Charity’’s effect. I remove him and ‘Burning Beast’ in my Graveyard from play to deal you one thousand damage!” A transparent twelve-foot-tall dragon appeared behind Christopher. One half of its body was red and wreathed in fire. The other half of its body was an icy gray and wreathed in a frigid blue light. The fire coalesced in the dragon’s mouth and it fired at our opponent (4000-1000=3000). Then the dragon faded away.

“Next,” said Christopher, “I summon ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’.” A beautiful woman in red appeared, carrying a katana wreathed in flames (ATK: 2200). “I also play ‘Double Summon’,” Christopher continued, “letting me summon ‘Frozen Sorceress’ to the field as well.” A second young woman appeared. She had long blue-white hair and wore an elegant black dress (ATK: 2200).

“Finally,” Christopher concluded, “I activate ‘Clash of Polarity’, increasing the Attack of my ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’ by eight hundred.” The lady swordsman was surrounded by a swirling red and blue aura (2200+800=3000).

“To ensure my victory,” Christopher declared, “I activate ‘Deadly Ice Field’, destroying your face-down Spell or Trap card.”

“Then I might as well activate my face-down Spell now,” the Puppet Man said. “Reveal ‘Spirit Banish’.” His card flipped up, just as a bunch of icy spires burst up out of the ground, skewering and destroying it.

“Whatever,” said Christopher. “It doesn’t matter what you do. I’m still going to win this turn. My ‘Frozen Sorceress’ destroys your face-down monster, and then ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’ finishes you off.”

‘Frozen Sorceress’ summoned up a gust of icy wind, and ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’ swung her katana, flinging fire at the foe. [i]He’s right,[/i] I thought, [i]if his attack connects, this duel is over![/i]

But then the face-down monster, the golden energy bird, was revealed. It changed, becoming a beautiful red phoenix with golden feathers in its wings. It flapped, summoning up a wall of fire that blocked the two attacks.

“Your attack revealed the ‘Golden Spirit Phoenix’ (DEF: 1900),” Puppet Man explained. “When she would be destroyed in battle, I can discard a “Spirit” monster from my deck to prevent her destruction. Also, because I activated ‘Spirit Banish’ this turn, I can choose to remove one of those monsters from play instead, activating its effect. When my ‘White Spirit Leo’ in my deck is removed from play, he’s Special Summoned at the End Phase.” A ball of white energy appeared at the Puppet Man’s side.

Christopher scowled and said, “I end my turn, activating ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’’s effect. I take damage equal to her Attack points.” The ‘Warrior Lady’’s fire flared up, singeing away a large potion of Christopher’s Life (4000-3000=1000).

“Then my monster is summoned!” said the Puppet Man. The white energy took the form of the winged white energy beast. He shed the energy, becoming a white-furred winged lion. “Behold ‘White Spirit Leo’ (ATK: 2200)!

“I draw,” the Puppet man declared, “and I activate the Spell card ‘Spirit Bounty’ removing a “Spirit” in my Graveyard from play to draw three cards.” Another energy creature, the blue winged lizard appeared, and merged with the top three cards of the Puppet Man’s deck, causing then to glow, and he drew. “Next I activate the effect of ‘Red Spirit Lupo’ in my hand, removing two monsters in my deck from play to lower his level in my hand by two until the end of my turn. I summon him now!”

The red energy beast appeared, becoming a black wolf with red eyes and red auras surrounding each of its paws. He howled (ATK: 2300).

“Activate ‘Spirit Release’,” the Puppet Man said, “letting one of my monsters attack a player in his spirit form.” The wolf’s red spirit form emerged from his body, which collapsed, and attacked Christopher directly (1000-1150 =0). Christopher collapsed, unconscious, his energy drained away. ‘Lupo’’s spirit flew back into his body and he rose to his feet.

[i]Oh crap![/i]

“Now,” my opponent announced, “I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’.” A burst of wind tore through my face-down ‘Mirror Force’.

[i]Double Crap![/i]

“‘White Spirit Leo’, destroy the ‘Strike Ninja’,” Puppet Man commanded, “Spirit Claw!” The lion slashed at my monster and three white claw streaks flew toward my ‘Ninja’, slicing him to pieces (4000+1700-2200=3500). “Next I attack with ‘Red Spirit Lupo’, Spirit Fang, activating the Spell card ‘Berserker Form’, increasing my monster’s Attack by nine hundred!” ‘Lupo’’s body became more humanoid and he stood on his hind legs (2300+900=3200). He bared his teeth at me. Red energy fangs burst from his mouth, growing larger, and biting me. The pain was almost unbearable (3500-3200=300). I dropped to one knee.

“I place one card face-down,” the Puppet Man said, “and end my turn.”

I clenched my teeth against the pain and stood up. “I may be behind,” I said, “but I’m far from done. I don’t know what kind of magic you possess, but you should know that I have magic all my own.” My Soul of Darkness flashed and I drew my card, calling out, “Destiny Draw!”

I placed my newest card on my Duel Disk, and a burst of static flared up at my side. From the static emerged the yellow warrior, “I summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ (ATK: 2200)!”

“To my monster,” I said, “I equip the ‘Sword of Dark Destruction’ and ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’.” The armor on my monster’s right arm stretched out over his hand and formed a longsword, and in his left hand appeared an evil-looking sword that emitted a dark light (2200+800+400 =3400).

“You don’t have the advantage anymore,” I said. “Now I control the field. ‘Fiend Megacyber’, attack ‘Lupo’ with Megadark Slash!”

My monster raised his ‘Sword of Dark Destruction’ over his head and he was wreathed in the swords dark aura. Then he raised the ‘Fusion Sword’ and ran straight at my opponent’s strongest monster.

“Reveal,” said the Puppet Man, “the Trap card ‘Convergence of Spirits’, merging my three “Spirits” into the Ultimate Spirit!” The three creatures returned to their spirit forms and flew up into the dark cloud building overhead. A long serpentine form made of green energy descended from the clouds. “Behold,” the Puppet Man said, “my true form, ‘Divine Spirit Dracon’!”

The serpentine form shed the green energy, becoming a long golden-green dragon at least one hundred yards long with broad white-feathered wings and strands of long green hair coming off of the back of its head. It let out a massive bellowing roar (ATK: 3700).

The voice that had previously come from the Puppet Man now came from the dragon that floated overhead. “I counterattack, Spirit Burst Breath!”

The dragon opened his mouth and breathed green-gold light down from above.

“I make my last stand here!” I declared. “‘Fiend Megacyber’, attack!”

My monster jumped up, swords raised, and pushed back against the dragon’s attack, but he was overpowered and destroyed. The beam continued through. There was nothing I could do. The beam hit me, and I felt myself drift away.

(300+3400-3700=0).[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

The Battle Begins


My name’s Ned. Ever since I was young I’ve been able to see the spirits of Duel Monsters. Two of them in particular. I have a very unique deck filled with cards that no other Duelists have ever seen before. Two of those monsters have a tendency to appear to me. They always told me that I was destined for something great, and that I had to remain strong because one day it would be up to me to aid them in a battle that would determine the fate of the whole world! If someone told me that I had that kind of destiny I never would have believed them, but when that kind of news comes from two giant dragons, it’s a lot easier to believe.

I was on my way to the airport by bus. I was only in town for the day. My stay was up. I was staring out the window of the bus absentmindedly when the world around me grew dark, just as it always did when my Duel Spirits appeared.

“It’s time,” said ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’, his voice calm.

“You mean…”

“Yes,” said ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’, his voice fierce, “our enemy has revealed himself! It’s time for our battle to be waged. He’s on his way now. You must prepare!”

I got off of the bus at the next stop and ran into a nearby wood. I was nervous, my stomach turning summersaults, but I’d known that this battle was coming for a while, so I was ready. Still, if this battle was going to happen, I had to make sure that it happened away from people.

As I ran, the dragon spirits flew above me. The sky grew dark as a black cloud rolled in overhead.

[i]He’s coming,[/i] said ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’ in my mind.

“Are there any people nearby?” I asked the dragons. They rose up higher and looked around. Then they swooped back down close to me.

[i]You’re all alone,[/i] said ‘Yang’. [i]You can fight here.[/i]

I turned, ready to face the oncoming foe, “Good, then we really should get this over with.”

I stared into the darkened woods, and I waited. It wasn’t long before a figure approached. He was pale and his face was blank. I could tell that whatever had happened to this man, he hadn’t lived through it. He was the walking dead now.

My monster spirits faded away and I switched on my Duel Disk. “Who are you?” I demanded.

“I am,” he said through a mouth that wasn’t his own, “the greatest force to ever exist, ‘Divine Spirit Dracon’. I have possessed this body in order to duel you. I will destroy you and gain dominance over the fate of this world for the rest of eternity!”

“No you won’t,” I said. “I won’t let you!”

“Are you sure you want to fight me?” the dragon asked. “If I win, you will die. Did those foolish dragons tell you that part?”

“Yeah,” I answered, “I’ve known about the stakes of this battle for years now. I’m prepared for the consequences, and don’t think I don’t know what I’m doing. If there’s one thing I know how to do its duel.”

And I wasn’t bluffing. I was ready for this fight. Ever since I was young and my two Duel Spirits had started appearing to me they’d been telling me about my destiny. They gave me plenty of chances to back out of this, but I declined them all. I wasn’t about to let the world be doomed if there was anything I could do about it.

“If that’s what you want,” the dragon said, “I’ll begin. I summon ‘Golden Spirit Phoenix’,” a bird made of golden energy appeared, taking the form of a phoenix with golden feathers (ATK: 400). “I sacrifice ‘Golden Spirit Phoenix’ to Special Summon ‘Blue Spirit Wyvern’,” the dragon continued. The phoenix disappeared in a burst of flames and was replaced by a blue, winged energy creature, like a small dragon. The energy creature became an icy blue wyvern (ATK: 2200).

“Now,” said ‘Dracon’, “I activate the ‘Wyvern’’s effect, sacrificing him to deal eight hundred points of damage. Frigid Blast!” The ‘Wyvern’ became energy and split into pieces that took the form of several chunks of ice, several of which were pretty sharp. The ice rained down on me. One large piece hit me in the gut, and one of the sharper-edged pieces sliced the skin of my left cheek. I pressed on the wound to stop the bleeding (4000-800=3200).

“Next,” said the dragon, “I pay eight hundred Life Points to activate ‘Premature Burial’ (4000-800=3200), reviving ‘Wyvern’,” the small dragon returned, “and I activate his effect a second time.” Once again I was pelted by ice (3200-800 =2400).

“I place two cards face-down,” the dragon said, “and end my turn.”

“Then it’s finally time for me to fight back,” I said. “I begin by summoning ‘Yang, Fearless Warrior’. I discard one Warrior-type monster, ‘Lee, Recurring Nightmare’, from my deck to allow the ‘Fearless Warrior’ to attack twice this turn.” ‘Yang’ was surrounded by a dark aura. “‘Yang’, attack!” He raised his sword and moved to strike.

“Reveal,” the dragon countered, “my Trap card ‘Spirit Revival’, summoning a monster back to the field in its spirit form to block your attack.”

‘Yang’ slashed, but his blade was blocked by the golden spirit bird. Energy pulsed from the point where spirit met steel, and ‘Yang’ was pushed back to my side. The bird shed its spirit form (ATK: 400).

“‘Yang’,” I commanded, “now that it’s vulnerable again, use your second attack to kill it.” ‘Yang’ charged and cut the ‘Phoenix’ in half.

“Reveal,” said ‘Dracon’, “the Trap card ‘Spirit Barrier’, protecting my Life Points from damage.”

“Then I guess all I can do,” I said, “is place two cards face-down and end my turn.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

The Battle Concludes


“My turn begins with the Spell card ‘Spirit Bounty’,” the dragon announced. “I remove ‘Blue Spirit Wyvern’ from play to draw three cards from my deck.”

He pulled his cards and said, “Activate ‘Spirit Reborn’, reviving one “Spirit” monster from my Graveyard and then dealing you one hundred damage for every card left in my Graveyard with “Spirit” in its name.” The golden spirit form of ‘Golden Spirit Phoenix’ appeared again in a flash of rainbow light, and its eyes flashed red. I was wreathed in a red light that drained away two hundred of my Life Points before fading away (2400-200=2200). The ‘Phoenix’ shed her spirit form (DEF: 1900).

“Next I remove two Beast monsters in my deck from play to lower the level of ‘Red Spirit Lupo’ in my hand by two to four, and summon him,” the dragon declared, “and because one of the Beasts that I removed was ‘White Spirit Leo’, he’s summoned at the end of the turn.” A white energy ball appeared at ‘Dracon’’s side and a red beast-shaped form appeared ahead of him, becoming a black wolf with red eyes and red auras around his paws (ATK: 2300).

“‘Red Spirit Lupo’,” the dragon commanded, “destroy ‘Yang, Fearless Warrior’ with Spirit Fang!”

‘Lupo’ bit down, releasing a set of red energy fangs that flew toward my monster. The fangs hit, tearing my monster to pieces (2200+1600-2300=1500).

“Reveal,” I countered, “the Trap card ‘Meditation’, adding ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’ in my deck to my hand.”

A card slid from my deck and I placed it in my hand.

“I end my turn,” the dragon announced. He was confident, and he had good reason to be. I had a plan, but the way things were going, even if my luck was good, it would be tough to pull off.

“Because my turn’s over,” the dragon explained, “my ‘White Spirit Leo’ is summoned to the field as well.”

The mass of white energy took on the form of a white lion with wings. The lion let out a roar (ATK: 2200).

“This is far from over ‘Dracon’,” I said. “I summon ‘Yin, Apprentice Magician’, and I activate the Spell card ‘Spiritual Promotion’, discarding ‘Ness, Protector of Heaven’ and ‘Arian, Protector of Demise’ to transform ‘Yin, Apprentice Magician’ into ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’!”

‘Yin’ glowed bright white and changed into a large brilliant white dragon (DEF: 3000). He looked down at me and spoke, “Be careful. Things are about to get worse.”

“I know,” I said. Then to ‘Dracon’ I said, “I chain the Continuous Trap ‘Ancient Blast’. You take damage equal to the number of cards that I discarded from my deck times three hundred (3200-600=2600). Now I set a card and end my turn, discarding ‘Shao, Keeper of Rage’ from my deck to keep ‘Yin’ on the field, and to deal you three hundred more damage (2600-300=2300).

“Sorry,” said ‘Dracon’, “but that won’t be enough. I set a card, and since I have the Red Spirit, the White Spirit, and the Golden Spirit on the field all at once I can combine them to summon forth my true form!” The three “Spirits” returned to their energy forms and flew up into the dark cloud overhead. From the cloud descended a massive one-hundred-yard-long serpentine dragon with green-gold scales, long strands of green hair coming off of the back of its head, and broad wings with white feathers (ATK: 3700).

“I have finally arrived!” the massive dragon said excitedly. “Now nothing can stop me!”

He opened his mouth and laughed. It sounded like a grumbling roar. “Did you miss me ‘Yin’?” he asked. My dragon looked him in the eyes and said, “You’d be amazed by just how much I didn’t miss you ‘Dracon’.”

The dragon laughed again, “Well I missed you. I missed being able to do this. Spirit Burst Breath!”

‘Dracon’ fired a beam from his mouth straight at my dragon. “Sorry ‘Dracon’,” I said, “but I won’t let you do that!” the beam was blocked by a barrier. Behind the barrier stood three priests in blue robes. “My ‘Waboku’ Trap,” I explained, “will block your attack.”

“Only for one turn,” ‘Dracon’ said dismissively.

“One turn’s enough. Activate ‘Card of Sanctity’,” I declared, “letting us both draw until we hold six cards. Next I play the Spell card ‘Colour Burst’.”

“Chain,” said ‘Dracon’, “the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy the ‘Ancient Blast’ Trap.”

“I discard ‘Noya, Recurring Blessing’, ‘Last Stand’, and ‘Ancient Codex’ from my deck,” I continued, “to draw three cards from my deck and increase your Life Points by 1000 (2300+1000=3300).” I pulled three cards, and I smiled. “Sorry ‘Dracon’. You die this turn!”

“Your hand's that good?” asked ‘Yin’.

“Yeah, don’t worry, I’ve got everything under control.”

“Impossible,” said ‘Dracon’. “I’m unstoppable!”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I start out with ‘Ancient Hieroglyphic’, a Continuous Spell that allows me to treat every monster in my hand as a normal monster. This lets me play ‘Ancient Rule’ to Special Summon ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’ (ATK: 3000)!”

My second Duel Spirit, the stark black dragon, appeared at my side. “It’s about time you summoned me,” he said, “I was starting to get bored with waiting in your hand.”

“Hello ‘Yang’,” said ‘Dracon’, “isn’t this great? All of us back together again?”

‘Yang’ looked ‘Dracon’ in the eyes, “No, it’s not.”

“Alright,” I said, “time to finish this battle once and for all. Activate ‘Polymerization’, combining ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’ and ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’ into their supreme form!”

“It’s time,” said ‘Yin’.

“It’s [i]about[/i] time!” said ‘Yang’.

The two dragons flew high into the air and in a flash they merged into a larger dragon with purple scales and large colorful wings with patterns like a butterfly’s

“Behold,” I said, “the true form of my Spirits, ‘Ancient Dragon of Life’!” The dragon landed at my side and let out an echoing roar that seemed to reverberate in all things (ATK: 2500). “While ‘Ancient Dragon of Life’ remains on the field you lose five hundred Attack, one hundred for every Warrior in my Graveyard (3700-500=3200). It’s fitting that this, your final battle, will end the same way as the first more than ten millennia ago, with you, ‘Dracon’, falling to the power of the Ultimate Ancient Dragon!”

“I still have more than enough power to destroy the ‘Ancient Dragon’,” said ‘Dracon’, sounding a bit desperate.

“Hold on ‘Dracon’,” I said, “I never said I was finished. I activate ‘Last Hope’, sacrificing ‘Nessor, Goddess of Darkness’ on hand (ATK of ‘Dracon’: 3200-100=3100) to summon ‘Aria, Goddess of Light’.” A beautiful woman in gleaming armor appeared, staff raised (DEF: 1000). I looked over at my newest monster and nodded, and she nodded back, rising into the air. She aimed her staff, and ‘Dracon’ was wreathed in light. He cried out in pain.

“While ‘Aria’ is on the field,” I explained, “all opposing monsters lose one hundred Attack times their level.”

‘Dracon’’s Attack fell further (3100-900=2200).

“No!” cried ‘Dracon’. “This can’t be! This is my last chance!”

“That’s right,” said ‘Ancient Dragon of Life’, “our pact has finally ended. You will have no more chances to gain dominance over the earth. When you die today, you will never return!

“I strike the final blow,” my dragon said. Together we called out, “Breath of Harmony!”

The dragon breathed a pulse of light that radiated multiple colors. The life and all the world around me sang its desire to see ‘Dracon’’s end, and the mighty dragon was vaporized under the power of my dragon’s attack.

“I’m still alive,” said ‘Dracon’, speaking through the human body that he possessed (LP: 3300).

“Not for long,” I said, “because I have one more card left to play!

“Activate the Spell card ‘De-Fusion’, separating ‘Ancient Dragon of Life’ into ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’ and ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’.” In a burst of rainbow-colored light the dragon separated and ‘Ancient Yin Dragon’ and ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’ reappeared.

“‘Ancient Yin Dragon’, ‘Ancient Yang Dragon’,” I commanded, “attack! Positive Force! Negative Force!”

The two dragons unleashed their attacks, and the dragon was blown away.

“Our battle is finally over,” ‘Yang’ said.

“Now,” said ‘Yin’, “we can finally rest.

He looked down at me and said, “My friend, thank you for your part in this. Now it’s time to say goodbye.”

“Do you have to go?” I asked, feeling pained.

“Yes,” ‘Yin’ replied. “We have long outlived our time.”

The dragons and the cards in my deck faded into the light.

“Goodbye, my friends,” I said. I turned and walked back toward the bus stop to continue my journey.


[b]John[/b]


I woke up in the same place as where I’d fallen. I looked around. Christopher was still out cold.

[i]I’m alive,[/i] I thought. [i]I guess the good guy won after all, whoever he was, and the “Ancient Dragon” can rest in peace.[/i]

I looked up into the sky and saw that the dark cloud had parted, letting the sunlight through. I squinted, and I could have sworn I saw a gleaming purple dragon departing into the light.[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Book Three, The Dark Duel Force]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

Mid-Match Collapse


It had been a few months since I’d defeated Max and helped him become free of the evil and mysterious Yami’s oppression and influence. Yami, the master of our enemy, the evil Duelists of the Order, the evil secret group that had tried to kill me and my friends six or seven times now, was still out there, but for now he had left us alone. My friends, for the most part, thought that Yami and his followers had given up. They encouraged me to start competing in tournaments again, to move on with my life as a Duel Monsters player, or Duelist. So when I entered myself in the regional tournament at the local I2 Game Center, they thought I had finally begun to agree.

Truth was, Max, Karen, and I were the only members of my team, the Duel Force, who believed the Order was still plotting against us. Max knew Yami pretty well, and Karen, one of Yami’s former minions, was one of the smartest people I knew. The fact that the two of them were anticipating an attack was more than enough to convince me. As far as the three of us were concerned, the Order was coming, and it was our turn to go on the offensive.

The third major series of events in the story of the Duel Force began as I was about to take part in the semi-final round of the local Regionals, in my hometown of Checker County Ohio. We didn't get a lot of big tournaments in our area, and I would have been excited to participate if not for what I had planned. I had been careful to wear a white t-shirt under my black jacket. That way my Duelist’s Soul, the Soul of Darkness, would stand out. If anyone watching me was a member of the Order they would recognize the Soul right away. Hopefully they would see my flaunting it as a challenge.

As my semi-final match began, I stood at one end of the massive Duel Disk arena, part of the Game Center’s new outdoor Duel Yard, opposite my opponent, a kid named Richard. I pushed my unruly brown hair out of my brown eyes as I sized him up. He was sixteen, my age, with white blond hair wearing a black t-shirt with a red spiral on the front and ragged dark blue jeans. I’d heard he was good, so when my head started to hurt a bit, I figured it was just nerves and dismissed it out of hand.

The beautiful dark-haired Karen, the fierce but loyal Max, my best friend Tucker, and my short tempered sister Sarah were all in the audience, cheering me on. Or at least Karen, Tucker, and Sarah were. Max was busy watching the audience for anyone who might have been sent from the Order. He had discarded his trademark over-sized dark navy blue hooded sweatshirt for a better fitting gray one, hood down, and a white ball cap emblazoned with a red “DM”. Sarah had her sandy blond hair up in a ponytail and wore a soccer jersey and knee length shorts. Karen, who never worried about her appearance yet always managed to dress well, was wearing a pink tank top under a purple vest, a red studded belt, and faded form fitting jeans. Tucker, with his red hair and green eyes, was wearing a red t-shirt depicting a flame, and black jeans embroidered with a fire pattern up the left leg.

“It’s time for our next semi-final match,” said the announcer over the Duel Yard speakers. “Our computer has chosen Duelist #13 Richard, the High Gravity Duelist, to go first. How will John, the current favorite, handle this rising star?”

“I draw,” said Richard, “and activate the Spell card ‘Cost Down’, discarding one card to lower the level of every monster on hand by two until the end of the turn, letting me summon my ‘Gravity Behemoth’ to the field without tribute.” Richard discarded ’Gravity Bind’, and a massive black beast with two stubby curved horns appeared with a roar (ATK: 2300).

“Next,” Richard said, “I place a card face-down, and I pay one thousand Life Points and discard ‘Gravitic Orb’ to Special Summon ‘Gravity Chimera’ to the field as well (4000-1000=3000).”

A massive shadowy black wolf-like creature appeared alongside the first monster (ATK: 3000).

“That,” said Richard, full of confidence, “will end my turn.”

“Wow,” I said, “I can see why everyone says you’re good. But too bad for you, I’m better.”

I had in my hand the perfect combo to bring down Richard's monsters and most of his Life Points. I had no idea that things were about to go very wrong.


Karen


“But too bad for you,” John said, smiling that cute confident smile of his, “I’m better. Because your monsters out number mine by at least two, I can Special Summon my Spirit as a Duelist, the dark warrior, ‘Fiend Megacyber’!”

John’s signature yellow-armored warrior appeared at his side (ATK: 2200).

“Next,” John continued, “I play ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying your face-down card.” A huge whirlwind picked up, carrying the face-down card into the air, revealing it as ‘Zero Gravity’, before destroying it.

“Now,” John declared, “I sacrifice ‘Fiend Megacyber’ to summon the Embodiment of my Soul, the mighty Demon Lord, ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

The ‘Fiend Megacyber’, his arms crossed, dissolved into black smoke and reformed into a massive brown skeletal fiend with massive shoulders. Embedded in each shoulder and in his forehead were spherical red crystals. The Demon Lord crossed his arms, just as the warrior had done.

“‘Great Maju Garzett’,” John explained, "possesses strength that is twice that of the sacrificed monster.” The crystals on ‘Garzett’’s head and shoulders flashed, and his attack rose (2200x2=4400). Richard looked afraid.

“Now,” John continued, “I…I…I uhhh…”

I watched as John’s expression went blank and he fell first to his knees and then onto his face, unmoving. His Duel Disk's built-in heart monitor sensed that he was unconscious and his monster disappeared. Richard, who seemed honestly confused, and concerned, by what was happening, won by default.

Tucker and I reached John only moments before the Game Center security guard did, first aid kit in hand. He knelt down by John’s side, turning him over onto his back and checking him out. He gasped. “What?” I demanded.

“He…He’s gone into a coma. We need an ambulance. I’m definitely not equipped for this.”


The four of us were allowed to ride with John in the ambulance to the emergency room. The paramedics had removed his jacket and shirt in anticipation of cardiac arrest that thankfully did not come. Once we arrived at the hospital, we were surprised that we were not allowed to follow him on the stretcher to his room. Sarah and Tucker were pissed, but I managed to calm them down before any real harm could be done.

“This can’t be a coincidence,” said Tucker. “This has to be some kind of attack. Guess the Order isn’t gone after all.”

“Yeah,” I agreed, “we have to be ready so that if they strike, they won't catch us off guard. I’m gonna call Jen so she can help us figure something out.”

Tucker nodded, but he seemed unsure. He turned and walked away, “You call Jen. I’m gonna call the team.”


Jen


Karen called me around 5:20. She told me that John was in the hospital, and that the team needed me. If I left now, I would likely arrive by bus at about the same time as the others. Amanda was out of town at some camp thing, so this time I wouldn’t have to walk the two blocks to her house first and pick her up.

“Let me come with you,” said my sister, Kris, as I hung up the phone.

“No way,” I said. “This could be really dangerous.”

“But I’m a Duelist too, and you’ll be a man short with John out of commission,” Kris' eyes, once pleading, turned momentarily zealous, “and besides, if I’m there and there is an attack, the Order won’t stand a chance.”

I pondered this for a minute. If the Order did attack, having another Duelist there could only help.

“Alright,” I said, letting logic overcome emotion, “but we have to be careful. I may have already lost my cousin today. I don’t want to lose my sister too.”


After grabbing my things from around the house, Kris and I ran to the nearest bus stop. We had taken this bus often enough that it felt routine. It was something that should have been comfortable. But instead, with each passing second, I couldn’t help but feel that something wicked was waiting for me at the end of the trip. Something unlike anything I’d ever faced before.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter two]

Ancient Being;
Millennium Keeper


John


It’s dark, I thought, are my eyes closed? No. But I can‘t see. Weird. I thought for a second, but could come up with nothing to explain my blindness. Maybe if I stand up, I thought, and I pushed myself up onto my feet. Suddenly I found myself able to see again, standing in a familiar place, the Burial of the Soul, except instead of the altar where the Souls had been before they were released, there stood an old Egyptian man wearing plain white robes. He spoke. “Welcome John, to the tomb of your soul.”


Karen


I had been pacing the hospital waiting room for almost a half hour, ever since I’d called Jen. Tucker had taken care of calling the others as he’d said, of which I was glad. At first I’d thought that we would be alright on our own, but almost as soon as Jen had answered my call, the feelings began. The feelings that we were on the verge of a huge battle the likes of which we’d never seen. So far those of us who were here waiting had heard nothing about John’s condition, and no one had attacked yet, thankfully. When I told Max about the mysterious feelings of danger, he insisted that the attack was already over and that Richard had actually been an Order agent whose job it was to take John out of the equation, making us weaker, but I knew better.

“No way,” I’d told him, listening to my Soul. “That kid didn’t have a bit of magic to him at all. He had a lot of duel energy, but no magic, and I doubt that duel energy alone would be enough to do something like this to someone who has a Soul.”

I can’t let my guard down, I thought, looking out through the glass double doors of the hospital entrance and up at the darkening sky. Maybe I’m being paranoid, John’s just sick, and there is no attack coming, but I hope not. If this is something other than an Order plot, then that means there’s nothing I can do about it.


John


“What do you mean ‘tomb of my soul’?” I asked the mysterious old man, becoming aware of a great power deep within him. “Who are you, and what do you want with me?”

“Ah ah ah,” said the man tisk-tiskingly, “one question at a time.”

“Fine,” I countered, “who are you? Speak fast.” I raised my arm, which inexplicably bore my Duel Disk, which carried my deck within it, and my shadow rose up and wreathed my hand, forming a crude blade.

“Okay!” said the man, raising his hands in mock fear. “Don’t jump the gun my friend. I am the Millennium Keeper. I have a warning for you, and a test. Which would you like first?”


Karen


It had now been forty minutes since my call to Jen. Finally the doctors had something on John. A nurse came and got Sarah, Tucker, and I and led us into the ICU. Max stayed in the lobby to wait for the others, since they were finally due to arrive any minute.

Once we were through the double doors leading to the ICU, the nurse led the three of us down the hall, outside of a room. There was a doctor waiting. The nurse walked away, and the doctor stepped forward. “Hello. I’m Dr. Thomas, your friend’s attending-.”

Before the doctor could finish his sentence Tucker grabbed him by the collar, desperate, and said, “Cut the pleasantries and tell me what’s wrong with my bro!”

Dr. Thomas twisted out of Tucker’s grasp and said, as he straightened his collar, “Just calm down. Your friend is stable, at least for now, but we haven’t been able to bring him out of the coma, and all the tests we’ve performed have turned up nothing. The truth is, we just don’t know what’s wrong.”

“Then you’re useless,” said Sarah, pushing past the doctor and into the room behind him. “Now if you don’t mind, we wanna see him.”

Tucker and I followed Sarah into John’s room, followed by Dr. Thomas, who kept a good distance from Tucker. John lay there, unconscious, hooked up to several monitors, with an IV in his arm. If not for the beeping of the heart monitor, I could have almost come to believe that he was sleeping. But I knew better. John was in trouble, and it was up to the Duel Force to help. And we would help, no matter what.


John


“I’ll take the warning first,” I said, keeping my blade at the ready.

“Good choice,” Millennium Keeper said. “Your team, while protecting your body back in the waking world, will face a force more powerful than they are, sent by your enemy to take your Soul of Darkness, the strongest of the twelve. Your body has been thrown into a coma because your mind and your spirit are out of balance with your Soul. I have infiltrated your mind so that I can help you restore balance and unlock your true power before it’s too late to save your friends and yourself.”

“And how,” I asked, “will you do that?”

“With your test,” Keeper replied. “Or, more appropriately labeled, our duel.”

I smiled, letting the Shadow Blade melt away and become black smoke. “Well then, if it’s a duel you want, it’s a duel you’ll get!”


Karen


I sat down next to my best friend’s hospital bed. Tucker and Sarah had just reluctantly left to rejoin Max in the waiting room. I closed my eyes, and looked into my Soul. I smiled weakly at what the Soul of Imagination told me, opened my eyes and said, “John, I can sense through the Soul that only you can help you get better. I want to help, but I trust my Soul and I trust you. I know you’ll come back to me as soon as you can. But something bad is about to happen, I can feel it. We’re gonna need you, so hurry and get yourself better, okay, just in case I can’t handle what’s to come.”


Jen


Monty and Lawrence got on the bus several stops after mine. They, Kris and I rode together the rest of the way. We got off and walked the half block to the hospital, running into Rocky and Kimi minutes before we arrived. They lived closer to the hospital, but their route had dropped them off further away. I noticed that the only one of my newest companions wearing a jacket was the spikey-haired Monty, and wondered why the tall, overly-serious Lawrence would wear only his tight t shirt with the dragon footprint and khaki shorts in the forty degree Fahrenheit weather of the deepening night. Rocky wasn’t much better off, wearing that sleeveless t-shirt of his under that old army vest, but he kept close to Kimi, the cute, petite Japanese girl who he claimed only was his best friend, even though rest of us could see how much they liked each other, so I figured he was plenty warm.

We walked together the rest of the way. Even though we each had different degrees of experience with our Souls and their magic, and Kris didn’t have a Soul at all, every one of us was acutely aware that a powerful force was following close behind us, preparing to strike.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

Karen Takes Charge;
John vs. Millennium Keeper


Karen


My Soul alerted me of the team’s arrival before any of my friends or the doctors could. I didn’t want to leave John’s side, but, reluctantly, I walked back out to the waiting room, leaving John's deck by his beside as I went, hoping that it would give him strength. I relayed John’s condition to the others, but they, especially Jen, seemed unconcerned.

“Karen,” Jen said, “We were followed. They’re here. The Order is here.”


John


“So what do you say we begin, huh?” the old man said, raising a Duel Disk that I could have sworn he hadn’t had a second ago. “I’ll begin with the Continuous Spell ‘Call of the Mummy’. When I control no monsters I can Special Summon a Zombie from my hand. I summon a monster, but I chain its effect, flipping it face-down before the darkness parts to reveal it."

Great, I thought, eyeing the dark form hidden in the shadows at my opponent’s side, now he has a strong monster out, and I have no way of knowing what it is. It could have any kind of hidden ability that he could use to throw my strategy into disarray. Good thing I have a way around it.

“For my turn,” I said, inserting a card into one of my own Duel Disk’s Spell/Trap slots, “I also begin with a Spell, my ‘Graceful Charity’. I draw three cards, and then I send my ‘Summoned Skull’ and ‘Jinzo #7’ to the Graveyard. Next I summon ‘Strike Ninja’ in attack mode.” The black-clad ninja appeared, his kunai in hand. “Attack,” I commanded, “with Ninjitsu Shuriken (ATK: 1700).”

‘Strike Ninja’ rushed forward and slashed. His target appeared, a large mummy with a huge axe. “You revealed my ‘Giant Axe Mummy’ (DEF: 2000),” said Keeper, “who has the ability to counterattack against a monster with less than two thousand Attack and destroy it.”

The ‘Giant Axe Mummy’ blocked my ‘Ninja’’s knives with his axe. He pushed the ‘Ninja’ back and swung his axe, but the axe hit only air. “What happened?” Keeper asked, as his monster’s effect failed.

“Simple,” I replied, realizing as I did that my opponent already understood my play and was acting for my benefit, “I removed two Dark monsters in my Graveyard from the game to allow my ‘Ninja’ to step out of play until the end of the turn, avoiding your monster’s effect, even if I don’t avoid the damage I took during my attack (8000+1700-2000=7700). Now I end my turn with a face-down card, and my ‘Ninja’ returns.”

‘Strike Ninja’ reappeared, standing at my side. This duel had only just begun.


Karen


I closed my eyes and reached out with my Soul. “There are five of them,” I said, “all very powerful, with powerful magic all their own. This isn’t anything that they borrowed from Yami. They have Shadow Items.”

“What are we gonna do?” Kimi asked. “We’re strong, but if they were worried about us, they wouldn’t have knocked John out before they attacked. They know he’s our strongest. Without John, we may not be able to win against them.”

“We’ll set up defenses,” I said, “and protect John as long as we can. As important as our Souls are, if they get his Soul they might be able to use it to take ours without a fight. We’ll set up separate waves, Max, Tucker and I making up the last wave. We’ll keep fighting until we win, or until John wakes up, whichever happens first.”

I mapped out my plan, designating levels of defense. The team agreed, and they headed out, leaving Max, Tucker and I behind to prepare for the battle to come.


Jen


I led my small team, seven strong, out into the hospital parking lot. There we met the Order members. Just as Karen has sensed there were five of them, all males of various ages. The oldest was a large, muscular blond man. He wore a pair of sunglasses and a black muscle shirt. The next oldest was a man of about twenty with dirty blond hair wearing a plain t-shirt and jeans. The next two were between mine and John’s ages. One wore a black shirt marked with a skull, in sharp contrast to his ash blond hair. The other had brown spiky hair and wore a navy blue button up. The fifth, a kid about Amanda’s age, had light brown hair and wore a tiger pattern t-shirt and wicked, animalistic eyes.

They were a motley crew, strange in appearance, and in that they were each radiating powerful energy. Energy which came from items that the five carried, one item apiece.

The large muscular man wore a necklace with a strait crystal at the end, similar to one of our Souls. It was a deep purple, almost black, attached to a cord by a silver metal cap. His item radiated the second largest aura. The twenty year old carried a sheathed dagger at his waste, its silver hilt wrapped in strips of black leather. The skull-shirt kid wore a bracelet made of black metal. The youngest, the one in the tiger print, wore a necklace of strung together metal spikes, made to look like a necklace of animal teeth. And finally, the spiky-haired kid wore a black coin around his neck, hanging from a string. His item gave off the most energy by far, so much so that, if I focused, I could actually see it.

But more importantly, all of the items were emblazoned with silver Egyptian eye symbols, like the one on the famous pendant worn by Duel Monsters champion Yugi Muto. These items were Egyptian, they were magic, and they were very, very powerful.


Karen


I watched as the Order and the Duel Force faced each other. Even from here I could smell the stench of their wicked auras, twisting their magic into something evil. I put it out of mind, however, and returned to planning. I could tell already that no matter how hard the others fought, they would not defeat these opponents, and I worried that, even with all of the planning in the world, I couldn’t defeat them either.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

New Face of the Order;
Dark Duel Force


Jen


“You can’t pass,” I said to the obvious leader, the spiky-haired teenager, “we won’t let you.”

“You don’t concern us,” said the spiky-haired kid. “There is only one Duelist strong enough to contest the Dark Duel Force.”

“Dark Duel Force?!” Sarah cried, angry at the bastardization of our team name.

“Yes,” said the spiky-haired kid. “We are the Dark Duel Force, specifically selected from amongst the Order’s strongest and trained by Master Yami himself. The only one of you strong enough to stand up to us is your leader, and from what we hear, he’s a bit under the weather.”

“You won’t get near him.” I said. “To reach John, you’ll have to get past the real Duel Force.”

“If you insist,” said the spiky-haired kid, clearly unconcerned, “but remember, you were warned of our superiority. If you insist on opposing us then the battle to come will be one big Shadow Game. Any of us who loses will have his or her spirit and any magic tied to it stripped from their body and sent strait to Yami, agreed?”

I swallowed nervously, afraid. Not one of us would have agreed to these terms normally, but Karen was right, we couldn’t let the Order reach John while he was down and take his Soul. So reluctantly I said, “Agreed.”

Spiky-hair nodded. “I think Beast Ruler should be sufficient to handle you so-called Duelists.”

He nodded to the little kid in the tiger print. The kid stepped forward. “My name’s Beast Ruler,” he said, his voice sharp and raspy like a growl, “and I’ll be your slaughterer this evening.”


Karen


“It’s starting,” said Max, as aware of the hopelessness of the situation as I was.

“I know,” I said grimly. “I wonder how long it’ll last.”


Jen


“If you don’t mind,” I said, “we’ll take you on two-on-one.” That was our strategy, to face them in waves of two, hopefully overwhelming them with our superior numbers. After all, our numbers were really the only advantage we had.

“The more the merrier,” Beast Ruler said, practically jumping for joy. “Come to me like lambs to the slaughter.”

My sister and I stepped forward, a fact that left me thoroughly unhappy, since I didn’t really want my sister here at all. “You’ll face us first.” I announced, masking my concern. We raised our Duel Disks, ready to strike.

“I’ll go first,” I declared (LP: 8000), “and I’ll start with my ‘Insect Knight’, one of the strongest four star monsters in the game.”

My monster, an insect wearing armor and carrying a shield and sword in its uppermost legs appeared between me and Beast Ruler (ATK: 1900).

“I also place a card face-down,” I said, “and I end my turn.”

“Making it my move,” my sister announced lyrically (LP: 8000), “and I begin with my ‘Machine King’s Guard’, a monster who’s Defense rises by one hundred for every Machine I control.” An eight foot tall black robot appeared, a clear shield attached to its left arm, and crouched at Kris’ side, a spear in its right hand (DEF: 2000+100 =2100).

“I also place a card face-down,” said Kris, smiling coyly, “and end my turn. Your move, Beastie.”

Beast Ruler drew. His broad, vicious smile widening, and he began, “I summon one of my most savage beasts, the mighty ‘Berserk Gorilla’!”

Beast’s monster appeared, an orange gorilla that beat its tan chest repeatedly in a savage frenzy (ATK: 2000).

“Now,” Beast Ruler declared, his voice dripping with anticipation, “I attack with Berserk Pummel against the ‘Insect Knight’!”

“No you won’t,” said Kris, her tone and expression turning suddenly serious, “because I can protect us both with my ‘Staunch Defender’ Trap!”

Just before the ‘Gorilla’’s fist struck my ‘Knight’, it was deflected by the ‘Machine King’s Guard’’s shield. Beast lost Life Points (8000+2000-2100=7900).”

“Looks like we’re stronger than you thought,” Kris said, standing ready, confidence in her eyes. “This duel is gonna be harder than you thought after all!”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Beast countered. “I place two cards face-down and end my turn.”

Kris smiled over at me. I smiled back, and to Beast I said, “That makes it’s my move again.”

Thanks to Kris I had a monster alive to use in my strategy. I was worried about Kris, I thought, but I’d already be losing if not for her.

“I draw,” I said, “and I reveal ‘Multiplication of Insects’, splitting my ‘Insect Knight’ into two ‘Insect Knight Tokens’ with half the power.”

The ‘Knight’ split into two slightly smaller and paler, but otherwise identical, monsters (ATK: 950 (each)).

“Now,” I said, “I can sacrifice my two monsters for a more powerful monster.”

“Don’t count on it,” Beast sneered, “because to the summoning of your ‘Tokens’ I activate the Trap cards ‘Token Feastevil’ and ‘Ojama Trio’. First my ‘Ojama Trio’ resolves, summoning three ‘Ojama Tokens’ on your side of the field, and then my ‘Feastevil’ destroys all Token Monsters on the field and deals both of you three hundred damage per monster.”

Three small creatures appeared on my field, one green, one yellow, and one black, and then all five of my monsters exploded. Kris and I were both hit (8000-(300x5)=6500 (each)).

“Next,” said Beast, “The controller of the ‘Ojama Tokens’ takes three hundred damage for each one destroyed.”

I felt as if energy was being ripped from my body. It hurt, enough that it almost brought me to my knees (6500-(300x3)=5600).

“And best of all,” said Beast, “you don’t have any monsters left to sacrifice!”

“That’s about to change,” I said. “I summon ‘Basic Insect’, defense mode.” A small green mantis-like insect appeared at my feet, standing as tall as my waste (DEF: 500).

“My move,” said Kris, “and no matter what, I’m going to make sure you lose this duel. I’ll do it by sacrificing my ‘Machine King’s Guard’ to summon my ‘Machine King’!”

A tall humanoid robot with thick arms, heavily-armored arms appeared as Kris’ ‘Guard’ faded away into the darkness all around us.

“My ‘Machine King’ starts out with twenty-two hundred Attack Points and gains another one hundred for every Machine-type on the field (ATK: 2200+100=2300),” Kris explained. “I attack with Rocket Punch!”

‘Machine King’’s lower arms shot off and flew strait at the ‘Gorilla’ like rockets, crushing it. Then the arms reversed course, flying back and reattaching to the ‘Machine King’. Beast took another hit (7900+2000-2300=7600).

“Finally,” Kris concluding, “I end my turn with a face-down card.”

Beast drew his card, seemingly unconcerned by his loss. In fact, he seemed almost excited. “This is great,” he said, a dark hunger in his eyes. “This duel is the best duel I’ve ever fought! You guys are good, but not good enough to keep your spirits from Yami.”

“We can keep our spirits from being taken,” I said, “by making sure that your spirit is taken first.”

“Don’t count on it,” Beast countered, “because, far as I can tell, you still have fewer Life Points than me, and it’s my turn. I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards. Next I activate ‘Graceful Charity’, letting me draw three cards and then discard two. Next I play ‘Monster Reborn’, letting me revive a monster that I just discarded, my ‘Rescue Cat’!”

A small cat wearing a hard hat appeared on Beast’s side of the field (ATK: 500).

“Now,” said Beast, “I return ‘Rescue Cat’ to the Graveyard to summon two Beast monsters from my deck.” ‘Rescue Cat’ disappeared and a squat rodent and a flying squirrel appeared.

“I’ll use these two new monsters as a sacrifice for the ultimate beast,” Beast Ruler announced as a massive purple beast rose up behind him and growled, taking the place of his two weaker cards. “Behold,” said Beast, “’Behemoth the King of all Animals’!”

The massive beast roared (ATK: 2700). I heard Kris gasp, and I felt my knees begin to shake. If something that big hit us in a Shadow Game, things could get really bad for us.

“’Behemoth’’s effect activates,” Beast said, “and I get to return two Beast monsters in my Graveyard to my hand.”

Two cards slid from his Graveyard, “‘Behemoth’, attack the ‘Machine King’ with Ferocious Claw!”

‘Behemoth’ raised his claw and thrust it at the ‘Machine King’. Kris, however, didn’t seem worried at all. “Reveal,” she declared, “the Trap card ‘Covering Fire’, raising my Attack by an amount equal to the attack of Jen’s monster.”

The ‘Machine King’’s Attack rose (2300+500=2800), and he launched his arms at ‘Behemoth’, pushing his claws back.

“Activate,” said Beast, smirking wickedly, “my Spell card ‘The Big March of Animals’, raising the Attack of my ‘Behemoth’ by two hundred (2700+200=2900).”

The massive beast pushed back against the rocket arms, smashing them to bits and continuing through, slashing the robot and reducing it to scrap (6500+2800-2900=6400). Good try sis, I thought. It just wasn’t quite good enough.

“I end my turn,” said Beast, “with two more face-down cards. Hurry up and go so I can move on to the next kill!”

I drew. Thanks to Beast’s combo last turn I hadn’t been able to summon a strong monster then, but I would be able to summon one easily this turn, if I brought my ‘Multiplication of Insects’ back for another go.

“I start off my move,” I said, “with a Spell card, ‘Spell Reproduction’, discarding ‘Insect Imitation’ and ‘Forest’ to return a Spell in my Graveyard, like ‘Multiplication of Insects’, to my hand. Next I reactivate ‘Multiplication of Insects’, splitting my ‘Basic Insect’ in two.”

The small mantis monster split into two duplicates of the original, side by side (ATK: 250 (each)). I selected a card from my hand, and the two tokens disappeared.

“I sacrifice my two ‘Basic Insect Tokens’,” I declared, “to summon one of the strongest monsters in my deck, and the only one that can match your monster in size. Rise, ‘Metal Armored Bug’!”

Behind me a huge beetle with a metallic exoskeleton appeared, flexing its huge claws (ATK: 2800).

“Before you can attack,” said Beast, butting in, “I reveal a Trap, ‘Threatening Roar’. No monsters can attack this turn.” The ‘Behemoth’ roared, and the beetle cringed back.

“Your safe during my sister’s turn,” said Kris, “but not during mine, and it’s my turn again now.”

I looked over at her and saw a look of determination in her eyes. She wanted nothing more than to help us win this battle.

“I play,” said Kris, “my own ‘Graceful Charity’ Spell card. I draw three cards and then choose two cards in my hand and discard them. Next I summon my ‘Guardian of the Throne Room’, defense mode.”

Kris’ monster appeared, a yellow robot that rolled along on treads with three missile launchers on its back (DEF: 1600). This duel was reaching a defining point. All I had to do was wait for that point to come and try to make things go my way.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

Jen is Defeated;
John vs. the Perilous Desert Deck


John


“My move,” Keeper declared as he drew, “and I begin with the Monster card ‘Cobraman Sakuzy’,” a snake man sporting old Egyptian style weapons and armor appeared across from me and my ‘Ninja’ (ATK: 600). “Next I change my ‘Giant Axe Mummy’ to attack mode,” the massive mummy raised his axe, resting it on his shoulder (ATK: 1700).

“Activate,” Keeper declared, “the Spell card ‘Pyramid Energy’, and I attack with my ‘Axe Mummy’ against your ‘Ninja’.” The ‘Mummy’ rushed and swung his axe (ATK: 1900), splitting my ‘Ninja’ in half (7700+1700-1900=7500).

“Next,” said Keeper, “my ‘Cobraman’ attacks you directly.” At its master’s command the snake man ran straight at me, slashing with his sword (7500-800=6700).

“And, finally,” said Keeper, “to finish my turn, I play the Continuous Spell card ‘Shifting Shadows’. I use the effects of my two monsters, flipping them into face-down defense position, and I pay three hundred Life Points to activate ‘Shifting Shadows’, shrouding my field in darkness. Now if you attack one of my face-down monsters, you have to choose which one to attack at random (8000-300=7700).”

Shadows settled over Keepers field like a black mist. Once again Keeper had hidden his card to preserve his strategy. I knew in that moment that I had two options: either I could determine the correct location of his monsters, or I could summon a monster stronger than his ‘Mummy’. I also knew that if I failed to do so very soon, I’d already lost.


Jen


“My move,” said Beast as he drew his card. “I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, allowing each of us to refill our hands,” all three of us drew cards, and I wondered, not for the first time since the duel had begun, if Beast could possibly be as reckless as he seemed and yet still be so strong. After all the duel was two against one and he’d just given us back our hand advantage.

“Next,” Beast continued, snarling, “I summon ‘Blade Rabbit’ in attack mode (ATK: 300), and activate ‘Block Attack’, changing it to defense mode (DEF: 400).”

“Why not just summon it in defense mode?” Kris asked as the tiny rabbit appeared, baring its knife-like teeth.

“Because,” Beast answered cockily, “whenever ‘Blade Rabbit’ changes from Attack mode to Defense mode, I can destroy any monster on the field.” The ‘Rabbit’ jumped at the ‘Metal Armored Bug’, tearing strait through it. I feigned a lack of concern, as if I’d allowed my monster to be destroyed, but in truth there was nothing I could do.

“Now,” said Beast, laughing, “I think it’s time I squashed you. Like a bug!”


John


“I draw,” I declared, pulling the top card from my deck, happy with the result, “and I begin with my face-down card. Reveal the Continuous Trap card ‘Type-Zero Magic Crusher’. I discard ‘Darkness Approaches’ to deal you five hundred damage (7700-500=7200). Next I summon my ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, removing two Spell cards in my Graveyard from play to increase my monster’s Attack by six hundred until my next turn.”

My monster, a horned fiend riding a motorcycle, appeared carrying a pike weapon, revving his engine (1400+600 =2000). His body was wreathed in a green aura. “Attack now,” I commanded, “with Battle Pike!”

‘Chaosrider’ charged my opponent’s field and raised his pike, stabbing into the darkness, hitting a monster. It was revealed as the ‘Cobraman Sakuzy’, just before it was destroyed. ‘Gustaph’ kicked off of the ground, rotating on his hind wheel, and rode back to my side of the field where he turned and settled at my side.

“One card face-down,” I concluded, disappointed that I’d been unable to learn the location of the more serious threat, “and I end my turn.”


Jen


“I begin my finishing move,” said Beast, “with a Spell card, ‘Poison Fangs’. As long as it remains on the field, you take five hundred damage from ‘Poison Fang’ each time a Beast deals you battle damage. Next I activate ‘Wild Nature’s Release’, raising the attack of my ‘Behemoth’ by an amount equal to its Defense!”

The creature grew even larger, it’s claws and teeth growing longer and sharper (ATK; 2700+1500=4200). “Attack,” Beast commanded, and ‘Behemoth’ raised his claws, reaching toward me, “and I activate ‘Rush Recklessly’ and ‘The Big March of Animals’, raising the attack of my monster another 1100 (4200+1100=5300)!”

“No, Jen!” my sister cried as ‘Behemoth’ struck, her often-spacey demeanor doing nothing to prevent her from performing simple math, “there’s nothing I can do (5600-5300-500=0).”

As I felt my spirit leave my body, I turned to my sister, “Yes you can. You can beat him. You can beat him for me.”


Kris


I nodded, blinking back tears as my sister fell limp to the ground. Even as I cried and Beast Ruler laughed, I felt my pain turn to anger, and the desire for revenge.

“Because my ‘Wild Nature’s Release’ destroys my monster at the end of the turn, I have to summon a new monster to take its place,” Beast explained, smiling. “I Reveal ‘Beast Soul Swap’, returning a Beast monster on my field to my hand to summon a Beast of the same level. Well, I guess it would technically be the same monster, since the level seven monster I’m summoning to replace my dying ‘Behemoth’, is the level seven ‘Behemoth the King of All Animals’!”

The powered up ‘Behemoth’ disappeared, and then reappeared in its original form, roaring loudly (ATK: 2700). Beast had one card left in his hand. What could I do? How could I win if not even Jen could?



John


“I draw,” said Keeper, “and I’m sorry to say that your Trap won’t be enough to protect you.”

As the thick layer darkness on his side of the field cleared away, he selected a card from his hand, “Activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your face-down card.”

A powerful gust of wind tore through the hologram of my hidden Trap card ‘Mirror Force’, ripping it to shreds.

“Next,” Keeper said, “I sacrifice my ‘Giant Axe Mummy’ to summon the Master of the Afterlife, ‘The End of Anubis’!” Keeper’s mummy disappeared into the darkness of the Burial, and his new monster, a twenty foot tall blue skinned fiend with the body of a man and the head of a jackal appeared, it’s teeth bared, growling (ATK: 2500).

“While my ‘Anubis’ is face-up on the field, effects cannot target the Graveyard,” Keeper explained, “and of course, my monster is perfectly capable of attacking.” ‘End of Anubis’ roared, producing sound waves that tore my ‘Chaosrider’ apart, taking with it a chunk of my Life (6700+2000-2500=6200).

“You are strong,” said Keeper, “but you’ll never defeat the Perilous Desert Deck!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]

Soul of Mettle;
Beast Ruler is Defeated!


Kris


My sister was defeated, her spirit taken to serve as a battery for some evil spirit, and I was facing a psycho who also happened to very likely be one of the most powerful Duelists in the world. And I was fighting alone. The only support I had came from the five members of the Duel Force who stood watching from a few yards away.

This guy’s too strong, I thought. I considered giving up, thinking that if I did the Dark Duel Force might let me go home with my spirit attached. But Jen wouldn’t give up, I decided, and she asked me to win this duel. I won’t let her down! This guy does have a weakness, and I’ll find it.


John


My ‘Chaosrider’ was gone, my Life Points were hit, and I had no moves in my hand to speak of. The best move I had was inhibited by ‘Anubis’’ effect. I needed a way around it, and I only had one chance to get it. I drew, and I looked at my card.

Bingo!

“For my move,” I announced, “I activate the Spell card ‘Dark Core’, discarding ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ to remove your ‘End of Anubis’ from play.” A black hole opened above my opponent’s monster, pulling it inside.

“Now,” I said, “I revive my ‘Red-Eyes’ with the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’!”

There was a flash of light behind me, and the mighty black dragon with the red eyes rose up from the ground with a roar (ATK: 2400). Thanks to my ‘Dark Core’, I’d not only been able to rid the field of my enemies monster, but summon an even stronger monster than I’d originally intended.

“‘’Red-Eyes’, attack with Inferno Fire Blast!”


Kris


I looked over my hand, and then back at my opponent. I caught a glimpse of the number of cards in his hand and it hit me. One card?

I remembered back to earlier in the duel, when Beast had used ‘Card of Sanctity’ to rebuild his hand, even though he was taking a big risk to do so, since it rebuilt mine and Jen’s hands as well.

That’s it! His weakness is in the fact that he uses his hand up quickly. Thanks to ‘Card of Sanctity’ I have a full hand, but he only has one card! I need to draw one particular card to win, but even if I don’t get it, the chance of him having the right cards in the next one or even two turns is pretty low. I should be safe for now.

I drew my card, resuming my ditz act as I did so, “I don’t know if it’ll work, but I activate the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’.” I drew two more cards. Nothing. “Summon ‘Giga-Tech Wolf’, defense mode, set a card, and end my turn.”

My newest monster, a robotic wolf, appeared alongside my first machine (DEF: 1400).

“Excellent,” said Beast, “because now it’s my turn again, and with the real threat out of the way, I can spend my time destroying you! Maybe not this turn, but that’s the way I like it, the pain lasting as long as possible!”

I didn’t like the sound of that. I was already feeling a strain on my body as a result of the Shadow Game. If I started taking a bunch of hits, I didn’t know if I’d make it.

Beast checked the card he’d drawn, and then went right on with his turn, “I sacrifice ‘Blade Rabbit’ to summon my ‘Manticore of Darkness’,” a creature with the body of a man, the head of a lion, and the wings of an eagle appeared and roared (ATK: 2300).

“Now my two monsters attack!” ‘Behemoth’ struck and the ‘Manticore’ roared. My two monsters were reduced to scrap, but my Life Points remained safe.

I was running out of options. I hadn’t expected Beast to be able to summon such a powerful monster so soon. I tried to remember what effects ‘Manticore of Darkness’ had. If I was remembering right, each time I killed it, Beast could just discard or sacrifice another Beast to bring it back to life. I had to end this thing fast or the ‘Manticore’ would overrun me.

Please, I thought as I prepared to draw, gimme what I need to end this duel, avenge my sister, and prove that I have what it takes to be a Duelist worthy of fighting alongside the Duel Force!

It was just then that there was a flash. An orb of silvery light appeared, forming a silver-colored crystal that hung around my neck. I don’t know how I knew its name, but I knew if that moment that my Soul of Mettle, the twelfth and final Duelist’s Soul, had finally arrived.

“This is it,” I said excitedly, “the power that I need to defeat you. With the Soul of Mettle’s power, winning this duel will be easy! And lucky for you, I don’t draw things out the way you seem to.”

I drew, feeling power flow through my fingertips, and looked down at my card. I smiled, “Bingo! Hey Beast. Want to know the power of my deck? The true power of it?”

I stared at him coyly, but he didn’t respond.

“Fine,” I said, “you spoilsport. I’ll tell you anyway. It’s the power of Ultimate One Turn Kill!”

Beast almost growled, “‘Ultimate One Turn Kill’?”

“Exactly,” I replied, “the power to kill any powerful opponent in one move. It all begins with the Trap card ‘Hidden Barrel’.” A laser cannon appeared at my side and fired, leaving a burn hole in the chest of Beast’s tiger print shirt and dealing him six hundred damage, two hundred for every card in his hand and every card he controlled (7600-600=7000).

“Next,” I said, “I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing two mechs, ‘Roboyarou’ and ‘Robolady’, into my favorite monster, the mode changing mech ‘Super Roboyarou’!”

A blue-armored male robotic warrior and a pink-armored female robotic warrior appeared, each carrying a staff in hand. They merged, forming a sterner faced male robotic warrior wearing blue armor with pink bands on his shoulders, carrying a double-ended lance (ATK: 1200).

“Next,” I continued, “I increase my machine’s firepower with two Spells. First ‘Rare Metal Soul’,” the mech was surrounded by a bright white light (1200+1000 =2200), “and then ‘Fusion Weapon’,” my monster’s axe grew into a larger, double-pronged version of itself and became metallic red and blue in color (2200+1500=3700).

“Now,” I commanded, “I have my monster attack the ‘Manticore of Darkness’, activating his effect, increasing his Attack by one thousand until the end of the Damage Step,” Rockets emerged from the mech warrior’s back and he flew forward toward the ‘Manticore’ at mind-boggling speed (3700+1000=4700).

“It doesn’t matter,” said beast. “I’ll survive your attack, and so will my monster, thanks to his effect. But you’ve caught my attention. I don’t plan on drawing this duel out anymore. Instead I’ll shred your monster into junk, and kill you right away!”

“Don’t count on it animal brain,” I said, “because if you haven’t noticed, I still have a card in my hand. Activate, my key card, ‘Limiter Removal’!”

“No!” Beast cried disbelievingly. I think I saw fear in his eyes.

“Yes,” I said. “My monster gains the ultimate advantage. His attack points are doubled for the duration of the turn (4700x2=9400)! Now when he wins, you die!”

‘Super Roboyarou’ raised his weapon and slashed the ‘Manticore’ in half (7000+2300-9400=0). Beast’s ‘Behemoth’ disappeared, and his face went blank as death. He fell over, his soul-less body unable to remain upright.

“Alright,” I said, turning to the remaining members of the Dark Duel Force, eager to keep my momentum, “bring on the next one. I’m ready.”


John


Responding to my command, the vicious black dragon exhaled sharply, spouting flames that poured over my opponent’s body (7700-2400=5300). He raised his arms to shield his face from the flames.

“That won’t be enough to beat me,” said Keeper, his level of concentration rising. Could he have been toying with me? I wondered as he began his turn.

“You have passed my first test, my hidden monster strategy. But the only way to defeat my true strategy will be to attain true balance between your mind, your deck, and your Soul, awakening the sleeping True Soul within.”

“What do you mean ‘True Soul’?” I asked.

“That,” said Keeper, “is something that you must discover on your own, but you can only do so by defeating me, something that is more easily said than done. Now, my true strategy begins with my ‘Protector of the Sanctuary’, and a Zombie monster, Special Summoned by the effect of my ‘Call of the Mummy’, the mighty ‘Immortal Mummy’.”

A mummy rose up out of the sandstone at Keeper’s feet (DEF: 0), and behind him appeared a giant spectral torso made of patterns of light, wrapping its arms protectively around its master (DEF: 1900).

“Next,” said Keeper, “I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, which normally allows both of us to draw until we hold six cards each, but because of my ‘Protector’’s effect, you can’t draw cards outside of your Draw Phase.”

“Hold on,” I said, “you mean that you draw six cards, and I’m left with a hand of only two?”

“Exactly,” said Keeper, “but that’s only the beginning. I’m going to lock you down with my ultimate combo, which begins with these three face-down cards.”

“You can’t play a combo if I finish you off first!” I insisted. “I summon ‘Giant Orc’ in attack mode (ATK: 2200).”

‘Giant Orc’, a giant goblin carrying a club, appeared at my side, towering above me. “I attack ‘Protector of the Sanctuary’ with my ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’, Inferno Fire Blast!”

“Reveal,” said Keeper, “a card that you should know very well by now, the ‘Ordeal of a Traveler’.”

I sighed, “Yeah, I know all about that card, and the middle card in your hand is a monster.”

“Wrong,” said Keeper, showing the Spell card ‘Cost Down’, “meaning that your ‘Red-Eyes’ returns to your hand via my Trap’s effect.” My dragon was wreathed in red light and disappeared, but my ‘Orc’ remained.

I watched my opponent shuffle the cards in his hand, following his Spell card. Tricks like ‘Ordeal of a Traveler’ may be annoying, but they were only that. Such simple tricks don’t work on me for long. Some of my greatest skills are memory and concentration games. Once I had it, I said, “‘Giant Orc’, attack his ‘Protector’ now.”

“Not so fast,” said Keeper calmly. “I know that you're good at memory games and visual puzzles, so I was ready with this. Reveal the face-down Spell card ‘Reload’. I shuffle my hand into my deck and draw three more cards. Now you don’t know any of the cards in my hand.”

“Wonderful”, I said sarcastically. “The middle card is a Spell,” I guessed, not even trying to hide my annoyance.

“You,” said Keeper, “would be correct.” He showed me ‘Shifting Shadows’, and my ‘Orc’ rushed my opponent’s field, crushing his monster with his club.

“After he attacks,” I explained, “‘Giant Orc’ becomes exhausted and falls into defense mode.” My ‘Orc’ stumbled over to my side, fell over, and passed out (DEF: 0).

I wasn’t entirely sure what Keeper had in store for me, but if I was right, this definitely wasn’t going to be easy.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]

Second Wave;
The Messenger of Death


Kris


“The next Duelist that you will face,” said the spiky-haired kid, introducing his next ally like a contestant on a game show, “will be one of only two known masters of the Occult Style Deck, and one of the most terrifying Duelists I’ve ever met, Ghost Ruler.” As he spoke I noticed Rocky and Tucker picking up Jen’s soul-less body and carrying it off to the side. If Tucker’s here, I thought, taking note, then he, Max, and Karen must have finished coming up with the strategy for his duel. Karen is putting a lot of faith in him. From what I’ve heard, he’s pretty hotheaded. I hope she isn’t overestimating his skills.

I looked back over at the Dark Duel Force and said, “Bring on your Ghost Ruler. I’ll spank him good!” Spike ignored me and nodded to the guy in the skull shirt, and he stepped forward. I swallowed hard. I’d been hoping that he meant someone else. That one really scared me. And it didn’t help matters when his bracelet flashed and he seemed to disappear, reappearing again a moment later like a ghost. A chill ran down my spine. But my sister had given herself to fight these guys. Scared or not, I wouldn’t back down.

“I hope you’re ready for this Ghost,” I said, “because I fight for my sister. I won’t lose, ya hear?” I activated my Duel Disk and said, “Make your first move.”

“By all means,” said Ghost Ruler, pulling the top six cards from his deck. I shuffled my deck and drew my opening hand as well (LP: 8000 (each)).

“I start this duel with the spell card ‘Graceful Charity’, letting me draw three cards and then discard two. To be honest, the discarding part is what I care about most. I discard my ‘Souls of the Forgotten’ and ‘Earthbound Spirit’. Next I place a card face-down and summon the ‘Headless Knight’ in defense mode.”

He summoned a monster, I thought, but I don’t see it. I was puzzled. I looked around, and suddenly, out of the thick black mist of the Shadow Game emerged a headless man in full armor, carrying a sword. At his sudden appearance I couldn’t help but utter a small scream. I didn’t manage to regain my composure until I heard Ghost Ruler laughing, his monster crouching down, taking up a defensive stance (DEF: 1700).

“W-What monster is that?” I asked. I’d never seen it before.

“It’s a monster that represents a lost soul. Occult Masters like me can summon up lost souls and force them to do our bidding in a Shadow Game.”

I won’t say that I wasn’t freaked out. I was. But I also wasn’t going to let Ghost Ruler keep intimidating me. “Then I’ll face your lost soul with one of my strongest monsters, the ‘Mechanicalchaser’,” A spherical machine with many arms appeared. At the end of each arm was a different weapon (ATK: 1850). “This robotic hunter will cut your monster limb from limb, even more than he already has been.”

‘Mechanicalchaser’ rushed the ‘Headless Knight’, cutting him up with its many blades. “Next I set two cards face-down and end my turn,” Just try to get past that!

“At the end of your turn,” said Ghost, “I activate my most powerful card, the ‘Ouija Board’, which lets me call forth the ‘Spirit Message “D”’ and the ‘Spirit Message “E”’, as well as one more spirit message each turn, until all messages appear and spell out my final word to you.”

As Ghost spoke, a giant Ouija board appeared, floating above his head. From it emerged two ghosts, one carrying a letter D and the other carrying a letter E.

Uh oh, I thought, this can’t be good.


John


“I draw,” Keeper said, “and I start by summoning a second ‘Immortal Mummy’.” a second mummy appeared on Keeper’s field in attack position (ATK: 300). “Next I change my first mummy to attack mode as well (ATK: 300). One of my ‘Mummy’ monsters destroys the ‘Orc’, and the other attacks you directly.”

One ‘Mummy’ crushed my ‘Orc’ with his bandages, which he wielded like whips, and the other hit me, nearly knocking me onto my back (6200-300=5900). Via the second ‘Mummy’’s effect I was forced to choose a card and send it to the Graveyard. I sent my ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’, leaving only ‘Red-Eyes’ in my hand.

To put is simply, I was screwed.


Kris


“My move,” said Ghost. “Because I have no monsters out on the field, I’m going to have to summon a few, starting out with the Special Summon of a personal favorite, the ‘Dark Necrofear’!” Ghost’s monster, a thin, deathly woman, carrying a mutilated doll, rose up at Ghost’s side (ATK: 2200).

“It has twenty-two hundred Attack?” I asked.

“That’s right, and because she was a Special Summon, in case you don’t already know this, I can also summon ‘The Portrait’s Secret’ in defense mode.” A portrait of a gentleman appeared, floating in the air. From the portrait emerged a ghastly and grotesque torso and head (DEF: 1500).

“More lost souls?” I asked. Ghost’s only response was a wide, wicked smile.

I huffed, projecting a distinct lack of concern, “Fine, then I’ll just have to kill them without knowing exactly what they are. I summon ‘Robotic Knight’ in attack mode.” A mechanical swordsman appeared, carrying a thin, sharp sword (ATK: 1600). “Next, I equip my ‘Robotic Knight’ with ‘Seven Completed’.” A glowing red seven appeared on the swordsman’s head, and his Attack rose (1600+700=2300).

“Now,” I commanded, making sure to dramatically point my monsters in the right direction, “attack and destroy both of his monsters!”

‘Mechanicalchaser’ stabbed one of his blades through the ghost of the portrait, straight through to the portrait itself. ‘Robotic Knight’ slashed with his sword so rapidly that the ‘Dark Necrofear’ was reduces to shreds in the blink of an eye. The two monsters died, and Ghost Ruler lost Life Points (8000+2200-2300=7900). I was pretty proud of myself, but Ghost seemed entirely un-phased. Whatever the ‘Ouija Board’ did, it had to be bad for him to still be so confident.

“I end my turn,” I said. Bring it on, ‘Spirit Message’. I can handle whatever you can dish out!

The pointer of the ‘Ouija Board’ moved, pointing to “A”, and another messenger ghost appeared. I tried to figure out what the board was spelling, but I couldn’t.

“My ‘Ouija Board’ effect isn’t the only effect that activates now,” said Ghost. “At the end phase of my turn, the ghost of ‘Dark Necrofear’ rises from the dead to possess one of your monsters.”

“You’ve got to be kidding. Hello, my monsters are machines.”

“That just makes it easier,” Ghost said, chuckling darkly. “A machine has no soul of its own to resist my monster’s hold.” As he spoke, a ghostly visage of the ‘Dark Necrofear’ rose out of the ground and flew into the ‘Robotic Knight’’s chest. His eyes glowed red and he walked over to my opponent’s field, turning on his former ally, ‘Mechanicalchaser’.

“Now,” said Ghost, “I draw, and I sacrifice your ‘Robotic Knight’ for my ‘Puppet Master’,” A ghastly creature with papery brown skin, wearing jester’s attire, appeared above us. Strands of light reached from its fingertips into the ground. “I sacrifice 2000 of my Life Points (7900-2000=5900) to revive two of my dead monsters!” The ground opened up and ‘The Portrait’s Secret’ (ATK: 1200) and ‘Dark Necrofear’ (ATK: 2200) rose up out of the ground, hanging from the strings like lifeless puppets.

“Because the ‘Puppet Master’ only raises the bodies of these monsters,” Ghost explained, “the spirit of ‘Necrofear’ continues to possess your machine. Also my monsters summoned by ‘Puppet Master’ can’t attack in the turn that they’re summoned, not normally, so I activate a Spell, card ‘Spirit Spectrum’.” His monsters were wreathed in a ghostly light.

“My ghost minions, attack!” ‘Dark Necrofear’ vaporized my ‘Chaser’ with a burst of dark energy, and the ghost of the portrait reached its arm out, stretching it toward me, slashing me (8000+1850-2200-1200=6450).

I was in pain, cuts on my arms and chest where the attacks had made contact bleeding lightly. I just couldn’t get over how real these attacks felt. It wasn’t as bad as I’d thought it would be from what my sister had described, but it was painful, and distracting. Regardless, however, I was able to retain a look of confidence.

“I draw,” I declared, “and I summon ‘Roboyarou’, and I combine him with the Spell card ‘Tribute Doll’. I sacrifice my ‘Roboyarou’ to Special Summon a level seven monster from my hand, as long as I agree to skip my Battle Phase this turn.”

The blue robotic warrior appeared alongside a small mannequin nailed to a tablet. Both disappeared, and a new monster took their place. It had a snake-like metallic body, topped by a winged robotic torso, all in pale gold armor. Its torso had four arms, one carrying a sword, one carrying a staff, one carrying a shield, and one empty handed (ATK: 2500).

“With the effect of my ‘Doll’,” I declared, not entirely sure where some of the words were coming from, “I summon my strongest monster, the form of my very Soul, ‘Emes the Infinity’! Next I activate the Spell card ‘Electromagnetic Burst’.” ‘Emes’ raised his open hand, and electricity burst from it, vaporizing the ‘Puppet Master’. As he vanished, the strings connecting him to the two monsters vanished as well.

“When your ‘Puppet Master’ dies, his magic dies with him, and the monsters he brought back die as well. And because ‘Necrofear’’s spirit is already on the field, possessing my ‘Knight’, her effect won’t activate again when her body returns to its grave.”

“You’re pretty smart little girl,” said Ghost, his monsters fading into the mist, “but you’re already too late. Your turn ends, and a fourth messenger appears, leaving only one more to go.”

The pointer of the ‘Ouija Board’ moved, pointing at the “T”. D-E-A-T, I thought. What could the messengers be spelling? What could the last letter be?

Of course by now I had a feeling I knew, I just didn’t want to admit it.

“For my turn,” Ghost said, “I activate the ‘Cheerful Coffin’, discarding ‘Skull Knight #2’ from my hand, combining it with the Spell card ‘The Shallow Grave’, letting each of us return a monster in our Graveyard to the field in defense mode. I choose ‘Skull Knight #2’.”

“I choose my ‘Mechanicalchaser’.”

Beside Ghost, out of the ground, rose a coffin. It opened and a demon knight in skeletal armor appeared. Beside me the broken pieces of the decimated ‘Mechanical-chaser’ rose up, coming together, restoring my machine to its undamaged form (DEF: 800).

“Now,” said Ghost, “I sacrifice my ‘Knight’ to summon ‘Earl of Demise’.” The ‘Knight’ disappeared, and a ghostly corpse of a gentlemanly swordsman appeared in its place (DEF: 1000).

What’s he waiting for? He’s just defending.

“And because ‘Skull Knight #2’ was sacrificed for a Fiend-type monster, I can summon another ‘Skull Knight’ from my deck,” A new ‘Knight’ appeared (DEF: 1000).

More defense? Fine, if he wants to put up walls, I’ll tear them down! As I continued to wonder about his motives, Ghost ended his turn with a set card.

“I’ll finish you this turn,” I said. “I summon one of my most powerful cards, ‘Fusilier Dragon, the Dual-Mode Beast’. It starts as a level seven monster with twenty-eight hundred Attack, but by activating mode two, I can summon it with half the power, but no tributes.” A robotic dragon with a body like a tank and two shoulder mounted cannons appeared. Its neck and tail retracted into its body, and its shoulder cannons folded back behind its armor, leaving two cannons on its head as its only available armaments(ATK: 1400).

“I follow up with ‘Monster Reborn’, reviving my ‘Roboyarou’, giving me four monsters.” The blue metallic warrior appeared again at my side (ATK: 950). “Now I attack your ‘Earl of Demise’ with my ‘Roboyarou’, Metal Spear Bash!”

‘Roboyarou’ pointed his spear and rushed the opponent’s monster. Ghost didn’t even seem like he was confused with my move. ‘Roboyarou didn’t stand a chance of getting through the ‘Earl’’s defenses on his own. Does that mean he guessed my move? I wondered. Oh well, I thought, smiling, it’s not like there’s anything he can do about it.

“Activate, my trump card, ‘Limiter Removal’, doubling the Attack of all of my monsters.” ‘Roboyarou’’s attack rose (1900) just as he slashed, reducing the ‘Earl’ to wisps of smoke. “Next I kill the ‘Skull Knight’ with ‘Fusilier Dragon’.” The ‘Skull Knight’ tried to deflect my monsters beam attack, but it was no use. He was easily destroyed.

“Now finally,” I commanded, “I attack with ‘Mechanicalchaser’ and ‘Emes the Infinity’ (Total ATK: 8700).” The two monsters raised their blades and moved to strike the still confident and un-flinching Ghost Ruler, only to have their paths blocked by two living forms of black fire.

“Reveal,” Ghost declared, “the Spell card ‘Fires of Doomsday’, absorbing your last two attacks. “Now your turn ends, and your monsters are all destroyed by the secondary effect of ‘Limiter Removal’.”

My machines exploded violently, forcing me to shield myself with my arms.

“But that’s not the best of it,” Ghost sneered. “This turn, my ‘Ouija Board’ finally reveals its final message. Soon you will know why I’m called The Messenger of Death!”

“I didn’t know you were called The Messenger of Death,” I retorted, but it had finally hit me as the pointer moved toward its goal, Ghost Rulers face twisting into a terrifying image of sick excitement as he saw the sudden realization and fear in my eyes. I watched in horror as the pointer settled into place. “This is it,” said Ghost as the final messenger appeared. “The ‘Ouija Board’ has spelled out your ‘DEATH’!”

The last thing I remember about that duel is the ‘Ouija Board’ releasing a wave of hungry ghosts, and the horrendous, cackling laugh of my executioner.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eight]

The Next Wave;
Rocky and Kimi vs. Ghost Ruler


Rocky


I watched from the sidelines as another of my companions fell, their spirit stripped away. “No fair,” I said forcefully. “She didn’t have a Duelist’s Soul when we started. She shouldn’t have been bound by the same rules.”

“She made her choice,” said the spiky-haired kid. “By being here at all she made the choice to take part in our game, regardless of the consequences. She surprised me. To defeat Beast Ruler, and then to come so close to defeating Ghost Ruler. She was much stronger than I ever would have expected.”

Someone else might have seen Spikey Hair’s reaction as a sign of respect for Kris, but I knew better. He’d simply finally begun to take interest in us. That made me mad. Even though I didn’t know Kris very well, I knew she was a better person than our opponents. She deserved more than what had happened to her. So did Jen. I turned to Kimi, my partner in the next duel, eager to prove just that to our enemies by defeating as many of them as I could. “You ready?” I asked. She nodded.

“Good,” I said, looking Ghost Ruler in the eyes fiercely, “let’s take out this trash.”

Kimi and I were the next wave. Karen and Jen, two of the greatest strategists I’d ever known or known of, thought that my solid defense and skill my skill at combining cards would be a good compliment to Kimi’s “Burning Light” Style, and as the duel began, I really hoped that they were right. There was no way to keep Kimi from fighting for her friends, but I didn’t want her to get hurt. I needed to protect her.

“I’ll start off,” I said. “I set one monster and place three cards face-down (LP: 8000).”

Darkness swirled all around us as a result of the Shadow Game. Within that darkness the obscured form of my monster appeared.

“That makes it my move,” said Kimi, “and I begin with my ‘Agent of Wisdom – Mercury’ in attack mode. Next I set two cards face-down and activate ‘Pot of Generosity’, letting me shuffle two cards from my hand into my Deck.”

On Kimi’s field appeared a man with dark green skin and green and blue wings, carrying a book under his arm (ATK: 0). She must have something prepared for that monster, I thought. I have to protect it. Good thing I’m prepared!

“My move,” said Ghost Ruler, sounding quite pleased with himself, “and I begin with my Spell card ‘Fiend Sanctuary’, letting me summon a ‘Metal Fiend Token’ to the field.” A small creature made of stacked reflective metal spheres appeared within a magical ring at Ghost’s feet (ATK: 0).

“Next,” Ghost continued, “I sacrifice my ‘Token’ to summon one of my lost souls, ‘Earl of Demise’,” the ghastly gentleman swordsman appeared, brandishing his weapon (ATK: 2000), “and attack ‘Agent Mercury’!” The ghost swordsman rushed Kimi’s monster, but he was cut off by the statue of a massive face and hands, built from multi-colored bricks.

“I reveal,” I said, “my Trap cards, ‘Staunch Defender’ and ‘Castle Walls’, increasing the Defense of my ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ by five hundred (DEF: 2500) and allowing it to block your attack!”

‘Earl’’s sword hit my ‘Statue’ and bounced off. I chuckled, saying, “Now, my final face-down card. Go ‘Destruction Punch’, destroying your monster with lower Attack than my monster’s Defense.” ‘Statue’ charged forward and overran the ‘Earl’, crushing it.

“And as you may or may not know, when you take battle damage from a battle with my ‘Statue’, the damage is doubled.” Ghost seemed unconcerned as his Life Points fell (8000-1000=7000).

“One card face-down,” said Ghost, his eyes flashing with sudden interest. “End turn.”

Three guesses what that card is, I thought, trying to come up with a way to get rid of what I knew was ‘Ouija Board’ before it could activate, but it was unnecessary. Kimi was already prepared.

“During the End Phase of your turn,” said Kimi, “I reveal ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your face-down card.” The ‘Ouija Board’ appeared, torn in half by a powerful gust of wind. Hundreds of souls burst from within it, screaming in pain before fading away.

Ghost started laughing. “Yep,” I said. “This guy’s definitely crazy.”

“Don’t you get it?” Ghost asked, a maniacal look in his eyes. “I’ll give you props, you two have already done far better against my deck than I expected, but nothing you have done is of any concern to me. My ‘Ouija Board’ card in a handicap put in place to limit my true power, to keep my duels interesting when my opponents are too weak to make keep things interesting on their own! Now that it’s gone I know that you two are strong enough to keep me entertained, and I can really let loose!”

“Kim,” I said, feeling sick, “I think things may have just gotten a lot worse.”

Then to Ghost I said, “I draw, and I play the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards from my deck. Next I summon my ‘Destroyer Golem’ in attack mode.” A huge stone man with an oversized right arm, standing fifteen feet tall, appeared behind me (ATK: 1500).

“Go, ‘Destroyer Golem’, attack, Giant Fist Hammer!” The ‘Golem’ punched Ghost Ruler, throwing him onto his back (7000-1500=5500). He got back up. He had blood in the corner of his mouth. He stuck out his tongue, licking the blood away.

“Awe man,” I said, “you’re sick.”

“Don’t worry, Robby,” Kimi said, collected and calm. “We won’t have to worry about him for too much longer. My turn, and because I had no card in my hand at the end of my opponent’s last turn I can draw a second card with ‘Mercury’’s effect. But first, I reveal ‘Solemn Wishes’. Each time I draw, I gain five hundred Life Points!” She drew once to start her turn, and then again for her monster’s effect, and gained Life (8000+500 +500=9000). She was already establishing a rather impressive lead.

“Next I activate the effect of my ‘Card of Sanctity’,” she declared, “letting all players draw until they hold six cards.” Every player drew, and Kimi’s Life Points rose even further (9000+500=9500).

“Finally, I change my ‘Mercury’ to defense mode (DEF: 1700), and summon ‘Agent of creation – Venus’!” A beautiful angel with long flowing hair descended to Kimi’s side in a pillar of light (ATK: 1600). ‘Mercury’ stepped back to stand at Kimi’s other side and raised his free hand, striking up a defensive pose.

“By paying fifteen hundred Life Points,” said explained, “I can use my ‘Venus’’ light to call three ‘Mystic Shine Balls’ to the field (9500-1500=8000).” Three colorful glass orbs appeared, flying in a circle around ‘Venus’’ head (ATK: 500 (each)).

“Now,” Kimi commanded, “my monsters strike as one, Mystic Shine!” The four monsters released a wave of light (5500-3100=2400). “Would you look at that. Another turn and you’ll be dead.”

Ghost smiled his wicked smile and drew a card,. “It’s my turn, and I start it off with a bang! Activate, ‘Dark Hole’!”

High above us, the sky grew even darker, energy crackling across a vast black vortex that appeared directly above us. The pull of the vortex drew all seven of mine and Kimi’s monsters inside, closing behind them.

“Next,” said Ghost, “I play ‘Cheerful Coffin’, discarding ‘Headless Knight’ and ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’, and I Special Summon ‘Dark Necrofear’ by her own effect, removing the three monsters in my Graveyard from play to do so (ATK: 2200).” The grotesque female ghost with the mutilated doll on hand appeared. I think Ghost expected us to be afraid, because when we didn’t flinch, he scowled.

“I guess seeing my deck once before has prepared you for the appearance of my monsters. It doesn’t matter though. My deck is still just as strong without all the terror. And there’s more than one way to scare a Duelist. Another of my favorite ways to scare someone is to out play them.

“I play ‘Spell Economics’,” Ghost declared menacingly, “so that I don’t have to pay Life Points to activate the Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’!”

A ripple appeared in the sky above Ghost, and three monsters emerged; the green-skinned baron, ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’ (ATK: 2450), the ghastly swordsman, ‘Earl of Demise’ (ATK: 2000), and the decapitated warrior ‘Headless Knight’ (ATK: 1450).

“Now,” said Ghost, “finally, I summon the ‘Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams’, the Siren of Nightmares!”

Alongside the other four monsters, a spirit of a grotesque woman appeared (ATK: 1300), and Ghost continued, “Now I attack with all five of my monsters, dealing massive damage to you both.” I’m not sure which monsters hit who in the onslaught, but when it was over, Kimi had been thrown onto her back, and I had fallen to my knees, quivering with pain. Our Life Points had fallen to two thousand fifty and thirty-five hundred fifty respectively.

That’s just great, I thought as Kimi and I struggled to rise. This guy’s got complete field advantage. When Kimi draws she’ll gain back some of the Life Points she lost, but other than that, we have nothing left. If I don’t draw a good card now, we’ll both lose! “I draw,” I declared, barely taking any time to note the newest addition to my hand, “and I summon the card I just drew, my favorite card, ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’!”

Ahead of me a fifteen foot tall stone warrior appeared, a stone sword in each hand, crouched down into a defensive position (DEF: 2000).

My monster's strong, but it’s not strong enough, “Activate, the Field Spell ‘Chorus of Sanctuary’, bathing all defending monsters in a holly light and raising their defense by five hundred (2000+500=2500). Now none of your monsters can get through him!”

And if I have to, I’ll use that move to defend Kimi. If it comes down to it, I’ll give my life to save her.

Kimi closed her eyes. Then she looked up at Ghost and said, “This is it. The defining moment in this entire duel. If I draw the right card, this duel ends now.

“Draw!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nine]

Rocky Falls;
Shine Bright, Shinato!


Kimi


I took a deep breath and steeled up my nerves. Okay Kimiko, on three. One. Two. Three!

I drew, and I looked down at my card. It’s not what I was hoping for, I thought, but it’ll do. For now.

“I summon,” I said, “my ‘Happy Lover’ in defense mode (DEF: 500+500=1000) and equip him with the barrier card ‘Heart of Clear Water’.”

My monster, a spherical angel with four wings and a heart on his forehead, appeared hovering at my side. An energy bubble appeared around him, protecting him from attacks. “That’s all I can do,” I concluded, uncertainly. I looked over at Rocky. “Sorry I didn’t get my key card.”

“It’s not a problem,” Robby replied. “We’re well protected and we have him outnumbered. We’ll do just Fine.” He looked confident, but I got the feeling he was worried. Truth be told, so was I, and I don’t worry easily.

“Good try,” Ghost said to me, sneering like a maniac, “but something as simple as an Equip Spell card won’t work against me. Activate the Spell card ‘Spiritualism’, returning one Spell or Trap in play to the owner’s hand.”

“No, My barrier!” I exclaimed. No one had so easily gotten past this combo before. It was more than a bit surprising.

“You got it,” Ghost said as the barrier around my monster disappeared. “Now you’re wide open and your soul is ready to be plucked away!

“I attack ‘Happy Lover’ with my ‘Headless Knight’!” Ghost declared. The ‘Headless Knight’ slashed, cleaving the tiny angel in half. “Now I can hit you directly with my remaining monsters, finishing you off, starting with ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’!”

‘Dark Ruler’ fired a sphere of energy at me. It’s all up to you now, Robby, I thought. But suddenly, just in time, the ‘Stone Soldier’ sprung between me and the ‘Dark Ruler’’s attack, swinging his sword and knocking the energy sphere back toward Ghost, where it exploded at Ghost’s feet (2400+2450-2500=2350).

“Based on the team duel rules for partners in the game of Duel Monsters, once per turn, if my opponent doesn’t have any monsters and is about to be attacked, I can give my monster to my opponent and block the attack.”

I looked over at Robby. “Why?” I asked.

Rocky stared straight ahead, into Ghost’s furious eyes. “Because you’re stronger than me,” he answered. “I couldn’t let you die, so I gave you my monster to save you when you needed it most.”

“Touching,” said Ghost, “but in case you didn’t notice, giving your monster to your partner left you wide open! I attack you directly with ‘Dark Necrofear’, ‘Gross Ghost’, and ‘Earl of Demise’!”

I was ready to just give Rocky’s monster back to him and bring the attacks upon myself, but I looked into Robby’s eyes, and I saw it there. This was what he wanted. I hesitated, and before I could act he was overcome.

I watched helplessly as the ‘Dark Necrofear’ and the ‘Gross Ghost’ fired dark energy at my best friend’s chest. The resulting explosion kicked up a thick cloud of smoke. Seemingly out of nowhere the ‘Earl of Demise’ burst through the smoke and slashed Robby across the chest with his sword (3550-1300-2200-2000=0). He fell to his knees and collapsed, his spirit stripped away.

“No, Robby,” I said, tears coming to my eyes. But I heard something, like a voice in the back of my mind reach out to me. Don’t worry, said Robby. I think I’m okay. I looked around frantically for the source of the voice, and the ‘Stone Soldier’ turned its head to look back at me, new life in its once cold, lifeless eyes.

Robby? I thought back.

In the flesh, the voice replied, more or less.

How? I asked with my thoughts. I couldn’t believe what was going on!

I guess I somehow activated one of my Soul’s powers and got my spirit caught in the ‘Stone Soldier’, which, because this a Shadow Game, is made of real stone. But that’s not important. What matters is that I’m still here to help you fight!

I’m glad, I thought, truly relieved. Then to Ghost I said, “I draw, and I equip my ‘Heart of Clear Water’ to my ‘Stone Soldier’, making him virtually indestructible.” A barrier appeared around the monster that was somehow my fallen friend. “I end my turn.”

Ghost drew his card and smiled. “Excellent! Let the final moments begin!”


John


“I draw,” I said, and I pulled the top card from my deck. “Next I set one card and end my turn,” I declared, forming an idea.

Alright, Keeper, I thought, I just need to turn this strategy of yours to my advantage.

“Excellent,” said Keeper. “Now it’s my turn. I draw, and I attack with my ‘Immortal Mummy’!” The ancient monster struck (5900-300=5600), sending my ‘Red-Eyes’ to the Graveyard.

“Now, attack with the second ‘Mummy’,” The second monster moved to strike.

“Not if I can help it!” I said, cutting in. “I reveal my Trap card, ‘Call of the Haunted’, calling ‘Red-Eyes’ from the Graveyard (ATK: 2400)!” The black dragon appeared and roared, and the ‘Mummy’ stopped dead in its tracks.

“In that case,” Keeper said, “I end my turn by summoning another of my key cards, the ‘Spectral Mummy’!”

A second mummy monster faded into existence beside the two ‘Immortal Mummies’, its back hunched, its knuckles scraping the ground. “Now,” said Keeper, “I activate ‘Spectral Mummy’’s special ability, sacrificing him and one of my ‘Immortal Mummies’ to summon my very soul, ‘Ghost of Egypt’!”

The two mummies faded into the shadows and a new creature emerged. His skin was black, and he wore a headdress over his jackal-like head (ATK: 900).

“Now I change my ‘Immortal Mummy’ to defense mode (DEF: 0) and end my turn.”

Well, I thought, Things really aren’t goin’ my way today.


Kimi


“I begin my turn,” said Ghost, “with a Spell card, ‘Dark Energy’, raising the Attack and Defense power of any Fiend by three hundred. I give this power to ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’ (2450+300=2750) and end my turn with a face-down card."

“Then I draw,” I said, and I pulled the top card of my deck. My heart skipped a beat. I’d drawn my key card, but I could only see one way to use it, and I just couldn’t do it. The cost was too high.

What is it? I heard Robby ask from his place within the body of his monster, having seen the defeated look in my face.

I drew my card.

Then play it, he thought back.

I can’t. To use it I have to sacrifice monsters. Last turn I could have used ‘Happy Lover’, but now, my only option would be to use the ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’ instead. If I do, your soul will go to Yami.

Yeah, he thought, but my soul will disappear alongside the ‘Stone Soldier’ at the end of the duel anyway. I’d rather I go to Yami ahead of Ghost Ruler than alongside you. Crush this creep, and just make sure you get my soul back later, okay?

I had tears in my eyes, but I blinked them back and nodded. To Ghost Ruler I said, “For my turn, I activate the Spell card ‘Shinato’s Arc’!”

High above my head in the light of the nearly-set sun, a huge wooden ship appeared. “By offering monsters whose total levels equal eight or more,” I declared, as the front of the arc opened, “I can summon my ultimate monster, my Soul, to the field.”

A vortex opened in the bow of the arc and two monsters, the red-skinned angel ‘Agent of Force – Mars’, and a second copy of the ‘Agent of Wisdom – Mercury’, appeared next to Robby on the field. The three monsters were pulled into the vortex, and it disappeared, the arc closing behind it. There was a flash of gold light, and the arc shattered. From within the structure a radiant backlit form emerged.

“Ghost Ruler,” I declared, bathing in my monster’s light, “meet the ultimate angel, ‘Shinato, King of a Higher Plane’!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Ten]

Double K.O. of Zoma the Spirit


“This duel ends,” I said, “when I summon the Spirit Monster ‘Tsukuyomi’.” A woman in a long navy robe appeared on the field (ATK: 1100). “When ‘Tsukuyomi’ is summoned, I can change the battle position of any face-up monster to defense position. I choose ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’ (DEF: 1600), and then attack it with ‘Shinato’’s Celestial Ring!”

My monster, a tall male angel with blue skin and six golden wings, wearing Hindu garbs emerged from the fading glow of the ‘Arc’, his hands raised. Six shining spheres appeared and spun in a circle until they formed a ring that shot forward and cut ‘Ha Des’ in half. “Now,” I said, “because your monster was destroyed while in defense mode, you take damage equal to his Attack points. Because you only have twenty-three hundred fifty Life Points left, you’ll die!”

“I doubt it,” Ghost countered, “because I was prepared for something like this. Reveal, the Counter Trap ‘Trap of Board Eraser’, negating effect damage to my Life Points.” ‘Shinato’ fired a beam of light at Ghost, but a barrier came up, deflecting the light. “Also,” said Ghost, “you have to discard a random card from your hand.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said dismissively, “because at the end of my turn my ‘Tsukuyomi’ returns to my hand, meaning that I can use its effect next turn as well. If not this turn, then you’ll die next turn, or the turn after. It doesn’t matter. No matter what you do, I will make you feel the pain of a hundred deaths at the hands of my ‘Shinato’ for what you’ve put us through today!”

Ghost laughed almost hysterically, “Do you think I care?! The taste of death sustains me! Mine, yours, I don’t care! I live for it! Now do your worst. Entertain me if you can. Turn end!”

“Suite yourself. I draw (2050+500=2550), and I summon ‘Tsukuyomi’, changing your ‘Earl of Demise to defense mode! Attack, Celestial Ring!” ‘Shinato’ released his attack. It tore through the gentleman ghost and hit Ghost Ruler. He cried out in pain, but his cries became a fit of maniacal laughter as his Life Points fell to dangerous levels (2350-2000=350).

Ghost drew. “Uh oh. All I can do is set a card and end my turn!”

“Then it ends now,” I said, drawing a card (2550+500=3050). “This is for Kris and Rocky. ‘Shinato’, kill ‘Dark Necrofear’, Celestial Ring!”

Ghost smiled wide, “I don’t think so. If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna take you with me. Reveal, my greatest two card combo, ‘Zoma the Spirit’ and ‘Call of the Earthbound’! When used together, these two cards let me summon the ectoplasmic ghost ‘Zoma the Spirit’ and allows it to intercept your attack!”

A ghostly form made of a semi-solid mist appeared and moved to take the brunt of ‘Shinato’’s attack (ATK: 1800). The Celestial Ring cut through the creature, and it seemed to break down into mist. The ring continued through and hit Ghost in the chest (350+1800-3300=0). He was thrown onto his back. “Good try,” I said, “but this duel is over.”

But before my eyes, Ghost struggled into a sitting position, a wide smile spread across his face. “’Zoma’,” he said, “Ectoplasm Attack!” He fell back, lifeless face frozen in a wicked sneer as his spirit was stripped away. The mist took form, resembling the dead monster, ‘Zoma’. It plunged through my chest, and I felt like my soul was burning away (3050-3300=0).

The last thing I remember as I felt my spirit torn from my body was a pang of fear gripping my heart, and the echo of Ghost Ruler’s horrific laughter following me to my fate.


Monty


“Well,” said Spiky Hair as Lawrence and I moved Kimi over to lie beside her three fallen allies. “That was quite an unusual conclusion. I never even considered that Ghost Ruler wouldn’t survive a Shadow Game against someone of such low level. Oh well. He wasn’t even close to our strongest. All it means is that you losers are a bit more powerful than I realized. War Ruler. Guardian Ruler. You’re up.”

The muscular man and the young man in his twenties stepped forward. Based on their posture, and the fact that they seemed completely unsurprised by the outcome of the previous duel, I could tell that they were strong. In fact, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they were willing to take us all on at once. But that wasn’t the plan.

“This is supposed to be two on one,” I argued, trying to steer the Game back on course.

“You never said that,” Spikey Hair replied evilly. “In fact you specified very few rules at the start of this game. In fact all you said is that it would be two of you fighting. Feel lucky that I didn’t choose to interpret that particular statement as two of you fighting all of us at once.”

That shut me up, even if I wasn’t happy about it. I nodded at Lawrence and he and I stepped forward to face the two enemy Duelists, “Fine, we’ll be your opponents.”

“And,” said Lawrence, “I’m going first.”

He drew, “For my opening move, I activate ‘Super Rejuvenation’. At the end of the turn I draw one card for every Dragon that I discarded or sacrificed during the turn. Next I play ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and then discarding two, both dragons. And I'll summon my ‘Manju of the Ten Thousand Hands’ to the field.” A fairy with thousands upon thousands of arms appeared, his entire body glowing with a golden light (DEF: 1000).

“When ‘Manju’ is summoned,” Lawrence continued, “I can add my ‘White Dragon Ritual’ to my hand from my deck and activate it, sacrificing the ‘Spirit Ryu’ in my hand to summon ‘Paladin of White Dragon’!”

On Lawrence’s field appeared a second monster. He wore gleaming white armor and rode aback a small white dragon (ATK: 1900).

“Next,” said Lawrence, “I summon ‘Kaibaman’.” A man appeared, wearing a white suite and a helm resembling the head of a ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, carrying a Duel Monsters card in his right hand (ATK: 300). “I sacrifice ‘Kaibaman’ and ‘Paladin of White Dragon’ to summon two copies of the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’!”

Lawrence’s monsters disappeared, and in their place appeared two of the legendary white dragons. They spread their wings and roared their trademark roar (ATK: 3000).

“Now,” said Lawrence, “I end my turn, and because I sacrificed or discarded a total of four Dragon-type monsters, I draw four new cards!”

Lawrence crossed his arms defiantly, and I stood calmly with my right arm behind my back. Things might not be easy for us in this duel, I thought, but I’m gonna help Lawrence make sure things are even harder for our opponents. No matter what the cost, we will stop them here![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eleven]

The Ultimate Combination of Attack and Defense


“My move,” said Guardian Ruler (LP: 4000), “and I begin my turn with ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw three cards, and three face-down cards and a monster in defense mode. Next I play the Spell card ‘Armory’. I can equip my Equip Spell cards to ‘Armory’, and then move them to my monsters later.”

My eyes narrowed as I came to a realization. Between his name and his opening move I knew exactly what kind of deck Guardian Ruler was using.

“The first card I equip to my ‘Armory’,” Guardian Ruler declared, “is ‘Gravity Axe – Grarl’, letting me summon ‘Guardian Grarl’.”

Guardian Ruler placed a worn out monster card on his Duel Disk, and a large dinosaur with the stance and posture of a gorilla appeared within his ‘Armory’, a semi-circle of weapon racks, one of which held a fierce-looking two-handed axe. ‘Grarl’ took the axe in hand (ATK: 2500+500=3000).

“Good move,” I said, trying not to sweat (LP: 4000), “but not good enough. I set a monster of my own, and I end my turn.”

“Pathetic,” War Ruler said as he drew his cards (LP: 4000). “I guess you aren’t as good as I’d heard. I begin with the Spell card ‘Reinforcement of the Army’ to add a Warrior monster from my deck to my hand.” He fanned out his deck, picked a card, placed it in his hand, shuffled, and replaced his cards. “Now I summon the monster I chose, the ‘Marauding Captain’, defense mode.” A steel-armored soldier appeared, sword in hand (DEF: 600).

“Now, because of ‘Captain’’s effect,” War Ruler explained, “I can summon a level four or lower monster from my hand, so I summon my ‘Queen’s Knight’ in attack mode.” A female knight in red armor marked with the four suites found in a deck of cards appeared and raised her sword (ATK: 1500).

“Now,” War commanded, completely ignoring the powerful and menacing ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragons’ that stood at my partner’s side and focusing on my, “I attack with my ‘Queen’s Knight’ against the face-down monster, Royal Slash!”

‘Queen’s Knight’ rushed forward and raised her sword. My monster revealed itself, a giant golden oil lamp. An energy barrier came up around the lamp. ‘Queen’s Knight’ swung her sword, hitting the barrier. She was pushed back as the barrier became charged with energy.

“You attacked my ‘Ancient Lamp’,” I explained. “That means that all of the energy from your attack is reversed, hitting one other monster that you control.”

Energy rippled across the barrier, focused into one point, and then fired at the ‘Marauding Captain’, destroying it. War Ruler seemed unconcerned. “I place two cards face-down,” he concluded “and end my turn.”

“Then it’s time,” said Lawrence, “to let the onslaught begin! I equip the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ with the Spell card ‘Dragon’s Treasure’, raising his power (3000+300=3300), and I attack the ‘Guardian Grarl’, Burst Stream of Destruction!”

“Reveal,” Guard countered as the first of Lawrence’s dragons moved to strike, “the Trap card ‘Shadow Spell’!” The dragon inhaled and released its attack, just as a set of chains ensnared him, draining his power (3300-700=2600). ‘Grarl’ leapt strait into the mighty dragon’s beam, dispersing it with his weapon, raised his axe over his head and swung, decapitating the dragon. It became a cloud of thick smoke and melted away (4000+2600-3000=3600).

“I end my turn,” said Lawrence, not even trying to hide his anger. Guardian Ruler smiled slightly as he began his turn.

“I draw,” Guard announced, “and I start out by Flip-Summoning ‘Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu’.” A muscular man appeared from within the Shadows, wearing an iron mask and carrying an iron hammer (ATK: 500). “When ‘Iron Blacksmith’ is flipped face-up, I can move any Equip Spell card from my deck to my hand. I choose the powerful ‘Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce’. I play it on the ‘Armory’, and I sacrifice ‘Kotetsu’, to summon the wielder of the swords, ‘Guardian Tryce’.”

A man wearing a decorated yellow vest and yellow gloves appeared, picking up his weapons, a pair of long, sharp, thin-bladed swords, from one of the racks behind him (ATK: 1900-500=1400).

“Next,” said Guard, “I reveal my ‘Shooting Star Bow – Ceal’ and equip it to ‘Tryce’ as well (ATK: 1400-1000=400),” A bow appeared, strapped to ‘Tryce’’s back, and his body and his weapons were wreathed in white light.

“Next” Guard declared, “I reveal the Trap card ‘Reverse Trap’, reversing all attack increases and decreases this turn (‘Grarl’’s ATK: 2000/‘Tryce’’s ATK: 3400).

“Now, because ‘Tryce’ bears the ‘Twin Swords of Flashing Light’ he can attack twice. Kill the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, Flashing Blade!” ‘Tryce’ leapt up and swung his swords, and there was a flash. ‘Tryce’ landed behind ‘Blue-Eyes’, and the dragon literally fell to pieces (3600+3000-3400-3200).

“‘Grarl’, kill the ‘Ancient Lamp’, Gravity Slash!” ‘Grarl’ charged forward and raised his axe, bringing it down on the ‘Lamp’, slashing it in half.”

“And finally, ‘Tryce’, attack the Spellcaster Duelist.” ‘Tryce’ attacked me at the speed of light. I winced as my Life Points fell (4000-3400=600).

I took a deep breath. “At least it’s my turn now,” I said as ‘Grarl’ and ‘Tryce’ returned to their original Attack values (ATK: 3000/ATK: 400). “I start things off with ‘Monster Reborn’, returning my ‘Ancient Lamp’ to play,” the ‘Lamp’ reappeared, “and I activate its effect, Special Summoning ‘La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp’!” A stern green genie appeared in a cloud of smoke that came from within the ‘Lamp’ itself (ATK: 1800).

“Now I sacrifice ‘Ancient Lamp’ and ‘La Jinn’ to summon my ultimate monster,” the two monsters disappeared and were replaced by a tall man clad in purple leather, wearing a purple leather wizard’s hood, carrying a green staff. “Introducing,” I declared, “my ‘Dark Magician’ (ATK: 2500)!”

My monster spun his staff in his right hand, aiming his left palm at the ‘Guardian Tryce’. “‘Dark Magician’, attack the ‘Guardian Tryce’, Dark Magic!”

“I don’t think so,” said War Ruler, a smile on his face. “Go, ‘Kunai with Chain’,” a boomerang attached to a chain appeared in the ‘Queen’s Knight’’s hands (ATK: 1500+500=2000). She threw the boomerang at ‘Dark Magician’. It circled him, wrapping him with the chain. ‘Queen’s Knight’ pulled, and ‘Dark Magician’ fell to his knees (DEF: 2100).

“Alright,” I said, frustrated, “I set a card and end my turn.”

“Then it’s my turn,” said War Ruler as he drew, “and I begin with the trap card ‘Good Goblin Housekeeping’. I draw one card and place ‘Jack’s Knight’ from my hand at the bottom of my deck. I also summon ‘King’s Knight’, and because he and ‘Queen’s Knight’ are on the field together I can Special Summon ‘Jack’s Knight’ from my deck by ‘King’s Knight’’s effect.” A bearded male knight in orange armor appeared (ATK: 1600). He planted his sword in the ground, and a third knight appeared in blue armor at his side (ATK: 1900).

“Now,” said War, “I equip my ‘Queen’s Knight’ with ‘Legendary Sword’ (ATK: 2000+300=2300) and I’ll have her attack your ‘Dark Magician’.”

“No you won’t,” I countered, “because I have Trap cards too. Reveal ‘Magical Hats’!” ‘Dark Magician’ disappeared and four large black silk hats appeared in his place. “One of these hats hides the ‘Dark Magician’; you just have to guess which one.”

“’Queen’s Knight’, attack the hat on the middle right,” War declared without hesitation. ‘Queen’s Knight’ pulled on the now free ‘Kunai with Chain’, catching the boomerang in her left hand as the chain landed draped over her shoulder. With a flick of her wrist she let the boomerang fly, piercing the empty hat. The boomerang curved back around and returned to its source.

“Now,” said War, “I set a card for later. Turn end.”

“There won’t be a later for you,” said Lawrence, “because I plan to end this duel this turn! Activate ‘Monster Reborn’, summoning ‘Paladin of White Dragon’ from my Graveyard.” The white dragon rider returned. “Sacrifice ‘Paladin of White Dragon’ to summon my third ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ to the field!”

The ‘Paladin’ disappeared almost as soon as he had appeared, giving way to Lawrence’s final ‘Blue-Eyes’.

“And now,” Lawrence exclaimed, eagerness in his voice, “I activate my key card, ‘Dragon’s Mirror’, removing ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ on the field and two ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragons’ in the Graveyard from play to summon my most powerful card! Dark Duel Force, cower in fear,” the ‘Blue-Eyes’ in play sprouted two more heads and roared, “of the ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]

The Greatest Dragon Falls;
Power of Mirage Knight


Lawrence


I struggled to control my excitement as my most powerful card appeared before me with a deep, bellowing roar. “You may have balanced your decks well to both attack our monsters and defend your own,” I said mockingly, “but you still can’t defeat the ultimate ‘Blue-Eyes’ (ATK: 4500). ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’, destroy ‘Guardian Grarl’, Ultimate Burst!”

The dragon’s three heads released beams of white energy that hit the ‘Guardian Grarl’, engulfing him completely in a brilliant white radiance (4000+3000-4500 =2500).

“That’s all for now,” I concluded. “Make your move.”

“Gladly,” Guard replied, still unafraid, “but first let me point out what you did wrong. If you had attacked my ‘Guardian Tryce’, you would have killed me. But you let your pride get in your way of defeating your enemy and you destroyed my strongest monster instead. But that wasn’t even your biggest mistake,” his expression changed from one of calm to one of rage. “Your greatest mistake was killing ‘Grarl’!”

An aura of energy rose up around Guard, and his Shadow Item, the Shadow Soul, crackled to life. “To repay you,” said Guard, his voice deeper than before, “I’ll kill your friend. Each of my ‘Guardian’’s weapons grants them a special power. You know that the ‘Twin Swords of Flashing Light’ gives my ‘Guardian Tryce’ the ability to attack twice, but I never told you what my ‘Shooting Star Bow’’s effect is. Any monster equipped with ‘Shooting Star Bow’ can attack directly.”

At first I didn’t know why that mattered, but then it hit me, “Monty!” I looked over at my only real friend, just in time to see the ‘Guardian Tryce’ appear at Monty’s side. The monster spun, hitting Monty once with each of his swords, and then disappeared in a burst of light, landing at his master’s side. Monty fell, his Life Points depleted (600-400-400=0). Monty’s ‘Magical Hats’ disappeared, and he collapsed.

No! I thought. When we fought together, Monty and I were invincible! He used his magic strategies to hold the opponent at bay until I could come in with my dragons for the final attack! But I’d made a mistake, and it had cost him his soul.

“Now,” said War, “it’s time to finish this duel off.”

“I set a card,” said Guard, “and end my turn.”

“Which,” said War, “makes it my turn. I activate ‘Promotion’, raising the level of my level five ‘Jack’s Knight’ by one, making it a level six monster. Next I activate ‘Metamorphosis’, transforming a level six monster into a Fusion Monster of the same level.” ‘Jack’s Knight’’s armor changed. It became black and red in color, and his longsword gave way to a more menacing curved blade. “Introducing,” War Ruler announced, “the ‘Dark Flare Knight’ (ATK: 2200)!”

‘Dark Fare Knight’ raised his sword and lunged right at my dragon. I was angry, and I was itching for some revenge. “Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’,” I commanded, “counterattack! Ultimate Burst!”

My mighty dragon released all of my guilt, all of my rage, and all of my determination, channeled into one final attack. ‘Dark Flare Knight’ was overcome, but when my attack faded, the knight had changed once again. He was clad in brilliant golden armor, and his sword had been replaced by a decorated scythe.

“By destroying my ‘Dark Flare Knight’,” War Ruler explained, “you unleashed my strongest monster, the mighty ‘Mirage Knight’ (ATK: 2800).”

War looked at me with a mind blowing amount of confidence in his eyes. I’d never felt anything like what I was feeling now. I was truly afraid. ‘Mirage Knight’ charged strait at my dragon. The dragon attacked, but ‘Mirage Knight’ raised his scythe, deflecting my monsters attack. He rose up above my dragon’s head, his scythe gleaming with the light of my dragon’s attack, and raised his scythe above his head, ready to strike (ATK: 2800+4500=7300).

“Reveal,” said Guard, “the Spell card ‘Spirit Life’, bringing the spirit of my ‘Guardian Grarl’ back and infusing ‘Mirage Knight’ with its power.” A ghostly ‘Grarl’ appeared and was drawn into the ‘Knight’’s body (ATK: 7300+1250=8550).

My last thought as ‘Mirage Knight’ brought his scythe down, releasing a wave of energy that split my dragon in half, was that while I had done my best, but my best wasn’t good enough.

The wave carried through, hitting me, throwing me through the air. I landed hard on my back (3200+4500-8550=0) as my soul disappeared from my body.


Tucker


I watched from my place at Sarah’s side as Lawrence was defeated as well, just as Karen had known he would be, his ultimate monster reduced to a heap of ash. “How are we gonna beat such a powerful team,” Sarah asked. “We’re all that’s left.”

“We’re not,” I said. “Max and Karen are still back at the hospital. We just have to do our best and know that we’re fighting for our friends. Besides, if you listen to Karen this has all gone according to plan. Now we know the powers of two of their strongest decks, and I have the strategy Karen gave me to help us out. We’ll win and get everyone’s spirits back.”

“Right,” said Sarah. She swallowed nervously and I noticed the fear in her eyes.

“And then there were two,” said Spiky Hair, laughing wickedly, “and before long, there will be none!”

“No way,” I said, loud enough for the Dark Duel Force to hear. “We’re the real ultimate combination. Nobody gets past us!”

Sarah and I stepped forward and faced our opponents, both of us hiding the fact that we were afraid for our lives.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Thirteen]

Fire and Water


“Shut up,” said Guard. “Let your cards do the talking.”

“If that’s what you really want,” I said tauntingly to hide my nerves, “then that’s what you’ll get!”

Our Life Point displays lit up, showing starting Life Points of 4000 apiece, and I drew my opening hand. “I move first. You two don’t stand a chance!

“To begin,” I said, “I summon a monster, my ‘Immortal Fire’ in defense mode.” A living flame in the shape of a bird appeared in the air at my side (DEF: 200). “Next,” I continued, “I place a card face-down and end my move.”

“My turn,” said Guard. “To destroy your miniscule ‘Fire’, I choose this monster. By playing ‘Armory’ and equipping it with ‘Butterfly Dagger – Elma’, I can summon ‘Guardian Elma’, and equip the ‘Dagger’ to her.”

An elegant woman wearing loose fitting green garments appeared between me and my opponent, taking a butterfly hilted dagger from the ‘Armory’ in hand. She flipped her hair back and stood tall (ATK: 1300+300=1600).

“I finish my turn,” said Guard, “with two face-down cards. Just try to get by my defense.”

“Okay,” said Sarah, “I will. And I’ll do it with these; my ‘Cannonball Spear Shellfish’ combined with the Spell card ‘Big Wave Small Wave’. I destroy my own monster, the spear-backed clam ‘Cannonball Spear Shellfish’ to Special Summon my ‘Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness’ from my hand.”

Sarah’s monster, a massive Orca Whale with a crane and several cannons on its back, and a torpedo launcher on its stomach appeared, hanging in the air overhead (ATK: 2100) letting out a deep piercing wail and flexing its fins.

“I place one card face-down,” Sarah concluded, “and activate ‘Elemental Surge – Water’. Once per turn I can choose a Water monster to gain 200 Attack until my next turn. I choose my Orca (ATK: 2100+200=2300).”

“My turn then,” said War. “I have to say, so far I’m more impressed with you than with the last two, especially the dragon user, but not really that impressed. You still don’t hold a card to us. I summon ‘Marauding Captain’ in attack mode,” the steel-armored warrior appeared, sword drawn (ATK: 1200), "allowing me to summon a second monster, like my ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’.”

War’s new monster, a man in dragon skin hide armor and carrying a longsword appeared, his blade at the ready (ATK: 1700). “Next,” War continued, “I equip the ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’ to my ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’, raising his Attack power to twenty-five hundred.”

‘Warrior Dai Grepher’’s longsword changed shape, growing thinner at the tip. The hilt stretched up and over his arm like a gauntlet.

“Now,” said War, “I place three cards face-down and attack the ‘Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness’.” ‘Grepher’ leapt at the whale, raising his sword, and was caught by a ring of about a dozen active grenades.

“Activate,” I declared as defiantly as I could, “my Trap, ‘Ring of Destruction’.” I smiled, “it destroys your monster and deals us both damage equal to your monster’s attack.”

“Well,” said Sarah, “not exactly. You’ll be the only one to lose Life Points here War. I discard ‘Cure Mermaid’ to activate ‘Hallowed Life Barrier’, protecting Tucker from any form of damage until the end of this turn.”

“And that’s the power of our combination,” I bragged. “We’re conflicting styles, but when Sarah and I fight together our decks eliminate each other’s’ weaknesses. That’s why I was late to this party. I was busy coming up with a perfect strategy that would be able to overcome any strategy that you might have prepared.”

As I spoke, ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’, still clawing at the ring, was destroyed as the ring exploded. Fire poured over both mine and War’s fields. He was damaged (4000-2500=1500), but Sarah’s barrier protected me from harm.

“You two are good,” said War. “You two do work together well. I guess we should stop messing with you and get down to business.”

“Not yet you don’t,” I said. “It’s my turn right now.”

I drew and checked over my hand. Good cards, I thought to myself, feeling my inner fire begin to burn stronger. “For my turn,” I began, “I summon my ‘Essence of Fire’ in defense mode. As long as this monster is face-up on the field, all of my Fire monsters gain six hundred Attack and Defense.”

A young woman appeared. She had dark red hair, wore a short red dress, and carried a red staff. A small orange serpentine dragon flew around her protectively (DEF: 500+600=1100/DEF of ‘Immortal Fire’: 200+600=800).

“Next,” I declared, “I place a card face-down, and I end my turn.”

“I draw,” said Guard, “and-.”

“And nothing,” I cut in, “because I have a Trap. ‘Thunder of Ruler’, activate! This card activates during your Standby Phase and prevents all attacks during the following turn.”

“Then I’ll simply set a monster,” Guard replied, “and pass.”

Sarah was next. She drew and said, “I begin my turn with the Spell card ‘Mist Body’, equipped to the ‘Essence of Fire’. Now she can’t be destroyed as a result of battle. I also activate the Field Spell card ‘A Legendary Ocean’, transporting us to the ocean outside the lost city of Atlantis!” The scenery changed, and we found ourselves hanging just below the surface of the ocean, just above a massive golden city. We seemed to be in open water, but I could feel the ground under my feet, and the water didn’t feel wet. I took a second to marvel at Sarah’s behavior. She was keeping her calm. I realized in that moment that we both understood how high the stakes were, and that, if I could play using a strategy, she could keep a clear head.

“While ‘A Legendary Ocean’ is on the field,” Sarah explained, “all Water monsters in our hands and on the field are downgraded by one level, and all Water monsters in play gain two hundred Attack and Defense (ATK of ‘Orca’: 2300+200=2500). I finish my turn by summoning the harpoon-wielding ‘Legendary Fisherman’,” A man appeared riding a shark, carrying a harpoon in his free hand (ATK: 1850), “and setting one card.”

“My move,” said War. “I start out with a Spell of my own, ‘The Warrior Returning Alive’, returning the ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’ card in my Graveyard to my hand. Next I summon ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ in defense mode.”

An elf wearing green leather armor and carrying a longsword appeared, holding his blade up defensively (DEF: 1200).

“My ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ may seem weak,” War said, “but he has a very powerful ability. He is not destroyed-.”

“Yeah,” said Sarah, getting impatient, “we know. He can only be destroyed by battle by a monster with less than nineteen hundred Attack points. Get on with it why don’t ya.”

“Alright,” said War, “but remember, as long as ‘Marauding Captain’ is also on the field my ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ can’t even be selected as an attack target, making him even harder to destroy.”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said replying to War’s smug attitude, “because my partner and I can’t be beaten. She’s got the combos, and I’ve got the power. We’re the ultimate team!

“Now allow us to introduce you to a bit of my previously mentioned power, War,” I declared. “Since you’ve made your monster nearly untouchable, I’ll hit you personally instead! Spell cards ‘Hinotama’ and ‘Pot of Greed’! I draw two cards, and you’re hit by a barrage of fireballs and take five hundred damage.”

I drew two cards, and half a dozen fireballs appeared in the air, falling and exploding as they hit War Ruler (1500-500=1000). I looked over my new cards and smiled. Oh yeah! War Ruler, you die this turn, and there’s nothing you can do. Even I can’t screw this plan up![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fourteen]

The Warrior Falls;
The Guardian’s Overwhelming Power


“Excellent,” I said trying my best to sound all cool and dramatic, “with these cards I bring about your defeat, War Ruler. I summon the ‘Raging Flame Sprite’!” A fairy-like creature in a pointed hat appeared, fire dancing in his hands (ATK: 100 +600=700).

“My monster might be weak now,” I explained, “but he gains one thousand Attack every time he deals you damage. And I’m not done either. Activate the Spell card ‘Double Attack’! I discard a monster from my hand that has more stars than ‘Raging Flame Sprite’, like my ‘Inferno’, and my ‘Raging Flame Sprite’ gains the ability to attack twice this turn. Oh, and he can attack directly.”

I sure hope this works, I thought. I was confident, cocky even. I looked over War Ruler’s field. He had few visible defenses, but I forgot to properly account for what defenses he did have, or for the involvement of his partner, Guardian Ruler, who had done nothing for most of the duel.

“’Flame Sprite’, attack now, Raging Blaze!” My monster flared up his fire and threw it at War Ruler, a smile on his face, but seconds before the flames would have hit, they were blocked by a glowing ring of light. The ring pushed through the fire and ensnared my monster, freezing him in place. “Reveal,” said Guard, “my face-down ‘Spellbinding Circle’, canceling your monster’s attack.”

“Leaving it open for my next card,” said War. “Activate ‘Magical Detonation’. I send ‘Spellbinding Circle’ on the field and ‘Warrior Dai Grepher’ in my hand to the Graveyard to destroy ‘Raging Flame Sprite’.” The magic circle exploded, taking my monster with it.

Great combo, I thought. Using ‘Spellbinding Circle’ to block my attack and then using it to fuel their Trap. This could be harder than I thought.

“My move,” said Guard as he drew his next card. His Shadow Soul glowed again. “I play ‘Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce’ on ‘Armory’ and sacrifice ‘Guardian Elma’ to summon ‘Guardian Tryce’.”

The lightning-speed guardian appeared, replacing the wind guardian, picking up and brandished his twin blades (ATK: 1900-500=1400). “And because ‘Butterfly Dagger’ was destroyed when ‘Elma’ left the field,” War explained, “it returns to my hand. I equip it to ‘Tryce’ as well.” ‘Butterfly Dagger’ appeared in a sheath on ‘Tryce’’s waist (ATK: 1400+300=1700).

“Now,” said Guard, “I attack ‘The Immortal Fire’.” ‘Tryce’ slashed, and the fire creature dispersed, but as soon as the ‘Guardian’’s attack was over, the fire creature returned, completely unharmed.

“Sorry,” I said, “but whenever my ‘Immortal Fire’ is destroyed, it returns.”

“And if you’re done,” said Sarah, “I’ll take my turn thank you. I activate ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and discarding two cards. Then I activate the Spell card salvage, returning ‘Cannonball Spear Shellfish’ and ‘Fenrir’ in my Graveyard to my hand. Now, finally, I reveal ‘Cursed Waters Level 3’, letting me summon monsters whose total levels equal three. Because of the effect of my ‘A Legendary Ocean’, the total levels of ‘Torpedo Fish’ and ‘Cannonball Spear Shellfish’ in my hand equals, yep, you guessed it, three!”

In the launcher on ‘Orca’’s belly appeared a large fish shaped like a torpedo. In one of the launchers on ‘Orca’’s back appeared the cannonball-shaped fish with the drill on its head, the ‘Cannonball Spear Shellfish’.

“Being experts at this game,” Sarah said confidently, “I’m sure you know what this means.” She smiled, “I Sacrifice my ‘Torpedo Fish’ and my ‘Spear Shellfish’ to activate my ‘Orca’’s effect!”

‘Orca Mega-Fortress’ fired the ‘Torpedo Fish’ like a missile, destroying ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’, and fired the ‘Shellfish’ from the launcher on its back, destroying Guard’s face-down card.

“Next,” said Sarah, “I remove two Water monsters in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon ‘Fenrir’ from my hand.”

I watched as a patch of water in front of Sarah seemed to come together, taking the form of a growling blue-furred wolf (ATK: 1600). “When ‘Fenrir’ destroys a monster as a result of battle, that monster’s owner gets his deck frozen for a turn, preventing him from drawing a card.”

Sarah, beaming with pride, pointed strait at War Ruler’s ‘Marauding Captain’. “’Fenrir’,” she commanded, “attack the ‘Captain’ with Feral Ice Claw!”

‘Fenrir’ lunged at the ‘Captain’, his claws raised, but was stopped dead by the appearance of three priests in blue robes. “A ‘Waboku’ card?” Sarah asked. “How?”

“Easy,” Guard answered. “‘Waboku’ was the face-down card that you destroyed with the effect of your ‘Orca Mega-Fortress’. Before it was destroyed, I activated it, protecting myself and my monsters until the end of the turn.”

Sarah was getting more frustrated by the minute, but she was still holding on. “Fine,” she said, “if that’s how you wanna play, I place a card face-down and end my turn. Your move.”

War Ruler, still cool, still confident, drew his next card, calling, “Draw! I place a card of my own face-down, and I summon my spirit. On dark winds gallop, ‘Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight’!”

A knight appeared in blue armor, riding aback an armored purple steed, carrying two red lances, one in each hand (ATK: 2300). “Next I activate ‘Metamorphosis’, trading the level seven ‘Swift Gaia’ for ‘Gaia’’s most powerful form, ‘Gaia the Dragon Champion’!”

‘Gaia’’s horse disappeared, and a yellow spiked dragon appeared in its place. War’s new monster rose into the air, and his mount let out a roar. Gaia raised his lances, ready to attack (ATK: 2600).

“Reveal,” said War Ruler, “’Gaia’’s attack card, ‘Spiral Spear Strike’. While this card remains on the field, my ‘Gaia the Dragon Champion’ is a piercing monster, and each time he deals damage to your Life Points, I draw two cards and then discard one.

‘Gaia the Dragon Champion’, attack ‘The Immortal Fire’!” ‘Gaia’ swooped and stabbed my monster with his lance. A spiral burst of wind spread out from the impact point, hitting me in the chest, slicing my shirt and my skin underneath (4000+800-2600 =2200). War drew two cards and then discarded one. I couldn’t see what it was. My ‘Immortal Fire’ reformed at my side.

“Sorry to say it War,” I said, “but as strong as your ‘Champion’ is, I’m stronger. Time for me to show you my real power! I remove my ‘Inferno’ in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon ‘Spirit of Flames’, and I sacrifice my ‘Spirit of Flames’ and my ‘Essence of Fire’ to summon the mighty ‘Tyrant Dragon’!”

‘Spirit of Flames’, a red skinned demon man, appeared at my side. He and the red haired girl disappeared and were replaced by a massive bronze-skinned dragon with a crystal in his forehead and broad, tattered wings. He was an intimidating sight, even here under water (ATK: 2900).

“Now,” I said, “I activate the Spell card ‘Shien’s Spy’, giving you control of my ‘Immortal Fire’ (ATK: 100) until the end of the turn.” My fire bird monster flew over to War Ruler’s side.

War’s eyes grew wide as he realized my plan. “No,” he said, “you can’t.”

“Yes,” I said smiling confidently, “I can. ‘Tyrant Dragon’, attack ‘The Immortal Fire’, Tyrant Burst!”

‘Tyrant Dragon’ breathed flames so hot that they made the water boil forward, rolling over the living flame. The boiling water continued forward, hit War Ruler, and exploded outward, knocking War Ruler clear out of the boundaries of the Field Spell (1000+100-2900=0). As he fell forward, unmoving, his soul having left his body, I thought I saw a smile on his face, but I ignored it. My ‘Immortal Fire’ reformed at my side (DEF: 200) as my first opponent’s last remaining monsters faded away.

I looked over at Guard as he began what I hoped would be his last turn. He had a darkness in his eyes. His Shadow Item flared up, and he was surrounded by a fierce aura. He emanated a pressure that knocked Sarah over, and nearly brought me to my knees. For the first time in a long time, I was really afraid. In a deep and booming voice Guardian Ruler cried out, “You’ve made your last mistake. War Ruler was my last real friend. I will have my revenge!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fifteen]

The Attacking Guardian;
Guardian Ruler vs. Pyro Tucker


“I begin my turn,” said Guard, his dark aura still burning brilliantly, “with a face-down card, and the Continuous Spell card ‘Morale Boost’. Now each time I play an Equip Spell card I gain eight hundred Life Points, and each time one of my Equip Spell cards is destroyed I lose eight hundred Life Points. Next I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, allowing all players to draw until they hold six cards.” All three of us drew. My hand was good, but I couldn’t be sure if it would be enough to overcome my opponent’s new powers.

“Now,” Guard continued, “I flip-summon my ‘Arsenal Summoner’.” A man in violet blue robes appeared (ATK: 1600). “When ‘Arsenal Summoner’ is flipped, I can add any ‘Guardian Monster’ in my deck to my hand.”

Guard fanned out his deck, revealing the backs of many more heavily-played cards within it, and picked a card.

“Next I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards,” Guard drew, “and I play ‘Wicked-Breaking Flamberge – Baou’ on the ‘Armory’, discarding one card to do so, activating ‘Morale Boost’ (4000+800=4800), and allowing me to summon the Avenging Guardian, ‘Guardian Baou’.”

A six foot long greatsword fell from the sky and plunged tip first into the ground in the center of the ‘Armory’ floor, burning with a dark aura. Out of that aura emerged a seven foot tall black-skinned fiend with long hair, two long horns, and a cape of darkness that spread out behind him like wings. He picked up the ‘Flamberge’ and rose into the air (ATK: 800+500=1300).

“My monster can negate the effect of any monster he destroys in battle,” Guard explained, “and each time he kills a monster, his Attack points increase by one thousand, and I’m not finished yet. I activate ‘Giant Trunade’, returning all Spell and Trap cards on the field to their owners’ hands.”

A massive updraft came out of nowhere, blowing every Spell and Trap away, including Sarah’s Field (‘Orca’: 2500-200=2300/’Fenrir’: 1600-200=1400) and Guard’s Equip Spells, ‘Armory’ and ‘Moral Boost’ card (‘Tryce’: 1400+500=1900). The ocean around us faded away and we found ourselves back in the parking lot of the hospital, the sun having already set, the sky strewn with stars.

“Now,” said Guard, “I replay ‘Moral Boost’ and ‘Armory’, and I discard ‘Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce’ to re-equip ‘Wicked-Breaking Flamberge – Baou’. Then I go further and equip ‘Baou’ with ‘Gravity Axe – Grarl’ and two copies of ‘Butterfly Dagger – Elma’.”

Darkness poured from ‘Baou’’s sides and two more arms formed. In his upper hands he grasped ‘Grarl’’s axe as well as his own body length sword. In his lower hands he grasped two of the daggers with the decorated hilts (LP: 4800+(800x4)=8000/ ‘Baou’: 800+(500x2)+(300x2)=2400).

“Finally,” Guard announced as his Guardian raised his weapons, preparing to strike, “I destroy ‘Fenrir’ with my monster’s attack, Avenge Assault!” ‘Baou’ flew toward the wolf and brought his ‘Flamberge’ down on him, splitting him in half (4000+1400-2400=3000/‘Baou’: 2400+1000=3400).

“End turn.”

“My move,” said Sarah, shaken by the sudden loss of her monster. “I summon ‘Amazon of the Seas’ in defense mode,” a mermaid appeared at Sarah’s side (DEF: 1400), “I’ll change my ‘Orca Mega-Fortress’ to defense mode (DEF: 1200), and I re-activate my Field Spell, ending my turn.”

We were instantly returned to the depths of the ocean.

I took a deep breath. It was my turn. I had several good cards, but not all of the right cards for my finishing combo, and against Guardian Ruler’s new power, nothing else would do. I would just have to wait and hope that Sarah and I could hold out.

“For my turn,” I said, “I set a monster in defense mode and place one card face-down. Make your final move.”

I was scared, but I wasn’t going to let my partner or my opponent see. Guard’s magical power was incredible. Maybe as great as one of our powers. The Souls were supposed to be the most powerful Shadow Magic Artifacts around. That fact had always given me a sense of confidence, made me feel strong, but now I had to face the fact that I’d met someone with a power that rivaled mine, and that either Sarah or I were very likely about to lose our spirit.

Guardian Ruler drew his next card, and smiled, “I think I’ll kill the water Duelist first.”

I looked over at my partner, “Sarah, you got anything?”

She looked straight ahead, staring straight into our opponent’s eyes, and shook her head, “But it’s okay. Even if he does kill me this turn, you’ll still be here to tie up any loose ends. Unless you screw up.”

She was acting strong, but I knew better. She was terrified. I think that’s the first time that I realized just how brave Sarah is.

“I begin,” said Guard, “with ‘Stop Defense’, changing the ‘Orca’ to attack mode (ATK: 2500). Next I summon a new monster, my ‘Guardian Statue’.” A massive stone warrior appeared flexing incredibly oversized arms (ATK: 800).

“’Baou’, attack with Avenge Assault!” ‘Baou’ sliced, releasing a wave of energy that sliced through the waters of the magical ocean and split Sarah’s ‘Orca’ in half (3000+2500-3400=2100). “I destroy your ‘Amazon’ with my ‘Arsenal Summoner’, and I attack directly with ‘Guardian Statue’ and ‘Guardian Tryce’!”

‘Arsenal Summoner’ fired a spell at Sarah’s mermaid and she was vaporized. ‘Guardian Statue’ punched, knocking Sarah through the air. She landed hard on her back (2100-800=1300). She sat up, just as the ‘Guardian Tryce’ leapt past her, his palm charged with lightning. As he passed by her, he unleashed an electric attack that hit her at point blank range. She screamed, as ‘Tryce’ leapt beck, landing at his master’s side (1300-1900=0). I watched Sarah’s eyes become completely lifeless as her spirit was stripped away from her. I was horrified, but I knew there was nothing I could do. Nothing, except defeat the person who’d done this to her, and make it hurt as much as I could in the process.

It had come down to the final move. The ‘Guardian Baou’ gained even more Attack (3400+1000=4400), and I was finally alone. Well, I thought, we knew this would happen. Ever since she felt the power that these guys had, Karen knew that fighting them would do little more than buy us time.

But still, I was mad. These guys had treated us like we were doing something wrong by defending ourselves, by defending our friend, and I wouldn’t have it anymore. He’d already killed three of my friends. I simply would not let him hurt anyone else.

Ever.

“You’re going to pay, Guard,” I said, absolutely serious. “You’re going to pay for everything you’ve done to us today, and you’re going to pay right now!”

My soul flashed, and energy began to build within me. “I begin,” I said, “by Flip Summoning my ‘Magician of Faith’. Then I’ll follow up with the Spell card that I returned to my hand from the Graveyard using her effect, my ‘Pot of Greed’.” I drew two more cards as my monster, a beautiful sorceress carrying a staff ending in a golden crescent, appeared at my side (ATK: 300).

“Now,” I said, “I sacrifice my ‘Magician of Faith’ to summon my favorite monster, ‘Mr. Volcano’ (ATK: 2100)!” a suave gentleman wearing a white shirt and a green vest with blazing red hair appeared, summoning fire into his hands.

“Next,” I continued, “I sacrifice my ‘Tyrant Dragon’ for the effect of ‘Gift of the Martyr’,” the dragon disappeared in a burst of fire, “increasing the Attack power of my ‘Mr. Volcano’ by an amount equal to the Attack of my dragon (2100+2900=4000).

“On to the action. ‘Mr. Volcano’, attack the ‘Arsenal Summoner’, Volcano Burst!” ‘Mr. Volcano’ snapped his fingers and the robed ‘Arsenal Summoner’, burst into flames, burning down to ash (8000+1600-4000=5600).

“And finally,” I said, my voice harsh, my eyes dark, heat pouring from my body, “I strike the final blow. Spell card activate; ‘Incandescent Ordeal’! I sacrifice the level five ‘Mr. Volcano’ and the level two ‘The Immortal Fire’ to summon a level seven Ritual Monster, the Embodiment of my Duelist’s Soul, the ‘Legendary Flame Lord’!”

My monster stood six feet tall, with red hair. He wore a leather tunic and pants. Over the tunic he wore a coat and cape made of flames. On his head he wore a blue armor crown, and he wore matching armor over his arms and lower legs. In his left hand he carried a jagged dagger with a blue hilt. In his right hand he carried a metal staff with a glass sphere on the end. His eyes glowed brightly with an intense fire (ATK: 2400).

“I follow up with the Spell card ‘Meteor of Destruction’, dealing you 1000 points of damage,” a swirling fireball appeared in the air above me and shot toward my opponent, hitting him dead on, scorching his cloths and his hair (5600-1000=4600).

“I also activate a second Spell card, ‘Graceful Charity’, letting me draw three more cards and then discard two cards,” I pulled my cards as the fire around my ‘Legendary Flame Lord’ flared up, reaching into the sky.

“My ‘Legendary Flame Lord’ has three Spell Counters now, which means I’ve unlocked his ultimate attack. This monster represents all of my inner fire. All of my fighting spirit. The very fire of my Soul! I remove the three Spell Counters from my monster,” I declared, “to destroy every other monster on the field. Go, Incinerating Shockwave!”

The fire that surrounded my monster coalesced into a sphere at the tip of his staff. He flung the sphere at Guard’s field. It spread out, incinerating all of his monsters.

“Now,” I said, “in case you forgot, you lose eight hundred Life Points now for every Equip Spell card that was destroyed.” An orange aura flared up around my opponent, sapping his strength away (4600-(800x4)=1400).

It looked painful.

“Time to finish this,” I said. “I activate my final card, the Spell card, ‘Burst of Inferno’! I remove ‘Spirit of Flames’, ‘The Immortal Fire’, and ‘Mr. Volcano’ in my Graveyard from play to activate its effect.”

I raised my fist, and an intense fire built around it. Transparent spirits of my removed monsters appeared and were absorbed into my body, and the fire grew larger and more intense.

I ran straight at Guardian Ruler and punched him in the gut. He coughed blood, and collapsed to the ground. My monster and the fire around my fist disappeared as the duel ended (Guard’s LP: 1400-1500=0).

I cracked my knuckles, bracing myself against my knees, my whole body shaking. I was breathing hard, having been almost completely drained. The asphalt beneath me and beneath the spot where I’d stood during the duel was scorched. My Soul gives me so much power, I thought, both in and out of a duel. But it drains me almost to the breaking point. But it doesn’t matter. I still have one more enemy to beat!

I looked up at Spiky Hair. John needs me to hold these guys back as long as I can, and that’s just what I’m gonna do.

“Alright, Spike,” I said, straightening up to my full height, fighting to keep my legs from shaking, “get ready ‘cause you’re about to meet the same fate as your friends.”

“I, Archfiend Ruler, have no friends,” he replied. “Those Duelists were only tools to be used and tossed aside. Thanks to them I now know all of your best cards. I also know without a shadow of a doubt that you cannot possibly defeat me.”

Normally I would have come back with something about big talk, but standing there, looking into my enemies smug, confident face I knew that he was right.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Sixteen]

Their Leader Attacks!
Too Weak to Fight Back


John


“Alright Keeper,” I said (My LP: 5600/Keeper’s LP: 5800), “you’re obviously strong. The combination that you’ve set up here to leave me top decking is brilliant, but you’ve made one fatal mistake; you left your ‘Ghost of Egypt’ in attack mode. You might have ‘Ordeal of a Traveler’, but I’m not afraid to attack.” My Soul flashed gold and purple-black, and Keeper smiled. “I attack with ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ against your ‘Ghost of Egypt’, Black Fire Bullet!”

I hadn’t been able to follow the cards in Keeper’s hand, thanks to the ‘Shifting Shadows’ that still drifted across his field, making his side of the field harder to see, but when I thought about his hand and what type of card to choose for the effect of his trap, I suddenly knew that…

“The card on the left is a Trap!”

“You,” said Keeper, “are correct.” He showed me his card, the Continuous Trap ‘Bottomless Shifting Sand’. My ‘Red-Eyes’ launched a fireball, hitting the ‘Ghost of Egypt’ dead on. “Your monster might not die,” I said, “but you still take massive damage, a total of fifteen hundred points of it!”

“You’re wrong I’m afraid,” Keeper replied, “because I have a Trap that you should know quite well, considering that one of your allies is quite fond of it. Reveal ‘Spirit Barrier’. As you know, as long as I control this card and at least one monster, I cannot take Battle Damage. Your move was good, but not quite good enough.”


Tucker


Archfiend Ruler stepped up between the empty shells of his two former allies. I picked Sarah up and set her down next to the others. Then I turned, fighting exhaustion, and walked back over to face the last remaining member of the Dark Duel Force.

“Alright Fiend, I’m ready,” I said. “Give me your worst.”

“Certainly,” he replied, so calm that it was creepy, “but not just yet. I may have fun killing, but I have even more fun coordinating the hunt. You see, my cards aren’t like yours. I don’t rely on things like luck or magical Souls. My power in a duel comes from a depth of strategy that a hothead like you could never understand. Every one of my cards fits together with every other card. That’s why I’m invincible.

“I start,” Fiend began, “with a Field Spell card ‘Pandemonium’, but we’ll get to that later.” All around us the scenery changed. The air was tinted with a thin green mist, and curved bony spikes rose out of the ground at the battlefield’s edge, forming a ring around us. “I also set a monster in defense mode and end my turn.”

“That’s all?”

“A good strategist knows that the most effective opening move is often the most subtle one,” Fiend replied.

“Alright,” I said, completely clueless to what the hell he was talking about. I drew my cards, noticing how sore my arms here now that the adrenaline had worn off. This sucks. After my last duel I can barely stand.

“Well, for my opening move,” I declared, “I summon my ‘Blazing Inpachi’,” a giant burning man made of logs appeared behind me (ATK: 1850), “and attack with Blaze Burst.”

‘Blazing Inpachi’ raised his flaming hands and poured fire down on Archfiend Ruler’s side of the field. Before Fiends monster was destroyed it was revealed to be a near human-sized rat with dark red eyes.

“You destroyed my ‘Giant Rat’,” Fiend explained. “That means that I can summon one Earth monster with fifteen hundred Attack points or less from my deck. I summon ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’ in attack mode.”

A demon with a sword for his right forearm and a shield for his left appeared (ATK: 1200). Vilepawn? I thought, Pawn, like in chess? Guess that’s what he meant when he said in-depth strategy. Damn, I suck at chess.

“For my second move,” said Fiend eagerly, a hungry look in his eyes, “I draw, and in my Standby Phase I activate ‘Curse of Fiend’, changing you ‘Blazing Inpachi’ to defense mode (DEF: 0). Usually I would also have to sacrifice six hundred of my Life Points to ‘Vilepawn’ in this Phase as well, but because we are battling at ‘Pandemonium’, my monster’s bloodlust is satiated by the dark forces at work here. And next, in my Main Phase, I’ll summon a second Archfiend monster. Like the chess piece she represents, my next monster is one of the most strategically important pieces of my deck. I summon ‘Infernalqueen Archfiend’ in attack mode.”

A female red demon appeared, a sort of small, bony crown on her head, carrying a simple blade (ATK: 900). “I attack the defenseless ‘Blazing Inpachi’,” Fiend declared, “with ‘Infernalqueen’!” The queen slashed my monster with her blade and he faded away, becoming a pile of burning wood and smoldering ash. “Now I attack directly with ‘Vilepawn’,” the second monster jumped at me and swung his sword, slashing me across the chest (8000-1200=6800).

“I lay one card face-down,” Fiend finished, “and end my turn.”

Pieces of smoldering wood still burned at my feet as I drew my next card. I was already weak, and the direct attack took even more out of me. My hands were shaking and my legs were starting to feel like rubber. But I wouldn’t give up, “For my move, I summon my ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ and attack the ‘Infernalqueen Archfiend’.”

My monster, a dragon made of fire, appeared, opening its mouth and launching fire at my opponent’s side of the field, but he seemed unconcerned. “I don’t think so,” he said, smiling, “because like in chess, you must first go through the pawns. My ‘Vilepawn’ will block any attack that you launch against my Archfiend monsters.”

The white warrior fiend jumped in between the ‘Infernalqueen’ and my attack, holding it back with his shield. “But that’s not all,” Fiend declared. “I reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’, paying five hundred Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon a second ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’.” Another ‘Vilepawn’ appeared beside the first.

“When two ‘Vilepawns’ are on the field together,” Fiend explained, “one intercepts all of your attacks, and the other disrupts them.” The second ‘Vilepawn’ swung his sword, dispersing my dragon’s fire. “In other words, as long as I control both ‘Vilepawns’, my Archfiends are impervious to attacks.”

“That’s just wonderful,” I said sarcastically, blinking away a bout of blurred vision. “Good thing monsters aren’t all I have. Reveal Trap card ‘Ring of Destruction’.”

The ring of grenades appeared and flew toward one of the ‘Vilepawns’, but before it could attach, everything seemed to pause, like time on the field had been made to stand still.

“When one of my Archfiends is targeted by an effect,” Fiend countered smugly, “its special ability activates, the Fiend Roulette.” A ring of six numbered orbs appeared in the air at ‘Vilepawn’’s side. A flame burned, jumping randomly from one orb to the next. The fire finally stopped on two. “Excellent,” said Fiend. “If the Fiend Roulette lands on two or five when activated for ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’, the card that targeted him is negated and destroyed.”

Time resumed and the ‘Vilepawn’ swung his sword, shattering the ring in midair.

“Then I’ll end my turn,” I said, “by activating the effect of my ‘Solar Flare Dragon’, dealing you five hundred points of damage.” The dragon launched a fireball at Fiend, hitting him directly (7500-500=7000). He didn’t even blink.

“Draw,” said Fiend, “and I think I’ll bring another friend to this party. I summon the leader of Archfiends and strategically the most powerful. Introducing ‘Terrorking Archfiend’!”

A tall skeletal fiend appeared. The bone the made up his head was shaped like a crown, and he wore a cape and had broad wings. He carried a long, broad sword in his right hand. As he came into existence, he roared (ATK: 2000).

“I activate the effect of my ‘Infernalqueen’,” Fiend continued. “Once per turn she can increase the Attack of any Archfiend I control by one thousand.”

The ‘Terrorking’ roared again as energy passed from the ‘Infernalqueen’ into him (ATK: 2000+1000=3000).

“Next I pay five hundred Life Points to summon ‘Shadowknight Archfiend’ as well via the effect of ‘Ultimate Offering.” Another demon appeared. He was armored with wings and long blue hair. His right forearm was a sword, and his left forearm was a claw (ATK: 2000). “I attack with ‘Shadowknight’ against your ‘Solar Flare Dragon’,” the evil knight slashed the dragon in half.

“Battle Damage you take from ‘Shadowknight’ is halved,” Fiend explained, “but your dragon is still destroyed (LP: 6550). I attack directly with my ‘Vilepawns’ and my ‘Infernalqueen’ (6550-1200-1200-900=3250), and I finish with ‘Terrorking Archfiend’.”

The final Archfiend rose into the air, his wings spread wide, his sword held high, “Activate the Spell card 'Demon Lightning', increasing the attack of my ‘Terrorking’ by five hundred.” The Archfiend’s sword became charged with electricity (ATK: 3000+500 =3500). “‘Terrorking’, attack with Checkmate Slash!”

The demon swooped past me and swung his sword. My whole body tingled as electricity danced across me from head to toe. I screamed as my body seized violently.

“Checkmate,” Archfiend Ruler declared, “in three moves.”

I fell to the ground, falling into a deep and unending sleep.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seventeen]

Last Stand;
Karen and Max vs. The Immortal Archfiends


Karen


“Tucker’s lost,” I said quietly to Max, careful not to let anyone else in the waiting room hear what I was saying.

“We’d better get going then,” said Max. “We don’t want to do this too close to the building. Hang on.”

We stood, and Max grasped my wrist. He led me behind a large potted plant in the corner, careful not to let anyone see. His amber-colored Soul of Life flashed, and we were wreathed in ghastly dark smoke that carried us through the wall of the building like ghosts. In a mere two or three seconds we were outside roughly fifty yards from the approaching enemy. He kept walking toward us, stopping twenty yards away. “You must be the last remnants of the Duel Force,” he said. “I’m Archfiend Ruler, the most powerful force either of you has ever faced.”

“Powerful or not,” I said, “you’re facing two of the Duel Force’s strongest Duelists. You can’t beat us both, it’s simply not possible.”

“We’ll see,” said Fiend with a sharp laugh.

“We will,” I continued, trying to be convincing. “You should just give up now and go, before we beat you and win back the spirits and the Duelist’s Souls that you’ve taken.

“I never surrender,” Fiend countered as he stepped within duel rage of the two of us and drew his opening hand. “Get ready, because I’ve already started (LP: 8000). I summon ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’, attack mode.” Fiend’s first Archfiend appeared (ATK: 1200). “I also place three cards face-down and end my turn. Hurry up, I want to really get things started.”

“Okay,” I said, “but I warned you. I start with the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’. This lets me draw three cards and then discard two. I follow up by paying one thousand Life Points to activate ‘Toon World’ (8000-1000=7000). While this magic book is on the field, I can summon Toon monsters from within the book to my side to fight for me.”

A giant green book appeared behind me, hovering in the air. It fell open, and pink smoke began pouring from its pages.

“From within the magical book,” I declared, “I summon ‘Toon Mermaid’ as a Toon Summon, and I sacrifice her for my ‘Toon Summoned Skull’.” The pink smoke cleared, and a cartoon mermaid appeared, lying in an oyster shell, carrying a bow (ATK: 1400). She was sucked back into the book, and a large black skeletal torso rose out of the pages, cackling wildly, lightning dancing between its claws (ATK: 2500).

“That makes it my move,” said Max, seeing that my turn was through. “I start with the Spell card ‘Call of the Mummy’, letting me Special Summon a zombie once per turn if I control no other monsters. I summon ‘Spirit Reaper’, and then I summon ‘The Dark – Hexed-Sealed Fusion’. By sacrificing ‘The Dark’ and ‘Spirit Reaper’ I can summon a Fusion monster that lists ‘Spirit Reaper’ as a Fusion Material monster, like my ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.”

A jumble of darkness appeared alongside Max’s signature card, a grim reaper monster that hung in the air, floating on a cloud of dark smoke. The mass of Darkness, ‘The Dark – Hexed-Sealed Fusion’, blossomed out into dark void. ‘Spirit Reaper’ was swallowed up in the void, which closed moments after a new reaper monster appeared. He was essentially ‘Sprit Reaper’ sitting aback a ghostly mummified horse (ATK: 800).

“I set one card,” Max continued, “and I use my ‘Reaper’’s ability to attack you directly.” ‘Reaper’ galloped on air past the ‘Vilepawn’ and slashed Fiend with his scythe. It had to have hurt, but Fiend completely ignored my partner’s attack, acting as if it hadn’t happened.

“When my ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ deals you damage,” Max explained, “you have to discard a card from your hand.” Fiend ditched his card, but seemed not to mind. In fact it almost seemed as if he had expected it and was counting on it (8000-800=7200).

“You two are strong, as strong as I expected,” Fiend said offhandedly as he activated a face-down card. As it flipped up, he said, “As good as you are though, I’m still very clearly better. Reveal ‘Archfiend’s Roar’ paying five hundred Life Points (7200-500=6700) to summon back the monster that you just discarded, the ‘Terrorking Archfiend’.”

The King of Archfiends appeared, and was instantly destroyed. “The effect of ‘Roar’ destroys the monster it summoned at the End Phase.”

“Well that made no sense,” said Max insultingly, but I understood.

“All will become clear,” Fiend said. “When ‘Terrorking Archfiend’ is destroyed, even by my own card’s effect, I can discard ‘Desrook Archfiend’ to revive him.”

Fiend sent a card from his hand to the Graveyard, and the ‘Terrorking’ returned, rising up into the air and bellowing loudly (ATK: 2000).

“Now,” said Fiend, “I draw and reveal ‘Battle-Scarred’. Now, when I pay Life Points to my Archfiends to satiate their bloodlust, you both pay the same amount (7000-1300=5700/ 8000-1300=6700/6700-1300=5400).” My entire body burned, like my life was being stripped away. “I also reveal ‘Life-Absorbing Machine’,” Fiend continued, “Now each turn I gain back half of the Life Points that I paid during my previous turn. Next I play ‘Falling Down’, giving me control of one of your monsters at the cost of eight hundred Life Points per turn. With my Spell card’s effect I control your ‘Toon Summoned Skull’, and I pay five hundred Life Points to have him attack his former master!”

My ‘Toon Summoned Skull’, the strongest monster on the field, moved to my opponent’s field. He raised his claws, and lightning rained down on me, nearly bringing me to my knees (5700-2500=3200/5400-500=4900).

“And now,” Fiend commanded, “I attack with my remaining monsters and finish you off.” ‘Vilepawn’ slashed me (3200-1200=2000). ‘Terrorking’ moved in to strike the final blow, and was cut off by Max’s ‘Reaper’. Max stood with his arms crossed. “I give my monster to Karen to absorb some of the damage to her Life Points (2000+800-2000=800). I looked over at Max. He smiled a wicked smile, and I couldn’t help but smile as well. This was the kid that just a few months ago was one of my Greatest enemies, and now he and I were fighting side by side. It really was remarkable.

“It’s my turn again,” I said. “I start out by giving ‘Reaper’ back to my partner.” The reaper monster became smoke and moved over to Max’s side where he reformed.

“Next I activate ‘Swords of Revealing Light’, preventing all of your attacks for the next three turns,” massive swords made of light rained from the sky and stuck into the ground all around my opponent.

“Now, finally,” I concluded, “I summon ‘Toon Alligator’ in defense mode.” A tiny green alligator appeared, holding an axe (DEF: 1600). “That ends my turn.”

I looked over at Max and nodded. He nodded back. We were confident, but to be fair that was before we realized that we’d already lost.


John


My ‘Red-Eyes’ completed his attack, my opponent protected by his Trap. Damn! I thought. I’m really starting to run out of plays! “I place one card face-down,” I said, “and end my turn.”

“Then it’s my turn,” said Keeper gleefully. “I begin with my ‘Ghost of Egypt’’s ability of direct attack.” The ‘Ghost of Egypt’ flew strait at my monster, phasing right through him, punched me in the chest (5600-900=4700), and then retreated back to the opponent’s field. Great. Now what am I supposed to do?


Karen


“Draw,” said Max. He was far more confident than even I was at the time, but that’s who he was. Where such overconfidence would leave most people at a disadvantage, Max was different. Despite his great confidence I knew that Max would be working nonstop to find a way to overcome his opponent, as would I. We just had different ways of going about it.

“I activate ‘Pot of Greed’,” Max declared, “letting me draw two extra cards. Then I activate ‘Soul Release’ to remove the three cards in my Graveyard from play. I also summon ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, using his effect to remove the ‘Soul Release’ in my Graveyard from play, raising the Attack of my ‘Chaosrider’ to seventeen hundred.” A fiend appeared at Max’s riding a motorcycle, pike in hand.

“And now,” Max continued, “because I have no cards in my Graveyard and four cards removed from play, I can activate ‘Chaos Greed’ to draw two more cards.” He drew, picked a card from his hand, and continued his turn.

“Now, I activate ‘Dimension Distortion’,” Max declared, “to return my removed from play ‘Spirit Reaper’ to the field in defense mode,” the original ‘Reaper’ returned (DEF: 200), “and I attack directly with ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ and attack your ‘Vilepawn’ with ‘Gustaph’.”

The ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ bypassed Fiend’s monsters to hit him directly, and ‘Gustaph’ slashed the ‘Vilepawn’ in half with his pike (5200+1200-1700-800=3900).

Max and I watched Archfiend Ruler, but he still didn’t react. “Oh come on,” I said tauntingly. “You’re losing. Bad. Show some sign that you care!”

“I would care,” Fiend replied, “if I were actually losing.”

“Fine,” said Max, “if that’s how you wanna play this, I end my turn with a face-down card. If you’re so sure you can still defeat us both then give us your best shot and actually prove it.”

“My pleasure,” said Fiend, an eager fire suddenly appearing in his eyes. “I’ll finish you off first,” he said, pointing right at me. “I start by paying for my Archfiends, and thanks to ‘Battle-Scarred’ any opponent who can pay must pay as well (3900-1600 =2300/6700-1600=5100).

“My ‘Life-Absorbing Machine’ activates this Phase as well,” Fiend explained as his Life Points increased (2300+650=2950).

“Also in my Standby Phase,” Fiend declared “I activate ‘Curse of Fiend’, forcing ‘Toon Alligator’ into attack mode (ATK: 800), and I play ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying the ‘Swords of Revealing Light’.” A burst of wind shredded my Spell card and the swords made of light flickered away. “Now,” said Fiend, “I’m clear to attack.

“I summon my next monster, the ‘Infernalqueen Archfiend’, and activate her ability to increase the Attack of my ‘Terrorking’ by one thousand (2000+1000=3000). Now ‘Terrorking’ will attack the ‘Alligator’ and kill you. Checkmate Slash!”

Well, I thought, closing my eyes, I guess that’s it. I lost. But when I heard the ‘Alligator’ die but felt no pain I opened my eyes. I was okay, my Life Points unharmed.

“Did you really think I’d let you do that?” max asked. “This duel is interesting, but nothing more. I won’t let an enemy as insignificant as you defeat me or my ally. Reveal ‘Spirit Barrier’. While this card is in play, either one of us who controls at least one monster cannot be damaged in battle.”

“But your partner doesn’t have any monsters left,” said Fiend. “That means she’s wide open. I pay five hundred Life Points (2950-500=2450) to attack directly with ‘Toon Summoned Skull’’s Demon Lightning.”

‘Toon Summoned Skull’ summoned electricity down from the sky, but before it could hit me, ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ flew in the way of the attack. It was vaporized, becoming smoke that reformed again into the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’, completely unharmed.

“Heh,” said Max, “looks like she has a monster now.”

“Then I’ll simply set a card,” said Fiend, “and end my turn.”

He wasn’t surprised. He wasn’t worried. He’d expected us to use a strategy like this from the start. That’s why he’d spent most of his time so far focusing on my monsters; he knew that he’d be able to spread our resources this either way.

“My go,” I said, working hard to display confidence, even though I was starting to feel nervous in the face of someone who seemed one step ahead of us.. “Let’s see what we can do to turn this thing around. I start with the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting each player in the duel draw until they hold six cards. Next I play one of the cards I just drew, my ‘Spell Absorption’, so that I gain five hundred Life Points each time a Spell card is played, followed by ‘Spell Economics’, a card that lowers the Life Point cost of my Spell cards to zero (800+500=1300).

“Finally,” I declared, “I summon my ‘Toon Mermaid’ in defense mode (DEF: 1500) and place two cards face-down, passing the turn, and the ‘Nightmare Reaper’ back to my partner.”

“Thank you Karen,” said Max smugly, still as confident as he had been. Either he didn’t see what I saw, or he wasn’t worried.

“I begin and end my turn with a direct attack from my ‘Reaper’,” Max commanded, “destroying another of the cards in your hand with his effect (2450-800=1650). Thanks to my ‘Reaper’ and my ‘Spirit Barrier’, we’re invincible.”

Fiend smiled a wide, wicked smile, “We’ll see about that, won’t we.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eighteen]

Karen Falls to Fear


Max


Fiend drew his card and began his turn. “First,” he declared, “I manage Life Points (Fiend: 1650+800-2100=350/Me: 5100-2100=3000). Next I place a card face-down and I reveal the Spell card ‘Emergency Provision’, sending my face-down card, ‘Battle-Scarred’, and ‘Life-Absorbing Machine’ to the Graveyard to recover one thousand Life Points for each card (350+3000=3350). I also activate ‘Infernalqueen’’s effect again, increasing my ‘Terrorking’’s Attack by another one thousand (3000+1000 =4000). Finally, I discard ‘Ultimate Offering’ on hand to activate ‘Tribute to the Doomed’, destroying ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.”

The ground opened up beneath my monster. Mummy wraps burst from the broken ground, reaching toward my monster, threatening to pull him down into an early grave. The wraps, however, were deflected by a barrier projected from a mask that had appeared on my monster’s face.

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Mask of the Undead’, negating your card. Come on. You seem to know all about us. You didn’t really expect a move like that to affect me, did you?”

Fiend only smiled and said, “I attack the ‘Toon Mermaid’ with ‘Terrorking Archfiend’, Checkmate Slash!”

“Not on your life,” countered Karen. “Reveal two-card combo, ‘Physical Double’ and ‘Staunch Defender’, summoning a ‘Mirage Token’ in the form of your monster and sending the ‘Mirage Token’ to block your attack.”

Suddenly everything seemed to pause, including ‘Terrorking’’s attack and the half molded ball of living clay that was ‘Mirage Token’, and the Fiend Roulette appeared. “I’m sure you were watching my duel with your ally,” said Fiend, “so I’m sure you know what this ability does and how it works. The magic numbers this time around are one, three, and five.”

The fire danced from orb to orb, finally stopping on three. Fiend chuckled and said, “Too bad. Looks like my attack will hit after all.” The ‘Terrorking’ slashed, slicing the ‘Mermaid’ in half. “I take another piece,” said Fiend. “Now I hope you don’t mind if I reset the board.” He spread his arms wide and curved bony spires rose up all around us, “Duel Force, welcome to ‘Pandemonium’!”


John


“My turn,” I said. Okay, I only have a few turns left. My face-down card is my best chance. I just have to use it right. “I draw,” I declared, and looked at my card. Bingo! “Reveal ‘Double Spell’, discarding the spell card I just top decked to activate a Spell card from your Graveyard, a Spell like ‘Card of Sanctity’!”

I drew six cards from my deck and looked them over, “My next card will be a Ritual, the ‘Contract with Dark Master’.” A black fire flared up behind me, “I sacrifice my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ and my ‘Night Assailant’ on hand to Ritual Summon the Demon Game Master.”

Out of the fire emerged a bare-chested demon with long purple horns and a red cape that could become a pair of broad and powerful wings if he so chose, “Introducing the ‘Dark Master – Zorc’ (ATK: 2700)!”

“My monster reflects my true talents in gaming; tabletop role playing games. I’m better at those than anything else. You see,” I explained to my opponent, “my ‘Dark Master’ has a very special ability; Attack Dice! Once per turn I can roll a six-sided dice and activate an effect based on the roll, the lower the roll, the more powerful the result.”

I held out my palm and a dice appeared from the darkness swirling around us. With a flick of my wrist I sent the dice skipping across the sandy stone floor. It finally stopped on a one. I stood with my arms crossed and said, “Super Critical Attack activate; Zorc Black Magic, Dark Catastrophe! This attack has enough power to destroy every monster you control!”

‘Zorc’ rose high into the air and raised his palms, aiming them at Keeper’s field. Energy built in his palms. He fired the energy at the ‘Ghost of Egypt’, and the energy vaporized him, blossomed outward, and vaporized the rest of Keeper’s monsters before fading away.

“Next,” I said, “I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying the ‘Ordeal of a Traveler’.” A gust of wind tore the hologram of Keeper’s card to shreds. “You now have no way to defend yourself. ‘Zorc’ attacks!” ‘Zorc’ fired a wave of dark energy at Keeper (5800-2700=3100). I also attack directly with ‘Red-Eyes Black’, Inferno Fire Blast!” ‘Red-Eyes’’s fire rained down over Keeper’s field. He was hit, but seemed completely unharmed (3100-2400=700).”

“I end my turn,” I said, “with one card face-down.”

“I draw,” said Keeper, finally looking impressed, “and I’ll summon ‘Pyramid Turtle’ in defense mode as a Special Summon using the effect of my ‘Call of the Mummy’.” As he spoke a huge turtle with a pyramid for a shell appeared behind him (DEF: 1400). “I also summon my ‘Sangan’ in defense mode.” A three-eyed brown fur ball appeared at Keeper’s feet (DEF: 600).

“Reveal,” I countered, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Skull Lair’. I remove three monsters in my Graveyard from play to destroy your level three ‘Sangan’.” An energy ball formed just ahead of me. I commanded it forward and it engulfed the fur ball, vaporizing it. Using ‘Sangan’’s effect Keeper searched his deck for a new monster to place in his hand. Too bad for him he wouldn’t get to use it.

“I begin my turn,” I declared, “with the Spell card ‘Painful Choice’. I pick five cards from deck and you pick one. That card is added to my hand, and the others are discarded. Of course, because they are all monsters, you know what’s coming.”

I sent four of the cards to the Graveyard and said, “I re-activate ‘Skull Lair’, removing four monsters in my Graveyard from play to destroy the level four ‘Pyramid Turtle’.” An energy ball blasted the pyramid on the turtle’s back, shattering it. Chunks of stone rained down on the turtle’s head, crushing it. It became smoke and faded away.

“Now,” I said triumphantly, “I strike the finishing blow. ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’, finish this duel. Attack with Inferno Fire Blast!”

My dragon launched its attack with a roar, and in a violent torrent of smoke and flames the duel finally ended (700-2400=0).


Max


“I draw,” said Karen. She was frustrated and nervous, her hands shaking. She was a great Duelist, but since this duel had started I’d gotten the sense that dueling didn’t hold much interest for her anymore. I knew she didn’t want to be here, but she knew that she didn’t have a choice. It was making her weak, something that I would usually condemn her for, but I owed Karen. Because of her joining up with the Duel Force they were more accepting of me when the time came. So I stood by her side and kept fighting to repay my debt.

“For my next move,” Karen declared, “I summon my ‘Thousand-Eyes Idol’, and I activate ‘Black Illusion Ritual’, sacrificing my ‘Idol’ to summon my strongest card.”

A pot-shaped creature with many eyes appeared. It was caught in a black flame and infused with power, changing form. It became a creature more bizarre than any other in Duel Monsters. It looked like a sphere resting on a disk, two spikes protruding from the disk, with strong arms. In the center of its chest was a small sphere bearing an Egyptian-style eye symbol. The creature was blue and gray in color (ATK: 0).

“Once per turn,” Karen explained, “my monster can assimilate any other monster on the field, gaining all of its attack and defense. ‘Relinquished’, go, Assimilation Spell! Absorb his key monster, the ‘Terrorking Archfiend’!” The ‘Relinquished’’s body opened, forming two flaps, and revealing an opening that served to draw monsters inside. A powerful suction drew the ‘Terrorking’ toward ‘Relinquished’, and suddenly everything paused again as the Fiend Roulette appeared yet again. The flame danced from number to number, stopping on a one.

No, I thought. I looked over at Karen. She had no moves left. She was shaking even harder, and she was so frustrated that she was growing teary-eyed. “I end my turn,” she said. Her voice was tense and full of fear. I probably should have said something to comfort her, but I didn’t know what to say.

“I draw,” I declared. I don’t know how to help you, Karen, I thought, but I’ll do everything I can to protect you from this enemy I owe you that much if nothing else. I smiled confidently and said, “I start my move by sacrificing my ‘Spirit Reaper’ and my ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ to summon my ‘Despair from the Dark’.” My two weaker monsters disappeared, and they were replaced by a massive shadow that rose out of the ground. It had red eyes and long, strong claws (ATK: 2800).

“Now I increase the power of my monsters with the Spell card ‘Pyramid Energy’, increasing the Attack of both of my monsters by two hundred (‘Despair’: 2800+200 =3000/ ‘Reaper’: 800+200=1000/Karen’s LP: 1300+500=1800). “I attack with ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ and destroy your ‘Infernalqueen Archfiend’,” ‘Reaper’ brought his scythe down, slicing the ‘Infernalqueen’ in half (3350+900-1000=3250).

“Because ‘Infernalqueen’ is gone,” I explained, “her effect ends. This means that your ‘Terrorking’ loses all Attack bonuses that he gained from her (4000-2000=2000). Now that your ‘Terrorking’’s power has returned to normal and I don’t have to worry about him anymore, I have ‘Despair from the Dark’ attack the ‘Toon Summoned Skull’, Terror Claw Strike!”

My monster’s arms stretched toward the demon Toon, slicing him to pieces (3250+2500-3000=2750). With the once-formidable monster gone, the field was much safer and I began to relax, which was, of course, a mistake.

“My move,” said Fiend, still completely un-phased by my attacks, so much so that he actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

“You made a mistake,” Fiend explained. “You took the Knight, not the King.

Activate,” Fiend declared, “the Spell card ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying every Spell and Trap card on the field (Karen’s LP: 1800+500=2300).” A heavy gale picked up and tore every Spell and Trap card on the field to pieces. Everything, including the Field card ‘Pandemonium’, was gone, the bony spires fading away, and the green mist lifting. Even Karen’s ‘Toon World’ wasn’t immune to the effects of the enemies card.

“Next,” Fiend continued excitedly, “I equip ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ with ‘Black Pendant’, but because ‘Reaper’ was targeted by an effect, his effect activates, and he’s destroyed!”

A necklace with a black stone in it appeared around my ‘Reaper’’s neck, it’s magic mixing negatively with his, causing him to melt away. The necklace rose into the air and fired bolts of black energy at me and Karen, dealing damage to our Life Points. “When ‘Black Pendant’ is destroyed,” Fiend explained, “you each take five hundred points of damage (3000-500=2500/2300-500=1800). Now I activate the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’, returning my defeated ‘Vilepawn’ to the field, and I’ll go one step further and summon the ‘Pandemonium Watchbear’ as well.”

The ‘Vilepawn’ reappeared alongside a large red bear wearing a chain collar (ATK: 1200/ ATK: 1300).

“I equip ‘Vilepawn’,” Fiend announced, “with one of your least favorite cards, the ‘Black Pendant’, and I sacrifice ‘Vilepawn’ to activate my Ace Card, ‘Checkmate’!”

‘Vilepawn’, the ‘Black Pedant’ hanging around his neck, became a cloud of black smoke that was drawn into the ‘Terrorking’’s body. He was surrounded by a dark aura. From his aura lanced a bolt of energy that hit us both via the ‘Pendant’’s effect (1800-500=1300/2500-500=2000).

“Now to wrap this up,” Fiend declared, his expression contorting into one of sick pleasure, “I attack the girl with my ‘Pandemonium Watchbear’!”

I looked over at Karen. I was shocked by how easily our opponent had overcome every move we’d made, without us even realizing just how easy a time he was having. Here he was attacking my ally, someone who I’d sworn to protect, and there was absolutely nothing I could do about it, short of letting him kill me instead, and that was something that I couldn’t justify with the way Karen had been playing today.

The red bear ran toward Karen and slashed with his claws, bringing one of the strongest people I’d ever known to her knees.

(1300-1300=0).

Archfiend Ruler looked me right in the eyes, “Check.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nineteen]

Checkmate;
Closing In


I was angry, more at myself than anyone. I’d failed to keep Karen from losing her soul, but I would make up for it. I didn’t care how powerful he was, my opponent would not beat me.

“You left yourself open,” I announced. I was convinced that I had an advantage, however small, and I was going to press it.

“Not only is your strongest monster far inferior to my ‘Despair from the Dark’,” I explained, “you now have to sacrifice a portion of your life to the Archfiends every turn. You’ve lost, and you don’t even know it!”

Fiend only smiled. “Sorry,” he said almost gleefully, “but it’s still my turn, in my Battle Phase, and I have one more move to make. When I said Check, I meant it.

“I never told you what effect was given to my ‘Terrorking’ by the Spell card ‘Checkmate’. In the turn that ‘Checkmate’ is played, my ‘Terrorking Archfiend’ can do something that you should be quite familiar with: attack directly.”

“What? No way!”

“Now,” said Fiend, “I bypass your monster, and end this duel!” ‘Terrorking’ rose up and circled around my monster, a dark aura burning around him, raising his blade over his head. “I take your king with this final strike,” the sword came down, “Checkmate!!”

My Life Points fell (2000-2000=0), and I fell to the ground. I struggled to hold onto my fleeting spirit to no avail. The last thing I saw before I fell into the darkness was Archfiend Ruler walking calmly, unimpeded, toward his goal.


John


I was out of breath, but Keeper seemed unaffected by the duel. “So,” I asked him, “did I pass your test or what?”

“Yes,” said Keeper, “you passed. You are free to go at any time.”

“No way,” I said, “you won’t get rid of me so easily. I have some questions, and I think you might know the answers to a few of them.”

“The answers I can give you are limited. I am here to guide you, not to hand you the answers. Ask, and I will answer as best I can.”

“Okay, who is Yami, and where did he come from?”

“Of course you’d ask who Yami is,” Keeper replied matter-of-factly. “First of all, Yami is not the dark side of the Forgotten Duelist. He is not Blackheart.”

I nodded. Keeper had understood the purpose behind my question without me having to spell it out.

“Although I cannot refer to Yami by his true name,” Keeper continued, “I can tell you a bit about his origin. Yami as you know him was once a young man, or rather a part of one. After being forced into servitude to an ancient cause, this young man developed a split mind. His dark side manifested in one half of his persona and tried to take on the role of the ancient and powerful Nameless Pharaoh, the master of the Egyptian God Monsters, in an attempt to gain power enough to spread death and destruction throughout the entire world. When the Pharaoh defeated him, it was thought that he was lost to the Shadows from which all magic comes forever, but a portion of the evil persona’s soul managed to remain in this realm, keeping him anchored to his homeland. Over time he developed new abilities by absorbing the magic all around his, and ultimately he found ways to appear in this realm, but only within the darkness, or in his homeland itself.

“The dark persona wants to return to this realm permanently, but with his own body this time, allowing him to carry over all of his newly acquired powers. He uses the magic of the Shadow Items and the Duel Energy of Duelists that he destroys to sustain him, but with the Millennium Items, the most powerful magical artifacts to ever exist, gone, the only way to initiate the ritual needed to facilitate his return is to use the power of the twelve Duelist’s Souls. That’s why, to the dismay of his more power hungry followers, Yami has turned his attention from the Shadow Items and has begun focusing almost entirely on you and the other members of the Duel Force.”

“You can tell me all of this, but you can’t give me a name?”

“No,” Keeper replied, “I cannot.”

“Can you at least tell me where I can find him? It’s clear by now that I’m going to have to face Yami sooner or later, and I’d rather it be sooner.”

“I’m sorry,” said Keeper, “but when the time comes for your final meeting with Yami, you will know because you will be able to find him on your own.”

“Thanks,” I said glumly, wishing that he’d given me more to work with. Keeper nodded and was gone. I turned, stepping instinctually into the shadows of a pillar, and I disappeared as well.


I felt myself melt into the shadows. I was the shadows. I could separate myself from the shadows anywhere with just a thought as soon as I found my destination with my mind. This time though, I wasn’t looking for a place. I was looking for a person. I was literally looking for myself.

I have to hurry, I thought. I know that the questions I asked Keeper were important, but asking them took time. If the Order manages to defeat my team they’ll come for me. They’ll give my Soul to Yami, and he’ll use it to draw all of the magic of all of the Souls together. If that happens Yami will return to this world for good with all of his crazy psychic abilities! I can’t let that happen. I have to wake up so that I can meet the Order head on, and maybe even take the fight to them.

I closed my eyes, letting the tides of the Shadows wash over me, taking in every sensation that they offered. Everywhere that touched the Shadows was part of my domain. I reached out with all of my senses until I found my destination; my soul-less body. With haste and purpose I pushed through the barrier separating the Shadows from my mind, reaching the Shadows within my own mind, the Shadows that are in all of our minds to one degree or another.

As I made my way back into my empty mind, I felt something in the Shadows with me. It was strong. Strong enough that it made my Soul nervous. It was different than anything I’d ever felt. Different than Yami. I looked around within the Shadows, searching for the presence, but found nothing. There’s no time, I thought, forcing myself to focus. I have to go.

That’s when I heard a mental scream. I couldn’t be sure, but it sounded like Karen. Then suddenly I felt Karen here with me in the Shadows, being pulled to a place far away and still beyond my range of sight.

Moments later I felt Max scream as well. He was drawn into the Shadows, and was pulled in the same direction. I couldn’t hesitate. I had to act. I focused, and I found myself back where I belonged. Back within my own mind.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty]

John Awakens


I opened my eyes to the view of the bright white ceiling of my hospital room. I looked around hastily, my eyes adjusting quickly to the light, and found myself to be alone in the room.

I sat up too quickly and had to fight a dizzy spell. I pulled the probes and sensors from my chest and head, noticing that I didn’t have a shirt. Oh well, I shrugged, got out of the bed and prepared to leave.

I flared up my Soul and reached out to the faint shadows in the corner of the room, deepening and stretching him into a sort of dark doorway. I step through, emerging outside, directly in the path of a young man about my age who was advancing on the hospital. As I emerged, I allowed a portion of the Shadows cling to me, becoming a new black t-shirt. Behind the young man I saw the unconscious bodies of every member of my team, save Amanda, as well as four others who I didn’t recognize.

The first thing I did was check to see if my friends were dead, reaching out with my Soul to do so. They were alive, but their spirits and their Duelist’s Souls were gone, taken someplace so far away that I couldn’t sense them.

There were only four of them? These guys must have been incredibly strong. I wouldn’t have believed it if I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes. My team, the Duel Force, had been defeated by a group of only five.

“What did you do, Duelist of the Order,” I demanded.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” He answered, stopping a short distance away. “I and my Dark Duel Force beat your skill-deprived friends in an attempt to reach you before awoke. Seems that we failed, but something good did come of it I guess, seeing as how I was able to sample the flavors of your friends’ strategies before they died.”

I was taken aback. This young man was strong and confident. He could be serious trouble if he decided to fight me too.

“You know,” the wicked young man said, “my Master Yami told me to back off if I was too late. If you’d already awoken by the time I got here. But my last two duels were quite disappointing. I really want to face someone worthy of my power.”

“So you can make decisions against Yami’s will?” I was intrigued by this. He was obviously evil, like Karen, Monty, and Lawrence had appeared to be when they were under Yami’s control, but if he could make decisions above and beyond Yami’s will it could mean only one thing.

“You mean you became a player killer of your own accord?” I asked. “This is who you really are?”

“Yes,” the young man answered. “My team is the same way. We all joined Yami’s movement to help quell our bloodthirsty natures.”

“You’re sick,” I said, both horrified and enraged, “and I think it’s about time you were stopped!”

“Like you could defeat me!” the young man exclaimed disbelievingly. He pointed straight at me and said, “I’m Archfiend Ruler, and I’m going to destroy you, take your Soul, and your very spirit! Then I’m going to go back to Yami’s home, where he’s keeping the spirits and the magic of our respective allies, I’m going to use your Soul to draw the powers of your friends to me, and I’m going to use those powers to kill Yami himself!”

I was taken aback. This guy was crazy! Not I was sure he had to be defeated. I had no Duel Disk, just my deck, which I had found at my bedside. Okay, I thought, I’ll just use the Shadows to find me a Duel Disk, and then I’ll get to work hopefully not dying.

I reached into the Shadows with my mind, and Shadows poured onto my arm. Under the Shadows I felt a sudden weight. The Shadows parted and melted away, and I found that I was wearing a Duel Disk, though it was unlike any I’d ever seen. It was black, and the duel field was long and curved, coming to a point, with a sharp edge, like a sword blade. Sweet, I thought, inserting my deck into the deck port of this new Dark Duel Disk, and the duel began (Life Points: 8000 (each)).

“Let’s kick things off,” I declared, “with one of my most powerful four star monsters, the ‘Gemini Elf’.” Two female elves appeared in different colored dresses, standing back to back (ATK: 1900). “Next,” I announced, “since I can’t attack yet, I place one card face down and end my turn. Archfiend Ruler, show me your power so I can hurry up and overcome it.”

“I draw,” said Fiend, ignoring my taunting, “and in my Standby Phase I activate the Spell card ‘Curse of Fiend’, changing your ‘Gemini Elf’ to defense mode (DEF: 900). Next I play the Spell card ‘Trap Booster’, discarding one card to activate a Trap from my hand, like ‘Ultimate Offering’. I summon into play my ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’ (ATK: 1200), and then I pay five hundred Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon ‘Archfiend Soldier’.”

A new archfiend appeared alongside the ‘Vilepawn’. It was purple in color with powerful looking claws and wearing a cape (ATK: 1900).

“My ‘Vilepawn’ attacks your ‘Gemini Elf’, and ‘Archfiend Soldier’ attacks directly,” Fiend declared as his monsters raised sword and claw.

“Oh no they don’t,” I countered, “because I have a Trap!” Suddenly, mid charge, three chanting priests appeared in the path of his monsters, which seemed to hit an invisible wall, the air rippling ahead of them. “My trap card ‘Waboku’ has the power to cancel damage from every attack during the Battle Phase in which it is activated.”

“Then I’ll lay a face-down card of my own,” Fiend concluded, “and end my turn.”

“Good,” I said. I drew, “I change ‘Gemini Elf’ back into to attack mode and I summon my ‘Giant Orc’ to join the ‘Elf’ on the fiend.” The giant goblin appeared (ATK: 2200). “My ‘Gemini Elf’ attacks the ‘Vilepawn’ with Dual Spellcasting, and my ‘Giant Orc’ attacks the ‘Soldier’ with Club Slam!” The two elves aimed their palms at ‘Vilepawn’, and he was hit by a powerful light and was blown apart (7500+1200-1900 =6800). ‘Giant Orc’ charged strait at the ‘Soldier’, his club raised.”

“Reveal,” said Fiend defiantly, “the Trap card ‘Archfiend’s Roar’, paying five hundred Life Points to revive my ‘Vilepawn’, activating his effect to jump in front of your attack.” The ‘Vilepawn’ returned, holding its shield up high, and jumped in front of the ‘Orc’’s attack. ‘Vilepawn’ was destroyed, and ‘Giant Orc’ fell over onto his back, into defense mode (DEF: 0).

“I end with two face-down cards,” I said, projecting confidence that I was having trouble feeling. This guy was good.

Fiend seemed just as confident, and I could believe that he really was, “Draw! Time to start thinning out the pawns. I summon my ‘Darkbishop Archfiend’ in attack mode.” Another Archfiend monster appeared, this one carrying a staff (ATK: 300).

“My ‘Darkbishop’,” Fiend declared, “attacks your ‘Giant Orc’.” ‘Darkbishop’ raised his staff and fired a bolt of magical energy, blasting the ‘Orc’ to dust. “Next my ‘Archfiend Soldier’ sacrifices himself to destroy the ‘Gemini Elf’.” The ‘Soldier’ rushed my ‘Elf’, but I wasn’t just going to let his attack happen.

“Reveal,” I countered, “the Trap card ‘Raigeki Break’. I discard a card from my hand to destroy your ‘Archfiend Soldier’.”

“Guess you don’t know,” said Fiend, laughing, “about my monster’s ability, Fiend Roulette.”

“I know about the Fiend Roulette,” I said dismissively, “and a bluff is only effective if it’s believable. The ‘Archfiend Soldier’ is a Normal Monster. It has no Fiend Roulette.”

“Not true,” said Fiend, a broad smile spread across his face. “While I control the ‘Darkbishop Archfiend’ I can activate his Fiend Roulette for every other Archfiend that I control.” A bolt of lightning lanced from my Trap card, hitting the ‘Soldier’. Everything stopped, and six numbered orbs appeared, fire dancing from one orb to the next. So this is the Fiend Roulette, I thought. I’ve read about it, but this is the first time I’ve actually seen it. I can only hope it’s not as powerful as people say. The flames stopped suddenly on the number six. The ‘Soldier’ threw its arms open wide, slinging the lightning away, and he continued his charge.

“Alright then,” I said, activating my second face-down card, “let’s see how well your Roulette fairs twice in one turn. Activate ‘Enemy Controller’. This spell card’s effect changes and becomes more costly depending on which combination of commands I enter. I think the first effect should be sufficient.”

A giant game controller appeared ahead of me. I reached up and pressed the controls in sequence: Up + Down + Up + Right + C. The cord from the controller reached toward the Archfiend, connecting to his chest. Everything stopped again, and the Roulette reappeared, landing on a two. I saw disappointment flash on my enemies face for just a moment.

“Your Roulette failed,” I said, “which means my controller succeeds, overriding your command to attack and telling your monster to defend instead.” The ‘Archfiend Soldier’ halted his attack and struck up a defensive pose (DEF: 1400). The cord disconnected, the controller disappeared, and I smiled.

“I’ve found the weakness of your Archfiends,” I explained. “As powerful as they are, they rely too heavily on the Fiend Roulette. All I had to do was figure out how to overcome your Roulette. Now I have.

“The real weakness of your Roulette is that when you come right down to it, it relies on chance. The more often that you use it, the less reliable it becomes.”

I pointed strait at Archfiend Ruler, smiling, brimming with real confidence for the first time since the duel began, “Archfiend Ruler, your time has come!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-One]

One Weakness;
Overcome Fiend Roulette


“I end my turn,” said Fiend, “with two Spell cards. My first card will be ‘Heart of Clear Water’ to make my ‘Darkbishop’ impervious to Battle Damage,” a bubble appeared around ‘Darkbishop’, “and the Field Spell ‘Pandemonium’. Now we continue this little skirmish on my terms.” Curved spires rose from the ground, circling us, boxing us in as the air filled with a pale green mist.

“This,” said Fiend, gesturing proudly, “is the home realm of my Archfiends. As long as this card is active neither player has to pay Life to the Archfiend monsters that they control, and each time you manage to destroy one of Archfiends with a card effect I can search my deck for a lower level Archfiend to replace it. Essentially the greatest weaknesses of my Archfiends are erased for as long as we remain here!”

“That’s fine,” I said. “That’ll make things more fair, and more interesting. I like a fair fight, and I’ve been interested in Archfiend monsters for a while now. I draw,” I declared, “and I sacrifice my ‘Gemini Elf’ to summon an Archfiend of my own, the Great Skull Demon, ‘Summoned Skull’!” The elves disappeared. A bolt of lightning struck the ground where they’d stood. From the lightning emerged a violet-colored skeletal demon, lightning gathering in his massive claws (ATK: 2500).

“‘Summoned Skull’,” I commanded, “destroy the ‘Archfiend Soldier’, Demon Lightning!”

Lightning poured from the demon’s claws into the sky above, gathering into a cloud forming overhead. Then the lightning lanced down from the cloud, pouring over the ‘Archfiend Soldier’. The ‘Soldier’ was vaporized, but my opponent was unharmed.

“I’m done for now,” I said. “I end my turn.”

“Draw,” said Fiend. He laughed, “You know, I really had hoped that, after all that Yami said about you, that you’d be more of a challenge, but so far you’ve been a complete disappointment. I summon, ‘Terrorking Archfiend’, and I pay five hundred Life Points (6300-500=5800) to summon my ‘Infernalqueen Archfiend’.” The red ‘Infernalqueen’ and the much larger ‘Terrorking’ appeared side by side.

“‘Infernalqueen’’s effect activates,” Fiend explained, “increasing the Attack of my ‘Terrorking’ by one thousand (ATK: 2000+1000=3000/ATK: 900).

“‘Terrorking’ attacks the ‘Summoned Skull’,” ‘Terrorking’ rushed my monster and cleaved him in half at the waist (8000+2500-3000=7500), “and I attack directly with my remaining monsters.” ‘Darkbishop Archfiend’ raised his staff, and I felt my Life Points burning away (7500-300=7200). I fell to my knees. The ‘Infernalqueen’ ran past me and slashed with her dagger (7200-900=6300). I felt a stinging in my right shoulder. I felt my shoulder and found that I was cut pretty bad. There was blood running down my arm. I held the wound until the bleeding stopped and I stood up, looking my opponent in the eyes.

He had more monsters than me, but he was low on cards in his hand. Still, even taking that into account though, I was still in a bad spot. While he had ‘Darkbishop’ out Fiend could use the Fiend Roulette twice for every one of his other Archfiends instead of just once, and while ‘Darkbishop’ was equipped with the ‘Heart of Clear Water’, he couldn’t even be targeted for the effects of Spell cards.

Target, I thought. Wait! That reminds me of something. The article I read about the Archfiend series last year. What did it say? Something about how the power of the Fiend Roulette was considered too great, so it was limited just before the final versions were approved for printing. The version that was approved only allowed the Fiend Roulette to counter effects that targeted an Archfiend monster specifically. That means that cards that affect multiple monsters at once, or cards that do not call for the player to declare a target will activate without even setting the Roulette off. That’s why the Roulette didn’t trigger against my ‘Waboku’ card! I have a few cards in my deck that affect multiple monsters. Looks like I’ll have to rely on those cards more than the rest in this duel.

I looked through my hand. The only monster I had was the ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’, and I had no cards in my hand with effects that didn’t designate a target. But the card I’d just drawn to begin my turn could be a serious help.

“I activate ‘Graceful Charity’,” I declared, “drawing three cards and discarding two from my hand.”

I drew, and I got a few powerful cards, one in particular. Then I sent my ‘Darkness Approaches’ and ‘Red-Eyes’ to the Graveyard. “Next I activate ‘Pot of Greed’, letting me draw two more cards.” I drew again, Bingo!

“I set one monster,” I said, “and end my turn.”

“I guess I’ve got you running scared,” Fiend said. “Perfect. That’s Check!”

He chose a card from his hand, “I activate ‘Card of Demise’. I can draw until I hold five cards, as long as I agree to give up my entire hand in five turns. I chain ‘Emergency Provisions’ before my ‘Card of Demise’ can resolve, sending ‘Card of Demise’ to the Graveyard to gain one thousand Life Points (5800+1000=6800).

“I continue,” Fiend said, “with the ‘Shadowknight Archfiend’.” An Archfiend with long blue hair, a sword arm and a claw arm appeared (ATK: 2000). “Then I pay five hundred Life Points to summon a second copy of ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’.” A new ‘Vilepawn’ appeared, his sword raised (ATK: 1200).

“Finally I activate the effect of my ‘Infernalqueen’ again, increasing the attack of ‘Terrorking’ even further,” ‘Terrorking’’s aura burned bright (ATK: 3000+1000=4000).

“With all five of my monsters attacking at once,” Fiend explained, “I have enough power to cause you sixty-four hundred points of damage, more than enough to kill you right now, and even if your face-down monster has an effect to destroy one of my monsters, I have the Fiend Roulette to protect me.

“I attack in this order: ‘Shadowknight’, ‘Darkbishop’, ‘Vilepawn’, ‘Infernalqueen’, ‘Terrorking’. That’s Checkmate!”

“Not exactly,” I said, smiling wide, “because my monster is one that you clearly didn’t count on.”

My monster card flipped up, and my hidden monster appeared from the darkness. It was a pot covered in mechanical parts and wires. Where the opening of the pot should have been there was a lens that looked like a robotic eye above a mechanical mouth. The mouth slid open and the eye lit up.

“My monster is the powerful ‘Cyber Jar’,” I explained. “When flipped up, ‘Cyber Jar’ destroys every monster on the field. Then we both pick up five cards, show them to each other, and then either Special Summon or Set every level four or lower monster among those cards, adding the rest to our hands.” A beam from the monster’s eye swept across the field, destroying all of Fiend’s monsters, and then my ‘Cyber Jar’ self-destructed.

Fiend and I both picked up five cards and placed them on our five monster card zones. Holograms of the cards appeared above our heads. My cards were ‘Skull Lair’, ‘Makyura the Destructor’, ‘Polymerization’, ‘Sword of Dark Destruction’, and ‘Sangan’. Fiend’s cards were ‘Dice Re-Roll’, ‘Archfiend’s Oath’, ‘Archfiend Soldier’, ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’, and ‘Desrook Archfiend’. Fiend summoned ‘Archfiend Soldier’ and ‘Vilepawn’ in attack mode (ATK: 1900/ATK: 1200), and the castle tower shaped demon, ‘Desrook Archfiend’ in defense mode (DEF: 1800). I summoned both of my monsters in defense mode.

“Thanks to your monster’s effect,” said Fiend, “I can search my deck for up to five Archfiends using the effect of ‘Pandemonium’, but I’ll only need four.” He fanned out his deck and picked four cards, adding them to his hand, still seemingly un-phased by my strategy.

“Now,” Fiend continued, “I attack ‘Makyura the Destructor’ with ‘Archfiend Soldier’.” ‘Makyura’, an armored warrior wearing a mask bearing an Egyptian eye symbol, or Wdjat eye, and wielding metal claws (DEF: 1200), was slashed apart by the Archfiend’s claws. “And I attack ‘Sangan’ with ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’,” Fiend declared. The second monster cut the three-eyed fur ball ‘Sangan’ in half with his blade.

“Because ‘Sangan’ was sent to the Graveyard,” I explained, “I can move a monster with low attack from my deck to my hand.” I fanned out my deck and picked my card.

“My turn ends,” said Fiend, “and I can activate the effect of a monster in my hand. I discard my second ‘Desrook Archfiend’ to revive the ‘Terrorking Archfiend’ destroyed during this turn.” ‘Terrorking’ returned, spread hid ragged wings, and roared (ATK: 2000).

“I chain,” I declared, “a Trap from my hand, using ‘Makyura’’s effect. Activate, ‘Call of the Haunted’, Special Summoning ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ to the field.” My dragon appeared, spread his wings and roared back, putting the ‘Terrorking’ in perspective (ATK: 2400).

“I draw,” I announced, “and I activate ‘Monster Reborn’, calling ‘Summoned Skull’ back to the field as well, and I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Red-Eyes’ and ‘Summoned Skull’ into the mighty ‘Black Skull Dragon’!”

The skeletal demon appeared alongside my dragon, and the two merged together, becoming a strong and bulky skeletal dragon with dark gray and violet skin, massive claws, and bright red eyes. Flames burned within his snarling maw. He looked up, opened his mouth, and roared, spewing flames up into the air (ATK: 3200).

“Next I activate the Spell card ‘Lightning Vortex’, discarding ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ to activate it,” lightning rained down on Fiend’s monsters, spreading from the ‘Terrorking’ to the others, vaporizing them before his very eyes. Finally he seemed worried.

“Finally, I summon my final monster. The one I added to my hand by ‘Sangan’’s effect. The last monster you’ll ever see. I sacrifice ‘Black Skull Dragon’ to summon the face of my Soul. Appear before me, ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

My dragon seemed to melt away, becoming thick black smoke. The smoke reformed, becoming a massive brown skeletal demon with red crystal orbs in both shoulders and in his forehead. He opened his yellow eyes and spat a ferocious growl (ATK: 6400).

“‘Maju Garzett’, pick up the ‘Sword of Dark Destruction’,” I commanded. A black sword appeared in his right hand. He raised it over his head and it was surrounded by an evil aura (6400+400-6800). I smirked and looked Fiend in the eyes. He had a look of pure terror and disbelief. Clearly he never expected something like this could ever happen.

“‘Great Maju Garzett’,” I commanded, “punish this jerk for what he did to my friends. Vile Energy!”

My monster thrust his palm, releasing a beam that overtook Fiend’s body completely. His Life Points fell to zero and I gave him a thumbs down, “that’s Checkmate.”

Archfiend Ruler’s once wild eyes went blank. I felt his soul enter the Shadows. And that’s when I got an idea. Yami, I’m coming for you!

I stepped into the Shadows and located Fiend’s soul within them. I could follow it, leading me straight to Yami. But who or what would I find waiting for me when I found him?[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Two]

Duel Force on the Attack;
John vs. Yami!


I followed Fiend’s spirit through the constantly shifting Shadows, letting myself ride the tail end of his spirit’s wake. I reached out into the world around me periodically to try and get a feel for where I was going. It was pretty obvious that I has heading toward Egypt. I mean, where else? It’s always Egypt.

After a while I felt the spirit of Archfiend Ruler disappear. Immediately I stopped and stepped from the Shadows, finding myself in a dimly lit room made of sand stone, lined with hieroglyphs. In the center of the room sat a tall throne made of the same tan-colored stone, upon which sat a figure, shrouded in darkness. In his left hand he held a glowing sphere that flashed with more than a dozen individual lights. I watched through my Soul as the spirit of Archfiend Ruler entered the sphere. A new light appeared within it. The figure stood, and I saw something in his right hand as well; a black rod topped by a sphere, marked by a silver Wdjat eye. He set the orb down atop a pedestal next to the throne and said, addressing himself, his voice deep and raspy, “Did it arrive, the power that I seek?” He paused, then said, “No, it’s just that fool who calls himself Archfiend Ruler. I told him not to engage the Duelist of Darkness. I told him to return to me if the Duelist awoke. Now the Duelist walks free, and I have no way to reach him!” He slammed his fist into the arm of his throne. That’s when I decided to make my presence known.

“Don’t worry Yami,” I said, “I’m right here. This has to end, one way or another. We’re going to finish this now, once and for all.”

As I spoke, Yami turned to face me, his face still hidden. Two goons ran out of the shadows in the corners of the room. They were huge, at least twice my size. Really? You’ve got to be kidding.

The closer of the two guards punched at my head. I ducked and punched the man in the gut. He fell to his knees, and I spun kicking him in the head as hard as I could. He fell, unconscious or worse. I turned toward the second guard and flared up my Soul. The shadows along the wall lashed out at him, slapping him in the head, knocking him out.

“You know,” I told Yami, “you really should find better help. You’re player killers are all dead, and your bodyguards are pansies.”

“Are you stupid?” Yami demanded. “You fool! You came right to me! Are you out of your mind?!” He laughed, an insane, murderous sound.

“No,” I answered, moving to stand directly in front of Yami’s throne, “I just refuse to leave the souls of my friends in the hands of an evil madman like you.”

Yami laughed again, “Do you even know who you’re dealing with? Do you know who I am? Who I used to be? I was once one of the most power Duelists to ever walk the face of this planet!!” He stepped forward, stepping down from his throne, and finally I could see his face.

He was dark skinned, an Egyptian, with long, spiky white-blonde hair. His eyes were glazy and dark, like the eyes of a man possessed. He had veins on his face, coming up from his neck. He wore a black leather tank top lined with gold and long baggy pants. Over his shoulders he wore a long flowing golden cape. On his forehead he wore a golden headband bearing a silver Wdjat eye.

I recognized him. He was one of the participants in the old Battle City Tournament three years ago. He was the man who wielded the Egyptian God Card ‘The Winged Dragon of Ra’ against the King of Games, Yugi Moto, and nearly won!

“You’re Marik Ishtar!” I said. To say that I was surprised would be an understatement.

“In the flesh,” he replied, “more or less. Three years ago I tried to take control of this world, to force my own desires upon it. Now, using the power of your Souls, I will facilitate my return to this world and finish what I started! But first, boy, I need your Soul. Hand it over, or I’ll take it from you!”

“You won’t get my Soul,” I said, “and you won’t get my team’s Souls either. I challenge you to a Shadow Game! If I win you release every spirit captured in that orb and return them to their proper places, and if you win, you get my Soul.”

Marik laughed again, “You have a deal, boy.” His face contorted into a ferocious snarl. A Duel Disk grew from his wrist. It was similar to a standard KC Duel Disk, except that it was a light yellow lined with gold trim, and that the shape was a bit off. There was a deck sitting on the arm of his throne. He placed his Shadow Rod against the side of his throne, picked up his deck, and placed it in the Deck Loader.

I flared up my Soul and raised my Dark Disk. Hiro, you there? I haven’t heard from you in a while.

Yes, He answered, I’m with you.

I don’t think I can do this alone. Our power. I think this is the right time to use it.

I couldn’t agree more!

The light of my Soul grew brighter and my mind and Hiro’s mind merged together. Everything was clearer, and I could focus on any one detail of anything in the room as if it were the only thing in the world, or I could take in every detail of the entire room all at once with almost no effort.

“Bring it on Marik,” I said, drawing my opening hand, “I’m ready for anything.”

“Oh,” Marik replied, “I can guarantee that you are in no way ready for what I have in my deck. I draw, and I begin my turn with the Spell card ‘Magnet Circle LV2’ allowing me to Special Summon a level two Machine monster. I choose my ‘Bokoichi the Freightening Car’!” A freight car appeared, a sinister face on the front (DEF: 500). “Next,” he continued, “I increase my monster’s numbers with the Spell card ‘Machine Duplication’.” The freight car monster glowed, and two more identical monsters split off of it (DEF: 500 (each)).

“Finally,” he said, “I place one card face-down and set a monster! End turn!” He laughed. I had no idea what he had planned for those weaker monsters, but if I’d learned anything from the ‘Guardian Sphinx’ deck that Yami used in our last duel, it’s that a face-down monster can be more trouble than it’s worth.

Okay, here goes, “I draw, and I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards,” I pulled two cards from the top of my deck, “and play ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy your face-down card.” Winds erupted from the hologram of my Spell card and tore at Marik’s Trap. He threw up his arm, shielding his face from the wind. “Activate!” he called out, “the Trap card ‘Waboku’!” Three priests in black robes appeared, raising a barrier around Marik’s monsters. “My monsters are impervious to Battle Damage this turn,” he explained, darkness seeping into his voice. “Essentially, you wasted your Spell! Heh heh!”

“Maybe,” I said, “but I didn’t waste my turn. I summon, my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

A vortex of static energy appeared at my side, and from the vortex rose the yellow armored warrior, energy building in his hands (ATK: 2200).

“Next,” I declared, “for my turn’s Normal Summon I call the mighty ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, place two cards face-down, and end my turn.” Alongside my ‘Megacyber’ the motorcycle riding demon warrior appeared, twirling his pike (ATK: 1400).

Alright, I thought to myself, not even denying how afraid I was, I hope my plan works against whatever he plans to play. He had to have summoned three weak monsters for a reason

“My turn,” said Marik, “and I begin with the Permanent Spell card ‘Infinite Cards’, making the hand size limit for both of us nonexistent. Next I activate the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’, allowing both players to draw until they hold six cards. I draw five cards, and you draw four.”

Marik scanned his new hand and then looked right into my eyes, smiling maniacally, and said, “Time to initiate my plan. I Flip Summon my face-down monster, ‘Dekoichi the Battlechanted Locomotive’,” A dark purple steam engine appeared with a face on the front. Its eyes glowed red and it bared its teeth, showing a pair of razor sharp fangs (ATK: 1400). “When my ‘Dekoichi’ is flipped face-up I draw one card, plus one more card for every ‘Bokoichi the Freightening Car’ that I control.” He drew again, bringing his hand count up to ten.

“Finally,” said Marik, “I set one card and activate the Spell card ‘Book of Moon’, returning my ‘Locomotive’ to face-down defense position. And that,” he declared arrogantly, “ends my turn.”

What’s he doing? I wondered. I knew at least a little bit about almost every deck type ever made, and I’d never seen or even heard of a strategy like this. Normally I would have been excited, but I was facing an incredibly powerful Duelist for my very Soul! I had to figure out what his strategy was before it was too late. Maybe he’s just trying to draw into something, I realized. But what could that something be?

“I draw,” I began, determined to force my opponent’s strategy out in the open, “and I place a monster face-down in defense mode. Next I attack the face-down ‘Dekoichi’ with my ‘Fiend Megacyber’, Megacyber Impact!”

“Reveal Trap card,” said Marik. “I discard ‘Drillago’ from my hand,” a barrier appeared around Marik’s monsters, “to activate ‘Hallowed Life Barrier’!” ‘Megacyber’ punched, and the train was revealed, but the barrier protected it, and Marik was able to use its effect to draw four more cards. I glared at Marik, frustrated, and declared, “I end my turn.”

Defending and drawing, defending and drawing. What is he doing?

“Reveal,” Marik declared, “the Permanent Trap, ‘Enervating Mist’.” A thick smoky mist formed all around me, and I coughed. “While ‘Enervating Mist’ remains in play under my power your hand limit is reduced to five! And since you have six cards in your hand at the end of your turn, you have to discard a card from your hand!” He laughed wildly, at his own genius.

“Now I begin,” said Marik. “I draw (Hand: 12), and I change ‘Dekoichi’ to attack mode (ATK: 1400). I place another card face-down, and I activate ‘Card of Safe Return’! Next I summon the plasma monster, ‘Revival Jam’.” A distorted creature made of liquid appeared, vaguely humanoid, with a mangled face (ATK: 1500).

“My ‘Revival Jam’ attacks and destroys your ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’!” The plasma monster stretched out its arms, crushing my demon biker, motorcycle and all (8000+1400-1500=0). I felt a burning pain in my left shoulder and looked down. My shoulder was melting away, becoming black smoke! I jumped, “What’s going on?!”

Marik laughed hysterically. “You think you know Shadow Games?” he said. “You know nothing about a true Shadow Game! You have only fought low level Shadow Games that had the potential to take your life. But the true power of a Shadow Game is to allow the winner to destroy his rival, body and soul! In this Shadow Game, every time you lose Life Points, you lose a part of yourself!”

“All the more reason for me to beat you,” I said, not nearly as confident as I let on. “Draw! And I activate ‘Monster Reborn’, calling back my ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ in attack mode, and I remove ‘Monster Reborn’ and ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ in my Graveyard from play to increase the power of my ‘Chaosrider’ by six hundred (1400 +600=2000). ‘Chaosrider’ kills the ‘Revival Jam’, and ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ destroys the ‘Battlechanted Locomotive’, Megacyber Impact!”

‘Gustaph’ revved his engine and rode past the plasma monster, slashing with his pike, reducing the monster to splatter. ‘Fiend Megacyber’ punched through the train’s boiler and jumped back. Steam poured from the puncture, and the train exploded, just as the splattered remains of ‘Revival Jam’ began to reform (8000+1500-2000+1400-2200=6700). I watched as a good deal of Marik’s right arm, left shoulder, and abdomen melted away into smoke.

“How’s that?!” I said, proud of my accomplishment, but Marik only laughed.

“Such damage is nothing to me,” said Marik. “In fact, I enjoy it! I’ll prove it by giving up one thousand of my own Life Points to activate my ‘Revival Jam’’s effect (6700-1000=5700).” More of his torso melted away, and the plasma monster finished reforming. “When ‘Revival Jam’ returns, it activates the effect of ‘Card of Safe Return’, and I draw another card (Hand: 11).

“Now,” said Marik, his voice and expression growing much more serious, “it’s finally time. I’m going to summon the monster that will end this duel, and your very life!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Three]

Fight for Their Spirits;
The Power of God!


“I’m about to summon a monster unlike anything you’ve ever seen,” said Marik, “but first, I have to sacrifice three monsters!”

My heart skipped a beat, No way! He can’t! My eyes went wide with fear, and I had trouble breathing.

Ever since the end of the Battle City Tournament three years ago, the God Cards had only been seen a few times. Then they disappeared from Yugi Muto’s deck. Most of the sources I’d checked claimed that Yugi had allowed Pegasus to lock the God Cards away, while others, mostly ones funded by Pegasus himself, stated that the God Cards had been destroyed. Either way, was it possible that Marik had managed to get his hands on one?

“Ah,” Marik said, “I can tell from your expression that you’ve figured out what I have planned. That’s right, I’m sacrificing three monsters to summon a God! As a special treat, I’ll tell you exactly how before you die. Three years ago when I was sent to the Shadows by the Unnamed Pharaoh in our final Shadow Game, I immediately began trying to find my way back. In only a few months’ time, through sheer force of my formidable will, I was able to see events that were taking place in this realm. I seemed to have a lasting special connection with my homeland of Egypt, and I soon began using my new ability to search the ancient magical texts of my people for a way to return.

“My search took six months,” Marik went on, his voice full of pride, completely oblivious to the fact that I had no idea what he was talking about, “but I had found a way. I discovered a magical rite originally designed to revive the Pharaoh after his ‘demise’ three thousand years ago, when the Pharaoh’s spirit was sealed into his Millennium Puzzle, but was abandoned because it could only reproduce the body of a departed person, not their spirit. But if I were to use the rite to recreate my body, I could enter it, and I would be whole again! The only problem was, the rite required the power of the Seven Millennium Items, the most powerful magical artifacts ever created. But the Millennium Items had been destroyed, so I continued my search, this time for a new way to fuel this ancient unnamed magical rite, my only hope to regain what I had lost. It wasn’t long before I discovered the legend of the Twelve Duelist’s Souls.

“At this time I’d already taught myself to manipulate the Shadows around me to a moderate degree with my will. It was two years ago that I perfected two abilities that would by key to my plans; the power to use the Shadows to create for myself a temporary body, and the power to reach into the minds of other Duelists who had pain or darkness in their hearts and reshape them into my followers,”

I perked up a bit. This part I did care about.

“I reshaped the minds of many young Duelists,” Yami continued, grinning, “gaining the benefit of their numbers and their skills. My minions grew in numbers, and the most powerful of them, the original three that made up what became the Dark Duel Force, managed to steal for me the Egyptian God Cards, replacing them with exact replicas. It was about then that my forces located the Burial of the Soul. Because my most powerful three were busy retrieving the Gods, I selected three of my most promising followers, students of my old enemy, Yugi Muto, his rival Seto Kaiba, and game master Maxamillion Pegasus respectively, and sent them to intercept your pathetic team and retrieve the Souls. But they failed! You and your team mates had powerful magic of your own on your side, and you were persistent.

“But I was persistent as well! Now my persistence is about to pay off!” He threw up his arms and laughed wildly at nothing but his own wit. “You are about to die by the hand of the first of the Gods sleeping in my deck, and when you do your Soul will be mine and I’ll find the freedom that I so crave!”

“No way Marik,” I said, my mind still reeling with all that I’d just learned. “Show me God, and I’ll destroy it.”

I’m terrified, I thought, and I’m uncertain. I can talk big, but I do I have the cards to defeat a God?

“Hah ha hah!” Marik laughed savagely. “If a pathetic excuse for a Duelist like you can kill God, I’ll give him to you!”

I smiled, “Did you just challenge me, Marik? Because I never, ever fail at a challenge. Summon your God. I’ll defeat him and free him from your control. You’ll be left with even more nothing than you already have!”

“My next monster’s a pretty big one,” said Marik. “Maybe we should take this battle outside.”

“No problem,” I replied. My Soul flared, and both of us and all of our cards were engulfed in Shadows. The Shadows parted, and we found ourselves on the roof of the structure. A violent storm was brewing overhead.

“By the sacrifice of three ‘Freightening Cars’,” Marik declared, “I summon the God of Earth and Sky.” A red bolt of lightning struck the ground far behind him and took on the solid form of a long serpentine creature. “Descend, ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’!”

The creature swung his head, as large as a two story house, around to face me. He had two mouths, one atop the other, and black spikes running down his back. There were two thin legs a third and two thirds of the way down its body. He had bright yellow eyes, and broad, spanning wings.

“My God’s power is equal to one thousand times the number of cards in my hand. Since I have ten cards in my hand, my dragon has, how much Attack power?”

My eyes grew wide “T-Ten thousand points?!”

I was overwhelmed. I could feel my psyche begin to split from Hiro’s.

Hiro, I pleaded, help me, how can I beat a God?

I don’t know for sure, Hiro replied. This isn’t something that I can help you through, and the stress of facing the God is breaking our mental connection. Let me take the front of our mind and duel him through you. While I’m dueling, you can look for weaknesses and hopefully come up with a way for us to win this duel!

Can we do that?

I think so, Hiro answered.

Alright, I agreed reluctantly, and I let Hiro take control of my body as I receded into the back of my own mind by the light of my Soul.


Hiro


So far John and I had done poorly. We’d been led around in circles by our enemy’s unusual strategy. The only thing redeeming us in the duel so far was the fact that we’d managed set up a few cards that would at least buy us some time, even is it wouldn’t last. As of now I couldn’t think of any card in John’s deck that could defeat a God. All I could do for now was stall until John came up with a move that we could use, if he could come up with anything at all.

“Now,” Marik declared, finally returning his attention to the battle at hand, “I kill you with the power of my god. ‘Osiris’, destroy the ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, and take his life!” ‘Osiris’ opened his lower mouth and breathed a beam of brilliant light.

“Reveal,” I countered, “the Trap card ‘Flashing Light Barrier’, protecting my monster and reducing battle damage from your attack by half!” A flashing mass of light appeared in the path of ‘Osiris’’ attack, dispersing most but not all of it. I couldn’t help but scream as my body melted away and my Life Points fell (LP: 3600).

“I have to say,” Marik said, “I’m surprised. But don’t get cocky, child. You only saved yourself from one of ‘Osiris’’ attacks. And remember, the God’s power increases with every card I draw!”

“Don’t worry,” I replied, shaken and drained, “I won’t ever forget this. I draw,” I announced, and I looked down at my newest card. ‘Gren Maju Da Eiza’? That won’t help. But at least it’s another defensive monster.

I was about to place ‘Gren Maju’ on the field in defense mode when John interrupted me.

Wait, he said, don’t play that yet! I have an idea, but we’re gonna need that card and a lot of luck if we’re gonna pull it off.

Will this idea work?

It doesn’t matter, John answered. It’s all that I have.

Alright, I ensured him, I’ll just have to use something else for now. Only problem is, if I ever knew ‘Osiris’’ powers from my time as the Forgotten Duelist, I forgot them as the Forgotten Duelist’s spirit became me. That monster could have any number of powerful abilities, and I have no idea what they might be. I’ll have to tread lightly.

Just remember this, John said, for my plan to work you have to put as many monsters in our Graveyard and remove as many cards from play as possible.

I nodded, Got it.

“For my turn,” I said, “I play the Spell card ‘Swords of Revealing Light’, sealing all of your monsters so that you cannot declare any attacks.” Swords of light rained down, surrounding Marik’s monsters.

“Nice try,” said Marik, oozing arrogance, “but my ‘Osiris’ in unaffected by Spell and Trap card effects.”

“I assumed so,” I said dismissively. “Oh well, at least your other monsters can’t attack, leaving you with only one attack per turn for the next three turns. I change my monsters to Defense mode (‘Gustaph’: 1200/’Megacyber’: 1600), and I remove ‘Pot of Greed’ from play using ‘Gustaph’’s effect. And finally I summon my ‘Whiptail Crow’ in defense mode as well.”

The orange, whip tailed demon bird appeared, and Marik began laughing uncontrollably. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

“You triggered my ‘Osiris’’ ability. ‘Osiris’, attack the ‘Whiptail Crow’ with Summon Lightning Shot!”

‘Osiris’ opened his upper mouth and energy built within it. He fired the energy. It overtook my monster, blowing it away. “You see,” Marik declared, prideful, “whenever you summon a monster in attack mode, ‘Osiris’ attacks that monster and lowers its Attack by two thousand to a minimum of zero. But when you summon a monster in defense mode, ‘Osiris’ attacks it and it loses two thousand Defense, and if its Defense reaches zero or below, it’s destroyed!”

“Thanks for telling me that ahead of time,” I said sarcastically.

“Sorry,” Marik replied, mock apologetically, and laughed.

I ignored him. “Anyway,” I said bitterly, “I place another card face-down and I end my turn.”

“Then,” Marik said as he drew his card, “let the slaughter begin! Because I have eleven cards in my hand, the Attack of my monster rises to eleven thousand!”

I watched as ‘Osiris’’ power increased, point by point, and I couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that with each point of Attack the God gained my chances of victory fell.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Four]

Soul of Chaos;
A Power to Surpass God


“‘Osiris’ attacks,” Marik declared, “and destroys your ‘Fiend Megacyber’, Thunder Force!” Light fell from ‘Osiris’’ lower mouth, vaporizing my monster.

“With that,” said Marik, “I end my turn. You only have two turns left. Then my other monsters will be able to attack again, and I’ll overwhelm you and take your life!” He started laughing, and I started to sweat.

“My move,” I said, drawing, “and this time I won’t make the same mistake I made last turn. I activate the Spell card ‘Painful Choice’, allowing me to search my deck for five cards and show them to you. You pick one, I add that card to my hand and discard the rest.” I fanned my deck and picked my cards, “I choose ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’, ‘Giant Orc’, ‘Jinzo’, ‘Strike Ninja’, and ‘Magician of Faith’.”

“Add,” said Marik, “the ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ to your hand.”

I smiled, “I expected as much, which is why I was ready with my next card, ‘Monster Reincarnation’, discarding ‘Red-Eyes’ to move ‘Strike Ninja’ from my Graveyard to my hand.” I discarded the dragon, and my ‘Strike Ninja’ slid from the Graveyard. I picked it up and added it to my hand. “Now I summon ‘Strike Ninja’ to the field in defense mode.” The black-clad ninja appeared, kunai in hand (DEF: 1600).

“Did you forget already,” Marik asked, “about my God’s Summon Lightning Shot? When you summon a monster, ‘Osiris’ attacks it!” ‘Osiris’ opened his second mouth and fired, but I was prepared.

“Of course I didn’t forget, Marik,” I replied, “but you seem to have forgotten that my monsters have abilities too. By removing two Dark monsters in my Graveyard from play, I can remove my ‘Strike Ninja’ from play until the end of the turn.” Just before ‘Osiris’’ attack hit, ‘Strike Ninja’ jumped up and flickered away in an instant. The blast hit the stone at my feet, nearly blinding me with its brightness, and then faded away. “And that’s that.”

“Heh,” said Marik, smirking, “your ‘Ninja’ may be safe for now, but it won’t be long before I destroy him the old fashioned way. I draw, and your ‘Ninja’ returns. ‘Osiris’, attack with Thunder Force!” ‘Osiris’’ attack fired, blowing my monster apart just as he reappeared, leaving me with only one card, and one more turn before my ‘Swords’ expired and he could attack with his many monsters en masse.

“I draw,” I declared, and I looked down at my card. When I saw it I finally realized how John meant to use ‘Gren Maju Da Eiza’. I smiled, so that’s what you’re planning!

Yeah, John answered, and you know what, I think I’m getting used to the God’s aura. What do you say we finish this duel together!

My Soul flared again, and John’s mind and my mind merged into one.


John


I reached up, wiped the sweat from my brow, and asked, “Are you ready, Marik? Because I’m about to win this duel!” I looked up at Marik’s dragon, “And don’t worry ‘Osiris’, I’m going to free you from this evil man.”

I looked back at Marik and said, “Now I think it’s time to get things underway. I begin by activating the face-down ‘Darkness Approaches’, discarding two cards to conceal ‘Osiris’ in a magical darkness.” The Shadows gathered, but ‘Osiris’’ divine powers quickly dispelled them and they thinned and faded away.

“Did you really think that you could cancel out the increase to ‘Osiris’’ Attack by flipping him face-down?” Marik asked, dumbfounded. I ignored him.

“Next I activate ‘Dark Core’,” I declared, “discarding a card from my hand to remove ‘Revival Jam’ from the game.” A static filled black hole appeared, slurping the plasma monster into its depths and disappearing. Almost there.

“Next up,” I continued, “I remove two Spell cards from play for the effect of ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’,” my ‘Rider’ gained a green aura, “and I discard one card to activate ‘Raigeki Break’, destroying ‘Osiris’!”

A bolt of lightning struck the God dragon, bouncing off harmlessly. Marik’s look of confusion grew even more pronounced.

“I set a card face-down,” I said, “and end my turn. Give me your best shot!”

“Gladly,” said Marik, smiling wickedly. “I draw, raising the power of my God even further (ATK: 13,000). I don’t know what you were trying to do in your last turn, but it doesn’t matter now. ‘Osiris’ attacks your ‘Chaosrider’, leaving you defenseless!”

‘Osiris’ launched his attack, blowing the ‘Chaosrider’ away, and allowing me to complete my combination, and just in time too. I only had two cards in my hand. Marik’s turn ended, and my ‘Swords’ faded away.

“My move,” I said, and I prepared to draw my next card. Alright, I thought, I still need one card to make this work. If I don’t draw it this turn, I’ll die.

Everyone’s counting on me here. If I fail the spirits of my friends will be trapped for eternity in that orb and the world will be subjected to Marik’s return to our dimension. This match isn’t just about me, it’s about everyone! The only way I can win is to find true balance like Keeper said, unlocking my True Soul and using its power to control my fate!

I focused hard, closing my eyes, and I saw two separate planes within my spirit. One was pure white, and the other was pure black, the blackness overpowering the white. This must be the light and the darkness in my heart, I realized, the light and darkness that has to balance out before I can find my True Soul. But even if I knew what that meant, I wouldn’t know how to do it.

Suddenly I found myself floating in a void, watching the light fighting a losing battle against the darkness for control of my spirit.

Then I heard Sarah’s voice. Don’t give up John!

Yeah, came Tucker’s voice, you can’t give up now bro! You’re so close!

Around me, in a circle, appeared the spirits of Sarah, Tucker, Karen, and Max.

I can’t believe you’re thinking about giving up, said Max. I’m disgusted to call you a rival.

And I can’t believe, said Karen, that I trusted you to lead me and my team.

I get it, you guys are disappointed, I replied, not knowing or caring whether or not I was speaking to my real friends or if I was just losing my mind, but I don’t know what to do! I wasn’t ready for this. I’m in over my head!

You are ready, said Karen. She took my hand and looked into my eyes. I’m here supporting you. We all are.

I looked around, and the spirits of the other Duel Force members faded into existence all around me. Rocky and Kimi, then Jen, and Monty and Lawrence. Even Jen’s sister, Kris, who I’d suspected was the final Soul Bearer for a while now. I could feel their support rolling off of them, giving me strength, and I saw it, the key to my true power. True balance didn’t just mean a balance between the two sides of my spirit, it meant balance between me and my friends! I’d thought that I was here fighting Marik alone, but I’d forgotten that, no matter what, and no matter where they were, my friends would always be there for me. They’d always be a part of me.

You’ve got it now, said Karen. She kissed me lightly and then stepped back. Now finish this, okay?

I nodded, and my friends were gone. All around me, the darkness and light swirled and mixed together, resulting in a brilliant flash of light. I suddenly found myself in the midst of the duel once again. I felt different. Something was different with my Soul. I looked down. It had changed. It was one half clear yellow crystal, and one half dark violet crystal. On the dark half was a silvery sun, and on the light half was a dark violet moon. It had become the symbol of perfect balance between darkness and light, the symbol of chaos. I looked right into Marik’s eyes, my Soul glowing, and I smiled as I drew my card.

“It’s about time I finished this,” I said, “once and for all. To win, I need every card I have left. I begin with the face-down Trap, ‘Skull Lair’. By removing ten monsters in my Graveyard from play, I can destroy a level ten monster!” Energy built and launched at ‘Osiris’. In the energy wave I could see the spirits of my monsters, led by ‘The Fiend Megacyber’. The energy hit, and after a few seconds, was dispersed without so much as leaving a scratch.

“Good try,” said Marik, “but ‘Osiris’ still stands.”

“True, but I said all of my cards, not just one. Activate the Spell card ‘Soul Release’, removing five more cards in my Graveyard from the game, increasing the number of cards that I have removed from play to twenty-two. Next I play the Spell card ‘Premature Burial’, giving eight hundred of my Life Points to call a monster back from the dead (3600-800=2800).” Another portion of my body melted away, “Rise, ‘Gren Maju Da Eiza’!”

My monster appeared. It was a red creature with the torso of a demon, and the body of a centipede.

“My monster’s Attack power,” I explained, “equals four hundred times the number of my cards removed from play!” The demon grew larger (ATK: 8800).

“As powerful as your monster is,” Marik said, his face contorting menacingly, “it’s not nearly as strong as mine. And, of course, your monster is in no way immune to ‘Osiris’’ Summon Lightning Shot!” ‘Osiris’ launched his second mouth attack, blasting away two thousand of my monster’s Attack (8800-2000=6800).

“But remember,” I said, “I still have one more card left to play, and it’s by far the strongest one I have. I sacrifice ‘Gren Maju Da Eiza’ to summon the face of my Soul, the Demon King ‘Great Maju Garzett’, a monster whose Attack power is twice the starting Attack of the sacrifice used to summon him! Twice eighty-eight hundred!”

My greatest card, the closest thing to a God card that I had, rose from the ground beneath me, shattering the half of the structure on which I stood. I jumped back as the demon rose, landing on his shoulder, as he looked directly into God’s eyes. ‘Osiris’ launched his Summon Lightning Shot, but ‘Maju’ simply raised his arm, brushing off the attack (17,600-2000=15,600).

“’Great Maju Garzett’,” I commanded, “destroy ‘Osiris’, Vile Energy!” My monster summoned his beam, firing it at the God, ripping him to shreds. He faded away, breaking down into a thick black smoke (5700+13,000-15,600=3100).

“Th-That’s not possible,” Marik exclaimed, eyes wide, horrified, his body frozen in fear, “no normal monster can defeat ‘Osiris’. It doesn’t make sense! No way one kid can beat a God!”

“I didn’t beat ‘Osiris’ alone,” I said, feeling that the spirits of my friends were standing there with me. “I beat you with the help of the Duel Force!”

Marik was angry, “I can still win. I just need to take the God back! And I just need one card to do it! But until I get it, I summon ‘Mystic Tomato’ in defense mode.” A giant living tomato appeared, guarding its master.

“Sorry Marik,” I said, “but it’s over. I’m stronger than you now. Even if you were to draw your ‘Monster Reborn’ and call back ‘Osiris’, what would it get you? My monster is still stronger. And if you really do possess the other two Gods as well, there’s no way you can summon them in time, because I’m ending this duel this turn. When I defeated ‘Osiris’ I freed his from you forever. His allegiances are to me now.

“I draw, and I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’ to draw six cards. Next I play the Spell card ‘Magical Designator’, paying half of my Life Points,” more of my body faded away (2800/2=1400), “to take one Spell card from your deck. I choose ‘Monster Reborn’! I activate it now to call a monster from your Graveyard. Be reborn, ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’!”

A glowing red ankh appeared in the air above behind me, a red bolt of lightning striking through it. From the lightning emerged the massive form of the God, ‘Osiris’, restored to life at my side (ATK: 5000).

“‘Great Maju’, destroy his monster,” I commanded. My demon brandished his palm, and the tomato was blown away instantly. “Go ahead Marik, summon a new monster.” But Marik only stared wide eyed at the God that had appeared before him, speechless. “Okay,” I said, “suite yourself. I’ll help ‘Osiris’ get his revenge against you. ‘Osiris’, finish this, Thunder Force!”

The dragon breathed his light down on Marik, and he melted away. I took a deep breath, and separated my mind from Hiro’s.


I called the Shadows to take me back inside what remained of the ruined structure and searched around for the glowing orb. When I finally found it, it was dark, the spirits inside having been released. I’d done it. Next to the orb I found the God card that I had won, ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’. I picked it up, feeling the power that lay dormant inside. I looked around. Were the other two cards really here somewhere? If I left now and they were, they might never be found. But as dangerous as they were, maybe that was for the best.

I summoned the Shadows to take me home, letting my Soul, returned to normal now, find its way back for me. I arrived outside of the hospital. The rest of the Duel Force was nearby, talking quietly.

Karen was the first to see me. “John!!” she cried, and ran to me. “We thought you didn’t make!” She jumped up and threw her arms around me.

I looked around. There was no sign of the Dark Duel Force. I reasoned that defeating Marik had freed their souls as well. That meant that the Dark Duel Force was still out there somewhere. That they still posed a threat.

But that wasn’t something for us to worry about, at least not yet. If the Dark Duel Force attacked, they attacked. We would have to deal with it as it happened. I knew that whatever we faced, we would be okay, because we would face it together.[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Book Four, Terror of Blackheart]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

John, the Hero!


It had already been several months since the massive battle between my team, the Duel Force, and the last assassins of the evil Duelists of the Order of the Divine Cards, known as the Dark Duel Force. My team and I are guardians of a sort. We stand guard over the legacy of a man who lived three-thousand years ago, The Forgotten Duelist. Each member of my team is the wielder of a magical item known as a Duelist’s Soul. We are really just place holders, hanging on to the Souls until the Duelist returns to destroy his dark side, a creature called Blackheart. But while we waited, the Order tried their hardest to steal the Souls and their magic for themselves.

But now, it seemed, the Order had backed down. Their leader, Marik, was defeated. Some members of my team aren't sure I really finished him off in my duel with him, but I'm sure. The Order was without a leader. What this meant for the members of this rather large group I couldn’t say, but what it seemed to mean for us was that the Order was finally leaving us alone. Finally going away. For the first time in couple years, we were actually safe, at least for the time being.

My friends Karen, Tucker, and Rocky, my sister Sarah, my cousin Jen and I were sitting around one of the round tables in the local mall’s Game Center. I was watching a duel taking place on the Duel Disk Arena in the center of the room. A duel between a kid named Richard, who I had dueled once before, and my apprentice, a thirteen-year-old girl named Jenna Rein. She was unique, which was why when she asked me to help her improve as a Duelist I agreed. I like unique people. They intrigue me in a way that, when I think about it, is a little supervillain-ish (in a good way). Her uniqueness was apparent even in her clothing. She wore a brown skirt that stopped just above her knees, a flannel long sleeve button-up shirt, and pink knee high socks with thin purple stripes running down them. She flipped her long frizzy brown hair back out of her freckled face and stared down her opponent’s monsters, two mighty black beasts, both called ‘Gravity Chimera’ (ATK: 3000 (each)).

“The attacks of my two ‘Gravity Chimeras’ against your monsters,” Richard said, “bring your Life Points down more than a little bit, little girl (Jenna’s Life Points: 1100). And before my turn ends, I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing one of the ‘Gravity Chimeras’ in play with the ‘Gravity Beast in my hand to form ‘Ultra-Gravity Chimera’.”

Darkness enveloped one of the two massive beasts and it grew into an even larger beast with massive horns and a face like a bull’s (ATK: 3800).

“At the end of a turn in which ‘Ultra-Gravity Chimera’ did not attack,” Richard explained, “my opponent takes one thousand damage.” The beast fired a beam of force, which I guess represented the force of gravity, from his mouth at my young apprentice (1100-1000=100). Richard thought he was going to win, since all Jenna had was ‘Solemn Wishes’, a face-down card, and three cards in her hand, but I knew better. Jenna is a lot stronger than she looks.

Jenna smiled, “because my ‘White Magician Pikeru’ was destroyed in battle while equipped with ‘Ribbon of Rebirth’, she returns to the field now.” A young girl in a baggy white dress appeared, wearing a Sheep Token hat and carrying a wand (ATK: 1200). “Next,” Jenna continued, “during your End Phase, I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’, reviving my second monster as well.” A woman with long light brown hair wearing a long red gown appeared, carrying a long wooden staff, “I think you remember ‘Fire Princess’ (ATK: 1300).

“I draw, and ‘Solemn Wishes’ gives me five hundred Life Points (100+500=600), activating ‘Princess’’ effect, dealing you five hundred damage,” the ‘Princess’ launched flames at Jenna’s opponent (1800-500=1300). “Next ‘Pikeru’ increases my Life by another eight hundred, and you take another five hundred.” ‘Pikeru’ raised her staff, and Jenna’s Life went up (600+800=1400). ‘Fire Princess’ brandished her staff, hitting Richard with another burst of flames (1300-500=800).

“I follow up,” Jenna said, “with a Spell card, ‘Emergency Provisions’. I destroy my own ‘Solemn Wishes’ to increase my Life Points by another 1000 (1400+1000= 2400), and decrease your Life Points by half that amount.” The ‘Fire Princess’ attacked again (800-500=300). “And I finish it off. Sacrifice ‘Fire Princess’ and ‘White Magician Pikeru’ to summon ‘Guardian Angel Joan’!”

The two weaker monsters disappeared in a swirl of light and were replaced by a beautiful angel in white with transparent golden wings. Her entire body was wreathed in light (ATK: 2800).

“Your monster can’t touch either of mine,” said Richard. “Good try, kid. You did really well, really, but this duel is as good as over.”

“Sorry,” Jenna said, “but that’s where you’re wrong. I equip ‘Joan’ with the ‘Cestus of Dagla’!” A curved sword appeared in each of her monster’s hands (ATK: 2800+500=3300). Richard’s triumphant smile disappeared from his face as he realized what was about to happen.

“’Joan’,” Jenna commanded, “attack ‘Gravity Chimera’!” The angel flew strait at the beast, slicing it in half with her swords. Jenna turned and stepped down from the Duel Disk arena as her opponent’s Life Points fell (300+3000-3300=0).

She walked over and sat down at the table with us, across from me, next to Sarah. My sister was pulling her curly blond hair back into a ponytail using a red hair tie that went well with the red hoody that she was wearing. She looked at Jenna and said, “Bravo kiddo. You kicked that guy’s but!”

“Yeah,” said Rocky, who was wearing his signature survival vest over a yellow t-shirt (a sharp contrast to his dark hair). “That guy didn’t even see it coming. You’ve definitely gotten better since John started teaching you.” He was sitting between my red-headed best friend, Tucker, who wore a red shirt with a flame on the right breast and black jeans, and Jen, who had just recently died her hair black with purple bangs to go with the semi-Goth look that she had recently adopted.

Jenna looked over at me. “So what do you think, Teach? You said to build a Life Increase deck out of my spare cards and beat a high ranked Duelist with it. Did I pass or not?”

“Yeah, ‘Teacher’,” said Karen, elbowing me playfully from her place at my side, “did she pass?” She smiled at me mischievously from behind her brown bangs.

“Yep,” I said, “you passed with flying colors. Good job, Kid. I can’t think of anything else to teach you right now, so I guess you graduate, at least until I can come up with another test.”

“So do you think I’m strong enough to take on the Card Takers?” Jenna asked.

“The who?” I replied.

“You mean you haven’t heard of them?” she asked, surprised.

“Yeah, John,” Rocky spoke up (a rarity). “Even I’ve heard of them. They’re three guys who corner kids and force them out behind the mall, make them bet their cards in a three-on-one match, beat them, and take their entire decks. They think that they’re some kind of experts, and that they deserve the cards they win.”

“That’s right,” Jenna added. “I want to beat them and make them give the cards back.”

I frowned. Karen looked into my eyes. She placed her hand on mine and said, “You’re going to go take care of this?”

“Yeah,” I said. “Dueling isn’t a tool for mugging kids, and beating kids at Duel Monsters doesn’t make you more deserving of their cards than they are. I thought everyone around here knew that. I guess I’ll have to teach these kids that being a Duelist doesn’t mean that you can push people weaker than you around.”

“But I want to beat them,” said Jenna.

“Sorry Kid,” I said. “Leave this one to me okay? You piss these people off, and they might hurt you.”

She nodded reluctantly, “Okay.”

I stood up made sure no one was watching. Once I was sure, I summoned the power of my Soul of Darkness, dissolving into smoke as I stepped into the darkness and toward the back of the mall. “You know,” said Jenna, “I’ve known about the Soul stuff for a while, but that still creeps me right out.”


I stepped out of the Shadows behind the mall. I heard voices to my right, turned, and saw three kids sitting on the ground in a tight half circle, their backs to me, sifting through a pile of cards.

“Pretty good haul, huh Boss?” said one of the kids, a shorter-looking kid with dark brown bowl cut hair and a more than decent sized gut.

“Yeah Boss,” said the second kid, a gangly kid that looked to be at least 6’3” with sand-colored hair. “That last kid had a ton of rare stuff in his deck. Stuff we can sell for a butt load of cash!”

“Calm down you two,” said the third kid, the obvious leader. He was sixteen, maybe seventeen, so about my age. From what I could tell he was maybe a couple inches shorter than me. He had long blond hair and a voice full of arrogance. “We can’t just go sell these cards to just anyone,” he said. “Remember, we have to find the kids who’re willing to pay the most for them so as to make the biggest profit!”

“Oh, right Boss,” said the first kid.

“You sure are smart, Boss,” said the second kid.

So I’m guessing Blondie here got these two brain dead thugs together to help him do his dirty work. The stupid are easy to control I guess. Hiro?

Yes? asked the Soul spirit, who was like an older, more serious mirror image of me with blonde highlights, appearing at my side in his transparent spirit form, his arms crossed.

What do you think of them?

They’re far too confident for the amount of Duel Energy that they possess. You shouldn’t have much trouble with them.

I nodded, frowning at Hiro’s use of the term Duel Energy. It wasn’t one of my favorite terms. Recently I’d told Karen about my old rivalry with a guy named Christopher, and described an incident where he’d been able to see Duel Monster spirits. She’d commented that he must have a lot of Duel Energy. When I’d asked what that was, she’d explained that it was the same energy that the Souls and the weaker Shadow Items amplified to give Duelists their powers, and that everyone had it. It was just one more detail complicating my life, and I didn’t like clogging up my head with it.

You know what I’m planning then? I asked Hiro.

Oh course.

I nodded again, and Hiro disappeared.

“So you’re the ones who’ve been stealing kids’ cards,” I said. “I expected stronger Duelists than you three.”

The kids were startled. They jumped up and turned to face me. I put my hands in the pockets of my black jacket and said, “Maybe you’ll want to try stealing my cards too.”

“Oh,” said the boss, “and what cards do you have to offer?”

I stepped forward and handed him my deck. He flipped through it, his eyes growing wide. I took my deck back and looked him in the eyes. “I’ll duel all three of you, and I’ll bet my entire deck, but if I win, you have to return the cards that you took.”

“Sure,” said the boss. “I’ll bet whatever you want against that deck. You can’t beat all of us at once.”

I summoned darkness to my arm, forming the sword-like Dark Duel Disk (LP: 9000), “We’ll see.”

The kids looked shocked at the sight of a Duel Disk materializing out of nowhere, but they were cornered, and they wanted my cards, so they shook it off quick and switched their own Disks on.

“I’ll go first,” said the first kid (LP: 3000). “I place two cards face-down and summon ‘Goblin Attack Force’ in attack mode.” A troop of eight goblins appeared, carrying clubs (ATK: 2300).

“My turn,” said the second kid (LP: 3000). “Two face-down cards as well, and another ‘Goblin Attack Force’.” A second troop appeared (ATK: 2300).

“And finally,” said the boss (LP: 3000), “It’s my go. I summon my own ‘Goblin Attack Force’ and place two of my own cards face-down as well.”

“When Boss summons his ‘Goblins’ said the first kid, “I pay one thousand Life Points (3000-1000=2000) to activate the Continuous Trap ‘Skill Drain’, negating the effects of every monster on the field.”

“And I,” said the second kid, “activate ‘Light of Intervention’, forcing every monster that’s summoned to be summoned face-up. No setting monsters for you!”

Huh, I thought, these guys aren’t too shabby. Blondie must’ve built their decks for ‘em.

“I summon ‘Sangan’,” I declared, “in defense mode.”

“Nuh-uh!” said the second kid. “I reveal ‘Final Attack Orders’. Now every monster face-up on the field is forced into attack mode!”

My ‘Sangan’ flexed his tiny arms, as if ready for a fight (ATK: 1000).

“I’ll take a page out of your book then,” I said, “and place two cards face-down. Your move.”

“Reveal,” said the first kid, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Aqua Chorus’. Since there are multiple ‘Goblins’ on our field, each ‘Goblin’ gains five hundred Attack (ATK: 2300 +500=2800 (each)).”

“I also reveal my ‘Aqua Chorus’,” said the boss, “boosting the power of our ‘Goblins’ even further (2800+500=3300 (each)).”

“Now I attack,” said the first kid.

“Reveal,” I said, “the Trap card ‘Mirror Force’.” A reflective barrier appeared around me.

“Chain ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’,” said the boss, “negating your Trap.”

The barrier shattered.

“Then I reveal ‘Negate Attack’,” I declared. The ‘Goblins’ lunged at me and were repulsed by an invisible wall.

“Your ‘Negate Attack’ won’t protect you during my turn,” said the second kid. “I attack, and I activate ‘Rush Recklessly’, increasing the Attack of my ‘Goblins’ further (3300+700=4000). Destroy ‘Sangan’!”

The eight goblins swung their clubs, crushing my monster (9000+1000-3000 =6000).

“Now it’s my turn,” said the boss. “I attack you directly.”

A second group of goblins struck me with their clubs (6000-3300=2700). I know that the monsters were only holograms, but the impacts seemed even more distant than usual. I suddenly felt like everything was distant, like I was watching the duel from far away rather than taking part. I found that I was unable to move my eyes, my head, my hands.

Hiro, what’s happening? I reached out to my friend, and discovered that he was gone.

I was being pulled into the back of my own mind, my vision framed by a creeping darkness that felt so different from the darkness that I usually carried deep within me, and there was no one who could help me.


???


Finally I had been released. I looked around. I had awoken in the middle of a modern duel! What an opportunity to learn the ways of battle in this time, and to inflict pain! I really like inflicting pain. I had no cards in play, and my opponents controlled multiple strong monsters. But I had the power of the Soul of Darkness! Through this body I had full control of a Soul for the first time. I could mold this duel with a single draw!

“For striking me, you three will all die,” I said in a calm, matter-of-fact tone, noting how easily I drained the kindness from my host’s voice and replaced it with an underlying tone of wickedness. This one wasn’t too far from becoming like me. He had an evil within him that would have rivaled my own had it not been for his incessant need to be “good”, which I could sense at the forefront of his mind. I laughed and watched as the shadows rose up around me and my three opponents, boxing us in.

“Wh-what’s going on Boss?” the fat one asked.

“Don’t worry,” the blond one said. “He’s just using a trick to psych us out. It’s three against one. We can’t lose.”

“I’m sorry to say it,” I said, making clear with my tone that I wasn’t sorry about a thing, “but you have never faced anything like me before. Bring a hundred before me. They will all fall to the power of Blackheart.”


Karen


“John’s been gone awhile,” said Tucker. “Wonder if he’s doin’ okay?”

“Why don’t you go see?” Sarah asked.

“’Cause I’m too lazy,” he said, tilting his chair back onto two legs. Sarah kicked the chair, and Tucker fell flat on his back.

I sighed, “Simmer down you guys. I’ll go find him.”

I rose from my seat and made my way toward the Game Center entrance leading back into the mall. I reached out to John with my Soul, and suddenly I couldn’t help but feel that something was very wrong, and as if acting on a compulsion from my Soul of Imagination itself, I took off running.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

Soul Breaker;
Blackheart Emerges!


Blackheart


“You know,” I said, “it’s my turn, so you don’t really have the right to threaten me anyway. You, Blondie, since you seem so eager to duel, I’ll kill you first. I begin with a Spell card, ‘Pot of Greed’, letting me draw two cards.” I thumbed the top two cards from my deck and summoned the Soul’s powers, “Destiny Draw!”

There was a flash, and I drew my cards, ‘Card of Sanctity’ and my host’s most powerful card. But even with the Soul of Darkness’ power, could I control him? I smiled a reckless, evil toothy grin, I guess now’s as good a time as any to find out. After all, if I want to achieve a power without rival, I’ll have to control more than one God!

“I trap your pitiful goblin monsters in eternal darkness,” I said, still addressing the blond one. “Activate ‘Darkness Approaches’.” I discarded my host’s two favorite cards, and a cloud of crackling darkness formed around my opponent’s ‘Goblin Attack Force’.

“Now to finish this,” I said, “I activate ‘Soul Release’, removing ‘Sangan’, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, and ‘Great Maju Garzett’ in my Graveyard from play. And I combine it with ‘Dimension Fusion’.

“I pay 2000 Life Points,” I went on, my eyes gleaming with anticipation, “letting me open up the dimensions.” A rift appeared above my head, and three monsters emerged, the three-eyed fur ball ‘Sangan’ (ATK: 1000), the yellow-armored warrior ‘Fiend Megacyber’ (ATK: 2200), and the brown skeletal demon ‘Great Maju Garzett’, the red crystals in his shoulders and forehead lacking the red glow that I knew from my host’s memories (ATK: 0).

I smiled again, “Now I use these three monsters as a sacrifice to awaken the God living within this deck. Arise, ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’!” A cloud formed over our heads as my three monsters disappeared, and a red bolt of lightning struck the ground far behind me. I could smell the asphalt burning where the lightning had struck. The lightning took the form of a massive serpentine dragon with black spikes and wide spanning wings, his head as large as a two story house. He had two mouths, one atop the other. He opened his lower mouth and roared, causing lightning to strike in the turbulent sky overhead.

I can control it, but only barely, I noticed, though the revelation did nothing to spoil my good mood. If I want to gain control of the others as well, I will need more power first.

“‘Osiris’,” I explained, reveling in the fear I’d put into my opponents’ expressions, “has Attack strength equal to one thousand times the number of cards in my hand, so I’ll activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting me draw until I hold six cards. And don’t get any ideas. My monster is immune to your ‘Skill Drain’.” My monster’s Attack rose (ATK: 6000).

“‘Osiris’ kills you now,” I declared, licking my lips in anticipation. “‘Osiris’, Thunder Force!”

‘Osiris’ opened his lower mouth and breathed thunder down on the blond one’s ‘Goblin Attack Force’, killing all eight of the green creatures with one blow.

I watched happily as the blond one was devoured by the Shadows, screaming the entire time, feeling an amount of pain that was usually reserved for someone being eaten alive by ants. The other two tried to run, but I used my stolen Shadow Magic to lock their legs in place, relishing in the terror that they felt, terror that I, through my magic, could feel and convert into pleasure.

“We have no choice,” said the tall one to the fat one, trying hard to look courageous. “We have to keep fighting. Hurry, take your turn!”

Even as the tall one spoke I felt the terror in the heart of the fat one grow, his will to fight fading fast, replacing itself with soul crushing terror. “Fine,” the tall one said, realizing that his ally would be no use to him, “I’ll beat him myself.” He was acting brave, but I could sense his fear as well. It was beautiful. He drew, and his façade of bravery disappeared. He had no moves, or at least none that would put a dent in the God, ‘Osiris’. “Oh s***,” he said. “I’m going to die!”

“That’s right,” I said. I drew, the God’s power rising (ATK: 7000). “But first, ‘Osiris’, attack the fat one’s monster. Kill him as well.” ‘Osiris’ did as he was commanded, and my second opponent fell to the God that I’d made my slave. I ended my turn, discarding a card from my hand. ‘Osiris’’ Attack fell again to six thousand.

“I-I won’t give up,” said the tall one, the only opponent remaining. He was getting desperate, which meant he would soon do something stupid. His turn promised to be entertaining.

“I play ‘Pot of Greed’,” my opponent said. He examined his hand, “I discard ‘Hunter with Seven Weapons’ to activate the Spell card ‘Tribute to the Doomed’, destroying your monster.” Mummy wraps burst from his Spell card hologram, reaching for the God, but they dissolved as soon as they came near him.

I laughed maliciously, “Nice try, but nothing you do can stop me.”


Karen


I ran through the door leading out behind the mall and I saw a wall of Shadows. Someone was fighting a Shadow Duel!

John’s in there! I thought. He’s in trouble. I have to help him!

I called on the power of my Soul of Imagination to part the Shadows, something that I only realized after the fact should have been impossible, and I ran inside.


Blackheart


The girl, Karen, arrived behind me just as I began my turn. She looked around and saw the God, which, as part of a Shadow Game, would have only been visible to someone on the inside of the Shadows. Somehow she’d managed to find her way into my game, and it worried me if only for an instant. Then it occurred to me that I could use this girl. My host was in love with her, and he could see everything that I did. If I hurt her, it would hurt him.

The girl ran up to my side and grabbed my arm, “John! What are you doing? Stop!” I swung my arm, throwing her to the ground. Tears came to her eyes. I smiled and looked into my opponent’s eyes, “’Osiris’, finish this!”

The God inhaled and then fired his attack at the ‘Goblins’, destroying them and reducing my opponent’s Life to zero. His body has devoured by the Shadows.

The girl rose to her feet as the God disappeared and the Shadows faded. She looked angrily at me and said, “You’re not John.”

I smiled, “How’d you guess?”

She ignored my question, saying, “I won’t let you have him, Marik.”

My expression grew dark and I shot the girl a piercing glare. “You insult me girl,” I said. “I am far beyond that fool Marik.”

I watched with great interest as understanding crept into the girls eyes. She adopted a shocked expression, “You’re Blackheart!”

I laughed darkly and borrowed an expression from my host, “Bingo.”


Karen


“Give him back,” I said weakly. Then with more enthusiasm I cried, “Give him back!”

Blackheart, in the body of my best friend, laughed condescendingly and raised the Dark Disk, “Make me, if you think you can!”

“Fine,” I said, activating my Duel Disk and inserting my deck. “If you want a Shadow Game, then you’ll get a Shadow Game. Shadow Games are based on the intensions of the players, so I can set the terms with my intensions. And the terms that I set are that, when I win, you have to give John’s body up and go back to wherever you came from!”

By the end, I was screaming and I had tears in my eyes. Blackheart laughed, “You have a deal.”

I have to finish this quick, I thought. I faced Blackheart as the Shadows rose up around me, my Soul glowing, and I drew my opening hand (LP: 8000). “I begin with the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’, letting me draw three cards and then discard two cards. Next I play a second Spell card, ‘Pot of Greed’, drawing two cards from the top of my deck.”

I looked at my new hand. I was ready to duel Blackheart with everything I had, and at the risk of sounding immodest, I have a lot.

“I summon ‘Toon Alligator’,” I said, and a small alligator carrying an axe appeared at my feet (DEF: 1600). “Next I pay one thousand Life Points (8000-1000 =7000) to activate ‘Toon World’.”

A giant green book appeared and fell open.

“Next,” I said, “I Toon Summon ‘Toon Mermaid’,” a caricaturized mermaid appeared, lying in a clam shell, “and I sacrifice both of these Toons to summon the ‘Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon’!”

Pink smoke spewed from ‘Toon World’, swallowing up my two monsters. The smoke cleared, revealing a cartoon of the legendary white dragon, with huge blue eyes that sparkled mischievously. He laughed and did a playful flip in the air (ATK: 3000).

“I set three cards face-down,” I concluded, “ending my turn.”

“Excellent,” Blackheart said. He pulled the last card of his opening hand and played it, “Activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy ‘Toon World’!”

A wind picked up, tearing at the magic book. “Reveal,” I said, my heart pounding, “the Spell card ‘Emergency Provisions’, sending ‘Toon World’ to the Graveyard to recover one thousand Life Points,” the book disappeared (7000+1000=8000), “and because my ‘Toon World’ was removed from the field without being destroyed, my Toons already in play stay in play.”

“Good move,” said Blackheart, smiling in a wicked way that, to my horror, actually reminded me of the way John smiled, “but I’m not even close to finished with you yet. I discard ‘Strike Ninja’ to activate ‘Dark Core’, removing your dragon from play.”

A dark hole opened above the Toon dragon, swallowing it up. There was nothing I could have done.

“Next I play ‘Painful Choice’,” Blackheart continued, “selecting five cards from my deck. You choose one to add to my hand and I discard the rest.” He fanned out John’s deck and picked five cards, placing them on the surface of the Dark Disk. Holograms of the cards appeared. They were ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’, ‘Summoned Skull’, ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’, ‘Dark Master – Zorc’, and ‘Contract with the Dark Master’. I laughed, sure that Blackheart had made a mistake by choosing only monsters he couldn’t yet summon, “Add ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ to your hand.”

Blackheart discarded his cards. He was smiling. I thought for a second, and I realized what he was going to do. I swallowed as it occurred to me that if I’d been dueling with my head, I would have seen through his play. It wouldn’t have made a difference, but it still worried me that I hadn’t seen it sooner. Hopefully my combo would protect me.

“Activate,” said Blackheart, “the Spell card ‘Soul Release’, removing ‘Ha Des’, ‘Summoned Skull’, and ‘Strike Ninja’ from play. Then I pay two thousand Life Points, activating ‘Dimension Fusion’.” A portal opened above Blackheart’s head, and the red-violet skeletal demon, the black-clad ninja, and the horned demon lord appeared at Blackheart’s side.

“Now,” said Blackheart, “I sacrifice my three monsters to summon the God, ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’.” The three monsters disappeared, becoming wisps of smoke, and the God dragon emerged from the clouds overhead with an earth-shaking roar. “Activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us each draw until we hold six cards,” we drew, and the power of the God increased (ATK: 6000).

“’Osiris’, attack directly, Thunder Force!”

“Reveal,” I commanded, my knees shaking, “my ‘Physical Double’ Trap card and my ‘Staunch Defender’ Trap card, creating a duplicate of your God to intercept ‘Osiris’’ attack.” Behind me, a mass of clay appeared, expanding out and becoming a gray-washed duplicate of the God dragon. It faced the original God and roared (ATK: 6000).

“That won’t work against ‘Osiris’,” Blackheart said. “’Osiris’, Summon Lightning Shot!” The God opened his second mouth and fired a burst of light at my dragon, cutting two thousand of his Attack (6000-2000=4000).

“’Osiris’,” Blackheart commanded, “destroy that imposter, Thunder Force!”

“’Mirage Token’, counterattack, Thunder Force!”

The two massive dragons attacked. Their breath attacks met, flashing so bright that I thought I would go blind, but before long the original dragon’s attack overcame the attack of the copy, shredding him, vaporizing him before my eyes. The residual energy from the blast burned as it ripped away my Life (8000+4000-6000=6000).

“You may be strong, girl,” said Blackheart, so smug, “but like your pathetic excuse for a dragon, you’ll always fall short of me.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

Soul Breaker;
Karen vs. Sky Dragon of Osiris!


So this is the God Card ‘Osiris’, I thought. I’ve heard of him of course, from John and just in general. Every Duelist knows about ‘Osiris’ by reputation, but few get to see him like this; in person, with all of his impressive power on full display.

I stared up at the monstrous dragon, the remains of my duplicate ‘Osiris’ still fading away all around me. Despite the fear and the pain that I felt, the prospect of fighting such a strong card actually excited me a bit.

He’s huge, with massive Attack strength, and the power to weaken or even destroy every monster placed before him. But if I’m remembering right, ‘Osiris’ only destroys monsters placed in defense mode and only weakens monsters placed in attack mode. So if I summon a monster in attack mode it should remain on the field, even if it doesn’t have any Attack Points at all!

I smiled. I had a plan, even if I wasn’t even remotely sure that it would work.

“To counterattack,” I said, “I’ll summon my own “God”. The Spell card ‘Black Illusion Ritual’ will summon the God of Illusion, ‘Relinquished’!” A small pot covered in eyes appeared and was enveloped in black fire that transformed it into the mighty ‘Relinquished’. He was blue and gray and made up of a sphere resting on a disk, two spikes protruding from the disk, with strong arms. In the center of his chest was a small sphere bearing the millennium eye symbol (ATK: 0).

The God ignored it, just as I thought.

My smile widened, “Next, I activate ‘Metamorphosis’, transforming ‘Relinquished’ into his true form!” ‘Relinquished’’s entire body rippled and his skin changed color, becoming a rusty brown. One thousand eyes opened all over the monster’s body. “What do you think of my ‘Thousand Eyes Restrict’ (ATK: 0)?”

Blackheart looked enticed. “Interesting monster,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Show me what it can do before I destroy it.”

“You asked for it,” I said. “’Restrict’, use your magic to restrain the God and then absorb his power!”

‘Thousand Eyes Restrict’ trained all of his eyes on ‘Osiris’ and the God was wreathed in a yellow light, meant to hold him in place. But Blackheart laughed, as in flat out, maniacal laughter. “Do you think a God could be hurt by such a simple attack?” he asked. “’Osiris’, break the creature’s spell.”

‘Osiris’ roared, and the light of my monster’s eyes was dispersed.

“I won’t go down easily,” I said, far more worried than I was letting on, though I felt that Blackheart knew it. “Two face-down cards. End turn.”

Blackheart laughed as he drew his next card. “Even if you set up a Trap,” he said, “it won’t protect you. I know everything that this host knows. I know every strategy in your deck. There are none that can defeat a God. ‘Osiris’, Thunder Force!”

The God attacked, but I was ready.

“Reveal,” I commanded, “the Trap card ‘Absolute End’, turning ‘Osiris’’ attack into a direct attack.”

‘Restrict’ drifted to the side as thunder built in the mouth of the God that I faced. John beat a God, which means it can be beaten. If beating a God is what it takes to save him, then that’s what I’ll do.

“’Osiris’,” Blackheart commanded, “if she’d rather die than her monster, so be it. Kill her.”

The God attacked, and I smiled. “Reveal, ‘Spirit Barrier’, protecting me from damage.”

Blackheart laughed, “Sorry, but that won’t work. Counter Trap, ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’!”

No!

My barrier shattered, and the God’s attack overcome me and my Life Points fell (LP: 0). I nearly collapsed, the pain that I felt at the hands of the God’s attack was far beyond anything that I’d ever experienced, to the point that I thought I’d die. Then it passed, and I fell to my knees, my entire body singed and steaming. Blackheart walked toward me.

“Are you going to kill me?” I asked him, my tone weak but defiant.

“Eventually,” Blackheart replied, “but I’m a very specific type of killer. I prefer that there be no hope remaining in my enemy’s spirit when I kill them. I’m going to wait until the population of this world is tortured and broken so completely that you pitiful creatures can’t even cry yourselves to sleep at night, and then I’m going to kill you all at once. But for now, you lose, so I get to name my terms. The power within your Soul is mine.”

The Soul of Darkness that hung around his neck glowed, and my Soul cracked.


Tucker


“Okay, this is weird,” I said. “I keep getting this strange feeling.”

“You too?” Sarah asked.

“Yeah, I wonder what it could be.”

“John and Karen have been gone for a while,” said Rocky. “Maybe we should go find them.”

“Yeah,” I said, his words feeling unusually spot-on, “good plan.”

Sarah, Jen, Rocky, and I rose, as if guided by our Souls, and headed for the exit. Jenna tried to follow. I turned to her and for reasons I didn’t understand said, “Stay here, Kid. This could be really dangerous.”

She bit her lip in frustration, but nodded in agreement.

I turned back around and ran after the others.


We arrived behind the mall just in time. Blackheart (though we didn’t know that it was Blackheart at the time) was standing over an unconscious Karen. Light was streaming from her Soul into his.

“What’s John doing?” Rocky asked. But Sarah, Jen, and I already knew.

“That,” I said, “is not John.”

His hair was growing darker before our eyes, becoming jet black, and the expression on his face was fierce. Evil.

“Back off!” I cried, charging forward, Rocky at my side. I threw a punch at the new opponent. He ducked to the side, surprised, but my true goal had been achieved. The stream of light had stopped.

My opponent looked pissed. He reached down to the Dark Disk and separated the platform from the base. They became a sword and a shield. He struck with his sword. I jumped back, avoiding it, and threw a burst of heat strait at my opponent’s face. He raised his shield, deflecting my attack, and lunged, stabbing with his blade. Rocky jumped in the way, summoning up a wall of stone. The blade hit and was broken, melting back into the Shadows from which it came. Blackheart looked worried.

Blackheart gritted his teeth. “You may have won for now,” he said, “but you won’t be able to stop me for long. The power within your Souls will be mine, and then I’ll finally have the power to take what I deserve and rule over everything!”

And with that, Blackheart melted into thick black smoke and disappeared into the Shadows. Karen was just regaining consciousness. Sarah and Jen knelt by her side.

“What’s going on, Karen?” I asked.

She rose unsteadily to her feet and answered, “We have to bring together the Duel Force. Blackheart has emerged.”


Blackheart


The girl’s power had been surprising enough, but then the two boys had struck against me, and even broken my blade. I’d realized in that moment that my powers were even weaker than I’d thought. I realized that I hadn’t even been controlling the God through the strength of my magic, but through a tangible magic bond that I felt between the God and my host. I could feel myself getting stronger, but I needed time. Time that I wouldn’t have. I knew what my host knew, and he knew that the girl was smart enough not to waste time.

I need a distraction, I decided, a way to keep the bulk of the Duel Force busy while I seek out strong opponents and take their Duel Energy. Pawns, if you will.

I reached into the Shadows, and pulled three spirits from it, something that I could only do because they were still near the surface, and because my knowledge of the Shadows is greater than anyone else’s. I separated their evil aspects from the good ones, discarding those good aspects as I restored their bodies. In moments, the three Card Takers appeared before me, kneeing respectfully.

“I’ve given you magic of your own,” I told my new minions. “Go and earn that power by destroying the Duel Force in my name!”

They nodded and spread out to find their opponents. I smiled, They’ll die, of course, but they’ll give me the time I need and then some before they do.

With that I set out to restore my strength in preparation for my final plan.


Karen


I called Max, Monty and Lawrence, Kimi, and Amanda and told them to meet us at Jen’s. Amanda walked the short distance from her house to Jen’s and waited with Jen’s sister Kris for us to arrive.

We walked through the door. Amanda and Kris were waiting on the couch just inside the door. Amanda was wearing a pink t-shirt with green trim and green shorts. The brightness of the colors really made her short dark hair stand out. Kris was wearing jeans and a tank top under a gray jacket. She was twirling her long brown hair absentmindedly around her finger when we arrived. Max arrived right after us, wearing a gray hoody and a ball cap over his blond hair. His blue eyes were as intense as ever. I don’t know how he managed to get there so fast from wherever it is that he lives. Monty and Lawrence showed up next. They were arguing about something stupid. Lawrence, his sandy hair hanging down into his yellow eyes, was wearing one of his favorite dragon print shirts. Monty with his much darker spiky hair was wearing a white vest over a dark purple long sleeved t-shirt and ripped jeans.

The last to arrive was Kimi. She lived the furthest away. I’d gotten to know Kimi pretty well recently. I’d been staying with her and her family ever since John and the others freed me from Marik’s control. Kimi was wearing a white t-shirt under a yellow jacket and black jeans. She was unique. Quiet at first, but really outgoing once you got to know her. She was Japanese, and because of it she often had trouble fitting in. Once everyone was together we headed down to Jen’s large basement/family room. It was a perfect place for a discreet meeting.

“So Blackheart, in control of John’s body,” I said, wrapping up my explanation, “beat me with the God card and used John’s power to break my Soul and take the magic from it. But Tucker and Rocky stopped him short. He didn’t get it all. Still, this makes the Soul of Darkness much more powerful than any other single Soul. If he were to attack us separately, he would simply use the Soul to strip us of our power. But if we were to seek him out in pairs, our Souls would still be stronger and he’d be forced to face us in a duel.”

“Why not just wait it out?” Monty asked. “If Blackheart wants the Soul powers to control the Gods, he’ll have to attack us at some point. If we stay put and he comes after us, we’ll control the time and the place of our encounter.”

“He’s not after the power of the other Souls specifically,” I said. “He told me he wants to build up so much power than he can’t be opposed, even if everyone on Earth challenges his at once. There’s only one scenario that I can think of that will give him that power. Blackheart wants to increase his power enough to control the Gods, and there’s one other way to do that.”

Monty’s eyes grew wide, “You mean Duel Energy.”

I nodded, glad that, at this point, everyone on the team knew what Duel Energy was and I could skip the explanation.

“Yeah,” said Rocky in agreement, “it makes sense. If Duel Energy is the reason that average Duelists can even control their monsters during Shadow Games, if they don’t have magic items, then it makes sense that Duel Energy can bend even a God monster to a Duelist’s will, given that the Duelist in question has enough of it. We have to find Blackheart and stop him. If not he’ll just go around hurting or killing any Duelist he can find and taking their energy. Hopefully he’d rather have our power. If we go out there looking for him, he’ll leave the civilians alone and focus his attention on us.”

It was the longest statement I’d ever heard shy Rocky utter, and I found that I was rather impressed with his reasoning.

“Do we really want him to focus his attention on us,” Amanda asked, her voice trembling a bit, “This guy sounds scary.”

“Of course we don’t want him to attack us,” I said, “but we don’t really have a choice. If we leave him alone, he’ll just keep attacking innocent people. This is our fight, not theirs.”

“But we don’t even know where he went, or even what general direction he went in,” said Kris.

“Yes,” I said, “we do. Duel Energy in the average person is very weak. To get the same power in Duel Energy as Soul Energy, Blackheart will have to search in the most highly populated area around; downtown.”

I looked at the ten people who sat before me, looking to me for instruction. Some of them were kids. I couldn’t afford to keep any of them back, but I couldn’t send the kids out without ample protection. “There’s an even number of you guys,” I said, “So pairing up really is the best option. I’m going to pair you up and pick a section of the city for each of you to police. We’ll focus on secluded areas. Blackheart won’t want to draw more attention that he has to.”

I looked at Jen. She was protective, and both of those younger members were her family. She hesitated, but then she nodded her support.

“What about you?” Sarah asked.

“I have a backup plan, but to pull it off I’ll first have to get in contact with an old friend. I’ll call everyone back when it’s time to put my plan into action.”

I watched as my friends left, worried that I’d just sentenced them to die, and a little afraid that I still thought I’d made the right choice.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

Blackheart’s Minions;
Tucker and Amanda vs. One


Tucker


Karen had paired me with Amanda. I’d been John’s friend for years, but I’d never met his youngest cousin before we discovered that she’d received the Soul of Wind and she joined the Duel Force. To be honest, I was worried at the time that she wasn’t a strong enough Duelist, or a grown-up enough person, but John had told me to give her a chance, and she’d proven herself by stepping up big time and beating Karen at the park using some scary combos. Once again, John had been right.

John, my best bud. It was killing me that Blackheart had him. I just had to find Blackheart and get him to release my friend. There was no other option. I think Amanda felt the same way. The girl wasn’t very talkative anyway, but this time, as we walked down a deserted street downtown, I got the feeling that she was less detached and more determined. She wanted her cousin back, and she was determined to make it happen.

We walked for a while. I don’t do well with kids, and we didn’t see anything remarkable enough to start up a conversation, so we just didn’t say anything until, out of nowhere, we both stopped cold and said at the same time, “Do you feel that?”

“You feel it too?” I asked her. “That feeling from the Souls?”

“It’s my cousin’s power,” Amanda said, without a doubt. “I’m not too good with the Soul magic stuff, but I know how John’s power feels when he’s using it.”

“And because Blackheart’s in John’s body,” I said, finishing her thought, “we must be sensing Blackheart, and he’s just ahead!”

This kid’s smart, I thought. I know I’m not really one to talk about smarts, but I’m smart enough to know that this kid’s beyond her years.

We picked up speed, and soon found ourselves face-to-face with a figure. He was stout (that’s how you say somebody’s short and pudgy, right?), but he had an aura around him. There was no mistaking what that aura was.

“You’re not my cousin,” Amanda told the young man accusingly.

“No,” I said, “you’re not. So why the hell do you have his magic?”

But even I’d figured it out already. This guy’d been sent by Blackheart, and he’d been empowered by Blackheart, like what Yami’d done to Karen and her crew, using John’s Soul of Darkness to do it.

“No talking,” the guy said harshly. “My master sent me out to kill any members of the Duel Force that I could find, and I found you. He also made me stronger with his magic. No Duelist can stand up to me anymore.”

He laughed arrogantly, but I ignored him, “And who exactly are you?”

“I used to have a name,” the guy said, “but now I use the name that my master gave me when he resurrected me from the Shadows. He named me One, because I’m his number one servant.”

He gestured with his right hand, and darkness began to surround us, “Beat me in a Shadow Game, or die here, now.”

I looked around. I might have been able to break the Shadow Game spell with my own power as it was cast, if I’d been better at using my power back then, since his power was weaker than mine, but I didn’t, and in seconds we were caught within swirling shadows with no way out.

If this guy was brought back to life by Blackheart, I thought, then there’s no telling how strong he is. This could be one of the most dangerous Duels I’ve ever fought.

“You good, Amanda?” I asked, switching on my Duel Disk.

“Yep,” she answered, readying her Disk as well.

One activated his Duel Disk, smiling arrogantly, “This is my game, so I start things off. I play ‘Allure of Darkness’. I remove ‘Second Goblin’ in my hand from play as I draw two cards.”

He examined his hand, “Next I set a card, and set a monster.”

This can’t be all he has, I thought. He must have something planned, but what could it be?

While I was wracking my brain, Amanda made her move without hesitation, “I summon ‘Harpie Lady 1’ in attack mode. Her own effect makes her stronger (ATK: 1300+300=1600). I also set a card face-down.”

I looked over at Amanda. She looked worried. She also looked a little bit confused, and I remembered something that she’d said during her duel against Karen. She’d said that she didn’t really know anything about any cards that she didn’t use. She was probably worried about her opponent’s hidden cards.

Despite all of that, I knew I could count on Amanda, and it was my turn.

“Draw,” I declared, “and I activate ‘Graceful Charity’.”

I drew three cards and discarded ‘Fireyarou’ and ‘Des Counterblow’ from my hand.

“Next up,” I continued, “I remove ‘Fireyarou’ from play to Special Summon ‘Inferno’,” the living flame appeared at my side, and then disappeared, “and tribute it to summon my favorite card.”

In ‘Inferno’’s place appeared a suave man in a vest with red hair, “I summon my ‘Mr. Volcano’ (ATK: 2100), and because I’m the last player to take his first turn, I can attack your face-down monster!”

‘Mr. Volcano’ snapped his fingers, and One’s monster, the three-eyed, furry ‘Sangan’, appeared just long enough to explode.

“You destroyed my ‘Sangan’,” One explained, “so I get to take a monster from my deck.”

“Oh,” said Amanda, “cool. I might use that thing myself, if I can get one.”

One ignored her as he went through his deck, “I choose to add my ‘Goblin King’ to my hand.”

He shuffled his deck and replaced it.

“I end my turn,” I concluded, ending my turn with a better idea of my opponent’s plans than I’d had when I’d started.

“Then I reveal,” One declared, “the Spell card ‘Fires of Doomsday’, summoning two Fiend-type ‘Doomsday Tokens’.”

Two living forms of black fire appeared on One’s field (DEF: 0).

“Next I begin my turn,” One continued, as confident as ever, “with ‘Goblin King’.”

A short goblin in royal-looking cloths appeared between the ‘Tokens’.

“My ‘King’ get’s stronger for every other Fiend I control,” One explained, his monster gaining a black aura (ATK: 0 -> 2000). “Also, I play ‘Card Destruction’. We throw out our hands to draw the same amount.”

One drew three cards, and Amanda and I each drew four.

“I have that card, too,” Amanda remarked thoughtfully. I looked over my new hand. I hadn’t drawn anything too good, and the cards that I’d intended to use had just been discarded.

“I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive the Fiend-type ‘Goblin Elite Attack Force’,” One declared, a group of goblins in steel armor, carrying swords and standing at attention, appeared alongside him. ‘Goblin King’ grew even stronger (2000 -> 3000).

“I attack ‘Mr. Volcano’ and ‘Harpie Lady’ with my two monsters!” One finished.

His ‘Goblin King’ charged at me, raising his scepter, and the troop of goblins charged at Amanda.

“Being attacked is bad,” said Amanda, “so I reveal ‘Waboku’.”

Three blue-robed priests appeared, summoning up a barrier that protected both monsters.

“Thanks,” I told her. “I wouldn’t have been able to stop that.”

“No problem,” she replied, drawing a card, “you know, One, you’re pretty weak for having so many strong cards. I remove ‘Harpie Girl’ from play to summon ‘Garuda the Wind Spirit’,” a bird-headed man appeared at Amanda’s side (ATK: 1600+ 300=1900). “Next,” Amanda continued, “I play ‘Elegant Egotist’ to Special Summon ‘Harpie Sisters’ from my deck.”

Three of Amanda’s wing-armed women, the ‘Harpie Lady Sisters’, sprouted off of the first ‘Harpie’, wearing golden breastplates and carrying electrical whips (ATK: 1950+ 300=2250).

“I play ‘Triangle Ecstasy Spark’,” she continued, “to increase the power of ‘Harpie Sisters’ to 2700.”

Wind tinted with green light swirled around the three-in-one monster, and they rose high into the air (2250 -> 2700).

“I equip ‘Harpie Sisters’ with ‘Fairy Meteor Crush’ and ‘United We Stand’, giving her even more Attack and the ability to deal damage to opponents even when she hits defense mode monsters.”

“That power’s called ‘Piercing’,” I told her.

“Thanks,” she said. “My ‘Sisters’ attack one of your ‘Tokens’.”

“No way,” One remarked, his eyes wide. He braced himself and shielded his face as the ‘Sisters’ formed a triangular energy beam and launched it at the ‘Token’, snuffing it out and causing a huge explosion that blew over One, singeing him (8000+0-5100= 2900/’Goblin King’: 3000-1000=2000).

“I end my turn,” Amanda concluded, and I drew.

“And I finish it,” I declared upon seeing my new card, “by equipping my ‘Mr. Volcano’ with ‘Big Bang Shot’ and ‘Burning Spear’, increasing his Attack by 800 and giving him Piercing as well.”

My monster was surrounded by a fierce, fiery aura (2100+800=2900).

“My monster,” I concluded, “attacks the other ‘Token’.”

‘Mr. Volcano’ snapped his fingers, and a massive stream of flames burst from his hand, incinerating the ‘Token’ and engulfing One completely. The flames dispersed as the remaining monsters, and the Shadows, faded away, and by the time the flames were gone, One was gone as well. We wouldn’t have to worry about him ever again.

“Did he die?” Amanda asked.

“Yeah,” I told her, still blown away by how strong she was, “but he was bad, and it was a Shadow Game that he made, so that means he meant to kill us.”

“So it’s okay?” she asked.

“No,” I said, “but we didn’t have a choice.”

Amanda nodded, but I got the feeling that she didn’t feel any better about the situation than I did.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

The Second Minion;
Rocky and Kimi vs. Two

Rocky


Despite the bad situation, I was happy to get to spend time with Kimi, not that we didn’t spend a lot of time together already. I’m not one for making friends. I prefer to find a couple of good people and stick around them, while still keeping distant enough that I can move on if I ever need to. I’ve never felt like I totally belonged, so forming lasting bonds with people hasn’t been a goal of mine. Since becoming a member of the Duel Force, however, things had changed. Not only did I finally feel that I had some good friends in the Duel Force, and in John, Monty and Tucker specifically, but I’d found Kimi. I’d never been so close to anyone. I considered her to be something more than a friend, though I didn’t know exactly what that was yet.

Kimi and I walked together in relative silence. We tried to make small talk, but we were both on edge. Kimi wasn’t very close to John, but she was friends with his mom, Kimi’s Duel Monsters teacher, and she and Karen were quickly becoming like sisters. Karen’s pain, which she’d done a good job hiding from us during our recent planning session, was hurting Kimi, too.

“I know you’re worried about everything,” I finally told her, “but I’m sure things will work out.”

“Yeah, Robby,” Kimi asked, using her personal nickname for me, “how d’ya figure?” She sounded like she was even more on edge than I’d realized.

I put my hand on her shoulder, and we stopped walking, just as we came to an intersection between back streets, “Listen, if there’s one thing that we’ve learned from this whole insane Duel Force thing, it’s that things always work out, one way or another.”

“Hopeful nonsense,” Kimi responded, but I could see her blushing a bit. “I don’t know if I believe in all of that anymore. Besides, John’s usually the one who works everything out in the end. He beat Max when he was still bad, and beat the leader of the Dark Duel Force, and Marik. But this time he’s not here. We’re both strong, but you know neither of us are as strong as him.”

“Come on, Kim,” I told her, “you are too a hopeful person.”

“Maybe this saving the world crap’s changed my mind,” she replied.

“You can’t change,” I insisted. “You’re Kimi. You use a light deck, you like me for some reason, and you’re an optimist. Those are truths, things that I know. Now come on. We’re gonna find Blackheart, and you’ll see that, whatever happens, everything’s gonna be fine.”

Kimi took a deep breath and then nodded, “Fine, but expect an ‘I told you so’ when I turn out to be right.”

I won’t be hearing ‘I told you so’ from you, I thought, feeling determined, because whatever it takes, I’ll never let you lose hope.


We walked for a while, searching seriously for Blackheart. I tried using the Soul of Earth to sense John’s Soul. I don’t know much more than a few tricks with the Soul, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to try. Despite my efforts, however, it was Kimi who sensed him first.

“I’m sensing the Soul of Darkness through the Soul of Light,” Kimi exclaimed, surprised. “It’s far away, but my Soul is resonating with it. It’s like, because they’re opposites, the Soul of Light can tell where the Soul of Darkness is from miles away.”

“How far away is it,” I asked, looking around.

“I don’t know exactly,” Kimi replied, her eyes closed, concentrating as the Soul of Light flashed faintly, “but it’s too far to walk, and I don’t think anyone else is nearby. I can get us there, though. I’ve been practicing that teleport-y thing I did when those rouge Order guys attacked us last year.”

“I thought you could only make it a few blocks, at most?” I said.

“Usually I can,” Kimi replied, “but I’m getting better all the time, and I think if we combine our power for a few seconds, I can multiply the distance.”
I nodded, “Okay, it’s worth a try.”

She held out her hand. My heart skipped a beat as I took it. Our Souls flickered in unison, and suddenly, in a flash of golden-white light, we were somewhere else.

“Well well,” came a voice behind us. We turned and saw a tall kid, about 6’3”, leaning against the wall of a nearby back alley. I could see an aura of magic surrounding him. An aura that felt like the magic of the Soul of Darkness. Now that we were closer, I could sense with ease that this was only a tiny bit of the Soul’s power.

“Who the heck are you?” Kimi asked.

“In my past life,” the tall guy said as he swaggered over to stand down the street from us, showdown at high noon style, “I was a member of a group called the Card Takers, and I was stupid. I only followed orders, never thinking for myself. I couldn’t even spell strategy. But master Blackheart resurrected me and enhanced my intelligence, and my power. He’s renamed me Two, because after him, I’m the strongest in the world. He said to seek out members of the Duel Force and kill them. You two seem to fit the bill nicely.”

I was taken aback by all that Two had said. It was a lot to take in. “Wait,” I said, “so what you’re saying is that, after he killed you, Blackheart brought you back and sent you to fight for him, with only a little bit of borrowed magic?”

“That’s right,” Two replied.

“He sent you on a suicide mission, dude,” Kimi replied, stating the obvious.

“My master has faith in me,” Two insisted. “He knows I won’t fail, even with only a fraction of his power!”

He activated his Duel Disk, the Shadows rising around us. I felt a strain on my body that could only mean a Shadow Game was beginning.

“I’ll show you,” Two insisted. “I’ll show you I’m strong.”

He drew his opening hand, “I start out with ‘Reinforcement of the Army’, searching my deck for a Warrior monster and adding it to my hand.”

Two selected a card from his deck, reshuffled it, and replaced the deck in his Deck Loader.

“Now I summon the monster I added to my hand, my ‘Goblinberg’. When this monster is Normal Summoned, I can change it to defense mode to summon another Level Four monster from my hand!”

A small plane piloted by a green-skinned goblin appeared, flying overhead. It dropped low, landing beside Two (DEF: 0), unloading eight more goblins, carrying clubs, from a compartment behind its cockpit.

“The monster I summon,” Two explained, “is ‘Goblin Attack Force’ (ATK: 2300)! Now I end my turn by placing two cards face-down.”

I frowned, This guy summoned two monsters in his first turn. He has some decent skills, but he’s clearly not as strong as he believes he is.

“My turn,” Kimi declared, drawing. “I play ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three, and then discarding my ‘Shining Angel’ and my ‘Wingweaver’. Next I summon ‘Agent of Wisdom – Mercury’ in defense,” a fit-looking man with bluish skin appeared, wearing roman garbs and carrying a tome (DEF: 1700), “and play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive ‘Wingweaver’!”

That’s skill, I thought, smiling, as Kimi’s favorite monster, the beautiful, violet-haired angelic woman, ‘Wingweaver’, appeared standing behind Kimi, like an ever vigilant guardian (ATK: 2750).

“I set three cards,” Kimi concluded, “and equip ‘Wingweaver’ with ‘Cestus of Dagla’.”

A curved sword appeared in each of the angel’s hands, and her strength rose (2750+500=3250).

“For my turn,” I began, picking up where my friend left off, “I summon my ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ in defense mode, and set two cards.”

My monster, a colorful stone face with stone hands appeared (DEF: 2000).

“That’s all,” I finished.

Two laughed. “You’re girlfriend managed to summon a good card,” he said, causing me to blush. “Too bad she couldn’t attack last round. I might have had something to worry about.”

He drew, “I summon ‘Goblin Black Ops’.” A ‘Goblin Attack Force’, sans clubs and geared up in black suites carrying various knives and claw weapons appeared alongside the other monsters (ATK: 1300).

“Reveal,” Two declared, “’Final Attack Order’, changing every monster, including the ‘Statue’, to attack mode.”

“No you don’t,” Kimi replied fiercely, “because I have ‘Solemn Judgment’. I pay half of my Life to negate and destroy your card (4000/2=2000).”

“Then I’ll finish you off first!” Two declared, angry that his combo had been defeated. “I reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’ and pay 500 Life (8000-500=7500) to summon a second ‘Goblin Attack Force’.”

Eight more ‘Goblins’ appeared (ATK: 2300), standing at arms alongside their many allies.

“I equip ‘Goblin Black Ops’ with ‘Lightning Blade’,” Two concluded, “and use their effect to attack you directly, girl!”

The lead ‘Goblin’ drew an electrically charged sword from his belt (1300 +700 =2000) and the eight ‘Goblins’ slunk into the darkness all around us, slipping past our monsters and lunging at Kimi. She wasn’t worried, because she knew what was coming. Seconds before the ‘Goblins’ could finish their attack, my ‘Statue’ floated into the air and slid between Kimi and her assailants.

“I use ‘Staunch Defender’ and ‘Reliable Guardian’,” I declared, “to save Kimi from your attack.”

My ‘Statue’ was surrounded by a red barrier that deflected the ‘Goblins’ violently (2000+700=2700/7500 -> 6100).

“And not only that,” I announced, mirroring my foe’s arrogance. “My ‘Staunch Defender’ forces all of your other monsters into attack mode and forces them to attack my ‘Statue’ as well.”

‘Goblinberg’ rose into the air and flew by, strafing the ‘Statue’, only to find itself pelted by its own bullets, deflected back at it by the barrier. The sixteen remaining ‘Goblins’ ran at my monster and attacked at well. They were all repelled. Two took substantial damage (6100 -> 1900).

“I draw for my second turn,” Kimi declared, looking confident, “and your last turn. Next, because I had zero cards in my hand at the end of my last turn, I can draw one card due to the effect of ‘Mercury’.”

Kimi drew again, smiling. This duel was changing her mind. It was helping her feel hopeful again.

“I reveal ‘Jar of Greed’,” Kimi continued, “to draw a third card, and I summon ‘The Agent of Creation – Venus’. I pay five hundred Life to summon one of the Fairy orbs, ‘Mystical Shine Ball’, from my deck (2000-500=1500), and reveal ‘Solar Ray’, dealing you six hundred damage for every monster I control!”

The angelic ‘Venus’ and the orb, ‘Mystical Shine Ball’, rose into the air alongside ‘Wingweaver’ and ‘Mercury’, firing beams of light from their hands.

Kimi gave our opponent a thumbs down, a gesture that reflected the Roman theme of her deck, “You’re through, Two!”

The beams of light combined, and Two was vaporized before our eyes, the Shadows falling away from us harmlessly.

“Feeling better?” I asked her.

“After such an easy duel,” she replied, “who wouldn’t be?”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]

Surprising Power;
Jen and Lawrence vs. Three


Jen


I’ll just come out and say it; I don’t like Lawrence. He was the only one of our former enemies who’d joined us who didn’t seem any different. Even Max, who was still an unfeeling, uncaring, arrogant a****** still felt and cared when the situation really called for it. Lawrence, However, only seemed to care about Monty, and Karen a little bit. Oh, and himself. He cared about himself a lot. I understood Karen’s reasoning in deciding to pair me with Lawrence. My complex strategies would complement his sheer power quite nicely in a duel. Still, I would have rather been teamed with a rabid dog.

As we walked along, Lawrence was silent, his arms crossed and his chin up as he actively snubbed me. He had no respect for me. After all, the only times he’d seen me duel I’d lost to him, then barely beat him with help, then lost against some kid, with help. I longed for the chance one day to prove to him just how strong I really was, just to rub it in his face. After all, I knew for a fact that I’d grown more than he had. Lawrence is one of those guys who’re too arrogant to work at becoming stronger. When I’d first dueled him, he probably could have beaten John, but now he barely ranked ahead of me in terms of base power. Maybe above Monty. Still, John could smoke either me or Monty at that point. In case you can’t count, that placed Lawrence much lower on the list than he should have been.

Don’t get me wrong, Lawrence was still very strong. He’s always been strong. He just woulda been a lot stronger had he not been such an a******.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, Lawrence and I were looking for Blackheart, and I was getting snubbed. Lawrence hadn’t said it, but I could tell from the way he carried himself that he wanted to fight Blackheart. Referring back to my earlier assessment, Lawrence was growing comparably weaker, but he didn’t yet understand how or why, so he was desperate to prove himself. He wanted to fight Blackheart and win, proving once and for all that he was as strong as ever. I’d like to say that he and I would have been able to beat Blackheart if we’d found him at that point in time, but I can’t. Blackheart will always be an unknown to me. He was just so far beyond anything we’d ever faced, or anything we would ever face again.

After walking for maybe an hour, Lawrence and I found our way to a particularly unsavory-looking network of back alleys. We passed a gang, which seemed ready to hassle us until Lawrence shot them a look and they backed down. We continued on, until I got a feeling in my Soul of Nature.

“I think I sense the Soul of Darkness,” I told Lawrence, breaking the silence for the first time.

“So do I,” Lawrence replied, using his most potent super power; the ability to make simple agreement sound like an insult.

I focused on the feeling, “I don’t think its Blackheart. It seems too small. Maybe a power similar to John’s. We should ignore it and keep looking.”

“No,” Lawrence countered, a hungry look in his eyes. “It could just as easily be Blackheart trying to hide his power so that we can’t find him easily. He must still be weak, or else he wouldn’t be hiding. We have a chance if we strike now.”

Without another word, he took off in the direction of the feeling, and I followed, cursing him under my breath. We turned a corner and found ourselves face-to-face not with Blackheart, but with a blond-haired kid about John’s age. He was smiling patiently as he waited, his hands held calmly behind his back, a dark aura burning around him.

“Hello,” the blond guy said. “I assume you were looking for my master, Blackheart. I’m sorry to disappoint you, but I’m acting as my master’s decoy. If you wish to continue your search for him, you will have to get past me first, and that won’t be easy since my master has increased my strength.”

“Yeah, sure, you nameless henchman,” Lawrence retorted. “Get out of my way and maybe I won’t kill you.”

Lawrence tried to push past the guy, but our calm, collected foe moved like lightning and blocked Lawrence, his expression never changing as Lawrence attempted to flip him, and our foe slipped out of Lawrence’s grip, spun, and kicked him in the chest, sending him skidding backwards, clutching the point of impact.

“I’m not a nameless henchman,” the guy said. “I’m Three, because amongst Blackheart’s three servants, I’m ranked the highest. I’m second only to him.”

I watched the aura around Three flicker with intensity, and I realized two things. One, he’d obviously borrowed some of John’s Soul power from Blackheart, but his own Duel Energy was amplifying it, and two, when he said he was stronger than us, he was right. I could only hope that he wasn’t stronger than both of us together.


Blackheart


As I drained the life force from a ninth Duelist, draining his Duel Energy along with it, I turned toward the sight of the budding confrontation between my most powerful minion and two members of the Duel Force, several blocks away.

Intriguing, I thought, smiling wickedly. His original spirit had very little Duel Energy, but his underlying evil spirit has far more. That, in combination with his newfound calm and collected demeanor, has made him considerably stronger than I ever thought possible. He is no match for me, of course, but he might actually give those peons some trouble.

Just then I sensed something, a source of Duel Energy greater than any other I’d encountered, including the base levels of my host.

I looked back in the direction of my minion, I’d love to stick around and “watch” you work, but I have more important things to do.

I turned toward the source of the massive energy and dissolved into darkness.


Jen


Three drew his opening hand, “I think I’ll start this off with the Spell card ‘Double Summon’. Now I can perform two Normal Summons this turn.”

Three chose two of the cards from his hand and placed them both on his Duel Disk, side by side. From the darkness billowing up around us, two massive creatures emerged; a spear-and-shield-wielding warrior with the body and head of a lion and the torso of a man, and a red and silver dragon-headed tank.

“I summon the high level ‘Beast King Barbaros’ and ‘Fusilier Dragon the Dual Mode Beast’,” Three explained. “Even though these monsters are high level, they can be summoned without tributes with only a fraction of their power. ‘Fusilier Dragon’ is summoned with half power (ATK: 1400), and ‘Barbaros’ is summoned with nineteen hundred Attack. I set a card face-down, and end my turn.”

I glanced over at Lawrence. I could tell that it was as obvious to him what Three was doing as it was to me. I also saw that he was agonizing over what to do. He knew the risk of challenging a strategy like Three’s head on, but he also knew the risk of allowing it to pick up steam. He drew his opening hand, “I’ll meet your monsters head on with my ‘Cave Dragon’, and two face-downs.”

I drew my hand as well, “My turn.”

I looked over my hand. Just as I’d thought, I hadn’t drawn anything capable of standing up to what I knew was coming, but I had drawn just the right cards to leave Three’s strategy out in the open, and to set up for something bigger later on. I would just have to count on Lawrence to support me until then, and hopefully cause Three some trouble along the way.

“I start out,” I declared, “with ‘Pinch Hopper’.”

The oversized grasshopper, one of my signature cards, appeared at my side (ATK: 1000).

“I equip my monster with ‘Insect Armor with Laser Cannon’,” I continued, a huge laser gun appearing on its back, “increasing its Attack to seventeen hundred. I attack ‘Fusilier Dragon the Dual Mode Beast’!”

Light built into the barrel of the laser cannon, and it fired. The beam hit the tank, but it bounced off harmlessly.

“You’re even more foolish than I thought,” Three commented. “Reveal ‘Skill Drain’, paying one thousand Life (8000-1000=7000) to cancel out my monsters’ effects, increasing their power to full!”

An aura of power formed around ‘Barbaros’ and he roared (ATK: 3000), and the dragon tank that was ‘Fusilier Dragon’ transformed, becoming a robotic dragon with tank treads instead of legs (ATK: 2800). It roared as well and aimed its open mouth at ‘Pinch Hopper’, firing a beam of its own that vaporized the insect in one shot (4000+ 1700-2800=2900). I felt the loss of Life Points, and it hurt, but I ignored the pain. We only had a small window in which to turn this duel around.

“When my ‘Hopper’ is destroyed,” I explained, “I can summon any Insect from my hand. I choose my ‘Insect Queen’, in defense mode.”

My monster, a huge insect with the body of a bug, but a torso that vaguely resembled a human woman, appeared, towering behind me (DEF: 2400).

“Your monster pales in comparison to my monsters,” Three bragged. I ignored him. I knew my plan would succeed. It had to.

“I summon ‘Goblin Attack Force’!” Three continued, his voice and expression full of pride, eight green-skinned, club-wielding goblin warriors appearing in a tight-knit group at his side. “This monster is usually forced into defense mode after he attacks,” Three explained, “but while I control ‘Skill Drain’, he faces no such restriction!”

Three gestured, “I atta-.”

“Reveal,” Lawrence interrupted, “my ‘Burst Breath’, tributing ‘Cave Dragon’ to destroy all of your monsters!”

The flightless dragon began to build a massive flame in his mouth. He built up so much fire in his body that his body began to crack, fire glowing within the cracks. Three smiled wickedly.

“Activate,” Three declared, “‘My Body as a Shield’, paying fifteen hundred Life to protect my monsters.”

‘Cave Dragon’ fired its breath attack, ripping itself apart in the process. The attack would have incinerated all of Three’s monsters, but a barrier appeared around them, deflecting the flames. Some of them bounced back and washed over me, singeing my skin. Once again I ignored the pain.

“My monsters attack,” Three declared, gesturing broadly, his gesture falling finally on me, “the girl!”

The three monsters rushed me. I had no defense, at least no defense of my own.

Come on, Lawrence, show me that I was right when I gambled that you aren’t as big a jerk as you seem. I’m counting on you here.

And sure enough, seconds before the attacks would have hit and taken me out of the duel, Lawrence scowled and flipped over a Trap, “Reveal ‘Negate Attack’!”

I smiled smugly as a vortex formed in front of me, deflecting the oncoming strikes. Lawrence looked over at me angrily, “You’d better start doing something, because I’m not going to save you again!”

“Everybody gets one, eh?” I asked. “Well, Law, let’s see if you still have room to talk after my next turn.”

Three scowled. He didn’t enjoy failure, obviously. He slapped a card onto his duel disk, “Face-down, and I end my turn.”

He smiled, “Be careful, because sooner or later you’ll run out of ways to block my attacks, and my monsters aren’t going anywhere.”

Lawrence drew, “Don’t count on that. I play ‘Graceful Charity’.”

Lawrence drew three more times, discarded twice, and picked another card, “I also play ‘Trade-In’, discarding my Level Eight ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ to draw two cards, and I combine it with ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive the discarded dragon.”

There was a burst of light, and the giant white dragon emerged, spreading its wings dramatically, making its presence known without a doubt. Lawrence smiled, “Your monsters might be powerful, but none of them are the legendary dragon, to whom all other monsters fall!”

He chose another card from his hand, “I equip my monster with ‘Dragon’s Treasure’, increasing his attack beyond that of the weakling ‘Barbaros’ (3000+300 =3300), and attack, Burst Stream of Destruction!”

The white dragon fired its brilliant white breath beam right at the lion-bodied ‘Barbaros’. As strong as ‘Barbaros’ was, it was no match for the dragon. Lucky for ‘Barbaros’ then that Three had set a Trap. Three smiled in the overconfident way that he did and said, “Reveal ‘Mirror Force’, destroying your monster by reflecting its own attack right back!”

A reflective barrier appeared, sending the beam back at Lawrence’s field, destroying the dragon. Lawrence scowled. I smiled, “Would you look at that! You attacked when all that you had was an attack position monster, and our opponent countered with ‘Mirror Force’. Maybe if you’d had the foresight to summon a monster in defense mode, like I did, you’d still have a presence on the field.”

“Shut up!” Lawrence snapped. “There’s no way you thought this far ahead. Besides, I was ready for something like this to happen. The two cards I sent to the Graveyard this turn were ‘Red-Eyes Wyvern’ and ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’. I remove ‘Wyvern’ from play to revive ‘Red-Eyes’ in defense position!”

In a burst of flames the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’’s darker-skinned counterpart appeared, wrapping his wings protectively around Lawrence (DEF: 2000).

“Alright,” I said, “finally. Now watch and learn, Law, because I’m gonna show you what a real move looks like.”

I drew, “Activate, ‘Cell Budding’. I tribute an insect to summon a number of ‘Insect Tokens’ up to the number of multiples of five hundred in the Attack of the tributed card. That means I can tribute my ‘Insect Queen’ to summon four ‘Tokens’!”

My monster was instantly replaced by four worm-like monsters that writhed with anticipation.

“I follow up,” I continued, “with ‘Token Sundae’, allowing my ‘Tokens’ to bum-rush your field, each of them destroying one card!”

“What?” Three asked, shocked, his eyes wide. “No!”

The four insects charged Three’s ‘Barbaros’, ‘Goblin Attack Force’, ‘Fusilier Dragon’, and ‘Skill Drain’, ripping though all four of them. All eight cards dissolved harmlessly into shadowy black smoke.

“No!!” Three exclaimed as the remnants of his entire force of powerful monsters disappeared. I looked on, satisfied with my work, and with the astonished look that Lawrence was trying very hard to hide.

With a little luck, I thought, we might win this duel yet![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]

Unexpected Cooperation


Lawrence


I’ll admit that I was surprised when Jen’s seemingly ridiculous strategy came to fruition, destroying all of the enemy’s cards. Not monsters, cards. His key card, ‘Skill Drain’, was gone as well.

Not bad, I thought. I underestimated our opponent a bit, but I seem to have underestimated my ally even more.

I looked over at Jen out of the corner of my eye, She’s distracted our opponent, drawing his fire, and she’s angered him. She must be sacrificing her own Life to leave me an opening to attack later. Gutsy. Not that it matters. This guy’s Shadow Game can’t be very strong. Jen’s lost nearly a third of her Life and she isn’t hurt at all.

“I finish up,” Jen concluded, “by playing ‘Premature Burial’ (2700-800=1900), reviving my ‘Insect Queen’, and I tribute her a second time in the same turn to activate ‘Insect Imitation’, summoning a monster with one higher Level from my deck. I choose one of my strongest cards,” a giant insect, twice as big as even the largest monster played so far, with sharp forward legs and a steel shell appeared, towering over the entire field, “the ‘Metal Armored Bug’ (ATK: 2800)! And I attack directly!”

The bug reached over its master’s head and slashed Three across the chest. He gritted his teeth and struggled to catch his breath (5500-2800=2700).

“I end my turn,” Jen declared, and I noted the smugness in her expression. Either she’d decided to take a page out of my own book of attitude, or she was actively trying to piss this guy off as part of her strategy.

I smiled, This girl’s got guts and style. I think I’m starting to like this one.

“You destroyed my monsters!” Three cried, completely losing the cool that he’d managed to retain since we’d met him. I laughed at him and his pathetic, amateurish reaction. He ignored me and declared, “I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive ‘Fusilier Dragon’ and I play ‘Limiter Removal’ doubling his attack but destroying him during the End Phase.”

The mechanical red dragon reappeared, sparking and sputtering, and roaring and thrashing wildly (ATK: 2800 -> 5600).

“My monster attacks the bug,” Three commanded hastily, “destroying you!”

The machine fired its beam, piercing the giant bug through. It dissolved, and Jen’s remaining Life disappeared.

I didn’t think anything of the fact that Jen had lost. After all, after I won, we’d both go free of the Shadows. It wasn’t like Three’s Shadow Game had been strong enough to actually hurt her, or so I thought until I saw her collapse, falling heavily to her knees. It was at that moment that I realized just how much pain she was actually in, and how well she’d managed to hide it. It was also at that moment that I began to feel something I wasn’t used to feeling toward others; respect.

Jen looked over at me and said weakly, “I set everything in motion. You’ve just gotta finish up. Everything’s in place except a couple of cards that I know you’ve got. Finish him, Lawrence.”

As she spoke, Three finished his turn, “To avoid having no monsters at the end of this turn, I play the Spell card ‘Equal Exchange’, tributing the Level Eight ‘Fusilier Dragon’ for the Level Eight ‘Barbaros’ in my Grave!”

There was a roar, and ‘Barbaros’ reappeared, his spear held ready (ATK: 3000).

It was at that moment that Jen fell unconscious. I looked our opponent in the eyes fiercely, Until now I was fighting to destroy a minion of Blackheart, but from now on, until the duel ends with my victory, I instead fight to save Jen, a worthy ally!

I drew my card, looked at it, and I smiled.

“Your monster may look tough at first,” I taunted, “but he’s really just a weakling, no better than any other monster, and I’m gonna prove it with just one card.”

I placed my card on my Disk, “Set a card. Turn end!”

By now Three was seething, “‘Barbaros is a superior monster. You won’t get away with insulting him. My ‘Barbaros’ destroys you pitiful ‘Black Dragon’!”

“Never!” I declared. “Reveal ‘Shadow Spell’, ensnaring your monster!”

As ‘Barbaros’ moved to attack his shadow formed a net of chains that wrapped around his arms, legs and body, preventing him from moving. He lost Attack (3000-700=2300).

“I told you,” I said. “Just one card, and your monster can’t even move. How strong can he be? Or maybe it says more about you and how, in your haste to attack, you failed to protect him.”

I drew my last card of the duel, smiling pridefully, making sure my opponent could see in my eyes how inferior he was to me.

“I finish this duel,” I told my stunned foe, “I play the Spell card ‘Inferno Fireblast’, allowing my ‘Red-Eyes’ to immediately attack you directly outside of the Battle Phase!”

My dragon launched a fiery blast from his mouth, hitting Three and tossing him through the air (2700-2400=300). He picked himself up, just in time to see fire envelope my dragon, transforming him into a more metallic-looking version of himself his glowing red lines across its body.

“I tribute ‘Red-Eyes’ to summon ‘Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon’, a monster that gains Attack for every Dragon in my Graveyard!”

My monster roared (ATK: 2400 -> 3300).

“Attack,” I commanded, my monster breathing a barrage of fireballs, “Darkness Black Fire Bullet!”

The flames reduced ‘Barbaros’ to ash and carried through, blasting Three, sending him toppling through the air. He landed hard and struggled to move, our monsters and the Shadows fading around us.

I helped Jen to her feet, and the two of us walked over to stand over out fallen opponent.

“You’re pathetic,” I told a whimpering, frightened Three, “and the fact that you would follow Blackheart proves that you don’t deserve to exist.”

My Soul of Power flashed, and in an instant Three was gone. Jen managed to stand on her own, and after a few minutes’ rest, we were on our way, ready to continue our search.


Blackheart


I stepped out of the Shadows in another part of the city, careful to hide my power, to keep my enemies from finding me. When the time came, I would find them. I reached out with the power of the Soul of Darkness, searching for the source of the high Duel Energy that I’d sensed earlier. As I did, I looked around. I searched through my host’s memories for the information to identify my location. I was in the parking lot of an apartment complex, which is like an entire village-worth of hobbles stacked on top of each other. I grinned at the sheer absurdity of such a thing. The stolen Soul pinged, and I turned in the direction it indicated. A short walk later, I found myself behind one of the apartments watching three Duelists fight one Duelist who was clearly the source of the Duel Energy I was sensing. I took note of the similarity between his situation and the situation in which I’d found myself when I first awoke. The difference was that this Duelist was facing down stronger monsters, and he wasn’t struggling the way that my host had been.

The single Duelist, a youth roughly the same age as my host, with light brown hair and eyes that were almost yellow, and a look somewhere between frustration and disappointment on his face, was facing down ‘Black Tyranno’ (ATK: 2600), ‘Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest’, supported by two face-down cards (ATK: 2600), and ‘Dark Blade’ equipped with the Union monster ‘Kiryu’ (ATK: 2700), supported by one set card, and he was doing it with only a half fiery red and half icy blue dragon surrounded half by fire and half by ice, the ‘Polarity Dragon’, in defense mode (DEF: 2000), and two face-downs of his own. Despite this, however, his Life Points were untouched, while his opponents were more or less one good attack away from defeat.

I marveled at this Duelist and his skill. He was even stronger than my host. Not as strong as me, though, of course. I leaned against the wall of the nearest apartment building and watched, marveling even more at the fact that I found the Duelist in my host’s memories, and that my host had actually managed to defeat this Duelist known as Christopher Johnson.

“Come on!” Christopher Johnson cried. “We’ll never win the national title if you idiots keep dueling like this!”

He looked at the Duelist controlling ‘Black Tyranno’, a tall male with long dark hair and a stupid, reckless look on his face, “James, I get it, you can summon big monsters easily, but they won’t last without support! I play ‘Creeping Cold’, freezing your monster and allowing me to attack directly past it this turn. If you had any Traps in your deck that didn’t summon more monsters you coulda stopped it!”

As Christopher spoke, the giant black dinosaur was completely encased in ice, unable to move an inch.

“Jason,” Christopher said, speaking with greater respect, turning to the controller of ‘Green Baboon’, a more average-looking boy with shorter brown hair, “I play ‘Sweeping Fire’. It allows me to discard my ‘King Pyron’ in order to burn away fifteen hundred of your monster’s attack.”

“Reveal,” Jason countered, “my ‘Fairy’s Hand Mirror’ Trap, redirecting your Spell back at ‘Polarity Dragon’.”

“Good,” Christopher said, “but I reveal ‘Dark Bribe’.”

“Counter,” Jason interjected, “my ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’ (1900-1000=900).”

Flames swept toward the giant armored ape, but a magic mirror appeared, bouncing them back at Christopher’s dragon, singeing it (ATK: 2000 -> 500).

“Very good,” Christopher told him, “but when I refilled my hand with ‘Card of Sanctity’, I drew plenty of ways to beat you. I play ‘Monster Reborn’, reviving ‘Pyron’,” a man made of flames appeared (ATK: 1500), “and I Second Summon him, allowing him to deal one thousand damage to one player each turn.”

‘Pyron’ summoned up a fireball, throwing it at Jason, burning the rest of his Life Points away.

I smiled with admiration, as one might admire a pet, mind you, as Christopher turned without skipping a beat to his third opponent, another male, this time with blond hair, wearing a plain t-shirt and the garment that modern mortals call “jeans”, “Good job, Mike. Summoning a Union monster affords your monster extra protection from battles. But it doesn’t protect him from my ‘Offerings to the Doomed’.”

Mummy wraps rose up from the ground, threatening to wrap Mike’s black-armored knight and drag he and his red dragon mount to an early grave, but Mike was prepared.

“Reveal,” Mike countered, “with ‘Interdimentional Matter Transporter’, removing my monster from play until the End Phase. And because I still have all of my Life, not even your weakened dragon and your ‘King Pyron’ attacking together can defeat me this turn (LP: 3000).”

“And I’m safe too,” James added indignantly, “unless you waste both of your attacks on me (LP: 1700).

“Sorry,” Christopher said, his demeanor as a mentor giving way to competitive spirit, “but I thought you guys knew me better by now.”

He looked down at his last face-down, a cold, calculating look flashing in his eyes, “I reveal ‘Reverse Trap’, and I chain the Spell card ‘Icy Shackles’, decreasing the Attack of my own ‘King Pyron’ by five hundred until the End Phase.”

Chains made of ice appeared around ‘Pyron’’s wrists, weighing him down (1500-500=1000). “‘Reverse Trap’ resolves,” Christopher announced, “changing all Attack decreases into increases!”

I watched, even more impressed, as the power of Christopher’s monsters climbed (1000 -> 2000/500 -> 3500).

“I change ‘Polarity Dragon’ to attack mode,” Christopher commanded, “and attack for the win!”

The dragon blasted ‘Mike with fire and ice together, and ‘Pyron’ threw a fireball at ‘James’. The monsters on both sides disappeared, and James, Jason and Mike looked disappointed, but not surprised.

“Good practice, all things considered,” Christopher told them. “Go do some test draws.”

The three wandered off, into one of the nearby apartments, leaving Christopher (mostly) alone with his thoughts. I smiled wickedly, Sorry, I really like you, but I need your Duel Energy. Oh well, I’ll leave you alive so you can entertain me again later!

I took a step toward Christopher. His back was to me, so I was a bit surprised when he said, “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but whatever it is, you won’t get it from me. I can feel how evil you are. I don’t help evil guys.”

He turned to face me, “Anyone ever tell you that you look like a pale version of my rival?”

I shot him an evil, toothy grin, “Foolish human mortal. I want your Duel Energy, the power that makes you so strong, and I don’t need you to help me. I’m going to take it.”

Christopher smiled, “You’re welcome to try.”

I laughed out loud and summoned the Shadows up around us, This is going to be an interesting duel![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eight]

Blackheart vs. The King of Swift Attacks,
Christopher Johnson!


I watched Christopher Johnson’s Duel Energy burn around him, and I smiled, reveling in the excitement of facing such a strong opponent. “I start this off,” he declared, “with ‘Graceful Charity’. I draw and then discard two copies of ‘Polarity Dragon’. This allows me to send ‘Freezing Beast’ and ‘Burning Beast’ from my hand to the Graveyard to activate their effects. You take one thousand damage, and you must send one card from your hand to the Graveyard.”

Quite happily I chose a card from my hand and discarded it. Meanwhile, the ghostly image of the dragon appeared behind Christopher, breathing fire on me, burning away my Life. It hurt, but I’d been through far worse. The pain literally didn’t faze me in the slightest.

“I finish my turn,” Christopher concluded, eyeing me as he took his time and prepped his strategy, “by setting one monster and setting a card.”

I watched with anticipation as a creature appeared in the Shadows, his hidden set monster. Did he mean for me to fear it and pass my attack? Did he want me to destroy it so that he could gain some effect? It didn’t matter. No matter what he had planned, I would crush it, because even though I was still weakened I knew that this boy was no match for my power. Still, I felt a jolt of thrill. This Christopher Johnson was the first Duelist since the girl, Karen, the first Duelist ever who didn’t wield a Soul, to pose even the slightest threat to my power. It was exciting.

“I draw,” I declared, “and I play my own hand enhancement card, ‘Allure of Darkness’! And alluring it is, as it allows me to draw two cards, as long as I then remove one Dark monster in my hand from play.”

I dismissed a card from my hand, adding it to my host’s deck case, which he wore at his (now my) waste.

“I summon,” I continued, choosing a monster that I’d taken from the Card Takers’ stash of stolen rare cards, “‘Armageddon Knight’, a Dark monster that allows me to discard another Dark monster from my deck.”

I fanned out what was formerly my host’s deck, modified to suite my unique personality, and chose a card, the Machine-type ‘Blowback Dragon’, sending it to the Graveyard.

My knight appeared. He wore goggles and cobbled-together armor and carried a jagged sword (ATK: 1400).

“My monster slaughters your hidden beast,” I declared, and my monster rushed into the unknown, following my command without question as I knew all mortals soon would (until I killed them), cutting down the monster that was revealed as the blue-furred ‘Mother Grizzly’.”

“When my monster is destroyed,” Christopher declared with apprehension, as if he were springing a trap that he hoped wouldn’t fail, “I summon a Water monster from my deck. The monster I choose,” he selected a card from his deck and placed it, a young woman in a Japanese-style dress appearing at his side (ATK: 1500), “the Gemini monster ‘Aquarian Alessa’.”

Interesting, I thought. This fool can’t really be expecting to fight me with this weak monster. That means that setting the bear was just a means of keeping a monster on the field for a Tribute. I expected something more clever from this one.

“Then I set two cards,” I said, sounding somewhere between expectant and sadistic, eliciting a mildly disturbed look from my opponent that made me smile.

“Come on, Christopher Johnson,” I said, “entertain me.”

“You won’t find this very entertaining,” Christopher scowled, “but I might. I tribute ‘Alessa’ for another Gemini monster,” the man made of fire from his previous battle took the place of the girl, “my ‘King Pyron’ (ATK: 1500), and I reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’, paying five hundred Life (8000-500=7500), Second Summoning him and activating his effect, dealing you one thousand damage.”

‘King Pyron’ threw a fireball at me. Before it could hit, I raised my hand toward it and, with a flash of the stolen Soul of Darkness, dispersed it, smiling wide. I still took damage, but I didn’t get burned (7000-1000=6000). I looked at my opponent in time to see his reaction before he could hide it. He was afraid.

I laughed under my breath, As you should be.

“But my turn isn’t over yet,” Christopher continued, feigning confidence in the face of what he could no doubt sense was a superior power. “I remove the discarded ‘Freezing Beast’ and ‘Burning Beast’ from play to Special Summon ‘Spirit of the Flame’ and ‘Aqua Spirit’.”

A pillar of flames and a pillar of sea foam appeared to either side of my opponent. From the sea foam, a blue-skinned woman with pointy ears emerged (ATK: 1600). From the flames emerged a red-skinned man with horns (ATK: 1700).

“During my own Battle Phase,” Christopher explained, “‘Spirit of the Flame’ gains three hundred Attack (1700+300=2000). I attack and destroy your ‘Knight’!”

‘Spirit of the Flame’ summoned fire into his hands and struck the knight, shattering his armor and burning him up in an instant (6000+1400-2000=5400). I laughed at the irony that, even though my monster had lost, it had still stood a better chance against his monster that he stood against me.

“Now I attack directly with ‘Aqua Spirit’ and ‘King Pyron’,” Christopher declared.

I’ve let him have his fun, I thought, but now it’s time to get serious.

“Reveal,” I said, channeling my confidence into my words, “my ‘Call of the Haunted’ and ‘Escape from the Dark Dimension’, summoning my discarded ‘Blowback Dragon’, and ‘Barrel Dragon’ that was removed from play via my ‘Allure of Darkness’.”

I smiled darkly as two gun-headed mechanical dragons appeared behind me and to either side. Christopher Johnson scowled, “I halt my attack and set a card to end my turn.”

I snickered, “Well then, I draw, and I activate the effect of my ‘Blowback Dragon’.”

My weaker dragon, a monster with a giant pistol for a head, roared at the utterance of its name (ATK: 2300).

“In a normal game of Duel Monsters,” I explained, “‘Blowback Dragon’’s effect relies on a coin toss, but in case you hadn’t noticed, this isn’t a normal game.”

“Yeah,” Christopher said, looking around at the darkness that swirled around us, “I had noticed something different. A Shadow Game, right? Magic makes our monsters and Spell cards real, and things really hurt us? I fought in one once before. I don’t like ‘em much, but I’ve got no problem fighting in one if it means getting rid of something like you.”

The way he said the last three words it was obvious that he hadn’t been exaggerating when he said he could sense how evil I was. That made me smile. This youth really was interesting. He thought he was protecting people by fighting me. He was some kind of wannabe hero, and there’s no one more entertaining that a wannabe hero who simply isn’t in your league.

“That’s right,” I replied, “and in a Shadow Game, things are a bit more real. For example, ‘Blowback Dragon’ generates a new clip of bullets every so often, about once a turn, but the chamber isn’t fully loaded. So ‘Blowback Dragon’ fires off his clip, and if he’s got enough shots to destroy his target, well, I think that one’s self-explanatory.”

With a simple gesture, my dragon fired off shot after shot, piercing Christopher’s face-down card through several times until it dissolved into smoke. I smiled, “Looks like my effect was a success!”

I watched as Christopher Johnson halfheartedly placed his ‘Mirror Force’ card in his Graveyard.

“I could use the power of my ‘Barrel Dragon’ to take a shot at blasting one of your monsters,” I told Christopher, gesturing at my second monster, a dragon with six-shooters for a head and arms, “but I simply don’t need to against someone of your level. I attack your ‘Spirit of the Flame’ and ‘King Pyron’.”

My monsters fired at the two fiery targets, blasting them apart, dealing Christopher his first hit of the duel (8000+1700+1500-2300-2600=6800). I watched gleefully as he fell to one knee, his eyes wide with pain. He choked back a cough and struggled to his feet.

“Hurts,” I asked, “doesn’t it? It’s going to hurt a lot more very soon. But for now I simply pass.”

“Don’t underestimate me,” Christopher said, quite seriously considering just how funny his statement was. He drew and smiled, “I play my key card, ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards.”

He drew again, and I followed suite, smiling a bit as I saw my hand. Christopher’s smile widened, “I set a card, change ‘Aqua Spirit’ to defense, and end my turn.”

He has a plan, I thought, how cute!

I drew my next card, “I’m impressed by your resilience. But good things only last so long. I attack your final monster with my ‘Barrel Dragon’, Three-Barrel Shot!”

My monster fired all three of his guns at the blue-skinned sprite. I can’t say I was surprised when the shots were deflected by an energy barrier, or when three priests in robes appeared within the barrier, chanting to keep it solid.

“Reveal ‘Waboku’,” Christopher declared with determination, as if his ridiculous little play mattered.

I laughed, “Alright, then I’ll just activate my ‘Barrel Dragon’’s effect, blasting right through your barrier to kill the ‘Spirit’.”

The three chambers of my monster’s three guns clicked into place, and my monster fired all three at once. One shot was a dud, but the others went off successfully. The two massive bullets pierced the barrier and the sprite. She screamed as she dissolved into the darkness. Christopher didn’t look happy, but there was still hope in his eyes, so my work wasn’t done.

“I set three cards,” I concluded, “and I pass. Come on, entertain me some more. Keep me from getting bored and I might let you live longer.”

Christopher drew his next card, “I’m not here to entertain you, but I will destroy you. I start out with ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive ‘King Pyron’.”

The fiery monster reappeared, his arms crossed defiantly (ATK: 1500).

“I Second Summon ‘Pyron’,” Christopher continued, “and activate his effect to attack you for one thousand damage.”

‘Pyron’ threw a fireball at me. I waved my hand and my Soul flashed, and the flames veered to the side. I smiled as the flames exploded around me, enjoying the pain (5400-1000=4400).

“I pay five hundred Life to activate ‘Ultimate Offering’ (6800-500=6300), and I tribute ‘King Pyron’ to summon a second ‘King Pyron’!”

‘Pyron’ was engulfed in flames, and when the flames dispersed, another identical monster stood in his place.

“I pay another five hundred Life,” Christopher continued (6300-500=5800), “to Second Summon my new monster and attack again!”

The new ‘King Pyron’ threw a fireball at me. I pointed at it, and it split, veering to either side (4400-1000=3400).

“Come on,” I taunted, “you can do better than that.”

“You’re right,” Christopher replied. “I can, and I will. I play ‘Attribute Exchange’, tributing the Level Five, Fire attribute ‘King Pyron’ to return the Level Five, Water attribute ‘Polarity Dragon’ from my Graveyard to my hand, and I discard him to activate ‘Spears of Ice’, inflicting damage to your Life equal to two hundred times his Level.”

A barrage of icy spears appeared in the air above Christopher and rained down toward me and my entire field. I let this one hit. I didn’t even have to brace myself (3400-1000=2400).

“My Spell has an additional effect,” Christopher explained. “It also freezes over every monster you control, reducing their Attack by an amount equal to the damage you took until the end of the turn.”

I watched with amusement as ice crept over my dragons (ATK: 2600-1000=1600/2300-1000=1300).

“I remove ‘King Pyron’ in my Graveyard from play to activate ‘Polarity Dragon’’s effect,” a ghostly image of the dragon appeared and pelted me with searing flames (2400-1000=1400).

“Finally,” Christopher concluded, “I remove from play in my Graveyard two Water monsters and one Fire monster to Special Summon my ultimate card, ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’!”

A pillar of fire and a pillar of water erupted from the ground behind Christopher and swirled together. The water froze, and the fire and ice took form, becoming a silver dragon with one frozen head and one flaming head. The two heads roared in unison (ATK: 2300). I noticed that Christopher was breathing heavily. The Shadow Game was beginning to take its toll.

“You look a bit tired,” I said. “Need to take a break?”

Christopher ignored me, “I send ‘Fire Princess’ from my hand to the Graveyard to activate my monster’s special attack, Burning Ice Breath, destroying you ‘Barrel Dragon’!”

The two-headed monster breathed flaming ice from its two mouths, piercing my strongest monster through, and it fell to scrap.

“And I attack ‘Blowback Dragon’ with Frozen Fire!”

‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ breathed cold from one head and fire from the other, flash freezing my second monster and then melting him in an instant. The flames carried through, burning me (1400+1300-2300=400).

“Do you see now, monster?” Christopher asked. “Do you see now that you don’t stand a chance against me? You see, I’m going to win. Duel Monsters is my life. I’ve been playing for years. I’ve only been defeated twice. I’m an expert, and Shadow Game or no, my skill is unrivaled. That’s why you’re going to fail. That’s why I’m going to win!”

I smiled, “Fascinating speech. Now let me tell you why you’re wrong. Let me tell you why I’m going to win. Let me explain by telling you who I am. Do you remember when you were a child and you would look into the darkness, and you would be afraid because you knew something was there? Do you remember as you grew up waiting for the day that your fear of the dark would go away, but it never did, because no matter what reason told you, you knew that there was something there, waiting and watching?”

I smiled wickedly, “I am the thing in the dark, and I am even more horrible than you ever could have imagined. I am Blackheart, and I will see this world burn!”

I drew a card, “Activate ‘Overload Fusion’, removing from play both of my fallen dragons to Fusion Summon their combined form,” parts of ‘Barrel Dragon’ and ‘Blowback Dragon’ came together, forming a new monster with a Gatling gun for a head and for each arm, “my ‘Gatling Dragon’!”

My monster roared (ATK: 2600).

“Next I summon ‘Twin-Barrel Dragon’,” I declared, a smaller mechanical dragon formed from two guns appearing at my side (ATK: 1700).

“I reveal,” I continued, “the Trap card ‘Return from the Different Dimension’ (400/2=200), “summoning my ‘Gatling Dragon’’s component parts. Return to me, ‘Barrel Dragon’ and ‘Blowback Dragon’!”

The two machines emerged from the darkness with a roar.

“Reveal,” I continued, “the Spell card ‘Limiter Removal’, doubling the Attack of all of my monsters, and I attack with all of them together!”

The four dragons fired at once piercing the ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ clear through, their shells exploding, the shockwave sending Christopher Johnson tumbling through the air, unconscious, the Shadows falling away from us quite dramatically, which is just how I like it.

I smiled, “Burn Christopher Johnson, burn.”

Christopher Johnson fell to the ground heavily, and I moved to stand over him.

“Penalty Game,” I said, “What’s Yours Is Mine!”

I smiled as Christopher’s Duel Energy poured into my stolen Soul.

“Don’t worry, Christopher Johnson,” I told him, “as I said before, I won’t kill you yet. You’re interesting. I hope that one day, once I’ve killed everyone else with a little power, that you might rise to oppose me so that we can do this again.”

And without another word, I dissolved into the darkness, ready to move against my real enemy, the Duel Force.


Max


I was teamed up with Kris (which is short for something that I never bothered to ask about), the girl who uses machines. I had never actually seen her duel in person, but I knew that she was strong. Just like every member of the Duel Force, she knew all of the ins and outs of the deck that she had chosen for herself. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this time that might not be enough. Blackheart was a great unknown. His power was something that we could only guess at.

We were a couple hours into our search when we found him. Blackheart. Or I should say he found us.

“I see,” he said from behind. “Do you really think that pairing up will help you beat me?”

I turned toward Blackheart. “You!” I spat, my voice filled with hatred. I may not show it much, but I care about my friends, and I don’t like it when they’re threatened."

“Let John go,” Kris demanded simply.

“Of course,” said Blackheart, “but only if you can beat me first.”

And as he laughed forebodingly, the most one-sided duel of my life began.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nine]

Blackheart vs. The Duel Force Round One;
The Modified Deck of Darkness


“Since I’ll be dueling at a disadvantage,” said Blackheart, “you will each start with half Life Points, and my Life Points will begin at a full eight thousand. But I’m sure that Duelists as great as yourselves already figured that out.”

“Cut the crap,” I said. “We’ll play with whatever terms you want, as long as you understand our terms. When we win, you release your host and disappear.”

“That’s if you win,” Blackheart corrected, smiling happily. He knew we were afraid, and he was enjoying it.

“Of course I’ll uphold my end of the bargain,” said Blackheart, “after all, I’m a villain of my word. But if I win, I’m going to want something from you, obviously.”

I scowled, “We know.”

“Well then,” said Blackheart, drawing five cards, “I guess we don’t have anything left to talk about. Let’s get started.”

As Blackheart spoke, darkness began to swirl around us and the Shadow Game began, “You two can go first.”

I smiled just as wickedly as Blackheart himself, “It’s your funeral.” I drew my opening hand (LP: 4000). “I start out with my ‘Blood Sucker’, defense mode, and a face-down card.”

I looked at my monster, thinking back to an hour earlier, as Kris and I were walking.

“Hey Max,” Kris had said.

“Yeah?” I’d answered, worried that she was about to confide something in me. I don’t do well with the feely stuff.

“I was just thinking, I don’t think we can win against Blackheart, even two against one.”

I remember frowning at that, “Yeah, neither do I.”

“Do you think Karen feels the same way?” Kris had asked. I remember I marveled at her perception. Normally the girl seemed spacey and it was hard to take her seriously, but every once in a while she showed that she was easily as smart as any of us.

“Yeah,” I’d told her, “I think she does.

“She just needs us to buy some time, huh.”

“Yeah.”

“I was thinking,” Kris had continued, “just because we’re going to lose it doesn’t mean we can’t try something. John’s seen both of us duel, so it’s a good bet that Blackheart knows our best cards, but I know I’ve got some backup combos in my deck, in case my main cards fail. I bet you do too.”

I nodded, “Yeah?”

“Well, John hasn’t seen our backup combos, which means Blackheart hasn’t either. Maybe if we focus on our backup strategies we can throw him off.”

I’d frowned at that, and then shrugged, “It’s worth a shot.”

Kris was confident, but I’m a practical person. I knew we were going to lose, and I knew we couldn’t do anything about it.

Of course, that didn’t mean I couldn’t try, and my vampire monsters, including the red man-bat, ‘Blood Sucker’, were just the monsters to help me do it (DEF: 800).

“My turn next,” said Kris, far more hopeful than I was. “I summon ‘Roboyarou’ in defense mode,” a robotic man in blue armor appeared, “and activate ‘Double Summon’ to sacrifice ‘Roboyarou’ for ‘Metal Shooter’.” A hovering robot probe appeared, its two stubby arms ending in laser cannons (ATK: 800).

“When ‘Metal Shooter’ appears,” Kris explained, “it summons two “Metal Shooter Counters. Each of these counters contributes another eight hundred Attack power (800 +(800x2)=2400).”

As Kris spoke, two more of the robots appeared alongside the first. They were a slightly different color and they hovered around the core monster protectively.

Blackheart laughed, “So you’re using cards that this host hasn’t seen you use in order to try and throw me off, huh? Well I don’t just have knowledge of your decks through this body. I have my host’s knowledge of the cards in this game. Your plan was clever, but not clever enough.”

“I’m not done yet,” Kris insisted. “I place two cards face-down, and end my turn.”

“Finally,” said Blackheart, checking his fingernails for dirt absentmindedly, making it clear how high we were on his list. “I was starting to get bored waiting.” He drew, “I summon my ‘Bowganian’ in attack mode.”

A metal sphere appeared. Two panels opened in its sides and two arms emerged. In one of its hands it carried a collapsible one-handed crossbow. The front of the sphere opened, revealing a robotic eye (ATK: 1300).

“Bowganian is a delightful monster,” Blackheart explained. “I just love it! It’s weak in terms of a typical Duel Monsters card, but it has the potential to cause so much pain.

“‘Bowganian’,” Blackheart commanded, “attack ‘Bloodsucker’ with Optibeam.”

‘Bowganian’’s eye began to glow as the monster prepared to fire. “I don’t think so,” said Kris. “Reveal the Trap card ‘Security Orb’, changing your monster to defense mode!”

A floating metal sphere appeared next to Kris’ monster. It had a lens in the front and two swivel-mounted arms. “Go,” Kris commanded, the machine’s lens glowing green, “use Suppression Field.” A beam from the orb’s lens engulfed ‘Bowganian’ and the light in its eye faded (DEF: 600). The orb disappeared.

“Interesting card,” said Blackheart. “Another card that my host has never seen you use, and one that he would not have expected to see in your deck. But I’m not him. Maybe such a simple trick would have thrown my host off of his game, but I am a far superior being. It will take more than tricks to beat me.”

He laughed wickedly, “To finish my turn I place two cards face-down.”

“Then it’s my move,” I said, putting on a good show, “draw!” I looked at my newest card. It wasn’t the strongest monster in the game, or even the strongest card in my deck, but it might buy me enough time to think of something smart.

“I sacrifice ‘Bloodsucker’ to summon another vampire,” I declared, “my ‘Vampire Lord’.”

‘Bloodsucker’ disappeared and was replaced by a suave vampire with pale blue skin wearing a cape. He threw his cape back and it became wings that carried him into the air. He flew back and collapsed his wings back into a cape, landing firmly at my side (ATK: 2000).

“’Vampire Lord’,” I commanded, “attack ‘Bowganian’ with Vampiric Wave!”

‘Vampire Lord’ flourished his cape, unleashing a red energy wave at the bow-wielding machine.

His monster may not have many Attack Points, I thought, but its effect could be trouble. I have to kill it now.

“Sorry,” said Blackheart, laughing under his breath, “but you won’t get rid of ‘Bowganian’ that easily. Reveal ‘Mirror Force’, reversing your attack.” A reflective barrier appeared around my opponent. He crossed his arms and smiled confidently. The vampire’s attack hit the barrier and turned back on the source. My monster was destroyed, but I was unconcerned.

“End turn.”

“I draw!” said Kris. “’Metal Shooter’, attack!” The three machines aimed their guns at the ‘Bowganian’, but when they fired, the blasts exploded, threatening to destroy the main monster. Just before the main monster would have been destroyed, one of the drones flew into position to absorb the blast. In the end the ‘Shooter’ survived, only losing some Attack (ATK: 2400-800=1600).

“Reveal,” said Blackheart, “the Trap card ‘Blast Held by a Tribute’, destroying an attacking monster and dealing its controller one thousand damage.”

Kris was wreathed in a dark aura and her Life Points fell (4000-1000=3000). She gasped as she was overcome with the pain of the Shadow Game.

“Your attempt to destroy my monster failed,” said Blackheart.

“True,” I agreed smugly.

“But,” Kris added just as smugly, “our attempt to rid the field of your face-down cards succeeded. In case you didn’t notice, my monster survived.”

“And my monster,” I said, “was ‘Vampire Lord’. He’ll return as soon as my next turn begins.”

“Maybe so,” Blackheart agreed, “but for now it’s my turn. I draw, and the effect of ‘Bowganian’ deals you each six hundred points of very painful direct damage.” As he spoke the machine fired two arrows in rapid succession, one at each of us. The arrows hit us and exploded (4000-600=3400/3000-600=2400). This time we both gasped, and I saw Kris clutch the point of impact.

“Now,” Blackheart continued, “I sacrifice ‘Bowganian’ to summon a much stronger monster. You may know him. He’s my host’s favorite monster, and his Ka.”

I was taken aback, I thought he was using a new deck entirely, but now I get it. He’s using John’s deck, modified into something unrecognizable. That means the monster he’s summoning could only be one thing.

The ‘Bowganian’ disappeared in a swirl of darkness, and Blackheart placed his card on the Dark Disk. Energy crackled, reaching out and blossoming into a warrior in yellow armor, tinted almost gray. The warrior hung his head, casting a shadow over his eyes, hiding what I sensed was a pained expression (ATK: 2200).

Blackheart smiled triumphantly. “‘Fiend Megacyber’ is stronger than your monster,” he said to Kris, “So I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your face-down card.”

A burst of wind swept over Kris’ card, and another ‘Security Orb’ appeared.

“Your card,” said Kris, “destroyed my second ‘Security Orb’. When ‘Security Orb’ is destroyed it self-destructs, taking a monster in play along with it.”

‘Security Orb’ flew toward ‘Fiend Megacyber’, its lens flashing red, and grabbed onto the dark warrior. The rate of flashing increased, and the ‘Orb’ exploded, destroying the warrior as well.

“I won’t let you use that monster,” said Kris. “My cousin’s heart is in that card. You don’t deserve to use its power.”

Blackheart looked confused, “What power? I only kept this useless card in here because it can summon itself pretty easily, but it’s just one more semi-useful monster card, and not even a very good one.”

He threw ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ to the ground and lifted his foot, meaning to stomp on it. He was surprised, I’m sure, when I stepped forward, grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“If you think it’s such a worthless card,” I said, picking my friend’s card up off of the ground, “then I’ll take it.” I walked back to my side of the field, “now let’s get back to the duel if you don’t mind. I’m starting to get bored of you.”

Blackheart was pissed, I could tell. Maybe he doesn’t like being touched. He wanted to strike out at us with the power of the Soul of Darkness, but he knew better. If he attacked us now, he would forfeit the Shadow Game and we would get to enact any penalty on him that we chose, something that not even he could escape. So he did the next best thing; he kept dueling.

“Activate,” Blackheart continued, “the Spell card ‘Painful Choice’. I select five cards from my deck and show them to you. Then you add one to my hand and I discard the rest.”

He fanned out his deck, picking five cards, showing them to me. They were ‘Red-Eyes Back Dragon’, ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’, two more ‘Bowganians’, and the God card, the card that made him untouchable to both Kris and I together, ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’.

“Add the two-sacrifice ‘Red-Eyes’ to your hand,” I said, making the smart move. Blackheart did as he was told, a smile on his face the entire time, and then discarded the remaining monsters.

“One card face-down,” said Blackheart, “and I end my turn.”

“Good,” I said, feigning confidence that I just didn’t have. “Now I can start taking you apart, literally. I draw, and in my Standby Phase my ‘Vampire Lord’ revives.” The ‘Vampire’ reappeared at my side, smiling wickedly (ATK: 2000).

“Attack,” I commanded, “Vampiric Wave!”

‘Vampire Lord’ fired his attack. “Reveal,” said Blackheart, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Skull Lair’.”

“You don’t have enough monsters to destroy my ‘Vampire’,” I said.

Blackheart laughed, “I know. I remove five monsters from play to destroy, the ‘Metal Shooter’.”

An energy ball fired from the darkness surrounding us, aimed at the ‘Shooter’, destroying another “Counter” (1600-800=800). At the same time my monster’s attack hit (8000-2000=6000).

“Reveal,” I said, “the Trap card ‘Robin’ Zombie’. Its effect combined with the effect of my ‘Vampire Lord’ means that you discard two cards from the top of your deck.”

Blackheart discarded his two cards, his smile never fading. It was about then that it hit me what he had planned.

“I draw,” said Kris, “and summon ‘Heavy Mech Support Platform’, combining it with my ‘Metal Shooter’.” A red and white flying mechanical platform appeared, transforming into a gun-toting harness and attaching to the back of her monster, becoming supplementary weapons and a rocket pack (800+500=1300). Kris gestured aggressively at Blackheart, “Attack!”

‘Metal Shooter’ fired its own guns along with the two guns contributed by ‘Heavy Mech’, taking away another chunk of Blackheart’s Life (6000-1300=4700).

“We’ve got you,” said Kris, beaming with confidence.

Blackheart chuckled wickedly. “Not yet,” he said. “I draw, and I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.” The Soul of Darkness’ flashed, and he drew his cards. I knew then what was about to happen. I knew then that it was over.

“Activate,” Blackheart declared, “‘Card of Sanctity’, letting me draw until I hold six cards. Next I pay two thousand Life Points to open up the dimensions with the Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’, summoning every one of my monsters that are removed from play.”

A rip appeared in the dimensional wall, and through the rip five monsters emerged. Three ‘Bowganians’, ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’, and the massive God dragon, who roared from both mouths at once (ATK: 5000).

I sighed and looked over at Kris, resigned to what I knew was coming, what I knew I couldn’t change. Kris was surprised, and quite afraid. Blackheart’s strength was no longer an unknown, and clearly, we never stood a chance.

“Well,” I said, “at least we tried.”


Monty


Sarah and I were close during Max and Kris’ duel against the monster, Blackheart, though we didn’t know it at the time. We’d barely spoken since we’d set out nearly three hours prior. Sarah and I are Duelists who respect each other, but our relationship doesn’t go much deeper than that, so it was surprising when Sarah broke the silence.

“Monty look,” said Sarah, pointing up at the sky. I followed her gaze and there it was; ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’.

Without a word we ran as fast as we could, ready to jump into battle, but by the time we found Max and Kris they were on the ground, unconscious, the Shadows still falling away from them, the last remnants of the Shadow Game that they had just endured. Their Souls were cracked, and both Souls had gone completely dark.

Sarah looked like she was going to be sick as she spoke, “Looks like Blackheart was here.”

“They come to me like lambs to the slaughter.”

I turned toward the voice that had spoken, the voice that was so like that of our group leader, and yet so different. Behind us, Blackheart stepped from the darkness and stood to face us.

I put on my best confident face, “You’ve made a mistake taking on the Duel Force, Blackheart because one of us will take you down. It may not be us, but it will be someone.”

Blackheart laughed, “Funny, but I don’t have time for jokes.”

Darkness began to swirl around us and Blackheart continued, “Now, let the next stage of our little game begin!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Ten]

Blackheart vs. The Duel Force Round Two;
The Spell-User’s Legacy


Sarah


Max and Kris had been defeated. Even fighting two-on-one they couldn’t beat Blackheart and the Egyptian God card. I was scared. His power scared me, but the only way to save my brother was to beat Blackheart. I had no choice but to try.


Monty


Blackheart was laughing. He was absolutely confident in his power. I glanced down at John’s deck case at Blackheart’s waist. It was open. Inside I saw a large stack of cards. John never carried extra cards with him. That meant that Blackheart had been collecting cards, which meant that, chances were…

“Sarah,” I said, “he’s not using John’s deck anymore. He’s changed it.”

She nodded. “It makes sense. John’s deck’s too tame for someone as evil as Blackheart. He probably grabbed the cards that those Card Taker kids were holding. From what Jenna said, they had a ton. Who knows what kinds of rare cards he found in with those.”

“You done talking amongst yourselves?” Blackheart asked.

“Yeah,” I said, “and we’re ready to start whenever you are.”

Blackheart laughed. “You can’t win,” he taunted.

“We’ll see,” I said. “I’m not holding back, Blackheart. I was taught to duel by the greatest Duelist in the world. Today I’m going to put everything that he taught me to the test.”

“Ooh,” Blackheart mocked, “scary.” He raised his Dark Disk (LP: 8000). Darkness began to swirl around us as Blackheart’s magic took hold, “I’ll keep my move simple so that you can keep up. One monster face-down in defense mode, and two cards face-down.”

“My turn,” said Sarah (LP: 4000). “I summon ‘Unshaven Angler’ in attack mode.”

A fish appeared. Its skin was a transparent blue, and it had a massive lower jaw. It glared fiercely (ATK: 1500).

“Next I activate the Spell card ‘Big Wave Small Wave’, washing my ‘Angler’ away and summoning another monster in his place.”

Water burst out of the ground beneath the monster, surrounding him. When the water disappeared ‘Unshaven Angler’ was gone, and in its place stood a tall humanoid lizard in thick, strong steel armor (ATK: 2450).

“Just see if you can stand up to my ‘Giga Gagagigo’.”

Sarah took a deep breath and continued. “I remove ‘Unshaven Angler’ in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon a second monster, my favorite card, ‘Aqua Spirit’.” A cloud of bubbles appeared. The bubbles popped, revealing a blue-skinned water sprite wearing an elegant blue gown (ATK: 1600).

“Now finally,” Sarah said, “I’ll limit your attacks with the Spell card ‘The Dark Door’. While this card is on the field each player can only attack with one monster per turn.”

“Pretty clever ‘Sis’,” said Blackheart, sneering, “but don’t get too confident. It’s my turn again as soon as your teammate moves. Hurry up Monty. I’m anxious to break you.”

“For my move,” I declared, ignoring Blackheart’s jibes (LP: 4000), “I summon my ‘Skilled White Magician’,” A white-robed sorcerer appeared at my side, wielding a staff as a wand (ATK: 1700).

“Next,” I continued, ignoring the hungry look in Blackheart’s eyes, “I activate the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’, drawing two more cards, as well as the Spell card ‘Magical Blast’.” I drew two cards, and my monster absorbed the power of the ‘Magical Blast’ card into his staff, letting him attack Blackheart for two hundred points of damage (8000-200=7800).

“Now,” I said, “I set a card, and I attack the face-down monster with White Flash Attack!”

‘Skilled White Magician’ fired a wave of light at the monster, revealing the crossbow wielding ‘Bowganian’ for just a second, before it was destroyed.

“You fell right into my trap,” said Blackheart, sneering even as his monster finished dissolving into the darkness. “I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’, calling my ‘Bowganian’ back from the Graveyard in attack mode. I also activate the Spell card ‘Inferno Reckless Summon’, letting me summon two more ‘Bowganians’ as well.” The original machine instantly reformed, and two more appeared from the Shadows. It was Blackheart’s turn next. I had to prepare as best as I could for the coming attack.

“I place a card face-down, and end my turn.”

“I draw,” said Blackheart through a toothy grin, “and my ‘Bowganians’ attack each of you for six hundred damage apiece.”

The small machines fired their arrows at each of us (4000-1800=2200 (each)).

“Next I play ‘Sword of Deep-Seated’ on my lead ‘Bowganian’,” said Blackheart. An evil-looking sword appeared in one of the monsters’ hands (ATK 1300+500=1800). “Attack the white-robed sage!”

“Sorry,” I said. “Reveal ‘Spellbinding Circle’, ensnaring your monster.” A magic circle appeared around ‘Bowganian’, holding it in place.

“Now,” said Sarah, “your monster will have to deal with my ‘Giga Gagagigo’ next turn.” She cracked her knuckles, and the lizard crossed his arms proudly.

“I change my remaining monsters to defense mode,” said Blackheart, though he was clearly not afraid, “place a card face-down, and end my turn.”

Sarah drew. She was shaking. I’d never seen her so worked up. “You will give me back my brother,” she said. “I’m gonna make sure of it.”

“Focus,” I said. “If you don’t calm down we’ll never pull this off.”

“I know!” she snapped. “I place two cards face-down and activate the Spell card ‘Aqua Essence’ allowing my ‘Aqua Spirit’ to change one of your monsters’ battle positions once each turn. So I change your ‘Bowganian’ to attack mode.” A glowing blue sphere appeared in the ‘Spirit’’s hands, radiating a bright light. She aimed it at our opponent’s monster, and ‘Bowganian’ raised his crossbow. The machine’s body, save its arms and its eye, were frozen, holding it in place, but not restricting its ability to attack.

“Now,” said Sarah, “I destroy the weaker ‘Bowganian’ with ‘Giga Gagagigo’.” She punched in the direction of our opponent, and at the same time the armored reptile crushed the machine monster with his steel reinforced claws. Blackheart’s Life Points fell (7800+1300-2450=6650), and Blackheart was hit by a wave of force compliments of the Shadow Game. Where anyone else would have been discouraged, Blackheart seemed to enjoy the pain, but Sarah wasn’t discouraged. She continued to stare him down with intensity.

I smiled, I get it now. She’s pretty unique. She has two spirit monsters. ‘Aqua Spirit’ represents the calm side of her personality, while the powerful ‘Giga Gagagigo’ represents the fiercer side. And her true power only shines through when she balances those two powers. That’s why ‘Levia Dragon – Daedalus’ makes the perfect Soul monster for her. It has a subtlety to it, but it is also fierce and powerful. It balances her spirit all on its own, unlocking her true potential.

Sarah looked at me and nodded. I nodded back, looked at Blackheart, and said, “Instead of drawing, I’ll recycle ‘Magical Blast’ from my Graveyard.” ‘Skilled White Magician’ fired another blast from his staff, hitting Blackheart and making him stumble (6650-200=6450).

“Next,” I continued, “I activate my monster’s ability. Because my ‘Magician’ has accumulated three “Spell Counters” I can sacrifice him to summon the Legendary Dragon Slayer.”

‘Skilled White Magician’ disappeared, and in his place appeared a warrior fully clad in gleaming armor. He was kneeling down at my side, holding a massive jeweled sword that rested against his shoulder. He rose to his feet and flourished his blade, letting the tip rest against the ground. “Introducing,” I said, “the ‘Buster Blader’ (ATK: 2600).”

Blackheart laughed.

“Is something funny?” I asked, but Blackheart just kept laughing. Fine, laugh at this!

“‘Buster Blader’”, I commanded, “attack the one with the sword.”

‘Buster Blader’ nodded, raised his sword, and lunged, swinging his sword and cutting the ‘Bowganian’’s spherical body in half (6450+1800-2600=5650).

“My ‘Bowganian’ may be gone,” Blackheart said, still chuckling, “but his sword returns to the top of my deck. And it’s my turn.”

“Not yet,” I said, raising a halting finger. “I place three cards face-down. Now you can go.”

“Thank you,” Blackheart said mockingly. “Before you end your turn, I reveal ‘Jar of Greed’, letting me return ‘Sword of Deep-Seated’ on top of my deck to my hand. Then I draw, and begin my turn.”

He drew twice. Then he looked straight into my eyes. “You two did well, but you can’t beat me one-on-one, and one of you is about to lose this duel.”

He laughed and pointed at Sarah. “Goodbye, ‘Sis’.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eleven]

Blackheart vs. The Duel Force Round Two;
The Death of a “God”


“I’ll start things off with the special ability of my ‘Bowganian’,” said Blackheart. ‘Bowganian’ fired a crossbow bolt at each of us (2200-600=1600 (each)). “Next I’ll discard a card from my hand to activate ‘Tribute to the Doomed’, destroying the Warrior monster ‘Buster Blader’.” His card’s hologram appeared. Mummy wraps burst from within the card and reached toward my monster.

“My ‘Buster Blader’ may not have any magic of his own,” I countered, “but I have plenty for both of us. Reveal the Trap cards ‘Pitch-Black Power Stone’ and ‘Spell Shield’. I remove a Spell Counter from my ‘Power Stone’ to protect my monster from destruction.”

A magic circle appeared on my ‘Blader’’s arm, like a shield, and a black stone appeared, hanging in the air. A third of the stone broke off, transmuting into a magical light. The light poured into the magic circle, and my monster raised his magical shield, dispersing the mummy wraps and rendering Blackheart’s Spell powerless.

“Pretty good,” Blackheart said. “Of course, I said that I would beat one of you this turn, and I will.” Blackheart laughed again. “I continue my turn with the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’, allowing each player to draw until they hold six cards. Now this is a whole new duel.

“I equip ‘Sword of Deep-Seated’ to my remaining ‘Bowganian’,” Blackheart declared, “and change him to Attack mode (ATK: 1800). ‘Bowganian’, attack, destroy the ‘Aqua Spirit’!”

Crap, I thought. I looked over at Sarah, expecting to see fear or anger on her face. But instead I saw confidence. She had a plan.

“I have you now, Blackheart,” Sarah said, crossing her arms and smiling wide. “Reveal, ‘Ultimate Offering’!

“I pay five hundred Life Points and sacrifice two monsters (1600-500=1100) to summon my ultimate monster, the face of my Duelist’s Soul, the almighty ‘Levia-Dragon – Daedalus’.” Her two monsters disappeared in a swirl of light, and in their place appeared a large sea dragon with silver and blue armor-like scales and broad pink fins. The dragon roared, and ‘Bowganian’ stopped dead, staring up at the dragon with its emotionless robotic eye (ATK: 2600).

“I thought as much,” said Blackheart. “Activate ‘Quick Summon’, letting me sacrifice ‘Bowganian’ to summon ‘Caius the Shadow Monarch’, using his ability to remove your dragon from play.”

Sarah smiled wider, “Then I reveal another Trap card, ‘Aqua Aura’, paying five hundred Life Points (1100-500=600) and removing ‘Aqua Spirit’ in my Graveyard from play to fill the field with water and activate my dragon’s effect.”

Water appeared beneath us, bubbling up beneath the dragon. The water was pulled toward the ‘Levia-Dragon’. “This,” said Sarah, “will destroy every card on the field except for my monster.”

“And of course,” I said, “I can remove another Spell Counter to prevent my ‘Buster Blader’’s destruction as well.” Another chunk of the black stone broke away and became energy that fed the ‘Blader’’s shield.

“Sorry,” said Blackheart, “but that won’t work. Activate ‘Nullification Warp’, canceling your monster’s effect.”

A ripple went through Sarah’s dragon, and the water that had gathered around him fell away and disappeared. “Now,” said Blackheart, “my ‘Monarch’’s effect resolves.” ‘Caius’, a giant armored man with evil eyes, wearing a tattered cape, summoned darkness into a ball in his hands (ATK: 2400). It looked a lot like John’s ‘Dark Core’ Spell. He threw the energy ball at Sarah’s monster and it was swallowed up, leaving Sarah’s field empty, and leaving her with as many options as she had monsters.

“Now,” said Blackheart, “I finish you. ‘Caius’, attack with Dark Energy Force!” The ‘Monarch’ thrust his palm, and Sarah was wreathed in darkness that drained the rest of her Life Points away (600-2400=0). She gasped and her eyes went wide. She fell onto her back, unmoving.

I looked into Blackheart’s eyes, “That’s enough. What gives you the right to treat people this way? What gives you the right!?”

“I am Blackheart,” he said, “Master of the Dark Soul and Wielder of the God ‘Osiris’, and soon all of the Gods. That gives me the right.”

“Heh,” I laughed. “Sorry to burst your bubble, but the only reason you have any power at all is because you stole it from John. He is the true master of the Soul. He is the true wielder of ‘Osiris’, who chose John after his duel with Marik. You would be nothing without your stolen power. Next to John, you are nothing!”

For the first time, Blackheart stopped smiling. “I control the God, not my host. Take your turn and I’ll prove it.”

“Alright, three cards face-down, and I command ‘Buster Blader’ to destroy the Dark Monarch.” ‘Buster Blader’ raised his sword and lunged, slicing the armored fiend in half (5650+2400-2600=5450).

“Alright,” Blackheart said, “finally it’s time I finished this.” He drew a card, giving him three. “Activate, ‘Pot of Greed’, letting me draw two cards from my deck. Then I activate ‘Soul Release’, removing three ‘Bowganians’ and the God from play. Next I discard ‘Armageddon Knight’ and ‘The End Spirits’ to activate ‘Magical Stone Excavation’, returning ‘Card of Sanctity’ in my Graveyard to my hand.” He took a card from his Graveyard.

“Now,” Blackheart continued, “I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’.” His Soul flashed, and as he drew his six new cards he called, “Destiny Draw!”

He selected a card from his new hand. “Activate,” he said, “the Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’ (5450-2000=3450).” A rift opened in the sky, and the three ‘Bowganians’ (DEF: 600 (each)) and the massive red dragon emerged. The God roared (ATK: 5000).

“‘Osiris’, attack for the kill, Thunder Force!”

‘Osiris’ opened his lower mouth and breathed lightning down on my monster from above, vaporizing him instantly. The attack engulfed me as well. “Now who’s got the power?!” Blackheart cried, laughing hysterically.

“Don’t count me out yet, Blackheart,” I said. The attack ended, and I smiled at Blackheart. I was hurt, there was no denying that. I was clutching my arm, which was burned badly, my lip was burned, and I felt like I’d been punched in several spots all across my body, but I was still standing.

“How?” he demanded. “That’s not possible! No mortal can survive the God’s attack!”

“Wrong,” I said. “I activated my face-down Spell, ‘Emergency Provisions’ sending ‘Pitch-Black Power Stone’ and the face-down ‘Diffusion Wave-Motion’ to the Graveyard to increase my Life Points by two thousand (1600+2000+2600-5000=1200). That plus a little conviction was more than enough to keep going.

“At least your champion, the Dragon Slayer, is no more,” Blackheart noted offhandedly, as if keeping score.

I couldn’t help but laugh. “Sorry, but you’re wrong again. I discard my entire hand to activate ‘Rope of Life’, returning my ‘Blader’ to the field.”

“Too bad you didn’t know,” Blackheart said as the warrior returned (2600+800=3400), “that when a monster appears before ‘Osiris’ he attacks with his second mouth. ‘Osiris’, Summon Lightning Shot!”

I smiled and laughed yet again. “How many times are you going to be wrong today? Reveal, ‘Magic Cylinder’, reflecting an attack back on its source.”

‘Osiris’ fired a ball of light from his upper mouth. A cylinder appeared, catching the attack, and disappeared. Then another cylinder appeared, launching the attack back at the God that had produced it (5000-2000=3000).

“I also know enough about the God,” I said, “to know that he dies at the end of the turn if he was Special Summoned.”

“Ah,” said Blackheart. “You underestimate me. Activate ‘Life Light’, a Spell that prevents a monster from being destroyed by a monster effect, even its own.”

‘Osiris’’ Attack fell (3000-1000=2000).

This is it, I thought, letting my smile fade. I can’t win, but the least I can do is try and free ‘Osiris’ from his false master.

I looked up at ‘Osiris’ and then looked back down at Blackheart. I smiled confidently, “I came into this duel already knowing all of your monster’s powers. I hoped to use that knowledge to defeat you, but it seems like the best I can do is hope that my attack severs your connection to the God the way that John’s attack against ‘Osiris’ in his duel with Marik severed Marik’s connection with the God.” I looked again at ‘Osiris’. “Noble creature, I’m sorry. ‘Buster Blader’, Buster Slash!”

The dragon slayer swung his sword, and the God was reduced to shreds (3450+2000-3400=2050).

“God is dead Blackheart,” I said, “and his bond with you is broken. Now my friends might just have a chance.”

“Sorry to disappoint you,” Blackheart said. He laughed hysterically. “I have enough power now,” he said, “to force the God under my control. I don’t need anything as trivial as bonds.”

I sighed, defeated. Well that’s it then.

“I draw,” Blackheart said, “and the effects of my ‘Bowganians’ activate.” The three machines fired, and everything went dark (1200-1800=0).


Blackheart


I stepped up between my two most recent victims and reached out with the stolen Soul of Darkness. The Soul of Water cracked, followed by the Soul of Knowledge, and I felt their powers begin to flow into my Soul. Into my being. Normally I would have taken all of the energy from both Souls, but looking into my host’s memories I saw an opportunity to have a little fun. I took all of the power from the Soul of Water, but I left a good deal of the Spell-user’s Soul intact. Then I reached into his mind, and I left a little something behind; an idea that would blossom into something truly entertaining.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]

Hidden Knowledge


Karen


I hung up the phone. Everything was arranged. It was time to call back the team. I dialed Monty’s phone. His answer sounded groggy, “Yeah?”

“You okay?”

“No,” he answered, “Blackheart got me and Sarah, and Max and Kris.”

Dammit. “Okay, get back here. It’s time to put my plan into action. I’ll call Lawrence and Tucker. Can you handle getting in touch with everyone else?”

“Sure Boss. See you when we get there.”

He hung up. I called Lawrence and then Tucker, and then I sat back and waited.


Tucker and Amanda arrived first, followed by Rocky and Kimi. Then Max, Kris, Sarah, and Monty. Jen and Lawrence showed up last. Jen was a little upset.

“You b****!” she cried. She grabbed me by the collar and pulled me to my feet. “You knew we couldn’t beat Blackheart, didn’t you? You sent my sister out there alone and she was attacked. If Blackheart had wanted to he could have killed her!”

“No,” I said, slapping her hand away, “she wasn’t alone. She was with Max, one of the strongest Duelists we have. Maybe splitting us up was a bad idea. I don’t know. All I know is that we all agreed that we had to act, and that splitting into groups of two was our best chance of finding Blackheart.”

Jen glared at me for several more seconds, and then her face softened. ”Yeah,” she said, “you’re right, sorry.” She walked over to one of the couched across from me and sat down next to her sister, checking her up and down for lasting wounds as Kris insisted that she was fine.

“Don’t worry,” I said, “it’s nothing. And anyway, that part of the plan is done. We need to know more about Blackheart, and I figured that if anyone would have the knowledge that we need it would be the man that gave the Duel Force its mission; Maxamillion Pegasus.”

“Pegasus?” said Rocky. “That’s right, he taught you a lot of what you know about dueling, didn’t he?”

“Yeah,” I answered. “He still considers me his top student, so he keeps in touch, mostly be email, but I have his direct number. I called him. He’s chartering us a jet to New York where we’ll find a car waiting to take us to the Industrial Illusions New York office. Our flight leaves in an hour.

“We can’t all go,” said Lawrence. “Even if we can’t beat Blackheart, which seems to be the consensus, we still can’t leave him unchecked.”

He smiled wickedly, “I volunteer.”

“I’ll stay too,” said Rocky, looking at Lawrence with mild contempt, “to make sure Lawrence isn’t left unchecked.”

“Those of us who have already lost our Souls to Blackheart should stay too,” said Monty. “We won’t be any good against Blackheart in a Shadow Game without our powers, but the way I feel after that duel, I doubt I’d be good to anyone in any situation.”

I nodded. I wasn’t blind to the fact that Sarah, Max, Kris, and Monty were all clearly exhausted. They needed a rest.

“Alright,” I said, nodding agreement, “Jen, Tucker, Amanda, Kimi, and I will go. The rest of you stay.”

I interrupted Max, who seemed about to protest, “I mean it.”

“I’m all for some down time,” said Max. “I was gonna say, I think you should hang onto this.” He handed me a card. I was surprised when I saw it, but I nodded and placed it in my deck.


I led my team of four to the bus stop at the corner. The next bus was due any minute. We’d take it to the airport and catch our flight. Hopefully the info that Teacher had for us would be worth it.


After arriving at the airport we located the I2 company car that was waiting for us. It took us to Pegasus’ New York office where we were led to a large conference room several floors up with wide windows overlooking the city. It was several minutes before anyone entered. When they did, it wasn’t Pegasus, but a secretary. “We at I2 are sorry for the inconvenience, but your meeting with Mr. Pegasus has been moved to his resort at the Duelist Kingdom.”

So we were driven back to the airport where we boarded another jet to Duelist Kingdom. As we flew toward our goal I couldn’t help but wonder what was happening back home.


Lawrence


I had managed to lose Rocky a while ago and was patrolling the city alone. I knew that super goody-two-shoes Rocky would be at least a decent match for Blackheart alone, and I wanted to prove that I could stand up to him too.

It wasn’t too long before I saw him. He was walking straight toward me, full of confidence. He summoned the Dark Disk and stood to face me.

“It’s about time I found you Lawrence,” he said. “I have a special purpose for you.”

“Blah blah blah, whatever. Are we gonna duel or not?”

“Of course. I assume that if you win you want me to release this body and return to the darkness from which I came?” He spoke like he knew that I didn’t really care one way or another. He was reminding me to care. It was a way of taunting me, of telling me that it didn’t matter what the terms of the game were, because he was going to win.

“Yeah,” I said impatiently, “sure, whatever. I move first.” I switched on my Duel Disk and drew my opening hand. “I start out with ‘Graceful Charity’. I draw three cards and then discarded ‘Luster Dragon’ and ‘Spear Dragon’.

“Next,” I continued insistently, “I play ‘Trade-In’, discarding ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ to draw again.”

I drew two cards, and I smiled darkly, “Now I play ‘Ancient Rules’ and ‘Monster Reborn’, summoning two copies of the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, one from my hand and one from the Graveyard!” two large white dragons with fierce blue eyes appeared behind me. They roared in unison (ATK: 3000 (each)).

“Next,” I said, “I summon ‘The Light – Hexed-Sealed Fusion’, sacrificing all three monsters to summon a fusion monster.”

‘The Light’, a monster that looked like a jumble of light and metal and flesh, and one of the dragons merged with the other dragon. There was a flash, and the dragon suddenly had two more heads. The three heads roared, “arise, ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’ (ATK: 4500)!”

“Finally, I play the last card in my hand, ‘Super Rejuvenation’. My turn ends and I draw five cards, one for every dragon that I sacrificed or discarded during my turn.”

I drew a whole new hand, and gave Blackheart a look that dared him to beat my combo, dared him to overcome my ‘Ultimate Dragon’.

“Impressive move,” said Blackheart, but his tone said that he was not at all impressed. He was mocking me.

“I begin with ‘Pot of Greed’,” Blackheart continued, “drawing two cards.”

He drew and looked over his new hand, “You summoned a very strong monster, but I can summon strong monsters too. I discard ‘Dark Creator’ to Special Summon ‘Dark Grepher’.” An evil-looking warrior appeared wearing black dragon-skin armor and carrying a longsword (ATK: 1700).

“Next,” Blackheart declared, sneering, “I activate ‘Dark Grepher’’s effect, discarding the Dark monster ‘Bowganian’ to discard the Dark monster ‘Blowback Dragon’ from my deck. Now, because I have exactly three Dark monsters in my Graveyard I can Special Summon the fiercest of all Dragon-type monsters, ‘Dark Armed Dragon’!”

Behind Blackheart in a swirling aura of dark light and wind appeared a figure. The aura dispersed, revealing a huge, armored black dragon with blades covering his body and sharp, vicious claws (ATK: 2800).

“My ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ has a power called Dark Blades,” Blackheart explained. “I remove ‘Blowback Dragon’ from play to destroy your ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’!” ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ slashed, creating a dark energy blade that flew toward my monster, slicing him in half down the middle.

“Finally,” said Blackheart, “I pay two thousand Life Points to activate ‘Dimension Fusion’, summoning ‘Blowback Dragon’ to the field.” The air above my opponent rippled and the armless, pistol headed mechanical dragon appeared with a roar that sounded like grinding gears (ATK: 2300).

“‘Dark Grepher’, attack!” Blackheart commanded. The warrior ran toward me and slashed across my chest (8000-1700=6300). I gasped, feeling as if I’d really been cut.

“Now I activate ‘Limiter Removal’, doubling the attack of my ‘Blowback Dragon’ and I attack with him as well.” The mechanical dragon fired a single shot at me (ATK: 2300x2=4600/LP: 6300-4600=1700), and I nearly passed out. I looked up at Blackheart’s final monster. I’m not stupid, I knew what was coming, but I remained defiant.

“And finally,” Blackheart said, “my Spirit attacks. ‘Dark Armed Dragon’, Black Flame Tornado!” ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ breathed fire that swirled into a funnel and slammed into me, throwing me to the ground, singeing my clothes (1700-2800=0).

Blackheart walked up and stood over me. “Take my Soul,” I said. “I don’t give a rat’s ass.”

“I don’t want your Soul,” he said. “No, I have much bigger plans for you.” The Shadows fell away from us, and he turned and walked away.


Karen


Teacher met us at the entrance to the castle, well-concealed desperation gleaming in his one visible eye. No one else seemed to notice. He had led us to a room filled with Egyptian artifacts. There was an enlarged photo of a large Egyptian tablet on the wall. Pegasus went to stand by the photo. “I am glad that you got a hold of me when you did, Karen. I was about to contact you myself.”

He gestured to the image on the wall, “This, as some of you know, is the tablet telling of the legendary Forgotten Duelist. The final passage inscribed here was until recently untranslatable. I could find no one with the knowledge to decipher such a dialect. But just recently I was able to read it with only a simple understanding of hieroglyphics. It tells of the return of the Duelist’s dark side in much greater detail.

“The passage is prophesy,” said Teacher, “meant to warn of the danger that will arise immediately upon the dark side’s return. It says that as the Duelist’s return draws near, his dark side will manifest in the body of the new Duelist, taking it and all power associated with it for his own purposes. It also says that his dark reach would break the Duelist’s Souls and put allegiances to the test.”

“The new Duelist”, I thought. That must mean John. The prophesy is about Blackheart taking him over.

I expected Teacher to continue, but he said nothing else.

“That’s all?” I asked. “Nothing about how to stop Blackheart once he returns?”

“No,” said Teacher, “but I never expected there would be. I’ve always known, as you all have as well, I’m sure, that there is only one who can defeat Blackheart.”

“The Duelist,” I said.

“Yes,” Teacher replied. “The story of the Duelist ends with the promise that after his evil side’s return, the Duelist would himself return to renew his age old battle. Until the final passage became legible, it was unclear exactly when the Duelist would return to challenge his ancient enemy, but now it is quite clear. The symbols referring to the Duelist’s return state that his return is near and, when used in this context, mean very near. Blackheart doesn’t know it, but the Duelist will soon return, ready to destroy him. You just have to delay Blackheart until it can happen.”

I sighed and looked around at the worried faces of my friends, “That’s going to be more difficult than you might think.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Thirteen]

Return of the Dark Duel Force


Teacher’s words filled us with new hope. As long as we could hold out just a bit longer, we stood a chance of seeing this situation come to a happy end. By the time our meeting with Teacher was over it was late, so Teacher let us stay in the castle, giving us plenty of time to dwell on his statements.

The others went almost immediately to their rooms (it had been a long day), but I hung back. I wanted to talk to Teacher alone. He had his assistant get us some tea, and we sat down at the table in Teacher’s Egyptology room. He was a good friend, someone I could talk to, and with all that was going on, I needed to talk to someone.

“Karen, my best student,” Teacher asked, “what can I do for you? I assume that you have another purpose for wanting to meet with me in person?”

I sighed, “Yeah, well, aside from the looming threat of death, I’m doing pretty well for myself, actually. I have a home and friends. I’m happier than I’ve been since my parents…you know. But I needed to talk to someone. I have to stay strong in front of the Duel Force. They aren’t leaders, and they’re looking to me for strength that I frankly don’t have. There’s only one person amongst my new friends that I think I’d be able to talk to, but he’s…not available.”

“I see,” Teacher replied, sipping his tea. “I’m sure John would feel the same way were your situations reversed. From what you’ve told me recently, he seems as fond of you as you are of him.”

I blushed, “I doubt that.”

We sat there for a while in silence. Finally I asked him the question that had been on my mind since he’d described the ancient passage, the question that was my immediate reason for staying behind, “Teacher, what exactly does the tablet say about the battle between the Duelist and Blackheart?”

“What’s bothering you?” he asked.

“Well, does it, I mean, does it say for sure that the Duelist will win? Is it a guarantee?”

He sighed, “You would ask the hard questions, wouldn’t you? The short answer is no. The tablet says that the Duelist is a being of amazing skill, with a strategic mind that is nearly unrivaled, surpassed only by the Unnamed Pharaoh, the greatest gamer to ever live. It also says, however, that Blackheart is the Duelist, with all of the Duelist’s skills. It also explains that Blackheart is more ambitious than the Duelist, but that the Duelist is more level-headed. Neither has a clear advantage over the other.”

“What happens if the Duelist loses?” I asked.

“The tablet doesn’t say anything specific, but it does say that it will be horrible and far-reaching enough to affect the entire world.”

“Wow,” I said, dripping sarcasm, “awesome.”

“Have faith,” Teacher said, “and stay strong. Things will be alright. Oh, and speaking of strong, I have something for you that should help you if you have to fight Blackheart again. I understand that using my style of dueling is a bit limiting, even for someone of your caliber, as it is impossible to expand your deck with unreleased cards.”

He reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a deck of cards. “Use these as you will. They’re yours now.”

I smiled, and for the first time since I’d seen Blackheart look at me through my best friend’s eyes, I felt like there might be some hope.


I went to my room and went through the deck that I’d been given, adding many of them to my deck. Finally I was trying to sleep when my Soul flashed, alerting me to a presence outside my window. I looked outside, and what I saw made me jump. I leaped out of bed and ran for the window, but the figure was already gone. Without hesitation I grabbed my Duel Disk and my new deck, and I threw my window open, giving chase.

The figure’s trail led me to a large clearing, lit by a full moon, where I found Jen, Tucker, Amanda, and Kimi waiting around an old arena, left over from the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. The arena was worn from the weather and partially overgrown.

“So you saw them too?” I asked my friends.

“Yeah,” said Tucker.

“So I’m not crazy. They really are back.”

“That’s right, Duel Force,” came a familiar voice from the shadows at the opposite side of the clearing. They stepped out of the shadows. Ghost Ruler, Beast Ruler, War Ruler, Guardian Ruler, and Archfiend Ruler. The Dark Duel Force.

“How’d you find us?” Kimi asked, sounding worried.

“And what do you want?” I demanded, just as worried, but not letting it show.

“Did you really think that we wouldn’t return?” said the muscular, blond Guardian Ruler. “You humiliated us while we were dueling in the name of Master Yami. Such a thing isn’t very favorable in our line of work.”

“Now, with Yami dead,” said the spiky-haired young man, Archfiend Ruler, “leadership of the Duelists of the Order of the Divine Cards is up for grabs. We plan to seize it, but first we must redeem ourselves in the eyes of our peers.”

“This time, acting on our own, we were able to play things smart. We waited, and as soon as you five were apart from your allies we made our move,” said the roughly twenty-year-old War Ruler. “If we each gain possession of a Duelist’s Soul it will give us the edge over the others and go a long way toward solidifying our new position in the Order.”

“This is ridiculous,” I told them. “If you’ve been watching us, then you know that we have a new enemy.”

“Blackheart,” Archfiend Ruler said with a sneer.

“If you know his name,” I said, “then you know how dangerous he is. If you control even a small percentage of the Order’s numbers then order them against Blackheart. Help us stop him, because if he’s allowed to continue with his plan to seize all three Gods he’ll be unstoppable.”

Archfiend Ruler swaggered a bit, “I think not. After all, once we beat you we will be able to seize control of the entire remainder of the Order, and we’ll be able to crush this Blackheart without having to ally ourselves with the likes of you.”

“You seem confident that you can beat us,” said Jen.

“And that we’ll agree to duel you in the first place,” Tucker added. “Tell us, why should we risk our Souls fighting some chumps that we’ve already beat?

“Because,” said Beast Ruler, the youngest of the group, “we won’t let you leave until you do.”

I looked around, my friends doing the same, and I saw what I’d missed in the dark of night. We were trapped, surrounded by Shadows. There was no escape. The Shadow Game had already begun.

“I’m dueling first this time,” said the maniacal, white-haired Ghost Ruler. “This Shadow Game is a group spell,” he said. “you will have to defeat each of us to break it, and if even one of you loses, all of you will be forced to forfeit your Souls.”

“If that’s the case,” I said, “I’ll duel all five of you.”

I took a step forward, but Amanda cut me off. “You’ve been through a lot today, Karen. I’ll take the first one. Besides, ever since you guys told me about the Dark Duel Force I’ve wanted to fight them myself. I have an idea, too.”

She pointed at Archfiend Ruler, “Your rules aren’t fair, and the rules of a Shadow Game have to be fair. That means you’ll have to forfeit the game and take a penalty unless you let us set some terms of our own. We’ll let you keep your terms if you agree that when we beat you, you have to give up your Shadow Items.”

“Shadow Items for Souls,” said Fiend thoughtfully. “Sounds fair, and interesting. You’re on.”

“I move first,” said Ghost. “I want this game to be as exciting as possible, and every exciting game needs the right stage.”

With a wave of his hand, the growth over the arena dissolved, and he stepped up, plugging his Duel Disk into one of the arena’s battle fields.

“I begin with ‘Malice Doll of Demise’,” Ghost declared, a wooden doll the size of a child appearing in the arena before him (ATK: 1600).

“Next,” Ghost said, “I activate the Continuous Spell ‘Ectoplasmer’. Now, at the end of each of our turns we must sacrifice one face-up monster to deal damage to our opponent equal to half the attack of that monster. And when my ‘Doll’ is sent to the Graveyard by the effect of a Continuous Spell, he returns in my next Standby Phase.

“I place two cards face-down and end my turn. ‘Malice Doll’, give your spirit to ‘Ectoplasmer’. Soul Attack!”

The ‘Malice Doll’’s body collapsed, becoming completely lifeless. Its ghostly spirit rose from its body and flew strait at Amanda, plunging strait through her chest (8000-800=7200).

“Wow,” she said, ignoring the pain of the Shadow Game “that was pretty cool.” She stepped up to the opposite end of the arena, plugged in her own Duel Disk, drew her sixth card and looked at her hand. Then she looked back up at Ghost and said, “I don’t know much about cards other than my own, but if I counted right, I just won.”

She selected a card from her hand, “I start out with ‘Cyber Harpie Lady’ in attack mode,” a woman with long red hair and feathered wings for arms appeared, wearing purple metallic armor and carrying a whip (ATK: 1800). “Next I play ‘Harpie’s Hunting Ground’, increasing the attack of all of my monsters by two hundred.” A massive updraft rose up all around us, swirling around the arena (1800+200=2000).

“Next,” Amanda said, “I play two copies of ‘Elegant Egotist’, summoning two ‘Harpie Lady Sisters’.” Two groups of three ‘Harpies’ appeared, wearing golden armor instead of purple armor (ATK: 1950+200=2150 (each)).

“Thanks to ‘Hunting Ground’,” Amanda explained, “my ‘Harpies’ attack your face-down cards as they come into play.”

The two ‘Sisters’ crushed Ghost’s two face-down cards and then flew back to Amanda’s side of the field. Ghost discarded his cards; ‘Zoma the Spirit’ and ‘Fires of Doomsday’.

“Finally,” said Amanda, “I activate ‘Triangle Ecstasy Spark’, raising the Attack of my ‘Sisters’ to twenty-seven hundred each, and I attack with all three of my monsters.” Two X-shaped energy beams and a whip lash tore at Ghost, ripping the front of his skull pattern t-shirt (8000-2700-2700-2000=600). “I end my turn, and I sacrifice ‘Cyber Harpie Lady’ for the effect of ‘Ectoplasmer’.”

“What?” Ghost demanded disbelievingly, “this is impossible!”

“‘Harpie’, said Amanda, “Spirit Attack!” The soul of the monster struck, and Ghost Ruler’s Life Points fell to zero.

“Well well,” Fiend told Amanda casually, “I’m glad you weren’t there for our first battle, girl. You would have beaten my entire team, and I would have had to fight all of you myself!”

His aura flared up and his voice turned harsh as he turned to Ghost Ruler, his eyes glowing black, “As for you, you’ve failed me. This is far from the first time. You claim to be so fearsome, and yet you lose every chance you get.”

He stared down his ally and commanded, “Now give them your Item and get out of my sight.”

Ghost Ruler, frightened for probably the first time in his life, dropped his Shadow Bracelet in the grass beside the arena and ran into the darkness.


Jen


“Sorry about him,” said Fiend. “For all he says about being the master of fear, he’s really just a big baby. Not to mention the fact that he’s the weakest among us, and he just doesn’t see it. But don’t worry, once I’ve killed all of you, I’ll find him and kill him too.”

He looked us over, “So, now that the girl’s turn is over, who’s next?”

“No one said anything about turns,” Amanda protested.

“I just did,” Archfiend Ruler replied harshly, “deal with it.”

“Don’t worry,” I told Amanda, “I’ve got this one.”

“Delicious,” said Beast Ruler, snarling. “In that case, I’m next.”

I switched places with Amanda, and Beast Ruler took up the position across from me, “Come on. Show me how much stronger you’ve become Bug Duelist. Show me your power!”

I smiled smugly, “Alright. I summon my ‘Insect Knight’ in attack mode.” A human-sized insect wearing armor and carrying a shield and sword appeared within the arena (ATK: 1900).

“I also place one card face-down,” I declared, “and end my turn.”

“You’re as weak as ever,” said Beast Ruler, “if you think that a move like that is any kind of threat to me. I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’!”

A wind picked up, tearing strait through the hologram of my face-down ‘Option Hunter’ card.

“Then I summon one of my strongest Beasts,” he continued. An orange-furred gorilla appeared, “I summon ‘Berserk Gorilla’ (ATK: 2000). Kill the ‘Insect Knight’!”

The ape punched my ‘Insect’, crushing it with his immense strength (8000+ 1900-2000=7900).

“Now I place three cards face-down, and I end my turn.” He laughed, licking his lips. He was just as eager for a fight as ever.

“Finally,” I said, “I can go. I begin my turn with ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive my ‘Insect Knight’. Next I play ‘Multiplication of Insects to split him into two monsters.” The ‘Insect’ returned from the dead and split into two exact copies of itself (ATK: 950 (each)).

“Now,” I said, “I sacrifice my two Token Monsters-.”

“Not so fast,” said Beast. “Reveal ‘Token Feastevil’ to destroy every Token in play and deal you three hundred points of damage for each one. And to ‘Feastevil’ I chain ‘Ojama Trio’, summoning three ‘Ojama Tokens’ to your side of the field.” Three small creatures in Speedo briefs appeared.

“But I’m not done,” said Beast. “I also chain ‘Scapegoat’, summoning four ‘Sheep Tokens’ to my side of the field.” Four fur balls with goat horns, one of them blue, one of them green, one of them red, and one of them orange, appeared, and all of the Token Monsters smarmed me together and exploded. I took three hundred damage for each Token that was destroyed, and another three hundred for each of the three ‘Ojamas’ (7900-(300x9)=5200/ 5200-(300x3)=4300).

“I set a card,” I said, doing my best impression of a frustrated Insect Duelist, “go.”

“I draw,” said Beast, “and summon ‘Des Kangaroo’.” A kangaroo wearing boxing gloves appeared, shuffling his feet and punching the air (ATK: 1500). “‘Kangaroo’, attack!”

The newest beast lunged at me and punched me in the face, splitting my lit. Blood filled the corner of my mouth. I reached up and wiped it away (4300-1500=2800).

“Now I attack with my ‘Berserk Gorilla’.” The ‘Gorilla’ ran at me, his fist raised.

“Reveal,” I said, “the Trap card ‘Enchanted Javelin’.” A spear appeared in my hand. I held it out and a barrier came up around me. The ‘Gorilla’’s fist hit the barrier (2800+2000=4800). Then his fist broke through, punching me in the gut. I dropped the spear and it disappeared (4800-2000=2800).

“I place a card face-down,” said Beast, “and I activate ‘Card of Demise’, letting me draw until I hold five cards.” He drew and looked at his hand. “One more face-down card. End turn.”


He thinks he’s ahead, I thought, drawing my card. I guess he’s not as strong as he thinks he is.

“I set two cards of my own,” I declared, “and activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us each draw until we hold six cards. You get two, and I get six!”

I looked over my new hand. Yeah, I thought, this should work.

“I summon ‘Larvae Moth’ in defense mode and equip it with the ‘Cocoon of Evolution’.” A green worm with a spike on its head appeared, shooting sticky thread from its mouth, wrapping itself up. Soon it was a huge cocoon, pulsing with new life (DEF: 2000).

“So, what,” said Beast, “you’re gonna wait for your monster to evolve? Kinda weak don’t ya think?”

I didn’t answer.

“Fine,” he said. “Activate ‘Heavy Storm’ to destroy your Spell and Trap cards, including your ‘Cocoon’.”

I smiled, “Sorry. Reveal ‘Curse of Royal’, negating your Spell effect.”

A huge wind picked up all around us, but it died down just as fast as it came.

“Then I sacrifice ‘Berserk Gorilla’ and ‘Des Kangaroo’ to summon my spirit, ‘Behemoth the King of All Animals’!” A massive purple beast with huge horns and razor sharp claws appeared with a roar (ATK: 2700). “When I Normal Summon ‘Behemoth’, I can return as many monsters from my Graveyard to my hand as I sacrificed to summon him, so I return ‘Berserk Gorilla’ and ‘Des Kangaroo’ to my hand.”

He smiled as the two cards slid out of his Graveyard.

“‘Behemoth’, attack!”

‘Behemoth’ struck with his claws, but before they could hit the massive beast floated up into the air where he was destroyed, reduced to a cloud of thick black smoke.

“H-how?”

I smiled, “Easy. ‘Zero Gravity’ plus ‘Tragedy’.”

Beast growled, “Fine. I end my turn.” He discarded down to six cards, discarding ‘Maji-Gire Panda’

“That’s what I like to hear,” I told him. “I Draw! Reveal ‘Accelerated Evolution’ to increase the growth rate of my cocoon by an extra turn. Then I play ‘Graceful Charity’.” I drew three cards and discarded two.

“Wow,” I said, “look what I drew. ‘Pot of Greed’, which lets me draw two more cards.” I drew again and examined my hand.

“I remove from play three Insects in my Graveyard; ‘Insect Knight’, ‘Arsenal Bug’, and ‘Metal Armored Bug’. This lets me Special Summon ‘Doom Dozer’ and ‘Aztekipede, the Worm Warrior’!”

From the ground behind me burst two massive segmented worms with a hundred clawed legs apiece; the red ‘Doom Dozer’ with black plates running down its back (ATK: 2800), and the smaller green ‘Aztekipede’, with razor sharp pincher (ATK: 1900).

“The two worms attack directly,” I commanded. The two massive monsters reached forward and slammed into Beast, throwing him onto his back. He rose to his feet quickly, but the damage was done (8000-2800-1900=3300).

“The effects of my monsters force you to discard two cards from the top of your deck.”

Beast threw his two cards away. I couldn’t see what they were, but it didn’t lessen my good mood.

“That ends my turn,” I said, and Beast drew. He saw his newest card and smiled wide, laughing wickedly.

“Go ahead and summon your ‘Moth’,” said Beast, “because I’m about to summon a monster that will put even the ‘Great Moth’ to shame. With ‘Polymerization’ I fuse ‘Big Koala’ and ‘Des Kangaroo’ into the most powerful Beast card in the game!”

A massive blue-furred koala appeared alongside ‘Des Kangaroo’. The two merged into a thirty-foot-tall kangaroo with a koala’s head, wearing a vest and boxing gloves and carrying a championship belt over his shoulder.

“Presenting,” Beast declared dramatically, “the ‘Master of Oz’ (ATK: 4200)! But I’m not done. I summon ‘Berserk Gorilla’ as well, play ‘Poison Fang’, and I attack both of your monsters.”

‘Berserk Gorilla’ ran up to the smaller worm and jumped at him, punching strait through its oversized head (2800+1900-2000=2700), and ‘Master of Oz’ punched the larger worm, literally crushing it under his massive fist (2700+2800-4200=1300). The Spell card ‘Poison Fang’ kicked in and my Life Points fell even further (1300-1000 =300).

“You’re just as strong as before,” I said.

“Oh yeah,” said Beast, “I rule!”

“I’m not done!” I snapped. My Soul flashed and Beast took a nervous step back. “You are just as strong as you were before,” I said, “but I’ve gotten much stronger. You’re no longer any match for me. I draw, and I activate another ‘Accelerated Evolution’, evolving my monster even further. Now my ‘Cocoon’ opens, revealing my ultimate card, the ‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’!”

The ‘Cocoon’ tore open and a massive moth with a huge body and broad, beautifully patterned blue wings emerged. He flapped his glistening wings and rose into the air, spreading sparkling blue powder over the field (ATK: 3500).

“Your Moth can’t touch my ‘Oz’,” Beast said, “and I won’t let you attack ‘Gorilla’. Reveal ‘Beast Soul Swap’, returning ‘Gorilla’ to my hand and then Special Summoning my ‘Mad Dog of Darkness’ to the field in defense mode.”

A massive dog with horns and razor sharp claws appeared (DEF: 1400).

“My monster can most definitely touch your ‘Master of Oz’,” I said, “once I activate ‘Riryoku’, stealing half of your monsters attack and giving it to mine!”

Streams of energy transferred from the massive ‘Master of Oz’ into the equally large ‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’ (ATK of ‘Oz’: 2100/ATK of ‘Great Moth’: 5600).

“‘Moth’,” I commanded, “attack, Great Whirlwind!” The giant insect flapped his wings, summoning a tornado that engulfed the ‘Master of Oz’, ripping him to shreds. The whirlwind carried through and hit my opponent, throwing him through the air (3300+2100-5600=0).

“Would you look at that,” I said, crossing my arms proudly, “it looks like Ghost Ruler wasn’t the only weakling around here. Now bring on the next one, because we’re just getting started.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fourteen]

Round Two


Karen


“That’s not possible,” said Beast Ruler disbelievingly. “How could you be stronger than me?”

“She just told you, idiot,” Archfiend Ruler told him, “now get the hell down here and make way for a real Duelist.”

Beast Ruler scowled and removed his necklace, throwing it over to Jen before he stepped down from his end of the arena and moved to stand shamefully behind his allies.

Archfiend Ruler looked to War Ruler, “You’re up next. Don’t fail. I’ve had about enough of you as it is, and if you fail I might not be able to find the compassion to forgive you.”

“I’ll take this one,” said Kimi.

“This guy’s strong,” I told her.

“I know,” Kimi replied, smiling confidently, “why do you think I wanna be the one to beat him. You guys are always showing me up.”

She stepped up to the arena, the calm, collected War Ruler stepping up across from her, and the third duel began.


Kimi


I was nervous. My last encounter with the Dark Duel Force hadn’t gone well. But with every other member of the team stepping up, I felt like I had to do the same.

“I move first if you don’t mind,” said War Ruler (LP: 8000).

“Go ahead,” I replied, “I’ll beat you either way.”

“I place five cards face-down,” said War Ruler, “and summon my favorite card, ‘Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight’!”

A blue-armor-clad knight appeared aback a purple steed, a lance in each hand (ATK: 2300).

“Reveal,” said War, “the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’, letting me draw two cards. Next I reveal ‘Graceful Charity’ to draw three cards and then discard two.” He drew three cards and then sent ‘Gaia the Fierce Knight’ and ‘Earth Effigy’ to the Graveyard.

“And finally,” said War Ruler, “I reveal ‘Monster Reborn’, calling the original ‘Gaia the Fierce Knight’ back from the Graveyard.” A second mounted knight appeared, riding a burst of wind (ATK: 2300).

“‘Gaia’ cards, huh? Good move. Two level seven monsters in the first turn with no sacrifices. And I don’t have anything on hand that can beat them, so I’ll just have to draw a few more cards. I summon my ‘Agent of Wisdom – Mercury’ in defense mode.” The blue-skinned angel appeared, his book under his arm (DEF: 1700).

“Next,” I said, “I play ‘Double Summon’, summoning a second ‘Mercury’ in defense mode as well (DEF: 1700). Then I equip each of my ‘Mercury’ monsters with a copy of ‘Heart of Clear Water’.” Each of the two angels was surrounded by a transparent barrier. “Finally,” I said, “I place the last card in my hand face-down and end my turn.”

“Interesting combination,” said War Ruler. “Your monsters are in defense mode, and they can’t be destroyed by battle, but that won’t protect you. I Reveal ‘Spiral Spear Strike’. While this particular Spell is in play, both of my monsters have Piercing.

“‘Gaia’ and ‘Swift Gaia’, Spiral Spear Strike!” The two knights charged forward and stabbed at the two angels. The spears hit the barriers around my monsters and were repelled, but the wind that surrounded the spears curled around the barriers and hit me hard, like a punch to the gut (8000+1700+1700-2300-2300=6800).

“I reveal ‘Jar of Greed’,” said War Ruler, “drawing one card from my deck, and I end my turn.”

“When you do,” I announced, “I reveal ‘Solemn Wishes’. Now each time I draw, I recover five hundred Life Points. And thanks to the effects of my two ‘Agent Mercury’ cards, I draw two more times this turn.”

I drew three cards, and my Life Points increased (6800+(500x3)=8300). “Next I summon my ‘Agent of Creation – Venus’ in defense mode, and I pay 1000 Life Points (8300-1000=7300), summoning two of the angelic glass orbs ‘Mystic Shine Ball’, in defense mode as well (DEF of ‘Venus’: 0/DEF: of ‘Shine Balls’: 500 (each)).

“I end my turn with a new face-down card and the Field Spell ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’.” The scenery around us changed. Suddenly we were no longer in a dark forest. Instead we found ourselves standing in the clouds, light pouring over us. Behind me appeared a large white roman-style temple, the source of the light.

“While ‘Sanctuary’ is out,” I explained, “I don’t take battle damage from any battle involving my Fairy-type monsters.”

“Maybe I can’t deal you battle damage,” said War Ruler, “but I can still destroy your monsters. My ‘Gaia’ monsters attack your ‘Shine Balls’.”

The knights attacked, and the orbs shattered.

“When my turn begins,” I said, “I draw three times once again, and my Life increases (7300+(500x3)=8800). Next I play ‘Card of Sanctity’ to draw four more cards.”

I drew again, and once again ‘Solemn Wishes’ increased my Life Points, Almost there (8800+500=9300).

“Next I play ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and discarding two.” I drew again, tossing two cards into the Graveyard (9300+500=9800).

I selected a card from my hand, “I summon ‘Agent of Force – Mars’ in attack mode. He begins with zero Attack Points, but he gains Attack equal to the difference between our Life points as long as my Life Points are higher than yours. I also equip him with ‘Cestus of Dagla’, increasing his Attack by another five hundred points.” The red-skinned angel, ‘Mars’, appeared at my side, a war hammer hanging from his belt. A curved blade appeared in each of his hands (ATK: 0+1800+500=2300).

“Your monster is strong,” War Ruler noted, “but he can’t kill my ‘Gaia’. And thanks to your ‘Card of Sanctity’’s effect, I drew exactly the cards I needed to secure me this duel. ‘Metamorphosis’ will transform one of my ‘Gaia’ monsters into ‘Gaia’’s most powerful form, ‘Gaia the Dragon Champion’!” One of his monsters’ horses became a yellow, spiked dragon. ‘Gaia’’s new mount flapped its wings, and the dragon and the knight took to the air together (ATK: 2600).

“‘Gaia the Dragon Champion’, attack ‘Mars’.”

The dragon-mounted knight swooped toward my angel.

“Reveal,” I declared proudly, “the Trap card ‘Solar Ray’!”

A beam from each of my monsters struck War Ruler, burning him, and his Life Points fell (8000-2400=5600). The Attack of my monster more than doubled (2300+2400=4700). ‘Mars swung the ‘Cestus of Dagla’ and cut ‘Gaia’ in half, dragon and all (5600+2600-4700=3500). “The effect of my ‘Cestus’ kicks in,” I explained, “increasing my Life Points by an amount equal to the damage you took (9800+ 2100=11,900).

“I place a card face-down,” War Ruler concluded, the beginnings of desperation starting to show through. I took a second to wonder how this guy could be evil before I continued.

“Too late,” I said. “I sacrifice ‘Mars’ to summon another ‘Agent’, the ‘Agent of Judgment – Saturn’!”

Another male angel replaced the first. His skin was deep blue, and he held his arms out at his sides. A brilliant light built around him, pouring down over War Ruler. He covered his eyes.

“‘Saturn’,” I commanded, “Finishing Attack Special Ability, Burning Light!”

‘Saturn’ merged with the light and fired strait at War Ruler. “My attack deals damage equal to the difference between our Life Points (Total Damage: 8400).” War Ruler stumbled back as my monsters faded away.

War Ruler regained his footing. He looked into my eyes, and then slowly he took the Shadow Dagger from his belt, walked over, and handed it to me. Then he turned and walked away, Archfiend Ruler glaring at him as he went.


Tucker


Three of the Dark Duel Force had already been beaten. I had my eyes on Guardian Ruler as an opponent, and based on the glaring look that he’d been giving me, he was thinking along the same lines.

“My turn,” said Guard in a stern voice, stepping forward. I stepped forward to meet him, and we made our way up to the arena.

“Are you ready for our rematch, kid?” he asked.

“Of course,” I replied confidently.

“Then I’ll begin,” Guardian Ruler began. “I place three cards face-down and set a monster. That’s all.”

I smiled, “My turn! I play ‘Painful Choice’ to search my deck for five cards and show them to you. You pick one of those cards. That card is added to my hand, and the rest are discarded to my Graveyard.”

I selected my five cards and placed them on my Duel Disk. They were ‘Hinotama Soul’, ‘Tyrant Dragon’, ‘Flame Ruler’, ‘Charcoal Inpachi’, and ‘Blazing Inpachi’.

“Add ‘Hinotama Soul’ to your hand,” said Guard, as stern and emotionless as ever. I did as I was told.

“Activate,” I continued, “the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’. I draw three cards and then I discard ‘Hinotama Soul’ and ‘Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective’. Next I play ‘Soul Absorption’. Now each time a card is removed from play I gain five hundred Life Points. And I follow up by removing ‘Hinotama Soul’ and ‘Gaia Soul’ from play to summon ‘Spirit of Flames’ and ‘Inferno’ (LP: 8000+1000=9000).” A red-skinned fire demon with horns and a floating living flame appeared on my field. “I sacrifice both monsters,” I declared, “for the ‘Infernal Flame Emperor’!”

A being of flames with wings, a man’s torso, and a body like a lion appeared, roaring determinedly (ATK: 2700).

“When ‘Infernal Flame Emperor’ is summoned,” I explained, “I remove three Fire monsters in my Graveyard from play to destroy three Spell or Trap cards (9000+ 1500 =10,500).”

Three pillars of fire appeared around Guard’s Spell and Trap cards, burning then to ashes.

“My ‘Flame Emperor’ attacks your face-down monster,” I declared. My monster threw a huge fireball at Guard’s monster. It was revealed as a huge statue with massive arms, the ‘Guardian Statue’ (DEF: 1100). My monster’s attack was about to hit when three blue-robed priests appeared, summoning a barrier to block it.

“Of course you would chain ‘Waboku’,” I said. I hate ‘Waboku’.

“I finish my turn,” I declared, “by placing one card face-down, and activating ‘Burial from a Different Dimension’, returning ‘Gaia Soul’, ‘Flame Ruler’, and ‘Tyrant Dragon’ to my Graveyard.”

“Draw,” said Guard, “and I activate ‘Guardian Statue’’s effect, flipping him into face-down defense position. Then I Flip-Summon him again, returning one of your monsters to your hand.”

My ‘Infernal Flame Emperor’ disappeared, returned to his card, leaving me wide open to attack.

“I play ‘Armory’,” Guard continued, a wall with notches for dozens of weapons appearing within the arena. “I discard a card,” Guard explained, “to equip the ‘Twin Swords of Flashing Light – Tryce’ to Armory.”

I watched as two short, thin blades appeared, hanging from the ‘Armory’ wall.

“I sacrifice ‘Guardian Statue’,” Guard declared, “to summon ‘Guardian Tryce’, who picks up his blades.” The swiftest Guardian Monster, the yellow-clad ‘Tryce’, appeared on Guard’s field, taking a sword in each hand (ATK: 1900-500=1400).

“While equipped with the ‘Twin Swords’,” Guard explained, “my ‘Guardian Tryce’ can attack twice each turn. Double Flash Blade Attack!”

The Guardian Monster struck me once with his first sword (10,500-1400=9100), raised the second sword, and exploded.

“Reveal,” I said, “the Continuous Trap ‘Des Counterblow’, destroying your monster.”

“Interesting,” said Guard. “But when ‘Tryce’ is destroyed I revive the monster that I sacrificed to summon him.” The massive living statue appeared. “‘Statue’, attack!”

The statue raised its massive fist and punched me, nearly knocking me off of my end of the arena (9100-600=8500).

“My ‘Des Counterblow’ kicks in again,” I countered, “and your ‘Statue’ is destroyed.”

Once again Guard’s monster exploded.

“I draw and play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards,” I continued. I selected another card from my hand. “I activate the Continuous Spell card ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’, increasing all of the effect damage that I deal to you by three hundred. Next I play ‘Tremendous Fire’, dealing you one thousand plus three hundred damage and dealing me five hundred damage, and ‘Meteor of Destruction’, dealing you one thousand plus three hundred damage.”

An intense fire flared up, hitting us both (8000-1000-300=6700/8500-500=8000), and a fireball formed in the sky, flying toward Guard and hitting him dead on (6700-1000-300=5400). Guard gritted his teeth against the pain of the onslaught.

“I end my turn,” I said, “by placing three cards face-down.”

“Then it’s time,” said Guard, “to summon one of my most powerful Guardian Monsters. I activate ‘Giant Trunade’ to return all Spell and Trap cards on the field to their owners’ hands.”

“No way,” I said. “Counter Trap ‘Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell’. I discard a Spell to cancel your Spell and seal it. No Spell with that name can be used for the rest of the duel.”

A glowing ring appeared beneath the hologram of the ‘Giant Trunade’ Spell card, and both the card and the ring faded away.

“In that case,” said Guard, “I reveal ‘Dust Tornado’, destroying ‘Des Counterblow’.” A dust devil picked up, tearing my Trap card hologram apart.

“I also place two cards face-down and play ‘Gravity Axe – Grarl’ on the ‘Armory’, letting me summon ‘Guardian Grarl’ from my hand.” A twelve-foot-tall dinosaur man with the posture of a gorilla appeared and picked up his axe (ATK: 2500+500=3000).

“‘Grarl’,” Guard commanded, “attack!”

The Guardian Monster charged and raised his axe, only to find himself ensnared by a ring, attached to which were several active grenades. The grenades exploded and I said, “When ‘Ring of Destruction’ destroys its target we each take damage equal to that target’s Attack.”

Fire washed over Guard, dealing him damage (5400-3000=2400), and as far as anyone could tell, the same thing happened to me, that is until the flames on my half of the field began to swirl toward a single point. The flames were completely sucked up into a small pistol resting in my outstretched hand.

“Reveal, ‘Barrel Behind the Door’,” I explained, “absorbing the damage that I would have taken and redirecting it toward another player.”

I aimed the pistol at Guard and fired. A swirling billow of fire shot from the gun barrel and hit Guard in the gut, knocking him onto his back (LP: 2400-3000=0). I blew the smoke away from the barrel of my gun and I smiled, “We’ll have to do this again sometime. It was a blast!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fifteen]

The New Toon Deck;
Total Control!


Karen


“Your team has been defeated,” I said to Archfiend Ruler. As I spoke Tucker moved to stand over his still unconscious opponent, “Uh, Karen, I think he might be dead.”

“He’s fine,” I snapped. This was no time for goofing off.

“My team may have lost,” said Archfiend Ruler, smiling with a calculating confidence, “but you know firsthand that I am stronger than any of them. Strong enough to beat each of you on my own.”

“I don’t know anything,” I said, “except that it took two of us to beat nearly every single member of your team last time, but this time we’ve been beating you one-on-one. If your power, or lack thereof, follows the same pattern as that of your teammates, then I don’t think you can beat me alone.” I switched on my Duel Disk, “So what do you say, Fiend? You up for a rematch?”

“Definitely,” said Fiend, licking his lips anxiously. We began the duel immediately, forgoing the arena. “I play the Field Spell ‘Pandemonium’!” Fiend began, long, curved spires rising up out of the ground around us as the air was filled with a greenish fog. “Because I have ‘Pandemonium’ in play, in addition to being exempt from the Life Point cost of my Archfiends, I can now summon one of the strongest four star Archfiends, the ‘Archfiend General’.”

A predominantly orange skeletal demon with a sword appeared at Fiend’s side.

“Next I set a card,” Fiend continued, sneering, “and I activate ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and then discarding two. Then I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards. Now I have everything that I need. I set another card, and I end my turn.”

“My move then,” I said, trying to seem unimpressed. “I place two cards of my own face-down, and I pay one thousand Life Points to activate ‘Toon World’ (8000-1000 =7000)!”

My magic green book appeared, releasing a cloud of pink smoke as it fell open. The pink smoke cleared and two figures became visible; a large round lizard shaped like a balloon that floated in the air, and a caricaturized mermaid lying in a clam shell, carrying a bow.

“With ‘Toon World’ out I can summon ‘Toon Mermaid’ and ‘Toon Balloon Lizard’ (ATK: 1400/ATK: 500). With that I end my turn.”

“At the End Phase of your turn,” Fiend declared, “I reveal the Trap card ‘Archfiend’s Roar’. I pay five hundred Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon my ‘Terrorking Archfiend’ from the Graveyard until the end of the turn when it’s destroyed again.”

The king of Archfiends, wearing his cape that doubled as wings and carrying his massive sword, appeared out of the ground, dying seconds later. But I’d seen this move before. I knew what was coming.

“Now,” said Fiend, “I discard ‘Desrook Archfiend’ to return ‘Terrorking’ to the field!”

The ‘Terrorking’ rose from the ground again with a mighty roar (ATK: 2000).

“Now for my turn,” said Fiend, “I summon ‘Darkbishop Archfiend’ in attack mode,” the blue staff-wielding demon appeared (ATK: 300), “and attack ‘Toon Balloon Lizard’ with ‘Archfiend General’!”

The much more powerful ‘Archfiend General’ raised his blade and charged, bearing down on the lizard, only to find that all he hit was pink smoke. Both the lizard and the mermaid had suddenly disappeared into ‘Toon World’, which slammed shut tight.

“I reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Toon Defense’. Now whenever you attack a level four or lower Toon Monster I can make that attack into a direct attack.”

“In that case,” Fiend stated with a smirk on his face, “I attack you directly!” The ‘General’ raised his sword yet again and bore down on me. He swung, but his blade was repelled by an invisible barrier.

I waved my finger tisk-tiskingly at Fiend and said, “Sorry, but I have another card. I reveal ‘Spirit Barrier’.”

Fiend smiled. “I got a pretty good look at your deck last time we dueled,” he said. “You didn’t have that ‘Toon Defense’ card before, did you?”

“Perceptive,” I replied. “I’m impressed that you picked that up. I recently updated my deck using a little gift I received. My teacher, the original Toon Deck Master Maxamillion Pegasus, gave me his deck. I now possess every Toon Monster as well as every support card that goes along with them.”

“It’s not like it matters,” said Fiend. “Even with a powerful deck, a weak Duelist is still a weak Duelist.”

I ignored him. He was wrong. I’d felt for a while that my deck didn’t fit me anymore, but now I was finally starting to feel that my deck was becoming mine again. With this deck I could do anything. After losing so many times recently I hadn’t been able to predict my opponent’s moves the way I used to, but it was suddenly so clear. I knew that Archfiend Ruler would lose, and I knew how it would happen.

“I place a card face-down,” said Fiend, “and I end my turn.”

“Then here goes,” I began. “I remove ‘Toon Balloon Lizard’ from the book and sacrifice him for the cartoon version of my favorite monster.” The lizard disappeared into the smoke, and from it emerged a cartoon of a young woman in a blue dress with pink trim. She wore a pointed hat and carried a short staff as a wand.

“Meet my ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’,” I declared (ATK: 2000), “the only Toon that can attack in the turn that it’s summoned!”

I looked Fiend in the eyes and gave my command. “’Toon Dark Magician Girl’, attack directly with Dark Burning Attack!”

My monster giggled and aimed her staff, firing waves of dark energy at Fiend. They were about to hit him when they were deflected by a barrier identical to mine.

“Did you think,” he asked, “that you were the only one with a ‘Spirit Barrier’?”

I scowled. That one had been a bit unexpected. “In that case I pay five hundred Life Points (7000-500=6500) to attack ‘Darkbishop’ with ‘Toon Mermaid’, Animated Archery!”

‘Toon Mermaid’ loaded an arrow into her bow and took aim, letting her arrow fly. Before the arrow could hit its mark, however, it was deflected by the blades of two of the sword-armed demons, ‘Vilepawn Archfiend’.

“Impressive,” I said. “How’d you pull that one off?”

“Simple,” Fiend replied. “I activated ‘Ultimate Offering’ and gave up one thou-sand of my Life Points to summon two ‘Vilepawn Archfiends’ from my hand (7500-1000=6500). And as you know, when two ‘Vilepawns’ are out at once, my Archfiend Monsters are impervious to attack.”

“Then I summon another Toon,” I said, “my ‘Toon Goblin Attack Force’.”

Eight cartoon goblins appeared, goofing around and swinging the clubs that they carried (ATK: 2300).

“Is that supposed to scare me?” Fiend asked. Without waiting for a reply he declared, “Say goodbye to your favorite monster. ‘Archfiend General’, attack the ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’!”

The demon general raised his sword over his head and swung it downward. My monster raised her staff in an attempt to block, but the blade went straight through, cutting her to ribbons. My Life Points remained the same.

I looked Fiend in the eyes and pulled my next card. I showed it to my opponent and said, “Activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.” I played the card and drew my new hand. Without looking I chose one of the cards I’d just drawn and played it, “Next I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your ‘Spirit Barrier’.” A burst of wind hit the hologram of my opponent’s Trap and tore it to pieces.

“Now I combine the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’ with the magic of ‘Toon World’ to return my ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’ to the field.”

Smoke poured from the book and there was a flash. From the smoke burst the cartoon sorceress, twirling her staff (ATK: 2000).

“‘Toon Mermaid’, and ‘Toon Goblin Attack Force’, attack directly!”

The mermaid fired an arrow up into the air. The arrow fell down and hit Fiend in his shoulder, the arrow melting away an instant later, just before the goblins stormed Fiend’s field, pushing the Archfiend monsters out of the way and hitting Fiend with their clubs (6500-1400-2300=2800).

“Now,” I said as the goblins ran back to me, “I activate ‘Rush Recklessly’ and attack with my ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’, Dark Burning (ATK: 2000+700=2700)!”

The sorceress flew over Fiend’s monsters’ heads and thrust her staff, catching Fiend in the abdomen. Then she fired her attack at close range, pushing Fiend back. Somehow he managed to remain standing as he was pushed ten feet and his Life Points fell (2800-2700=100).

“Now I end my turn,” I concluded, “with the Spell card ‘Giant Trunade’, returning every Spell and Trap on the field to their owners’ hands.”

Every Spell or Trap hologram, as well as the book, ‘Toon World’, and the very landscape around us disappeared. My turn ended as the forest around us once again came into view, and Fiend’s turn began. Without his Field Spell the ‘Archfiend General’’s effect kicked in, destroying him. He melted into smoke. Then the remaining monsters turned to their master. They expected a Life Point offering to appease them.

Fiend looked into their eyes frightfully and said, “I have no Life to give you.”

‘Terrorking’ grabbed him by the neck, picked him up and threw him to the ground. Then the remaining Archfiends died as well, leaving Fiend wide open and defenseless. He was stunned, too much so to do anything except stand. I drew to begin my turn. I looked down at my newest card and I was shocked.

Well, I thought, I really didn’t expect to draw this card. In fact, I almost forgot it was in here. But I really can’t think of a better monster to have by my side when I end this.

I cried a single tear as I looked fiercely into the face of my opponent, “I sacrifice my ‘Toon Mermaid’ to summon my closest friend’s favorite card, the very face of his Duelist’s spirit. I summon the ‘Fiend Megacyber’!”

The ‘Mermaid’ disappeared in a burst of static that blossomed out and revealed the yellow-armored warrior, his fists charged with power (ATK: 2200). The ‘Megacyber’ stood with his arms crossed at my side. I clenched my fists and stared at Archfiend Ruler, pretending that he was Blackheart. “Take this,” I said. “Megacyber Impact!” ‘Megacyber’ punched, catching Fiend in the gut. He coughed blood and collapsed.

My Soul flashed. Even with my Soul cracked and its power depleted I had found my strength. I held out my hand and called the five Shadow Items to me. I drew their power into my Soul and they turned to dust as the crack in my Soul disappeared, my full power restored.

I turned to my team and said, “We’re going home.”

My Soul Flashed again, and we disappeared, leaving the Dark Duel Force alone with their failure.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Sixteen]

Hiro vs. Blackheart


Hiro


I felt myself pushed from John’s mind, and from my home in the Soul of Darkness. I tried with everything I had to hold on and a portion of the Soul’s power remained with me. I held onto it, knowing that without it I would die.

For a period of time, I’m not sure how long, I floated in what seemed like nothingness. Then I saw a light. I poured my entire being into reaching that light, and slowly but surely I was able to make my way to it. I touched the light and I suddenly found myself in the back portion of the Old Park, just a short distance from John’s house. I was near the gazebo where the Duel Force and Karen’s group had their first meeting on friendly terms. I looked down at my hands and was astonished, mostly because I had hands, my own hands. I felt my arms and my chest and finally my face. I was a physical being for the first time in three thousand years. I was wearing a black t-shirt and a black sweat jacket with a hood and a white pattern on the left half of the chest, and jeans. I looked down and saw a Soul hanging around my neck. It was the Soul of Darkness. That portion of the Soul that I retained had become infused with the light, which I realized now was what remained of my own magical power, and it had blossomed out into a second Soul of Darkness! Unfortunately I could tell that my duplicate Soul was not as powerful as the original.

The thing that forced me from my place in the Soul of Darkness. I know it. I didn’t expect Blackheart so soon. If I’m right and he’s possessed John’s body then the Duel Force will have no way to defeat him. I have to find him and defeat him before he achieves his full power and begins anew his ancient plan to conquer this realm and the twelve others.

I started running, reaching out with my Soul to locate my old enemy. It was hard in the Soul’s weakness, but I managed to find him. I stepped into the Shadows and disappeared.


I reached through the Shadows and found my way to Blackheart. It was hard too. Harder than it should have been. There was less power in my fake Soul than I’d originally thought. I have all of the Soul’s powers through this Pseudo Soul, I realized, but it takes far more effort to access them. It’s much more draining.

I brushed my golden blond bangs from my brown eyes and I stepped from the shadows, finding myself in an old warehouse. It was empty except for the figure that faced me. Blackheart was sitting on a large wooden crate. His hair was jet black and his skin was pale with a dark circle under each eye. He had seen me coming and was waiting.

“Welcome, Remnant of the Duelist’s Spirit. I was wondering when you would make an appearance.”

“Go back to the darkness Blackheart,” I told him. I held my left arm behind my back and strained to summon the Shadows to me, forming a Dark Disk, "and leave that boy alone. He's under my protection."

 

"He's of your blood, you know," Blackheart said, "your descendant, or maybe your reincarnation in the modern world. Either way he's heir to your power."

 

I was shocked. I'd sensed a connection to John since we'd met, but I'd thought that it had been because he was the bearer of the Soul of Darkness, the vessel for the majority of the Duelist's power. However, if Blackheart was right, he was a part of me, or he was me reborn. Now more than ever, I had to save him.

 

I guess my surprise showed, because Blackheart laughed a laugh that still, after millennia, chilled my bones. "Didn't you know," He asked, "that when you sealed me, you sealed me in your own blood, your own shadow? Even if you never took a wife and bore a child, the certainty of my return would ensure that the Duelist would simply be reborn in another form, for I can only be born from the Duelist, from you."

 

I didn't know what to say, so I steeled myself up and again demanded, "Leave him, now."

“I can’t do that Remnant,” said Blackheart, looking around thoughtfully. “I have great plans for this world.”

“I know all about your plans,” I spat, “and I won’t let you carry them out!”

I swung the Dark Disk around in front of me and separated the sword from the shield, running full out at Blackheart. I would use the Dark Disk to cut Blackheart’s spirit without cutting his host. Hopefully. I swung my sword. Blackheart raised his right hand, and in it appeared the blade of the Dark Disk, summoned effortlessly and instantaneously, and he parried my blow.

I jumped back and held my sword in front of me with both hands. Blackheart rose slowly and casually to his feet. He laughed under his breath. “I’m glad you’re here,” He said. “I’ve been waiting for an opponent who comes close to my abilities. This should be entertaining.”

I charged at him and stabbed. Blackheart used his shield to deflect my blow and slashed at my chest with his own blade. I jumped back out of his reach, ducked to the side, spun, and slashed. Blackheart leaned back out of my reach, smiling ear to ear.

“Huh,” I said, circling my opponent slowly, “you’re just as crazy as you were three thousand years ago.”

“I’m surprised that you can still remember what happened three thousand years ago. Is there really enough of you left in there for you to have any real memories of your past?”

“You’d be surprised.”

I ran at him again. He jumped back, twenty feet through the air, brandishing his blade. Shadows lashed up at me like tentacles. I managed to repel them with my sword and shield and what Shadows I could summon up myself while managing to retain focus. I pushed through and struck again, but Blackheart avoided my attack with minimal effort. He countered. I jumped back as he sliced through the place where I’d just been.

I only have to cut a millimeter into him to disrupt his spirit, but at the same time if he so much as touches me with his sword, I’ll die. I was losing focus. Even as I parried another of my foe’s attacks I noticed that my sword and shield were dissolving into the Shadows that had created them. Looks like I’m out of power. I have to regroup and find some help. I have no choice but to go to the Duel Force.

I ran from Blackheart, letting my sword dissolve completely, and melted into the Shadows.


I reemerged from the Shadows just outside of the mall. I recognized this place from my time with John. He rarely spent time at home, usually preferring to spend it here or at the local hobby shop. I could sense the Duel Force inside, sitting at their usual tables in the mall’s Game Center.

I sense all eleven members, I thought, but only seven Souls. Blackheart has already amassed a great deal of power. If her were to absorb the equivalent energy of two more Souls, he would be as strong as he was in the past, strong enough to force all three Gods under his control. I have to act fast.

I walked quickly toward the game center’s outer entrance. Out of all of the Duel Force members that remained only one of them had ever seen me before. The others would have no idea who I was. I would have to count on the one who would to help me handle my introduction to the others.


Karen


I was sitting with my friends in the Game Center. Lawrence had just finished telling a truly unbelievable story.

“So what you’re saying,” I asked, “is that you faced Blackheart, but he let you keep your Soul?”

“Yeah,” said Lawrence. “I guess Blackheart knew he’d never get away with it if he took my power.”

“Maybe, except that you lost,” I pointed out, my arms crossed, showcasing my frustration. We simply didn’t have time for something else to be added to the pile. Not that we could do anything about Blackheart at the moment. His attacks seemed to have stopped, and not even our combined power could locate him.

“And your point is?” Lawrence asked, unable, or unwilling, to see the flaw in his logic.

“Why would Blackheart let you go of all people?” Monty asked, as if an unwanted idea were forming in the back of his mind. “I’m your only friend and even I’ve thought of at least seriously wounding you more than once.”

“Who cares why,” Lawrence replied, leaning back in his seat and putting his arms behind his head.

“I do!” Monty said. “What did you do, Lawrence?”

“What do you mean?” Sarah asked.

“I get what he means,” Lawrence said. “You think I made some kind of deal with Blackheart to save my Soul, right?”

“Did you?” Monty demanded.

“Enough!” I said disbelievingly. “We don’t have time for you guys and your crap!”

My outburst had drawn the attention of several of the Duelists sitting at nearby tables. I took a deep breath and looked down at my hands until they went back to what they’d been doing. “Okay, let’s settle this. There’s no way that Lawrence would sell us out, and Monty, I’m surprised at you for even suggesting that he would. You know better than anyone that he’s a lot nicer than he lets on.”

“Am not,” said Lawrence proudly.

“I don’t know if I can trust that Karen,” said Sarah, ignoring Lawrence. “You two were really different when you were under Marik’s control, but Jerk here is still pretty much the same. Who knows what he’d do.”

“Hey,” said Lawrence, “I may be a jerk, and I may not be good at showing it, but I’m loyal to my friends.”

Monty laughed.

“You wanna go?” Lawrence yelled, rising quickly to his feet.

Monty stood up as well, “Any time!”

I clenched my fists, shaking angrily, “Quiet down and sit down.”

I gestured instinctually, and with a flash of my Soul they were pushed back into their seats. Every member of the team looked to me, surprised by my outburst of magic, waiting to hear what else I had to say, but before I could speak someone behind me beat me to it.

“Sorry I’m a little late.”

I stood up and spun around, finding myself face to face with someone who was very familiar.

John?

Then I realized who it was and my excitement died down slightly.

I sighed, “I was wondering what happened to you, Hiro.”

“Who is this,” Sarah demanded, moving to stand by my side, staring up into Hiro’s eyes.

“He calls himself Hiro. He’s a spirit, the last remnant of the Forgotten Duelist’s old magic. He’s been living in the Soul of Darkness, helping John out in tough Duels.”

“When Blackheart possessed John’s body,” Hiro said, “I was forced out. I was just recently able to attain a physical form, using what I’d imagine is the same power that Blackheart used to give himself a body three thousand years ago.”

“Not that I don’t believe you, Karen,” Tucker asked, “but why wouldn’t John tell us that he had a powerful ancient spirit living in his Soul?”

“Because none of you could see Hiro,” I replied. “John didn’t want to make your lives more complicated unless he had to.”

“Why do you look like my brother?” Sarah demanded of the new arrival. She was crying but trying very hard not to show it.

“To be honest,” said Hiro, “I don’t know. I’m not very powerful on my own, but I’ve already tried to defeat Blackheart myself and failed. He’s powerful. Nearly as powerful as the Legendary Forgotten Duelist himself. But I think I can beat him, but only with your help.”

He looked each of us in the eyes in turn, “Even if you don’t trust me yet, if it means saving this world, will you help me?”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seventeen]

Hiro’s Purpose


Hiro


“I trust you,” said Karen. “I’ll help.”

“That’s good enough for me,” said Monty.

“I’ll help you,” said Tucker, standing with his arms crossed, “but not because I trust you. I’ll help you because I don’t see any other way to get my friend back from Blackheart.”

“Me too,” said Rocky. Sarah nodded, and so did the others, except for Lawrence.

“Alright then,” I said. I sat down and leaned in, talking loud enough for everyone at our two tables to hear me. “I have a pretty good idea where Blackheart is going. I need all of you who still have Souls to come with me.”

“No way you need all of us,” Lawrence interjected.

“True,” Hiro replied, “my plan would work minus one Soul.”

“Good,” Lawrence declared, “I’m staying here.”

We stared at him.

“In case Blackheart shows up here again,” he told us as way of explanation. “That and you people bore me.”

He glared at Monty, and Monty glared back. I ignored them. There just wasn’t time for their problems right now.

“Blackheart’s goal is still the same as it was three thousand years ago; to gain power over the Earth and the Shadows by accessing the immense combined power of the three Egyptian God Monsters. Most people don’t know this, but the Gods have an even more powerful combined form that can be commanded by anyone who knows a specific word. A word that Blackheart knows, because the Forgotten Duelist knew it. Between fighting you guys and waiting to establish how great a threat I would be if I ever appeared I don’t believe that Blackheart had time to secure the remaining Gods yet. From what I can tell, he doesn’t have the strength to command all three yet, but it’s likely that he’s already set in motion his end game. That’s how he likes to operate. It’s likely that he will have the power he needs within the hour. That means that his next move will be to gain possession of the cards, making sure that he will be ready to use them at the first opportunity. Even if he can’t use all of the Gods yet, gaining possession of the other two will make Blackheart stronger than he is now. We can’t afford for that to happen. We have to try and beat him to the cards. I think I know where they are, but so does John. That means that Blackheart knows too.”

“When do we leave?” Karen asked.

“Now.”

“Alright,” said Karen, rising to her feet, followed by Tucker and then the others.

“Get ready,” I said, summoning the Shadows, “because here we go.”

My Pseudo Soul flashed, and we were gone.


Monty


“Finally,” said Lawrence, “we can settle this.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth,” I replied.

“Oh no, please don’t fight,” said Max with absolutely no enthusiasm. He stood up and said, “You guys kill each other if you want, I don’t care. I’m leaving.”


Lawrence and I waited until the others had all left to go about their business. They could feel the tension building and didn’t want to stick around, so they left pretty quickly. They had no idea just how serious things between Lawrence and I were this time. I was sure that Lawrence had turned on use, and I didn’t plan on letting him live to regret his decision.

He and I walked out behind the mall and faced each other.

“I didn’t sell out to Blackheart,” said Lawrence.

“I don’t believe you,” I said.

“You’re sounding crazy!” Lawrence exclaimed.

“Shut up,” I said, “and duel.”

I drew six cards as the shadows rose up around us, boxing us in. “Blackheart missed some of my Soul’s energy. I’m going to use it to banish you to the Shadows.”

“You won’t,” said Lawrence. “I won’t let you.”

He drew his cards, and the worst duel of my life began.


Hiro



We emerged from the Shadows outside of a half-ruined temple in the middle of the desert.

“What happened here?” Jen asked.

“‘Great Maju Garzett’ battled ‘Osiris’,” I answered.

“Ah,” said Jen, “I see.”

“So this is where the other Gods are?” Amanda asked.

“Yeah,” said Karen before I could answer. “I can sense their power.”

I smiled, She’s grown much more powerful in a short time. I can’t even sense their presence here and I’m more closely tied to the Gods than she is. Amazing.

And then she went and amazed me even more.

“Now,” said Karen, looking right at me, “before we hear the next part of your plan, tell us who you really are.”


Monty


“We both know the stakes of this game?” I asked.

“Yeah,” said Lawrence, sensing my intensions resonating through the darkness, “and the fact that you would impose those stakes is really scaring me.”

“So I scare you?”

“No,” he answered, “I’m scared for you. You aren’t acting like yourself.”

I ignored him. “Just to be sure,” I said, “I’ll go over the terms with you now before we start. The loser will lose him body and spirit forever to the Shadows, and if either Duelist tries to alter the outcome of the Shadow Game they forfeit their body and spirit to the Shadows. Pretty simple. And of course whoever loses this game won’t be able to return.”

“Then as much as I don’t want to,” Lawrence told me, “I’ll make sure you’re sent to the Shadows first.”


Hiro


“Who he really is?” Tucker asked. “I thought you trusted this guy.”

“I do,” said Karen. “I just don’t trust his story. Not completely. If you were just some remnant or shadow or echo of the Duelist or his magic,” she said, addressing me, “then your lack of knowledge would be consistent. You would know about Blackheart as he is today, but not as he was thousands of years ago, right?”

I smiled again. John, I thought, I think I’m starting to get what it is that you see in her.

“You’re right,” I said. “I would have told you all about this when I first met John, but I was worried that what I’m about to do would become standard practice. I’m no shadow.”

I looked up at the starry Egyptian night sky and quoted from the Tablet of the Forgotten Duelist. “‘And so it became that this Forgotten Duelist was cursed by magic and by fate to walk the earth in the form of the Soul until the day that his power was renewed to destroy his Dark Side upon its revival,’”

I looked back at the members of the Duel Force who stood before me and said, “I’m not the shadow of the Duelist. I am the Duelist.”


Blackheart


I sensed the Duel Force as well as that pathetic Remnant. They were very near. All of the pieces were finally in place for my little endgame. I reached into the rubble all around me with my Shadow Magic, summoning to me two Duel Monsters cards. I smiled and shuffled them into my deck.

This should be fun.


Monty


“I’ll move first,” said Lawrence. “Prepare to be crushed by my sheer power. I summon ‘Cave Dragon’ in attack mode, and I lay two cards face-down.”

Cave dragon, a large four-legged wingless green dragon appeared, gnashing its teeth and swinging its thick tail (ATK: 2000).

This is it, I thought, and for a moment I forgot why I was dueling him in the first place, it’s me or Lawrence. I will make him pay!


Hiro


“What!?” said Tucker.

Karen looked me in the eyes, intensity in her gaze.

“It makes sense,” she said. “He wanted to help us and stay close to us, which he did through John, but he didn’t want us to know who he was so that we would have to rely on our own power and our power would grow. Plus, the millennia have weakened him, and there are gaps in his memory. Stop me if I get something wrong.”

“No,” I said, “you’re dead on. Everything you said was right. But I’m afraid that this time your power won’t be enough. The only power that can stand up to Blackheart as he is now is the power of the Duelist’s Soul. Normally I would have to merge the power of all twelve Souls to revive my Soul, but thanks to John I have a new ability. One that he and I share.”

“The Soul of Chaos,” Karen said.

I nodded and continued, “With the Soul of Chaos I hope to amplify the power of your Souls and merge them with mine to recreate the Duelist’s Soul. Once I beat Blackheart, if I beat Blackheart, I’ll return your power to you. What do you say?”

“We’re in,” said Karen. The others nodded, still mildly stunned.

“Then here we go. If this doesn’t work, we’ll probably die.”

I heard Amanda whimper at that as I closed my eyes, focusing all of my will into the Pseudo Soul hanging around my neck. It became the Soul of Chaos just long enough to draw the power of the others’ Souls into it. Into me. I felt the power, and I felt myself begin to change.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eighteen]

The Legendary Duelist Reborn!
Lawrence vs. Monty, and Blackheart vs. The Forgotten Duelist!


Monty


“Your move was pretty impressive,” I said, “but mine will be even more impressive. I start out with the ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ in attack mode.”

A sorcerer in dark robes appeared, holding a jewel-tipped staff (ATK: 1900).

“Next I play ‘Quick Summon’ to summon a second monster, my ‘Skilled White Magician’.”

A second staff-wielding sorcerer appeared, this time in white (ATK: 1700).

“Next,” I explained, “because my Spell card resolves after ‘Skilled White Magician’ enters play, both of my monsters gain a Spell Counter from its residual energy.”

A crystal on each of the sorcerers’ garbs lit up.

“Finally I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ in combination with ‘Serial Spell’, letting me toss out my hand and draw four cards. This also adds two more Spell Counters to each of my monsters.” Two more crystals lit up. The six crystals flashed brightly. “I sacrifice my ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ and my ‘Skilled White Magician’,” I declared, “to summon ‘Dark Magician’ and ‘Buster Blader’.”

The purple-clad, green-staff-wielding sorcerer (ATK: 2500) and the armored warrior with the massive sword (ATK: 2600+500=3100) appeared to either side of me.

“You may have great power Lawrence,” I said, “but power cannot overcome intelligence.”


Hiro, the Forgotten Duelist


I opened my eyes. My mind was clear. Clearer than I could remember. I looked down at myself through white bangs. I was wearing a brown t-shirt under a long white jacket and khaki pants, and golden chains around my wrists and neck. Also around my neck hung a sparkling clear crystal sphere with a golden streak in it, like a shooting star. The Duelist’s Soul.

I looked around me. The others were pale and out of breath, but they were otherwise okay as they watched me with interest.

“It worked,” I said, “I’m ready.”

“But you don’t have any cards or a Duel Disk,” said Karen. “What do you plan to do?”

I raised my left arm and in a swirl of light a white and tan disk appeared, similar to the Dark Disk. In the deck loader was a deck of Duel Monsters cards.

“Don’t worry” I said, “leave everything to me.”

I turned and I began walking toward the half-ruined temple. As I walked I called back to the others, “The building is unstable. Wait here for me to come back.”

I looked back over my shoulder. Karen nodded, “We’ll be here.”

I looked back at the temple and smiled, “Blackheart, here I come!” I walked slowly around the temple until I came to a nearby entrance and made my way inside. Once I was in the main hall I found myself facing the left side of Marik’s throne. To my left was the rubble created when John and Hiro, or I should say John and I summoned ‘Great Maju Garzett’ to face the God ‘Osiris’. Sitting on the arm of the throne, facing me, was my Dark Side, the evil spirit Blackheart. His head was down and his eyes were closed.

“I’ve been waiting for you Remnant,” he said. Then he looked up, smiling. But when he saw me his smile disappeared.

“You!”

“Yes,” I said. “Just as you managed to restore your full strength by stealing a body that could command a Duelist’s Soul, I was able to restore my power by mixing Soul Energy with the Soul of Chaos.”

Blackheart smiled and chuckled, “I underestimated you. But it doesn’t matter. Whether I underestimated you or not, the game that I have set in motion is one that I cannot lose. I can already control any one God, and soon I will have the power to control all three.”

“Then I’d better kill you fast,” I said, “because only the power of the three Gods is enough to completely destroy my spirit.”

Blackheart jumped down from his seat and stood to face me. “You’re as cocky as ever,” he said. “Let’s prove once and for all which of us is stronger.” The Shadows around us deepened. “The loser,” he said, “will have their spirit claimed by the Shadows. I’d bet this body too, but you don’t have a body of your own to bet against it.”

I raised my Duel Disk. Blackheart summoned the Dark Disk, took a deck from his belt, and placed it in the deck loader.

“I start,” said Blackheart, “with the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards, and follow up with ‘Graceful Charity’ to draw three more.” He drew two cards, and then drew three more, discarding two cards afterward. I paid little attention to what they were.

“Finally,” he continued, “I summon ‘Bowganian’ and place two cards face-down.” The spherical machine with the massive eye appeared, crossbow in hand (ATK: 1300).

“I see that you’ve changed John’s deck to suit your darker nature. John would never use a card as sneaky and underhanded as ‘Bowganian’.”

“I’m not John,” said Blackheart. “My strategy is one you've never seen before.”


Monty


“’Dark Magician’ kills the ‘Cave Dragon’ with Dark Magic, and then my warrior attacks directly.”

‘Dark Magician’ fired a ball of dark energy at the flightless dragon, incinerating it, and ‘Buster Blader’ swung his sword, releasing an energy pulse that hit Lawrence in the gut. He was pushed back, sliding several feet while managing to remain standing (8000+2000-2500-3100=4400). Despite the fact that he survived, I saw his body shimmer and unravel into strands of Shadow for just a moment before the strands wove back together.

“I place a card face-down,” I said, “and end my turn.”

Lawrence shot me a fierce look and said, “I don’t know what your problem is, but I won’t let my Power Deck fall! I summon the ‘Red-Eyes Black Chick’!”

A small dragon with piercing red eyes appeared at Lawrence’s side, letting out a squawking roar (ATK: 800).

“Time to grow up little chick,” said Lawrence with a confident smile. “Become the black dragon of legend,” the small dragon grew until it was nearly thirty feet tall, “the ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ (ATK: 2400)!”

The mighty black dragon roared.

“Now,” said Lawrence, “I bathe my dragon in darkness.” The black dragon summoned darkness to his body. When the darkness dispersed it revealed a similar but vastly different dragon with glowing red markings spanning his body. “My ‘Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon’ gains three hundred Attack for every Dragon in my Graveyard (ATK: 2400+ (300x3)=3300).”

“And ‘Buster Blader’,” I countered, “gains five hundred Attack for every Dragon on your field and in your Graveyard (3100+(500x3)=4600).”

“That’s why,” said Lawrence, “I’m combining my ‘Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon’ with the Force card, ‘Riryoku’, cutting the Attack of ‘Buster Blader’ in half and increasing the Attack of my ‘Red-Eyes’ by the amount of Attack that your ‘Blader’ lost.”

Power transferred from my monster to his, and his monster’s power grew (‘Buster Blader’: 2300/‘Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon’:5600).

“‘Red-Eyes’,” Lawrence commanded, “Attack with Darkness Black Fire Bullet!”

Black fire built in the dragon’s mouth.

“Reveal ‘Spellbinding Circle’,” I said, “ensnaring your monster.”

“Chain,” said Lawrence, “the Trap card ‘Dragon’s Bead’, discarding a card from my hand to negate your Trap and destroy it.”

The magic circle appeared and shattered instantaneously, and my warrior was incinerated by the Dragon’s attack (8000+2300-5600=4700).

“Now,” said Lawrence, a smug look spreading across his face, “I reveal my second face-down card ‘Call of the Haunted’, summoning the monster that I discarded for ‘Dragon’s Bead’. You should remember it. I’ve used it before.”

There was a flash of light and a white dragon with brilliant blue eyes appeared at the ‘Darkness Dragon’’s side.

Lawrence smiled wide. “‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, Burst Stream of Destruction!”

The white dragon fired his mighty beam attack, vaporizing the ‘Dark Magician’ with a single hit (4700+2500-3000=4200).

This is getting out of hand, I thought, I have to summon my real ace monster soon or I’m going to die!


Hiro


“For my move,” I said, “I’ll summon my ‘Pharaonic Protector’.” A mummy appeared wearing new-looking ancient Egyptian royal garbs, a tall head dress, and a white mask. He had two long red ribbons hanging down behind him (ATK: 900).

“Next,” I continued, “I activate ‘Thousand Energy’, increasing the Attack of my monster by 1000 just long enough for him the launch a suicide attack (900+1000 =1900).”

The ‘Protector’ rushed ‘Bowganian’, jumped, and thrust his palms toward the machine. The ribbons on his back came alive, glowing with a faint red light, and stretched out in the direction of his outstretched palm, crushing the machine to pieces. Then the mummy became wisps of smoke and disappeared.

“Now,” I said, “I play ‘Book of Life’, reviving my ‘Protector’ and removing your ‘Bowganian’ from the game.” A book appeared, glowing with a golden light, and ‘Protector’ reappeared, crouched down, his arms crossed over his body (DEF: 0). Blackheart scowled as he took the ‘Bowganian’ card from his Graveyard and placed it in the deck box at his waste.

“That,” I concluded with absolute confidence, “ends my turn.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nineteen]

The Duelist’s Mistake


“You might think you got rid of my ‘Bowganian’ by removing it from play,” said Blackheart happily, almost laughing at me, “but you’re wrong.” He took the ‘Bowganian’ card back out of his deck box.

“I reveal my ‘Return from the Dark Dimension’ Trap card to Special Summon a Dark monster removed from play. And I chain ‘Inferno Reckless Summon’, letting me summon all remaining copies of ‘Bowganian’ in my deck, and letting you summon all remaining copies of ‘Pharaonic Protector’ from your deck.”

We thumbed through our decks. Blackheart took two copies of ‘Bowganian’ from his deck and summoned them in attack mode alongside the first (ATK: 1300 (each)). I chose another copy of ‘Protector’ from my deck and summoned him in defense mode (DEF: 0).

Blackheart and I shuffled our decks and replaced them as we stared each other down.

“My three ‘Bowganians’ attack,” Blackheart said, smiling smugly, “Triple Optiblast!” The three machines fired beans from their eyes. Two of the beams were absorbed by my ‘Protectors’, but the third hit me dead on (8000-1300=6700). I grabbed the spot where the attack hit and clenched my teeth against the pain. I choked out a laugh that sounded more like a cough and said, “Your attacks are as painful as ever.”

Blackheart smiled, full of pride. “I end my turn,” he said, “with a face-down card.”

“At the end of your turn,” I said, doing my best to dismiss the pain, “I reveal a Trap card, ‘The First Sarcophagus’.”

From the ground behind me rose a rectangular stone coffin. The lid slid away revealing a golden sarcophagus twelve feet tall and fit for a pharaoh. The stone coffin crumbled around it.

“During your end phase I can bring a new ‘Sarcophagus’ card to the field,” I explained, “like this, ‘The Second Sarcophagus’. And now, because it’s my turn, I begin my counterattack with the Spell card ‘Tribute to the Doomed’, discarding one card to destroy one of you ‘Bowganians’.”

Bandages burst from the ground, wrapping one of the three machines. Then a mummified hand reached out of the ground and grabbed the machine and pulled it under ground. The ground closed afterward, and I heard the machine’s metal body crunch.

“Next,” I said, a confident smile spreading across my face, “I play a Spell, my ‘Card of Sanctity’, replenishing our hands.” Both Blackheart and I drew from our decks, and my smile widened.

“I place two cards face-down,” I concluded, “and I summon the ‘Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower’ in attack mode, ending my turn.”

A tower of bones appeared, forming from the darkness itself, reaching up to the temple’s high ceiling. A fog of wandering souls surrounded it (ATK: 400).

“Bad choice,” said Blackheart mockingly, his eyebrow raised. “It looks like the millennia have been hard on you. You aren’t thinking straight. I draw now, and the effects of my ‘Bowganians’ activate.”

The two remaining machines aimed their bows at me and fired at my chest. I twisted my body in an attempt to dodge the two potentially lethal crossbow bolts. One of the bolts sliced through my left shoulder, and the other slashed across my chest, cutting my shirt. Blood trickled from my wounds (6700-1200=5500).

“Now I attack ‘Bone Tower’ with Optiblast,” Blackheart continued without missing a beat.

The first ‘Bowganian’ rose up, hovering in the air, and fired his beam at the base of the tower, aiming to level it from the foundation up, but the beam was blocked at the last second by a transparent hemispherical barrier.

“Reveal, the Trap card ‘Waboku’,” I declared, “protecting my monster, and myself, from your attacks this turn.” I smiled despite the pain that I was still feeling, “Do you still think that I don’t know what I’m doing?”

“Guess not,” said Blackheart with a wicked chuckle. “This is fun, just like old times! Except for the fact that we’re using pieces of paper to fight, but you know. Anyway, I set three cards and end my turn.”

“Then it’s time,” I declared. “I activate my ‘Second Sarcophagus’! The second coffin opens to reveal the third and final coffin.”

The golden sarcophagus opened, revealing a slightly smaller sarcophagus, this time painted with blue patterns. “Next, during my turn, I open ‘The Third Sarcophagus’ to summon my ultimate card, my Soul, the ‘Spirit of the Pharaoh’!”

A light shone from within the final coffin as the lid fell away. A backlit figure emerged. The light faded and my monster stepped forward. He was wearing gold bracers and a gold and blue striped headdress. On his right shoulder was the head of an eagle, and on his left shoulder was the head of a jackal. Over his face he wore a golden jackal-face mask, and on his chest he wore the millennium eye symbol. He carried a golden staff in his right hand and a gold-hilted sword in his left. His skin was stark black, and he projected a regal presence (ATK: 2500).

“When ‘Spirit of the Pharaoh’ rises from his slumber,” I explained, “he leads his soldiers back with him from the Land of the Dead! Rise my two ‘Pharaonic Protectors’, and the monster sent to the Graveyard for the effect of ‘Tribute to the Doomed’, the ‘Pharaoh’s Servant’!”

The two ‘Protectors’ appeared alongside another monster that was virtually identical except that he wore a wider headdress, one white ribbon instead of two red ones, and he carried a spear in his right hand (ATK: 900).

“And now,” I continued, “my ‘Bone Tower’ forces you to discard two cards from the top of your deck for every Zombie that I Special Summoned. I Special Summoned four monsters, so you discard eight cards.”

I watched Blackheart smile with confidence as he threw away the top eight cards of his deck.

“Finally,” I said, “to complete this combo I reveal the Continuous Trap card ‘Coffin Seller’. Now every time one of your monsters enters the Land of the Dead you must pay for his lot in the Graveyard in the form of three hundred points of damage.”

Five of Blackheart’s discarded cards were monsters. Blackheart looked far less excited as a wicked aura appeared around him and drained his Life away (7400-1500=5900).

Then, unexpectedly, Blackheart’s wicked smile widened. “To hurt me so much during my own End Phase. Truly brilliant work. You really are the worthiest opponent I will ever face. But you made a mistake. My face-down card is the Continuous Trap card ‘Skull Lair’. Using its power I remove six monsters from play to destroy the army that you just summoned!”

Blackheart placed six cards from his Graveyard into the deck box at his waste, and three energy bolts shot from his Trap, hitting my three mummified soldiers, burning them to ashes.

“As long as that ‘Bone Tower’ remains on the field,” said Blackheart, chuckling, “its effect will continue to activate and my monsters will keep going to my Graveyard. Thanks to you and my ‘Skull Lair’ I’ve truly become invincible.”

I smiled, “Not if I can drain away your Life with ‘Coffin Seller’ before you can overrun me with monsters. Activate ‘Monster Reborn’, reviving ‘Pharaoh’s Servant’ and destroying even more of your deck.”

Blackheart tossed two more cards.

“Next,” I continued, “I sacrifice ‘Servant’ to summon the ‘Great Dezard’ in attack mode.”

A sage in white robes appeared. He wore a shoulder dress decorated with gold (ATK: 1900).

“I combine ‘Dezard’ with the magic of ‘Double Attack’,” I declared. “I discard ‘Despair from the Dark’ to allow ‘Dezard’ to attack twice this turn. Go, Necromantic Magic!”

‘Dezard’ raised his hands and the two ‘Bowganians’ were suddenly surrounded by and aura of orange energy. They were lifted into the air and crushed (5900+(1300x3)-(1900x2)=4700). The ‘Coffin Seller’ kicked in and the damage increased (4700-600 =4100).

“Next I activate the effect of ‘Dezard’,” I commanded. “Because he’s destroyed two monsters I can sacrifice him to summon the King of the Walking Dead, ‘Fushio Richie’.”

The ‘Great Dezard’ glowed golden orange and disappeared. In his place appeared a bone thin zombie man with gray skin and horns. He wore a red cloak and carried a hook-ended staff (ATK: 2600). Blackheart lost two more cards.

“I attack with ‘Richie’,” I declared. ‘Richie’ raised his staff and fired a beam of pink-purple light.

“My turn to Trap you,” said Blackheart, smiling at his own cleverness. “Reveal ‘Magic Cylinder’, reversing your monster’s attack back at you!”

A cylinder appeared, catching ‘Richie’’s attack and then firing it back at me. I jumped back, avoiding the brunt of the blast (6700-2600=4100).

I scowled, “Then I attack with my ‘Spirit of the Pharaoh’.” The ‘Spirit’ raised his sword, pointing it forward, and charged, only to be deflected by glowing green barrier.

“This time,” said Blackheart, still smiling, “I used my ‘Draining Shield’, blocking an attack and transforming potential damage into Life Points (4100+2500=6600). As clever as you might be, my old friend, you still don’t stand a chance!”

“I flip my ‘Fushio Richie’ face-down via his own effect,” I said, ignoring him, and my monster disappeared into the darkness around us.

“As your turn ends,” said Blackheart, “I reveal ‘Scapegoat’ to summon four ‘Sheep Tokens’ to the field.”

Four fur balls with goat horns appeared (DEF: 0 (each)).

“Now, in my turn,” Blackheart continued menacingly, “I summon ‘Cannon Soldier’ in attack mode.”

A boxy cannon-barrel-headed robot appeared standing eight feet tall (ATK: 1400).

“I sacrifice all four ‘Sheep Tokens’ to deal you five hundred damage each.” Blackheart declared and the four fur balls disappeared. The robot fired four shots which were too fast-moving to dodge, hitting me one after another in rapid succession (4100-(500x4)=2100).

“Activate ‘Limiter Removal’,” Blackheart declared with a smile. The Attack of his ‘Cannon Soldier’ doubled (1400x2=2800). “Attack the ‘Spirit’,” Blackheart commanded. The robot fired another blast, piercing my best monster through the chest. He vaporized (2100+2500-2800=1800).

I was stunned by the loss, ‘Spirit’, no!

“Now I activate my ‘Soldier’’s final effect,” Blackheart concluded, acting without mercy, as was to be expected, “Self Destruct Mode!”

The ‘Cannon Soldier’ ran up to me and exploded. I covered my face with my arms, but the blast still threw me onto my back, burning the sleeves of my jacket in the process (1800-500=1300/Blackheart: 6600-300=6300).

“Face-down card,” said Blackheart. “I end my turn. Let’s try to keep this interesting, shall we?”

“My turn,” Things aren’t looking good for me right now. “I summon a second ‘Soul-Absorbing Bone Tower’. Next I Flip Summon ‘Richie’, activating his effect to call a Zombie back from the Graveyard.”

A second tower appeared alongside the first (ATK: 400), and ‘Richie’ returned in a flash. He held his staff up, summoning the same pink-purple light as before.

“Summon,” I declared, “‘Despair from the Dark’ discarded for the effect of ‘Double Attack’.”

A massive shadowy torso rose up behind me, standing nearly thirty feet tall, flexing its claws (ATK: 2800).

“Now you have to discard four cards from the top of your deck,” I said. Blackheart did as he was told (6300-900=5400), be he remained undaunted. “Now I attack with both of my monsters, starting with ‘Despair’.”

The shadow reached toward Blackheart, but his claws were repelled by an invisible wall.

“Reveal,” said Blackheart with a yawn, “my Trap, ‘Negate Attack’.

“Now I draw,” said Blackheart, “and I place two more cards face-down. Then I activate ‘Card of Demise’ to draw until I hold five cards.”

He drew, and he smiled when he saw his cards. “I activate ‘Painful Choice’.” He flipped through his deck and picked five cards, showing them to me; ‘Sangan’, ‘Dark Priestess Ohm’, ‘Armageddon Knight’, ‘Dark Grepher’, and ‘Dark Creator’. All of the cards were dangerous, but the least dangerous of them by far was the first.

“Add ‘Sangan’ to your hand.”

Again Blackheart did as he was told, discarding the cards that remained, taking severe damage and enjoying every minute (5400-1200=4200). It was then that I learned why.

“I activate ‘Soul Absorption’,” said Blackheart, his smile wider than ever, “and I remove eight monsters in my Graveyard from play to destroy ‘Despair from the Dark’ with my ‘Skull Lair’’s effect.”

An energy ball hit the massive shadow, dispersing it in an instant. Even more horribly Blackheart gained Life Points from the effect ‘Soul Absorption’ (4200+4000=8200).

“Finally,” said Blackheart, “I summon ‘Sangan’ in defense mode.” A three-eyed fur ball appeared (DEF: 600). Blackheart couldn’t stop laughing.

This is it, I thought. From now on, every move is even more critical.

Blackheart laughed maliciously. “It’s no use,” he said. “By discarding so many of my monsters you have delivered me the ultimate weapon in the form of ‘Skull Lair’. Watch as I use it to destroy you, and bring darkness to this world forever!”

His laughter deepened, and for a moment I wondered if I might really fail.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty]

Surprise Outcomes


Monty


“This is it,” I said with absolute confidence. “Your time’s up.”


Hiro


“Your time’s up, Blackheart,” I said. “I Flip-Summon ‘Fushio Richie’, reviving my ‘Pharaoh’s Servant’.” The spear-wielding mummy appeared, twirling his weapon (ATK: 900). “Next I summon ‘Avatar of the Spirit’ and tribute him to call my Spirit Monster back to the field. Rise again, ‘Spirit of the Pharaoh’! That means that you discard eight more cards from your deck.”

A mummy wreathed in an electric yellow light appeared. The light flashed brighter and the mummy disappeared, making way for my ‘Spirit of the Pharaoh’ to return.

Blackheart threw out his cards, three of them being monsters. He took more damage from the effect of my ‘Coffin Seller’.

“It’s no use,” Blackheart explained, “you’ll never deal enough damage with ‘Coffin Seller’ to beat me, especially while I control the combo of ‘Skull Lair’ and ‘Soul Absorption’ increasing my Life Points with every passing turn.” He broke out into a fit of maniacal laughter.

I smiled weakly and commanded my monster, “‘Spirit’, attack his ‘Sangan’!”

‘Spirit of the Pharaoh’ sliced the much smaller monster in half. ‘Sangan’ went to the Graveyard and Blackheart was dealt more damage by my Trap card’s effect (7300-300=7000).

“I’d search my deck for a monster with ‘Sangan’’s effect,” said Blackheart, “but you’ve actually managed to discard every legal target from my deck. Not that I need to search for another monster. I know exactly how I’m going to kill you. My plan is already in place!”

Blackheart laughed, cocky as ever. “I reveal my Trap card ‘Michizure’. This card activates when my monster is destroyed and destroys one of my opponent’s monsters with Death Grip!”

A transparent hand reached up out of the ground beneath my ‘Spirit of the Pharaoh’ and pulled him back to his grave.

“Next,” said Blackheart, “I activate ‘Burial from the Different Dimension’, returning three of the monsters in my removed from play pile to my Graveyard. Now I can remove them from play again along with four other monsters to destroy your ‘Fushio Richie’ (7000+3500=10,500). Now you’re defenseless!”

I smirked confidently, “Not yet. I play ‘Silent Doom’ to revive ‘Pharaonic Protector’ in defense mode, and I change ‘Pharaoh's Servant’ to defense mode”

The red-ribbon-wearing mummy appeared, crouched down beside his spear-wielding counterpart, ready to defend me with his life (DEF: 0 (each)). Blackheart tossed more cards (10,500-300=10,200).

“It’s my turn next,” said Blackheart, “and I get the feeling that this will be a turn for plans to come together.”


Monty


“Don’t get so hasty,” Lawrence replied. “I place one card face-down, though at this point I doubt I’ll need it.”

“Then its time,” I said defiantly. “I summon my Soul,” I declared, “the ‘Silent Magician’!”

A girl in white with white hair appeared wearing a wide hat and carrying a jewel-tipped wand (ATK: 1000).

“Now I’ll use a move that a friend taught me. I play ‘Card of Sanctity’, forcing us both to draw until we hold six cards.”

“That’s your big move?” Lawrence asked, clearly not impressed. “So what, are you trying to make me draw myself to death?”

“Something like that,” I said with a smile. I gestured to my new magician. When Lawrence saw her he gasped. She had grown. She was now a beautiful young woman with a powerful aura.

“What happened?” Lawrence asked.

I stood with my arms crossed and explained, “My monster grows older and stronger with each card that you draw until you’ve drawn five cards, at which point she becomes the unbeatable ‘Silent Magician LV 8’, the very face of my Soul!”

The magician brandished her staff-length wand (ATK: 3500).

“Now, out of the cards that I drew, I activate ‘Premature Burial’ (4200-800 =3400) to revive ‘Buster Blader’, and ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive my ‘Dark Magician’.” My warrior appeared resting his sword on his shoulder, and my magician appeared at his side in a swirl of light, twirling his staff. He stopped and pointed his staff at Lawrence.

“Next,” I said, “I play ‘Polymerization’, combining ‘Dark Magician’ with ‘Buster Blader’, forming the ultimate Magical Swordsman.”

The two monsters merged, forming an armored sorcerer, his leather armor turned metallic. He carried a bladed staff (ATK: 2900).

“Lawrence,” I declared, “meet ‘Dark Paladin’, the Ultimate Magical Swordsman! My ‘Paladin’ keeps ‘Buster Blader’’s ability, giving him more power for every dragon on your field or in your Graveyard (2900+2500=5400), and if you do have another Spell capable of turning the tables on him, it doesn’t matter, because my monster can negate Spells.”

“No way,” said Lawrence, “not him! He’s known by every Dragon Duelist as the one monster to always avoid!” It was the first time that I’d seen him truly afraid. At the time I enjoyed seeing him that way.

Good, I thought, it’s about time you realized how serious this duel really is!

“I pay one thousand Life Points (3400-1000=2400) to activate ‘Diffusion Wave Motion’. Now my ‘Paladin can attack both of your Dragons this turn,”

‘Paladin’ raised his staff and waves of energy poured from it, slicing his dragons to pieces, starting with the ‘Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon’. “When your ‘Paladin’ destroys my ‘Red-Eyes’,” Lawrence said, sounding desperate, “I reveal ‘Option Hunter’, increasing my Life Points by an amount equal to the dragon’s original Attack!” My attack carried through and hit Lawrence, nearly knocking him over (4400+3000+3300 +2400-5400-5400=2300).

“I survived,” said Lawrence. “Your other monsters can’t attack in a turn in which ‘Dimension Fusion’ was played. With the cards in my hand, I can destroy you next turn, ‘Dark Paladin’ or not.”

I smiled confidently, “You’re wrong. I have one more card in my hand. I told you that ‘Silent Magician’ was my trump card, and I wasn’t kidding. You see, I knew you’d survive my ‘Paladin’’s attack. You’re nothing if not tenacious. That’s why I have one more card to ply.

“I activate the Spell card ‘Rainbow Aura’,” I declared, smiling smugly, “which lets me select one Spellcaster and give it the power to attack, regardless of any active effects.”

The white aura around my ‘Silent Magician’ changed, becoming rainbow-colored. She rose into the air. She aimed her staff and fired a bolt of magical energy at Lawrence. He was carried into the air and fell onto his back (2300-3500=0).

Lawrence struggled to his feet, facing me, his legs shaking. “I don’t know why you’re so angry with me Monty,” he said, “but it looks like it’s over either way. You won and now you’ll never have to deal with me again.”

A billow of smoke poured from a crack that formed down Lawrence’s Soul and his body began to melt away, becoming part of the Shadows. As soon as his Soul cracked I suddenly felt like a different person. I realized for the first time what Blackheart had done. In my Soul’s memory I saw Blackheart standing over me, planting something evil in my mind. It had made me suspicious and paranoid, and when Lawrence had lost to Blackheart and Blackheart hadn’t taken his Soul my paranoia made me think that Lawrence had betrayed us.

This was all some kind of game to Blackheart. This was all his doing!

“Lawrence!” I cried. I reached out with my Soul, trying to pull him back. Suddenly I was unable to move.

I looked down. My Soul wad cracked and was spewing smoke as well. I was melting into the Shadow’s just like Lawrence.

That’s when I remembered:


“Just to be sure,” I said, “I’ll go over the terms with you now before we start. The loser will lose him body and spirit forever to the Shadows, and if either Duelist tries to alter the outcome of the Shadow Game they forfeit their body and spirit to the Shadows. Pretty simple. And of course whoever loses this game won’t be able to return.”


I used my Soul to try and change the outcome of the Game when I tried to save Lawrence, I thought. Now I’m going to the Shadows too. This was Blackheart’s plan all along! Because Blackheart caused this whole thing, he might as well have beaten us himself. Our Souls belong to him now. I killed my best friend and Blackheart gets to sit there and laugh and take our power! And it’s all my fault!


Blackheart


I could finally feel it. Finally those two have destroyed each other. Maybe it would have been easier to kill them and take their magic myself, but making those two kill each other instead was way more fun. After all, there’s nothing funnier than two friends killing each other, and either way their power is mine now!

My Soul of Darkness flashed and became the Soul of Chaos.

“Finally!” I cried, laughing out loud. “Those pitiful Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba wannabes have just finished each other off, and the power that they possessed is mine!”

I saw my foe’s eyes widen with surprise, and I laughed again.

“That’s right. I reshaped the mind of that magic-user and he forced the other one into a Shadow Game with both of their bodies and minds on the line, causing their mutual destruction!

“You said that the only thing that could kill you was the three Gods? You said show me the Gods? Well its time I did what you asked!”

The Duelist scowled, and I laughed again, “In my hand I hold the only Spell card in the Game that can summon all three of my Gods at one time; ‘Dimension Fusion’! Even if they do only remain in play for a turn, that will be plenty of time for me to destroy you with the infinite power of their combined form!”

I laughed softly as the image of my only real opponent finally being destroyed flashed in my mind, at the hands of the greatest God of all. A God that was now mine to command. I looked The Duelist in the eyes and said, “Now, my old friend, it’s time for you to die!”

I reached down, ready to draw my card to begin my turn, but I found that there were no cards left in my deck. I gasped. My deck was gone!

And that’s when it hit me. My opponent’s strategy. It hadn’t been to kill me with the effect of ‘Coffin Seller’. It had been to disassemble my deck, using the combo with ‘Coffin Seller’ to distract from his real goal. And because I had been so sure of myself I hadn’t even seen it coming, thinking that The Duelist had simply made a mistake! Now it was over, and there was nothing I could do.

“N-no! This can’t be! I had you. I had you!!”

“No Blackheart,” The Duelist said, “I had you. I knew the exactly how this duel was going to end from the start. I just had to play like I was worried or scared at just the right times so that you wouldn’t catch on. I even thought the right thoughts, in case our old bond let you feel what I was thinking. You never stood a chance in this duel, Blackheart, you just never realized it.”
“But it’s my destiny to rule this world for eternity,” I protested, still astonished.

“Your only destiny,” he replied, “was to live long enough so that I could destroy you and my destiny could be fulfilled. You endangered the lives of so many people just because you wanted to increase your own power! That is inexcusable! With this I destroy you once and for all. Penalty Game, Soul Shock!”

He held out his palm and released a bolt of bright energy. It overtook me, and everything went black.


Hiro


My Soul Shock hit Blackheart, and I watched him fall out of John’s body and melt into the Shadows, screaming the entire time.

Finally, I thought, it’s over. I shed my borrowed power and I became my original self again. I felt my temporary body begin to fade. My Pseudo Soul flashed. Time to go back.

My Soul shed several colored lights, as did John’s, and the lights flew out of the temple. They were the energies of the other Souls, returning home, plus several Duelists’ Duel Energies. I faded away as I returned home as well.


John


I was finally free. I opened my eyes and looked around. I already knew where I was of course. While Blackheart was controlling me I could see everything he saw and hear everything that he thought or said aloud. I knew everything that he’d done, and it horrified me. Now that he was gone I could start cleaning up the mess that he’d made.

Blackheart was beaten, I thought, but at what cost? What he did to Monty and Lawrence, just because they were friends, is truly horrifying. And putting my entire team through everything that he did, I just can’t think about it. He could have killed them at any time. I did everything I could to fight him, but all I could do in the end was scream in the back of his mind, trying to break his focus. I'll never even know if what I did was any help at all.

I took a deep breath and walked out of the temple, back to my friends who were waiting outside. Hiro? I asked hoping for his support during the conversation to come, but he didn’t answer. He was there, in my Soul, but he was too weak to appear. I would have to wait to get any support, or any answers to the questions burning in my mind.

That’s when my friends saw me. “John!” Karen cried. She ran over and threw her arms around me. I slid out of her embrace. Knowing what I knew, it just didn’t feel right to feel happy.

“What is it?” She asked.

“It’s Monty and Lawrence,” I said. “Blackheart tricked them into fighting each other in a Shadow Game. They both lost. They’re gone.”

Her eyes widened, “No, they can’t be!”

I stood there and waited while the information sunk in. Everyone was silent. Karen seemed to be in shock.

“I’m sorry, Karen,” I said, lending my support.

“No,” she interrupted, and I realized that she wasn’t in shock.

She was concentrating.

“No,” she said, “they aren’t dead. I know they aren’t” She was trying to remain confident, but she didn’t sound sure. She was just beginning to let the worst of possibilities sink in when someone else spoke.

“Did you guys miss us?”

We turned. And there they were. Monty was walking toward us supporting an injured but still-smiling Lawrence. And by smiling I of course mean sneering.

“But Blackheart killed you,” I said, a bit shocked to see them, “I saw it in his mind when he did.”

“Nah,” said Monty. “I squeezed the last bits of power from my Soul at the last second, breaking the Shadow Game. I’m not sure how. Maybe it was all of the horror I felt about what Blackheart had made me do, I dunno, but my Soul lost its power and it still cracked, so Blackheart still got its power and he wasn’t any the wiser. We were stuck somewhere near the edge of the Shadows for a while after that, and then Blackheart lost, breaking his spell, and we returned completely.”

“When our power returned to our Souls,” said Lawrence, “we pooled our powers to bring us here.”

His sneer returned, “I wanted to see if anyone was grieving for us yet.”

Karen walked over and punched him in the face.

“What was that for!?”

“Being a jerk!”

Despite everything, I couldn’t help but laugh. I looked up into the star-filled night sky.

“Oh,” said Karen, walking over to me again. “John, this is yours. I’ve been holding onto it for you.” She took a card from her deck and handed it to me; my ‘Fiend Megacyber’.

“Thanks,” I said. “Thanks for protecting everyone. Thanks for everything.”

She smiled, “Don’t mention it.

I turned to me team and sized them up. They were tired and shaken, but they were alright. So was everyone who had been left back home. Even the kids that Blackheart had killed by taking their energy had a great chance of pulling through. Everyone would be alright.

So as I looked at my team, my friends, my family, only one idea was forthcoming. “Come on guys,” I said, “it’s finally over. Let’s go home.”[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

BTW, I don't trust my editing skills, not even slightly, so if anyone catches any typos please let me know. Thanks.

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Book Five, Kaiba Corporation Invitational Tournament]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

Invitation from Kaiba Corporation


Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

I woke up out of a sound sleep, or as sound a sleep as you get when you’re me, to the sound of my alarm. It was what I thought was a normal Friday morning. I should have known by then that nothing in my life is normal. I sat up, hanging my feet over the side of the bed, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes. I looked groggily out over my messy room, and looked over at the still-beeping alarm. I slapped the off button, and the beeping stopped.

It was midsummer, and I was currently between employers, so I had nothing to do. I was only awake because I like waking up early enough to spend time with my friends, who also have no lives. Our secret lives were to blame. When you spend your time fighting dark magic, everything else becomes less than exciting. My mom was at work and my sister Sarah was out, so I had some time to myself to get showered and dressed.

So I showered, and I dressed, putting on an old t-shirt. It didn’t fit. I kept forgetting about the growth spurt that I’d recently gone through. So I tossed the old t-shirt back onto the floor where I’d found it and grabbed a newer black one from its place at the foot of my bed. It fit like a glove. Then I pulled on a not-too-dirty pair of jeans, grabbed my deck box, and clipped it to one of my belt loops. I pulled the Soul of Darkness, a purple spherical crystal charm on a cord, out from under my shirt and walked down the stairs.

I swung open the front door, ready to step outside, and I found a letter waiting for me on the welcome mat. It bore a stamp depicting the insignia of the legendary Kaiba Corporation, the company that created the holographic technology that made modern dueling possible. Kaiba Corp. is headed by the former Duel Monsters champion Seto Kaiba, the Number Two Duelist in the world.

I bent down and picked up the letter. It was addressed to me. I wondered what it could be. Naturally I walked back inside with the letter and sat down on the couch. I tore open the envelope and unfolded the letter. It was typed rather than written, and the text read:


Dear Duelist,

You are invited to participate in the second Kaiba Corporation Invitational Grand Championship. The tournament will take place in one week’s time, and the rules of the tournament will not be revealed until the tournament begins and will be subject to change, ensuring a truly unique experience.
Enclosed with this letter is a flash drive containing instructions to find the tournament sight. If you accept this invitation follow the instructions exactly. If you do not accept, please send word to Kaiba Corporation via [email protected] as soon as possible so that your replacement can be found.
The Duel Force has caught the eye of the Kaiba Corporation. You as their leader have caught the Corporation’s eye most of all. We at Kaiba Corp. look forward to seeing you at the tournament.

Seto Kaiba

-Seto Kaiba, President and C.E.O.


“Well I’ll be damned.”

I stuffed the letter into my pocket and pulled the tiny flash drive from the envelope. I ran to the computer and plugged the drive into the computer, opening the file stored within. It described how I was to make my way next Friday to the airport to catch a Kaiba Corp. jet to New York. The tournament would be held at the soon-to-be-opened Kaibaland New York. It was complete with maps and everything.

“Huh, only a week’s notice?” I said, thinking out loud. “Hope that’s enough. Hope Mom doesn’t mind.”

I read over the instructions again and then left. I walked to my car, a white convertible something or other. I have no idea what it was now. I don’t have it anymore. After stopping for some gas I drove to the mall. There in the mall’s game center I found all of the members of my team, the Duel Force, along with my young apprentice Jenna.

“Well,” I said, pulling up a seat next to the slim and beautiful dark-haired Karen, who was wearing a button up denim skirt and white knee-high socks, and a white long sleeve t under a denim vest, “you guys will never guess what I got.”

“An invitation to the next Kaiba Corp. sponsored tournament?” Max asked mockingly. He pulled a letter of his own out of the pocket of his gray hoody and held it up over his head, adjusting his ball cap so that it held his blond hair out of his blue eyes.

“See,” he said, “I got one too.”

“Yeah,” said my best friend Tucker, “So did I.” He held up his own letter. Sarah and my oldest cousin Jen held up letters as well. So did Karen, waving it around in my face, smiling.

Tucker has spiky red hair and was wearing a black t-shirt with a flame pattern on the right breast sleeve and dark wash blue jeans with a fire pattern up the left leg. Sarah had her frizzy blond hair tied back in a makeshift ponytail. She was wearing a gray and black basketball jersey with a number 9 on it and jean shorts. Her outfit clashed horribly, but that was typical. Jen, who is tall with long hair dyed black, was still totally Gothed out.

I looked from one letter to the next and then leaned back in my seat, pouting, “Well, I felt special for about five seconds.”

Karen elbowed me, “Don’t sulk.”

“Isn’t this great bro?” Sarah asked excitedly. “I’m gonna compete in a big tournament. Gonna get to show off my skillz.”

“Yeah, it is pretty cool,” I said. “Guess it’s true what the letter said; the Duel Force has caught Kaiba’s eye.”

“But why only some of us?” Monty asked curiously. He was wearing an open flannel jacket, a red t-shirt, and black jeans. His spiky hair stuck out in all directions.

“Easy,” said Rocky, straitening his survival vest over his blue tank top, “There must have only been a limited number of slots, so Kaiba only invited Duelists from the team that he wanted to see duel the most. Either that or he only picked the ones that he considers the greatest threat to his pro rank.”

“That would be cool,” I said, “if Kaiba considers me a threat.”

“Considers us a threat,” said Karen, elbowing me again, more playfully this time.

“Can everyone go?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Max replied, “we already talked it over while you were sleeping in, and we should all be able to make it.”

“Good,” I said. Then I put on my smug face, “Well then, we’ve only got a week to prep. I could use some practice. Anyone want to take me on?”

“I’ll face you,” said Rocky.

“Really?” I asked, still stunned by how open the once introverted Rocky had become around us. “You never want to duel.”

“I want to duel you,” said Rocky. “You’re strong, and I have to fight strong opponents if I ever want to become stronger.”

I nodded, following his reasoning perfectly, and stood up and summoned the blade-like Dark Disk to its place in my left arm, “In that case, you’re on.”

Rocky stood up and activated his KC Standard Duel Disk, taking his deck from his vest pocket and inserting it into the loader. We made our way up to the Game Center’s central arena. We passed by a table where some kids were sitting. I heard one of them say to the other, “Hey, aren’t they from the Duel Force?”

Apparently competing in tournaments between stints saving the world had gone far to bolster the public image of our group.

“I’ll move first,” said Rocky as we reached our places at either end of the raised platform. “I set one monster face-down and set three cards.”

“I’ve seen this move,” I said, completely confident, “remember? I can easily counter it. I summon my ‘Strike Ninja’ in attack mode and then play ‘Painful Choice’, choosing five cards from my deck. You choose one of those cards to add to my hand, and then I discard the rest.”

The black-clad kunai-wielding ‘Strike Ninja’ appeared (ATK: 1700). I fanned out my deck and chose five cards. I opened the Field Card port of my Dark Disk, placing four of the cards in the empty Monster Zones and one in the Field Zone. Holograms of the five cards appeared above my head. They were ‘D.D. Scout Plane’, ‘Sangan’, ‘Giant Orc’, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, and ‘Great Maju Garzett’.

“Add ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ to your hand,” said Rocky, pointing at the card. I placed the chosen card in my hand and placed the other cards into my Graveyard.

“‘Strike Ninja’ attacks,” I commanded. ‘Strike Ninja’ charged forward and slashed with his kunai knife. The target was revealed. It was a pink round-bodied monster with wings and an “S” on its chest. ‘Gamma the Magnet Warrior’ (DEF: 1800).

“Reveal ‘Cross Counter’,” Rocky declared, “giving my monster the chance to counterattack and destroy yours.”

‘Gamma’ struck, but I was ready. “I remove two Dark monsters from play,” I declared, “to remove my ‘Ninja’ from play until the End Phase, dodging the counterattack.”

“No way,” said Rocky. “I discard ‘Destroyer Golem’ to activate ‘Divine Wrath’.” A bolt of lightning struck my ‘Ninja’, and he was destroyed.

So it’s not the same combo after all, I thought. I shouldn’t have underestimated him, especially since I haven’t seen him duel enough to know his deck yet.

“One face-down card,” I said, more apprehensive, “and I end my turn.”

“I draw,” said Rocky, “and I summon my ‘Alpha the Magnet Warrior’.” Another stone-bodied warrior appeared, green in color, carrying a shield and sword (ATK: 1400).

“Now I activate ‘Ultimate Offering’,” Rocky declared, “paying five hundred Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon ‘Beta the Magnet Warrior’.” A third monster appeared, colored yellow with horseshoe-shaped magnets for hands (ATK: 1700).

“I change ‘Gamma’ to attack mode (ATK: 1500) and attack with all three monsters.” The three magnets attacked, and my Life Points dropped considerably (8000-1400-1500-1700=3400).

“Now,” Rocky declared, “I activate the special ability of my monsters. When the three Magnet Warriors are together on the field they can combine into a supreme monster.” The three monsters broke down into composite parts which combined into a tall, winged, horned, sword-and-shield-wielding warrior. “These monsters become ‘Valkyrion the Magna Warrior’ (ATK: 3500)!”

“Impressive,” I said, “but too bad for you it’s my turn. I discard the ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ that you put in my hand to activate ‘Monster Reincarnation’, returning ‘Great Maju Garzett’ to my hand in its place. Next I summon ‘Magician of Faith’,” a young woman in a gown and carrying a staff appeared, “using her as a sacrifice to activate ‘Enemy Controller’.” The woman disappeared in a swirl of light and a giant game controller appeared. I pressed the controls in sequence and a cord shot from the controller to the ‘Magna Warrior. The warrior’s eyes glowed and it moved over to my side of the field.

“Now I play ‘Double Summon’,” I said, “letting me sacrifice ‘Valkyrion the Magna Warrior’ for the ‘Great Maju Garzett’.” ‘Valkyrion’ became wisps of smoke that reformed into a massive brown skeletal demon with a red sphere in its forehead and in each shoulder. The spheres flashed (ATK: 7000).

“‘Great Maju Garzett’, attack with Vile Energy!”

‘Great Maju Garzett’ fired a massive blast from his palm. The beam hit Rocky, and smoke and fire poured over him, obscuring his view (7500-7000=500).

“I’m not out of this yet,” Rocky said, just before a figure in yellow armor burst through the smoke and punched him in the gut (500-2200=0).

“How?” Rocky asked, more curious than disappointed.

“I used my face-down ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive ‘The Field Megacyber’ and attack,” I explained. My monsters disappeared as the duel came to an end.

Rocky smiled, “Well, my friend, I’m glad I’m not competing against you, and I feel bad for anyone who is. Unless Yugi Muto shows up, you might actually win this thing.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

Scoping Out the Competition


“This is it,” I said, smiling, looking up at the number above the gate, “this is where the Kaiba Corp. jet is waiting for us.”

“Good,” said Max. “After an hour and a half getting through customs, I could really use some time not getting through customs.”

Karen punched him in the arm and gave him a stern look. He replied by producing a sound that can only be described as a growl.

I smiled. Max might seem like a jerk, but I knew that deep down, really deep down, he was a good guy, and a friend.

“I just hope that I get to fight smoky the hothead over here,” said Sarah, looking up at Tucker, who had recently grown seven inches and towered over all of us.

“I’d burn you up,” Tucker replied, taunting her playfully.

“No way!”

We handed our tickets (which had been waiting for us at the airport when we arrived) to the attendant at the gate and stepped through onto the airfield outside. We carried our small bags onto the plane and found our seats. We were the only ones on board. It was pretty cool, though it wasn’t the first time that something like this had happened to many of us.

The voice of the captain came over the intercom and he gave his well-rehearsed speech about our flight plan and the safety crap. I didn’t really pay attention. I was busy thinking about the tournament. Who would be there? How strong would they be?

And I couldn’t help but think about how cool it would be if I actually won!

But most of all I was hoping to meet my hero; the original King of Games, Yugi Muto. He hadn’t been seen at a major tournament since the last Grand Championship, so I didn’t expect to see him at this tournament either, but I could hope.

“I hope I get to face you in the tournament,” said Karen, laying her head on my shoulder.

“Yeah,” I said, “me too.”

“You’re thinking hard about something,” she said. It wasn’t a question.

“Yeah,” I said absentmindedly.

“What?” Karen asked.

“What, what?”

“What are you thinking about?”

“Oh, well I was just thinking that I’d like to duel Yugi.”

Karen sat up and looked over at me, “You mean the Yugi? The King of Games Yugi? Trust me, we’ll be lucky if Yugi isn’t there. If Yugi competes there’s no way you’ll win, and from what I can tell you’ve got a better chance than anyone of winning this thing.”

“Still, even if it means I’d lose, I still want to fight Yugi. I mean, who can say they’ve fought Yugi?”

“I don’t expect to get far,” she said, laying her head on my shoulder again.

“Even if you don’t, I’m sure you’ll do great.” She and I sat together for the rest of the flight in silence.


Tucker


I spent most of the flight goofing around and bragging about how strong I am. That’s what I do. But the entire time I was worried that I’d cave under the pressure and let John down. He’d done so much for me in the past.

Alright John, I decided, I promise that either I’ll fight you, or I’ll make it to the final round, no matter who I have to get through.

And I really meant it, too.


Max


I’ve never been the kind of person to open up to people, especially since my first real friend Randy was killed my Yami, or I guess Marik. I’d made some pretty good friends recently, but none of them compared to him. He had been like a brother. As hard as it was living without him around, I’d managed to come to terms with it. But the entire length of the fight, for some reason, I felt like Randy was waiting for me at the end.


John


The plane landed at about six-o-clock. There were KC cars waiting to pick us up and drive us to the Kaibaland Resort. We arrived and I looked around in awe. The resort was awesome, with twenty-four semi-circular stories wrapped around a courtyard with a huge stone fountain, topped with a statue of the legendary Duel Monster, the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’. Inside, on the lobby floor, was a huge pool, a smoothie bar, an open bar, artificial waterfalls, and diving boards. The building was beautiful and spectacular, both inside and out.

We were directed to our rooms, one for each of us. We were on the top floor, for special guests. The rooms were placed in the ends of the half circle structure. There were twenty or so rooms total, with a lounge in the middle. We left our bags in our rooms, which were huge and amazing, and then headed back out to the lounge and waited for more competitors to arrive.

“This is boring,” said Tucker.

“For once I agree with Hothead,” said Sarah.

“Oh, come on!” I said. “This is great! Waiting to meet the ultra-strong Duelists that we’ll be fighting. The suspense is awesome!”

Tucker, who was sitting right next to me, punched me hard in the arm and shot me a dirty look.

“It would be nice if some of the other competitors would actually show up,” said Karen, putting her feet up on the table in the center of the room.

“Did someone say something about meeting the other competitors?” asked a strange voice from behind me. We all looked and saw that someone had just stepped off of the elevator. He was wearing a gray suite with brown slacks, and highly reflective round-lens glasses.

“You must be the competitors who have already arrived,” said the man. He walked over to each of us in turn and offered a hand to shake, and we each stood in turn and took it, except for Max and Lawrence.

“I am Doctor William Crabtree,” the man said, smiling. Judging by the wrinkles on his face he was in his mid-forties. His eyes were too hidden to tell for sure, but his smile seemed very false. Not evil, but sinister. I didn’t trust him for a second.

“I’m a surgeon,” said Crabtree, “and a Gold Ranked Duelist.”

“I’m John,” I told him, “and these are Karen, Sarah, Jen, Lawrence, Max and Tucker. We’re the Duel Force.”

You obviously have something up your sleeve, Doc, I thought, so how will you react to that?

“Ah, yes,” said Crabtree thoughtfully, sitting down in an armchair across from me. “I’ve heard of you of course!” He leaned forward and folded his hands, still wearing that awful smile.

“You, John, are Gold Rank. Your signature cards include ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, ‘Great Maju Garzett’, and ‘Dimension Fusion’. You, Lawrence, were once a student of Seto Kaiba, and you are only one of two Duelists known at this time who possess three copies of the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’. You, Karen, were once a student of Maxamillion Pegasus and hold a set of Toon monsters. And Max, you used to be a very well-known Duelist in this region, but fell off the radar until you recently re-emerged displaying the mantle of the Duel Force.”

“What about me?” asked Tucker.

“You,” said Crabtree, “are not even worth mentioning.

“Now,” Crabtree continued, “if you don’t mind, I’m going to turn in.”

With that, he stood up and strolled briskly to his room.

“I don’t know if you guys noticed,” said Tucker, “but that guy’s up to something.”

“Yeah,” said Lawrence sarcastically, “we all got it.”


It was another twenty minutes before anyone else arrived. This time we already knew him. Sarah saw him first, jumping up from her seat and growling, “War Ruler!” Even though I’d never met the member of the evil Dark Duel Force, I knew from my friends how dangerous he could be. I jumped up, along with Tucker, Karen, Lawrence, and Max. The others rose moments later, and the spirit being Hiro, a resident of my Soul of Darkness and a strong ally, appeared at my side in his invisible spirit form.

I’m here if you need me, Hiro told me in my mind. I nodded and then took a step toward our old foe.

“Why are you here?” I demanded.

“I’d guess for the same reason as you,” War Ruler replied.

“You can’t expect us to believe that you’re only here to compete,” said Tucker.

“No,” he answered, “but I’m also not looking to convince you. If you see anything suspicious from me, respond in whatever way you see fit. I’ll see you tomorrow at the tournament.”

And he too walked away.


It was dark by the time the next competitor arrived. We knew him too, though the others were paying too much attention to the TV mounted on the wall overhead to really notice him. He was the master of one turn kill tactics, “King of O.T.K.” as he was often called. He and I smiled at each other as he walked past me and toward his room, our expressions somewhere between friendly and ultra-competitive, if that makes sense.

Looks like it’s finally time for us to settle things, Christopher Johnson.


The next competitor to arrive was a kid about my age with dark hair, darker than mine, spiked pretty much straight up. He wore a dark red vest, the collar turned up, over a dark navy blue long sleeve t-shirt. I stood up and extended my hand, “I’m John, nice to meet you.”

The kid walked past me, stopped, and looked back over his shoulder.

“I’m called Evo,” he said. “You don’t interest me.”


“Well I’m gonna turn in,” said Jen, standing up and stretching. “Obviously the other Duelists don’t plan to show up until tomorrow.”

“Yeah,” said Tuck, “I’m gonna turn in too.”

Just then the elevator door opened and two familiar figures stepped into the lounge. Familiar not because we knew them, but because we knew of them.

“Hey,” said the shorter of the two figures in very good English, “you must be the other Duelists competing in this thing.” He shot us a friendly smile and I rose to my feet in shock, unsure how to react.

“Nice to meet you all,” the young man said, continuing with his introduction, “I’m Yugi Muto.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

The Rules


I was both ecstatic and speechless, as were my friends. None of us said a word for several seconds, until I blurted, “You’re Yugi! And you,” I said, pointing at the taller of the two new arrivals, “are Katsuya Jonouchi!”

“How’s it going,” said Jonouchi, not really meaning it to be a question.

Then to Yugi he said, “I’m outta here. I need my beauty sleep ya know.”

“Yeah,” said Yugi, “I could use some sleep too.” He waved at my friends and I and said, “See you at the tournament.”

The two famous Duelists found their respective rooms and stepped inside. I turned to my friends and said, “Oh yeah! Yugi’s here! And I might get to fight him!”

“I might get to fight him too,” said Tucker, staring blankly ahead, his mouth hanging open slightly.

“I’ve gotta get some rest,” I said. “I might get paired against Yugi tomorrow.” I stood up, twitching with excitement, and made my way to my room.

I stepped inside and took off my jeans and jacket, leaving only my t-shirt and boxers. I pulled down the sheets, climbed in, and fell asleep.

I suddenly found myself (wearing my jeans and jacket, thankfully) standing with my near-doppelganger Hiro within my own mind. Tomorrow is going to be big, I said. The instructions mentioned a monetary prize to be announced. It could be just what I need to get my career started.

You’ve never mentioned what you plan to do for a career, said Hiro.

Well, I said, smirking, since I obviously won’t be able to coast through life on my good looks, I was thinking that I’d try for the Pro Dueling Circuit.

Yeah, said Hiro thoughtfully, you could definitely do that. Most of this era’s Duelists are overrated.

I know, I said, but I figure that I’ll need money to live on until my career as a pro takes off, you know.

Yeah.
Do you think we could beat him?

Beat who? Hiro asked, but I knew that he knew.

Yugi, I answered.

Hiro shot me a competitive smile that rivaled my own, Well, we won’t know until we try.


I slept soundly through the night (for once) and woke the next morning at six-thirty to the sound of my room phone. I picked up the receiver and said hello. A woman answered that this was the standard wake-up call for all participants in the tournament, and that all participants were to be in the lounge by seven-o-clock sharp. Grudgingly I got up and showered and dressed, placing three cards protectively in my shirt pocket, grabbed my deck box, clipping it to my waste, and headed out.

Max, Karen, and Lawrence were already there, along with Christopher, the jerkass-ish Evo, Yugi, and Jonouchi. As I stepped into the lounge, so did War Ruler. I shot him a look, which he ignored as he looked up at the TV, which had just switched on as if on a timer. Sarah and Jen stepped into the lounge about then, with Tucker arriving a moment later.

The screen flickered and the face of Kaiba Corp. President Seto Kaiba appeared. “Greetings Duelists,” he said, a sarcastic arrogance permeating his voice and expression, “and welcome to Kaibaland New York and the second Kaiba Corporation Grand Championship. You have all been chosen because you show great potential. The world deserves to see that potential first hand.”

“When he says ‘the world’,” I said, “he’s talking about himself.”

“Until now the final rules of this tournament have yet to be divulged,” Kaiba continued. “The rules will be standard single elimination, except for two exceptions. As of right now I am implementing both an escalating ante, where the rarest one card in each player’s deck will be bet in the first round, the rarest two in the second round, and the rarest three in the semifinal and final rounds, and a rarest card must play rule. Thanks to this requirement, every duelist in this tournament who is caught without their rarest three cards in their deck will be disqualified.”

I was instantly suspicious of these new rules. Could Kaiba know that I had the God cards? If so, he would obviously want them for himself. Every Duelist did. There was always the chance that he was after something else instead, but it seemed unlikely, and I don’t like it when I’m targeted personally, so I was wary. Then I caught myself. I was being ridiculous. Paranoid. Why would Kaiba be after me? He didn’t know me. Besides, Kaiba wasn’t even going to be in this tournament, was he? If these new rules were a way for Kaiba to get his hands on certain cards, that meant that either he was in the tournament, or someone else was representing him. Using a proxy wasn’t at all like the Kaiba that I’d heard about. He was proud, and he fought his own battles.

Long story short, I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I didn’t like it.

Either way, I have no choice, I thought. If Kaiba does know that I’m the current holder of the Egyptian Gods, I can’t risk not running them in my deck. I’ll run them, but I won’t use them. Not only are they dangerous, but I simply shouldn’t have them. For all anyone knows, I stole them.

I reached into my shirt pocket and reluctantly removed the three God cards, which I only carried with me at all because they were too dangerous to leave alone, slipping them into the deck box at my waist. No one saw me.

“The pairings for the first round will take place at eight sharp at the Kaibaland Arena,” Kaiba continued. “There will be cars waiting outside the resort at seven-fifty-five to take the competing Duelists to the arena, but any Duelist may employ any means of arrival as long as they are present at eight-o-clock. Any Duelist not present at that time will be immediately disqualified.”

And with that the screen went blank.

“Well,” said Tucker, stepping up to my side, “he sure knows how to get right to the point, doesn’t he.”

“Yeah,” I said, “he does.”


At seven-fifty-five my team and I along with the other competitors headed downstairs to meet the cars. Kaiba had arranged for an entire lane to be blocked off from traffic, and at the curb waited three black town cars driven by chauffeurs. It must be great to be rich. We were at the arena, which was just down the street, in less than two minutes. We stepped out of the cars into the shadow of one of the world famous Kaibaland Towers. Every serious Duelist knew the Tower façade by sight, and every Duelist longed to one day see one up close. We walked between two large ‘Blue-Eyes’ statues and through the front doors. There were people everywhere, every one of them talking about the tournament. Almost immediately a man in a black suite approached us.

“If you’ll follow me I’ll take you to the room where the pairings will take place. The pairing process is set to take place at any moment.” The man turned and started walking. We followed. The man led us to a room in the far back of the lobby marked “Authorized Personnel Only”. He unlocked the door, opened it, and motioned us inside.

We stepped into the room. Inside there were already two figures waiting for us. One was a large man in a trench coat and shades. The other was a kid about my age with red hair wearing a brown mask that covered his eyes. He had his arms crossed.

“You must be the other competitors,” I said, smiling openly. I stepped forward and offered my hand. They glared at me over their shoulders. “Okay,” I said and stepped back a bit. Christopher stepped up and stood by my side, his arms crossed and his look thoughtful. Tucker stepped up to my other side and shot me a look that said, I don’t trust these people. This tournament could be more than it seems.

I nodded. Tucker may not be a genius, but he’s got good instincts. If he was uneasy, then there was a chance that my paranoia was founded.

I looked forward and noticed for the first time a large machine designed to look like a ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’. At its “feet” was a glass dome. In it sat sixteen numbered lottery balls. Beside the machine was a ticket dispenser. Behind the two machines was a large window showing a massive outdoor stadium, located behind the tower, packed to the brim with people. High overhead, hanging from the stadium wall, was a huge LCD screen.

The man who had led us to the room stepped up beside the ‘Blue-Eyes’ lottery machine and raised a microphone to his mouth, and the screen outside came to life, showing an image of the man. Being the cautious and slightly paranoid guy that I am I looked around. I noticed a door to our left, different from the one that we had entered through. I also noticed several automated cameras located all around the room, fixed to the walls at eye level, and another camera atop the ticket dispenser.

“Welcome ladies and gentlemen,” said the man with the mic, “to the second Kaiba Corporation Grand Championship!” He paused, giving the crowd a chance to cheer like the excitable sheep that they are. “The competitors will now step forward in turn,” said the announcer, “and draw numbered tickets to begin the pairing process.” Then to us he said, “If you would, please line up single file.”

We got in line, and the image switched to the one recorded by the camera atop the ticket dispenser. The first to step forward was the kid in the mask. He pulled out the number one ticket.

“And Duelist number one is the mysterious Masked Duelist!”

The crowd clapped excitedly.

The large man stepped forward next and drew the number two ticket, “And Duelist number two is Exodus!”

The crowd was obviously as freaked out by this guy as I was, because he got far less applause.

The next Duelist to step up was Evo, “Evo will be Duelist number three!”

This one got a standing ovation. Apparently this Evo guy was pretty famous.

Next was Sarah, and then Crabtree, who got some decent recognition, and he loved every minuscule moment of it. Then it was Jen, and then Tucker, Max, and Lawrence. Then was Christopher, who got a ton of applause. Then me.

“Number eleven is John, leader of the up and coming Team Duel Force!”

I stood there holding my ticket as the stadium exploded with applause. It wasn’t as big as Christopher’s, but it was pretty great. People actually knew who I was! I stepped to the side, and Yugi stepped up and drew his ticket. The announcer said his name and his face appeared on the screen, and the stadium roared. My enthusiasm dropped. I knew I’d never be as big a name as he was.

Katsuya Jonouchi was next, then Karen, and finally War Ruler, who was introduced as Marcus. Fifteen Duelists total.

Wait, I thought, looking around, if this is single elimination then we need at least sixteen. Who’s the last guy?

“And finally,” said the announcer, gesturing toward the side door, “the final Duelist in this tournament, Kaiba Corporation CEO and the host for this event, Seto Kaiba!”

As Kaiba stepped through the door, wearing the same white jacket as the one he wore during the legendary Battle City Tournament, I couldn’t help but scowl. I knew it. That can mean only one thing; Kaiba is after the God cards.

My sneer turned into a competitive smirk, my common sense being overcome, not for the first time, by my competitive spirit, This is going to be one hell of a tournament![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

Round One;
Max vs. Karen and Sarah vs. Christopher Johnson


After we received our numbers, the lottery machine kicked on, randomly expelling two numbers at a time until everyone was paired off. The pairings were: Max and Karen, Sarah and Christopher, Yugi and Jonouchi, Lawrence and the guy in the mask, Tucker and Doc. Crabtree, War Ruler (or Marcus, I guess) and Exodus, me against Evo (what kind of name is that anyway?), and Jen and Kaiba, in that order. There were three stages out on the arena floor, so the first six duels would take place three at a time, and then the last two duels, mine and Jen’s duels, would take place last, again at the same time.

We were led out into a shaded box along the side of the stadium floor where we could sit in comfort and watch the other duels. I had almost put my paranoia out of mind when I overhead Yugi and Jonouchi, who were sitting in the seats nearest to the exit.

Jonouchi was showing Yugi a card, “What do you think it means?”

“I don’t know, but if ours are back, that means Kaiba’s is back too.”

I would have loved to listen to what they were saying, seeing as how eavesdropping is a hobby of mine, but I didn’t want to be caught listening in and have to explain. So I kept walking, finding a seat next to Karen. I sat down, pondering what I’d just heard, and what it could mean in the context of the tournament.


Karen


My duel was first, against Max of all people. I can usually read people easily, but Max was a different story altogether. Not only had I only seen him duel a few times, but he had also recently upgraded his deck with several new, rare cards. I hadn’t seen him duel even once since then. I didn’t know what to expect.

He and I walked to Duel Stage #1, the crowd clapping and cheering from the stands. We stepped up, and we began our match immediately.

“We may be on the same team,” said Max in an aggressive matter-of-fact way, “but today you’re my enemy, and I plan to treat you as such.”

I smirked, “Don’t worry, I won’t go easy either.”

“I’ll go first,” said Max, staring me down. “I set one monster and activate ‘Card of Safe Return’, a Permanent Spell card. Then I end my turn with three face-down cards.”

He smiled, “Make your move and then step aside, because no one can overcome Death.”


Sarah


My opponent was Christopher Johnson, my brother’s first real rival. I’d lost to him once, and I wasn’t about to do that again.

I have to set up a combo that will leave me in the lead even this early in the game, because if I give Christopher an inch, he’ll take a mile.

“I’ll start things off,” I said aggressively. “Go, ‘Pot of Greed’!”

I drew two cards from my deck and then checked my hand.

Oh yeah, that’ll work!

“I summon the ‘Soldier of Atlantis’,” I declared, and a blue-skinned fish man appeared, carrying a harpoon gun in his right hand (ATK: 1900).

“Next I play ‘Big Wave Small Wave’,” I said, “sacrificing my ‘Soldier’ to summon another water monster in his place, my ‘Revival Jam’.”

Water rose up around ‘Soldier of Atlantis’, and he melted away, becoming the plasma monster ‘Revival Jam’ (ATK: 1500).

“Interesting,” Christopher commented. “I look forward to seeing what lame reason you have for tributing a Level Four monster for a Level Four monster.”

“I’m not done yet,” I snapped, “because I drew the ultimate hand! I remove ‘Soldier’ in my Graveyard from play to summon my favorite monster, ‘Aqua Spirit’!” A pillar of bubbles rose up. The bubbles popped, and the blue-skinned water fairy ‘Aqua Spirit’ emerged (ATK: 1600).

“Next I end with ‘Card of Safe Return’ and two face-down cards. Gimme your best shot, Christopher, because I guarantee it’s not going to be enough.”

“Oh,” said Christopher, drawing to begin his first turn, “I will, and it will.”

He looked over his hand and smiled a devious smile. “Do you know why I’m King of OTK?” he asked. When I didn’t answer he said, “I’ll tell you anyway. I have studied this game extensively. I’ve always had a talent for seeing connections, and because I know every card in the game I only have to see a few cards in any given duelist’s deck, along with a bit of their Dueling style, to see through every one of their combinations.

“For example,” he said, smugness in his voice, “your face-down cards are ‘Jam Defender’ and ‘Solemn Wishes’.”

What? I thought, glancing down at my cards. How’d he know?

“You’re planning on blocking whatever monster I summon using a combination of ‘Revival Jam’ and ‘Jam Defender’,” Christopher explained, “and then use a combination of ‘Solemn Wishes’ and ‘Card of Safe Return’ to cancel out ‘Revival Jam’’s Life Point cost and rebuilding your hand all at once. Then you’ll use ‘Aqua Spirit’’s effect in combination with cards such as ‘Gravity Bind’ and ‘Level Limit – Area B’ to limit how many attacks I can make until you can draw into ‘Levia Dragon – Daedalus’ and ‘A Legendary Ocean’.”

“Y-you figured out my entire deck!” I was so shocked that I was actually shaking.

“Yeah,” he said. “See, I’ve always been good at this guessing thing, and ever since a recent defeat I’ve honed it, turning it into my greatest asset. Now I’m invincible. I can always defeat your deck because I know your deck as well as I know my own. I begin with my own ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards. Any number of the cards in my deck will work for what I need them to do, so it doesn’t really matter what I draw.”

He drew his cards and looked them over intently. Maybe he didn’t draw what he needed, I thought, my resolve returning. It didn’t remain for long.

“Sorry,” Christopher said, “but I’m going to end this, and I’m gonna do so starting with ‘Dark Hole’, destroying every monster on the field, even the otherwise immortal ‘Revival Jam’.”

My monsters were sucked into a black hole that appeared high above the field, which closed seconds later. Christopher selected a second card from his hand, “Next I activate ‘Polymerization’, fusing the Gemini Monsters ‘King Pyron’ and ‘Aquarian Allessa’ into ‘Metal-Armored Beast Raptinus’!”

‘King Pyron, a humanoid figure made of fire, and ‘Aquarian Allessa’, a young girl in a blue kimono, appeared in the air and merged into a huge dragon with multicolor patchwork skin and broad tan wings (ATK: 2200).

“Now I play ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and then discarding ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’ and ‘Frozen Sorceress’ from my hand. I remove ‘Allessa’, ‘Frozen Sorceress’, and ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’ from play, fusing ice with fire to form my ultimate card, ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’!”

A pillar of fire rose up alongside a pillar of water. The water began to freeze as the two pillars twisted together, forming a huge two-headed dragon, one head an icy blue, and the other a fiery red (ATK: 2300).

“Next up,” said Christopher, “I activate ‘Dimension Explosion’, returning ‘Raptinus’ to my Fusion Deck to allow us both to Special Summon up to two monsters that we have removed from play.” ‘Raptinus’ disappeared in a flash of light. A ripple appeared in the air beside me, and ‘Soldier of Atlantis’ emerged (ATK: 1900). A ripple appeared beside the ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’, and ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’ and ‘Frozen Sorceress’, two of the strongest Level Four monsters in the game, emerged to stand at my opponent’s side (ATK: 2200 each).

“Finally,” said Christopher, “I play ‘Premature Burial’, paying eight hundred Life Points (8000-800=7200) to summon ‘King Pyron’ from my Graveyard!”

The humanoid flame ‘King Pyron’ appeared with a burst of heat and fire (ATK: 1500).

“Now,” said Christopher, playing his final card, “I double the size and strength of my ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ with the Spell card ‘Megamorph’.” A glowing magic ring appeared below the two-headed dragon, and he grew to twice his size (ATK: 4600), “and I activate his special attack ability, Burning Ice Breath!”

‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ breathed ice from his frozen mouth, freezing my monster, and then breathed fire from his fiery mouth, melting my monster away in a torrent of flames.

“Now my four monsters attack, finishing you off.” ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ breathed fire and ice from his two mouths, ‘Pyron’ launched a burst of fire from his palms, ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’ swung her katana, releasing a swirling of heat and fire, and ‘Frozen Sorceress’ spread her arms, summoning up a fierce icy breeze. The attacks hit, dealing me over ten thousand damage at once.

Christopher’s monsters faded away, and he stepped forward and shook my hand. “Despite the outcome here I think you’ve got more power than that. I’d like to duel you again someday. And don’t worry about that ante thing. I don’t need any of your cards.”

He turned and walked away, leaving me even more determined to beat him than ever.


Karen


“For my move,” I began, “I start out with ‘Toon Alligator’.” An axe-wielding lizard appeared at my feet, jumping up and down excitedly (ATK: 800). “Next I play ‘Double Summon’, tributing the ‘Alligator’ for the ‘Dark Magician Girl’.” A young woman appeared wearing a blue dress and a witch’s hat over long blond hair. She carried a staff as a wand, which she aimed at Max, winking provocatively (ATK: 2000).

“’Dark Magician Girl’,” I commanded, “attack with Dark Burning!” ‘Dark Magician Girl’ fired waves of energy from the tip of her staff, hitting the face-down monster, which was revealed as a wooden man carrying a scythe.

“You attacked my ‘Regulus Reever’,” Max explained, “which means we each discard a card from our own hand, and then your monster loses five hundred Attack (2000-500=1500).”

I discarded my card and then continued without hesitation.

“I play ‘Card of Sanctity’,” I said. “We each draw until we hold six cards.”

I looked over my hand. It’s not much, but it’ll have to do.

“I place two cards face-down and end my turn.”

“Reveal,” said Max, “my ‘Call of the Haunted’ card. With this I revive my ‘Reever’ (ATK: 1600) and draw one card with the effect of ‘Card of Safe Return’. Now I draw, and I summon ‘Emissary of the Afterlife’.”

Another, more classic-looking grim reaper monster appeared, ghostlike, with a decorated scythe (ATK: 1600).

“I attack with ‘Regulus Reever’,” Max declared, “revealing ‘Robbin’ Goblin’.”

“Not bad,” I said as the wooden reaper lunged at my weakened sorceress. “You plan to deal me damage, activating the effect of your ‘Robbin’ Goblin’, forcing me to discard a card, but it won’t work.”

I smiled, as did my monster, and she raised her staff. “Reveal ‘Rush Recklessly’,” I declared, “raising the Attack power of my ‘Dark Magician Girl’ by seven hundred (1500+700=2200).”

“I don’t think so,” said Max. “Reveal ‘Attack Reaping’, cutting the attack of your monster by half at the cost of 500 Life Points (8000-500=7500).” A reaper burst from Max’s Trap, slashing my monster (2200/2=1100) and disappearing. Moments later ‘Regulus Reever’ swung his scythe, cutting my sorceress in half down the middle (8000+ 1100-1600=7500). Also, because of the effect of ‘Robbin’ Goblin’, I was forced to discard a random card from my hand, leaving me with only three.

“I also attack with ‘Emissary of the Afterlife’,” said Max. His second monster slashed with its scythe as well, and my Life Points fell (7500-1600=5900). I lost another card, leaving me with two.

“Finally,” said Max, “just to be safe, I activate ‘Delinquent Duo’, paying one thousand Life Points (7500-1000=6500) to discard the last two cards from your hand.” Twin demons appeared, flying over to me and snatching my last two cards, ‘Monster Reborn’ and ‘Toon Cannon Soldier’, and placing them in my Graveyard.

Max smiled evilly, “I end my turn.”

I drew my card. ‘Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon’. “I reveal ‘Jar of Greed’,” I declared, a little desperate, “to draw another card.” I drew again and got ‘Toon World’.

There was nothing left that I could do.

“I end my turn,” I said. Max’s smile widened even further.

“If that’s the case,” he said, “then this duel ends right now.

“I sacrifice both of my monsters,” he declared, “for the Bringer of Fear, ‘Despair from the Dark’!”

The two reapers merged, forming a massive shadowy torso with mighty and powerful claws, towering over the field from its place behind Max (ATK: 2800).

“‘Despair’ attacks,” Max commanded, “with Shadow Claw!” His monster reached toward me, reaching over Max’s head, and slashed me across my chest (5900-2800=3100).

“Now I activate ‘Offerings to the Doomed’,” Max declared, “destroying my own monster,” ‘Despair’ melted away, becoming wisps of smoke, “which lets me activate ‘A Deal with Dark Ruler’, summoning my strongest card.”

The smoke reformed into a large brown skeletal dragon, “Meet the Bringer of Death, ‘Berserk Dragon’ (ATK: 3500)! Attack with Berserk Flame!”
Max laughed madly as the dragon inhaled sharply and then exhaled, releasing a barrage of fireballs. They hit me and my Life Points disappeared (3100-3500=0). I fell to my knees, defeated.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

Round One;
Tucker vs. Crabtree and Lawrence vs. The Masked Duelist


John


“Next up,” said the announcer, “is B Block.”

I watched intently as Tucker, Crabtree, Lawrence, the masked guy, Exodus, and Marcus (War Ruler), the entirety of B Block, stepped out onto the stadium floor. Karen sat down beside me. She seemed deep in thought.

“I told you I wouldn’t make it far,” she said.

“You did fine. Max’s combo was just scary.”

“Yeah,” she said, “well, I'm not upset or anything. I’ve been thinking. As much as I like dueling, I think I want to try my hand at creating cards. I already have several ideas.”

“Yeah,” I said, “that’s not a bad idea.”

Karen seemed excited by the support I’d given her, but truth be told I wasn’t paying much attention to what she had to say. My interest was directed toward Tucker, and his coming conflict with his snake of an opponent.

Okay, Crabtree, I thought, let’s see what you’re up to.


Tucker


I stepped up onto the duel stage across from the good doctor.

“Still insist that I’m not worth mentioning?” I asked.

“Don’t know,” Crabtree replied absentmindedly, as if I wasn’t of interest, “I’ll let you know after I crush you. I begin with two face-down cards. Then I’ll summon ‘Nurse Reficule the Fallen One’. I combine ‘Double Summon’ to also summon ‘Injection Fairy Lilly’.”

A female monster with two sets of bat-like wings, ending in curved blades, her body wrapped in bandages appeared at Crabtree’s side (ATK: 1400). Above Crabtree, hanging in the air, a pink-haired girl in a nurse’s uniform appeared riding on a very large syringe (ATK: 400).

“Two monsters in a turn,” I said. “Neither one’s very strong though. I can beat either of ‘em with this card, the club-wielding Asmodian monster ‘Abaki’!”

A squat red-skinned impish creature appeared, about two heads taller than me, carrying a spiked club (ATK: 1700).

“Reveal,” said Doc, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Dark Cure’. Whenever you summon a monster you gain Life Points equal to half of its Attack.” A green aura appeared around ‘Abaki’.

“Thanks,” I said, somewhat confused (to say the least).

“No thanks are needed,” said Doc, “because while ‘Reficule’ is in play any time you would gain Life Points, you lose Life Points instead.”

The green aura turned red, and the aura spread to me as well. My Life Points fell (8000-850=7150).

“Oh yeah,” I said, “well you’re not the only one who can deal damage. ‘Abaki’, attack ‘Lilly’!”

“Really?” Doc asked disbelievingly.

“What?” I asked as my monster charged.

“My ‘Lilly” has an effect. I pay two thousand Life Points (8000-2000=6000) to raise her Attack by three thousand for the turn.”

“You’re kidding!”

“Nope.”

‘Lilly’’s syringe doubled in size as her Attack rose (400+3000=3400). She swung the syringe, stabbing ‘Abaki’ through the chest (7150+1700-3400=5450).

The dead body of ‘Abaki’ exploded and flames poured over both of us, dealing us damage with his effect (Doc: 6000-800-5200/Me: 5450-800=4650).

“At the end of your turn,” said the Doc, “I reveal ‘Solemn Wishes’. Now each time I draw I gain five hundred Life Points.” He drew and his Life Points rose (5200+500 =5700).

This guy’s good, I thought, but I won’t let him win. After all I’m not gonna lose until I fight John!


Lawrence


I’ve never liked people who wear masks. I’m very conscious of people’s faces and I often use people’s faces to judge their character. This obviously doesn’t work on people wearing masks.

“I’m going first,” said the Masked Duelist. “I set a monster and three face-down cards.” He spoke in a calm near-monotone. He was completely unreadable. I didn’t like that.

“My turn,” I said defiantly. “I draw.”

I pulled my card and stared my opponent down, “I summon ‘Luster Dragon’ in attack mode.” A blue-scaled dragon with diminished wings appeared with a roar (ATK: 1900), but before it could even get its bearings the earth beneath it opened up and the dragon fell, the earth closing around it. It was instantly destroyed.

“My face-down card,” said the Masked Duelist, “was the Trap card ‘Trap Hole’, a card that destroys a monster with one-thousand or more Attack as soon as it’s Normal Summoned.”

“No matter,” I told him, shrugging off the loss as if I didn’t care, “I didn’t need ‘Luster Dragon’ for my plan to work.” I was trying to hide my frustration, and because of my foe’s lack of expression I couldn’t tell if my act was working, which just frustrated me more.

“I play ‘Trade In’,” I continued, “discarding a Level Eight monster from my hand to draw two cards.”

I drew, “Now I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive the monster that I discarded.” A glowing ankh appeared, rising into the air behind me. The ankh flashed and disappeared, and a large white dragon appeared with a distinct roar. I smiled, my expression full of pride, “Masked weirdo, meet the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ (ATK: 3000)!”

But before the ‘Blue-Eyes’ had even been on the field for a second it disappeared into a swirl of light.

“My second card,” said the Masked Duelist, “is ‘Bottomless Trap Hole’. It’s pretty much the same thing as my last card, except that it works on Special Summons as well, and the affected monster is removed from play.”

Dammit! By now I knew that my frustration was showing, and I didn’t care. “Two cards face-down,” I declared forcefully, “and I end my turn.”


Tucker


“I’m gonna let you in on a little secret,” said Crabtree, mock-whispering across the length of the stage, his eyes gleaming wickedly with smug overconfidence (smug’s the right word, right?). “Right now I’m just a mediocre surgeon at a general hospital. But I’m also a genius. I designed a device that will make me all the money I could ever want, but I need money to build it. That’s where this tournament comes in. I’ll use the prize money I win here today to build my device, a machine that uses my own laser design to temporarily remove all outward signs of aging! I’ll advertise it as a way to reverse signs of aging permanently without plastic surgery, and I’ll charge huge amounts of money for each treatment. I’ll have each recipient sign a contract that protects me from any and all allegations of fraud, and by the time they realize that the treatments weren’t worth the money they paid, I’ll have already made enough money to last me a hundred lifetimes. I’ll be both insanely rich and untouchable!”

“Why the hell would you tell me that?” I asked. The guy’d used a bunch of big words, but it was still obvious what he was planning.

“Well, if you’d come up with such a brilliant plan, you’d want to talk about it too. And because I’m about to crush you, if you talk everyone will just think you cooked it up to get back at me for beating you. I get to show off and threaten to discredit a worthless Duelist all at once!” This time he laughed out loud as I shook my head.

This guy’s nutso!

“Now,” said Crabtree in a louder tone, “it’s time to prep for laser surgery! I sacrifice ‘Injection Fairy Lilly’ to summon ‘Satellite Cannon’!”

The fairy nurse disappeared, and a massive missile appeared behind the Doc. Its engines fired and it rose into the air, dropping only an antennae module behind it, which landed at the Doc’s feet.

“Right now,” said Crabtree, “that missile is separating, launching a new satellite into orbit. Each turn that satellite, my ‘Satellite Cannon’, charges one thousand points to its Attack. It leaves this antennae module behind to redirect any direct attack that would normally hit my satellite toward the satellite's place in orbit. And because ‘Satellite Cannon’ is so high up, low level monsters can’t reach it. In fact, only Level Eight or higher monsters are strong enough to reach it.”

“Wow,” I said sarcastically, “this just keeps getting better and better.” I sighed hard.

“Anyway,” I said, “I reveal ‘Thunder of Ruler’. No attack this turn for you.”

“I don’t care,” said Crabtree, “because between ‘Reficule’, ‘Dark Cure’, and ‘Satellite Cannon’, I have you completely locked down. The more you summon the weaker you get, and you have to summon to assemble the sacrifices needed to summon a monster capable of reaching my cannon. Plus, I’m playing a face-down card, and that’s all I need, because with my ‘Cannon’ out of reach I only have to protect one monster, ‘Reficule’. I can’t lose!”

I gritted my teeth and looked down at my hand, As much as I hate to admit it, he may be right.


Lawrence


“I Flip-Summon,” said the Masked Duelist, “my ‘Lady Assailant of Flames’.” The Masked Duelist flipped over his card, and a woman in simple cloth garbs with beads in her hair appeared holding kunai knives between her fingers (ATK: 1500).

“When ‘Lady Assailant’ is flipped,” the Masked Duelist declared, “I remove the top three cards of my deck from play to deal you eight hundred damage; Flaming Knife Missiles!” ‘Lady Assailant’ threw her knives, which caught fire and exploded in the air near my chest and head (8000-800=7200).

“Now,” said the Masked Duelist, “I play ‘Painful Choice’. As a Duelist you should know what it does.” He fanned out his deck and pulled five cards, showing them to me. Another ‘Lady Assailant of Flames’, ‘Flash Assailant’, which has a dangerous negative effect, and three copies of ‘Dark Assailant’, a Normal Monster that attacks from the shadows. A weak monster with only twelve hundred Attack.

“Add one of the ‘Dark Assailants’ to your hand,” I said, wondering why a Duelist would even use ‘Dark Assailant’. The Masked Duelist did as I said.

“Then I’ll summon ‘Dark Assailant’,” said the Masked Duelist, “in attack mode.”

The ‘Dark Assailant’, a bony creature carrying a set of throwing knives and wearing a bone mask painted with an eye appeared, crouched down as if ready to pounce (ATK: 1200).

“Next I equip my ‘Phalanx Pike’ to ‘Lady Assailant of Flames’.”

Of course, I thought, frowning. He’s using such weak monsters. I should have seen this coming.

A spear appeared in ‘Lady Assailant’’s right hand. “For each ‘Lady Assailant’ in my Graveyard the equipped ‘Lady Assailant’ gains nine hundred Attack (1500+900 =2400).

“Now my ‘Lady Assailant’ attacks directly,” the Masked Duelist commanded.

“I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive the ‘Luster Dragon’,” I countered. The blue dragon rose up in the path of the ‘Assailant’ and was stabbed through the chest, instantly destroyed (7200+1900-2400=6700).

“I discard my hand to activate my second Trap,” I continued, “the ‘Rope of Life’!”

A rope burst out of the ground, the dragon clenching it in his teeth. ‘Luster Dragon’ was pulled from his Grave, and the rope disappeared.

“When a monster is revived by the effect of ‘Rope of Life’,” I explained, “it gains eight hundred Attack.”

But before my monster could even receive its new power it was pierced through the chest by an invisible projectile and died.

“What happened?” I demanded angrily.

“When you activated ‘Rope of Life’,” said the Masked Duelist, “I chained a handy Trap called ‘Cloak and Dagger’. I choose one monster, and when it appears on the field both it and my Trap are removed from play. This paves the way for my ‘Dark Assailant’’s Attack.” ‘Dark Assailant’ jumped up and threw his knives at me. The impacts almost felt real (6700-1200=5500).

I can’t believe it! I thought, absolutely stunned. He’s using these assassination tactics to counter every combo that I throw at him!

I drew, “I set one card and end my turn.”

“Then I’ll finish this,” the Masked Duelist declared. “Draw!”

He looked over his hand, “I activate ‘Pot of Greed’, drawing two cards. Next I summon ‘Strike Ninja’ and equip him with every assassin’s best friend, the ‘Fuhma Shuriken’.” The black ninja appeared, carrying a ninja star, the ‘Fuhma Shuriken’, in his right hand, and a kunai knife in his left (ATK: 1700+700=2400).

“My ‘Strike Ninja’ attacks,” the Masked Duelist commanded, and the ninja jumped forward and slashed me with his knife (5500-2400=3100).

“Now ‘Lady Assailant of Flames’ attacks.”

‘Lady Assailant’ charged. She jumped and raised her pike.

“Reveal Spell card,” I said, “‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your ‘Pike’.”

The ‘Phalanx Pike’ was blown out of the ‘Assailant’’s hand and carried out of sight. Without batting an eye the assassin drew a knife, slashed me across the chest, and jumped back to her master’s side (3100-1500=1600).

“Attack with ‘Dark Assailant’,” said the Masked Duelist. The final monster struck, pelting me with his knives again (1600-1200=400).

“But I survived,” I said. “That means I still have a chance to win.”

“Pft,” said the Masked Duelist. “Like an assassin would ever give his hit a chance. I remove two ‘Dark Assailants’ in my Graveyard from play to remove ‘Strike Ninja’ from play until the End Phase. But first he has to get rid of his ‘Shuriken’, since he can’t take it with him. So he’ll throw it at you, dealing you seven hundred more damage.”

The black-clad ninja jumped and flipped in midair, throwing the ‘Shuriken’ at me as he disappeared. The ‘Shuriken’ hit me, and my time in the tournament ended before it had even begun (400-700=0).


Tucker


“You’re right,” I told Crabtree, “that putting one of your monsters in orbit out of reach of my weaker monsters means that you only have to protect your other monsters. You’re right that every time I summon a monster I’ll take a hit. You’re right that your ‘Satellite Cannon’ is almost impossible to deal with because it’ll take time and effort to reach it. But you were wrong when you said that I was nothing worth mentioning, because when you have a strong spirit like mine, nothing is outside your reach!”

The air around me began to heat up and my Soul began to glow.

“I may not have a head for strategy,” I said, “and I may be a little too reckless, but if I have anything on my side it’s my spirit. Now watch as my spirit crushes you!

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” I declared, placing the Spell in my Duel Disk. I pulled three cards, and I knew how I would win.

“By ‘Charity’’s effect,” I said, “I discard ‘Flame Ruler’ and ‘Inferno’. Next I play ‘Premature Burial’ (4650-800=3850), reviving my ‘Flame Ruler’.”

“Activate ‘Dark Cure’ and ‘Reficule’,” said Doc absentmindedly, the look in his eyes telling me that he was already busy counting his scam money. My monster, the dark-skinned and tattooed ‘Flame Ruler’ appeared (ATK: 1500), and I once again took damage (3850-750=3100).

“Now I sacrifice ‘Flame Ruler’,” I said, “using his effect. When I sacrifice him to summon a Fire Attribute monster he can be used as both sacrifices!”

“So you can summon a high level monster,” said the Doc, finally showing some interest in the duel, “without taking a lot of damage from my effects.”

“That’s right. Now check out the monster I’m summoning,” I smiled as the legendary bronze dragon rose up behind me, spreading his wings, light glinting off of the green jewel in his forehead. “Say hello to the ‘Tyrant Dragon’ (ATK: 2900/LP: 3100-1450=1650).

“Next I play ‘Monster Reborn’, reviving ‘Flame Ruler’ yet again (1650-750=900). And I activate ‘Gift of the Martyr’, sacrificing ‘Flame Ruler’ to increase the strength of my ‘Tyrant Dragon’ by an amount equal to his Attack (2900+1500=4400)!”

“Too bad your dragon will never get a chance to attack me,” said Crabtree. “After all, sometimes the patient needs to be restrained!”

His face-down card flipped face-up, “Reveal ‘Shadow Spell’, the magical chains!” Chains reached forth from the card, reaching for the dragon, only to be dispersed by a flash of green light.

“The bead on my ‘Tyrant Dragon’’s head protects him from any Trap card that designates a target. That means that he’s still able to attack. Tyrant Burst!”

‘Tyrant Dragon’ breathed fire over ‘Nurse Reficule’, incinerating her in less than an instant (5700+1400-4400=2700).

“Now I activate my dragon’s special ability. He takes flight and attacks your ‘Satellite Cannon’ as well!” My dragon flapped his wings and rose into the air, flying high and out of sight. He broke through the atmosphere and faced the satellite. Red energy built in his mouth, and the dragon fired his attack, a deadly swirling stream of fire so hot that it could burn even in the upper atmosphere. The ‘Satellite Cannon’ was instantly vaporized (2700+1000-4400=0).

I walked over to Crabtree, who’d fallen to his knees in shock, and looked down at his stunned face, “Now who’s not worth mentioning?”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]

Round One; Jen vs. Seto Kaiba


John


“That was quite a victory,” I said to Tucker as he sat down beside me, opposite Karen. He was about to say something when clouds began to build overhead, lightning crackling within them. The duel between Exodus and War Ruler, AKA Marcus, was still going on. As I looked on, the duel drawing all of my attention, I made note of the truly astonishing situation unfolding before me. Next to Exodus stood a dark-skinned humanoid creature with huge, thick muscles, wearing a black shoulder dress and head dressings. In the air behind Exodus appeared a giant glowing pentagram, forming a portal. A massive hand emerged, followed by a shoulder, and then a head.

There’s one monster that every Duelist fears no matter how strong they are, and there it was, standing just over a hundred yards away from me across from one of my greatest enemies.

Makes sense, I thought, nervous sweat rolling down the side of my face. I should have known from his name that he uses Exodia.

I was supposed to duel in the next round, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Exodus and his victory over War Ruler. I’d never personally seen War Ruler duel, but from what I’d head he was very strong, employing powerful monsters in a quick field-swarming strategy and utilizing piercing effects. Almost the perfect deck to combat a deck that uses Exodia. That could only mean that Exodus had either gotten very lucky, or he had found a new way of using the legendary monster.

At least War Ruler is out of the tournament, said Hiro, who was watching the duel as well from his place in the back of my mind.

Yeah, I replied, happy to find a silver lining, I guess you’re right.


I walked out and stepped up to face my opponent, the mysterious Evo.

Time to forget this Exodia thing, I thought, and deal with the duel at hand.

“I hear you’re good,” said Evo, “but you should know, I’m undefeatable.”

I smiled, “We’ll just have to see about that.”


Jen


I was terrified. My first opponent in this tournament was the legendary dragon user and former champion Seto Kaiba! I’m good, but I’m not stupid enough to think that I’ll ever be better than Kaiba.

All I can do, I thought to myself, is do my best and see how things turn out.

“So you’re Jen,” said Kaiba, “the Duel Force’s combo master. I was really hoping to fight your leader in the first round, but I guess you’ll do for now.”

“I wanted to say,” I began, “that it’s an honor to-.”

“Just draw, and get ready to lose,” said Kaiba, cutting me off.

Fine, I thought, frowning at my opponent’s negative attitude. I drew my opening hand and prepared to fight.

“I’ll make the first move,” said Kaiba. “I play ‘White Dragon Ritual’, sacrificing ‘Des Feral Imp’ in my hand to Ritual Summon the ‘Paladin of White Dragon’.”

An evil-looking gargoyle-like monster appeared and was incinerated by a white flame. The flame dies down and a lance-wielding knight emerged from it, riding on the back of a miniature ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’.

“But I’m not done,” said Kaiba, a wicked smirk playing across his face. “I trade in my ‘Paladin’ for the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’!” The legendary white dragon appeared, and as much as I felt the pressure of the dragon’s power when Lawrence played it, I felt it with much more intensity here and now. This was the original dragon, in all of its glory.

“I set a card,” said Kaiba, beaming with confidence so intense that it was almost overwhelming. “End Turn.”

“Then it’s my go,” I told him. “I summon the ever useful ‘Pinch Hopper’ in attack mode and combo with the Spell card ‘Multiplication of Ants’. I tribute ‘Pinch Hopper’ to summon two ‘Army Ant Tokens’ in defense mode.”

A grasshopper the size of a dog appeared, disappearing a moment later, only to be replaced by two ants that were about as large (DEF: 1200 each).

“Also,” I said, “when ‘Pinch Hopper’ goes to the Graveyard I can summon any Insect monster from my hand. Seto Kaiba, I’ll face your legendary dragon with a legendary insect. Say hello,” I declared as my rarest and in many ways my most powerful monster appeared, her small and vaguely human torso offset by her huge thorax and insect legs, “to my ‘Insect Queen’!

“My ‘Queen’ gains strength for every Insect in play (2200+(200x3)=2800). I activate ‘Rush Recklessly’, raising the Attack of my monster by another seven hundred for the turn. I sacrifice ‘Army Ant Token’ to allow my monster to attack (ATK: 3300).”

The token monster disappeared, and ‘Insect Queen’ fired a stream of acid from her mouth, but before the stream hit it was deflected by an invisible force.

“Reveal face-down,” said Kaiba, “the Trap card ‘Negate Attack’, canceling your attack and ending the Battle Phase immediately.”

“Then I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’,” I said. “We both draw until we hold six cards.”

I drew and checked my hand.

“Three face-downs,” I declared, “and I play the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’.” ‘Pinch Hopper’ re-appeared in defense mode (DEF: 1200), ready to protect me.

“Then it’s my turn,” said Kaiba, smiling with anticipation. “I summon ‘Kaibaman’ in attack mode.” A warrior in a white coat and a helmet resembling the head of a ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ appeared, holding a Duel Monsters card.

“‘Kaibaman’ activates,” Kaiba declared, and the warrior jumped back, over Kaiba’s head. He threw his Duel Monsters card at the ground behind Kaiba, and there was a flash. The flash swallowed up ‘Kaibaman’ and then faded away, revealing a second ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ (ATK: 3000).

“‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’,” Kaiba commanded, “attack ‘Insect Queen’ (ATK: 2800), Burst Stream of Destruction!” He laughed a wicked laugh as the dragon fired its pure white breath attack at my monster. Kaiba was sure of himself. He had a right to be proud, but not to be cocky.

I smiled.

“Reveal ‘DNA Surgery’,” I declared, “changing your Dragons’ D.N.A. so that they are more than fifty percent insect.” The attacking ‘Blue-Eyes’ grew a huge bug eye on the left side of its face and its left arm and wing were replaced by two insect legs and a translucent insect wing. The second ‘Blue-Eyes’’ head became over half insect parts and it traded its tail for a thorax.

“With two more insects on the field,” I said, “my ‘Queen’ gains four hundred additional Attack points (ATK: 3200).” The ‘Insect Queen’ withstood the Burst Stream and returned fire with her acid blast, melting the attacking dragon where is stood (8000+3000-3200=7800). ‘Queen’’s Attack fell again (ATK: 3000).

“Then I’ll weaken your insect,” said Kaiba, gritting his teeth out of frustration, “by destroying your ‘Army Ant Token’, Burst Stream!”

“In that case,” I said, “I activate ‘Alert’, letting me activate my face-down ‘Insect Barrier’, preventing your Insects from attacking me at all.” As I spoke a barrier of interlacing yellow threads rose up, dispersing the ‘Blue-Eyes’’ attack.

I can’t believe this, I thought. I might actually beat Seto Kaiba!

“One face-down card,” said Kaiba, fire gleaming in his eyes, “and I end my turn.”

“When your turn ends,” I said, “since my ‘Queen’ destroyed a monster she lays an egg.” A slime-covered egg fell from the giant insect’s thorax. The head of a small centipede-like creature pushed its way through the top of the egg (ATK: 100).

“Now I draw, and I play ‘Offerings to the Doomed’. I agree to skip my next Draw Phase, and in exchange I get to destroy one monster on the field.”

A hand reached out of the ground, pulling the dragon into an early grave.

“I sacrifice my ‘Pinch Hopper’ to attack with ‘Insect Queen’,” I declared.

The ‘Hopper’ disappeared and my ‘Insect Queen’ blasted Kaiba, taking away a chunk of his Life (7200-3000=4200). He seemed un-phased.

“I change my ‘Larvae Egg’ to defense mode (DEF: 100) and end my turn.”

“This duel is coming to an end,” Kaiba declared, his smug confidence returning in force. “I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to call my ‘Kaibaman’ back from the Graveyard. Next I tribute him again to summon a third ‘Blue-Eyes’ from my hand.”

The warrior in white appeared again, disappearing to make way for another of the legendary dragons (ATK: 3000).

“You triggered my Trap,” I said. “Your new dragon becomes an insect.”

“Chain ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’,” Kaiba declared, “destroying your ‘DNA Surgery’.” My Trap was blown away.

“No way!”

“Now I activate ‘Dragon’s Mirror’, removing one ‘Blue-Eyes’ on the field and the two in my Graveyard from play to fuse then into the ultimate monster,” the three dragons merged into a three-headed version of the same, “The ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’ (ATK: 4500)!

“Now I play two more Spells,” he continued, “’Megamorph’ to double the size and strength of my dragon, and ‘Stop Defense’ to change your ‘Egg’ to attack mode.”

‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’ doubled in size and power (ATK: 9000).

“Now ‘Blue-Eyes’, attack, Ultimate Burst!”

I expected his dragon to hit my ‘Egg’ and finish me off, but instead the beams from the mouths of his dragon converged on my ‘Insect Queen’, blowing her away (8000+3000-9000=2000).

“B-but you could have beaten me this turn,” I said.

“And I still will,” said Kaiba, an evil-looking smirk playing across his face. “I pay half of my Life Points (4200/2=2100) to activate ‘Return from the Different Dimension’, summoning the original ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragons’ back to the field.”

A rift opened in the air above our heads and the three ‘Blue-Eyes’ emerged with a collective roar (ATK: 3000 (each)).

“‘Blue-Eyes’, finish it, Burst Stream!”

The lead ‘Blue-Eyes’ fired its attack, decimating the ‘Egg’ and reducing my Life Points to zero.

“But why didn’t you finish me with your first attack?” I asked as Kaiba turned to leave.

Kaiba looked back over his shoulder, his face stern and disrespectful, as if I couldn’t have asked a more stupid question. “A Duelist should always face his foe’s strongest power head on to prove his strength,” he explained. “If you can’t understand that then you don’t deserve to be called a Duelist, and you never will.”

Then he turned back, and he walked away.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]

Round One; John vs. Level King Evo


John


“We will see,” Evo began, and he drew his cards, “I play the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’. I draw three cards and discard two cards, and place two cards face down. Next I summon ‘Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4’.” A silver eagle-like dragon appeared standing about shoulder height next to its master (ATK: 1600).

“If that’s the case,” I said, more impressed by the appearance of Evo’s rare monster than I was willing to let on, “I’ll begin with ‘Graceful Charity’ as well.”

I drew, and then I discarded two monsters, my ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ and ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’.

“Next,” I continued, “I activate ‘Dark Core’, discarding my ‘Summoned Skull’ to suck your dragon into a black hole and take it out of play.”

“In which case I counter,” Evo declared, “with ‘Call of the Haunted’,”

Fog spread across the field, and an Egyptian man in an eagle headdress appeared (ATK: 300). The man began to chant and an aura surrounded both he and ‘Horus’. My ‘Dark Core’ appeared, but it had no effect on its target and faded away.

“With the effect of my Trap,” Evo explained, “I revive ‘Horus’ Servant’ in attack mode. He counters your Spell effect with his special ability, which protects any face-up ‘Horus’ monster I control from effects that target.”

“But now that you have two more monsters on than the field than I do,” I explained, grasping at whatever advantage I could, “I can Special Summon my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.”

A warrior in high tech yellow armor appeared, getting the duel off to a good start right off the bat, energy building in his hands. He was ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

“‘Megacyber’,” I commanded, “attack ‘Horus’ with Megacyber Impact!” ‘Fiend Megacyber’ charged forward, preparing to strike.

“Reveal,” said Evo, “the Trap card ‘Eye of Horus’, transforming the Level Four ‘Horus’ into his more powerful Level Six form.”

I gritted my teeth, I thought as much, but I’d never seen one before, so I couldn’t be sure. But now I know. This is one of those rare types of monsters that can evolve into stronger forms when certain conditions are met.

‘Horus’ spread his wings and nearly doubled in size (ATK: 2300). The silver eagle dragon breathed black fire on my warrior, incinerating him in an instant (8000+2200-2300=7900).

“I place one card face down,” I said, “and end my turn.”

“When your turn ends,” Evo declared pridefully, “since ‘Horus’ destroyed a monster this turn, he evolves to his strongest form.”

The already large monster grew even larger, his draconic features becoming a bit more pronounced. He let out a screech-like roar. “Behold,” Evo announced, “‘Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV8’ (ATK: 3000), the most powerful Level Monster of all!”

Evo smiled threateningly, “‘Horus’ attacks you directly with Horus Black Fire.”

“Reveal ‘Mirror Force’,” I countered. I waited apprehensively, worried that my opponent would have a way to protect the monster that he’d worked so hard to summon. A reflective half-sphere rose up around me and, to my great relief, bounced ‘Horus’’ attack back at Evo’s field, destroying both of his monsters.

“One card face-down,” Evo said calmly, “and I end my turn.”

This guy’s been able to take every one of my attacks and counterattacks head on without batting an eye, I thought. Either he’s really that cold, or he still has something up his sleeve. Either way, I have to be prepared.

“I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” I said, “to revive the ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ that I discarded for the effect of ‘Graceful Charity’.” A glowing red ankh appeared, blossoming out to become a beautiful blond female warrior in a silver jumpsuit and carrying a glowing katana (ATK: 1500).

I’d better be cautious. I’ll wait to summon more monsters until I have a better idea of what he’s planning.

“‘D.D. Warrior Lady’,” I commanded, “attack with Dimension Katana!”

The ‘Warrior Lady’ slashed with her sword and Evo’s Life Points dropped (8000-1500-6500). Evo didn’t react in the slightest.

“You finished?” Evo asked impatiently.

“I’ll tell you when I’m finished,” I replied. “Come on, loosen up and have some fun! We’re playing a game, after all.”

“Life is not a game,” said Evo, “and Duel Monsters is my life. I don’t play Duel Monsters, I win at Duel Monsters! I use my ‘Horus’’ divine black flame to destroy any player who faces me, no matter how powerful he is. You are no exception.”

“Wow,” I said, making a point to sound a little offensive, “you’re harsh. I want to be a pro Duelist, but if an attitude like yours is what’s needed to be a pro, then I think you’ve changed my mind.”

I thought about that for a minute and then said, “You know what, I’m going to win this duel, and by doin’ so, I’m gonna remind you just how much fun this game can be.”

“You’ll have to get through ‘Horus’ first,” Evo replied. “You may think you managed to beat my dragon, but you’re wrong. I activate ‘Level Modulation’. You draw two cards, but in exchange I get to summon ‘Horus’ back from the Graveyard!”

A pillar of black fire burst from the ground behind Evo. The fire dispersed and the silver dragon emerged in all of its glory.

“‘Horus’ attacks,” Evo declared, and the dragon fired its breath attack at my warrior.

“Then I’ll activate ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’’s effect,” I countered, “Karma Cut!”

My ‘Warrior Lady’ raised her sword as the flames hit her (7900+1500-3000=6400). She was withstanding the attack and she was prepared to attack back when she was struck by lightning and vaporized.

“I reveal ‘Divine Wrath’,” Evo explained, “discarding a card to negate your monster’s effect. I end my turn with ‘Monster Reborn’, reviving my ‘Horus’ Servant’ in defense mode (DEF: 800). Now you have to destroy him before you can target my dragon with card effects.”

“You’re good,” I said, “but I’ve got plenty more moves up my sleeve.”

Evo just stared, the same cold look in his eyes.

“I remove the Light monster ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ and the Dark monster ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ in my Graveyard from play,” I began, my announcement sounding as rehearsed as a ritual, “to summon the ultimate warrior of chaos, the harbinger of your end, the ‘Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning’!”

A pillar of black light and a pillar of white light rose up behind me. The light swirled together in the air and formed a humanoid shape. The light seemed to shatter like glass, revealing a warrior in full black armor, heavily decorated with gold trim. He was carrying a broad shield and a beautiful curved blade (ATK: 3000).

“This card is my last hope,” I said dramatically, “and I’m putting everything I have into it.”

This is it, arguably my most powerful non-God card, I thought. Normally since both monsters have the same attack points I would skip my normal attack for the turn and attack his dragon with my monster’s special ability, but thanks to ‘Servant’ that isn’t an option. So instead I’ll use a Spell to raise my monster’s power and then attack him head on, using my monster’s effect to destroy both of his monsters this turn.

My plan was a good one, one that would work against most Duelists, but as I faced Evo, someone who had already proven to be a very difficult opponent, I wondered if it would be enough.

“I equip my warrior with the Spell card ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’,” I declared, “raising his Attack to thirty-eight hundred!”

The hologram of my ‘Fusion Sword’ Spell card appeared, and Evo immediately called, “Black Fire of Anti-Magic activate!” ‘Horus’’ eyes flashed and my card hologram was incinerated by a burst of black fire.

“So that’s ‘Horus’’ power,” I said, completely in awe.

“Yeah,” Evo replied, smiling wide. “The key to any game-changing combo is the use of Spell cards. Without them destroying a three thousand Attack monster like ‘Horus’ is nearly impossible.”

I smiled, “I see. Then I’ll increase your dragon’s level of vulnerability by destroying your ‘Horus’ Servant’. ‘Black Luster Soldier’, attack with Chaos Slash!”

‘Black Luster Soldier’ raised his sword and swung it in the direction of the ‘Servant’. Energy rolled from the end of his blade, hitting ‘Servant’ and cutting him in half.

“I set a card,” I said, “and end my turn.” As I spoke the air to my right rippled and opened up, and I explained, “At this time my ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ returns to the field in attack mode.” A spherical metal pod with a lens in the front and two multi-jointed arms emerged from the ripple (ATK: 800).

“You said that that warrior card is your last hope?” Evo taunted me in a tone of voice so serious that it sounded truly intimidating. “Well then I’ll strip your hopes away. Spell card, ‘Offerings to the Doomed’. I forfeit my next Draw Phase to destroy any one monster on the field, no matter how strong. That includes your ‘Soldier’.”

Bandages rose up out of the ground and wrapped my ‘Soldier’, squeezing and crushing him.

“Now ‘Horus’ attacks the ‘Scout Plane’,” Evo declared, and my ‘Scout Plane’ was incinerated by ‘Horus’’ fire (6400+800-3000=4200).

I laughed.

“What’s so funny?” Evo asked.

“I just pity you. I pity the fact that you think someone’s hopes can be extinguished that easily. It says so much about what exactly you’ve forgotten. My deck gives me the power to control space and time. Thanks to that power, my monsters never stay gone for long, and my hope is never lost. I play the Spell card ‘Soul Release’, letting me remove up to five cards in the Graveyard from play.”

“Now I’m the one who gets to laugh,” said Evo. “I guess you forgot my monster’s ability, the Black Flame of Anti-Magic!”

“I didn’t forget,” I said. “I just needed you to activate your monster’s effect so that I could counter with this; Continuous Trap card ‘Skill Drain’. I pay one thousand Life Points (4200-1000=3200) to cancel the effects of every monster in play.”

I watched as a black aura fell from ‘Horus’ and dissipated, taking his Black Flame of Anti-Magic with it.

“Now I continue with ‘Soul Release’,” I continued. “I remove ‘Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning’, ‘Summoned Skull’, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ and ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ from play. Next, by paying two thousand Life Points, I activate ‘Dimension Fusion’. This lets me rip open a door between this dimension and the Different Dimension, summoning all of my monsters that are removed from play.”

Evo smiled, and not the normal taunting rival to rival smile either. This was a real smile, the first that I’d seen from him. For the briefest moment, I’d done something that he found exciting.

My Life Points fell (3200-2000=1200), and the sky opened up behind me. Out of the opening stepped the violet-colored skeletal fiend ‘Summoned Skull’ (ATK: 2500), the silver warrior ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ (ATK: 1500), the ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ (ATK: 800), the yellow warrior ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, and the gleaming swordsman, ‘Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning’ (ATK: 3000).

“Amazing,” said Evo. “You knew ‘Horus’’ power, but you weren’t intimidated by it like other Duelists would be. Instead you seemed excited by the prospect of such a challenge. I didn’t remember until just now that a Duelist could feel that way about a tough duel. Dueling has been little more than business for so long.”

He looked directly at me, a fresh fire in his eyes and said, “Do it. Show me your Duelist’s spirit, and give me a reason to find mine!”

I smiled back, “Alright then. ‘Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning’, attack! Double KO his ‘Horus the Black Flame Dragon’!”

‘Black Luster Soldier’ raised his sword and jumped strait at the dragon’s head. He swung his sword and ‘Horus’ released a burst of flames. The two attacks met, blossoming outward and swallowing up both monsters.

“Now I attack with my remaining monsters,” I commanded, “and end this duel all at once.”

‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ slashed, ‘Scout Plane’ fired a beam from his lens, and ‘Summoned Skull’ bombarded Evo with a bolt of lightning (6500-1500-800-2500 =2000). ‘Fiend Megacyber’ shot forward and punched with an energized fist, and the battle came to an end. My monsters disappeared , signifying the end of the duel.

“Thanks,” Evo said, walking over and shaking my hand. “I lost, but if I hadn’t dueled you today I wouldn’t have remembered why I started dueling to begin with!”

I smiled, “You’re welcome. I hope we get to duel again sometime.”

With that we turned in unison and stepped down from the arena, ready to move on to other challenges.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eight]

Marcus, Agent of the Duelists Elite


The first round was rough, I thought as I made my way back to the competitors’ box.

Yeah, but you made it through, said Hiro, appearing floating beside me in his spirit form. He was invisible to all but me and some members of my team, a situation that I still didn’t really understand.

I looked over at him with a smirk on my face, So you’re eavesdropping again, huh?

Hiro ignored the jibe, You’ve recently managed to increase your skills greatly. Had you not, your duel against that Evo character probably would have ended in your defeat.

I frowned, I was mind controlled by Blackheart and forced to use my powers to hurt my friends because I was too weak to fight back. You’d try hard to get stronger too if that had happened to you.

I didn’t mention the fact that ever since I’d been controlled by Blackheart I’d felt that the dark side within me was even closer to the surface than usual, a fact that scared me even more than Blackheart himself. I hadn’t mentioned it to anyone, and I never intended to.

Yeah, said Hiro, agreeing with my previous observation, and snapping me out of my secret reverie, you’re right about that one.

I reached the box, stepping inside only to find myself face-to-face with War Ruler.

“We need to talk,” he said.

“Sorry,” I said, “but I’m in the middle of a tournament.”

“The pairings for Round Two aren’t for twenty minutes,” said War Ruler. “You can bring your entire team if you want, and I assure you that my Shadow Stone is no match for your Soul.”

“Obviously,” I replied, “which is a big part of why I’m tempted to simply blast you to bits right now and be done with it.”

“You know that would be a mistake,” War Ruler told me, looking into my eyes with intensity. I felt a surge of information from my Soul.

No, I thought, I refuse that power! But it was too late, I knew that War Ruler was right.

“Fine,” I said, “we’ll talk.” I nodded to Tucker, who had been listening to our conversation. He tapped Max on the shoulder, and then got the attention of the rest of the team. They were standing at my side in seconds.

The eight of us headed out into the corridors behind the stands. We found an area in a corner where there weren’t many people, and War Ruler began his story.


“First of all,” he said in a polite, respectful tone of voice, “I want to apologize for everything that I’ve done to you in the past. I didn’t have a choice. I’ve been working undercover along with my team mate Raphael, whom you know as Guardian Ruler, to uncover information on the Order’s inner structure and chain of command to benefit my group.”

“What group would that be?” I asked in a tone that was not nearly as polite or respectful.

“A secret society,” War Ruler replied, “called the Duelists Elite. The Elite is a group that was established by a very courageous and resourceful man named Gregory Hendriks, along with his younger brother Timothy, to oppose the actions of the Duelists of the Order by fighting them off when need be, and by working to retrieve Shadow Items before the Order. I’m a special agent, a double agent who goes undercover, deep undercover, to learn all I can about our enemies. Recently, though, my mission has changed from general surveillance to something more specific. An Order agent named Marshal Gates recently went rogue after the fall of Yami. His source of Shadow Magic is a powerful card known as ‘Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord’, a missing God Card. It seems that for some time now he has been secretly using the power of the God ‘Exodius’ to strip Duelists of their life force and store it. We think that once he has enough power stored up he will be able to use ‘Exodius’’ power to summon the ultimate God ‘Exodia the Forbidden One’ and bind it to his will. His power will become unrivaled, and by drawing from ‘Exodia’’s magic Gates could potentially live forever.

“Gates entered this tournament to gain more life force from strong Duelists. I used my magic to rig the first round so that I would fight him first. I managed to gauge his strength in a magical duel and use my Shadow Stone to prevent my life force from being taken, not an easy task. Now I know that my power is not enough to defeat Gates, and no one in the Elite who is strong enough will arrive before the next round, when Gates will make his first kill.”

War Ruler turned to me, “John, from what I can tell you are the only one here who can face him and defeat him before he has the chance to harm anyone else.”

“Why would any member of this team help you,” Lawrence asked, “let alone believe anything you just said?”

“He has a point,” Karen pointed out. “Last time we met the Dark Duel Force was trying to gather enough power to gain control of the Order. What proof do you have that this isn’t just an attempt to further that goal?”

“I don’t expect you to believe me based on my words alone,” said War Ruler, “but I believe that the Soul of Darkness has the power to reach into peoples’ minds, correct?”

Everyone looked at me, shocked. I sighed, So much for never telling anyone.

“John?” Karen asked almost accusingly. She knew more than most people that brain control magic is evil, and the way she looked at me in that moment, like she was afraid of me, validated my attempt to keep the information from her for as long as I did. She looked at me like she didn’t know me, and it hurt. I had no choice but to explain.

“Ever since Blackheart took me over,” I told my friends, though I was mostly speaking to Karen, “new abilities of my Soul have started waking up. Dark powers that make me uncomfortable. I think they’re Blackheart’s powers, or maybe a mix of the Soul’s power with some of Blackheart’s powers, I don’t know, but sometimes I can read thoughts.”

Not to mention the fact, I thought, that in the process of picking up on those thoughts I feel that I could change them if I wanted to.

I looked War Ruler in the eyes, “But that power is dangerous, evil. I don’t use it.”

“You have my permission,” War Ruler insisted.

I sighed hard and looked to my friends. They didn’t seem to like it, but they knew that if War Ruler was telling the truth we could all be in danger, so they nodded their support. I nodded back, giving Karen a look that I hope expressed how sorry I was, and my Soul began to glow. My shadow’s arm peeled itself from the ground and stretched forward, reaching into War Ruler’s forehead. I felt for the shadows in his mind, the shadows of his darkest fears and desires, using them to connect with his thoughts. I closed my eyes for a second as I searched War Ruler’s mind for the truth. Then I opened my eyes and retracted my shadow, and I knew, “He’s telling the truth.”

“Then you’ll help?” Marcus asked.

Max started to say something, but I cut him off, “I’ll help. This Exodus guy is dangerous. I’ll take care of him myself.”

I turned to leave.

“John,” said Karen, and I stopped apprehensively. As I turned to face her I expected her to be disgusted with me, or even frightened of me, but instead she stepped in close and took my hand, offering her support, “if this guy is as strong as War Ruler says then you’re going to need help this time.”

“Yeah,” said Tucker. “We should team up against him.”

I was shocked as I looked to each of my friends and saw not fear or anger, but support, even from the perpetually aggressive Lawrence. It almost brought a tear to my eye, and I smiled.

“No,” I said, “I’ve seen this guy’s power first hand through Marcus’ memories. The danger he poses cannot be allowed to continue to exist. To destroy it completely I’ll have to use a power of the Shadow Games that I don’t like using, and I’d rather no one else be around when I do.”

“You mean…” said Karen. She knew what I meant to do. She knew that I meant to use the power of the Shadow Games not to protect myself, but to actually attack and destroy another person.

I didn’t reply. Instead I turned and set out to find Exodus.


Karen


I watched John walk slowly away from us, leaving us with War Ruler, someone who I still had trouble seeing as a friend.

Could John really do that to his opponent? I wondered. He would, I decided, but only if he felt that he had no other choice. After all if Marik’s really dead, then he must have used the Penalty Game on him too, so this wouldn’t be the first time.

“Your leader is strong,” said War Ruler. “I’ve only ever met one other Duelist with that much inner strength.”

“We don’t really care,” said Max. He and Lawrence made their way back to the competitor’s box. War Ruler followed a few moments later.

“I’m gonna get something to eat,” I said, trying to ignore the worry and confusion that I was feeling, “I’m starving.”

“Right behind you,” said Tucker enthusiastically.

“I’ll come too,” said Sarah, “to make sure that Hothead doesn’t eat Kaiba out of house and home.”

It was times like these that I usually enjoyed the most. Time with my friends. But as much as I tried to have fun I couldn’t. Not because I was worried that John would fail, but because I was trying desperately not to think about what John would have to do if this Exodus guy really was as dangerous as War Ruler said he was.

I guess I should start thinking of him as Marcus now, I thought, shaking my head. I’d never fought Marcus myself, but I’d seen how easily he and Guardian Ruler had crushed my friends and stripped them of their spirits. I couldn’t have done anything like that, even to benefit the greater good. As much as I still hated Marcus for doing those things to them, I had to respect his resolve. He had to have tremendous courage.

This group, the Elite, I thought, I wonder why they’ve never approached us before. We fight the Order too, even if all we do is wait for them to attack and then fight them off. I wonder how strong the Elite is and how many members they have. Even if they do have numbers enough to rival the Order, they must be stretched thin if I’ve never heard of them. Then again it seems like they mostly interfere on Shadow Item retrieval missions. Yami never sent us on any of those.

But either way, the fact that the Elite continues to fight just goes to show how serious a problem the Order is even with Marik defeated. After all, the Dark Duel Force told us themselves that the Order was still going strong, continuing on even without a real leader.

We reached the hot dog vendor and I bought myself a hot dog and some chips. Sarah bought a hot dog. Tucker ordered two chili dogs, three chips, and two sodas He turned out his empty pockets, turned to me and said, “Uh, I’m a little short. Could you help me out?”

So I ended up paying for Tucker’s food too.

I turned and headed back toward the competitors’ box. I should have known that this tournament would become more than it seemed. After all, everything always does.


John


As I walked I reached out with my Soul, searching for any source of powerful Shadow Magic. There were several, including my friends and a few other sources of friendly power, and then there was Gates. His energy was massive, augmented by something evil. I could almost taste the malicious presence that was ‘Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord’ (in case you’re curious it tasted like day-old green beans). ‘Exodia’ was a guardian spirit and a force of good, but Gates’ creature was pure evil with a power strong enough to bind ‘Exodia’ to its master’s will.

Marcus was right, I could sense it. If Gates were to succeed in harvesting the life force of even one or two more strong Duelists he would become virtually unstoppable.

I reached down and touched the deck box at my waste and felt the power of the Gods hidden within.

Alright my great allies, this is it, our first battle together, and probably our most important. I know I’m going to need you, so please lend me your strength.

Then I felt something. Exodus had become aware of my approach. He headed for one of the stadium’s back exits. I paralleled his movements, and soon we were outside, behind the stadium, up against an abandoned parking garage.

There was no need for introductions. We both knew the other’s intentions. We shuffled our decks. A card in Exodus’ deck glowed gold, my Soul flashed blacklight purple, and the duel began.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nine]

The Coming Exodus;
The Three Gods vs. Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord


“So you’re the one whose power has been upsetting the ‘Ultimate Forbidden Lord’,” Exodus stated as the shadows around us deepened.

I didn’t respond, ignoring the extra strain placed on my body by the Shadow Game at hand. I tried to reach out to Hiro, but either he’d heard my earlier revelation and was ignoring me, or Exodus was blocking him somehow, probably without even realizing it.

“Your power will soon belong to the ‘Ultimate Forbidden Lord’,” said Exodus in a matter-of-fact tone that told me that this was a job to him, a responsibility placed upon him by the evil card as much as a desire of his own. “I activate the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’ allowing me to draw three cards, and then discard two cards, my ‘Nubian Guard’ and ‘Right Arm of the Forbidden One’. Next I shuffle the monsters already in my Graveyard back into my deck to summon ‘Exodius, the Ultimate Forbidden Lord’!”

I watched as a swirling black aura rose up behind Exodus. In the center of the aura appeared a large humanoid monster with dark skin wearing Ancient Egyptian garbs, a black shoulder dress and a black headdress, identical in design to the shoulder dress and headdress worn by the legendary monster ‘Exodia’. The ‘Forbidden Lord’ flexed his thick, muscular arms (ATK: 0).

It might have zero Attack power now, I thought, but it’s still a God, so its current strength could be deceptive. And it’s sure as hell easier to summon than any of my Gods. I need to stay on my toes.

“The ‘Forbidden Lord’,” Exodus explained, “gains one thousand Attack for every Normal Monster in my Graveyard. He can also mill one monster from my hand or deck as he attacks, each time he attacks, and if he mills all five pieces of the legendary God ‘Exodia’, I can summon ‘Exodia’ and use his infinite power to destroy my opponent without contest.”

Well, I thought, that’s something.

“Next,” said Exodus, “I activate ‘Painful Choice’. I choose five cards from my deck and show them to you. You pick one to let me keep in my hand, and the rest go to the Graveyard.”

He searched his deck and then showed me three copies of ‘Pharaonic Protector’ and two copies of ‘Pharaoh’s Servant’.

“Add the ‘Protector’ to your hand,” I said. Exodus sent the remaining four cards to his Graveyard, and ‘Exodius’ gained four thousand Attack points (ATK: 4000). In addition, his monster grew in size, the dark aura returning and glowing around him.

“Two cards face-down,” said Exodus, “and I end my turn.”

“Then it's time for me to destroy your God,” I said. I wasn’t being smug and I wasn’t bluffing. “I draw, and I discard one card to activate ‘Dark Core’, removing your monster from play.”

A dark orb appeared above the ‘Forbidden God’, threatening to pull him into it, but ‘Exodius’ seemed to flicker out, only reappearing once the dark orb had run its course and faded away.

“I activate,” said Exodus, “the Counter Trap card ‘Dark Illusion’, negating any effect that targets a Dark monster.”

I smiled, Well, now I know it’s a Dark monster, not a Divine monster. That means it’s vulnerable to Spells and Traps.

“In that case I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” I declared, a glowing red ankh appearing behind me. “With the power of this Spell card I revive the monster that I sent to the Graveyard to activate ‘Dark Core’’s effect, the God card ‘Obelisk the Tormentor’!”

The red ankh flashed and faded away, and a massive blue soldier with huge fists, a fiendish face, spiked shoulders and broad, powerful wings appeared. He towered over even ‘Exodius’, standing as tall as the stadium itself (ATK: 4000).

“Since ‘Obelisk’ will only remain in play for the turn,” I said, “I don’t think he’ll mind taking your God with him. ‘Obelisk’, attack with Fist of Fate!”

A yellow light appeared around ‘Obelisk’’s right fist and he punched at ‘Exodius’. ‘Exodius’ raised his left arm, desperately trying to hold back his foe’s attack.

“Reveal,” said Exodus, completely unconcerned, “the Trap card ‘Fine’, letting me discard two cards from my hand.” He discarded ‘Pharaonic Protector’ and ‘Pharaoh’s Servant’ from his hand, and ‘Exodius’ grew even larger, growing until he was nearly as tall as ‘Obelisk’ himself (ATK: 4000+2000=6000). His arms and fists bulked up and he punched ‘Obelisk’ in the gut, destroying him and reducing him to wisps of smoke (8000+4000-6000=6000).

No, ‘Obelisk’ failed!

I coughed and fought back the pain I experienced as a result of my plummeting Life. I couldn’t believe it! One of the Three Gods had been beaten, and the power of Exodus’ monster would only continue to grow. I had to come up with a new plan fast.

“I place one card face-down,” I said, breathing heavily, “and end my turn.”

“Draw,” Exodus called, “and I place a card of my own face-down, set a monster, and attack, sending ‘Right Arm of the Forbidden One’ to the Graveyard (ATK: 6000 +1000=7000).” ‘Exodius’ bulked up his arms again and punched, but his attack was repelled by an invisible force.

“You triggered my ‘Negate Attack’ card,” I said, “halting your attack and ending your turn.”

I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that my Trap could even affect his monster, “Now I draw, and I activate ‘Pot of Greed’.” I drew two cards, “I summon ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’.”

My female warrior appeared, brandishing her beam sword (ATK: 1500).

“Any monster that battles with my ‘Warrior Lady’,” I explained, “is immediately removed from play. My Life Points will fall, but your God will be dead.” My warrior lunged, and I steeled myself against the coming impact. ‘Exodius’ raised his hand, aiming his palm at her, and she hit an invisible wall and was repelled, spiraling through the air and falling heavily at my side.

What? Does his God have another effect?

“Reveal,” said Exodus, “the Continuous Trap ‘Defense Seal Wall’. As long as I control this card and ‘Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord’ your monsters cannot attack. Now I draw, and I Flip Summon ‘Mask of Darkness’, returning ‘Dark Illusion’ to my hand.”

A yellow clay mask appeared (ATK: 900).

“I set a card,” Exodus continued, “and I end my turn.”

That face-down card is obviously ‘Dark Illusion’, which means next turn when he attacks my monster he can use it to negate her effect. This guy’s really good.

For a moment I found myself enjoying the duel, but I caught myself.

“I change ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ to defense mode (DEF: 1600), and I’ll activate my own ‘Painful Choice’ card.”

I fanned out my deck and picked five cards. I showed them to my opponent. They were ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’, ‘Jinzo’, ‘Summoned Skull’, ‘Dark Ruler Ha Des’, and ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.

“I can see from the aura around that ‘Megacyber’ card that it’s your favorite, so I’ll let you hold it in your hand as I kill you.” Exodus told me, smiling with confidence.

“It won’t stay in my hand,” I told him. “I tribute ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ to summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ in defense mode.”

The yellow warrior appeared, crouching down and crossing his arms over his chest, forming a living wall between me and the opposing monster (DEF: 1600).

“I draw,” said Exodus. “You shouldn’t have summoned your monster,” Exodus told me. “Now that you did, I’m going to have to destroy it. I attack your ‘Fiend Megacyber’, sending ‘Left Arm of the Forbidden One’ to the Graveyard (ATK: 7000 +1000=8000).”

‘Exodius’ punched, crushing my monster. “Now,” said Exodus, “I attack you directly with ‘Mask of Darkness’ (6000-900=5100).”

Alright, I thought as the mask slammed into me rather painfully and then returned to its master’s side, this has gone on long enough.

I clutched my chest above my heart, and I felt my heart racing, This guy’s magic is putting too much strain on me, and the strain is getting worse with every second. I won’t last much longer. I have to end this duel right here and right now.

I drew, “I activate ‘Soul Release’ and ‘Soul Absorption’, removing four monsters in my Graveyard from play and recovering two thousand Life Points (5100+2000 =7100).”

I gasped, relieved as the strain on my body lessened.

“Next,” I continued, “I pay the two thousand Life that I just gained (7100-2000 =5100) to activate ‘Dimension Fusion’, opening up a vortex to the Different Dimension.”

As I spoke the sky opened up and ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, ‘Obelisk the Tormentor’, ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’, and a massive red dragon the length of two football fields with two mouths, the ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’, appeared all around me, standing defiantly against their foe. ‘Osiris’ opened his lower mouth and roared at ‘Exodius’ (ATK: 2200/4000/1500/1000).

“Of course,” I said, “none of these monsters can defeat your God, so I sacrifice ‘Obelisk the Tormentor’, ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’, and ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ to summon the final Egyptian God.”

Clouds built in the sky overhead and lightning cracked. Then the clouds were dispersed by an intense ray of light. From the light emerged a massive eagle-like dragon, colored pure gold, with an arch over its back. It spread its wings and roared, “Introducing ‘The Winged Dragon of Ra’ (ATK: 6500)!”

“I pay two thousand Life Points,” I declared, fighting the sharp pain in my chest, “To change my God into the Egyptian God Phoenix, giving him the power to destroy both of your monsters (5100-2000=3100)!”

The golden eagle dragon erupted into flames, becoming a phoenix made of golden fire. It swooped down on Exodus’ field and engulfed his monsters. Then it rose back into the air and returned to its original form. It was at that moment that ‘Exodius’ flickered back into existence.

“I saved my monster,” said Exodus, “with ‘Dark Illusion’.”

I smiled, “Then you know you’ve lost.”

Exodus only glared at me, angry.

“I pay one thousand Life Points,” I declared, ‘Megacyber’ standing at my side with his arms crossed, “to destroy your monster (3100-1000=2100).” ‘Ra’ returned to his phoenix form and incinerated the evil God, returning to his eagle dragon form once he was finished.

“Now I pay all but one of my Life Points to increase the Attack of my monster by the same amount (2100-2099=1/6500+2099=8599).”

I took a deep breath as my Life literally poured into the dragon. “‘Ra’,” I commanded, “attack with Blaze Cannon!”

Energy poured from beneath the arch on the God’s back into his mouth, and a ball of fire appeared, burning nearly as bright as the sun. The fire was discharged in a massive stream that engulfed Exodus completely. The attack ended, the shadows faded, and Exodus fell to his knees, defeated (8000-8599=0). My monsters disappeared. I walked over and stood to face my opponent. He looked up at me, his face full of rage.

“Your heart has been judged evil,” I said. “You agreed to spread death throughout the world in the name of the evil God Monster in exchange for power, and as your punishment you will experience what you wished to inflict on others.” I aimed my palm at his face and called, “Penalty Game!”

My Soul flashed, and Exodus fell limp onto his back. He stopped breathing, his face growing blank and lifeless. He would never endanger anyone again. I reached down and picked up the ‘Exodius’ card from where it had fallen at the end of the duel. Its dark magic burned my fingertips. With one swift motion I ripped it to shreds, destroying its evil powers forever.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Ten]

Round Two Begin!
Max vs. The Masked Duelist


“Well,” said the announcer, “it seems that Exodus, scheduled to duel John of the Duel Force in the first block of Round Two has gone missing.”

Even inside the back room where the pairings were again taking place I could hear the confused murmurs of the crowd.

“It seems,” the announcer continued, “that John will get a buy to the next round. That means we have Max vs. the mysterious Masked Duelist as the only duel in Block A, followed by Paul Tucker vs. Christopher Johnson and Yugi Muto vs. tournament sponsor Seto Kaiba in Block B!”

As soon as the duel between Yugi and Kaiba was announced, the crowd went beyond wild. Everyone here, myself included, was excited to see these longtime rivals duke it out.

But first Max was up against the Masked Duelist, a powerful opponent who had defeated Lawrence with very little effort. Lawrence had been falling behind in his development as a Duelist lately, but he was still scary strong. Anyone who could sweep him under the rug the way the Masked Duelist had was powerful. More powerful than I could readily guess.

I turned to Max and asked, “You ready for this?”

“To be perfectly honest,” Max answered, “I’m not sure. This guy’s deck reminds me of the one that my old friend Randy used to use. This guy stirs up bad memories for me. Like there was this thing that Randy used to say right before he would beat an opponent. For some reason I can’t get it out of my head.”

“I don’t mean to sound insensitive,” I said curiously, “but are you sure that Randy’s really dead?”

“Yeah,” Max answered thoughtfully, “which is why it’s so weird that I keep thinking that this kid might be him.”

“Just do your best,” I said. “If you do that much then either way you’ve won, and whatever is supposed to happen will happen.”

He laughed, “You know I don’t buy into that bullshit.” We walked out of the pairings room, and Max and the Masked Duelist continued out onto the stadium floor.

Good luck, I thought. I get the feeling you’ll need it.


Max


To be honest I thought as I walked toward the duel stage, winning really isn’t my primary concern this time.

I looked over at my opponent as we stepped up across from each other. Randy, is that you? I fight this duel to find out.

I flashed a wicked smile, “You don’t stand a chance,” I said. “No one can escape Death.”

The Masked Duelist smiled back confidently, “That’s good news for me, since killing is my specialty. I place one card and set one monster.”

A stealth strategy, I thought, like many of the ones that Randy used to use. But considering his deck that much is expected.

“I’ll counter your stealth tactics with this,” I declared. “’Polymerization’ fuses my ‘Nightmare Horse’ with one of my favorite cards, the ‘Spirit Reaper’, to form my signature card, the ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’!”

A grim reaper appeared, riding atop a ghostly horse that was glowing blue and wrapped in bandages (ATK: 800).

“My monster not only has the power to attack you directly, it also forces you to discard a card randomly from your hand every time it deals you battle damage.

“Next I summon a second grim reaper, my ‘Emissary of the Afterlife’.” A second reaper appeared, carrying a decorated scythe (ATK: 1600).

“You triggered my Trap,” said the Masked Duelist, “’Trap Hole’, destroying your monster.”

‘Emissary’ was swallowed up by the ground beneath him.

“Then I’ll attack directly with ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’,” I commanded, making sure not to miss a beat, and my ‘Reaper’ flew forward and slashed with his scythe (8000-800=7200). The Masked Duelist shuffled his hand and discarded a card with a smile. I watched him discard the ‘Dark Assailant’.

“Next I place a card face-down,” I said, “and end my turn.”

This is the first test. Randy would be able to kill my ‘Reaper’ easily this turn, despite his effect. In fact, Randy would have foreseen my monster’s coming and set up a specific defense.

“I draw,” said the Masked Duelist, “and flip-summon my ‘Night Assailant’, destroying any monster, including your ‘Reaper’.”

The cloaked, dagger-wielding ‘Night Assailant’ leaped out of the shadows and sliced my ‘Reaper’ in half so fast that his invulnerability couldn’t activate (ATK: 300).

“I’ll also set one monster and activate ‘Premature Burial’, paying eight hundred Life Points to revive ‘Dark Assailant’ and equip it with this card (7200-800=6400).”

The assassin in the skull mask appeared, holding a set of knives in his right hand (ATK: 1200).

“I attack directly with my monsters,” the Masked Duelist declared. ‘Night Assailant’ ran past me, slashing with his dagger, and ‘Dark Assailant’ threw his knives (8000-1200-300=6500). “Turn end.”

I took a surprised breath, Exactly what Randy would have done, especially if he knew he was fighting me.

‘I reveal ‘Monster Reborn’,” I said as the glowing red ankh appeared at my side, “calling ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’ back from the dead (ATK: 800). ‘Reaper’ attacks the ‘Night Assailant’.”

‘Reaper’ swung his scythe and the ‘Night Assailant’ split in half (6400+300-800 =5900). The Masked Duelist shuffled his hand and discarded a card; a second ‘Dark Assailant’.

Now, if he’s Randy and he’s using that strategy, he’ll Flip-Summon ‘Lady Assailant of Flames’

“I Flip-Summon ‘Lady Assailant of the Flames’,” said the Masked Duelist, “removing the top three cards of my deck from play to deal you eight hundred points of damage.” The female assassin appeared and threw her flaming knives at me. They exploded nearby (6500-800=5700).

Now he’ll summon ‘Vengeful Shinobi’, and he’ll protect it from attacks somehow.

“I summon my shadow ninja,” said the Masked Duelist, “the ‘Vengeful Shinobi’, and I make him immune to attacks using ‘Mist Body’.” A ninja in a gray suit appeared, carrying a curved knife. He was surrounded by a veil of mist (ATK: 400).

Now he’ll use his Spell…

“I pay two thousand Life Points to activate my Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’,” the Masked Duelist declared (5900-2000=3900). “This lets me summon the monsters that were removed from play by the effect of my ‘Lady Assailant’.”

The sky opened and two monsters emerged; a second ‘Dark Assailant’, and the eye-patch wearing, knife-wielding ‘Flash Assailant’. “My ‘Flash Assailant’ loses four hundred Attack for every card in my hand (2000-400=1600).

And now that Equip card…

“I also activate ‘Phalanx Pike’,” the Masked Duelist said, “equipping it to my ‘Dark Assailant’, raising his strength by nine hundred for every ‘Dark Assailant’ in the Graveyard (1200+900=2100). This means my ‘Flash Assailant’’s power rises as well (1600+400=2000).

“‘Flash Assailant’, ‘Lady Assailant’, and two ‘Dark Assailants’ attack ‘Reaper on the Nightmare’.” The four monsters struck, their weapons passing strait through my monster, reducing him to smoke. He instantly reformed.

“Now you take serious damage,” said the Masked Duelist, his monster bearing down on me.

I smiled, “I don’t think so. Reveal ‘Spirit Barrier’. As long as I control a monster I don’t take any Battle Damage.” A barrier appeared around me, repelling the assassins and their attacks.

“For my turn,” I said, “I summon the Psychic Wizard, ‘Ancient Brain’.” A robed creature with a bulging bald head, a horn, wings, and a staff in hand appeared at my side (ATK: 1000).

“Attack ‘Vengeful Shinobi’,” I commanded, and ‘Ancient Brain’ put his hand to his temple and raised his staff. Waves of psychic energy hit ‘Vengeful Shinobi’, reducing him to wisps of vapor (3900+400-1000=3300).

“’Vengeful Shinobi’’s effect activates,” the Masked Duelist declared, “and I draw one card. And thanks to ‘Mist Body’, my ‘Shinobi’ is reconstituted,” the mist became his monster again as he drew his card.

“I attack directly with ‘Reaper’,” I commanded, “and set a card.”

My ‘Reaper’ flew forward and attacked, taking the Masked Duelist’s newest card with it. But the Masked Duelist was smiling.

Randy would usually manage to draw ‘Card of Sanctity’ about now, I thought.

“I draw,” said the Masked Duelist, “and would you look at that, I got lucky and drew ‘Card of Sanctity’. I activate it, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.”

We drew (Flash Assailant’s ATK: 0).

“Now I place two cards face-down (Flash Assailant: 400), and I attack ‘Ancient Brain’ with ‘Dark Assailant’ (ATK: 1200).”

‘Dark Assailant’ jumped up and threw his knives. ‘Ancient Brain’ raised his staff and spun it, deflecting the knives. As he did ‘Dark Assailant’ drew a sword from a holder on his back, ran forward, and sliced ‘Ancient Brain’ in half. My Life Points remained the same, thanks to my ‘Barrier’.

“I draw,” I said.

One of his face-downs has to be ‘Spiritual Dark Art – Greed’, I thought.

“Reveal Trap card,” said the Masked Duelist, “‘Spiritual Dark Art – Greed’. I tribute the weakened ‘Flash Assailant’ to draw two cards. Go ‘Flash Assailant’, serve your final purpose and give me your very life!”

The assassin disappeared, and my opponent drew again. Now I was sure, or at least sure enough.

“I won’t let you beat me again Randy,” I said, He smiled, and I knew, “I attack with my ‘Reaper’.”

My monster flew forward and slashed Randy across the chest with his magical sickle (2500-800=1700).

“I’m glad you attacked Max,” Randy replied. “I had a card in my hand that I needed to send to the Grave.” He discarded a card.

Oh man, I thought as I realized what Randy was doing, I forgot about that move. If I’m right, I lost already!

“I reveal ‘Birthright’,” Randy declared, “reviving a Normal Monster, like ‘Infinity Dark’!” A warrior fully clad in a black suit and black body armor wearing a black cape, and a black helmet and visor appeared (ATK: 1500).

“On my turn,” said Randy, “I Second Summon my monster. See, he’s no regular Normal Monster. He’s a Gemini Monster. That means he’s treated as a Normal Monster until I Second Summon him, at which point he becomes an effect monster with a powerful effect.”

A dark aura flared up around Randy’s monster, and I frowned.

“Once per turn ‘Infinity Dark’ can change the battle position of a monster on the field. But of course, when a monster from the ‘Spirit Reaper’ archetype is targeted by an effect, it’s automatically destroyed.”

My ‘Reaper’ melted away, becoming wisps of smoke, leaving me wide open. I was shocked, not because Randy had defeated my monster, but because I’d failed to see it coming.

“Don’t look so surprised,” said Randy, smirking. “No assassin would ever give his hit a chance.”

And if there were any doubts left in my mind as to this kid’s identity they melted away with his words. That’s what Randy would always say just before he’d win a duel. This kid has to be him!

Randy’s monsters attacked, my Life Points dropped to zero, and I smiled. I ran to my old friend’s side, “Randy, you’re alive!”

“Nah,” he said, “not really. I just wanted to fight you one last time, and I wanted to tell you that I’ve been watching you. You’ve been doing good things. Keep doing them. Keep fighting for what’s right. And I’ll see you again, when it’s your time.”

“But if you’re - if you’re dead, how are you here?”

“Oh come on,” Randy said. “Every time I beat you I’m cheating Death. What’s one more time?”

He smiled in a mischievous way, and he vanished, his body melting into wisps of smoke that went with the breeze.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eleven]

Round Two;
Tucker vs. Christopher Johnson


John


I was waiting in the entrance to the Competitors’ Box when Max returned from his latest duel.

“So it was him,” I said.

“Yeah,” Max replied. He walked past me and sat down quietly, hanging his head. It was at that moment that Tucker stepped up to my side. Christopher had already left the box and taken up his position on the nearer of the two duel stages, and Yugi Muto and Seto Kaiba had taken up their positions as well. Tucker stretched his arms and said, “You better watch my duel. I’m gonna surprise you.”

“You up for fighting Christopher?” I asked.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m up for fighting him and beating him. And seriously. I know you wanna see Yugi duel, but you gotta watch mine.”

“Okay,” I said, “I will, don’t worry.”

He nodded and ran to the duel stage as the announcer came over the speakers and announced the next matches. The competitors faced their respective opponents, shuffled their decks, and began their duels.


Tucker


“I remember you,” said Christopher. “You’re the hothead from the exhibition duel who used Fire Monster Beatdown. You must have updated your deck a lot to have made it this far in such a high level tournament. But either way, you lack the skill to give me a real challenge.”

“Don’t underestimate me,” I said. “I know this game, and I worked hard on my deck. I know I’m not as skilled as some Duelists, but I’ve got spirit, and that makes up for it.

“I play ‘Pot of Greed’,” I declared, drawing two cards. “Next I summon the ever-trusty ‘UFO Turtle’ in defense mode.” A green turtle with a flying saucer for a shell, the size of a large dog, appeared at my side. “I’ll also set a card and end.”

“Your strategy seems simple enough to decipher,” said Christopher. “I saw part of your last duel. You use a burn deck now, right? Well, I’ve faced many different burn decks, and I’ve beaten them all. One version of my deck is a burn deck, and a powerful one, too. Your deck is limited because you only use Fire Attribute burn monsters. Your strategy is easy to predict.

“I summon a monster that can cool your deck down, my ‘Blizzard Dragon’,” Beside Christopher appeared a blue-gray-skinned dragon with pterodactyl-like wings. It stood about a head taller than its master (ATK: 1800).

“My ‘Blizzard Dragon’ attacks with his ice breath attack,” Christopher commanded, “destroying your ‘Turtle’.”

‘Blizzard Dragon’ attacked, and my monster was blown away.

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Backfire’. As long as I control this card you take five hundred damage for every Fire monster that’s destroyed.”

There was an explosion near Christopher (8000-500=7500).

“Also,” I continued, “because my ‘UFO Turtle’ was destroyed by battle, I get to Special Summon a Fire monster from my deck in attack mode.” The bare-chested, jacket-wearing ‘Flame Ruler’ appeared, his fists ablaze (ATK: 1500).

“I end my turn,” said Christopher, “with one face-down card.”

“Then it’s my move,” I said, drawing a card. “I place two cards face-down and tribute my ‘Flame Ruler’, who is treated as two tributes for the summoning of a Fire monster, to summon my ‘Flame Ogre’!”

A huge, muscular giant rose up behind me, taking my ‘Flame Ruler’’s place on the field. Flames rose up and curled around my ‘Ogre’’s body (ATK: 2400).

“When ‘Flame Ogre’ is Normal Summoned I get to draw a card,” I explained. I drew, “and now my ‘Ogre’ attacks you ‘Blizzard Dragon’!” ‘Flame Ogre’ struck with a fiery fist (7500 +1800-2400=6900).

I smiled, “Two more face-downs, and I end.”

“Then as your turn ends,” said Christopher, “I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’, summoning ‘Blizzard Dragon’ back from the Grave,” his dragon reappeared (ATK: 1800), “and I tribute ‘Blizzard Dragon’ to summon ‘Mobius the Frost Monarch’!”

A warrior in silver and blue armor appeared (ATK: 2400), summoning a gust of cold wind that froze my two most recent face-down cards. “‘Mobius’ destroys two Spell or Trap cards as soon as he’s Normal Summoned,” Christopher explained as my ‘Mirror Force’ and my ‘Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell’ shattered into tiny bits of ice.

“Next I activate ‘Megamorph’, doubling the Attack of my ‘Monarch’ for as long as I have fewer Life Points than you,” a glowing ring appeared beneath Christopher’s monster, and it doubled in size and strength (ATK: 4800).

“But I’m not even close to finished,” Christopher continued.

I scowled, I had a feeling that I wouldn’t get off that easily.

“I activate ‘Frontline Base’, letting me Special Summon ‘Burning Beast’ from my hand,” a beast made of molten lava and intense flames appeared (ATK: 1500), “and ‘Monster Reborn’, letting me Special Summon ‘Blizzard Dragon’ from the Graveyard,” the gray dragon appeared on the field for a third time (ATK: 1800).

“Now, ‘Mobius’, attack ‘Flame Ogre’!”

‘Mobius’ summoned a cold wind to freeze my monster. He shattered under his own weight (8000+2400-4800=5600).

“Now I attack directly with my remaining monsters,” Christopher commanded, and his beast and dragon pelted me with ice and flames (5600-1500-1800=2300).

“One face-down card,” Christopher concluded, letting his impatience show. “Go.”

I drew, and I smiled, “I play ‘Card of Sanctity’. We both draw until we draw six cards.”

We did just that, and I found myself with a chance to turn the duel around.

“I remove ‘UFO Turtle’ from play,” I declared, “to Special Summon ‘Inferno’.” As I spoke, a large face made of flames appeared in the air. “Next I summon ‘Gaia Soul the Combustible Collective’, tributing ‘Inferno’ to increase its strength.”

A flaming ball of flesh appeared, absorbing ‘Inferno’ into its body (ATK: 2000 +1000=3000).

I played well, I thought, but this duel’s been just as disorganized as usual. Still, it’s nowhere near as disorganized as my life was before John showed up in it. That’s why I have to fight him. I have to show him how far I’ve come!


I remembered back to the day when mine and John’s friendship began. Back then I was no more than a bully and a thief. I grew up in a rough part of town, and because my dad, my only family, was never really a part of my life, I was forced to join up with whatever strong group I could. My gang, for lack of a better word, and I went to what was John’s school at the time. I stuck close to them, especially our leader Harrison, but my heart would always be somewhere else. The day that John saved me, the others were pounding on some kid behind the school while I stood back and clicked my lighter. That’s when John appeared. He stood up to all five of us at once, “Leave that kid alone!”

I was stunned. I’d never seen someone stand up for others like that, except on TV.

“Hey,” said one of the guys (I never bothered to learn all of their names), “that’s the guy that beat me up last week when I snatched some kid’s wallet.”

Harrison sized John up and then let the kid that he'd been beating go. “Okay,” he said, “I let him go, but in exchange we get to break all of your ribs.”

“Let me fight him Harrison,” said a big, dumb kid named Mitch as he cracked his knuckles. “I could use a real workout.”

Harrison nodded, and Mitch stepped forward, striking up a boxing pose. John stepped back into a back stance, a martial arts thing. Mitch punched, and in less than a second John popped Mitch’s arm out of its socket, elbowed him in the gut, spun, and swept his legs out from under him, dropping him hard. Mitch was left rolling on the ground in severe pain.

“You’ll pay for that,” said Harrison. His two remaining thugs stepped forward. They were both tough, and together they were able to get in several good hits, finally wrestling John to his knees. He looked up at Harrison with fury in his eyes, his face bruised, and his lip busted and bleeding.

I’d never seen such a strong person in my life. Even in the face of certain defeat he remained defiant.

Harrison stepped forward, taking a set of iron knuckles from his pocket and putting them on his right hand. He raised his fist to strike, and I saw a way out of this life. I stepped forward and grabbed Harrison’s arm, stopping him. He looked over at me and smiled a wicked smile, “You finally ready to throw a punch, Tuck?”

“Yeah,” I said, and I punched Harrison in the face with everything that I had, breaking his nose and knocking him out cold. The two lackeys were shocked. They loosened their grip, and John pulled free, springing to his feet and spinning, kicking them both in the head, dropping them as well.

I took a deep breath and crossed my arms. John turned to me, “Nice punch.”

“Nice Kung Fu,” I replied.

We began to laugh uncontrollably, and just like that it was like we’d been best friends our entire lives. John was the first person ever to show me what a real friend was. He was the first person to ever show me proof that there were people that you could depend on unconditionally in real life. He saved me from a life that almost definitely would have gotten me either incarcerated or killed. I owe him my life.


“I won’t lose to you Christopher,” I said. “I have something that I need to do, and you’re in my way. I still have two face-down cards. I could have used them before, but I had a feeling that if I waited they would give me the means to beat you, and I was right.

“I activate the Continuous Spell card ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’,” I declared. “This card increases each instance of burn damage that you take by three hundred points. Next I reveal ‘Ring of Destruction’ and ‘Barrel Behind the Door’.”

A ring of active grenades appeared around my ‘Gaia Soul’. The ring exploded along with my monster, spreading fire over both Christopher and me. A golden pistol appeared in my hand, sucking all of the fire on my side of the field into its barrel. I shot that fire at Christopher as well, aiming strait through the flames that already surrounded him.

“This combination deals you seventy-four hundred damage,” I explained, and I waited for Christopher’s Life to reach zero.

Yes! John, here I come.

Christopher’s Life Points fell (6900-3400=3500).

“No way,” I exclaimed, “how’d you do that?”

“I revealed ‘Reverse Trap’,” Christopher explained, “lowering the attack of your monster from three thousand to one thousand before your Trap cards went off.

“Now I draw, and I activate ‘Dark Hole’, destroying ‘Mobius’, ‘Blizzard Dragon’, and ‘Burning Beast’.” A black hole appeared above the field, drawing Christopher’s monsters inside before closing up. “Now I remove my three monsters from play to summon my favorite monster,” a two-headed dragon appeared, formed of fire and ice, “my ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ (ATK: 2300). Attack!”

Christopher’s monster breathed fire and ice down on me, and my Life Points disappeared (2300-2300=0). I looked down, disgraced. Christopher walked over to me.

That’s right, I thought, the ante. I pulled two cards from my deck, “Here’s ‘Tyrant Dragon’ and ‘Legendary Flame Lord’,” I said, “my best cards.”

“Keep ‘em,” said Christopher, and I looked up into his face. He was smiling. “You’ll need those cards to fight me next time we meet. I only hope John hasn’t improved as much as you have, or I might be in trouble.”

He offered me his hand, and I shook it.

Well, I did my best, I thought, and even though I didn’t win, I don’t feel like it’s the end of the world. John, I’ll fight you one day in a real duel, and then you’ll see how strong I’ve become first hand!

I smiled, And when you do, I’ll finally be able to thank you.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]

Eternal Rivalry, Eternal Friendship


John


Tucker lost to Christopher, but he came close. Much closer than Sarah had, and much closer than many of Christopher’s opponents have. Either way I wasn’t surprised that he’d lost. Ever since Christopher walked into the resort that night I knew that he and I were supposed to face each other in this tournament. The pairings for the final round were announced. I was paired against Christopher. Yugi Muto, who had defeated Kaiba in the previous round, was given a buy to the finals, since his opponent, the Masked Duelist, had mysteriously disappeared. That meant that whoever won this next duel between me and Christopher would get to challenge Yugi Muto for the championship title, an honor that I couldn’t even imagine.

For the semi-final round the center of the stadium floor opened up and a larger stage rose up out of the ground. Christopher and I stepped up onto the new duel stage, and it rose several meters into the air. Transparent holographic screens appeared all around us, six in total, that magnified the action in the arena to make it easier to see by the crowd. There were even more people in the stands now. These final duels were the ones that people had come to see.

“Well,” said Christopher, “this is it. Our long awaited rematch. I hope you’ve been looking forward to your defeat as much as I have.”

“I’ve been looking forward to your defeat,” I said. “Does that count?”

Christopher only smiled in the confident way that he does, drawing his opening hand.

“I’ll go first,” I said. I looked over my hand. Would you look at that! This will be the first chance for me to test out my new monster combo!

“For my turn, I set one card and summon a machine monster, ‘Y – Dragon Head’, in attack mode.”

A red robotic dragon, about nine feet long, appeared beside me. It roared, a sound like grinding metal (ATK: 1500).

“A machine monster?” Christopher said. “And not even a Dark one. That’s what throws me about you. Anyone else’s deck can be deciphered after just a move or two, but your deck is so unique, yet it’s very powerful. That’s why you are the only Duelist who ever beat me in an official duel, and that’s why I have to prove myself by beating you and removing that one stain from my previously perfect dueling record.”

I smirked confidently, We’ll just see who beats who.

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” Christopher declared, drawing three cards and then discarding two. “Next I counter your mechanical dragon with a dragon of my own. I summon ‘Blizzard Dragon’.” The blue-gray dragon appeared (ATK: 1800).

“Attack with Blizzard Blast,” Christopher commanded, and his dragon breathed cold breath at my monster.

“Reveal face-down card ‘Hyper Coat’,” I declared. A layer of blue and chrome armor appeared over my monster’s wings, eyes, and portions of its body (ATK: 1500+500=2000). The cold breath bounced harmlessly off of my monster’s new armor.

“’Y – Dragon Head’, counterattack with mouth cannon.”

My monster fired a beam from his mouth, blowing Christopher’s monster away (8000+1800-2000=7800).

“You know, something told me that wouldn’t work,” said Christopher, “but you know, I had to try.” Christopher pulled two more cards from his hand, “I play ‘Double Summon’, and I summon ‘Solar Flare Dragon’.” A serpentine dragon made of heat and flames appeared (ATK: 1500). “I also place one card face-down, ending my turn, activating my ‘Solar Flare Dragon’’s effect.”

Christopher’s dragon launched a flame at me, and I took five hundred points of damage (8000-500=7500).

“I draw,” I said, “and I summon ‘X – Head Cannon’ in attack mode.” A blue and yellow robotic torso sitting atop a spiked sphere appeared, hovering in the air. It had an energy cannon on each shoulder (ATK: 1800). “I attack ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ with ‘X’, Positron Cannon Blaster!”

My monster fired beams from his cannons.

“Reveal,” said Christopher, “the Trap card ‘Call of the Haunted’, Special Summoning a second ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ from the Graveyard.”

A second dragon appeared beside the first, and ‘X’’s beams were repelled.

“The most impressive power of ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ is that he draws heat from another Fire monster to create a heat shield around himself and protect himself from attacks. So while there are two or more ‘Solar Flare Dragons’ on my side of the field, and I control no other monsters, you can’t attack me.”

“I didn’t think that would work,” I said, grinning, “but you know, I had to try. But I’m not done. I remove the ‘X – Head Cannon’ and ‘Y – Dragon Head’ cards from play to combine my monsters into a new monster from my fusion deck.” The ‘Hyper Coat’ armor disappeared, a port opened on ‘Y’’s back, and the spherical base of ‘X – Head Cannon’ settled into it, “I summon ‘XY – Dragon Cannon’ (ATK: 2200)! By discarding one card from my hand I can destroy one face-up Spell or Trap card that my opponent controls, so I discard ‘Dark Master – Zorc’ to destroy ‘Call of the Haunted’, and your second dragon along with it.”

‘X’ aimed his cannons, and ‘Y’ opened his mouth. They fired their beams in tandem, destroying Christopher’s Trap, and his monster.

“I set one card,” I declared, “and end my turn.” I crossed my arms, brimming with pride.

Without even a pause, Christopher drew his card and began his move. “I only needed my second monster for the duration of that turn, to protect my first monster from attacks, letting me sacrifice him this turn to summon ‘King Pyron’, a Gemini Monster.”

Cool, I thought. I’ve never faced Gemini Monsters before.

“Next,” said Christopher, “I reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’, paying fifteen hundred Life Points (7800-1500=6300) to summon ‘Aquarian Allessa’, and to Second Summon both of my monsters, activating their effects (ATK: 1500 (each)).

“Now, finally, I play ‘Card of Sanctity’, allowing us both to draw until we hold six cards,” Christopher continued. We both drew, and Christopher continued his monologue, “Perfect. I drew just what I needed. I play ‘Union Attack’, allowing my monsters to attack together for the duration of the turn.”

‘King Pyron’ threw a ball of fire, and ‘Allessa’ threw a ball of water. The two attacks hit my monster, and he was pulled apart by opposing forces.

“You discard a card from your hand due to my ‘Allessa’’s effect,” Christopher explained. “And since ‘Union Attack’ lowers the battle damage that you take this turn to zero, I’ll go ahead and use ‘Pyron’’s effect as well, dealing you one thousand points of damage.”

‘Pyron’ summoned fire and it poured over me, dealing me damage (7500-1000=6500).

“And to finish my turn, I play ‘Magical Stone Excavation’, discarding ‘Blazing Warrior Lady’ and ‘Polymerization’ to return ‘Card of Sanctity’ to my hand. Your deck might be hard to read, but I’ll still defeat it.”

“There’s one thing you haven’t considered,” I told my rival. “You’re fighting my deck, but you’re also fighting me, and I’m more than just the cards in my deck.”

“We’ll see, won’t we?”

He’s just like he was before, I thought. So confident. I’m still not sure how I managed to win last time. I keep thinking that maybe I just got lucky.

I sighed, and I remembered that duel:


I have to end this Duel now, I thought, or admit defeat, but even if I summon my ‘Summoned Skull’, the strongest card in my hand, I will only deal Christopher one thousand damage!

And then I noticed another card that I’d just drawn, my newest card.

“I think it's about time we ended this Duel,” I said, grinning with confidence. “I’ll begin my comeback with the Spell Card ‘Monster Reborn’ to return my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ to the field!”

My warrior appeared again, fists charged and ready. But he was no longer my trump card. “I sacrifice my ‘Fiend Megacyber’,” I announced, “to summon ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

The crowd fell silent as ‘Fiend Megacyber’ became wisps of black smoke. The smoke reformed into a tall, brown skeletal demon with a crystal in his forehead. “The ‘Great Maju Garzett’’s attack power,” I explained, “becomes two times the attack points of the sacrificed monster (ATK: 2200x2=4400).”

Several people in the audience gasped as they realized what this meant. With no face-down cards and only thirteen hundred Life Points, Christopher could not survive my ‘Great Maju’’s attack. “‘Great Maju Garzett’,” I commanded, “finish him off with Vile Energy Blast!” ‘Great Maju’ thrust with his palm, discharging a burst of black energy that incinerated Christopher’s monster and ended Christopher’s reign all at once.


I smiled, No, it wasn’t luck. It was more than that. The cards that I used in that duel were cards that I chose for a reason. They were all like extensions of myself. They were cards that I was meant to put into my deck. I believe in myself, and in my cards. That’s why I won, and that’s why I’m going to win again.

I smiled confidently at Christopher and declared, “Your strategy may be good, better than mine even, and you may have the unique ability to pick up on a person’s strategy at a glance. But I’m still going to win, because I have something that you are lacking. I have faith, and faith is what is going to decide this duel!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Thirteen]

King of the Different Dimension vs. King of O.T.K.;
Battle of the Favorite Cards!


“I draw,” I said, “and I begin my turn with the face-down Trap card ‘Return from the Different Dimension’. I pay half of my Life Points (6500/2=3250) to return my out of play monsters to the field.”

The sky opened up long enough for ‘X – Head Cannon’ and ‘Y – Dragon Head’ to emerge.

“Next I summon ‘Z – Metal Tank’,” a yellow tank with a cannon above each of its two treads and an eye-shaped sensor in front, attached by a retractable stalk, appeared (ATK: 1500). “Now I play ‘Soul Absorption’ and combine my three monsters in the same way as before,” ‘Y’’s wings fell away, and he settled onto the back of ‘Z – Metal Tank’, and ‘X’ attacked to ‘Y’’s back in the same manner as before. “This creates the mighty ‘XYZ – Dragon Cannon’ (ATK: 2800), and restores fifteen hundred of my Life Points (3250+1500=4750).

“The ability of my ‘Dragon Cannon’ lets me discard a card to destroy any card on my opponent’s side of the field. I discard ‘Magician of Faith’ first to destroy ‘King Pyron’.” ‘XYZ’ took aim with five cannons and fired, blowing the flame monster away.

“Next I discard ‘Night Assailant’, destroying ‘Allessa’ as well.”

My monster fired again, destroying Christopher’s remaining monster.

“Finally,” I said, “because I discarded ‘Night Assailant’, I can return a Flip-Effect monster in my Graveyard to my hand, a Flip-Effect monster like ‘Magician of Faith’. I discard her again to destroy ‘Ultimate Offering’.” His Trap was destroyed as well.

“Now,” I concluded, “I attack with my monster, Cannon Fireblaze!”

‘XYZ’ charged his cannons and fired, hitting Christopher dead on (6300-2800 =3500). I finally had control of the field, but I had no idea how long it would last.

“Good play,” said Christopher, “but it’s my turn again. I replay ‘Card of Sanctity’.”

He and I both refilled our hands.

“You’ve left me in a pretty serious situation,” said Christopher, “but unlike you, I held my trump card until the very end. If you paid any attention to my last duel, you should know where this is going. I remove ‘Blizzard Dragon’, ‘Aquarian Allessa’, and ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ from play,” my Life Points climbed due to ‘Soul Absorption’ (4750 +1500=6250), “to summon my favorite monster, ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’.”

The two-headed dragon made of ice and fire appeared with a roar (ATK: 2300).

“I think you’re familiar with my monster’s effect,” said Christopher, his voice full of pride. “I destroy your monster with Freezing Ice Breath!” The dragon breathed both ice and fire on my monster, overwhelming him and destroying him.

“Now I finish my turn by throwing two cards face-down and attacking you directly.”

The dragon attacked again, this time hitting me rather than one of my monsters (6250-2300=3950).

“This is what I came to this tournament for,” I said. “For so long I’ve been searching for an opponent capable of really putting me in a corner. My team-mates are the only duelists I’m close to anymore who are even a challenge. Even today against Evo I had a backup plan in case things got rough. But right now, I have nothing at all up my sleeve. This is what Duel Monsters is really about, what all gaming is about; facing your opponent’s power with courage and resolve. Whether I win or lose, this tournament is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.”

“I’d say the same about you,” said Christopher, “but to be honest, I expected a lot more from you.”

“Oh, don’t for one second think that I’ve given up,” I said. “I still plan on winning this duel. I play ‘Soul Release’, removing five cards in my Graveyard from play to recover twenty-five hundred Life Points (3950+2500=6450). Next I set a monster, and I set two cards face-down.”

“Planning on using your monster’s flip effect to destroy my monster,” Christopher asked, “or were you planning on using a face-down card? Either way, it won’t work. I never leave ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ unsupported.

“I reveal face-down card ‘Deadly Ice Field’, destroying the Face-down card on the right.” A pillar of ice rose up beneath my card, destroying it. I discarded it, revealing it as ‘Blast Held by a Tribute’

“Next I activate my monster’s effect, destroying your monster.”

The dragon fired off his two breath attacks, scoring a direct hit against my monster. He was revealed for an instant as ‘Cyber Jar’.

“Now I summon ‘Burning Beast’,” a beast made of fire and lava appeared (ATK: 1500), “and I combine him with the Continuous Spell ‘Frontline Base’, letting me Special Summon ‘Freezing Beast’.” A second beast appeared, this time made of ice. “I unionize my monsters, creating ‘Freezing Burning Beast’.” The two beasts merged into a larger beast made of both ice and fire (ATK: 1500).

“I attack with ‘Freezing Burning Beast’, protecting him by activating ‘Forced Ceasefire’. I discard a card to prevent you from activating Trap cards this turn. And when ‘Freezing Burning Beast’ hits your Life, your remaining face-down card is destroyed.”

His monster slashed, and I lost Life Points (6450-1500=4950) and my face-down ‘Mirror Force’.

“Now I attack with my ‘Dragon’.” His monster attacked (4950-2300=2650).

“I place a card face-down,” Christopher concluded. “I win. You’ll never reach my monster.”

I can’t survive another round of attacks, I thought, and I have no more ways to restore my Life Points. This is my last turn. If I don’t win this turn, I lose. I’m in the same boat as last time, and just like last time, I will win!

I drew my card, the ‘Pot of Greed’ card.

“Activate ‘Pot of Greed’,” I declared, “to draw two cards.”

I went to draw my cards, and I stopped, closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

I have one chance. I only need one last card. If I don’t draw it, I lose. But if I draw it, I win. And I’d prefer to win.

I opened my eyes, and I pulled my cards, fanning them out. I smiled, Perfect

“I make my final stand here,” I said, “with my favorite card. I summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!” I placed the card on the Duel Disk, and the yellow-armored warrior appeared in a swirl of yellow and black static, his fists charged with energy (ATK: 2200).

“First,” I said, “I play ‘Dark Core’, discarding ‘Contract with the Dark Master’ to remove ‘Freezing Burning Beast’ from play.” A dark orb appeared, sucking the composite monster in, and even restoring my Life Points slightly (2650+500=3150).

“Second I play ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying your face-down card.” The card was blown away, revealed as ‘Negate Attack’, which would have halted my final play in an instant.

“And finally,” I continued, “I activate two Spell cards, transforming ‘Fiend Megacyber’ into his most powerful form. I play ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’ and ‘Assault Armor’!”

The armor on my warrior’s right arm grew out over his hand and then stretched out, forming a longsword, and his body was surrounded by a yellow-white aura (2200 +800+300=3300). Christopher smiled, more happily than I would have expected, “You know, winning is fine, and fighting a good opponent who gives you a good challenge, that’s fine too, but the most fun comes from fighting someone who’s close to your level. Someone who you really don’t think you can beat.”

“I can release the ‘Assault Armor’,” I said, smiling back as I discarded the card, “to allow my monster two attacks this turn.” The aura around my monster flared up (3300-300 =3000), and he shot into the air. “‘Fiend Megacyber’, attack with Auracyber Slash!” My monster swung his sword, lobbing off both of the dragon’s heads at once. The ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ dissipated into smoke (3500+2300-3000=2800).

“Now,” I said, my warrior still hanging in the air, “I finish it.”

Christopher looked me in the eyes calmly, “Rematch?”

“Yeah,” I replied, “someday.”

The aura around my monster seemed to shatter like glass, and my monster fell, slashing Christopher from head to toe with his blade (2800-3000=0). My monster landed in a crouch, and Christopher stepped back. ‘Megacyber’ stood up and faded away. I walked over to Christopher and offered him my hand. He shook it.

“So you beat me again,” said Christopher. “You make your team proud. But one day I’m going to figure out what makes you so strong, and then we’ll duel, and I’ll finally win.”

“So the battle continues?” I asked.

“Our battle will never end,” Christopher replied, turning to step down from the duel stage, which had just finished lowering to the ground, “you know that.”

He walked away, back to his seat. But I stayed where I was. I still had one duel left to fight.

“And there you have it!” said the announcer. “John, the leader of the Duel Force has defeated King of O.T.K. Christopher Johnson!”

The crowd all around me cheered, but I didn’t notice I was too busy watching the figure that approached me as I waited for the announcer to speak a particular set of words. My opponent stepped up across from me. He was small in stature, but his Duelist’s aura was the strongest I’d ever seen.

The announcer spoke again, “That means that John will continue on to the final round to face the one and only King of Games, Yugi Muto!”

The roar of the crowd was enormous. I thought that I felt the ground shaking beneath my feet, but maybe that was just my knees shaking.

Alright Hiro, I said, this is going to be our hardest fight yet. Let’s finish this together!

My Soul glowed, becoming the Soul of Chaos, and mine and Hiro’s minds became one, clear and concise. I saw Yugi react, his competitive spirit flaring.

This is it. Yugi Muto, I thought, I’m going to win this duel![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fourteen]

John vs. The King of Games;
The Fiend Megacyber vs. The Dark Magician Deck


Yugi saw me and said, “You know, when we met I had a feeling that you’d go far today. I could somehow feel it.”

“Thanks,” I said, not allowing myself to succumb to being star struck, returning Yugi his confident smile. “I’ve wanted to fight you for a while, and I can’t think of a better chance. After all when I beat you I’ll go home with the title.”

Yugi smiled, the same smile that I’d seen him wear in the tournament footage, yet still somehow different, “You can try to beat me, but I’ll have you know, I’m strong.”

Yugi drew a card, “I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.” He drew, and said, “Next I play ‘One Into One’, adding ‘Kuriboh’ to my deck to search for ‘Watapon’, add it to my hand, and to draw one card. But because ‘Watapon’ was added to my hand by a Spell card effect, I can Special Summon him,” a white puff ball appeared, and disappeared, “to tribute for my ‘Dark Magician Girl’!” There was a flash of pink light, and a beautiful blond girl in a skimpy blue and pink dress and a blue witch’s hat appeared, wand in hand (ATK: 2000).

“I place two cards face-down, and I end my turn.”

This is pretty awesome, I thought. I’m fighting Yugi Muto’s legendary Magician Deck!

“I counter,” I said, “with my ‘Guide to the Different Dimension’!” A man in a black cloak appeared, but not on my field. He was summoned to Yugi’s side of the field (ATK: 1600).

“Now, because you have two more monsters than me, I can Special Summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.”

There was a burst of black and yellow static, and the yellow warrior appeared, fists charged with power (ATK: 2200).

“What’s stronger,” Yugi asked thoughtfully, “your warrior’s fist, or my sorceress’ magic?”

“Let’s find out,” I replied, smiling proudly, my eyes alight with anticipation. “Megacyber Impact!”

‘Fiend Megacyber’ charged and punched, and ‘Dark Magician Girl’ slid back. A question-marked cylinder appeared, catching the energy from my monster’s fist. The first cylinder faded away, and a second cylinder appeared, launching that energy back at me in the form of a bolt of black and yellow lightning (8000-2200=5800).

My monster jumped back to my side of the field, and the ‘Dark Magician Girl’ winked at me playfully, daring me to attack her again.

“Good move there with ‘Magic Cylinder’, but not good enough to shake me. I’ll place a card of my own face-down,” I declared, “and play ‘Soul Absorption’. Now when a card is removed from play I gain five hundred Life Points.”

“I draw,” Yugi said, his face thoughtful as he considered what I might be planning.

“When you do,” I cut in, “my ‘D.D. Guide’ forces you to choose and remove from play one card in your Graveyard.”

Yugi took ‘Magic Cylinder’ from his Graveyard and placed it in the deck box at his waist, and my Life Points went up (5800+500=6300).

“Your ‘Guide’ benefits me as well,” said Yugi. “I tribute ‘D.D. Guide’ to summon ‘Berfamet’!”

A four-armed, horned demon appeared (DEF: 1800).

“When ‘Berfamet’ is Normal Summoned I can move ‘Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts’ in my deck to my hand,” Yugi explained confidently. He fanned out his deck and selected a card, shuffling and then replacing his deck, “This means I can play the Spell card ‘Polymerization’ and fuse ‘Berfamet’ and ‘Gazelle’ into the two-headed beast, ‘Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast’!”

A lion-like creature appeared and merged with ‘Berfamet’ to form a creature with ‘Gazelle’’s body, the heads of both monsters, white-feathered wings, and a serpent for a tail (ATK: 2100).

I smiled, Yugi’s monsters are both weaker than mine, but I can’t expect power to decide this. Yugi Muto is known for his complex and brilliant strategies. He left both monsters in attack mode, which means he likely has a plan. Just because I’m curious, I’m gonna take the bait.

“I draw,” I declared, “and I attack ‘Dark Magician Girl’ again with ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.”

My monster charged at the sorceress, and Yugi revealed his remaining face-down card with a smile.

“Reveal face-down card ‘Union Attack’,” he declared, “combining the attack points of my two monsters and allowing them to counterattack.”

‘Dark Magician Girl’ raised her staff, and ‘Chimera’ raised his claws. They caught my monster’s fist and pushed him back. Then ‘Chimera’ slashed and ‘Dark Magician Girl’ brandished her staff. They released a powerful wave energy that flew toward my monster. The energy was a moment from destroying him when he flickered and disappeared, reappearing as the energy hit the ground just behind him, exploding harmlessly.

“I reveal,” I countered, “my Trap card ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’, removing my monster from play temporarily (6300+500=6800).”

“I managed to force you to use your face-down card,” said Yugi.

“But I also managed to force you to use your face-down card,” I countered.

Yugi smiled, “But now it’s my turn, and I can tribute both of my monsters to summon my favorite card.” His monsters disappeared, and a man carrying an emerald green staff, clad in purple leather and a purple leather hood and wizard’s hat appeared.

“Behold,” Yugi declared, “the ‘Dark Magician’ (ATK: 2500).

“My ‘Dark Magician’ has stood by me for years,” Yugi explained, “and with him at my side I can turn the tables in this duel. ‘Dark Magician’, attack ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ with Black Magic!”

‘Dark Magician’ flung a shining green and black sphere from the tip of his staff, hitting my monster, blowing him away (6800+2200-2500=6500).

“You’re as good as I’ve heard,” I said, “but I’m not done.”

“Neither am I,” Yugi replied, enjoying the banter as much as I was. “One face-down card, and I end my turn.”

“Alright,” I replied, “I draw, and I summon my ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’!” The blond in the silver jumpsuit appeared, her glowing sword raised in front of her (ATK: 1500).

“Attack,” I commanded, “with Dimension Katana!”

My monster raised her sword over her head and lunged. Just before her attack hit, a move that would remove both herself and the ‘Magician’ from play, the ‘Dark Magician’ retreated into a large black silk top hat. The hat became four hats. My monster's sword cut harmlessly through the hat closest to where the ‘Dark Magician’ had been. The hat disappeared.

“Let me guess,” I said, “you revealed your face-down ‘Magical Hats’.”

“You guessed right,” Yugi replied, his voice confident. “For my turn I’ll simply place a card under the hat containing my ‘Dark Magician’ and end my turn.”

Any Spell or Trap card hidden under a hat will activate as soon as I attack that hat, I thought, remembering the card’s full effect. If this is a bluff then my next attack could clinch me the duel, but if it’s not, it could cost me the duel. And of course there’s still a two out of three chance that I’ll hit a hat that’s totally empty. If I hit an empty hat, or if I don’t attack at all, Yugi has more time to build up his hand for a counterattack. His strategy is perfect. Combos like this are what made him King of Games in the first place!

“You’re good,” I said.

“So are you,” Yugi replied.

“No,” I insisted, “I really mean it; you’re good. Really good. You don’t overwhelm your opponent, choosing to force their hand instead and keep them on their toes until they trip themselves up. If I had to choose between fighting you and fighting three ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragons’, I’d choose the three ‘Blue-Eyes’, because at least then I’d know that there weren’t any surprises waiting. But then, when you need to, you can combine truly strong monsters with your tactics, making you even more dangerous. Even stronger. I’m impressed, but I think it’s time to stop feeling each other out and see who’s stronger. I’ll face your ‘Hats’ with my ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’. Attack the middle hat!”

My monster lunged and slashed, and she suddenly found herself trapped in a hexagram, a glowing eye on her forehead. The hat, now shredded, fell away, revealing the ‘Dark Magician’ in all of his glory.

“You triggered my Trap,” Yugi explained, “the ‘Illusion of Circle’. It strips your monster of her special ability and five hundred of her Attack points (1500-500=1000).

“Now I counterattack,” Yugi declared, “Black Magic!”

‘Dark Magician fired his attack, and ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ fell (6500+1000-2500=5000).

“Brilliant,” I said in a purposefully arrogant tone. “Last turn you forced me to waste my defensive cards, destroyed my most powerful monster, and then set up another defensive combo to paralyze any counterattack that I might make. I’m not saying that I didn’t expect it, but it’s still impressive. That’s why you’re the King. But regardless of how badly I’m being beaten, I now have a good idea of your true upward limits, and I know what I have to do to win this day. I’ll never give up, and I will come out of this ahead.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fifteen]

John vs. The King of Games;
Divine vs. Divine!


“I end my turn with a face-down defense mode monster and a face-down card,” I declared.

“I draw,” said Yugi, “and I place one card face-down and activate ‘Card of Sanctity’. We both draw until we hold six cards.”

Yugi and I refilled our hands, and Yugi said, “With my new hand, this is a whole new game. I attack with the ‘Dark Magician’, Black Magic!”

‘Dark Magician’ fired his attack, and there was an explosion that threw up a cloud of smoke and dust, concealing my side of the field. I couldn’t help but smile. Suddenly a beam shot from within the cloud of smoke, hitting and destroying the ‘Dark Magician’. The smoke cleared, revealing a robotic jar.

“You attacked my ‘Cyber Jar’,” I said, as my monster exploded. “When he’s flipped face-up every monster on the field is destroyed and we both pick up five cards. We Special Summon any level four monsters among those cards, and then add the remaining cards to our hands.”

We picked up our cards.

“I summon ‘Gemini Elf’ in attack mode and ‘Y – Dragon Head’ in defense mode.” Beautiful twin elves appeared (ATK: 1900) alongside the red robotic dragon (DEF: 1600).

“I summon,” said Yugi, “the ‘Skilled Dark Magician’.” A sorcerer in black robes appeared, staff in hand (ATK: 1900), “and I destroy your ‘Dragon Head’.” His monster flung dark energy at my monster, vaporizing it in a flash of black light.

“Also, each time a Spell card is activated,” Yugi explained, “the ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ accumulates a Spell Counter. So I’ll activate two Spell cards now, ‘De-Spell’ and ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying your ‘Soul Absorption’ and your face-down card and giving my monster two Spell Counters.” Two jewels on the sorcerer’s robes lit up.

“I end my turn, and since I’m holding eight cards, I have to discard two cards.” He fed two cards into his Graveyard. I tried to tell what they were, but I couldn’t. The faces were colored similar to a typical spell card, except that they were more teal in color and their text boxes were blank. They were different from any Duel Monsters card I’d ever seen. I was intrigued. I knew in that moment that Yugi was challenging me. Somehow he knew that I had a much greater power hidden in my deck, and he was challenging me to bring it out.

I drew, and Yugi declared, “In your Standby Phase I reveal ‘Miracle Restoring’. I remove two Spell Counters from my ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ to summon my ‘Dark Magician’ back to the field from the Graveyard.”

The two jewels on his sorcerer’s robes went dark, and there was a flash of green light from which the ‘Dark Magician’ emerged (ATK: 2500).

I don’t know what those cards were that he discarded, I thought, but I get the feeling that there’s more to them than meets the eye. I want to know what they are and what purpose they serve. The only way to get Yugi to show me their power is to show him the power that lurks within my deck. And I know just how to do it.

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” I said, “drawing three cards and discarding two.”

I drew three cards, and tossed ‘Obelisk the Tormentor’ and ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’. As I thought, Yugi recognized them instantly. His expression changed. He knew that I wasn’t playing around anymore. That I’d accepted his challenge.

“Next,” I said, “I tribute my ‘Gemini Elf’ to summon the demon lord, ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

A flare of dark light burst up from the ground and engulfed the elves. Out of that light emerged the massive brown skeletal demon. The jewels on his forehead and shoulders glowed brightly.

“My ultimate demon is summoned with twice the Attack power of the tributed monster,” I explained (ATK: 3800).

“I also activate the Spell card ‘Double Attack’,” I declared. “I discard a monster with a higher level than ‘Great Maju Garzett’ to allow him to attack twice this turn.”

I placed the third God, ‘The Winged Dragon of Ra’, into the Graveyard. Again I could tell that Yugi recognized the card.

This duel is coming to an impasse, I thought. Whatever those teal-colored cards were, they’re about to be Yugi’s only shot at winning this duel. I just hope that my power is greater than theirs, or I’ll have taken the risk of summoning the Gods in public for nothing.

“‘Great Maju Garzett’,” I commanded, “attack ‘Skilled Dark Magician’.”

‘Great Maju’ swung his claws, and ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ was shredded. Waves of energy flew from my monster’s claws and hit Yugi in the face and chest (8000+1900-3800=6100).

“Now,” I commanded, “I attack the ‘Dark Magician’ with Vile Energy!”

‘Great Maju Garzett’ discharged a wave of dark energy. ‘Dark Magician’ fired his Black Magic attack, but it was quickly overcome, and ‘Dark Magician’ was blown away (6100+2500-3800=4800).

“I set a card,” I concluded.

Yugi’s expression changed. He still seemed excited, but he was far more serious now as he said, “I was hoping not to have to use this card, but I guess I don’t have a choice. First I revive my ‘Dark Magician’ with the power of ‘Monster Reborn’.” A glowing red ankh appeared flashing and fading away, giving way to the ‘Dark Magician’.

“Next,” said Yugi, “I play a one-of-a-kind card, ‘The Eye of Timaeus’!” He placed a third teal card on the duel disk on top of the ‘Dark Magician’. A massive teal-skinned dragon appeared. He had a scar over his right eye.

I smiled wide, It’s about time. Now show me what these things can do.

“‘The Eye of Timaeus’ is a Legendary Dragon card,” Yugi explained pridefully, “capable of combining with any monster to create a new being with enormous power.”

‘Dark Magician’ moved to stand on the dragon’s back, and rows of ancient symbols appeared all over the dragon’s body.

“By merging ‘Dark Magician’ and ‘The Eye of Timaeus’,” Yugi declared, “I create the mighty ‘Amulet Dragon’!”

‘Timaeus’ roared, and ‘Dark Magician’ twirled his staff, smiling smugly.

“‘Amulet Dragon’,” Yugi explained, “gains three hundred Attack power for every Spell card in my Graveyard. There are five, so the power of my ‘Dragon’ increases by fifteen hundred (2900+1500=4400)!”

“‘Amulet Dragon’ attack!” The dragon breathed light and the ‘Dark Magician’ released a Black Magic attack from his staff. The energies combined and blew my demon apart (5000+3800-4400=4400).

I smiled, “In that case, I activate my ‘Michizure’, a Trap that I put in my deck specifically to be used with ‘Great Maju’. Since his base Attack is zero, he’s easy to kill if he’s been on the field for more than a turn if my opponent has the right cards, but when he is destroyed, ‘Michizure’ takes the attacker along with him.”

A ghostly hand reached up from a crack in the ground and grabbed the ‘Dark Magician’, dragging him back to his grave. The teal dragon disappeared in a flash of light, sent to the Graveyard as well. Yugi, however, didn’t miss a beat.

“I’ll summon,” declared Yugi, “my ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ in attack mode (ATK: 1400). He can only be destroyed by monsters with less than nineteen hundred Attack.”

An elf warrior in green padded armor appeared, carrying a longsword.

“Finally,” said Yugi, “I place two cards face-down and end my turn.”

I don’t know what Yugi’s planning, I thought, but I know he saw the three Gods. That means that he knows what I’m planning and he’s preparing to fight back. I have to hit him now with everything I’ve got, no holding back!

My Soul of Chaos flashed as I drew my card. I added the card to my hand without looking, knowing that it was just the card I needed. I chose another card from my hand and played it. “I activate ‘Soul Release’, removing three of the cards in my Graveyard from play.”

I selected my cards, and I could tell from Yugi’s expression that he knew exactly what they would be.

“I combo ‘Soul Release’ with ‘Dimension Fusion’,” I explained, “paying two thousand Life Points (4400-2000=2400) to summon the three monsters that I just removed from play.”

For the first time during this duel I saw a bead of sweat form on my opponent’s forehead. His expression changed to one of great concentration. The crowd grew silent as behind me a yellow, a red, and a blue pillar of light burst up from the ground. From the pillars emerged the three Gods of Egypt, the sun God ‘The Winged Dragon of Ra’, the massive red serpentine dragon God ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’, and the pillar of the Gods ‘Obelisk the Tormentor’.

“You’re not the only one with a divine power at his command,” said Yugi. “I reveal ‘Legend of Heart’, tributing the Warrior-type ‘Obnoxious Celtic Guard’ and removing ‘The Eye of Timaeus’, ‘The Claw of Hermos’, and ‘The Fang of Critias’ in my Graveyard from play to summon three monsters with powers to rival even the Gods.”

‘Timaeus’ returned to the field alongside a red dragon with a square jaw and spikes down its back and a vicious-looking black dragon with spines down its back. The three dragons flew up into the clouds, and from the clouds emerged three knights. One was shorter than the others with armor the same color as ‘Timaeus’ and a scar over the same eye. The other two wore black and red armor respectively.

“Introducing,” Yugi announced, “the ‘Legendary Knight Timaeus’,” the teal knight nodded, “the ‘Legendary Knight Critias’,” the black knight nodded, “and the ‘Legendary Knight Hermos’,” the red knight nodded (ATK: 2800 (each)).

“Attack me,” said Yugi, his face radiating confidence, “if you dare.”

“Alright,” I said, smiling confidently. I heard a roar of flames as the ‘Winged Dragon of Ra’ took on his ultimate form, the God Phoenix. He settled onto ‘Obelisk’’s right arm, as ‘Osiris’ settled onto ‘Obelisk’’s other arm, wrapping his tail around ‘Obelisk’’s torso and waste. The two dragons became pure energy and ‘Obelisk’’s power rose (ATK: ∞).

“Attack now,” I commanded, pointing strait at ‘Timaeus’, “with Titan Firestorm!”

‘Obelisk’ punched with both fists, releasing all of his, all of ‘Osiris’’, and all of ‘Ra’’s energy all at once. The yellow energy of ‘Ra’ and the red energy of ‘Osiris’ swirled together, forming a spinning fire stream that flew strait at ‘Timaeus’. He smiled, and I noticed that it was the same smile that was playing across my opponent’s face at that very moment.

“Activate,” said Yugi, “the Trap card ‘Shift’, redirecting your attack toward ‘Hermos’ instead.” Yugi’s monsters slid out of the way, and the massive attack flew past Yugi and his monsters. Yugi and the three knights turned toward my attack just as it curved back around and flew strait toward the red knight.

“Now,” said Yugi, “I remove three monsters in my deck from play and merge my monsters to form ‘Knight of Destiny’, intercepting your attack!”

Yugi took ‘Alpha’, ‘Beta’, and ‘Gamma’ the Magnet Warriors from his deck and removed them from play, and the three knights glowed and merged into a knight in golden armor with a mighty golden sword in hand (ATK: 2800 -> ∞). The Titan Firestorm closed in on its target from outside of the arena, and everything seemed to slow down. ‘Knight of Destiny’ looked over at Yugi. Yugi turned to face the knight, and his expression changed to one of surprise, and then to one of understanding. I realized that, in that moment, dialogue had passed mentally between them. Yugi nodded approval and the ‘Knight of Destiny’ lowered himself to one knee and laid his sword on the ground, a sign of surrender (ATK: ∞ -> 2800). He was overcome by my monster’s attack, and Yugi’s Life Points fell to zero.

My eyes went wide as my monster disappeared, and despite all that was unusual about the most recent exchange of attacks, I came to what was at the time the most important of realizations. My mind separated from Hiro’s, and I cried out triumphantly, “I-I’m the King of Games!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Sixteen]

The Looming Threat;
A King’s Advice


The duel stage lowered to the ground and I stepped off of my end in a stupor. Tucker ran out of the competitors’ box and almost ran me over. He clapped me on the shoulder, “You did it! You won!”

The others followed, spouting congratulations. I didn’t really hear them. I was completely out of it. I felt Hiro there at my side in his spirit form.

We won, I told him.

Yes, we did.

I couldn’t have done it without you, I said.

I don’t know, Hiro replied. You’ve handled a lot of tough duels on your own, and you still doubt yourself. You should really work on that.

I looked around at my friends. I looked over my shoulder and saw that even Max and Lawrence were there. Lawrence seemed indifferent, crossing his arms and rolling his eyes, but Max was actually smiling. It was quite an improvement over the usual look of boredom, or the occasional scowl.

“I really didn’t think you could do it!” said Tucker, punching my shoulder playfully.

And then I remembered what had happened at the end of the duel, something that my initial excitement had blinded me to until that moment. I spun around to face my most recent opponent. He was standing beside the duel stage, waiting for me. He knew that our business wasn’t yet finished.

“It should have been a tie,” I said under my breath. Then to my friends I said, “You guys go and wait for me back at the box. I have one thing left to take care of.”

Tucker didn’t get it, but the others did. They knew that I wanted to talk to Yugi, even if they didn’t know why. So Karen led the others away, and I walked over to face the former King.

“It should have been a tie,” I said.

Yugi looked up at me, his face unreadable.

“And I’m pretty sure that you would have beaten me in your next turn.”

“Yeah,” he said.

“Then what happened?” I asked.

He ignored me. Instead he asked, “What’s that crystal around your neck?”

I smiled. He knew more than I’d realized. “It’s called a Duelists Soul,” I told him. “If you can believe it, it lets me control darkness in order to fight evil.”

“I believe it,” said Yugi. “I used to possess a powerful Egyptian artifact called the Millennium Puzzle. It had some pretty impressive powers of its own.”

“I remember Pegasus mentioning something about the Millennium Items when he told us about the Souls. I didn’t know what he was talking about at the time.”

Yugi laughed, “Maxamillion Pegasus’ ability to involve himself in ancient magical affairs will never cease to amaze me.”

“So you used to fight evil forces and crap too?” I asked.

“In a way,” Yugi replied, “though my fight had a more specific overall goal. I used to fight to help a friend recover his memory and find his way home. Saving the world was kinda a side effect.”

“What happened to your friend?”

“He found his memories and went home,” Yugi answered, “but I lost him in the process.”

“That’s good,” I said, “that he found what he wanted. But you know, you still didn’t answer my first question. What happened during our duel today? If I won because of some accident or some technical glitch, then I want a rematch.”

“You didn’t win because of an accident or a glitch. You won because my Knights wanted you to. The cards I used, the ones with no text, they’re called Legendary Dragons. They appeared once a couple years ago from another dimension to fight an evil force in this dimension that only their power could stop. In fact, they only appear when the world needs them, and when their purpose is served, they disappear. The Legendary Dragons can only be passed to a new bearer after the current bearer is defeated in a duel. Fate used this tournament to pass possession of the Dragons to you,” he handed me the three cards as well as ‘Legend of Heart’, “because only you can defeat whatever it is that’s coming next.”

I took the cards, “What can I do with these? I don’t even know how they work.”

“You will when the time comes,” Yugi told me, “just like I did, and Seto Kaiba, and my friend Jonouchi.”

Realization hit, “Wait, if one of these dragons is Kaiba’s, then that’s why he added the ante rule to the tournament. He saw his card reappear and reasoned that the other two had as well. He wanted the Dragons, and he never knew I had the God cards.”

“Kaiba is an ambitious person,” Yugi said as way of an answer.

“So, aren’t you mad that I beat you?” I asked.

“Never,” said Yugi, smiling wide. “That was an amazing duel, and it was a lot of fun. I really thought you had me a couple of times, even before you summoned the Gods. I don’t play games to win, I play them to have fun and to fight challenging opponents. You deserve the title of King, at least until I get a chance to take it back from you.”

I couldn’t help but smile at that.

Then Yugi’s face turned serious. “You’re the reason why that Exodus guy disappeared, aren’t you?”

“No,” I answered purposefully, “he chose his own fate when he threatened peoples’ lives. I was only the instrument of that fate. And if you don’t mind, can we leave it at that?”

Yugi nodded and turned toward the competitors’ box, “Trust me, I understand. I’ve done some things I’m not proud of to make the world better.”

He smiled, “Anyway, I need to be going, and you have your friends to get back to. Good luck and remember, whatever’s coming, trust your instincts and you’ll know what to do. As strong as you are, and with so many good friends at your side, you’ll be alright.”

He walked away, leaving me there, lost in my own thoughts.


After a few minutes I headed back toward the competitors’ box, only to be stopped by the tournament announcer.

“It’s time to accept your prize,” he said. He led me back to the center of the stadium, and the two of us stepped back up onto the duel stage. The holographic screens appeared again, showing off my face for the coming reaction shot.

“Introducing,” said the announcer, “the new King of Games, John, leader of the Duel Force!”

The crowd cheered wildly. It was several minutes before the cheering died down enough for the announcer to continue. He turned to me and said, “Now, on behalf of Kaiba Corporation, I hereby present you with the prize of two hundred thousand dollars!”

The cheering flared up again. I couldn’t help but smile as I took the check from the man’s hand.

Two hundred thousand dollars, I thought. That’s a lot of money. I guess I know how I’m going to fund my career. But first I have to deal with whatever threat is coming. Now that Yugi’s said it, I can admit to myself that I’ve known about it too. I’ve seen it coming, creeping up on me in my nightmares, and...

I hadn’t thought about it since my duel against the Millennium Keeper, That darkness that I felt in the shadows of my own mind. Could it be the threat that I’m supposed to face? If it is, we could be in trouble. I sensed more power in that darkness than I’ve ever felt before.

I pocketed my check, shook hands with the announcer, posed a bit for the cameras, and finally put my hands in my pockets and started back toward the place where my friends waited. I looked up into the darkening evening sky. Even if I’m right and that darkness is the looming threat, it won’t stand a chance, because I have the entire Duel Force behind me, and that gives me the greatest power of all. No darkness can compete with that.

I rejoined my friends, and we made our way back to the resort, and then back home, with the help of course of Kaiba Corp. Airlines. And I have to admit, it was one of the happiest times of my life, despite what I knew was looming on the horizon. [/spoiler][/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Special #2, The Looming Darkness]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

Life Just Really Sucks Sometimes


It was finally happening. Finally I’d worked up the courage to make the biggest move of my life to date. I was nervous, so much so that I was beginning to sweat. I was more afraid today then I’d ever been before. I swallowed and sighed a deep sigh, then I turned to the figure sitting in the bus seat next to me. Karen looked back at me and smiled. “What are you thinkin’ about?” she asked.

“Well,” I said, “that one movie’s coming out tomorrow.”

“The one with the-.”

“Yeah,” I choked out, “that one. And well, I was wondering if you wanted to go? You know, with me?”

Her face lit up, “Yeah, definitely.”

I sighed, “Okay, well I’ll pick you up at six thirty and we’ll, like, get somethin’ to eat somewhere first or something.”

“Sounds good.”

“Okay.”

“Okay.”

The bus ground to a halt, “This is my stop,” said Karen. She got up and walked off of the bus, and started down the street. I watched her play with her long brown hair as she walked, and I smiled again.

Tucker jumped into the seat to my right, his spiky red hair cut short for the first time since I’d known him (he already hated it), and my cousin Jen jumped into the seat to my left. She’d recently returned her hair to its original brown, with only a few streaks of purple and black in the bangs as highlights.

“So,” said Tucker, a mischievous glint in his eye, “you finally asked her out.”


It was the next day, a Friday. I was supposed to meet Karen at six thirty. It was five fifty five. I was standing in my room in a pair of boxers staring into my closet, trying to find something to wear. I’d already given up trying to tame my unruly brown hair. It simply refused to do anything that I wanted it to do. Now I was fruitlessly searching my wardrobe for a single scrap of decent clothing. There was nothing. Just the same old rag t-shirts and faded jeans.

Dammit “I really need to upgrade my wardrobe.”

Just wear what you always wear, said Hiro, who was laying on my bed in his spirit form, tapping his foot and staring at the ceiling. She likes you right? So why should it matter what you wear?

I scoffed. “I’m not really liking your attitude today, buddy,” I said, taking another look at the contents of my closet, “but I hate to admit, it looks like you’re right on this one, mostly because I don’t seem to have a choice.”

I grabbed a black shirt with only one hole in one of the sleeves, and the least faded pair of jeans that I had, threw them on, grabbed my wallet and my cell phone, and headed for the door.


I reached Karen’s doorstep at exactly six twenty nine and forty-four seconds. I’d taken my new car. New to me anyway. Don’t get me wrong, it was a nice car, an old white La Baron. I don’t have it anymore. For some reason I can’t remember why I got rid of it.

Oh well, it’s not important.

I rang the doorbell. The door opened, but it wasn’t Karen. It was Kimi. This was Kimi’s house after all. Karen had been staying with Kimi and her family since we’d freed her from Marik’s influence. She and Kimi had become like sisters in the days since.

Kimi was wearing a pink t-shirt and powder blue pajama pants, and her shoulder length jet black hair was pulled up into a ponytail. The TV was on in her family room. Her parents were out of town as they often were, and since Karen was going to be out, Kimi was probably looking forward to having the house to herself for the evening. She muttered something in Japanese as she scrutinized my choice of outfits, a disgusted look on her face. Then she shot me an annoyed look and said, “Karen will be down in a minute. You can wait here.”

She left the door open and walked back in, climbing onto the couch in her family room. The stairs were straight in from the front door. I put my hands in my pockets and leaned against the door frame. That’s when a figure appeared at the top of the stairs. Karen had always been the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen, and she didn’t even try. Today she’d tried, and not even a lot, and she took my breath away. She was wearing a dark pink spaghetti string tank top under a thin denim jacket, with a short denim skirt and a pink and blue handbag. She’d even put on a little makeup, something that I’d never seen her do. I was stunned. She did a little twirl before asking, “How do I look?”

I frowned a little, “Better than me.”

“You look fine. Now are going out for dinner and a movie or not?” She grabbed my arm and pulled me out the door, shutting it behind us.


We had pizza for dinner. And before you say anything about me being cheap, pizza was her idea. I ordered a medium with her favorite toppings.

“I can’t believe you remember what I eat on pizza,” Karen said. “I told you once a year or so ago.”

“Yeah,” I said, “well, I remember a lot of what you say.”

She smiled.

We talked for a while during dinner, about life, about Duel Monsters, about whatever. It was one of the best conversations that I ever remember having. Then we hopped back into my car and drove to the theater adjacent to the mall and saw a movie. I let Karen pick. She picked a horror movie! How many girls actually like horror movies? It was awesome. Not the movie, it sucked. The experience of seeing it was fun, because of the company.

After the movie we walked over to the mall and walked around for a while in the parts of the mall that were still open, talking some more. Then finally the mall closed and we had to go. I drove Karen home, walked around to her side of the car, opened her door, and walked her to the doorstep.

“See,” she said, “that wasn’t so bad.”

“Yeah, I guess we really should have done that a while ago.”

I’d had the perfect night. At the end of the perfect night is supposed to come the perfect kiss, something that I’d been looking forward to in all honesty. But here I was, at the end of the perfect night seconds away from that kiss, and I blacked out.

I guess life just really sucks sometimes.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

The Darkness of the Mind


I found myself floating in a dark abyss. Above me was a seemingly solid plane of pure white. I felt the same sense of detachment that I had back then, when I was pulled from my own body and deep into my own mind to fight the Millennium Keeper. At first I thought that this was his doing again, so I reached out with my Soul, trying to locate him in the darkness, but he wasn’t there. Just to be sure I called out, “Keeper? I know you’re here. Where are you?”

I waited. There was no answer. So I looked up at the white plane above me and concentrated. I suddenly found myself standing on that plane.

Just like the last time that this happened, I thought, I can’t connect to Hiro. That means I can’t summon up the Soul of Chaos or any of the Duelist’s powers. Someone brought me here. I have to find them and figure out what they want. And I have to do it alone.

I put my hands in my pockets, and I started walking.


Karen


John and I had finally done something to further our relationship, and here he’d gone and passed out again. I sat him up against the front door and sighed, I thought that Keeper guy was done with John. Why would he knock him out again?

Then I had a really scary thought. What if this time it had nothing to do with magic? What if this time it was some real illness? I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and I dialed 9-1-1.


The ambulance arrived ten minutes later, giving me time to get Kimi from the house. She agreed to call the others and have them meet us at the hospital. Meanwhile, I rode along in the ambulance. They didn’t want me to at first, but then I summoned power from my Soul and used it to plant the idea in their heads that my riding along was a good idea. I don’t like using my powers on other people, since its too much like what Yami did to me and my friends, but this time around I felt I didn’t have a choice. This was for John. I wanted to be with him, in case the Order chose this moment to attack. After all, the last time John was incapacitated the Order sent a group of Player Killers to kill up. Even with Marik out of the picture, the Order was strong. They could even be behind John’s collapse, using it to weaken the team as a whole. At least that was the reason I'd give my friends later, but really, I just wanted to be with him, because otherwise I wouldn't be.

They got John to the ER and took him back. Like before I was asked to wait in the waiting room. This time I didn't use my powers. After all, my friends were on there way.

So I waited. It wasn’t long before John’s sister Sarah arrived, followed soon after by Max, then Tucker, Lawrence and Monty, then Rocky, then Kimi, and finally Jen, her sister Kristin, and their cousin, John’s youngest cousin Amanda. Max was wearing his old oversized hoody again. The one that shaded his blond hair and his face, even his bright blue eyes, and made him look like some kind of Grim Reaper. Rocky was wearing that ugly survival vest that he wears everywhere, and Monty was wearing his trademark white vest, His spiky brown hair was messier than usual. I guess he’d been sleeping when Kimi called. They all had their cards and their Duel Disks, and Kimi had thought to bring my deck and Duel Disk with her. She handed them to me as soon as she arrived.

“Anything yet?” she asked, taking her out of its makeshift ponytail and letting it fall onto the shoulders of the dark pink jacket that she’d thrown on over her pajamas.

“No, nothing medical or magical.”

“What now?” Kimi asked.

“We wait,” I answered. “If there’s something medical to explain this then…I don’t know. But if not, then this is the same as last time; someone pulled John to a place deep inside his own mind. We just have to wait it out until he gets back.”

Kimi nodded while all around us the others settled into seats, waiting for news of some kind.

It wasn’t long before the doctor stepped out into the waiting room and approached us. It was the same doctor that John had gotten last time. He looked like he was dreading something. I stood up along with Sarah and Tucker. The doctor took a long hard look at Tucker as he said, “You know, I had a feeling that you would all be here again. Look, your friend might have something seriously wrong with him. This is the second time that he’s come into the ER with these unexplainable symptoms.” He shot another look at Tucker, who shrugged his shoulders, “What?”

The doctor wrapped up, “That’s really all I can tell you. We don’t know anything else. I would say that you can’t come back right now, but I don’t think I can stop you.” He turned and walked away, shaking his head.

I sat back down and leaned in. Everyone leaned in close. The room was practically empty except for us, but we were still worried about being overheard.

“Okay,” I said, “it looks like this is magical, so all we can do is wait it out and be prepared, just in case whoever’s in charge of the Order now decides to follow in his predecessor’s footsteps. I’m gonna go back and wait with John.” I turned to Monty, “Get the team organized into two groups and get one group in the waiting room in the front of the hospital. If an attack does come, we have to be ready.”

I stood up. Sarah and Tucker did too. “I’m coming with you to see John,” said Tucker.

“Me too,” said Sarah.

I nodded, “Okay, come on.”


John


I walked for a while. I’m not sure how long. Not that it matters. Time here is erratic and usually isn’t the same as it is in the outside world. Anyway, I walked, and finally I saw something. A stationary figure in the distance. I walked toward it. It wasn’t long before I started to get a strange impression that I recognized the figure. I wasn’t getting good vibes from it, and the Soul of Darkness seemed to think that nothing was there. So I concentrated and summoned the curved blade-like Dark Disk. I had to be ready.

As I grew closer it became clear that I did recognize the figure. In fact, I saw it every day. My adversary was wearing faded blue jeans and a black t shirt with a small hole in the sleeve. He wore a spherical purple crystal around his neck, and his brown hair was a complete mess.

Hiro might look a lot like me, but there are distinct differences. This figure was me. Except for the dark patches under his eyes and his wicked scheming expression, he was my exact double. Height, weight, build, everything. Exactly the same.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“I’m you,” my doppelganger answered, his voice like mine but with a deeper undertone, “or rather I’m your dark side.”

“What do you want?” I demanded. “Why did you bring me here?”

He smiled a wicked smile, “Don’t you know?”

I frowned, “I think I do. You’ve been getting stronger for a while now. I could feel it. Let me guess, you want to take over. You want to take control of my body. Is that about right?”

“First of all it’s my body,” my darkness replied, his face filling momentarily with rage, “and that’s exactly right. I’ve been getting stronger, feeding off of the dark aspects of our personality. Now I’m finally strong enough to beat you at your own game.”

He brandished his left arm and his own Dark Disk appeared, deck and all.

“Here we manifest our cards using our own strength, just like you did when you battled the Millennium Keeper. Interesting duel by the way.”

He was watching back then?

“The cards we use here aren’t real, so nothing that harbors a real live monster, like the Gods,” Darkness continued, “and even though the cards we manifest will reflect our personal styles, they’ll also represent how strong our spirits have become. I’ve finally become strong enough to manifest a deck that can’t lose. I’m going to duel you, and when I win, I won’t just destroy you, I’ll prove I’m better than you by beating you at the game that you’re best at!”

I concentrated and a deck appeared in the deck loader of my Dark Disk. I smiled, “We’ll see about that.”

Darkness poured in all around us, surrounding us like a thick black fog. My Life Points set at eight thousand.

“This will be a simple Shadow Game,” said Darkness. “The attacks will cause the target more and more physical harm the lower their Life Points become, and when a player’s Life Points reach zero, or they lose by another condition, their spirit will be very painfully destroyed by the darkness that you see all around us.” He gestured grandiosely with his hands, and he drew six cards. “If you don’t mind, I’ll make the first move.”

“By all means.”

“In that case,” Darkness said, “I summon one of my strongest cards, the ferocious ‘Plague Wolf’.”

A savage wolf covered in wounds and diseased flesh appeared, uttering a wet-sounding snarl (ATK: 1000).

I wonder why he’d risk summoning a monster like ‘Plague wolf’ in his first turn, I thought. Its effect is offensive, not defensive.

“I also place the rest of the cards in my hand face-down, and I end my turn.”

I guess that was the only monster he drew. If so, then most of those face-downs are bluffs. I have to risk attacking. I have no idea how strong this opponent is. I can’t pass up an opportunity to get an early lead.

I summon ‘Armor Exe’ in attack mode, equipped with ‘Ability Stasis’, turning him into a Normal Monster with no effect text.”

A savage-looking warrior in orange and black spike-studded armor, with a demonic-looking facemask and claws, and a green cape appeared. Two spell rings appeared; one above him and one below him. They both slid to his waste and then sunk into his body. He was surrounded by an orange and yellow aura (ATK: 2400).

“‘Armor Exe’, attack his wolf with Exe Razor!”

The armored monster ran forward and slashed with his claws in an “X” pattern, cutting the wolf to ribbons (8000+1000-2400=6600). Darkness only smiled.

“I set a card,” I said, “and I end my turn.”

“At your End Phase,” said Darkness, “I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’, summoning my ‘Wolf’ back from the Graveyard.”

His ‘Wolf’ returned to the field with a sickening wet howl.

“This lets me activate ‘Inferno Reckless Summon’ and special summon two more ‘Plague Wolves’ from my deck!”

Two more of the decaying beasts joined the first, each of them howling as well (ATK: 1000 (each)).

“Next,” said Darkness, “I activate the effects of two of my ‘Plague Wolves’, doubling their attack until the End Phase, at which time they’ll be destroyed.” Two of his monsters howled again, and their eyes began to glow. Their power rose (ATK: 2000 (each)). “And finally I equip one of my pumped up ‘Wolves’ with ‘Black Pendant’, increasing his Attack further.”

A necklace with a black crystal in it appeared around one ‘Wolf’’s neck (ATK: 2500).

I glanced down at my face-down card, and smiled, Bring it on.

But I had Darkness’ strategy all wrong. I thought he was trying to swarm me and deal massive damage with successive attacks, but he had something much worse in mind. “I’m ready to clinch this duel,” He said. “I activate my three face-down cards: ‘Crush Card’, ‘Deck Devastation Virus’, and ‘Eradicator Epidemic Virus’, destroying every monster and every Spell card in your deck!”

He laughed a sinister laugh. I was shocked, What? Every one?

The three ‘Plague Wolves’ disappeared, and three distinct dark clouds poured over my field. I watched in horror as my monster and all but ten cards from my deck turned to smoke and poured into my Graveyard. ‘Black Pendant’ was destroyed, and I took five hundred damage from its effect (8000-500=7500).

“Now,” Darkness continued, “I set two cards, and I summon my ‘Giant Germ’ in attack mode.” A huge oversized germ appeared, floating in the air (ATK: 1000). It flew strait at me, meaning to ram into me.

“Reveal Trap card,” I said, “‘Mirror Force’, destroying your monster.” A barrier came up ahead of me and repelled his ‘Germ’, destroying it.

I don’t have Spells or Monsters left in my deck, but I do have Traps, and in this deck I’ve included a combo. A combo so powerful that I’d never use it in a real duel, since it would feel like cheating. As long as I manage to draw the right cards, I won’t lose.


Karen


Tucker, Sarah and I made our way back to John’s room. It took a few minutes, but we found it. We stepped inside, and I could immediately feel that John’s spirit was fighting a dangerous battle. The others didn’t seem to feel it, so I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want them to worry. After all, John could take care of himself.

“Whatever’s going on,” said Sarah, “I want you to hang in their big brother. We’re gonna look out for you.”

“Yeah,” said Tucker. “So hang in there bro.”

“You two go,” I said. “Get back out there in case the others need you We don’t want a repeat of last time.”

Tucker nodded, and the two of them left. I walked over and pulled a chair from against the wall over next to John’s bed and sat down. John was hooked up to a heart monitor. The rhythmic beep-beeping helped me to calm down and to relax. I leaned forward and placed my hand on his, and my Soul flashed. I was shocked as I felt my spirit leave my body.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

The Duel Force on the Attack


Monty


Tucker and Sarah stepped back into the room. I waved them over to me and the others. Once they reached us I said, “Okay, so Sarah, Jen, Kris, and Kimi, head to the waiting room in the front of the hospital. Tucker, Max, Rocky, and Amanda, stay here in the back. Keep an eye on things.”

“What about you and Lawrence?” Sarah asked.

I smiled, “We’re gonna check something out. Even though it's not likely, it's still possible that whoever is in charge of the Order now is interested in the Souls and wants to weaken us. If they’re strong enough, they might be able to put a spell on John, and eventually all of us. So Lawrence and I are going to use our Souls to locate a source of power within Order controlled areas that’s strong enough to pull this off. Chances are whoever wields such a strong power will be the current leader of the Order. We’ll confront him. Even if he’s not attacking us himself, chances are he’ll know who is.”

“If anyone is,” Tucker argued. He doesn’t like Lawrence much, and he doesn’t often seem to have a very high opinion of me because I do. He also didn’t seem to like the idea of us leaving.

“As much as I hate to say it,” Sarah added, “Tucker’s right. The last time this happened, the Order was as surprised as we were. Yeah they attacked us, but only after the fact. There’s no guarantee that picking a fight with whoever’s in charge these days will do anything but hurt us long term.”

“Listen,” Lawrence snapped, “it’s not a perfect plan, but it’s better than all of us sitting on our hands here, doing nothing.”

Without another word he turned toward the door. I followed, and as soon as we were out the door and out of sight there was a flash, and we were gone.


John


I drew, and I got a card that, though it would have been more useful last turn, might help lead me to victory. After all, someone whose deck only leaves you with Traps to play will have that card to use to disarm them. This card will be my defense against it. I looked over the cards in my hand. They were both Traps of course. I hadn’t set them last turn, because last turn I couldn’t use them. But thanks to Darkness they were the cards that would save me.

“I place three cards face-down, and I end my turn.”

“It doesn’t matter how many cards you set,” said Darkness. “I’ve already won.”

“We’ll see.”

My opponent drew, examining his hand, “I summon my ‘Decayed Commander’, which allows me to Special Summon my ‘Zombie Tiger’ as well.” A living dead samurai appeared alongside a mummified and decaying tiger. The samurai jumped up onto the tiger’s back as Darkness declared, “I unionized my monsters together (ATK: 1500).

“Next I reveal my ‘Violet Crystal’ Spell card, increasing the power of my ‘Decayed Commander’,” Darkness continued. A purple jewel appeared, sinking part way into the ‘Commander’’s chest, and he was surrounded by a purple aura (1500+300=1800).

“Attack,” Darkness commanded. His monster ran past me, the samurai slashing with his sword, and the tiger slashing with its claws as it did. I held back a painful yelp and grabbed my side and then my shoulder. I was bleeding, but not badly. Still, it hurt. A lot (7500-1800=5700).

“Now,” said Darkness, “I play ‘Combination Attack’, splitting my monsters and allowing them to attack again once each.” ‘Decayed Commander’ jumped down from the back of his mount, and Darkness placed his Spell in the Graveyard.

Bingo!

“As soon as your Spell card hit the Grave,” I said, wearing a wide, confident smile, “I activate ‘Zombie’s Jewel’, allowing me to add your card to my hand.”

“Which allows me to chain ‘Royal Decree’,” said Darkness, wearing the same smile. “This paralyzes all of your Traps, making your deck absolutely worthless.”

“Unless I pay one thousand Life Points (5700-1000=4700) to counter with ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’.”

My opponent’s smile faded, and his ‘Combination Attack’ card turned to smoke, floating over and reconstituting in my hand.

“Because a card belonging to my opponent was added to my hand,” I declared, “I can activate ‘Card Retrieval’, allowing me to add one card from my Graveyard to my hand. And thanks to you, that’s nearly my entire deck.”

“No!”

A card ejected from my Graveyard, and Darkness regained his composure. “I can still attack,” he said, and ‘Decayed Commander’ (ATK: 1300) and ‘Zombie Tiger’ (ATK: 1400) struck again. Claw marks appeared across my chest (4700-1300-1400=2000).

Darkness smiled again. “I’ll defeat whatever card you chose,” he said. “After all, I am superior.”

I only smiled.


Monty


Lawrence and I arrived at the location of the strongest source of Shadow Magic in areas controlled by the Order. We were in a massive stone room, like a man made cave, or maybe some sort of dungeon. The walls were smooth and decorated with gold. I looked over my shoulder. The only exit was a massive, gaping archway behind, leading to a stone corridor. Opposite the exit were two seats, like thrones.

There were two figures waiting for us. They were twins, indistinguishable except that one had bright red hair, and one had bright blue hair. They were both tall, both wore white t shirts, gray over shirts, and khaki-colored pants, and both wore matching Shadow Pedants, heavily decorated with gold. The power coming from those pendants rivaled the power coming from my Soul, though it was different. It was almost as strong as the energy from the Soul, but much more dependent on the Duel Energy of the wielder.

“Are you the guys who’re in charge of the Order these days?” I asked.

“Yeah,” said Red Hair.

“When we sensed your leader’s spirit leave his body, we anticipated a visit from members of the illustrious Duel Force,” Blue Hair continued. His voice and that of his brother were nearly identical; not too deep monotones.

“Did you separate his body and soul?” Lawrence demanded.

“No,” Red Hair answered.

“And neither did anyone in our organization,” said Blue Hair.

Lawrence looked over at me as I filtered the twins’ words through my Soul of Knowledge. I looked back at Lawrence and said, “They’re telling the truth.”

“Well then,” said Lawrence, “we’ll be going.”

“Not so fast,” said Red Hair. “We had no intension of taking on the Duel Force. The Duelists Elite is enough of a bother on its own. But we do like your Souls.”

“So since you’re here,” Blue Hair continued, “we’re going to take the opportunity to take your Souls for ourselves. With your Souls and the power of these Shadow Pendants not even the full force of the Elite and the Duel Force will be a match for us.”

Shadows formed around us like a cocoon, and a wicked expression spread across the twins’ faces.

Lawrence looked over at me, the same wicked expression on his face. “You know,” he said, “I was hoping it wouldn’t be that easy.”


Karen


I found myself in a strange place. Everything was dark, and I was floating in a vast void. The only thing I could see was a white plane above me and to my right. I didn’t even have to activate my Soul. I could feel it right away.

John! He’s here, I thought. He’s fighting in a Shadow Duel. I have to find him!

I concentrated on being able to move, and suddenly I was standing on the white plane. After checking that the plane really was solid, I broke into a run.


John


“I draw,” I declared, looking down at my newest card. It was just what I needed, but statistically speaking, with only nine cards left, I was pretty likely to get it. “I remove ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ and ‘D.D.M. – Different Dimension Master’ in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon the monster that I returned to my hand. My most powerful monster.”

Light and darkness combined, merging and taking the form of a large dragon in shining armor.

“You should be honored,” I told my dark side. “I’ve never found it necessary to use this card before. I’m glad too. It’s far too powerful. Much too powerful for a normal duel. No matter how ‘superior’ you are, you cannot defeat my ‘Chaos Emperor Dragon – Envoy of the End’.”

The dragon’s eyes flashed red, and it roared at the utterance of its name (ATK: 3000).

“‘Chaos Emperor Dragon’, attack his ‘Decayed Commander’ with Burst Chaos!”

My monster breathed a mighty beam of light and darkness. It poured over the dead samurai, incinerating him. Darkness lost Life Points (6600+1300-3000=4900).

I paused, and thoughtfully I said, “You know, Darkness, you have so much power that I can’t believe it, the Soul of Darkness can feel it rolling off of you in waves. Compared to you my magic, the magic of our ‘front soul’ is nothing! I could do so much good with that much power. I could…”

I paused again, because there were just so many options that I couldn’t put them into words, “I could do so much. But you, you only want to further your own gains and cause pain, I can feel that too. You’re also so arrogant, which has made you weak today, but makes you unpredictable overall. All of this, it’s why I can absolutely never let you out. I can never let your power out. I have to seal you away, forever.

“Now,” I declared, continuing the duel, “I activate my ‘Chaos Emperor Dragon’’s special attack ability.” I paid the cost of one thousand Life Points (2000-1000=1000). “Go,” I commanded as my dragon became wreathed in light, “use Chaos Detonation!” My monster exploded, his energy engulfing everything, including myself and my opponent. Everything was destroyed, including our hands.

“My monster’s special attack also deals you three hundred damage for every card that it destroyed.”

“I’ll live,” said Darkness as his Life Points fell (4900-2100=2800).

“No,” I said, “you won’t, because the last card in my hand was the Trap card ‘Monster Grenade’. Because ‘Monster Grenade’ was sent to the Graveyard by a monster effect,” a small but sinister-looking living grenade appeared, latching onto Darkness’ chest, “you take damage equal to that monster’s Attack.”

“No, this can’t happen!” Darkness cried out.

The grenade exploded, throwing Darkness through the air and into the sea of shadows behind him (2800-3000=0). As he began to melt into the darkness, he began to laugh. “Do you think this is over?” he asked. “I’m not gone! And there’s an even stronger darkness here than me! Our duel served its purpose, that darkness has been awakened. Without me to control it this darkness will consume you. It will consume everything!”

He laughed even harder as he faded away completely, receding back into the deepest recesses of my heart.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

The Dungeon’s Trap


Karen


I reached John just as the shadows were falling away from him. Just in time to hear John’s opponent talking about a massive evil approaching. I chose to ignore the fact that John’s opponent looked just like him (and that I could somehow tell them apart with no effort whatsoever).

Just as the evil John was swallowed by the last of the Shadows and the Shadows faded away completely I called out, “John!”

“Karen?” He asked, turning to face me. “What are you doing here?”

“I don’t know,” I answered. “I don’t even know where here is!” But before the conversation could go any further I felt a dark presence on the horizon. John felt it too. He and I stood side by side, turning toward it, ready to face whatever this evil force had in store together.


Monty


Lawrence and I stood facing our twin opponents. Upon issuing their challenge, their auras flared threateningly. There was a chance that we would be able to escape, but not a good one, so I said, “Fine, we’ll duel you, but you have to bet your Shadow Items against our Souls.”

“That’s fine,” said Red Hair.

“We won’t lose,” said Blue Hair.

“We control a power so ancient and a style of dueling so feared,” said Red Hair.

“That no Duelist can possibly overcome it,” concluded Blue Hair.

“Whatever,” said Lawrence with a grimace. “Let’s just get this duel over with.”

“Since you’re in such a hurry,” said Red Hair, “I’ll get things started. I draw, and I activate ‘Trap Booster’, discarding ‘Giga-Tech Wolf’ to activate ‘Ultimate Offering’ from my hand. Next I summon ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’.” A boy in rags appeared, riding the wind itself, “but this monster won’t be around for long, because I’m going to pay five hundred Life Points (4000-500=3500) and tribute ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ to summon the God of Wind ‘Kazejin’!”

I was struck by the name of Red Hair’s monster. ’Kazejin’? Where have I heard that before?

A massive gust of wind picked up out of nowhere, and a green orb with arms and a small mouth, decorated with gold markings and adorned with the Kanji for wind appeared (ATK: 2400).

“Lawrence,” I said, an air of nervousness to my tone.

“Yeah?”

“What does that card do?”

Lawrence shook his head, “I don’t know. I’ve never heard of it.”

“Then I guess we’ll just have to attack it and find out.” I looked directly at Red Hair, “I’m next. You finished?”

“One card face-down,” said Red Hair, “and I end.”

“Then here I go,” I said. “I draw, and I summon my ‘Skilled White Magician’ in attack mode.” A sorcerer in white robes appeared, carrying a staff (ATK: 1700). “Next I activate ‘Brothers by Rite’, halving the Attack of my ‘White Magician’ (1700/2=850) to Special Summon ‘Skilled Dark Magician’ from my deck.”

A magic circle appeared beside ‘Skilled White Magician’. ‘White Magician’ intertwined his fingers and energy poured from him to the circle. There was a flash, and the circle faded. In its place appeared a second, similar sorcerer in brown robes, carrying a staff of his own (ATK: 1900).

“Next I play ‘Double Summon’,” I declared, “letting me tribute both of my monsters to summon the ‘Dark Magician’! God or not, your monster’s weaker than mine.”

The two sorcerers disappeared, and in their place appeared a sorcerer clad in purple, carrying an emerald green, crystal-tipped staff in his right hand (ATK: 2500).

“I place a card face-down,” I said, “and since I can’t attack yet, I end my turn.”

“Then it’s my turn,” said Blue Hair. “Like my brother, I activate ‘Trap Booster’, discarding my ‘Cannon Soldier’ to activate ‘Ultimate Offering’. Next I summon ‘Unshaven Angler’,” A bony angler fish with pale skin and a massive jaw appeared. “And like with my brother did with ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’, I pay five hundred Life Points and tribute ‘Angler’ to summon the God of Water, ‘Suijin’!”

The fish disappeared, and a massive creature rose up, surrounded by water vapor. It was little more than a wicked, demonic face atop a pair of legs. His forehead was adorned with the Kanji for water (ATK: 2500).

Another monster that they’re calling a God? And another one that I feel like I’ve heard of. I wonder what they have planned?

“Anything else?” Lawrence demanded brashly.

“Yes,” said Blue Hair. “I place one card face-down and end my turn.”

“Of course you do,” said Lawrence. “I draw, and I activate ‘Painful Choice’. I choose five cards from my deck and reveal them to you. You choose one that I have to add to my hand, and I discard the rest.”

Lawrence pulled his deck from the loader, fanned it out, and selected five cards. Then he shuffled his deck, replaced it, and placed the five selected cards on the five monster card zones on his Duel Disk. Holograms of those five cards appeared above Lawrence’s head. They were ‘Luster Dragon #2’, ‘Different Dimension Dragon’, and three copies of ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’.

The brothers spoke as one, “Add ‘Different Dimension Dragon’ to your hand.”

So Lawrence did as he was told, smiling all the while.

“I activate,” Lawrence declared, “the Spell card ‘Dark Factory of Mass Production’, adding two Normal Monster from my Graveyard to my hand.”

Two cards ejected from Lawrence’s Graveyard; ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ and ‘Luster Dragon #2’.

“I summon,” said Lawrence, “my ‘Kaibaman’.” A young man in a white coat and a helm shaped like a ‘Blue-Eyes’’ head appeared. He pulled a Duel Monsters card from his belt and threw it up into the air. There was a flash, and both the card and the man disappeared, replaced by the legendary ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’. The white dragon roared a mighty screeching roar (ATK: 3000).

“My dragon makes you so called “Water God” look like a puddle beside the road,” said Lawrence. “Cower in fear of my beast. ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’, Burst Stream of Destruction!”

And that’s when I remembered where I’d heard of our opponent’s cards. It was from Yugi Muto when he was telling me about his experience at the Duelist Kingdom Tournament. “Lawrence,” I cried, “wait!”

“Too late,” said Red Hair.

“‘Suijin’,” Blue Hair commanded, “Wave Shield!”

‘Suijin’ summoned a stream of water powerful enough to actually deflect the dragon’s white beam attack. Having just attacked, ‘Blue-Eyes’’ was winded, his Attack temporarily reduced to zero. ‘Suijin’’s water stream reshaped. It engulfed the dragon, drowning it and washing it away. Lawrence took a serious hit (4000+0-2500=1500).

Blue Hair laughed, “And don’t think you can try that again. Our Gods cannot be defeated one-on-one, because they can both shield themselves and counterattack once per turn.”

“Then I’ll place this card face-down,” said Lawrence, selecting a card from his hand, “and I end.”

“Reveal,” said Blue Hair, “the Trap card ‘Xin Zhen Hu’.” Chains burst from the ground, ensnaring Lawrence’s face-down card as well as my own ‘Magical Hats’.

“Now I draw,” said Red Hair, “and I activate ‘Card of Demise’ to draw five new cards.”

He drew, and he smiled a wicked smile.

“For my turn I set a monster, place a card face-down, and end my turn.”

“Then it’s my move again,” I said. I should be alright, as long as I don’t attack.

Red Hair smiled, “I know what you’re thinking. But I won’t let you skip your attack. I reveal ‘Battle Mania’! Now you ‘Dark Magician’ is forced to attack my ‘Kazejin’ this turn.”

I smiled, “Wrong. You set another monster, remember? I can attack it instead.” I looked over at my sorcerer and commanded, “Attack the set monster with Dark Magic.”

‘Dark Magician’ summoned an orb of green light to the tip of his staff. He swung his staff, flinging it at the hidden monster. But before the attack hit, the Wind God slid in the way of the attack. “Reveal ‘Stanch Defender’,” Red Hair declared, “allowing my ‘Kazejin’ to defend my other monsters this turn.” As he spoke the Wind God summoned up a gust of wind that deflected the ‘Dark Magician’’s attack, carrying through and slicing my monster in half (4000+0-2400=1600).

“Our decks are perfect,” said Red Hair. “We control when you attack…”

“And,” said Blue Hair, “we control what Traps you can activate.”

“And no matter what card you attack us with,” said Red Hair, “we’ll defeat it.”

“And soon,” said Blue Hair, “we’ll summon our most powerful God, and we’ll control when you die.”

“And,” said Red Hair, “there’s nothing you can do about it.”


John


I had no idea where Karen had come from, or even if she was really here deep in my subconscious, or just a hallucination, but I was glad to see her. There was something coming toward us, fast, and the Soul was screaming at me that it was too much for me to survive alone. I looked around, trying to locate whatever it was that was bearing down on us, and I saw it, an undulating mass of darkness. It was massive, even bigger than any one of the Egyptian Gods. The mass changed shape, becoming a huge dragon made of shadows. It opened wide, shuffled its wings, and roared.

“This is it,” I said, “the darkness that the Legendary Dragons returned to our world to help up fight. I can feel it.”

“Well then,” said Karen, “pop out those dragons and kill that thing.”

“That’s gonna be a problem,” I replied. “The only cards I have here in my mind are ones that I can manifest with my mind. They aren’t real. That means I can’t use any card that harbors an actual monster. That includes the Dragons. I need the real Dragons, but they’re back at my house in the waking world.”

“Then what do we do?” Karen asked.

“We have to keep it from killing us until I can get us home. Of course it would help if I knew how to do that.”

The dragon roared again and opened its bright red eyes for the first time.

It saw us.

The dragon turned its head and inhaled. Then it exhaled, expelling a thick white beam with a black core strait at us. I grabbed Karen and pulled her close, raising a card up over my head, the ‘Mirror Force’ Trap card. A reflective barrier appeared around us, sending the beam back toward its source. The beam pierced the shadow and it dispersed like a cloud of smoke.

“Did you kill it?” Karen asked.

I frowned as I felt the dragon with my Soul. I sighed, “No, not even close.”

“Then let’s try to get a leg up on this thing,” Karen said. She held up a card of her own, which she manifested without hesitation, “I summon ‘Dark Magician Girl’!”

A young blond woman in a pink and blue dress and witch’s hat appeared, wand in hand, glowing with pink light.

“Don’t start without me,” I said, proud of Karen as I found I often was. “Summon, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

A warrior fully clad in yellow armor, with spikes on his shoulders appeared at my side, just as the mass of shadows reformed completely.

“Attack,” said Karen, “with Dark Burning!”

“Attack,” I commanded, “with Megacyber Impact!”

‘Dark Magician Girl’ flew up and fired several bursts of pink light at the dragon’s face, blinding it. My monster, using the dragon’s temporary blindness to his advantage, ran up and jumped, punching the dragon in the chest with everything he had.

The attacks had no discernible effect.

So while my monster still hung in the air I raised two more cards. The armor over my monster’s right arm grew out, becoming the blade of a longsword, and he was surrounded by a crackling, electric yellow aura. He shot up into the air and slashed the dragon’s head. The dragon turned to smoke again, and instantly began to reform. Our monsters pulled back, ready to defend themselves, but when the dragon had finished reforming, it ignored the monsters completely and focused on me and Karen. It fired an even more massive attack than before, trying to make sure that whatever defense we tried would fail.

“My turn to save you,” said Karen as the attack grew closer. She held up the Trap card ‘Spirit Barrier’, and a dome-shaped energy veil appeared around us. The attack hit, and I had to catch Karen. The force of the attack and the strain of keeping the barrier up had nearly knocked her unconscious, but she regained her footing, even as the attack continued. I took her hand, lending her my strength, but she looked up at me and said, “No, I’ve got this. You focus on getting us home.”

So as much as I didn’t want to I let go of Karen’s hand, leaving her to weather the full force of the dragon’s attack herself, and I focused as hard as I could. My Soul flashed, and I felt my mind begin to reconnect with my body.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

White Dragon Sorcerer


Monty


“Before I end my turn,” I said, “I play the card I drew this turn, my ‘Pot of Greed’. This allows me to draw two cards.”

“Couldn’t you have played that before they sucked you into attacking?” Lawrence snapped.

“Sorry,” I snapped back, frustrated, drawing my cards, “they kinda caught me off guard.”

I looked over me newest draw and I smiled. Not bad.

“Next I activate ‘Double Spell’,” I continued, “discarding ‘Book of Secret Arts’ to activate one Spell card from my opponent’s Graveyard. A Spell like your ‘Card of Demise’.”

I drew five more cards, and upon seeing them I shot Lawrence a certain look. He understood and nodded, and I smiled, my confidence returning.

“I place a card face-down,” I said, “set a monster, and end my turn.”

“Draw,” said Blue Hair, “and I think it’s time I clinched this duel for our side once and for all. I activate my ‘Card of Demise’ to draw five cards. Next I summon ‘Zone Eater’ and ‘Jurai Gumo’ (3500-500-3000),” a massive worm with a circular mouth filled with several rows of razor sharp teeth and a giant brown spider appeared, “and I tribute them both (3000-500=2500) to summon the third Elemental God, ‘Sanga of the Thunder”.” A massive floating brown and yellow torso with a small head and massive arms appeared. The ceiling high above us crackled with lightning. Like ‘Suijin’ bore the Kanji for “Water” and ‘Kazejin’ bore the Kanji for “Wind”, ‘Sanga’ bore the Kanji for “Lightning” (ATK: 2600).

It didn’t take me long to figure out what these monsters were.

“Lawrence-.”

“I see it.”

“Finally,” Blue Hair concluded, “I set a card and activate the Field Spell card ‘Deadly Labyrinth’. This card allows me to search my deck for our final trump card, our final God.”

Blue Hair fanned his deck and selected his card. As he did the walls around the four of us were replaced by plain, somewhat damaged stone walls. We were in a corridor within a massive labyrinth that was open to the red sky above.

“Now,” said Blue Hair, “I tribute my ‘Sanga’ and ‘Suijin’ and my brother’s ‘Kazejin’ to summon the strongest card that we possess, the unstoppable ‘Gate Guardian’!”

‘Kazejin’’s arms turned to emerald wind and retracted into his body, and he stacked atop Suijin, forming legs and an abdomen. Then ‘Sanga of the Thunder’ moved to rest atop ‘Kazejin’, becoming the torso of a massive creature, nearly as large as the Egyptian God ‘Obelisk the Tormentor’, and almost as powerful (ATK: 3750).

“‘Gate Guardian’ attack with Tri-Elemental Force!” Blue Hair commanded. The God summoned lightning, water, and wind, aiming strait at the unprotected Lawrence. A bead of sweat formed on Lawrence's brow, but as usual my closest friend did all he could to keep his cool, steeling up his nervous features.

“Additionally,” said Blue Hair, “the ‘Deadly Labyrinth’ Field Spell increases the Attack of our ‘Gate Guardian’ by fourteen hundred during our Battle Phase (3750+1400=5150). You are done for Dragon Duelist!”

The God released its attack, and I went into action. “Reveal,” I declared, “the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’!” A gust of wind rose up, severing the chains that bound mine and Lawrence’s face-down cards.

“And I reveal,” Lawrence added fiercely, “the Trap card ‘Negate Attack’!” The three element attack was repelled by an invisible wall.

“Now,” said Lawrence, “it’s my turn. I draw, and as poetic as it sounds, I activate my own ‘Card of Demise’ card.”

He refilled his hand.

“Next I play ‘Magical Stone Excavation’,” he continued, “discarding ‘Different Dimension Dragon’ and ‘Luster Dragon #2’ to return the Spell card ‘Dark Factory of Mass Production’ to my hand. I activate my Spell now, returning two copies of ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ to my hand. Finally I activate ‘Polymerization’, fusing two ‘Blue-Eyes’ with the fusion substitute monster ‘The Light – Hexed-Sealed Fusion’,” two of the mighty white dragons appeared alongside a mass of metal and flesh. The three monsters merged together into a three-headed version of the ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’. “Behold my ultimate card,” said Lawrence as his dragon uttered a screeching roar that shook the ground beneath our feet, “the ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’ (ATK: 4500)! ‘Blue-Eyes’, attack the Gate Guardian with Ultimate Burst!”


Tucker


So while Monty and Lawrence were off on their adventure I was stuck back at the hospital with Rocky, Max, and Amanda, waiting to see if anything weird was going to happen. I guess John’s mom showing up kinda counts as something weird. Amanda saw her first. At first I wondered why she was here, but then it hit me Oh right, her son’s in the hospital!

When she saw us she bypassed the desk and sat down across from me. “So is this like last time?” she asked. “Is this some Soul-related thing?”

“Yeah,” I answered, “looks like it.”

“What can we do?”

“Nothing,” I told her. “All we can do is wait for things to play out and hope it’s the last time this kind of thing happens. Karen’s back with John now, offering moral support.”

“So if it’s just a matter of waiting, then what’s up with the high alert?”

I sighed, “Well, we didn’t tell you this, since we didn’t want you to worry, but last time this happened we fell under attack by the Order, hoping to hit us at our weakest. We were worried that someone might get the same idea this time too.”

She nodded her understanding (which, come to think of it, is kinda weird too).

That’s when something really weird happened. If it makes any sense, the sky started shaking, and then the ground started shaking. Everyone in the waiting room ran outside to see what was going on. The others and I stepped outside just in time to see a massive smoky shadow begin pouring from a hole in the sky. People began to run from the area, but as soon as the second team rejoined the four of us (plus John’s mom) we began running toward whatever the thing was. Karen never emerged from the hospital. I didn’t think anything of it at the time.

“That thing’s huge,” said Kimi.

“It looks like it’s emerging about a mile into the city,” said Jen. “We have to intercept it, whatever it is, before it can fully form.”

“Inter-what?” I asked.

Sarah answered in an annoyed tone, “It means we have to cut it off.”

“Oh.”


Monty


The three heads of Lawrence’s monster combined their power into a massive orb of energy, meant to be released in the form of a deadly beam, but before the dragon could attack its shadow reached up, forming chains that ensnared it, inhibiting its movements and its ability to strike. The energy of the attack faded away. “I told you,” said Blue Hair, “that we control when you attack. How do you like my Trap card, ‘Shadow Spell’?”

Lawrence grumbled as his dragon’s strength was sapped away (4500-700=3800).

“Draw,” said Red Hair, beginning his turn. “Because one of my monsters was used to form the ‘Gate Guardian’,” he explained, “I can attack with it as well.” The ‘Gate Guardian’ increased in strength again (ATK: 5150), “Attack with Tri-Elemental Force!” The God fired its attack at the weakened dragon, tearing it apart (1500+3800-5150 =150).

I smiled, Everything’s going according to plan.

“I set a card,” said Red Hair, “and end my turn.”

“Then it’s about time we ended this duel,” I said. I drew, but I wouldn’t need my new card. The duel was already won.

“I feel sorry for you two,” I said. “I’m sorry that you’re going to lose, and that we’re going to take your Shadow Items, leaving you vulnerable to the wrath of any Order members that you’ve wronged, but this duel has been going on for too long. I play monster reborn, reviving my ‘Dark Magician’!”

As I spoke the purple-clad sorcerer emerged from a flash of red light (ATK: 2500).

“Next I Flip Summon my ‘Magician of Faith’,” I continued, “returning my ‘Monster Reborn’ to my hand.” I took the Spell from my Graveyard, and placed it on the Duel Disk, “I reactivate ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive a second monster,” there was another flash and the three-headed dragon emerged, “the ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’!”

The resurrected dragon roared (ATK: 4500).

“Next,” I declared, “I activate ‘Polymerization’, fusing my sorcerer with the ‘Ultimate Dragon’!”

‘Dark Magician’ rose into the air, directly in front of ‘Blue-Eyes’. The dragon’s heads turned to metal, and its body turned into an orb of light that floated around the sorcerer, sinking into his chest at the same time as one head settled onto the sorcerer’s head, forming a helm, the second head attached to the sorcerer’s arm, forming a buckler, and the third head attached to the sorcerer’s staff. The top end of the staff stretched, becoming a blade, and the sorcerer's clothing turned white as a pair of broad white wings sprouted from his back. The new monster raised his blade and pointed it right at the ‘Gate Guardian’.

“Introducing,” I announced, “the ‘White Dragon Sorcerer’ (ATK: 3500). When this monster is summoned I can remove three ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragons’, ‘Luster Dragon #2’, and ‘Different Dimension Dragon’ in Lawrence’s Graveyard from play to place five Spell Counters on my monster,” five lights merged with my monster’s blade, “and for each Spell Counter that he has, my ‘Sorcerer’ gains four hundred Attack points (3500+2000=5500).

“I remove two Spell Counters from my monster (5500-800=4700),” I declared, “to place a seal on your set card, tethering it to the top of your deck.”

A hexagram appeared below Red Hair’s face-down card, and in a flash the card and the circle disappeared.

“I attack,” I commanded.

“No!” said Red Hair.

“We can’t lose!” cried Blue Hair.

Lawrence grumbled, “Why do they always say that?”

‘White Dragon Sorcerer’ drew another, larger circle in the air and flew through it, giving himself a massive speed boost. He shot straight past the God, slicing a white line across the ‘Guardian’’s chest with his blade. My monster touched down, and the white line blossomed out like a white flower, destroying the ‘Gate Guardian’ from the inside out as I called, “White Magic Blossom (3500+3750-4700=2550/2500+3750-4700 =1550)!”

“Now we finish it,” said Lawrence.

I selected a card from my hand, “I activate ‘De-Fusion’.”

‘White Dragon Sorcerer’ separated into the two monsters from which it was formed, both of them under my control (ATK: 2500/ATK: 4500). “‘Dark Magician’…” I called.

“Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’…” Lawrence commanded.

“…Attack!”

“Dark Magic!”

“Ultimate Burst!”

Our monsters attacked our stunned opponents, and their Life Points fell. The darkness around us as well as the walls of the holographic labyrinth faded away.

I stepped forward and pulled the Shadow Pendant from the neck of an unconscious Red Hair, walked over, and pulled the Pendant from Blue Hair’s neck as well. I put the Pendant’s in my vest pocket, mine and Lawrence’s Souls flashed, and we were gone.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]

Dark Divine Dragon


Tucker


The shadow continued to take form, becoming a massive shadowy black dragon. It wasn’t long before the dragon began to move. It opened its eyes, swung its head and roared. When it did, the shadows fell away like a shell, revealing a dark dragon with a bronze-colored chest and stomach, broad reddish wings, and protruding spikes covering its back and head. The dragon hung in the air, raising its head to the sky and letting out a fierce, bellowing roar.

Then the dragon saw us, and it spoke, “You have great magic children. I will consume it!” The dragon inhaled and the darkness all around it turned to smoke. He sucked the smoke in, and it formed a black orb surrounded by a white aura. The orb discharged in the form of a thick white beam with a black core. The beam washed over us, but to the dragon’s surprise, when the attack ended, we were still alive, protected by a barrier, summoned by a trio of priests in blue robes. Kimi’s Soul of Light was still flashing as she placed her ‘Waboku’ card back into her deck.

“It looks,” said Jen, “like it uses magic to turn darkness into something solid, just like John’s Soul of Darkness. Then it inhales the solidified darkness using it to fuel its attack.”

I watched as the dragon began sucking in more black smoke.

“Well,” I said, “whatever it does, it’s doing it again now. We’d better hit it hard and fast.”

My Soul of Fire glowed red. I could tell that ever since we’d approached the dragon we’d been locked into a Shadow Game. I felt the familiar strain on my body. If we were in a Shadow Game then this would probably work, and I didn’t see a downside to trying. I concentrated and lifted a monster card up above my head, “I summon the very face of my Soul!” A man in blue armor appeared, wearing a vest made of flames and carrying both a staff and a dagger, and I commanded, “Fight with me, ‘Legendary Flame Lord!”

Jen and Kris held up cards as well, and their Souls flashed.

“I summon,” said Kris, “my ‘Emes the Infinity’!”

“I summon,” said Jen, “my ‘Ultimate Insect’ in its Level Seven form!”

My monster rose into the air alongside Jen’s monster, a massive beetle with glossy wings. “Use your poison,” Jen commanded, and a cloud of spores spread from her monster’s wings. The dragon fired its attack, dispersing the cloud before it could do any harm. The bean carried through and incinerated Jen’s monster. Jen clutched her chest and fell heavily to her knees.

“Jen!” Kris cried. She dropped to her knees at her sister’s side.

“‘Flame Lord’,” I commanded, “attack him now while he’s still drained from his last attack!”

My monster summoned a massive fire, dropping it down on the dragon from above, but just before the flames hit, black smoke coalesced ahead of the fire, forming a solid transparent black wall, like a black glass half-sphere. The wall held back the flames, taking absolutely no damage.

As my monster’s attack ended, Kris rose to her feet, her eyes filled with a vengeful twinkle. She pulled another card from her deck, “You won’t get away with hurting my sister. ‘Emes’, attack with ‘Electromagnetic Burst’!”

‘Emes the Infinity’, Kris’s four-armed golden mech with a serpentine lower body, and a humanoid torso raised his sword and his staff toward the dragon. Electricity lanced from his sword toward the dragon, but the dragon once again summoned a wall of darkness, protecting itself from harm.

“So those shadows can block attacks from Spells as well?” Sarah asked, surprised. “Then I guess we should see what a monster effect can do against it.”

Her Soul glowed blue, and a large two-headed silver sea serpent with pink and blue fins appeared with a mighty roar.

“I summon the waters of ‘A Legendary Ocean’,” Sarah declared, and a swirling wall of water rose up around her monster. “‘Ocean Dragon Lord – Neo Daedalus’, attack with Aqua Eruption!” The water expanded into a massive wave that poured over the dragon, swallowing it up, but when the water receded, the dark dragon was still alive, protected by a complete sphere of shadows.

“Well,” I said, my voice dripping sarcasm, “that’s just great.”

“If it uses darkness,” said Kimi, “then we just have to turn up the lights.” Her Soul flashed, and a blue-skinned angel with golden wings appeared, wearing Hindu-esque garbs. His wings glowed brightly, pushing the clouds of darkness away from the dragon.

“‘Shinato, King of a Higher Plane’,” Kimi commanded, “use Celestial Ring!”

A ring of colored orbs appeared, spinning so fast that they seemed to form a solid ring. The ring shot right through the dragon’s weakened shield and cut deep into his chest. The ring disappeared, leaving the dragon with a seemingly fatal wound. The dragon fell heavily to the ground, unmoving, crushing the asphalt beneath him, but almost instantly the darkness poured into the wound, and the dragon rose to his feet, his wounds healed.

“‘Shinato’,” attack him again!”

‘Shinato’ once again summoned his attack and released it, but this time the dragon slashed with his claws, scattering the orbs, raised his claws, and slashed ‘Shinato’ to ribbons. Kimi coughed blood and collapsed. Both Rocky and John’s mom were instantly at her side.

“You can’t kill me,” said the dragon. “I am immortal. I am the ‘Dark Divine Dragon’!”

The dragon roared and attacked us yet again.


John


I woke up suddenly and sat up. I pulled the heart monitor probes from my skin and looked around. Karen was passed out on the floor beside my bed. I couldn’t believe that nobody had seen her lying there.

That’s why I don’t trust hospitals.

I jumped out of my bed and knelt down beside her, lifting her head from the floor. She woke up, looked around, and sat up straight. She looked directly at me and asked, “Do you feel that?”

“Yeah,” I said, “that dragon’s here in the real world now.”

“The others are fighting it,” Karen said. “We have to hurry and go help them.”

“Great plan,” I said, “but remember I didn’t bring my deck.”

Karen smiled, showing me the Duel Disk on her arm, “Fortunately I brought mine. I’ll hold that thing off. You go get your cards.”

I smiled back and disappeared into the shadows.


Tucker


An instant before the dragon’s latest blast would have hit us, it was deflected by an invisible wall. I turned, just in time to see Monty and Lawrence appear. Lawrence had his ‘Negate Attack’ card raised up above his shoulder. It was quite literally the first time that I’d ever been happy to see him.

“Sorry we’re late,” said Monty. “What did we miss?”

“Light hurts it,” said Jen weakly, still in pain, “everything else doesn’t.”

“Then let’s light it up,” said Lawrence. “I summon ‘Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon’!”

Three of the mighty white dragon’s appeared in the air above Lawrence. There was a flash of light, and the three dragons merged into the mighty three-headed beast, its body shining.

“And I,” said Monty, “summon my ‘Silent Magician LV8’!”

A sorceress with long white hair wearing white robes fashioned like a dress appeared. She wore a broad white hat and carried a wand in hand. She glowed just a bright as the dragon.

“You can’t kill me,” said ‘Dark Divine Dragon’, “I won’t let you!” He fired his attack. ‘Blue-Eyes’ fired back with Ultimate Burst. The attacks met. They seemed equal, each holding the other back. ‘Silent Magician’ rose into the air, preparing to attack, but the dragon saw her coming.

“No!” the dragon growled. He flapped his wings, blowing ‘Blue-Eyes’ off of his feet. The three-headed dragon fell back and was overcome by the ‘Dark Divine Dragon’’s attack. Lawrence gritted his teeth and grabbed his chest, but he remained standing, even as his dragon fell.

The dragon turned his attention to ‘Silent Magician’. He launched his attack again, engulfing her, but instead of dying the sorceress began to change. Her wand grew into a staff, and she grew more beautiful. Her aura flared and she brandished her staff, dispersing the dragon’s attack. “Level up,” said Monty, “to ‘Silent Magician LV12’!”

The sorceress raised her staff, but the dragon was ready. Before his opponent could attack, he slashed her with his left claws. The sorceress raised her staff, holding the claws back, but leaving her torso exposed. The ‘Dark Divine Dragon’ stabbed straight through the sorceress’ chest with his free claws. Monty’s monster disappeared, and her master fell unconscious and collapsed.

The dragon attacked. I didn’t know what to do. I called my fire sorcerer to defend. Sarah and Kris did the same with ‘Daedalus’ and ‘Emes the Infinity’, but the attack was blocked again by a spherical barrier that surrounded our entire group, monsters and all. I turned toward my friends to see who had saved us, and I saw that John’s mom had her ‘Hallowed Life Barrier’ card in hand. She wore a Shadow Pendant around her neck. It was still glowing.

I was wondering where she’d gotten a Shadow Item when I saw Monty checking his pocket. It took me a few minutes, but I realized that he must have dropped one, which she picked up.

The dragon roared and cried out in frustration, “I will KILL YOU ALL!!!” The force of his explosive outburst sent a wave of darkness out in every direction, destroying our remaining monsters and knocking us off of our feet. ‘Dark Divine Dragon’ summoned up a larger attack than ever before. I thought that we were dead for sure.

Then, just before the dragon fired, a giant kangaroo with the face of a koala, wearing a vest and boxing gloves and carrying a Heavyweight Boxing Championship belt over his shoulder jumped down from atop a nearby building and punched the dragon in the jaw. The dragon reeled from the impact, and he lost the energy from his attack.

“Miss me guys?” Karen asked, stepping out of the shadows nearby, her ‘Master of Oz’ card in hand.

I couldn’t help but smile.


John


I stepped out of the shadows and into my room. I grabbed my deck, turned, and disappeared.


Tucker


“‘Master of Oz’,” Karen commanded, “Dynamite Uppercut!”

The massive monster jumped up and pummeled the dragon in the face. Despite the size of Karen’s monster, its attack had little effect. As the oversized Koala/Kangaroo hung in the air, the dragon attacked, destroying it with one blast. Karen yelped, but she managed to choke back the pain and stay on her feet.

“You have nothing left,” the ‘Dark Divine Dragon’ said. “Your will to fight is gone!” And he was right. I was out of ideas, and I could tell that the same was true of everyone else as well. The dragon inhaled, preparing to launch his attack, but before the orb was even half formed, a voice from behind the dragon’s head interrupted him, “I don’t mean to sound clichéd, but why don’t you fight someone your own size?”

The dragon turned toward the source of the voice, and over his shoulder I saw him. He was wearing a black t-shirt, faded jeans, and an old and tattered black jacket. His arms were crossed, and he was standing aback a mechanical red dragon, a confident look on his face. As soon as I saw him I knew that we’d make it out of this battle alive. After all, things always seem to work out once John arrives.


John


It may look different, I thought, still giving the dragon the epic smug face, but it’s definitely the same dragon that Karen and I fought within my mind. I can feel the evil that makes up its body, and I can hear its evil intensions echoing in the darkness. If I don’t kill it now, it will destroy everything.

“First you stand against me in the mental plane I traversed to get here, and now you stand against me here?” the dragon demanded, his harsh voice echoing in the shadows. “Who the hell are you!?”

I smiled, “I’m the one who’s gonna kill you.”

The dragon snarled, “Not if I kill you first!”

The dragon prepared to fire his beam. I brandished two cards, and ‘Fiend Megacyber’ appeared at my side, wreathed in the yellow aura of ‘Assault Armor’. The dragon fired its attack. ‘The Field Megacyber’ and the ‘Y – Dragon Head’ that was my mount slid to the side, avoiding the blast. ‘Y – Dragon Head’ fell back away from the dragon and fired a yellow energy pulse from its mouth, while ‘Fiend Megacyber’ shot toward the dragon, punching the dragon with all of his strength. Neither attack had any real effect. ‘Dark Divine Dragon’ slashed at my warrior, but hit only air. I returned my ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’ card to my deck as my warrior reappeared in the air at my side.

The dragon fired his attack at us, but I held up another card, my ‘Dark Core’. My Soul flashed and a small black hole appeared just ahead of me, just long enough to swallow up the oncoming attack.

“This ends now,” I declared. I held up six more cards, and the world around me began to shake. Three pillars of light burst up from the ground, and from them emerged the massive blue, winged, humanoid God ‘Obelisk the Tormentor’, flexing his massive arms, the golden-armored eagle ‘The Winged Dragon of Ra’, and the many-football-fields-long red serpentine dragon ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’, growling through both his upper and lower mouths. Above the three Gods a massive black cloud formed. From the cloud descended three dragons, one black with spines down its back, the ‘Fang of Critias’, one red with spikes down its back, the ‘Claw of Hermos’, and one teal with a scar over its right eye, the ‘Eye of Timaeus’.

The ‘Dark Divine Dragon’ laughed loudly, “So you command Gods. But not even these creatures can defeat me in the darkness. I am the darkness!” He inhaled and fired his attack directly at me. ‘Obelisk’ moved between me and the dragon, raising his arm and deflecting the attack with great effort. All three of the Gods then rose up to attack the dragon. The dragon roared, and a pulse of dark energy threw the three massive Gods to the ground where they smashed roads and buildings under their tremendous weight.

“I cast,” I called, “the Spell ‘Legend of Heart’.”

I held up another card, and my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ became three orbs of light that sunk into the backs of the three Legendary Dragons. Their bodies began to glow. There was a flash, and in their places appeared three knights, one in black armor, one in red armor, and one in teal armor. The three knights raised their swords up over their heads and they shone with an intense light that caused the dragon to shrink away. He snarled, “What is this!?”

The light flashed brighter, so much so that I had to turn away. When the light faded, the three knights had become one, a mighty golden-armored knight with a powerful sword.

I answered the dragon’s question, “That is the light that will destroy you.”

As I spoke the three Gods rose back up into the air. “Now ‘Osiris’, ‘Ra’,” I commanded, “give your power to ‘Obelisk’!” ‘Osiris’ roared, and he and ‘Ra’ became energy, pouring into the hands of the third God. ‘Obelisk’ roared at the sky, his body glowing red.

“Now my golden ‘Knight of Destiny’,” I continued, “activate your hidden ability of unity. Merge with the God of the Obelisk!”

Sensing the danger that he faced, the ‘Dark Divine Dragon’ cried out and fired his attack at ‘Obelisk’. It hit just as the ‘Knight of Destiny’ reached the God. The attack ended, and there ‘Obelisk’ remained, glowing gold.

“But I’m not done,” I said. “Merging two infinite powers isn’t quite enough for what I want to do. Dragon, I know that you can regenerate, so I plan to destroy you so completely that there’s no doubt that you’ll remain dead.

“‘Obelisk’,” I commanded, “give your power to the shadows!” I watched as ‘Obelisk’ broke down into black smoke that merged with the dark cloud overhead. “Now emerge from the darkness,” I declared, “the manifestation of my Soul, the Ultimate Demon, ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

The clouds crackled with red lightning and reformed, taking on the shape of a massive skeletal torso that filled the entire sky.

“My demon,” I explained, “absorbed the power of two infinite attacks. He always has power equal to twice the power that he absorbed, giving him power equal to four times infinity!”

“A power like that cannot exist!” the dragon exclaimed as he stared into my demon’s fierce red eyes, fear in his voice.

“You’re right,” I said, “it can’t. At least not for long. But trust me, it’ll last long enough to kill you.” As I spoke my demon reached out, engulfing the dragon in his dark light. Then suddenly he broke apart, and the sky cleared. The sun was just creeping up over the horizon. The dragon was nowhere to be seen. I could sense that he had been destroyed.

My ‘Y – Dragon Head’ flew low to the ground. I jumped down from its back, and it disappeared. I looked around at my friends. I could tell that they expected me to say something, so I yawned and said, “Well I’m beat. I’m gonna go home and get some rest.”[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Book Six, The Great Duel Force Tournament]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

The Last Meeting of the Duel Force


I woke up one morning, and it hit me almost out of nowhere; I was finally a high school graduate! In fact, many of the Duel Force’s members had graduated recently. Karen, Tucker, Rocky, Lawrence and Monty were all out of high school and ready to move on with their lives. Max was already planning to quit the Duel Force soon and go into the world saving business for himself, and Kimi had recently been accepted into some gifted school overseas. She would attend her sophomore, junior, and senior years there. None of us had said it yet, but the Duel Force was through. Marik was gone. Blackheart was gone. The Dark Divine Dragon was defeated. The remnants of the Order were still at large, but they had the Duelists Elite to contend with. We were no longer needed. We were finally free to live our lives.

I reached over and switched off my alarm, thoughts like these running through my mind at light speed. The Duel Force was to meet later today. I planned to tell the others then that the Duel Force was to be disbanded, so that those of us who wanted to go our separate ways wouldn't feel compelled to stay for the team.

I sat up and looked out the window. The sky was completely clear. No clouds at all. I took a deep breath and I sighed deeply. Then I began my day. I showered, stopping breifly to scan my perpetually untidy dark brown hair with my dark eyes, and to run my fingers hopelessly through it, before I dressed and headed down the stairs. I microwaved some left over Chinese food that I found in the fridge, plopped down on the couch, and watched some TV. I could hear Sarah getting ready upstairs. The meeting was supposed to start in forty minutes. I waited another thirty before my sister finally lumbered down to meet me. Her curly blonde hair was still wet. She was wearing a powder blue hooded sweatshirt, faded jeans, and glasses.

“You’re late, Sister,” I said.

“Well,” she replied, “I guess we’d better get going, Brother.”

We both smiled.

We stepped outside and walked to my car. I drove us to the mall where we found our friends and team-mates waiting for us in the Game Center in our usual corner of the room, sitting at our usual two tables. I greeted my friends. I’d become relatively close to every member of my team in one way or another. For just a minute I wished that I hadn’t. If I didn’t know them so well, it would’ve be a lot easier to tell them what I had to tell them.

I sat down at one of the two tables next to the beautiful dark-haired Karen. We were sort of a couple. Or at least I thought we were, it was hard to tell.

“Alright guys,” I said, “I’m going to get right to the point.”

I looked from face to face. All eyes were on me. I took a deep breath and said, “This will be the last meeting of the Duel Force, because after today, there will be no Duel Force.”

“What?!” Tucker demanded, standing up and leaning in over the table top. He planted his hands on the table with a loud “thud”, and his Soul of Fire flickered, glowing with a red light that was almost as bright as my oldest friend’s red hair.

“You can’t do that,” said Jen, flipping her hair, recently died black and purple, back over her shoulder, and glaring at me with eyes as dark as mine.

“Why would you want to?” Sarah asked, sounding a little hurt.

“That’s easy,” said Rocky, leaning back in his chair, looking at us from under sand-colored bangs, straightening his trademark khaki explorer’s vest. “He knows that most of us are at a point where we’re going to have to choose between this team and continuing on with our lives, and he wants that choice to be an easy one. Everyone here knows that many of us will be parting ways soon, weather we talk about it with each other of not. Now that all of our enemies have been defeated, I for one plan on finding the Duelists Elite and joining their ranks. I want to continue doing things that are bigger than myself.

“And I’ve got that school back home in Japan,” said Kimi, pushing her shoulder length black hair out of her dark eyes.

“But I don’t want it to be over,” said Amanda. “I was just getting into it!”

“Yeah,” said Kris, twirling her long light brown hair around her index finger absentmindedly, “I don’t want it to end either. The only reason I’ve gotten confident enough to compete in tournaments is because I’m a member of this team, and people know it.”

“The only reason we lasted this long,” I said, “was because we had enemies. After all we were basically kids when we formed this team. But it’s like Rocky said. Our enemies are gone. We don’t need to protect the Souls anymore. The only other reason for us to carry on would be so we could call ourselves the Duel Force at tournaments. But none of you need to. You’re all strong on your own.”

“But maybe we want to,” said Tucker. “Maybe you’ve forgotten how this all started, but I haven’t. This team was formed to duel. You even said that you wanted Duelists everywhere to know about us. To know our names and the name Duel Force.”

“They do,” I countered.

“Which is why this isn’t right,” said Karen. “Duelists everywhere admire the name Duel Force. John, you won the world title. You. Some kid from Ohio. Not Yugi Muto, you. You’ve given Duelists everywhere hope, inspired them to be all that they can be. We all have. Which is why we should find a way to go out with a bang!”

“We should have a tournament!” said Tucker. “John, we’ll have a Duel Force only tournament, and when it’s done, if you still want to end this thing, I won’t say a word.”

“Honestly,” said Lawrence in his typically indifferent tone, crossing his arms across the chest of his dragon print t-shirt, “I don’t care what we do.”

“I do,” I said, “and a tournament doesn’t sound like a bad idea. But we’ll need more people if we want it to single elimination.”

“There’s Jenna,” said Sarah, “and Mom.”

“And I’m sure Christopher wouldn’t mind another shot at you, John,” said Jen.

Tucker counted on his fingers, “But wait, that’s only fifteen. Who else could we get? We need,” he counted on his fingers again, “one more.”

“And don’t forget,” said Monty, “that we don’t even have a place to hold an event like this.”

I smiled, “Just leave everything to me.”


We hung out for a while, talking cards, life, and anything else that came to mind. After a few hours Sarah and I headed home. I dropped her off and then drove to the bank to make a withdrawal. It was time to dip into my winnings.

On my way home from the bank, I made some calls. I called my odd but loyal Duel Monsters apprentice Jenna first, inviting her to compete. She eagerly agreed, anxious to prove herself to me, which she didn’t really need to do. Then I called Christopher, my old rival from the Duel Force’s very first tournament appearance. He seemed just as eager himself. He never passed up an opportunity to test his skills against mine. I knew my mom would agree, since she’d often expressed a desire to complete against me in a public venue, so once I was home I remained in the car long enough to make the final, most difficult call. I took a deep breath as my call was put through to Kaiba Corporation.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

Arrangements Made


I called everyone the next day, asking them to meet me at my house at noon. Jen was the last to arrive, Kris in tow. When Jen saw that everyone else had already made it, she asked got right down to business, “So what’s this all about, Boss?”

I smiled, “I hope you guys are all free tomorrow, because I used some of my Grand Championship winnings to rent out the opening day of the new Kaibaland Columbus for our tournament!”

They were speechless.

“Tomorrow,” I continued, “we’re going to compete against each other in front of a full stadium, with the action broadcast to the entire nation!”

“R-really?” Tucker stammered. “That’s awesome!”

“This is unbelievable,” said Monty. “How’d you pull it off?”

“All I did was offer to give Kaiba back a portion of the two hundred thousand that he gave me, and another chance to see the guy who beat Yugi duel. He actually seemed to care more about the latter.”

“So everyone in the nation will be able to watch us duel?” Karen asked.

“Yeah,” I said, “isn’t it great! Now you can finally prove what a great duelist you really are.”

“But that’s the thing, John,” she said furiously, “I’m not a great Duelist!”

I frowned, “Come on, Karen. You’re a great Duelist.” I stepped closer to her, “You’ve been playing using someone else’s style for a while now because you’re afraid to change the deck that you’re old mentor gave you. But I know that if you’d just take the time to find your own style, you’d find your confidence again.”

I wasn’t the first time we’d had these conversation, but it was the first time that we’d had it in front of the others.

Karen sighed, looking away as if deep in thought. Then finally she said, “Okay, but you and I aren’t speaking.”

“He’s right for once though,” said Lawrence to Karen. “You’ve only made, like, two changes to that deck since Pegasus gave it to you.”

She punched him.

“So,” my mom said as she stepped into the room, “does this mean that I’m going to duel on national television too? I don’t know if I’m good enough.”

“You’re better than me,” I replied. She only shrugged.

“I need to upgrade my deck,” said Tucker, starting up the stairs, “I’m gonna raid your extras.”

“How are we getting there?” Monty asked, as usual eager to learn all the facts.

“Bus,” I said. “I got us a charter bus. It’s picking us up tonight at ten at the end of the street. We’re staying at the Kaibaland Resort.”

“How much of your prize do you have left?” Sarah asked, frowning. “I thought you wanted to live off of that until you could get your career started.”

“I have enough,” I answered. “Two hundred thousand is a lot of money, and it’s built a little interest since the tournament.”

“I’ve gotta go pack,” said Jen excitedly, heading for the door, her sister reluctantly in tow. Everyone else stayed for a while. We discussed the details of the tournament. Everyone was excited, especially me. If I won a televised tournament against a group of high level players like my friends so soon after winning the Grand Championship, it would really help to get my career rolling. Dueling is really the only thing I’m good at, and it had been awhile since I’d wanted to be anything but a Pro Duelist. But becoming a Pro wouldn’t be easy. I’d done some reading. Duelists with more experience than me with decks just as strong had been turned down plenty of times before. But even if the odds were against me, the fact didn’t change that I was more determined that I’d ever been. I would make this dream of mine come true, no matter what.


Everyone was gone within an hour or so. My friends were all taking this tournament very seriously, even Rocky. But then again, he’d been taking dueling a lot more seriously since he’d heard about the Duelists Elite. He was either trying to improve quickly, or he was trying to catch their eye. Either way, I was proud of him. He’d always been very laid back to the point that he almost seemed reluctant. It was good to see that he’d finally found some direction. I also got the feeling that he was looking forward to finally testing his strength against some of his team mates. As team mates we’d never really felt right about dueling each other at full strength. But this was the last highlight of the Duel Force. It was now or never. I can’t describe how much I was looking forward to seeing how far my friends had come first hand.

As the last of my friends disappeared through the front door and I headed up to my room to pack, I couldn’t help but glace down at the deck box clipped to my belt. I could feel the power of my spirit monster, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, as well as the manifestation of my Duelist’s Soul, the ‘Great Maju Garzett’. Since the formation of the Duel Force this deck had been at my side in one form or another. I’d fought many powerful opponents with this deck, but I considered my friends to be stronger than any of them. This tournament would be my greatest test yet.


Tucker


After grabbing some of John’s spare cards (something that I do a lot) and heading home, I sat in my tiny little room for hours flipping through my deck again and again. I searched though the piles of garbage and dirty clothes for every spare card I had, laid them out, and examined them carefully, but despite my efforts, I couldn’t find much that I wanted to change. I removed the Asmodians, the Fire Fiends that I’d used during the Grand Championship, in favor of some more Pyro monsters and support. But otherwise, my deck remained the same. My theme hadn’t changed, but the execution of it had. My friends wouldn’t see it coming.


Karen


I stepped into my room, or rather Kimi’s family’s guest room, sat down on the floor beside the bed, and took my deck apart, laying every card out in front of me. John and Lawrence were right. I needed to change some things around. So I removed the relinquished cards, which had never been my favorites, as well as several others that I realized I didn’t really like, replacing them with some of my favorite cards. I kept the Toons, but at this point at least half of the cards in the deck were ones that I’d picked myself. The Toons were no longer my heaviest hitters. I’d built a new, unique deck with a new, unique strategy.

I’ve already decided, I thought, that I want to design cards. But it’s important to me that I get to fight John again. I want to show him how strong I am. I’ve wanted to duel him again for a while, but I’ve chickened out every time I had the chance, and it’s getting in the way of whatever there is between us. I have to settle this, once and for all!


Sarah


“I don’t even know why I agreed to compete,” said Jenna. She and I were hanging out in my room. I was going over my cards and she was using my Wii Fit to work out a bit. We’d been friends for a while now. In fact I was probably closer to her than I’d ever been to anyone else.

“Why not?” I asked her, looking up from my unfinished deck.

“Well, for one, you guys won’t even let me join the Duel Force,” she said resentfully, moving her arms in a sweeping arch and stepping up onto the game pad on the floor, “but I guess it doesn’t matter now that the band’s breaking up.”

“No way,” I said, removing the CD that I’d had playing and replacing it with one I’d burned myself, “this team is a good thing. I won’t let it die, even if I have to carry on myself.”

“Yeah,” said Jenna, her eyes lighting up, “yeah! If John does go through with this and he really does break up the team, we’ll take over and keep it going. You can take John’s place, and we’ll rebuild the team with strong duelists that we find ourselves!”

My face lit up as well, “Yeah, let’s do it. We’ll create a new Duel Force and we’ll keep fighting to get stronger until everyone knows who we are!”


Rocky


My deck is a rare type. It’s equally offensive and defensive, a balance that’s not easy to achieve, believe me. Because of that, my deck was due for a serious overhaul. Good defensive cards are hard to find. Most Duelists avoided them in favor of more aggressive tactics, so single cards that worked in my deck were always hard to come by. I had to find something, however, so as I walked to my house from John’s, I stopped at Wilson’s Cards, one of my favorite places in the world. The owner, Mr. Wilson, was an old friend. I did the majority of my card shopping at his store and I helped out there with stocking and stuff whenever I could, and in exchange he gave me good deals and good advice.

I was browsing some of his older stuff when I came across an old gift box that looked like it’s been put together by Mr. Wilson himself a long time ago. It read “Stone Guardian Gift Box”. Glued to the front was an image of a massive-looking stone creature with huge fists. I felt a strange connection to this creature as soon as I saw it.

I took the box up to the counter. “Hey Rocky,” said Wilson, straitening his inch thick glasses before wiping down the counter with a damp rag, “what can I do for one of my best customers?”

“How much for this box,” I asked, placing the gift box on the counter.

“Wow,” said Wilson, genuinely surprised, “I’d completely forgotten about that. You can have it, no charge.”

“Really,” I asked, “you sure?”

“Oh yeah,” he replied, “all it does is collect dust, and besides, you’ve helped me out plenty of times. Take it, get out of here, and don’t look back.” He smiled and shooed me out the door. I smiled as I stepped outside.

It wasn’t far to my house. Once I arrived I went straight to my room and opened the box. There were twenty, maybe twenty five cards in it, mostly rock monsters with some pretty scattered effects and Spells and Traps that went pretty well with them. They were pretty good, but only a few were great. Then I got to the last card, the cover monster, and I saw how all of the cards fit together. I looked at that card, and I knew that my deck would finally be complete. I looked at that card, and I knew that I’d finally found the face of my Soul.


Lawrence


I was lying on my cot in Tucker’s basement. Ever since we’d been freed from the Order, Monty and I had been living out of Tucker’s place. We’d set up a pretty decent little apartment in his basement. Things weren’t bad, or at least not as bad as I was always saying they were. We were left alone. In fact, I don’t think Tucker’s drunk of a dad even knew we staying there. Monty and I had been working and saving up, and we planned on heading off to college in the fall.

But for the time being I laid there staring at the ceiling. I thought about what John had said to Karen, and what my response had been. She, Monty and I had each learned to duel from one of the game’s living legends. Karen was probably in the process of personalizing her deck at that very moment, and Monty had long since made his deck his own, but I still relied completely on the cards that Seto Kaiba had given me all those years ago. Even though I’d put together a strategy all my own years ago, I’d never had the guts to put it into my deck and use it. I’d always acted tough, but in reality, things got to me, and what I’d said to Karen was really getting to me. It was time for me to finally use that strategy, the strategy that relied on the true power of my Soul, my true Soul card.


Jen


I chose Insect cards for my deck because Insects are the only cards in the game that not only work together, but evolve during game play to suite the situation. Every strategist needs to be able to evolve their plans on the fly, and that’s what Insects allowed me to do at a level that no other cards could achieve. But even as my understanding of the game grew, so did the selection of available cards. Even as my strategies evolved, my deck would evolve. Just recently I’d added a few surprises that gave my deck considerably more potential. It would be almost impossible for me to lose.


Kris


People always say I’m spacey, and they’re right. I’m always zoning out during conversations and playing with my hair and stuff. Except when I’m dueling (though I sometimes pretend to space out during a duel to throw my opponent off). No, in a duel I’m just as smart as my sister, and just as strong, as long as my deck’s up to date.

I’d always used the Machine OTK style, incorporating all of my favorite cards. But my deck had begun to feel incomplete. New cards had been released that would make my deck stronger, so I took my deck apart and put it back together using some of those cards. Soon my deck was stronger and faster, and my monsters were able to reach even greater levels of power. This was going to be a great tournament!


John


I sat in my room and watched TV until eight. All the while I knew that my friends were getting ready for the challenges that they were about to face. I knew that Kimi would be sitting with my mom downstairs, sifting through her deck, and that Max would be testing his deck repeatedly against whoever had the guts to challenge him, looking for weaknesses to correct. I knew that they’d all be ready, and that they wouldn’t let themselves down. For only the second time in years we would be dueling for ourselves. We would be dueling to prove to the world and to each other how strong we really were.


People started to show up at my house at 9:00 that evening. They didn’t want to risk being late. I looked at my friends’ excited faces, and I felt proud. I could feel with all of my heart and soul that tomorrow I would see the full extent of their strength. I would see the maximum extent of the Duel Force’s power.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

Pairings;
The Mysterious Sixteenth Duelist Revealed!


The bus pulled up at the end of the street at 9:50. We opened the compartments in the side of the bus and loaded our bags, keeping our smaller carryon bags with us. The doors opened and we piled inside. Sarah recognized the driver, “Hey, Mr. Wilson! I didn’t know you drove busses.”

Wilson pushed his heavy glasses back up his nose and smiled a gummy smile, “Sure do! I drove busses for thirteen years before opening my store. None of ’em as nice as this one though. I told Johnny ’bout it once, so when he needed a bus driver, he came to me.”

“Sweet,” said Sarah as she found her seat. My mom climbed in last and sat in the first seat. I thought I saw an odd look of apprehension pass between her and Wilson, but then it was gone, and I figured I was just imagining things. Either way, Mom was asleep fast, leaning her seat back as far as it would go. It was only a few hours to Columbus, but it was late and we were all prepared to sleep if the need arose. We had a big day coming up. Christopher sat on the opposite side a few rows back. He sat quietly and traded between staring out the window and stealing glances at Jen, who was fully gothed out today. The rest of us sat in the back and spent our time goofing off, but soon several of us drifted off to sleep as well. It took us less than three hours to arrive at the newly opened Kaibaland Resort. The third shift check-in lady was really nice.

We piled into our rooms. I changed into some old sweats and climbed into bed. I needed to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be big.


“Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Grand Opening of Kaibaland Columbus!” The voice of the tournament announcer rang over the speakers and the crowd which filled the entire stands cheered. I marveled at how many people had come to see the Duel Force compete and said to my friends, “When Kaiba Corp. hosts a tournament, they don’t pull any punches.”

“We didn’t do this,” said a suited man who was with us in the stadium’s back room. “The name Duel Force sold itself. We just put it out there. They’re all local, too, seeing how out-of-towners didn’t really have time to get here given the short notice.”

“You mean people saw that the Duel Force was throwing this tournament and it sold this many seats in two days?” I asked disbelievingly.

“Exactly,” the man, a buff, middle-aged ex-military type, said, smiling at me politely. “I’m not nearly as impressed as you all seem to be. It’s almost like you guys don’t know how famous you are. In fact, I expected this many people. I’ve been a fan of yours for years.”

I was more than a little stunned, but I smiled and said, “Thanks.”

I looked thoughtfully around the plush and comfortable sitting room where we would wait and watch the others duel. There were several seats, all situated to give those seated in them a good view of the large monitor that displayed the stadium outside. I didn’t know if this was transmitted to the waiting room alone, or if it was the same feed that was being transmitted around the world.

“For today’s event,” the announcer continued, “we have a special treat. Welcome to the Great Duel Force Tournament!”

The crowd cheered again.

“Now allow me to introduce the participants in this tournament,” The announcer said, and the image on the monitor switched to the one displayed on the massive overhead monitor in the stadium outside. An image of my face popped onto the screen, and the announcer said, “First is John, the leader of the Duel Force and the current World Champion!”

The cheering increased in both volume and intensity.

The image changed, showing Christopher this time.

“Next is Christopher Johnson, the undisputed King of O.T.K.!”

One by one the image changed, showing each member of my team, introducing them and their decks one after another. It went on for several minutes until Jenna’s name came up.

“And introducing Jenna, a new rising star on the tournament scene. Her style is different, so much so that it can’t be adequately described. I guess you’ll just have to see for yourselves.”

The announcer paused and then continued on, sounding confused, “There’s a sixteenth slot, but we don’t seem to have the name of whoever is supposed to fill it. I guess it’s a surprise. Anyway, our computer has randomized and paired the names of every Duelist competing.”

He announced the pairings. It would be me vs. Karen and Rocky vs. Christopher in the first block of the first round, Lawrence vs. Tucker and Sarah vs. Max in the second block, Jen vs. Kristin and Monty vs. Amanda in the third block, Kimi vs. my mom and Jenna vs. the mystery Duelist in the final block of the first round. I didn’t know for sure how things would progress after that. It all depended on how much work Kaiba Corp. had put into the thing.

“Now,” the announcer continued, “would the competitors please step out onto the stadium floor?”

“Alright,” said the man in the suite, “it’s time for your first appearance. Just step outside and let the camera get a look at you.”

So we stepped outside through a large door that led strait onto the stadium floor. The cheering grew even louder.

“Waddaya know?” said Tucker. “We do have fans!”

“Okay John,” said Sarah, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at me sternly, “give it up. You said you got a sixteenth guy. Who’d you get?”

“Is it Yugi?” Jen asked.

“You guys know him,” I said, “and no, it’s not Yugi. Just wait. You’ll see when he gets here, and he’ll be here soon.”

The arena was open to the sky and lit by the light of the sun. The air had been mild all day, but suddenly, out of the blue, a dark cloud rolled in overhead. A single bolt of lightning flashed, and the crowd gasped as it struck the ground in the stadium center. The lightning faded, and the clouds parted, and there, where the lightning had just struck stood a figure in a long light gray jacket, white shirt, and light khaki cargo pants. His hair was dirty blond, but as unruly as mine. His eyes were an amber color, and his expression was confident. He wore a duplicate Soul of Darkness around his neck.

Though his face was unique it was also eerily similar to mine, and if he were to speak, it would be clear to everyone present that he and I sounded alike as well.

“That’s not fair,” said Jen.

“Yeah,” said Tucker, “You don’t really expect us to fight him do you? I mean, he’s the Forgotten Duelist. Do you really expect us to duel Hiro?”

“Who better to test your strength,” I asked, “than the Legendary Forgotten Duelist himself?”

“That’s a little selfish,” said Jen.

“How so?”

“You’re forcing us to fight someone that we have little if any chance of defeating just because you want to fight him yourself.”

“You’ll live,” I said, and I stepped forward to meet my counterpart and shake his hand.

“You ready?” I asked.

He smiled, “I’m just glad this worked. Trying to reproduce what happened when Blackheart cast me out of your body to give me a body of my own was a long shot, but it looks like it paid off.”

The crowd was still in awe. Not only had someone just appeared in a flash of lightning, his face as it appeared on the overhead display was similar enough to mine that we could be twin brothers. They didn’t know what to think.

Christopher walked up and stood nearby, “I’ve always had a feeling that that crystal around your neck was more than it seemed, but now I hear that you use it to ask this guy for help when you duel.” He crossed his arms and gave me a look that said he was genuinely angry.

“He’d ask for my help on occasion,” said Hiro, “but only against cheaters and criminals. Never against anyone whom he considered a worthwhile opponent.”

I looked as Christopher with suspicion. Did he know about the Souls and the Shadow Games? Seeing my expression, he smiled and said, “Your mom filled me in.”

I nodded with a frown, “Of course she did.”

“Well,” said the announcer, al little desperately, like a government agent trying to cover up a terror attack, “what a show! As always Kaiba Corporation spares no expense in entertaining its guests. Now let’s begin. Will the first Duelists please step up to their respective platforms!”

I looked over at Karen. She looked me in the eye and I saw a fire there that I hadn’t seen since the first time she and I had dueled. She was finally ready for our rematch.


Karen


Yesterday, when I was working on my deck, I’d realized something. I’d thought that John was being selfish in pushing me to fight. That he was trying to make me into a Duelist. But I’d realized that he wanted the same thing I did, he just wanted to see how much I’d changed since the day that we’d met, and the only way he knew how to do that was to face me in a duel. After all, whether I became a designer or a Professional Duelist, I’d still be a Duelist, and the best way for a Duelist to learn about another Duelist is to duel.

So as much as I didn’t want to fight, I steeled myself up and stepped up onto the platform located on the right, prepared to bare my soul on the battlefield.


Christopher


My opponent was Robert “Rocky” Stone. He was the least known member of the Duel Force, having only competed in a few low rung local tournaments. I knew nothing about him, except that everyone who faced him said he was strong. In fact, one of my fellow members of Team Beatdown, a more than competent Duelist, had faced him once, losing in the second turn. Afterward he’d said that Robert “Rocky” Stone might even be stronger than me. I intended to prove this theory wrong.


John


When we had each reached our positions on the respective platforms, they rose about twenty-five, maybe thirty feet into the air. “And now,” said the announcer, “let the opening day ceremonies begin!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

Round One;
John vs. Karen and Rocky vs. Christopher Johnson


I looked into Karen’s eyes, as I’d done a hundred times before, as we stood there together in the arena. I could see her competitive spirit again, for the first time in a long time. I decided then and there that I would treat Karen as a true opponent. I’d treat her with respect, but I wouldn’t let out relationship, whatever it was, get in the way of the duel. After all using your full strength in a duel is the greatest sign of respect.

“You ready Karen?” I asked.

“More than you’d believe,” she replied.

“Then here goes, ’cuz I’m goin’ all out from the start! I summon ‘Giant Orc’!” A massive fifteen-foot goblin with a club in hand appeared at my side (ATK: 2200).

“You’re too predictable,” said Karen. “I’ve seen you use that card plenty of times before, in the first turn, too.”

“Maybe,” I said, “but you’ll see soon that I’ve still got a few surprises up my sleeve. I place one card face-down, and I end my turn.”

“Alright,” said Karen, “but I’ll be going all out as well. I summon my new key card, the ‘Allure Queen LV 3’.” A young woman in a black skirt and a rather revealing top appeared. She carried a short staff and held her spare palm to the sky, summoning several small flames that floated around her hand and arm (ATK: 500).

“My ‘Allure Queen’, at level three, can use her unique powers to mesmerize one monster of her level or below once per turn and move it from your side of the field to mine to shield her from harm. So I combine her ability with the Spell card ‘Demotion’, lowering your ‘Orc’’s level by two, making him a level two monster.”

‘Allure Queen’ blew on the flames and they flew to my side of the field, circling the ‘Orc’’s head. He was instantly hypnotized into following those flames back to Karen’s side of the field where he fell into a sitting position and stared at the circling flames, grinning like a three year old.

“Next I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” Karen continued, “letting me draw three cards, as long as I discard two cards from my hand afterwards.”

She drew and then discarded.

“Finally I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” she declared, “to Special Summon the monster I discarded for ‘Charity’’s effect, my ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’. This swordsman is sworn to protect his queen with his life.” A swordsman in a mask emblazoned with the symbol of an eye appeared, standing in front of ‘Allure Queen’ with his sword drawn, ready to take any hit meant for her (ATK: 1700).

“Now I attack with both monsters,” said Karen. ‘Allure Queen’ summoned several more flames that combined into a magical fire. It floated at me, hitting me in the chest, moments before the swordsman slashed me with his blade (8000-500-1700=5800).

Karen continued on, “I place two cards face-down and activate ‘Mirage of Nightmare’. Now I’ll draw four cards during your Standby Phase, and discard four during mine.”

Okay, I thought. I have no monsters, but if I draw one I can combine it with my face-down card to retake the field.

I drew, and I smiled. Perfect. When I activate my face-down ‘Skill Drain’ the ‘Queen’’s effect will be negated and I’ll regain control of my ‘Orc’. Then I’ll summon ‘Strike Ninja’ and attack with both, and I’ll control the field again. I didn’t want to activate ‘Skill Drain’ so early on, since it will cancel out my monster effects as well, but it looks like I don’t have a choice.

“Like I said before,” Karen announced, “I get to draw.” She drew four cards.

“I begin my turn by activating ‘Skill Drain’, paying one thousand Life Points (5800-1000=4800) to free my ‘Orc’ from your control.”

“Ah,” said Karen, “but you know as well as I do that I can anticipate every move that my opponent makes, and it helps that I’ve seen you use that card too. Reveal ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’, paying one thousand of my own Life Points to negate your Trap and destroy it (8000-1000=7000).”

I smiled, “Then I’ll simply summon the black clad ‘Strike Ninja’ (ATK: 1700), place two cards face-down, and end my turn. Don’t forget to discard four cards from your hand.”

“I won’t have to,” Karen countered. “I reveal ‘Emergency Provisions’, sending ‘Mirage of Nightmare’ to the Graveyard to recover the one thousand Life Points that I paid (7000+1000=8000).”

But of course I’d known that was coming.

This is it, I thought. This is the Karen that I want to fight. It’s time to settle things once and for all so we can move on.


Rocky


I’d never met Christopher before today, but I knew him by reputation. From what I’d heard, I knew him to be a skilled problem solver with impressive deductive reasoning and resource management skills. I had to stay at least one step ahead of him if I was going to have even the slightest chance of beating him. Alright, this is it. This deck is closer to me than any I’ve ever built. It’s time to let it loose.

I pulled the six cards that would make up my opening hand, chose four of them, discarded three, and placed the fourth on the Duel Disk, “I send ‘Alpha the Magnet Warrior’, ‘Beta the Magnet Warrior’, and ‘Gamma the Magnet Warrior’ from my hand to the Graveyard to summon one of my most powerful cards.” Three monsters made of various magnet-themed parts appeared, splitting up into base components and recombining into one tall warrior with horns, wings, and a shield and sword in hand, “Behold my ‘Valkyrion the Magna Warrior’ (ATK: 3500).

“I place one card face down,” I said, “and end my turn.”

“Lucky draw,” said Christopher, who was either not intimidated or skilled at hiding it.

“Luck,” I replied, feeling the spirit of my deck resonating with mine, “had nothing to do with it.”


John


“During my Standby Phase,” Karen declared, “in addition to regaining Life Points, I sacrifice your ‘Giant Orc’ to level up my ‘Allure Queen’ to Level Five.” My ‘Giant Orc’ disappeared, and the ‘Allure Queen’ grew a few years older, her outfit growing more elaborate as she grew more beautiful. “Now she can mesmerize and control monster at or below level five.”

‘Allure Queen’ summoned her flames again, sending them to dance around my ‘Strike Ninja’. He walked to Karen’s field where he stood protectively over his new queen.

“I attack with ‘Allure Queen’,” said Karen. A flame hit me in the abdomen (4800-1000=3800).

“Next I attack with ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’,” Karen continued.

“Not so fast,” I countered. “I reveal ‘Enemy Controller’, changing your ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’ to defense mode.” An oversized game controller appeared. A cord extended from it, attaching to the ‘Bodyguard’’s chest. “See, I can control your monsters too,” I said as the soldier was forced to drop to one knee and lower his sword.

I smiled, Sorry Karen, but I’m not going to lose this duel.

“I draw,” I declared, “and since you control at least two more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.” There was a flash of black and yellow static, and a black and yellow armored warrior appeared, his fists alight (ATK: 2200).

“Next,” I declared, “I reveal my face-down card ‘Call of the Haunted’ to bring my ‘Giant Orc’ back from the dead.” The massive goblin returned to the field, standing at my side (ATK: 2200).

“I attack ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’ with ‘Giant Orc’, Club Slam attack!” ‘Giant Orc’ raised his club and ran at the much smaller warrior. ‘Bodyguard’ tried to parry the blow with his sword, but it shattered and the warrior was crushed under the weight of the blow. ‘Giant Orc’ raised his club, stumbled back, and fell over (DEF: 0).

“Now, ‘Fiend Megacyber’, attack ‘Allure Queen’ with Megacyber Impact! My ‘Strike Ninja’ will absorb the blow, and then you won’t have any monster to sacrifice in order to level your monster up next turn.”

My ‘Fiend Megacyber’ ran straight at the ‘Allure Queen’, and something truly unexpected happened.


Rocky


“You’ve summoned a powerful monster,” said Christopher, “but sadly for you, it won’t be around for long.”

I only smiled.

“I activate,” said Christopher, “the Spell card ‘Painful Choice’. You should know what it does.”

“Of course,” I replied. “Which five cards do you choose?”

Christopher smiled and flipped through his deck, selecting five cards. He placed them on his Duel Disk, and holograms of them appeared above his head. They were two Water-Type ‘Blizzard Dragon’ cards, and three Fire-Type ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ cards. ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ was weaker in terms of attack, but his effect could be trouble, but ‘Blizzard Dragon’’s effect was tricky as well.

“Add ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ to your hand,” I commanded, “and discard the rest. Also, I chain the Trap card ‘Rock Bombardment’. I send ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’ from my deck to the Graveyard to deal you five hundred point of damage.”

The massive stone warrior, ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’, appeared in the air above my head. His body shattered, becoming hundreds of small sharp stones that bombarded Christopher like bullets (8000-500=7500).

“That won’t make a difference,” said Christopher, “because this duel is about to turn a full one eighty. I remove two ‘Blizzard Dragons’ and one ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ in my Graveyard from play to summon my most powerful card, my ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’!”

A pillar of water and a pillar of fire rose up and swirled together. The water froze, and then both the fire and ice merged, taking on the form of a massive icy blue and red dragon with two heads. It let out a powerful roar (ATK: 2300).

“My ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ has an ability,” Christopher explained. “I discard a card to destroy one of your monsters.” He sent a card to the Graveyard, and the two heads of the ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ attacked in succession, destroying ‘Valkyrion’ in an instant.

“Now I attack directly,” said Christopher, and the Dragon breathed ice and fire down on me from above (8000-2300=5700).

“I place one card face-down,” said Christopher. “This duel is over.”

I almost smiled, He has no idea.


John


‘Megacyber’ held his fist high and charged at the ‘Queen’, and the hypnotized ‘Strike Ninja’ moved to absorb the blow. But before ‘Megacyber’’s attack could hit, Karen herself jumped in the way, taking the attack full on (8000-2200=5800)!

“Reveal,” she said smugly, “the Trap card ‘Absolute End’. This card lets me defend my monsters this turn, instead of the other way around.”

“Gutsy move,” I said, “but brilliant as usual.”

“Thank you.”

“I place one card face-down,” I continued, “and end my turn.”

“I draw,” said Karen, “and I tribute your ‘Ninja’ to increase my monster’s level once again.” ‘Strike Ninja’ disappeared, and the ‘Allure Queen’ grew older yet again, her outfit becoming even more extravagant (ATK: 1500).

“Because my ‘Allure Queen’ has reached her final, Level Seven form,” Karen explained, “she can finally affect monsters of any level. So I’ll bring your ‘Fiend Megacyber’ over to my side.” ‘Allure Queen’ released a wave of dancing flames, guided by the magic of her staff. But as soon as they reached my monster, he disappeared. Karen, who had been interrupted just as she’d gotten going, looked surprised, “W-what happened?”

“I activated ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’,” I replied, “Removing my monster from play and allowing him to dodge your effect. He won’t return until the End Phase.”

I smiled, “Looks like you can’t predict all of my moves.”

Karen wasn’t happy with herself for letting my move get past her, but she did a good job of hiding it. “In that case,” she said, “I attack and destroy your ‘Giant Orc’ with Hypnotic Blaze.” ‘Allure Queen’ summoned up a fireball and launched it at the unconscious goblin, destroying him. “And finally,” she continued, acting hastily, “I pay one thousand Life Points (5800-1000=4800) to open the door to ‘Toon World’.” A green book appeared, fluttering open. Pink smoke appeared from within its pages.

“I summon ‘Toon Mermaid’,” Karen announced, a caricaturized mermaid archer lying in an open oyster shell appearing by her side, “and I tribute both of my monsters to summon the most powerful Toon, ‘Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon’!”

The smoke increased, and both ‘Toon Mermaid’ and ‘Allure Queen’ were swallowed up by the book. From the smoke emerged a white cartoon dragon with massive round blue eyes. He let out a lighthearted roar and flipped in midair (ATK: 3000).

Smoke poured from the book again, and eight cartoon goblins emerged, each one carrying a club. “I finish my turn by summoning my ‘Toon Goblin Attack Force’. Next turn I’ll attack directly with both monsters. This duel is over.”

“My ‘Megacyber’ returns,” I declared, “and I begin my turn with ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more card.” I drew and said, “You’re right, this duel is over.”


Rocky


“I begin my turn,” I said, “with ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying your face-down card.” A powerful wind picked up, carrying Christopher’s card into the air. It was revealed as ‘Negate Attack’, a moment before it was torn to shreds.

“Next I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’,” I declared, “allowing us both to draw until we each hold six cards.”

My hand was empty, so I was able to draw six new cards. Once I was done, I chose and activated another Spell, “I pay eight hundred Life Points to activate ‘Premature Burial’, summoning my ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’ back from the Graveyard.”

The massive stone swordsman appeared behind me (ATK: 1300), and I wasn’t done yet.

“Next,” I said, “I tribute my soldier for the mighty ‘Guardian Sphinx’.” ‘Stone Soldier disappeared, and behind me appeared a massive stone sphinx. It was so large that its stone paws reached around the entire field (ATK: 1700).

“But that’s not all,” I said. “Watch and learn. I sacrifice a monster with ‘Sphinx’ in its name to summon my most powerful card, the very face of my Soul, the mightiest shield, the God of Defense, ‘Exodd, Master of the Guard!”

‘Guardian Sphinx’ disappeared, and a massive stone statue appeared in its place. It was shaped like a man made of living rock. The clothing and Headdress carved into the stone of its body was patterned after those of the famous monster ‘Exodia the Forbidden One’. His body was a light golden color. His hands were connected together at the knuckles, and he towered over the entire stadium floor (ATK: 0/DEF: 4000).

Christopher swallowed nervously and I saw bead of sweat form on his brow. “I-I’ve never seen that card,” he said.

“It’s not surprising,” I replied. “Most duelists ignore it because they can’t see its true power. Lucky for me I’m not most Duelists.” I smiled, “Lucky for me, unlucky for you. Watch as the ultimate shield becomes the ultimate sword, with the Spell card ‘Shield and Sword’!”

The ‘Master of the Guard’’s huge stone fists broke away from each other. Bits of stone fell from the joints along his body as his usually motionless body came to life (ATK: 4000/DEF: 0).

I smiled again, “Don’t forget that your ‘Dragon’’s stats also switch (ATK: 1600/DEF: 2300).”

I took three cards from my Graveyard and placed them in the pocket of my vest, “I remove ‘Alpha’, ‘Beta’, and ‘Gamma’ in my Graveyard from play to summon the powerful ‘Megarock Dragon’.” The three magnet monsters appeared, broke into chunks of stone, and merged together into a large, stone, wingless dragon (ATK: 2100).

“Finally,” I said, “I equip ‘Exodd’ with the Spell card ‘Megamorph’, doubling his strength.” A glowing ring appeared below my monster, and he grew even larger (ATK: 8000). “‘Megarock Dragon’, attack!” I commanded, and my dragon raised his stone claws and cut ‘Frost and Flame Dragon’ to pieces (7500+1600-2100=7000).

“I finish it,” I declared. “‘Exodd’, attack with Guardian’s Might!” ‘Exodd’ raised his fist, wreathed in golden light, and brought it down on Christopher from above (7000-8000=0).

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. Finally my deck was as strong I knew it could be. All I could hope was that the Duelists Elite were watching, and that they could see that too.


John


“I begin my next move,” I declared, “with the Spell card ‘Painful Choice’. I take five cards from my deck, and you choose one for me to keep. Then I discard the rest.” Even as I spoke, I flipped through my deck and chose five cards. The Field slot on my Duel Disk opened, and I placed the five cards on my Duel Disk, four in the Monster Zones, and one in the Field Zone. Holograms of the five cards appeared above me: ‘V – Tiger Jet’, ‘W – Winged Catapult’, ‘X – Head Cannon’, ‘Y – Dragon Head’, and ‘Z – Metal Tank’.”

“I’ll let you keep ‘W – Winged Catapult’,” Karen said, though I’m pretty sure she knew how much it didn’t matter. I added ‘W’ to my hand and sent the rest to the Grave.

“Then I activate,” I announced, “the Spell cards ‘Soul Release’ and ‘Dimension Fusion’. I remove ‘X’, ‘Y’, and ‘Z’ from play, and then I pay two thousand Life Points (3800-2000=1800) to Special Summon them to the field.”

The sky seemed to open up, and three monsters emerged; the blue torso ‘X – Head Cannon’, his shoulder-mounted cannons charged, ‘Y – Dragon Head’, the robotic red dragon, and the small yellow tank with the stalk eye, ‘Z – Metal Tank’.

“I remove my three magnet monsters from play,” I said, “to combine them together into one.” ‘Y’’s wing’s broke away, and a panel on his back opened. The sphere that made up ‘X’’s base settled into the red dragon’s back. ‘Y’ settled down on the back of the ‘Metal Tank’, and the process was complete. “Behold,” I declared, ‘XYZ – Dragon Cannon’ (ATK: 2800)!

“I discard ‘W – Winged Catapult’ to activate my monster’s effect, destroying ‘Toon World’.” Energy lanced from the three-part monster, vaporizing the book. The explosion consumed the two Toon monsters as well.

“Attack,” I commanded, “with Cannon Firestorm.” ‘X’’s and ‘Z’’s cannons fired, and energy poured from ‘Y’’s mouth. Karen was hit, and her Life Points fell (3800-2800=1000).

“Now I finish,” I commanded, “with Megacyber Impact.” ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ struck, and the battle ended.

Karen smiled happily, “Oh well, I’ll get you next time.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

Lawrence vs. Tucker, and Sarah vs. Max



Tucker


John beat Karen. I’d expected as much. What was really unexpected was how into it Karen had gotten. She never seemed to care much about dueling anymore. I wasn’t at all surprised that Rocky had beaten Christopher. The last time Rocky and I’d dueled, he’d creamed me, and I could tell from the way that he’d been carrying himself that he’d improved a lot. I had no idea which of us was stronger at that point.

Regardless, it was my turn to duel, and against Lawrence no less. I’d considered Lawrence a rival ever since the first time he and I had faced off, and I’d wanted to face him again for a while. I didn’t know if could win, but I wouldn’t give up.

I left the plush, comfy waiting room and walked out onto the stadium floor. I walked between John and Karen as they made their way back. I could literally feel the sparks flying between them. I turned and looked back at them. They had stepped to one side of the doorway to let Sarah, Max and Lawrence out, in that order. John put his arm around Karen, but only subtly. I smiled and then took up my position at the closer end of the right side duel platform. Sarah and Max stepped up onto the opposite platform, and Lawrence stepped up across from me.

“I’ll try to go easy on you,” Lawrence said, “but I can’t make any promises.”

I smiled, “Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.”


Sarah


The last and only time that I’d ever dueled Max it was with John at my side, and while Max was only testing us. I had seen very little of his more recent strategy first hand. I knew a lot about his deck though. I knew that he had only been beaten by two Duelists in his entire life, and I knew that many of the Duelists that he defeated were beaten so quickly that Max barely broke a sweat. My new Atlantis Deck was powerful, but I had no way of knowing if it would be powerful enough.


Tucker


“I’ll start,” I declared.

“Go ahead,” said Lawrence. “It won’t change anything.”

I scowled at his arrogance, “I summon ‘UFO Turtle’ in defense mode.” A green tortoise appeared, a flying saucer situated on his back in place of a shell (DEF: 1000). “I also place three cards face-down and end my turn.”

Lawrence seemed unconcerned, “Oh, you’re finished already? Then let’s make this quick. I summon the powerful ‘Kaiser Seahorse’ in attack mode,” a blue-armored fish man appeared holding a deadly spear (ATK: 1700), “place two cards face-down, and attack.” The ‘Seahorse’ swung his spear, slicing my ‘Turtle’ in half from head to tail.

“When my ‘Turtle’ is destroyed,” I declared, “I can summon a Fire monster with fifteen hundred Attack or less from my deck. Also, I activate my continuous Trap ‘Backfire’. Now, every time a Fire monster I control is destroyed, you take five hundred points of damage.”

A pocket of air exploded in Lawrence’s face (8000-500=7500), just as my replacement monster appeared; a dark skinned man adorned with tattoos, with fire surrounding his fists. “I summon,” I explained, “my ‘Flame Ruler’ (ATK: 1500).”

“Another weak monster for me to knock down,” said Lawrence.

“You shouldn’t make assumptions,” I said. “You have no idea what I have planned.”

Lawrence grinned, “Funny, I was about to say the same thing to you.”

“In fact,” I continued, ignoring his taunting, “I think it’s time that I took the lead. I tribute my ‘Flame Ruler’, activating his effect, treating him as two tributes for the summoning of a Fire monster. That means I can summon my rarest monster, ‘Tyrant Dragon’!” As I spoke, the man disappeared and was replaced by a large bronze dragon with a green crystal in his forehead (ATK: 2900).

“Now I attack your ‘Kaiser Seahorse’,” I commanded, “with Tyrant Burst!” My dragon expelled a fiery wave from his mouth, incinerating Lawrence’s monster in less than an instant (7500+1700-2900=6300).

“I thought that you’d be able to beat my ‘Seahorse’,” said Lawrence, still acting confident, though his expression told me that he’d begun to take the duel seriously, “so I was ready with this. I activate ‘Monster Reborn’ to summon him back from the dead.” A red ankh appeared and flashed. From its light emerged the oceanic warrior.

“I tribute ‘Kaiser Seahorse’,” Lawrence declared, “treating him as two tributes for the summoning of a Light attribute monster.”

Here it comes, I thought, chewing my lip nervously, the ‘Blue-Eyes’.

But to my surprise, in ‘Kaiser’’s place appeared a gold and brown dragon with a strong jaw and fierce eyes. “Introducing,” Lawrence announced, “my spirit, ‘Felgrand Dragon’!” The dragon roared (ATK: 2800).

I was confused, even more so when Lawrence commanded, “’Felgrand Dragon’, attack his monster!”

“Are you kidding?” I asked. “He can’t beat ‘Tyrant’.”

“He can if I use this,” said Lawrence. “Activate ‘Shrink’, cutting your monster’s Attack in half.” My monster shrunk to half his original size, and his offensive strength decreased accordingly (2900/2=1450).

“In that case,” I countered, “I reveal ‘Ring of Destruction’ to destroy your monster and deal us each damage equal to his Attack.” A ring of live grenades attached to the ‘Felgrand Dragon’’s neck and exploded. Fire from the explosion washed over both of us, but only Lawrence took damage (6300-2800=3500).

“What-?”

“Reveal,” I announced, “the Spell card ‘Ring of Defense’.” The fire cleared, revealing a spinning collapsible shield hanging in the air just in front of me, holding the fire back from my body and protecting my Life Points.

I smiled, “It looks like you underestimated me twice already. Let’s see if we can make it three for three.”


Sarah


“I’ll make the first move,” said Max. “I set a card, and I summon ‘Spirit Reaper’ in attack mode.” A puff of smoke appeared, taking the form of a hooded, ghostly grim reaper (ATK: 300).

I scoffed, Well it’s pretty obvious that his face down card is ‘Spirit Barrier’. He always plays those two cards together. But on the off chance that it’s not, I have to attack. I can’t miss this chance to gain an early lead.

“I start things off,” I said, “with the swift messenger fighter of the Lost City, ‘Amazon of the Seas’.” A mermaid appeared at my side, carrying a simple blade (ATK: 1300).

“Attack the ‘Sprit Reaper’,” I commanded. My monster obeyed. She struck with her sword, but Max’s famous invulnerable ‘Reaper’ was unharmed.

“Reveal,” said Max, “my ‘Spirit Barrier’, preventing damage to my Life Points.”

Thought so, “Then I’ll end my turn with a face-down card.”

Max pulled the top card of his deck enthusiastically, “Draw! I start out by tributing my ‘Spirit Reaper’ to summon ‘Vampire Lord’.” The ‘Reaper’ disappeared, and in his place appeared a suave, pale-skinned man in a cape (ATK: 2000). I was instantly on guard. If Max was so willing to tribute his ‘Reaper’, it meant that he had a plan for that ‘Vampire’, and Max with a plan is the worst kind of Max.

“I attack ‘Amazon’,” Max continued. The ‘Vampire Lord’ spread his cape, unleashing a red wave that sliced my ‘Amazon of the Seas’ in half (8000+1300-2000=7300).

“Now my ‘Vampire Lord’’s ability activates,” Max explained, “forcing you to discard a monster from your deck.”

“I chain my ‘Numinous Healer’,” I countered, “restoring one thousand of my Life Points (7300+1000=8300).

I thumbed through my deck, choosing a monster and discarding it.

“I set a card,” Max concluded, “and I end.”

“Then I activate the effect of the ‘Sinister Serpent’ that you sent to my Graveyard with the ‘Vampire’’s effect,” I declared. “During my Standby Phase the ‘Sinister Serpent’ in my Graveyard is returned to my hand. Next I remove ‘Amazon of the Seas’ from play to summon my favorite monster, the ‘Aqua Spirit’!” A pillar of bubble spewed from the ground at my side. The bubbles popped, revealing the blue-skinned water sprite, ‘Aqua Spirit’ (ATK: 1600).

“I activate my field card ‘A Legendary Ocean’,” I declared, the scenery changing until Max and I found ourselves deep under holographic water, the glimmering lost city of Atlantis visible behind me. “This lowers the level of my next monster by one, meaning that I can summon it with one sacrifice.” ‘Aqua Spirit’ disappeared, and from the depths arose a silver-scaled sea serpent with blue and pink fins, “Introducing ‘Levia Dragon-Daedalus’!”

The water all around my monster swirled together and then erupted out. “Special ability, Oceanic Eruption!” I called as the water swallowed up the ‘Vampire Lord’ and disappeared. “Now I attack directly with Tidal Burst,” I declared, and the dragon breathed a blue beam down on Max (ATK: 2600/8000-2600=5400).

Now to take care of that pesky ‘Vampire’ when it returns to the field, I thought. “I place a card face-down. Make your move.”

“Alright, I draw,” said Max, “and at the start of my Standby Phase I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy your face-down card.” A gust of wind lifted my card into the air, revealing it as ‘Bottomless Trap Hole’, and then destroying it.

“Now my ‘Vampire Lord’’s effect kicks in,” Max explained, “and he returns from the dead.” As he spoke, the ‘Vampire’ reappeared at his side.

“I sacrifice and remove my ‘Vampire Lord’ from play,” Max declared, “to summon the most powerful vampire monster, the ‘Vampire Genesis’!” ‘Vampire Lord’ grew larger and more muscular. His skin turned purple, and his face became bat like. His cape opened up, becoming fan like wings. He flexed his muscles and roared (ATK: 3000).

I scowled, This can’t be good.


Tucker


“I finish this,” I said, “with a direct attack, Tyrant Burst!”

“I counter,” Lawrence countered, “with the Trap card ‘Negate Attack’, ending your Battle Phase.” My monster’s attack was swallowed up by an invisible force.

“Then my turn’s done,” I said, and Lawrence smiled wide.

“If that’s the case,” he said, “I activate ‘Trade-In’ discarding the Level Eight ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ to draw two cards.” He drew, but paid very little attention to the new addition to his hand. “Reveal,” Lawrence commanded, “the Trap card ‘Call of the Haunted’, reviving my ‘Felgrand Dragon’!

“When ‘Felgrand Dragon’ is summoned from the Graveyard,” Lawrence explained as his dragon reappeared, “he gains extra Attack equal to two hundred times the Level of the highest Level monster in my Graveyard.” The dragon was wreathed in a menacing aura (ATK: 2800+1600=4400).

“I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’,” Lawrence declared, “to destroy your ‘Backfire’ card, and I attack with Eternal Burst!” ‘Felgrand Dragon’ fired his attack, incinerating my dragon (8000+2900-4400=6500).

Lawrence controls the entire field, I realized. I can still turn this around, but I need one more card. This is it, I thought, determined, waves of heat rolling up my body, I’m putting everything I have into this next turn.


Sarah


“My ‘Vampire Genesis’ has a powerful effect,” said Max. “I discard the ‘Despair from the Dark’ to summon a lower Level monster back from my Graveyard. Live again, ‘Spirit Reaper’!” The spectral reaper appeared again at Max’s side, his scythe held out ahead of him as if longing to be swung (ATK: 300).

“Next I play ‘Card of Demise’,” Max continued.

He drew five more cards and smiled a wicked, evil-looking smile.

“It’s over,” Max declared. “I play ‘Book of Life’, removing ‘Aqua Spirit’ in your Graveyard from play and summoning back a Zombie from my Graveyard. Return, ‘Despair from the Dark’!” A massive shadow shaped like an elongated torso rose up out of Max’s own shadow, flexing long, menacing claws (ATK: 2800).

“And,” Max continued, “I summon the undead mistress, ‘Vampire Lady’!” A female vampire appeared, wearing a tight black dress (ATK: 1550).

“I attack with all of my monsters,” Max commanded. ‘Genesis’ summoned up a swarm of bats that ripped my sea dragon to shreds (8300+2600-3000=7900), ‘Spirit Reaper’ slashed with his scythe (7900-300=7600), ‘Vampire Lady’ swiped at me with razor sharp, blood red claws (7600-1550=6050), and ‘Despair from the Dark’ slashed me across the chest (6050-2800=3250).

“Finally I activate ‘Offerings to the Doomed’,” Max concluded, “destroying ‘Despair from the Dark’ and triggering the Spell card ‘A Deal with Dark Ruler’.” Mummy wrappings reached up out of the ground, crushing the massive shadow. It turned to smoke, which reformed into a skeletal brown dragon with long tufts of white hair coming off of the back of its head (ATK: 3500).

“‘Berserk Dragon’,” Max commanded, “Berserk Flame!” The dragon unleashed a wave of fireballs that hit me straight on. I lost, and there was nothing I could have done about it.


Tucker


I pulled my card, my Soul of Fire glowing faintly. It was the perfect draw.

“It’s time that this duel came to an end,” I announced, completely confident.

“You can’t beat me in this turn,” said Lawrence. “You have no monsters in play, no set cards, and I control a monster with over four thousand Attack!”

“You always underestimate me, Lawrence,” I said. “Even after Jen and I beat you, you thought you were better than us. Well, you’re wrong. You’ll never get stronger until you learn to stop belittling your opponents. I play ‘Monster Reborn’.”

Lawrence scoffed, “There aren’t any monsters in your Graveyard that can help you now.”

“You’re right,” I said, “but there’s one in your Graveyard that just might.”

The red ankh flashed, and from its light emerged a brilliant white dragon with piercing blue eyes. It spread its wings and roared. “I summon, the legendary ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ (ATK: 3000)!

“But the dragon won’t remain for long,” I continued, as the white dragon was swallowed up by a growing blue flame. “I tribute your monster to activate ‘Incandescent Ordeal’!” the flames took the form of a man wearing a jacket made of crimson fire, blue armor, and carrying a staff and a dagger. “Summon forth, ‘Legendary Flame Lord’ (ATK: 2400)!”

“Not that monster,” said Lawrence, his confidence wavering. “I won’t lose to that monster. Not again.”

“I beg to differ,” I replied. “I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards and place a Spell Counter on my monster.” I drew two cards, and the flames around my monster flared up. I looked at my new hand. Perfect.

“Next,” I said, “I activate the Spell cards ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’ and ‘Meteor of Destruction’ dealing you thirteen hundred damage!” A fireball fell from the sky, surrounding Lawrence with flames (3500-1300=2200). “Now I remove three Spell Counters from my monster,” I declared, “triggering his ultimate attack, Annihilating Inferno!” A dome of fire erupted out from my monster, incinerating ‘Felgrand Dragon’.

“Now I attack,” I commanded, “with Surge of Fire!” My monster crossed his dagger and his staff, summoning flames which poured down over my opponent, ending the duel, and settling my old score with Lawrence once and for all (2200-2400=0).[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]

Three for One



Jen


I was up next against my sister. Surprisingly, I’d never dueled her before. On top of that, I’d only seem her duel a couple of times, and she’d definitely revamped her deck for the tournament. I knew why I’d never shown much interest in her as a Duelist. Until recently I’d never really considered that might be any good, but recently it had become quite clear that her skills as a strategist were comparable to mine. We stepped up and faced each other. I couldn’t tell if she was looking forward to our duel or not.

“You ready?” I asked.

“Any time,” she replied, forgoing her usual ditz act. “After all, I’ve wanted to prove myself in a one-on-one duel against you for a while now.”

“Then I won’t keep you waiting,” I told her, looking forward to our match as much as she was. “I start out with one of my most powerful cards, the ‘Ultimate Insect LV 3’, defense mode.” A worm-like insect the size of a large dog appeared (DEF: 700).

“I’ll protect my monster,” I concluded, “with two face-down cards, and I end my turn.”

“Get ready, Sis,” said Kris, “because here I come, and I don’t plan on taking things quite so slow. I summon the warrior mech ‘Roboyarou’ in attack mode.” A robotic man in blue armor appeared, carrying a double-ended spear (ATK: 900). He raised his spear and lunged at my monster, but moments before his attack would have hit, he floated into the air, unable to move. My ‘Ultimate Insect’ rose into the air a moment later.

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Zero Gravity’, changing your ‘Robo’ to defense mode (DEF: 450) and changing my ‘Insect’ to attack mode (ATK: 1400).

“Then I end my turn here,” Kris replied.

“I draw,” I declared, “and my ‘Ultimate Insect’ evolves into his ‘LV 5’ form.” The larval insect grew until he was a giant beetle, several feet taller than me, with a silvery shell, like metallic armor, and long spear-like upper legs (ATK: 2400).

“When ‘LV 5’ is summoned by the effect of ‘LV 3’,” I explained, “He gains the ability to release powerful corrosive poison spores from glands in the wings hidden under his shell. These poison spores lower the Attack and Defense of all enemy monsters by five hundred points while my insect remains on the field.”

“But my monsters are machines,” Kris argued. “Poison won’t affect them.”

“Corrosive poison will,” I countered, pointing at her monster. She looked down at the crouching ‘Roboyarou in time to see several patches of rust begin to form on his armor (DEF: 450-500=0).

“Of course,” I said, “my attack won’t hurt you while your monster’s in defense mode, but it’s worth it to destroy your monster.” I didn’t even have to declare the attack. With a motion of my hand, the insect that was my Soul brought to life pierced the robot, reducing it to pieces of debris.


Monty


My duel was against Amanda, the great unknown among members of the Duel Force. The only time that I’d ever even been around when Amanda had dueled was when she, Rocky and Kimi had dueled against me, Karen and Lawrence in the park in the neighborhood in which we now all lived, and I’d had my own duel to worry about back then. I knew Amanda was strong, but that she didn’t spend much time learning the game outside of the cards in her deck. I was admittedly curious about Amanda’s strength, and so I was anxious to face her in a duel and see it firsthand.

“I’m going first,” Amanda announced zealously as soon as we took our positions. “I place a card face-down and end my turn.”

“Alright,” I said. I have to hit her hard and fast. If I hesitate, there’s no way I’ll last long enough to see what this girl can do. “I activate ‘Spell Economics’,” I declared. “While this card is in play, I don’t pay Life Points to activate the costs of Spell cards. Spell cards like ‘Dark Magic Curtain’, which summons from my deck the 'Dark Magician'.”

A sinister-looking archway appeared, closed off by a dark curtain. The curtain parted, and the purple-clad sorcerer emerged, brandishing his staff, as the archway faded away (ATK: 2500).

“I attack directly,” I commanded, “and I set two cards face-down to end my turn.” Holograms of two face-down cards appeared below my sorcerer as he raised his staff, summoning up an orb of green and black light, which he flung at my opponent, hitting her square in the chest (8000-2500=5500). She didn’t react in the slightest.

“My turn, right?” Amanda asked. I nodded and she said, “Okay, I start out with the Field Spell ‘Harpie’s Hunting Ground’. While I control this card, my Winged-Beasts gain two hundred Attack, and every time I summon a monster named ‘Harpie Lady’ or ‘Harpie Lady Sisters’, I get to destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field. So I summon ‘Harpie Queen’, which is names ‘Harpie Lady’ for the purpose of card effects, destroying the face-down card on the right.”

The elegant, emerald-haired, white feathered bird woman ‘Harpie Queen’ appeared, crushing my ‘Magic Cylinder’ with her talons before shuffling backward through the air and landing at Amanda’s side (ATK: 1900+200=2100).

“Next,” Amanda announced, “I activate ‘Elegant Egotist’, summoning ‘Harpie Lady Sisters’ from my deck.” Three more bird women wearing golden armor appeared, crushing my second card, ‘Magical Hats’, before joining their queen (ATK: 1950+200 =2150).

“Finally,” said Amanda, “I discard a second ‘Harpie Queen’ to search my deck for another copy of ‘Harpie’s Hunting Ground’, destroying the current one to play the new one.”

I was confused, but I ignored the strangeness of Amanda’s move, focusing instead on her next one.

“Now I activate ‘Double Summon’,” Amanda continued, “and I tribute my two monsters to summon ‘Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry’. When only wind monsters are used as tributes to summon him, I can return two of my opponent’s cards to his hand.” A massive golden-feathered bird appeared, flapping his wings, blowing my ‘Dark Magician’ and ‘Spell Economics’ away. The massive bird squawk-roared (ATK: 2900 +200=3100).

“To finish it,” Amanda concluded, “I reveal ‘Hysteric Party’, discarding ‘Harpie Lady 1’ to revive every monster named ‘Harpie Lady’ in my Graveyard.” Two ‘Harpie Queens’ and the red-haired ‘Harpy Lady 1’ appeared, “and just for the fun of it, I’ll destroy ‘Harpie’s Hunting Ground’ with its own effect,” ‘Harpie Queen’ crushed the hologram of Amanda’s card, “since ‘Harpie Lady 1’ raises the attack of my monsters with her own effect (ATK: 1900+300=2200 (x2)/1300+300=1600/2900+300=3200). I attack with all of my monsters for the win.”

The army of monsters attacked in a flurry of claws and feathers, leaving me utterly stunned by Amanda’s power, a power which I doubted I could ever overcome.


Jen


“Losing my ‘Roboyarou’ is nothing,” Kris insisted, “because during my turn, I reveal ‘Chain Material’. This turn when I conduct a Fusion Summon, I can fuse monsters from my hand, field, deck, or Graveyard, but the resulting monster is destroyed at the End Phase. So I fuse ‘Robolady’ in my deck, with the components of the destroyed ‘Roboyarou’ to summon ‘Super Roboyarou’.” A pink-armored female robot appeared, and the scattered components of ‘Roboyarou’ rose into the air, merging with her armor. Together the two monsters formed a buffer, darker-skinned ‘Roboyarou’ with pink armor over his shoulders. His armor began to rust (ATK: 1200-500=700). I found Kris’ move interesting, since, as powerful as ‘Chain Material’ was it was also risky enough not to use lightly.

She must really need ‘Super Roboyarou’ for something, I decided.

“I won’t let you keep that monster,” I declared. “I can’t see you going through so much to summon it if it couldn’t hurt me, so I give up my next Draw Phase to activate ‘Offerings to the Doomed’.” The ground opened up and mummy wraps reached up from within the opening, reaching for the machine.

“Reveal,” Kris countered, “the Trap card ‘Spell Shield Type-8’, negating and destroying your card.” A pod, like a closed bud of a metallic flower, appeared floating between ‘Super Roboyarou’ and the mummy wraps and spun, deflecting them.

“I activate ‘Dimensionhole’,” Kris continued, “removing my ‘Super Roboyarou’ from play until my next Standby Phase, and avoiding ‘Chain Material’’s negative effect. I also summon ‘Fusilier Dragon the Dual Mode Beast’ in defense mode.” A red mechanical dragon with tank treads appeared. His neck and tail retracted into his body, forming a tank with the face of a dragon (DEF: 1400-500=900).

“My turn begins,” I announced, “and my ‘Insect’ evolves to its final form.” The ‘Ultimate Insect’’s armor turned rainbow colors, and he opened his shell, spreading his translucent wings. This increased the flow of spores, and their effectiveness increased (1400-700=700).

With ‘Super Roboyarou’ out of my reach, I thought, I’ll have to settle for attacking whatever I can.

“I attack,” I commanded, and the insect crushed the tank like it was nothing.

“I draw,” said Kris, and the air rippled as the ‘Super Roboyarou’ reappeared (ATK: 1200-700=500). “I set two cards, and I end my turn.”

I drew. This duel had been pretty close so far, but it was about to start leaning in my favor. “I summon ‘Petit Moth’, and I activate ‘Double Summon’, tributing my ‘Moth’ for the mighty ‘Grasschopper’!” a green worm appeared, and then disappeared, replaced by a massive green praying mantis with razor sharp sickle-like arms (ATK: 2350).

“‘Grasschopper’ attacks ‘Super Roboyarou’,” I commanded, and the mantis swung his arms, but before the blade could hit, the machine disappeared, and the blade hit Kris instead (8000-2350=5650).

“I activate ‘Cybernetic Zone’,” Kris explained. “My monster returns at the End Phase with double the attack, but it dies during my Standby Phase.”

“Then I attack directly with my ‘Ultimate Insect’,” I declared, and the insect stabbed with its claws (5650-2700=2950), “and I end”

“My monster returns,” Kris announced as her mech reappeared at her side. She drew, and I expected her machine to be destroyed, but instead she activated her face-down card, “I reveal ‘Solomon’s Lawbook’, skipping my Standby Phase, keeping my monster safe from destruction (1200x2=2400-700=1700).

“Now,” Kris declared, “I attack ‘Ultimate Insect’ with ‘Super Roboyarou’.” Any other Duelist might have been confused at this point, but I knew what was coming. The machine raised his weapon and lunged, activating his effect and increasing his Attack by one thousand (2700). “I activate ‘Limiter Removal’,” Kris announced, “doubling my monster’s Attack, but destroying him at the end of the turn.” The ‘Roboyarou’’s Attack rose again (2700x2=5400), and he cleaved my monster in half.

“It doesn’t do you any good,” I argued. “Your monster dies at the end of the turn, leaving you wide open.”

“Not true,” my sister countered. “I return my ‘Super Roboyarou’ to my Fusion Deck to summon his counterpart, ‘Super Robolady’.” The two monsters separated and reformed into a more powerful female robot with blue shoulders (ATK: 1200). “I equip her with ‘Fusion Weapon’, increasing her Attack by fifteen hundred!” The monster’s free arm extended out, becoming a black and red beam launcher (ATK: 1200+1500=2700). Her monster was now the strongest monster on the field, and stronger than any monster that I would be able to summon any time soon.

I smiled, Everything is going according to plan.

“My turn,” I began. “I’ve been waiting for you to summon a monster stronger than mine for a while now, so I could activate this, my ‘Hammer Shot.” An invisible force crushed the ‘Super Robolady’ to pieces.”

“No way!” said Kris, shocked. “I was sure I had you.”

“Sorry Sis,” I said, “but I know as well as anyone that Insects have lower Attack by nature than many types of monsters, so I came prepared with ‘Ultimate Insect’, and a Spell to get rid of any monster strong enough to kill it. Now, I summon ‘Insect Knight’,” an insect carrying a sword and shield and wearing armor appeared (ATK: 1900), “and I attack.”

The ‘Knight’ lunged forward and swung his sword, slashing Kris across the chest, “That’s game.”


Kris and I walked together to the waiting room, listening as the announcer spoke the names of the next four Duelists; John’s mom vs. Kimi, her old student, and Jenna vs. the mysterious and powerful Hiro. All eyes, even those of Kimi and her mentor, were on Jenna and Hiro as they began their duel. Everyone was eager to see Hiro’s power for themselves, especially me, since, if he won, I’d be fighting him next.


Jenna


I was aware that all eyes were on me as I stepped up to face my opponent. Everyone wanted to analyze Hiro’s strength. I was the guinea pig, in an experiment where the guinea pig wasn’t expected to survive. But I didn’t mind. I was still determined to prove myself to John and the others, and I’d gladly take Hiro on a hundred times if it meant a chance to show them what I could do.

“My move first,” I said firmly, trying to analyze my opponent’s emotions through his stoic expression. “I play ‘Painful Choice’. I choose five cards-.”

“You don’t need to explain,” Hiro interrupted, polite but stern, as if he didn’t want his time wasted. I nodded, a little annoyed, and thumbed through my deck. I should pick a variety of cards so I’ll have more options later, I decided, so I took my five cards and placed them on the Duel Disk. Holograms of those cards appeared. They were ‘Necklace of Command’, ‘Hammer Shot’, ‘Dark Cat with White Tail’, ‘Mudora’, and ‘Skelengel’.

“Add the ‘Skelengel’ card to your hand,” Hiro commanded, and I did, discarding the rest.

“Next up I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” I declared, “letting me draw three cards, and then discard ‘Aitsu’ and ‘Koitsu’ from my hand. Next I discard ‘Skelengel’ to activate ‘Monster Reincarnation’, returning ‘Mudora’ in my Graveyard to my hand. I summon it now in attack mode.” An Egyptian man in a golden mask, wearing white garbs under gold dressings and carrying a sword appeared, wreathed in a golden light. “My Fairy monster ‘Mudora gains two hundred extra Attack,” I explained, “for every Fairy in my Graveyard (ATK: 1500+600=2100). I place a card face-down, and pass.”

Hiro drew his card in calm silence and declared, “I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.” He drew, and continued, “I place two cards of my own face-down and summon ‘Majestic Mech – Ohka’, attack mode.”

A brilliant light appeared, filling Hiro’s field, and from it emerged an angelic beast made of a sort of white crystalline ceramic that clinked when it moved. Its limbs were joined with its body via bunches of crystal shards packed together (ATK: 2400).

“When ‘Ohka’ is summoned without tribute,” Hiro explained, “it’s destroyed at the end of the turn, so I waste no time and I attack.”

“Reveal,” I countered, “the Trap card ‘Draining Shield’, blocking your attack and increasing my Life Points.”

“From my hand,” Hiro said, “I activate the Spell card ‘Trap Booster’, discarding a card to activate ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’, paying one thousand Life Pints to negate and destroy your Trap (8000-1000=7000).”

‘Ohka’’s attack continued through unhindered, destroying my monster (8000+2100-2400=7700), and then its crystalline body shattered.

“My turn,” I declared. I was injured, but my opponent had left himself without defenses. If I moved quickly, I’d be able to hit him directly.

Hiro, however, had other plans.

“Reveal,” Hiro announced as soon as I drew my card, “the Permanent Trap ‘Synthetic Seraphim’. While I control this card, when a Counter Trap is activated, I get to summon one ‘Seraphim Token’.”

I took a deep, careful breath. Hiro was good for sure, making sure that he could summon more monsters quickly, but I still had a few tricks of my own up my sleeve.

“I summon a second ‘Mudora’ from my hand,” I declared.

“No you don’t,” Hiro countered. “I activate ‘Solemn Judgment’, paying half of my remaining Life Points (7000/2=3500) to negate the summoning of your monster and destroy it.” My ‘Mudora’ faded as quickly as it had appeared.

“Then I activate ‘Monster Reborn’,” I continued, “reviving any monster I choose. And I choose your ‘Ohka’!” A glowing red ankh appeared, but a moment later a spherical ceramic angel lined with green crystals appeared, flying on tiny wings. It shone a green light that washed the ankh away.

“I discard ‘Herald of Green Light’ and a second Fairy monster from my hand,” Hiro explained, “to negate and destroy an activated Spell. Also, when ‘Judgment’ is activated, I summon a ‘Token’.” A small mechanical ceramic angel appeared at Hiro’s feet (DEF: 300).

Hiro drew, but I was almost too paralyzed to notice. “I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’,” he announced. “We each draw until we hold six cards.” He drew, selected a card without hesitation, and played it, “I activate ‘Celestial Transformation’, summoning a Fairy from my hand.” A beastly creature with a hole its chest, ringed by orange crystal appeared, and it and the ‘Token’ disappeared, “I tribute my ‘Token’ and my ‘Banisher of the Radiance’ to summon ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’!” A ceramic and crystal dragon, like a draconic version of the beastly ‘Ohka’, appeared hovering in the air above Hiro, shining brightly (ATK: 2900).

“Now I play my own ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive ‘Ohka’ from the Graveyard,” Hiro continued, “and I equip my ‘Goryu’ with the Spell card ‘Megamorph’, doubling his size and power. Both of my monsters attack for the win.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]

Battle in Heaven



Kimi


As I watched, Jenna was slashed by the beast-like ‘Ohka’ only seconds before being hit by a beam of light from the mouth of the super charged ‘Goryu’. She seemed half in shock and half disappointed as her opponent walked away. I felt bad for her. Even I couldn’t think of a silver lining to her loss.

“Well,” said Sempai, “That was quite an interesting duel.”

“Jenna couldn’t make a single move,” I replied, sounding more awestruck than I really wanted to. “Part of that can be chalked up to nerves, but it doesn’t change the fact that Hiro’s strategy was overwhelming.”

Sempei nodded, turned to me and said, “Well, either way, we have our own duel to fight.”

“Yes,” I said, standing to face her as I had many times before, “we do.”

Sempei drew her opening hand, paying careful attention to every card, “I’ll start out, as usual. I set two cards face-down. Next I activate the effect of a monster in my hand, the angelic statue ‘Hecatrice’. I discard ‘Hecatrice’ to search my deck for one specific and very powerful Spell card, adding it to my hand.” A small golden statue appeared, glowing golden yellow. The statue disappeared as Sempei took the target card from her deck.

“Now,” said Sempei, “I activate the card that was taken from my deck, the sacred temple of ‘Valhalla’. The light of ‘Valhalla’ shines bright, allowing me to Special Summon one Fairy monster each turn, as long as I don’t already control any monsters. That means I can summon ‘Athena’, the Summoner. While ‘Athena’ is on the field I can sacrifice any Fairy to summon another Fairy from my Graveyard, and whenever I summon a Fairy, she attacks for six hundred points of damage.”

The arena beneath us took on the appearance of clouds, and a large golden temple appeared behind Sempei. Light poured from within the temple hall, carrying with it a vibrant angel in gold and white armor, carrying a sword (ATK: 2600). This was ‘Athena’, one of Sempei’s strongest cards.

“Next,” said Sempei, “I summon the ‘Lucky Pied Piper’.” A small fairy in a brown jacket appeared, carrying a flute in his left hand (ATK: 1500).

“Since ‘Pied Piper’ is a Fairy,” Sempei explained, “my ‘Athena’ attacks.” ‘Athena’ fired a pulse of light from her free palm, hitting me in the chest (8000-600=7400).

“Now,” said Sempei, “I play ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards.” I drew one card. Sempai drew six. And of course I knew she wasn’t finished yet.

“Next,” Sempei continued, “I activate the Spell card ‘Skill of the Summoner’, allowing me to move a Level Seven or higher monster from my deck to my hand. I choose the powerful ‘Wingweaver’, and I combine ‘Wingweaver’ with a second Spell card, ‘Ancient Rules’. This lets me summon ‘Wingweaver’ instantly from my hand.”

A glowing, six-winged angel with long, silky violet hair appeared, wearing a long, flowing yellow dress (ATK: 2750). She appeared in a halo of bright light that poured into ‘Athena’’s palm. ‘Athena’ launched it at me, damaging me again (7400-600=6800).

“I place a third card face-down,” said Sempei, “and finally end my turn.”

Three monsters in the first turn, I thought. I guess I didn’t expect anything less. This is why, in all the times that Sempei and I have fought, I’ve never beaten her once.

I drew a seventh card. My hand wasn’t anything too impressive, except for one card which might make all of the difference.

“Alright Sempei,” I announced, “I’m going to show you what I’ve learned. I call forth my own little corner of Heaven, the ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’!”

Behind me, out of the clouds rose a gleaming white Roman-style temple surrounded by a lush garden, floating atop a flying island.

“Now that ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’ is in play,” I explained, needlessly since I knew Sempei knew the effect of my card, “neither of us takes any damage from any battle involving our own Fairy monsters. But that’s just the printed effect. You see, the ‘Sanctuary’ also lets me unlock the hidden powers of certain monsters, like the mighty ‘Warrior of Zera’.”

A man in green padded armor appeared carrying a sword. He was pulled through the air and into the ‘Sky Sanctuary’ behind me. He was bathed in the ‘Sanctuary’’s light, and re-emerged a gleaming angelic figure standing twelve feet tall, with powerful wings.

“When the wondering hero ‘Warrior of Zera’ comes in contact with the light of the ‘Sanctuary’,” I explained, “he completes his long pilgrimage and is rewarded by becoming ‘Archlord Zerato’ (ATK: 2800)!”

I summoned my most powerful ‘Agent’ series monster, I thought, but I don’t have the right cards in my hand to activate his effect yet. Still, he’s plenty powerful enough to take care of ‘Athena’.

I pointed, and ‘Zerato’ followed my gaze as I commanded, “Attack ‘Athena’ with Radiant Blade.”

“I really hope that you didn’t expect that attack to work,” said Sempei, a little disappointed. “You should remember this combo. I taught it to you years ago.”

‘Zerato’ swung his sword, releasing a wave of light energy in the direction of Sempei’s angel, but at the same instant a goddess appeared at Sempei’s side in spirit form, and ‘Zerato’’s attack was deflected by a wall of light. The wall faded away, ready to spring up again at a moment’s notice.

“I use ‘Aegis of Gaia’,” Sempei explained, “to summon the Spirit of Protection, reinforcing my Life Points by three thousand (8000+3000=11,000). Then I pay eight thousand Life Points to activate ‘Wall of Revealing Light’, creating a wall around myself and my monsters, eight thousand points strong (11,000-8000=3000). Now no monster can reach me.

“Finally,” Sempei concluded, “I reveal ‘Solemn Wishes’. From now on, each time I draw I recover five hundred Life Points. My Life Points will be restored in no time at all.”

I knew this combo well. It was the ultimate defense wall created by Sempei, designed to keep any enemy monster with eight thousand or less Attack from reaching her side of the field, if only for a few turns until the opponent managed to break the wall with a Spell. Of course, when you’re Sempei, a few turns is all that you need. I had all of the cards required to use this combo in my deck as well, but I’d never been able to activate the key card, the ‘Aegis of Gaia’. I’d get it onto the field, but no matter how hard I tried, I could never bring myself to use activate it. It was Sempei’s card, and using it myself didn’t feel right. Sempei had said many times before that it was psychological, that all I had to do was reach a point where I could believe that I’d become as strong as she was or stronger, and I’d be able to activate the card. I would reach that point today I would make sure of it. Today, the student would surpass the master.

But not just yet, “I end my turn.”

“I draw,” Sempei declared (3000+500=3500), “and I begin my turn by tributing ‘Pied Piper’ and ‘Wingweaver’ to summon the ‘Splendid Venus’!”

The two weaker monsters disappeared, and a second female angel appeared in their place, wearing white and gold armor over a long, flowing dress. She carried no weapon. Her weapon was Heaven’s light itself (ATK: 2800). ‘Athena’ hit me with a burst of light (6800-600=6200).

“‘Venus’,” Sempei commanded, “attack ‘Zerato’.” ‘Venus’ unleashed a wave of light, and ‘Zerato’ unleashed an energy pulse from his sword. The two attacks passed each other, and each hit its mark. Both monsters were destroyed.

“Now I attack with ‘Athena’,” Sempei declared, and the mighty warrior angel swung her sword (6200-2600=3600).

“I activate ‘Double Summon’,” Sempei continued, “summoning the ‘Light Effigy’, tributing it to activate ‘Athena’’s effect.” A jumble of light appeared, disappearing immediately after, and the ‘Splendid Venus’ returned to life. ‘Athena’ attacked me twice (3600-600-600= 2400). I was worried that Sempei had more planned, but looking at her I could see in her eyes that she’s exhausted her moves for now.

“I may be behind,” I said, relieved to still be in the game at all, “but I’m not out of the duel yet. I summon ‘Agent of Creation – Venus’ and pay one thousand Life Points (2400-1000=1400) to summon two ‘Mystic Shine Balls’ from my deck.” An angel in a long flowing brown dress appeared, two crystal orbs appearing in the air around her head (DEF: 0/500/500).

“I also place three cards face-down,” I concluded. “I was hoping to save a few of these cards, but now I guess I’m gonna need them. Turn end.”

“In that case,” Sempei declared, smiling proudly at how seriously I was taking our battle, “I draw (3500+500=4000) and activate a second ‘Double Summon’. That means I can summon both ‘Herald of Creation’ and ‘Aquarian Allessa’.” A tall magic user appeared wearing reflective armor over white robes, carrying a staff, alongside a young girl in a blue kimono. “Both of my monsters lose five hundred Attack points in the presence of ‘Venus’’ light (ATK: 1800-500=1300/1500-500=1000), but their powerful enough for what I need. ‘Herald’ and ‘Allessa’ attack the ‘Shine Balls’,” Sempei commanded. ‘Herald’ swung his staff, and ‘Allessa’ summoned a magical wave. The two orbs shattered.

“Now ‘Athena’ destroys your ‘Agent’ so that ‘Venus’ can attack directly,” ‘Athena’ swung her sword, but the strike was deflected by a barrier summoned by a trio of priests.

“My ‘Waboku’,” I explained, “protects me and my monsters from damage for the rest of the turn.”

This is it, I realized, completely sure of myself in that moment, I’m finally going to win! “I draw, and I activate the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’.” I drew two cards, looked them over and smiled.

“I activate the Spell card ‘Monster Reincarnation’, discarding a card from my hand to add a monster from my Graveyard to my hand. Next I reveal ‘Light of Judgment’, discarding that monster to activate the ‘Light’’s effect, removing your ‘Aegis of Gaia’ from the field.”

In the entrance to the sanctuary appeared the ghostly figure of ‘Archlord Zerato’. He transformed into light that swept Sempei’s field, erasing the Goddess of Protection (4000-3000=1000). But only a moment later the Goddess reappeared, this time standing at my side.

“Reveal ‘Aegis of Gaia’,” I declared, my Life Points climbing (1400+3000=4400). “The Goddess of Protection is one my side now,” I said. Sempei smiled.

I moved the ‘Agent of Creation’ card to my Graveyard, and my monster disappeared. “I tribute ‘Agent of Creation – Venus’ to summon ‘Agent of Judgment – Saturn’! Special attack, Light of Burning Judgment!”

From the ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’ there descended a male angel with deep blue skin and vibrant wings. His light overwhelmed even ‘Venus’’. The light expanded outward, engulfing all four of Sempei’s monsters. The light grew brighter until it was almost blinding, and when it finally faded the field was empty, and Sempei’s Life Points were at zero.

My teacher nodded at me respectfully, “I told you that you could do it. I would know, I trained you.”

“I wouldn’t have won,” I replied, “if you hadn’t drawn two of your few non-Fairy monsters in those last couple of turns. If you’d drawn another couple of Fairies, you’d have won with ‘Athena’’s effect.”

“We both got lucky,” Sempei agreed, “but luck is part of the game, and yours was better. You were better.”

She walked over to me and shook my hand, and the two of us walked together back to the waiting room in reserved silence.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eight]

Master of Fear and the Fiery Spirit



Tucker


After the first couple of duels, which had turned out just about how I’d expected, this started to really get interesting. I, of course, beat Lawrence, and Max beat Sarah. Jen won against her sister in a much closer duel than I’d expected. They’re both good, but I’d put my money on Jen any day. Amanda won against Monty, another surprise, but then again, not really. Finally Hiro had defeated Jenna hands down (we all knew that was gonna happen, poor Jenna), and Kimi had fought and won against her old teacher (to be honest, I didn’t care a bit about the outcome of that one, but it was still a good match).

But that’s enough recap.

Now it was time for the first duel of round two. It was me against Max, one of the strongest Duelists I’d ever seen. I’d watched every duel today carefully, hoping to learn something that would help me in a situation like this. Very unlike me, I actually did learn something. As scary strong as Max may be, he’s set in his ways, utilizing only a few combos. His combos are scary powerful, but if I kept them in mind, being sure to prepare for them, I had a chance of winning. And I had to win. Just like in the Grand Championship, I wanted to duel John.

Max and I stepped up onto the platform and it rose into the air.

“You might as well surrender now,” said Max. “You know as well as anyone that whoever faces me in a duel is my enemy, and I never let my enemy win.”

“I can’t surrender,” I said. “There’s someone that I have to fight.”

“Then prepare,” Max said sternly, “because I don’t plan to hold back. I start out with one face-down monster and two face-down cards.”

I scoffed, “Your scare tactics may work on other Duelists, but they won’t work on me. I’m ready for this fight! I set one of my own cards face-down, and I summon ‘Darkfire Soldier #1’.” A bare-chested man appeared, carrying a sword (ATK: 1700).

“I’ll have ‘Darkfire Soldier #1’ attack your face-down monster.” Flames rose up around the swordsman and he swung his sword, flinging the flames at the hidden creature. The monster was revealed as the deadly ‘Rigorous Reever’.

“When ‘Rigorous Reever’ is flipped,” Max explained, “we must each discard a card.” Max discarded his ‘Spirit Reaper’, and I discarded my ‘Tyrant Dragon’.

“Additionally,” said Max, “my monster drains yours of five hundred Attack points.” An aura appeared around my ‘Soldier’, and a portion of his power fell away (1700-500=1200).

“I end my turn,” I said, trying not to get frustrated. After all, I’d known this was coming.

“Then I activate ‘Call of the Haunted’,” said Max, “bringing ‘Rigorous Reever’ back from the Graveyard.” The wooden reaper appeared, holding his scythe at the ready (ATK: 1600).

“Now I activate ‘Card of Safe Return’,” said Max, “and combine it with ‘Monster Reborn’. I revive my ‘Spirit Reaper’ and draw a card.” A cloud of smoke took on the shape of the cloaked ‘Spirit Reaper’ (ATK: 300).

“Finally,” said Max, “I summon ‘Emissary of the Afterlife’,” a third reaper appeared, carrying a decorated scythe (ATK: 1600), “and activate ‘Robbin’ Goblin’. While ‘Robbin’ Goblin’ remains on the field, you have to discard a card from your hand at random every time I deal damage to your Life Points through battle.

“I attack with all three of my monsters,” Max declared, and the reapers slashed me one after another, forcing me to discard every card left in my hand. This was more or less the same combo that he’d used to defeat Karen at the Championship. It was a near perfect combination.

Emphasis on near perfect.

I drew one card. It wasn’t much, but it was all I had.

“I summon ‘Darkfire Soldier #2’,” I declared. A skull-headed samurai appeared, wielding two burning katanas (ATK: 1700), and I commanded, “Attack ‘Emissary of the Afterlife’!”

The samurai slashed, and ‘Emissary’ was shredded into three pieces (8000+1600 -1700=7900).

“Because ‘Emissary of the Afterlife’ was destroyed by battle,” Max explained, “we each get to search our deck for a normal monster.” Max and I fanned out our decks. I chose ‘Hinotama Soul’, and Max chose the psychic wizard, ‘Ancient Brain’.

“I activate ‘Polymerization’,” said Max, “fusing ‘Ancient Brain’ with the fusion substitute monster ‘The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion’, forming ‘Skull Knight’.” A knight in skeletal armor appeared, wearing a skull faceplate and carrying a skull shield and bone sword (ATK: 2650). “I’ll also summon ‘Fear from the Dark’ in attack mode.” A man-sized fiendish shadow appeared at Max’s side (ATK: 1700).

“‘Skull Knight’ destroys your ‘Darkfire Soldier’,” Max commanded, as the skeletal swordsman slashed my warrior to pieces with his sword (5700+1700-2650=4750), “and my remaining monsters attack, leaving you a stone’s throw away from defeat.”

The two reapers and the shadow sprung forward, only to be repelled by a wall of flames that sprung up to protect me.

“Reveal ‘Firewall’,” I said with a smile on my face. “I remove my two ‘Darkfire Soldiers’ and my ‘Hinotama Soul’ from play to repel three direct attacks against my Life Points. Now I draw, and I activate the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’!” Max’s eyes grew wide, surprised by how easily I’d begun to turn things around. Like me, he could feel the momentum of the duel shifting.

“I knew I’d draw this card eventually,” I explained. “I just had to hold out until I did.” I drew my six cards and my smile widened, “Activate ‘Pot of Greed’, drawing two more cards from my deck.” I drew again.

“Now I summon ‘Flame Ruler’, combining him with the Spell card ‘Tribute Doll’.” A tattooed man holding flames in his hands appeared alongside a lifeless figurine pegged to a tombstone.

“I tribute ‘Flame Ruler’ and the ‘Tribute Doll’,” I explained, filling with pride, “to summon ‘Ryu-Ran’!”

A massive egg appeared. Its shell shattered, and a red dragon with short, stubby wings emerged (ATK: 2200).

“But my dragon won’t remain for long,” I said. “I activate ‘Monster Reborn’, tributing the Dragon-type ‘Ryu-Ran’ to summon the monster sent to the graveyard by ‘Reever’’s effect.”

“No,” said Max, “I had you!”

I smiled, “The key word here is ‘had’.

“Now,” I declared as ‘Ryu-Ran’ disappeared, “return to life, ‘Tyrant Dragon’!”

‘Ryu-Ran’ disappeared, and in its place, out of a vortex of fire appeared the mighty bronze dragon with the crystal in its forehead. ‘Tyrant Dragon’ spread his wings and roared (ATK: 2900).

“I activate ‘Molten Destruction’,” I declared, and a mountain appeared behind me. The peak exploded and lava ran down its sides. “This increases the Attack power of every Fire monster on the field by five hundred (‘Tyrant Dragon’: 2900+500=3400/ ‘Rigorous Reever’: 1600+500=2100).

“Attack ‘Fear from the Dark’ and ‘Spirit Reaper’,” I commanded, “with Tyrant Burst!”

Flames poured over the deadly shadow and the immortal reaper. Out of the two, only ‘Spirit Reaper’ survived (7900+1700+300-(3400x2)=3100).

“I place one card face-down,” I concluded, “and end my turn.”

“You might have managed to turn things around for the moment,” said Max, sounding uncertain for the first time since I’d met him, “but I’m still going to win. I tribute ‘Rigorous Reever’ and ‘Skull Knight’ to summon the bringer of fear, ‘Despair from the Dark’!”

The wooden reaper and the skeletal knight turned to smoke and reformed into a massive shadow that towered over the entire field (ATK: 2800).

“My ‘Despair from the Dark’ attacks ‘Tyrant Dragon’,” Max commanded. I smiled, I thought so. That means he has that card in his hand.

‘Despair from the Dark’ brandished his claws, reaching straight for the bronze dragon’s head. ‘Tyrant Dragon’ bit down on the shadow’s hand, reducing it to wisps of black smoke, and then opened his mouth wide, breathing fire that incinerated the shadow in seconds (3100+2800-3400=2500).

“From my hand,” said Max, “I activate ‘Deal with Dark Ruler’, summoning from my deck a monster that destroys all that it sees and leaves only death in its wake!” The ashes of the shadow monster took on a new form, becoming a brown skeletal dragon with tattered wings, with tufts of hair coming off of the back of its head. “That dragon is your last hope, Tucker,” said Max. “Watch in horror as it falls to my ‘Berserk Dragon’ (ATK: 3500)! Attack with ‘Berserk Flame’!”

The ‘Berserk Dragon’ inhaled, but its attack was never completed. As my opponent watched helpless, my ‘Tyrant Dragon’ shed its skin, leaving only its pure, fiery spirit behind. “I finish this duel,” I declared as my dragon rose up toward the sky, “with ‘Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai!”

My dragon exploded out like a tornado of flames, engulfing the entire field, burning Max’s monster away. The dragon took form again, sweeping over Max himself, dealing him a fatal blow (2500-2900=0)

Max said nothing. He’d never been very expressive, but it was clear that he was surprised.

“My strategy was perfect,” said Max. “I should have won easily. How did you manage to turn things around and defeat me so easily?”

“It wasn’t easy,” I said. “In fact it was one of the hardest things ever! But I knew I’d win. In this game combinations aren’t everything. An even bigger part of a Duelist’s strength is the strength of his spirit.”

“But you didn’t even use your Soul,” said Max.

“I didn’t have to,” I replied. “I knew that I could win, because I knew that my connection to my cards was strong enough. I think that that’s all our Souls ever did in a duel. They just helped strengthen a connection that was already there. And now we’ve come far enough to see those connections for ourselves.”

That’s when something truly unexpected happened. Max, still stoic and unexpressive, stepped forward and shook my hand. “Thank you,” he said. “I would have left after our last team meeting, back at the mall, but I was holding out for the chance to fight one last truly exciting duel. You gave me that, and I’ll become all the stronger for it.”

Then without another word to me, Max turned toward one of the many cameras, addressing the others who were watching on the big screen inside the competitors’ box and said, “Hey guys! I’m going now. Next time we see each other, let me know who won this thing! And thanks for all the great duels!”

Max’s Soul glowed, as the others, having heard his speech, stepped out of the waiting room and ran out onto the stadium floor. By the time they had all reached the suspended arena, all that was left of Max was a puff of smoke.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nine]

The Forest vs. The Wind


John


I stepped out of the waiting room and onto the stadium floor just in time to see Max turn into smoke and shoot into the air. I was a little shocked by Max’s recklessness. Not everyone in the audience would think that this latest display was yet another special effect. Some of them would know enough about shadow magic to understand at least some of what was going on. I could only hope that none of them would give us any trouble. The rest of them would, of course, have no idea what was happening, but I did. I knew that Max had gone to pursue his chosen future. He had gone to fight the darkness that was still threatening the world, and to ultimately find his lost friend, Randy.

I nodded in the direction of his departure, Good luck.

“Well that was weird,” said Sarah. “Too bad, too. I was hoping for a rematch against him.”

“You’ll get it someday,” I assured her. “He never said it, but Max respected all of us and considered us all to be worthy opponents. I think he even considered us to be his friends”

“Alright!” said the announcer, excitement in his voice, “after another amazing display of visual effects, no doubt courtesy of our host, Kaiba Corporation, it’s time for our next match, Jen, the Duel Force’s resident strategist vs. the naturally talented Amanda. Both Duelists, please take your positions.”

“Here we go,” said Jen nervously. She walked briskly toward the closer end of the platform, Amanda close behind.


Jen


I stepped onto the duel platform across from Amanda. To be honest, as a Duelist Amanda scares me. She doesn’t know too much about the cards in the game as a whole, but her deck is expertly designed to neutralize her opponent’s every combo. In other words, she doesn’t have to know much about any other cards than her own. Every Duelist she’d ever faced had been crushed in less than five turns.

I won’t let her be so reckless, I thought. I’ll force her to go slow, and then I’ll attack once she doesn’t have any defenses left.

“I’m getting kinda bored, so I’m gonna start,” said Amanda. “I summon ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ and place three cards face-down.” A boy in brown rags appeared, riding the wind itself (ATK: 1500).

Interesting. I think I might know what she’s planning.

“I draw,” I said, “and summon ‘Chainsaw Insect’.” A large beetle with massive chainsaw pinchers appeared (ATK: 2400). “I’ll also place one card face-down and I attack ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’.”

‘Chainsaw Insect’ slashed prodigy in half with ease (8000+1500-2400=7100). “Whenever ‘Chainsaw Insect’ battles,” I explained, “my opponent draws one card.” Amanda drew her card. Then she drew a second card, beginning her turn.

“I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’,” my opponent declared, “reviving the ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ that you destroyed. And by using ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’’s effect, treating it as two tributes for the summon of a level seven or higher Wind monster, I tribute ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ for the powerful ‘Simorgh, Bird of Divinity’.” ‘Prodigy’ disappeared in a burst of emerald wind, and was replaced by a huge green bird with gleaming emerald wings, decorated with tassels and jewels (ATK: 2700). Also, because the monster that was revived with ‘Call of the Haunted’ was tributed, not destroyed, my ‘Call of the Haunted’ card remains of the field. Now I reveal ‘Double Summon’, letting me summon ‘Sonic Shooter’,” A bird man with purple feathers appeared (ATK: 1300), “and finally I activate ‘Giant Trunade’, returning all Spell and Trap cards on the field to our hands, including my inactive ‘Call of the Haunted’.”

As a mighty wind storm picked up, lifting the holograms of mine and Amanda’s cards into the air, I couldn’t help but marvel at how easily she’d gained the upper hand. I felt lucky that Amanda didn’t have a better understanding of the game than she did.

“Now I attack ‘Chainsaw Insect’ with ‘Simorgh’,” Amanda commanded. ‘Simorgh’ flapped his wings, creating a blade made of wind that curved through the air, cutting my insect in half long ways (8000+2400-2700=7700). Amanda got to draw another card. “Now,” she said, “I attack directly with ‘Sonic Shooter’.” The bird man shot past me at the speed of sound, tearing at me with the slipstream that followed behind him (7700-1300=6400).

“Finally,” said Amanda, “I set two cards, and I end my turn. This allows ‘Simorgh’ to activate his effect. He attacks both players for one thousand damage, but each player is protected from a portion of the damage based on how many spell and trap cards they control.” ‘Simorgh’ flapped his wings, summoning up a whirlwind. The holograms of Amanda’s two face-down cards rose up, completely shielding her from harm. I, however, was hit for the full one thousand damage (6400-1000=5400).

Alright, I can recover from this, I thought. I’m behind on monsters and Life Points, but I have my ultimate weapon sleeping right here in my hand. I still have a chance, and a good one at that.

“I place a card face-down,” I began.

“Reveal,” Amanda declared, “the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’.” A high pressure burst of wind tore the hologram of my newest card to shreds.

“I thought so,” I said, filling with pride. “You’re good, Amanda, but your lack of knowledge means that most of what you do is simply a quick, blind reaction. You used up a great Spell because you saw an opportunity, not because it was necessary, and now that you’ve used up that card, I can summon ‘Larva Moth’ and treat ‘Cocoon of Evolution’ in my hand as a Spell card, equipping it to my monster, beginning its evolutionary process, and I can do so without worrying that the ‘Cocoon’ will be destroyed too early.” A green worm-like creature appeared, surrounding himself in webbing (DEF: 2000).

“Now I equip ‘Heart of Clear Water’.” I declared. A protective bubble appeared around the cocoon. It had the power to protect the cocoon from battle damage, and from Spell card effects, but I didn’t say that, hoping to use Amanda’s lack of knowledge to my advantage.

“Finally I set one card,” I concluded, “and I end my turn.”

‘Simorgh’ attacked again, but this time I was protected, and Amanda, with only one card, took a hit (7100-500=6600).

“I draw,” said Amanda, ignoring the damage that she’d just taken completely, “and I activate ‘Rising Air Current’, increasing the attack of every Wind monster in play by five hundred, and lowering the defense of every Wind monster by four hundred (‘Simorgh’’s ATK: 3200). I change ‘Sonic Shooter’ to defense mode (DEF: 200).

“Then it’s my turn,” I declared. “In my Standby Phase I activate ‘Accelerated Evolution’, speeding up time around my ‘Cocoon’ for the equivalent of one turn.”

“I have no clue what that means,” Amanda replied casually.

“You will,” I replied, looking over my hand. “Next I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards, and I activate one of the cards I just drew, ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.” Even though I’d just drawn two cards, I took a second to draw again.

“Now I set three cards and end my turn.”

“I remove ‘Whirlwind Prodigy’ in my Graveyard from play,” declared Amanda, again not missing a beat, “to Special Summon ‘Silpheed’.” A green-haired man appeared, wearing a silvery white suite and carrying a staff (ATK: 1700). “Next I sacrifice ‘Silpheed’ and ‘Sonic Shooter’ for ‘Storm Shooter’.” A bird man largely identical to ‘Sonic Shooter’, except that it had mostly yellow feathers, replaced the weaker monster (ATK: 2300+500=2800).

“Once per turn I can either move ‘Storm Shooter’ over one monster zone,” Amanda explained, “or I can return a card directly in front of him to my opponent’s hand. A card like ‘Heart of Clear Water’. I activate my monster’s effect, Air Burst!”

Crap, I thought, she knew the power of ‘Heart of Clear Water’ after all.

“Then I’ll counter with the Trap card ‘Divine Wrath’,” I announced, “discarding ‘Great Moth’ to negate your monster’s effect and then destroy it.” A lightning bolt struck the bird man, vaporizing it.

“Then I set a card,” said Amanda, still absolutely calm.

“Then it’s time for the final move,” I said. “I draw and activate a second ‘Accelerated Evolution’.”

“I chain,” said Amanda, “my ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive ‘Storm Shooter’ from the Graveyard.” I smiled as the bird man reappeared. Like I thought, she didn’t realize the power of my ‘Evolution’ card and she underestimated my strategy. But that slip-up will mean my victory!

“Since ‘Larva Moth’ was already two turns into its evolution when I equipped it with my ‘Cocoon’, two turns have passed, and I’ve moved the turn count forward another two with my ‘Accelerated Evolutions’,” I declared, “I can tribute ‘Larva Moth’ and ‘Cocoon of Evolution’ to summon my most powerful monster, the ‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’!”

The ‘Cocoon’, which had been growing steadily since it had formed and now towered above the field, split open, revealing a huge moth with brilliant blue and orange wings that unrolled as the moth emerged (ATK: 3500).

“Now,” I said, “I replace ‘Rising Air Current’ with the Field Spell card ‘Gaia Power’.” The wind died down, and a huge tree grew behind me, reaching a height of at least eighty feet, gleaming in the sun (‘Simorgh’: 2700/’Storm Shooter’: 2300/’Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’: 3500+500=4000).

“I equip ‘Great Moth’,” I continued, “with ‘Megamorph’ and ‘Insect Armor with Laser Cannon’, increasing its power further.” A ring of light appeared below my ‘Moth’, and it doubled in size (ATK: 7500), and a cannon appeared to either side of its head (ATK: 7500+700=8200).”

“Finally,” I concluded, “I reveal my Trap card, ‘Shadow Spell’.” The ‘Storm Shooter’’s shadow took form, becoming chains that bound the monster, sapping its strength (2300-700=1600).

“‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’,” I commanded, “attack ‘Storm Shooter’, Great Hurricane!”

“‘Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth’ flapped its wings, summoning up a tornado that tore the bird man apart. The tornado carried through, hitting Amanda so hard that, hologram or not, the force was enough to knock her off of her feet (6600+1600-8200 =0).

“You did great,” I told Amanda as I helped her to her feet, our monsters fading away, “but because you didn’t know the power of my cards, particularly ‘Accelerated Evolution’, you were caught off guard. You summoned ‘Storm Shooter’ back from the Graveyard during my turn, where if you’d waited to summon him during your turn, you’d have survived my attack, and you would have been able to render my monster powerless by returning it to my hand. You need to learn a little more about the cards in the game, and then you’ll be great.”

“It’s okay,” said Amanda. “I had fun either way.” She jumped down from the still-lowering stadium and skipped her way back to the waiting room to watch the rest of the tournament.

“And that concludes another spectacular duel!” said the announcer. “Now get ready for the next one, the Duel Force leader John vs. stone cold Duelist Rocky!”

That one’s gonna be good, I thought.

I stepped down from the platform and walked back to the waiting room, passing Hiro on the way. He was leaning against the outside wall, looking out at the stadium floor. I glanced into his eyes, and I knew that I would have to face him today.

Alright then, I thought, when you and I fight, I’ll use all of my power. Be careful Hiro, because I’m coming for you![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Ten]

Deck of Stone, and the Ultimate Angels


John


Next up was me and Rocky. I’d dueled Rocky once before, but I’d felt then that he’d been holding something back without even realizing it. However he’d recently shown that his deck had undergone a drastic series of modifications, and that his real power was beginning to shine through. I was looking forward to fighting him again, and maybe seeing a bit of that power, the power that he’d already used to defeat my rival, Christopher.

I looked over at rocky and asked, “You ready for this?” He nodded, and we stepped out onto the stadium floor, making our way toward the platform. As it lifted up into the air I looked Rocky in the eyes and said, “No holding back.”

Rocky smiled, “Don’t worry. I’m looking forward to this duel too much to restrain myself.”

Rocky activated his Duel Disk. Mine, being the non-transforming Dark Disk, was already online. “I’ll start things off,” Rocky declared. He took a deep breath and said, “I begin with ‘Painful Choice’, which lets me choose five cards from my deck and reveal them. Then you choose one for me to keep, and I discard the rest.”

He chose five cards and placed them on his Duel Disk. Holograms of the five cards appeared in the air above Rocky’s head, revealing the chosen cards as the magnet warriors, ‘Alpha’, ‘Beta’, and ‘Gamma’, and two copies of the “magnet monster” ‘Valkyrion the Magna Warrior’.

“Add ‘Alpha the Magnet Warrior’ to your hand,” I said. Rocky told me once that he only has two copies of ‘Valkyrion’, and I doubt that he’d change the ratio of his deck by adding another even if he had one, so if this is some strategy designed to summon ‘Valkyrion’, why would he give me the chance to send both copies to the Graveyard? What is he planning?

“In that case,” said Rocky, “I activate ‘Monster Reincarnation’, discarding ‘Stone Dragon’ to return ‘Valkyrion’ in my Graveyard to my hand. Next I activate ‘Dark Factory of Mass Production’, returning the other two ‘Magnet Warriors’ to my hand as well.”

“So it didn’t matter which of the five cards I chose,” I said, wearing an impressed smile.

“Exactly,” Rocky agreed, beaming with confidence. “Now,” he continued, “I discard ‘Alpha the Magnet Warrior’, ‘Beta the Magnet Warrior’, and ‘Gamma the Magnet Warrior’ to summon ‘Valkyrion the Magna Warrior’!” The three magnet monsters appeared, separating into their many components, and then combining into the mighty ‘Valkyrion’ (ATK: 3500).

“Now, finally,” said Rocky, “I play ‘Soul Absorption’. That way if you try to use your ‘Dimension Tactics’ I’ll reap the benefits.”

“That only means that you’ll lose more slowly,” I said. “I draw, and I activate my own ‘Painful Choice’, selecting my own ‘Magnet Monsters’, ‘V – Tiger Jet’, ‘W – Winged Catapult’, ‘X – Head Cannon’, ‘Y – Dragon Head’, and ‘Z – Metal Tank’.”

I placed the five cards on my Dark Disk, and holograms of them appeared above me. Rocky looked them over and then commanded, “Add ‘W’ to your hand.”

I smiled, Just like I thought.

“I activate ‘Soul Release’,” I declared, “removing ‘V’, ‘X’, ‘Y’, and ‘Z’ in my Graveyard from play-.”

“And triggering ‘Soul Absorption’,” Rocky cut in (8000+2000=10,000).

“Also,” I continued, “I activate ‘Dimension Fusion’, paying two thousand Life Points to summon every monster that I have removed from play (8000-2000=6000).” A swirling vortex opened above me, bridging the gap between our dimension and the Different Dimension, and four robots descended from it. ‘X’ was a torso sitting atop a spiked orb with cannons on his shoulders (ATK: 1800), ‘Y’ was a small red metallic dragon (ATK: 1500), ‘Z’ was a small robotic tank with a stalk eye and cannons above its treads (ATK: 1500), and ‘V’ was a green and yellow robotic jet with the head and legs of a tiger (ATK: 1600).

“Next I summon ‘W – Winged Catapult’,” I declared. A boxy platform with short wings and equipped with missile launchers appeared alongside the others (ATK: 1300).

“I can remove my monster from play to create many variable combinations, so I remove ‘X’, ‘Y’, and ‘Z’ from play to combine them into ‘XYZ – Dragon Cannon’.” A panel on ‘Y’’s back opened, and ‘X’’s base settled into it. Then ‘Y’’s wings fell away, and it settled onto the back of the ‘Z –Metal Tank’ (ATK: 2800/Rocky’s Life Points: 10,000 +1500=11,500).

“Now I activate ‘Pot of Greed’,” I announced, “to draw two cards.” I pulled the top two cards from my deck and examined them, smiling, These are just what I needed.

“I discard ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ and ‘Summoned Skull’ to activate ‘XYZ – Dragon Cannon’’s effect, destroying two cards on the field.” ‘XYZ’ fired his cannons twice, hitting and destroying ‘Soul Absorption’ and ‘Valkyrion’. I could tell from Rocky’s expression as well as from his silence that his former confidence was beginning to waver.

“Next,” I continued, “I combine ‘V’ and ‘W’ into ‘VW – Tiger Catapult’.” ‘V’ connected to the back of the ‘Winged Catapult’ (ATK: 2000), “and then I combine it together with my first combination monster into the most powerful machine monster ever made.” The five component monsters separated and then recombined into a tall, powerful-looking winged mech brimming with weapons. “Behold, ‘VWXYZ – Dragon Catapult Cannon’ (ATK: 3000)!

“I attack directly with my monster,” I declared, “Cannon Firestorm!” The mech took aim and fired, scoring a direct hit (11,500-3000=8500).

“Activate,” I continued, “the Spell card ‘Dimension Explosion’, returning ‘VWXYZ – Dragon Catapult Cannon’ to the Fusion Deck,” the monster split apart again, “and summoning back to the field my ‘VW –Tiger Catapult’ and ‘XYZ – Dragon Cannon’,” the parts combined once again into the two monsters (ATK: 2800/ATK: 2000).

“Cannon Firestorm!” I called, and ‘XYZ’ fired its cannons. “Missile Barrage!” I commanded, and ‘VW’ released a barrage of missiles from the launchers on his back (8500-2800-2000=3700).

“Finally,” I said, “I end my turn by removing my monsters from play, creating my ultimate machine for the second time.” The two machines separated into five and then combined once again into one (ATK: 3000).

“Good,” said Rocky, “but not good enough. I remove two ‘Valkyrions’, ‘Stone Dragon’, and all three ‘Magnet Warriors’ in my Graveyard from play to summon ‘Megarock Dragon’.” The stony rubble of the six monsters appeared and rose into the air, merging into a massive form of living stone that closely resembled a dragon without wings. “My ‘Megarock’ has attack points equal to seven hundred times the number of monsters that I removed from play,” Rocky explained, and the dragon roared (ATK: 700x6=4200). It roared again, bellowing deeply, and chomped the mech, crushing its head and torso between the dragons stony teeth (6000+3000-4200=4800).

“Too little too late,” I countered. “’Monster Reborn’ restores my machine monster to its undamaged form,” the mech reappeared, as good as new, illuminated by the light of my Spell. “I can use my monster’s ability to remove your monster from play,” ‘VWXYZ’ summoned energy into his hands and released it. It expanded around the much larger dragon, pulling it out of play.

“I tribute ‘VWXYZ’ to summon my favorite monster,” I declared, “‘The Fiend Megacyber’!” the mech disappeared, replaced by the yellow warrior (ATK: 2200). “I also equip my monster with my final card, the Spell card ‘Assault Armor’ (ATK: 2200+300 =2500). As my monster was surrounded by a gleaming aura, I could see in Rocky’s eyes that he knew as well as I did that the duel was over.

“I send ‘Assault Armor’ to the Graveyard,” I concluded, “to give my monster the power to attack twice this turn.” The aura around my monster flared up, and he rose up above the ground. “Finish it,” I commanded, “with Megacyber Impact!”

‘Fiend Megacyber’ launched forward, punching Rocky in the gut, hanging in the air. His aura shattered like glass, propelling him into a midair spin. He spun around and swung his leg out wide, kicking rocky in the side (3800-2200-2200=0). Before my monster even touched the ground, he faded away, signifying that the duel had come to an end.

I let out a deep breath and said, “That was intense! Honestly I didn’t expect you to do so well.” I looked into Rocky’s eyes, “You really weren’t holding back, were you?”

Rocky only smiled.


Kimi


My duel was up next. It was me against Hiro. I knew that my chances of winning this one were slim, and I wanted to get it over with. My opponent must have felt the same way, because neither of us wasted any time. Without even waiting for the announcer to speak, we made our way out onto the floor and up onto the platform. I heard the announcer introduce us, but I didn’t pay attention. I wanted to focus completely on the task at hand. I usually don’t care much weather I win or lose, and I tend to take things lightly, but against an opponent as impressive as Hiro, I wanted to at least make a good show of things. The duel platform rose into the air, and we began.

“I’ll move first,” I said. “I’ve been wanting to see which of us has the better Light deck, and I’m too anxious to wait.”

“Fine by me,” said Hiro. “I have patience enough for both of us.”

I scowled at the mild insult, chose a card from my hand, and placed it on my Duel Disk, “I summon ‘Agent of Creation – Venus’.” A female angel with long, flowing hair wearing a long brown dress appeared (ATK: 1600). “I also play a Field Spell card, ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’. While ‘Sanctuary’ is on the field neither of us takes damage from battle involving our own Fairy monsters.” The ground around us was disguised as clouds, and the ‘Sanctuary’ appeared behind me.

“Next I pay fifteen hundred Life Points (8000-1500=6500),” I declared, “to activate my ‘Venus’’ effect, summoning forth three ‘Mystic Shine Ball’ monsters from my deck.” Three shining glass orbs appeared, floating in a circle around the angel’s head (ATK: 500 (each)).

“I set two cards face-down,” I concluded, smiling brightly, “and that’s all for now.”

Hiro ran his fingers casually through his hair before drawing the last card of his opening hand. He looked over his hand for at least a minute before finally choosing a card, declaring, “I summon my ‘Royal Knight’.” A ceramic-bodied angelic knight appeared. His joints were made of a gray-blue crystal (ATK: 1300). “I place three cards face-down, and I end my turn.”

I smiled. It looks like he’s using the same strategy as before. If that’s the case then this shouldn’t be a problem. “Here goes,” I said. “I draw-.”

“During the Standby Phase,” Hiro cut in, “I activate the Continuous Trap card ‘Synthetic Seraphim’. Now, whenever a Counter Trap is activated, I summon a ‘Seraphim Token’ to the field.”

“I chain,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Solar Ray’. Each of my monsters attacks you for six hundred points of damage.”

“Then I counter with ‘Solemn Judgment’,” Hiro announced, “paying half of my Life Points to negate your Trap and destroy it (8000/2=4000)," the hologram of my Trap shattered like glass. “This also allows me to summon a ‘Seraphim Token’,” Hiro continued as a small mechanical-looking ceramic angel appeared (ATK: 300).

I smiled, Now I’ve got you.

“Reveal,” I declared, “my key card, the ‘Aegis of Gaia’! While this card is face-up on my field, my Life Points are reinforced by three thousand (6500+3000=9500). Next I tribute ‘Mystic Shine Ball’ to summon ‘Agent of Judgment – Saturn’! Because my Life Points are more than double yours, and because ‘Sanctuary’ is on the field, all I have to do is tribute this monster to erase you with his Light of Burning Judgment.” As I spoke the blue-skinned warrior angel appeared behind me, wreathed in light. The light began to grown brighter. Beside me stood the ghostly goddess, the Spirit of Protection.

“Do you really think that you can pass judgment on me?” Hiro asked, sounding amused, a slight smile playing across his lips.

“Yes,” I said frankly, “I do.”

“Well,” Hiro assured me, “you’re wrong. Reveal, the Counter Trap card ‘Forced Back’, returning your monster to your hand.” As he spoke, my monster turned into an orb of light and disappeared, and another ‘Token’ appeared instead. “Because a Counter Trap resolved,” Hiro continued, “I can tribute all of my monsters to summon the true agent of judgment, ‘Voltanis the Adjudicator’.”

‘Royal Knight’ and the two ‘Seraphim Tokens’ disappeared in bursts of lightning that poured into the clouds above, turning them dark. Lightning struck the ground three times in three different nearby places before Hiro’s creature was finally revealed. It descended from the cloud above like a god from the heavens. It was an impressively large violet ceramic angel, its lower body and its many joints made of glassy blue crystal. It had no legs, and long, broad wings that floated independent from its body, and it carried a wicked-looking staff (ATK: 2800).

“When ‘Voltanis’ is Special Summoned by his own effect,” Hiro explained, “he summons lightning from the heavens to pass judgment on as many monsters as I used as a tribute in his summoning.” ‘Voltanis’ raised his staff to the sky, and a bolt of lightning struck his staff. It split into three, hitting my monsters and vaporizing them.

“Now I play ‘Pot of Greed’,” Hiro declared. He was obviously looking to draw either one or two specific cards, and yet he seemed unconcerned regarding the outcome. I noticed his Soul flash just before he drew. When he saw his newest cards he smiled, if only slightly.

“I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’,” Hiro declared, “to remove the rather annoying Spirit of Protection.” A burst of wind swept by me, sweeping the Spirit away, reducing my Life Points to what they’d been before she had appeared (9500-3000 =6500).

“Finally,” Hiro continued, “I summon ‘Majestic Mech – Senku,” A white ceramic angel with broad wings appeared (ATK: 1000). “Next I equip ‘Voltanis’ with the Spell card ‘Megamorph’, doubling his size and strength,” The already intimidating angel grew even larger, his power rising (ATK: 2800x2=5600).

“‘Senku’ attacks,” said Hiro, as the ceramic angel summoned a burst of light into his fist, throwing it at me, hitting me in the chest (6500-1000=5500), “and ‘Voltanis’ finishes it.” The massive judge raised his staff, summoning a bolt of lightning that hit me, bringing me to my knees (5500-5600=0).


John


I couldn’t help but marvel at Hiro’s power. Ever since I’d used the power of the Soul to cast him out the same way that Blackheart had a year ago, sending him to find a power all his own and then return as my greatest opponent, I’d wondered how powerful he would become. I’d seen his new deck a couple times now, and I was sure of one thing: his deck was more powerful than mine.

I promised myself that I wouldn’t use Destiny Draw anymore, I thought, but Hiro didn’t. I have a weaker deck, and I won’t use my powers. If I even make it in the tournament long enough to face Hiro, it’s going to be an intense one. If I make it. There are two rounds left. I might have to duel either Jen or Tucker in the next round, and to be honest, either one of them could beat me easily with a little luck.

Hiro and Kimi reached the doorway back into the waiting room. I was outside, standing against the wall where Hiro had been earlier. Hiro stepped up beside me and leaned back against the wall, his arms crossed.

“Well played,” I said, trying to hide the fact that I was impressed while still paying a compliment.

“Yeah,” Hiro replied, less than enthusiastically.

“What’s wrong?”

He hesitated, and then he finally said, “I was put into a difficult situation in that duel. I was worried that if Kimi made it another turn, I’d lose, so I used Destiny Draw to make sure I wouldn’t, and it felt wrong. I don’t think it’s right to use a power like Destiny Draw in everyday situations.”

“Then don’t use Destiny Draw again this tournament,” I told him frankly, a bit relieved that Hiro felt the same way I did.

“But I’m not sure I can win without Destiny Draw,” he said, “especially against Duelists as powerful as you, Jen or Tucker.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that one. “I was just thinking the same thing,” I said. “I was wondering if I could beat you without Destiny Draw.”

We both laughed at the coincidence.

“Well, regardless of the opponent or the situation,” Hiro said, “I’ve used Destiny Draw for the last time in this tournament.”

He walked around the corner, stepping through the doorway. “See you in the finals,” he said, just as he stepped out of sight.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eleven]

The Forest vs. the Heavens


Jen


“Get ready,” the announcer called over the speakers once the short (and uneventful) break between rounds had ended, “because the first semi-final duel is about to start! For the semi-finals the pairings have been made using our computer to ensure complete randomization. And the computer has made its first pairing; Jen the Forest Duelist against Hiro, the mysterious Duelist with the Judgment Deck! We’ve seen both of these Duelists pull off some amazing combos today, and I can’t help but wonder, what combos will they use against each other?”

The crowd cheered.

I knew I’d end up facing Hiro, I thought. Just as well. This is the perfect chance to prove just how good I am.

Hiro was already halfway to the duel platform when I stepped through the doorway and onto the stadium floor. By the time I reached the platform, Hiro was already there waiting.

“Do you care who goes first?” I asked. Hiro shook his head. “Good,” I said, “then I’ll go.” I drew my opening hand, Well, I guess this will have to do.

“I summon ‘Pinch Hopper’ in defense mode,” I declared, “and place a card face-down.” A grasshopper the size of a large dog appeared next to the hologram of my face-down card (DEF: 1200).

“Then I’ll summon my ‘Royal Knight’,” said Hiro, the angelic knight from Hiro’s last duel appeared at its master’s side, his sword raised (ATK: 1300). “My monster destroys your ‘Hopper’,” Hiro declared, and the knight slashed, cutting my ‘Hopper’ in half. “This activates my monster’s effect,” Hiro explained, “increasing my Life Points by an amount equal to the destroyed monster’s Defense (8000+1200=9200).”

“It also triggers my ‘Hopper’’s effect,” I said, “letting me summon any Insect monster from my hand. I choose ‘Petit Moth’!” A pale green worm appeared (DEF: 200).

Hiro stifled a laugh, “Really, is that the best you can do?”

I smiled a confident smile that would have made my cousin proud, “I know what I’m doing.”

But the truth was, I hadn’t drawn any stronger monsters. ‘Petit Moth’ really was the best I had.

“I end my turn,” Hiro declared, “with two face-down cards.”

“Then I reveal,” I countered, “the Spell card ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, summoning up a powerful gust strong enough to destroy the face-down card on your right.”

A bust of wind tore at the face-down card. Come on, I thought, hit a Counter Trap. The card was torn apart, a moment after it was revealed as the Counter Trap card ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’. I smiled.

“Now,” I continued, “I activate the Spell card ‘Smashing Ground’, destroying you monster.” A hologram of my Spell card appeared, and a ring of light appeared below it.

“Reveal,” said Hiro, “the Counter Trap ‘Magic Jammer’, discarding one card to negate and destroy your Spell card.” He sent a card to the Graveyard, and the ring flashed, causing my Spell card to fade into the light and disappear.

“Good,” I said. “I managed to clear away your Traps with my decoys. That means I can play ‘Insect Imitation’, tributing my ‘Petit Moth’ to summon another Insect in face-down defense position.” My ‘Petit Moth’ disappeared, and a hologram of a face-down card turned sideways appeared on my field in its place.

“I set another card,” I concluded, “and end my move.”

Hiro drew his next card. “I tribute ‘Royal Knight’,” He declared, “to summon ‘Majestic Mech – Ohka’.” The beast-like mech angel appeared in place of Hiro’s knight, letting loose a mighty roar (ATK: 2400).

“‘Ohka’,” Hiro commanded in a matter-of-fact tone, “Attack the face-down monster.”

‘Ohka’ raised his claws, but his strike was repelled by an energy field, summoned up by a trio of priests in blue robes.

“‘Woboku’ protects my monster from battle damage this turn,” I explained, “but my monster is still flipped up, revealing it as the deadly ‘Parasite Paraside’.”

A green, many-legged, multi-tentacled insect appeared, emitting a hissing sound.

“When ‘Parasite Paraside’ is flipped face-up it’s added to my opponent’s deck face-up. Then when my opponent draws it, it’s Special Summoned to their field, infecting their monsters.”

There was a flash of green light, and the hologram of ‘Parasite Paraside’ disappeared. I picked up the card, walked over and handed it to Hiro. He set it on top of his deck and then removed his deck from his Duel Disk, ready to shuffle.

“Don’t bother with that,” I said, smiling. I drew a card to begin my turn, and I took another card from my hand, showing it to Hiro. “My ‘Jade Insect Whistle’ forces you to add an Insect monster from your deck to the top of your deck, and I figure that ‘Parasite Paraside’ is the only one. I’ll also activate ‘Insect Barrier’, for when ‘Paraside’’s effect kicks in next turn.”

I turned to walk back to my side of the arena. As I passed half way, a mesh of yellow threads made of light rose up between me and my opponent. I turned to face him, crossing my arms, displaying unwavering confidence, but I knew that my combo wasn’t as fool proof as I was making it sound. I still had a ways to go, but I had no choice but to feign confidence. If I didn’t, my opponent would run me over.

Hiro drew, adding the ‘Parasite Paraside’ card to his hand. “The effect of ‘Parasite Paraside’ activates,” he said. “It’s Special Summoned to my side of the field, and I take one thousand points of damage (9200-1000=8200).”

“Don’t forget,” I added, as the bizarre insect appeared again under my opponent’s control, “that my ‘Parasite Paraside’ infects your monsters with Insect-type DNA.” ‘Paraside’’s tentacles reached out, sliding under ‘Ohka’’s ceramic armor, and from the crystal underneath the armor ‘Ohka’ sprouted insect legs and tentacles of its own.

“Your plan is good,” said Hiro. “Trying to stall by turning my monster’s into Insect-types with ‘Paraside’’s effect and then putting up an ‘Insect Barrier’ is really good, but it’s not nearly good enough. I tribute ‘Majestic Mech – Ohka’ and ‘Parasite Paraside’ to summon the unstoppable ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’!”

The two monsters were replaced by the massive angelic dragon. The gaps between his body segments emitted a bright light, and he roared (ATK: 2900).

I’m out of stall tactics, I thought as the mighty beast loomed overhead. But this is the monster I wanted to fight. Out of all the monsters that Hiro’s summoned so far today, this one’s the strongest.

“‘Goryu’,” Hiro commanded, “attack!” The dragon’s mouth glowed, and it breathed light down on me, tearing through the mesh of yellow strands and hitting me square in the chest (8000-2900=5100).

“Now,” said Hiro, “I play ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.”

We refilled our hands. Hiro looked over his cards and said, “I end my turn.”

I’d drawn, but I hadn’t looked at my cards yet. I closed my eyes, contemplating what to do next.


John


This is it, I thought. I’ve known Jen my entire life. She’s my cousin, but she’s also one of my closest friends. I know she can do better than this. In Duel Monsters or in real life, Jen’s strong. I want to see just how strong with my own eyes.

I could tell that Jen was debating whether or not to look at her hand. She’d been excited to face Hiro, but ‘Goryu’ is one of the strongest monsters in the game. Even from my place just outside the waiting room, I could tell how hopeless she felt.

Come on Jen, I thought. If anyone can defeat Hiro, you can.

She opened her eyes, and she looked over at me, looking into my eyes as if she could feel my encouragement. I nodded, and she smiled and nodded back.


Jen


Things were looking bad. I was thinking of giving up when I felt a wave of confidence washing over me. I looked back toward the waiting room. John was standing there, watching. I respect my cousin. No matter what, I can’t stand to let him down. He nodded to me, and I knew that I had to keep trying. I nodded back, and turned back to opponent.

“Alright Hiro,” I said, “I may have had some pretty bad luck so far, but that’s about to change!” I turned over my hand and looked at the seven cards, and I smiled.

Now that’s what I’m talking about!

“I might not win,” I said, “and frankly, I never really expected that I would. But ever since I saw this dragon of yours, I’ve wanted to fight it, to prove that I’m at least near your level. So I’m gonna put up one hell of a fight!”

I ejected three cards from my Graveyard and placed them in my pocket.

“I remove ‘Pinch Hopper’, ‘Petit Moth’ and ‘Parasite Paraside’ from play,” I declared, “to summon ‘Doom Dozer’ and ‘Aztekipede the Worm Warrior’!”

To either side of me the ground opened up, and two massive centipedes emerged. One was red, and the other was green. Both had Aztec-style markings carved into the shell segments on their backs (ATK: 2800/ATK: 1900).

My monsters roared, emitting a hissing sound, and I crossed my arms in defiance. “Get ready Hiro,” I said, “because here I come!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]

The Erasing Light


“Impressive,” said Hiro. “Not many Duelists can summon one powerful monster in just one turn, let alone two. But as powerful as they are, they can’t defeat my ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’.” Behind him, the massive snake-like ceramic dragon shuffled its wings and roared.

“They’re not strong enough yet,” I said, “but I have another card to play.” The Field Spell slot in the end of my Duel Disk slid open, and I placed a card in it. The ground behind me split open, and a massive tree sprouted from the ground, growing until it towered over everything else on the field. “I activate ‘Gaia Power’,” I declared, “boosting the power of my monsters by five hundred each.” Light shone from the tree, and the worms hissed fiercely (Doom Dozer: 2800+500=3300/Aztekipede: 1900 +500=2400).

“‘Doom Dozer’,” I commanded, “destroy ‘Goryu’!” The massive worm reached forward and crushed the mighty dragon’s midsection with its mandibles. The dragon’s crystalline ceramic body shattered (8200+2900-3300=7800).

“Next I attack with ‘Aztekipede’ directly.” The green worm struck, dealing a full twenty-four hundred points of damage (7800-2400=5400).

“Also,” I explained, “the player that took damage from my monsters discards the top two cards of his deck.”

Hiro smiled an impressed smile, and sent the top two cards from his deck to his Graveyard.

“I place two cards face-down,” I declared, my confidence swiftly returning. “I have complete control of the field now. Just try to come back from this.”

“Don’t worry,” said Hiro in a tone that drained my confidence away once again, “I will.”

He drew and declared, “I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’, destroying the tree.” I massive cyclonic gust rose up, tearing the ‘Gaia Power’ to splinters. The Attack of my monsters fell back to their original values.

“Next,” said Hiro, “I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive my ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’.”

A glowing red ankh appeared, rising into the air behind Hiro. It spread out until it was nothing but an intense red light which then became the mighty angelic dragon (ATK: 2900).

“It won’t matter,” I said, “because I have a couple of cards prepared for just this type of situation. ‘Zero Gravity’ changes your monster to defense mode, triggering my ‘Tragedy’ card, destroying every defense position monster that you control.”

“‘Zero Gravity’ is of no consequence,” Hiro countered, “but I won’t let ‘Tragedy’ resolve.”

“How do you plan to stop it,” I asked, “with your imaginary Trap card?”

“No,” Hiro replied, “I plan to stop it with a card from my hand, the ‘Herald of Purple Light’. I discard him and another Fairy monster to negate the activation of a Trap card and destroy it.” A small spherical mech-angel made of white and purple crystal appeared, a bright light emanating from it. The light flashed, and both the ‘Herald’ and the hologram of my Trap card disappeared.

“You really should have destroyed my ‘Zero Gravity’ card,” I taunted, “because now I can destroy your dragon again next turn.”

Hiro ignored me, “I place one card face-down and end my turn.”

I drew a card, Alright, I have everything I need to win. I’m going to win! I’m going to beat Hiro!

“It’s time I finished this,” I said. “I summon ‘Insect Knight’.”

A tall, slender insect appeared, standing on his rearmost four legs. His front two legs were very much like arms with human hands, and in them he carried a sword and a shield (ATK: 1900).

“Next I equip ‘Doom Dozer’ with the spell card ‘Insect Armor with Laser Cannon’, boosting his Attack power by seven hundred.” A cannon appeared on the massive worm’s head, held in place by several straps (ATK: 2800+700=3500).

“Now I attack with ‘Insect Knight’,” I commanded. “Slay the dragon (DEF: 0)!”

‘Insect Knight’ jumped up and swung his sword, splitting the dragon in half.

“And I finish it,” I declared, “with ‘Doom Dozer’ and ‘Aztekipede the Worm Warrior’!”

My ‘Doom Dozer’ struck first, but his attack was intercepted by the appearance of the ‘Majestic Mech – Senku’.

“Reveal,” Hiro declared as ‘Doom Dozer’ crushed the human-sized angel under his incredible weight, “the Spell card ‘Celestial Transformation’, summoning a Fairy from my hand.”

“Then I’ll have to settle for only one direct attack,” I said. “‘Aztekipede’, go.”

“I don’t think so,” said Hiro. “I let you destroy my two monsters so that I could summon an even more powerful monster than ‘Goryu’, and I intend to summon it right now”

White clouds built overhead, and a bright light shone through them. The clouds parted, and a massive legless angel, its body made of gleaming, silvery armor descended to the field, settling into place just behind its master.

“Destroying every one of my two or more monsters in one turn,” Hiro explained, “allowed me to Special Summon ‘Tualatin’ from my hand, activating his effect, the Erasing Light! When ‘Tualatin’ is Special Summoned by his own effect, I declare one monster attribute, and monsters of that attribute cannot exist in ‘Tualatin’’s presence.” Even as Hiro spoke, light poured from his monster, erasing my monsters from existence. I had nothing left. The light faded, and only ‘Tualatin’ remained (ATK: 2800).

“I can’t believe it,” I said, though I knew I was kidding myself. “You managed to turn everything around just like that. In fact, you used the fact that I was in the lead to summon a monster that could wipe out my entire field all at once!”

I looked down at the arena floor.

This can’t happen. I was so close! Maybe I should quit now. Maybe all I’m good for is quitting, or giving up, or losing. It seems like that’s all I can do anymore, at least against the stronger opponents.

I moved my hand toward my deck, preparing to surrender.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Hiro asked calmly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not trying to draw an extra card,” I said solemnly.

“I know,” Hiro said. “I know you’re surrendering. But come on, you haven’t even finished your turn yet.”

“Why should I bother?” I asked. “What can I do? I’m supposed to be the team’s strategist, and yet I used every move I had just to get this far. I don’t have anything left!”

“Of course you do,” Hiro said frankly. “You were one of the ones that I wanted to fight today for the simple reason that you’re brilliant! You can make a working combo out of anything, or control the flow of a game with only a few cards. You beat Kris, whose strategy was brilliant, and Amanda, who I’m even afraid to fight. You owe it to yourself to see this duel through, and to keep fighting. You have as good a chance now as you ever did.”

I thought about it. He doesn’t have anything in his hand, so his next card will likely be a dead draw. If I get the right card in my next turn, I just might be able to turn this game back around!

I clenched my fist and looked Hiro in the eye. “Okay,” I said, “it’s your move.”


He drew and looked long and hard at his new card. Finally he placed it on his Duel Disk and said, “I set a card, and I attack directly with ‘Tualatin’, Erasing Light!”

‘Tualatin’ raised his hands and summoned massive amounts of light that washed over me (5100-2800=2300).

I drew, and without even looking I knew that I’d drawn the only card in my deck with the potential to save me.

“Activate,” I declared, “the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.”

I drew four cards and looked them over.

Yes, I thought, even if his face-down card is what I think it is, I’ve got him. There’s nothing he can do about it!

“I activate the Spell card ‘Hammer Shot’,” I declared, “destroying the strongest monster on the field. And that, in case you didn’t realize, is ‘Tualatin’!”

“No you don’t,” Hiro countered. “I reveal ‘Magic Jammer’, discarding one card to negate and destroy your Spell.”

I thought so. That means my decoy worked for a second time this duel. It’s time for my real trump card.

“In that case,” I declared, “I activate ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive any monster from either Graveyard, and the monster I choose is the unstoppable ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’!”

My own red ankh appeared, expanding into the shaped of the dragon.

“Sorry,” Hiro said, “but that won’t work either. I discard two cards from my hand to activate the effect of my ‘Herald of Green Light’.” A green and white version of the ‘Herald of Purple Light’ appeared, emanating an emerald light that erased the dragon before it could completely form.

I looked down at my feet in shock. He’d done it again. He’d managed to stop my combo with a card that I just didn’t expect. But this time, instead of letting it get to me, I looked up, gave Hiro a smile and said, “Then bring it on.”

Hiro drew a card to begin his turn, but he didn’t need to look at it. He smiled back and commanded, “‘Tualatin’, finish it, Erasing Light.”

The light from his mighty angel hit me, and my Life Points fell (2300-2800=0). I’d done well, but I’d still lost. I couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

Hiro walked over to me and said, “You know, if I hadn’t drawn ‘Herald of Green Light’, you would have beaten me. I don’t run any cards, other than ‘Tualatin’ that destroy monsters once they’re out on the field. ‘Goryu’ would have run me into the ground.”

He reached out, offering me his hand to shake. I took it. “Your right,” I said. “It looks like we both got lucky in that last turn. You just got a little luckier.

We laughed, and then we walked back to the waiting room side by side, like equals.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Thirteen]

Rival Match! John vs. Tucker



Tucker


It was finally here, me against John, the duel that I’d been working toward for a few months now. Even though John was my best friend, he was also my strongest rival. I’d already beaten Lawrence and Max today, two Duelists that I’d never expected to beat, so what was one more?

“You ready bro?” John asked me, looking as excited by the prospect of our match as I was.

“Oh yeah,” I said, “I’m definitely ready. I’ve been looking forward to this.”

While the announcer was still talking about Jen’s match, John and I walked out of the waiting room and over to the Duel Disk arena.

“Ah, and here they are now,” said the announcer upon seeing us, “our next two competitors, John the Dark Duelist, and Tucker the Fire Duelist!”

“You know, I don’t think we’ve ever dueled like this,” said John.

“We haven’t,” I replied. “We’ve only ever dueled the normal, tabletop way. You’re a good Duelist, but your real power only comes through in a real duel, and I want to face you at your best.”

John smiled in the half arrogant, half confident way that he often does and said, “Then let’s give these people a show.”

I drew a hand of six cards and announced, “Me first! I summon ‘UFO Turtle’, and set one card.”

A green tortoise with a flying saucer for a shell appeared (ATK: 1400).

“Really?” John asked. “Tuck, you know I won’t let you pull off ‘UFO Turtle’’s effect unless I absolutely have to. I activate ‘Dark Core’, discarding ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ to remove your ‘UFO Turtle’ from play.”

A small black hole appeared above my turtle, and several black bolts of lightning lanced from it, snagging my monster and lifting it from the ground. But before my monster could be absorbed into the black hole, a glowing spell ring appeared between my monster and the black hole, acting as a barrier.

“I discard the Spell card ‘Tribute Doll’,” I declared, “to activate ‘Cursed Seal of the Forbidden Spell’, negating your Spell card and saving my monster.” I smiled, “Guess you absolutely have to, huh?”

“I guess so,” John replied with a smile of his own. I’d impressed him. “I summon ‘Diskblade Rider’,” he said, and a green-skinned fiend appeared, wearing blue armor and riding on the back of a powerful-looking motorcycle. He carried a disk with a sharpened edge in his left hand (ATK: 1700).

“‘Diskblade Rider’, attack ‘UFO Turtle’,” John commanded, “with Disk Toss!”

“‘Diskblade Rider’ threw his disk, and then sped after it. The disk split my monster in half and bounced off of the ground at my feet (8000+1400-1700=7700). ‘Diskblade Rider’ caught the disk, swerved around me, and rode back to John’s side of the field where it settled at his side.

“As I’m sure you know,” I explained, “when ‘UFO Turtle’ is destroyed in battle, I can summon a Fire monster from my deck to replace him.”

I fanned out my deck and selected a card.

“I summon,” I declared, “the powerful ‘Solar Flare Dragon’.” A serpentine dragon with a body made of fire appeared, its tail wrapped around my feet (ATK: 1500).

“I end my turn,” John announced, “by placing two cards face-down.”

How will he play this? I wondered. He knows all of ‘Solar Flare Dragon’’s effects, but that’s not what matters here. The question is, did he have anything in his hand that he could use against it, or are his face-downs only a bluff?

I have to keep going with my strategy and hope for the best.

“Alright,” I said, “I draw, and play the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.”

I drew, Not bad! I don’t even have to rely on ‘Solar Flare’’s effect now. I can move right to phase two.

“I remove ‘UFO Turtle’ from play,” I began, “to summon ‘Spirit of the Flame’.” A red-skinned demon with curved horns appeared at my side (ATK: 1700).

“Now,” I continued, “I tribute both of my monsters to summon the ‘Infernal Flame Emperor’!”

My monsters were engulfed by flames. The flames merged, becoming a lion-bodied creature with the torso of a man and broad wings, all made of fire (ATK: 2700). “I remove ‘Spirit of the Flames’ and ‘Solar Flare Dragon’ in my Graveyard from the game,” I declared, “to destroy both of your face down cards.”

‘Infernal Flame Emperor’ raised his palms, and the two cards burst into flames. Before they were reduced to ash, one of them flipped up, and a giant game controller emerged.

“You destroyed my card,” said John, “but I was still able to chain my ‘Enemy Controller’.” He pressed five buttons on the controller, and a cord reached from it, connecting to my monster. My monster crouched down and crossed his arms, changing to defense mode (DEF: 1600).

“Since I can’t attack,” I said, the frustration leaking into my voice, “I’ll just end my turn.”

“Good,” John replied, smirking. He drew, and he selected a card already in his hand, “I tribute ‘Diskblade Rider’ to summon the sinister ‘Summoned Skull’!”

The motorcyclist disappeared in a burst of electricity that swirled violently and then exploded outward, revealing the form of the skeletal fiend within it (ATK: 2500). ‘Summoned Skull’ raised his claws, aiming them at my monster. Clouds built overhead, and a bolt of lightning burst from them, hitting the fiend’s claws and jumping to my monster. He was vaporized in an instant.

“I set a card,” said John, “and end my turn.”

I looked up at my opponent’s monster. I can’t beat it yet, I thought, so I’ll have to stall until I can figure something out.

“I activate ‘Graceful Charity’,” I began, “drawing three cards, and discarding ‘Darkfire Soldier #2’ and the egg-dragon ‘Ryu-Ran’. And I’ll follow up with ‘Monster Reborn’ to summon my ‘Ryu-Ran’ in defense mode!”

A glowing red ankh appeared in the sky, blossoming out and becoming a red-spotted egg with red dragon’s feet and a red tail protruding from it. There was a gap in the shell through which you could see the dragon’s eyes, but otherwise, he was completely enclosed, and protected.

“My monster may not be able to beat summoned skull head on,” I explained, “but his shell is protected by a powerful magical coating, allowing him to reflect most any attack (DEF: 2600). And that ends my turn for now.”

“Good move,” John replied approvingly (did I spell that right?), “but in that case I’ll go ahead and reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’,” He declared, “summoning my ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ from the Graveyard in attack position.”

The legendary black dragon with the piercing red eyes appeared with a roar (ATK: 2400).

“He can’t get through your dragon’s defense either,” John admitted, “so I’ll pass.”

I drew a card, swearing to myself, wishing silently for this stalemate to end. All I could do was set a card and pass. John did the same. I drew, “I set a monster this time,” I declared, “and I end my turn again.”

John drew his next card and smiled, “Finally, no more waiting. I activate ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Summoned Skull’ and ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ into the ‘Black Skull Dragon’!”

The two monsters merged, becoming a skeletal black dragon with red eyes and thick, massive claws. He roared at the sky (ATK: 3200).

“I figured as much,” I said. “Well, bring it on!”

“With pleasure,” John replied, laying on the smugness. “‘Black Skull Dragon’, Molten Fireball!”

The dragon exhaled, unleashing a barrage of fireballs that fell toward my monster, leaving him no chance to survive, except for the reflective barrier that appeared to protect him.

“Reveal ‘Mirror Force’,” I commanded.

“Counter with ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’ (8000-1000=7000),” John declared, and the barrier shattered. The fireballs hit, and my monster was incinerated before my very eyes, leaving me with even fewer options than I’d had last turn.

I smiled, Just how I like it![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fourteen]

Rival Match!
Fiend Megacyber vs. Legendary Flame Lord


Exciting as it was, my situation sucked. I only had a partial strategy prepared, and I was facing a monster with a full three hundred more attack points than my strongest card. I did have one thing going for me; I have pretty good luck most of the time. For example, even though John’s turn wasn’t over, he didn’t have any other cards to play. I for one would call that good luck.

Okay, I thought, preparing to draw, gimme something good!

I pulled the card. It was ‘Gift of the Martyr’.

Huh, I thought, looking from my new card to the rest of my hand, and then back again. Yeah, that could work.

I only had one face-down monster in play, but it was all that I would need. “I end my turn,” I declared.

“Then here we go,” John announced. “I begin and end my turn by attacking your face-down monster.”

‘Black Skull Dragon’ struck, and my monster was revealed to be a humanoid shape made of shadows, smoke rolling from it. My monster was burned away in an instant, but it still managed to leave its mark on the field.

“You destroyed ‘The Thing in the Crater’,” I explained, “and as you probably know, when ‘Thing in the Crater’ is destroyed, I get to summon any one Pyro monster from my hand. I summon my favorite monster, ‘Mr. Volcano’!”

A suave man wearing a white button up shirt under a green vest appeared in a burst of flames. He wore a short cape, and his red hair was swept back like one large curl (ATK: 2100).

“Now I summon ‘Royal Firestorm Guard’,” I declared. Beside ‘Mr. Volcano’ there appeared a red dragon, standing upright, covered in armor and wreathed in fire (ATK: 1700).

“I equip ‘Mr. Volcano’ with ‘Burning Spear’,” I declared, and the weapon appeared in my monster’s hand (ATK: 2100+400=2500), “and I’ll follow up with ‘Gift of the Martyr’, tributing my ‘Royal Firestorm Guard’ to add his power to ‘Mr. Volcano’’s!”

‘Royal Firestorm Guard’ became a form of pure fire, melding with the aura that surrounded my ‘Mr. Volcano’. His Attack rose (ATK: 2500+1700=4200).

“I attack with ‘Mr. Volcano’,” I commanded. My monster ran at the dragon. ‘Red-Eyes’ fired his attack, but it was deflected by my monster’s burning aura. ‘Mr. Volcano’ jumped up and threw the spear at the dragon’s head. It hit and stuck between the dragon’s eyes. As he fell, ‘Mr. Volcano’ snapped his fingers, and a stream of flames burst from his hand and poured into the spear and over the dragon. It was reduced to ash (7000+3200-4200=6000). Mr. Volcano snatched the spear out of the air, landed gracefully on his feet, and jumped backward, landing at my side (4200-1700=2500).

“I end my turn.”

“Then I activate ‘Pot of Greed’,” John declared, drawing two cards from his deck. He smiled, even more impressed with me now than he had been, “I place two cards face-down and activate ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each replenish our hands.”

He drew again, “Perfect! I begin by summoning ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’.” A green-skinned fiend warrior wearing red appeared aback a motorcycle, carrying a pike in his left hand (ATK: 1400), “and I follow up with ‘Double Summon’, tributing ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ to summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

The motorcyclist was replaced by John’s signature monster, a warrior wearing overlapping panels of yellow armor decorated with black stripes. His fists were charged with yellow and black static energy (ATK: 2200).

“Reveal,” John continued, “the Spell card ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’, rearming my monster.”

The armor over ‘The Fiend Megacyber’’s right forearm stretched out over his hand, lengthening into a long thin blade (ATK: 2200+800=3000).

“Attack,” John commanded, “with Megacyber Blade!” ‘Fiend Megacyber’ ran straight at my monster, his sword raised. ‘Mr. Volcano’ tried to block with his spear, but the sword passed right through, slashing my monster in half (7700+2500-3000=7200).

“I place a second card face-down,” John declared, “and end my turn.”

Even though my monster had been destroyed, I was smiling. I couldn’t help it. This is it! I thought. ’Card of Sanctity’ gave me everything I needed to win this duel!

“Activate,” I declared, anxious to unleash my full power, “the Ritual Spell card ‘Incandescent Ordeal’, tributing the Monster card ‘Sacrificial Fire’ in my hand, treating it as the entire tribute for the Ritual Summon, and summoning forth my most powerful monster, ‘Legendary Flame Lord’!”

A hatchling phoenix with bright eyes appeared and was engulfed in flames. The flames flared and from them emerged my monster. He was roughly six feet tall wearing blue armor on his legs, a blue armor crown, and a jacket made of crimson fire. He carried a staff in one hand and a dagger in the other (ATK: 2400). John was trying hard not to look worried, but I could tell that he was.

I smiled, “Next I activate two copies of ‘Hinotama’,” followed up with the Spell card ‘Tremendous Fire’.” Two fireballs fell from the sky, hitting my opponent in the chest (6000-500-500=5000). I snapped my fingers, and flames covered the field (John: 5000-1000=4000/Me: 7200-500=6700). The flames collected, rising up around my monster.

“And now,” I declared, “since three Spell cards have resolved since my monster was summoned, I can activate his special ability, Annihilating Inferno!”

The flames built, and my ‘Flame Lord’ rose into the air. The flames collected into the end of his staff. He swung his staff, flinging the flames at the ground in the center of the field. The flames blossomed out, engulfing John’s monster.

“Attack,” I commanded, and my monster dove through the flames, swinging his blade (4000-2400=1600). The flames fell away, only a few remaining as my monster settled at my side.

“Looks like it’s over,” I said.

“You’re right,” John replied, “it is.” As he spoke, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ appeared amongst the flames still burning at his feet.

“What, the ‘Fiend Megacyber’ survived? But how?!”

“The Trap card ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’,” John explained. “It lets me transport my monster out of play until the end of the turn. I activated it just before my monster would have burned up in the fire. Now it’s my turn. I equip ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ with the Spell card ‘Assault Armor’.” A white aura appeared around the warrior, dispersing the remaining flames and boosting his strength. “I’ll release the armor,” John announced, sending the Spell card to the Graveyard, “to allow my monster to attack twice this turn.” The ‘Fiend Megacyber’’s white aura flared.

“And to finish it,” John continued, “I activate the Spell card ‘Soul Release’, removing three of the monsters in my Graveyard from play, and combine it with my remaining face-down card, ‘Return from the Different Dimension’, paying half of my Life Points to bring them all back (1600/2=800)!”

Three swirling vortices (what a weird word) appeared in the air above us. From them emerged the two motorcyclists ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ and ‘Diskblade Rider’, followed by the ‘Black Skull Dragon’ (ATK: 1400/1700/3200).

“You almost had me,” John said. “I knew your ‘Flame Lord’ was coming, and I knew how I would win if he did, but my entire plan hinged on my drawing ‘Return from the Different Dimension’. I would have lost this duel if I hadn’t drawn it when I did. You were a tough opponent. One of the toughest I’ve ever faced.”

John nodded respectfully, and I nodded back.

“‘Black Skull Dragon’,” John commanded, “attack!” The dragon inhaled and then exhaled sharply, unleashing a fireball attack that blew my monster away (6700+2400-3200=5900). “‘Chaosrider’, ‘Diskblade Rider’,” John commanded, “you’re next.” The motorcyclists rode past, slashing with their weapons (5900-1700-1400=2800).

“Now I finish it,” John announced “with my ‘Fiend Megacyber’, Double Megacyber Impact!” His monster shot forward, punching me in the face, spinning, and pummeling me in the gut (2800-2200-2200=0). I fell to my knees as the monsters disappeared. Even the diminished impacts of the solid vision holograms were enough to hurt in such quick succession.

John stepped forward and helped me to my feet. “You know,” I said, “I wasn’t kidding before, I’ve wanted to duel you for a long time.”

“I know,” John replied. “I’ve wanted to duel you too. Ever since I saw you duel in the Grand Championship. You’ve gotten really good Tuck. You’ve really come far in this game. You used to be a good Duelist who had trouble thinking things through, because you had trouble thinking your life through. But now you’ve started to figure your life out a little better, and it’s made you a great Duelist, the equal of any other.”

I smiled. In not so many words, John had branded me his equal, and deep down that’s all I’d ever really wanted.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fifteen]

Final Round! Wrath of the Adjudicator


John


Finally it was time. I would finally get the chance to fight Hiro, one of the greatest strategic minds that I’d ever known. I was worried. More worried than when I’d fought Max in the construction zone. More worried than when I’d fought Marik in the temple. I was worried that I wasn’t as strong as I thought I was, as I thought I’d become. I was worried that the gap between us would be too great, and that I’d fail to defeat him. It wouldn’t be the end of the world if I lost, but I was counting on this tournament to spread my name around. Winning would definitely help me on that end.

And on top of everything else, I was worried that I would fail without Hiro around to keep me strong. For a while now Hiro had been feeling himself fading. He described it as being pulled slowly toward something else, just out of sight. He had been using all of his strength to remain, predicting no more than a month before he would have to give in.

“What’ll happen after you do?” I’d asked.

“I don’t know,” he’d answered. “I’m only a shadow, so there’s a very real chance that I’ll just disappear. But I’d like to think that I’ll rejoin the spirit of the original Forgotten Duelist, wherever it is.”

I still wasn’t sure who Hiro really was. He wasn’t either. He was afraid, I could tell. He was afraid that if he really was a living memory of the Duelist and not the Duelist himself that he would cease to exist when he died, rather than going on to the Egyptian afterlife. He wanted to do something amazing to really leave his mark on the world, in case he disappeared and all that he’d experienced during his time with me went with him. I wanted to help him, so I got the idea to use the Soul of darkness to throw Hiro out into an artificially conjured body, the same way that Blackheart had, so that he could fight in the tournament, and Hiro agreed to give it a shot. Even knowing that such a spell would use up most of the energy he had left, he was willing to do it so that he and I could face off in one grand final battle. But once the tournament was over, he’d have to go. In fact, he’d have to give everything he had to hang on that long.

I met Hiro at the center of the stadium floor. It opened up, and a third arena, nearly twice the size of the others, rose up from beneath the ground. We stepped up, and the arena elevated above the ground. Two pedestals rose up out of the arena floor, one at each end. “Please set your Duel Disks on the pedestals,” said the announcer. Hiro and I discreetly returned our Dark Disks to their normal Kaiba Corporation Standard configurations and placed them on the pedestals as we were told. Clamps flipped out of the pedestals, holding our duel disks in place. It was nice to get that weight off of my arm. Hiro and I situated ourselves to the left of our respective pedestals, leaving clear paths for our opponent’s monsters to make direct attacks. As soon as we did, three holographic screens appeared, facing the three seating sections, each one showing an enlarged view of the arena with my Life Points in the top left corner, and Hiro’s in the bottom right.

“I’ll move first,” Hiro said, wasting no time. He drew a card for the start of his turn and said, “Two face-down cards, and I activate ‘Dimensional Fissure’.”

Holograms of two face-down cards appeared in front of my opponent, and a massive vortex opened up in the air behind him, far above his head.

“As long as ‘Fissure’ is on the field,” Hiro explained, “any monster that would go to the Graveyard is removed from play instead, canceling any cards in your deck that affect the Graveyard. And if I remember right, there’re a lot. You can try to use ‘Dimension Fusion’ and ‘Return from the Different Dimension’ to recover your monsters, but remember, you pay the costs even if I negate your effects with my Counter Traps.

“I follow up by summoning ‘Bountiful Artemis’ in defense mode,” Hiro continued, “ending my turn.” A caped mech angel with orange crystals beneath its armor and no visible legs appeared. He held his arms in a defensive posture, protecting his body (DEF: 1600). It was a good move.

Here goes, I thought, trying to settle my nerves.

“I draw,” I declared.

“Reveal,” Hiro cut in, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Synthetic Seraphim’.”

“It won’t help,” I countered, though I knew I was bluffing. “I summon my ‘Gemini Elf’ in attack mode.” Twin elves appeared, only to disappear in a flash of light.

“Counter Trap ‘Forced Back’,” Hiro countered, “negating your summoning and returning your monster to your hand. Also, because a Counter Trap was activated, ‘Artemis’ activates and I draw a card. Additionally, my ‘Synthetic Seraphim’ triggers, and a ‘Seraphim Token’ is summoned to the field.” A tiny ceramic angel appeared in defense position (DEF: 300). Hiro drew a card as a result of his larger monster’s effect.

“In that case,” I said, “all I can do is place two cards of my own face-down, and pass.”

Hiro smiled, “Good.” He drew, “I summon ‘Majestic Mech – Senku’ in attack mode!” The humanoid Majestic Mech appeared, his wings held open wide, his fists raised, ready to strike (ATK: 1000).

“‘Senku’, attack!” Hiro commanded, and the angel monster charged right at me. I could have stopped the attack, but I didn’t want to use a Trap against a monster with only one thousand points. So I let it through (8000-1000=7000).

“After my monster attacks,” Hiro explained, “he’s destroyed, and I get to draw another card.”

The monster shattered, and Hiro drew again. The shards of ‘Senku’’s body reformed, and ‘Senku’ was pulled into the ‘Dimensional Fissure’ “I set the card I drew,” Hiro said, “and end my turn.”

“Then let’s give this another go,” I said. “I summon ‘Gemini Elf’ in attack mode!”

The elf twins appeared again, moments before a glowing horn with feathered wings appeared across from them.

“Reveal ‘Horn of Heaven’,” Hiro declared, “tributing my ‘Seraphim Token’ to destroy your monster.” The ‘Seraphim Token’ disappeared, and a bright light built in the horn, erupting out and engulfing my monster. When the light faded, the horn and my monster were gone.

“Because another Counter Trap was played,” Hiro announced, “I get to draw another card and summon another token.” He drew, and a ‘Seraphim Token’ appeared to replace the one tributed for the effect of ‘Horn of Heaven’ (DEF: 300).

“Now it’s my turn,” said Hiro. “I draw, and I tribute both of my monsters to summon the strongest Majestic Mech, the ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’.”

‘Artemis’ and ‘Seraphim Token’ disappeared, and they were replaced by the serpentine ceramic dragon. ‘Goryu’ spread his wings and roared (ATK: 2900).

“‘Goryu’,” Hiro commanded, “attack directly!”

“I thought so,” I replied smugly. “I was ready for your dragon. Reveal face-down card ‘Blast Held by a Tribute’! I can activate this card when my opponent commands a monster that was Tribute Summoned to attack!”

‘Goryu’’s torso exploded. The fire from the explosion poured over Hiro (8000-1000=7000), and the pieces of the mighty dragon were pulled into the vortex above their master’s head.

“I didn’t really expect that to work,” said Hiro, “but I figured it was worth a shot. I set two cards and pass.”

I smiled, Just like Hiro to use a monster as important as ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’ as a decoy. It’s a great strategy, because it’s something that no Duelist would expect.

“I draw,” I declared, looking down at my card, “and I think that your ‘Fissure’ has been in play long enough. I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy it.”

“I can’t let you do that,” Hiro countered. “I reveal ‘Magic Jammer’, discarding ‘Layard the Liberator’ to negate your Spell, and destroy it.”

The hologram of my ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ card appeared. A magic ring appeared below it, erasing my card before its effect could play out. ‘Layard the Liberator’, a six-armed, cape-less version of ‘Artemis’, appeared behind Hiro and was pulled into the vortex. He now had four monsters removed from play. I had one, my ‘Gemini Elf’.

“Because a Counter Trap was activated,” Hiro explained, “I get to summon another ‘Seraphim Token’ to the field.”

Another token appeared at Hiro’s side (DEF: 300).

“I summon my ‘Diskblade Rider’,” I declared, “and attack and destroy your monster.” The green-skinned, blue-clad motorcyclist appeared, throwing his disk immediately at his target. But the disk hit an invisible wall and bounced back. My monster caught it.

“My ‘Negate Attack’ cancels your attack and ends the Battle Phase,” Hiro announced, “and because a Counter Trap was played, I can tribute my monster to summon the God of Judgment, ‘Voltanis the Adjudicator’!”

Clouds built in the air overhead. A bolt of lightning struck the ‘Seraphim Token’, and it was vaporized. The clouds parted, and from them descended the massive blue mech angel, his wings spread wide and his staff held high.

“My monster’s effect activates,” said Hiro. “I choose a monster on the field and destroy it.” The ‘Adjudicator’ raised his staff. Lightning struck it and jumped from the staff to my monster, vaporizing him.

“Now I draw,” said Hiro, “and activate the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.”

Hiro drew five cards from his deck. I drew two.

“Next I activate the Field Spell card ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’,” Hiro declared. The ground beneath us took on the guise of clouds. From the clouds, behind Hiro, a large roman temple rose, radiating a bright light. Hiro explained, “Now neither player takes damage from battles involving their own Fairy monsters. I summon ‘Harvest Angel of Wisdom’!”

A humanoid mech angel appeared at Hiro’s side. He wore orange armor with white trim. His body underneath was made of green crystal. He had yellow crystals protruding from the back of his head like hair, and wide, mechanical wings attached to his feet (ATK: 1800).

“You can’t win,” Hiro said.

“We’ll see,” I replied. “Bring it on.”

“Fine,” he answered, very matter-of-fact, “’Voltanis the Adjudicator’, ‘Harvest Angel of Wisdom’, attack!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Sixteen]

Final Round!
A Supreme Pair, Tualatin and Van’Dalgyon!


‘Voltanis’ raised his staff and called lightning down from the clouds (7000-2800 =4200). ‘Harvest Angel of Wisdom’ summoned light into his fist and slammed me in the chest (4200-1800=2400). One more round of attacks like that and I wouldn’t make it. Luckily Hiro wouldn’t get another chance like that one again.

“Your control of the field is about to end,” I declared. “When you control two more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!” The yellow-armored warrior appeared in a burst of yellow and black static, his fists charged (ATK: 2200). “But ‘Fiend Megacyber’ won’t be around for long. I tribute him to summon my Soul, the Demon Lord ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

The warrior became wisps of black smoke, which reformed into a twenty foot tall brown skeletal demon with hairs protruding from the back of its head and from beneath its massive bulbous shoulders. There was a red crystal sphere embedded in each of the monster’s shoulders, and in his forehead. He flexed his massive arms (ATK 4400), and then crossed them defiantly.

“‘Great Maju’,” I commanded, “give the ‘Adjudicator’ your ruling. Vile Energy Blast!”

‘Great Maju Garzett’ aimed his palm at ‘Voltanis’, unleashing a massive wave of black energy that engulfed the fairy monster, swallowing him up. Hiro would have taken damage, except for his Field Spell card’s effect.

“I guess I should have seen that coming,” said Hiro.

“Yeah,” I said, “probably.” I crossed my arms confidently, my stance mirroring my monster’s.

“Don’t expect that you’ve won just because you’ve managed to summon one powerful monster,” said Hiro. “I still have plenty of moves in reserve. For starters, I set a card face-down and summon ‘Banisher of the Radiance’.”

Another ceramic angel appeared. This one had a large round body, a small head, and a hole in its chest lined with jagged orange crystals (ATK: 1600).

“Next I activate ‘Magical Stone Excavation’, discarding ‘Angel 07’ and ‘The Light Effigy’ to return ‘Card of Sanctity’ in my Graveyard to my hand. I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, allowing us both to draw until we hold six cards.”

He drew and paused to survey his hand. I expected him to play more cards, but he simply said, “I end my turn.”

I really should thank him, I thought, because of ‘Card of Sanctity’ I have a way to cripple his strategy here and now.

“I draw,” I began, “and I activate ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying every Spell and Trap card on the field.”

A powerful wind picked up, carrying the Holograms of every Spell and Trap away. The wind ripped the roman temple that was the Field card ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’ from the “ground” beneath it, pulling it apart, reducing it to rubble. An instant later, the ‘Dimensional Fissure’, no longer supported by magic, closed up and disappeared.

“Next,” I continued, “I activate ‘Soul Absorption’. Now, when a card is removed from play, I gain five hundred Life Points. And I’ll make a stand with ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’!” A green-skinned demon warrior wearing red armor appeared aback a motorcycle, carrying a pike (ATK: 1400).

“Once per turn,” I explained, “I can remove up to two Spell cards in my Graveyard from play to boost the power of my ‘Chaosrider’ by three hundred each.”

‘Chaosrider’ gained a fiery green aura (1400+600=2000).

“And because two cards were removed,” I announced, “I gain one thousand Life Points (2400+1000=3400). I attack ‘Harvest’.”

‘Gustaph’ revved up his engine and shot forward. He did a wheelie, trying to hit ‘Harvest’ with his fast-spinning front wheel, but ‘Harvest’ was too strong. He deflected the wheel with his arm. ‘Chaosrider’ threw his weight, spinning around on his back wheel, and slashed with his pike. ‘Harvest Angel of Wisdom’ was shattered by the impact. The shards of his body were pulled through the hole in ‘Banisher of the Radiance’’s chest, removed from play by his effect (7000+1800-2000=6800).

“Because another card was removed from play,” I explained, “I recover another five hundred Life (3400+500=3900), and I’ll attack ‘Banisher of the Radiance’ with ‘Great Maju Garzett’ and clinch this thing, Vile Energy!”

‘Great Maju Garzett’ fired his attack again, and ‘Banisher of the Radiance’ melted away (6800+1600-4400=4000). Hiro was, as usual, unconcerned. He selected a card from his hand and placed it on the platform made by his Duel Disk.

“Because you destroyed all of my two or more monsters in one Battle Phase,” said Hiro, “I can Special Summon ‘Tualatin’ to the field.” The silvery armored angel des-cended from the clouds overhead, its entire body radiating a bright light (ATK: 2800).

“At this point,” said Hiro, “I declare a monster Attribute, and every monster with that attribute on the field is destroyed.”

The light haloing ‘Tualatin’ expanded out, and ‘Great Maju Garzett’ disappeared, as if he were erased.

“Additionally,” Hiro continued, “while I control ‘Tualatin’, no monster of the declared Attribute can be summoned to the field.”

“It doesn’t change anything,” I said. “I set a card. It’s your move.”

Come on Hiro, attack me!

“I draw,” Hiro declared, “and I attack, Erasing Light!”

Light poured from ‘Tualatin’’s body. But I was ready.

“Reveal Trap card, ‘Mirror Force’,” I declared, “turning your attack back on your monster.” A reflective barrier appeared around my body, bouncing the light back at ‘Tualatin’, destroying it instead. I expected Hiro to finally look worried, but he still seemed utterly un-phased.

“I place a monster face-down in defense mode,” he said, “and pass.”

What are you planning? I wondered. Are you just trying to psych me out, bluff me, or do you really still have something up your sleeve? Either way, I can’t give you even one turn to recover. Even though you’ll be expecting it, I’ve got to come at you with everything I’ve got!

“I summon ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ in attack mode,” I declared, “and attack your face-down monster.” A young blond woman in a silver jumpsuit, a glowing energy katana in hand, appeared (ATK: 1500). She charged, sword raised, and slashed, revealing the face-down monster as the six-armed ‘Layard the Liberator’ (DEF: 1600). He caught my warrior’s blade, holding her in place (3900+1500-1600=3800).

“I activate my monster’s effect,” I declared. “You should know what it does, but just in case I’ll tell you. I remove ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ from play to remove your monster from play as well.”

A dimensional vortex began to spread from my monster’s sword, but before it could have its intended effect, ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ was struck by lightning and disappeared.

“Reveal ‘Divine Wrath’,” Hiro declared, “discarding a card from my hand to negate your monster’s effect and destroy her. Now, because I negated an effect using a Counter Trap, I can summon a new monster from my hand. Behold my ‘Van’Dalgyon the Dark King Dragon’!”

Thunder clouds rolled in, lightning struck the ground around the arena, and from the clouds there emerged a huge black dragon, at least ‘Tualatin’’s size, if not larger, with glowing red eyes and a crystal embedded in its forehead (ATK: 2800).

“Next,” Hiro continued, “I can activate one of my monster’s effects based on the type of card that I negated. Because I negated the effect of a monster, I can summon back any monster from the Graveyard. Be revived, ‘Tualatin’!”

The massive glowing angel descended from the still-dark clouds (ATK: 2800). I could feel myself shudder. I could feel the immense pressure of the combined power of Hiro’s cards washing over me, nearly causing me to panic.

These last few turns have all been part of one big setup, I realized. Hiro was forcing me to use up my best cards so that when he summoned out his two monsters, I wouldn’t have a way to destroy them. He knew that, even if ‘Tualatin’ was defeated, he could just use ‘Van’Dalgyon’’s effect to revive it again. It was a setup, and I fell for it! How the hell am I gonna get out of this? Can I get out of this?

I looked over my hand, If I can’t beat his monsters, I’ll have to do my best to buy myself some time until I can.

“Activate,” I declared, “the Spell card ‘Swords of Revealing Light’.” Swords made of light itself rained down from the sky, surrounding Hiro’s monsters. “While these swords remain in play, none of the monsters on your side of the field can attack.”

You may command powerful forces my friend, I thought, but I’m pretty powerful too. I won’t make any more mistakes, and I promise that, from now on, this will be a duel to that even you will have to work at!

I nodded to Hiro, and he nodded back, acknowledging what we both knew, that the real struggle was about to begin.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seventeen]

Final Round!
Hiro’s Last Stand, The Big Saturn!


“It’s my turn now,” said Hiro, “and if you don’t mind, I’m going to take a page from your book. I pay two thousand of my Life Points (4000-2000=2000), to activate the Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’!”

Oh no!

The sky opened up above our heads.

“Return to me,” Hiro commanded, “Majestic Mech – Goryu’ and ‘Voltanis the Adjudicator’!”

The lengthy and large synthetic dragon descended from the hole in space alongside the heavenly judge (ATK: 2900/ATK: 2800).

I steeled myself up. I wouldn’t let Hiro get the best of me so easily.

“I can return monsters to the field as well,” I declared. “I return ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, ‘Diskblade Rider’, and ‘Gemini Elf’.” The yellow-armored warrior emerged as well, alongside the motorcycle riding, disk wielding fiend and the beautiful elf twins (ATK: 2200/ATK: 1700/ATK: 1900).

“Thanks to your ‘Swords of Revealing Light’,” Hiro explained, “I can’t attack with my monsters yet, so I end my turn.”

I drew, trying not to sweat, and I was relieved when I got one of my most powerful cards. Of course, using it now would be very risky. I smiled, I guess I’ll just have to take that risk!

“I’ll use what time I have,” I said, “to increase my presence on the field. I place a monster in defense mode, and attack ‘Layard the Liberator’ with Megacyber Impact!”

My yellow warrior charged forward and punched the six-armed angel in the chest. It shattered and disappeared.

“Draw,” said Hiro, “and I place one card face-down. End turn.”

He’s confident, I thought. He thinks that he’s safe because it’s impossible for my monsters to break through his front line. I smiled, But there’s more than one way to destroy a monster.

I closed my eyes and drew. No Soul, no magic, just me, This is it!

I opened my eyes, looked at my hand, and smiled.

“Activate,” I declared, “the Spell card ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’!”

The armor on ‘The Fiend Megacyber’’s right forearm stretched over his hand and lengthened into a thin, sharp longsword. His attack points rose (ATK: 2200+800 =3000).

“Now go,” I commanded, “and attack the ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’, Megacyber Slash!”

Energy poured into ‘Megacyber’’s blade. He jumped up and raised his sword, and slammed into an invisible wall. He was thrown back to the ground, where he landed at my side.

“You fell prey to my ‘Negate Attack’ for a second time,” said Hiro.

“I figured that something like that would happen,” I replied, “but I also figured that it would be better to get the Traps out of the way. The fact that my attack was blocked doesn’t change the fact that I have the edge now. You only have one card left on hand, and none of your monsters can match my monster’s strength.

“True,” said Hiro, “but if I play this right, they won’t have to.”

He drew a card, “I activate ‘Heavy Storm’!” Wind tore through the holograms of every Spell and Trap in play, destroying the ‘Swords of Revealing Light’, but leaving my ‘Fiend Megacyber’’s blade intact, thanks to its second effect.

“Sorry, Hiro,” I said, “but my ‘Fusion Sword’ becomes part of my monster’s armor. It can’t be destroyed.”

“I don’t care about your ‘Fusion Sword’,” Hiro countered, the massive monsters that towered above him flexing their arms to loosen their joints which had long since been held still by my ‘Swords’ Spell. “‘Goryu’, destroy ‘Diskblade Rider’!”

‘Goryu’ breathed light down on my motorcyclist, reducing him to dust (3900 +1700-2900=2700).

“‘Van’Dalgyon’,” Hiro continued, “destroy the ‘Gemini Elf’ with Erasing Darkness.”

Dark light poured from the massive dragon’s mouth, flowing over the elves. When the attack ended and the darkness faded, the elves were gone (2700+1900-2800=1800).

“And finally,” Hiro declared, “‘Tualatin’ attacks your face-down ‘Cyber Jar’.”

I smiled, “So, you did know that it was ‘Cyber Jar’.”

“Of course,” said Hiro. “I know all of your strategies. What other monster have you ever placed face-down? I am a little bit surprised that you chose to play it now.”

“I figured that, even if I could raise the attack of one of my monsters to surpass yours, the only way I’d actually win would be to clean the slate. For something like that, no monster is better than ‘Cyber Jar’.”

As we were talking, ‘Tualatin’ summoned his Erasing Light, directing it at my monster. It was revealed as a mechanical jar with a lens where an opening should have been. It was covered in circuits and other mechanical parts.

“‘Cyber Jar’,” I said, “activate your Special Effect.” My monster’s lens began to glow, and from it swept a beam that passed over the entire field. Every single monster in play exploded.

“As I’m sure you know,” I explained, “when ‘Cyber Jar’ flipped face-up, after our monsters have been destroyed, we each pick up five cards, summon any Level Four or lower monsters among those cards, and then add the remaining cards to our hands.”

Hiro and I picked up our cards.

“I summon,” I said, “‘W – Winged Catapult’ and ‘Y – Dragon Head’ in defense mode.” ‘W’, a boxy, blue, winged machine monster with missile pods on the top appeared alongside ‘Y’, a metallic red dragon (DEF: 1500/DEF: 1600).

“I summon,” said Hiro, “‘Herald of Purple Light’, ‘Herald of Green Light’, and ‘The Dark Effigy’.” The two spheroid synthetic angels (DEF: 300 (each)) appeared alongside a large black cube (ATK: 1500). Of course it was too much to ask for that to be all. Hiro still had more up his sleeve.

“During my Main Phase Two,” Hiro continued, “I tribute ‘The Dark Effigy’ to summon a monster like no other. This monster is my last stand, and it will ensure my victory. Arise, ‘Big Saturn’!”

The cube-shaped ‘Dark Effigy’ split into several smaller cubes, which then reformed into two cubes that were each half the size of the original. The two cubes disappeared, and a massive metal sphere appeared in their place. It was black with silver trim and a smaller red sphere embedded in the center. There was a disk-like apparatus attached to the bottom, two domes on its back, and two cylinders attacked to its sides. The domes angled down, becoming hover jets, and the cylinders detached, hands emerging from the lower ends, becoming free-floating arms. A head slid up out of the top, and a glowing halo appeared, circling its body (ATK 2800).

“Impressive,” I said, “but I’m not finished yet either. I summon ‘X – Head Cannon’!” A blue and yellow floating robotic torso with cannons on its shoulders appeared (ATK: 1800).

“Next I play ‘Double Summon’,” I continued, “to summon a second monster. I summon ‘Z – Metal Tank’.” A yellow robotic tank with a stalk eye and a cannon above each tread appeared as well (ATK: 1500).

“‘X’, ‘Y’, and ‘Z’,” I declared, “combine into ‘XYZ – Dragon Cannon’!”

The monsters stacked one atop the other, forming my deadly magnet monster, one of my strongest monsters (ATK: 2800).

“The Attack power of our monsters may be equal,” I explained, “but my monster has an effect. I can discard one card to destroy one card on my opponent’s side of the field!”

“I wouldn’t,” said Hiro. “My monster has an effect too. The attacks that I made against your other monsters before attacking ‘Cyber Jar’ served an important purpose. They reduced your Life Points to less than twenty-eight hundred. See, when ‘Big Saturn’ is destroyed by my opponent’s card effect, we both take damage equal to ‘Saturn’’s Attack. Without ‘Soul Absorption’ to restore your Life Points, If you use your ‘Dragon Cannon’’s ability to destroy my monster, you’ll lose. It all comes down to who has the stronger monster, and right now, we’re even.”

I scowled, I know. Otherwise your monster would already be dead.

“I can still destroy your other monsters,” I said. “I discard two cards to destroy the ‘Heralds’.”

‘XYZ’ fired his cannons twice, and the two tiny angels were destroyed.

“I set a card,” I concluded, “and I end my turn.”

“If that’s all you have,” said Hiro, “then this duel is already over. I activate ‘Pot of Greed’. Then I’ll activate ‘Megamorph’, equipping it to my monster.”

“What good will that do?” I asked. “My Life Points are lower than yours.”

“For now,” said Hiro, “but my monster has another ability. I discard a card and pay one thousand Life Points (2000-1000=1000) to increase the attack of ‘Big Saturn’ by one thousand (ATK: 2800+1000=3800). This also brings my Life Points down below yours, activating ‘Megamorph’’s effect.”

A glowing magic circle appeared below Hiro’s monster, and it doubled in size and strength (3800+2800=6600). Its fists began to glow.

“‘Big Saturn’,” Hiro commanded, “attack! The End of Cosmos!”

‘Saturn’ raised his fist, ready to strike my monster down and take me with it. I couldn’t help but smile. The monster started to throw its fist, but it stopped at the same moment that a mysterious black cord connected to its chest. A giant game controller appeared, attached to the cord, floating in the air ahead me.

“I press Up, Down, Up, B, and C,” I declared, “to activate my ‘Enemy Controller’, changing your monster to defense mode!” ‘Saturn’ pulled back his fist and crossed his arms across his chest (DEF: 2200).

“I won’t let you get rid of ‘Saturn’ that easily,” said Hiro. “I set a card and activate ‘Dimensionhole’, removing my monster from play until my next turn.”

‘Saturn’ was pulled through a hole in space.

“Then I draw,” I said, “and I attack directly with ‘XYZ’, Cannon Firestorm!”

“Reveal,” Hiro countered, “the Spell card ‘Celestial Transformation’, summoning ‘Royal Knight’ to the field in defense mode.”

The mech angel knight appeared, absorbing my monster’s attack.

I was breathing heavily. Hiro was as well. We had both been pouring everything we had into this duel, and we were both worn out. The duel was reaching a turning point. There would be a winner soon.

“I draw,” said Hiro, “and my ‘Saturn’ returns.” The whole in space re-opened, and the mighty mech returned (ATK: 2800).

“Next I activate ‘Offerings to the Doomed’ to destroy your ‘Cannon’…”

No!

“…and I attack your ‘W – Winged Catapult’!”

Bandages reached out for my ‘Dragon Cannon’, crushing it, and ‘W – Winged Catapult’ was crushed under the weight of ‘Saturn’’s fist.

It all comes down to this, I realized. With no monsters left his next attack will finish me, and the only card left in my hand won’t do anything in a situation like this. I could use my powers to save myself, but I won’t. No Soul. No magic. Just me. Win or lose, I fought this entire duel under my own power, with my own strength, pushing it forward with my own will. Even if I lose, I’ve still won.

I took a deep breath. “This is it,” I said. “The deciding moment. One of us is going down!”

I closed my eyes, and I drew my last card.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eighteen]

The Victor and the Proposal


I looked down at my card, and I smiled. “It looks like this duel could be over,” I said. “I activate the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards.

I drew five cards, and tried to hide my excitement. It was hard. I was practically shaking.

“Next up,” I said, “I activate ‘Soul Release’, removing five cards in my Graveyard from play.”

I pulled five Spell and Trap cards out of my Graveyard and placed them in the deck box at my waist, giving me ten removed cards from play.

Not enough, I thought. Not yet.

“Now I activate the magic duplication card ‘Double Spell’,” I declared. “I discard ‘Dimension Fusion’ and choose a Spell to activate from your Graveyard, a Spell like ‘Magical Stone Excavation’! I discard ‘Summoned Skull’ and ‘Polymerization’,” I declared, “to return a Spell card in my Graveyard to my hand. Now I activate that card. ‘Soul Release’ will remove five of the monsters in my Graveyard from play!”

I chose five cards from my Graveyard, placing them in my deck box as well. Transparent shadowy forms of ‘Summoned Skull’, ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, ‘Great Maju Garzett’, ‘Gemini Elf’, and ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ appeared at my side before fading away.

“What are you doing?” Hiro asked.

“You should know,” I answered. “You and I came up with this move together, back in our duel against Marik.”

Hiro smiled, “I thought so.”

I smiled back, looking down at the deck box at my waist. Fifteen cards. It’s time.

“This entire duel, you made moves that would cripple my strategies. You removed our monsters from play, knowing that my strongest combos involved either removing my own monsters from play, or summoning every removed from play monster and hoping that my monsters would outnumber my opponent’s. You destroyed my ‘Soul Absorption’, knowing that I relied on it to restore my lost Life Points. Then you summoned a monster that is nearly impossible for me to destroy. But there was one move that not even you could overcome. I summon, ‘Gren Maju Da Eiza’!”

I saw fear flash in my opponent’s eyes. Behind me, a burst of heat and flames erupted from the ground, and a massive beast emerged. It was red in color, with a torso much like that of my ‘Great Maju Garzett’, massive claws, and a lower body that resembled the body of a snake or centipede. It had broad purple wings, attached just behind its shoulders.

“As you know,” I explained, “my monster’s Attack is always equal to the number of monsters that I have removed from play times four hundred. I have fifteen cards removed form play. Fifteen times four hundred is six thousand!

“One attack,” I said, “and it’s over.”

Hiro looked me right in the eye and said, “Then attack. It’s about time this duel ended anyway.”

I nodded. Hiro nodded back. “Attack,” I commanded, “with Vile Claw!”

‘Gren Maju’’s right claws were wreathed in swirling black energy. He thrust them forward, piercing the sphere in ‘Saturn’’s chest, and tearing right through the monster’s spheroid body and out the back.

Smoke poured from the wound, and the once-mighty machine, and its armor plating shuttered. After a moment’s pause the machine monster exploded from the inside out (1000+2800-6000=0).

My monster disappeared. The holographic screens all around us began to flash my name and final Life Points.

Hiro walked up to stand right in front of me. “So you did it,” he said, “you won. You can take care of the Soul yourself now. There’s nothing left for me to do.”

“So that’s it,” I asked, “you’re out of time?”

“Yeah,” he said, “but don’t worry. Thanks to you, I got to leave that tomb in Egypt and have a life. I made friends, and dueled against strong opponents. I got to live again. That’s more than I ever expected. Thank you.”

Without another word, Hiro disappeared, leaving behind wisps of black smoke that dispersed in the air.

My friends ran out to meet me as the elevated arena lowered back to the ground and the holographic displays faded. I took the cards left in my deck and combined them with the cards in my Graveyard and deck box, put them away, replaced my Duel Disk on my arm, and deactivated it.

I looked around. The platform had finished lowering. I stepped down from it, and it lowered back down into the stadium floor.

People were cheering. Anyone with even a basic understanding of Duel Monsters could have picked up on just how serious those last few turns were. They saw what my chances were, and they saw me defy the odds and come out on top. This was my big brake. Soon news of the Duel Force Tournament as well as videos of the duels would be flooding the internet. If I was lucky, I’d get a call from someone wanting to sign me as a pro. It was all I wanted.

Almost.

Karen was talking to me, but I didn’t hear her. I couldn’t pull myself away from her eyes, her smile. Every gesture was magic. I had opened my mouth to speak, when a man in a black suit stepped up to my side and said, “Excuse me sir, but CEO Seto Kaiba has just arrived, and would like to see you. If you’ll follow me please.”

I looked to Karen, not knowing if I should stay or go.

“What are you waiting for?” she asked. “Go and find out what’s going on.”

I smiled and nodded, and the man led me toward the waiting room door, and my future.


The suited man led me through the waiting room, back to the interior of Kaibaland Tower through which we had entered. We reached an elevator near the front door, and the man said, “Mr. Kaiba wants to meet with you in private, so he’s asked me to remain here. Take the elevator to the office floor. Security has been told to let you through. Walk to the end of the hall. Mr. Kaiba’s office will be straight ahead.”

“Thanks,” I said. I pressed the button on the elevator panel, and the doors opened right up. I stepped inside. The topmost button was labeled “OFC”. Out of habit I thought, Guess that means office, right pal? It was a few moments before I remembered that Hiro wasn’t there. I felt alone.

I took a deep breath as the elevator sped upward. It wasn’t long before the doors slid open to a circular entry way with three corridors branching off of it. There was a semi-circular desk ahead of me and to the right, just next to the corridor straight ahead. There was a man at the desk. He ignored me.

I walked straight, down the corridor and up to the door at the end. I knocked, and I heard a harsh-sounding voice call, “Come in.”

I opened the door and found myself in a huge office. Its entire back wall was a huge window overlooking the city. There were bookshelves lined with books against each wall, and potted plants in each corner, but the room seemed impersonal. Seto Kaiba was obviously not someone who had much of a personal life. He was strictly business.

Seto Kaiba was sitting at his deck in a high-backed chair. His desk was wide, made of some kind of obviously expensive dark wood. But even as I took in all of these details, I noticed one more important detail, that being that Kaiba wasn’t alone.

I walked up to the desk and shook Kaiba’s hand, trying not to sound star struck. “Mr. Kaiba,” I said, “it’s an honor.”

“The honor is all mine,” Kaiba replied, though he seemed somehow just short of genuine. He gestured to the other figure in the room, “I’d like you to meet my, uh, associate Maxamillion Pegasus.”

Pegasus shook my hand and said to Kaiba, “We’ve actually met.”

Kaiba leaned back in his chain, interlaced his fingers and said, “I don’t believe in small talk, so I’ll get right to the point. Mr. Pegasus and I, in a joint effort, have set in motion a project that will further the dueling community all over the world. I recently acquired a small island off of Japan, on which we have constructed a school dedicated to teaching all things Duel Monsters. This Duel Academy will offer courses in everything from professional dueling to card design. You have become well known in the United States. You have become something of an icon in fact. Some people are even calling you the Yugi of America. If you were to attend the Academy, it would no doubt inspire other American Duelists to attend, following your example.”

“As my colleague has already mentioned,” said Pegasus, “dueling itself is not the only focus of Duel Academy. My role in this project will be to provide criteria for programs in card design and conception. My hope is that the graduates of this Academy will be the next generation of my staff at Industrial Illusions.”

“We want you to enroll,” said Kaiba. “You will be older than the majority of the other students, as they will mostly be High School age, but we can make your enrollment worth your while. You will be guaranteed a place in the school’s largest dorm, and a career in the International Professional Dueling Circuit upon graduation.”

I couldn’t believe it. It was more than I could have hoped for. It was almost perfect.

I thought for a second, and then I said, “I’ll do it, but only under one condition. I want to be able to bring someone else along.”


I made my way back down to the sitting room where my friends were waiting, minus Max of course.

“What’s up?” asked Tucker. “What did Kaiba want?”

“Not just Kaiba,” I said. “Pegasus was there too! He and Kaiba are building a Duelist’s school on some island that Kaiba bought with his gagillions, and they want me to attend. They think of me as some kind of celebrity!”

“Really?” Sarah asked, as if picturing me as a celebrity made her head hurt.

“You gonna do it?” Tucker asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “I mean, they’ve got this whole thing set up where if you graduate, you get a chance to go straight to the pro circuit! It’s some high-school-slash-prep-school thing, so what, four years? No problem! I’ll get to learn something, and think of all the strong opponents that I’ll get to face!”

Everyone was excited. Everyone except for Karen. I saw her walk, sulking, out the interior door and into the tower lobby.

“Guys,” I said, “wait here.” I followed Karen, leaving the others to wait and wonder.

“Karen, wait up!”

She stopped and turned, glaring at me and demanded, “What?!”

“What’s your problem?” I asked.

“What’s my problem? It’s you, John, you’re my problem! I thought there was something going on with us, but if you’re willing to just go away without even talking to me, then I must be wrong.”

“But this isn’t just about me -.”

“I mean, after your duel you’re two seconds from saying that you love -.”

“Will you just listen?!”

She crossed her arms and stood waiting, “Fine, talk.”

“This isn’t just about me,” I said. “This is about both of us. I want you to attend Duel Academy with me!”

She scowled, “How many times do I have to tell you. I don’t want to be a Duelist. I want to -.”

“You don't want to be a Duelist," I said, smiling softly, "because you're afraid that the more you duel the more likely it is that that dark part of you that Yami pulled out of you will come out again, even though the rest of us trust you. You know that that darkness is a part of you, just like," I hesitated, "just like mine is a part of me, and you're scared."

 

Karen looked me in the eyes, stunned, her eyes sad and afraid, and I knew I was right.

 

"So instead," I continued, allowing myself to get excited again, "you want to design cards, to create rather than destroy. But that’s the thing. A whole division of the school staff is devoted to teaching game design. You can come with me, and if you do well, you’ll get a chance to join Pegasus’ creative staff!”

I watched as all of the fear and anger melted from her expression. “Really?” she asked. “And Kaiba wants me?”

“Not Kaiba,” I said, “Pegasus himself. And I told Kaiba that he didn’t get me without you. No me, and no American publicity for his new school. So of course he said yes.”

She was speechless. Her eyes began to tear up.

“Oh come on,” I said, “don’t cry. I don’t know what to do when my girlfriend cries.”

Karen let out a sarcastic sort of chuckle. She smiled over her shoulder at me as she turned to walk away, and said, “I’m not your girlfriend yet. If this Duel Academy thing works out, then we'll see.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nineteen]

The Parting of the Ways


Rocky


I put my hands in my pockets and walked through the door out onto the stadium floor. The sky was nearly dark, and I could just make out the earliest stars peeking through the twilight. I walked a few yards out and just stood there for a few minutes in silence.

“Robert Stone?”

I didn’t jump. I wasn’t startled. I’d known that he was there in the shadows since I’d stepped through the door. I turned to face the man. He was tall, wearing a ragged t-shirt under a long white coat, like a lab coat. He wore tattered jeans, and thick, square-rimmed glasses.

“Yeah,” I answered. “What can I do for you?” My posture seemed relaxed, but I was prepared to defend myself at a moment’s notice, just in case this man wasn’t who I thought he was.

“They call me the Card Professor,” he replied, “or ‘Prof’ for short. I’m a member of the Duelists Elite. I heard you were looking for us.”

“I am,” I said. “How did you find out?”

The man smiled, “We have our methods. If you really want to join us, then be at the Checker Township Airport, tomorrow at eight A.M., gate nineteen. A plane will be waiting to take you to a testing sight. You’ll be tested, and if you pass, you’re in. If you fail, you’ll never get another chance.”

“What if I don’t make the plane?” I asked.

“Then you’ll be too late in more ways than one. This is your only shot. Make it count.”

I nodded, “In that case, I’ll be there.”

“Good,” the man said, looking up at the sky thoughtfully. “From what I saw today, I can tell that you’re exactly the Duelist that we need.”

The man smiled an arrogant smile, and a pendant beneath his shirt glowed brightly. It was so bright that I had to look away. When I looked back, all that was left of the man was a few wisps of smoke.

“Well that’s creepy.”

I looked up at the stars. There were already more of them.

Well, this could be it. I’ve been looking for years for a way to help people using something that I’m good at, and now I’ve found it. It’ll be rough, and it’ll be dangerous, but it’ll be worth it.


Sarah


I waited with the others until it was time to leave. When we finally made our way outside, I stood with Jenna, Amanda and Kris as we waited for the bus.

“Well it looks like John still wants to disband the team, so as of now, we’re the Duel Force.”


Jen


I was waiting for the bus with the others when Christopher walked over and asked me a question.

“Can we talk?” he asked.

I was surprised and more than a little confused, but I said, “Sure.”

We stepped over to the side, and Christopher said, “I’m not one to avoid a subject, so I’ll just say it. I want you to join my team, Team Beatdown.”

Now I was even more confused, “Why?”

“You’re one of the best Duelists I’ve seen,” he answered, “and you’re probably the greatest strategist I’ve met in years. My team mates on Team Beatdown are strong, but none of them are what you would call strategic geniuses. The entire team could benefit from your help. I need your answer by tomorrow. We leave next week for a five month tournament tour along the west coast.”

“What about travel expenses? And School?”

“We’re fully funded through sponsors. Every expense paid. And we’re internet schooled. It’s easy, flexible, and it’s some of the best education available to the world.”

I was speechless. I was also very tempted. My parents wouldn’t have a problem with it. Not after I told them what Christopher had just told me. But still, I wasn’t sure. It’s not every day that some guy you barely know asks you to drop everything.

“I-I’ll have to get back to you.”

“Alright,” said Chris. “Your cousin knows how to get a hold of me. But remember, I need to know by tomorrow.”


John


“So, Tuck,” I asked, “why not college?”

“I dunno,” he answered, leaning back against the Kaibaland Columbus building’s outer wall, hands in his pockets, “I just don’t wanna go yet.”

“Oh come on, you’ve dreamed of being the first guy in your family to go to college since you were five, and I know you’ve been saving up. What’s up?”

“Nothin’ okay?” he snapped. “Now drop it!”

I wasn’t messing around anymore. In fact, I was really getting worried.

“Seriously Bro, what’s wrong?”

He glared at me, but he finally leaned in closer to me and said, quietly, “Fine! My dead beat dad found my savings account number cheat sheet. He emptied my college fund and used it to go gambling.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope. And since he had the code, he didn’t technically do anything wrong. He took everything I have, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“So what are you gonna go?” I asked.

“Nothin’. I have no money, and God knows I won’t get a scholarship.”

I sighed, “You don’t need to worry about it. I’ll think of something.”

“See,” Tucker said, “this is why I didn’t want to tell you. I wouldn’t feel right if you gave me the money or somethin’. It wouldn’t be fair.”

“Your dad taking your money wasn’t fair either,” I said. “You’re like my brother. Leave everything to me.”


The bus ride home was uneventful. Everyone else fell asleep. But I couldn’t. I was too excited. I was on my way, and Karen and I were finally (more or less) on the same page about our relationship. I couldn’t think of anything better than that. The only thing missing was Hiro. I looked out the window at the stars.

I really wish you could have stuck around longer pal, I thought. You know what though? I’ve got something better than one permanent friend. I’ve got Karen, and my best friend Tucker, plus all of my friends in the Duel Force. Even though we’re all going our separate ways, we’ll never really be apart.

I looked out the window and saw a familiar figure standing atop a building a good ways away, off the side of the highway. Max stayed in view long enough to nod, and then he disappeared again into thin air. His final goodbye. I glanced around the bus at my friends, leaned my head against the bus window, and drifted off to sleep.


Jen


The next day, I called John, asking him for Christopher’s number. I had to give Christopher an answer today, one way or another. I lay back on my bed and stared at the ceiling for hours, thinking. Finally I decided to call and hope the answer would come to me.

I dialed.

“Hello?”

“Christopher?” I said. “It’s Jen”

“Hey,” said Christopher. “You got an answer for us?”

“Yeah,” I replied, still unsure of what I was going to say, letting my instincts guide me. Before I knew it I was smiling, and the words just slipped out, “The answer’s yes.”


Tucker


It was about three months later. John and Karen had already left for Duel Academy, and Rocky had long since disappeared to go join up with the Duelists Elite. I woke up one morning, and I saw an envelope stuck under the pane of my window. I opened it. Inside was the rest of John’s Grand Championship prize, plus some extra. It would be enough for me to get by at college. John had been right. He’d taken care of everything, and as much as it could have hurt my pride to take his money it didn’t, because, after all, what are brother’s for?[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[spoiler=Special #3, The Dark Elite]
[spoiler=Chapter One]


Just Another Night...If You’re Us


Hey. I’m Sarah. If you’ve been following the adventures of the Duel Force, then you know me already. I’ve never written anything before that was meant to be read by anyone but my teachers, but I know my brother wrote all about his time as leader of this team, so I feel I should write about my time as leader too. And come to think of it, I have helped him write stuff that I saw and he didn’t, so I kinda know what I’m doing.

Anyway...

The Duel Force is different now. Don’t know who we are? Then you probably aren’t a Duelist. I’m pretty sure most serious Duelists at least know of us by now, but they only know us as a larger than average Duel Monsters team from the United States, the members of which participate in tournaments at various levels and usually do well. You probably also either went to or watched on TV the Great Duel Force Tournament. The final duel in the tournament, featuring my brother John no less, was awesome. Not nearly as good as some of Yugi Muto’s duels, but still very cool. That duel is what made my brother famous enough that Seto Kaiba invited him to his new duel school thingy. He figures that my brother being there will attract other American Duelists.

What you might not know about us is that a few years back me, my brother, my cousin Jen, and John’s friend Tucker were discovered my Maxamillion Pegasus. Yes, the Maxamillion Pegasus. But we weren’t discovered the way you might think. See, in Pegasus’ travels, while searching for new, historically based themes for Duel Monsters, he became something of the world’s greatest mythology buff. At some point (I have no clue exactly when) he came across an ancient legend that implied that the four of us would be the ones to free twelve ancient magical artifacts to find their rightful owners (four of which would be us), so that those twelve people could hold onto the artifacts until their original owner could return and destroy his evil side. He also told us that a group called the Duelists of the Order was trying to beat us to these artifacts, these Souls, so that they could harness them for their great power.

Crazy, right? That’s what I thought. Then Karen, Monty and Lawrence showed up with some magic borrowed from their unnamed master. That little bit of power was enough to turn Duel Monsters into a freakin’ powerful weapon. It could lock you into a “Shadow Game” where if you refused to play by the rules, you’d be destroyed, and if you lost, you’d be hurt, killed, or worse, depending on your enemy’s intensions. After that, I was a believer. We fought Karen and her buddies a couple of times. Meanwhile we freed the Souls and expanded our team with other Soul Bearers. Turns out Karen, Monty, Lawrence, and even their master’s pet, Max, were all good guys (though in the case of Max and Lawrence still not too good) and were Soul Bearers too.

John beat the leader of the Order, and soon after the Duelist, the original owner of the Souls, and his dark side Blackheart popped up and renewed their fight. The good Forgotten Duelist won, leaving us alone with the Souls. As long as the Souls exist, they have to be protected. Their powers could be too dangerous in the wrong hands. So we each continue to get stronger. There’s a lot more to it, but you’ll have to read what my brother wrote to get the true scope of it.

Anyway, recently John decided that sitting in limbo is a bad thing. He disbanded the Duel Force and moved on with his life. He and Karen went to Duel Academy, which just opened this year. Kimi went back to Japan to go to some special finishing school or something. Monty and Lawrence are touring the world. Rocky went to find and join the Duelist Elite, who’re like the Luke Skywalker to the Order’s Darth Vader. Tucker went on to college, for all that’ll be worth, Jen joined a Pro Dueling team on a country-wide tour, and Max became kinda a real life Batman. He supposedly goes around wearing a cloak and calling himself the Reaper.

Lame.

Anyway, like I said, the Duel Force is different now. John, Karen, Max and Tucker are all more or less gone. They were our strongest. As much as it wounds me to my core to admit it, I probably couldn’t even beat Tucker anymore. And I only say ‘probably’ because Tucker is still a hot-headed idiot, even if he is very powerful.

I know I can’t beat John or Max, or Karen when she actually tries. I know this. Still, I’m stronger than most. I have a really good deck, and I know how to use it. Plus I have the Soul of Water, which gives me the power to use Shadow Games, and to manipulate water and even ice, even outside of duels. My remaining team-mates are all strong too, and most of them have magical items like mine. My cousins Kris and Amanda have the Souls of Mettle and Wind respectively. The only member of the new and, dare I say improved Duel Force without an item is my brother’s old student-slash­apprentice Jenna. She’s never had an item, which is probably why John would never let her on the team while he was in charge. I still don’t get his reasoning, though. Even without any kind of item, Jenna is super strong, to the point that I’m happy to have her watching my back.

When John left, that was it for the old DF. So I took command. I’ve been trying to find people who want to join us, and we’ve had a few tryouts, but I have a little issue with people I don’t like and, you know, being nice to them. So needless to say, our new additions haven’t worked out. That’s what happens when most everyone on Earth is stupid.

But I’m rambling.

The story I want to tell first takes place during a break at Tucker’s college, so he was in town. Much as I hate to admit it, he and I are friends, so we were hangin’ out at my house. It was getting late. “Well,” said Tucker finally, “I gotta go. I wanna stop by old man Wilson’s card shop on the way back to my dad’s hellhole of a place.”

“No way,” I said. “I wanted to head to Wilson’s, and there’s no way I’m walkin’ with you.”

Of course, in the end, I ended up walking with him anyway. As annoying as he is, it’s not worth it to waste energy arguing with him. He’s not smart enough to form an intelligent argument, and the conversation ends up going in circles.

So we walked to Wilson’s cards together. Wilson had been holding a few packs for me. He picks a few packs from every shipment and saves them for me and my friends. Tucker just wanted to browse. It was closing time, but Wilson knew us. He let us hang out just after closing all the time. He’s kinda like a mentor to all of us I guess. I think Wilson might actually be a Duelist himself. I’ve never seen him duel, but he’s pretty old. Sixties or seventies at least. No doubt he’s been around since the game started. As we approached the store I wondered, not for the first time, if Wilson is very strong.

We arrived at Wilson’s shop. All of the lights were still on, which is weird. Wilson usually turns some of the lights off after closing to save on energy. As we walked up to the door I noticed that Wilson was still at his place at the counter, and that there were two figures inside with him. One was a larger guy with short-ish brown hair cut into a Mohawk. The other guy was a little on the short side with rusty brown hair. They were both trolling around the store in a more than slightly suspicious way. I stopped Tucker from entering and pointed the two goons out to him. Like an idiot he hadn’t seen them yet, but once he did he was on his toes, just as I was, and prepared for trouble.

Wilson was watching the two guys too, but he still seemed to notice when we arrived. His expression grew much more relaxed. Tucker and I slowly entered the building-.

-Just in time to be almost mowed over by the larger guy with the Mohawk as he barreled from the building, his arms full of Mr. Wilson’s stuff. The rust-haired guy tried to follow, his own arms full as well, but he was stopped by Tucker. Tucker’s Soul flashed, and his eyes lit up like fire.

“You got this guy?” I asked him. He nodded, and I ran off after the larger guy, determined to recover my friend’s property.


Tucker


Sarah was gone, after the Mohawk guy. She had the Soul of Water, so I know she’d be able to handle herself, at least until I could wrap things up at Wilson’s and catch up. I looked into the eyes of the rust-haired guy who had been with the Mohawk guy and said, “Put back everything you took, or face a Penalty Game.”

It was only then that I actually stopped to think that my foe might not know what a Penalty Game was (not that I really know either). But to my surprise, instead of confusion, I saw understanding on the face of my enemy. Wilson seemed even less confused. Wilson understanding something isn’t too rare. He’s been around the block. But some random shoplifting kid? That was weird, unless he wasn’t a random shoplifting kid.

What is going on here?

That’s when my opponent pulled out a gunmetal-colored rod with a sphere on each end, like a baton. A Shadow Item baton. Its ends lit up with Shadow fire. My Soul of Fire glowed, and a flame began to form in my hand, but I’d been caught off guard and Rusty wasn’t slow. He swung his Shadow Baton right at my head. I braced for the hit, but it never came. Instead Wilson jumped between me and my opponent and caught Rusty’s arm in the iron grip of his deceptively frail-looking hand.

“No active Shadow Items in my shop please,” said Wilson. He looked right at the rust-haired kid, “If you want to fight, we’ll take this outside.”

The ancient-looking man looked back at me through inch-thick glasses and said, “Go and help your friend. I’ll handle things here.”

I blinked away confusion and nodded, turned, and started running after Sarah, somehow sure that the old man would be fine.


Wilson


I let go of the rust-haired young man’s arm and stepped behind the counter of my store. He watched me carefully, trying to size me up. Trying to decide if he should risk turning his back and running away, or if he should stand and fight. Which was more dangerous? I’d seen that look on so many people before.

“I picked this up awhile back,” I told the young man as I lifted a long dust-covered box from behind the counter, “but I haven’t needed it until now.” I blew the dust away from the box, revealing the Kaiba Corporation logo. I placed the box down on the counter and opened it, revealing the Duel Disk inside.

“Back when I wasn’t much older than you,” I told the young man who had tried to steal from me, “there was no Pro Dueling, or Grand Championships, or Duel Disks, or grand Duel Academies on private islands in the middle of the ocean. Duel Monsters was a new game, just recently created by the very young Maxamillion Pegasus. Younger than me, he was. Didja know he’s almost fifty? Aged well, that one,” I fiddled with the Duel Disk, trying to get it on my wrist. “Of course I’m really no indication. I look a lot older than I am. I didn’t age so well outwardly, but my inner strength is still there.

“See,” I continued, finally fixing the Duel Disk in place and reaching down into the space behind the counter to find my deck, “almost as soon as the game of Duel Monsters came out some of the more intuitive people around saw the connection between the game and magical hooey. Started buildin’ up Shadow Charms or Shadow Items, whatever you choose to call ‘em. There were three of us. Me, my late brother Tom, and young Shannon. Now she was a natural. She beat me a good number of times. You met her daughter a few minutes ago. Her kids are strong, like her.”

I laughed as I reminisced, and finally my hand fell upon the cards that I hadn’t touched in so long, “Her son thinks he taught her how to duel. Guess he’ll never know it was the other way around. You woulda thought that how fast she caught on woulda given it away, but it never did.”

We were far past the point now where any sensible kid would have cut his losses and run. I glanced down at the little black metal ring on my finger. Good, that means that I haven’t lost my stuff. I haven’t lost my ability to mesmerize with the power of my words

“Now,” I told the young man, “why don’t we step outside and fight this out. You win, you get my entire inventory.”

That snapped the kid out of his stupor, “Alright, you’re on!”

We began the duel quickly, as soon as we stepped out into my shop’s parking lot. “My move first,” my opponent asserted.

“I’d rather we decided that the old fashioned way,” I replied. I pulled an old coin out of my pocket, “I prefer tails if you don’t mind.”

I flipped the coin and caught it expertly on the back of my hand. I showed tails to my opponent. He scowled. I rolled the coin off my hand, down my finger, and onto my Duel Disk. I might need it again later.

“I begin,” I said, “with a set monster and a face-down card.”

“Now I go,” my opponent snapped impatiently. Kids these days. No patience. “I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two new cards,” he declared, and he drew, “and then play ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy your Trap card.”

A gust of wind ripped my ‘Mirror Force’ in half.

“Next I Special Summon two copies of ‘Gilasaurus’ from my hand, and tribute them both for the ‘Black Tyranno’!”

Two human-sized brown dinosaurs appeared, and were immediately replaced by a massive black tyrannosaurus (ATK: 2600).

“While you only control defensive monsters,” my opponent explained quite unnecessarily, “my ‘Tyranno’ can attack directly! But first I equip him with the Spell cards ‘Axe of Despair’ and ‘United We Stand’!”

The dinosaur was surrounded by a magical aura, and axe-shaped bones sprouted from its powerful tail (ATK: 2600+800+1000=4400).

“My monster attacks,” the young man commanded excitedly, and his dinosaur reached over my hidden monster with his tail and struck me personally. My Life Points plummeted (8000-4400=3600).

“You see old man! You can’t overcome my power, no matter how long you’ve been playing this game!”

I sighed at my foe’s impatience yet again. He seemed not to notice.

“I set a card,” he concluded, “and end. Go!”

“A monster like that is nothing to me, young man,” I began. “Allow me to show you the benefit of wisdom over power. I summon ‘Skilled Dark Magician’.”

A robed sorcerer appeared, with thick padded shoulders and a padded chest. In his chest padding and in each shoulder there was a darkened crystal. He carried a staff tipped with a fourth crystal, alight with magical energy (ATK: 1900).

“I flip-summon my ‘Apprentice Magician’,” I declared. A second, younger sorcerer appeared. “When my ‘Apprentice Magician’ arrives, I can activate a Spell Counter on my ‘Skilled Dark Magician’.”

One of the three crystals attached to my primary monster lit up.

“Next I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards, and to light up the second Spell Counter.”

I drew, and the second crystal lit up as well.

“And finally I activate ‘Magical Dimension’,” I announced, “I tribute a monster to summon a magician, and destroy your monster.”

A metallic frame appeared. A coffin-like box hung within the frame, suspended by chains. The coffin opened, and the ‘Apprentice Magician’ fell inside.

“You won’t defeat my dinosaur so easily,” said my young opponent. “Reveal ‘Shield Sphere’, protecting my monster from your Spell effect.”

“My new monster still appears,” I countered as a spherical barrier appeared around the enhanced dinosaur. “Behold my ‘Time Wizard’!”

A cape-wearing, staff-wielding living clock appeared at the ‘Skilled Dark Magician”s side (ATK: 500). He unleashed a blast that broke the dinosaur’s barrier, but did nothing else.

“And don’t forget,” I said, “another Spell means another Counter.”

The third crystal lit, and I continued, “I can now tribute my ‘Skilled Dark

Magician’ to summon the greatest of sorcerers,” the dark-robed sorcerer was promptly replaced by the purple-clad, green-staff-wielding ‘Dark Magician’, easily the most iconic card in the game, though not because of me (ATK: 2500).

“I play ‘Second Coin Toss’,” I continued, placing the Continuous Spell into play.

“What are you planning?” my opponent asked. I couldn’t tell if he recognized the effect of Time Wizard but not ‘Second Coin Toss’ or vice versa, but he obviously got one or another, because he was sweating.

“Just watch. Activate the effect of ‘Time Wizard’!” A spinner on the end of my ‘Time Wizard”s staff began spinning, and I explained, “You’ll notice the skulls and castles on my monster’s spinner. If the spinner stops on a skull, I lose my monsters and Life equal to half their total Attack. But if I succeed, well, you’ll see. Plus, if I fail, ‘Second Coin Toss’ lets me replay any chance-based effect with only two outcomes once per turn. I’m sure you know what that means.”

I waited as the spinner slowed, and finally stopped on a castle, “Looks like I don’t need my Spell. Go, Time Magic!”

‘Time Wizard’ raised his staff, and time itself rippled around us. My ‘Dark Magician’ aged, his hair turning silver. He grew a long beard, and his standard garbs evolved into thick, layered robes. His more mobile staff morphed into a thicker, sturdier staff made of twisted wood embedded with jewels (ATK: 2800).

“When ‘Dark Magician’ becomes the ‘Dark Sage’,” I explained, “I can move any Spell from my deck to my hand. A Spell like ‘Megamorph’, which doubles my monster’s power.”

A dark aura flared around the ‘Sage’. His strength was almost palpable (ATK: 5600).

“Next,” I continued, riding my own momentum, “I place a card face-down and play ‘Mage Power’ to empower my Spellcaster further (5600+2000=7600).”

“My monster will take the brunt of your attack and I’ll make a comeback next turn,” my foe insisted. I smiled and pointed at his dinosaur. He looked up at the dinosaur that stood over him, surprised to find his beast aged into fossils. He stared in horror as his monster collapsed, turning to dust.

“You see,” I explained, “my ‘Time Wizard’ didn’t just age my monster.”

My smile faded, “I finish it. My monsters attack.”

‘Time Wizard’ and ‘Dark Sage’ unleashed a combination attack (Total: 8100). My opponent fell to his knees, humiliated by his loss, and fearful, as he should have been.

I walked over to stand over the young man. “Now drop the Shadow Item,” I said, “and leave, before I do that to you in a Shadow Game.”

My opponent dropped his Item, stumbled to his feet, and ran.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]


Holy Crap, He Has a Sword!!!


Sarah


I was on that guy. I might not look like the typical “fit girl”, but I’d bet money I’m in better shape than most of you who’re reading this (no offense). The various sports I play see to that. Anyway, I expected to catch the Mohawk guy pretty quick, but he was wicked fast. Lucky for me I’m pretty smart, I think pretty far ahead, and I still had an ace up my sleeve.

You see, I told you about the powers of the Duelist’s Souls, but I never really specified what those powers are. Each Soul gives its wielder the power to Destiny Draw (draw any one card from their deck that they need) once per duel (we only use that one against bad guys, promise). On top of that they give each of us the power to do things outside of duels. Magical stuff based on the element that our Soul represents, as well as the aspect of our personality aspect that the Soul represents and that connects it to us. For example, my brother John has a dark side. He can be as wicked as any of our enemies, lazy, and unserious to the point of endangering himself and others. His Soul is the Soul of Darkness, to represent this. The power of his Soul is based on how well he balances his two halves. He can manipulate darkness, making it into solid forms, moving through it to any place on earth, or even into the minds of others. He can read or control minds, since everyone has some darkness in them. The more balanced he is, the more powers he has, and the more powerful his abilities are. Max can control fears of himself and others, giving himself control over the very livelihoods of those around him. His Soul is life, and its power comes from how well he controls his fear and therefore how strong his mastery is over his own life. He can bring people’s fears to life. The more powerful the control, the more realistic those fears become. According to him, he can even kill weak people, or keep people from dying. Even Tucker has a butt load of power. His Soul is the Soul of Fire. It feeds on the power of his determination to make and control flames. The more determined he is, the stronger his magic.

But me? Until recently I couldn’t really do anything, ’cept create, like, little bubbles and stuff. Not for lack of trying. I couldn’t figure out why my powers wouldn’t work. It was like the others had powers built in, but I didn’t. Then it hit me. My Soul is Water, the element that represents fluidity of thought. Creativity in action. Maybe I had to actually go out and make stuff up as I went along. You know, think outside the box.

So I did. I ran around behind old buildings and the like, playing around with my abilities. Now I have almost a full range of control over both water and ice! I can make ice so solid it’s as hard as metal, freeze the water vapor around someone to slow them down, or condense the water vapor around me into water needed for my attacks. And I can do this thing.

“Come on, Water Skates!” I said, and water instantly formed under my shoes, creating a low-friction barrier under each one. I slid on those planes of low friction like skates, careful to keep the distant form of Mohawk in sight. As I did I grabbed my cell phone from my pocket and called Jenna, “Call the others! Have them meet you at Wilsons. Tucker is there. Wait for me! Something’s up, and I got a bad feelin’.”

I saw Mohawk turn a corner into an alleyway. I followed, obviously. By now I was only a few yards behind him. I turned the corner, and he was in my face! I dissolved my Water Skates and dropped quickly under a swinging object.

Is that a sword?!

I turned toward my foe. He’d overexerted himself and overreached, so his back was to me. I swept my fingers through the air and summoned Ice Bullets that I flung at his back, sped up by the power of my Soul. They wouldn’t be fatal. Probably. But before my attack could reach the target, he spun and slashed my Ice Bullets out of the air with his sword, and I saw it.

Not a sword. A Shadow Item!

It wasn’t even very long. Just a gunmetal-colored rod with a black leather grip. Just the hilt of a sword. What made it look like a whole sword was the long black blade made of shadows that extended off of it.

It was a Shadow Sword.

I ducked under my opponent’s next swing and summoned up a Water Burst, launching it at Mohawk’s chest. But it was hasty, and it didn’t have the power it could have had. It served its purpose, though, and threw off Mohawk’s next swing long enough for me to swing around behind a dumpster. I summoned up some water behind the dumpster and expanded it enough to push the dumpster a few feet away from the wall. Far enough that by the time Mohawk had circled the dumpster to face me, I’d always squeezed behind it and circled around behind him again. I summoned a splash of water around Mohawk’s legs and promptly froze it, attempting to seal him in place, but a single swipe of his Shadow Sword shattered the ice and freed him. But I’d bought myself enough time to use my real technique. I summoned up a huge ball of water and condensed it into a long, super hard, sharp edged stick, like a sword of my own, harder even than steel. Mohawk swung his weapon. I swung mine. The attacks met and our blows deflected each other with enough force to shake the alleyway around us.

“You’re pretty tough for a kid,” said Mohawk.

“I’m a teenager actually,” I said, “and I know.” But I was just blowing hot air. My arm was throbbing. If I had to deflect another blow from that sword, my arm might as well fall of it’d be so useless. This guy was way stronger than me. Like, way way.

But remember that hot-headed idiot I told you about? I take back everything bad I ever said about him (so far).

“Back off!” Tucker demanded from behind me where he had just appeared around the corner of the building. He lunged past me, throwing a spinning kick at Mohawk’s head. Mohawk stepped back and swung his sword, but Tucker stepped around it with ease, stepped in close, and was on that goon. He swung a first, which Mohawk blocked. He swung another fist in rapid succession, winging Mohawk in the jaw. Mohawk stumbled back, giving Tucker time to summon up a ball of flames as big as his giant, thick head. He released the fireball. It took everything Mohawk had to deflect it with his blade.

“Who are you guys?” Mohawk asked, his voice gruff. He stood facing us. Tucker watched and waited in silence.

“Fine,” said Mohawk, responding to our un-forthcoming attitude, “I’m out of-.”

That’s when he saw the Soul of Fire hanging around Tucker’s neck, and he smiled. He glanced over at me and saw my Soul as well, “Oh, this is perfect. You guys are the Duel Force? A couple of kids? There’s gotta be more of ya. We’ve been hopin’ to run into you. That’s why we were out tonight. We knew you guys like to play hero, so we decided to hit up some card places. I can’t believe it. I always thought you guys’d be older.”

“What do you want with the Duel Force?” I demanded.

Mohawk’s smile widened, “Catch me and you’ll find out.” The blade of his Shadow Sword disappeared, and he seemed to melt into the shadows all around him, hidden amongst them. I could see the movement of his body, but it took all of my concentration. I might have been able to follow him, but I didn’t bother. Instead I let my icy weapon dissolve and started rubbing my arm, “OWWWWW!”

“You okay?” Tucker asked, genuinely concerned, looking at my sore arm.

“Yeah,” I said, “I’m fine, but my ARM HURTS!”

I grumbled for a minute before I finally began to calm down, “I’m okay. We gotta get back to Wilson’s”

“We aren’t going after that guy?” Tucker wondered.

“Not yet. But don’t worry, we will.”

Tucker and I started heading back toward Wilson’s card shop. We’d gathered the stuff that Mohawk had taken. He’d dropped it in the alley before the fight. We were walking at a normal pace when I said casually, “So, you sure handled that thing at Wilson’s quick. I called up the others and told ’em to meet you there ’cause I thought you’d take longer. Not that I’m complaining. You kinda saved my butt.”

“Oh, yeah,” Tucker replied, “I didn’t take care of anything. Wilson said he’d handle it, so I let things be and came after you.”

I was shocked, “You left that thug alone with an old man?”

Tucker shrugged dismissively, “Wilson seemed to know what he was doing.” “Just when I think there’s hope for you,” I said, “you go and win yourself the idiot of the year award!”

Needless to say, I started running.

We got back to Wilson’s so fast that it had to be a record. To my pleasant surprise, Wilson was inside the store, completely unharmed, with my young but tall and gangly dark-haired cousin, Amanda, my very curvy, long-light-brown-haired other cousin Kris, and the most unique of the unique, my second in command, Jenna. She was wearing a fleece-lined sky blue vest over a red-and-black-striped long-sleeved shirt, a denim skirt, and knee high purple-striped socks. There wasn’t a single part of her outfit that didn’t clash with her frizzy brown hair. My friends/family/team-mates were talking with Wilson, laughing, and generally having a marry time. I stepped inside, “Mr. Wilson, are you okay?”

“Of course, young lady,” Mr. Wilson replied. “That little pest was exactly that: a pest. He was no challenge to me.”

“Sarah,” Kris asked, “why don’t you make me come down here more often? I love it here!”

“You say that every time I get you to stop in,” I answered. Kris is nice and reliable, but more than a little spacey sometimes. She thought Mr. Wilson was hilarious and just generally awesome, but she could never trouble herself to come down to his shop.

Weird.

Anyway...

“I called you guys together this late because I had a bad feeling about the thugs that I’m sure Wil has talked your ears off about by now, and I was right. Before he ducked out, Mohawk told me and Bonehead that he was specifically looking for us.”

“You know,” said Tucker, “the comments hurt.”

Jenna spoke up next, “By ‘us’, do you mean you and Bonehead-”

“Come on!”

“-or do you mean the Duel Force?”

“I mean,” I answered, “the Duel Force. He recognized us by our, uh,” I glanced at Mr. Wilson, “by our you-know-whats.”

“You mean you Duelist’s Souls?” Wilson asked. Before my surprise could even register, he explained, “Your brother John told me about ‘em. And I have been around the block. I know a little about magic items myself, ya know.”

I felt like maybe Wilson wasn’t sharing the entire extent of what he knew, but I didn’t care. I didn’t have time to wonder.

“We have to move, guys. These two goons are after us-.”

“There’s only one guy left,” said Wilson. “The one I beat isn’t comin’ back.” “Okay,” I said, “this one guy is after us. We need to confront him, or maybe both of them, and see what’s up. We’ll have numbers on our side, so it should be a breeze.”

“Maybe I should sit this one out,” said Jenna. “After all, I don’t have magic like you guys do.”

“Actually,” Mr. Wilson cut in, hopping up from his place at the card table and grabbing something off of the counter, “I have a solution to that particular problem.” He reached out and handed Jenna the rust-haired punk’s Shadow Baton.

Needless to say, I was impressed.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]


You Know Things Are Bad When...


“I like that Wilson guy,” said Jenna, beaming, as we walked back to the alley where Tucker and I had fought Mohawk.

“You only say that ’cause he gave you a magic artifact,” said Amanda.

“It’s better than just any old Shadow Item too,” said Jenna excitedly. “I can actually use this one right off the bat!” She removed the Shadow Baton from its place tucked into her knee-high sock and twirled it expertly.

“You handle that thing like a pro,” said Tucker, impressed by Jenna’s proficiency. “Do you think you can use it as a weapon?”

“Oh yeah,” Jenna replied frankly.

“I could do that too,” said Amanda. Her dark hair was cast over her eyes. She didn’t seem to mind.

“No you couldn’t,” Kris countered. She did care that her hair was in her eyes and was busy putting it up into a ponytail.

“Shut up, guys,” I said. “We’re here.”

I turned a corner. My friends followed. We found ourselves alone in the alleyway, evidence of the earlier battle still strewn about. A bashed dumpster here, a long gash in the solid brick of the wall there. The usual.

“Okay,” Tucker wondered, “we’re here. Now what?”

“Watch and learn,” I told him, smirking, “if it’s possible for you to learn.” My Soul of Water flared, glowing faintly, and suddenly every bit of water vapor hanging in the air around us lit up. Most of the water vapor glowed like clear diamond, but some, which formed a distinct path away from the alley, in the direction of Mohawk‘s retreat, glowed a bright cerulean blue.

“What is this?” Tucker asked, amazed.

“Aqua Memory,” I replied “When I hit Mohawk with my Water Burst I made I hid some of my magical energy in it, tagging him in case he got away. That energy rubs off on any vapor Mohawk steps through, causing it to stay in one place for a little less than a day. It retains some of that energy about half that time. Lighting up my Soul causes any water vapor around us to light up. Water vapor saturated with my magical energy lights up blue. We can follow this trail and have Mohawk and his pal cornered in no time.”

I was beaming with pride.

“Cool,” said Amanda. She sounded jealous, and she probably was. Amanda’s Soul is the Soul of Wind. It’s the Soul of quick action, and it’s fueled by how quickly she reacts to a dangerous situation, and is only really good for anything once things heat up. She has power at par with any of us during a fight, but right that moment the best she probably could have done was create a strong breeze. She likes her Soul, but sometimes she gets jealous of those of us who can use our powers any time.

I led the way, following the path created by my Soul, my team following at my heels. It wasn’t long before I deactivated the visual aspect of my Aqua Memory power and started going by what my Soul itself could see. The magical trail led us through the more rundown sections of the city’s edge. Not the safest place for kids at night. At least not normal kids. In fact, it wasn’t long before someone attempted to mug us, and Amanda got a chance to display her power by promptly blowing him to the top of a four story building. Just for the fun of it Kris used the metal manipulating power of her Soul of Mettle to disconnect both the building’s fire escape and roof access ladders. That guy would probably be up there for days.

Anyway...

It wasn’t long before it became clear that we were headed for the warehouse district, which is essentially just six run down warehouses. They haven’t actually been used for anything in years. At least nothing either official or, ya know, legal. We followed the path of my Aqua Memory to the door of one of the warehouses scheduled for demolition. The notice on the door was dated two years earlier, so it was safe to say that any and all kinds of officials had forgotten about it.

“They’re in here,” I said, gesturing toward the warehouse’s heavy door.

Kris closed her eyes and concentrated. Her Soul glowed faintly, and after a second she announced, “The door was locked. It’s not now. I did it quietly. No way the guy heard. He shouldn’t even know we’re here.”

“Well we can’t have that,” I said with a wicked, cocky grim. “What do you say we announce our presence?”

I cracked my knuckles and focused. My Soul glowed and water formed in the crack along the edge of the massive steel door. I waved my hand, and the water expanded, forcing the door open. The five of us stepped inside the dark warehouse, the automated streetlights outside the only source of illumination.

“Time to light this place up,” announced Tucker. He snapped his fingers,

meaning to produce a flame, but instead he produced only some sparks.

“What the...”

“Guys,” said Amanda through chattering teeth, “is it just me or is getting cold in here?”
I looked down in the low light, “The floor is frosting over!”

“The cold is keeping my fire out,” explained Tucker. “Sarah?”

“I’m on it.” I waved my hand, trying to disperse the ice, but nothing happened. Something should have happened.

“Well that’s just strange,” said Tucker.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “and I’m not likin’ where this is goin’.”

The creeping ice thickened, and the ice in one point formed into a spike and stretched toward us almost too fast for me to react. I threw up my arms, creating a wall of water. Behind me Jenna held up her baton defensively, and Kris flinched, too shocked to do a thing. It was Amanda who saved us. Almost as soon as the spike formed Amanda reacted, creating a blade of wind, tinted with the green energy of Amanda’s Soul, that shattered the oncoming ice. Then she focused and her Soul flashed green, creating a small, green-tinted tornado around us that shattered the closest of the ice, buying us some time. The ice was still creeping closer, but it was still a ways away.

“Any ideas, Boss?” Jenna asked.

“Yeah, Boss,” asked Tucker, “what are we doin’ here?”

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. “I didn’t expect anything like this. Just stay on your toes.”

“Can do,” Kris replied, having recovered from her previous shock. Determined to redeem herself, Kris activated her Soul and scrap metal from around the warehouse flew to her arm and attached as if her arm was magnetic. A wave of electricity ran down her new robotic armor and collected in her hand.

I smiled, Guess Kris has been practicing with her powers too. Amanda called up a ball of swirling air, tinted by her green aura, I surrounded myself with multiple floating water balls that I could expand out to form various attacks, and Jenna held her Shadow Baton at the ready, its ends lighting up with Shadow fire.

“Best I can do is create a wave of heat around my hands,” said Tucker.

“Stop whining,” I commanded, “and get ready.”

The ice seemed to stop creeping, but I only felt more threatened. Like I was on a safari in the path of a tiger about to pounce. I grumbled, Something’s coming.

Suddenly my water balls froze and shattered, leaving me defenseless. Then the ice suddenly sprung forward, creating multiple thrusting spikes, most of which were aimed at me and Tucker. It was all I could do to avoid the spikes without dying. Tucker held his hands like knives and slashed at the spikes as they neared him, splitting them in two with a burst of heat. Kris shattered two spikes with a burst of electricity. Amanda shattered the few spikes bound for her with a single burst of compressed air, and Jenna shattered a crap load of spikes with a forceful twirl of the Shadow Baton.

“This is stupid,” I said. “I’m no sitting duck.” I ran forward into the darkness around us, forming my extra strong ice blades in each hand. I called back to my friends, “Spread out and find this guy!”

“Amanda ran in a different direction alongside Kris. Both were hit by a fleeting high kick launched by a slender form that retreated instantly back into the darkness. They were sent sprawling. Tucker moved to follow them and found his legs frozen in a block of ice that quickly crept upward to encase his hands as well. Jenna had her baton blown from her hand by a strong burst of wind that also served to knock her over.

That’s when Mohawk reappeared, stepping out of the deeper darkness with his sword held high. He struck. I defended, but the force of his blow brought me to my knees. I expected Mohawk to strike the final blow, but instead he stepped back and simply stood over me. “Pity,” he said, “I really thought that taking on the Duel Force would be more fun than this.”

I thought he was just talking smack until something surprising happened. A voice came from within the darkness, “I’m sorry, Baby.”

A tall, lean woman dressed in leather, with dark green hair, wearing dark green eyeliner and lipstick of the same shade, stepped up beside Mohawk and hung on him possessively. I noticed that she wore a deep emerald green crystal pendant. She asked, “Want me to torture them a little and see if I can spice things up?”

“Don’t bother,” Mohawk replied. “I’m just gonna finish them off and get it over with. I’m gonna kill the pathetic excuse for a leader, and then I’m gonna kill the one who stole Jimmy’s baton and scared him off,” he looked up at Jenna. “You can have the water Soul if you want. I like the fire one.”

“No fair,” came a third voice, this time a male voice, from within the shadows, “I want the fire one!”

“Don’t you think that the metal Soul would suite you better? Or maybe the wind Soul?” Mohawk asked. As he spoke a tall disheveled man with erratic eyes, long(-ish) unkempt red hair and chin stubble appeared.

“But I like fire,” the man whined.

“You will take the Soul I tell you to take, Snap!” Mohawk cried, and the man seemed to shrink back, defeated.

“Yes, Mask,” Snap replied sheepishly.

“I want the baton,” came yet another voice, and a young male figure about my brother’s age (so about seventeen or eighteen) with long red-blond hair, wearing a white shirt and black jeans emerged from behind Mohawk, or I guess Mask. He had his hands placed nonchalantly in his pockets, and he wore a cool smirk across his face. “You know I’ve never liked the idea of the Souls. They’re too powerful. They make things too easy.”

“Works for me, Scourge,” Mask told his compatriot. He turned to look behind his back, “What about you, Warp?”

“I’d prefer the metal Soul,” came a final male voice, and I noticed a dark-haired man in his forties wearing glasses and an old lab coat standing at the edge of the light.

“Frost?” Mask asked, looking deep into the shadows into the very back of the room. I squinted, and I could barely make out the form of a young woman with pale blue hair, staring blankly ahead. I could feel that she was the source of the ice, and when I looked closely, I could see a blue crystal hanging around her neck. She remained silent in the face of her leader’s question. Mask laughed mockingly, “Of course you don’t care. Okay,” he continued, “so it’s settled. I get the fire Soul, Scourge gets Jimmy’s baton, Snap gets the wind Soul, Warp gets the metal Soul, Frost gets nothing-.”

“And I,” said Princess Leather, “get the water Soul, right now!”

And while I knelt there, dumbfounded by how completely I had underestimated my enemy, the green crystal around the leather-bound woman’s neck began to glow, and a spinning blade of emerald-green-tinted wind formed, hovering just above her palm (like the Destructo-Disk in Dragonball Z). She prepared to unleash it. I was too stunned to move. Too stunned to fight back.

“NOOO!!” I heard Tucker cry. There was a burst of heat and a flash of red light, and I heard the ice that had been encasing Tucker shatter, snapping me out of my stupor. I saw Tucker lunge past me, acting heroically with little regard for himself, causing Leather to recoil and her attack to collapse. She jumped back out of Tucker’s reach, and Mask charged forward. But he was too late. Tucker kicked Mask’s sword to the side and summoned up a fireball, letting it fly at the defenseless swordsman. Just before the attack could hit, however, Scourge moved himself into the path of the fireball. A disk-shaped pendant that he wore flashed, and a disk-shaped energy shield appeared, deflecting the fire.

“I don’t know how you overpowered Frost’s cold, Fire Boy,” said Scourge, “but know that my shield can deflect any magical attack.”

“That’s not true,” spoke yet another new voice, “just ones as straightforward as his magical attacks.” Suddenly I felt a cold but reassuring presence beside me. Of course I recognized him at once without even looking. Even if I had looked, I wouldn’t have been able to see his face, thanks to the dark cloak that he wore, clasped around his neck by a metal disk embedded with the amber-colored Soul of Life.

I smiled at the arrival of Reaper, better known as-, “Max!”

“Who the hell are-.” Mask began, but Max raised his hand, his Soul glowing. A look of fear overcame Mask, causing him to stumble back and almost fall over, but his composure was quickly restored and he looked at Max with a hatred that normal people usually reserve for Tucker.

Max lowered his hood, revealing fierce blue eyes, a head of short, self-cut blond hair, and a confident smile, “I told you. That was a taste of my Wave of Fear. What did you think?” he asked rhetorically. Then he looked over at me, “Hey kid. I was planning on busting these guys tonight too.”

I smiled again. “Great minds,” I replied, feeling that Max had been watching over us all night, waiting for a chance to make his presence known.

Or maybe not. How should I know?

I let Max help me to my feet, and I looked Mask in the eye, “How does it feel, seeing the tables turning before your eyes? Can you still beat us when it’s a six-on-six fair fight? Or should we settle this in a game, keep things less messy?”

“That sounds good to me,” Mask replied arrogantly, eager to prove himself in the aftermath of Max’s magic, but despite his tough front I saw a bead of nervous sweat form on Mask’s brow. “We defected from the Duelists Elite to pursue our own power,” Mask explained. “All of our hard work will not go to waste. We’ll beat you, and your powers will be ours.”

As our two teams paired off, me against Mask, Amanda against the girlfriend, Max against Scourge, Tucker against the silent Frost, Jenna against Snap, and Kris against Warp, I looked Mask in the eye and shot him a smirk that would have made my brother proud, “We’ll see about that.”[/spoiler]

[spoiler=Chapter Four]


Beating Up Some Jerkbags Using Trading Cards, Part 1


Tucker


“You guys were seriously in the Elite?” I asked my opponent, the girl called Frost. I was feeling more inquisitive than usual.

Yes, I just insulted myself. I guess Sarah’s attitude is rubbing off on me.

Anyway, I asked my question, and my opponent didn’t speak. She didn’t look me in the eye. She didn’t react or respond at all. She was, no pun intended, as cold as ice.

“Guess you don’t talk much,” I told the girl. I looked her over for a minute. She was pretty, between mine and Sarah’s ages. She didn’t look mean, but she’d attacked Sarah and the others and frozen me. She was our enemy.

“If you don’t wanna talk,” I declared, “Then we’ll duel instead. I’ll go first. I summon ‘Blazing Inpachi’.”

A giant man made of connected logs appeared, his entire body alight with flames (ATK: 1850).

“I set a card and pass,” I said, waiting for any kind of reaction from my foe. Finally, she responded. Her face grew more determined, and she drew an opening hand of six cards.

“I summon my ‘Blizzard Dragon’,” Frost declared, and a pale blue-gray-skinned dragon appeared at her side, its wings folded tight at its sides, its head sitting a foot or so above its master’s (ATK: 1800).

“My monster can freeze an opponent’s monster in place for one full turn.” “No way,” I said. “My monster’s flames will protect him!”

Frost ignored me. Her dragon breathed a stream of super-chilled air that surrounded my monster, suppressing his flames. Patches of ice formed across my monster’s body. The ice immediately began to melt. It would be gone by the end of my turn, but until then, my monster couldn’t do anything.

“Okay,” I said, “point taken. My move. I summon ‘Thing in the Crater’, defense mode, and end my turn.”

As the smoldering, shadowy humanoid figure of my monster appeared at my side (DEF: 1200), I thought to myself, I’d better play things cool for now. I’ve never seen that dragon card before, and I’ve never fought an ice-themed deck. If John were here, he’d feel things out and take it slow, so that’s what I’m gonna do. After all, who knows how many more cards this girl has that I’ve never even seen.

If I screw up now, I’ll be proving right everything Sarah’s ever said about me. Better safe than sorry.


Jenna


My opponent was a freaky one. Mask had called him Snap. It was obviously some kind of codename, but as I watched my opponent’s face switch with hyperactive energy, I realized just how appropriate a codename it was.

“I don’t know as much ’bout you as you guys seem to know about us,” I admitted, “but that’s not gonna stop me from doin’ my part to take you guys down. I get this game rolling by setting a monster, and I pass.”

By making such a simple move I was daring my opponent to attack. It was a tactic good against novice Duelists, tricking them into falling for some kind of trap. Any experienced Duelist would wait to attack until their position was more secure, just to be safe. I was testing the actual integrity of my opponent’s erratic-seeming mind.

“I won’t be drawn into attacking so easily, no no,” my opponent said hastily. “No, instead I’ll mimic your play by setting a monster of my own, and I’ll improve upon it by setting three more cards!”

“Too bad for you, my move was only a bluff,” I said. “I was testing you. You passed, except that you played way too many face-down cards. You are setting up a combo, which means there’s a fifty-fifty chance that my monster will survive an attack. A chance that I’m gonna take. Flip-Summon the fierce, piercing beast, ‘Gyaku-Gire Panda’!”

An aggressive-looking panda appeared at my side, holding a stalk of bamboo in his right paw.

“My monster gains extra Attack for every monster my opponent controls,” I explained as my monster roared (ATK: 800+500=1300).

“In response to your Flip-Summon,” Snap countered, “I reveal my Continuous Trap card ‘Synthetic Seraphim’.”

“All that does is summon monsters,” I said. “You’re goin’ out of your way to help my monster out. ‘Panda’, attack!”

My monster charged, with sharp, outstretched claws raised high.

“Reveal,” said Snap over-excitedly, “the Counter Trap card ‘Negate Attack’, stopping you monster in its tracks!”

A vortex appeared in the path of my monster. It swept him up and tossed him back to my side of the field.

“Activating a Counter Trap,” Snap explained, “activates my ‘Synthetic Seraphim’, summon a ‘Seraphim Token’ in defense mode!”

A tiny ceramic angelic creature appeared at my foe’s feet (DEF: 300). My ‘Panda’ roared again as his power rose (ATK: 1300+500=1800).

He knows my ‘Panda”s power, I thought. I even told it to him! Why would he risk summoning a monster, especially one with such low defense? What is his strategy? What is he planning?

“I end my turn,” I said, still wondering.

“Then it’s my turn,” Snap announced ecstatically, his voice cracking with excitement. “I Flip-Summon my ‘Cat of Ill Omen’! This lets me move any Trap from my deck to the top of my deck!”

He fanned out his deck and picked a card, replaced his deck, and placed the card atop it.

“Reveal,” Snap continued, “the Trap card ‘Jar of Greed’. I add the card I just searched to my hand, and I finish with two face-down cards.”

Great, I thought. One of those cards could very easily be the card he just added to his hand, and that card could be any Trap in the game! I have no idea what he’s planning, so I can’t even make a guess what card it is.

This sucks!


Max


“You can’t overcome my powers in a duel,” said my opponent, the mysterious Scourge, “even if your powers are stronger than mine out of a duel, and we never settled whether or not they are.”

“Your pride astounds me,” I remarked. “Your barrier pendant was ineffective against my Wave of Fear, just as your deck will be ineffective against my deck, Fear of Death.”

I drew my opening hand, “I summon ‘Emissary of the Afterlife’ (ATK: 1600).” A fiendish-looking grim reaper appeared, carrying a decorated scythe. “Additionally,” I continued, “I set two cards. Your move.”

“Then the real battle begins now,” Scourge replied. “I summon ‘Familiar Knight’!”

A relatively simple-looking knight appeared, wearing silver-gray armor and a long red cape, his sword drawn and held in a defensive posture (DEF: 1400).

“That’s nothing,” I replied, drawing my next card. “I attack your ‘Knight’ with my reaper’s Screaming Sickle!”

‘Emissary’ slunk forward like a shadow and sliced the ‘Knight’ in half.

“When ‘Familiar Knight’ is destroyed,” Scourge explained, “we each Special Summon a Level Four monster from our respective hands. I know all about your deck. I know that it actually contains very few monsters that are exactly Level Four, and because one of the few monsters is already on your field, I’m betting that you don’t have an appropriate monster in your hand. That means I get to summon a monster, keeping the ratio of monsters on the field at one to one. I’ll begin my turn as if you never even attacked. Through the effect of my ‘Familiar Knight’, I summon ‘Armageddon Knight’!”

A new swordsman appeared, this one wearing scraped and dented rusty-brown armor, goggles, and a tattered red scarf (ATK: 1400).

“When this particular monster is summoned,” Scourge explained, “I can discard a Dark monster from my deck. A monster like ‘Marie the Fallen One’.”

His card ejected from his deck, and he added it to his Graveyard.

“Well,” I said, “you were right about the cards in my hand. But you were wrong too. I will be summoning a monster. And thanks to you, it will be exactly the monster I want! Just the monster I need! I activate ‘The Clinging Darkness’, allowing me to summon the ‘Spirit Reaper’ from my deck!”

I smiled, full of pride, as I was surrounded by a lingering smoky fog, “If you’ve really read about me from my time with the Duel Force, then you know that my ‘Spirit Reaper’ being on the field is very bad for you.” The dark smoke coalesced, taking on the form of a cloaked reaper that emerged suddenly from darkness like the hand of death itself (DEF: 200).

“I end my turn,” I taunted. “Just try to kill me. I’ll be over here, laughing as you fail.”


Amanda


“You seem like a nice girl,” said my leather-bound slut of an opponent in that voice that adults use when they’re being condescending to kids, “so why don’t you just gimme the Soul and leave. If you can get out the door before I get bored I probably won’t chop you up into pieces.”

“You’re a slut,” I said frankly, “and a b****.”

“Why you!” my opponent cried, her crystal Shadow Item flashing. Wind tinted with emerald-colored energy formed around her, forming a swirling disk. She through it at me. I raised my hand and dispersed her attack with a burst of my own green­-tinted wind.

“Play nice,” I said, because I’m awesome like that, and because I wasn’t scared at all (more or less).

“I’m Gale of the Dark Elite,” my opponent spat, “and I will not be bested my some child!”

I smiled a bit, “We’ll see.”

I drew my opening hand, “Activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.”

I drew again, Just what I was hoping for!

“Next,” I continued, “I place three cards face-down and summon ‘Birdface’.”

A humanoid bird with feathered arms and the head of a hawk appeared, hanging in the air to my side (ATK: 1600).

“And finally,” I concluded, “I play the Spell card ‘Card Destruction’ to discard my last two cards and draw two new cards.”



“Maybe you didn’t know,” Gale remarked in an almost seductive voice that I took to signify renewed confidence, “but I also get to throw out my five cards and draw five new cards.”

“Course I knew that,” I said, “I can read.”

My opponent scowled as she looked over her brand new hand, “Prepare to lose, little girl!”

“Why,” I asked casually, “did you draw the five pieces of ‘Exodia’? ’Cuz that’s the only way you’re gonna beat me!”

“You little brat!” Gale exclaimed. “I activate ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive one of the monsters that you were so kind as to discard for me, my ‘Storm Shooter’! I line this birdman monster up with your face-down card on the end!”

The heavily-feathered yellow and blue birdman appeared at Gale’s side, facing my hidden card (ATK: 2300).

“My monster uses Wind Burst,” Gale explained, “to return the card to your hand.” A blast of compressed air launched from the birdman’s flapping wings and blasted my card off of the field.

“I summon another birdman,” Gale declared, “the ‘Sonic Shooter’.” Another monster, almost identical to ‘Storm Shooter’ but slightly smaller and with a pale violet body and brown wings, appeared hovering alongside Gale’s first monster (ATK: 1300).

“‘Storm Shooter’ kills ‘Birdface’,” Gale announced, “with Storm Bullet!”

Gale laughed as my monster was shredded by a blast of compressed air launched with a SNAP! from the birdman‘s flapping wings (8000+1600-2300=7300).

“And I’ll follow up with my ‘Sonic Shooter”s Sonic Burst!”

‘Sonic Shooter’ blasted past me, catching me in his slipstream, nearly knocking me on my butt (7300-1300=6000).

“Destroying ‘Birdface’ lets me search my deck for a ‘Harpie’ monster,” I declared, removing my deck from the loader and taking a card from it, “and I turn the tables in this duel with my key card, the card that will let me beat you this turn!”

“That’s impossible,” my opponent stated, absolutely certain that she was telling the truth. If only she knew how wrong she was.

“My key card,” I continued, “is the Trap card ‘Hysteric Party’! I discard my the ‘Harpie’ that I added to my hand, ‘Harpie Lady 1’, to revive her and the two ‘Harpie Queen’ cards discarded by my ‘Card Destruction’!”

I saw a moment of fear flash behind my opponent’s cold eyes “Wha-?”

On my field appeared three beautiful women, all with feathered wing-arms and bird legs. One had long orange hair and green feathers (‘Harpie Lady 1’ ATK: 1300) and the others were taller and more elegant with long green hair and white feathers (‘Harpie Queen’ ATK: 1900 (each)).

“My ‘Harpie Lady 1’ raises the power of my Wind monsters by three hundred apiece (ATK: 1300+300=1600/ATK: 1900+300=2200 (each)). I also play ‘Elegant Egotist’ times two to summon ‘Harpie Lady 2’ and ‘Harpie Lady 3’ from my deck to tribute for ‘Harpie’s Pet Dragon’!”

Two more ‘Harpies’ appeared and were promptly replaced by a large red dragon wearing a golden necklace and crown, as well as a leash-like chain (ATK: 2000).

“As a Wind monster,” I explained, “my ‘Dragon’ gets the bonus from my ‘Harpie 1’. She also gains an additional three hundred Attack for every ‘Harpie Lady’ I control.”

The dragon’s power rose before my eyes (2000+300+(300x3)=3200). “You’re kidding!” Gale screeched disbelievingly. I ignored her.

“Finally,” I finished, “I reveal ‘United We Stand’, equipping it to my dragon, raising her Attack by another eight hundred for every monster I control!” Gale’s eyes widened and she stared on in horror as the Attack power of my monster grew even further, empowered by the mere presence of her peers (3200+(800x4)=6400).

“My monsters attack at once!” I commanded. My dragon breathed fire, incinerating the ‘Storm Shooter’ (8000+2300-6400=3900), ‘Harpie Lady 1’ shredded ‘Sonic Shooter’ with her powerful claws (3900+1300-1600=3600), and my remaining monsters swiped at my opponent’s exposed form (3600-3800=0). Gale fell to her knees, shocked. I walked over to her, “I’ve never done this, but I guess it’s pretty easy. My Soul knows how to do it.”

I held up my palm, aiming it at my foe’s forehead, and my Soul flashed as I called, “Penalty Game Mind Wipe!”

Gale slumped over, unconscious. I reached down and yanked the crystal Item from her neck.

“You’re still a really bad person,” I said to her, “and not even magic can change that, but at least without your memories of the Shadow Items you won’t be able to hurt people anymore.”

I put the crystal Item in my pocket and walked away.


Kris


I stood facing the lab-coated warp. He looked smart, but I got a feeling from him. A feeling that as smart as he was, he wasn’t a very imposing gamer. A gamer, especially someone who plays Duel Monsters, has to be able to use their intelligence and instinct together to form a structured deck with a working strategy. When it comes to doing just that, there’s no one better than me, and all the smarts in the world wasn’t going to do anything to change that.

“Me first,” I insisted. My opponent didn’t object, so I drew my opening hand. “I summon the multi-armed weapon drone ‘Mechanicalchaser’!”

My monster appeared, levitating at my side, each of its many arms ending in a different weapon (ATK: 1850).

“To finish my turn,” I concluded, “I place two cards face-down. Go.”

“Well then,” Warp announced, “I begin with the Spell card ‘Dark Hole’, a Spell that creates a singularity to swallow your machine.”

“Singu-what?” I asked. “Speak English!”

Warp smiled darkly and pointed straight up, “It means black hole.”

I looked up just in time to see a black vortex crackle open. I could feel its excess gravity pulling me toward it, and I saw the much more substantial effect on my monster as it was pulled inside and literally stretched into a strand of molecules. The vortex closed afterward.

“Not cool, man,” I told my opponent. He ignored me.

“I set a monster,” warp concluded, “and two face-down cards. Your move, young lady. Make the best of it, because you won’t get many more.”

Now it was my turn to ignore him, “Here I go, I draw, and I begin by fusing my ‘Roboyarou’ with my ‘Robolady’ by means of ‘Polymerization’.”

A male, humanoid robot in blue mechanical armor appeared alongside a female humanoid robot in largely identical pink armor. The two monsters merged and formed a slightly larger, darker-skinned male figure in blue armor with pink shoulder pads. A dual-ended lance with pink metal hand guards appeared in his outstretched right hand.

“I present my ‘Super Roboyarou’,” I announced. My monster brandished his weapon (ATK: 1200). “‘Super Roboyarou’ is a machine designed for monster-on-­monster combat. His programming allows him to predict the offensive and defensive moves of an enemy capable of fighting him, and allows him to calculate the optimum angle of attack, raising his offensive power in battle by one thousand! I’ll have him attack your monster.”

‘Super Roboyarou’ charged his lance with energy and lunged at the hidden card (ATK: 1200+1000=2200).

“Attacking with your scrap metal mandroid triggers my Trap, ‘Hidden Singularity’,” Warp explained, “and reveals the face-down ‘Gravitic Orb’.”

Oh crap!

“When ‘Gravitic Orb’ is flipped, the battle positions of your monsters are changed,” Warp explained, “and ‘Hidden Singularity’ destroys any monster that changes to defense mode during the Battle Phase.”

An orb of dark energy appeared. My monster thrust his lance through it, causing waves of heavy gravity to wash over him, forcing him to defend himself. An instant later a small black hole opened up and my monster was swallowed up inside.

“During the Damage Step,” I declared, “while the damaged ‘Orb’ is still in play, I reveal ‘Hidden Barrel’, dealing you twelve hundred damage.”

A hidden gun appeared from the ground at my side and fired at my opponent, hitting him square in the chest (8000-1200=6800), and the energy of my foe’s ‘Orb’ faded away. “At least my move wasn’t a total loss.”

Well this is interesting, I thought. Our monster zones are both empty, and his Life is lower than mine, but it’s his turn. This match could go either way.

Cool!


Sarah


“I’ve heard good things about the Duelists of the Duel Force,” said Mask. “I hope you are as worthy as I’ve heard, or else this will be even more boring than I already expect it to be.”

“Don’t worry,” I said sarcastically, “I’ll make this duel interesting for you. After all, that’s what I live for.”

I drew my opening hand and continued seriously, “I begin with ‘Ocean’s Keeper’, the Goldfish Warrior!”

A four and a half foot tall, three-eyed goldfish appeared standing on his tail, grasping a trident in his fins (ATK: 1500).

“Next I place a card face-down and change the battlefield with ‘A Legendary Ocean’!”

I played my card, and the ground below mine and Mask’s feet was disguised by a hologram of a deep ocean, a golden city visible far below the surface.

“This Field Spell card lowers the Levels of monsters I control and monsters in my hand by one,” I explained. “It also boosts the power of Water monsters by two hundred. Monsters like my ‘Ocean’s Keeper’ (ATK: 1500+200=1700). And to secure my advantage, I play ‘Field Barrier’, protecting my Field Spell from being replaced or destroyed.”

The hologram of my Field Spell was encased in an energy barrier. The hologram of my second Spell appeared alongside it.

“You don’t like to leave yourself open, do you?” Mask asked mockingly.

“Being prepared is what I’m good at,” I replied, filled with pride.

“It’s that attitude that will lead to your defeat,” said Mask, equally prideful. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded, annoyed.

Mask chuckled, “You’ll see.”

He drew to begin his first turn, “I summon my ‘Melchid the Four-Faced Beast’.” A strange, levitating creature appeared. It was essentially a central core body with four faces, each looking in a different cardinal direction, and each wearing a different, menacing mask (ATK: 1500).

“Thanks to your Field Spell,” Mask declared, “my monster isn’t even equal to yours in this form, so I’ll increase his power with ‘Mask of Brutality’!”

The mask on the face of ‘Melchid’ that was facing me was replaced by a round tribal mask with an orb in the forehead and small hands reaching out from here the eye holes would have been (1500+1000=2500).

“My monster attacks and kills the ‘Ocean’s Keeper’,” Mask declared. His monster



charged full speed at mine, tackling him and crushing him. The four-faced monster continued through toward me.

“Nice try,” I said, “but I have this!” The water at my feet churned and finally sprung up, forming a wall of violently rotating cyclones that deflected the excess battle damage, “I reveal ‘Tornado Wall’! As long as I have access to water, my Life Points are safe from battle damage of any kind. And on top of that, when ‘Ocean’s Keeper’ is destroyed, I get to add the ‘Cranium Fish’ in my deck to my hand!”

A card ejected from my deck. I added it to my hand.

“There’s more than one way to damage you’re Life Points,” said Mask. “I told you that your preparedness would lead to your destruction! Activate ‘Mask of Dispel’, equipping it to the ‘Field Barrier’. While equipped, it will drain away five hundred of your Life at the start of each of my turns.”

A mask like the one from “Scream”, but darker, appeared attached to my ‘Barrier’ Spell.

This guy’s pretty good, I thought, and he seems well prepared, just like me. But I’ve already gotten my ass kicked by this guy and let him lead me and my team into a trap. I will not let him get the best of me again, no matter what![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]


Beating Up Some Jerkbags Using Trading Cards, Part 2


Jenna


“Alright,” I told my weird, jittery opponent, “your deck’s totally out there, and I’m having trouble pegging your strategy down, but I ain’t gonna let that break my momentum. I summon ‘U.F.O. Turtle’!”

“Hold on!” Snap exclaimed so suddenly that I jumped. My monster, a green tortoise with a flying saucer for a shell appeared as Snap declared, “Reveal Counter Trap ‘Forced Back’! My Trap negates your monster’s summoning and returns it to your hand.”

My monster turned to light and rejoined its card, which I picked up off of the Duel Disk.

“And,” Snap continued, “another ‘Seraphim Token’ is summoned.”

Another of Snap’s tiny fairies appeared (DEF: 200).

“I was hoping for that,” I said, glad that my opponent had finally done something that I’d expected him to. “Now my ‘Panda’ grows even stronger!”

The ‘Panda’ roared and flexed its arms as well as its free claws (ATK: 2300). “As I explained before, my ‘Panda’ has the power to pierce your defenses and damage your Life, so summon all of the weak monsters you want. ‘Panda’ attack!” ‘Gyaku-Gire Panda’ charged forward and swung his powerful paw at the ‘Cat of Ill Omen’. The feline didn’t react in the slightest.

“I reveal,” said Snap, decisive but still erratic-sounding, “my second ‘Negate Attack’!”

A second vortex, identical to the one from so recently, appeared and repelled my ‘Panda’ in the same matter as before.

Dammit!

“And now,” Snap explained, “another Token is summoned!”

The newest Token monster appeared alongside the others. Crap! I thought. I’m a good Duelist, but there are some strategies that even good Duelists have to figure out before they can do anything about it. This guy’s strategy is one of ‘em. Maybe if I were a better Duelist I’d have figured it out by now. Right now all I can do is try to be as prepared as I can...

“I finish my turn with a face-down card.”

“Perfect!” Snap practically sang, his voice warbling. “I draw, and I also set a card. Next I play ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards!”

We drew. Snap looked over his new hand and snickered excitedly. He had no poker face.

“I set a monster,” Snap continued, “and change the ‘Cat of Ill Omen’ to defense mode. I set another card and round out my turn with ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’.”

My opponent smiled, a corner of his mouth twitching along with the corresponding eye, creeping my out, but it didn’t matter, because I could see it now. Yes, he was erratic, but he wasn’t crazy. Everything that Snap had done so far was part of his strategy. And thanks to his most recent play, I knew what that strategy was, at least in theory.

He went from using Traps to using Traps to summon monsters, and now he’s activated ‘Dark Room’. I think he’s actually managed to combine Traps and Tokens with a Monster Burn strategy. If I’m right, then I only have one chance!

“It’s my move,” I declared, my confidence renewed. “I begin by summoning my ‘Allure Queen LV3’! She can mesmerize one monster per turn and bring it over to her side.”

An elegantly dressed, highly enticing young woman appeared at my side. She made a circle in the air with her fingertip, creating a floating fireball which danced around the ‘Cat of Ill Omen”s head, drawing it away from one master and toward another.

“If you want to take my monster,” said Snap, “then I demand your Life in exchange! I reveal ‘Solar Ray’, allowing each of my Light monsters to burn away six hundred of your Life Points. This damage combines with the power of ‘Dark Room’ and becomes even greater!”

Snap’s three tiny fairies began to glow with power as his Trap revealed.

One chance!

“I was ready for that. Reveal ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’ (8000-1000=7000)!” “Not bad,” Snap allowed, “but I can more than easily counter your counter. I pay half of my Life Points to reveal ‘Solemn Judgment’!”

Snap’s Life drained away (8000/2=4000), but it was worth it. My Counter Trap was negated, another Token was summoned to Snap’s field, and all four of his fairies unleashed their energy in the form of powerful beams of light (7000-2400-300=4300).

“My attack!” I declared, visibly shaken by my opponent’s massive attack. “I’ll have my ‘Panda’ attack your face-down monster (‘Panda’ ATK: 3300).”

My monster charged and raised his claws. My opponent’s monster was revealed to be a living jet fighter with a cartoonish face, ‘Jetroid’ (DEF: 1800).

“When ‘Jetroid’ is attacked,” Snap explained, “I can play any Trap from my hand. Like my second ‘Solar Ray’!”

The jet was smashed by the ‘Panda”s angry claws (4000+1800-3300=2500), just as the four ‘Seraphim Tokens’ rose up and unleashed another beam of light that washed over me. The last one had been enough to singe my clothes and skin, and this beam was enough to bring me to my knees with a whimper (4300-2400-300=1600).

John, I thought, if this is what all Shadow Games feel like, then I think I get why you never wanted me fighting in them. But I’m not weak. I’m gonna beat this guy, no matter how much it hurts!

I stumbled to my feet, “I’m not out of this yet! My ‘Allure Queen’ attacks and destroys one of the Token monsters.”

“You really should have done that earlier,” Snap taunted, as my ‘Queen’ released a fireball that blew one of the tiny fairies apart. I only glared at Snap. He knew I understood my mistake.

“Now,” I said, struggling with the desperation in my voice, “I set two cards, and...and pass.”

“You seem uncertain,” said Snap arrogantly.

“Attack me and find out,” I taunted.

“I already made clear in my first turn,” Snap countered, “that I won’t take your bait.”

He drew, “It’s time I finished this duel the best way I know how! I summon ‘Makyura the Destructor’, and I’ll command him to attack!”

“I won’t let you get away with that,” I said. “I protect my ‘Queen’ with ‘Waboku’!” Snap smiled wickedly, “Who said I was attacking the ‘Queen’?”

‘Makyura’, an armored demon with large claw weapons attacked to its arms, wearing a purple-black helm adorned with spikes and the symbol of an Egyptian wdjat eye (ATK: 1600), rushed not at the weaker ‘Allure Queen’, but at the stronger ‘Gyaku-Gire Panda’ (ATK: 2800)!

“But wait. That means-!”

My ‘Panda’ crushed the assailant under his powerful paw (2500+1600-2800 =1300).

“Exactly,” Snap replied, “because ‘Makyura’ was added to the Graveyard, I can activate Trap cards from my hand until the end of the turn! I play ‘Ceasefire’ and chain the Trap monster ‘Zoma the Spirit’!”

A demonic creature rose from the ground at Snap’s side.

“There are three Effect monsters on the field,” Snap explained, “so ‘Ceasefire’ deals a base of fifteen hundred damage. Combined with the three hundred from my Spell, it’s more than enough to kill you!”

Energy poured from my two monsters and Snap’s Trap monster, forming a massive energy ball in the sky. The energy discharged, engulfing me, obscuring me from my opponent’s view.

“Die, girl!” Snap cried, laughing maniacally. He knew he’d won.

Wasn’t he surprised!

As his Trap attack ended, shock filled my opponent’s face, “That’s not possible!”

“Oh yeah,” I replied from where I stood behind a glowing barrier, all semblance of doubt gone from my voice and expression, “it definitely is. Thanks to my ‘Pikeru’s Circle of Enchantment’, I’m immune to all effect damage for the remainder of the turn. Looks like you fell into my Trap after all!”

“You!” Snap explained angrily. “You made me believe that you were helpless against my strategy so that I’d commit my resources too early!”

“If you weren’t so crazy,” I replied, “I’d say something snappy like ‘I’m surprised you didn’t figure that out earlier’. Now, get ready. I draw,” I pulled my newest card, “and my ‘Allure Queen’ levels up!”

‘Cat of Ill Omen’ disappeared, and ‘Allure Queen’ grew into a slightly more mature and more attractive version of herself.

“I summon ‘Mother Grizzly’,” I continued, the bluish-furred bear appearing alongside the ‘Panda’, “and reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’. I pay one thousand Life and tribute all three of my monsters to summon ‘Aitsu’ and ‘Koitsu’, my ultimate cards!”

My three monsters disappeared, and they were replaced by two tiny humanoid creatures. Both were featureless, and both stood upon levitating, magic paper airplanes. You wouldn’t be able to tell them apart, except for that fact that ‘Aitsu’ (ATK: 100) was red, and ‘Koitsu’ (ATK: 200) was blue.

“My monsters are weak separately,” I explained, “but they can unionize together and form a power unlike any other!”

My monsters clasped hands, “Attack with the union spiral, Spiral Dive-bomb!”

My monsters dove in a tight spiral (ATK: 3100), ripping straight through Snap’s monsters, shattering them, dealing piercing damage. Snap’s Life Points were reduced to zero, and he fell to his knees. I walked toward him and stood over him. “Here,” Snap pleaded, holding a heavily scratched black metal coin up to me, “take my Shadow Item. Just don’t hurt me!”

I took the coin, feeling its power adding to my Shadow Baton’s. I knew what to do, even though I’d never done it and I’d only barely noticed Amanda do it to her opponent at the end of their duel. I knew, because my opponent deserved to forget, and my Shadow Items wanted to give him what he deserved. I held my palm up to Snap’s forehead, “This probably won’t hurt. Too bad. But what’re ya gonna do? Snap, it’s time to forget it all. Forget magic and Shadow Items. Penalty Game, Mind Wipe!”


Kris


“It is my turn,” Warp declared assertively. “Dealing me twelve hundred damage with your Trap last turn was a decent touch, but ultimately futile. I control the field now, and you’re wide open, just as I planned.”

Warp drew to begin his turn, “Reveal ‘Level Conversion Lab’. This lets me assign a monster in my hand a random Level from one to six. If the monster’s Level becomes one, my little experiment fails and the monster becomes weak and dies, but if any other number comes up, my monster is assigned that Level until the end of the turn.”

Warp chose his card and held it out. A pedestal topped with a monitor appeared at his side, flashing random numbers, until it stopped suddenly on three. Warp revealed his monster, “My monster is ‘Gravity Behemoth’!

“I summon my monster now,” Warp declared, and his monster, a massive black beast with curved horns and an armored body, appeared standing behind him (ATK: 2300). “My monster attacks directly with Gravity Crush Claw!”

‘Gravity Behemoth’ slashed with its massive claws, releasing waves of gravitic energy that collected around me, increasing the effect of gravity on my body. I fell to my knees as my body became so heavy that I was nearly crushed under my own weight (8000-2300=5700). Just when I thought I was going to start to cry, the energy from ‘Behemoth”s attack dissipated.

“Nice try,” I said, rising shakily to my feet, trying to keep the pain out of my voice, “but if my plan works (and I think it will) then you lose this turn.”

“There is no way that a Duelist with a deck like yours and with your inexperience could defeat me in one turn,” Warp insisted. “For there to even be a chance, your deck would have to be structured perfectly.”

I smiled, “Maybe it is.” I drew, “I activate ‘Graceful Charity’ to draw three cards and discard two.”

I drew again, So far so good! I just need one more card.

“Next up,” I continued, “I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards!”

I drew yet again, and I could feel my face light up as I looked at my newest acquisition. I didn’t even attempt to conceal my excitement.

“Oh yeah! Kiss your Life Points goodbye! I play ‘Fusion Recovery’, returning ‘Polymerization’ and ‘Roboyarou’ in my Grave to my hand. But I didn’t need ‘Roboyarou’. Just ‘Poly’. So I ditch the android and remove a card in my Grave from play, activating the effect of that card, my ‘Junk Recoverer’! This lets me return any Machine monster in my Grave to my hand. I choose the ‘Barrel Dragon’ that I discarded due to the effect of ‘Graceful Charity’.”

A card ejected from my Graveyard compartment. Several old, run-down components appeared, assembling into a robot with the head of a TV. It took the ejected card from the Graveyard and handed it to me, before falling apart yet again.

“I play ‘Polymerization’,” I declared, “to merge ‘Barrel Dragon’ and ‘Blowback Dragon’ in my hand into the mighty ‘Gatling Dragon’!”

A massive robotic dragon with a revolver for a head and for each arm appeared alongside a second dragon with an automatic pistol for a head and body. The two merged in a flash of light into a wicked-looking mechanical dragon with huge wheels instead of legs, a Gatling gun for a head, and a Gatling gun for each hand appeared with a roar.

“Now say by-by, because my ‘Gatling Dragon’ won’t be here long.” I chose another on-hand card, “I play ‘De-Fusion’ to separate my monster, summoning the base monsters to the field!”

The ‘Gatling Dragon’ split into his component monsters. They appeared in the space behind me with a mechanical-sounding roar (Barrel Dragon ATK: 2600/Blowback Dragon ATK: 2300).

“This can’t be!” Warp exclaimed. “You must have based your strategy on this play all along!”

“Oh,” I said, “it can be, and I did. And this isn’t everything. I said I was going to destroy you this turn, and my monsters can’t do that as they are. So I’ll play my final card, ‘Limiter Removal’!”

Warp’s eyes went wide as auras appeared around my monsters. Gears ground and clanked inside their metal bodies, and their power doubled (2600x2=5200/2300x2 =4600).

“No,” Warp whimpered one final time.

I smiled, “Yes! My dragons attack!”

‘Barrel Dragon’ fired his revolvers, tearing lethal holes through the body of the ‘Behemoth’ and carrying through. ‘Blowback Dragon’ fired a massive bullet of its own. The two attacks blasted my opponent, throwing him onto his back with a loud THUD! He passed out. Two minutes ago, Warp would have been a serious threat to anyone he encountered. By the time he woke up, he wouldn’t even remember how to be.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]


Beating Up Some Jerkbags Using Trading Cards, Part 3


Max


“Your ‘Reaper’ might be a rare card,” said Scourge, full of pride, “and I’ll admit, I’m impressed, but my strategy, the ultimate strategy, has only begun to unfold. I begin my turn by gaining two hundred Life due to the effect of ‘Marie the Fallen One’ sent to the Graveyard by ‘Armageddon Knight’ (8000+200=8200). Next I summon ‘Armageddon Knight’!”

Another of the dark swordsmen appeared alongside his doppelganger (ATK: 1400).

“This,” Scourge explained, “allows me to discard another ‘Marie’ from my deck. And I follow up with the Spell card ‘Painful Choice’.”

Scourge didn’t bother to explain his Spell and instead jumped right into the effect, fanning out his deck and choosing five cards. He added them to his Duel Disk and holograms of the five cards appeared above his head. He’d chosen three copies of ‘Shining Angel’ and two copies of ‘Giant Germ’.”

Of course I already knew what my opponent was planning, so I didn’t really care which card he kept. “Keep your ‘Giant Germ’,” I told him. He did, discarding the rest.

“Finally my combo is complete!” said Scourge. “Now that I have another Fiend in my Graveyard I have the power to summon one of the most powerful, dangerous monsters in the game! I remove ‘Shining Angel’, both copies of ‘Marie’, and the ‘Giant Germ’ from play to summon-.”

“The ‘Sky Scourge Norleras’?” I asked, bored.

“-The ‘Sky Scourge Norleras’!” Scourge declared, and then paused, my question sinking in. “Hey, how did you know that!?”

“Well,” I answered, “my first clue was the fact that you call yourself Scourge. Then you did so much deck thinning that you practically showed me your deck. I didn’t need a third clue, not to say that there wasn’t one. Or three.”

Scourge was fuming, “Maybe you did figure out my deck. I’m still going to blow you away. Behold my monster!”

A pillar of dark light erupted from the ground, and from it rose the imposing figure of ‘Norleras’. He had a skeletal face with a protruding horn, tattered, leathery wings, black skin studded with spikes, and long, spindly arms. His arms and lower torso were wrapped in white bandages. He had spindly fingers with long, sharp claws. He had no legs, and instead had only a tail of wispy black smoke (ATK: 2400).

“Your ‘Reaper’ can’t be destroyed in battle, but my monster is even more powerful,” Scourge explained. “He can release all of his energy in the form of one final attack, destroying everything on the field and in our hands, and then allowing me to draw one card, at the cost of only one thousand Life Points!”

I didn’t react in the slightest, which seemed to piss my opponent off. But can you blame me? I knew ‘Norleras” effect, so I wasn’t surprised. Plus, my strategy could handle such a minor setback. Scourge’s Life fell (8200-1000=7200). ‘Norleras’ cried out and self-destructed, his energy erupted outward like a dark fountain, washing away everything on the field. Scourge and I discarded our hands, and Scourge drew his one card. One card that gave him a decisive advantage over me, in theory.

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” Scourge declared confidently, “to draw three cards and discard two.”

He drew again and discarded as I taunted, “Draw anything good? Or maybe you’re setting up for another Special Summon of a useless monster.”

“Shut up!” Scourge snapped, momentarily losing control. He regained his cool quickly, “I discard ‘Hysteric Fairy’ and ‘Sangan’, and I remove two copies of ‘Shining Angel’, ‘Hysteric Fairy’, and ‘Sangan’ from play to summon the second ultimate card!”

“Big surprise...”

“Behold,” Scourge announced as he was flanked by a pillar of light, “the ‘Sky Scourge Enrise’!”

A form emerged from a pillar of light. He was more slender and angelic than ‘Norleras’ with elegant, feathered white wings. His eyes were covered by a visor. He wore leather pants and leather straps on his arms, and he had a hole in his abdomen that glittered, like a swirling vortex (ATK: 2400).

“My monster attacks directly,” Scourge commanded, “with Fallen Burst!”

‘Enrise’ summoned energy into his hands from the vortex in his body and released it in a wave (8000-2400=5600).

“Nice play,” I said, honestly impressed, “but whatever. Your monster won’t be around much longer.”

“You might have figured me out two turns ago,” said Scourge, “but you still can’t come back from this,” he gestured at the current state of the field. “I control a powerful monster able to remove one of your monsters from play each turn. You don’t even have a hand!”

I ignored him and drew my card, This is it. This next card will prove which of us has the stronger will to win!

I looked at my card, and I smiled, “What were you saying about my hand?” I showed Scourge my card, and he stared at it, shocked.

“No way!”

“Yes,” I replied. “I play ‘Card of Demise’, letting me draw five new cards!”

I drew again, “Next I play the Field Spell card ‘Fusion Gate’!” A huge metal gateway rose up behind me, a swirling green vortex appearing within it. “While I control this card,” I explained, “I can remove monsters from play in order to fuse them together instead of using ‘Polymerization’. I remove ‘Ancient Brain’ and ‘The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion’ in my hand from play to Fusion Summon ‘Skull Knight’!”

The surface of the vortex rippled, and a caped knight emerged, with a bone sword and skull shield, a skull helm, and skeletal armor (ATK: 2650).

“This is the first card I ever owned, given to me by a friend,” I told my opponent, “and it’s just what I needed to take your monster down.

“‘Skull Knight’,” I commanded, “destroy ‘Enrise’ with your mystic blade!”

My ‘Skull Knight’ released a wave of light from his sword, sheering the ‘Sky Scourge’ in half (7200+2400-2650=6950). My opponent struggled to remain undaunted.

“My move!” Scourge declared, getting a little ahead of himself.

“Not yet,” I countered. “I set two cards. Now it’s your move.”

Scourge drew, scowling at me.

“You’re losing your cool, Scourge,” I taunted.



“Shut up!” He stared at his card with disappointment, his expression telling me that his turn was over before it had begun.

“Running out of luck?” I asked, mockingly. “I draw, and I activate ‘Pot of Greed’.”

I drew again, “Next I play the Spell card ‘Book of Life’ to remove from play ‘Norleras’ in your Graveyard, and to revive a monster from mine. I choose my ‘Spirit Reaper’ (ATK: 300)!

“My monsters attack,” I commanded, and my ‘Reaper’ and my ‘Knight’ struck Scourge directly. ‘Skull Knight’, my first monster, swung his sword, and ‘Spirit Reaper’, my favorite monster, swung his scythe. The two attacks brought my opponent to his knees (6950-300-2650=3800).

“I reveal,” I continued, “the Spell card ‘Quick Summon’, tributing both of my monsters to summon the mighty ‘Despair from the Dark’!”

The recently-revived ‘Reaper’ and his sword-wielding companion both faded into the shadows at my feet, and those shadow stretched upward, taking on the solid form of a pitch black torso with huge claws (ATK: 2800).

“My monster attacks!” I declared, and in an instant my opponent’s face turned from one of frustration to one of pride.

“You fell for my ultimate trap!” Scourge exclaimed. A barrier appeared around him as my monster struck. The barrier stopped my monster’s attack cold.

“When your ‘Spirit Reaper’ dealt me damage, you forced me to discard the last card in my hand, the Spell card ‘Secret Barrier – Magic Force’! I remove it from play to halve your monster’s Attack (3800-1400=2400) and then destroy it!”

The barrier spread out vaporizing my last remaining monster.

“I knew I’d defeat you!” Scourge cried excitedly.

I chuckled darkly, “You couldn’t be more wrong. You’ve fallen into my trap. Because the Level Eight ‘Despair from the Dark’ was removed from the field, I can play ‘Deal with Dark Ruler’ to summon my ultimate card!”

The shadowy remains of ‘Despair’ gathered together and formed a massive, brown, skeletal dragon with a tuft of white hair coming off of the back of its head, “Scourge, meet ‘Berserk Dragon’ (ATK: 3500)!”

Scourge didn’t say a word. He only stared on, wearing a look of utter defeat. My dragon breathed fire over my opponent, ending the duel.

“You’re obviously not nearly as good as you think,” I told him, “but your knowledge of dark magic makes you dangerous. Good thing you won’t have that knowledge much longer.”

My Soul flashed with amber light, and Scourge collapsed, unconscious.


Tucker


“My turn,” said Frost simply as she drew her card. “I summon the ‘Cold Enchanter’.”

Even as Frost’s monster, an attractive young woman in layered white and blue garbs, long blue stockings, and an icy crown, carrying a wand of ice, topped with a giant icicle, appeared at her side (ATK: 1600), Frost continued to look through me as if I wasn’t there. As if she were acting and reacting without realizing what she was doing.

“‘Cold Enchanter”s effect,” Frost explained, almost mechanically, “places an ice counter on one of your monsters.”

I watched as a layer of ice formed over the arm of ‘Thing in the Crater’.

“I tribute ‘Blizzard Dragon’,” Frost continued, “and ‘Cold Enchanter’ to Special Summon ‘Ice Master’.”

A tall woman, who appeared to be an older version of ‘Cold Enchanter’, but with a more deeply layered dress and a staff topped with a snowflake in place of a wand, replaced both of Frost’s monsters (ATK: 2500).

“‘Ice Master”s effect places another Ice Counter,” Frost explained. The flames covering my ‘Blazing Inpachi’ were almost dispelled by a gust of wind, and ice crystals formed across his torso.

“I tribute ‘Ice Master’,” Frost declared, “to destroy every monster bearing an Ice Counter.”

‘Ice Master’ turned into a form of crystalline vapor (or at least that’s what Sarah called it later when I described it), and blew over my monsters, causing the icy patched to build up and spread until my monsters were covered. They became heavy and brittle, falling over and shattering all around me.

She gave up her powerful monster to clear the field? When she could have attacked? I considered this. I may not be all too book smart, but I know fights and battle combos, and even though I don’t know much about this girls cards, I can tell that her combo is a weird one.

“I remove ‘Cold Enchanter’ and ‘Blizzard Dragon’ in the Graveyard from play to Special Summon ‘Fenrir’ the Ice Wolf’,” my opponent announced. A fierce gray wolf appeared, an icy aura hovering around it, hanging in the air (ATK: 1400).

“‘Fenrir’ attacks directly,” Frost declared, and the wolf came at me with long, yellow claws bared.

“Reveal,” I countered, “with ‘Firewall’! I remove ‘Thing in the Crater’ in my Graveyard from play to negate the direct attack of your monster.

A protective wall of fire rose up around me, forcing ‘Fenrir’ to return to his master’s side.

This keeps getting weirder and weirder! I realized. She gave up her powerful monster and summoned ‘Fenrir’ instead, after all of my monsters were gone, rendering ‘Fenrir”s effect mostly useless? Why?”

I looked my opponent in the eyes, and I saw the answer; a single tear rolling down my foe’s unexpressive face.

I had a feelin, I thought, but now, seeing that, I’m sure. A feeling of anger washed over me, Someone is doing this to her! Someone is forcing her to fight. But who?!

But when I thought about it I realized that I already knew the answer. I could feel it in my heart. I looked over to where Sarah was dueling and looked into the face of her opponent. Into the face of the man causing this girl so much pain.

“I’m not gonna let him get away with manipulating you,” I told Frost. “I’ve never tried this, but I think I can do it. I’m gonna send my Soul into yours and get you your life back, even if I have to peel away Mask’s dark magic by hand. I pay the cost to keep the Continuous Trap card ‘Firewall’ (8000-500=7500). “Next I’ll play ‘Soul of Fire’. I remove ‘Infernal Flame Emperor’ from play!”

A spectral form of a sphinx-like creature with the body of a lion, the head of a human, and bird-like wings, its body made of flames, appeared on the field. The spectral creature struck my opponent, surrounding her in flames, before disappearing from the field (8000+1400=6450). The flames lingered.



“‘Soul of Fire’,” I pleaded, “merge my spirit with the girl’s over a bridge of flames!”

My Soul flashed red light, and for better or for worse, I felt my spirit leave my body.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]


The Grand Finale!


I opened my eyes to darkness. Very slowly an environment began to form around me. Where I had not been standing on anything, suddenly there was a floor beneath my feet, frosted over completely, except for the spot where I stood. The area around me was too dark to see, so I summoned up a fireball and allowed it to rise up into the air, lighting what appeared to be a large room.

What is this, I wondered, a room in Frost’s soul?

I looked around. There was furniture in the room, in the shadows where my fire didn’t quite reach, but it was too frozen over by thick layers of ice for me to make out any details. The room felt empty, but I could sense a presence.

“Whoever you are," I said, "come out here and show yourself!”

Out of the ice itself stepped a figure. She looked exactly like the girl that I knew only as Frost.

“Frost?” I wondered.

“Not exactly,” she answered, even her voice alone sounding more alive than her real-world counterpart. “You could say that I'm the inner Frost, but even that wouldn't be completely correct. At the moment, I'm just as much him as I am her.”

“Him?” I asked. “You mean Mask?”

“You saw the Shadow Sword he carries,” the girl explained. “It doesn't just get cut objects and allow Mask to blend into the shadows around him. It also allows him to cut his way into the hearts and minds of troubled people, imposing his will on the personality of the room within their soul. Normally that personality is just the collective sense of self created by the personal effects throughout the room, but in the case of strong minds, there is also an inner self like me.”

She laughed happily.

“If you're what's keeping this girl under Mask's control,” I declared, “then I'm gonna beat you and drive his influence away for good!”

I held up my left arm, and in a burst of flames my Duel Disk appeared, “There's a Shadow Duel going on. Let's finish where we left off!”

My opponent summoned her own Duel Disk to her arm as well, her wolf appearing at her side (ATK: 1400), “Gladly! But unlike my real-world counterpart, I do want to kill you.”

“It’s still my turn,” I said, ignoring her. “I remove ‘Thing in the Crater’ from play to summon ‘Spirit of Flames’, and because my ‘Soul of Fire’ card prevents from attacking in the turn it was used, set a card and pass.”

“You went through so much trouble to get into this girl's heart and fight me,” my foe taunted, “that you left yourself unable to attack! I draw, and -.”

“Slow down,” I cut in. “I don't need to attack. Reveal ‘Battle Mania’! Any face-up monster you control must battle this turn!”

My opponent scowled as ‘Fenrir’ lunged at my monster, a red-skinned fire demon (ATK: 1700). The demon raised his hand, and the attacking wolf was incinerated in a blast of heat that carried through and hit the foe (6550+1400-1700=6250). The flames burned high, spreading across the battlefield.

“My monsters are angry, Spirit Snatcher,” I declared, “and so am I. Your time is up!”

My foe scowled again, “I set a monster and end my turn.”


Sarah


I drew, and I was surrounded by an aura that burned my skin as it stripped away five hundred of my Life (8000-500=7500).

“Just because you found a way to hurt me,” I explained, “it doesn't mean that you stand a chance against me. I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” there was a bright red flash beneath the surface of the water, and the goldfish warrior reappeared, “to revive my ‘Ocean's Keeper’. And I tribute him for ‘Cranium Fish’!”

Water rose up from the ocean below and swirled around the ‘Ocean’s Keeper’. When it fell away, the goldfish was gone, replaced by a much larger fish with a similar color, with huge, sweeping blue fins, and a massive brain protruding from its head. It had a multitude of smaller fish docked along its body (ATK: 2400).



“My monster's Attack power goes up,” I explained (2400+200=2600). “Next I summon ‘Deep Diver’,” another monster, a short humanoid form in a diving suite, appeared at my side (ATK: 1000+200-1200).

“My ‘Cranium Fish’ destroys your monster,” I declared, “and the ‘Diver’ attacks directly.”

‘Cranium Fish’ released four of the fish docked along its body like torpedoes into the water. The tore along, bursting from the water and exploding against the masked monster, destroying it (8000+2500-2600=7900). The ‘Deep Diver’ dropped under the water as well, shooting forward and disappearing beneath the surface. He erupted from the water behind Mask, a hammer in his hand, and struck Mask in the back (7900- 1200=6700).

“I finish my turn with a face-down card.”

“You think you’ve turned this duel around?” Mask asked. “Well you’re wrong! I'm about to summon my ultimate card, and once I do, you won’t stand a chance! I play ‘Premature Burial’ (6700-800=5900) to revive ‘Melchid the Four-Faced Beast’!”

The four-masked monster reappeared (ATK: 1500), and my opponent continued. “I summon ‘Djin Presider of Rituals’, and I tribute both monsters to Special Summon the most powerful monster in my deck, the ‘Masked Beast Des Gardius’!”

The bulbous, scantily-armored demon swordsman ‘Presider’ appeared, and both monsters disappeared, replaced by a massive demon with a long neck leading up to a masked head. It had two more masked fixed to its chest, huge forearms, and massive, beastly claws (ATK: 3300).

“But I’m not finished,” said Mask. “I play ‘Card of Sanctity’! We each draw until we hold six cards.”

Mask drew his cards all at once. I took my time. I watched Mask’s face light up, filling with a wicked grin. “Yes!” he exclaimed. “I just drew everything I needed to double your trouble!”

Lame.

“I play ‘Curse of the Masked Beast’,” he continued, “removing ‘Presider’ in my Graveyard from play and tributing ‘Grand Tiki Elder’ in my hand to Ritual Summon a new monster to the field!”

A black fire flared up on Mask's field, burning strong. The two sacrifices appeared, engulfed by fire, and the fire grew bigger. From it emerged a second massive demon. It had a humanoid torso with an empty face, and a beastly, lizard-like lower body and legs and long tail. There were deformed masks fused into various parts of the demon's body, a living mask, the creature's real face, attached to its abdomen, and a staff in its hand.

“Meet ‘The Masked Beast’!”

The demon roared (ATK: 3200).

“Yawn,” I said casually. “Is that all you have?”

“You won’t be so calm once my monsters are through with you!” Mask declared.

“My monsters attack together, Dark Flash!”

The two monsters unleashed a wave of darkness that destroyed both of my monsters (Total ATK: 6500). The attacks carried through, toward me, but they were deflected by the ‘Tornado Wall’, and my Life Points remained unharmed. I stood there with my arms crossed, trying not to be bored. Really.

“When ‘Deep Diver’ is destroyed,” I explained, “I get to move any card in my deck to the top of my deck.”

A card ejected from my deck. I added it right to my hand, drawing to begin my turn, and I lost more Life (7500-500=7000), but I didn’t let it discourage me.

“I summon the card added to my hand," I declared, a deadly-looking skeletal shark rising from the ocean to face the dual demons (ATK: 1700).

“When a monster is summoned,” I explained, “I can activate ‘Torrential Tribute’ to destroy every monster on the field. The ‘Abyssal Kingshark’ has a killer instinct so strong that it can avoid one effect per turn that doesn't designate a specific target.”

A giant tidal wave spread across the field, wiping out the demons. It passed, and the shark rose out of the water unharmed.

“I'm going to attack directly this turn,” I declared.

“Not likely,” Mask countered. “When ‘Des Gardius’ is destroyed, he leaves behind the ‘Mask of Remnants’, capable of attaching to and controlling one monster in play.”

The two masks from the chest of the demon rose up out of the water and merged into a devil mask, split along the center, the image of a demonic creature trying to force its way out carved into the split. It attached to the shark's face.

“Your only monster is mine!”

“Duh,” I said. “Did you think I didn't know your monster’s effect? I guess it makes sense that you'd think that, since I coulda just activated my Trap during your turn when I had no monster for your mask to target,” I smiled, “but where's the fun in that! Chain, ‘Quick Summon’, tributing the ‘Kingshark’, your mask along with it, and summoning the ‘Levia Dragon – Daedalus’!”

The ‘Kingshark’ was caught in a violent wave. From that wave emerged a huge sea serpent with a powerful jaw, silvery armory scales, and gorgeous pink fins (ATK: 2600 +200=2800).

“I said I was going to attack directly,” I declared, “and I meant it. ‘Daedalus’ attack!”

The sea dragon fired an ocean-blue beam from its mouth. It hit my opponent, nearly lifting him off of his feet (5900-2800=3100).

“I'm not out of this duel yet,” said Mask. He drew, obviously looking for a way to re-summon one of his beasts. At least that's what I would have been doing. “I summon the ‘Masked Sorcerer’ in defense mode, equip your sea monster with ‘Mask of the Accursed’, and set a card!”

A new mask appeared on the face of my monster. It had pins in the cheeks and the eye holes. Those pins pushed through the mask, into my dragon's flesh. He cried out. At the same time Mask's monster, a masked torso with a wispy tail attached to a golden disk, appeared, facing off against my monster (DEF: 1400).

“My mask prevents your dragon attacking or defending,” Mask explained, “and deals you five hundred more damage each turn.”

“Maybe,” I said, “but even when my monster can’t attack, he can still evolve."

I drew, ignoring the cursed aura that stole away one thousand of my Life (7000- 1000=6000).

“I tribute ‘Levia Dragon – Daedalus’,” I declared, “to evolve him into the ultimate sea dragon!”

My dragon grew larger, its fins growing out into large pink, almost fan-like appendages. Its head split off a second head, smaller and more lightly armored, shattering the mask it wore. The two heads roared (ATK: 2900+200=3100).



“My monster can use the water around him,” I explained, “to create a tidal wave capable of washing away every other card on the field and in our hands!”

The water of the ‘Legendary Ocean’ drew up around my monster and expanded outward, forming a massive tidal wave that washed away the 'Masked Sorcerer' and the face-down ‘Mirror Force’. The 'Field Barrier' went with the Field Spell, taking the ‘Mask of Dispel’ and my monster’s extra Attack with them (ATK: 3100-200=2900).

“And just ’cause I’m sick of listening to you,” I concluded, “I remove the Spell cards ‘Terraforming’ and ‘Terrain Change’ in the Graveyard from play to reactivate ‘A Legendary Ocean’!”

Light rippled across the field, and the water reappeared. My monster's power climbed (2900+200=3100).

“I finish it,” I commanded, “with the attack of ‘Ocean Dragon Lord - Neo Daedalus’! Go, Ocean Burst!”

“No!” Mask protested. The dragon's two heads unleashed a combined attack. Mask threw up his arms defensively, but the blast still sent him flying through the air, his Life Points dropping exactly to zero.

This isn't over yet, I told myself, making my way toward my opponent, prepared to strike the final blow.


Tucker


“Alright,” I said, “since I don’t have any more Fire monsters in my Graveyard, I’ll let ‘Firewall’ be destroyed,” my Trap card faded from the field. “Next, I attack your face­down monster with ‘Spirit of Flames’, who gains three hundred attack during my turn (ATK: 2000)!”

The red-skinned demon released a stream of flames at the hidden card, but that stream was intercepted by a wall of crystal that reflected my monster’s image.

“Reveal,” the Spirit Snatcher declared, “the Trap card ‘Mirror Wall’. This card forces your monster to attack its own reflection, cutting its attack (2000/2=1000).”

“The attack still gets through,” I insisted. The crystals made way for the diminished attack, which closed in on the hidden monster. It was revealed as a simple snowman, complete with twig arms and silly hat.

This will be easy, I thought, but I found myself shocked when a driving, snowy wind surrounded the snowman, blowing my flames away. I lost nine hundred Life (7500-900=6600).

Nineteen hundred defense? “That’s one tough snowman!”

“Not a snowman,” the Spirit Snatcher explained. “My monster is the man-eating lizard with the power to control snow and disguises himself as a snowman, the ‘Snowman Eater’!”

And that’s when I saw it, a pair of yellow eyes beneath the snowman. The creature that belonged to those eyes lunged at my monster, the entire snowman still sitting on its back, and swallowed my demon whole.

No way!

The lizard with the snowman on its back hobbled back over to the Spirit Snatcher’s side of the field, its sharp-toothed grin similar to the one worn by its master.

“Okay,” I said, “that was weird, but I’m not done with you yet! I remove ‘Spirit of Flames’ from play to summon my own defender,” a living face made of flames appeared in the air beside me, “the ‘Inferno’ (ATK: 1900)!”

“Your monster is nothing,” the Spirit Snatcher explained. “In fact because you Special Summoned, I can Special Summon the exact monster I need, the mighty ‘Dragon Ice’!”

A humanoid dragon with a body made of ice, wide, black wings, and a metallic arm and helm appeared at Spirit Snatcher’s side (DEF: 2200).

I scowled, This isn’t looking good for me. This Spirit Snatcher is using this girl’s deck, but her strategy is already much more aggressive. When she said she really wanted me dead, she really wasn’t kidding.

“Now I draw,” the Spirit Snatcher began, “and I tribute both of my monsters for the most powerful monster in this girl’s deck, and in fact one of the most powerful monsters in this game, the ‘White Night Dragon’!”

The two icy monsters merged into a block of us which took form, becoming a mighty-looking dragon, like a ‘Blue-Eyes White Dragon’ chiseled from ice (ATK: 3000).

“My monster destroys your ‘Inferno’!” the Spirit Snatcher commanded. “Ice Burst!”

The ‘White Night Dragon’ breathed a freezing blast from its icy maw, snuffing out my monster like a candle.

“My monster is immune to monster effects that designate a target,” the Spirit Snatcher explained, “and at three thousand Attack, nothing you summon will be able to stand against it!”

My opponent’s Shadow Soul of Ice began to glow, and she was surrounded by an icy breeze, “I also have access to this girl’s magic! When I defeat you, I’ll use it to spread like ice the infection that has made me what I am, a servant of Mask, adding you to his ranks as well!”

The Spirit Snatcher was sure of herself, but I wasn’t worried.

“You don’t understand,” I told the Spirit Snatcher. “I will not allow anything of Mask to remain in the Soul of this girl. I will destroy you, and nothing you do can stop me!”

Heat began to roll off of my body, and I drew my card. I’d been saving up cards, and now I’d finally drawn what I needed.

“I set two cards,” I declared, “and activate ‘Card of Sanctity’ to draw six cards, combining it with the face-down ‘Pot of Greed’, giving me an eight-card hand!”

I drew a total of eight cards, “Your time’s up. I reveal ‘Incandescent Ordeal’. I tribute ‘Sacrificial Fire’, a monster with the power to act as the entire sacrifice for a Fire Ritual monster, to summon my Soul, ‘Legendary Flame Lord’!”

A man in blue armor, a blue crown, and a coat of fire appeared, carrying a staff in one hand and a dagger in the other, hanging in the air above me (ATK: 2400).

“I activate four Spell cards from my hand,” I continued, “‘Dark Room of Nightmare’, two copies of ‘Meteor of Destruction’, and ‘Tremendous Fire’!”

Two fireballs fell from the sky at the command of my monster. They struck my opponent and their flames spread across the field (Me: 6600 -> 6100/Spirit Snatcher: 3650 -> 2350). Flames lingered on the field, drawn toward my monster, swirling in the air around him.


“My monster releases the magical energy of my Spells to form his ultimate attack, the Annihilating Inferno!” I explained. ‘Legendary Flame Lord’ summoned the flames around him into the tip of his staff and released them, melting the ice dragon away.

“But my monster-,” my opponent began.

“Is immune to effects that declare a target,” I agreed, “but my monster’s power is over the entire field!”

As I spoke, the flames spread out, smoldering all around us both.

“My monster attacks,” I finished, “with Final Flame!”

‘Legendary Flame Lord’ blasted the girl, and the ghostly form of Mask appeared and separated from her. Her eyes grew softer, and she began to fall. I dispersed the heat around me and ran to catch her, as her spirit room faded away. A second later, I was back in my own body, on my knees, with the sleeping Frost in my arms.


Sarah


I stood over Mask. It must have been about then that his influence over Frost was broken, because he suddenly looked over at her, a shocked look on his face. He saw her there, defeated. He looked around and saw the various members of his group strewn about the room, unconscious.

“No...”

“You lose, Mask,” I told him. My Soul flashed, and he joined his fellows in dreamland. Max drug the members of the Dark Elite, save Frost, out front and tied them up, dumping the various items that they’d stolen at their feet, and called the cops using a nearby payphone. He disappeared shortly after. The rest of us made our ways home, including Frost, who went home with Jenna, and who had grown almost instantly attached to Tucker. I knew that I’d have to deal with what to do with her soon, but for the time being I was content to let it go.

The next day at closing time, I went down to Wilson’s Games. Tucker had told me how well he handled himself in the presence of Shadow Items, so I walked in and turned over my book bag, dumping the Shadow Items gathered from the Dark Elite on his counter.

“What is this?” Wilson asked, but I could tell that he understood.

“I figured you of all people could keep these safe,” I told him, and he nodded. He pulled a trunk out from beneath the counter and opened it, pushing the various Items into it. I glanced inside as he was closing it and saw dozens of Shadow Items of various shapes and sizes.

“You did well,” said Wilson. “From what I understand you got these items away from some dangerous people, and saved a life, even if she doesn’t remember much about herself yet. There are people around who are very proud of you, including me.”

“Thanks,” I told him, pondering his words.

“But remember to be careful,” Wilson continued. “You defeated one enemy, but there could very well be an even stronger one right around the corner.”

With those final words, the elderly man turned and disappeared into the back room of his store, leaving me alone with my thoughts.[/spoiler]
[/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Yu-Gi-Oh! DE, The Paths You Choose]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

Journey to the Elite


It was late. At least I think it was. I was the only passenger aboard a small, run down jet that seemed likely to succumb to turbulence at any moment. The overhead lights flickered as the plane shook. I grabbed the back of the seat in front of me in an attempt to steady myself. When the shaking finally stopped, I let go, slumping back into my seat in a halfhearted attempt to relax.

I thought back to the previous night, the night after the Great Duel Force Tournament. I was busy packing my bag for this very trip. My closest friend among members of the Duel Force, Kimi, was with me. When she learned that I was leaving the next day, she decided that we had to hang out one more time. We had been spending a lot of time together, and leaving her behind would be the hardest part of what I was doing.

Kimi was sitting on my bed, leaning back against the head of my bed while I stuffed my bag full of clothes. “At you least you finally found them,” Kimi said. “You’ve been trying to find the Duelists Elite for a while now.”

“Yeah,” I said, “it’s great that I found them, but my point is that they could’ve given me more time. It’s already midnight, and I have to be at the airport before eight A.M. to catch the plane.”

“Maybe they want to push you,” Kimi suggested, “to see how you handle yourself under stress.”

“Yeah,” I replied, “maybe.”

“I’m happy for you Robby,” said Kimi, “I really am. I just wish you were gonna be around longer. I was really hoping you’d be there to see me onto the plane to Japan this fall. Not to mention how boring it’s gonna be around here without you to keep me company.”

I smiled, “I’d stay if you asked me to. You know I would.”

Kimi smiled back, “Nah, go and find your destiny or whatever. You’re sweet though.” She leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. I felt myself blush.

Kimi and I had something. I was closer to her than anyone else. But I couldn’t stay with her. My future was calling, and I had to answer.

I gave Kimi a ride back to her house where she used her Soul of Light’s magic to sneak in while keeping her parents, who were actually in town for once, from noticing. Then I drove back home. By the time I made it to bed, it was already one twenty-three in the morning.

That was seventeen hours ago.

[i]When did I start wanting this?[/i] I wondered, running through the sequence of events in my mind for the fifteenth time that day. [i]This situation sucks. But I never thought that this would be an easy path, so on some level I must really like to put myself in difficult situations. I accept that. But I’m still confused as to how[/i] exactly[i] I came up with such a stupid idea in the first place. Anyone else, they hear about a secret group that uses magic to fight evil, they say “cool”. I say “sign me up!”[/i]

I thought back on my life, on the life of Robert “Rocky” Stone. I’m a Duelist. I have been since I was seven. But unlike most Duelists, I didn’t start out playing Duel Monsters simply because I liked the game. I had an almost instinctual knowledge that Duel Monsters was connected to something dangerous. I learned to play Duel Monsters partially so that I would know how to one day protect others from that danger. It was just like how I learned martial arts so that I could protect people from assailants who know how to fight. I couldn’t help but defend others. It was in my blood. After all, my parents were the same way.

Then the Soul of Earth appeared to me, and I learned [i]how[/i] the game of Duel Monsters was connected to something dangerous. I learned all about the Shadow Games, the Souls, and the Shadow Items. I met villainous person after villainous person who wanted to tap the magical forces linked to Duel Monsters and use them to further their own sinister purposes. And I learned of the Duelists of the Order of the Divine Cards, a secret society with the reach and the power to one day conquer, or even destroy the world.

As a member of the Duel Force, I met the Order in battle a few times, but I never did anything to actively combat them. I considered ways to do so, but none seemed possible. Then John, the Duel Force leader, and a good friend, came back from competing in the second Grand Championship. He told me about a group known as the Duelists Elite, a group that actively fought the Order. From that moment on I knew that it was my destiny to assist in that fight.

That’s why I was on that plane. I was on my way to a hidden installation where a member of the Elite would be waiting to test me. If I won, I would be allowed to join. Finally I’d be able to make myself into more. Finally I’d be saving lives.

It was less than an hour before the plane finally landed. That made it almost ten p.m. my local time, but it was light out, making it at least ten hours earlier or ten hours later wherever I was. I was out of my seat, bag in hand, and on my way off of the plane as soon it stopped. There were no attendants, so I was forced to open up the side hatch myself and unroll a rope ladder with which to climb down. It wasn’t until I was off of the plane that I realized that I was in the mountains. The runway on which the plane had landed was cut directly into the peak. I tugged on the tail of my survival vest and ran my fingers through my light brown, almost blond hair, and activated my Duel Disk. I was prepared to fight if the need arose, but I wanted to be ready to duel as well. I wanted to be ready for anything.

I looked around intently, surveying my surroundings. The blasting process that had made the chasm for the runway had left large stone cliffs to either side. From what I could tell, the chasm would be almost invisible from any but the exact right angle. The runway itself was in good shape, but the ground to either side of it was lined with uneven gravel. I didn’t see anything at first, but then I saw a door in the cliff wall about sixty feet away. I started toward it, but it wasn’t long before I noticed that there wasn’t any handle. The door was made of steel, so there was no chance of opening it.

I considered returning to the jet, but it seemed counterproductive, so I turned and looked up at the sky, exasperated. Then I cried out, “Hey! Is anyone here?!”

“It’s about time you showed up,” came a voice from behind me, “I was worried that you weren’t going to make it.”

I spun around and found myself face-to-face with a tall man wearing a lab coat, runner’s sweats, and a t-shirt. His hair was a bit unkempt, and he hadn’t shaved in a couple days. He watched me intently from behind square-rimmed glasses. It was the man from the stadium, the one who had approached me and invited me here to this place. The man I only knew as “Prof”, the Card Professor.

“I’m here,” I said. “What do I do now? You said there was some kind of test.”

“You bet there’s a test,” said Prof. “If you really want to be a member of the Duelists Elite, you’ll have to beat [i]me[/i] in a duel, but I’m not gonna sugar coat it, it’s not gonna be easy.”

“And if I win, I’m in just like that?”

“Yep, just like that.”

“What if I lose?”

“You go home.”

I nodded my understanding, [i]When Prof said I would only get one chance, he meant it.[/i]

“I’ll go first,” Prof announced almost gleefully. “I set a monster and two face-down cards, and I end my turn.”

“You’re not the only Duelist who knows how to defend,” I said. “In fact, I know more about defense than anyone. But first I play ‘Miracle Rupture’, discarding a Rock monster from my deck to draw a card.”

I fanned out my deck and chose and discarded ‘Stone Dragon’. Then I shuffled my deck, replaced it, and drew one card, adding it to my hand.

“Now,” I said, “I’ll take a page form your book, and I’ll set a monster and two cards. I end my turn.”

I took a slow, calming breath, [i]I don’t know anything about this guy’s deck. It could be any type. I hope my strategy can handle it.[/i]

“Reveal,” Prof announced, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Ominous Fortunetelling’. Now, during each of my Standby Phases I choose a card from your hand and choose ‘Monster’, ‘Spell’, or ‘Trap’. You show it to me, and if I guess right, you take seven hundred points of damage. I choose the middle card and I’ll call ‘Monster’.”

I scowled again, “You’re right.” I showed him ‘Destroyer Golem’. The hologram of his Trap glowed, hitting me with a pulse of light (8000-700=7300).

“I reveal ‘Mind Crush’,” Prof declared. “With this card, I can guess that you have a card in your hand, and if you do, you have to discard it. I choose ‘Destroyer Golem’.”

I had no choice but to send my monster to the Graveyard.

[i]He’s good,[/i] I thought. [i]Using ‘Ominous Fortunetelling’ he can see another card from my hand each turn. He’ll always have some idea of any coming threats.[/i]

“Moving on,” said Prof, “I play ‘Fiend Sanctuary’.” A small metallic creature made of several spheres stacked atop each other appeared, “I tribute my face-down ‘Ancient Brain’ along with my ‘Metal Fiend Token’ to summon ‘Brain Crusher’.”

A wicked fairy with purple wings, yellow skin, a horn, and a brain so large that it actually made up the top of its head appeared, carrying a staff. As quickly as the monster appeared, it and the small metallic creature disappeared and were replaced by a massive insect with four translucent wings, long arms ending in claws, four oversized legs, a burgundy-and-blue-tinted exoskeleton, and the posture of a dragon (ATK: 2400).

“My ‘Brain Crusher’ has a very special power,” Prof explained. “When he destroys a monster, he can revive that monster under my control. I attack with Psy-Wave!”

‘Brain Crusher’’s six eyes glowed green, and my hidden monster appeared, wreathed in a green light. It was the squat Aztec-style brick statue, ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ (DEF: 2000).

“You’re monster is too weak to survive my monster’s attack,” said Prof.

“You don’t know me well,” I replied, “so I’ll excuse you ignorance. During the Damage Step, I reveal ‘The Reliable Guardian’, giving my monster a boost to its defense.”

‘Stone Statue’’s eyes glowed red and a red aura appeared around him, spreading out and dispelling the green one (DEF: 2700).

“And my monster has an effect too,” I said. “When he uses his Defense to repel an opponent’s attack, he deals double the recoil damage.”

‘Stone Statue’’s eyes glowed again, and Prof was burned by an aura of red light (8000-600=7400).

“Very good,” said Prof, his expression telling me that I’d impressed him, “but it won’t be enough. I set two more cards, and I pass.”

[i]Alright,[/i] I thought, [i]I’ve made my stand. But I won’t win against someone like this Prof guy by only defending. It’s time I went on the attack![/i]

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” I declared, “to draw three cards and then discard ‘Hieracosphinx’ and ‘Criosphinx’. Next I tribute ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ to set another monster.”

“To ‘Graceful Charity’,” Prof countered, “I chain ‘Soul Resurrection’ to summon ‘Ancient Brain’ back in defense mode, letting me activate ‘D.D. Trap Hole’. I destroy and remove from play my ‘Ancient Brain’ and you face-down monster.”

The dark fairy disappeared again, as did the hologram of my face-down monster. I picked ‘Guardian Sphinx’ up off of my Duel Disk and placed it in the deck box in my vest pocket, which I used as my Removed from Play Zone.

“I figured that you had some Traps ready,” I explained, “so to be safe, I set up a decoy monster to force you to spring them. My [i]real[/i] attack begins now!”

The ground began to shake, and bits of earth rose up, hanging in the air, forming the shattered remains of the dinosaur-like ‘Stone Dragon’, the brick ‘Stone Statue’, the rocky-skinned bird-lion ‘Hieracosphinx’, and the rocky-skinned goat-lion ‘Criosphinx’.

“I remove four monsters from play,” I declared, the chunks of stone and rubble collided in midair, lumping together into a massive four-legged, dinosaur-like beast, “to summon the ‘Megarock Dragon’!”

My monster gnashed his teeth and swiped with his claws, letting out a fierce roar (ATK 2800).

“‘Megarock Dragon’,” I commanded, “destroy his monster.”

My dragon roared and stomped the ground. A massive chunk of stone tore loose from the ground beside him, shattering into sharp, jagged pieces of stone that hung in the air. My monster stomped again, and those jagged pieces of stone shot forward, tearing the ‘Brain Crusher’ apart (7400+2400-2800=7000).

“I’m not a very aggressive person,” I said, “but I’m strong, and I know how to fight. This duel is all that’s keeping me from my dream. I will [i]not[/i] lose!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

Skill Test


Prof smiled as he drew his next card. “You are good,” he said, “but I know every aspect of this game, and I saw you duel at the Duel Force Tournament. I know your strongest monsters and your best cards.”

I smiled, “You’ve assumed that I’m playing with exactly the same deck.”

“No,” Prof countered, “I haven’t. You will have no doubt changed some aspects of your deck, but you won’t have changed your nature. You are predominantly a defensive player, and someone who would rather defend himself that hurt others cannot fight the Duelists of the Order.

“Let me show you how to fight [i]for real![/i] Activate the effect of ‘Ominous Fortunetelling’.” Prof pointed at one of the cards in my hand and declared, “This time, I’ll say Spell.”

I frowned and showed him ‘Monster Reborn’, and my Life Points fell (7300-700=6600).

“‘Monster Reborn’ is it?” Prof asked. “Now, we can’t have that, can we? It just gives you too many options. Let’s see if we can do something about it. I play ‘Card of Demise’, letting me draw until I hold five cards.”

He drew five cards from his deck, smiling exuberantly all the while.

“Perfect,” he said. “You only have two cards in your hand, so I can play ‘Mind Wipe’, forcing you to shuffle your hand into your deck and draw a new hand of the same number of cards.”

I did as I was told, adding my hand to my deck, shuffling, and drawing two cards. [i]This guy uses common cards and overlooked cards,[/i] I thought, [i]but he combines them in a way that increases their effectiveness a thousand fold! He can control his opponent’s cards almost as effectively as he can control his own![/i]

“Next,” Prof continued, “now that I’ve removed ‘Monster Reborn’ as an obstacle, I’ll set my sights on your pesky ‘Megarock Dragon’.”

“My monster won’t be dispatched with easily,” I replied, and my monster roared.

Prof ignored me, responding with nothing more than a smile, and his next move, “I activate ‘Double Summon’. Now I can Normal Summon two monsters this turn. I summon the demonic mad scientist ‘Kozaky’ and his giant battle robot ‘Giant Kozaky’.”

‘Kozaky’, a hunch-backed, paled-skinned demon man appeared, wearing glasses, a lab coat, and a purple tie, appeared at Prof’s side. He had spikes protruding from his back, through his coat. Except for the demonic characteristics, he looked a lot like Prof (DEF: 400). ‘Kozaky’ was standing on the shoulder of a house-sized robotic version of himself that rolled along on wheels, made of patch worked metal plating. It had a control booth in the top of its head, and four arms. Its upper right arm ended in a drill, his upper left arm ended in a mallet, and his lower arms ended in clamps (ATK: 2500). ‘Kozaky’ took a step to his left and dropped into the control booth of the giant robot, taking a seat and taking up the controls.

“I activate ‘Union Attack’,” Prof declared, “combining the Attack of my two monsters until the end of the turn (ATK: 2500+400=2900), and I finish my combo with ‘Heart of Clear Water’, equipped to the defense position ‘Kozaky’. ‘Giant Kozaky’ is destroyed when ‘Kozaky’ is no longer in play, but because ‘Kozaky’ is equipped with ‘Heart of Clear Water’ he can’t be destroyed in battle, and he can’t be targeted by Spell cards effects.”

“Clever,” I said.

Prof flashed an arrogant smile, “I know.

“I attack,” Prof commanded, and the robot speared my dragon’s head with its drill hand. My monster broke apart into tiny pieces of rubble that became part of the gravel at my feet.

“Not bad,” I said. “You managed to defeat my monster, but your turn’s over, and your monster’s Attack returns to normal (ATK: 2500). It’s vulnerable again. Not to mention the fact that your ‘Kozaky isn’t completely invulnerable himself.

“I draw,” I looked over my hand, “and I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards.”

I drew again, looked over my hand, and smiled.

“I realized before I got here,” I explained, “that my normal style of play wouldn’t cut it in the Elite. I’m too cautious, making sure not to let either opponent get badly hurt. I protect myself and others instead of stopping my opponent from being [i]able[/i] to hurt anyone. But that obviously isn’t always enough. After all I lost to the second Order affiliated Duelist that I ever fought. So, on my way here, I made some changes to my deck. Allow me to demonstrate them to you now.

“I summon ‘Red Gadget’ in attack mode,” a small red robot with a large silver gear on its back appeared (ATK: 1300). Prof seemed genuinely surprised for a few seconds before he regained his composure.

“Interesting,” Prof said calmly. “I honestly didn’t expect that.”

“That’s not all,” I said. “When ‘Red Gadget’ is summoned, I get to search my deck for a copy of ‘Yellow Gadget’.”

I fanned out my deck, selected a card, and added it to my hand.

“Next,” I continued, “I reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’, paying five hundred Life Points (6600-500=6100) to summon ‘Yellow Gadget’ as well.”

A squat yellow robot with a gear on its back appeared alongside the first (ATK: 1200).

“And when ‘Yellow Gadget’ is summoned,” I explained, “I get to search my deck for [i]‘[/i][i]Green[/i] Gadget’.”

I searched my deck again, adding yet another monster to my hand. I smiled, [i]My newest combo is nearly complete. Let’s see what Prof thinks after this![/i]

“I pay one thousand Life Points (6100-1000=5100),” I announced, “to summon ‘Green Gadget’, and to tribute ‘Green Gadget’ and ‘Red Gadget’ to summon another monster in their place.”

‘Green Gadget’, a green robot with a gear making up its stomach appeared (ATK: 1400), and it and the red robot disappeared.

“I summon,” I declared, and from the sky above us descended a massive armless, legless mechanical dragon made of ancient-looking, irregular metallic plates, “the ‘Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon’ (ATK: 3000)!

“My monster’s strong on its own,” I explained, “but it gains additional effects based on which ‘Gadget’ monsters were tributed it to summon it. Because I tributed ‘Red Gadget’ and ‘Green Gadget’, my monster deals piecing damage, and deals an additional four hundred damage each time it reducing your Life Points through battle. I attack ‘Kozaky’ with Composite Burst!”

The dragon opened its mouth, its ancient jaw creaking, and breathed a wave of green, red, and white energy on the demonic scientist. ‘Kozaky’ threw up his arms, but the effort was unnecessary, since the magic bubble that was ‘Heart of Clear Water’ deflected the blow for him (7000+400-3000-400=4000).

“I set a card,” I concluded, “and I end.”

Prof drew a card, smiling, “You’ve recovered the lead, but I’ll make sure it doesn’t last. First, ‘Ominous’ activates.” He pointed at a card in my hand and declared Monster. I showed him the Spell card ‘Enemy Controller’. My Life remained the same.

“No matter,” said Prof. “‘Giant Kozaky’ attacks ‘Yellow Gadget’,” Prof commanded, and the giant weapon monster crushed the foot-tall robot with his mallet (5100+1200-2500=3800). “Next,” Prof continued, “I activate ‘Creature Swap’. You give me control of your dragon, and In exchange, you get control of ‘Giant Kozaky’.”

“Then I combo,” I said, acting out of desperation, “with ‘Limiter Removal’, doubling the dragon’s attack (ATK: 6000).” ‘Kozaky’ jumped out of ‘Giant Kozaky’’s control booth, and the giant robot switched places with my dragon.

“Your turn ends,” I announced, “and the negative effect of ‘Limiter Removal’ destroys my dragon before you can use it.”

The ‘Gadjiltron Dragon’ fell apart.

“I draw,” I declared, “and I end my turn by setting two cards.” [i]I only have one card left in my hand, meaning that my chances of taking repetitive damage from ‘Ominous Fortunetelling’ has greatly increased, but I don’t have any other choice. This is my only chance.[/i]

“I draw,” said Prof, “and I activate the effect of ‘Ominous’, declaring Monster.”

“Correct,” I said, showing him ‘Exxod, Master of the Guard’ (3800-700=3100).

“I tribute ‘Kozaky’,” Prof declared, “to summon ‘Woodborg Inpachi’ in defense mode.” ‘Kozaky’ was replaced by a massive humanoid torso made of charred logs and cybernetic components, sitting atop a tank-like base (DEF: 2500).

“When ‘Kozaky’ is removed from the field,” Prof explained, “‘Giant Kozaky’ is destroyed. And when ‘Giant Kozaky’ is destroyed, his controller takes damage equal to his Attack.”

The giant robot exploded, taking my Life Points with it (3100-2500=600).

“Next turn,” said Prof, “even if you keep your next card in your hand, which you won’t, I’ll have a fifty percent chance of hitting you with the effect of ‘Ominous Fortunetelling’, since I know that you still hold ‘Exxod’. I’ll hit your Life Points next turn, and I’ll win. I’ll win without even having to attack you. Even if you [i]do[/i] draw a monster, it won’t be enough to finish me off. There’s nothing that you can do.”

“Don’t count on it,” I replied. “Despite what you may think, you don’t know everything. Reveal face-down card ‘Call of the Haunted’, calling my ‘Gadjiltron Dragon’ back from the dead!”

There was a flash, and the mechanical dragon returned to the field with a fierce roar (ATK: 3000).

“I also activate ‘Megamorph’,” I declared. My dragon doubled in both size and power (ATK: 6000).

“You can attack,” said Prof, “but the result will be the same.”

“I guess you forgot which Spell card you revealed in my hand a few turns ago using ‘Ominous Fortunetelling’’s effect,” I replied, and I watched as Prof’s eyes filled with a terrible realization. “That’s right,” I continued, “I reveal my face-down ‘Enemy Controller’!”

A giant game controller appeared floating in the air ahead of me. Its cord reached out and plugged into the machinery in ‘Woodborg’’s chest. The massive monster relaxed its stance, changing to attack position (ATK: 500).

“I attack!” I commanded, and my monster breathed a wave of light on the ‘Woodborg Inpachi’, reducing it to ash (4000+500-6000=0).

I smiled proudly, “It looks like that’s game.”

Prof walked toward me, his face unreadable. Then he smiled and offered me his hand. “Robert Stone,” he said, “welcome to the Duelists Elite.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

Introductions


“What now?” I asked Prof. I had trouble believing that a duel would be my only test. Not if the Duelists Elite were as guarded as I had come to understand.

“Now,” said Prof, “I want you to open the door.”

I was confused at first, but then I realized what he meant. “That door?” I asked, pointing at the handle-less steel door behind Prof.

“Yes,” he said.

“That door that has no handle and is made of solid steel?”

Prof nodded.

“How?”

“With your Soul, obviously,” Prof answered as if the answer should have been clear, “but be careful. Your Soul manipulates the earth after all. You wouldn’t want to manipulate the wrong rocks and cause a rock slide that will kill us both.”

I smiled, “That’s the real reason you brought me here, isn’t it? You wanted to test my skills as a Duelist, but you [i]really[/i] wanted to test the power of the Soul of Earth, and the extent of my control over it.”

Prof smiled, “Bingo.”

[i]Fine,[/i] I thought, [i]if he wants to see my power, then I’ll show him my power.[/i]

I thought about it for a moment, deciding on the best course of action. Once I’d formed a plan I concentrated, and my amber-brown spherical crystal necklace, the Soul of Earth, flashed. Several small rocks rose up into the air and ringed the edge of the door. I raised my hand, and there was a scraping sound as the rocks pressed tight around the metal frame. I clenched my fist, and the rocks flew a few feet toward me, carrying the entire door with them, revealing a dimly lit corridor on the other side.

Prof began to clap, “Very impressive.”

“Thanks. What now?”

“What do you mean?” Prof asked.

“This is the test site, right? So when do we leave for the main headquarters, or whatever you call it?”

“Prof chuckled, “Just because this is the test sight, it doesn’t mean that it isn’t also the sight of our headquarters.” He was nice enough to wait for the realization that I’d misjudged to situation to sink in, and then he said, “This way please.”

I couldn’t think of a response to that, so I simply followed, wondering what I would find.


We walked silently through the corridor, walking at a downward angle for about fifteen minutes or, with me still wondering why Prof would bring someone he didn’t know right to the home of the Elite before testing them, before we reached another door. This one was larger. It didn’t have a handle either, but it did have a keypad. Prof swiftly tapped in a code on that keypad, and the door rose up into the ceiling. I realized that this place was little more than a mountain bunker, like one of the military bases that you see in war movies. Like Cheyenne Mountain, or the bunker from T3. I looked around. This place was as secure as any military installation, but it had no military logos anywhere. It was likely privately built. I chose not to even fathom how much money such a thing would actually cost.

“This place, as you can see,” Prof informed, “is remarkably secure. Even if someone were to find us, it would take someone with incredible power to get inside uninvited.”

We walked awhile longer before we finally came to a massive open doorway leading into a huge, open, well-lit cavern of a room. Its ceiling was high, like an indoor stadium. Chalked onto the floor were the outlines of ten Duel Disk arenas lined up in two even rows. There were duels taking place at seven of them. There were at least two dozen other duelists scattered around, watching, sitting at either the six rows of stadium-style seats that had been placed against one wall or the dozen or so benches and tables scattered about.

“Welcome,” said Prof, “to your new home. This portion of the tour will cover the Arena Room. But more about that later.”

Prof led me through a doorway off to the right and down another, better lit corridor until we came to a huge, round, mostly dark office. Almost one half of the high, spacious, circular wall was covered in large monitors displaying statistics, text and images. I couldn’t follow any of it. In the back of the room was a wide, curved, dark-wood desk, a high-backed chair behind it. There were four computer monitors on the desktop, but only one keyboard and mouse. That meant four interconnected computers. That meant that whoever usually sat at that desk could do the work of four people at once. The long short of it, he was smart.

There were two young men in the room already. One was older, taller, and more muscular. He had light, short, spiky hair and intense light yellow eyes, almost the same color of his hair. He stood with his hands held behind his back as his gaze danced over the monitors before him, studying them and very clearly understanding them. The second figure was smaller, about my build. He was sitting on the corner of the desk closest to the door. His hair was similarly spiky, but darker and a little longer than the other’s. His dark, almost black eyes were kind, but calculating. He was speaking, reciting some kind of report.

“…Team four repelled the most recent Order strike in Egypt. They destroyed the enemy’s Shadow items when necessary, recovered them for our use when possible, and used the penalty game Mind Wipe to erase all knowledge of the Order and the Shadow Items from their opponent’s minds. The erasure took in all seven cases, and no one was permanently harmed. It looks like you were right, Greg. The entire Duelists of the Order is in its death throes.”

“I agree, Tim,” the larger figure replied, “so why can’t I bring myself to believe it?”

“Because,” Prof cut in arrogantly, both interrupting and announcing our presence, “you know deep down that I’m right. I predicted that something was about to happen that would lead the Order as a whole to find its second wind and become more dangerous than ever, and deep down you know I’m right.”

“Still singing the same tune, Prof?” the one named Greg asked, not even bothering to look over at us. “I thought I told you to let it drop. With no command structure to speak of there’s no way that the Order can recover to the extent that you’ve predicted.”

Prof smiled, “I respectfully disagree, Gregory, and if you weren’t so blinded by your desire for this war to end, we’d be singing a duet. You claim that you’ve accounted for the strength of every strong Duelist left in the Order’s ranks, and that none have the skill or the power to lead, but my equations don’t lie. Numbers [i]never[/i] lie.”

Gregory finally looked over, to speak a retort, but he stopped when he saw me. Gregory looked Prof in the eyes and demanded, “Who is this?”

“The new recruit I mentioned,” Prof replied calmly, grinning defiantly. “His name’s Robert Stone, a former member of the Duel Force. He holds the Soul of Earth.”

“Hi,” I said, “you can call me Rocky.”

“I told you,” Gregory said, speaking to Prof, “that you were [i]not[/i] to recruit anyone else.” He looked and sounded more intimidating that I ever could have imagined.

Prof lowered his voice, “Come on Greg. If I’m right, then we need this kid to win the coming battle. If not, then, well, I still need a new fifth member for my team. Team Two can’t be left undermanned. He’s good, at [i]least[/i] as good as me, on a bad day. I could really use someone like him covering my back.”

Gregory looked from me to Prof, and then back to me. “Fine, Prof,” he said, “but he’s your responsibility.” Gregory took a step toward me and offered me his hand. I shook it, and he introduced himself, “I’m Gregory Hendriks, leader and co-founder of the Duelists Elite.” He gestured toward the second figure, “This is my brother Timothy, second co-founder, and the head of our most powerful team.”

Timothy walked over, shaking my hand as well. His stance was far less aggressive than his brother’s “I’m Timothy Hendriks,” he said. “Good to meet you.”

“Yeah,” I said, “Likewise.”

“Now that we’ve gotten through the awkward process of introductions,” said Prof, “I’d like to take my new recruit to the AE to begin the equally awkward process of meeting his team-mates.”

“You’ll find Charlie and James there,” said Timothy, having already returned to his previous perch on the desk, “but you know better than to think you’ll find Rachel anywhere relaxing.”

“I know,” Prof replied, “but considering Rachel’s usual mental state, I figured I’d save her for last.”


We crossed the Arena Room and stepped through another retracting bulkhead door into an even more massive room with a much higher ceiling. The ceiling was lined with fluorescent, ultraviolet lights, put in place to provide nourishing brightness to the trees and grass that had been planted in the implanted soil below. A stream ran across a section of the room, supplied by a series of pipes that protruded from the stone wall. There were several small groves of trees scattered about, surrounded by hills and grassy fields. In the back of the room I saw a basketball court and a soccer field, near a flat field large enough for American Football. A running path wrapped the entire enclosure. There were people about, running, relaxing, dueling, and interacting to various degrees. There were both boys and girls, all relatively young. Few of them were older than twenty-five.

It was an Artificial Environment. AE.

“Impressive isn’t it?” Prof asked.

“Yeah,” I said, in awe, “it really is.”

Prof smiled, “Come on, I’ll introduce you to the team.”

Prof led me to a grove of trees nearby. As we walked, he explained, “This place, all of it, is paid for by the Hendriks’ massive fortune, as well as various contributions from powerful figures who are aware of the Order, but unable to fight in any other way. We’ve been outnumbered since this battle started, but we have more skill. There are around seventy Duelists here. The best twenty-five are the only ones who actively intercept the Order when it attacks. They’re the best of the best, making up the five teams that operate in the field. Everyone else is strong as well, but they’re mostly reserve, for when one of our higher ranking members is incapacitated, or decides to return to his normal life. I’m pretty well known around here for being the only team leader who never uses reserve members. I like to hand pick my team members myself. That’s why, when my last fifth decided to return home, I made a point to seek you out as quickly as possible.”

I nodded. I was finally starting to get a clear picture of what was going on. Of what the Elite was really like and how it functioned.

We reached the grove, approaching one large tree in particular. In the branches overhead there sat a boy, maybe a year or two older than me, his back to us, tapping his foot against the branch upon which he sat, keeping time with a song that played silently in his mind. His legs were crossed casually, and his hands were folded behind his resting head, but somehow I felt that he was aware of us.

My suspicions were confirmed when even before we were in his field of vision, the boy said, “Hey Prof.”

“Charlie,” said Prof, “good to see you.”

“Who’s the new guy?” Charlie asked. He finally sat up, turning to look over at me.

“This is Robert ‘Rocky’ Stone,” Prof replied, “our new fifth member.”

“Is he any good?” Charlie asked.

“He beat me.”

Charlie scrutinized me and then returned to his previous, lazy position. “I’m not really in the mood to care much right now,” he said. “James’ll care though. He’s kicking that damn soccer ball around again, or at least he was twenty-three minutes ago when I checked last.”

“Thanks,” said Prof. He turned toward the soccer field and started walking. I followed. Once we were out of earshot, he said, “Don’t mind Charlie. He’s pretty distant, and he’s arrogant beyond the ability of rational human beings to believe, but he’s a good guy, with powerful magic, including the ability to extend his senses, and an even more powerful deck. James isn’t quite as strong on either front, but he’s physically more powerful, and a lot easier to get along with.”


We walked for a few minutes before we reached the soccer field. One player in particular was stealing the show. He was six feet tall, maybe sixteen years old, with golden blond hair and sharp blue eyes. He was clearly athletic, his movements fluid and precise. He was playing against three others: two guys, one older and one younger, and a girl of maybe fifteen. The three were clearly athletic as well. They were also clearly losing.

I didn’t have to ask which one was James.

When James saw us, he told the others thanks for the game, took a sweat rag to his face, took a swig of water from a water bottle, and made his way over to us.

“Robert ‘Rocky’ Stone,” Prof introduced, “meet James, the Elite’s resident jock. Name a sport and James here excels at it.” To James he said, “James, meet Rocky, our team’s new fifth member.”

James shook my hand enthusiastically and replied in an Australian accent, “Good to meet ya. I’ve been lookin’ forward to meetin’ whoever Prof found for us next.”

We made pleasant small talk with James for a few more minutes before Prof finally said, “Well, I think it’s time Rocky met our final member.”

“Oh, you mean Rachel?” James asked. “Well, good luck to ya then.”

I was confused, but I replied politely, “Thanks.” Then, after Prof and I were well on our way back toward the exit of the AE room, I asked, “What did he mean?”

Prof smiled mischievously and replied, “You’ll see.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

Rachel


Prof and I made our way out of the Artificial Environment and into another chamber next to it. This chamber was smaller, with ceilings about as high as those in the Arena Room. Not as high as the ones in the AE, but still very high. The chamber was made up of several segments, separated by walls made of safety glass. Each segment was dedicated to a different form of physical conditioning. It was a gym. Prof led me through a room where people were doing yoga, through a weight room, and into a room with two large mats on the floor.

It was a mixed martial arts dojo.

One mat was dominated by people practicing their basic form. On the other mat, a girl about my age was standing, surrounded by a crowd of onlookers who were watching as she incapacitated three large, male attackers in a few seconds. She was wearing loose gray sweatpants and a faded black tank top. She had sandy blond hair and eyes identical to those of the loner, Charlie. It was obvious that she was his younger sister.

“Come on!” the girl roared. “Anyone else wanna try and knock me out?”

I looked over at Prof, gesturing toward the girl, and said, “Let me guess, Rachel?”

Prof nodded, smiling.

I sighed, “I was afraid of that.”

I stepped forward, through the crowd of onlookers. I would have to do something substantial to earn [i]this[/i] Duelist’s respect. The jeans I was wearing were fairly loose, and my form utilized mostly my upper body, so I figured I’d be alright.

I sighed again and announced, “I’ll take you on.”

“Who the hell are you?” Rachel demanded.

I smiled as I set my Duel Disk and my bag on the floor beside the mat and turned to face my opponent, “I’ll tell you, if you can beat me.”

The girl smiled a confident, wicked smile and said, “Fine.” Then without another word, without a moment’s posturing, she struck. She was fast, her fists flying one after the other. I raised my left arm and twisted it to deflect both strikes, as I thrust with my right palm, aiming for Rachel’s solar plexus. A hit would knock the wind out of her, impeding her movements. But Rachel saw the attack coming and skipped back, out of reach, spun, and kicked my hand away. Then she rolled in close, meaning to knee me in the gut. I blocked with my own knee and reached out, trying to grip my opponent and get her in a pin hold, but she was good. She twisted free and sprung backward, through the air in a spinning corkscrew motion, landed on her palms, and did a handspring onto her feet, all in one fluid motion.

She jumped, launching a kick toward my face. I deflected, and she immediately sprung into a flying kick, which I caught, using a combination of leverage and the speed and weight of my opponent to throw her through the air. She landed hard, face down. Slowly she rose to her feet. She turned toward me, furious.

“You beat me,” she said, “but just like everyone else here, I’m a Duelist. We’re gonna finish this in a duel.”

I smiled, “That’s fine by me.”

I walked over and picked my Duel Disk back up, strapping it to my left arm where it belonged. My opponent took her Duel Disk out of a gym bag in the corner. Her deck was already in it.

I heard some of the spectators talking. They were taking bets on how many turns it would take me to lose. I swallowed, nervously, and I looked over at Prof. He was smiling a wicked little smirk that told me that I had no idea what I was getting into.

[i]Maybe this was a bad idea.[/i]

I steeled myself up, [i]No, win or lose, I have to remain confident. I have to show these guys that I’m strong. I have to show this[/i] girl [i]that I’m strong. I have to earn their respect.[/i]

“I’ll move first,” I declared. I drew six cards from my deck. “I summon,” I declared, “the living stone giant ‘Destroyer Golem’.”

A twenty-foot-tall humanoid made of bricks and stone appeared. His right arm and fist were considerably larger than his left (ATK: 1500).

“I place two cards face-down,” I concluded, “and end my turn.”

“Then here I come,” said Rachel. “I summon one of my favorite monsters, a legendary beast, the ‘Phantom Beast Cross-Wing’, defense mode. I set a card.”

A large bird with orange-brown feathers appeared in the air next to Rachel. It had three sets of wings, two main sets, the lower of the two replacing its legs, and a third, smaller set that came off of its head like ears (DEF: 1300). Its four main wings formed an “X”.

Rachel smiled, “Your move.”

[i]She’s taunting me,[/i] I realized. [i]She’s daring me to damage her this turn.[/i]

I drew to begin my turn, [i]Alright, if she wants me to attack, then I will. I don’t know what these ‘Phantom Beasts’ are all about, but it’s time I found out.[/i]

“I activate ‘Enemy Controller’,” I said. A giant game controller appeared. Its cord attached to the chest of Rachel’s monster, and the strange bird changed to attack mode (ATK: 1300).

“Now I attack,” I commanded. “Giant Stone Fist!” ‘Destroyer Golem’ wound up to throw a punch.

“Reveal,” Rachel declared, “the Trap card ‘Next to be Lost’, sending one copy of a monster on my field from my deck to the Graveyard.”

Rachel discarded a second copy of ‘Cross-Wing’ from her deck.

“Due to ‘Cross-Wing’’s effect,” Rachel explained, “‘Phantom Beasts’ I control gain three hundred Attack for every ‘Cross-Wing’ in my Graveyard.”

Rachel smiled as the power of her monster climbed (ATK: 1300+300=1600), “Counterattack with Cross Arrow!”

The six-winged bird was wreathed in a wedge-shaped aura of light and shot forward, tearing straight through my monster’s torso, reducing him to rubble (8000+1500-1600=7900).

“I won’t go down so easily,” I said. “After all ‘Destroyer Golem’ is the weakest card in my deck. I set a card. Go.”

“Draw,” Rachel declared, “and I summon another ‘Phantom Beast’, the ‘Phantom Beast Wild-Horn’.”

A humanoid beast with the head and the horns of a male deer appeared, his fur-covered body decorated with various tribal tattoos. He wore a red cape, and he carried a sword that looked like one of his horns, flattened and made of gleaming steel (ATK: 1700+300=2000).

“Next,” said Rachel, “I activate ‘Painful Choice. You know it?”

I nodded.

“Good. That means I don’t have to explain it to you.” Rachel took five cards from her deck and held them up for me to see. They were ‘Berfomet’, a second copy of ‘Wild-Horn’, a [i]third[/i] copy of ‘Cross-Wing’, and two copies of another ‘Phantom Beast’ card, ‘Phantom Beast Thunder-Pegasus’.

[i]I can’t let another ‘Cross-Wing’ end up in the Graveyard,[/i] I thought. “In that case,” I said, “add ‘Cross-Wing’ to your hand.”

Rachel smiled, keeping ‘Cross-Wing’ and discarding the others, “Pretty clever, but I’m not the kind of Duelist who [i]ever[/i] lets my opponent decide my moves for me. I activate ‘Monster Reincarnation’, discarding ‘Cross-Wing’, and returning the discarded ‘Berfomet’ to my hand.”

With a second ‘Cross-Wing’ in the Graveyard, Rachel’s monsters increased in power yet again (2000+300=2300/1600+300=1900).

“Now,” Rachel commanded, “‘Wild-Horn’, attack directly.”

The beast warrior charged forward, his sword wreathed in an aura of light. He slashed (7900-2300=5600).

“Now I attack with ‘Cross-Wing’,” Rachel declared, “Cross Arrow!”

The bird was wreathed in its wedge-shaped aura, prepared to attack.

“No way,” I said. “Reveal face-down Trap Monster card, ‘Stronghold the Moving Fortress’.”

A massive, armored robot with three round slots in its chest appeared, sitting behind me, its arm hanging almost limp in front of me, protecting me (DEF: 2000).

Rachel scowled and announced, “Then I’ll cancel my attack.” The aura around ‘Cross-Wing’ faded away.

“That ends my turn,” said Rachel. She obviously wasn’t very pleased.

[i]Here it is,[/i] I thought. [i]It’s time for me to launch my counterattack.[/i]

“I draw,” I declared, “and I reveal the Trap card ‘Ultimate Offering’, giving me the power to summon additional monsters at the cost of five hundred Life Points apiece. So, at the cost of one thousand Life Points (5600-1000=4600) I summon from my hand and deck the three living gears, ‘Red Gadget’, ‘Green Gadget’ and ‘Yellow Gadget’!”

Small red and yellow robots with gears on their backs appeared alongside a small green robot with a gear making up its stomach and chest (ATK: 1300/1200/1400).

“Your monsters are powerful,” I said, “but I have power too. Your monsters are powerful in numbers, but my monsters are even stronger, and they can fight on their own. Rachel, I’m about to win this duel, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

The Queen of Beasts


“Are you done yet?” Rachel asked, looking annoyed.

“Not even close,” I said. “You see, my ‘Gadget’ monsters have a purpose besides swarming the field. I’m sure you remember the massive, almost lifeless robot behind me. Well, you see, he’s unable to attack or even counterattack right now because he’s missing three of the gears in his chest. Gears that can be replaced by the gears that make up the main bodies of my ‘Gadgets’.”

As I spoke, the three small robots jumped up and into the three slots in ‘Stronghold’’s chest. A multicolored light shone from the seams in ‘Stronghold’’s armor, and I heard his machinery come to life. He stood up slowly, his joints creaking. He flexed his mechanical arms, his head coming close to scraping the high ceiling (ATK: 3000).

“Like I said,” I declared, “your monsters are strong, but my monsters are stronger. ‘Stronghold’ attacks the ‘Wild-Horn’ with Strong Fist Hammer!”

The massive machine struck, but his fist was blocked by a solid wall of lightning. Rachel was beaming with pride.

“When one of my ‘Phantom Beasts’ battles,” Rachel explained, “I can remove ‘Phantom Beast Thunder-Pegasus’ in my Graveyard from play to negate damage to my monster for the duration of that battle.”

My monster pulled his fist back and stood in position behind me, and the lightning took form, becoming a two-headed horse. One head and one half of its body was red. The other half was black. It had a mane and wings made of rolling lightning. The monster remained for a moment before it disappeared.

“Smart move,” I said, trying to sound as if my confidence hadn’t been shaken. [i]Damn,[/i] I thought. [i]I didn’t expect something like that. She still has one more of those monsters left, and she can spring it anytime one of her monsters battles a stronger monster to make the battle invalid.[/i]

That’s when I had an idea to get rid of the second monster fast.

“I set a card,” I announced, “and I end my turn.”

Rachel drew and she immediately commanded, “‘Wild-Horn’, attack the ‘Yellow Gadget’.”

“Not [i]as[/i] smart,” I said tsk-tskingly. “Reveal face-down card ‘Staunch Defender’, forcing both ‘Cross-Wing’ and ‘Wild-Horn’ to attack this turn, and allowing ‘Stronghold’ to intercept both attacks.”

[i]This had better work,[/i] I thought.

‘Wild-Horn’’s sword and ‘Cross-Wing’’s entire body were wreathed in light. Both monsters charged forward to attack. ‘Stronghold’ crushed ‘Cross-Wong’ in his fingers (8000+1900-3000=6900), and then he moved to intercept ‘Wild-Horn’ and strike back with his mighty fist, but his counterattack was interrupted by another wall of lightning.

“My second ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ prevents the destruction of my ‘Wild-Horn’ yet again,” Rachel explained, ‘and because another ‘Cross-Wing’ was sent to the Graveyard, my ‘Wild-Horn’’s power increases yet again (2300+300=2600).”

“I accomplished what I wanted,” I said. “I got you to use up your last ‘Thunder-Pegasus’. Now your monster will be vulnerable next turn.”

“Give me your best shot,” Rachel said, goading me. “I set a card. End.”

I drew. “Activate,” I announced, “the Spell card ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.”

I drew again and smiled.

“Looks like this duel is over,” I said. “I’m about to win.”

I heard the crowd murmuring. They didn’t seem to believe that Rachel was even [i]capable[/i] of losing at Duel Monsters.

“I begin my turn,” I said, “by separating my three ‘Gadget’ monsters from ‘Stronghold’,” I declared, “so that I can tribute my ‘Yellow Gadget’ to summon ‘Criosphinx’.”

The monster that replaced the ‘Yellow Gadget’ on the field was beast-like, but his body seemed to be carved of stone. It had a body like a lion’s, with small, green-feathered wings, a humanoid torso, and a head like that of a goat (ATK: 1200).

“But my ‘Criosphinx’ won’t be around for long,” I declared. “I tribute my ‘Criosphinx’ to Special Summon the embodiment of my deck, the shape of my spirit, the face of my Soul! Arise,” the ‘Criosphinx’ was replaced by a massive stone creature, its body colored gold. Its head was carved to resemble the Egyptian-style head dress of the legendary invincible God Card ‘Exodia’. His massive stone fists were connected at the knuckles, and there was a massive gold ring attached to his back, “Exxod, Master of the Guard’ (ATK: 0/DEF: 4000)!”

“Are you kidding?” Rachel demanded condescendingly. “That massive hunk of stone is useless, and now that you’ve tributed a ‘Gadget’, your ‘Stronghold’ is useless as well.” She glanced behind me at the massive robot that sat behind me in a lifeless slump (ATK: 0).

“My monsters might not have any Attack,” I said, “but they do have Defense, and my deck is designed to turn defensive power into a weapon.

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Reversal World’. This Trap card [i]permanently[/i] exchanges the Attack and Defense of every Effect Monster on the field, including ones that were summoned from Traps.”

“No!” Rachel exclaimed as her ‘Wild-Horn’’s power was sapped away (1700 -> 900) and my monsters came to life (‘Exxod’: 0 -> 4000/’Stronghold’: 0 -> 2000). ‘Exxod’ pulled his fists apart and flexed his immense arms, and ‘Stronghold’ rose to his feet, mobile once again.

“Finally,” I continued, “I tribute ‘Red Gadget’ and ‘Green Gadget’, using the effect of ‘Ultimate Offering’ (4600-500=4100), to summon my newest heavy hitter.”

‘Red Gadget’ and ‘Green Gadget’ disappeared and were replaced by the legless, armless, mechanical dragon made of irregular, ancient-looking pieces, “Behold, my ‘Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon’ (ATK: 3000).”

“Activate,” I announced, “the Spell card ‘Limiter Removal’, doubling the Attack of my two machine monsters, and destroying them at the End Phase of the turn. I attack! This duel is over.”

‘Gadjiltron Dragon’ (ATK: 6000) breathed a beam of light, and ‘Stronghold’ (ATK: 4000) and ‘Exxod’ swung their mighty fists, but all three attacks were repelled by a barrier. I watched, surprised, as three priests in blue robes appeared within the barrier, chanting a prayer, and I realized what had happened.

“I was ready for an attack like that one,” Rachel said, prideful. “I activate my Trap card, ‘Waboku’, to negate all battle damage to my monsters and myself this turn.”

I scowled, “Then I end.” As I spoke ‘Gadjiltron’ and ‘Stronghold’ fell to pieces, destroyed. The pieces faded away. I regained my composure, “You still can’t touch me. Not while I control ‘Exxod’, a monster that rivals even the Egyptian Gods.”

Rachel smiled what I was beginning to realize was her trademark, devious smile, “You’re not the only one who commands a monster with incredible strength. But where your monster is the ultimate shield, mine is the ultimate lance.

“I begin my turn by placing one card face-down,” Rachel announced, a card hologram appearing at her feet. “Next I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us both draw until we hold six cards.”

Rachel drew four cards. I drew six. I smiled upon seeing my new hand, [i]Come next turn, I’ll win. With these cards, there won’t be anything at all that she can do![/i]

“Now I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Berfomet’ and ‘Gazelle’ in my hand into the ultimate ‘Phantom Beast’,” Rachel continued, a four-armed demon with goat horns, and a lion with a single horn on its head appearing side by side and merging together into a two-headed beast with both ‘Berfomet’’s and ‘Gazelle’’s heads on the body on a lion, with white wings and a snake for a tail, “‘Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast (ATK: 2100+ (300x3)=3000)!”

“It still can’t defeat my ‘Exxod’,” I said, though I had a bad feeling.

“I didn’t expect it to,” Rachel replied. “Just like everything that I’ve done up to this point, this monster is just a stepping stone toward something greater.

“From my hand, I activate the Spell card ‘De-Fusion’, separating my monster,” Rachel’s ‘Chimera’ split into ‘Berfomet’ and ‘Gazelle’ (ATK: 1400/ATK: 1500). “Now I have three monsters on the field,” Rachel declared. “I tribute all three to summon [i]my[/i] most powerful card, ‘Beast King Barbaros’!”

‘Wild-Horn’, ‘Berfomet’, and ‘Gazelle’ disappeared and were replaced by a mighty warrior beast. His power radiated from him. I could feel it. It was almost tangible. He had the body of a black lion, the torso of a man, and the face of a lion, with long blond hair and a blond beard, like a mane. His face and waste were ringed by golden spines, spread out like rays of light. There was a round, blue shield strapped to his left arm, and he carried a red lance in his right hand (ATK: 3000).

“When my monster is summoned using three tributes,” Rachel explained, “my monster’s greatest power is released. Go, Deadly Legion!”

The monster thrust his spear, and waves of power spread from his body. The air itself shook, and ‘Barbaros’’ power blew over my side of the field like a great wind. Before my eyes, every card on my field, including ‘Exxod’ himself, shattered, destroyed.

“Now,” said Rachel, “I finish it with the Spell card ‘Wild Nature’s Release’, increasing the Attack of my monster by an amount equal to his Defense for one turn.”

‘Barbaros’ was surrounded by a rolling, fiery red aura (ATK: 3000+1200=4200).

“End this, God Lance!”

‘Barbaros’ roared and thrust his lance, spearing me in the chest. The impact caused my entire body to vibrate, and I was thrown backward, falling onto my back.

Rachel’s monster faded away, and she moved to stand over me.

“I won,” said Rachel as I rose to my feet. “Now, tell me who you are.”

I smiled, not sure what to say. I’d never known someone who was so strong, so confident, and yet so damaged to their very core. This girl needed someone to reach out to her, not people to avoid her, fear her, or even admire her.

She needed a friend.

Being someone who can’t help but save everyone he can, I did the only thing that I could do. I reached out to her.

I offered Rachel my hand, smiling politely, and said, “Hi, I’m your new team-mate Rocky Stone.”

She didn’t accept my hand, and instead she turned away from me, as if I didn’t matter, but as she turned, I saw her smile. It was more a gesture of respect than one of friendship, but it was a smile nonetheless, and that was something.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]

First Mission


Prof's team, which means Prof, Rachel, James and I, were sent on a mission for the Elite the very next day. We were flown from the Elite headquarters to New York City via one of three special VTOL-engine-equipped jets located in a hidden hanger, far back in the depths of the mountain. Our landing clearance was handles by one of the Elite’s powerful anonymous contributors. Once we arrived, we used our various magical tools to find our way to the Museum of Natural History. In the middle of the Night. Yes, boys and girls, we, the heroes, were breaking into a museum. Greg had been tracking a shipment of Egyptian artifacts to the museum. Among the artifacts was a Shadow Item with immense magical energy. Enough, Greg believed, that in the wrong hands it could be used to revive the Order. We were to retrieve the item and bring it to him personally. He was being careful. Of course, the chances of the Order knowing about the item were slim. Prof and James both assured me that the mission was completely routine.

We were standing outside the museum, peeking through the front doors, watching the night guard reading a newspaper and zoning out.

“So,” I asked, “how do we do this? Do we sneak around back or something?”

“Just watch,” said Prof, “and learn.” He stepped out in front of the still-closed doors and stepped forward, his Shadow Pendant glowing. He passed right through the door! Walking silently, he approached the guard. Prof touched the guard’s forehead, his Pendant glowing again, and I saw him mouth the word “sleep”. The guard slumped forward, unconscious. Prof pressed a button on the guard’s console, and the doors clicked, unlocking. The rest of us were able to walk right in.

“Neat trick, Prof,” I said once we’d reached him.

“Basic magic,” said Prof. “Anyone with a magic item can do it, just like teleportation or telekinesis. I’ll show you how when we get back.” Prof clapped his hands together and addressed all of us, “now let’s go!”

Just then we heard a crash further back in the depths of the museum. Prof’s face grew serious, “Looks like we’re too late. Someone else is already here. Come on my friends, follow me.”

Prof took off running, the four of us at his heels. In minutes, we had reached the Egyptian exhibit. Four figures were already in the room. They’d already torn the gate from the doorway and broken into one of the glass cases. One of them was busy lifting a metal rod from the case. I looked around. I saw a concrete pedestal. Concrete, being mostly rock, is well within the domain of my Soul’s powers. I was about to use my Soul to slide the podium toward the intruders, pinning them in the corner of the room when Rachel, acting hastily called out, “Drop the rod!”

All four of the figures turned to face us.

“Oh crap,” one of them cried, “it’s the Elite!”

“I got it,” said a second figure with a stronger, infinitely more confident voice. I realized that he was the one holding the rod. He brandished it, and the roof above us collapsed. I threw up my arms instinctively, and the falling debris was repelled instantly. I looked at my arm where my Duel Disk should have been and I saw something that I’d never seen before. My Duel Disk had changed. Instead of a normal Duel Disk, I was wearing a Duel Disk shaped like a small shield, colored golden brown like my Soul monster, Exxod. I couldn’t help but smile -.

- Until I was thrown aside by the four fleeing Order members who were running for the exit. They were turning toward the entrance to the museum, and their freedom, when there was a flash and a transparent wall appeared blocking the way. I saw Prof standing beside me, his pendant glowing and his face full of strain.

“Not so simple magic,” Prof said. “I’ve blocked the ways out. You four follow them and get that Shadow Rod back. Retrieve it at all costs! And if you can, get them to fight you in a Shadow Duel, beat them and use a Penalty Game to make them forget about the Items and the Order.”

I nodded and ran after the Order members. Rachel was already running, ever reckless, her brother right behind her. James ran at my side. He and I turned a corner and nearly ran over Rachel and Charlie.

“They split up,” said Rachel. “Lock onto one with your Item and go after him.”

She started running, ducking into one of the exhibits. Charlie ran toward another.

“At least our lives are never boring,” said James. “Ya got one?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I said. “My Soul’s picking up a Shadow Item up ahead.”

“I’ve got one around the next bend. Let’s go.” James smiled, “See ya in a flash!”

He sprung forward with all of the power of an experienced athlete and disappeared around the corner. I stepped into the exhibit ahead of me, and I found myself surrounded by a false, dense forest, littered with fake jungle animals. It was like I’d stepped into another world, but, of course, I hadn’t left the museum.

[i]Alright pal,[/i] I said silently to my hidden opponent, excited for my first battle as a full member of the Elite, [i]get ready, because here I come![/i]


[b]James[/b]


I rounded the corner and stepped into one of the exhibit rooms. It was empty. The museum staff must have been in the process of changing the exhibits around. I was a little disappointed. I’m a fan of museums. But, of course, lack of an exhibit made it all the easier to find my would-be opponent. He was standing directly in front of me, the Shadow Rod in his right hand. He wore a flat, triangular pendant bearing an Egyptian Wdjat Eye.

“Hand over the Shadow Items,” I demanded, “and I won’ hurt you.”

“I don’t think so,” the young man replied, raising his duel disk as he glared confidently through long, dark hair. He smiled and raised the Rod, energy pouring from it, calling up a wall of shadows to surround us both.

I smile, “Oh, this should be fun. I love me a good challenge. But I’ll warn ya, I’m good. My deck is as graceful as I am on the soccer field, and it works twice as hard.”

I drew six cards and began the duel. “Prepare yourself,” I said, “to be crushed by my Supreme Grace. I place three cards face-down, set a monster, and end my turn.”

“Really? That’s all?” my opponent asked. “I expected more from an Elite dog. I summon ‘Machine King Prototype’ and activate the Continuous Spell card ‘Machine Assembly Line’.” A simple-looking red and chrome robot appeared, sitting in and plugged into an alcove that resembled a throne (ATK: 1600+200=1800).

“‘Prototype’ attacks,” my opponent commanded. The robot raised its hand, discharging a strong energy wave that revealed my monster, a muscular man carrying a hammer, before striking him down.

“The monster that was just revealed by your attack was my ‘Iron Blacksmith Kotetsu’,” I explained. “Attacking him activated his effect, letting me add an Equip Spell from my deck to my hand.”

I fanned out my deck, chose a card, shuffled my deck, and added the selected card to my hand.

“Face-down card,” said my opponent, still confident.

“I draw,” I declared, “and I summon one of the most graceful monsters in the game, my ‘Woodland Sprite’!”

My monster, a humanoid fairy-like creature made of wood and leaves and wearing an amber pendant appeared floating in the air near my shoulder (ATK: 900).

“I reveal my face-down ‘Zero Sprite’ Trap card,” I declared, “lowering the original Attack of my monster to zero, but giving him the power to attack twice per turn. Next I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’.”

I drew five cards from my deck. My opponent drew three.

“Next,” I said, “I reveal my face-down ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy your face-down card.”

My opponent’s face-down card was sliced in half by a burst of wind. I watched him discard ‘Mirror Force’.

“Finally,” I announced, “I equip my ‘Woodland Sprite’ with the Equip Spell cards ‘Black Pendant’, ‘Butterfly Dagger – Elma’, and ‘Mage Power’, increasing the Attack of my monster to thirty-three hundred. Also, I reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’ and pay five hundred Life Points (8000-500=7500) to summon ‘Dancin’ Elf’.”

A young woman with white wings, wearing a green dress appeared at my opposite side (ATK: 300). My ‘Woodland Sprite’ now carried a short blade with a hand guard shaped like a butterfly. His amber pendant had transformed into a pitch black one. A magical ring glowed on the ground beneath him (ATK: 3300).

“I attack with both of my monsters,” I commanded. ‘Woodland Sprite’ slashed twice with his dagger, sending two blades of wind at the opponent. The first his ‘Prototype’, slashing him in half (8000+1800-3300=6500), and the second hit him (6500-3300=3200). ‘Dancing Elf’ unleashed a burst of fragrant wing that struck my opponent in the chest, blowing him back several feet (3200-300=2900).

“I send my three Equip cards to the Graveyard,” I declared, “to activate my ‘Woodland Sprite’’s effect, dealing you five hundred damage per card.”

‘Woodland Sprite’’s dagger and spell ring faded, and his pendant returned to normal. He summoned three more bursts of wind (2900-1500=1400).

“Plus, when ‘Black Pendant’ goes to the Graveyard,” I explained, “you take five hundred damage.”

A black fire burned around my opponent, and his Life Points fell (1400-500=900).

“I activate ‘Fairy of the Spring’,” I said, “to return an Equip card from my Graveyard to my hand. Of course I can’t activate it this turn, so I pass. But, come next turn, I’ll equip my ‘Sprite’ with ‘Black Pendant’ again, and you’ll lose. Sure you don’t want to hand over the Items?”

My opponent smiled, “Your ‘Woodland Sprite’ won’t be around next turn. I’ll see to that.”

I looked at my hand where I held the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’, “We’ll see, won’ we?”


[b]Rocky[/b]


I walked slowly through the exhibit, searching for the enemy that I knew waited for me, but before I could find my enemy, I found myself surrounded by a ring of shadows, preventing my escape. A slender, attractive woman stepped out in front of me. She was in her early twenties, had long white hair and wore no makeup. She carried a combat knife in a holster at her waist.

“Let me guess,” I said. “You want to face me in a Shadow Duel for my spirit or my Soul or some similar thing, right?”

“Not at all,” she replied, holding up a button trigger, pressing it. The exhibits to either side of me exploded. I threw up my Shield Disk, and chunks of the concrete below the floor at my feet rose up through the tile floor, protecting me from the blast. When I realized that I wasn’t in any danger, I smiled. I lowered my Shield Disk, and the floor pieces fell back into place.

“Something like that won’t work on me,” I announced.

The young woman sighed, “Fine. I guess I’ll have to duel you after all.” She switched on her Duel Disk. I drew my opening hand and placed two cards on my new Duel Disk, and a multi-colored statue of a face and two hands, like a living wall of brick, appeared ahead of me.

“I summon,” I announced, “my ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’ (ATK: 300) and place one card face-down. Go.”

“Fine,” my opponent said, her voice filling with anticipation. “I summon ‘Exploder Dragon’ and attack your weak statue.”

A gray-black dragon gripping an egg in its talons, holding it close to its stomach appeared, rising into the air, ready to strike (ATK: 1000).

“Reveal,” I announced, “the Trap card ‘Reversal World’, exchanging my monster’s Attack with his Defense (300 --> 2000).”

“I knew you would,” my opponent replied. “Why else would you summon such a weak monster in attack mode? That’s why I’m attacking with ‘Exploder Dragon’. Any monster that destroys him is destroyed as well.”

‘Stone Statue’ fired beams from his eyes, vaporizing the dragon, just as the dragon dropped its egg. The egg exploded against ‘Stone Statue’, blasting him to rubble.

“I finish my turn by setting two cards,” my opponent declared. “You can’t get past my defenses. I’m always prepared for anything.”

That got my attention, [i]There might be something to this girl. She obviously likes explosives. She’s good with them too. Her deck is likely an Explosive Deck. She says she’s always prepared, so let’s see how prepared she really is, and let’s see what it’ll take to use that against her.[/i]

“I summon ‘Beta the Magnet Warrior’,” I declared, and a humanoid monster made of stone, with U-shaped magnets for hands and half of a U-shaped magnet coming from each side of his head like horns appeared (ATK: 1700). “Attack,” I commanded, and my monster moved to do just that, but before he’d moved even an inch, he exploded, like he’d had a bomb attached to his chest.

“Your monster just walked right into my ‘Widespread Ruin’ Trap,” my opponent announced. “I have plenty more, so don’t think you can attack me directly.”

I couldn’t help but smile. [i]Alright, now I’m sure what kind of Duelist this girl is. She might feel prepared, but her cards are only designed to protect against frontal assaults long enough for her to counterattack. I know what move she’s going to use next, and I know exactly how I’m going to beat her.[/i]

“I play ‘Double Summon’,” I said, “letting me set a monster. That’s all.”

“Then this duel is as good as over,” my opponent taunted. “I play ‘Pot of Greed’.” She drew two cards. “Next,” she continued, “I play ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards, and discarding ‘Mine Golem’ and ‘Blast Juggler’. I play ‘Monster Reborn’ and combine it with ‘Inferno Reckless Summon’ to summon three ‘Mine Golems’, one from my graveyard and two from my deck. You can also summon any additional copies of your monster that you have in your deck.”

I had none, so I was forced to watch passively as three large stone humanoids appeared on my opponent’s field. Each of them had a mine for a head and more explosives embedded in its chest (ATK: 1000 (each)).

“I equip my lead ‘Mine Golem’ with ‘Plastic Explosive’,” my opponent declared. “Now any monster that it attacks is destroyed immediately. I attack now!”

The lead ‘Mine Golem’ tossed an explosive attached to a cord at my monster. It stuck to my monster’s chest, ‘Mine Golem’ pushed a button on the detonator, and my monster was blown apart. I discarded it, my ‘Great Spirit’, leaving me wide open. The other two ‘Mine Golems’ swung their fists at me. I raised my Shield Disk to keep from being knocked over, but that didn’t do anything for my Life Points (8000-1000=6000).

“Reveal,” my opponent declared, “the face-down card ‘Minefield Eruption’. I destroy all three of my own ‘Mine Golems’ to deal you three thousand damage.”

The three golems exploded in my face. I threw my shield up again, protecting myself from the blast which, thanks to the shadows around us, could have really hurt me. Still, my Life Points took a hit (6000-3000=3000).

I lowered my shield, but just as I did, another blast threw me onto my back (3000-1000=2000). My opponent laughed a wicked laugh. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I guess I forgot to mention that when ‘Plastic Explosive’ is destroyed, my opponent takes one thousand damage.”

She kept laughing as I picked myself up, brushing myself off, not much worse for wear. “You done?” I asked.

“No,” she said, her voice tinted with arrogance. “I set a monster and end my turn. Attack if you dare.”

I smiled, drawing my next card, “Let me guess. You’re anticipating that I’ll retaliate with a powerful monster. One with more Attack Points than my remaining Life Points. So you set ‘Blast Sphere’ so that when I attack it, I’ll lose automatically.”

My opponent’s eyes filled with shock, “How did you know?”

“You really have to ask? You aren’t exactly hard to predict. I knew that you would expect a direct assault and set the best explosive monster for turning an opponent’s frontal assault into a weapon. That’s why I plan to beat you with a different kind of direct assault.

“I place one card face-down,” I declared, “and play ‘Card of Sanctity’ to draw five cards. Next I play ‘Miracle Rupture’, sending ‘Stone Dragon’ in my deck to the Graveyard to draw another card.”

I looked at my hand and breathed a sigh of relief. [i]I got what I needed. Good. I was worried for a second.[/i]

“I’ll also play ‘Painful Choice’,” I continued, “choosing five cards from my deck. You choose one to add to my hand, and I discard the rest.”

I flipped through my deck and chose five cards: ‘Alpha the Magnet Warrior’, ‘Gamma the Magnet Warrior’, ‘Red Gadget’, ‘Guardian Sphinx’, and ‘Exxod, Master of the Guard’.

“No way you can summon ‘Exxod’ this turn,” my opponent mused, completely sure of herself. “Add that to your hand.”

I did, discarding the others.

“I remove eight Rock monsters in my Graveyard from play,” I said, “to summon my ‘Megarock Dragon’.”

Pieces of my fallen monsters rose up and formed together into the massive stone beast (ATK: 5600). My monster roared.

“You know what my face-down monster is,” my opponent insisted. “A monster that strong can only hurt you.”

“That would be true,” I replied, “if I were planning on attacking your [i]monster[/i]. I play ‘Megamorph’, doubling my monster’s size and strength.”

My monster grew larger (ATK: 5600x2=11,200).

“I also play ‘Double Attack’, discarding ‘Exxod’ to allow my monster to attack twice this turn. And I finish up my summoning ‘Magic Hole Golem’.”

A huge monster with a body like a massive metal ring appeared, floating in front of my giant dragon. “Once per turn while I control ‘Magic Hole Golem’,” I said, “I can halve the Attack of one of my monsters.”

‘Megarock Dragon’ shrunk back to his original but still menacing smaller size (ATK 5600).

“In exchange,” I explained, “that monster is able to attack directly this turn.”

My opponent’s eyes grew wide, “No way!”

“Sorry,” I said, “but it looks like you lose.”

‘Megarock Dragon’ roared and two large stones rose up from the ground. A portal sparked to life in the center of ‘Magic Hole Golem’’s ring-like body. The levitating stones passed through the portal and reappeared above my opponent, bypassing her monster. They hit her, and she fell to her knees in pain (8000-(5600x2)=0). Our monsters faded away.

I walked toward my opponent and stood over her. “I don’t know if you are a willing member of the Order, or if you were coerced, but either way, you’ll be better off if you forget.” I placed my hand on her forehead and my Soul flashed, and I called out, “Penalty Game, Mind Wipe!”

She fell onto her side, unconscious. When she woke up, she wouldn’t remember her time in the Order, or her Shadow Item. She wouldn’t even remember that either of them existed. I almost felt bad for her.

I reached down and removed her Shadow Item, a black necklace, from around her neck, turned, and left her alone, lying amongst the ruins of the exhibit.


I decided to meet up with James and see how he was doing, Out of all of my new team mates, James was the only one that I really felt was my friend. Rachel was too harsh, Charlie too distant, and Prof too, well, weird. I knew where James was. I’d seen where he’d gone. I rounded the corner, beaming with pride from my latest victory, my fallen foe’s Shadow Item in hand. That’s when I saw it. James was slumped on the floor in an empty room. I ran full speed and dropped to my knees at his side, but I already knew it was too late. I could already tell that my friend was dead.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]

Loss


I couldn’t believe it, but I forced myself to. James was my friend, but the others had known him longer. If I couldn’t handle his death while there was still work to be done they might break down too. So I tried to be strong so that the group could keep things together. Still, I’d never seen something like this before. I’d seen peoples’ spirits ripped from their bodies, able to be put back later, but never this.

I stood up, hardening my expression, and I looked around. The Order thug was already gone. Where to, I couldn’t tell you. Who was this guy that he could take down an Elite veteran like James? From what I’d heard James never lost at anything, especially Duel Monsters. He was at Pro level, in the league of any member of the Duel Force at least. Whoever this particular thug had been, he was more than just a generic minion.

Maybe Prof was right. Maybe something was happening within the Order’s ranks.

I tried to think what that could be.

I couldn’t think.

That’s when Rachel and Charlie walked in.

“Mission complete,” Rachel began. Then she saw James. I thought that I saw a look of pain in her angry eyes for a second, but when her expression didn’t change I figured that I’d just imagined it. She stood there in the entrance to the exhibit room, unmoving. Charlie, his often-stoic face full of concern, rushed toward James, but I stopped him.

“It’s too late,” I said. “He’s gone.”

Charlie nodded, and then he did what I hadn’t done. He knelt down beside his fallen ally, coming to the same conclusion I had, “James was as strong as any of us. No simple thug could do this to him.” Charlie lifted up James’ sleeve and revealed his Shadow Item, a dark-colored metal band, “They didn’t even take his Shadow Item.”

Charlie unclasped the band, and removed it. “That’s as much as we can do for him,” he said, “as much as we’re allowed to do. Taking the time to transport a body makes us vulnerable”

He stood up. Rachel stepped in close to us, “We don’t have time for this. That guy is getting away with that Shadow Rod.”

I was stunned, “Are you kidding? Yeah, that’s a big deal. But your friend is dead. That’s important too. The least you can do is pretend that you care!”

“For one thing, Rocky,” Rachel spat, getting up in my face, “my attitude, my behavior, is none of your business. And for another thing, James was my team mate, not my friend. Team mates die. It happens. I’m going after the Rod. Come with me or don’t, I don’t care.”

She turned and stormed toward the entrance to the exhibit. Charlie followed. I frowned and I went after them. After all, there was nothing more that I could do for James other than find his killer.


I caught up with Rachel and Charlie quickly. We turned one corner, and then another, and we found ourselves watching a duel between Prof and the dark-haired Order Duelist. He was holding the Shadow Rod under his arm. He also wore a triangular, flat pendant around his neck. His entire field consisted of the red and white mecha, ‘Perfect Machine King’ and the Spell card ‘Machine Assembly Line’, which had the effect of powering the machine up (ATK: 2900). Prof controlled the mighty hodge-podge battle robot ‘Giant Kozaky’ and two face-down cards. ‘Giant Kozaky’ wasn’t destroying itself, which meant its effect was negated. Its Attack was up four hundred, which meant Prof had used the Spell ‘Forbidden Chalice’ (ATK: 2900).

“Is this guy telling the truth,” Prof asked us as we came into view, “did he kill James?” Prof looked in bad shape. He was bruised and scorched and his cloths were tattered. I glanced at his LP readout. Only three hundred points.

“Yeah,” said Rachel, “he’s telling the truth.”

“Well,” said Prof, his eyes dark, “that means I don’t have to feel bad about what I’m about to do. I reveal ‘Backup Soldier’ to return ‘Kozaky’, ‘Ancient Brain’, and ‘Woodborg Inpachi’ to my hand, and I activate ‘Double Attack’, discarding ‘Woodborg Inpachi’ to give my monster the power to attack twice. I reveal ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy ‘Assembly Line’, and I attack.”

‘Giant Kozaky’ crushed the mighty machine (ATK: 2700) with his hammer (5350+2700-2900=5150), and then stabbed the young man in the side with his drill. I saw the drill slice his flesh, blood running from the wound (5150-2900=2250). They were fighting a [i]very[/i] high level Shadow Game.

The young man smiled a wicked, bloody smile, “I’ll live. You won’t. At the end of the turn the effect of your ‘Forbidden Chalice’ wears off, your monster’s effect returns, and he self-destructs, blowing you away.”

“Wrong,” said Prof. “I play ‘Shien’s Spy’, giving my monster to you until the End Phase,” ‘Giant Kozaky’ moved to the enemy’s side, “and I end my turn. I get to choose which of my effects ends first, ‘Chalice’ or ‘Spy’. I choose ‘Chalice’. ‘Kozaky’’s effect returns while he’s still under your control.”

“No!” the young man exclaimed, but it was too late. ‘Giant Kozaky’ exploded, and the Young man was thrown hard into the wall behind him. He fell to the floor, slumped into a sitting position, his head down. Prof walked over and stood over him, scrutinizing the Rod and Pendant.

“I was right,” said Prof, “and this is one time when my being right is a very bad thing.” He reached for the Rod, which had fallen to the floor, but the young man snatched it up. Both Items glowed, and the young man cried “ALL HAIL EMPEROR!” He pressed the two items together, and they disappeared, transported away by some spell that I was too fresh to know. The young man fell forward, dead, his energy used up.

“This is bad,” said Prof. “Worse than I imagined. We have to go. Now.” He was pale, his eyes glittering with fear. The kind of fear that cripples you. Prof strained and his Shadow Item glowed so bright that we had to look away. When the glow faded, the four of us were back at HQ, standing in the middle of one of the duel fields in the midst of a duel. Prof nearly passed out right there, but Charlie and I caught him. He let us support him for a few seconds, and then he straightened up, walking briskly away.


We all knew that Prof and Gregory were discussing something important in Greg’s office. We weren’t allowed to interfere, and none of us wanted to. Rachel headed off on her own, claiming that someone dying is no reason for her to fall behind in her training. Once again I was disgusted by her lack of feeling, but I said nothing. Not long afterward, Charlie and I drifted off toward the Artificial Environment. Charlie jumped up effortlessly into his favorite tree. I sat at its base. Charlie was the first to talk.

“I’m pretty distant, I know it, but James was still like a brother to me.” I looked up at him. He was turning James’ Shadow Band over in his fingers, again and again, studying it with interest.

“He was a good guy,” I said. “He was my first friend here, and I let him down. I walked away and let him go forward. If I’d taken the other opponent, maybe he’d be alive.”

“Yeah,” said Charlie, “and maybe you’d be dead instead. You didn’t let anyone down. It was just bad luck.”

I nodded, but I didn’t reply. He was right, but I felt that it would be an affront to James to admit that his death was nothing but a bout of bad luck. It needed to be more, to be [i]worth[/i] more.

Charlie and I sat in silence for several minutes. Again, Charlie broke the silence, “Don’t hate my sister, okay?”

My face darkened. “I’m way beyond hating her,” I said.

“She’s not heartless,” Charlie argued. “She feels things more than anyone I know.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it.”

Without warning, Charlie dropped from his perch, “Come on, I want to show you something.”

I followed Charlie. He led me into the section of HQ that housed the members’ quarters. I followed Charlie to a room in the back. The door was pulled to, but it wasn’t shut tight. Charlie swung the door open a couple of inches and motioned for me to look through. The room was dark, empty except for a bed, a trunk of clothes, and a punching bag. It was Rachel’s room. She was sitting on the bed with Timothy Hendriks. Their backs were to us, but it was clear that she was sobbing. I stumbled back, looking as shocked as I felt, I’m sure. Charlie pulled the door quietly shut, and he turned and walked away. I followed.

“You see,” he said, “she feels. She just doesn’t like to admit it. She’s been through a lot. She and I both have, but she’s been through more. Rachel’s Item is a Shadow Necklace. A necklace that used to belong to my mother. She wore it as a normal piece of jewelry. She had no clue about its power. But the Order did. They wanted it. Three Order agents broke into our house one night. Our parents heard them and moved to defend their home and family and possessions. The Order agents killed them.

“I didn’t see it. I slept through it, but Rachel woke up. She saw three men kill her parents over a necklace. She picked up that necklace, and she found its power. She killed those three men right there. She’s never been the same since. When we lost our parents, I was hurt. I vowed to do something meaningful with my life. I taught myself to fight and stay strong. To move quietly and efficiently against my enemies. But all the while, I built bonds between myself and others. Rachel on the other hand was broken. She took things a step further. She decided to never, ever show weakness again. She vowed to stay strong so that no one that she cared about would ever be hurt again. She vowed to protect everyone, and to destroy the Duelists of the Order. The only person that she’s connected with since then is Timothy Hendriks. She trusts him, and only him, with her deepest secrets and her emotions. And he’s good enough to let her lay all of that on him.

“I’ve entrusted Timothy Hendriks with the task of rebuilding my sister, because he’s the only one who can.”

I nodded, “I see. I get it. I was wrong. [i]Really[/i] wrong. Sorry.”

Charlie frowned. We were about half way back to the AE now. “Don’t worry about it,” he said. “Just don’t let Rachel know that you saw her like that. And don’t show either one of us any sympathy. I don’t need it, and she doesn’t want it.”

I nodded, “Yeah, okay.”

Just then Gregory Hendriks’ voice chimed over the intercom, [i]“I need to see my brother and the members of Team Two in my office now.”[/i]

“Team Two is us,” said Charlie. “This sound big. Let’s go.”


“First off,” said Greg once everyone was present, “I want to express how sorry I am about your team mate. But we have bigger issues to discuss here. There are questions that I'm sure you all want answered, about what the Order wanted with the rod that they stole today, and about the Shadow Pendant that you saw, that scared Prof so much. There is a story known among only a few of us here in the Elite. Only a few know it because it’s dangerous knowledge, but I believe that it is time that you all were told. Three thousand years ago, an Egyptian Pharaoh and his priests created seven mythical items, the Millennium Items, to combat a threat to his kingdom. Not long after, the Millennium Items were sealed away. They had immense magical power, far greater even that the power of the twelve Duelist’s Souls. They were hidden to shield the world from that power, since power corrupts. The Millennium Items resurfaced a few years ago, and then disappeared. My sources tell me that they were destroyed.”

“Nice bedtime story,” said Rachel, “but what does any of this have to do with the Shadow Rod?”

“Simple,” said Prof, picking up where Greg had left off. “After the Millennium Items disappeared the first time millennia ago, sorcerers and priests all over the world learned of them and tried to recreate them. The results of these attempts are the Shadow Items. No Shadow Item ever possessed the same degree of power as the Millennium Items, but one series of Shadow Items came close. Seven were made, the same number as the Millennium Items. These particular items even shared similar forms to the seven Millennium Items, as well as similar capabilities. Today only a few of these items are known. All but one were thought to have been destroyed, until today. The items we saw today were the Shadow Pendant and the Shadow Rod. The Rod has the power to manipulate weak or vulnerable minds, and the Pendant has the power to unite the others, increasing their power. All of the Items give the wielder magical abilities from teleportation to telekinesis. The man I fought today used such a teleportation spell to send away the Items in his possession, and the strain of the spell on his injured body killed him. Also, based on what we saw today, I think there are still more of these Shadow Millennium Items out there, just waiting for the Order to find them.”

“Prof thinks,” said Greg, “that this Emperor person somehow discovered that the Items still exist. He and now I believe that Emperor is collecting the known Shadow Millennium Items in an attempt to gain power enough to rule the world. With even four, maybe five of the Items, he would have power enough to nullify every Shadow Item. The Elite would be nothing to him.”

“And to make matters worse,” Prof added, “the more Shadow Millennium Items the Order has, the easier it will be for them to find the tombs of the others. It’s my theory that the Pendant can resonate with the other Items to track down more.”

“This is all informative,” I said, “but what I want to know is why did that Order guy kill James? What did he ever do to them?”

“It’s understandable that you’d be confused,” said Charlie. “During your time as a member of the Duel Force, you knew the Order under a different leader. Yami wanted the spirits of strong Duelists because their energy kept him in this world, and so he often disregarded the physical bodies of those Duelists. It probably doesn’t sound like it, but taking someone’s spirit without killing their body takes far less effort that taking their Spirit [i]and[/i] killing their body. His minions weren’t always strong enough to do both. Or they just thought it would be more fun to leave the victim’s friends with some hope.”

“But things are different now,” said Greg. “Without Yami directing them to collect spirits and search out the Duelist’s Souls, members of the Order have been fighting without limits to collect Shadow Items and increase their power. Now that they no longer have to preserve the spirits of their foes for Yami, they have started letting their intentions alone determine their enemy’s fate in a Penalty Game.”

“James must have made his opponent very angry,” suggested Tim, “to bring on as harsh a Penalty as Death.”

[i]Either that or that guy just really likes killing people,[/i] I thought, not wanting to think that James might have somehow caused his fate. Everyone was silent for a moment, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. Then something occurred to me.

“Wait,” I said. “You guys mentioned that these Shadow Millennium Items can shut down other Shadow Items, but what about a Soul?”

Prof smiled, “I told you he’d see it Greg. Yes Rocky. If Emperor succeeds, you will be the only Elite member with any power against him. If he manages to unite all seven Shadow Millennium Items, he will possess a power equal to the combined power of the Souls.”

“Which is why we aren’t going to let him find the others,” said Greg. “That’s why you’re here, Tim. I’m sending Team One to seek out the other two known Shadow Millennium Items: the Shadow Eye and the Shadow Key. You [i]will[/i] find them, and you [i]will[/i] bring them back here where they will be safe.”

“And in case you fail,” said Prof, addressing Greg as much as us now, “I’ll be getting my team ready to fight back.”

I felt like I’d been slapped in the face. Tim, Charlie and Rachel didn’t look much better off. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. There was a power out there that was as great as the Souls, and the Order might be on the verge of acquiring it?

And that’s when something else occurred to me, “Prof, you said something just now about the Shadow Rod. That it can manipulate weak or vulnerable minds. Is it the same Shadow Rod that -.”

“Yes, Rocky,” Prof cut in, “this particular Shadow Rod is the Rod that you have heard so much about, the weapon of choice of the late Order founder Yami.”

Greg dismissed us, and Prof walked away, leaving me feeling even worse, if that's even possible.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eight]

Marco


Prof was just out the door of Greg's office when something occurred to me. I caught up with him, calling, “Wait a minute. Something’s not making sense. If a Soul is the only thing that can resist the power of the Shadow Millennium Items, why not just ask some other members of the Duel Force for help? Some members, like Max, would be really hard to find, but John hasn’t left for school yet, and there’s always Sarah and the others. Any of them would be willing [i]and[/i] able to help.”

“Rocky,” Prof answered, “don’t you see? My equations were correct after all! Even I was beginning to believe that I was wrong, but now I’m sure!”

“Are you talking about the equations that predicted the rise of Emperor?” I asked, confused.

“No Rocky,” Prof replied. “Along with that prediction came another. It was the most beautiful set of numerical formulae that I’ve ever seen. So perfect that I didn’t dare believe it entirely, since it bordered on miraculous. That prediction was that you would be needed, but it was also more than that. It told me that the Shadow Millennium Items would come into play. This was something that I thought impossible, you see. More so, it told me that you, and only you, would be able to stop the man who united the Items. Again, seemingly impossible. But now everything else has come true, and I’m sure. You are the key. Somehow, you are the only one with the power to defeat Emperor. You and only you.”

“So when Emperor appears,” I guessed, “I’ll beat him?”

“Oh, of course not,” said Prof. “You [i]can[/i] defeat him. That doesn’t mean you will. Your chances would still be very slim.”

“Wow, you really know how to make a guy feel better.”

“Don’t worry,” Prof replied encouragingly. “Thanks to my calculations Greg has sent Team One to find and gather the Shadow Millennium Items. Team One is made up of the Elite’s strongest. They’ll succeed.”

“Is Team One really that strong?” I wondered.

“Oh yes,” said Prof. “Any one member of Team One could fight you and I to a standstill. There’s no need to worry. Now, we’re all tired. I’m gonna get some rest. You should to.”

Prof gave me a supportive slap on the shoulder and walked away, leaving my head spinning, full of questions, but still leaving me feeling more confident than before. So I decided to take Prof’s advice and get some sleep. I walked to my room, fell heavily onto the bunk, and passed out.”


I woke suddenly to the sound of alarms blaring, echoing throughout the cavernous chambers of Elite HQ. I jumped up. Prof had told me about the alarms. They meant that an intruder was present within HQ. He’d also told me that the alarms had never gone off before, because no one had ever broken in before, but Greg kept the magical alarms on at all times, because infiltration of the compound could easily mean the end of us if it was an attack. The Elite was made of Duelists with greater skill than those in the Order, but the Order had strength of numbers far greater than the Elite could ever hope to muster. I was still fully dressed and wearing my Duel Disk, so I jumped up and ran, my Disk transforming almost instantly into the Shield Duel Disk. As soon as I was out of my room I looked around. I didn’t see anything. I ran down the corridor and turned the corner into the Duel Room. A crowd was present near the far end of the room, facing the corridor to the led to the concealed landing strip/runway above. I pushed my way through the crowd and found Charlie, Prof and Rachel and about another dozen Duelists all with their Duel Disks out and ready facing a boy of about eleven or twelve with dark, olive-colored skin and bushy black hair. He wore an olive green long-sleeved t-shirt with a maroon stripe across the chest and navy blue jeans. He also wore a Duel Disk, but he carried it at his side, de-activated and non-threatening.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Charlie was the one who answered, “We have an intruder, but he claims that he’s not here to fight. In fact, he claims that he’s here to help.”

“I am,” the boy said, a bit pleadingly. Despite his age his voice conveyed an edge of maturity beyond his years. “I’ve seen what the Order can do myself, and I want to help fight them.”

That’s when Greg appeared. The crowd of Duelists parted, and he was there, emerging intimidatingly from within it. “What proof do you bring to back up your claim?” he asked, crossing his arms. Two more figures emerged from the crowd behind him. One was an average-looking young man with brown hair. The other was a tall, strongly-built man with short blond hair who dwarfed even Greg himself. I recognized them as Marcus and Raphael, Elite special agents, and the most experienced members behind Greg and Tim. They were both incredibly strong and well-versed in Shadow Magic. They’d used to branch out and infiltrate the Order’s ranks, relaying information back to the Elite. Prof had told me that, with the Order’s ranks thinning, Marcus and Raphael had been recalled. Now they acted as Greg’s personal and often-unseen bodyguards.

“I have no proof,” the boy said, “but I know you guys have lots of types of Shadow Games at your disposal. I know you can use one type to tell if someone is lying. Test me in one of those Shadow Games and see for yourselves.” He looked right at Greg, one of the most intimidating people I’ve ever known even to this day, looked right into his eyes without so much as flinching. There was a fire in the boy’s eyes.

Greg seemed about to speak when Charlie beat him to it, “I’ll test you. I’ll test the sincerity of your heart with the power of my Shadow Item.”

The boy nodded ad turned to face Charlie, “The name’s Marco.” He activated his Duel Disk, “Be ready. I don’t have a Shadow Item, but I can be pretty dangerous in my own way. So just be on guard.”

I wasn’t sure, but Marco sounded almost like he was worried, not for himself, but for Charlie. At the time I didn’t think anything of it.

Charlie reached into his pocket and pulled out an ancient-looking coin made of dark gray metal. A silver eye was etched into one side. His Shadow Item. It glowed with a faint light, and the Shadow Game began. Not a deadly Shadow Game, but one capable of divining the truth.

“I’ll start things off,” said Charlie. “I place one card face-down and summon ‘The Six Samurai – Yaichi’ in attack mode.”

A man in sturdy, full-body samurai-style armor appeared, a bow in hand and arrows in a quiver on his back (ATK: 1300).

“I equip my monster with the powerful ‘Legendary Ebon Steed’, giving him an additional two hundred Attack.”

A large black horse in black armor appeared at the samurai’s side. The samurai archer climbed onto the horse’s back (1300+200=1500).

“I end my turn,” said Charlie. I was a bit surprised by the simplicity of his move. He didn’t strike me as a simple person.

“My turn then,” said Marco. He looked determined and a little bit nervous. “I summon ‘Masked Dragon’ in defense mode.”

A red dragon with a low stance and broad gray wings and a gray face like a mask appeared on Marco’s field at his side. It crossed its strong arms over its chest, taking up a defensive stance (DEF: 1200).

“I set a card and pass,” Marco concluded.

[i]These guys are both good,[/i] I realized. [i]They’re keeping their plays simple and feeling each other out while building up their strategies. It’s impressive. You’d expect someone as young as Marco to be more reckless.[/i]

Charlie saw what I saw, “So it looks like we’re both building up to something bigger. Let’s see who can complete their strategy fastest, shall we? Not to sound arrogant, but I think it’ll be me. How will you handle my combos? Let’s find out. I summon ‘The Six Samurai – Irou’, which means I have two ‘Six Samurai’ monsters with different names in play. That unlocks the effects of my monsters.”

A tall man in black armor with long black hair wearing a visor and a tattered black cloak across one shoulder appeared, wielding a long black-bladed sword (ATK: 1700). As soon as he appeared he was ringed in a black light purple aura and his armor began to glow with the same light. At the same time, ‘Yaichi’’s armor lit up yellow, and he was ringed in a yellow light. Their effects had been activated.

“I use ‘Yaichi’’s effect,” Charlie declared. “Instead of attacking, he can destroy one Spell or Trap card on the field.”

‘Yaichi’ notched and arrow and let it fly, piercing and destroying Marco’s face-down card. I watched him discard it, the Trap card ‘Negate Attack’.

“Now I attack,” Charlie commanded, “with ‘The Six Samurai – Irou’.”

The black swordsman struck down the dragon.

“You were confident that your combo would be completed first,” said Marco, “but you were wrong. My monster has an ability too. When ‘Masked Dragon’ is destroyed by battle, I get to summon any dragon with less than fifteen hundred attack from my deck. A dragon like ‘Armed Dragon LV3’!”

A small dragon with an oversized head and massive lower jaw, its body covered in stubby spikes, appeared at Marco’s side (ATK: 1300).

“I set a second card,” said Charlie, “and I end my turn.”

Marco smiled, “Good, I was tired of waiting. At the beginning of my turn, my dragon levels up to Level Five.”

The small dragon grew until it towered over the two samurai. Its back and the outsides of its arms became a bright red-orange color, and its stubby spikes grew into drill bits and blades of various sizes (ATK: 2400).

“Next up,” Marco continued, “I play ‘Level Up!!’, increasing the level of my monster yet again, to Level Seven!”

The dragon grew larger yet again, its skin hardening into armor-like plates. Its various blades and other sharp appendages grew longer and more dangerous-looking. The dragon roared (ATK: 2800).

“I can discard a monster,” Marco explained, “to give my ‘Armed Dragon LV7’ the power to destroy every opposing monster that’s weaker than the one I discarded!”

As he spoke, Marco sent the powerful ‘Dragonic Knight’ to the Graveyard from his hand, and the ‘Armed Dragon’ wound up his bladed arms in fire, swiping across Charlie’s field. Charlie seemed less than impressed. The ‘Armed Dragon’’s claws gouged the ground, throwing a cloud of dust and debris into the air, obscuring Charlie and his field from view. When the dust settled only ‘Yaichi’ remained, minus the black steed.

“When a monster equipped with ‘Legendary Ebon Steed’ is an instant from sustaining fatal damage,” Charlie explained, “the valiant steed takes the hit in place of his master.”

“Then I’ll defeat your archer in a more conventional way,” said Marco. “My dragon attacks.”

‘Armed Dragon’ slashed, reducing ‘Yaichi’ to pieces (8000+1300-2800=6500).

“I place two cards face-down and end my turn.”

[i]I’m impressed,[/i] I thought. [i]This kid has almost completely seized the field in only his second turn.[/i]

I looked over at Charlie. Behind his focused expression he looked impressed as well, but being a good gamer he wasn’t showing it. I would’ve thought the look meant he was worried, but I’d heard what people said about Charlie. He was an expert strategist. If the rumors were true, he would have something planned to turn everything around.

“At the end of your turn,” Charlie announced, “I reveal the Continuous Trap ‘Swiftstrike Armor’. Now if I draw a ‘Six Samurai’ monster in my draw phase, I can Special Summon it immediately by revealing it to you. I draw,” he pulled his card and revealed it. “I drew ‘The Six Samurai – Yariza’. I summon him now with my Trap card’s effect.”

Yet another samurai appeared, carrying a spear which he twirled elaborately (ATK: 1000).

“Next,” said Charlie, “I play ‘Graceful Charity’ to draw three cards,” he drew, and his face lit up almost imperceptibly, “and discard two cards. I follow that with the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards.”

Charlie refilled his hand and continued without hesitation.

“I Normal Summon ‘The Six Samurai – Nasashi’,” Charlie declared, and a second samurai carrying two mid-length blades appeared (ATK: 1400). “Just like before, this activates my monsters’ effects.”

‘Nasashi’ lit up with a green light, and ‘Yariza’ was surrounded by a blue light.

“Also,” said Charlie, “because I control two different ‘Six Samurai’ monsters, I can call forth the leader of the ‘Six Samurai’ forces,” a man wearing the armor of a samurai shogun, colored red, with a flame painted on the chest and a flame crest on his helmet appeared wearing a violet cape, “the ‘Great Shogun Shien’ (ATK: 2500)!”

‘Shien’ drew his katana and stood ready to strike. I saw a look of excitement on Charlie’s normally stoic face, and I realized that this was his favorite monster.

“While I control ‘Shien’,” Charlie explained, “you can only activate one Spell or Trap card each turn. I, however, am faced with no such limit. I play [i]two[/i] Spell cards, the Equip Spell card ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’, and the Field Spell card ‘Shien’s Castle of Mist’.”

‘Shien’’s sword grew straighter and the armor on his arm grew over his hand and joined with the blade (ATK: 2500+800=3300). Meanwhile a thick back of mist faded into existence behind Charlie. Spectators parted as an ancient Japanese palace rose from the mist, towering over the field. The mist crawled forward, billowing out and around Charlie and his monsters. As I watched, the three samurai seemed to fade into the mist, becoming little more than shadows.

“I place another card face-down,” Charlie declared, “and ‘Shien’ attacks your ‘Armed Dragon’.”

As Charlie spoke, the shogun sprung forward from within the mist and decapitated the dragon with one solid swing of his blade (8000+2800-3300=7500).

“Now my other samurai attack directly,” Charlie explained. “‘Nasashi’’s effect allows him to attack twice in the same turn, essentially doubling his offensive power.”

‘Nasashi’ and ‘Yariza’ sprung from within the mist and slashed Marco across the chest in unison (7500-(1400x2)-1000=3700). Then all three samurai receded into the mist once again.

“Your monster has been defeated,” said Charlie, “and I control the mighty samurai lord ‘Shien’. Also, any monster that you summon will have to attack through the veil of the mist, cutting its attack by five hundred during the Damage Step. You are at the ultimate disadvantage as I end my turn.”

It seemed like Charlie would win this for sure. His strategy was superb, leaving little room for a counterattack, but Marco possessed a power that, to this day, is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen. A power that easily rivals any I’ve ever faced. A power that resonated not from a Shadow Item, but from deep within Marco himself.

“It’s a shame that I can’t win without calling on [i]him[/i],” said Marco, “but I guess you all do deserve to see this before you make your decision about me. Or should I say us. But first, as your turn ends, I reveal ‘DNA Alteration’, paying one thousand Life Points and declaring an attribute (3700-1000=2700). While I control this card, all monsters in both Graveyards become monsters of the selected attribute. The attribute I choose is Dark.

“Now prepare yourself agent of the Elite,” Marco warned Charlie, sounding worried for his opponent as he had before, “because the other me isn’t as nice as I am.”

He raised his Duel Disk above his head, and it burned with a dark power. That power poured over him, and I watched in awe as he began to change. His black hair billowed upward, as if caught in an updraft. Color drained from his black hair until it was ash white with black highlights throughout and it stuck up in spikes. His eyes glinted fiercely and his lips curled into a wicked grin.

“It’s a Yami!” cried one of the spectators, and suddenly everyone was on guard, including me. I could sense immediately how dangerous this guy was, and I didn’t like it.

“Yeah yeah,” said Marco, his voice deeper with a harsher edge than before, “I’m the manifestation of Marco’s dark side, which makes me what you all would call a Yami. But I’m not like other so-called Yamis.” He looked seriously right into Charlie’s eyes, “The other Marco and I have an understanding. We both hate the Order, he because they are evil, and I because they’ve used me and they threaten my power. So years ago, when we escaped the Order, or I should say [i]I[/i] escaped the Order using his body, we made a sacred pact to work together. Now I surface when Marco needs me, since I’m the only one with the power to draw and summon our true Spirit Monster during a Shadow Game.”

He drew, “I play ‘Soul Release’ to remove Marco’s ‘Dragonic Knight’ and ‘Masked Dragon’ in our Graveyard from play, leaving only three monsters in our Graveyard. Three [i]Dark[/i] monsters thanks to ‘DNA Alteration’. This lets me Special Summon our Spirit, ‘Dark Armed Dragon’!”

Dark Marco placed a card on his Duel Disk. The card burned with a dark light. A pillar of dark fire rose from the ground, and from it emerged a fierce black and silver duplicate of the ‘Armed Dragon LV7’. It spread wide its massive arms and roared (ATK: 2800).

“I remove a Dark monster in my Graveyard from play,” Dark Marco declared, “a monster like Marco’s ‘Armed Dragon LV3’, to destroy ‘Shien’.”

‘Dark Armed Dragon’ spun his claws in black fire, which he flung right at ‘Shien’, parting the mist along its path, but a moment before ‘Shien’ would have been incinerated, ‘Yariza’ jumped in the way of the flame and took the hit. Marco didn’t look surprised. After all the ability of ‘Six Samurai’ monsters to sacrifice themselves for each other is their best known power.

“Your ‘Shien’ isn’t safe yet,” said Dark Marco. “I remove ‘Armed Dragon LV5’ from play as well, activating my monster’s effect again.”

‘Dark Armed Dragon’ released another burst of fire, this time intercepted by the dual-wielding ‘Nasashi’.

“And one more time,” Dark Marco commanded, his face alight with a hunger for battle. ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ unleashed its attack again, this time hitting its mark. ‘Shien’, the last monster under Charlie’s control, was incinerated.

“I play the Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’,” Dark Marco continued, “paying two thousand of my Life Points (2700-2000=700) to summon four of my monsters that are removed from play.” The air above Marco’s head opened, and four monsters emerged, “I summon ‘Masked Dragon’, ‘Armed Dragon LV3’, ‘Armed Dragon LV5’, and ‘Dragonic Knight’ in attack mode!”

The weaker ‘Masked Dragon’ and ‘Armed Dragon LV3’ emerged at Dark Marco’s side. ‘Armed Dragon LV5’ appeared alongside his larger, considerably more evil-looking counterpart. Beside the two massive forms appeared a fierce Dragonic warrior in coral-colored armor, carrying a sword and shield (ATK: 2800). The new arrivals roared, and ‘Dragonic Knight’ brandished his sword.

“I attack with all of my dragons,” Dark Marco declared. The dragons attacked as one, releasing various energy blades and flames in a swirling tornado of hellish destruction. It looked like Charlie had lost, until…

“Reveal,” Charlie commanded, a confident smile playing across his lips, “the Trap card ‘Backs to the Wall’. I pay all but one hundred of my Life Points (6500 -> 100) to summon back five ‘Six Samurai’ monsters from my Graveyard in defense mode.”

‘Irou’, ‘Yaichi’, ‘Yariza’ and ‘Nasashi’ appeared in a flash of light alongside a new monster, ‘The Six Samurai – Zanji’, a samurai with a blade-ended staff whose armor glowed with an orange light (DEF: 1300) who had clearly been discarded via the effect of ‘Graceful Charity’ earlier in the duel. The five monsters stepped back, forming a human shield that absorbed all of Dark Marco’s attacks. They were all five destroyed, but Charlie was safe for the time being.

“So,” said Dark Marco, “you managed to hang on. If that’s the case, I’ll protect my weaker monsters by equipping my ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ with the Equip Spell ‘Raregold Armor’. Now you have to go through my strongest monster before you can even attack the others.”

The silvery parts of ‘Dark Armed Dragon’’s armory skin turned gold.

“Not that it matters,” said Charlie. “Now get ready, because it’s my move. I draw.”

He pulled his card, and he selected a card from his hand.

“I play ‘Pot of Greed’,” he declared, drawing two cards, “and I follow that up with the Spell cards ‘Six Samurai United’ and ‘Gateway of the Six’.

The mist leading up to the front of Charlie’s castle thinned enough to reveal a circular gate situated there. It seemed to come alive, glowing the same way that the samurai did when their effects came to life.

“I summon ‘Hand of the Six Samurai’,” a young woman in a blue cloak and a white hood appeared, carrying a knife (ATK: 1600), “and I remove two ‘Six Samurai’ monsters in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon ‘Enishi, Shien's Chancellor’,” an elderly man with graying black hair and a graying beard appeared, wearing a green vest, his sword at his waste (ATK: 2200). “Now, because two ‘Six Samurai’ monsters have been summoned,” Charlie explained, “I can send ‘Six Samurai United’ to the Graveyard to draw two more cards.”

He drew again and continued.

“From my hand I Special Summon ‘Grandmaster of the Six Samurai’!”

A second elderly samurai appeared wearing weathered armor, his sword drawn (ATK: 2300).

“And now that [i]three[/i] ‘Six Samurai’ monsters have been summoned,” Charlie declared, “I can activate the effect of ‘Gateway of the Six’, summoning ‘Shien’ back from the Grave.”

The gate behind Charlie opened. Standing in the open gateway with his arms crossed defiantly was ‘Shien’. He stepped forward, joining his allies, and drew his blade (ATK: 2500).

“This duel is over,” said Charlie, “as soon as I play this, ‘Gift of the Martyr’! I tribute ‘Enishi’ to increase the attack of ‘Shien’ by twenty-two hundred, an amount equal to ‘Enishi’’s Attack!”

‘Enishi’ disappeared, and ‘Shien’ burned with a fiery aura as his power rose (ATK: 2500+2200=4700).

“‘Shien’ attacks your ‘Dark Armed Dragon’, Bushido Master Slash!”

‘Shien’ swung his sword, unleashing an energy blade that tore through the ground, gouging a path all the way to the dragon, gouging him across the chest. The dragon roared in pain and split in half (700+2800-4700=0).

The shockwave from the destruction of the ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ knocked Dark Marco onto his back. The remaining monsters and holographic effects disappeared as he sat up, his hair darkening and falling back into place. He was Marco again. Charlie walked over to Marco and helped him up. He shook Marco’s hand, “You had me worried there for a second, but you check out. Both of you.”

“And you’re strong,” said Greg, “and since you already know where we are, you might as well stay. Welcome, Marco, to the Duelists Elite.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nine]

A Distress Call;
The Elite Under Attack!


Of course Prof wanted to pick James’ replacement himself. When he saw Marco duel against Charlie and access Shadow Magic without the need for a Shadow Item, Prof was intrigued. He asked Marco to fill the open position. I couldn’t tell if Prof fully trusted Marco, but Charlie definitely trusted him, so I kept an open mind. I tried to get to know Marco. He was a little distant, very smart, and very quiet, but he seemed nice enough. He was almost the exact opposite of his dark side, who was openly abrasive, arrogant, and full of swagger. I’d planned on taking the next few days to get to know the kid better and form a real opinion, but I didn’t have the time. The next morning Team Two was called to Greg’s office.

“What’s going on?” Prof asked as soon as he arrived. The rest of us were already waiting for him. He still looked tired. His teleportation trick yesterday had really taken its toll.

“I’ve received a communication from my brother,” said Greg.

“That was fast,” I said, letting my enthusiasm get the best of me. “When do they get back with the next item? It was the Shadow Key, right, the one that you said looks like a giant key on a string?” [i]Maybe Prof was right,[/i] I hoped. [i]Maybe whatever fate he calculated for me can be prevented after all![/i]

“The news isn’t quite so good I’m afraid,” said Greg. That’s when I noticed the anxiety flashing behind his purposefully unexpressive eyes. Something was very, very wrong. “Tim sent me a message via his Shadow Item,” he explained. “I’d like to show it to the five of you.”

Greg removed a pendant from behind his shirt. It was a dark metal ring with an inverted triangle inside and two slightly curved spikes hanging from small loops on the sides. In the center of the triangle was a symbol I recognized, a slightly stylized silver Wdjat Eye, the mark of a Shadow Item.

“This is a big deal, Greg,” said Prof, “showing them your item.”

“Desperate times,” said Greg simply.

“Wait,” said Rachel, “are you kidding? Is that really-?”

“The Shadow Millennium Ring?” Greg asked. “Yes, it is. The Shadow Millennium Item with the power to connect its wielder’s spirit with inanimate items and manipulate them. It is how I control so many computers at one time. How I manipulate so much information so easily. It is also how I manage to observe so many places and watch for shadow items, a task that requires dozens upon dozens of Order scouts to accomplish for the other side. I go around, planting a bit of myself into the places that I need to observe, and for as long as I live, it’s like I have a small presence there. I use the ring to connect those pats of myself with the part in my computer mainframe, creating an extensive data link that is reinforced by magic. It is physically draining, but it allows me to keep track of everywhere that I have ever been.”

I looked at the screens on the wall of Greg’s office, at the images and data dancing across them. Hundreds and hundreds of instances of information every few seconds. They were each a piece of Greg’s consciousness relaying information back to him.

“Greg is very fortunate,” said Prof. “His I.Q. is very high. A bit higher than mine actually. If his mind were any weaker there is no way that he would be able to keep up with so much information in real time. I can barely follow a third of it myself.”

“Moving on,” said Greg, speaking loudly and making clear that the conversation needed to get back on track. He held up his Shadow Millennium Ring, and the random images and data cleared from the screen, making way for a new image. It was Timothy. He was in a chamber connecting with a tunnel, the walls littered with hieroglyphics. Some kind of Egyptian ruins. The light was dim and inconsistent, like torch light. Even in the weak light I could see the barely controlled fear in Tim’s eyes.

“Greg,” he said, “I’m sending this to you in a burst that I hope those magic computers of yours will catch. We were closing in on the Shadow Key when we were ambushed by a group of four Duelists calling themselves the Emperor’s Four. They already got Marshal and Cook. Jeff and David are trying to hold them back until I can finish with this, but they won’t last long. These guys are good. Their name suggests that they’re Emperor’s personal squad. The guy that Prof beat at the museum was probably part of this group before he was killed, and we all know how strong he was. These guys are twice as strong at least! Greg, you gotta get someone here to help us. I don’t know if Prof found a new fifth yet, but either way we could really use Team Two’s-.”


He was interrupted by an explosion of fire from within the tunnel behind him. The flames tossed a tall, muscular African-American man into the chamber with Tim. The man stood and lifted his duel disk just in time for a red-skinned, spiked-club-wielding demon to hit him across the left side of his face. The man fell and didn’t rise.

“Jeff!” Tim cried.

There was a crackle and the image faded away.

I couldn’t help but glance over at Rachel. She was trying to look blank and uncaring, but it looked like she was about to choke. She was worried about Tim. I looked away quickly, before she could see me watching her.

“Tim asked for Team Two,” said Greg. “He believes that you can help Team One. Unfortunately Tim didn’t get the opportunity to tell us whether or not he was able to retrieve and secure the Shadow Key. We must assume that he had it when he was attacked, which is why we absolutely [i]cannot[/i] allow him to be captured. That’s why I’m sending you five to find my brother and the Duelists who defeated Team One.”

“Wait a second,” I demanded, “how can [i]we[/i] beat a group of Duelists who can defeat the strongest Duelists in the Elite?”

I was worried, and I could tell that the others were worried as well, especially Marco, the only member of the team with less experience in the Elite than me, and Rachel, who had a very personal stake in the situation.

Greg looked sad as he answered my question, “You are not the Elite’s strongest, but you are our most resourceful. You will have to figure out a way. You are Team One now.”


“With my help,” said Greg, a few minutes later, once we had prepared to leave, “you can pool your strength and transport directly to the ruins you saw in Tim's transmission. You all, save our newest recruit, experienced the power of teleportation when Prof brought you back from your last mission using nothing but magic. I must stress how rarely this power is used, and why. Teleportation is dangerous. It threatens to drain the caster. When a team does use teleportation, they usually do so by pooling the energy of their entire team to cast the spell. This takes several seconds longer than if the spell is cast by a single person, but it is much safer. Also, teleportation is only ever used to make a hasty return to base. There are security protocols in place here, created through the magic of my Ring, which prevent anyone who has never been here from teleporting inside, and anyone inside from teleporting out, so as to make it harder for prisoners to escape us. However, I can lower these defenses, allowing teleportation from within the base. But my defensive spells are all interconnected. Lowering one, even for a second, lowers all other base defenses as well, including the magical intruder alarm and the spell that prevents enemy magic users from finding this place with magic. I can only risk disabling the spell for a few seconds.”

He tried not to lose his cool by stressing the point too much, but it was pretty clear that this really was a desperate move, and one that Greg hated even suggesting. I decided then not to hold back in the coming battle, no matter what. I didn’t want to let this man, who was putting everything on the line, down. So as soon as we appeared outside of the ruins, I reached out into the ruins with my Soul, trying to sense if anyone was there. It was a long shot, but it turned out to be well worth it, as doing so unlocked a new power of my Soul.

“Whoa,” I said.

“What is it?” Prof asked.

“My Soul,” I answered. “It’s like I can feel everything that the rocks in the ruins touch. Like a radar or sonar of some kind. It’s fuzzy and I’m not sure how to make sense of it yet, but it’s something.”

“Can you tell if Tim’s okay?” Rachel asked, trying valiantly to hide her desperation.

I strained, trying to sort out the images flowing through my head.

[i]I wish I had some of Greg’s high I.Q. right about now,[/i] I thought.

“I don’t think anyone’s moving in there,” I answered, “but I could be wrong. I’ve never used this power before. I can’t really make heads or tails of what I’m seeing yet.”

“Okay,” said Prof, “Rocky, keep to the front, and keep that Shield Disk of yours up. We need to be ready for anything we might find in there. Rachel, I need you to focus. Your Shadow Item has the most offensive power. You’ll follow behind Rocky and handle counterattacks. Marco and Charlie will go next. I’ll take up the rear and focus on repelling any attacks that may come from behind.”

The four of us nodded. We lined up and started moving. The tunnel was dark. Prof lit up the red crystal in his pendant and held it up over his head, providing some light. Still, we couldn’t see more than a few feet in front of us. We were all on guard. Everyone was quiet, even Prof, who likes talking. To be fair though, he seems to enjoy exchanging information in general. I looked back at the faces of my team mates. I barely knew anything about Team One’s strength and [i]I[/i] was scared of the ones who had beaten them, so I could only imagine how Charlie, Prof and Rachel felt. Marco was probably even worse off. He didn’t know a thing about Team One. Based on the things he’d said during his brief time with us it seemed to he looked up to Team One, considering them something like living legends. I don’t know of a single person alive who isn’t afraid to fight someone who can kill a legend.

Not to mention the simple fact that we were in a tunnel in Egypt looking for a group of our allies who had likely been killed by a group of villains who used magical items to turn trading cards into weapons. Not for the first time I wondered if I was insane.

I’m still not sure that I’m not.

I’d been so deep in thought that I hadn’t noticed the light up ahead until we had already reached the chamber. It was huge. Shaped like a rounded rectangle. The floor was littered with valuable artifacts made of gold and silver that came in every shape and size, glinting in the light of the remaining torches.

“It’s a form of defense,” said Prof, glancing around at the treasure that surrounded us. “The people who built this ancient vault filled this chamber with unbelievable treasures hoping that it would satisfy anyone who came plundering, preventing them from entering the next room. Proof that something of extraordinary value is, or was, hidden here.”

Treasure wasn’t the only thing hidden in the room, however, as we were about to find out.

“Hey, over here!” cried Rachel, who had pushed ahead. She was standing behind a pile of gold coins, looking down at the floor. The rest of us moved to stand by her side. There we found a mousy little Asian girl, probably Chinese or Korean, slumped unmoving against the pile.

“Cook,” said Prof. “She’s a member of Team One.”

Charlie bent down and checked her pulse. “She’s gone,” he said. “It doesn’t look intentional. More like someone tried to remove her soul in a Penalty Game, but her body couldn’t take the shock. It’s rare, but it happens.”

“I found another one,” said Rachel, who had moved off again. We joined her by one of eight tunnels that branched off from this chamber. She was standing over a tall, slightly heavyset young man with sandy blonde hair. His eyes were open, and he was breathing, but it was obvious that his soul was gone. It was creepy, those empty, hollow eyes, so I reached down and closed them.

“This would be Marshal,” I reasoned. We’ll find David in this tunnel, and Jeff in the room at its end. Tim too, if he fell like the others.”

“Tim didn’t fall,” said Rachel with absolute conviction, but I could tell that she was worried.

“Yeah, well,” I said with a slight smile, “either way we have to keep going. But no matter what, we’ll find Tim and bring him back.”

I half expected Rachel to be angry, since I was very obviously speaking to her, but to my relief (since I’m not a fan of being punched) her expression actually softened, and she nodded.

I turned to Prof, “It looks like they went this way. What do you think?”

“I agree,” Prof said. He was staying close to Marco, trying to be supportive. Marco’s eyes were fierce and observant, but his hands were shaky. Still, he was handling this well for a kid. Prof held up his pendant and illuminated the tunnel. It curved not too far ahead. Sure enough someone else was visible, slumped over just before the curve. He had bushy red hair and freckles. He was breathing, but barely. He had a cut across his left shoulder, and his shirt was stained with blood, but the bleeding seemed to have stopped.

“He’ll be okay,” said Prof. “We need to keep going.” Prof took the lead, moving urgently. He knew what our chances were of finding Tim alive. Tim was, after all, the co-founder of the Elite. Our enemies tended to want him dead, and Emperor was likely no exception.

We pressed forward and soon found ourselves in a second chamber. In the rear of the chamber was a pedestal with a key-shaped indentation in it, the resting place of the Shadow Millennium Key, now missing. In the middle of the floor was the final member of Tim’s Team One, Jeff, but that was it. The room was otherwise empty.

Tim was gone.

Prof walked over to the pedestal to examine it. Charlie knelt down beside Jeff to check him, and Jeff stirred

“Jeff’s still here!” Charlie cried, and instantly we were at his side. Charlie helped Jeff sit up, just as Jeff opened his eyes weakly. “You’re okay,” said Charlie. “We’re gonna get you outta here.”

Jeff coughed violently, and when he was able to he said, “They took ’im. Tim used his Shadow Item to send the Shadow Key away, so they took ’im. They only didn’t banish me so that I could deliver a message; we don’t get Tim back until we bring Emperor the Shadow Key.”

“Where did he send the Key?” Marco asked.

“Dunno,” said Jeff, and suddenly he was coughing again. He was in bad shape.

“Okay,” said Prof, “Charlie, take Jeff back to HQ and get him to medical, then check in with Greg. Let him know what’s going on here. The rest of us will continue to investigate the situation.”

Charlie nodded and helped Jeff to his feet. We put our hands on Charlie’s shoulders and focused, lending him our power, and he and Jeff disappeared in a cloud of shadowy black smoke.

“What now?” I asked Prof.

“Yeah,” said Rachel, “we need to get the Key from HQ and use it to get Tim back from Emperor.”

“Except,” said Prof, “that there’s no way the Key is at HQ. Based on what we saw in Tim’s message, he likely sent the Key away right after the connection failed. If he’d sent it to HQ, we would have known before we left.”

“Then where is it?” Rachel demanded.

“Only Tim would know,” Prof answered.

“Then what the Hell are we gonna do?!” Rachel cried. She wasn’t taking this well, and it was clear to everyone that she was about to snap.

“If they want us to bring the Key,” I said, “then they’ll have left us a way to find their headquarters, so we can make the delivery. Even if we don’t find the Key, we can find their base, and we [i]will[/i] find Emperor, and when we do, I’ll go get Tim myself.”

“No, you won't,” said Prof, "because I plan to go with you."

“Me too,” said Marco, “especially if it means a shot at Emperor. The other me really wants to fight him.”

“You mean you guys really care that much about getting Tim back?” Rachel asked. “I figured that you guys would be more concerned with protecting the Items than about saving Tim. Why do you care?”

“I care,” I said, “because I’m your friend whether you like it or not, and you care.”

“Besides,” said Prof, “Tim’s one of our strongest members. Even if we do save the Key, we might still lose the coming battle without him. Having him around is good calculating.”

Rachel looked from me, to Prof, to Marco, and back to me, dumbfounded. We looked back at her with looks that conveyed varying levels of support and determination. Rachel didn’t seem to get why we would risk [i]anything[/i] for her, but after a few moments she shook off her confusion.

“If you guys really wanna be stupid along with me,” she said, “then let’s go. Let’s find whatever we need to find Tim.”

She turned and began searching, and the rest of us followed suit.


[b]Greg[/b]


I watched as Prof’s team disappeared, off toward their destination. I felt dizzy, which was to be expected after the strain of helping Prof and the others to make their trip, but I quickly shook it off. I had to reactivate the magical barrier that surrounded HQ, that acted as our alarm system, and as a barrier keeping anyone who didn’t already know how from teleporting into the compound. These things combined with the fact that the barrier made transport [i]out[/i] of the compound impossible made my system almost perfect. Even though I’d created this impressive system, I didn’t take the time to feel pride upon reinstating it like some people might. Instead I went right back to work. In only seven seconds the barrier was back up. It was almost impossible for anyone who didn’t already know a great deal about Elite HQ to teleport into the compound in seven seconds. In fact, it was so unlikely that I wrote it off as an impossibility.

I walked to my desk and sat down, closing my eyes and allowing myself some time to rest. I’d long since become accustomed to the constant strain that use of my Item put on my body, but additional strain was still enough to nearly push me over the edge. I allowed myself to drift into unconsciousness, and I remained that way for a few minutes before I sensed a presence in my office with me. A malevolent presence. I opened my eyes and launched myself to my left, rolling to my feet, just in time to avoid a thrusting blade aimed right at my heart.


[b]Marcus[/b]


Raphael and I were waiting in the shadows in the secluded section of corridor outside of Greg’s office when we sensed the presence of someone passing right by us, into the office, shrouded in Shadows. I turned along with Raphael and looked through the figure’s shroud just in time to see the train of his cloak pass through the doorway.

“We have to go in,” I said unnecessarily, but as my old friend and I took a step forward we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by deepening darkness. We turned around to face the interior of the corridor and found ourselves face to face with four cloaked figures, their faces shrouded in the darkness beneath their hoods. One of them, the shortest of the figures, stood in the front. He had long powder blue hair peeking out from beneath his hood. He was clearly the leader. Behind him stood two figures of average height and one very large, muscular figure, his build very similar to Raph’s. Based on their body types, they were all male.

“No more of you will get past us,” said Raph.

“We, the Emperor’s Four,” said the leader, “don’t need to get past you. We only need to prevent you from entering that room and interfering with our master’s plans.”

I tried to hide my shock, “So you’re saying that that was Emperor who just passed by us?”

“It doesn’t matter who ended up where,” said Raph confidently. “[i]Our[/i] master can handle any [i]one[/i] Duelist with ease. His skills are unmatched. And we can handle any number of [i]lackeys[/i].”

I smiled, “That’s right. And if it’s a Shadow Game you want, it’s a Shadow Game you’ll get.”

“Well,” said one of the average-sized foes, “this should prove to be exciting.” He and the leader stepped away from the other two and faced me. The others faced Raphael, and the duels began.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Ten]

A Distress Call;
Life and Death Struggle


[b]Greg[/b]


“Emperor I presume,” I said as I stood up and faced my assailant

“The rumors are true,” said Emperor, his voice deep and harsh, “you really are very smart. Too bad for you I’m much smarter than you could ever hope to be. My plan went off without a hitch.”

I’d been trying since I’d first sensed Emperor and the four Duelists that I currently sensed outside of my office to try and piece together how they had managed to get past my defenses. With Emperor’s statement in mind, my suspicions were validated.

“The attack against my brother and Team One,” I said. “It served a dual purpose. You were able to seize a Shadow Millennium Item from us, and you created a reason for me to lower my defenses. You knew that the only reason that I would ever risk lowering my defensive spells would be to rescue my own brother. You waited for my spell to come down, and then you and your men teleported in. I’m not sure how you managed to find this compound in the first place, but by the time I’m finished with you, it won’t matter, because it won’t matter how you did [i]anything[/i] ever again. I actually have to thank you for all of this. You coming here saved me the trouble of having to hunt you down. Now I can destroy you [i]right now[/i][i], with my own hand[/i].”

“Oh but I came here to destroy [i]you[/i], Gregory Hendriks,” Emperor replied, full of swagger, “and I plan to do just that.”

“You can try to kill me all you like,” I replied, “but first, tell me, did my brother at least manage to get the Shadow Key away from you before he died?”

Emperor answered me by spreading his cloak and revealing the Shadow Millennium Key and the Shadow Millennium Pendant hanging around his neck. I made a quick note that the blade that he had attacked me with was actually the lower section of the handle of the Shadow Millennium Rod, which was tucked into his belt.

“I see,” I said. “My brother failed.”

“True,” Emperor replied, “but don’t feel bad. Your Team One put up quite a fight. Of course, in the end, even they were simply pawns in my plan. We left one of them largely unharmed and used some simple misdirection to convince him that your brother managed to send the item away, and that he is still alive, being held captive for interrogation.”

Emperor actually chuckled, marveling at his own scheme.

“We gave him a message for your Team Two that Timothy would be returned if the Key were found and handed over to us. A simple distraction that should keep them away from home long enough for us to finish up here. Not that they would be any threat to our power anyway.”

I nodded my comprehension, “You’re smart, but that won’t save you from my wrath.” I raised my Duel Disk and switched it on, “You’ll pay for ending my brother’s life.”

Emperor sheathed his blade in the handle of the Shadow Rod and switched on his Duel Disk as well, “We’ll see.”


[b]Marcus[/b]


“My turn first,” said the taller of my opponents. “I, Spark, will vanquish you with my light.”

I smiled and glanced down at my deck, [i]Not as long as I have my Gaia Knights deck you won’t.[/i]

“I summon the ‘Royal Knight’,” Spark began, “and equip him with the Spell card ‘Unstable Evolution’. Now, if my Life Points drop below yours, the attack of my monster will rise to twenty-four hundred.”

A white, mechanical, ceramic knight with crystalline joints appeared, sword in hand (ATK: 1300).

“I set a card and pass the baton to my fearless leader, Zero.”

“Draw,” the short, blue-haired Zero, declared, “and I summon ‘Blizzard Dragon’ and set three cards.”

A blue-gray dragon appeared at Zero’s side (ATK: 1800).

“Your move.”

[i]Serious guy,[/i] I thought. I drew and examined my hand. It was perfect.

“I play ‘Hand Destruction’,” I declared, “forcing each player to discard two cards and then draw two cards.”

I did exactly as the card said and scrutinized my new hand.

“Next up, I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” I continued, “to draw three cards and then discard two cards.”

I drew one monster and two non-monsters. I discarded that monster as well as another monster already in my hand, giving me a hand of five.

“I set four cards,” I said, “leaving one card in my hand, and because he’s the only card in my hand, I can summon ‘Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight’!”

An armored, dual-lance-wielding knight appeared at my side aback an armored purple-haired steed (ATK: 2300).

“I attack your ‘Royal Knight’, Spark,” I commanded. [i]I have to take these guys out quick. That means dealing as much damage as I can as early as I can.[/i]

“Reveal,” said Zero, “the Trap ‘Ultimate Offering’.”

“It won’t help you,” I insisted, my knight rearing up to charge.

“It will once I play this,” Spark countered. “I reveal ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’ and pay one-thousand Life Points, negating my allies Trap and decreasing my Life Points below yours, boosting my monster’s Attack (LP: 8000-1000=7000/ATK: 1300 -> 2400).”

My ‘Gaia’ struck with his lance, but the ‘Royal Knight’ was able to avoid the attack and strike back with his sword, cleaving my knight in half (8000+2300-2400=7900).

“And because my ‘Royal Knight’ destroyed a monster,” Spark explained, “I gain Life Points equal to your monster’s Defense (7000+2100=9100).”

“Increasing your Life Points only makes your monster weaker,” I replied (2400 -> 1300), “and I was prepared for your counterattack. I reveal ‘Pot of Greed’ and ‘Monster Reborn’ to draw two cards and to revive ‘Swift Gaia’.”

A flash of red light shone throughout the dim corridor and my ‘Gaia’ reappeared.

“Finally,” I concluded, “I reveal ‘Metamorphosis’, transforming my ‘Gaia’ into his most powerful form,” ‘Gaia’’s horse transformed into a yellow-tan-colored legless dragon with curved spikes protruding from its chest, head, jaw, and wings, “‘Gaia the Dragon Champion’ (ATK: 2600)!”

“The dragon I plan to summon is even stronger,” said Spark, beginning his second turn. “I’ll prove to you that I’m superior. I set a card and tribute my ‘Royal Knight’ for the ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’!”

‘Royal Knight’ was replaced by a massive, winged, serpentine dragon made of segments of white ceramic disks connected by golden-yellow crystal. The dragon roared (ATK: 2900).

“Attack!” Spark cried. The dragon breathed a wave of light, which was swallowed up by a swirl of wind and light just before it could hit my monster.

“I cancel your attack with ‘Negate Attack’,” I explained, “and because you summoned your monster with a single tribute, he’s destroyed by his own effect during the End Phase.”

‘Goryu’ shattered.

“You might have defeated Spark’s monster,” said Zero, “but you still have to deal with [i]me[/i]. I’m the leader of the Emperor’s Four for a reason. I begin with the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’.”

We each refilled our hands.

“Next,” Zero continued, “I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’ in my hand with the ‘Blizzard Dragon’ on the field,” the two monsters merged into a tall, cape-wearing warrior in crystal-like white armor, “to summon ‘Elemental Hero Absolute Zero’ (ATK: 2500)!”


[b]Raphael[/b]


Ever since I’d made the mistake of succumbing to evil and hate years ago, I’d been repenting for my crimes by fighting to do good. I would fight that fight again today.

“I know what you’re thinking,” said the muscular man who was one of my opponents, “but as strong as you are and as hard as you fight, you can never beat us.”

“You seem very proud of your power,” I replied.

“Brock has reason to be proud,” said the smaller opponent, “as do I, the Great C.D., manipulator of time itself. Let me show you [i]why[/i]. I begin with the Spell card ‘Final Countdown’ (8000-2000=6000)! Now, in twenty turns, we win, just like that! I set two cards and a monster, and I end my turn.”

“Making it my move,” said Brock. He drew, and a small flame appeared hovering above us in the air as the ‘Final Countdown’ began.

“I summon ‘Abaki’,” Brock declared, a red-skinned, spiked-club-wielding demon appearing at his side (ATK: 1700), “set a card, and pass.”

“It’s already apparent that your monsters don’t have the power to stand up against mine,” I said, a second flame appearing in the air above me. “I play ‘Armory’,” I declared, “a Spell card that can be equipped with other Spell cards for storage.”

A half-circle of weapon wracks appeared behind me.

“I equip ‘Celestial Sword - Eatos’ to ‘Armory’,” I continued, “allowing me to Special Summon the ‘Guardian Eatos’ and equip her with her blade.”

A silver sword appeared on one of the wracks, and a winged woman wearing a brown dress and eagle headdress appeared, picking up the silver sword (ATK: 2500 +300=2800).

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” I declared, drawing three cards and discarding two.

“Next, ‘Eatos’ attacks ‘Abaki’,” I commanded.

“And,” Brock countered, “‘Abaki’ overcomes your attack with the Trap card ‘Prideful Roar’. I pay Life Points equal to the difference in our monsters’ Attack strengths (8000-1100=6900) in order to increase the Attack of my monster by that amount plus three hundred (1700 -> 3100).

‘Abaki’’s club almost doubled in size and he swung it with all his might, hitting the oncoming, attacking monster and destroying her (8000+2800-3100=7700), but I didn’t skip a beat.

“When ‘Eatos’ is destroyed,” I countered, “I can summon a new monster.”

Darkness erupted from the ground near my feet. From that darkness emerged my second and infinitely more fearsome ace monster. She was a hulking, demonic version of my fallen ‘Guardian Eatos’.

“When my ‘Guardian Dreadscythe’ is summoned,” I explained, "I equip her with her weapon automatically. Behold,” an immense long-handled sickle appeared in my monster’s hands, “the ‘Reaper Scythe – Dreadscythe’ (ATK: 2500).

“Next I activate ‘Hand Destruction’,” I declared, sending two monsters from my hand to the Graveyard and drawing two cards. My opponents each discarded two cards and drew two cards as well.

“Now,” I explained, “because I have three monsters in my Graveyard, my monster gains fifteen hundred Attack due to the effect of her scythe (ATK: 2500+1500=4000). I attack ‘Abaki’!”

With a single sweep of her scythe, ‘Dreadscythe’ cleaved the red-skinned demon in half (6900+3100-4000=6000). Less than a second later, the two halves exploded.

“When ‘Abaki’ is destroyed,” Brock explained, “each player receives eight hundred points of damage (6000-800=5200/6000-800=5200/7700-800=6900).”

“It doesn’t matter,” I said dismissively. “My monster outclasses almost every monster in the game, and I have plenty of other powerful cards at my disposal.”

“You won’t get a chance to use any of them,” said C.D., “because I’m gonna finish you off right now, and you can’t do anything about it!”


[b]Greg[/b]


I drew my sixth card. I was angry, and I was determined to end this war [i]and[/i] make Emperor pay all at once, [i]right [/i]now.

“I summon,” I declared, “the shield monster ‘Gladiator Beast Hiplomus’ in defense mode.”

A rhinoceros-like monster with a massive, strong-looking humanoid torso and arms appeared between me and my opponent. He wore armor and a ring of hexagonal plates hung in the air, surrounding him protectively (DEF: 2000).

“I place a card face-down,” I concluded, “and I equip my monster with ‘Gladiator Beast’s Archfiend Shield’.”

A broad, wicked-looking shield appeared floating just outside of the monster’s protective ring.

“A Gladiator Beast deck,” said Emperor. “No wonder you are so feared. With a deck like that, you probably don’t lose very often. But my deck contains many powerful cards as well. Allow me to demonstrate. I play ‘Double Summon’, a Spell which allows me to make two Normal Summons this turn instead of one. Next I summon ‘Samsara Kaiser’,” a humanoid warrior appeared, wearing a cape, his entire body protected by a suite of armor that included a flat-topped dome helmet with two small eye holes cut into it, “and I tribute my monster to summon ‘Granmarg the Rock Monarch’!”

A stone warrior with massive arms appeared, flexing those arms, his armor grinding loudly (ATK: 2400).

“When ‘Granmarg’ is Normal Summoned,” Emperor continued, “he summons a seismic wave with earth-shaking force to destroy one face-down card.”

‘Granmarg’ punched the ground, sending an energy wave through it, crushing my face-down ‘Defensive Formation’ trap card. I stifled a smile. My face-down card had been nothing more than a decoy to direct attention away from my monster.

“Additionally,” Emperor explained, “because ‘Samsara Kaiser’ was sent to the Graveyard as a result of a Tribute Summon, he returns to my hand.”

‘Samsara Kaiser’ ejected from Emperor’s Graveyard, and I realized what type of deck he was using.

“Interesting,” I said. “You use an easy Tribute Summon deck, a deck designed with the power to summon high level monsters instantly.”

“I’m afraid that you’re much worse off than that,” Emperor replied. “My deck isn’t just a Tribute Summon deck. It’s a Monarch monster Tribute Summon deck. I can summon most any one of the feared Monarch monsters that I want as often as I want. That means that I have access to every one of their powerful effects!”

This time I did allow myself to smile, if only for a second, [i]I know how I’m going to beat you, Emperor. And the best part is, you handed me the answer.[/i]

“Now,” Emperor commanded, “ Granmarg’, attack ‘Hiplomus’!”

‘Granmarg’ raised his massive right hand and made a fist, and he took a swing at my monster, but his attack was interrupted when the ‘Gladiator Beast’s Archfiend Shield’ rose up and absorbed the blow. The shield shattered, but my monster remained unharmed.

“Because my monster was involved in a battle,” I declared, “I have the option of activating his effect. I have him ‘tag out’ and return to my deck. This allows me to ‘tag in’ a new ‘Gladiator Beast’ monster, like my ‘Gladiator Beast Murmillo’!”

‘Hiplomus’ disappeared, and in his place appeared an amphibious creature with blue skin, wearing armor and carrying twin shell-cannons on his shoulders.

“When ‘Murmillo’ is tapped in,” I explained “his special attack is activated. Go, Murmillo Cannon!”

‘Murmillos’’s shell-cannons charged with energy, discharging bursts of red light that blasted the much larger and stronger ‘Granmarg’ apart with ease.

“Now it’s my turn, Emperor,” I declared. “I begin by playing ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards. Now, it’s time for me to display the true power of my deck. I summon the ‘Gladiator Beast Laquari’!”

A tiger warrior, armored, with a metal ring burning with fire floating in the air above him appeared at my side, growling (ATK: 1800).

“I follow up with ‘Quick Summon’,” I continued, “allowing me to play a second monster, like my ‘Gladiator Beast Andul’!”

An armored bear with huge claws appeared at my side, standing on his hind legs (ATK: 1900).

“I initiate a Contact Fusion,” I declared, “returning my monster cards to my deck to combine my monsters into the ultimate Gladiator Beast!”

My three monsters merged in a flash of light. They became a vaguely humanoid amalgamation of beasts with a feline head and the body of a dinosaur from the waist down. His armor was made up of various different types of armor layered together. He carried a shield of honeycombed plates, like those that had made up ‘Hiplomus’’ defensive ring. Two small cannons were visible, fixed to the top of his shield. He carried an axe made of various blades joined together, and a pair of transparent green wings extended from his back.

“Introducing,” I announced, “the most powerful of the ‘Gladiator Beasts’, the ‘Gladiator Beast Heraklinos’!”

My monster roared at the utterance of his name (ATK: 3000).

“My monster can negate a Spell or Trap at the cost of a card in my hand. Of course, this does nothing to protect him from your Monarch effects, so I play ‘Roar of Heraklinos’, a Continuous Spell that cannot be destroyed while ‘Heraklinos’ is in play, which allows me to discard a card to negate the effect of any card that specifically targets a monster. While I control this, my monster is invincible!

“Now, ‘Heraklinos’,” I commanded, “attack!”

My monster swung his axe-like blade. Emperor avoided the blade expertly, but his Life Points still suffered (8000-3000=5000).

“I finish my turn with the Spell card ‘Card of Demise’,” I concluded, “allowing me to draw until I hold five cards, giving me fuel for my effects, and putting me even further from your reach.”


[b]Marcus[/b]


“Reveal,” said Zero, “the Trap card ‘Shock Wave’! I destroy my own ‘Absolute Zero’, dealing each player damage equal to his Attack and activating his effect (Spark: 6400-2500=3900/Marcus: 8000-2500=5500/Zero: 7000-2500=4500).”

As ‘Absolute Zero’ exploded his effect activated, a gust of icy wind pouring from him, freezing everything on my field until my monster turned brittle. ‘Gaia’ shattered before my eyes.

“Next,” said Zero, “I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive my ‘Absolute Zero’.”

“And I,” said Spark, “reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive the ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’.”

“I equip ‘Scroll of Bewitchment’ to ‘Goryu’,” Zero continued, “changing its Attribute to Water, and for each other Water monster on the field, the Attack of ‘Absolute Zero’ rises by five hundred points (2500+500=3000). I equip my monster with the Spell card ‘Megamorph’,” Zero declared, and I knew then that I’d lost. “This double’s my monster’s original Attack.”

A glowing ring appeared below his monster, and its size and power increased (ATK: 3000 -> 5500).

“Raph,” I said to my friend, “don’t let them through!”

“I attack directly,” Zero commanded, “with ‘Elemental Hero Absolute Zero’.”

‘Absolute Zero’ spread his cape and summoned an icy wind that struck me with incredible force, and everything faded away.


[b]Raphael[/b]


C.D. drew, and a third flame appeared overhead.

“Reveal,” said C.D., “the Trap cards ‘Pyro Clock of Destiny’ and ‘Pyro Clock of the Future’. I discard two cards for the effect of ‘Pyro Clock of the Future’: ‘Clock Magician’ and ‘Magician’s Valkyria’. This moves the turn count forward by a total of three.”

Three more flames appeared.

“Next,” C.D. declared, wearing a wicked smile, “I remove two copies of ‘Clock Magician’ in my Graveyard from play, advancing the turn count forward another four.”

[i]Four[/i] more flames appeared.

“And I finish,” said C.D., “with the Spell card ‘Turn Jump’, advancing the Turn Count forward three for each player.”

And I was struck with realization as nine more flames appeared, for a grand total of nineteen.

[i]No,[/i] I thought, [i]I’ve failed![/i]

“I end my turn,” C.D. concluded.

“I draw,” said Brock, “and you lose.”

A twentieth flame appeared, and all twenty flames fell on me at once.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eleven]

Action


[b]Greg[/b]


“I’m sorry to disappoint you,” said Emperor, “but you lose right now. I begin with ‘Pot of Greed’, allowing me to draw two cards.” He looked over his newest acquisitions, and continued, “Next I reveal the Continuous Trap card ‘By Order of the Emperor’. Now, whenever I summon a monster whose effect activates when it’s summoned, I can negate its effect and draw a card. I also reveal ‘Ultimate Offering’. Now I can make as many summons per turn as I want for the cost of five hundred Life Points per summon.

“I activate ‘Fiend Sanctuary’,” Emperor continued, “to summon a ‘Metal Fiend Token’,” a small creature made of stacked metal spheres appeared, “and I tribute the Token for ‘Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch’.”

A tall warrior in fiery red armor appeared (ATK: 2400).

“I negate ‘Thestalos’’ effect to draw a card,” said Emperor, and he drew.

“I pay one thousand Life Points,” Emperor continued (5000-1000=4000), “to summon ‘Samsara Kaiser’ and tribute him for ‘Raiza the Storm Monarch’.”

A warrior in green armor molded to resemble a bird appeared at the fiery warrior’s side (ATK: 2400).

“I negate ‘Raiza’’s effect as well to draw again,” Emperor declared, “and because ‘Samsara Kaiser’ was sent to the Grave due to a Tribute Summon, he returns to my hand once again.”

It was in that moment that I saw the true extent of Emperor’s power, and I began to understand how much danger I was actually in.

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” said Emperor, “to draw another three cards and then discard two cards.”

He carried out the effect, and I began to sweat.

“Now I pay another one thousand Life Points (4000-1000=3000),” Emperor continued, “to summon ‘Samsara Kaiser’ and tribute him yet again for ‘Zaborg the Thunder Monarch’.”

‘Samsara Kaiser’ was sacrificed again, and a giant warrior in silver armor appeared. His pastel green hair sat in an afro atop his head, and arching lightning spread across his body.

“I negate my monster’s effect to draw again,” Emperor declared smugly, “and I pay yet another one thousand Life Points (3000-1000=2000) to summon ‘Mobius the Frost Monarch’.”

One sacrifice later another Monarch joined the ranks of my opponent’s powerful monster army. This one, the blue-armored warrior with the penguin-head helm, had the power to destroy Spell and Trap cards. Of course he [i]couldn’t[/i] destroy my Spell card.

[i]What is he doing? Is he trying to draw into something important?[/i]

“I negate ‘Mobius’’ effect as well,” said Emperor. He drew again.

“Finally,” said Emperor, “I pay a final one thousand Life Points (2000-1000=1000) to summon my Spirit Monster and my final Monarch, ‘Caius the Shadow Monarch’!”

Shadows crept up around Emperor, taking form, becoming a wicked warrior in black armor. Shadows billowed around him like dark fire (ATK: 2400).

“I could use my monster’s effect,” said Emperor, “to remove your Spell card from play, but at this point it wouldn’t matter, so I’ll draw another card instead, and I’ll equip ‘Caius’ with the Spell card ‘United We Stand’, increasing his Attack by eight hundred per monster that I control.”

I watched with barely controlled anxiety as ‘Caius’’ power climbed (2400+ (800x5)=6400).

“My monsters attack,” Emperor commanded, triumph in his voice. ‘Caius’ blew my ultimate monster away like it was nothing, and I found myself under attack from fire-, ice-, lightning- and wind-based attacks. I fell to my knees under the assault (8000 +3000-6400-(2400x4)=0).

“Take my Shadow Millennium Ring,” I told Emperor defiantly as he approached me slowly, savoring his victory, “but you won’t succeed. You won’t conquer this world.”

“Oh,” said Emperor as he unsheathed his Shadow Rod and separated the blade from the rest of the hilt, “I think I will.”

Then Emperor thrust the blade into my heart.


[b]Charlie[/b]


After I arrived back at HQ I helped Jeff make his way to medical. From there, once I was sure Jeff was okay of course, I headed for Greg’s office at the end of his secluded corridor. The first thing I noticed was Raphael and Marcus unconscious on the floor. Next I noticed the five figures huddled outside of Greg’s office, deep in conversation.

“Who are you?” I demanded, and all five figures turned to face me. One of them, a figure wearing a more ornate cloak than the others, raised his hand and aimed his palm at me. I suddenly found myself surrounded by shadows, facing five Duelists all alone.


[b]Rocky[/b]


“We’ve been over this whole place twice,” said Rachel solemnly. “There’s no clue here.” She sounded defeated.

“It’s possible that Emperor has contacted Greg with further information by now,” said Prof hopefully.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “We should head back. I’m sure Greg will have some more information for us by now either way.”

“If Greg had new information,” said Marco, “wouldn’t he have gotten in touch with us already?”

“Who knows,” Prof answered. “That guy makes less sense than I do. Now huddle up. We’re going back.”

So we did. We placed our hands on each other’s shoulders and pooled our strength. In a flash we were gone from the ruins that had caused us so much frustration, and we were back at HQ. I took a deep breath, allowing the heavy activity of the Arena Room to sink in, but before I’d had two minutes to feel relaxed, Prof was off running.

“Duel Disks out and follow me,” he commanded, and Rachel, Marco and I were on his heels. He led us toward Greg’s office. We rounded the corner, and I felt like I’d been slapped. Lying on the floor in the corridor, staring lifelessly at the ceiling above them, were Raphael, Marcus and-.

“Charlie!”

Rachel pushed past Prof and fell to her knees at her brother’s side, her face fearful and full of uncharacteristic concern. Finally it had become too much. Finally she’d reached the point where she just couldn’t hide her concern any longer.

“He’s gone,” she declared, her voice cracking, “his soul isn’t here!”

As I watched Prof moved to look into Greg’s office, which was still out of sight, and his face grew dark.

“Rocky and Rachel, get Raph, Marcus and Charlie into Greg’s office out of sight. Marco, make sure no one comes back here. No one can see this.”

Prof stepped into the office. I grabbed Raphael by the arms and pulled him through the doorway, where I saw Prof bend over Greg’s lifeless body, feeling for a pulse. His face told me that there was none, and I suddenly felt like I could collapse right there. Greg was untouchable! If he could fall to Emperor, what could we possibly do?

“When we teleported in,” said Prof, straightening up, “I knew something was wrong. Even though it’s possible for us who know how to transport into the compound through Greg’s defenses, there is always a certain amount of resistance. This time, there was none.”

“Did Emperor do this?” I asked. “Are we sure it was him?”

“Yeah,” said Prof. “Greg’s Shadow Item is gone, but Raph’s, Marcus’ and Charlie’s Items aren’t.

I swallowed nervously.

“Now go,” said Prof, “Get Marcus and Charlie.”

I stepped out and drug Marcus inside. I stepped out again. By now Marco and Rachel were outside looking in. Marco looked shocked, and Rachel looked angry and scared. I walked over to Charlie and pulled him across the threshold as well. Rachel and Marco followed me inside. Prof was standing behind Greg’s desk, manipulating the keys that controlled Greg’s powerful network of computers, trying with great conviction to get something to happen, though I didn’t know what. I’m sure that knowing that Greg’s computer net was gone made Prof feel blind. As much as he and Greg didn’t get along, I knew he relied on Greg’s powers just as much as the rest of us.

“How could this happen?” I asked. “I mean, Greg was-.”

“Quiet,” said Prof. “I’ve found what I was looking for.”

He looked up, and Greg’s screens, lifeless until a moment ago, flickered to life. On every screen appeared the same image of a man in an ornate cloak. He spoke, “I’m Emperor. As you can see, I’ve overcome the Elite’s greatest warrior and sharpest mind. I’ve defeated your strongest Duelists, and predicted your every move, including the arrival of the boy, Charlie, though I didn't really need to. His arrival was of no consequence to someone with my power.”

I looked over at Rachel. She looked like she wanted to reach through the screens and break Emperor’s neck, but she restrained herself.

“In fact,” Emperor continued, “I’ve predicted the movements of your little club so completely that I know that I’m talking only to Prof and his team of selective misfits, the only remaining threat to my power. I challenge the four of [i]you[/i] to find me and my [i]Emperor’s[/i] Four and fight us for the souls of the bodyguards and the boy.”

“We tried that,” Rachel exclaimed, frustrated.

“You may be wondering how to find me,” the recording of Emperor continued. “Well, it’s simple really. I allowed Gregory Hendriks to believe that his brother was no longer alive. It filled him with a delectable sense of hopelessness. Anyway, what I allowed your leader to believe was a lie. His brother is alive and well, a guest at our compound. I hear that one of you is very close to Timothy Hendriks. She should be able to sense his location, if she really cares about him. We’ll be waiting.”

Emperor’s image disappeared.

“Rachel,” Prof asked, “can you sense him?”

Rachel’s eyes were closed. Her Shadow Necklace was out, glowing faintly. “I’m trying,” she snapped, “but I just can’t. I’m not strong enough.”

[i]This is too much for one person,[/i] I thought. I walked over to her and put my hand on her shoulder, lending her my strength. Rachel looked up at me, momentarily confused, and then she smiled. She closed her eyes again and said nothing for several seconds. Finally she opened her eyes, looking determined.

“I know where he is. Let’s go.”

We gathered together, and in a flash, we were gone.


We arrived in an open chamber, the sandstone walls lined with gold. Four openings stood before us, each leading into its own corridor. Behind us was a single corridor that likely led to the proper entrance to whatever dusty ancient temple we’d managed to teleport into.

“We’re underground,” I said, knowing instantly.

“This must be Emperor’s headquarters,” said Prof. “Rachel?”

She closed her eyes and her necklace glowed faintly. She opened her eyes again a moment later, “He’s somewhere on the other side of one of these corridors, but I can’t tell which one.”

“Maybe I can,” I said. I placed my hand on the wall between the two central corridors, and I felt a strange sensation, my sonar kicking in. I concentrated, but it was no use. I shook my head and looked back at the others, “Something’s interfering with the Soul of Earth’s sonar power. I can’t tell where the corridors lead.”

“Well,” said Prof, “that leaves only one option left.”

“What’s that?” Marco asked.

“We split up,” Prof answered, and just like that he stepped into the center right corridor and walked briskly away, a completely inappropriate smile on his face. Rachel went next, taking the corridor center left. She didn’t look as happy.

Marco sighed, “Well it looks like we’re splitting up, because that always works out so well in the movies. Great.” He rested the back of his head in his hands and stepped into the corridor to the left.

[i]Well,[/i] I thought, [i]here goes.[/i]

I turned toward the corridor to the right and stepped inside.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]

The Emperor’s Four, Part One



[b]Marco[/b]


This is my first time ever writing anything, so bear with me.

Anyway, I walked through the corridor. Don’t ask me which corridor. I picked at random and can’t remember. But the number from the right of the corridor I chose doesn’t matter. What [i]does[/i] matter is that after walking for only a few minutes I encountered a member of Emperor’s Four.

“I was wondering when I’d see a member of the illustrious Team Two,” the figure before me stated.

“Who are you?” I asked simply, trying to look determined.

[i]That’s so cute,[/i] the other me said from his usual place within my mind, [i]you’re trying to sound like me![/i]

[i]Shut up.[/i]

[i]I’m just sayin’.[/i]

“I’m Spark,” said the cloaked figure, and even in the dim light of the corridor, I could see a grin flash behind the hood of his cloak.

[i]Ego much[/i] I thought.

“If you’re Order,” I said, “it doesn’t really matter to me who you are. I’m gonna beat you. I’m gonna beat every Order member that gets in my way until I and the other me get to Emperor, and then we’ll beat [i]him[/i] too.”

“You won’t beat Emperor,” said Spark, “because you won’t even beat [i]me[/i]. I’m a superior Duelist presented by fate with the task of acquiring great power and using it to reshape the world. I cannot be defeated, because my task is not yet complete!”

And that’s when he started in with the maniacal laughter. No joke.

[i]Ego much is right,[/i] the other me agreed.

“If you’re so strong,” I said, “then prove it.” I felt the other me’s power flow through me, reacting with the magic that my opponent wielded, and I activated my Duel Disk as the Shadow Game began.

“If that’s really what you want,” said Spark, “then let’s begin the last duel of your insignificant little life.”


[b]Prof[/b]


I walked for a while in silence. There was nothing remarkable about the corridor. It was seemingly Egyptian, though I couldn’t be completely sure of its origins since it was devoid of any kind of writing or otherwise distinguishing marks. In fact, Emperor could do well to invest in an interior designer.

I sighed. I was bored. Then again, I think long, dull corridors bore most people. Plus the dim lighting made it so I had to squint. I don't like to squint. It gives me a headache.

Luckily, things got much more exciting relatively quickly when I came across a man of very large stature wearing a dark cloak.

“You’re one of Emperor’s men,” I said. It was a statement, not a question, but like so many stupid people, the large man didn’t realize that, and he answered anyway.

“I am,” the man said. “My name’s Brock. I crush anyone I meet using my superior raw power!”

“I don't have time for posturing,” I said. I flourished my hand and Brock and I were locked in by the Shadows. “Let’s get this over with.”


[b]Rocky[/b]


I walked through my chosen corridor in silence. As I walked I reached out with my Soul. I wasn't all too experienced yet with using my Earth Sense, but it still bothered me that I couldn’t “see” the end of the corridors and beyond. It was a sign of powerful magic, targeted at keeping my specific powers, or ones like them, at bay. It was unsettling. As far as I could tell, though, my Earth Sense was the only one of my powers being disrupted, which meant that maybe whatever magic was at play was geared toward disrupting [i]any[/i] extrasensory perception, instead of mine alone, which made me feel a teeny tiny bit better.

After a few minutes of twisting and turning I came across my opponent. When I’d seen exactly four corridors, I’d known immediately that there would be a member of Emperor’s Four waiting in each one. Still knowing it didn’t mean I liked it.

“So, you’re my opponent then?” I asked.

“Yep,” my opponent answered, an edge of anticipation in his voice. “I’m C.D., and your time’s up.”


[b]Rachel[/b]


I was angry. As I walked, that was all that kept churning through my head. I was angry at a lot of things, but mostly, without a doubt, I was angry at Emperor. I was as angry at Emperor as I'd been at the men who’d killed my parents all those years ago, because Emperor too had taken my loved ones from me.

But I wasn’t just angry. I don’t tell people this often, so listen up; when I’m mad, I’m usually just trying to hide from myself the fact that I’m hurt, or sad, or lonely, or even scared. But today my anger was busy shielding me from something that I wasn’t used to feeling. I felt confused, which is odd since I’m usually very sure of everything. What had me so confused? Well, no matter how hard I racked my brain, I couldn’t figure out why Rocky and the others were so willing to help me. I’m a jerk. I know it. Still, as much as I didn’t know why they were helping, I was glad that they were. I’d only ever been so detached from those around me because it was the only true way to protect them, and maybe myself. I’d always been [i]sure[/i] that it was the best way to prevent any emotional pain, but almost miraculously since Rocky had shown up, I’d been wondering if maybe I was wrong.

Anyway, to say that I was conflicted at the time would be an understatement, and on the rare occasion that I am conflicted, I like to hit things (or people, whatever) until I forget that I’m conflicted. And of course, if hitting isn’t really an option, dueling usually works about as well.

That’s when I saw him. He was a few inches shorter than me, with blue hair peeking from under his hood.

“I’m Zero,” he announced, “the leader of the Emperor’s Four. If you want to advance, you’ll have to defeat me first.”

“Does this mean that I’m going the right way?” I asked. “Is Timothy at the end of this corridor?”

“Sorry,” said Zero in a monotone that I took as a sign of boredom, “but I can’t tell you that.”

I thought for a second. “He must be,” I decided. “Emperor will be watching over Tim personally, and there’s no way that he'd allow himself to be left open. He’d place his strongest lackey in a position to defend him, and no one else. That means he’s just ahead. Once I beat you, I’ll be practically at his doorstep.”

“You won’t get past me,” said Zero. “Nothing can beat my Subzero Army deck.”

“An ice deck, huh?” I replied. “Let’s see which shatters first, your ice or my spear.” I activated my Duel Disk and channeled all of my anger and conviction into my Necklace. It shone brightly, and a ring of shadows surrounded us, locking us into a Shadow Duel of deadly consequences. A Shadow Duel that I wasn’t sure I would escape with my life.

“I start,” I declared, pulling all six of my opening cards from my deck at once, “with the Spell card ‘Fusion Sage’. This allows me to search my deck for a copy of the Spell card ‘Polymerization’.”

I fanned out my deck, chose a card, showed it, shuffled, and replaced my deck.

“Next,” I continued, “I place two cards face-down, and summon my ‘Phantom Beast Cross-Wing’.”

My six-winged bird appeared at my side, hovering in the air, his upper and lower wings beating in an alternating pattern (ATK: 1300).

“Since ‘Cross-Wing’ increases the Attack of other Phantom Beasts while in the Graveyard,” Zero reasoned calmly, “destroying it could be a mistake. However, it is far more likely that your face-down cards are the more serious threat. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that at least one of your cards is in place to cleverly discard a second ‘Cross-Wing’ from your hand or deck when I attack, increasing the Attack of your monster unexpectedly. So I’ll play ‘Cold Wave’.”

I scowled as my face-down cards froze over, [i]This guy already understands my deck. He knows cards, and well. I have to tread carefully.[/i]

“Next,” Zero continued, “I summon ‘Blizzard Warrior’.”

A man in icy blue armor appeared, carrying a dual-bladed sword (ATK: 1400).

“Attack,” my opponent commanded, and Zero’s monster slashed my ‘Cross-Wing’ to pieces (8000+1300-1400=7900).

“When my ‘Blizzard Warrior’ deals damage,” Zero explained, “I get to see the top card of your deck and choose to either replace it on the top or the bottom of your deck.”

I scowled again and showed him my card, my ‘Monster Reborn’.

“Place your card on the bottom of your deck,” Zero said, and I reluctantly did as I was told. Zero concluded his turn with a single, simple word, “End.”


[b]Marco[/b]


“I start things off,” I said quickly. I was anxious. I wanted to finish the duel fast and move on to the big fish. “I summon ‘Troop Dragon’,” I declared, and a small group of relatively short green dragons appeared, wearing armor and carrying an assortment of weapons (DEF: 900).

“I place three cards face-down,” I concluded, “and I end my turn.”

“No problem,” said Spark. “Prepare to be defeated through divine intervention! I summon ‘Light Effigy’!”

A swirling cloud of light appeared at Spark’s side, hovering in the air at shoulder height (ATK: 1500).

“I attack ‘Troop Dragon’,” Spark declared, and the light bore down on my monster, burning him up.

“When my ‘Troop Dragon’ is destroyed,” I announced, “I get to summon another ‘Troop Dragon’ in attack mode (ATK: 700).”

“What a coincidence,” said Spark mockingly, “I’m not done summoning either. I play ‘Quick Summon’ and tribute ‘Light Effigy’ to summon,” ‘Light Effigy’ split into [i]two[/i] clouds of light, which disappeared, their essence sacrificed to create a massive ceramic dragon with amber-yellow crystals for joints and a white, segmented body, “my ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’ (ATK: 2900)! My ‘Mech’ attacks, wave of light!”

“Reveal,” I countered, “the Spell card ‘Dragonic Phalanx’, allowing me to summon one ‘Troop Dragon’ from each my deck and Graveyard.”

Two more groups of the small dragons appeared (DEF: 900).

“Then I’ll target the ‘Troop Dragon’ in attack mode!” Spark commanded. His monster struck (8000+700-2900=5800).

“I activate ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’,” Spark continued, and suddenly is appeared as if we were outside, standing on a floating cloud in front of a roman-style temple, “and I set a card. I end my turn.”


[b]Prof[/b]


“I set two cards,” I began, “and summon ‘Gagagigo’.”

A humanoid lizard in padded armor with long claws and spikes appeared standing tall at my side (ATK: 1850).

“Now hurry up and ‘overpower’ me big guy,” I mocked.

“Don’t mind if I do!” Brock picked a card from his hand, “I play ‘Double Summon’, allowing me to summon two ‘Abaki’ cards.”

Two of the red-skinned, spiked-club-wielding demons appeared (ATK: 1700).

“I play ‘Yami’ to surround us in darkness,” Brock explained. Suddenly we were surrounded by a rolling black fog, and the ‘Abakis’ powered up (1700+200=1900).

“Chain,” I called, “the Trap card ‘Level Conversion Lab’. I show you a monster from my hand, and my Trap generates a level from one to six. The revealed monster gains that level until the end of the turn.”

I showed Brock my ‘Gogiga Gagagigo’, and a pedestal appeared with a screen on top. Numbers flashed quickly on the screen, finally slowing and settling on five, “My monster becomes a level five for this turn.”

“It won’t help you,” said Brock. “‘Abaki’ demons, attack!”

“Reveal,” I countered, “the ‘Ultimate Offering’ Trap, paying five hundred Life (8000-500=7500) and tributing my monster for ‘Gogiga Gagagigo’!”

‘Gagagigo’ grew larger, becoming clad in metallic armor. His skin turned red, and his claws and spikes grew longer and sharper. The monster roared (ATK: 2950).

Brock scowled, “I cancel my attack.”

The charging demons stopped cold.

“Two face-downs,” Brock concluded, “and I end.”


[b]Rocky[/b]


“No, C.D.,” I countered, “my time isn’t up, yours is.” I brandished my Shield Disk, sealing the Shadow Game between me and my opponent, “I play the Spell card ‘Miracle Rupture’, allowing me to discard a Rock-Type monster, like my ‘Hieracosphinx’, from my deck in order to draw a card.”

A card ejected from my deck, and I added it to my Graveyard before I drew again, though really I was more interested in the discard than the draw.

“Now I remove my ‘Sphinx’ from play,” I declared, “to summon ‘Gigantes’.”

The earth ahead of me rose up and shaped itself into the form of a giant, savage man with granite skin (ATK: 1900).

“I’ll also summon ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’,” I announced, and a second giant sculpted from stone appeared, his massive arms crossed over his chest (DEF: 2000).

“I set a card,” the hologram of my face-down card appeared, “and end my turn.”

“Then the countdown to your death begins!” C.D. nearly sang. “I start with ‘Hand Destruction’. We each discard two cards and then draw two cards. I discard ‘Dimension-caster’ and ‘Clock Magician’.”

He fed his cards into his Graveyard and drew. I discarded ‘Destruction Punch’ and ‘Crioshinx’, and I drew as well.

“Now I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” said C.D., “and combo with ‘Inferno Reckless Summon’ to summon three copies of ‘Dimensioncaster’.”

Three robed, staff-wielding sorcerers appeared in a flash of red light, each taking up a defensive stance around C.D. (DEF: 300).

“I set a card of my own,” he concluded, “and pass.”


[b]Rachel[/b]


“Since I still can’t play Spell or Trap cards,” I said, “I simply summon my ‘Phantom Beast Thunder-Pegasus’ in defense mode.”

A two-headed, two-colored horse with a mane and wings of lightning appeared at my side, bucking proudly (DEF: 2000).

“I’m assuming you're finished,” said Zero. He drew, and my cards that had been affected by his ‘Cold Wave’ thawed out, “I tribute ‘Blizzard Warrior’ to activate the effect of ‘Ice Summoner’, Special Summoning her to the field.”

An attractive young woman in a blue dress appeared, surrounded by lingering frost and carrying a curling horn made of ice in her right hand (ATK: 300).

“One per turn ‘Ice Summoner’ creates an ‘Ice Spirit Token’,” Frost explained, and some of the frost lingering around the monster condensed into a ghostly ice spirit no larger than a house cat (ATK: 100).

“Now I tribute both of my monsters to summon ‘Medium of the Ice Barrier’!” a woman in a long silky blue dress with long silky blue hair appeared. She wore a golden pendant and had golden markings on her face (ATK: 2200).

“My sorceress attacks your ‘Pegasus’,” Zero commanded, and something caught my ear. The sorceress summoned up an icy breeze that threatened to turn my monster into an equestrian ice pop.

“Reveal,” I countered, “the Trap card ‘Next to be Lost’ to discard a second copy of ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ from my deck, which I remove from play to block your attack.”

A wall of lightning formed, holding the attack back until the ice sorceress gave up and returned to her master’s side. Then the lightning took the form of the second ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ moments before it faded away completely.

“I end my turn,” my opponent said simply, sounding no different that he had since I’d met him, but I’d heard his voice crack. I’d heard his solemn tone, and I knew.

My opponent didn’t really want to fight.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Thirteen]

The Emperor’s Four, Part Two



[b]Marco[/b]


The location of our battle had changed to that of the floating ‘Sky Sanctuary’. As a former member of the Order, I know cards. I knew the impact that my opponent’s Field Spell card could have. I knew how much harder it would be now for me to deal my opponent any substantial damage. Most Duelists would have been worried, but I’m not most Duelists.

I smiled.

“I’ve seen way scarier cards than ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’ and ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’,” I said, “and I’ve beaten them all. This won’t be any different. Just watch. I tribute my two ‘Troop Dragon’ cards to summon my ‘Dragonic Knight’!”

All members of the two platoons of dragon warriors disappeared at once, swallowed up in a swirl of wind that erupted out in a massive blaze. From the flames emerged the armored dragon knight, his sword held high (ATK: 2800).

“Your dragon is no match for mine,” Spark asserted, his dragon roaring its agreement.

“It will be once I equip it with ‘Dragon’s Treasure’,” I argued.

A round crystal appeared, embedded in the armor over my dragon’s chest, and he found himself surrounded by a powerful aura (2800+300=3100).

“‘Dragonic Knight’,” I commanded, “attack!”

My dragon charged, preparing to strike the enemy dragon down, but Spark was prepared.

“Reveal,” Spark declared, “the Trap card ‘Light of Judgment’.” He smiled the same condescending smile that he’d shone earlier in the duel, and he continued, “I discard a Light monster to erase your monster and send it to the Graveyard!”

An orb of light formed above the ‘Sky Sanctuary’. A stream of light poured from the orb, sweeping across my monster.

“Looks like I win this little skirmish as well.”

“Not quite,” I countered. The light faded, and my monster emerged, carrying a reflective shield decorated with etchings of dragon heads in place of his original shield. The reflective shield shattered, revealing my monster’s regular shield beneath it. The ‘Dragonic Knight’ finished its attack, jumping up and severing ‘Goryu’’s head with a single swing of his blade.

“How?” Spark asked, a poorly disguised look of shock playing across his partially shrouded face.

“With the Trap card ‘Dragon Shield’,” I answered. “It protects any one Dragon from all card effects for the duration of one turn.”

Spark steeled up his face, “Not like it matters. I’m destined for greater things. I’ve always known it. That’s why I [i]know[/i] I won’t lose to the likes of [i]you[/i]. I’m [i]destined[/i] to win!

"I summon ‘Gelen Duo’ in defense mode,” Spark continued, and twin fairies, their bodies made of an indestructible jelly-like substance, appeared at his side (DEF: 0). “My monsters can’t be destroyed by battle. They’ll be destroyed if I ever take damage, but because I control ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’, that’s impossible. There’s nothing you can do against me! I end my turn.”


[b]Rachel[/b]


“Thanks to the effect of the ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ in my Graveyard,” I explained, “the ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ on my field survived your attack, letting me do this! I tribute ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ to summon one of the most power Phantom Beast monsters, the ‘Phantom Beast Rock-Lizard’!”

The two-headed ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ made way for what could only be called a lizard centaur. Instead of a horse body, the monster had the lower body of a massive brown lizard. It’s mostly humanoid body was covered in scales, as was its face, which had lizard features in mostly humanoid proportions.

“Because ‘Cross-Wing’ is in the Graveyard,” I explained, “my monster gains a boost to his Attack (2200+300=2500).”

‘Medium of the Ice Barrier’ stood strong, facing her opponent. Zero showed no emotion whatsoever in the face of my powerful card.

“My ‘Rock-Lizard’ attacks,” I commanded. The reptilian creature slink-charged straight at the sorceress and slashed her to ribbons with his long, powerful claws (8000+2200-2500=7700).

“When ‘Rock-Lizard’ destroys a monster,” I declared, “he deals you an additional five hundred damage.”

‘Rock-Lizard’ let out a forceful, bellowing roar that struck Zero like a punch to the gut (7700-500=7200).

“Go,” I said, “make your next move. Not that it’ll make any difference.”

“You’d be surprised,” said Zero matter-of-factly. “I play ‘Pot of Greed’.”

Zero drew an additional two cards.

“I play ‘Umiiruka’,” Zero declared, “changing the field to one of water.”

The corridor brightened and opened up to a holographic sky. Suddenly we found ourselves standing on the surface of an ocean, gentle waves rolling across it in the distance far behind my opponent.

“While we remain at ‘Umiiruka’,” Zero explained, “all Water monsters gain five hundred Attack. I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing two monsters on hand, ‘Cryomancer of the ice Barrier’ and ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’.”

A small warrior wearing armor seemingly made of ice appeared alongside another Ice Barrier warrior. The two monsters merged, becoming a taller, more mature version of the ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’, wearing icy white armor and a flowing white cape, “This is my ultimate card,” Zero announced, “‘Elemental Hero Absolute Zero’ (ATK: 2500+500=3000)! My monster attacks!”

I barely had time to notice the uncharacteristic enthusiasm in my opponent’s voice before his monster was on mine, meaning to cut my reptile into pieces with the sharp edges of his armor. By then I was too busy with my defense to care.

“Not today,” I declared with a smirk. “I remove the remaining ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ from play!”

The ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ appeared, forming a wall of lightning that held the icy warrior back.

“Then,” said Zero, his momentary enthusiasm gone as quickly as it had come, “I end my turn again.”


[b]Prof[/b]


“I think it’s about time to move this duel forward,” I told my opponent. “I draw and summon ‘Kozaky’.”

I straightened my jacket as my favorite monster, a hunch-backed demon in glasses and a white lab coat, sharp spikes protruding from his back, appeared at my side. I looked over and smiled at my wicked-looking colleague, who, like Brock’s monsters, received the field power bonus from the ‘Yami’ Field (DEF: 500+200=700).

“I equip ‘Heart of Clear Water’,” I continued, an energy bubble appearing around the demon scientist, “protecting the monster from not only battle damage, but from any Spell effects that target him. And I attack ‘Abaki’ with ‘Gogiga Gagagigo’.”

The fierce, armored, lizard warrior raised his metal-reinforced claws and charged at ‘Abaki’, slashing him apart viciously (8000+1900-2950=6950).

“When ‘Abaki’ is destroyed,” said Brock, once again explaining things that he didn’t need to explain, “we each take eight hundred damage.”

The remains of the dying ‘Abaki’ exploded, spreading fire across the battle field, damaging us both (6950-800=6150/7500-800=6700).

“Reveal,” Brock declared, “the Continuous Trap ‘Backfire’. Each time one of my Fire monsters is destroyed, you take five hundred damage.”

A pocket of air near my head exploded (6700-500=6200).

“Clever,” I said. “Now if I intend to deal you damage, I have to be prepared to take damage in return.”

I said clever, but I didn’t really mean it.

“I set a card,” I concluded, “and end my turn.”

“Then here it comes!” said Brock. “I’m going to crush you with my ultimate Power Combo!” He drew, “I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive the ‘Abaki’ you just destroyed, and I tribute it and the ‘Abaki’ still in play to summon,” the red-skinned demons burned up in a wicked flame, from which emerged a massive, muscular, red-skinned demon man, “my ‘Flame Ogre’ (ATK 2400+200=2600)! When the ‘Flame Ogre’ is Tribute Summoned, I draw one card, and I equip my monster with ‘Big Bang Shot’.”

The ‘Flame Ogre’’s fist was wreathed in an intense fire.

“‘Big Bang Shot’ gives my ‘Ogre’ four hundred Attack and a Piercing effect (2600+400=3000),” Brock explained. “Now, I attack ‘Gogiga Gagagigo’!”

‘Flame Ogre’ swung his powerful fist, striking down the armored reptile with a single, decisive blow (6200+2950-3000=6150).

“That’s all for now,” Brock declared, obviously quite pleased with himself.

“Well then,” I said, still very confident, “I draw a card, and I pass.”


[b]Rocky[/b]


“I’m not really sure where all of your confidence is coming from, C.D.,” I said. “At least when I defend, I do it well.”

I sounded sure of myself, but all the while I was trying hard to remember what the ‘Dimension Caster’ monster could do. I’m a good Duelists, but even the best Duelists forget card effects from time to time.

[i]I know it doesn’t destroy cards or anything,[/i] I thought, [i]so attacking his three-pack of magicians shouldn’t be too bad. I’ve got to attack. Tim’s life is on the line. I have no choice but to act quickly.[/i]

“I summon,” I declared, “my ‘Destroyer Golem’.” Stones tore loose from the walls and floor, coming together and forming a towering stone man with a huge, destructive-looking right fist (ATK: 1500).

“I switch ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’ to attack mode,” I continued, the stone warrior rising to his full, impressive height and drawing his twin stone swords (ATK: 1300). “‘Stone Soldier’, ‘Gigantes’, and ‘Destroyer Golem’,” I commanded, “attack his three defenders.”

‘Giant Soldier of Stone’ cut one of the magicians down with his swords. ‘Gigantes’ and ‘Destroyer Golem’ swung their powerful fists, and the remaining two magicians crumpled under their power.

“Excellent!” said C.D.

“Wait,” I asked, “why excellent?” And [i]that’s[/i] when I remembered what ‘Dimension Caster’’s effect was.

“Because you destroyed my three ‘Dimension Casters’,” C.D. explained needlessly, “I can remove any three Spellcasters in my deck from play.”

He smiled, fanning out his deck. He picked three cards from his deck and placed them in a pocket within his cloak.

[i]This is bad,[/i] I realized. [i]If those monsters are what I think they are, his defense is about to get much[/i] much[i] stronger. If he’s planning on putting together a defense [/i]that[i] strong, then he has to have a reason. I have to press forward before he can pull off whatever he’s trying to pull off, and I might have just the way to do it.[/i]

“Reveal, the Trap card ‘Rock Bombardment’,” I declared. “I discard a rock monster from my deck to deal you five hundred points of damage.”

I chose my card and fed it into the Graveyard slot of my Duel Disk. As I dis cloud of broken, jagged stones appeared, floating above my head. I brandished my hand full of cards, gesturing toward my opponent, and called out, “Rock Bombardment!”

The floating stones fired at my opponent, pelting him from head to toe. He managed to guard his more vital areas, but the barrage still managed to shred his cloak and slash at his arms and legs (8000-500=7500). His hood fell away, and for the first time I got a good look at his face. He was a little pale, with gray eyes with little bags under them and short, spiky red-brown hair. He had a look in his eyes that was somewhere between rage and frustration, and smug confidence.

“I place one card face-down,” I concluded.

“It doesn’t matter,” said C.D. defiantly, “because everything’s in place now.”

He drew, “In fact, I just drew my key card. But before I play it, I activate ‘Dimension Fusion’, paying two thousand Life Points to summon the monsters I removed from play (7500-2000=5500). Introducing the ultimate wall of monsters,” three identical sorceresses appeared, each with red hair, each carrying a decorated wand, and each wearing a slightly extravagant, slightly too revealing dress, “my three ‘Magician’s Valkyria’! While I control ‘Magician’s Valkyria’, no other Spellcasters can be attacked. So while I control two or more copies of her, and if I only control Spellcasters, you can’t attack me at all. Not until you reduce her numbers to one.

“Next I pay another two thousand Life,” C.D. continued, “to activate my key card (5500-2000=3500), the Spell card ‘Final Countdown’. In twenty turns, you die!”

[i]Oh no…[/i]

“And I reveal ‘Pyro Clock of Destiny’,” C.D. declared, a fireball appearing in the air, hovering over our heads, as the turn count moved forward by one.

“I remove from play ‘Clock Magician’ in my Graveyard to move the turn count forward by another two,” C.D. announced.

Two more flames appeared.

“But I’m not done,” C.D. continued, still going strong. “I play ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards.”

Needless to say, we each drew until we held six cards, and I wasn’t very happy about it, even after seeing the great new cards that were added to my hand. I knew that, even if he hadn’t gotten as lucky with his draws as I had, it was still my opponent’s turn, and that gave him the edge.

“I finish off the turn with ‘Pyro Clock of Fate’,” C.D. announced, the turn count moving forward again, another flame appearing overhead, “and I place three cards face-down. I end my turn.”

It was about then that I realized just how much trouble I was really in.


[b]Rachel[/b]


“Good card,” I said, “but I’m not one to back down from a powerful opponent. I activate ‘Graceful Charity’ to draw three cards,” I drew, “and discard two cards. I discard a second copy of ‘Cross-Wing’ and the Monster card ‘Chiron the Mage’.

“Because I have another copy of ‘Cross-Wing’ in my Graveyard,” I explained, “my ‘Rock-Lizard’’s Attack rises even higher (2500+300=2800). I set one card, and that’s all for now.”

“Then let’s get this over with,” said Zero, and I heard it again, a spike in emotion that didn’t seem to belong. The old me would have ignored this revelation and kept on fighting without hesitation, but something had changed, something that I was just beginning to notice. Ever since Rocky and the others had volunteered to fight by my side, despite the kind of person I’d been to them in the past, I wasn’t as angry anymore. This new me felt sorry for this kid and saw a way to potentially end the Shadow Duel early without either of us getting hurt, but first I had to be sure I was right.

So I asked him, “So, Zero, why do you fight anyway?”

“I fight,” Zero answered, “because my master, Emperor, commands it.” But he didn’t seem very enthusiastic about it. In fact, when he spoke about Emperor, he didn’t seem to feel anything at all. Not excitement, like when he’d summoned ‘Absolute Zero’, and not dissatisfaction, like when he'd begun his most recent turn, when I’d realized that he didn’t really want the duel to continue. He seemed to feel absolutely nothing. I was sure now. Zero didn’t follow Emperor willingly. He was a puppet, being manipulated by the Shadow Millennium Rod.

I was lost in thought as Zero continued. “I attack ‘Rock-Lizard’ with ‘Absolute Zero’,” he declared. His monster moved to attack. I was lost in thought, but not so much so that I missed my chance to defend myself.

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Instant Spell card ‘Burial from a Different Dimension’. I return my two ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ cards to my Graveyard, and remove one from play to save my monster from harm yet again.”

‘Absolute Zero’ was blocked once again by a wall of lightning. I watched Zero. His expression didn’t change, even as he spoke, “I set a card, and end my turn.”

[i]Zero,[/i] I thought, [i]I’ve lived so much of my life alone, bottled up within my own heart. But now I know that that’s no way to live.[/i]

[i]Zero, I’ll wake you up with this duel, and free you from the prison of [/i][i]your[/i][i] heart, like Rocky freed me. I’ll show you my full power, in the hopes that it’ll inspire you to break free![/i]

“I draw,” I declared, “and I activate ‘Polymerization’,” ‘Berfomet’ and ‘Gazelle’ appeared and merged into the two-headed winged beast, “summoning ‘Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast’, defense mode! I set a card, and I pass.”

[i]I’ll save you, I promise.[/i]

[i]Zero.[/i]

[i]Tim.[/i]

[i]I’ll save you.[/i]

[i]I’ll save you both.[/i][i][/spoiler][/i]
[spoiler=Chapter Fourteen]

The Emperor’s Four, Part Three



[b]Prof[/b]


Brock laughed at me. Like, a real, full-bellied laugh. It was pretty funny.

“You do realize that you still take Battle Damage even if your monster can’t be destroyed, right?”

“Yep,” I answered, not sure where he was going with his line of questioning.

“And that my monster’s Piercing effect lets him damage your Life even while your monster’s in defense mode?”

“Yeah.”

Brock nodded, “Alright, your funeral. ‘Flame Ogre’ attacks ‘Kozaky’.”

The massive ‘Ogre’ threw a fiery fist at my demon scientist. The powerful punch was stopped by the barrier that was ‘Heart of Clear Water’, but the flames coming off of the monster’s fist curled around the barrier, scorching me (6150+700-3000=3850).

“I end my turn,” Brock concluded. He was sure of his monster and its power, even more so after seeing me end my turn once without doing anything. He thought that [i]I[/i] thought that he was too strong to fight, just as I’d planned. “Hurry up,” he taunted, “and try to actually do something this time. I’m getting bored.”

I drew my card, barely concealing a mischievous smile.

“I end my turn,” I said simply. I saw my opponent’s nostrils flare with anger.

“Okay,” Brock announced, “this was funny at first, but now you’re just mocking me. I equip my ‘Ogre’ with ‘Dark Energy’, raising his power by another three hundred (3000+300=3300), and I attack again!”

The ‘Ogre’’s fire turned dark, and he punched again. The flames curled around my monster and rolled over me. I raised my arms, protecting my face from being burned (3850+700-3300=1250).

“Take that!” my opponent cried, fuming.

I suppressed a chuckle, [i]Okay, he’s had enough. It’s time to finish this.[/i]


[b]Rachel[/b]


“Activate ‘Miracle Fusion’,” said Zero, “removing ‘Ice Edge’ and ‘Practitioner’ in my Graveyard from play to Fusion Summon a second ‘Elemental Hero Absolute Zero’.”

A seven-foot-tall block of ice appeared. Bits of ice fell away until all that was left was the form of a second warrior in icy armor, identical to the first (ATK: 2500+500 =3000). I steeled myself up in preparation for the skirmish to come.

“My monsters attack,” Zero commanded, and both ice warriors moved to strike. ‘Rock-Lizard’ came under attack first.

“I remove the final ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ in my Graveyard from play,” I countered, “to save my ‘Rock-Lizard’ from damage.”

The familiar wall of lightning appeared to deflect the blow meant for ‘Rock-Lizard’. The ‘Hero’ pressed his attack. Lightning glanced off of ‘Absolute Zero’’s armor, flashing alongside Zero’s face. In that moment, with his face alight, I saw a glint of expression in his eyes. I [i]was[/i] getting through to him. I caught myself smiling and stopped quickly.

My ‘Rock-Lizard’ was protected from its opponent’s attack, but ‘Chimera’ wasn’t so lucky. It was slashed in half. One half disappeared, but the other morphed back into the lion-like ‘Gazelle’, the half of ‘Chimera’ with the highest attack, ready for the counterattack I had planned for the following turn (DEF: 1200).

“When ‘Chimera’ is destroyed,” I explained, “I get to summon back one of his component monsters.”

“I was ready for something like that,” Zero replied in a matter-of-fact tone. “I activate ‘Dimension Explosion’. I return the second ‘Elemental Hero Absolute Zero’ to my Fusion Deck, and in exchange we each get to summon up to two of our monsters that have been removed from play. I summon the monsters used to create my monster,” the small ice warrior, ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’, reappeared alongside ‘Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier’ (800+500=1300 /1300+500=1800).

“And I re-summon my two ‘Thunder-Pegasi’,” I countered, the pair of two-headed thunder beasts appearing at my side (DEF: 2000 (each)).

“I was ready for [i]that[/i] too,” Zero explained. “Reveal ‘Chain Disappearance’. I can only activate this card when one or more monsters are summoned, but it removes from play every one of those monsters with one thousand Attack points or less, as well as any monsters in your deck that share their name.”

A chain made of shadows pierced my two monsters, and they faded away, and the third ‘Thunder-Pegasus’ ejected from my deck.

“The Attack power of ‘Absolute Zero’ rises,” my opponent explained, “for each Water monster on the field with a different name (ATK: 3000+1000=4000), but ‘Absolute Zero’ isn’t the ‘Hero’ that you really have to worry about right now. ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’, attack ‘Gazelle’!”

The small warrior, easily the least intimidating warrior I’d seen my opponent summon, cut my horned beast to pieces in an instant. I frowned and thought, [i]Maybe I should have focused on summoning the Fusion component monster with the highest[/i] Defense[i] instead.[/i]

Either way, it was my turn again, and I still had a plan.

“I draw,” I declared, “and I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw again. Next, I reveal the Trap card ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive the monster I discarded earlier,” a centaur in armor, carrying a red-jeweled staff, appeared at my side, “my ‘Chiron the Mage’ (ATK: 1800). I can discard any Spell to destroy any Spell or Trap you control using ‘Chiron’’s effect. So I discard ‘Heavy Storm’ to destroy ‘Umiiruka’.”

‘Chiron’ twirled his staff and then aimed at the hologram of Zero’s Field Spell. It shattered, and suddenly we were back in the tunnel that we had never actually left. I was feeling pretty good, so before I continued I decided to try again to get through to Zero.

“So, Zero, if you’re in the Duelists of the Order, then you must have experienced some kind of tragedy that drove you to it. Wanna tell me what it was?”

Zero ignored me.

[i]Fine[/i] I thought. “If you won’t answer then I guess we’ll just keep fighting instead. I’ll play ‘Card of Sanctity’. We each draw until we hold six cards.”

I replenished my hand, and Zero did the same.

“Now that your Field is gone,” I continued, “and your monsters are weakened (ATK: 500/ 1300/3500), I finally have the opening I need. I play ‘Double Summon’, allowing me to summon ‘Machine Lord Ür’,” a floating, red mechanical torso appeared (ATK: 1600), “and to tribute both ‘Chiron’ and ‘Rock-Lizard’ to summon my most powerful monster, the Great Spear, ‘Beast King Barbaros’!”

‘Rock-Lizard’ and ‘Chiron’ gave way for the black-lion-bodied warrior, his shield and spear in hand. He let out a mighty roar (ATK: 3000).

“‘Machine Lord Ür’ may have low Attack,” I explained, “and he may not deal you damage when he attacks, but he can attack as many monsters as I want each turn. I play ‘Wild Nature’s Release’ on ‘Barbaros’,” the entire corridor shook as ‘Barbaros’’ power grew, radiating from his body in waves (ATK: 3000+1200=4200), “and I attack with the ‘Machine Lord’!”

‘Machine Lord Ür’’s wing-like arms transformed into beam guns and he fired, sweeping the beams over both ‘Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier’ and ‘Elemental Hero Ice Edge’, destroying them both in an instant. With fewer Water monsters in play, the power of ‘Absolute Zero’ fell further (3500-1000=2500).

“‘Barbaros’,” I commanded, “destroy the Hero with Deadly Legion!”

‘Barbaros’ lifted his lance, and the air shuttered. He thrust his lance, and reality seemed to ripple around him. The lance hit ‘Absolute Zero’ (7200+2500-4200=5500), and ‘Absolute Zero’ shattered into a cloud of shards that hung ominously over the field.

“When ‘Absolute Zero’ is destroyed, his special ability destroys every monster that you control,” Zero explained.

“Duh,” I replied. “Why do you think I waited so long to kill it? I was waiting until I was ready with the Trap card ‘Divine Wrath’.”

I discarded a card, and lightning fell from the sky and spread from one ice shard to the next, vaporizing them all. I placed my right hand on my hip and looked smugly at my opponent, “It’s all for the better anyway. A [i]’Hero’[/i] monster doesn’t suite a villain like you.”

Zero’s face twitched, and his cheeks flushed red with anger. But it faded, and Zero was stoic once again.

I smiled, [i]Well, it looks like I might have found the hot topic that will get me through that thick head of yours, and the magic that’s controlling it. This might be easier than I thought.[/i]

“I finish my turn,” I declared, “by removing the ‘Barbaros’ and ‘Machine Lord Ür’ cards from play, I combine my monsters together,” ‘Machine Lord Ür’ opened up, its weapon arms separating from its body. ‘Barbaros’ dropped his shield and weapon, and the ‘Machine Lord’’s body wrapped around ‘Barbaros’’ body like armor. He picked up one of ‘Machine Lord Ür’ weapons in each hand.

“Zero,” I announced, “behold [i]my[/i] ultimate card, ‘Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür’ (ATK: 3800)!”


[b]Rocky[/b]


I drew to begin my turn, and another of the floating flames produced by ‘Final Countdown’ appeared overhead, making for a total of five. That gave me another fifteen turns before I’d lose by default, burned up by those flames and fifteen more just like them. Fifteen turns [i]at most[/i]. That was if my opponent did nothing else to accelerate the countdown.

[i]The way C.D.’s been playing,[/i] I thought, [i]I give this duel another five turns, and that’s being conservative. I have to act fast.[/i]

“I set a monster,” I began, “and I reveal another ‘Rock Bombardment’.”

I sent another monster from my deck to the Graveyard, my ‘Stone Statue of the Aztecs’. The pieces of my monster appeared overhead and shattered. The shards pelted my opponent and his Life Points fell further (3500-500=3000).

“You gave up a lot of Life Points to execute your combo,” I said, “and that makes you vulnerable. Depleting your Life Points will be easy.”

I was trying to sound more confident than I was, to throw my opponent off, but C.D. saw through my façade.

“You don’t believe that,” said C.D. “You’re going to die today, in this tunnel, and you know it as well as I do.”

“Don’t count me out yet,” I argued. “I play ‘The Shallow Grave’. We each take a monster from our Graveyard and set it on the field.”

We did, neither of us knowing what monster the other had chosen.

“Go,” I concluded defiantly.

“That’s what I thought,” said C.D., “You’re helpless against my combo!” He drew, and the sixth flame appeared, joining the others. I noticed that the flames were forming a ring surrounding the field of play.

“In my Standby Phase,” C.D. declared, “I reveal two copies of ‘Pyro Clock of Destiny’, moving the turn count forward by two.”

Another two flames appeared.

“I also reveal my ‘Pyro Clock of the Future’,” my opponent continued. “I discard two cards to accelerate the turn count by four.”

Four more flames appeared overhead, making a total of twelve.

[i]I think I was wrong,[/i] I thought. [i]I think I might only have one more turn.[/i]

“The cards I discarded were both ‘Clock Magician’,” C.D. explained. “I remove them from play, accelerating the turn count by another four!”

Ghostly images of the almost cartoonish magicians appeared, holding their clock-ended staves high. The hands of the clocks spun rapidly, and four more flames appeared in the sky, joining with the others. The magicians disappeared.

“My hand’s empty again,” said C.D., his wicked expression on full display in the light of sixteen flames, “so I’ll play another copy of ‘Card of Sanctity’.”

My opponent drew, and his face lit up.

“I was actually worried for a second that I might not draw what I needed. See, I have a reputation to uphold. I’m known for the fact that none of my opponents have ever lasted past my third turn after ‘Final Countdown’ has been played. I thought for a second there that I wasn’t going to draw what I needed to make that happen. But I was wrong. I play ‘Dimensional Reversal’, discarding ‘Timeater’ to return ‘Clock Magician’ that was removed from play to my Graveyard,” an image of a spinning clock appeared, and then faded away, bathing the field in light, “and I remove it from play again the accelerate the turn count further!”

‘Clock Magician’ reappeared, summoning up more flames, making a total of eighteen. Eighteen out of twenty.

“And now, just to play it safe,” C.D. concluded, “I discard my ‘Time Wizard’ to activate ‘Lightning Vortex’, destroying every one of your face-up monsters.”

I watched as my ‘Stone Statue’, ‘Gigantes’, and ‘Destroyer Golem’ were struck by lightning and vaporized before my eyes. A feeling of dread flowed through me. My entire offense was gone.

“When you draw again,” C.D. explained, “the count will move to nineteen. When your turn ends, and my turn begins, the turn count will reach twenty and you will lose! You can’t attack me. You’ve already lost!”

As I prepared to begin my final turn, looking over my hand of mostly-useless cards, I wondered if my opponent was right.


[b]Marco[/b]


“Nothing’s indestructible,” I told my opponent, staring down the pair of jelly angels, “not even you ‘Gelen Duo’. I’ll find a way to get through them.”

I drew. I didn’t get what I wanted, but I did get something that was potentially just as good. After all, drawing more cards is rarely a bad thing.

“Activate ‘Pot of Greed’,” I declared, pulling two more cards from my deck. I couldn’t help but frown with disappointment.

[i]Well, I’m gonna win, [/i]I thought, [i]but I’ll have to rely on[/i] him[i] again to do it.[/i]

I scowled, [i]I don’t like it, but…[/i] “I set three cards and pass.”

“Then it’s time for me to get this show on the road!” said Spark. “I draw.”

Spark smiled, proud, “I play the ultimate symbol of my heavenly favor, ‘Card of Sanctity’.”

Long story short, we drew a bunch of cards. Not that it mattered that much.

“Next,” Spark continued, “I play ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy the troublesome crystal ‘Dragon’s Treasure’.”

A precise funnel of wind struck the crystal embedded in the armor of my ‘Dragonic Knight’’s chest. The crystal shattered (3100-300=2800).

“My ‘Gelen Duo’ is two monsters in one,” Spark explained, “so I can tribute if for a monster that would usually require two sacrifices. A monster like ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’!”

[i]Oh, well,[/i] I thought as the twin fairies were replaced by another of Spark’s trademark dragons, [i]that’s just plain [/i]dandy.

“Next I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” Spark continued, “to revive the ‘Majestic Mech – Goryu’ destroyed earlier!”

There was a flash of red light and the dragon that I’d managed to destroy a few turns ago, the first ‘Goryu’, returned with vengeance in its eyes.

[i]And that just makes everything[/i] sooo[i] much better. This is gonna hurt.[/i]

“My original dragon attacks,” Spark declared, “destroying your ‘Knight’.”

The revived ‘Goryu’ breathed a beam of light that engulfed my monster, burning him up (5800+2800-2900=5700).

“And the second dragon attacks directly!”

At its masters command, Spark’s newest dragon attacked as well, bathing [i]me[/i] in that deadly light (5700-2900=2800).

[i]I was wrong,[/i] I thought, gasping. [i]That hurt way worse than I thought it would.[/i]


[b]Rachel[/b]


“My ‘Elemental Hero’ isn’t through with you yet,” said Zero. “I play ‘Poly-merization’, fusing together two monsters in my hand, ‘Elemental Hero Ocean’ and ‘Blizzard Warrior’!”

A fish warrior and another copy of the icy, dual-blade-wielding knight appeared and merged in a flash of blue light. The light swirled outward, and ‘Absolute Zero’ appeared, surrounded by a cloud of icy air.

“Behold the return of my ultimate monster!” Zero exclaimed in dramatic fashion. “‘Absolute Zero’, attack ‘Barbaros’!”

“My monster won’t roll over for your weak ‘Hero’,” I declared, once again focusing on the relationship between he and his monster, trying to reach the boy inside. ‘Beast Machine King Barbaros Ür’, destroy it now!”

My beast fired his beam guns, just as the icy warrior drew back to strike, blasting the warrior apart. He became shards of ice that hung above his conqueror.

“My ‘Hero’ takes your monster with him,” Zero explained, and the shards of his monster shot toward me, shredding ‘Barbaros’ in seconds. My opponent’s turn ended there, and I drew to begin my own.

“I set a card,” I declared, “and I end my turn. Let’s see what else you’ve got.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fifteen]

The Emperor’s Four, Part Four


I waited a few seconds, but my opponent didn’t seem ready to continue the duel. He seemed almost like he was lost in thought.

“You okay,” I asked, “or do I need to call an ambulance?”

My opponent said nothing.

“You really shouldn’t feel bad about losing your ‘Hero’ again,” I said. “After all, you really are too evil to be using ‘Hero’ cards anyway.”

I smiled, proud of myself, as my opponent’s face flashed anger yet again, his fists shaking.

“Oh, what,” I asked, “don’t like hearing the truth? Well too bad! That’s the truth. You work for a villain, and that makes you a villain too. Villains don’t deserve to use ‘Hero’ monsters.”

And suddenly it was like something snapped. My opponent jerked his head, turning to look right at me. His hood fell away from his face. He was just a kid, probably no older than Marco.

“I am not a villain!” he cried. “I can’t help what he makes me do. He’s too str-.”

He stopped talking, and looked around.

“It’s gone,” he said. “The pressure in my mind that keeps me doing what Emperor wants me to do. It’s gone! He isn’t influencing my actions anymore!”

He smiled and looked around, testing his feet and hands, taking deep breaths through his nose and mouth. I watched him, and I felt something that I hadn’t felt since I was a kid. I felt excitement for someone else, and it made me happy. It took a few minutes, but finally Zero remembered that I was there.

“You did this, didn’t you?” Zero asked. “All of those things you said to make me mad, you said them to get me to break free.”

I smiled, “You could say that. After all, I know better than anybody that anger is a strong emotion, and it’s one of the hardest to keep bottled in. But mostly I just like to piss people off. Now what do you say you cancel this annoying Shadow Game so I can go and kick Emperor’s ass?”

Zero’s face grew solemn. “I’m sorry,” he said, “but I can’t. Emperor gives us our shadow powers by transmitting his magic through these crystals,” he removed a clear crystal necklace from its place behind his t-shirt.

“We don’t control the power,” Zero explained further, “we only direct it. I can’t end this Shadow Game. That means one of us is going to die today,” Zero’s expression grew dark, “and it’s not going to be me.”

He drew, “I play ‘Blizzard Warrior’, I set a card, and I attack.”

‘Blizzard Warrior’, his dual-ended blade in hand, appeared and slashed me with his weapon (7900-1400=6500).

I looked into my opponent’s eyes and thought, [i]I wanted to save this kid, and all I did was make things worse. Maybe [/i][i]I’m[/i][i] the real villain here.[/i]

Without a word, without another thought, I did the only thing I could do. I drew my next card.


[b]Prof[/b]


“Sorry I waited so long to do anything,” I said, “but I was curious to see if you were smart enough to actually defeat me. In case you were wondering, you’re not.”

“Hey,” Brock roared, “I am too smart! I’m way more smarter than everyone, and I’m gonna prove it by crushin’ you next turn!”

“Sure you will, big guy,” I mocked, “sure you will. But in the meantime, I’m gonna kill your big stupid ass.

“I summon ‘Giant Kozaky’!” I declared, and the massive, tank-like, four-armed mech appeared. “But my mech won’t be under [i]my[/i] control for long. I’m planning to hand it over to you. Don’t try to figure out why, it’ll just make your brain hurt. I play ‘Creature Swap’. I give you control of my ‘Giant Kozaky’, and in exchange I get control of your only monster, your ‘Flame Ogre’!”

“What?” Brock exclaimed. “Wait, no!”

“Oh yeah,” I replied as the two monsters switched sides. “I’m not done either,” I explained. “See, ‘Giant Kozaky’ can only exist if ‘Kozaky’ is around to maintain it. If my ‘Kozaky’ were to disappear, ‘Giant Kozaky’ would be destroyed. And when ‘Giant Kozaky’ is destroyed, its controller takes damage equal to its base Attack! I activate the Trap card ‘Spark Breaker’ to destroy ‘Kozaky’!”

A bolt of lightning struck ‘Kozaky’ and he was destroyed. It was a necessary sacrifice, one that my monster, like myself, was willing to make. As soon as ‘Kozaky’ was gone from the field, ‘Giant Kozaky’ exploded, blasting twenty-five hundred points worth of damaging fire at my opponent (6150-2500=3650).

“Now,” I said, “I equip ‘Flame Ogre’ with the Spell card ‘Megamorph’. Because I allowed you to drop my Life Points so low, this Spell activates, doubling the ‘Ogre’’s original Attack.”

A magic circle appeared at the ‘Ogre’’s feet, and the already large monster nearly doubled in size, his strength doubling with him (ATK: 3300->5700).

I smiled and said simply, “I attack.”

The massive monster swung his fist, striking his stunned former master.

“No!” Brock cried. “No! Emperor said I’d win! He promised!”

I watched, sympathetic, as my simple-minded opponent was swallowed by the Shadows, never to return.


[b]Marco[/b]


“Spark,” I said, “you’re a little bit crazy. I feel kinda bad for you, gettin’ mixed up with Emperor. But you’re in our way. I have to beat you, even if it means calling on [i]him[/i].

“Sorry for this,” I said. [i]Well, not really.[/i]

I closed my eyes and allowed the darkness within me to bubble over, and the familiar changes began.


[b]Dark Marco[/b]


I opened my eyes and looked up at my opponent’s two monsters. I know I really should have been paying attention to Marco’s whole duel, but the kid just plain bores me, so this was the first time in a couple turns that I saw the state of the field.

I smiled.

“Dark One!” Spark cried, and immediately it clicked that this guy wasn’t quite right in the head.

“Yeah, yeah,” I said for the freaking umpteenth time in my lifetime (you don’t get a lot of people that recognize beings like me, but when you do, they all react in one way or another), “I’m Marco’s so called dark side. So what? I’m still gonna kick your ass, same as if I weren’t. Better even.

“Watch and learn,” I continued. “I begin by activating Marco’s face-down Trap card ‘Disappear’. This lets me remove one of Marco’s pitiful ‘Troop Dragons’ from play, making the number of monsters in our Graveyard exactly equal three. I follow up by paying one thousand Life Points to change the Attributes of those monsters to Dark with ‘DNA Alteration’ (2800-1000=1800).”

My smile returned, even wider now.

“Now, because I have exactly three Dark monsters in the Graveyard, I can summon my Spirit,” a swirling black fire rose up behind me, and the armored black dragon emerged from it, gnashing his teeth and flexing his claws, “the ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ (ATK: 2800)!”

I watched the fear spread across my opponent’s face. It made me giddy.

“I remove all three of the Dark monsters in our Graveyard from play to destroy your dragons and your sky temple.”

‘Dark Armed Dragon’ spun his arms in black fire and flung it in three bursts. The two ‘Goryus’ shattered like glass, and the ‘Sanctuary in the Sky’ exploded. Within moments we were “back” in the corridor deep underground.

My opponent summoned up a bit of his absentee courage. “I still have all of my Life Points,” he declared. “I’ll survive because I’m destined to survive.”

“Yeah, right, and I’m destined to paint myself red and dance the naked mambo,” I snapped sardonically. “Really, guy, can you please not be a typical sore loser? It really annoys me.”

I paused for a response, but Spark was too frozen by something between defiance and fear to respond.

“Well, anyway, on with the show. I reveal ‘Return from the Different Dimension’, paying half of my Life to summon Marco’s four monsters that were removed from play.

The sky behind me opened up, and out stepped the three useless ‘Troop Dragons’, which fell into defense mode, and ‘Dragonic Knight’ (ATK: 2800).

Spark smiled, “It’s still not enough.”

“Oh,” I said, “yes it is, because I equip my ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ with ‘United We Stand’, increasing the Attack of my dragon for every monster I control.”

The dark dragon roared and his power grew (2800+(800x5)=6800).

“‘Dragonic Knight’ attacks,” I commanded, and the armored warrior dragon slashed with his sword, carving a bloody gash across Spark’s chest, contributing to my good mood (8000-2800=5200).

“And the ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ finishes it.”

The black dragon wound his arms in black fire and swiped at my opponent. Spark was ripped apart, becoming little more than wisps of smoke, his screams echoing in the darkness.


[b]Rocky[/b]


I looked up at the eighteen flames hanging overhead. One more turn. After my Draw Phase, when the nineteenth flames appeared, I’d have just that one more turn before the twentieth would appear and I would die. I had a partial plan in place, but as low as my opponent’s Life Points were, I still needed a solid monster to finish him off. I had a monster in mind, and fortunately for me, it was the one monster in my deck that seemed to pop up whenever I needed it.

I steeled myself up and drew, and I didn’t even try to hide my excitement. Everything had fallen neatly into place, just as I’d planned it.

“This duel is over C.D.,” I said, “you lose.”

“Not possible,” C.D. replied dismissively.

“Sorry,” I replied, “but you’re wrong. Just because I can’t attack, it doesn’t mean you’re invulnerable. See, there’s more than one way to remove monsters from the field. I flip-summon ‘Guardian Sphinx’!”

A massive sphinx appeared behind me, his eyes glowing red, his head scraping the high ceiling (ATK: 1700).

“When ‘Guardian Sphinx’ is flip-summoned,” I explained, “every monster my opponent controls is returned to my opponent’s hand.”

“No!” my opponent cried as the three sorceresses faded in a burst of red light.

“Next,” I said, “I tribute ‘Guardian Sphinx’ to summon my Soul card,” The golden stone statue appeared in the place of the ‘Guardian Sphinx’, “Exxod, Master of the Guard’ (ATK: 0). I also flip-summon my last face-down monster, my ‘Great Spirit’. And when a monster is flip-summoned, ‘Exxod’’s effect activates, dealing you one thousand points of damage.”

A muscular, mostly-humanoid monster appeared. He wore body paint and Native-American-style head dressings, and he had a ghostly tail like a genie (ATK: 500). ‘Exxod’’s eyes flashed, and C.D. was hit by a blast of red light, which was deflected by a barrier.

“You know,” C.D. said, “when you cleared the field of my monsters, I really expected you to attack. Lucky for me, you stuck to your effect damage strategy. Did you honestly think I wouldn’t have a way to counter an effect damage strategy? After all, it is the only kind of strategy that can hurt me.

“I discard ‘Hanewata’,” he declared, “preventing all effect damage that you would inflict on me this turn.”

“Who said I was planning to burn you to death?” I asked. “I plan to attack.”

“Not with those monsters you won’t.”

“Wrong,” I countered. “My ‘Great Spirit’ has an effect as well. When he’s flip-summoned, I can exchange the Attack and Defense of one of my monsters.”

An aura surrounded ‘Exxod’, and to my opponent’s unpleasant surprise, the massive statue came to life, flexing his massive arms (ATK: 0->4000).

“Well,” said C.D., “that’s pretty bad, huh?”

I nodded, “Yeah. ‘Exxod’, attack!”

‘Exxod’ swung his mighty fist right at my opponent. To C.D.’s credit, he didn’t flinch, he didn’t cry out, and he didn’t complain. The attack hit and C.D.’s Life Points plummeted (3000-4000=0). My monster retracted his fist and disappeared, the nineteen flames going with him, leaving nothing of C.D. behind, save a puff of smoke.


[b]Rachel[/b]


I felt bad for my opponent, but I still had to win. Tim’s life was on the line, and there was nothing in the world that I cared more about than that.

“I play ‘Pot of Avarice’,” I declared, “shuffling ‘Cross-Wing’, ‘Rock-Lizard’, ‘Chimera’, ‘Berfamet’, and ‘Gazelle’ back into my deck to draw two cards.”

I shuffled and drew, carrying on with my turn without hesitation, “Next, I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive my ‘Machine King Barbaros’ in attack mode!”

A glowing red ankh appeared, blossoming into the mighty beast, his guns held at the ready.

[i]I can’t hesitate.[/i] [i]After all, if I do, I might remember that I’m trying to kill a kid[/i].

“Normally my monster’s power prevents him from damaging your Life Points,” I explained, “but I play ‘Forbidden Chalice’. This Spell increases the Attack of my monster by four hundred (3800+400=4200) [i]and[/i] cancels his effect for the remainder of the turn. I attack ‘Blizzard Warrior’,” ‘Barbaros’ took aim, “Flashing Destructive Bullet!”

‘Barbaros’ unleashed a hellfire of destructive beams, blowing the ‘Blizzard Warrior’ away in an instant and striking Zero himself with all of the extraneous blasts, nearly knocking him over (7500+1400-4200=4700). Zero steadied himself.

“Reveal,” I continued, “the Trap card ‘Lifeforce Exchange’. I trade the Level Eight Beast-Warrior-type ‘Machine King Barbaros’ on the field with the Level Eight Beast-Warrior-type ‘Beast King Barbaros’ in my Graveyard.”

‘Barbaros’’ metallic armor fell away from his body, and he dropped his beam guns, his lance and shield appearing in his hands (ATK: 3000).

“I attack again,” ‘Barbaros’ thrust his lance, “Deadly Legion!”

The air shook and zero was thrown backward through the air (4700-3000=1700). He rose to his feet again, a thoughtful look in his eyes. After a few minutes, Zero finally looked up at me, looking me in the eyes, and said, “I play ‘Fusion Sage’ to search my deck for ‘Polymerization’.”

He fanned out his deck and chose his card.

“And I play it,” Zero continued, “fusing once again into ‘Absolute Zero’.”

For the last time, the icy warrior appeared, his cape fluttering behind him.

“I attack,” said Zero, “and reveal ‘DNA Transplant’, transforming the Attribute of your monster to Water and boosting my ‘Hero’’s power. Now our monsters are equal.”

‘Barbaros’ struck with the full force of his lance, just as he was slashed in two by the ‘Hero’’s attack. They were both destroyed. I was shocked. Zero spoke calmly, “I end my turn.”

I stared at my opponent, confounded. “But why?” I asked. “If you’d defended you would have survived, and maybe even made a counterattack next turn.”

And that’s when I saw it, a single tear running down my young opponent’s cheek. “Promise me,” he said. “Promise me that you’ll make him pay.”

He looked me in the eyes, “Promise me that Emperor will pay for all that he did to me, and all that he made me do.”

I nodded, “I promise.”

Zero nodded back and smiled, and I smiled back at him sadly.

“I draw,” I declared, “and summon ‘Phantom Beast Wild-Horn’.” The deer-like beast warrior appeared, his blade raised high (ATK: 1700).

“I attack,” I commanded. My monster charged, and I looked away as he ran my opponent through. It took me a minute to realize that I was crying.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Sixteen]

Timothy



[b]Rocky[/b]


I stepped out of the corridor and looked around. Prof and Marco were standing nearby. Prof was yammering on about something while Marco tried desperately to pretend that he was somewhere else.

“Hey, Robert!” said Prof cheerfully as soon as he saw me. He turned and walked toward me, leaving Marco breathing a sigh of relief. “I met a member of Emperor’s Four in the corridor,” Prof began happily, “and after I beat him, I ended up here. I realized pretty quickly that all four corridors actually led right here. Their entire purpose of the corridors was clearly just to separate any intruders from one another and make them easier to defeat! Quite clever. I really expected Rachel to find her way out next, after me, so you can only imagine how surprised I was when Marco was the first to join me, followed by you! Pretty interesting, eh?”

“Oh yeah,” I said, feigning agreement, “just riveting.”

“You don’t sound very sincere,” said Prof.

“Hmmm,” I replied, “maybe that’s because I’m not.” I ignored Prof’s hurt look and asked, “So obviously you guys won. How strong were your opponents?”

“Mine was a more than decent player,” Marco answered. “Really good, actually. But he was freakin’ crazy, and it got in the way of his playing. In fact, he seemed to think he couldn’t lose because of some kind of destiny Emperor told him he had.”

“My opponent was also very strong,” said Prof. “He used a dangerous fusion of Burn and Power strategies that would have been lethal if he hadn’t been so stupid. I mean dirt stupid. He was so convinced of his power that I think Emperor must have coaxed him as well.”

“The opponent I battled almost beat me,” I told them, “but only because I let his combo sneak up on me, and because he wasn’t prepared for my more indirect offensives. All it took was a lucky draw and some creative thinking to ensure the win.”

Prof picked up on my train of thought, and his expression turned thoughtful, “It doesn’t sound like any of us fought against a Duelist strong enough to defeat a member of Team One. Which means-.”

“Which means,” Marco said, the revelation clicking for him as well, “that the Emperor’s Four could only have beaten Team One if someone told them how to ahead of time. Emperor probably observed Team One in the field, selected four Duelists who he thought would be suited against them, and then coached the Four on how to win. He probably coached them on how to beat those bodyguard guys too.”

“Marcus and Raphael,” Prof corrected. “Yes, my thoughts exactly.”

“If he took the time to coach his boys on how to beat the others, then why didn’t he coach them on how to beat us, too?” Marco wondered.

“There are two options,” I replied. “Either Emperor was careless, or a much more likely reason. The same reason Emperor basically teleported us here himself. Emperor didn’t really [i]want[/i] us to lose. He just wanted us to [i]think[/i] he did.”

“Wait a minute,” came a voice behind me. I turned to see Rachel emerging from the final corridor. “I only caught the end of that, but I got the gist. Do you really think that this entire defense was just Emperor’s attempt to lull us into a false sense of security? To get us to drop our guard as we draw closer to him? That he did all of this not because he wants us beaten, but because he wants us here for some unknown reason?”

“Yeah,” I answered, “I do.”

Rachel looked confused, “Why?”

“Only one possibility,” said Prof.

“Yeah,” I said. “Emperor must need one or more of us to complete whatever plan he’s cooked up. More specifically, he needs one or more of us [i]here[/i] to get whatever it is that he needs from us.”

“So do we keep going then?” Marco asked Prof. I got the feeling that if the answer were no, that he wouldn’t be happy about it.

“Tim’s life is at stake here,” Rachel answered before anyone else could speak, turning toward the only path ahead. “We don’t have a choice.”

She started forward with conviction, and the rest of us followed.


[b]Rachel[/b]


As we entered the next and, hopefully, the final corridor, I made note of the fact that while it was easily as long as the others, it was comparatively much bigger and brighter. I didn’t notice much else beyond that and the great amount of detail carved into everything from the walls to the torch mounts hanging from them. I was too busy thinking about Zero, and about what I’d been forced to do to him. Even though I’d been the first into the corridor, I soon drifted absent-mindedly to the back of the group. Prof was too busy boring Marco with random observations to notice, and Marco was too busy being bored likewise, but Rocky wasn’t at all preoccupied, and is just an annoyingly observant person in general. Soon he drifted back to walk by my side.

“Are you okay?” he asked. “You look like something’s on your mind.”

Out of habit I summoned up my anger, my greatest defense, and the only real defense mechanism that ever seemed appropriate for someone as [i]offensive[/i] as me. I felt my face flush with anger, but then I remembered that Rocky had been the first to volunteer to come with me and rescue Tim. Whether I liked it or not, he deserved an answer to his question. He had to understand who he’d thrown in with. I sighed, the anger leaving my body with my breath, and replied, “Yeah, something is bothering me.”

I thought about how to proceed. What if Rocky didn’t understand? What if he thought I was a monster and he left, taking the others with him? Could I carry on alone?

But I did owe Rocky the truth. I liked that he was my friend, and I wanted him to [i]remain[/i] my friend, so I had to be honest.

So I asked, “Did your opponent seem like he was being manipulated by Emperor? I mean, like, magically manipulated?”

“No,” he answered. “It was pretty apparent that he was genuinely bad, or at the very least that he was fighting me of his own accord. I don’t think Emperor would risk surrounding himself with an inner circle that didn’t share his views willingly.”

“You’re wrong,” I told him. “That’s what I thought too, but we were both wrong. Your opponent may have been acting of his own free will, but my opponent was clearly being manipulated by the Shadow Millennium Rod. I didn’t realize until after the Shadow Duel began. The Emperor’s Four weren’t dueling using their own magical items. They were using Emperor’s power focused through magic crystals. And because it was Emperor’s intension for the losers to die, well…you know. I thought I could stop the duel by breaking Emperor’s hold on Zero, but he still ended up dying.”

Rocky nodded slowly, frowning, but he wasn’t upset. He was nodding his understanding. For some reason, when I saw that Rocky wasn’t upset, that made [i]me[/i] mad.

“Don’t you get?” I demanded. “I killed an innocent boy! Even worse, I managed to snap him out of Emperor’s control first, and [i]then[/i] I killed him!”

“Yeah,” Rocky replied calmly, “I get it. But I understand why you did what you did. There is more than one life at stake here. Emperor can’t be allowed to gain the power he’s seeking. Plus, Emperor has Tim. You have to get Tim back, because you love him.”

I felt myself blush and I looked away. I couldn’t decide whether I was embarrassed, or if I was pissed that Rocky had been so matter-of-fact about something that I’d never had the courage to admit to myself.

“There’s no reason to be embarrassed,” Rocky said with a bit of a smile. “No one can help whether or not they love someone.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to what he was saying, or to what I was feeling. After all, I spend most of my time trying to [i]hide[/i] my emotions. So I steeled myself up and nodded.

“Tim’s always been there for me,” I began, compelled to defend my feelings for him. “He knows what I’m like. How damaged I am. He knows all of it, but he sees right past it. When I need someone to take my pain and my anger out on, Tim is always there for me. He even taught me to fight so that I’d have an outlet for my frustration. Ever since I came to the Elite I’ve been horrible, and he’s never once held it against me.”

“He sounds like a great guy,” said Rocky. He seemed about to say more, but he stopped suddenly. The way he spoke about love made me wonder if he was speaking from experience. I might have asked him, but our conversation was interrupted.

“Hey kids,” said Prof, calling back to us from several yards ahead, “it looks like we’re here.” As Rocky and I moved to join our allies, Prof gestured up at the end of the corridor, at the pair of massive stone, gold-inlaid doors that ended it, blocking our way.

Rocky walked up to the doors and touched them. His Soul flickered. He stepped back, “There are two rooms beyond here. One looks like some kind of throne room. The other is a large chamber with some kind of platform.”

“Can you make out any people?” Prof asked him.

Rocky shook his head, “Whatever power Emperor is using to cloud [i]my[/i] powers is as strong here as ever. I’m lucky I can see as much as I do.”

“Tim’s close,” I said. I could feel it. “He’s here, somewhere behind those doors. This must be Emperor’s chamber. I’d bet money that Emperor’s waiting for us behind these doors, in the throne room.”

“Then let’s give Emperor what he’s been waiting for,” said Rocky, suddenly determined. He cracked his knuckles and his Soul glowed bright. He gestured, and the immense doors swung open, revealing a huge, brightly lit room, ornately decorated with rows of colored hieroglyphs lined with gold, all depicting men hard at work, pouring metal into a massive mold. There was a smaller, single door opposite us. Next to the door someone had constructed a raised platform from blocks of stone. Atop the platform, seated upon an ornate throne, was a cloaked figure. The figure rose to his feet, clapping slowly.

I felt my familiar rage return, [i]Emperor![/i]

The four of us charged into the room. We were all there for our own reasons. I wanted to save Tim from his captor. Prof thought Tim too important to abandon. Marco and his other self wanted a shot at the leader of the Order. Rocky just wanted to save people. Different reasons, but they all boiled down to one common desire. We all wanted more than anything else to defeat Emperor.

I voiced my desire with a force equaling my rage, “Give us Timothy!”

“You four did very well getting this far,” said Emperor, ignoring us, arrogance tainting what would have otherwise been an attractive, husky-sounding voice. “You must think very highly of yourselves, having beaten my lieutenants.”

“We already figured out that this whole situation was rigged from the start to lull us here, and that those four were never supposed to defeat us,” Prof replied defiantly. “Let me guess. You told them that we were far weaker than Team One, Marcus and Raphael, and that they didn’t need any coaching to defeat us, all so that we’d beat them and end up with a false sense of security?”

Emperor’s mouth, barely visible behind his hood, curled into a wide, wicked smile, “You’re smarter than I gave you credit for. Either way, my plan was a success. You are here, and the deaths of those four stooges saves me from the trouble of disposing of them myself later.”

I felt my anger flare, and I cried out, “Enough talking! I know you have Tim locked away in that chamber behind you. I said give him back!”

There was a pause. We stood facing off with Emperor in silence, until he began to laugh. I was horrified to realize that I recognized that laugh…

“I thought you’d have figured it out by now, Rachel,” said Emperor. “I can’t give you Timothy.”

He took down his hood, and the four of us gasped.

“I am Timothy!”

Everything seemed to slow down suddenly. I couldn’t breathe as I studied the face of my enemy. Studied the face of the man I loved. He was wearing his hair differently, so that his bangs fell over the left side of his face, but there was no mistaking him.

Timothy was Emperor.

He always had been, I realized. It was how Emperor had known about the weakness in Gregory’s security spells. It was how he could coach the Emperor’s four to defeat the Elite’s strongest members. It all made sense. The only thing I didn’t understand was why.

I felt something hot running down my cheeks, and my knees began to shake before finally giving in. I fell to my knees, and as I knelt there, unable to move, I hung my head and I cried.


[b]Rocky[/b]


Emperor lowered his hood, and Rachel collapsed, falling to her knees, sobbing so hard that I worried she wasn’t getting enough air. I dropped to my knees beside her.

“Rachel,” I said as soothingly as I could, “come on. Come on, be strong. Please, we still need you.”

“Yes,” said Emperor sweetly, sounding more like Tim now, “get up Rachel. ‘We’ need you.”

“Why?” I demanded as I helped a trembling, still-sobbing Rachel to her feet and helping to support her. “Why did you do this?!”

“Don’t get so upset, Robert,” Tim answered.

“Why shouldn’t I be upset?!” I cried. “You betrayed everyone! You betrayed your team, you betrayed your brother, and you betrayed Rachel!”

“Of course I didn’t betray Rachel,” said Emperor, his calm faltering momentarily. “I did all of this for Rachel!”

I was taken aback, “What do you mean?”

“Rachel’s parents were killed in an attack on her home, over something as trivial as a home invasion,” Emperor explained. “Sure, the invaders were searching for a Shadow Item, which is a bit more serious than the typical theft, but really that makes my point even more valid. People everywhere break into homes, mug men and women on the street at night, rob convenience store owners at gunpoint. Men and women lose their jobs and their homes. They starve and die. They are betrayed daily by a corrupt government run by politicians who are only concerned with lining their own pockets. And that’s just the United States! There are even worse things happening everywhere, all across the planet, all because no one really cares enough to do something about all of the death and destruction throughout this world! There’s only one way to prevent these atrocities and make sure people stop hurting each other. Someone has to step up and take upon himself the burden of seizing and ruling this world! Of remolding it through force into a world with no pain. No anger! This is my only goal. I’ve had to make sacrifices. I knew Greg would never understand what I meant to do, so I simply removed him from the equation.”

“You’re crazy,” said Marco.

“And how,” Prof asked, “do you plan to ‘reshape’ the entire world?”

Emperor smiled, “Like this!” All in one motion Emperor threw back his cloak, the motion of it pushing his hair away from his face, and he drew two objects from his belt, holding them up in triumph. His left eye was gone, replaced by a black metallic ball with a silver Wdjat Eye molded into it, the Shadow Millennium Eye. Around his neck he wore the Shadow Millennium Pendant and the Shadow Millennium Ring, along with another, key-shaped pendant that I could only assume was the much sought-after Shadow Millennium Key. In his right hand he held a set of scales, and in his left hand he carried the short staff that could manipulate minds, the Shadow Millennium Rod, its silver eye glowing faintly.

[i]Six items![/i] I gasped.

“I see,” said Prof. “But why only six? Couldn’t little Timmy find all seven?”

Emperor’s smile widened, “That’s why you’re here. Well, more specifically, that’s why Rachel is here.” He looked the still-shocked Rachel in the eyes and said, “Poor Rachel. She never did understand the power she wields.”

“What does this have to do with Rachel?” I demanded.

“You see,” said Emperor, “the seven Shadow Millennium Items are most powerful when together, when their power is amplified through the Shadow Millennium Pendant. But their power has the potential to become even greater than that! When possession of the Shadow Millennium Items is passed to a single wielder in the temple where they were forged, and their powers are focused through the Pendant, they resonate with the temple, unlocking a magical power so great that it is second only to the long-lost power of the Millennium Items, a power greater than even the Duelist’s Souls. But there is a catch. At least one of the Items must change hands within the temple itself. That means that for my powers to be awakened, I must gain possession of seventh Item [i]within[/i] the temple.”

Realization overcame Prof. He looked around at the paintings on the walls, paintings of men pouring metal into a massive mold set atop a platform. “This is that place, isn’t it?” He asked. “The Shadow Millennium Items were forged here, in that room behind you.”

Emperor nodded. I ignored him, demanding once again, “What does this have to do with Rachel?!”

Emperor smiled arrogantly, looked right into my eyes and said, “The seventh and final Shadow Millennium Item is the Shadow Millennium Necklace.”

It took a second for the significance of Emperor’s statement to sink in, and then everything fell into place. “Rachel’s necklace,” I said. “Her necklace is the final Item, isn’t it?”

Emperor’s only reply was his smile. Then he looked Rachel in the eyes and said, “Now my dear, give me the Necklace, and we will rule this world together!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seventeen]

Bonds, Part One



[b]Rachel[/b]


My head felt heavy, and everything seemed a little distant, but even through the confusion, I heard Tim’s beckoning voice calling out to me, “Give me the Necklace.”

Before I knew what was happening, I was walking toward him. There was no other possible option. No other possible destination. I reached up and removed the Necklace, holding it out to him, a mere four steps away.

Step.

I was vaguely aware of Rocky calling out to me. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but for some reason I tried to hear him anyway.

Step.

Rocky called to me again. This time, through all of the fogginess, I was able to make out a single word: Rod.

Step.

I looked over at the Shadow Rod in Tim’s hand. He’d set down the scales to receive my Item, but he kept the Rod firmly in his grasp. The Rod, with its silver eye glowing.

Step.

Suddenly it was as if my mind had cleared and a whole new world had opened up for me. I understood. Everything became clear. I saw a vision of the day that Tim and I had met. Somehow I knew that the vision came from my Necklace. On that day, Tim had been interested in my necklace. He’d even offered to let me exchange it for another Shadow Item, one with fewer bad memories attached, but I’d told him that I would never give up the Necklace that my parents had died for. That I’d protect it with my life the way that I wasn’t able to protect them. Tim had stayed close to me after that, and every time I’d seen him since, he’d looked right at my Necklace.

I realized in that very moment why it was that Tim had really spent time me. Why he’d really gotten so close. He’d been after my Necklace the whole time, waiting for an opportunity to take it from me.

Suddenly my mind cleared, the Rod’s spell broken by the sheer strength of my revelation. Emperor reached out for the Necklace, his fingers mere inches from his objective. Just as his fingers brushed the chain, I pulled it back, holding it close against my chest.

“No,” I said. “You never really cared about me. You were just waiting for a chance to get the Necklace, and when you realized that I’d never let you have it, and that I’d never let you [i]take[/i] it, you decided to go after the other Items first. To save mine for last.”

Emperor’s once welcoming expression turned vicious, and in a harsh voice he cried, “I will have that Necklace! If you won’t give it me, then I’ll use the power I already have to [i]take[/i] it from you!”

The immense stone doors behind us swung violently shut. I took a step back from Emperor as he picked up the Shadow Scales. I pulse of light spread from the six Items, and I felt the power from my Shadow Item disappear as Emperor prepared to strike.

Emperor lunged at me, reaching for my Shadow Millennium Necklace. I stepped back, but I was too slow. He was going to catch me. Then, suddenly, Prof and Rocky were there. Prof deflected Emperor’s hand up and then twisted to the side, out of the way, as Rocky came in low and drove up, meaning to deliver a powerful blow to Emperor’s jaw. But Emperor was quick. He leaned back, just out of Rocky’s reach, and gripped the Shadow Scales and Shadow Rod more tightly in his hands. There was a flash of light from the six items and the three of us found ourselves slammed against the closed double doors. We were down, too stunned to rise, but Marco was still up. He stepped between me and Emperor, his hair standing up, color draining from it.

“You won’t get to the girl,” Marco announced in the harsh, confident voice of Dark Marco. There was a flash and the ‘Dark Armed Dragon’ appeared by his side. The dragon wound its arms in black fire and swiped its mighty claws at Emperor. He leaped out of the way, the claws leaving a three-foot-deep gash in the ground where he’d stood. The dragon struck again, and again Emperor narrowly avoided his would-be fate. He summoned up another pulse of light. From the light emerged a tall warrior in complete armor, colored black, wearing a tattered cape. The warrior summoned darkness into his hands and released it, engulfing the dragon. With his monster gone, Dark Marco was left open to Emperor’s next magical attack. He was thrown into the wall and knocked unconscious, his hair returning to normal. I looked up at Emperor. There was nothing left separating me from him.

I stood up and moved to meet Emperor head-on. I threw punch after punch and kick after kick, but Emperor was able to counter each blow with ease, even with the Shadow Rod and Shadow Scales in his hands.

“Do you really expect to defeat me?” Emperor asked. “I’m the one who taught you to fight, and I have the Shadow Millennium Eye. I can see every choice that enters your mind as you make it!”

“I won’t give up!” I declared, and I made one final, desperate move, but before it could connect, I found myself flying through the air once again, a victim of Emperor’s power. I hit the wall and fell to the ground beside my friends yet again, hitting my head, causing my vision to blur. I was too stunned to rise. I guess my last attack had been closer to its mark than I thought, though, because Emperor was shaken.

“If you insist on fighting me,” Emperor cried, his expression of frustration twisting into one of desperate rage, “then I’ll crush you and take the Necklace from your corpse!”

He raised his Shadow Rod toward the ceiling, and chunks of stone broke free and fell toward me. I threw up my arms in desperation, knowing all the while that my efforts were in vain, and waited for the end to come, but it never did. There was a flash of light, and as I watched from behind my arms, the falling stone became harmless sand. I saw movement out of the corner of my eye, and I looked over just in time to see Rocky rise to his feet. The look in his eyes made me afraid, until I remembered that he was my friend, and that all of that pain and emotion was directed at Emperor. That thought alone made me smile.


[b]Rocky[/b]


I was angry. I was angrier than I ever remember feeling in my entire life. But even more than I was angry, I was determined. I knew that one way or another I would keep Emperor from harming my friends. Letting him by was [i]not[/i] an option.

“You can’t beat me any more than the others can,” said Emperor confidently.

I smiled, “We’ll see.”

I lunged, swinging my leg up and dropping my heel hard, aiming right for Emperor’s collar bone. The blow would have broken the bone and brought Emperor forcefully, and painfully, to his knees. But Emperor was fast. All in one motion he returned the Rod and Scales to his belt, ducked to the side, spun, and launched a kick at my head. Letting my instincts guide my movements, I ducked under his foot and slid gracefully to the side, avoiding a follow-up knee strike.

I rolled in, punching high with my weaker left fist. Emperor caught the blow as I’d expected he would, and I used his grip on my hand as a hinge to swing my arm forcefully, making a blind strike with my elbow for Emperor’s solar plexus. He brought his palms together and caught me elbow, so I twisted into position and launched a back fist at his face.

Emperor ducked back out of the range of my blow. He was a good fighter, but he was even better at retreating. I stepped in close, negating his evasive motion, and thrust an elbow at his chest. I wanted to crush a few ribs. Emperor jumped backward like lightning and sailed into the air, aided by the power of his items. Without thinking, I swung my fist at him, and a chunk of stone tore loose from the floor and hurled toward my opponent.

Emperor summoned up another energy pulse that sent my stone attack spiraling away. He landed a moment later, only seven or so feet away. I axe kicked the ground, splitting stone, creating a growing crevice that lurched toward him. His Items flashed again, and he sailed twenty feet through the air, touching down gently atop his throne where he stood calmly, facing me. He smiled as he reached behind his back. I barely noticed him pull a small blade from the handle of the Shadow Rod. There was a flash, and suddenly Emperor was on me, swinging his blade. I barely had time to react at all, but at the last second I managed to deflect the blade off of my Shield Disk, spin, and kick him right in the chest. He fell back, clutching his wound.

Emperor scowled and reconnected his blade with the Shadow Rod. He redrew the Rod and Scales from his belt and took a deep, focusing breath. Light arched from the other five Items to the Shadow Millennium Pendant, and the Pendant glowed brighter than the six Items had glowed individually. I could have avoided Emperor’s desperation attack as it charged, but I’d had enough. I wanted this to end. This fight. This mission. Battles between the Elite and the Order. All of the heartbreaks and betrayals. All of it.

So when Emperor unleashed a blast of energy so powerful that it shook the entire temple, I closed my eyes and called all of my energy together into my palm. I opened my eyes, and an array of light appeared before me. Emperor’s attack hit the array, and the array absorbed it and dispersed it harmlessly.

“That’s impossible,” said Emperor disbelievingly. “No one Duelist’s Soul can overcome the power of six Shadow Millennium Items!”

“Classic megalomaniacal attitude,” came a voice from behind me. Prof stepped up to my side, “You underestimated your foe. You assumed that you were the most powerful. In fact you waited until you had six of the seven Shadow Millennium Items before you even attempted to take Rachel’s because you wanted to be [i]sure[/i] that you were the most powerful when you did. But despite all of your careful planning, you still managed to act rashly. You knew of my calculations. You knew what they predicted, that Rocky would be the one to defeat the new leader of the Order, but, like your brother, you ignored them, because you believed yourself to be above such things. Thanks to your ego, you failed to take time and consider [i]how[/i] Rocky might defeat you. [i]Why[/i] the numbers predicted that he would.

“Rocky is why,” Prof continued, “and Rocky is [i]how[/i]. Everything about him is geared toward being the perfect opposition to someone like you. Where you care for no one but yourself, Rocky gives of himself for the benefit of others. Every Duelist’s Soul draws its power from a particular trait of its wielder. The more prevalent that trait, the more powerful the Soul and its wielder become. The Soul of Earth is fueled by the trait of reliability. If its wielder wants to help people, he will have power. If he is willing to give of himself, his power grows. But if he reaches a point where he is willing to risk or even [i]give[/i] his life to protect the lives of others, his power will become almost infinite. In other words, the longer he is willing to fight, the further he is willing to go, the stronger he becomes!”

I smiled, “And I don’t plan on rolling over and giving up any time soon.”

Emperor looked from me to Prof and then back to me. I saw fear flash in his scheming eyes, and he looked over his shoulder, turned, and ran toward the temple’s final room and, I assume, an alternate means of exiting the structure.

“No way,” I said, and my Soul flashed. Instantly Emperor found his way blocked by multiple arrays of light. Emperor scowled and turned slowly to face me.

“So it’s come to this,” he said. “Will you kill me, or will you give me a chance to win my freedom in a Shadow Duel?”

“I’m a fair man,” I said. “I’ll give you your chance, to win either your freedom, or your penalty.”

Emperor laughed as he took a duel disk from a holster on his back and slid it onto his wrist. He holstered his Rod and Scales in his belt and said, “Oh Robert, you have finally made a mistake! You may be superior to me [i]outside[/i] of a duel, at least until I acquire the final item, but [i]in[/i] a duel, there is no one superior to me.”

“I don’t care how ‘superior’ you are,” I replied. “I [i]will[/i] defeat you. You [i]will[/i] answer for your crimes.”

My Soul glowed, and the ground shook beneath my feet. I drew my opening hand and prepared to duel.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eighteen]

Bonds, Part Two


“This should be fun,” said Emperor, his previous condescending attitude returning. “In fact, I’m excited that you’ll get to see my Deck of Royalty before you die. Let’s take it slowly, shall we. After all, I want to show off more than just a sampling of my perfect deck.”

He drew six cards and continued, “I begin by summoning my ‘Emperor Sem’ in defense mode.”

A jackal-like spirit creature with bat-like wings and a ghostly tail making up the rear half of its body appeared at Emperor’s side. He scratched the creature behind the ear (DEF: 2200).

“This beast is an emperor over the dead,” Emperor explained, “and yet it is my servant. That is the height of my authority in this world, and in the Shadows.”

“I’m not impressed,” I told him. “Any Shadow Duelist can project their will on a creature and then claim to be that creature’s rightful ruler.”

Emperor’s only response was to glare at me. He was a bit more insecure than he let on, but that didn’t change the fact that he was strong enough to defeat Greg, a Duelist that everyone I’d talked to since joining the Elite had insisted was invincible. ‘Emperor Sem’ wasn’t a terribly threatening card, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had to be on guard against whatever additional cards my opponent’s deck might contain. There was one type of card in particular that could be very effective when combined with ‘Sem’. A type of card that I was worried I couldn’t handle.

But I pressed forward. I’d made Emperor a promise, that he would answer for all that he’d done, and I meant it.

“I’ll show you how to mount a [i]real[/i] defense,” I told my opponent. “I play ‘Double Summon’, allowing me two Normal Summons this turn instead of one. I summon ‘Guardian Statue’,” a living statue with massive arms appeared, only to disappear a moment later in a swirling light, “and sacrifice it to summon the ‘Heiracosphinx’.”

An Egyptian Sphinx monster with the wings and head of a falcon appeared by my side, standing nearly ten feet tall (ATK: 2400).

“I give up my attack for the turn,” I continued, “to play ‘Gathering of the Sphinxes’. This allows me to Special Summon ‘Criosphinx’ from my deck.”

Another Sphinx, this time with a humanoid torso topped with the head of a goat, appeared at my other side (DEF: 2400).

“Since I can’t attack, I simply set a card, and end my turn.”

“I thought you were going to show me something impressive,” Emperor mocked. “I guess I was wrong. Let me show you how childish your supposed ‘real defense’ really is, but shattering it.”

He drew, and I waited, anticipating his next move, “I play [i]my[/i] ‘Double Summon’, summoning ‘Samsara Kaiser’, and tributing him to summon ‘Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch’!”

‘Samsara Kaiser’, a stout warrior in flat gray full body armor, a blue cape, and a helmet shaped like a thimble appeared and went the way of my ‘Guardian Statue’, replaced instantly by a ten-foot-tall warrior in red armor, wreathed in fire (ATK: 2400).

“When ‘Thestalos’ is summoned,” Emperor explained, “he burns up the last card in your hand, and, if it’s a monster, he deals damage to you equal to the Level of that monster times one hundred.”

I discarded my ‘Stone Dragon’, and this time it was my turn to scowl as fire flickered around me, draining away my Life (8000-700=7300).

“When ‘Samsara Kaiser’ is tributed,” Emperor continued, “he’s returned to my hand afterward,” the sacrificial monster ejected from Emperor’s Graveyard and returned to his hand, “and whenever one of my monsters is Tribute Summoned, ‘Emperor Sem’ allows each of us to choose a card from our Graveyard and return it to the top of our deck, is we so desire.”

“I don’t have any card that I want to return,” I told him.

“I didn’t think so,” he replied. “Since I don’t have any cards in my Graveyard, neither do I. But I will set two cards before ending my turn. In mere moments your defenses will crumble.”

“I’d believe you,” I replied, “but so far I haven’t seen you play a single card that I can’t handle.

“I draw,” I declared, “and I play the card I just drew, the Spell card ‘Miracle Rupture’. I send ‘Megarock Dragon’ from my deck to the Graveyard to draw one card.”

I did as the card commanded, and upon drawing my newest card, I smiled. I’d gotten just what I needed to complete my combination and retake control of the field. Now that I knew for sure that Emperor was using the rare and (to me at least) mostly unknown Monarch monsters, gaining control of the field was of utmost importance.

“Next,” I continued, “I activate the Spell card ‘Dragon’s Mirror’, fusing ‘Stone Dragon’ and ‘Megarock Dragon’ in my Graveyard together into one.”

The jagged-stone-armored ‘Stone Dragon’ and the massive, four-legged, wingless ‘Megarock Dragon’ appeared together on the field. They broke apart into individual stone pieces and then came together. The many pieces compressed together into a form a bit smaller than either of its components. The new monster was draconic, with a multi-segmented tail. His stone armor was made of layered, sweeping curved plates, and he had two curved horns protruding from the sides of his small head. In place of wings, long, curved blades swept up from his back, each blade inlaid with two bright blue sapphires. He held an additional sapphire in each hand.

“This is the ultimate evolution of the ‘Stone Dragon’,” I explained with pride, “the ‘Jewel-Stone Ryu’!”

My dragon roared (ATK: 2600).

“My monster attacks your ‘Monarch’,” I commanded. The two sapphires that the dragon held rose into the air at the dragon’s encouragement, shining beans of blue light into the dragon’s open mouth. Light traveled down the dragon’s blade-like wings, coming from the sapphires embedded there, traveling up his neck, and joining with the light in his jaws. There was a flash as the dragon prepared to unleash that light.

“Reveal,” said Emperor, unconcerned by the imminent attack, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Ultimate Offering’. I give up five hundred Life (8000-500=7500) and tribute ‘Thestalos’ to summon ‘Raiza the Storm Monarch’!”

‘Thestalos’ was engulfed in a tremendous fire, and another armored warrior, its helm shaped vaguely like the head of a bird, appeared, its armor gleaming green. My dragon attacked, but ‘Raiza’ summoned up a magical wind so powerful that the dragon’s attack was dispersed and the dragon itself was blown clear off of the field.

“When ‘Raiza’ is Tribute Summoned,” Emperor explained, “his effect returns your ‘Ryu’ to the Fusion Deck.”

I took a deep, calming breath. I thought I’d understood the power of the Monarchs before, but in that moment I realized that I’d underestimated them from the start. They literally gave their masters the powers of strong monsters and strong Spells rolled into one, with their only weakness being that they needed a tribute to be summoned, and Emperor’s deck overcame that weakness with ease.

Emperor saw my distress and smiled, “I see that you’ve come to understand the situation you’re in. With this deck I can summon my Monarch monsters without hassle, giving me the freedom of complete field domination, just as a true emperor has total dominion over his land and his people.

“Plus, I can do this,” Emperor explained. “‘Sem’ returns ‘Thestalos’ to the top of my deck. You’ll pass again, I believe.”

I grimaced. Emperor was leagues ahead of me, and there was little I could do about it, but I wouldn’t give up. I couldn’t.

“I still have my ‘Sphinx’ cards,” I declared. “‘Heiracosphinx’, attack ‘Sem’!”

“I activate the effect of ‘Ultimate Offering’ again,” Emperor explained (7500-500=7000), “to set one monster from my hand in face-down defense mode. And because the number of monsters on the defender’s field has changed, you must re-declare your attack.”

[i]What should I do?[/i] I wondered, desperate. [i]His set monster is probably just ‘Samsara Kaiser’, so attacking and destroying it wouldn’t harm me at all, but if I attack again, he’ll have another chance to tribute a monster for any Monarch that he might have on hand. But, if I don’t attack, he’ll have the same chance not only at the end of my Battle Phase, thanks to ‘Ultimate Offering’, but during his own turn. If I force him to summon now, it will cost him more Life.[/i]

I looked from Emperor’s monsters to his remaining face-down card, [i]Of course there’s always a chance that Emperor only summoned another monster to fulfill the requirements of a Trap, and that attacking now would be walking right into it.[/i]

[i]I only have one choice,[/i] “I end my turn.”

To my surprise, or, I suppose, to my relief, Emperor did nothing as my Battle Phase ended.

“And that is why I’ll win,” said Emperor as he drew his next card. “You are so afraid of me that you can’t even call my bluffs. I tribute the face-down ‘Samsara Kaiser’ to summon ‘Thestalos the Firestorm Monarch’ back to the field, and to return ‘Kaiser’ to my hand.”

The fiery Monarch returned.

“Reveal,” Emperor declared, “the Continuous Trap card ‘By Order of the Emperor’. While I control this Trap, I can negate the effects of any Monarch I summon, and draw one card instead.”

Emperor drew again, and his smile widened, “Activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two more cards, and I tribute my ‘Emperor Sem’ (7000-500=6500) to summon ‘Kuraz the Light Monarch’!”

The demonic jackal faded into smoke, and a radiant golden Monarch appeared in its place, his arms raised up to strike.

“When ‘Kuraz’ is summoned,” Emperor explained, “instead of attacking, he can destroy any two cards on the field, and the owner of those cards gets to draw two cards.”

Beams of light shone from the Monarch’s hands, vaporizing my Sphinxes, and I drew two cards. A rather unfair deal if you ask me.

Emperor flashed me a wicked grin, “’Thestalos’ and ‘Raiza’ attack.”

The wind and fire Monarchs combined their powers into a fiery whirlwind that washed over me, scalding my skin and singing my cloths and hair. I couldn’t help but cry out (7300-4800=2500).

“That’s enough for now,” said Emperor, quite pleased with himself. “Go, and don’t feel bad if you want to surrender. I [i]completely [/i]understand.”

[i]I have to turn the tables now,[/i] I thought as I stared into the helmeted faces of three immensely powerful monsters, looming over me like an unpleasant omen, [i]If I don’t, I’ll die.[/i]

I looked over my field, at my one set card, and then back at the two cards in my hand, remembering that Rachel, Prof and Marco were standing with me just outside of the veil of Shadows, depending on me, placing their futures in my hands.

[i]If I die, Emperor will get Rachel’s Necklace, and he’ll control the world.[/i]

I felt my expression grow hard, [i]I [/i]will not[i] let that happen![/i]

I drew, “Activate [i]my[/i] ‘Pot of Greed’.” I drew my two cards, and everything began to fall into place, like a rock slide revealing a diamond in the rough.

“I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” I declared, “to revive my ‘Heiracosphinx’.”

The falcon-headed monster reappeared with a fierce squawk/roar (ATK: 2400).

“And I activate ‘A Shallow Grave’,” I continued, “allowing you to set you fallen ‘Emperor Sem’ onto the field, and allowing me to set any monster from my Graveyard in exchange.”

I chose a card to set on the field. Emperor did the same. I knew what his monster was, and I had no doubt that he knew that my monster was ‘Guardian Statue’.”

“Finally,” I concluded, “I set another monster, and I play ‘Shifting Shadows’, paying three hundred Life (2500-300=2200) to shroud my hidden monsters in deep shadows so that they can change places unseen, gaining a chance to avoid your attacks.”

Shadows covered my side of the field. They rolled like black fog as my monsters shifted within them.

“Plus,” I explained, “while I control ‘Heiracosphinx’, if you try to attack one of my face-down monsters, he’ll move protect them. You can’t attack them, and thanks to ‘Shifting Shadows’ you don’t even know which of my monsters to target with an effect. I end my turn.”

“This duel has gone on long enough,” said Emperor, fed up. “I wanted to show you my deck as a last courtesy before killing you all, but you’ve proved to be far too annoying to endure. I tribute ‘Emperor Sem’ to summon ‘Mobius the Frost Monarch’, a monster with the power to destroy not only ‘Shifting Shadows’ but your set card, the last obstacles to my attacks.”

A blue-armored Monarch with a helm like the head of a penguin joined the others, calling up a freezing wind that coated my cards in a deadly frost, making them brittle. They would shatter in moments.

I smiled.

“Reveal,” the ice around my face-down card didn’t prevent it from flipping up and into position, “the Trap card ‘Waboku’! Before it’s destroyed, my Trap summons an ancient spiritual to protect my monsters from harm. Looks like you won’t be ending anything anytime soon.”

As a barrier formed around my monsters, Emperor angrily and reluctantly passed the turn, unable to attack, but still four Monarchs strong.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nineteen]

Bonds, Part Three


[i]I’ve set myself up with a good defense,[/i] I thought, [i]and I can even hurt him right now, but as things stand, I’m not going to be able to defeat Emperor. Not unless everything goes just right. I’m going to need a lot of luck to pull off what I want to pull off, and with no cards in my hand, luck is pretty much all that I do have.[/i]

It was then that it occurred to me that I had one other option. Any Duelist with enough experience and heart can shape the outcome of a duel to fit their subconscious will. But Duelists who control the Duelist’s Souls can go beyond that. Once per game we can use our magic to [i]consciously[/i] shape the outcome of a duel. With this power, the power of Destiny Draw, I could draw literally any card in my deck.

The power of Destiny Draw was too powerful, too immoral, to use in any fair duel against a normal opponent, but against someone like Emperor, it was perfectly acceptable, right? I nodded to myself, having made my decision. Emperor wanted to take away peoples’ right to choose for themselves. He wanted to oppress the world. I’d already been more than fair to him, giving him a chance to defend himself. I had no reason to hesitate. I gripped the top card of my deck and called out, “Destiny Draw!” I pulled the card, just as my Soul flashed brightly. When I turned the card over, I wasn’t surprised to see that it was ‘Card of Sanctity’, just the card I needed.

“I activate ‘Card of Sanctity’,” I declared, playing my Spell. Letting Emperor draw five cards would be a risk just to draw six cards myself, but that’s where luck came into it. I looked over my newest cards and I knew right away that my risk had yielded more than the desired reward.

“I follow up,” I continued, “with ‘Magical Stone Excavation’,” I sent ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’ along with another monster to the Graveyard, and a Spell ejected from my Graveyard, “to return ‘Monster Reborn’ to my hand. I play ‘Monster Reborn’ right now to revive my ‘Criosphinx’.”

The goat-headed sphinx returned, his human arms crossed defensively across his muscular chest (DEF: 2400).

“I tribute [i]Heiraco[/i]sphinx,” I declared, “to summon the living form of my Duelist’s Soul, the god of defenders, ‘Exxod, Master of the Guard’!”

The falcon-headed lion disappeared, and from the stone floor behind me rose a golden statue resembling the legendary ‘Exodia’. The knuckles of his massive hands were held together and sealed in place. He stood there, unmoving (DEF: 4000).

“Additionally,” I said, “I play the Continuous Spell card ‘Curse of the Exiled’. For the next three turns, after a card is returned to your hand, that card is moved to the bottom of your deck. And any time you would have to discard a card as part of an effect, that card must be discarded at random. You know a lot about cards, and you know what cards I have in play, so I’m sure you know what this means.”

I smiled when I saw realization flash in Emperor’s eyes and sweat for on his brow. He did know, and he wasn’t happy about it.

“I flip-summon my two monsters,” I continued, “my ‘Guardian Statue’ and my ‘Golem Sentry’!”

The large-armed living statue appeared next to a massive living stone door with equally massive arms affixed to its frame, carrying a staff in one hand.

“Both of my monsters share the same ability,” I explained, “to return one monster on the field to its owner’s hand when they’re flip-summoned.”

‘Raiza’ and ‘Kuraz’ turned into orbs of green and golden light respectively, and they returned to their cards.

“The monsters that were returned to your hand are now sent to the bottom of your deck,” I explained, “via, ‘Exiled’’s effect, and because monsters were returned to your hand, the effect of ‘Criosphinx’ activates as well. You must discard two cards, and due to the secondary effect of ‘Curse of the Exiled’, those discards must be random.”

Wearing his now familiar scowl, Emperor discarded two cards without looking, his ‘Samsara Kaiser’ and a monster that he had obviously just drawn, else he would have already used it against me, ‘Zaborg the Thunder Monarch’.

“Each time I flip-summon a monster,” I explained further, “‘Exxod’ deals you one thousand damage.”

‘Exxod’’s eyes flashed, and he fired twice from them, hitting Emperor with dual beams of light. The beams left Emperor’s chest smoking (6500-2000=4500). I thought that the tides had finally turned, and that Emperor was near defeat, but I was wrong. Emperor looked angrily at me and said, “I was trying to go easy on you, to make your inevitable death as painless as possible. I’m not a bad guy after all. But I see that I made a mistake. My mercy has run out!”

I smiled defiantly, “Your words mean nothing, because whatever it takes I will stop you here. Just like my next Spell will stop all of your monsters. I activate the secondary effects of my ‘Statue’ and my ‘Sentry’, returning them to the shadows of face-down defense mode, and I play ‘Swords of Revealing Light’! Your monsters will be unable to attack for three turns, leaving me free to reuse [i]my[/i] monsters’ effects.”

Swords made of solid light rained from the sky, entombing Emperor’s monsters. Meanwhile ‘Guardian Statue’ and ‘Golem Sentry’ sunk back into the darkness, lying in wait, and perfectly able to use their effects again should I need them.

“I end my turn.”

Emperor prepared to draw. Having long since abandoned the façade of controversial hero, his expression showed nothing but hate.

“You aren’t the only person with the power to affect the outcome of a duel,” he told me gravely. “I control six of the seven Shadow Millennium Items, and with them, my destiny!”

Darkness built around the deck loaded into Emperor’s duel disk. He reached into the darkness and pulled a single card, calling, “Destiny Draw! I tribute ‘Mobius the Frost Monarch’ to summon my spirit, ‘Caius the Shadow Monarch’!”

The blue Monarch disappeared, and in its place appeared a black-armored Monarch wearing a devilish helm and a long, tattered black cape. Darkness clung to him (ATK: 2400).

“When ‘Caius’ is Tribute Summoned,” Emperor explained, “his ability activates, allowing him to remove one card on the field from play! ‘Caius’ removes the Spell card, ‘Swords of Revealing Light’.”

‘Caius’ summoned up a bolt of dark energy in his hands, and released it. It engulfed my Spell, and it and the swords of light disappeared, swallowed by darkness.

“My monsters attack and destroy your face-down monsters,” Emperor declared. ‘Thestalos’ loosed a fireball on the ‘Guardian Statue’, who appeared just long enough to be burn to ash. ‘Caius’ summoned a bolt of dark lightning that struck the ‘Sentry’, shattering him and reducing him to rubble.

My impenetrable defense had failed.

“Go,” Emperor spat, “but know that by next turn, I will have found a way through your Guardian God as well, and you will be at my mercy.”

It would be a lie to say that I wasn’t afraid as I drew my next card, but I still had hope. That hope was what gave me the strength to even begin my next turn.

“I pay five hundred Life,” I declared, “to maintain my Spell card, ‘Curse of the Exiled’ (2200-500=1700).

It was then that I actually looked at the card I’d just drawn, and I was pleasantly surprised.

“I play ‘Bottom Draw’,” I declared, “to draw the bottom two cards of my deck.”

Two cards slid part way out from beneath my deck, waiting to be plucked up into my hand, but I found myself hesitant to take them.

[i]What am I supposed to do?[/i] I wondered, my hands shaking. Looking at my hands, I saw that my skin was pale. The duel was affecting me more than I’d realized. [i]Emperor was right! I may have power over Emperor [/i]outside[i] of a duel, but in a duel, he’s the powerful one. In a duel, I’m powerless against him![/i]

I was going to give up. It just felt like it would be so much easier than fighting. So much easier that it would really be worth it to die and let everyone down. But everything changed when I made the mistake of thinking about Kimi. Until then I’d felt like maybe it’d be okay, that if I gave up, maybe someone else would step up and defeat Emperor later. Someone stronger than me. But when I thought of Kimi, I thought about what might happen to her in the time that it took for that other person to rise to the challenge, and I came to my senses.

[i]What am I doing?[/i] I demanded of myself. [i]If I give up now, Emperor will gain power over everything! My friends, in the Elite and in the Duel Force, will all try to stop him, and for all I know they’ll all die! Who knows how many others Emperor will kill during the subsequent conquest![/i]

[i]No, I have to keep going. I have to fight.[/i]

I reached down and drew my cards, and as I did, there was a blinding flash, not from my Soul but from one of the cards I’d just drawn. I turned those cards over, and I noticed immediately that one of them was something that I’d never seen before. In that moment I knew everything about that card. I knew that it was a reward from my Soul for my conviction, I knew what it could do, and I knew that it would help me to win!

I smiled, “This duel is about to go a whole different direction. I remove my favorite card, the ‘Giant Soldier of Stone’, in my Graveyard from play to summon my monster in his ultimate form, the ‘Stone Soldier – Advanced’!”

“What?” Emperor wondered a bit fearfully.

Stones broke away from the ground beneath our feet and formed the massive ‘Stone Soldier’, his giant stone swords sheathed in their shoulder holsters. The stone making up the monster’s body began to crack, and he rose into the air. Light shone from the cracks, and finally his stone body exploded away, revealing a new figure beneath.

The new creature fell to the ground where he stood by my side. He stood nearly nine feet tall and had an almost human appearance, except that his skin looked like it was made of living rock. He wore animal hide clothing that one might expect to see on a barbarian or mountain warrior, and he carried a sword nearly as long as he was tall (ATK: 1300/DEF: 2000).

“Wow,” said Emperor mockingly, “for a second there I was worried.”

“And you will be again,” I countered, “because this monster is more dangerous than he looks. Once per turn I can send a Rock-type monster from my hand to the Graveyard to send any Earth monster from my deck to the Graveyard. I discard the weapon monster ‘Stone Sword’ from my hand to do just that.”

I fanned out my deck and selected a card, discarding it along with ‘Stone Sword’, bringing me one step closer to victory.

“I activate the effect of ‘Stone Sword’,” I declared. “By removing from play an Earth monster in my Graveyard, I can equip ‘Stone Sword’ to one of my Rock monsters as an equip Spell card and draw one card.”

A pillar of stone rose up from the ground before my ‘Soldier’. Bits and pieces fell away from the pillar until it formed a massive sword made of stone. ‘Stone Soldier’ sheathed his sword and took his new weapon in hand (ATK: 1300+900=2200).

“And I follow up with the effect of a monster discarded to pay the cost of ‘Magical Stone Excavation’,” I continued. “I remove another Earth monster from play to equip my ‘Soldier’ with ‘Stone Armor’.”

Plates of stone armor formed from chunks torn from the ground all around my monster. The armor came together over his arms, shoulders and chest (DEF: 2000+200 =2200).

“While my monster is equipped with ‘Stone Armor’,” I explained, “he isn’t destroyed as a result of battle. And I follow up with the Spell card ‘Giant Strength’,” I declared. “I discard two random Rock monsters from my deck to increase the Attack of my ‘Stone Soldier’ by fifteen hundred until the end of this turn.”

‘Stone Soldier – Advanced’, and all of his new armor and weapons, grew to an immense size (2200+1500=3700).

“‘Stone Soldier’,” I commanded firmly, “destroy ‘Caius’.”

‘Stone Soldier’ stomped, crushing the ‘Shadow Monarch’ beneath his feet (4500+2400-3700=3200).

“I end my turn,” I declared, and my monster returned to his original size.

“This isn’t over,” said Emperor, but his certainty had been shaken. My monster had changed things, and he could tell as well as I could that this duel was going to end soon, one way or another.

“Draw,” Emperor declared, “and I activate ‘Revival Summoning’, the only card in the game that allows me to Normal Summon from the Graveyard.” He smiled, “I pay five hundred Life and tribute ‘Thestalos’ to Tribute Summon ‘Caius’ back from the dead (3200-500=2700)!”

A black vortex rose from the ground and swallowed up the fiery Monarch. From the vortex emerged ‘Caius’. He summoned a wave of darkness, ready to release it.

“‘Caius’,” Emperor commanded triumphantly, “remove the pesky ‘Stone Soldier’ from play!”

‘Caius’ unleashed his special attack, but it was absorbed by a turtle-shell-shaped shield that formed from sand and grains of rubble, situating itself in my warrior’s free hand.

“I remove from play ‘Stone Shield’ in my Graveyard,” I explained, “to protect my Rock-type monster from one effect that declares a specific target.”

“Then ‘Caius’ attacks!” Emperor demanded, acting out of desperation.

“No thanks,” I told him. “I remove another card in my Graveyard from play, my ‘Stone Face-Mask’, increasing the Attack of my monster by seven hundred during the Damage Step.”

Stones rose up and formed a mask over my monster’s stern face. He charged at ‘Caius’’ darkness attack, shouldering it, and continued through, cleaving ‘Caius’ in two with his massive sword (2700+2400-2900=2200).

“This duel isn’t over,” Emperor insisted. “It won’t be over until I win! I set two cards before ending my turn.”

I drew, “In that case, I play ‘Giant Trunade’ to return every Spell and Trap on the field to the hand.”

My opponent’s Trap cards disappeared, along with my monster’s stone weapon and armor.

“I discard ‘Stone Sword’,” I declared, “to send ‘Alpha the Magnet Warrior’ in my deck to the Graveyard, and I remove ‘Alpha’ from play to re-equip ‘Stone Sword’ to the ‘Stone Soldier’.”

The sword re-formed, and my monster took it in hand (1300+900=2200).

“My monster attacks!”

‘Stone Soldier’ charged forward, and everything seemed to slow down. I looked into Emperor’s eyes, and I saw real fear there. My monster grew closer, and I saw Emperor’s eyes dart as he surveyed his surroundings. He was preparing to run, to risk facing a penalty from the Shadows, but he would never get the chance.

The moment passed, and an instant before the cowardly Emperor could even turn, he was slashed fiercely across the chest (2200-2200=0).[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty]

Peace


Emperor fell to his knees, clutching the wound on his chest. I looked him over, and even through his desperately clutching fingers I could see that the wound wasn’t very deep. I was aware of my surroundings. The duel was over, but the Shadows remained, waiting for me to pass judgment of my wicked foe. Usually I don’t like the idea of banishing people to the darkness, but this time, I found I didn’t mind.

“Emperor,” I began, and then I paused, reconsidering. “No,” I said, “you won’t get off that easily. You’re going to face your punishment answering to the name you used when you betrayed [i]everyone[/i]. Timothy. You’ve committed crimes so horrible that I can’t even think about them without getting sick. You betrayed the Elite, a noble institution that you helped form, you caused the deaths of allies and team mates in the Elite [i]and[/i] the Order, and you murdered your own brother! You even betrayed Rachel. You were the only person she ever trusted, and you betrayed her!”

I paused, catching my breath. I realized that I’d been yelling, so I took a second to calm down, and then continued.

“Death is too good for you,” I said, “so I’m going to send you to the Shadows to be tortured for all of eternity. If I ever fall in a Shadow Duel, if you’re strong enough, you might come back, but I think it’s worth the risk knowing that, as long as I live, for the [i]rest of my life[/i], you’ll never see the light again, and as long as I’m never claimed by the Shadows myself, your punishment will continue from now until the end of time.”

I hated him. I hated him so much.

I walked over and stand over him, and he whimpered fearfully. I aimed my palm at his head, my Soul glowing faintly with anticipation.

“Penalty Game-.”

“Wait! No!” Rachel cried. She was crying again. “Rocky, please let him go. Find another punishment for him and let him go, please!”

I turned around and looked through the shadows at Rachel, and I knew that despite everything that Timothy had done, she still loved him. If I killed him here, she would never be able to move past it. Somewhere deep down she would blame me, and she would never mourn him. It would kill her. So I made the only choice I could. Without turning back to face him, I told Timothy, “You’ve lost, but I can’t destroy you. So instead I declare the Penalty Game Powerless Struggle. Never again, for as long as you live, will you be able to gain any significant power through magic, righteous means, or through force. You’ll have to exist at the bottom rung of society, struggling to survive, living everyday with the knowledge of the terrible things you did in pursuit of something you’ll never have, and of all of the pain that you’ve caused.”

The Shadow’s faded, and I said, “Now go. I never want to see you again.” I had already begun to walk back over and rejoin my friends when I heard sound of metal scraping against metal. I felt a disturbance in the air, and I knew with absolute certainty that Timothy had drawn his blade, that he was charging me, and that I was going to die. I turned, wide-eyed, moving far too slowly. I was prepared to meet my assailant head-on when I saw Rachel run past me, a jagged rock in hand. She came in low under Tim’s blade and, acting on instinct, she jammed the pointed edge of the rock into Tim’s chest.

Tim looked into Rachel’s eyes. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, and Timothy fell lifelessly into her arms. She lowered him to the ground where she knelt by his side. She was crying again, but this time things were different. Rachel had found her closure.

She was mourning.


Four months passed. With Emperor gone, the Elite was back to picking up the pieces as the disorganized Order crumbled. In fact, by then, the last of the sizeable Order cells were expected to be mere days away from defeat. Most were reportedly disbanding. We had the Order pinned down, thanks to the almost prophetic calculations of the Order’s new leader. There was no one else but Prof who could take over for Greg and regulate the activities of the entire Elite as a whole. Meanwhile Charlie, who had returned from the Shadows at the moment of Tim’s defeat, had been made leader of Team One, which consisted of me, Marco, and two fresh members from the reserves, twins Tate and Katie. They were only thirteen, but they were tech-smart and used a tag team strategy that was stronger than any I’d seen. We were still fighting, but not a single legitimate threat had arisen. Things were almost calm. Almost peaceful.

I have only one complaint about that time. Since Rachel was made leader of Team Two, consisting of only herself, Marcus and Raphael, we almost never saw each other. Our only chance to catch up was in the evening, after missions, when we’d meet in our favorite spot, on a ledge along the outside of the mountain, overlooking the entire range. My last evening in the Elite was spent there.

Prof had recently announced that he was disbanding the Elite, including all current, active teams. He’d decided that, even if there was still some limited Order activity, there wasn’t enough to warrant the efforts of the entire organization. Prof would be staying, and anyone who wanted to would be allowed to remain, but all members were encouraged to move on with their lives. Charlie, Marcus and Raph, and Marco had all decided to stay, as had several others. I wasn’t planning to stay. Rachel was undecided. But regardless, it was clear that the time of the Elite had passed.

“So,” I said, sitting with my legs dangling over the ledge, “it’s finally over.”

“Yeah,” Rachel replied, standing back from me, leaning back against the stone wall behind us. Her voice was filled with something between nostalgia and mild sorrow. “With Emperor gone, it was only a matter of time.”

I looked back at her, into her eyes, as she stared out over the mountain range, and I saw a single tear form there. It rolled down her cheek leaving a sad, solitary trail behind it.

“I really did love him,” Rachel said, coming over to sit on the ledge by my side. “Maybe if I hadn’t I would have been able to see through his act and keep him from doing all of the horrible things he did.”

I frowned. This was a moment I’d not been looking forward to. This was the first time that Rachel had talked about Tim since that day. She’d talked plenty about Emperor, but never once about the man behind the mask. Even though I hadn’t been looking forward to this moment, I had no intension of turning her away.

“You can’t help your feelings,” I said. “No one can. Besides, Tim’s own brother couldn’t see him for who he really was.”

Rachel halfway smiled and replied, “I guess you’re right,” but I wasn’t sure that she believed her own words.

We sat in silence for several minutes until Rachel broke that silence, “You’re a great friend, Rocky, but I gotta say goodbye.”

She looked up at the clouds and continued, “The Order’s done. Prof’s only making the effort he is so that the really dedicated members will have some supervision. The Elite will be disbanding completely any time now. I have to move on. This is the only place I’ve ever felt like I belonged since my parents died. I have to find a [i]new[/i] place before it’s too late for me to do so.”

She looked over at me and our eyes met, “Do you know where you belong yet, Rocky?”

I thought about that, and when I didn’t answer, Rachel smiled. “I’ve been thinking that the place where you belong doesn’t have to be a place. It can be a person, or a group of people. I’ve been thinking that maybe I could take some time to help people in a more, you know, conventional, less magical way.”

I smiled. Rachel, in her own cryptic way, was helping me find my answer. I thought some more. I’d been a member of the Duel Force, but I’d always felt a bit like I’d been on the outside looking in. I’d felt like I belonged with the Elite, but now that was over. I looked at Rachel. Did I maybe belong with her?

[i]No,[/i] I realized, [i]Rachel’s a good friend, but she’ll never be more than that.[/i]

I was about to answer that I [i]didn’t[/i] know when I remembered back to a time just over four months ago, when my journey as a member of the Elite began, to my final night with a friend.

“I think I might belong with someone,” I told Rachel, “and I think that it took all of this for me to realize it. But now I know where I need to go.”


So I left the Elite behind, telling my new friends goodbye. In only three days, I found myself standing outside of a large building in Japan, down the street from the front entrance. I was wearing a worn out coat and my beard had grown out a little, and I was carrying everything I owned in the bag slung over my shoulder. I wasn’t sure where I was going to stay now that I was in town, especially since I hardly understood anyone, but I’d figure that out. I had to say hello to someone first.

The building was a school, and a nice one. There was a group of girls in school uniforms sitting outside at a bench, eating lunch. They were all my age. One of them caught my eye instantly. She’d let her hair grow out. It was halfway down her back now. She saw me, but at first she didn’t recognize me. Then her eyes lit up with surprise, and she stood up, facing me, with a mischievous smile on her face and her hands on her hips. I walked over and stopped only a few feet away from her.

“Hey Robby,” she said, “you done playing superhero I guess?”

She was the only person who called me Robby.

Standing there, in that moment, I knew that I was right, this was where I belonged.[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

[spoiler=Yu-Gi-Oh! DA, The Phantom Seal]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

The Entry Exam


There are times in everyone’s lives when they realize that they are somewhere that they shouldn’t be. I’m no exception. I’m John, a Duelist who held the World Championship for a year, led the best known Duel Monsters team in North America, and who was invited by Seto Kaiba himself to attend the dueling school Duel Academy, and yet here I was, being forced to take the entrance exams just like everyone else. I watched as my monster, a warrior wearing layered yellow armor, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, was destroyed by the ‘Axe of Despair’ wielded by my opponent’s monster; a four-armed werewolf called ‘Gene-Warped Warwolf’ (ATK: 2000+1000=3000).

My Life Points dropped (4000+2200-3000=3200). I scowled as I looked around the room, from the hologram of my face-down card, to the other duels taking place around me. I was inside a large open building with the outlines of eight duel arenas marked on the floor, spread evenly across the wide space. To my left was one arena and a set of stands filled with other Duelists. To my right were two arenas and a table at which sat three judges, given the task of grading the performances of potential students. Behind me were the other four arenas. Standing across from me was my opponent, a man in his thirties. He was one of the testers from the Academy. From what I could tell the Test Deck that he was using was pure Beatdown, which meant I could guess what was coming next. It was easily the least exciting duel I had ever fought.

“Now I end my turn,” the tester said, “with ‘Skill Drain’. I pay one thousand Life Points (4000-1000=3000) to cancel the effects of all monsters on the field.”

I sighed, “I reveal ‘Seven Tools of the Bandit’, paying one thousand of [i]my[/i] Life Points (3200-1000=2200) to negate and destroy your Trap. Now I draw, and I summon ‘Giant Orc’ in attack mode.” A huge, gray-skinned goblin appeared, carrying a club (ATK: 2200).

“Next,” I continued, “I play ‘Quick Summon’, tributing my ‘Orc’ to summon ‘Great Maju Garzett’! My monster has Attack equal to twice the attack of the tributed monster.”

‘Giant Orc’ disappeared, and a massive brown skeletal demon appeared in its place. It had tufts of hair coming off of its wrists and head, and it had two spherical crystals embedded in its shoulders, with a third embedded in its forehead (ATK: 4400).

“I play ‘Monster Reborn’,” I declared, “to revive ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.” The yellow-armored warrior appeared at my side (ATK: 2200). “‘Great Maju’,” I commanded, “attack with Vile Energy.”

‘Great Maju’ thrust his palm, firing off a wicked energy blast that tore ‘Gene-Warped Warwolf’ apart (3000+3000-4400=1600).

“Now I finish it with ‘Megacyber Impact’,” I commanded. ‘Fiend Megacyber’ shot forward and punched my opponent, reducing his Life Points to zero. Before the tester could say a word, I turned and walked away.


Once I was off of the main floor I made my way over to the stands. I stood beside them, scanning the other duels for Karen. I found her immediately and repositioned myself a bit so that I could hear what she and her tester were saying. She was dueling at the second row arena closest to the stands. She was in a situation that would have been trouble for most Duelists, but I knew better of Karen. Her opponent, a young woman in glasses, had ‘Marshmallon’ on the field. ‘Marshmallon’ is a unique monster, known for its mushy marshmallow-like appearance, and its immunity to battle damage (DEF: 500/LP: 4000). Her opponent also controlled the Trap card ‘Spirit Barrier’, a card that protected her from damage in battle while she controlled at least one monster. All that Karen had out was the caricaturized sorceress ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’ (ATK: 2000) and the green book that supplied the ‘Toon’ with her power, the magical ‘Toon World’ (LP: 2000).

“Your Toon Monster might have the ability to attack directly,” the female tester said, “but I am immune to damage while I control ‘Marshmallon’, and thanks to his effect, I think I’ll be controlling him for a while.”

“Don’t count on it,” said Karen. “I play ‘Comic Hand’, pulling one of my opponent’s monsters into the magic book that is ‘Toon World’, putting it under my control.”

A white-gloved hand reached out of the pages of the green book, grabbing the ‘Marshmallon’ and pulling it into the pages. The book slammed closed, and a few moments later it opened again, spewing pink smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing a bouncier version of ‘Marshmallon’ with large, cartoon-ish eyes.

“Next,” said Karen, “I double the power of my ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’ with ‘Megamorph’.” An aura flared around the cartoon sorceress, and her power rose (2000x2=4000). “I attack,” Karen declared, “with Dark Burning Attack!” The Toon aimed her wand at the tester and fired a massive pink spherical blast (4000-4000=0).

Karen smiled, full of pride, and brushed her long dark hair out of her face. She turned off her Duel Disk and walked over to stand next to me, wrapping her arm around mine. “Did you see any strong Duelists?” she asked.

“You mean besides you?” I asked. “That would be a no, but to be fair this is the last day of testing, and this was the second to last set. That means that the next eight Duelists will be the last set, period. Most of the good ones have probably gone already.”

“Speaking of the last set,” said Karen, “here they come.” As she spoke, the last Duelist finished his duel. He was defeated. He stepped out of the room through a set of doors on the opposite side of the room, and eight more Duelists entered, taking up their positions. “Should we watch?” Karen asked.

“Why not,” I replied. “Maybe we’ll see someone strong. Come on, let’s find a seat.”

I took her hand in mine and led her over to the stands. We found a couple of seats a couple of rows up. Karen leaned up against me. The two of us actually being together was still new to me, but I liked it.

I scanned the newest set of Duelists. One of them caught my eye, a boy of maybe sixteen. He was facing the tester closest to us in the first row. He had a strong aura and a certain confidence about him. His duel energy was high. He had semi-long sandy brown hair and green eyes, and he wore a black windbreaker with red stripes down the sleeves and white cargo pants. Underneath his jacket he wore a yellow t-shirt with a red flame on it. Because the boy and his opponent were close, I could hear what they were saying.

“You ready, kid?” the tester asked.

“You bet,” said the kid in a cheery voice.

“Then here I come,” the tester said. “I set a card and set a monster. Your move.”

“That’s all?” the kid asked. “After watching some of the last set of duels, I was hoping for something more, but oh well. I set a card of my own and summon ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’ in attack mode.” A spirit creature with a ghostly tail in place of its lower body, strong arms, a head like that of a fox, and eight eyes appeared, wreathed in fire (ATK: 1500). “‘Ignis’ attacks!” The fire spirit summoned a fireball and tossed it at the face-down monster, which was revealed as a ball with a face, covered in several dozen long needles.

“‘Needle Ball’,” the tester commanded, “activate your effect.”

Before the monster was destroyed, every one of its needles fired from its body. Because it was closer to the tester, he was hit with the bulk of the needles (4000-2000=2000), but several still hit the kid (4000-1000=3000).

“Now back to my turn,” the tester said. “I play ‘Dian Keto the Cure Master’, restoring one thousand of the Life Points that I lost.” He was bathed in light (2000+1000=3000). “I’ll set another monster and another card. Your move, kid.”

[i]Interesting,[/i] I thought. [i]If I’m right about this tester’s deck, then this kid could very easily lose this turn.[/i]

“I attack,” said the kid, and the fire spirit threw another fireball, this time revealing the opponent’s monster to be a large purple worm covered in spikes.

“My ‘Needle Worm’ forces you to discard the top five cards of your deck when he’s flipped face-up,” the tester said, and the worm launched five of its spikes, hitting the kids duel disk. “And,” the tester said, “I chain two Trap cards: ‘Skull Invitation’ and ‘Coffin Seller’. Now each time a monster goes to your Graveyard you lose three hundred Life Points, and whenever a card goes to the Graveyard, its controller takes three hundred points of damage.”

The tester watched as the kid discarded five cards; three of which were monsters.

“I may take three hundred damage when you kill my worm, but you take twenty-four hundred damage,” the tester said. The kid was wreathed in a wicked aura (Kid: 3000-2400=600/Tester: 3000-300-2700).

The kid sighed, “Damn, I was hoping that this would be more exciting. I could draw it out, but I don’t wanna risk things getting out of hand. I activate ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’ to destroy the ‘Skull Invitation’ card.” A burst of wind tore the hologram of the tester’s Trap to shreds. “I’m guessing that you have another ‘Needle Ball’ in your hand,” the kid said, “so I’m gonna go ahead and end this now.

“I activate two Spell cards, ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’ and ‘Soul Absorption’. Now you take three hundred damage whenever I deal you damage through an effect, and I gain five hundred Life Points every time a card is removed from play. I’ll also summon ‘Hinotama Soul’.” A living fireball appeared, floating in the air.

The fireball disappeared, “I tribute ‘Hinotama Soul’ to activate the effect of ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’, dealing you one hundred damage for every Fire monster in my Graveyard. If you add on the three hundred from my Spell card, that’s seven hundred damage.”

‘Ignis’ summoned four more fireballs, launching them at the tester (Tester: 2700-700=2000/Kid: 600-300=300).

“Next,” the kid said, “I remove ‘Hinotama Soul’ in my Graveyard from play to summon ‘Inferno’ and restore five hundred of my Life Points.”

A spark appeared in the air, flaring out and becoming a massive face made of flames, and the kids Life went up (300+500=800). ‘Inferno’ disappeared as well, “I tribute ‘Inferno’ to deal another seven hundred damage (Tester: 2000-700=1300/Kid: 800-300=500).”

“Finally,” the kid said, “I reveal ‘Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai’, converting my ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’ into his spirit form so that he can launch one final attack! I tribute him to deal you fifteen hundred damage!”

The fire monster flew into the tester and disappeared (Tester: 1300-1500=0/Kid: 500-300=200). Against all odds, the kid had won.

“Hey Karen,” I said, still watching the kid with great interest.

“Yeah?” she replied, looking up into my eyes.

“Remind me to find that kid. I want to duel him some day.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

Orientation


Two days after the entry duels Karen and I and many other students were taken to an island by plane. I was hoping to see the Duelist from the entry duels again, the one with the Fire Spirit Deck. I wanted to duel him. But the plane was small. It could only carry so many passengers at a time. Apparently he wasn’t one of the passengers this trip.

[i]Oh well.[/i]

Karen and I sat together, looking out the window, trying to catch a first glimpse of the island that would be our home for the next four years. It wasn’t long before the island came into view. It was pretty big, with a river running across it and a beach along one edge. Half of the island was taken up by a dormant volcano and the surrounding forest. Even from so high up and so far away, I could make out four large buildings. One was much larger than the others, so much so that it could only be the school itself. It was constructed with irregular pillars and domes, with a walkway leading up to the front. The next largest building, which was blue in color, was further back, nestled in the woods. It was large and luxurious with a central section and two wings. The third largest building was more square and colored yellow. There were almost as many windows visible on the walls of this building as were visible on the blue one, which meant the same number of rooms packed into a smaller space. It was still more than large enough though.

The fourth building was smallest. I had to wait until the plane was circling for a landing along the coast of the island before I could make out the details. This building, the closest to the river, was painted red. It was like one of those motels where they basically stack a bunch of rooms around and on top of each other with the doors leading right to the outside.

These three buildings were the dorms. The blue building was, as it was called at the time, High Dorm. It was the dorm for high income students, students who had donated money to the school, invited guests, or other special cases. High Dorm would later be the home of students who had gone through a special prep program as well, but that program hadn’t started up yet. The yellow building was Mid Dorm, the dorm for the highest ranking duelists. The red building was Low Dorm, the dorm for students who either scored low, just enough to get into the academy, or for students who couldn’t afford the tuition and were here on the academy’s dime. Anyone who let his grades slip would also be downgraded to Low Dorm. Think of it as the slums of the island.

Karen and I, having been invited to attend the academy by Seto Kaiba himself, would be housed in High Dorm.

“So,” Karen asked, making conversation as the plane descended, “you looking forward to dueling the other students from our dorm?”

“No,” I answered, “not really.”

“Really?” she wondered. “Why not? I thought High Dorm was for the best students in the school.”

“One day it will be,” I said, “but until they establish that prep program we were told about, High Dorm will be dominated by whiny rich kids with deep pockets and rare cards that they don’t know what to do with. The real challenges will come from students in Mid Dorm.

“Hmm,” said Karen, “I guess that makes sense.”


The plane landed, and a set of moving stairs was rolled out and situated outside the hatch. Karen and I filed out with the other passengers, and the entire group was directed toward the school. We would have to attend orientation before settling in at our dorms or exploring the island. The school wasn’t far off, and we arrived in only a few minutes’ time. The schoolyard was spectacular. The wide walkway that I had seen from the sky led right up the building, the façade of which was both interesting and appealing. The walkway was lined on either side by large rectangular stone slabs carved with the likenesses of various Duel Monsters. Each rectangle was set atop a wide base that could be used as a bench. The entire area was an architectural work of art.

Karen and I and the other passengers from the plane filed through the front doors and found ourselves in a wide open lobby. The walls were white and the floors were marble.
There were open stairways leading up to the next floor, and corridors stretching off to either side of the wide open room. There was a third, wider corridor straight ahead. One of the teachers, a strong-looking bald man, was waiting for us.

He spoke, “My name is Professor Shepherd, professor of the Advanced Duel Mechanics course here at Duel Academy. You are the last group of students to arrive, which means, if you’ll all please follow me, it’s time for the orientation speech by our headmaster, Professor Kagemaru.” He gestured to the corridor ahead of us, “This way please.”

“Hah,” said a kid off to my left, speaking to three others, “don’t make me laugh. They call themselves professors, but I bet I know more about Duel Monsters than they do.”

I scrutinized the kid. He had long, sand-colored hair and gray eyes. I’d never seen a more arrogant expression on a person, except maybe Marik. I summoned a bit of magic from my Soul of Darkness, and I could see the kid’s Duel Energy. It was abundant, but unfocused.

Karen noticed him too. “He seems strong,” she said, “but he’s arrogant. He’ll have to learn to control that if he wants to do well.”

“Maybe I should teach him,” I said. I started toward the kid, but Karen stopped me.

“Please don’t start anything during orientation.”

I sighed, “Fine. I’ll just wait until [i]after[/i] orientation.”

We followed the rest of our group into a large round open room with seating like you would expect to see in a fancy Japanese High School. The front half of the room as dominated by a stage housing a podium, behind which was a large screen. At the base of the stage were three boxes containing plastic wrapped uniforms, colored to correspond with the colors of the three dorms. The seats were already about two thirds of the way full of students. Some of them were already wearing their uniform jackets, but most weren’t.

“You all know which dorm you’re in,” said Shepherd. “Please take two uniforms of the correct color, and then find your seats. The headmaster will begin his speech shortly.”

Karen and I each routed through the box until we found the correct uniforms in the correct sizes. Her’s was a girl’s uniform and therefore wasn’t entirely identical, but you had to really look to see the differences. Karen left her uniforms in their packages, but I removed one of my jackets and tried it on. It was bulkier than my over shirt, and I didn’t care much for the colors, so I removed it and put my black over shirt back on.

Almost as soon as Karen and I were settled, Shepherd got the attention of the murmuring crowd and announced that Professor Kagemaru was ready to begin. As he spoke, an elderly man stepped into the room. He was hunched forward, his hands clasped behind his back, and his head was almost completely devoid of hair, but his stride was brisk and his eyes were lively. I remembered hearing rumors from some of the other potential students at the exams that the headmaster of Duel Academy was a former coworker of Maxamillion Pegasus, and the sole holder of a powerful deck like no other. He was supposed to be unbeatable.

The screen behind the podium flickered on as Kagemaru stepped up behind the mic, showing a close-up of his smiling face.

“Good evening,” said Kagemaru. “I am your headmaster, Professor Kagemaru. I’ll make this brief, since you’ll no doubt want to settle into your new homes. Here at Duel Academy, we’re dedicated to providing you with an education that will prepare you for a career in one of a few possible Duel Monsters related fields. We do so by-.”

“Actually, ‘Professor’,” came a voice from the other side of the room, a few rows up, “I’ve been meaning to ask you about that.” I looked up and located the speaker. It was the gray-eyed kid again. [i]Crap,[/i] I thought. [i]he’s wearing High Dorm blue. That means he’s going to be in my dorm.[/i]

“So, ‘Headmaster’,” said Gray Eyes mockingly, “how exactly do you expect to teach us anything? We’re already Duelists. What makes you think you [i]can[/i] teach us?”

“I’ll take this one Headmaster,” said Shepherd, stepping forward, a wide grin spread across his face. He looked right into the kid’s eyes, “What’s your name, Son?”

“Jack Rollands,” said the kid, “son of oil tycoon Kevin Rollands, and the best Duelist on this island by a wide margin. By best, I mean better than you.”

Shepherd smiled a friendly smile, “If that’s the case, why not come down here and prove it, Mr. Rollands?”

Jack cracked his knuckles and made his way down to the floor, “Gladly!”

Shepherd activated his Duel Disk. It was a newer model, probably designed exclusively for the school. It was thinner, more rounded, and more compact. The professor took a deck from his pocket and inserted it into the deck loader. Everyone was completely focused on what was happening in front of them. We’d all seen the testers’ decks, and everyone in the room was eager to see how much stronger a professor was.

“Me first,” said Jack, still wearing the same arrogant smile. “I run a deck filled with nothing but the most powerful rare cards!”

“Well then,” said Shepherd, “why not let me make the first move instead. That way you can attack first and you’ll take the lead that much sooner.”

“Okay fine,” said Jack, “sounds good to me.”

“Then I draw,” Shepherd announced, “and I’ll simply set two cards and end my turn.”

“I knew you were weak!” said Jack. “When I win, everyone on this island will know that I’m the best. I’ll as good as own this place! I summon ‘Koa’ki Meiru Drago’ in attack mode!” A blue dragon with four wings and strong arms and legs appeared. On its chest and on the top of its head were symbols resembling bio hazard signs (ATK: 1900). “I play ‘Double Summon’,” Jack continued, “and I tribute ‘Drago’ to summon my heaviest hitter, ‘Koa’ki Meiru Valafar’!”

The dragon gave way to a tall, humanoid demon with a body made of stone and molten rock, with spikes down his arms, legs and back, broad fiery wings, and the same symbol on its chest, arms and knees (ATK: 3000).

“If that’s the case,” said Shepherd lightheartedly, “I’ll defend myself with the Trap monster ‘Cyber Shadow Guardna’.”

A black robot shield made up of a flattened body and multiple bade-like wings appeared to face Jack's demon. The monster became a shadow, reforming into a paler-colored duplicate of ‘Valafar’, right down to his Attack points (ATK: 3000).

Jack ignored him, “I reveal ‘Iron Core of Koa’ki Meiru’ in my hand to activate ‘Core Denseness Compression’, letting me draw two cards.”

He drew and his smile widened, “I play ‘Kishido Spirit’. While this card is in play, my monsters aren’t destroyed in battle against a monster with the same Attack!” ‘Valafar’ was wreathed in a blue aura, “’Valafar’, attack!”

“Reveal,” said Shepherd, “the Trap card ‘Ultimate Offering’. I pay five hundred Life Points (4000-500=3500) and tribute my ‘Shadow Guardna’ to summon ‘Cyber Cannon’ in attack mode!

“When ‘Cyber Cannon’ is Normal Summoned,” Shepherd explained, “I can choose and destroy one monster on the field, and deal damage to its controller equal to half its attack.” A simple robot tank with a cannon for an arm appeared (ATK: 0). It fired its cannon at ‘Valafar’, but the blast was deflected by a purple barrier.

“I activate ‘Shield Sphere’ from my hand,” said Jack. “This card prevents the destruction of my monster, but ends my turn. I discard ‘Iron Core’ during the End Phase to keep ‘Valafar’ in play. Make your last move.”

“Gladly,” Shepherd replied with a hearty smile. “I draw, and I activate ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Cyber Cannon’ on the field with ‘Cyber Ogre’ in my hand, summoning ‘Cyber Cannon Ogre’.”

A massive robotic ogre with long, sharp claws appeared beside the cannon. The two merged together, forming a massive legless machine with a huge upper body, massive forearms, a cannon on each shoulder, and a much, much bigger cannon for a head (ATK: 1500).

“When ‘Cyber Cannon Ogre’ is Fusion Summoned,” Shepherd explained, “I select a monster on the field and destroy it, and deal damage to its controller equal to half its Attack. I choose ‘Valafar’!”

‘Cyber Cannon Ogre’ fired its head cannon, blasting ‘Valafar’ apart.

“No!” cried Jack. ‘Ogre’ fired its shoulder cannons next, hitting jack directly (4000-1500=2500).

“Finally,” said Shepherd, “I attack, and I activate ‘Limiter Removal’, doubling the Attack of my monster.”


“No,” said Jack, “I can’t lose!”

Shepherd’s monster (ATK: 3000) blew away the last of Jack’s Life Points. Shepherd beamed, “It seems, young man, that you can.”

As Shepherd’s monster faded away, Kagemaru said, “To answer Mr. Rollands’ question, that’s how.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]

The First Days


After orientation, Karen and I moved ourselves into our rooms in opposite wings in the blue High Dorm. Then, over the course of the next few days, while we were waiting for classes to begin, Karen and I got to know our classmates, including the gray-eyed kid, Jack. He was incredibly arrogant and overall too caught up in himself to succeed. Karen and I each defeated him once, and he left us alone after that.

I fought a few people from each dorm. There was some potential in High Dorm and Low Dorm, but the biggest challenges came from Mid Dorm, just as I’d assumed. My favorite duel with a Mid Dorm student came from a girl named Lisa. She was younger than most, only twelve years old. Her deck was one that used monsters that Duel Academy would see again many years later.

“I’ll start this off,” I said, looking over my hand. The majority of Yellow Dorm students used quick but stable decks like Beast Beat or Warrior Combo, so I expected to have a turn or two to set up a good defense. “I begin with ‘Soul Absorption’,” I began, “so that whenever a card is removed from the game, I gain five hundred Life Points. I’ll also set two cards and summon ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’.”

A warrior in a blue vest and blue pants, wearing a faceplate and helm and large shoulder armor, with a three-pointed sword strapped over each hand appeared at my side (ATK: 1600).

“If the best you can do is [i]that[/i] monster,” said Lisa, pushing her curly blond bangs out of her gray-blue eyes, “then you’ve already lost. I play my key card, ‘Ojama Country’!” A grassy field replaced the walkway beneath our feet. A grassy hill appeared behind Lisa, blocking the nearby Mid Dorm from view. Small straw huts popped up all around us. Other students were beginning to take notice of the duel, saying things like “Look, Lisa’s about to rack up another win!” I realized then that I might be in trouble.

“I continue,” Lisa said, “with the Spell card ‘Graceful Charity’. I draw three cards, and then I send ‘Ojamuscle’ and ‘Ojama Blue’ to the Graveyard, and thanks to ‘Ojama country’, reviving my discarded monster is as simple as discarding ‘Ojamagic’.”

A small creature with a large head, blue in color, wearing Speedo briefs appeared (ATK: 0).

“Additionally,” Lisa continued, “because ‘Ojamagic’ was discarded, I get to search my deck for three more ‘Ojama’ monsters.”

Lisa searched, adding three cards to her hand.

“Finally,” said Lisa, “I summon ‘Ojama Red’.” A second creature, red in color, with bloodshot eyes and a pointed head appeared (ATK: 0). “When ‘Ojama Red’ is summoned, I can summon ‘Ojama Yellow’, ‘Ojama Green’ and ‘Ojama Black from my hand as well.”

Three more figures appeared. One was green with one large yellow-orange eye, the second was black with a huge nose and mouth, and the third was yellow with full red lips and stalk eyes (ATK: 0 (each)).

“Because I control at least one ‘Ojama’ monster,” Lisa continued, “the second effect of my ‘Ojama Country’ Field card activates and the Attack and Defense scores of every monster on the field are switched (ATK of the ‘Ojamas’: 1000 (each)/ATK of ‘Marauder’: 1000).

“I attack,” Lisa commanded, “with my ‘Ojama Blue’, destroying both your monster and mine.”

I understood my opponent’s plan. We were playing standard Japanese expert rules, which meant that we each had only four thousand Life Points. After destroying my ‘Marauder’, my opponent would have a clear path to my Life Points with her remaining four monsters. And I didn’t have any Traps that could stop her attacks.

I did, however, have another plan.

“I activate ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’ to remove my monster from play until the End Phase,” I declared, “avoiding your attack.”

A strange device made up of a lens surrounded by angular metallic fins appeared. A beam from the lens swept over my monster and he disappeared.

“My Life Points increase via ‘Soul Absorption’,” I explained (4000+500=4500).

“Still,” said Lisa, “all the better. Now I can attack directly with my monster’s instead.”

‘Ojama Blue’ lunged right at me, ready to strike.

“Reveal,” I countered, “the Trap card ‘Escape from the Dark Dimension’, summoning my monster back to the field.”

‘Marauder’ returned, blocking ‘Ojama Blue’’s attack. Both monsters were destroyed.

“When ‘Ojama Blue’ is destroyed,” Lisa said, “I search my deck for one ‘Ojama’ card. A card like ‘Ojama Delta Hurricane’. Now my remaining monsters attack.”

The red, yellow, black and green creature’s struck one after another (4500-(1000x4)=500).

I was astounded. “You’re good,” I said. I smiled, “But I’m sorry to say, I’m still gonna win.

“I play ‘Heavy Storm’,” I declared, and a massive vortex of wind kicked up, ripping the huts out of the ground. The Field card was ripped apart as well, and all holograms associated with it faded away. The Attack of the ‘Ojamas’ returned to their normal zero.

“Now,” I said, “because you control two more monsters than me, I can special summon my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.” My warrior appeared, wearing his layered yellow armor panels, his fists readied, charged with yellow and black static (ATK: 2200).

“I equip my monster with the Spell card ‘Assault Armor’,” a white aura appeared around my monster, “and I release the armor to allow my monster to attack twice this turn.”

The white aura flared. “Attack,” I commanded, and my monster shot forward, punching ‘Ojama Yellow’ and ‘Ojama Black’. Both monsters were destroyed and my opponent’s Life Points fell (4000-(2200x2)=0).

The remaining ‘Ojamas’ disappeared along with my monster. “Good duel,” I said, shaking my opponent’s hand.

“Yeah,” Lisa replied, “you’re strong. Hopefully we’ll get to duel again sometime.”


Finally it was time for us to start taking classes. Karen put on her complete uniform, but I chose my black over shirt instead of my uniform jacket. I didn’t expect for anyone to care, at least not for the first day or so. Karen and I each received one of the new, sleeker Duel Disks like the one that Shepherd had used against Jack. I didn’t like the solid gray color of mine, so I used a bit of shadows to taint it black and darker gray, like my dark disk. If anyone saw it, they would just think that I’d painted it.

Karen and I made our way from High Dorm to the main building. I looked around. There were so many people gathered on this island. So many Duelists. And they were all strong in one way or another. [i]Plus,[/i] I thought, [i]if all of the professors are as strong as Shepherd, even I might be able to learn something here.[/i]

As we walked to the school, Karen and I compared schedules. Since she was taking card design and I was taking dueling, we would have very few classes together. The classes here were different than what I was used to. Duel Academy was, first and foremost, a Japanese school. At Duel Academy, in most cases at least, the teachers would travel from room to room, not the students. Karen and I would start out together in Duel Monsters 101, and then, afterwards, she and the other card design students would split off and join the appropriate groups elsewhere. We wouldn’t see each other again until lunch, and then not again until classes let out for the day.

[i]It’ll be weird,[/i] I thought. [i]Karen and I have barely spent any of our free time apart in three months, and now we’ll only be together a few hours a day.[/i]


We arrived in the classroom, ready for Duel Monsters 101. I didn’t know whether or not to laugh at that. After all, what was there about Duel Monsters that I didn’t already know? I was one of the strongest Duelists alive! It was embarrassing that I was being forced to participate in something so ridiculous. But I had no choice. This school was my ticket to a career as a tournament Duelist. I’d have to suck it up.

The first class ended. I’d dozed off for a while about two thirds of the way through, only waking up again toward the end, when Karen realized that I was sleeping and elbowed me in the ribs. The teacher, an elderly woman whose name I don’t remember, was giving her lecture in a droning monotone when the bell interrupted her. She was a boring woman, suited to teaching the schools most boring subject. Despite the subject matter, I noticed that Karen had managed to keep detailed notes. I was impressed.

The teacher packed up her things and headed to her next classroom. Karen gathered her things as well. On her way out the door, the teacher announced that all design students were to move on to their next classes.

“That’s me,” said Karen, standing up and swinging her bag over her shoulder. She leaned in and gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, “I’ll see you at lunch.” She was gone before I could respond.

[i]Huh,[/i] I thought. [i]I wonder if she could be any [/i][i]more[/i][i] enthusiastic.[/i]

Several students went to buy drinks and use the bathroom before the next class started. I leaned back, trying to recapture sweet unconsciousness, but before I could, I heard someone call, “Hey!”

I was startled fully awake. I looked around and found myself face to face with the smiling face of the sandy-haired, green-eyed boy from the entry duels. Like me, he had opted to wear a portion of his own wardrobe, his yellow flame-decal shirt, under his yellow and white jacket. He was leaning over the seats directly behind me.

“Hey,” I said, “I saw you at the entry duels. You’re good.”

“And I saw you on TV at the Grand Championship. Your name’s John. You’re good too.” He jumped the seats and landed in a sitting position in the seat right next to me. “My name’s Thomas,” he announced. Then he looked right at me and asked, “So, have you heard of the Card Takers?”

“Card Takers?” I asked, worried that this kid was going to try to recruit me into some club.

“Yeah,” he said. “You know the bridge over the river? The one by Low Dorm?”

“Yeah.”

“Well,” Thomas said, “I heard from some of the guys in my dorm that a pair of Duelists who call themselves the Card Takers wait at the bridge every night. They’re supposed to be the strongest Duelists on the island! Anyone can duel them, but there’s a catch.”

The next teacher, a young man in glasses, had already arrived and begun speaking, but I was much more interested in what Thomas had to say, “And that would be?”

“In order to duel a Card Taker,” Thomas explained, “you have to be willing to risk what makes you a duelist. You have to ante your favorite card against theirs. I’m gonna go see if this thing’s for real tonight. Wanna come?” His face was alight, primed for the coming excitement.

I smiled wide, but then I purposefully shifted my expression to one of arrogant thoughtfulness, “Let’s see, sleep, or prove myself against some hotshots who steal cards? You bet I wanna come!”

I was acting cheery, and to an extent I was because I love a challenge, but I also wanted to find these guys for another reason. [i]If these guys really are taking the favorite card from the Duelists that they defeat,[/i] I thought, [i]then I have to beat them and get those cards back. No Duelist should be without his favorite card.[/i][i][/spoiler][/i]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]

Challenge of the Card Takers


That night, after dark, I grabbed my deck and my new Duel Disk and made my way toward the bridge near Low Dorm, Karen and Thomas in tow.

“Are you sure this is a smart idea?” Karen asked.

“Sure,” I said. “These guys are taking cards from students, so they must be strong. I could use a descent challenge. Besides, I can’t just sit back and let them keep a bunch of Duelists’ favorite cards. I have to try and get those cards back.”

“I don’t care why you wanna duel them,” said Thomas with a big smile on his face. “I just want to see the famous American Duelist who won the second Grand Championship in a duel in person!”

Karen ignored him and asked, “You aren’t going to take [i]their[/i] cards if you win, are you?”

“Nah,” I replied. “Like I said, I’m just in this for the challenge.”

“And to get the stolen cards back, right?” Karen asked.

“Yeah,” I said, “definitely.”

“This is gonna be awesome!” said Thomas, almost skipping along. He skipped up from behind me and began walking directly at my side and asked, “What’s the deal with these pendants you guys wear?”

I was taken aback. If he was asking, it meant that, either he was really curious, or he knew something about the Shadow Games and suspected that the Duelist’s Souls were connected. So far, Thomas didn’t seem to be a very serious person, so I took a gamble that it was the former rather than the latter.

“Oh, well, when Karen and I started going out, we bought matching necklaces,” I replied, lying to protect the secret of the Duelist’s Souls.

“Are you sure?” Thomas asked, a mischievous grim playing across his face, “because I thought they might be magic artifacts.”

I was a bit shocked, but I hid it as I replied, “What do you mean?”

“I did see the Grand Championship,” Thomas said, “and the Duel Force tournament. I know that every member of your team wears those things, not just you two. It’s cool. I can see Duel Monster spirits, and I can tell who else can. If they see them using an artifact, I can tell that too. You aren’t the first person I’ve met with a magic item. I’m not gonna tell anyone, if that’s what you’re worried about. I figure it’s your business, you know?”

Karen was chuckling, “I like this kid.”

“So that’s why you’re so heroic, huh,” Thomas asked, “you’re some kind of super heroes?”

Karen laughed again, “Oh please don’t feed his ego. It’s already big enough.”

“Quiet guys,” I said, “and stay alert. That’s the bridge straight ahead.”

Karen and Thomas followed my gaze. Sure enough, there was the bridge, barely visible in the darkness. There was a grove of trees just off to the side.

“What now?” Karen whispered.

“I dunno,” I replied in a whisper as well. “Thomas, what do I do now?”

“Go stand on the bridge and wait,” he answered. “One of them will show up soon enough. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

I nodded, and I made my way up to stand on the end of the bridge closest to me. Almost as soon as I had, a figure emerged from the trees at the opposite side. He was wearing khakis, a white shirt, and a long-tailed tan coat. He wore an Academy Duel Disk on his left wrist. He remained far enough away that a large part his face remained shrouded in shadows, obscuring his features.

“You here to challenge the card takers?” he asked.

“I am.”

“Then present your favorite card,” the figured demanded. “The winner of this duel will receive his opponent’s favorite card as a reward.”

“I present ‘The Fiend Megacyber’,” I said. I held the card up for my opponent to see.

“And I present ‘Freed the Brave Wanderer’-.”

“Forget that,” I said. “I don’t want [i]your[/i] card. If I win, you give back all the cards you’ve won. Return them to their original owners.”

The figure smiled and looked over his shoulder. I noticed a second figure there in the darkness where the first figure was looking. He was a few inches shorter than the first, about my height, wearing a dark gray t-shirt, a brown over shirt, and dark blue jeans. “I was wondering when you would show up,” he said, taking a few steps forward. “You’re John, right? Leader of the Duel Force?”

“Yeah,” I answered, beaming with pride.

“The same John of the Duel Force who defeated Yami, the leader if the Duelists of the Order of the Divine Cards?” he asked.

For the second time in ten minutes, I was shocked by another person’s knowledge. “How do you know about that?” I demanded. It occurred to me that these two might themselves be Order agents. I summoned darkness into my new Duel Disk, transforming it into a sleeker, collapsible version of the sword-like Dark Disk, causing Thomas to gasp.

“Calm down,” said the first figure. “We’ve had some dealings with the Order is all. We were grateful when you beat Yami. When he was defeated, everyone under his influence was freed, including us.”

“We’ve wanted to test ourselves against the Duelist who defeated Yami for years,” the second figure said, “and we’ve been training for years to prepare for the day when we would. When we heard that that Duelist was here, enrolled in Duel Academy, we created a situation where his heroic personality would bring him right to us in our own version of a Shadow Game. It may not use magic, but it has consequences.”

I concentrated, and the Soul of Darkness flashed black-light purple. [i]The Soul says they’re telling the truth,[/i] I thought, [i]but it also says that they’re still hiding something. I need to be careful.[/i]

[i]Either way it’s about time I met some of Marik’s former minions,[/i] I reasoned. [i]After all it was bound to happen eventually.[/i]

“Are we going to duel or not?” I demanded, activating my Neo Dark Disk.

“Of course we are,” said the first figure, “but if you want us to return all of the cards we won, you’ll have to defeat us both, one after another. We duel with eight thousand Life Points.”

“Fine by me on all counts,” I said. “Now let’s get started. I summon one of my newest monsters, the demonic rider, ‘Stygian Street Patrol’.” A demon in black armor, riding a white and black motorcycle with a demonic face on the front appeared. The headlights of the motorcycle began flashing like police lights (ATK: 1600).

“And I finish up with a face-down card,” I concluded. “Go ahead and take your turn, but I’ve already got this duel won.”

I was confident. I had underestimated my opponent, I just didn’t know it yet.

“For my turn,” my opponent announced, “I activate the Spell card ‘Solar Recharge’, discarding ‘Ehren, Lightsworn Monk’ to draw two cards, and send the top two cards of my deck to the Graveyard.” I watched with interest as my opponent discarded a monster that, as far as I could tell in the dark, was ‘Jenis, Lightsworn Mender’, as well as a Spell card, ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’.

[i]Lightsworns, is it?[/i] I thought. [i]I don’t know much about the rare Lightsworn archetype, except that almost every card in it mills your own deck. They’re strong, but very risky.[/i]

“Next,” My opponent declared, “I activate the Spell card ‘Foolish Burial’, discarding ‘Wulf, Lightsworn Beast’ from my deck. ‘Wulf’ has an effect. When he’s discarded directly from my deck, he’s Special Summoned to the field.”

A white-furred werewolf wearing silver armor appeared, carrying a long-handled axe. He roared (ATK: 2100).

“I’ll also summon ‘Jain, Lightsworn Paladin’,” my opponent continued. A knight in silvery armor appeared, carrying a sword, standing at ‘Wulf’’s side (ATK: 1800).

“‘Wulf’ attacks,” my opponent declared, and the werewolf raised his axe and charged.

“Reveal,” I commanded, “face-down Trap card ‘Dimensional Prison’, removing your monster from the game.”

The space in front of the rampaging werewolf opened up, and he fell into the opening, disappearing from play.

“I attack with ‘Jain’,” my opponent declared. “When ‘Jain’ attacks, he gains three hundred Attack during the damage step (ATK: 1800+300=2100).” ‘Jain’ slashed with his sword, sending a pulse through my monster, splitting it in half, motorcycle and all (8000+1600-2100=7500).

“I set two cards,” my opponent declared, “and end my turn. During the End Phase, the effect of ‘Jain’ activates, sending the top two cards from my deck to my Graveyard.” My opponent discarded two more cards. I couldn’t make out what they were. As far as I was concerned, it didn’t matter. It was my turn again, and everything was going according to plan.

“I draw,” I declared. “Now watch. I can remove ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon any Fiend monster with two thousand or less Attack from my hand. The monster I choose to Special Summon is ‘Diskblade Rider’.”

A green-skinned fiend in blue armor and padding appeared, riding a motorcycle, carrying a sharp-edged disk in his free hand (ATK: 1700).

“But I’m not finished,” I continued. “I activate the Spell card ‘One for One’. I discard ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ to Special Summon a Level One monster from my deck.”

I fanned out my deck, chose a card, and placed it on my Duel Disk. “Show yourself, ‘Level Eater’!” A beetle roughly the size of a beagle appeared. Its shell was colored like a Level Star from a Duel Monsters card. It opened its wings and rose into the air, hovering at my motorcyclist’s side (ATK: 600).

“I tribute both of my monsters,” I continued, “to summon a legendary card, the ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’!”

‘Diskblade Rider’ and ‘Level Eater’ disappeared, and were replaced by a large, fierce black dragon with piercing red eyes (ATK: 2400).

I smiled, “My monster puts yours to shame. ‘Red-Eyes’, destroy the ‘Lightsworn Paladin’ with Black Fire Bullet!”

My monster launched a fireball from its mouth at the opponent’s monster.

“From my hand,” my opponent declared, “I activate the effect of ‘Honest’. I send ‘Honest’ from my hand to my Graveyard to increase my monster’s Attack by an amount equal to the opposing monster’s Attack.”

An angelic warrior appeared, fading away. As he did, ‘Jain’ was wreathed in a brilliant light. Wings made of rainbow light spouted from his back. He rose into the air and shot straight through the oncoming attack (1800+2400=4200). He flew forward and slashed through my dragon (7500+2400-4200=5700).

“One clever move isn’t enough to win this,” I said. “Your monster’s Attack returns to normal at the End Phase. And my monster’s not finished. He’s about to come back for seconds. I reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’ to return my monster to the field in attack position.”

“Reveal face-down card,” my opponent countered, “’Solemn Judgment’. I pay half of my Life Points to negate the summoning of your monster and send him back where he belongs (8000/2=4000).”

The black dragon disappeared in a flash of light. For the first time during the duel, I didn’t have any moves prepared. I wasn’t sure what to do.

“Now,” my opponent declared, “I activate ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.” He looked over his new hand and continued, “I set a card, and then I reveal the Trap card ‘Beckoning Light’. I discard the four ‘Lightsworn’ monsters making up my hand to return four monsters in my Graveyard to my hand. With four ‘Lightsworns’ in my Grave, I can finally Special Summon one of the monsters that I just recovered, and the strongest monster that the ‘Lightsworn’ archetype has to offer.”

There was an explosion of light, erupting into the sky behind my opponent. From the light emerged a massive dog-nosed dragon with four strong legs and broad wings. Its body was covered in white feathers. “Behold,” my opponent cried, “the almighty ‘Judgment Dragon’ (ATK: 3000)!”

I was speechless. I couldn’t take my eyes off of the dragon and its magnificent aura of light.

“Finally,” my opponent said, “I reveal my face-down card, ‘Megamorph’, doubling my monster’s size and strength!”

The dragon grew even larger (ATK: 3000x2=6000).

[i]I can’t believe this…[/i]

“‘Judgment Dragon’, attack!”

[i]I can’t believe this,[/i] I thought as the dragon inhaled, light building in the back of his throat, [i]I lost. I actually lost.[/i]

The dragon exhaled, bathing me in a destructive light. My Life Points fell to zero and I fell to my knees.

My opponent walked up and stood right in front of me. “I think you have something of mine,” he said.

Reluctantly, I removed ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ from my deck and handed it to him. Then I watched as the Card Takers disappeared into the shadows of the nearby forest.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]

Re-evaluation


“What just happened?” Thomas asked, taken aback.

“John,” Karen asked, “are you okay?”

I rose slowly to my full height and answered, “Yeah, I’m fine.” But I wasn’t fine. No matter how hard I tried to convince myself that I was fine, I just wasn’t fine. Ten minutes ago I was better than fine. My life couldn’t have gotten any better. But in the span of only one duel, everything had changed. My life couldn’t get any worse. I’d lost the duel [i]and[/i] my favorite card, the only Monster card that had been a part of my deck since I’d built it, and no matter how many times I milled it around in my head, I couldn’t figure out how.

My strategy hadn’t been any weaker than it had in my previous duels, and I was sure that my opponent hadn’t cheated. I had no idea what had gone wrong.

Karen and Thomas hadn’t moved once since the end of the duel. They seemed as shocked as I was.

“John, dude,” said Thomas, “I’m really sorry. If I hadn’t told you about this Card Taker thing, then you’d still have your card.”

I shook my head and forced a smile, “It’s alright. It’s just a card. Now come on. We should get back to our rooms. It’s late and we’re supposed to be under curfew.”

Without another word, I turned toward the distant High Dorm and started walking.

Karen knew that the last thing I needed was someone talking to me, but Thomas didn’t know me as well as Karen, and the kid really did feel like my current situation was his fault.

“I really am sorry,” Thomas repeated. “You fought great though. That guy just got lucky is-.”

“Thomas-,” Karen began.

“Thomas, really,” I said, “it’s okay. It’s not your fault. It’s mine. I was weaker than my opponent. I deserved to lose.”

“Come on John,” said Karen, “this isn’t a big deal. You’ll get ‘Megacyber’ back.”

“How?” I snapped, stopping abruptly and clenching my fists. “If I couldn’t win [i]with[/i] ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ in my deck, how can I win [i]without[/i] him?”

I forced myself to relax, and I started walking again. “Seriously,” I said, “I’m fine. Now can we please drop this?”

“Yeah,” said Karen, “sure.”

Thomas didn’t answer. He seemed deep in thought.

We walked together in silence until Thomas had to break off and head for Mid Dorm. We said goodnight and continued on our way.

“You really okay?” Karen asked.

“No,” I answered, “but it’s okay.” I shot her a smile that I hoped didn’t look as false as it was. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure this out. I always do.”

We walked the rest of the way to High Dorm in relative silence, making sure to make our way into the building as quietly as possible. If we were caught out of bed so late at night, we would be facing detention at the very least. We did have the shadowy powers of the Soul of Darkness to conceal us if anyone came close to seeing us, but thankfully we didn’t need it.

We said our goodnights to each other. Karen kissed me, but I barely noticed. Then we split off and headed into our own rooms. Despite the late hour, I knew I wouldn’t sleep. I lay back in bed and stared at the ceiling, still dwelling on my loss.

[i]I really wish Hiro were still around,[/i] I thought. [i]He’d be able to help me. But he’s long gone. It’s all up to me now. And from what I experienced tonight, I’m just not up for any of this. Maybe it would be better if I gave up now and went home.[/i]


I spent the night lying there, the same thoughts running through my mind again and again. I waited until the sun had been out for an hour or so, and then I got up, got dressed, and grabbed my things, heading for the school. I sat out in front, on the base of a stone depicting ‘M-Warrior #1’, until other students started to arrive. It was about then that I realized that class wasn’t really what I needed. I decided to skip class and take a walk in the woods instead, and I slipped away carefully, making sure not to be seen.

I wandered along the edge of the forest for a couple hours before I noticed that it was already getting dark. I scowled. I had been in enough shadow games to recognize when one was beginning. I hadn’t been paying attention, and now someone with a Shadow Item had trapped me in the edge of the Shadows. I barely noticed that this time felt a little different than most.

I transformed my black Academy Disk into the Neo Dark Disk and prepared to draw my blade if needed. All the while, I probed the Shadows around me for any weaknesses through which I could escape. Per usual, there were none. Whoever was attacking me was strong.

That’s when I saw him. He was standing in the deep shadows. All I could make out was a dark silhouette. He was wearing some kind of cloak.

“You’re feeling sorry for yourself,” the figure said in a gruff monotone. “That makes you weak. Don’t you realize that, as a Soul Guardian, you aren’t allowed to show weakness? It makes it so much easier for interested parties to take the Soul from you.”

“Who are you,” I demanded, “and what do you want?”

“I want to duel,” he replied. “If I win, the Soul of Darkness is mine.”

“What if I refuse?” I asked, already knowing the answer.

He answered, confirming my fears, “If you refuse, you die.”

I shrugged, “Fair enough. I accept your challenge. Make your move.”

“Gladly,” The figure said. He drew a sickle-shaped Duel Disk from behind his back, beneath his cloak, and strapped it to his wrist. What little light there was glinted off of its golden edge. “I begin by summoning ‘Zombie Master’ in attack mode,” he began. “‘Zombie Master’ battles using fallen spirits as weapons.”

A white-skinned young man with black eyes appeared, wearing tattered gray garbs and a tattered black cape. He raised his hand, and purple energy strands fell from his fingertips, plunging into the ground. Out of the ground rose a fearsome skeleton, attached to the strings like a puppet (ATK: 1800).

“I set two cards,” my opponent said, “and I pass.”

“Then here goes,” I said. I was prepared to draw my cards, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. [i]Come on![/i] I said to myself. [i]This is no time to have a crisis. I have to fight, no matter what![/i]

“I draw,” I declared, finally pulling my cards, looking at my hand. [i]Okay,[/i] I thought, [i]I can do this.[/i] “I summon ‘Giant Orc’ in attack mode, and I attack your ‘Zombie Master’ with club slam.”

A giant goblin carrying a bone club appeared (ATK: 2200). He raised his club and charged the other monster.

“Reveal,” my opponent declared, “the Trap card ‘Attack Reaping’, cutting the Attack of your monster in half.”

A hooded, ghostly grim reaper shot from the face of my opponent’s Trap, slashing my goblin (ATK: 2200/2=1100). ‘Zombie Master’ compelled the skeleton to attack. It crushed the ‘Orc’’s club and then sliced him in half with its bony fingers (8000+1100-1800=7300).

“You’re not half bad,” I said, feigning control.

“Interesting,” my opponent replied. “If only I could say the same of you. I’d heard good things. I guess what I heard was wrong.

“I draw,” my opponent said, beginning his second turn, “and I summon the ‘Goblin Zombie’.” A somewhat insect-like, brown-skinned, bipedal creature appeared, carrying a sword (ATK: 1100). “When ‘Goblin Zombie’ deals you damage, you have to discard the top card of your deck. ‘Goblin Zombie’, ‘Zombie Master’, attack!”

Both monsters struck (7300-1800-1100=4400). I discarded the top card of my deck without even looking.

[i]This is ridiculous,[/i] I thought. [i]I’m losing again. First I lost my favorite card, and now I’m gonna lose my Soul of Darkness, and maybe my life![/i]

I drew, “I set a monster.” I looked over my hand. It was a collection of cards that were completely useless in this situation. I scowled, “I end my turn.”

“Draw,” my opponent declared. “I begin by tributing both of my monsters to summon ‘Despair from the Dark’.” His two monsters disappeared and were replaced by a massive shadowy torso with long, razor-sharp claws. “Next I reveal my face-down card, ‘Tribute to the Doomed’, discarding one card from my hand to destroy my own ‘Despair’, letting me activate ‘A Deal with Dark Ruler’, summoning my ‘Berserk Dragon’.”

The shadow monster reformed, becoming a skeletal brown dragon with tufts of hair coming off of the back of its head (ATK: 3500). It launched a fireball at my face-down monster. The monster was revealed as the green-skinned, pike-wielding motorcyclist ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’, just before it was destroyed.

“My turn ends,” my opponent declared, “and my monster is drained of five hundred Attack (3500-500=3000). If you were ever going to turn this around, it would be now.”

I drew a card, the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’. I looked over the rest of my hand. All I had left was ‘Dimension Fusion’, ‘Summoned Skull’, ‘Return from the Different Dimension’, and ‘Polymerization’.

[i]It’s over,[/i] I thought. [i]I’ve lost again.[/i]

“Is this really it?” my opponent asked, shocked. “I thought you were supposed to be powerful. Able to fight at the level of any other Duelist. What happened? So you lost one duel. Big deal. Push through it and suck it up! There are bigger things in the world than losing one game of cards! Think, and maybe you’ll actually find a way to survive the next turn.”

Suddenly, it was like something in the back of my mind snapped into place. I realized that if my opponent could see how messed up I was, I should be able to see it too, and then I could! Things that had been hazy were suddenly clear. Nothing had changed, except my perception. I’d been so full of myself for so long that I’d started to make a habit of not noticing what was going on all around me! For one thing, even though the cards in my hand hadn’t changed either, a single previously-missed detail would be the key to turning this duel around in my favor. I checked the cards in my Graveyard, and I smiled.

“Sorry, but my luck’s about to change. It’s thanks to you, really. When you attacked with your ‘Goblin Zombie’, you sent my ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ to the Graveyard.

“I activate ‘Monster Reborn’,” I declared, “to call my dragon back from the dead, and onto the field.”

A glowing red ankh appeared, blossoming out and becoming the black dragon (ATK: 2400).

“Next,” I continued, “I activate ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Red-Eyes’ on the field with ‘Summoned Skull’ in my hand.” The skull demon appeared, merging with the mighty dragon, becoming a dragon with a thick, muscular, solid, skeletal-armored body and piercing red eyes. “Form,” I commanded, “the ‘Black Skull Dragon’ (ATK: 3200), and I attack and destroy ‘Berserk Dragon’ with Black Fire Meteor!”

‘Black Skull Dragon’ breathed a barrage of fireballs that blew the enemy monster away (7500+3000-3200=7800).

“Enough,” I said. I deactivated my Duel Disk, and my monster disappeared with a roar, becoming wisps of thick, black smoke. “You might as well show me your face. I know it’s you, Max.”

My surroundings grew brighter as the Shadow Game ended, if it had ever really been a shadow game to begin with. One of my biggest fears since losing to the Card Takers was that someone would force me into a shadow game before I could recover. Max has the power to make people’s fears come to life. The light hit my opponent, revealing his appearance as he stepped toward me. He was wearing a dark gray, almost black long sleeve t-shirt, black cargo pants, and a black cloak. He wore a cloth mask over his mouth and nose. The cloak was fastened around his neck by a golden clasp. Embedded in the clasp was the amber-colored Soul of Life.

He lowered his hood and pulled his mask from his face. His blond hair was shorter than it had been the last time I'd seen him, and it showed signs of having been self-cut, but otherwise, he hadn’t changed at all.

“Do you know now why you lost?” Max asked.

“Yeah,” I replied, “thanks. But how did you know?”

“Well,” Max answered, “I figured that I still owed you my life. When I heard that you were going to be attending a school filled with Duelists, I decided to come by. With so many Duelists around, something was bound to happen at some point that would give me an opportunity to repay my debt. In case you were wondering, we’re even now.”

“You sticking around?”

“No,” Max replied. Then we smiled and gave me a slight wave. “Say ‘hi’ to Karen for me,” he said, and he disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

I was filled with new purpose. I knew what was wrong, and I knew what I could do to fix it. I turned around, and I ran for the school.


I didn’t have a chance to meet up with Karen until after school, and despite the fact that I was the one looking for her, it was Karen who found me. I was looking around near the entrance to High Dorm as the twilight sunk in.

“Where were you?” I asked. “It’s getting dark. I was worried.”

“I was doing some work after class,” Karen answered. “I want to get ahead early on-.”

“Wait a minute, okay?” I cut in. “I have something important to say. I know what I did wrong now. I was arrogant, and it was changing me. I forgot how to respect my opponents and enjoy the game, and I lost because of it. But I’m back, and I’m gonna get my card back.”

“That’s great,” said Karen, “but if you’d let me finish, you’d know that, after class, as I was heading back here, I ran into Thomas. He was going on about feeling responsible for you losing your monster, and he said that he was going himself to get it back [i]for you![/i] I knew I couldn’t do anything to stop him, so I came to find you.”

[i]No,[/i] I thought, [i]that idiot! I told him it wasn’t his fault![/i]

“We have to stop him. He’s too worked up. The Card Takers will tear him apart!”

I broke into a run, heading straight for the bridge, but I knew I wouldn’t make it. I was already behind, and I could see the flashes of light from various attacks in the distance, shining through the trees. The duel had already begun.

I wrestled for a moment with the possibility of using the Soul of Darkness to take me right to Thomas, but I was too distracted to make sure that no one was watching. I couldn’t let anyone I didn’t trust see the Soul in action. So instead, I ran faster, Karen at my heels.

We ran past Low Dorm, the sunlight growing dimmer, and the bridge coming into sight. We arrived at the bridge, just in time to see the Lightsworn Duelist summon ‘Judgment Dragon’ and attack for the win.

Thomas saw us, turned sorrowfully toward me and said, “Sorry John. I tried to get your card back, but I wasn’t strong enough.”

I started to reply, but it was at that moment that the Lightsworn Duelist stepped up to Thomas and said, “I think you have something of mine.”

Thomas held out his card, the ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’, but I swatted his hand down before the Lightsworn Duelist could take it. I stepped between Thomas and his opponent.

“Don’t bother,” I said. “If you take his card, it’ll just mean you’ll have to give it back later. I’m challenging you to a rematch.” I looked over the first figure’s shoulder at the second figure. “I’m challenging both of you, for mine and Thomas’ cards, and every other card that you’ve won.”

“We already have your favorite card,” the second figure stated. “What will you ante?”

I smiled, “Something you can’t resist. I ante every single Duel Monsters card I own.”

“What?” Thomas asked, surprised.

“John,” said Karen, “you can’t be serious!”

I smiled, “I am.”

“In that case,” said the Lightsworn Duelist, “let the rematch begin.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]

The Rematch


“I’ll start us off,” my opponent said. “I activate ‘Charge of the Light Brigade’, sending the top three cards of my deck to the Graveyard,” he discarded ‘Realm of Light’, ‘Jain, Lightsworn Paladin’, and ‘Lightsworn Barrier’, “to move a ‘Lightsworn’ monster from my deck to my hand,” he sifted through his desk and chose a card. “Next,” he continued, “I activate ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards and then discarding two.” He discarded ‘Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner’ and ‘Wulf, Lightsworn Beast’.

“I end my turn,” my opponent concluded, “by summoning ‘Jenis, Lightsworn Mender’ in defense mode.”

A young woman wearing a bright, lavish dress appeared, shielding her body with a barrier (DEF: 2100).

[i]This is when I made my mistake last time,[/i] I thought. [i]I did what one of a dozen amateurs might do. I only saw his monsters for what they were at face value. If I had taken into account that his true goal might have been to summon a trump card, I would have looked closer. Then I would have realized that there was actually a purpose for him discarding so many of his own cards, and I would have used the ‘Soul Release’ card that I had in my hand to remove his discarded cards from play.[/i]

[i]But this time around, I already know what’s coming, and I’ll be ready. This time I really do have this duel in the bag.[/i]

“I draw,” I declared, “and for my turn, I activate the Spell card ‘One for One’, discarding ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ to summon ‘Level Eater’ from my deck.”

The level-star-backed beetle appeared (ATK: 300).

“Now I tribute ‘Level Eater’ to summon the ‘Summoned Skull’!”

The beetle was vaporized in a bolt of lightning that spread out, becoming a massive skeletal demon with wings and huge claws. Lightning danced along his body (ATK: 2500).

“I attack with ‘Summoned Skull’,” I declared, “Lightning Strike!”

Lightning struck my monster and jumped from him to the target, shattering her barrier and vaporizing her.

“I set a card,” I said. [i]This is it. This is the moment of truth.[/i]

“It looks like my plan worked,” my opponent said. “By destroying ‘Jenis’ you placed a fourth ‘Lightsworn’ into my Graveyard, and with four ‘Lightsworn’ monsters in the Graveyard, I can summon my ultimate card. Show yourself, ‘Judgment Dragon’!”

A massive wave of light erupted from the ground behind my opponent, and the immense, beastly dragon emerged (ATK: 3000).

“Don’t think that your monster [i]or[/i] your Trap will stand in the way of my monster,” my opponent announced. “Nothing can save you from my final judgment. At the cost of one thousand Life Points (8000-1000=7000), I can banish every other card from the field. ‘Judgment Dragon’, Banishing Light!”

Light began building around the monster, threatening to explode outward and destroy everything besides the dragon. I smiled, “I thought so. I figured that a monster as powerful as ‘Judgment Dragon’ would have some kind of devastating effect designed to protect it from Trap cards. That’s why I was ready with this. Go, ‘Divine Wrath’!”

“No way!”

“I discard ‘Dark Master – Zorc’,” I continued, “to negate Banishing Light and destroy your monster.” I discarded my card, and an intense bolt of lightning fell from the sky, blowing the dragon away.

“I set two card,” I opponent declared, frustration in his voice. “Just because I lost my dragon, it doesn’t mean I’ve lost the duel.”

I smiled, “We’ll see.

“I draw,” I said, “and I activate the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’, letting us each draw until we hold six cards.”

I drew five card from my deck, [i]Bingo![/i]

“Activate ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying every Spell and Trap card on the field.” My opponent’s two face-down cards were swept away. I never saw what they were. “Next I tribute ‘Summoned Skull’ to summon ‘Great Maju Garzett’, a monster with twice the Attack of the sacrificed monster!”

The ‘Summoned Skull’ became smoke, which reformed into a massive brown skeletal demon, even larger than the last, with a crystal sphere in each shoulder, and a third in his forehead (ATK: 5000).

“I’ll also activate ‘Double Summon’, letting me summon my ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ from my hand.”

A green-skinned demon in red armor padding appeared, riding a mean-looking motorcycle, a pike in his hand (ATK: 1400).

“I remove two Spell cards in my Graveyard from play to increase my ‘Chaosrider’’s Attack by three hundred per card,” I explained. A green aura flared up around my monster (ATK: 1400+600=2000).

“Attack,” I commanded, “with Battle Pike!”

‘Chaosrider’ revved his engine and shot right past my opponent, slashing with his pike (7000-2000=5000). He circled around and rode back to my side.

“And I finish it,” I declared, “with the attack of my ‘Great Maju Garzett’, Vile Energy!”

‘Great Maju Garzett’ unleashed a black beam from his palm, overwhelming my opponent and bringing his Life Points to zero.

“Yeah,” I cried triumphantly, “I’m back!”

“Don’t get too confident,” the second figure said, trading places with his associate. “You still have to defeat me too. And at this point, I’ve seen enough of your deck to understand your strategy. I know that you don’t have what it takes to win.”

“If you’re so sure,” I said, “then why don’t you make the first move?”

“Don’t mind if I do. And I think I’ll start big with a Field Spell card, and possibly the most powerful card in my deck, the ‘Magical Citadel of Endymion’.”

Our surroundings changed. Suddenly my opponent, our friends and I were in a gleaming golden city, arcane symbols formed of light swimming through the air along paths like ribbons. Behind my opponent, a massive golden tower formed from nothing. I examined the city in awe. I’d heard of this card, but I’d never actually seen it in action before.

“I’ll also summon,” my opponent declared, “‘Defender the Magical Knight’ in defense mode.” A wizard knight in blue armor shaped like robes appeared. He carried a large rectangular shield, strapped to his left arm, a jewel embedded in the center. He carried a dagger in his right hand. He raised his shield in a defensive pose (DEF: 2000).

“When my monster is Normal Summoned he gains a Spell Counter,” my opponent explained, and the crystal in ‘Defender’’s shield lit up.

“I set two cards,” my opponent concluded, “and end my move.”

“Then here I go,” I said. “I draw, and I place a card face-down. Then I summon my ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’.” The dual-bladed warrior appeared, holding his blades up, ready to strike (ATK: 1600). “I equip ‘Marauder’ with ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’, raising his attack strength by eight hundred.” The three-pointed blade on my monster’s right arm remolded into a longer, single-pointed blade, extending until it was the length of his arm (ATK: 1600+800=2400).

‘Twin-Sword Marauder’ crossed his swords and shot forward, toward the enemy monster. He swung his two swords in tandem.

“I remove the Spell Counter from my monster,” my opponent announced, “to prevent his destruction.”

The red crystal in the monster’s shield went dark, and a purple, transparent energy barrier appeared, deflecting my monster’s blades.

“Whether I destroyed your monster or not,” I explained, “I still deal piercing damage (8000+2000-2400=7600). And when my monster attacks a defense mode monster, it can attack again.”

The energy shield faded away, giving my monster a clear path to its target.

“Attack,” I commanded, “with Double Blade! This time your monster can’t save itself.”

My opponent didn’t flinch. “Reveal,” he declared, “the Continuous Trap card ‘Pitch-Black Power Stone’, creating three new Spell Counters.”

“Nice try,” but I know that your ‘Defender’’s effect can only be used once per turn.”

“I didn’t plan on using his effect. Reveal, ‘Radiant Defense’. I remove a Spell Counter from a card that I control to prevent my monster’s destruction and draw a card.”

As he drew the aforementioned card, a spherical Spell Counter emerged from the hologram of my opponent’s Trap, blossoming out into a spiral of light that surrounded his monster, deflecting my monster’s blades (7600+2000-2400=7200).

But more importantly, the swirling light lit up my opponent’s face. For the first time, I got a good look at my opponent’s eyes. They were fierce and confident. Completely unfaltering. It was then that I realized just how much trouble I was in.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]

The Spell Counter Army


“It’s my turn again,” my opponent said, drawing his next card.

I smiled a bit and reminded myself, [i]Just because this guy’s confident, it doesn’t mean he’s better than I am. I can’t let him shake me.[/i]

“I summon,” my opponent declared, “the sorceress, ‘Magical Exemplar’.” A young woman in a pale green dress appeared, glowing in the light of the magnificent golden ‘Citadel’ (ATK: 1700).

“‘Magical Exemplar’,” my opponent explained, “gains two Spell Counters each time a Spell card is played. So I play ‘Spell Power Grasp’.” He raised his hand up above his head, and a glowing orb appeared in the air above his palm. “This card lets me create a Spell Counter and place it on any card I choose. A card like ‘Magical Citadel’. And because of ‘Citadel’’s and ‘Exemplar’’s effects, three more Spell Counters are created as well.” The original Spell Counter rose into the air and split into four. Two joined the orbs already circling the ‘Citadel’’s tower overhead, and two lowered and hung in the air above ‘Magical Exemplar’. “I also get to add another ‘Spell Power Grasp’ to my hand, even though I can’t activate it this turn.

“Next,” my opponent declared, “I move the second of three Spell Counters from my ‘Pitch-Black Power Stone’ to ‘Exemplar’ as well.”

A black crystal orb emerged from the Trap card and produced another Spell Counter before disappearing back into the Trap card from which it came. This new Spell Counter floated toward ‘Exemplar’, joining the other two.

“Finally,” my opponent declared, “I play ‘Pot of Greed’, letting me draw two cards, and producing three more Spell Counters: one for ‘Citadel’, and two for ‘Exemplar’.”

A third Spell Counter appeared, joining the ones already floating among the runes of light circling the ‘Citadel’. ‘Exemplar’ cupped her hands, and two more Spell Counters appeared in her palms, rising into the air to join the ones circling her as well.

I frowned, [i]This guy’s building Spell Counters for a reason. What is he planning?[/i]

It wasn’t long before my silent question was answered.

“By removing five Spell Counters from ‘Exemplar’,” my opponent declared, “I can summon a Spellcaster from my hand whose level equals the number of Spell Counters removed.”

The five Spell Counters that hovered above ‘Exemplar’ came together, blossoming out into an arcane circle.

“Come forth, ‘Magical Disenchanter’!”

From the circle emerged a second sorceress, wearing blue robes, carrying a staff.

“But my ‘Disenchanter’ won’t be around for long. She’s only a sacrifice. Activate ‘Magical Dimension’!”

A coffin-like box appeared, suspended in the air by a series of chains attached to a steel frame. The box opened, and ‘Disenchanter’ floated inside. The coffin closed, and there was a brilliant flash. When the coffin opened again, a new monster appeared, wearing armor resembling a sorcerer’s robes and carrying a sword.

“With the effect of ‘Magical Dimension’,” my opponent declared, “I summon ‘Breaker the Magical Warrior’ (ATK: 1600), [i]and[/i] I destroy any one monster.”

‘Breaker’ swung his sword as the coffin and frame faded away. His sword produced a wave of energy that split my ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’ in half.

[i]This can’t be good…[/i]

“Now I change my ‘Defender’ to attack mode (ATK: 1600), and I attack,” my opponent declared. “Breaker attacks first. Attack with Magical Slash!”

‘Breaker’ swung his sword, unleashing a wave of light that seemed to cut the air as it powered toward me.

I smiled.

“Time to make [i]your[/i] power work for [i]me[/i],” I said. “Reveal, face-down card ‘Mirror Force’, reflecting your attack back to destroy all of your monsters!”

A reflective barrier appeared ahead of me. It caught and dispersed ‘Breaker’’s attack, three bolts of light pouring from it toward my opponent’s three monsters.

“I can protect my monsters too,” my opponent said. As he spoke, the jewel embedded in defender’s shield flashed, and a barrier appeared around each of his monsters. “When I played ‘Magical Dimension’,” my opponent explained, “two new Spell Counters were given to ‘Exemplar’, and another Spell Counter was added to my ‘Citadel’, giving it six. I remove the two Counters from ‘Exemplar’ and the last Counter from my ‘Power Stone’, destroying ‘Power Stone’, to activate ‘Defender’’s effect and protect [i]all three[/i] of my monsters.”

“No way,” I said as the reflected attacks were reflected once again by the barriers, veering downward and hitting the ground, “I didn’t know ‘Defender’’s effect could be used like that!” I smiled, “This duel is starting to get interesting.”

“Glad I could entertain you,” my opponent said, smiling as well.

[i]My opponent’s enjoying himself just as much as I am,[/i] I thought. [i]Even more interesting.[/i]

“You may have prevented one of my attacks,” my opponent said, “but I have two monsters left. I’ll skip the formalities and attack with both.”

‘Defender’ ran forward and slashed me with his dagger (8000-1600=6400). Moments later, ‘Exemplar’ summoned a green light into her hands and fired it at me, hitting me in the chest (6400-1700=4700).

Finally my opponent said, “I end my turn.”

I looked up at the ribbons of symbols swirling overhead, carrying six Spell Counters like driftwood in a river rapid.

[i]Come on John,[/i] I thought, [i]think. This guy is building up Spell Counters. Why?[/i]

I scowled, [i]I can’t be sure of his strategy, except that his Spell Counters are important to it. I have to force him to use them up.[/i]

“I draw,” I declared. I looked at my newest card, [i]Perfect![/i] “I discard ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ to activate ‘Lightning Vortex’, destroying all of your face-up monsters.”

[i]Now he’ll be forced to use up three more Counters saving his monsters.[/i]

But to my surprise, my opponent said, “No problem.” A moment later three bolts of lightning fell from the sky, vaporizing his monster. I was shocked, to say the least.

My opponent chuckled, saying, “Sorry, but I won’t let you get rid of my Spell Counters that easily. And don’t forget that [i]your[/i] Spell gives my ‘Citadel’ [i]another[/i] Spell Counter, for a grand total of seven.”

“Seven Spell Counters or not,” I said, “you have no monsters and no face-down cards. I summon ‘Stygian Street Patrol’.”

The demon appeared riding his white and black motorcycle (ATK: 1600).

“‘Stygian Street Patrol’ attacks,” I declared, and the headlights on the motorcycle flashed, emitting beams that sliced my opponent along the torso (7200-1600=5600).

“That ends my turn. Now show me what you’ve been planning.”

“Not yet,” my opponent said. “I plan on beating you before I have to reveal my full strategy.”

“It won’t be easy,” I replied.

My opponent smiled and raised an eyebrow, “Maybe. Maybe not. Either way I activate my second ‘Spell Power Grasp’, placing two more Spell Counters on my ‘Citadel’.”

My opponent held his hand up above his head, and two more Spell Counters formed, rising into the air to join the rest, making a total of nine.

“I search my deck for my third and final copy of ‘Spell Power Grasp’,” my opponent said, fanning out his deck and choosing a card. “Next I activate ‘Monster Reborn’, summoning ‘Breaker the Magical Warrior’ back from the Graveyard.”

A glowing red ankh appeared, blossoming out and becoming the armored ‘Breaker’.

“I tribute ‘Breaker’,” my opponent continued, “to summon my favorite card.”

‘Breaker’ glowed with a bright red light. He faded away, but the light didn’t. Within that light appeared a figure wearing angular crimson armor with golden trim on his shoulders, over crimson robes. He wore a golden armor helm, and he had a Spell-Counter-like crystal in the armor of each shoulder. In his right hand he carried a golden wizard’s staff with a crimson hook on the end, a red crystal suspended within it.

“Rise up,” my opponent said, “my ‘Dark Red Enchanter’!

“When ‘Enchanter’ is summoned,” my opponent continued, “he gains two Spell Counters, and for each Spell Counter, he gains three hundred Attack.”

Two Spell Counters appeared, absorbing into the crystals in ‘Dark Red’’s shoulders (ATK: 1700+600=2300).

“‘Dark Red Enchanter’ attacks ‘Stygian Street Patrol’,” my opponent declared, “Crimson Magic Attack!”

Waves of red light poured from ‘Dark Red’’s staff-tip, slicing my monster to pieces (4700+1600-2300=4000).

“Now,” my opponent said, “I activate my ‘Dark Red Enchanter’’s effect, removing two Spell Counters from my ‘Citadel’ to pay the cost, destroying the last card in your hand.”

‘Dark Red’’s staff flared, and a hologram of the card in my hand appeared in the air ahead of me and was destroyed. I discarded my card, leaving me with absolutely nothing.

“Remember,” my opponent said, “even if you do manage to draw a good card, you can’t summon a monster stronger than ‘Dark Red’ without the use of a Spell card, and every Spell card played only makes him stronger.” He was smiling, his face full of confidence. His monster stood looking down at me, his arms crossed and his face stern.

[i]This could be my last turn,[/i] I thought. [i]This guy’s just as good as me. I’m forced to leave this entire duel up to chance. And if I lose again, my life as a Duelist is over! That’s something I can’t let happen![/i]

I realized that despite my situation, I was smiling. I was enjoying the challenge. It was something that the overconfident me had forgotten how to do. I’d become the kind of Duelist that I hated. The kind who would say that he enjoyed dueling, when he really only wanted to keep dueling to make himself look better in the eyes of others. Any duel that couldn’t help me achieve my goal seemed boring and pointless.

I looked over my shoulder at Karen and Thomas. Even Thomas seemed excited. They were both swept up in the exhilaration that came from going head to head against a skilled opponent.

This was what made dueling different from other games. This was what made dueling worthwhile. This was what I’d allowed myself to forget by becoming someone that I wasn’t.

But that was then. Now, I was myself again. I was a real Duelist, and I would continue to fight as a Duelist, even if it meant my defeat.

“I draw,” I declared, and as my card left its place atop my deck, I smiled. My will had been to continue fighting, and remarkably enough, my deck provided me with the means to do so.

“Let’s see if my luck has turned around as much as I think it has,” I said. “I play the Spell card ‘Card of Sanctity’. You may get a couple more Spell Counters and a few more cards (Enchanter’s ATK: 2300+300=2600), but I get a whole new hand, and a second chance.”

I drew, and I knew then that the duel was just beginning.

“I remove ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ in my Graveyard from play,” I declared, “to Special Summon a Fiend. A Fiend like ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’.”

A bulbous-bodied fiend warrior in blue armor that didn’t cover nearly enough of his body to offer any protection appeared, carrying a short sword and a buckler (ATK: 1800).

“I tribute ‘Presider’,” I announced, “to summon my most powerful monster. The monster that defeated Yami. Arise,” ‘Presider’ melted into smoke, which reformed into the brown, skeletal demon with the spheres in his shoulders and his forehead, “the ‘Great Maju Garzett’! My monster has Attack equal to twice the Attack of the tributed monster (ATK: 1800x2=3600)!

“‘Great Maju’,” I commanded, “destroy the ‘Dark Red Enchanter’ with Vile Energy Blast!”

‘Great Maju Garzett’ released a wave of dark energy that spread across the field. When the darkness faded, ‘Dark Red Enchanter’ was gone (5600+2600-3600=4600).

“This is a whole new game,” I said defiantly. “I place one card face-down, and I end my turn.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eight]

Endymion, and the Truth of the Card Takers


My opponent was smiling. At first I thought that he was still just enjoying the duel, but then I realized that it was something more. He saw my monster, and he wasn’t worried. In fact, it was almost as if the appearance of my monster had strengthened his resolve. After several seconds, my opponent took a deep breath and drew a card, giving him seven.

“You’re strong,” he said. “Stronger than I expected. As strong as I’d hoped. But I’m going to win regardless. I can’t lose, not with my next card. Now, witness my full power!”

He raised a card over his head. The card shone with a brilliant light.

“I remove six of my Spell Counters from the Field Spell card ‘Magical Citadel of Endymion -.”

As he spoke, I looked up at the Counters swirling overhead. Something didn’t look right, so I counted, [i]One…two…three…four……eleven? How?[/i]

“Wait,” I interrupted, “you should only have eight Spell Counters left. How do you have eleven?”

My opponent smiled, “When a card with Spell Counters on it is destroyed while I control ‘Citadel’, those Spell Counters move to my ‘Citadel’. My ‘Dark Red Enchanter’ had three Counters on him when he fell, and three added to eight is eleven. More than enough. I continue. I remove six Spell Counters from my ‘Citadel’ to summon my most powerful card. Appear, ‘Endymion, the Master Magician’!”

Six of the eleven Spell Counters formed a large circle that floated above my opponent’s head. The Spell Counters flashed, and they connected, forming a ring of light. Across the width of the ring formed a swirling vortex. From it emerged a monster unlike any I’d ever seen.

He wore thick robes, folded into layers, so dark purple that they looked black until the light hit them just right. He wore a helm with wing-ears, and a flowing purple cape. Then eleven points across his body, on his waste, arms and chest, and one on his forehead flashed, and on them appeared gleaming, glistening, crystal Spell Counters. He held up his hand and gripped the air, and in a flash of light a staff appeared in the wizard’s hand. The staff was tipped with yet another large Spell Counter, resting in a curved hook.

As the staff appeared, a metal ring appeared, hanging in the air behind ‘Endymion’’s back. On the ring were eight Spell Counters, equally spaced in an alternating pattern with eight triangular Spell Counter crests (ATK: 2700).

“When ‘Endymion’ is summoned by his own effect,” my opponent explained, “I can return a Spell card in my Graveyard to my hand.” A card ejected from his Graveyard. I had no way of knowing what it was.

“Now,” my opponent declared, “I activate my ‘Endymion’’s second effect. I discard a Spell card, like ‘Spell Power Grasp’, to destroy one card on the field. ‘Endymion’,” my opponent commanded, “destroy ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

My opponent fed a card to his Graveyard, and ‘Endymion’ slashed with the tip of his staff, slinging a blade of light at the demon, slicing him to bits.

“Now I attack directly, Master’s Magic Attack!”

‘Endymion’ aimed his staff and released a blossoming wave of violet light. My Life Points plummeted (4000-2700=1300).

[i]Well,[/i] I thought, [i]that’s not good.[/i]

“I place two cards face-down,” my opponent concluded, “and I end my turn. You may have defeated my other monsters, but my ‘Endymion’ is unique. He won’t fall so easily.”

I drew a card, “We’ll see, because I’ve got an ace up my sleeve too. Meet a monster so controversial that I only summon it as a last resort. A monster so rare and so powerful that it is rightfully called a legend. I remove ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ and ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’ in my Graveyard from play to open the doors of chaos, where darkness and light meet. From that realm, I summon forth my ultimate trump card, the ‘Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning’!”

As I spoke, a swordsman in extravagant, shining black armor appeared, carrying a long curved blade and a shield bearing a symbol like a dragon’s head (ATK: 3000).

“My monster has an effect,” I said. “Once per turn, he can cut open the barrier between this dimension and the Different Dimension and send a monster through, out of play.”

My monster swung his sword, releasing a wave of light that literally cut open the sky above ‘Endymion’’s head. Slowly ‘Endymion’ was pulled toward this hole.

“I told you that my ‘Endymion’ would be difficult for you to kill,” my opponent countered, “and I meant it. Rather than let you defeat him, my monster sacrifices himself to activate the Spell card that I recovered, my ‘Magical Dimension’!”

The metallic frame appeared, the coffin suspended within it. The coffin opened and ‘Endymion’ fell into it. It slammed closed, remaining closed until the effect of my monster ended and the sky sealed up again.

“With the power of my Spell card,” my opponent continued, “I Special Summon ‘Apprentice Magician’ in defense mode and destroy your monster.”

A young man carrying a staff emerged from the coffin (DEF: 400), and the coffin disappeared. The young man raised his staff and my monster blew apart.

“Your ‘Endymion’ is gone,” I said, “and that’s what matters. I summon ‘Giant Orc’ and attack your monster.”

My monster, a giant gray-skinned, club-wielding goblin appeared (ATK: 2200) and lunged at ‘Apprentice Magician’, crushing him. Then my monster stumbled back and fell over, as if exhausted (DEF: 0).

“When ‘Apprentice Magician’ is destroyed,” my opponent explained, fanning out his deck, “I get to pick a low level Spellcaster and set it on the field.”

He set his monster, and a hologram of his face-down monster card appeared.

“I set a card,” I said, “and I end my turn. Show me what you have left, if anything.”

“You only presume that I’m out of options because you haven’t seen the full power of my ‘Endymion’ yet.”

I was confused, [i]What could he mean, “full power of ‘Endymion’”? I might not have destroyed ‘Endymion’ myself, but it’s gone, in the Graveyard, where it can’t use any of its effects. Isn’t it?[/i]

I was sure that ‘Endymion’ was gone, but I was in for a surprise. My opponent drew his next card and said, “Since I played ‘Magical Dimension’, my ‘Citadel’ has six Spell Counters on it again. I remove all of them to activate my ‘Endymion’’s final effect, summoning him back from the Graveyard!”

[i]No way![/i] I thought. The six Spell Counters formed a circle on the ground, and from within the circle ‘Endymion’ appeared. It was then that it finally clicked that ‘Endymion’, when combined with ‘Citadel’, was even more powerful that my ‘Black Luster Soldier’, and therefore stronger than any individual monster in my deck. All of my most powerful Monster cards were already used up, and if the Spellcaster face-down on my opponent’s field was the monster I thought it was, this duel could very well be over. I had two cards, but I needed both to win. If I was right and he destroyed one of my face-down cards with ‘Endymion’’s effect, I’d have a fifty-fifty shot of being left crippled. I was left waiting and watching, wondering what my opponent would do.

“When ‘Endymion’ is summoned by his own effect,” my opponent explained for the second time, “I can return a Spell in my Graveyard to my hand. I choose ‘Magical Dimension’. Next I flip-summon my ‘Old Vindictive Magician’, using his flip effect to destroy the ‘Orc’.”

An elderly, hunch-backed wizard in armor that resembled robes appeared. He slashed with his staff, and ‘Giant Orc’ was reduced to a cloud of thick black smoke.

[i]Damn,[/i] I thought. [i]He’s doing exactly what I was afraid he’d do. Fifty-fifty. Those are my chances. If he makes the right choice here, I loose.[/i]

“Now,” my opponent said, “I discard my ‘Magical Dimension’ to destroy the face-down card on the left.”

I breathed a relieved sigh and even as a white line appeared along the back of my card’s hologram, I called out, “Activate Trap card, ‘Waboku’. Even though my Trap is destroyed, it protects me from all damage this turn, buying me the time I need to turn this thing around and end this duel.”

[i]Granted,[/i] I thought, [i]that I draw the last card for my combo.[/i]

I drew. I didn’t get it. But I did get something almost as good.

“I play ‘Pot of Greed’,” I declared. I drew two cards, and I smiled.

“Reveal,” I declared, “the face-down Trap card ‘Return from the Different Dimension’. I pay half of my Life Points to re-summon every one of my monsters that have been removed from play.”

A rift appeared in the sky, and my ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’, ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’ and ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ emerged from it (ATK: 1500/ATK: 1600/ATK: 1600).

“Your monsters can’t beat me,” my opponent said. “Unlike some, I go for quality, not quantity.”

“Who said I was finished?” I asked, smiling a confident smile. “I play the Ritual Spell card ‘Contract with the Dark Master’, tributing ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ and removing from play ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’ in my Graveyard to summon the ‘Dark Master – Zorc’!”

A bare-chested demon wearing a blood red cape descended from above me, snarling menacingly (ATK: 2700).

“Once per turn,” I said, “my monster lets me roll a six-sided dice.”

I held up my palm, and I summoned shadows to me. They took form, becoming a transparent dark purple dice with the sign of the Soul of Darkness, the moon overpowering and encircling the sun, in place of a one. I tossed it, and it skidded across the bridge, stopping inches from my opponent’s feet.

“A one,” he said, holding up the dice and showing me my sign. He tossed it back to me, “No big deal, right?”

I caught the dice and smiled, “Wrong. You see, my ‘Dark Master –Zorc’ isn’t exactly what you would call a Duel Monster. He’s actually a boss monster from the game Monster World, a tabletop RPG. In monster world, a dice roll determines the modifier to the character’s attack each turn. The lower the roll, the higher the modifier. Rolling a one right now is like rolling a Super Critical.”

‘Zorc’ summoned a ball of fiery red light and swirling darkness into his palms and rose into the air, above the two Spellcasters.

“‘Zorc’,” I commanded, “destroy them, Zorc Black Magic, Dark Catastrophe!”

‘Zorc’ let fly with his special attack. The red and black energy blossomed out, vaporizing both of my opponent’s monsters.

“Now,” I said, “I attack with all three of my monsters.”

‘Marauder’ attacked, followed by ‘Stygian Street Patrol’, and then finally ‘Zorc’. My opponent’s Life Points fell to zero. He switched off his Duel Disk and walked over to stand near me. His friend followed. I got a good look at them both. The Lightsworn Duelist had sharp eyes and a generally neutral expression, with a thoughtfulness that seemed to hide just below the surface. My most recent opponent was more outwardly expressive. He had dark, intelligent, mischievous eyes and wore a confident smirk. He reached into his pocket and presented ‘The Fiend Megacyber’. I took it.

“Don’t worry,” he said, “we never really planned on keeping any of the cards we won. Once we’re finished here, we’re going to leave the cards where their owners will find them. That was always our plan.”

“We only bet cards,” the Lightsworn Duelist said, “so that we could bring out the best in our opponents.”

“And,” the Spell Counter Duelist continued, “so that we could draw [i]you[/i] out.”

“Regardless of your motives,” I said, “you didn’t have the right.”

The Spell Counter Duelist smiled, “Maybe not. But that’s not something that’s for you to decide.”

I frowned. He did have a point After all, I’m not the Duel Monsters police (what a silly idea!).

“Fine,” I said, “but if you try this again, I’ll be there to make sure you’ll never try it a third time. And I [i]will[/i] be paying attention. If you don’t return the cards you took, I’ll be back.”

Neither Duelist seemed all too worried, so I decided to give them something to worry about. I turned to my friends and said, “Let’s go.” My Soul of Darkness flashed, and the three of us disappeared.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nine]

Ria, the Eccentric Girl


I did some checking after a few days. I knew my opponent’s faces now. It was easy to discover their names. The Lightsworn Duelist was Shin, a Duelist with a reputation as a hard-hitting tournament competitor from the Southeastern United States. The other Duelist was Sky, a former US champion. Both Duelists had disappeared for several years following tragedies in their lives.

Typical Order member backstory.

I felt sorry for them, I really did, but that didn’t change the fact that they were jerks.

Luckily, it was easy enough to avoid them. They were staying in Mid Dorm, and we didn’t have any shared classes. If all went well, I would never see the Card Takers again. Either way, they were out of my hair, at least for a while. I could get back to my life.

I started to pay more attention in my classes. I still didn’t learn much, but at least I was finally giving Duel Academy a fair shake. Now that I wasn’t sleeping through my classes, I really started to notice the time I was spending away from Karen. I really missed her. I still had Thomas to keep me company, but as good a kid as he was, he was a little chatty.

Weeks passed. It came time for end of the quarter exams. Like with the entry exams, there was an extensively easy written portion, followed by a dueling portion. I was really looking forward to the dueling portion. So was Thomas. Karen wasn’t. She doesn’t like dueling much anymore. I’d known for a while that she was tired of the destruction that dueling represented. She’d caused so much as a member of the Order, and then later as a member of the Duel Force, and she wanted to create something for once. That’s why she’d gone into card design, and I really respected her for it, even if I didn’t quite understand it. But even card design students had to duel in their exams, even if it would count as less of their overall grade. I guess the professors thought that game deign students needed to know the game they were designing.

Every student would participate, and no student would have any control over who they faced. Neither would the teachers. Pairings would be completely random. Card design students would be mixed in with the rest. Karen didn’t think it was very fair. Neither did I, but there was nothing either of us could do. The Academy staff members had made up their minds.

I offered to whip up a little Shadow Magic and fix the pairings so that Karen would face me, but she figured that fixing results wasn’t really fair either. She decided to just let fate run its course.

There are two rooms inside Duel Academy that are set up specifically for dueling. One is like a large indoor stadium. It has one raised central arena surrounded by enough seats for the entire student body and all of the professors, and then some. The other is less extravagant. It is a large, open room with several Duel Disk arenas drawn on the floor. It’s the closest thing that Duel Academy has to an indoor school gym. This second room would be used for the dueling exams. Students who were finished with their duels, or who were waiting to duel, were welcome to hang around and watch their classmates compete.

My duel was early, against a kid named Mitchell. He used a Roid deck that relied on combinations for power. I knew this about the Roid archetype, but I still made the mistake of allowing one of his combos to sneak up on me. Now I was facing down a monster with incredible power. It was a massive tank-like drill with eyes and a face, a living weapon in the truest sense.

“My ‘Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill’ (ATK: 3000),” my opponent declared, “attacks and destroys [i]your[/i] monster.”

The huge drill-nosed monster bore down on my ‘Summoned Skull’, ripping him apart. My Life Points dropped (2700+2500-3000=2200).

“The star of High Dorm blue,” my opponent said, tugging on the tail of his yellow jacket, “is at the mercy of my ultimate combination machine monster. And because ‘Jumbo Drill’ was Fusion Summoned using ‘Vehicroid Connection Zone’, he can’t be destroyed by any card effects.”

I smiled, “But what you didn’t realize was that I know a thing or two about machine combo decks. My cousin uses one of the strongest machine Fusion decks in the world, and I have my fair share of machines myself. In fact, when I saw the direction that your strategy was going, I saved up the cards needed to create [i]my own[/i] machine Fusion monster. One that’s more powerful than yours.

“I play ‘Painful Choice’,” I declared, “choosing five cards from my deck and showing them to you. You add one to my hand, and I discard the rest.”

I fanned out my deck, and picked out the mechanical blue torso ‘X-Head Cannon’, the mechanical red dragon, ‘Y-Dragon Head’, the tiger-headed green and yellow jet, ‘V-Tiger Jet’, the flying blue missile pod, ‘W-Winged Catapult’, and the yellow tank with the stalk eye, ‘Z-Metal Tank’. My opponent, as a player who specialized in machine combinations, knew full well what was coming. With a look of frustration on his face he said, “Add ‘W-Winged Catapult’ to your hand.

I did, discarding the others.

“In that case, I summon ‘W-Winged Catapult’,” I said, and my monster appeared. “Next I activate ‘Soul Release’ to remove my other four magnet monsters from play, and I pay two thousand Life Points (2200-2000=200), activating 'Dimension Fusion', to summon the four of them to the field.”

The sky split open and the other four machines descended from it.

“Like your monsters,” I said, “my monsters combine. But unlike yours, mine don’t need a Spell card.”

As I spoke, my five machines transformed and combined into a tall, humanoid mecha with broad wings and various cannons placed across its body.

“Introducing,” I said, “my ‘VWXYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon’ (ATK: 3000). My monster can remove one card from play per turn. So this turn, I’ll remove from play your ‘Vehicroid’.”

The giant mecha fired its cannons on a special frequency that gave the beams an appearance of lightning. The cannon fire zapped the ‘Vehicroid’ and it disappeared.

“Now I attack,” I commanded, “with Cannon Firestorm!”

My monster fired its cannons one after another, hitting my opponent with each shot. His Life Points disappeared as quickly as his monster (2900-3000=0).

Mitchell scowled, “Oh man. I knew I’d lose. I knew it.” He turned and started walking away. I started to say something, but I was interrupted.

“Oh! My! God!”

I jumped, startled, and turned toward the source of this unexpected voice. What I saw surprised me. I’d never seen someone more excited before. She was jumping up and down, clapping her hands repeatedly.

“I can’t believe this! It’s you! It’s really you!”

I blinked thoughtfully, “Do I know you?”

“No,” the girl said, “but I [i]definitely[/i] know you. Oh my God! I heard you were going to school here. Of course I heard you were going to school here, since it’s why I decided to come. I heard it, but I’d never seen you! I’m your biggest fan in the world!”

I blinked again, out of confusion this time, and said, “I think you have me confused with someone else.”

“No! No I don’t. I know exactly who you are! You’re John. You were the leader of the Duel Force, and you won the Grand Championship last year! I was there. I was watching. You were amazing! I absolutely love you! I know everything about you!”

I frowned, “Well that’s just slightly creepy.”

Thankfully she didn’t hear me. She was jumping up and down squealing. Yes, that’s right, squealing.

“I’m Gloria,” the girl said, “but you can call me Ria. Everyone calls me Ria because, come on, who wants to be called Gloria? Anyway, oh my God! That was amazing. Your duel. It was amazing! I never thought I’d get to see you duel up close like that! I always wished, but I never thought it would happen!”

Then she looked calmly right into my eyes and asked, “Wanna pick up some coffee at the cafeteria and then go back to my room?”

“I, uh-.”

“John!”

[i]Oh man…[/i]

I turned around, toward the sound of this new voice, and there was Karen, jogging over to me, smiling.

[i]Oh man. There are so many ways that this could be unpleasant.[/i]

Karen reached me, “Hey. My duel’s coming up. I just got the name of my opponent. Someone named Gloria Hernandez.”

That’s when Karen noticed Ria. She looked her over from her dark hair and her olive skin down to her red uniform.

Then she looked over at me, “Who’s she?”

I frowned, [i]Here it comes.[/i]

“I’m Gloria,” Ria answered for me. “How do you know my man?”

“What? Your what?” Karen demanded, almost stammering.

“My man,” Ria answered. “Johnny and I are dating.”

“Hold on,” I said, backing away from Ria, “you, uh, asked me out, and I didn’t even get a chance to answer. And I was gonna say no.”

“I understand that you’re just saying that, Sweetie,” said Ria, putting her arms around me, “but you don’t have to hide our love anymore.”

I pushed her away, “Come on! We just now met.” I looked at Karen pleadingly. She looked mad. More so than I’d ever seen her. It was scary.

“You’re lucky I believe you, John,” Karen said. Then she seemed to have a realization, “Wait, Gloria? You’re my opponent?”

“I am if you’re Karen.”

“Yeah,” Karen said aggressively, “I am.”

“Well then,” Ria said, “that explains why you seem so worked up. You’re afraid to face [i]me[/i].”

“No way.”

“Oh yeah,” Ria pressed. “You’re scared [i]little girl[/i]. So why don’t you leave and let a [i]big girl[/i] take care of Johnny.”

Karen’s hands balled into fists and she seemed about ready to swing them. Ria wasn’t far behind.

“Okay ladies,” I said, stepping in between them, “let’s calm down. How about this, you two are supposed to duel, right? So how about if Karen wins, Ria, you have to stop, uh, propositioning me, but if Ria wins, she can ask me out all she wants.”

I shot Karen a look that said, [i]Not that I’d ever say yes.[/i]

Karen smiled in the distinctive way she does when she’s serious, “Fine.”

Ria smiled as well, “You’re on.”

“I’ll just hang out over here,” I said, “and make sure nobody kills anyone.”

“You’re going down,” said Ria. “Johnny’s mine.”

“We’ll see,” Karen replied, and one of the fiercest duels I’ve ever seen began.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Ten]

Karen vs. Ria


Karen went first. She isn’t usually very pushy, but she wasn’t really acting like herself at the moment.

“I’m gonna show you what I do with trash, Ria,” said Karen malevolently.

Ria seemed ready to respond, anger in her eyes, but I cut her off, “Be civil, ladies.” They seemed to calm down, if only for a while.

“I summon my ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’,” said Karen. A swordsman in a red suite appeared (ATK: 1700). “Too bad his sword’s only a hologram. I set a card and end my turn.”

“Swords are nothing to me,” said Ria. “I’m a black belt. I can snap swords with my bare hands, and so can my monsters.” She placed a card on her Duel Disk, and a young man appeared at her side, wearing simple garbs.

“Meet my ‘Monk Fighter’ (ATK: 1300). My monster’s weaker than yours, but in my hand is a Spell card that’ll change all that. My ‘Kaminote Blow’ might not raise my monster’s Attack, but it will allow my monster to automatically destroy any monster it battles this turn, just as easily as I’m going to destroy you!”

That’s when Karen responded with a word that I can’t repeat in good conscience.

And Ria responded with a series of words that I wouldn’t repeat in [i]bad[/i] conscience.

“Hey!” I snapped. “I said be civil, or I’ll make you be civil.”

“Fine,” said Ria, “but only because I still have to attack.” She gestured to her monster to change and commanded, “Go, smash it!”

‘Monk Fighter’ ran at ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’ and punched, just as the ‘Bodyguard’ stabbed with his sword. Both monsters were destroyed.

“Thanks to my monster’s effect,” Ria explained, “my Life Points are safe. And thanks to my Spell card ‘Return of the Doomed’, I can discard my ‘Combo Master’ to return ‘Monk Fighter’ to my hand. I set two cards and pass.”

“It doesn’t matter how many cards you set,” said Karen. “I reveal the Spell card ‘Monster Reborn’ and revive my ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’.”

As Karen’s monster emerged from a supernatural red light, Ria said, “In response, I reveal [i]my[/i] Spell card, ‘Quick Summon’, to summon back [i]my[/i] ‘Monk Fighter’. I also reveal the Trap card ‘Swift Dodge’, which prevents my ‘Fighter’ from being destroyed in battle or by card effects this turn!”

“I don’t plan on destroying your monster,” said Karen, her voice dripping with pride, “I plan on [i]taking[/i] your monster. I summon ‘Allure Queen’ in her Level Three form, and I use her effect to entice your ‘Monk Fighter’ to her side.”

‘Allure Queen’, an attractive young woman in a dark reddish dress appeared (ATK: 500). She summoned up a dancing flame. It circled the ‘Fighter’’s head and then floated back to the ‘Queen’’s side. ‘Monk Fighter’ followed, becoming a living shield devoted to protecting his new master.

“I attack,” said Karen, and both her ‘Queen’ and her ‘Bodyguard’ struck (4000-1700-500=1800). “Go.”

“I’m behind,” said Ria, “but I’m far from losing this duel.”

“You only have one card,” Karen spat.

“Not for long,” said Ria, a bit tauntingly. “I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards from the top of my deck. And I’ll follow up with ‘Bottom Draw’, drawing the bottom two cards of my deck as well.”

Two cards slid from the bottom of Ria’s deck, and she added them to her hand.

“Now,” said Ria, “I summon ‘Combo Fighter’, and I equip him with ‘Gust Fan’, raising his Attack by four hundred.”

A young, shirtless man appeared, wearing baggy pants with zigzagged stripes down the legs and a sash for a belt. He wore a headband bearing the same zigzag as his pants, and he carried the magical ‘Gust Fan’ tucked into his belt (ATK: 1600+400 =2000).

“‘Combo Fighter’,” Ria commanded, “attack ‘Allure Queen’.”

‘Combo Fighter’ flung himself through the air, kicking fiercely, but the ‘Allure Queen’ was calm. Moments before ‘Allure Queen’ would have been hit, ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’ threw himself between her and her assailant. He was soundly defeated by the attacker (4000+1700-2000=3700).

“Face-down,” said Ria. “Come and get me, [i]estupido[/i].”

“Don’t think I won’t,” said Karen. “As I draw, I sacrifice your ‘Monk Fighter’ to level up [i]my[/i] monster.”

‘Monk Fighter’ disappeared, and the ‘Allure Queen’ grew a few years older, more mature, and more enticing (ATK: 1000).

“Your deck’s kinda slutty, [i]poonta[/i],” said Ria.

“Come on,” I said, exasperated, “I told you to be civil.”

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’,” Karen continued, ignoring me and Ria, “to draw three cards, and then discard ‘Toon Alligator’ and ‘Comic Hand’.”

Ria smiled the way that a Duelist does when they’ve caught their opponent in a Trap. “Reveal,” she said, “the Trap card ‘Mirror Draw’! I pay five hundred Life Points (1800-500=1300) to draw as many cards as you just did!”

Ria drew three cards as well, the difference being that she didn’t have to discard anything after the fact.

“Anyway,” Karen said, annoyed, “now that my monster has leveled up, she can charm another monster.” ‘Allure Queen’ summoned up more fireballs, charming ‘Combo Fighter’ and drawing him over to Karen’s side of the field. Ria looked unhappy. Of course she’d [i]been[/i] unhappy, so it was a little hard to tell.

“Now,” said Karen, “my ‘Allure Queen’ attacks.”

‘Allure Queen’ released a barrage of fireballs that pelted Ria (1300-1000=300). Karen was close to victory. She knew she was close. But she wasn’t stupid. She knew as well as I did that this duel could easily reverse at any moment. So Karen came prepared.

“One face-down card,” Karen declared.

“Good,” said Ria sardonically, “I wouldn’t want you to seem [i]easy[/i]. I draw, and I play my [i]own[/i] ‘Graceful Charity’. I draw, and I discard ‘Legendary Black Belt’ and ‘Master Monk’. Next I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive the ‘Combo Master’ that I discarded turns ago.”

An older, more muscular incarnation of ‘Combo Fighter’ appeared (ATK: 2200).

“But I’m not finished,” said Ria. “I play ‘Cost Down’, discarding ‘Invigoration’ to lower the Levels of monsters in my hand by two during this turn. I tribute ‘Combo Master’ to summon my ultimate card, ‘The Ultimate Fighter’!”

‘Combo Master’ was replaced by a young man wearing an oversized hood and a championship belt, standing in a strong fighting stance. He reminded me of a character that you might see in a fighting game (ATK: 3000).

“Once per turn,” Ria explained, “I can remove a Level Six or lower Rock or Wind monster in my Graveyard from play to give ‘Ultimate Fighter’ the removed monster’s effect.”

Ria took a card from her Graveyard and placed it in her pocket.

“Now my monster attacks!”

“‘Combo Fighter’ protects his ‘Queen’,” Karen explained as the enticed warrior jumped in and absorbed ‘The Ultimate Fighter’’s powerful kick.

“You still take the hit,” said Ria, mockingly (3700+1000-3000=1700), “and because the monster I removed was ‘Master Monk’, ‘Ultimate Fighter’ can attack again. You lose little girl!”

‘Ultimate Fighter’ spun and punched right through the ‘Queen’’s torso, but Karen was unconcerned. She stood calmly with her arms crossed casually.

“Reveal,” said Karen, “the Trap card ‘Spirit Barrier’, reducing damage to my Life Points to zero.

“Now, I think it’s about time we ended this,” Karen continued. “My ‘Allure Queen’ may be gone, but she’s not forgotten. I play ‘Level Modulation’. You draw two cards, and in exchange [i]I[/i] get to summon my ‘Allure Queen LV5’ back from the Grave. And I follow up with ‘Level Up!’, evolving my monster to her Level Seven Form.”

‘Allure Queen’ reappeared, changing again along the same lines as her last transformation, once again aging and growing more physically appealing.

“But I’m still not finished,” said Karen. “I tribute ‘Allure Queen LV7’ to summon my most powerful monster,” ‘Allure Queen’’s dress changed slightly in some places and more obviously in others. Her hair fell free, flowing in an artificial breeze. Living flames danced around her, “Allure Queen LV10’ (ATK: 1700)!”

Ria took a deep breath. She knew it was over, but she wasn’t in any position where her pride would allow her to admit it.

“My monster can charm a monster of any level,” said Karen. “She charms yours.” Living flames appeared, dancing over to Ria’s field and lightly embracing the ‘Fighter’ in their warmth. When the flames started back toward their summoner, the ‘Fighter’ gladly followed.

“‘Allure Queen LV10’ is a little different than her previous forms,” Karen explained. “Where in her lower level forms she could only command the enticed monsters to defend her, ‘LV10’ can command them to attack alongside her as well, effectively increasing her Attack by three hundred plus the level of the enticed monster times one hundred (1700+(100x8 )=2800).

“Now that your field is clear,” Karen said, “I attack for the win.”

‘Allure Queen’ released a wave of living fire, and ‘Ultimate Fighter’ moved in close to deliver a powerful kick (300-2800=0).

Karen was proud. Ria looked more embarrassed than anything. I, however, was impressed. Ria had lost, and she wasn’t strangling anyone. She was just standing there with her head down. I went against everything I’d learned about her in the short time since we’d met.

[i]Oh man,[/i] I thought, [i]I hope she doesn’t start crying or something. I’m not even good with people I[/i] know [i]who [i]start crying[/i][/i].

I walked over to her, leaving Karen to revel in her victory. “Ria, you okay?” I asked, ready to bolt if things got too weird.

“Damn,” said Ria. She looked up at me, and I could see that she had something heavy on her mind. “I really did think that I was the only girl good enough for you. But now it looks like I could be wrong.”

“Yeah,” I said, “Karen’s something special.” By now Karen had moved and was standing just behind me, though I didn’t know it. “She’s smart and strong. I’m not gonna lie, I’m glad she won, but I’d also be glad if you’d agree to spend some time with Karen and I and our friend Thomas. Try being my friend instead of my fan.”

“I guess I could live with that,” said Karen, though her response was less than enthusiastic.

“See,” I said, “everyone likes the idea. What do you say?”

Ria smiled, a silent yes. Then her face hardened abruptly and her cockiness returned, “Don’t be [i]loco[/i]! Why would I wanna hang with [i]her[/i]. Johnny, when you’re ready to be with a [i]real[/i] woman, come find me.”

She turned and walked away, “This ain’t over!”

“Weird girl,” said Karen.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “weird.”

“Hey,” I heard Thomas call from behind me, his voice muffled. He stepped up beside us and over to the bleachers to my right, carrying three bags of potato chips in his teeth and balancing five various cafeteria deserts awkwardly in his arms. “My duel already happened. I won. Heard you guys just went. Did I miss anything?”

He set all that he was carrying down on the bleacher bench, picked up one of the bags of chips, and pulled it open. I snatched it from him, grabbing a chip and popping it into my mouth.

“Man,” I said, “you have no idea.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eleven]

Advancing Darkness


[b]5:44 AM[/b]

Two men stood near a dock, looking out over the ocean. The Duel Academy building was visible behind them in the distance through the mist of early morning. The men stood to either side of a metal dolly, waiting. They wore white caps and denim jumpsuits that had Duel Academy logos on the chests.

“Bad enough we had to come all the way out here so early to pick up this shipment,” said one of the men, “but now they’re late, so we gotta wait too.”

“Stop complaining,” said the second man. He was older, in his late forties, with a graying mustache. “Cleanup and maintenance work, and yes, picking up shipments, isn’t glamorous work, but we work on an exotic island, and these Duel Academy card game nuts pay great.”

“Still, this is boring. Waiting for some weird old books for the school library? And from what I heard, some of ‘em ain’t got nothin’ to do with Duel Monsters.”

“It’s not really any of our business. Now shut up. Here it comes.” The older man pointed, and his companion followed his gaze in time to see a small ship approach the dock, emerging from the darkness of early dawn almost ominously. It only took a few minutes for the two men to stack the boxes of books on the dolly and make their way toward the school.


[b]6:00 AM[/b]


The two men dropped the boxes off inside the doors of the Duel Academy library, just as the librarian, Miss Warren, was setting up for the day. When they saw that she was elderly and a bit frail, they were sure to offer to help her move the contents of the boxes to the shelves, and she was sure to turn them down as politely as possible. There was nothing that Miss Warren liked more than walking the shelves of books in her library, and putting these books away would give her an excuse to do just that. As far as Miss Warren was concerned, nothing could compare to being among so many books. It was her greatest joy.

But unloading three large boxes of books was slow going, and Miss Warren didn’t have the same spring in her step that she used to. She started out carrying seven or so books at a time, but it wasn’t long before she could carry only two or three at a time. It was an hour and ten minutes before she finished. Still, walking the aisles made Miss Warren happy, so she didn’t mind.


[b]9:30 AM[/b]


“Man, this is dumb,” said Todd. He and his friend Pete were lagging behind their Card Design Basics class as the entire class made its way to the library. “When I signed up for school here, I was hopin’ to learn about Shadow Magic and cool stuff like that. But it’s already the final semester and the teachers haven’t even brought it up.”

“I keep tellin’ ya Todd, there’s no such thing as Shadow Magic.”

“No way, Pete,” Todd snapped, “you can’t say that. You saw the same crazy s*** I saw back in the Battle City tournament, and you heard those guys at the bridge earlier this year talkin’ about a whole group of guys use Shadow Magic and the Shadow Games and all kinds of cool stuff. It’s real!”

Pete ran his fingers through his amber-colored hair, a slightly nervous look finding his face, “That stuff at the tournament was all hologram effects or something, and the Card Takers were, like, crazy or something.”

“No way,” said Todd as he and Pete finally crossed the threshold into the library and stopped along with their fellow students, “I know what we saw, and one day, I’m going to show Shadow Magic to the world. It’ll bring a whole new era. It’ll change everything!”

“Whatever man,” said Pete. He was about to say more when he was interrupted by the instructor, a young woman with short blonde hair.

“Okay class, spread out and pick a book. Remember that this book will be the basis of your final design project somehow, so don’t pick a book just because you like it. Actually think about it, as hard as this will be for some of you. Miss Warren will be at her desk if you need any help.”

The class scattered. Todd wandered off absentmindedly, his outlandish desire still resounding in his head. Pete caught up with him quickly. “Hey,” Pete asked, “you get an idea for your project yet?”

But Todd ignored him. He suddenly felt himself drawn toward the section of the library for new and unclassified books. Something had caught his eye. It was a large, hard-bound black book with silver hieroglyphic symbols etched into the binding. Todd took it down from the shelf and examined it. The book was written in Latin, or something a lot like it, with Egyptian and other ancient symbols scattered throughout. He didn’t know how he knew it, but Todd could tell that the book was magic.

“What’s that?” Pete asked.

“Pete,” Todd replied, “this is the answer to my prayers.”


[b]5:15 PM[/b]


Todd ran from the school building, Pete on his heels as he ran toward his room in High Dorm.

“What’s the hurry, Todd?” Pete called after him, his yellow jacket flittering in the wind. “What can you do with that book? You can’t even read it!”

“Wrong, Pete,” Todd called back to him, “I can read it! Ever since I discovered that Duel Monsters is connected with magic, I’ve been looking for a way to tap that magical power. Now I find this book, and it’s in Latin, but I can read it, and it describes a way to gain magical powers for myself. Imagine what good I could do with magical powers!” Todd arrived at High Dorm and stopped running, pulled open the door and stepped inside. “It’s a dream come true!”

Pete followed him inside, “Or maybe it’s one of those things that are too good to be true. Did you think about that?”

“Listen, Pete,” Todd said plainly, “I’m giving it a try. Are you with me or not?”

Pete averted his eyes from his friend’s momentarily and a thoughtful expression played across his face. For a few moments he said nothing. Then, finally, he answered, “Yeah, man, I’ll help. I got nothin’ to do tonight anyway.”


[b]6:30 PM[/b]


The stage had been set. It had taken an entire hour, but finally the conditions described in the book had almost been met. Todd and Pete were in a storage room in High Dorm, situated off of the uncharacteristically empty main lobby. Because it was nearing the end of the school year, most of the students who were out of class already (which was most of them) were hard at work either in their rooms or in open classrooms working on final projects and studying hard for finals. The two friends had made a table of boxes and a piece of plywood. Sitting upon the makeshift table were nine old candles of various sizes, liberated from various locations throughout High Dorm. Two of the candles had been made of two longer candles broken in half, but they were candles nonetheless. The candles were situated in a semi-circle around a circular seal drawn using some red paint found in the storage room, “sealed”, as the book described it, with three drops of human blood. Not for the first time Pete looked uneasily at the bandage around Todd’s index finger where he had made the cut.

“I’m gonna say it again,” said Pete, “and then not another word from me; a spell from a creepy book that calls for blood is never a good thing. Even if it’s a hoax, which I’m still betting it is, knowing after the fact that you were willing to try it will mess you up.”

Todd looked a bit important as he spoke his response, “We doing this?”

Pete sighed heavily, “Yeah. Let’s just get this over with.”

Todd nodded and took a deep breath. Then he started reading the Latin phrases that were supposed to make the power-summoning spell take effect. The two young men waited for several minutes, but nothing happened.

“See,” said Pete, “I told you it was a hoax.”

Almost as soon as the words had left his mouth, however, Pete felt suddenly afraid, as if there was something evil in the room with them. Before Pete could speak, Todd gasped, a silent scream, and his body faded into wisps of smoke.

“Todd!” Pete cried. He stepped back from the makeshift table and raised his Duel Disk almost instinctually as the wisps of shadows swirled together, becoming something resembling a solid form but with no more cohesion than a bank of fog.

[i]So,[/i] came a voice from within the bank of fog, resonating in Pete’s head, [i]you intend to fight me. Perhaps you will provide me with some amusement.[/i]

But Pete was no Duelist. He panicked and tore from the room into the still-vacant lobby.

[i]Or[/i] the shadow creature said, [i]perhaps not.[/i]

The mist lashed out, grabbing Pete and pulling him back inside the storage room. His body disappeared at 6:47, just as he crossed the threshold, and the shadow grew a bit more solid.


[b]6:47 PM[/b]


I was sitting on the bed in my room, the small cable TV on, the volume muted. Karen was with me, sitting at my desk, preparing her final project, which was due the following day.

My Soul buzzed faintly for a moment, and I had an odd feeling like a lump forming in my throat. Only a moment later, the feeling passed, so I didn’t think anything of it.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]

The Poltergeist


Classes were coming to a close. It was only two days before the end of the first year. Karen was excited. Her last class of the day was Card Design Basics, where she was supposed to get the results of her final project back. She kept telling me that after she got her results she'd have something to show me, but I didn't have any clue what it was. Mostly because Karen wouldn’t so much as give me a clue as to what it was. But she was excited, so I was excited, and Thomas and Ria, our only friends on the island, were excited too. They had both scored high enough on their finals to be accepted into High Dorm. They were slated to move in today and stay until the summer break began, and they would automatically be invited back into High Dorm next year.

I sat through my classes, but the learning phase had passed. We basically just sat back and hung out. Thomas droned on and on all throughout the day, talking about upgrading his deck, how awesome his move up to High Dorm was going to be, how Ria was kinda cute, but also crazy, how great it was to be moving up to High Dorm, how hungry he was, what he was hungry for, how hungry he was, how excited he was to be moving up to High Dorm, and why the color red was better than the color red-orange. Along with other far less important things.

Like I said once before, good kid, but [i]way[/i] chatty.

I didn't really listen to him. Not completely anyway, not at first. I was busy thinking about what might have Karen so worked up. Then came lunch and I had to worry about keeping Ria from clinging to me while still finding the time to eat. Not for the first time, when Karen got fed up and tried to rip Ria’s throat out, I almost didn't stop her.

Ria. When she wasn’t acting like a prissy fangirl she was actually pretty cool, but she seemed to prefer her little act. I didn’t know why she acted the way she did, and I never asked. It was none of my business.

Finally we got back to class. Thomas immediately started going again, and again I didn't really listen to him. Not until he mentioned something about a poltergeist.

“A [i]what[/i]?” I asked.

“A poltergeist,” he answered. “A malevolent spirit. Apparently there’s one living in High Dorm, but I don’t believe it. I mean, if seven people had really been taken by a poltergeist, I’m sure someone would have said something by now, you know?”

I smiled reassuringly, “Yeah, no way no one from the school staff wouldn’t say something.” But of course I’m paranoid, so I wasn’t really sure, not one hundred percent anyway, but as far as I knew, if ever there was something evil about, my Soul knew about it, and its power hadn’t alerted me to anything. So I put Thomas’ statement out of mind. He was already off on a new tangent anyway. He was talking about how he was conflicted about how to improve his deck.

“Part of me wants to add more monsters that can be Special Summoned,” he said, “so I can tribute more often for ‘Ignis’’ effect. But at the same time, I could accomplish the same thing by keeping my monsters the same and just increasing the number of burn cards.”

“Well,” I replied, “if you add too many monster cards that can be Special Summoned, then you risk using up your entire hand early on, and you won’t have any Traps to set or Spells to play, but the same goes for the other option. If you add more Spells and Traps, then you risk not drawing enough monsters. If it were me, I’d try to find a cheap way to summon Token Monsters to use as tribute for your monster effect.”

Thomas seemed to take my advice to heart. He paused to consider it-

-For about half a second, before he started again on something else. This time around I listened even less than usual. I was still worrying about what he’d said earlier about the poltergeist. Or at least I was until our final class of the day let out early, and I forgot all about it.

Thomas and I walked to the lobby where we ran into Ria (of course).

“Johnny!” she called, running up to me and throwing her arms around me. I rolled my eyes and very delicately peeled her off of me.

“So, Ria, you got out early too?” I asked, trying desperately to distract her.

“Yeah,” she said. “Every Dueling student did.”

“Not Card Design Students?”

“Nope,” said Ria, leaning close to me, “just us.”

I took a step back.

“I’m gonna go, guys,” Thomas announced. “I’m gonna set up my new room and get settled in.”

“Ooh,” said Ria, “me too! Johnny, you should come with me. We can test out the bed.”

“I’m with Karen,” I said flatly.

“So?” Ria replied.

“And I’m not physically or romantically attracted to you at all whatsoever.”

“So?”

“And [i]I’m with Karen[/i]”

“So?”

I rolled my eyes again, “I’m just gonna hang back here and wait for Karen. You kids go ahead.”

Ria shrugged, “Fine. Your loss.”

She strutted away. Thomas followed. I walked slowly outside and sat against the stone slab depicting ‘Kuriboh’, and waited for Karen to get out of class. My class hadn’t let out [i]too[/i] early, so I didn’t expect to wait long.

It was about twenty minutes before Karen walked out the front doors of the school, talking with a couple of her classmates. When she saw me waiting she smiled, excused herself from the conversation, and ran over to join me.


[b]Thomas[/b]


Ria and I made our way together toward High Dorm in silence. I’d never come right out and say it, but I had a [i]huge[/i] crush on her. Normally I’d be coming on to her bit by bit, feeling things out, but she had a huge thing for John.

Plus she was really self-centered and, you know, [i]crazy[/i].

Anyway, we stepped inside the building, just in time to be nearly flattened by a mob of screaming students, all forcing their way through the double doors. I barely got out of the way.

“What the hell’s goin’ on here?” Ria asked. Even as she spoke an intense swirling wind picked up, pulling us toward the center of the lobby. That's when I saw it, a swirling, shadowy form. As I watched a High Dorm student was pulled into the shadowy vortex, his body torn apart, broken into wisps of shadow, and faded away.

“Oh my God,” Ria screamed, “what the HELL is goin’ on!?!”

“Oh s***, oh no,” I screamed despite myself. Out of duels I’m not the bravest person you'll ever meet. “Oh crap, it’s some kinda Shadow Magic!”

“Shadow [i]what[/i]?! We gotta get outta here!”

[i]You aren’t going anywhere,[/i] said a voice that echoed in my head. [i]I’ve nearly absorbed enough Duel Energy to emerge completely into your world. You are both very strong. The Duel Energy of either of you would be enough to complete my new form, and I plan to absorb you both. I will become unstoppable![/i]

“What is that?” Ria demanded.

“Some kinda magic being,” I answered.

[i]Quiet vermin![/i] the voice commanded. [i]Prepare to become part of a superior being. Prepare to be consumed![/i]

“Hold on,” said Ria, fear and confusion being replaced instantly with the stubborn anger that she was known for, “nobody [i]consumes[/i] Ria Hernandez.” As she spoke the sucking wind died down and a form began to emerge from the shadows. The lights were out, so there were plenty of them. The form was vaguely human-shaped, but incoherent and incomplete. A form that was still somehow formless. Instead of cringing back like a normal person Ria stepped closer to the form, placed her hands on her hips, and stood to face it. I thought she was being stupid, until I heard her say, “Thomas, run.”

She was distracting it so that I could get away.

To the form, Ria said, “You can [i]consume[/i] me if you can [i]beat[/i] me [i]estupido[/i].”

[i]Very well,[/i] the form replied, and three spear-like tentacles shot from its vaguely defined torso. Ria moved like lightning. She avoided the first tentacle with ease, and the second with greater difficulty. The third struck a glancing blow and sent her sprawling into the wall beside the front doorway. Ria winced and looked up. When she saw me still standing there, she cried, “I told you to run!”

The shadow form lashed out again, this time at me, and I turned and ran out the door. The doors slammed closed just as I passed through them. The sky over the dorm has grown dark, the dark magic from the creature inside overflowing into the sky. I heard thunder rolling in the sky overhead. I turned back to the closed doors and tried with all of my strength to open them, but they were sealed. Ria was still inside, and there was nothing I could do to help her. It only made things worse when I heard Ria scream, and the shadows around the building began to deepen into a solid barrier. I barely got away from the building before I was trapped too.


[b]John[/b]


“So,” I asked Karen as she sat down with me, “what’s up? What’s the big news?”

“Well,” she began, but she was cut off when our Souls began to glow in unison. I looked instinctively in the direction of what my Soul had felt, just in time to see dark clouds form in the sky above High Dorm. A wall of Shadows formed around the building, reaching above the treetops. I looked around. No one else had seen anything yet. We didn’t have much time. Without another word, my Soul flashed and Karen and I vanished.


We reappeared outside High Dorm.

“John!”

“Thomas?” I asked. “What’s going on?”

Thomas ran up to me from within the dorm just as a cloud of darkness surrounded the building completely, “John, Karen, Ria’s still inside!”

“There’s something weird inside there!” said a High Dorm student present with us in the clearing. He was with a large group of fellow students. “We all saw it,” he said, “and we barely made it out alive!”

[i]This is bad,[/i] I realized. [i]These guys can’t remember being attacked by a monster. It will ruin their lives.[/i]

So I broke my only rule involving use of my powers. I reached into their minds and I ripped away their memories of the day. They all passed out.

Thomas and Karen looked wide-eyed at the fallen students. “They’ll be fine,” I said, “but they won’t remember anything that happened in there.”

I looked Karen in the eyes, and we both knew what I had to do.

“Go,” she said, “but take this with you.” She handed me a card, explaining, “The student with the highest score on their final project got their project made into a card. I made it for you. Now hurry. I’ll keep things under control here.”

I looked at the card that Karen had given me and smiled, placing it into my deck. Then I turned toward the building. My Soul flashed and the darkness parted, the doors behind them swinging open, and I stepped inside. I felt the shadows close behind me.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Thirteen]

The Shadow


I stepped through the doorway and completely into High Dorm just in time to see a tentacle lash out at the unconscious form of Ria Hernandez. Her body was already beginning to break down and join with the dark form in the center of the room. I only had time to act because the form wasn’t yet aware of me.

[i]No you don’t,[/i] I thought, and my Soul of Darkness flashed. The tentacle blew apart and Ria’s body came back together. The Shadow form turned his attention on me, and I could feel his hunger.

[i]You![/i] the Shadow cried, excited, its voice echoing in my mind. [i]You have so much Duel Energy! Enough for me to feed on forever! I will have it![/i]

The Shadow lashed out at me as he had at Ria, but its tentacles came apart harmlessly before they even got close.

“Sorry,” I said, “but Shadow Manipulation doesn’t work on me since it’s kinda [i]my[/i] thing. Now give me the girl.”

The Shadow laughed, [i]Only if you can defeat me. If I can’t fight you directly, then I will fight you in a Shadow Game. If you win, you are free to go and the girl is yours, and of course you will be allowed to enact a penalty on me if you wish. But if I win, your penalty will be absorption into [/i]me[i]. Your duel energy and the magical artifact that you wear to amplify it will be mine.[/i]

I considered the Shadow’s offer, [i]That thing’s a lot closer to Ria than I am, and I only managed to save her last time because it didn’t see me coming. I might not be fast enough to stop it from absorbing her now that it knows I’m here. But it’s not confident in its ability to absorb her before I can stop it, or else it wouldn’t have offered a game instead. Still, there’s only one safe option…[/i]

“I accept your challenge,” I announced, my black Academy Disk transforming into the New Dark Disk.

[i]Very good,[/i] the Shadow said. [i]I’ve become quite accustomed to the modern version of “dueling” from the remnants of memory left from the minds of the Duelists I have absorbed. There is not a single aspect of the game of Duel Monsters that I do not understand. And my Duel Energy is already high enough to manifest a deck far more powerful than anything an average Duelist can create.[/i]

I smiled, “Too bad for you that I’m no ‘average’ Duelist.”


[b]Karen[/b]


As I watched the darkness that had been surrounding the dorm, slowly spreading outward from the walls, suddenly stopped spreading, and I knew. The creature inside was focusing its power on something else.

The battle had begun.

It was then that I heard the sound of footsteps behind me. Thomas and I, the only people still conscious in the clearing after the casting of John’s spell, turned in time to see Professor Sheppard approaching calmly, his hands held behind his back.

“Well,” he said cheerfully, “you two seem oddly at ease in the presence of Shadow Magic.”

“Yeah,” I said, choosing not to question the fact that our teacher knew what was happening, probably to a greater extent than we did, “we’re not exactly new to the whole Shadow Magic thing.”

“Actually,” said Thomas, raising his hand, “I am. Technically.”

Sheppard ignored him and continued to address me. “I know a little about Shadow Magic myself,” he said, “and if I’d had to guess which students on this island knew about Shadow Magic, I would have guessed you and your friends, especially the young man, John, that you are often with. After all, Academy Duel Disks don’t go turning black all on their own.”

“John and I have fought stuff like whatever is doing this,” I replied. “John is in their right now, fighting for his life.”

Sheppard nodded, “Well then, I hope your boyfriend is strong.”

I turned back toward the building, smiling proudly, “Oh don’t worry, he is.”




[b]John[/b]


[i]I believe the term is,[/i] the Shadow said, [i]“allow me to begin”.[/i]

It held up its arm and a detail-lacking approximation of a duel disk appeared there. Smoke poured into the deck slot of the mysterious creature’s Disk, forming a complete deck, from which the Shadow drew six cards.

[i]This should be interesting,[/i] I thought. [i]I’ve never fought a malevolent soul-eating shadow spirit before. I wonder what deck it’ll use.[/i]

[i]I summon,[/i] the Shadow began, [i]the monster card ‘Fear from the Dark’.[/i]

A humanoid figure made of shadows appeared. It had long, sharp claws and a faded, ghostly lower body (ATK: 1700). I could barely see its black form in the darkness.

[i]I set three cards,[/i] the Shadow concluded, [i]and end my turn.[/i]

“Then I’ll make this quick,” I said. “I discard the Spell card ‘One for One’ to activate ‘Dark Core’, removing your monster from play.”

[i]Not if I reveal ‘Dark Illusion’,[/i] the Shadow countered. A small black hole began to open above the shadow monster, but the monster promptly faded away, avoiding the effects of the Spell for its duration. Once my Spell had faded from the field, the Shadow’s monster reappeared.

“Huh,” I said. “Guess it’s a good thing I didn’t really expect that to work, or else I’d be upset. I summon ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’.”

The demonic rider appeared, pike in hand, his engine revved and ready to go (ATK: 1400).

“Once per turn, I can remove up to two Spells in my Graveyard from play,” I explained, “to raise the power of my monster by three hundred per card until the end of [i]your[/i] next turn.”

The only two Spells in my Graveyard ejected and I pocketed them. An aura flared around my monster (1400+600=2000).

“I attack,” I declared, “with Battle Pike!”

My monster revved his engine and twirled his weapon, and rode straight at the foe. I was confident, until I saw what passed for lips on my opponent’s so-called face curl into a smile.

[i]Reveal,[/i] the Shadow declared, [i]the Spell card ‘Level Aura’, raising the Attack of ‘Fear from the Dark’ by one hundred times its Level![/i] Four Level Stars appeared, and sunk into ‘Fear’’s shadowy flesh, and ‘Fear’ gained an aura of his own (1700+400 =2100). The shadowy monster’s claws extended. It sprung forward, meeting my rider head-on. Chaosrider swung his pike, but the shadowy monster struck, snapping the incoming pike in half and piercing my monster through the chest, destroying him (8000+2000-2100=7900).

[i]Well that sucks[/i] I thought. “I set a card, and end my turn.”

[i]I don’t give up as easily as you seem to,[/i] said the Shadow. [i]In fact, rather than stall, I’m going to move this duel right along. I play ‘Allure of Darkness’, drawing two cards, and removing ‘Fear from the Dark’ in my hand from play! And I combo the Trap ‘Escape from the Dark Dimension’ to summon the removed ‘Fear from the Dark’ to the field![/i]

Another shadow monster appeared alongside the first.

[i]Both monsters attack![/i] The Shadow commanded.

[i]Not what I was hoping he’d do,[/i] I thought, [i]but either way I can’t take thirty-four hundred damage![/i]

I allowed the first of the two monsters to strike me with his claws, gritting my teeth against the sharp pain (7900-1700=6200). The second monster moved to strike.

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Flashing Light Barrier’!” The strike of the second monster was slowed by a barrier of swirling light that surrounded me. I was hit, but not as hard as I could have been (6200-850=5350).

“The effect of my Trap also allows me to draw a card,” I explained. I did, not very impressed with my draw.

[i]Make the best of the time you have left![/i] the Shadow exclaimed. [i]I end my turn by tributing both of my monsters to summon the strongest of the shadow monsters,[/i] the two shadows merged into a huge shadowy torso, ten times larger than they had been separately, [i]‘Despair from the Dark’! Now go! The sooner you take your turn, the sooner I can kill you and take you power.[/i]

[i]This thing seems a little bit desperate,[/i] I thought. [i]Why?[/i] I took a second to concentrate and listen to my Soul, and I could feel the spirits of the many students absorbed by the Shadow, still whole within its body. Their spirits were being consumed as their Duel Energy was being expended.

[i]This thing is using up all of its Duel Energy. More than it should be. It must be working overtime just to keep from being yanked back to wherever it is that it came from. It’s slipping away. I have to beat it before it does and takes everyone it absorbed along with it![/i]

I drew, saw my card, and frowned.

[i]Things would be a lot easier,[/i] I thought, [i]If I could just [/i]draw a good card!

“I set a monster,” I declared, “and end my turn.”

The Shadow chuckled, [i]Splendid! Then I’m one step closer to the emergence into this world that I seek![/i]

And that’s when it really hit me. [i]Wait a minute! This thing is being forced to hold on because it’s not even fully emerged yet! It’s already this strong, and it’s not even [/i][i]here[/i][i]! Screw the kids who got absorbed by the thing. If I lose, this thing will [/i][i]fully [/i][i]emerge, with enough power to destroy the entire world![/i]


[b]Karen[/b]


I couldn’t see John, but like usual, if I paid attention, I could sense his state of mind, his pain, and his emotions (he doesn’t know about that). Until a few moments ago, John had been annoyed, but relatively confident, but now he was genuinely afraid.

“Professor Sheppard,” I asked, turning to face the older man, “what do you know about that thing in there?”

He was silent, but I could tell that he was thinking hard about something, so I waited. Finally he sighed, “You’re strong, and I’m sure you’re trustworthy, but there are things that I’m not allowed to tell you. So understand if my answers sometimes seem vague. I know nothing about this creature specifically, but the faculty and I did suspect that something like this might happen. That something might come here. But we never expected anything to appear so soon, and never at this level of power. One of my colleagues who understands the magical side of the Shadow Games and Duel Monsters far more than I do has suggested that someone must have summoned this creature. He and I were discussing it just before I came out here, in fact.”

“Summoned?” I asked. “On purpose?” I was shocked that anyone would willingly unleash something so dangerous on the world.

“Unlikely,” Sheppard answered, shaking his head. “We recently ordered a shipment of books to be delivered here for our library, but there were several books to be shipped along with them, kept separate from the others, that were to be used as research material on Shadow Magic. When the shipment arrived, none of the books were separated, and the magic books were mistakenly placed on the shelves, out in the open. One very powerful book has gone missing. A book that my colleague has told me was once used to seal away a spirit-eating creature when it attempted to enter our world from the Shadows. A book that could have been used to [i]un[/i]seal it as well. This creature, the first time around, was recorded as using the Duel Energy of ancient Duelists to fuel its rampage.”

“That’s not good,” I said. “John has a lot of Duel Energy. More than anyone that I’ve personally met. If John loses to that thing, and it absorbs [i]his[/i] Duel Energy, there might be nothing in this world that can stop it.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fourteen]

Omegacyber


[i]I equip my monster with the Spell card ‘Axe of Despair’,[/i] said the Shadow. The arm of his massive monster changed shape, becoming an axe (ATK: 2800+1000=3800).

[i]I also play ‘Gold Sarcophagus’,[/i] the Shadow continued, [i]allowing me to search out any of the many cards in my deck that can destroy you![/i]

A golden box appeared in the air ahead of the Shadow and his massive monster.

[i]I place my chosen card in the box, and in two turns, the box opens and I win![/i]

A card appeared and fell into the box. I never saw what it was, but I could [i]feel[/i] that he was right. The card he had searched from his deck would kill me, if I let it.

“I won’t let you have that card,” I said. “I’ll beat you before the box opens.”

[i]We’ll see,[/i] the Shadow taunted. [i]For now, I attack.[/i]

The shadowy ‘Despair’ slashed my monster, the Level One ‘Level Eater’, in half.

[i]I set one card. Make your move![/i]

Without hesitation, I began my turn.

“I summon,” I declared, “the one monster left in my hand that can get rid of [i]yours[/i], my ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’! When she battles your monster, after damage is calculated, both monsters are removed from play. I attack!”

My monster, a young woman with long blonde hair, wearing a silver jumpsuit, appeared at my side. She drew her sword, a katana made of light (ATK: 1500). My monster lunged at the giant shadow creature, but just as her sword came down, armor appeared around the massive monster’s torso and head.

[i]Reveal,[/i] the Shadow declared triumphantly, [i]the Trap card ‘Sakuretsu Armor’, destroying your attacking monster![/i]

The armor pulsed, destroying itself and my monster.

[i]No matter what you do,[/i] the Shadow explained, [i]you can’t overcome my power![/i]

“I can try,” I replied. “I set a card and end.”


[b]Karen[/b]


“So wait a minute,” said Thomas, “what exactly is Duel Energy anyway?”

“I never really learned exactly what it is,” I answered, “but just from context, I’ve figured out that it’s more or less the a type of energy that strong Duelists have.”

“You’re partially right,” Sheppard added. “Duel energy is strongest in strong gamers of most every type, because gamers are those who most actively struggle against their fates. Think of Duel Energy as a muscle that, when flexed, bends fate in your favor. There are different disciplines throughout the world that have been dedicated to strengthening this “muscle”. Various magics and martial arts. But gamers, because of what they are, are most likely to access these powers on their own. Additionally, there are those with a naturally high Duel Energy, or with a natural ability to control its flow. Duel Energy has been called other things throughout history, including ki, chi, chakra and ba.”

“Okay,” said Thomas, “so Duel Energy helps people bend fate. That explains what it is and how it makes some people stronger than others in a duel, but what does it have to do with this creature?”

“Duel energy is also something that bridges this dimension with the Shadows,” I answered. “If this thing is a creature of the Shadows, it needs Duel Energy to exist in this dimension. The more Duel Energy it absorbs, the closer it comes to existing in this world for good.”

“Very perceptive, young lady,” said Sheppard.

[i]No,[/i] I thought, [i]it’s not perception. I knew Yami Marik. I’m speaking from experience.[/i]


[b]John[/b]


[i]You disappoint me, human,[/i] said the Shadow. [i]The way things are going, I won’t even [/i]need[i] the card in the sarcophagus. You are about to die, and when you do, I will make your energy my own. I will gain power beyond anything even I could have imagined! I will be immortal![/i]

[i]But first, I play ‘Card of Demise’ to rebuild my hand![/i]

The Shadow drew from his deck until he held five cards.

[i]I summon my third ‘Fear from the Dark’![/i] the Shadow declared, another of the smaller shadow monsters appearing at my opponent’s side (ATK: 1700). [i]My monsters Attack, with a total offensive strength of fifty-five hundred![/i]

I looked down at my Life Points display, showing only fifty-three fifty, [i]I only have one chance![/i]

“Reveal…!”

The two monsters struck. I managed to avoid serious injury from their attacks, but my Life was still hit. The larger ‘Despair from the Dark’ gouged a chunk of the floor up beneath me, knocking me down.

[i]You’re finished![/i] the Shadow declared, looking down on me. I was on my knees, head down, grasping an injured shoulder.

“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head, “but you’re wrong.” I looked up at the Shadow and pointed to my right, at the one detail that the Shadow had missed, my face-down Spell, revealed as the ‘Mystical Space Typhoon’. The Shadow looked about as shocked as a faceless creature can as he looked from his monster’s axe-less arm, to the Life Points display. Eight fifty.

[i]No![/i]

I smiled wider, “Oh yeah!” But I wasn’t as confident as I was forcing myself to appear. [i]This is bad,[/i] I told myself. [i]I need to finish this duel right now before things get even worse. But how?[/i]

[i]I set three cards,[/i] the Shadow concluded, [i]and end my turn.[/i]

“Oh, hurray!” I said sarcastically. [i]Three face-downs? Things just keep getting better and better.[/i]

“I draw,” I declared. [i]This is it![/i]

I pulled my card.

“Activate,” I declared, “the ‘Pot of Greed’ Spell card to draw two cards!”

As I drew again, I mentally ran through the cards in my deck. There was only one that could help me, and even ‘Black Luster Soldier’ couldn’t win this duel for me in one turn. Not while my opponent controlled three face-down cards.

[i]And I can’t seem to access the Soul! This thing’s power so unstable that it’s screwing up [/i][i]my[/i][i] powers. I can’t use Destiny Draw![/i]

[i]Please,[/i] I pleaded silently, [i]give me something that can win this fight![/i]

I turned over my cards, and I saw that one of them was ‘The Fiend Megacyber’. It would help, but it wouldn’t be enough to win, and to keep the Shadow from opening the sarcophagus next turn. I felt my heart sink, until I remembered the card Karen had given me, and I knew how I could win.

[i]I barely looked at the card,[/i] I thought, [i]and[/i] [i]I don’t know anything about it past its summoning requirements, but it’s the only chance I have.[/i]

“You control two more monsters than I do,” I announced, “so I’m able to Special Summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

Black and yellow lightning erupted from the ground at my feet, and the yellow-armored monster appeared (ATK: 2200).

[i]Your monster is harmless,[/i] the Shadow remarked.

“Maybe,” I replied, “but this one monster isn’t all I have. I still have three cards in my hand, and by discarding two of them,” I fed ‘D.D. Scout Plane’ and ‘Dimension Fusion’ into my Graveyard, “I can transform ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, Special Summoned through his own effect, into his most supreme form!”

My monster cried out as his armor flew off, his body glowing with a bright light. White lightning poured over him, buzzing around him, taking form. The lightning itself became white armor, lightning rolling off of it like water.

“Behold my just warrior, freed from the power of darkness,” I exclaimed, “and allowed to achieve his real potential, ‘The Fiend Omegacyber’!”

My monster spread his arms and slowly rose into the air, energy lancing between his fingertips and feet and the ground beneath him (ATK: 3000).

[i]Your monster will fall![/i] the Shadow declared. [i]I reveal ‘Bottomless Trap Hole’![/i]

“No,” I replied, “you don’t.” ‘Omegacyber’ waved his hand, slinging energy at the face-down cards that my opponent controlled, leaving them crackling with energy.

“In the turn that ‘The Fiend Omegacyber’ is summoned by his own effect,” I explained, “my opponent can’t activate any Spell or Trap cards.

“But I’m [i]still[/i] not done!” I declared. “I’ve been saving my last card. I play ‘Special Draw’! During a turn in which I Special Summon a monster, I can play this card to draw another card, plus yet another if that monster was a Warrior-type!”

I drew again.

“Perfect! I play ‘Card of Sanctity’! We each draw until we hold [i]six[/i] cards!”

[i]This can’t be happening,[/i] The Shadow remarked.

I drew five cards, “It can, and it is. You underestimated me, and that is why [i]you[/i] are going to lose this duel! I equip my monster with ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’ and ‘Assault Armor’!”

The armor on my monster’s arm extended outward, forming a blade, and his lightning swirled into a white aura (ATK: 3000+800+300=4100).

“I release the ‘Assault Armor’,” I declared, and the aura pulsed outward (4100-300=3800), “allowing my monster to attack twice this turn. I attack!”

‘The Fiend Omegacyber’ charged his entire body with white, black, and yellow lightning and shot forward. He punched the ‘Fear from the Dark’, dispersing its shadowy body (8000+1700-3800=5900), pushed off of the ground with his feet, avoiding the ‘Despair’’s swiping claws, and shot upward, cutting the huge, wicked torso in half (5900+2800-3800=4900). Excess energy from the attack lanced forward and struck the Shadow. Its physical form almost broke apart, but it recovered quickly.

[i]I’ve survived,[/i] the Shadow stated, its voice more distant than before.

“No,” I said, “you didn’t. I activate ‘Quick Summon’, tributing my monster for the ‘Great Maju Garzett’, a demon with double the Attack of the tributed monster!”

[i]No![/i]

‘The Fiend Omegacyber’ broke down into darkness and reformed into the massive demon that was often my most powerful card (ATK: 6000).

“I attack,” I declared, “with Vile Energy!”

‘Great Maju Garzett’ thrust his palm, releasing an energy wave that overtook the Shadow, blasting it apart. Its remnants lingered.

[i]I could destroy it,[/i] I thought, [i]but if I did, would the students within it survive?[/i]

I decided that I couldn’t risk it, so instead I activated my Soul. [i]I can’t destroy this Shadow, so I’ll seal it away for as long as my seal will hold![/i]

The Shadow began to fade, and the unconscious forms of students began to take his place, but he held on just long enough to utter one final declaration, [i]This isn’t over. I will return![/i]

I ignored him, running to my fallen friend Ria’s side.


[b]Karen[/b]


The three of us, Thomas, Sheppard and I, stood in silence and waited. I felt John take a serious hit.

[i]Come on John,[/i] I thought, [i]you can do it. I’m right here with you.[/i]

It’s odd that you can have feelings for someone for years, but they never really affect you until they’ve been let out in the open.

Soon after he was hit, I felt John’s power rise as he made his counterattack, and only minutes later, the Shadows around the building began to fall away. Without thinking, I ran for the door.

“Wait,” said Sheppard, “you should wait for the shadows to abate completely!”

I ignored him and kept going.


[b]John[/b]


“Ria, wake up. You okay?” I lifted her head up off of the floor as her eyes fluttered open.

“You’re okay,” I said. “Good.” I was about to stand and help her up when I felt her arms close around me. She pulled herself close, and kissed me. I pushed her away and stepped back. That’s when I heard someone behind me. I turned, and there was Karen, tears of pain and anger in her eyes. Before I could say a word, she turned, and she ran.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Fifteen]

Confrontations


I ran after Karen. “Wait,” I called after her as I ran past Thomas and Sheppard. I barely even noticed that they were there as I followed Karen into the woods.

“Karen,” I called, “wait!”

She stopped abruptly and turned to face me.

“What?!” she demanded, her head down, the hair in her eyes almost concealing the angry tears there.

“That wasn’t what you think. She woke up and was scared, and she kissed me. [i]She[/i] kissed [i]me[/i]. It’s not a big deal!”

“And that’s your problem,” said Karen. “Nothing is ever a big deal to you anymore. Your classes are easy for you, so you think it’s okay to take it easy. Ria [i]hits on you[/i] every day and you just shake it off. You never even try to stop it! And don’t try to tell me that she doesn’t, ’cuz I know she does. Thomas told me. You know as well as I do that he never shuts up about what’s been going on around him. He told me that you let her hit on you [i]all the time[/i]!”

“She’s not hurting anyone,” I said. “I tell her no every time. She’ll stop soon. It’s no-.”

“No big deal?” Karen interrupted. “Well it is a big deal. It’s a big deal to me! You take nothing seriously except dueling, and guess what John, I’m not a duel!”

“Wait,” I asked, “you think I don’t take [i]us[/i] seriously? That’s crazy!”


“Really?” Karen asked, a stubborn fire in her eyes. “I’m an expert at reading [i]strangers[/i]. Don’t you think I can read [i]you[/i], the person I know best in the world? I’m working from example here, and the example I’ve been given suggests that you take our relationship for granted.”

“Never!” I protested. “I’ve never done anything like that before.”

But Karen was far from convinced.

“I’m sorry,” she said, “but I think you do. This isn’t just because of today, I’ve been feeling this for a while. Today just shook it loose. We need some time apart. I’m going to stay at Kimi’s this summer. Her and her parents are going to be out of town, but they said I could use the place. I’m going home, and when I get back next year, I’m gonna request a separate schedule from yours, as in [i]c[i]ompletely[/i][/i] separate, and a transfer to Red Dorm. Maybe I’ll see you around, once you’ve grown up a little, but as things stand, I wouldn’t count on it.”

She turned and walked away, leaving me standing there, speechless, broken and hurt. And when I’m hurt, I tend to get mad. I heard a twig snap behind me, and I turned around to find Thomas and Ria standing nearby. Ria looked about as bad as I felt.

“I-I’m sorry,” she stuttered. “I was only goofin’ all those times. I just got carried away. I never really wanted to break you guys up, I swear!”

“Go away,” I said, tears of pain rolling down my face. “Go away,” I screamed, “and NEVER TALK TO ME AGAIN!”

She jumped and she ran. I’d scared her.

Good.

“That was harsh,” said Thomas.

“Yeah,” I snapped, fighting hard to stay in control of myself, “maybe it was, but in case you can’t tell, I’m a little [i]pissed off[/i] right now!”

We were silent for a few moments before Thomas finally said, “All things considered, this probably isn’t the best time to tell you this, but there’s some stuff you should hear that didn’t quite sit with me.”

Careful to avoid using Karen’s name, Thomas proceeded to tell me about Sheppard showing up at High Dorm during the duel, and about the details of Sheppard’s conversation with Karen, and suddenly I had someone to be mad at.

“Do you know where he went?” I asked.

“Back to the school to Kagemaru’s office I think,” said Thomas, “but John, you really shouldn’t go-.”

“Thanks, Thomas,” I interrupted, “but I’m good from here.”

My Soul glowed, and suddenly I was gone, melted into the shadows of the trees.


I reappeared out of the shadows in a corner of a sleek hallway leading to a set of large doors. I heard Sheppard’s voice behind them. I walked briskly down the hall and threw open the doors, barging into Kagemaru’s office to confront the two professors, “You bastards!”

Sheppard turned around to face me, and Kagemaru rose from his desk chair and asked, “Can I help you, young man?”

“This is the young man that I was telling you about,” Sheppard said, preventing me from answering.

“Ah,” said Kagemaru, “so this is John, the one who saved this island from destruction!”

“Yeah,” I said fiercely, “I am. You know, I’m pretty used to fighting weird crap like that thing in High Dorm, and I’m used to that weird crap being some kinda power-hungry jerk, or some kinda destructive monster. And those are the things I [i]fight[/i] but you guys are supposed to be professors, the good guys, and you’ve caused more trouble than most of [i]those guys[/i] combined. You’re supposed to be [i]professors[/i]! How could you be so [i]stupid[/i]? You knew something like this was going to happen!”

“Not true,” Sheppard protested. “I told your friends that when we built this place and brought so much duel energy together that we took the risk that something [i]might[/i] happen. I also made a point to mention that this crisis was far bigger than any natural occurrence. That thing was summoned here by something, most likely by accident.”

“Because the staff of this school was careless and let a dangerous magic book get stolen by some idiot kids,” I asserted. “Your staff was irresponsible and we [i]all[/i] nearly paid the price. Do you have any idea how many people were nearly lost today? Do you even know?”

Kagemaru looked away, and Sheppard looked down, ashamed, and said, “Seven. We nearly lost seven students today. If not for you-.”

“More,” I interrupted. “If I hadn’t sent that thing back to wherever the hell it came from, it would have killed everyone. And I don’t just mean everyone on this island, I mean [i]everyone[/i]. What do you plan to do to keep this kind of thing from happening again?”

“Well,” Sheppard replied, “the Chancellor and I were just discussing the situation.”

“First of all,” said Kagemaru, “I want to make clear that I take offense to my students confronting me in this manner.”

Kagemaru rose from his chair and stood right in face, looking me in the eyes, as if examining me.

“However,” he said, “it is clear that you are quite knowledgeable about this situation, more so than many of my people in fact. Therefore I will accept your council.”

He walked back to his seat and sat down, saying, “No further shipments of suspect books will be made through unsecured shipping lines. Furthermore we plan to tear down the current High Dorm and ship in trees to increase the volume of the forest, hiding the site upon which it now stands, destroying the only thing that connects that creature to this world.”

“Well that’s a stupid idea,” I said.

“How so?” Sheppard asked.

“That thing broke through a barrier when it came here,” I explained. “I’m not really sure how I know this, but I [i]do [/i]know, the place where it came through will always be a bridge between worlds for that creature, and it will take more and more energy for it to get further and further from that place. When I sent it back, an aspect of the Penalty Game I inflicted was a seal meant to close off that bridge, but it was my first time ever [i]creating [/i]a magic seal. It’s not gonna hold. If you leave the building up, not only will that be another physical barrier for that thing to get through if it comes back, it’ll be a landmark for people to avoid. Plus, it’ll help hold in anything else that finds that bridge and tried to use it to come through now that the door has been opened.”

“So other things might come through there as well?” Kagemaru asked.

“I don’t know,” I answered honestly, “but based on some of the things I felt in that building today, I’d bet yes.”

“I see,” said Kagemaru, nodding.

“This young man makes sense, Chancellor,” said Sheppard. “I suggest that we heed his recommendations.”

Kagemaru nodded again, “Agreed.”

“This is all well and good,” I said, “but I still want to know what your future plans are. Do you plan to relocate the school? Will you shut down completely?”

“Of course not,” Sheppard answered.

“What?” I demanded. “This school is dangerous!”

“This school will be dangerous no matter where it is located,” said Kagemaru. “No matter where in the world we establish it, the combined duel energy of its many students will draw danger to it, but similar dangers are appearing all throughout the world at an ever-increasing rate daily. This school is necessary because it trains students in the ways of dueling, making them stronger so that they can confront those threats. In fact, that is one of the primary reasons that Seto Kaiba and Maxamillion Pegasus established this place to begin with. Do you understand?”

I felt some of my anger abating as logic finally began to replace emotion. Their statements made sense, and I was tired of the conversation anyway.

“Yeah,” I said, “I get it. I’ve seen plenty of what you’re talking about. But I’m going to say this once and only once. If [i]ever[/i] I feel that this place is doing more harm than good, I will shut it down myself. Do [i]you[/i] understand?”

Kagemaru nodded and smiled, “Whatever it takes to keep us old geezers honest.”

I was turning to leave, finally satisfied, when I thought of something else that I needed to say.

“One more thing,” I told them. “I need you to set something up for me, as a thanks for saving all of your lives, at great risk to my own.”

“Of course,” said Sheppard, wearing a warm smile, “we’d be happy to help.”


[b]Karen[/b]


By the time I was back at the school announcements were already coming over the intercoms about the “natural disaster” at High Dorm, instructing all High Dorm students to report to the main building to be paired with a roommate with whom they would spend the last few days of the school year. That included me, at least for a while longer. Another announcement came on a few minutes later, announcing that those of us who had finished classes early, like me and most of the design department, would be given the opportunity to go home early for the summer. I decided to stay. After all, I did have a requested schedule change to get put through.

I made my way to the main building to receive my new room assignment from one of the many professors gathered there in the lobby. The professor that I ended up talking to was my Card Design Basics professor, Professor Marian Webkin. She placed me in one of the rooms in the girls side of Mid Dorm and suggested that I hurry up and meet my new roommate.

“Thanks Miss Webkin,” I said cheerfully to the dark-haired, forty-something woman.

“You’re welcome,” the professor answered. “See you in class this Friday.”

I nodded, flashing a forced smile. I looked around, trying to spot Sheppard or one of the other head professors, but they didn’t seem to be around.

[i]Well that sucks,[/i] I thought. [i]Now I have to go all the way up to the offices and waste my time.[/i]

That’s when I heard a voice calling my name and turned toward it, only to see…

“Professor Sheppard? Good, I was looking for you.”

He didn’t hear me, “Ah, I’m glad I found you, young lady. I’ve been asked to give you this letter.”

“Who’s it from?” I asked as Sheppard handed me a folded sheet of paper.

“Perhaps you should read it,” Sheppard replied almost sadly, and he was gone, weaving through the crowd of his students and his peers.

[i]What could this be?[/i] I wondered, looking down at the letter that had been handed to me. I unfolded it, and a card, ‘The Fiend Omegacyber’, fell into my hand, and I knew exactly what this was. I opened the letter and read:


Karen,
You refuse to tell me about your past, from your time in the order and before, and I’ve come to terms with that, but I think maybe your past affects you more than you think. I respect that you don’t want to see me, but I still think you overreacted today, and I can only think of one reason why you would have. For some reason, consciously or not, you were pushing me away. I think you have been for a while now. Maybe I was wrong to let Ria keep coming on to me, but I thought it would be okay to let her have her fun, because you knew I would never hurt you. But for all the things you said that I disagree with, you also said many things that were true. I don’t think I take you for granted, but I do have a problem taking things seriously lately. Maybe you’re one of those things, and maybe spending some time apart is the answer, I don’t know, but it’s as good a place to start as any.

I know you planned to change dorms and schedules, but there’s no reason for you to be put out, so I’ve gone ahead and changed my schedule instead. I’ll begin next year in Low Dorm, and I‘ve already made sure that we won’t have any classes together for at least the next year. You won’t see me again until I’ve rediscovered who I am, until I’ve rediscovered how to be who you need me to be.

I’m writing this because I want you to know that I still love you. I always will. Maybe I’m being harsh, but this is what you thought we needed, so I’m giving it a shot. Don’t try to find me, because you won’t, not until I’ve figured out why I’ve been having so many problems lately. And know that I’m not doing all of this to hurt you. You know I would never do that.

I’ve enclosed the card you gave me. I love it, but I think I need to grow up first before I’ll really deserve it. Please, hold onto it for me, and stay safe.


Love, John


By the time I was finished reading, there were tears in my eyes. I realized that I had overreacted. I’d realized that almost as soon as our conversation had ended, I just hadn’t wanted to admit it. I wanted to find John, to tell him that he didn’t have to go, but even though I spent the rest of the evening looking, I couldn’t find him anywhere. I knew then that I wasn’t going to see him for a long time.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Sixteen]

What Happened Next


Bad news got worse that night. When I arrived at my new room in Mid Dorm, prepared to meet my new roommate, I was surprised to find that I already knew her.

“You,” I said, hatred creeping into my voice. I ran right up to a very startled Ria and punched her in the face. I stepped back and readied myself for her counterattack, forgetting for the moment that I have no fighting skills whatsoever, but she seemed calm. Calmer than I’d ever seen her in fact.

“Yeah,” she said, rubbing her bruised cheek, “I deserved that.”

I was taken aback, “You did?”

“Yeah,” Ria answered. “I was a little [i]loco[/i]. It’s an issue of mine. I come on way too strong, and I have trouble letting things go. I grew up in a rough, overcrowded neighborhood. I had to be loud and super outgoing, or I woulda gotten swept away with the crowd. I’ve always been a good fighter, and an even better Duelist, but I never woulda made it here if not for my attitude. It’s what got me noticed by a sponsor. They paid my tuition.”

“Okay,” I said, “I can get that. Life is hard. But that’s no reason for you to try and break me and John up.” I said I understood her, and I meant that, but it didn’t change the fact that I was angry with her. I didn’t think anything would.

“I know,” said Ria, solemnly, “and I’m sorry for that. Really. But you gotta understand why I acted the way I did.”

“There is [i]no[/i] excuse for your actions,” I stated.

“Please,” she asked, “just let me say this, okay?” When I didn’t protest, she began.

“See,” Ria said, “When I started hearin’ rumors about the second Grand Championship, I just knew I had to go. I worked odd jobs after school for almost a whole year and even then my momma still had to lend me some money. I went, and there was Yugi, and Kaiba, and Evo, all the Duelists I’d watched on TV. But none of them compared to John. I’d never seen him or heard of him before, and yet there he was, doing things with the cards that I never woulda thought of in a hundred years! He became my hero, then, on the best day of my life. I heard he was gonna be going here, and when I finally saw him, I thought I’d faint!”

She looked me in the eyes. Her eyes were sad, “I knew I’d never have a chance with him. He was older than me, he was famous, and he was with someone as [i]incredible[/i] as you. So I did what I do. I overcompensated. I figured that pretending that Johnny was into me for half an hour would be worth pushing him away forever. And then something amazing happened. He didn’t push me away! He was nice to me. Even after you beat me in our duel, he wanted me around. He wanted to be my friend! I didn’t know how to deal with that, so I [i]kept[/i] overcompensating. I never wanted to break you guys up. Not really.”

“But you kissed him,” I snapped, still angry.

“Yeah,” she said, kinda dreamily, “but to be fair I thought I’d died and gone to Heaven.”

And before I even knew what was happening, Ria and I were laughing.


The school year ended, and I went home for the summer. I never found out if John did or not. He wanted space, and I wanted to give it to him. After all, even though I was no longer mad at Ria, the points I’d brought up with John that day in the woods were all still valid, and he wasn’t my favorite person at the time. Summer was quiet. Kimi and her family, my adoptive family, had no problem with me staying at the house while they were oversees. They sent me money enough for groceries and bills each month, and I worked a little on the side. I had more than I needed, really.

I kept in touch with Kimi, Thomas, and, believe it or not, even Ria. She was turning out to be a pretty good friend, someone who truly wanted to do good by me, even if she did sometimes have trouble keeping her more annoying habits in check. She was rude and abrasive, and even over the phone and through email, she was way too competitive. She’s one of those people who take everything as a challenge.

Like I said, annoying.

Aside from Kimi, I avoided my friends from the Duel Force, Even Monty and Lawrence who are like brothers to me. I didn’t want to risk crossing paths with John. I didn’t even want to know where he was or what he was doing.

And then, finally, summer ended, and it was time to go back to school. Kimi’s parents sent me money enough to get back to the nearest pickup point, from which I once again hopped aboard a flying vehicle which would take me to Academy Island, except that this time it was a helicopter. I didn’t have any idea why the school had switched from using a plane to a chopper, at least not until I saw the island from the air. The school itself was no different, but where the small runway had once been along the beach, there stood instead the new High Dorm. It was ornate, classy, and twice the size of the original. In fact it wasn’t even a single building anymore. Instead it was made up of two separate buildings spaced a good distance apart, with a man-made lake between them. I was impressed, and I care very little for architecture.

[i]Wow,[/i] I thought, [i]I wonder what it’s going to be like living there.[/i]

The helicopter landed a few minutes later, and I got off, lugging my bags alongside several other students as I made my way to the new all-girls half of the new superdorm. I checked the room listing, and made my way up to my room on the third floor. When I finally got the door open, once I’d tossed my bags on the floor, I looked around, taking in my surroundings. I gasped. My room was as big as a small apartment!

[i]Who needs this much space in a dorm room?[/i] I wondered, but of course I didn’t really complain. After all, I kinda liked all the space. [i]And hey,[/i] I thought, [i]New year means no more roommate Ria![/i]

I unpacked my things, hanging up one of the two uniforms that I’d received the previous year and then putting the other one on, taking my time and getting used to my new home. Overall just settling in. Then, once it was time, I headed toward the main building for this year’s orientation.

As I neared the school, I gave it a closer inspection. As I’d suspected, it was no different, yet my surroundings seemed off somehow. It took me a second to realize that it was the tree line of the forest as seen out of the corner of my eye. Adult trees had been flown in and planted along the old edge of the forest, extending the tree line. You couldn’t see the old High Dorm at all anymore. It was a smart move on the part of the school. With the site of the original High Dorm open to the darkness, tearing the building down would only serve to open the door even wider, but at the same time something had to be done to keep students from wandering into the now-abandoned building. Clever.

I was lost in thought, so I didn’t hear anyone approaching until it was too late.

“Hey, Karen!”

[i]Oh no.[/i]

I’d been dreading this moment. I turned around, and there was Thomas. I don’t dislike Thomas. I just prefer not to communicate with him vocally. It’s hard to be chatty in email, you know?

But in person, of course, it’s a whole different story. Before I even realized what was happening, Thomas had launched into a rather impressive monologue detailing his summer break. I tried to listen, really I did, but there’s only so much information that the human brain can process at a time.

Luckily I was saved before things got too out of hand.

“Hey Tommy, Karen!”

Of course occasionally your savior is worse than what they save you from. Ria is sometimes like that. And by sometimes, I mean [i]usually[/i].

“Whatcha guys up to?” Ria asked.

“Oh,” said Thomas, “nothin’.” He was swooning. Literally swooning over Ria. God knows why. Actually I was surprised he was able to string together (almost) two complete words this time. Usually when I saw them together Thomas could hardly talk at all, and that’s saying something.

“Okay,” said Ria, “well come on. They’re doing orientation in the arena room this year. Apparently they wanna be ready in case a duel breaks out, like it did last year. We can’t be late. Every student is required to attend.”

“Oh,” I said, “right. Every student.”

[i]That means John will be there too.[/i]

I still cared about John. Nothing would ever change that. But spending the last few months apart from him, I’d realized that I didn’t need him or the drama he brought to my life. Even so, I reached down and touched the deck box in my pocket. Separated from my deck by a divider was the card that I’d made for him. The card that, despite everything, I hoped to give back to him one day.

“Karen, come on,” said Ria. She and Thomas were already on their way inside. I ran to catch up.


Even though I knew John didn’t want to see me, and I knew I didn’t want to see him, I couldn’t help scanning the crowd for his face. I didn’t see him, but I did notice that the number of students had more than doubled since last year. [i]Huh,[/i] I thought, [i]the dorms might almost fill up this time around.[/i] I took another look at the crowd. New students were easy to pick out from the rest. Most weren’t wearing their uniform jackets, and all of them were looking around, completely amazed by their surroundings. It brought back good memories of my first day here.

I sighed and followed my friends as we made our way to three empty seats a couple rows up. It was almost as soon as we were seated that Sheppard stepped out onto the Duel Arena floor below and started speaking.

“Well,” said Sheppard, “I’m glad to see so many young faces in the stands today. It’s impressive, isn’t it? A school dedicated to Duel Monsters, and it managed to stay open for longer than a year!”

He chuckled, and the crowd joined in happily.

“For those of you who don’t know me,” the cheerful man said, introducing himself, “I’m Professor Sheppard, the senior head professor here at Duel Academy. I’ve seen many Duelists in my time, all with potential, and I have to say I’ve never seen more potential than I see in this room today. But potential isn’t strength or skill. Potential is something that must be shaped and nurtured. That is what we do here at Duel Academy. We teach you things you may not know, and we help you hone what you do, helping your potential grow into something great. Our courses may seem tedious, or even simple, but I guarantee that you’ll learn something, and even when you’re not learning something you don’t already know, well, at least your tests will be easy.”

More laughter filled the room.

“Of course,” said Sheppard, more seriously now, “any Duelist who completes Duel Academy is guaranteed to know more than a Duelist who hasn’t, and any design student who graduates will be in the top of their field. If you can tough it out, the opportunities will be many. That is the true focus of Duel Academy. One day I hope to see all of you living your dreams. Duelists, I hope to see you dueling professionally, and designers, I hope to see you creating amazing cards, and I will do everything I can to make those hopes come true.

“Sadly,” Sheppard continued, “our headmaster Chancellor Kagemaru could not be here today due to personal matters, which is why I’m speaking to you in his stead. Hopefully he will be able to make an appearance soon, but until then any questions or concerns should be directed at me.”

He paused. I could tell that Sheppard was genuinely worried about his friend. I tried not to worry myself.

“Moving along,” said Sheppard, working hard to hide his worry (and doing a poor job of it), “there are some announcements to make. First of all, students are asked to refrain from entering the forest. Several students went missing last year and have yet to be found. It is unknown what happened to them, but some reports suggest that at least one of them was exploring the forest the last time they were seen. Our worries are only precautionary, but should be heeded nonetheless.

“Also, and this goes hand in hand with my previous request, I must ask all students to stay away from the old High Dorm. A natural disaster occurred in the dorm last year that has made the building unfit for human habitation. In fact, the structure is too dangerous even to enter safely. But our rather stubborn sponsors, Maxamillion Pegasus and Seto Kaiba, refuse to tear the structure down.”

He smiled and chuckled again. It was a clever story, and Sheppard was selling it well. I only hoped that it would hold up.

“And finally,” said Sheppard, “on a much happier note, the three dorms, previously known as High Dorm, Mid Dorm, and Low Dorm, will be renamed, starting the first official day of the new school year, for the greatest monsters in the history of Duel Monsters. The dorms will, from this point forward, be forever known as Obelisk Blue, Ra Yellow, and Osiris Red.”

The crowd cheered. Even I joined in. I couldn’t think of better names for the dorms that would be the homes of the Duelists of future generations.

Everything seemed to be pretty good, all things considered, until I felt a presence that I hadn’t expected to feel resonating with my Soul. I looked around frantically, searching for the source of the feeling, but just then the assembly was let out, and the students in the stands began moving toward the exits, and John was lost in the crowd.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seventeen]

The Darkness Returns


School was pretty uneventful in the days following orientation. In fact the most exciting thing to happen for months was the official announcement of the dorm name changes which came on the first day of classes. With more relatable names now assigned to the dorms, several rivalries began to pop up among the dueling students. Thankfully few design students became involved, so I didn’t feel pressured to waste my time. Ria, of course, got really into it before she finally burned out a couple months in. I guess there’s only so many times that you can tag the Ra Yellow dorm with Obelisk-themed graffiti and break into the Ra Yellow dorms to exchange students’ yellow jackets with torn up red ones before you get bored.

Anyway, as I said, design students didn’t really get caught up in the rivalries, or at least no one I knew did. I just did my best at school and focused on getting better. By the end of first semester, I was able to test out of most of my courses and move up to the next level. As much as I missed John, one good thing could be said about him being gone; I had a lot more time on my hands, time to focus on my studies without any drama. I was happy.

Really, I was.

Still, every time I even suspected that John might be around, I couldn’t help looking for him, almost obsessively. I mean, what if he never came back?

So maybe I wasn’t quite as happy as I’d thought at the time.

The next part of our story began one day nearly three quarters of the way through our second year. I was in my advanced card art and mechanics course, working on a painting of a landscape for a study on Field Spell cards. I was putting on the final details when my instructor walked by.

“Very good work on the tree line,” he said, “but you really should have more coherency. What kind of monster would benefit from a clearing in the woods?”

“Well,” I answered, “I was thinking of a dual effect, where warriors would get a benefit in the clearing in the center of the field, while forest-dwellers would gain a benefit from the forest along the edges.”

“Hmm,” the professor replied, “interesting. It reminds me of the earliest holographic duels, when the old Expert Rules were still common and the environment was an important part of game-play. I look forward to seeing your finished project.”

I smiled, full of pride, “Thanks.”

The instructor turned to walk away, but he stopped when I jumped up out of my seat, suddenly startled by a strange shock from my Soul of Imagination.

“Are you alright?” the instructor asked.

“Oh,” I answered, “yeah. I, uh, suddenly don’t feel well. Can I go see the nurse?”

The instructor’s kind eyes wrinkled with concern. “Of course you can,” he replied, but I barely heard him. I was already out the door running.

The Shadow was back.


I ran full speed through the halls until I found Ria’s and Thomas’ classroom. They had Advanced Duel Tactics together this period. I knew I’d need their help, so I stood outside and got their attention through the door. It only took them a few minutes to both get themselves excused from class.

“What’s goin’ on?” Ria asked. “I was actually takin’ notes today.”

“I’ve been watching out using my Soul of Imagination,” I explained as I led my friends quickly down the hall, “just in case something else happened, and it’s back!”

“What’s back?” Ria demanded.

“The Shadow,” I answered, and I saw her eyes go wide.

“The Shadow?” Thomas asked, his voice uneasy. “You mean the killer Shadow from last year that tried to eat me?”

“Tried to eat [i]us[/i],” Ria corrected, regaining her composure. “And what’s the big deal? Johnny beat that thing last time. He’ll beat it this time too.”

“John was only able to beat that thing because his Soul of Darkness protected him. I’ve seen it happen before. He’s invulnerable to all but the very most powerful shadow-based attacks. The Shadow in its incomplete form couldn’t touch him, but we have no idea what form the Shadow will have taken this time. John might not be protected from its attacks anymore. Besides, we don’t even know for sure that John knows about the Shadow’s return.”

We reached the lobby of the building, “We can’t take the risk. We have to try and overpower this thing and make sure it doesn’t get free. If it did, it could be catastrophic.”

“Where is it?” Ria asked.

“Same place as before,” I answered, walking toward the doors, “the old High Dorm. We have to get there now!”

“Wait,” said Thomas, backing away. Ria and I stopped and faced him. “I can’t do this. That thing freaks me out.”

“But Thomas-,” I began.

“I’m sorry,” he said, and he turned and ran.

I looked at Ria. She seemed pained, but she looked at me and asked, “What are we waiting for?”

We turned toward the doors once again, and we ran.


We dashed through the woods, branches smacking and cutting us. One hit my cheek, slicing deep enough that it stung, but I didn’t care.

[i]This forest is even thicker than it looks from the courtyard,[/i] I noticed. [i]I’ve been to the old dorm, and even I’m having trouble finding it in here.[/i]

After running for several minutes and wondering if the dorm was even still standing, we arrived. The building was already overgrown with brush and vines. But more surprising than that, everything seemed normal. Nothing looked remotely out of place. No sign of the Shadow anywhere.

“It couldn’t have escaped from the building yet,” I said.

“How do you know that?” Ria asked, looking around nervously.

“I just know,” I replied. “My Soul can feel it. The portal that connects the darkness to our dimension is bound to the place where it was opened, and so is the thing summoned through it. The Shadow would have to be in its complete form to escape. At least that’s what I feel.”

“Is there a chance that you magic fashion accessory could be wrong?” Ria wondered.

“I don’t know,” I answered, wondering the same thing myself. “It’s never been wrong before.”

“Well I don’t see anything here,” Ria announced, sounding annoyed.

That’s when the ground began to shake, and smoke began to pour from the cracks around the windows and doors of the lifeless building. The dark smoke, shadows made tangible, took on the form of tentacle-like arms that lashed out angrily.

“I told you,” I said grimly. I activated my Duel Disk and placed a card, “I summon the ‘Dark Magician Girl’!”

There was a flash, and the beautiful young sorceress appeared at my side, springing into action, blasting lashing shadowy arms apart one after the other. The arms reacted to her presence and lashed at her. She avoided them, destroying one arm after another, but for each arm she destroyed, another formed from the darkness.

“There’s magic all around here,” I told Ria. “You should be able to summon a monster.”

No answer.

I looked over at Ria, turning away from the battle. Ria was frozen in fear, a look of shock on her face. A stray arm moved to strike her, snapping her out of her daze, but there was no way for her to stop it herself. Responding to my desire to save my friend, my sorceress moved to block the arm, and was hit. She dissolved into shadows and joined with the tentacle. I felt the Shadow grow stronger. I looked down at the card on my Duel Disk. It was blank, the monster spirit gone from it.

[i]No![/i]

The many arms undulated, moving to strike a final blow, but by now Ria was prepared. “Summon,” she declared, “‘The Ultimate Fighter’!”

The powerful martial artist appeared, launching itself into battle against the shadowy arms, punching and kicking them apart in a flurry of motion. “Look out,” I told her. “It completely absorbed my monster. It might want yours too.”

I pulled two card from my deck, “I open the door to ‘Toon World’ and call out the ‘Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon’!”

Nothing happened.

[i]What?! Somehow, when it absorbed my monster, it blocked me from using any more magic![/i]

Just then Ria exclaimed, “No!” Her monster was hit and absorbed into the Shadow as well, and I sensed its power rise even further. I felt a rumbling in the air, and I heard a voice in my mind, [i]I have almost enough energy. My emergence is at hand! If there are no more monsters to absorb, humans, I will absorb [/i]you!

The arms reached for me and Ria, but a moment before they would have hit, they burst into flames and burned up. The flames lingered, slowing the arms’ regeneration, but not by much.

“Sorry I’m late.”

I turned toward the source of this newest voice.

“Thomas?”

“Tommy!” Ria cried, practically jumping up and down with relief.

“Thomas,” I said, “It absorbed our monsters, and we can’t summon any more.”

“Then it’s a good thing I got here when I did,” said Thomas, as the arms finished healing. “‘Ignis’,” he called, and the lingering flames came together and formed the spectral fire beast, its many eyes glowing. “Light it up, ‘Ignis’,” Thomas commanded. ‘Ignis’’ flame tail spread out, burning up most of the arms, but one manages to avoid the blaze long enough to snake its way toward ‘Ignis’’ main body, scoring a hit. ‘Ignis’ and his flames became a part of the arm.

“What are we gonna do now?” Thomas wondered. I didn’t answer. I expected the arms to attack us, but instead, they retracted back into the building. I heard a deep, wicked, deliberate laugh echoing from within the structure before us, and I knew what had happened. With the absorption of ‘Ignis’, the Shadow had finally absorbed enough energy to become whole.

“It’s here,” I said. “It’s finally managed to complete its emergence into our realm.”

“Is that bad?” Thomas asked.

“Let me put it this way,” I answered, “we couldn’t beat it when it was attacking us from another dimension.”

“So that’s a yes then.”

The air grew cold around us, and the color seemed to drain from our surroundings. The three of us backed away, stepping closer together. Black smoke started gushing from the building.

“New plan,” I said. “Run!”

We turned to run away, but we were cut off by the shadows, which curved around us. They swirled together, becoming solid, forming a slender creature, blacker that night, with red eyes, and a wide, tooth-filled mouth, curled into a wicked smile. Its hands ended in four fingers, tipped with long, sharp claws. It stood ten feet tall overall, towering above us.

“Going somewhere?” the Shadow asked in a raspy growl of a voice.

“Back off!” I said, stepping in front of the others, doing my best to shield them. The creature only laughed a hissy, raspy laugh.

[i]I’ll give you something to laugh at.[/i] I gestured toward the creature, my Soul flashing, and unleashed a wave of nearly invisible magical force that slashed the creature across the chest, opening a deep wound that would have killed a human. The Shadow screeched in pain.

“I said back off.”

But as I watched, the Shadow’s wound closed, as if it had never been there in the first place.

“This is [i]not[/i] good,” I said.

“Oh,” the creature announced, “you have no idea. I’m going to peel the skin from your body, girl, and them I’m going to keep you alive long enough for you to watch me eat your friends before I finally kill you.”

I was sure that this time it was over. I had no options left. There was nothing I could do. I was going to die. That’s when a miracle happened. I heard a voice from within the woods that made my heart skip.

“I can’t let you do that.”

In spite of everything, I smiled, [i]John.[/i]

The Shadow turned in the direction of the voice, as did Thomas, Ria, and I. We found ourselves looking into dark, empty woods.

[i]No,[/i] I thought, [i]not empty[/i]

The darkness itself seemed to come alive, forming a human shape. John stepped out of the shadows, his hands in the pockets of his red uniform jacket. He’d let his hair grow out. It was down almost to his shoulders, his bangs hanging long over his eyes.

“Good thing I got here when I did,” said John. “I really don’t want anything to eat you guys.”

He looked over at me, ignoring the Shadow completely, “You okay?”

I nodded.

“Don’t interfere!” the Shadow roared, slashing its claws at John. He jumped out of the path of the Shadow’s strike and summoned him Dark Disk from the shadows at his feet, separating it into its sword and shield form. He parried a second strike. When his blade touched the creature’s claws, its arm up to the elbow dissolved into darkness, reforming instantly.

“It looks like you’re still made of Shadows,” John noted. “You’re just a little more solid now, and a little quicker to heal. But either way, I can still take you apart.”

“But can you take [i]me[/i] apart before I can take [i]you[/i] apart?” the Shadow snarled, but I got the sense that it was at least partially bluffing.

I looked into John’s eyes. He seemed confident, but the tiniest bit of sweat on his brow told me otherwise. He was just as worried. Neither combatant was sure they could win a direct conflict. There was only one option.

“Since we both seem to agree that it would be best not to obliterate each other,” John offered, “I propose that we settle this the way we did last time, with a duel!”

“Sounds good,” the Shadow replied. I watched its mouth twist into a wicked smile. I knew then that it had been planning for this. After all, at its current level of power, who knew how powerful a deck it could manifest.

“John,” I began, “the duel-.”

“Don’t worry,” John said, interrupting me, “I know. I’ve got this. You guys get away from here.”

John knew the risks involved in the coming duel. He was taking those risks to give me a chance to escape.

I nodded, offering him my support.

“Alright my fine shadowy fiend,” said John with a confident smirk, “if I win this little shadow duel I get to decide what to do with you. There are no limits, but if you win, you walk free, unhindered by me or my friends. Agreed?”

The Shadow nodded, still grinning.

The terms for the Shadow Game set, John’s Soul flashed, sealing the deal. Darkness rose up, completely surrounding the combatants.

“Oh no!” I exclaimed.

“What?” Thomas asked.

I reached into my pocket and felt my deck box there, holding one particular card, “I forgot to give him something.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eighteen]

An Unexpected Deck;
The Ultimate Demon!


[b]John[/b]


“You’re going to be quite surprised when you see how my power has grown,” the Shadow growled, darkness enclosing us. The darkness at his feet took form, pouring like smoke to his arm and forming an oversized Duel Disk with greater detail than the one he’d used previously. It was gunmetal grey and looked scraped and dented. A deck full of cards poured from the shadows into the creature’s deck loader. I felt an unusual power radiating from that deck, but I ignored the feeling.

[i]I’ve learned a lot this year,[/i] I thought. [i]My deck is mostly the same, and my style isn’t any different, but I’ve learned how to be myself again. I’ve remembered how to take things seriously, on and off the duel field. My whole attitude is changed. No matter how strong the Shadow has become, I will win.[/i]

I don’t know why I said it. Maybe I just wanted to brag. Maybe I was more afraid that I thought. Afraid that, as soon as I’d reached a place where I felt that I could return to Karen, the Shadow was going to take that all away from me again. Either way, I wanted the Shadow to know just what it was up against.

“Maybe you’ve had awhile to prepare for this duel, [i]monster[/i],” I declared, “but so have I. Maybe you’ve gotten stronger, but I have too. A couple years ago, I was a completely different person. A person who really cared about fighting the good fight. Who truly valued the time he spent with the people closest to him. When you’re not a wicked shadow demon, it’s those values that make you strong. I’ve spent every moment of every day since our last battle learning how to be that person again.”

“Let me tell you something, [i]human[/i],” The Shadow responded, speaking the last word as if it tasted fowl in his mouth, a deep rage gleaming in his shallow eyes. “My realm is full of horrors and beings and powers beyond your wildest imagination. Things that your limited mind cannot comprehend with its pitiful three dimensional understanding. As powerful as I am, I am nothing compared to the sheer magical forces and the greater beings that exist there. The only refuge a being like me can hope for is to hide and stay hidden, but that was not enough for me. I wanted freedom. I [i]deserved[/i] it! So I waited, and I watched your world, using the magical words inscribed in an ancient human book as a bridge. I waited for the day when a mind malleable enough for me to influence might find my book.

“For centuries I waited in the darkness, every year in your world feeling like a hundred years to me, until I was almost ready to give up, but then, finally, success! An ignorant, stupid human found my book. I whispered to him how to open the door to my realm, convincing him that he would be granted great power. He opened the door for me, and I consumed him, mind, body and soul, using his energy to grow closer to your world, my destined world. But it wasn’t enough. So I consumed his friend as well. Still my goal eluded me. Their Ba, what you humans now call Duel Energy, was not enough to bring me here in my complete form. Again, I nearly gave up.”

“Are you about finished?” I asked, feigning boredom. The more of the Shadow’s story I heard, the worse off I felt. I didn’t intend to hear more.

The Shadow had other ideas.

“YOU WILL HEAR ME!!!” the Shadow roared, nearly knocking me off of my feet with the force of its rage.

“As I was saying,” the Shadow continued, so tense now that it was shaking, “I almost lost hope. Then, what luck! I’d been summoned onto an island full of Ba-filled humans upon which I could feed. And better yet, none of them even knew I existed! I could take my time and grow stronger at my own pace. It was clear that ruling this world was my destiny.”
The Shadow focused its intense eyes right on me as its story reached its climax, “And then you came. You, the human I wanted most but could not have. You, the one human with the power to grant me my goal, and the power to send me back to the horrible world from which I came! I clawed my way through my Hell of a dimension, back through the barrier between our worlds, against the grain of my realm, no longer because I desired to rule. No! I put myself through the most painful, the most difficult struggle of my very horrible little life with only one thought in my head. I returned here wanting only to kill you!

“And now, now that I’ve siphoned off enough energy from the humans here on this island to emerge in my completed form,” the Shadow explained, drawing his opening hand, “that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

The Shadow drew a sixth card, not waiting for a single word from me.

“I begin,” he declared, “with the Spell card ‘Fiend’s Sanctuary’, summoning a Token Monster.”

A glowing ring appeared on the ground near the Shadow’s feet, remaining just long enough to spawn a small creature that resembled a few small silver orbs stacked on top of each other (ATK: 0).

“I tribute the Token,” the Shadow continued, “to summon the ‘Legendary Fiend’.”

A tall, muscular demon appeared, it had black wings and four upper limbs, two like normal arms and two like long necks, each one ending in a monstrous head (ATK: 1500).

“I set a card,” the Shadow declared. “Make your first futile move.”

“I’d be glad to,” I said in a mock cheerful tone. “I’ll start off with one of my favorite opening moves, the powerful ‘Giant Orc’.”

A huge, gray-skinned goblin appeared at my side, standing nearly as tall as the Shadow itself, carrying a giant bone club in his right hand (ATK: 2200).

“I attack your ‘Legendary Fiend’,” I commanded, “before it has a chance to use its effect and grow stronger.”

My goblin charged, his club raised.

“You’re too slow,” the Shadow countered. “My face-down card is ‘Turn Jump’, a Spell which moves time forward a total of six turns, allowing my monster to mature as if three of my turns had passed.”

As he spoke, the air around us seemed to ripple, as if time and space were changing before our eyes. The ‘Legendary Fiend’ grew, and grew stronger (ATK: 1500 +(700x3)=3600) until it towered over my monster. It brought its clawed hand down on my monster, crushing him with ease (8000+2200-3600=6600).

[i]Well this isn’t good,[/i] I thought. [i]Why do I always take the first hit?[/i]

“I set two cards,” I said.

[i]I really should have gotten my card back from Karen. I’m sure she has it with her.[/i] At first it was only a passing thought, but soon that thought turned to near panic. I’d only been able to defeat the Shadow the first time around because I had that card, ‘The Fiend Omegacyber’. What if it came down to a similar situation again? Right then, without that card in my deck, I felt alone.

But I couldn’t let my revelation dishearten or distract me. [i]If I do,[/i] I thought, [i]I might as well surrender now.[/i]

“I end my turn.”

“Then you have come one step closer to your destruction,” The Shadow declared with pride, “and I have come one step closer to my ultimate freedom. I draw, and my monster grows seven hundred points stronger once again.”

‘The Legendary Fiend’ grew even larger (ATK: 3600+700=4300).

“I equip ‘The Legendary Fiend’ with the ‘Sword of Dark Rites’,” A wicked, twisted, evil-looking blade appeared in the demon’s outstretched hand, “raising his power even further (ATK: 4300+400=4700).

“I attack directly,” the Shadow declared, and the demonic monster raised its sword and prepared to strike.

I smiled…

…and the attacking demon exploded!

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Blast Held by a Tribute’, destroying your monster and dealing you damage.”

Smoke and flames from the explosion of the Shadow’s monster assaulted the Shadow. Its chest began to dissolve, but it regenerated quickly (8000-1000=7000).

The Shadow snarled, “You can’t defeat me so easily.” He placed two cards on his Duel Disk, “I summon a monster, face-down in defense mode, and set a card face-down.”

I could see a figure, the Shadow’s hidden monster, moving in the darkness near the Shadow’s feet.

“As your turn comes to an end,” I declared, pressing forward, “I reveal the Trap card ‘Call of the Haunted’, reviving my fallen ‘Orc’.”

The fully revived goblin appeared at my side. He hadn’t enjoyed being killed, and he was ready for some payback.

“Now I draw,” I continued, “and I summon the ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’.”

The squat demon in his characteristic, less-than-adequate armor appeared as well, his sword raised (ATK: 1800).

[i]I need to be careful and think things through,[/i] I thought. [i]I can’t afford to underestimate an opponent this strong. But at the same time, past experience has shown me that it would be a serious mistake to hesitate against himl. This guy can summon massively powerful monsters in an instant. If I pause for even a second, he might crush me.[/i]

[i]I have to attack.[/i]

“My ‘Orc’ attacks your hidden monster,” I commanded. The ‘Orc’ charged forward, his club raised, and squashed the defending monster, a giant tomato with a demonic face. The ‘Mystic Tomato’.

[i]Ah crap![/i]

“When my ‘Mystic Tomato’ is destroyed,” the Shadow explained, a wicked glint in its red eyes, and a cheerful tone to its chilling voice, “I can summon any monster from my deck.”

A card in the Shadow’s deck melted into darkness and reformed on the beast’s Duel Disk. On the Shadow’s field appeared a monster that’s difficult to describe. A monster I’d never seen before. It was a humanoid demon, its body made of black, gray, and red patches. It had black devil wings and a large, green eye, turned vertical, embedded in its forehead. It was difficult to tell if the figure was meant to be male or female, or even something else.

“Behold,” the Shadow declared, triumphant, “the greatest demon to exist in this modern form of dueling, the great beast ‘Yubel’ (ATK: 0)!”

I shuddered. [i]This monster has a dark power. So dark that even my Soul of [/i]Darkness[i] doesn’t like it. And to make things worse, I have no idea what the Shadow plans to do with it, or what it can do. I have to destroy it, fast![/i]

I was about to attack, and thinking back to that duel, I’m glad I wasn’t able to, because if I had, I might have died. Instead, the Shadow activated a Trap.

“Reveal,” the Shadow announced, “the Trap card ‘Torrential Tribute’, destroying every monster on the field!”

Water bubbled up from nowhere and washed over the field, drowning all of our monsters and washing them away.

[i]What?[/i]

“And,” the Shadow continued, “when ‘Yubel’ dies outside of battle, it is reborn in its second, more monstrous form, ‘Yubel – Terror Incarnate’!”

‘Yubel’ reappeared and grew into a massive beast, just taller than the Shadow itself. It was a mighty-looking, two-headed dragon in ‘Yubel’’s black and red, but without the gray. It had a larger, yellow version of ‘Yubel’’s third eye on its chest, broad wings, and long, curved, razor-sharp claws (ATK: 0).

“I’m having trouble seeing what’s so threatening about some monsters with zero Attack,” I taunted.

“You’ll understand my monster’s power soon enough,” the Shadow replied, laughing gruffly. “I draw, and I play ‘Card of Sanctity’!”

The Shadow and I proceeded to refill our hands.

“I set a card,” the Shadow announced, “and play ‘Spell Economics’. This lets me play Spell cards without the need to pay Life Points.”

I bit my lip in frustration, [i]This can’t be good.[/i]

“Activate ‘Delinquent Duo’,” the Shadow declared, “calling in the twin demons. One steals a random card from your hand, while you must give the other a card from your hand willingly. Both are then discarded.”

Two small, fluttering demons appeared. One snatched my ‘Dark Core’ from me, and I handed the other my ‘X-Head Cannon’. The demons fed my cards into my Graveyard and then disappeared in a puff of black smoke.

“But I am not finished,” the demon said. “Oh, I am far from finished! I set another card and play ‘Thunder Crash’!” This card destroys all of my monsters and deals three hundred damage to you for each monster destroyed.”

‘Yubel’ exploded into a burst of lightning that hit me, causing me to cry out, singing my clothes, and leaving my body throbbing (6600-300=6300).

“And when ‘Yubel – Terror Incarnate’ is destroyed, it is reborn one final time as a creature with no peer!”

Darkness swirled all around us, collecting into a massive form that dwarfed even the Shadow. It stood over twenty-five feet tall. It had two draconic heads, each with a human face atop it, between the eyes. It had eyes on its knees, and a massive humanoid face on its chest, with a yellowish third eye on the forehead of said face. Again, this incarnation of ‘Yubel’ possessed no Attack, but even I suffered no illusions that such a creature could be weak.

“This,” the Shadow declared, “is the greatest demon of all, ‘Yubel – The Ultimate Nightmare’!”

I swallowed hard, [i]This duel might be even trickier that I thought.[/i]

The Shadow smiled cheerily, its wicked, animalistic teeth bared, “It’s your turn. But be careful. We wouldn’t want it to be your last!”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nineteen]

The Unexpected Deck;
The Ultimate Warrior!


[b]Karen[/b]


John really was going all out to protect us. The shadows he’d summoned to encompass his Shadow Duel were so thick that I was having trouble reading what was going on inside. But despite what John had done and said, I couldn’t bring myself to escape and leave him there all alone.

“Thomas, Ria,” I said, turning to my friends, “you guys go. I’m staying here to wait for John.”

I turned the card in my hand over in my fingers a few times before I noticed that my friends were still there, with apparently no intention of moving.

“Go!” I said.

“No way,” said Thomas, looking down at the blank card resting on his Duel Disk. “I got scared and showed up late. If I’d just come with you guys in the first place, maybe we woulda been able to defeat the Shadow, and maybe I wouldn’t have lost ‘Ignis’. No, I’m seeing this thing through.”

It was clear that ‘Ignis’ was more than just a card to Thomas. I remembered him saying that he could see monster spirits, and I understood that ‘Ignis’ was his friend.

“Same goes for me,” said Ria. “That thing took my ‘Ultimate Fighter’. I’m not leaving until I get my monster back, even if I have to rip him from the monster with my bare hands!”

I nodded, “Alright. Then we’re all in this together.” [i]Come on John, you can do this. We’re counting on you.[/i]


[b]John[/b]


[i]Come on,[/i] I told myself, [i]you can do this! Everyone’s counting on you![/i]

“I draw,” I declared, and I smiled when I saw my latest acquisition.

[i]This might be easier that I thought![/i]

“Don’t get used to having the card you just drew in your hand,” the Shadow warned, “because I reveal ‘Drastic Drop Off’, forcing you to discard the card you just drew.”

“No!” I exclaimed. An invisible force knocked the ‘Mirror Force’ card out of my hand. It curled around me and slid into my Graveyard.

“Damn. Looks like I’m gonna have to do this the hard way,” I said, looking up at the grotesque beast that towered over me. “I don’t know what your monster does, but I’m pretty sure that my next monster can take it out, and take a chunk out of your Life Points to boot. I summon ‘D.D. Warrior Lady’ and attack your monster. When my monster battles, I have the option of removing her and he opponent from play!”

The silver-suited female warrior appeared, her glowing sword in hand, and she lunged at the immense creature.

“You should know by now that such simple moves don’t work on me,” the Shadow countered. “Reveal ‘Nullification Warp’, negating the effect of your monster during this turn.”

‘D.D. Warrior Lady’’s sword lost its glow. She slashed across the chest of her massive adversary, but the attack was unsuccessful. It did nothing at all, to the player or the monster.

[i]No way. It’s indestructible?[/i]

“Now, ‘Yubel’,” the Shadow commanded, “activate your effect!”

My warrior was still hanging in the air when the mouth of the giant face on ‘Yubel’’s chest opened, and shadowy black vines extended out. Several of the vines crushed my monster, and the rest reached toward me, slashing me across my chest, nearly knocking me down. I lost Life Points equal to the Attack of my monster (6300-1500=4800).

“Then I pass,” I said. [i]I need to feel this thing out. Figure out just how powerful this monster is.[/i]

“Draw!” the Shadow declared, excited by the prospect of my possible defeat. “I play my ‘Level Aura’ Spell card, increasing the power of my monster by twelve hundred.”

Twelve level stars swarmed around ‘Yubel’. It opened its huge mouth and sucked the stars in. An aura flared around ‘Yubel’’s massive body (ATK: 1200).

“‘Yubel’ attacks,” the Shadow declared. ‘Yubel’ produced its vines again, slashing me, tearing at the thick material of my uniform jacket (4800-1200=3600).

“I set a card,” said the Shadow, placing a card on his Duel Disk, “and, sadly, that’s all for now. Go! Mount your pitiful counterattack.”

“Alright then,” I replied, drawing a card. “I play ‘Graceful Charity’, drawing three cards,” I drew, looked at my cards, and I got an idea.

[i]This guy is always prepared, so what I really need to do is throw him off his game.[/i]

“I discard ‘Y-Dragon Head’ and ‘Z-Metal Tank’, and then I summon my ‘Snipe Hunter’, a monster that can destroy other monsters at the cost of a card from my hand!”

My monster, a pure-black-colored devil carrying a blaster appeared, only to disappear a moment later in a wave of light.

“Reveal,” said the Shadow, “the Trap card ‘Solemn Judgment’! I surrender half of my remaining Life Points to pass judgment on your monster, destroying him (7000/2=3500).

I smiled, [i]This is going better than I hoped![/i]

“In that case, it’s finally time to turn this duel around! I play my [i]real[/i] trump card, ‘Contract with the Dark Master’. I tribute the ‘Chaosrider Gustaph’ in my hand, and remove ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’ in the Graveyard from play as a sacrifice to initiate the Ritual Summon.”

A black fire flared up behind me, stretching far into the shadows above my head. From that fire emerged the demon lord ‘Dark Master – Zorc’ (ATK: 2700).

“My new monster, ‘Zorc’,” I explained, “has the power to destroy a certain number of cards based on the number I roll on a six-sided dice.”

I held out my hand, smiling with confidence, and a black dice, the same black dice that I’d used against the second Card Taker, materialized in my palm.

“If I roll a one through five,” I explained, “my monster scores a ‘Critical Hit’ and your ‘Yubel’ dies. But there’s a silver lining for you. If I happen to roll a six, a ‘Critical Miss’, my monster’s power will feed back on itself and my monster will be destroyed instead.”

I tossed the dice, darkness forming around my monster, building up. The dice skidded around and finally landed on a three.

“Alright,” I exclaimed, clenching my fist, “a ‘Critical Hit’!”

‘Zorc’ raised his hands, drawing the darkness into them.

“Survive this, nightmare demon!” I said as my monster unleashed his special attack, creating an eruption of energy. “Dark Catastrophe!”

‘Yubel’ cried out as it was swallowed up by the dark energy and completely destroyed.

“Now my monster attacks directly!”

‘Zorc’ fired off a blast of darkness yet again, hitting the Shadow, nearly blasting it apart, but again, the Shadow was able to reform (3500-2700=800).

“This duel is as good as over,” I said, but the Shadow had other ideas.

“I don’t think so,” the Shadow asserted, its lips curling into a crooked smile. “I have one more monster left to play. A monster even more powerful than the one you just destroyed! First I play ‘Card of Demise’ to draw five new cards!”

I felt a familiar power wash over me, and I realized that I’d underestimated the strength of my opponent even more than I thought.

“I’ve absorbed enough energy from the girl out there,” the Shadow explained, “in the form of her magician monster to use one of her powers!”

Light flashed from the Shadow’s deck and it called out, “Destiny Draw!”

My opponent drew his cards, and I knew that he’d drawn just what he needed. I don’t frighten easily, but I’ll admit that I was scared.

The Shadow’s smiled widened further, “Perfect! I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive the original form of ‘Yubel’!”

A supernatural red light flared and the first form of the demon ‘Yubel’ appeared at the Shadow’s side.

“And I summon,” the Shadow continued, a humanoid figure made of crystals appearing by his side as well, “the ‘Elemental Hero Prisma’!”

[i]An Elemental Hero?[/i] I wondered. [i]This can’t be his big play, so what kind of monster is he planning to summon?[/i]

“I show you a Fusion monster, ‘Elemental Hero Dark Neos’,” the Shadow declared, holding out its massive hand, a Fusion monster that I’d never seen manifesting there, “and discard the material monster ‘Elemental Hero Neos’ from my deck,” a card from the Shadow’s deck dissolved into smoke and reconstituted in his Graveyard, “to give ‘Prisma’ the name ‘Elemental Hero Neos’!”

‘Prisma’ lit up, projecting around itself an image of a tall warrior in a single piece white jumpsuit with a crystal in its chest.

“I merge my monsters,” the Shadow declared, “to create the ultimate, perfect monster!”

‘Yubel’ became energy that merged with ‘Prisma’/’Neos’, and ‘Prisma’/’Neos’ became the projected monster, wearing black armor over his chest, arms and head. His eyes were covered by his armor, ‘Yubel’’s third eye, mounted on the forehead of his armor, his only means of sight. A black wing sprouted from each side of the armor wrapping the monster’s head.

“Behold,” the Shadow declared, “the ‘Neos Wiseman’ (ATK: 3000). This monster deals damage to my opponent equal to the Attack of any monster it battles, and restores my Life equal to the [i]defense[/i] of any monster it battles. I attack ‘Zorc’!”

‘Neos Wiseman’ rose up, the crystal in the armor of his chest glowing, and raised his armored hands above his head, summoning a massive ball of light.

“‘Neos’,” the Shadow commanded, “Ultimate Nova’!”

‘Neos’ threw the energy ball at ‘Zorc’. My monster was instantly and completely overwhelmed and destroyed (3600-3000=600). The sheer force of the blast threw me through the air. I stood up in time to see life-giving energy flare around the Shadow. His Life Points rose, and he started laughing (800+1500=2300).

“Do you see now?” the Shadow asked. “Do you see? You can’t win against me! You are nothing in my presence. My monster has three thousand Attack, it can’t be destroyed by an effect, and if you [i]do[/i] attack it, you’ll take lethal damage. There’s nothing you can do!”

I fell heavily to my knees, [i]He’s right. There’s only one card in this deck that can defeat that monster, my ‘Black Luster Soldier’, but just like before my power of Destiny Draw is being blocked. I’m just not strong enough. There really isn’t anything I can do.[/i]

[i]Then I got an idea,[/i][i] No, Karen might still be able to save me. I might be able to win with her help, and her power to create a miracle! But does she even care about me anymore?[/i]

[i]I frowned, [/i][i]Either way, I have to try![/i]

My Soul flared, and I reached out to the girl that I’d abandoned.


[b]Karen[/b]


I felt John take a hit. A big one. Whatever he was facing, it was far beyond what he’d seen the Shadow summon before.

[i]There has to be something I can do![/i] I thought, tears forming in my eyes. [i]This can’t be the end. I can’t bear the thought of never seeing him again![/i]

I a moment of great epiphany of inspiration, my Soul is stronger than any other. In that moment I realized that, despite everything that John had done, I still loved him. In the moment that I admitted that to myself, my Soul flashed with light so bright that I had to shield my eyes, and I felt it connect with his. In that moment, I could feel that John needed me.

[i]My Soul’s power is the power to grant wishes,[/i] I thought. [i]When we were under threat from Blackheart and I wished for the power to oppose him, my Soul granted that wish and stole the power from the Dark Duel Force’s Shadow Items. If my Soul could grant my wish then, then it can grant my wish now. And right now I have only one wish; save John![/i]

My Soul shown with light in an array of sparkling colors, and I felt the card in my hand grow hot, before it finally disappeared in a flash. The wall of Shadows before me parted as the magic of my Soul sent an object through it.

[i]I hope that helps, because it’s all I’ve got.[/i]


[b]John[/b]


There was a flash, and my Soul transformed. For the first time since my duel with Hiro, since my attitude first began to change, my Soul ceased to be the Soul of Darkness and instead became the Soul of Chaos, the Soul with power over the immense forces born of equal parts darkness and light mingling together. I felt my Soul connect with Karen’s. There was another flash, and I knew that she had come through for me. Our combined power was overwhelming! I stood up and looked the Shadow in the eyes, “It’s over. You’ve lost.”

“Impossible,” said the Shadow.

“No,” I said, “it’s not. I [i]will not[/i] let you hurt anyone [i]ever again![/i] I play ‘Card of Sanctity’ to draw six cards.”

I prepared to draw, [i]Let’s see how [/i]you[i] like this![/i]

My Soul flashed with the power of mine and Karen’s Souls, and I called out, “Destiny Draw!” I pulled my cards, knowing that I‘d drawn everything I needed.

“I play ‘Soul Absorption’, and I combine it with ‘Soul Release’, removing ‘Giant Orc’, ‘X-Head Cannon’, ‘Y-Dragon Head’, ‘Z-Metal Tank’, and ‘Dark Master – Zorc’ from play, and recovering twenty-five hundred Life Points (600+2500=3100).

“I summon ‘Guide to the Different Dimension’,” I continued, “a monster that’s summoned to [i]your[/i] side of the field.”

A monster in a black cloak appeared beside ‘Neos’.

“Now, because you control two monsters and I control none, I can summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

“No!” the Shadow protested as the yellow warrior appeared, energy dancing along his body.

“I play ‘Cyber Spear’,” I declared, a high tech spear appearing in my monster’s hand “giving my monster the power to destroy the ‘Guide’.”

‘Megacyber’ threw his spear, piercing the ‘Guide’ through, destroying him.

“Now,” I continued, “I play ‘Special Draw’ to draw two cards, and I discard both to transform my monster!”

‘Megacyber’’s armor changed, turning white, yellow, black and white lightning rolling off of him.

“My fine Shadowy fiend,” I said, gesturing proudly at my warrior, “you remember ‘The Fiend Omegacyber’ (ATK: 3000).”

“No!” the Shadow exclaimed fearfully. Then he seemed to catch himself. “It doesn’t matter. My monster is stronger!”

“We’ll see,” I replied. “Attack, Omegacyber Impact!”

“Destroy it,” the Shadow commanded, “Ultimate Nova!”

‘Fiend Omegacyber’ summoned energy into his hands and flew right at ‘Neos’. ‘Neos Wiseman’ summoned a ball of light and threw it at the oncoming monster. The two attacks met, energy erupting outward, pouring over both combatants. Both were destroyed. I was surrounded by a burning light that stripped my Life away from me (3100-3000=100). A second aura surrounded the Shadow, restoring his Life (2300+700=3000). The Shadow Laughed yet again.

“How does it feel, human?” the Shadow asked. “Your monster, your last great hope is gone, and you are worse off than ever before!”

“You’re wrong,” I said. “I might be fighting you alone, but I have the strength of many. As long as I have friends worth protecting, I’ll never be defeated by someone who fights only for himself.

“I play my last card, the Spell card ‘Namesake Summon’. I remove from play ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ in my Graveyard,” I smiled, “to revive ‘The Fiend [i]O[/i]megacyber!”

Energy crackled all around me, making the Shadow cringe away. That energy formed a swirling, crackling portal from which my monster emerged, hanging menacingly in the air.

“Finish it,” I ordered, “with Omegacyber Impact!”

Lightning and sheer power poured into my monster’s hand, glowing with all of my anger.

“No!” the Shadow cried. He lashed out with tentacles of darkness, but they dissolved harmlessly when they touched my monster’s light.

“No!!”

My monster held up his hand and shot forward, striking and sending energy pouring through the Shadow’s body.

“[i]NOOOO!!![/i]”

The Shadow’s body dissolved (3000-3000=0). My monster disappeared, and I walked over to the slowly reforming creature.

[i]This isn’t over,[/i] the weakened Shadow said, speaking in my head. [i]I’ll return again, and I’ll kill you and everyone you love![/i]

“No,” I said, “you won’t.” I raised my palm and my Soul of Chaos glowed. “Your penalty for your crimes will be to float forever in your formless state, able to watch this world that you desired to rule, but never to touch it again. Penalty Game, Eternal Formlessness!”

My Soul flashed, and the Shadow dissolved once and for all. The shadows surrounding me fell away, and there she was, the person that I fight for, standing with Thomas and Ria, tears in her eyes. Before I knew what was happening, we were running to each other. She kissed me, and I knew that everything would be fine.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty]

No Rest for the Weary


The end of the year came, and things couldn’t have been going better. Karen and I were back together. We never even talked about it, it just happened. We both knew that we’d made mistakes, and we silently accepted that and moved on. Plus, Karen and Ria could be around each other now without trying to kill each other, which put far less strain on mine and Karen’s relationship.

When time came for final exams, I took them all without sleeping through anything, and I passed with flying colors, as usual. When the inevitable request to move up to blue dorm came, the same request that had come after every exam since my transfer to Osiris Red, I accepted. Karen and I were in each other’s lives again. She filled me in on some of her ideas, and I have to say, they were good. She was in the process of trying to make card placement into an important mechanic for the first time since the Duelist Kingdom tournament, and she was toying with a completely new type of monsters based on tuning sound waves, that could be summoned by synchronizing the levels of lower level monsters with the level of the higher level monster being summoned. I was impressed, and I told her that, but she seemed convinced that neither idea would ever go anywhere.

During that time of getting reacquainted, Karen, of course, wanted to hear what I had been up to, but I wouldn’t tell her. I had my reasons for refusing, and Karen seemed to understand that, because she didn’t pry.

Naturally after the school year came break. Thomas and Ria each went home, but Karen and I stayed on the island. We had a lot of catching up to do, and we wasted no time. By the time school was about to start up again, it was like we hadn’t spent the majority of the year apart at all.


“Hurry up,” Karen urged me as we made our way toward the school building. “Thomas and Ria both said that they’d wait for us by the Kuriboh bench. If you hold us up anymore we’ll all four be late to orientation.”

I up-played my lazy walk, “But I don’t wanna go to school.”

“Oh suck it up,” Karen responded in jest.

We approached the school, and we found ourselves lost in a crowd of students, both new and old. I only recognized a few of them, but as usual they were easy to tell apart, as only returning students were wearing uniforms.

“Look at all of these people,” I remarked.

“Yeah,” Karen agreed. “There’s definitely more people here than went to the school last year, not to mention the ones already inside. Duel Academy is becoming popular.”

“If only people knew what kinds of things went on here,” I said, “they’d feel differently.”

“Probably,” Karen replied, “but there really isn’t anything we can do about that. From what you told me, Chancellor Kagemaru and Professor Sheppard were right. This place is needed. We can only hope that all of the danger has passed. In fact, I bet nothing sinister will happen all year.”

We reached the courtyard, nearly swept away by the crowd of people pouring through the doors. I could see Thomas and Ria up ahead. They didn’t seem any different, except that Thomas was talking, and Ria was actually listening. It was weird.

“There they are,” I said, pointing. “Hey Thomas! Ria!”

“Oh hey!” Tomas responded, sprinting over to meet us, Ria close behind. “You wouldn’t believe my summer!” he began.

“Yeah, I bet,” I interrupted, but Thomas didn’t get the hint.

“Yeah,” he continued. “I entered in the regional tournament in my area and I won! It was tough. I had to face this one guy with a warrior deck, then this one girl with a machine deck, and then…”

Needless to say I started tuning him out right about there.

“Wow,” said Ria, “[i]chico[/i] can talk.”

“You’re just noticing this?” I asked as the four of us made way toward and then through the open doors.

“I never paid him enough attention,” she answered.

“…And finally I ended up having to face this [i]other[/i] girl in the finals who used a [i]different[/i] kind of machine deck. She used stuff like ‘Super Roboyarou’ and ‘Emes the Infinity’, and she kept on making her monsters stronger and stronger, but she didn’t have any way to protect against burn damage, so I won! It was mostly pretty easy, and it rocked! That means I’m a regional champion until next year!”

“So where is orientation this year,” I asked, still ignoring the motor-mouthed Thomas, “the arena room, or the auditorium?”

“Good question,” said Karen mockingly, “and I can see why you’d have to ask, what with everyone heading toward the auditorium and all.”

We followed the crowd into the auditorium and were lucky enough to find four seats together about half way up.

“Has anyone seen Kagemaru yet?” Ria asked.

“No,” said Karen. “His speech today is going to be his first public appearance in months.”

“It’s weird,” I added. “Kagemaru is supposed to be a really strong Duelist. I get that he’s super old, but you’d think he’d be more involved in the goings on at his school.”

We sat in (relative) silence for several minutes. Ria pulled some earphones and an MP3 player out of her pocket and started ignoring the world, while Karen and I talked amongst ourselves and Thomas talked to no one. He paused momentarily from his monologue to announce, “Hey, there’s Kagemaru!” before he continued.

Karen, Ria, Thomas (subconsciously, maybe), and I watched as the elderly man made his way to the podium, Sheppard at his side. The entire room quieted so much that even Thomas followed suite, and everyone waited.

Kagemaru cleared his throat, and he began to speak, though he didn’t get very far. “Welcome,” he said, “to the third year of Duel Academy, and what a great year it will-.”

Suddenly he stopped, and his expression grew pained. He turned and stumbled away from the podium. A staff member that I didn’t recognize, a young, attractive and fit woman, ran to his side and helped him out of the auditorium while Sheppard stepped up to finish the Chancellor’s speech himself. I didn’t hear any of it.

Something was clearly wrong with the school’s headmaster, and it gave me a bad feeling.


[b]Sheppard[/b]


I fumbled my way through the speech that Kagemaru would have given, doing only a mostly presentable job, and then I made my way as quickly as I could from the auditorium. The school’s newly-hired nurse-slash-gym instructor Miss Fonda Fontaine stepped into stride alongside me.

“Thank you for walking the Chancellor to his room, Miss Fontaine,” I said.

“I’m worried about the Chancellor,” Miss Fontaine replied. “He seems like a sweet man, but he seems very sick. He said some very unusual things as we were walking. I didn’t understand most of them, but they were definitely strange.”

“Chancellor Kagemaru is just not feeling like himself right now,” I replied. “I assure you that everything is fine. The Chancellor just needs a bit of rest. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to speak with him.”

I walked briskly away from the young woman before she could see the worry in my eyes, and made my way toward the Chancellor’s room.


I didn’t find Kagemaru in his room, so I went to his office where I found him standing by his window, calmly looking out over the courtyard where several students were already making their way toward the dorms. Several, but not all.

“Are you alright sir?” I asked, fearing the answer.

“No, I am not,” Kagemaru answered. “They have nearly eroded my control, David. When I split my concentration between suppressing them and giving my speech, they made a bid for control, and they will have it momentarily.”

“You can put up another mental wall,” I said. “You’ll beat them.”

“No,” my friend replied. “Nothing I do is enough. I thought if I spent the majority of my time in meditation that my strength would return and I would be able to return them to their mental prison, but I was wrong. They are coming, the three that are one.”

He turned to me, and I saw real fear in my friend’s eyes for the first time since I had known him. “You must prepare for the coming battle,” he said. “Go to the young man, John, and his friends. Ask for their help. They might be our only hope, for you cannot defeat them alone.”

He turned his back to me again, “No one can. Now go! They are here.”

The shadows in the room began to darken, and they almost seemed to reach toward the place where Kagemaru stood. Without a moment of hesitation, I turned and made my way out of the partially vacated school building, only stopping to pull the fire alarm. In a situation like this, partially vacant just wasn’t good enough.


[b]???[/b]


“We emerged too late,” we realized. “Our host managed to warn the other human of our arrival. He has gone to seek help from the ones with powerful magic.”

“We must be careful,” we replied.

“Yes,” we agreed. “The elder human and the other two are inconsequential, but the two with the magical items could be a serious threat to us. We must seek one with power enough to keep them away until our true form can be realized, and with enough darkness in his heart to be subject to our control.”

“Why not use the one we fear, the one the humans call John?” we asked. “No human on this landmass has so much darkness in their heart.”

“His item protects him from our influence,” we answered, “but we have found another, a Duelist who has fought the one we fear and who knows his power. It is ironic that the one whose darkness will save us is one who so believes in justice.”

We laughed in unison as we reached into the mind of the human named Shin, unlocking the dark potential within him.


[b]John[/b]


Karen, Thomas, Ria and I were on our way back to Obelisk Blue. We were taking our time, walking close to the forest edge, talking and catching up. It seemed as if Karen’s prediction was on its way to coming true, at least for the first day, when we heard the fire alarm go if in the school not far behind us.

We stopped and turned, and we watched for a couple of minutes as people poured through the doors. None of them seemed worried, but they had clearly been inspired to return to their respective dorms by the alarm blaring around them.

“Well,” I said, “this probably isn’t a good thing.”

“I think it’s okay,” said Thomas. “I don’t see any smoke or flames. Probably just a false alarm.”

“There is no fire,” said a voice from off to our side, “but the alarm is not a false one.”

I recognized the voice immediately and turned to see Sheppard walking briskly toward us, trying desperately to retain his calm appearance.

“It’s a good thing that you four were not too far from the building. I have come to ask for your help.”

“What did you guys get yourselves into now?” I asked, not even trying to hide my distaste.

“You may find it hard to believe,” Sheppard replied, “but we in no way caused the current predicament. It is a situation that I see now could not have been avoided, but either way, your question is one that does require an answer. However, to answer it, I must first tell you a story. A story that you will find hard to believe, but that I assure you is true.”

Sheppard folded his hands behind his back and began a slow careful walk along the tree line, back toward the school, “Walk with me, please.”

We followed, keeping in stride with the older man. I don’t know about the others, but I followed primarily out of curiosity rather than concern. After all, Sheppard still wasn’t one of my favorite people.

“I assume that you all know of the three Egyptian God cards,” Sheppard began.

“Every Duelist knows about them,” Thomas replied. “They were used in the Battle City Tournament, and most Duelists consider them to be the strongest cards in the game. But-.”

“You’re correct,” Sheppard continued, cutting off Thomas’ question. “Every serious Duelist knows of the Egyptian Gods, but few know that the Egyptian Gods have real power, both in a duel and out of one. They are true magical beings, based on creatures that lived in the times of ancient Egypt and were revered as [i]real[/i] gods by the Egyptians of that era. Some [i]still[/i] think that these beings are gods.”

“That’s [i]loco[/i],” said Ria. “Do you really expect us to believe that the Egyptian Gods are real?”

“No young lady,” Sheppard answered, “I expect you to believe that [i]all[/i] Duel Monsters are real. Most are based on creatures that existed millennia ago, and some were made real when their creators’ minds gave birth to inspiration, but they are real nonetheless.”

“[i]Loco[/i],” Ria replied.

“Any more so than the things you have witnessed recently?”

“Well no,” Ria decided, “I guess not.”

“Does this have anything to do with the dark presence I’m sensing in the school?” I asked, showing my hand, and all eyes were on me, and then locked on Sheppard, awaiting his answer.

“Yes,” Sheppard replied, “but I will get to that in a moment.

“You see,” he continued, “when Maxamillion Pegasus discovered the existence of the three Egyptian God monsters and made the choice to transform them into cards, he and his staff were met with great misfortune. The power of the God cards mixes poorly with those who do not possess the magical blood of the pharaohs. Pegasus thought that this happenstance was the evil nature of the noble beast, which Pegasus thought to be demons. Unable to destroy the cards, which now housed the power of god-like creatures, Pegasus sought a power great enough to balance the powers of the God monsters. Going on the educated observation that most religious figures have a mirror counterpart, Pegasus went to work creating what he called the Sacred Beasts, monsters based on the inverse of the God cards. He thought that these Beasts would be good and noble creatures of light because he still thought the Gods to be wicked, but he was wrong. He saw the true nature of the Gods as forces for good when he looked into the eyes of the perverse, wicked creatures that he had born unto this world as the Gods' opposites.

“The sacred beasts began to draw the duel energy from the Duelists and monsters around them. Their power grew so quickly that they threatened the entire world. No one could control them, and those who tried and actually survived swore that they were more than simple beasts. That there was a single intelligence controlling them. By chance alone, it was discovered that a member of Pegasus’ creative staff, and a trusted friend to Pegasus, possessed the uncanny ability to suppress the power of the Beasts as long as he held them in his deck. That man was Kagemaru, the very same man who would later become the first headmaster of Duel Academy.

“Kagemaru intended to grow old and die with the Sacred Beasts still bound to his soul. He intended to take the Beasts with him to the next world where they could do no harm. Recently, however, the intelligence that unites the Beasts has been breaking through Kagemaru’s mental barriers. He has found himself unable to keep the Beasts under thumb, and now the Beasts are free. They will drain the Duel Energy from every Duelist and Duel Monster on the island until they have recovered the energy lost during all of their time imprisoned by the Chancellor, and once they have, they will set their sights on the rest of our world. I need you to help me stop them before they can.”

“Us?” Thomas asked nervously. “You mean [i]all[/i] of us? Not just John and Karen?”

“I would prefer that all four of you were at my side,” Sheppard answered. “You are four of the strongest Duelists I’ve ever seen. But in the end, it is up to you. I cannot force you to fight, and I cannot blame you if you choose not to.”

“I’m in,” I said. “I still don’t like you too much, Sheppard, but this goes beyond my personal feelings.”

“I’m in too,” said Karen, stepping in close to my side.

“Me too,” Ria declared fiercely. “I’ve been itchin’ for some evil ass to kick ever since I lost out to that Shadow thingy.”

Sheppard nodded, “I thank you all.”

And just like that, all eyes were on Thomas, who for once didn’t seem to have much to say.

“Sheppard called it,” I said. “No one will blame you if you sit this one out.”

Thomas’ face hardened, “No, I’m with you guys until the end.”

I nodded, proud of my friend, and the five of us started walking toward the school. Sheppard, Thomas and Ria were further ahead with Karen and I behind them, but we were together…

…Until the shadows of the forest all around us sprung up, separating Karen and I from the others.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-One]

The Beasts Attack!
Into Their Trap


“What’s going on?” Karen asked as we found ourselves trapped in darkness, separated from the others. “Is this them? Did the Sacred Beasts do this?”

“I can’t be sure,” I answered. “My Soul can’t penetrate these Shadows, but before the Shadows appeared, I felt that the Beasts were still in the school, building up their strength.”

“Then what’s going on?” Karen asked, looking around, searching for the source of our predicament. “Who’s doing this?”

“I am,” answered a voice out of the darkness. We both turned in time to see a figure emerge. He wore a Ra Yellow jacket loosely over a t-shirt and jeans. His hair was darker than I remembered, his eyes were harder, and they had dark rings around them, but I still recognized him almost immediately.

“Shin?”

“What?” Karen asked, looking him over, “You mean [i]that[/i] Shin, the first of the two Card Takers?”

“That’s right,” Shin answered, “well, more or less. My new masters showed me the truth. They brought out my full power, and all I have to do in return is use that power to defeat the two of you.”

“After I kicked you and your friend’s asses,” I asked, “didn’t you give me some crap about believing in justice through dueling? If you don’t let us get to the Sacred Beasts before they reach their full power, there won’t be any more justice!”

“Who cares about justice,” said Shin dismissively, “as long as I have the power of darkness! I know that you two have fought plenty of powerful opponent’s but thanks to the Sacred Beasts and the power they stirred up within me, I’m stronger than any of them! I’m stronger than both of you.”

“What happened to you?” Karen asked. “You were always kind of a jerk, but you were never evil.”

“Nothing happened to me,” Shin answered. “The Sacred Beasts just showed me what’s important.”

I shook my head disbelievingly, “You know what, I don’t have time for this. I’m sorry, but regardless of the Beasts’ influence on you, if you won’t let us pass, I’m going to have to [i]make[/i] you let us.” I readied my Duel Disk, and Karen did the same.

“You want to duel me?” Shin asked.

“Yes,” Karen and I answered in unison.

Shin smiled and raised his arm, summoning a Duel Disk shaped like a black-feathered wing from the darkness, “I was hoping you’d say that.”


[b]Sheppard[/b]


“John,” Thomas cried, “Karen!”

I spun around just in time to see John and Karen, the strongest of the five of us, cut off from us by a half-sphere of darkness. I felt our already bad situation turn toward one of desperation.

“This is bad, isn’t it?” Ria asked grimly.

“It’s a potential setback,” I admitted, “and our chances of success have diminished, but the Beasts must be confronted now while they are still becoming accustomed to controlling the mind that they inhabit.”

I paused, making a quick decision.

“I’ll fight them alone,” I said, “and try to buy some time. Whatever’s happened, I’m sure that your friends will overcome it momentarily. Wait for them and catch up with me as soon as you can.”

I started walking away, but I stopped abruptly when I heard Ria declare in her usual less than subtle fashion, “What are you, an idiot? No way we’re lettin’ you take these monsters on alone, right Tommy?”

“Yeah,” Thomas agreed. “We’re in this together.”

I looked toward the school building. A sinister-looking dark cloud was forming above the structure, lightning flashing within it, [i]We’re running out of time![/i]

“If you fight with me,” I warned, “you may not survive.”

“Maybe not,” Ria agreed, “but we still have to try.” Thomas nodded agreement. I smiled a half smile as I took a moment to admire their courage.

“Then come on,” I said, and the three of us made our way quickly toward the school, and the fiercest enemy we would ever face.


[b]John[/b]


“If you really want to fight us,” I told Shin, “then I’m not gonna hold back (LP: 8000). I summon my ‘Strike Ninja’ in attack mode and place one card face-down.”

A black-clad ninja appeared at my side, shuriken in hand, his red sash blowing in the faint wind (ATK 1700).

“I’m up next,” Karen declared (LP: 8000). “To get ahead of you, Shin, I don’t have to do anything more than set a monster and place one card face-down. Do your worst.”

“I intend to,” Shin responded, smiling excitedly (LP: 8000). “I summon ‘Dark Valkyria’.”

[i]‘Dark Valkyria’?[/i] I wondered. [i]What happened to his ‘Lightsworn’ cards?[/i] A glance at Karen told me that she was wondering the same thing.

“I activate the effect of my Gemini Monster, ‘Dark Valkyria’, with the Spell card ‘Double Summon’,” an orb of darkness appeared and sunk into the chest of Shin’s black-armored dark angel, and her power grew (1800+300=2100).

“I won’t fall for your bluff, Johnny,” Shin announced tauntingly. “My ‘Dark Valkyria’ destroys the ‘Strike Ninja’ with Darklight.”

The wicked angel launched a barrage of dark energy bolts at the ninja. With his superior agility his was able to avoid a few, but soon he was overcome (8000+1700-2100=7600).

[i]At least he took the bait,[/i] I thought, [i]and destroyed my monster instead of Karen’s.[/i]

“My turn still isn’t over, either,” Shin continued, crushing my vague optimism. “I return the Attack of my monster to its original value,” the orb that had given the dark fairy her additional power emerged from her chest and settled into her hand, “to destroy one monster on the field.”

‘Dark Valkyria’ threw the orb of light at Karen’s hidden monster, revealing it as the diminutive sorceress ‘Card Ejector’ before vaporizing it completely.

“I place two cards face-down,” Shin concluded. “Would you look at that. It’s the end of my first turn, and I already have complete control of the field!”

“Not for long,” I announced. “My face-down card wasn’t a bluff. Reveal ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive ‘Strike Ninja’,” the shuriken-wielding ninja returned to my side, “and I tribute him for the lightning demon, ‘Summoned Skull’!”

Lightning fell from the sky, hitting the ninja and flaring outward, forming the skeletal demon, towering over the field (ATK: 2500).

“Attack,” I commanded, “with Lightning Strike!”

‘Summoned Skull’ brandished his claws, summoning up more lightning and unleashing it, but just before the lightning could hit the fairy, it was swallowed by a vortex in the air.

“Reveal,” said Shin arrogantly, “the Trap card ‘Negate Attack’.”

“Then I end my turn, and since I’ve weeded out your defensive card-.”

“I draw,” Karen cut in, catching the baton as it was passed, “and I remove the top five cards in my deck from play to activate ‘Toon Kingdom’,” the green book, ‘Toon World’, appeared and opened to a page depicting a castle surrounded by a moat and trees, “I play ‘Monster Reborn’ to revive my ‘Card Ejector’, and I summon the Toon monster ‘Toon Masked Sorcerer’.”

The chibi magician reappeared at Karen’s side as pink smoke poured from the magical book. From the smoke emerged a caricature of the masked torso that was the ‘Masked Sorcerer’.

“Activate,” Karen continued, “the Spell card ‘Magician’s Unite’, allowing my Spellcasters to combine power for the turn.”

The two magicians combined their magic in a flash of light (ATK: 3000).

“Because my Spellcasters declared an attack,” Karen continued, “I can activate ‘Magician’s Circle’ to summon another Spellcaster from my deck. Joined with the magic of ‘Toon Kingdom’ I can summon a [i]Toon[/i] Spellcaster,” a magic circle appeared above Karen’s pop-up castle, and from it emerged the ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’, her wand held high (ATK: 2000).

“My monsters attack,” Karen declared. ‘Card Trader’ and ‘Masked Sorcerer’ unleashed a wave of light in the direction of ‘Dark Valkyria’, and ‘Toon Dark Magician Girl’ released a pulse of dark light from her wand in the direction of Shin himself, but Shin was unconcerned, and for a good reason.

“Reveal,” Shin declared, “the Trap card ‘Mirror Force’ to reflect your attacks back at every monster standing in opposition of me.”

A reflective barrier formed around Shin and his monster, catching Karen’s attacks and reflecting them back in four waves, striking all four of our monsters, destroying them before me could even react.

Karen looked shocked, but she held herself together, “Then I end my turn.”

“Good,” Shin replied. “This duel is mine! Summon ‘Harpie Lady 1’.”

A slender woman in a jumpsuit, with talons and feathered arms appeared alongside Shin’s first monster.

“The effect of ‘Harpie Lady 1’ increases the Attack of all Wind monsters by three hundred (ATK: 1300+300=1600),” Shin explained. “I’ll also play ‘Elegant Egotist’,” three more ‘Harpie Ladies’ seemed to split off of the first like an image in a kaleidoscope and grouped together, “to summon ‘Harpie Lady Sisters’ (ATK: 1950+300=2250)! On my ‘Harpie Lady Sisters’ I play ‘Triangle Ecstasy Spark’.”

The ‘Sisters’ formed a triangle in the air, energy crossing between them (ATK: 2250->2700).

“‘Harpies’,” Shin commanded, “attack the girl!”

The ‘Harpie Lady Sisters’ unleashed a triangular beam that struck Karen square in the chest. She braced herself against it, but the impact was still enough to almost throw her off her footing (8000-2700=5300). Just as she was recovering from the first attack, the ‘Harpie Lady 1’ flew past her and slashed Karen with her talons (5300-1600=3700). If that wasn’t bad enough I watched in horror as a chunk of Karen’s torso and a portions of her right arm and both legs began to dissolve away.

“What the hell is going on here?!” I demanded.

“Didn’t I mention,” Shin replied, “that those who take damage in this Shadow Game will lose a proportionate part of themselves?”

“What do you mean?” I asked. “I’ve taken damage and I’m just fine.”

Shin smiled a wicked smile and pointed at my leg. I looked down and I was shocked.

My right ankle, up nearly to the knee, was just gone.

“Karen,” I asked, “are you okay?”

She nodded, “Yeah. Well, as much as can be expected.”

“Yes boys and girls,” said Shin proudly, “it’s that kind of Shadow Game!”


[b]Sheppard[/b]


Thomas, Ria and I turned the corner into Kagemaru’s office. The lights were off, and the sun had since begun to set. Without the partial light of evening, the room felt as if someone had blanketed it with menace. Kagemaru was still standing by the window, overlooking the island.

[i]No[/i] I reminded myself, [i]not Kagemaru. This figure before me is not my friend. It is the minds of the Sacred Beasts controlling my friend’s body.[/i]

“I was wondering when you would get here,” the Beasts said, speaking through Kagemaru’s mouth, using Kagemaru’s voice, echoing with something more sinister.

“Wait a minute,” Thomas asked, “if there’s three of those things in there, then why does it sound like there’s only one? You know that doesn’t make much sense.”

“You’re more clever than you look, boy,” the Beasts replied as they turned their stolen form to face us. “I am the mind that controls the beasts within. Three demons in one. Three minds in one! I speak the consensus that is reached. I am the true mind of the Sacred Beasts.”

I saw a fierce fire in my friend’s usually compassionate eyes, “I am Armityle.”

“Whoever you are,” I told him, them, or whatever they were, “we will not let you have my friend’s body.”

“That’s right,” Ria agreed. “We’re gonna stop ya!”

“Well,” said Armityle, walking over to Kagemaru’s desk and taking from it Kagemaru’s Duel Disk, which he strapped to his wrist, “if you want to take [i]my[/i] new body, then maybe I should return the favor.”

He took Kagemaru’s deck from the pocket of his host’s jacket and prepared for the battle to come, “By the time this Shadow Game is over, you’ll have been sent to the Shadows, body and soul.”

His mouth twisted into a wicked smile, “You will cease to exist.”[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Two]

The Beasts Attack!
Arrival of a Demon


[b]John[/b]


“Now, Johnny,” said Shin mockingly, “I’ll finish my turn by having the dark fairy attack [i]you[/i], Darklight!”

The wicked ‘Dark Valkyria’ unleashed her dark energy. I was hit before I could even react, and as I watched my right arm from just below my elbow down to my wrist melted away, into the darkness. It hurt, but not any more than the typical Shadow Game. It was really the shock factor that made it as bad as it was. I mean, my ankle and arm were gone, and yet my fingers and toes still worked! It was creepy.

But I couldn’t show weakness. Karen was worse off than me. I had to stay strong, if only for her.

“Nice trick, Shin,” I said, “but I’ve seen worse. Still this is getting pretty out of hand. Let’s get things moving, shall we? Because you control at least two more monsters than me, I can Special Summon my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.”

My warrior appeared in a burst of light and static (ATK: 2200).

“And I normal summon my ‘Stygian Street Patrol’,” the demonic road cop appeared, revving his motorcycle (ATK: 1600).

“My ‘Street Patrol’ attacks your ‘Harpie Lady 1’,” I declared, “scoring a double knockout.”

The two monsters charged each other, one on feathered wings, and one aback a roaring piece of streamlined steel. ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ took aim and fired his blasters, just as the ‘Harpie’ swiped with her claws, releasing a wave of deadly razor-sharp wind. Both monsters were instantly destroyed.

“With ‘Harpie Lady 1” gone from the field,” I continued, “the Attack of your ‘Sisters’ returns to normal (ATK: 1950), leaving them vulnerable to ‘Fiend Megacyber’’s Megacyber Impact!”

My armored warrior charged his fist with static energy and lunged into the midst of the three-in-one monster, punching the ground and unleashing an explosion of static that vaporized him foes (8000+1950-2200=7750).

“Now it’s my turn,” Karen announced. “I can tell that you’ve got something big coming, Shin, so I’ll prepare for it by summoning the biggest monster in my deck. ‘Polymerization’ fuses ‘Big Koala’ and ‘Toon Des Kangaroo’ in my hand,” a cartoon of a Kangaroo wearing boxing gloves and a massive, powder blue koala appeared and merged into an even larger koala-like creature with a kangaroo’s tail and legs, wearing boxing gloves, a vest, and carrying a championship belt slung over its shoulder, “forming ‘Master of Oz’ (ATK: 4200)!

“I attack,” Karen declared, “with my monster’s immense fist!” ‘Master of Oz’ swung a mighty fist, striking Shin’s final monster, the ‘Dark Valkyria’, obliterating her completely under the force of his punch. I hadn’t noticed any part of Shin disappear after my weaker attack, but now I did. As his Life Points decreased by over two thousand (7750+1800-4200=5350), an entire section of his torso faded into the darkness all around us.

“I’m impressed,” said Shin, “but in a way that you regular human’s might be impressed when you see an ant carrying an object much larger than itself. So far you have done nothing that frightens me, and soon you will do nothing ever again! I remove the Wind monster ‘Harpie Lady Sisters’ and the Dark monster ‘Dark Valkyria’ in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon my ultimate monster.”

Swirls of wind charged with green and black light spiraled violently in the space behind Shin. From the vortex there emerged a massive form, standing nearly as tall as the ‘Master of Oz’. It was a mighty, black bird with long, elegant feathers, its wings glistening with decoration fit for a queen. Its entire body shone like the purest obsidian. It spread its wings impressively (ATK: 2700).

“Feast your eyes,” said Shin, full of pride, “on the almighty ‘Dark Simorgh’!”


[b]Sheppard[/b]


“We won’t let you get a leg up on us, Arma-whatever,” said Thomas (LP: 3000). “I defend myself with a face-down, defense position monster, and a two face-down cards.”

“And while Tommy’s setting up his defense,” Ria announced defiantly (LP: 3000), “I’ll prep for our [i]offense[/i] with one face-down card, and the monster card ‘Monk Fighter’.”

A modestly-dress, physically fit but slim and unintimidating young man appeared at Ria’s side (ATK: 1300).

[i]These kids don’t know what they’re dealing with,[/i] I thought. [i]They might very well lose this duel, and their lives. But as terrible as it sounds, defeating Armityle is more important than protecting them.[/i]

I looked at my hand, [i]then again maybe if I’m lucky I can defeat Armityle[/i] and [i]protect them at the same time, by hitting Armityle hard and fast.[/i]

“I play ‘Pot of Greed’,” I began, “to draw two cards (LP: 3000).”

I examined my newest acquisition, and formed a plan. It would mean taking a risk, but if it worked, I’d gain the element of surprise, and a monster than might just be strong enough to match a demon god.

“I send the top card of my deck to the Graveyard,” I declared, “to Special Summon ‘Cyber Mite’ from my hand.”

I discarded the top card of deck without giving it a second thought, and a large, robotic insect appeared before me. It had missile launchers on its back, but its relatively small size made it overall pretty unremarkable (DEF: 200).

“I tribute ‘Cyber Mite’,” I continued, and the robotic insect disappeared, “to summon my ‘Cyber Ogre’.”

My fiendish machine appeared, towering over the field, his razor sharp claws held at the ready (ATK: 1900).

“Interesting,” Armityle told me, ignoring the others almost completely, “but you assume that I do not know the risk that comes with attacking your monster. I do, and I don’t plan to attack. Instead I set a monster and three cards (LP: 9000). Make your next pitiful moves.”

“You’re pretty dull,” said Thomas. “I mean, I know I only played defense, but I couldn’t attack on my turn. Well, lucky for everyone concerned, I’m about to kick this duel up a notch with the Spell card ‘Painful Choice’. I select five cards from my deck, and you choose one of them to add to my hand, and the rest are discarded.”

As he explained, Thomas thumbed through his deck. His Field card zone opened up, and Thomas placed four of his chosen five cards in his open monster card zones, and the fifth in his Field zone. Holograms of his five cards appeared overhead. They were three copies of ‘Inferno’ and two copies of ‘Hinotama Soul’.

“Is this a joke,” Armityle asked mockingly, “or is that really what you’ve chosen? Is that all your deck has to offer? If so, you’re even more pitiful than I could have guessed!”

“No joke,” Thomas replied, maintaining his cool. “Now choose, before I decide for you.”

“Alright,” said Armityle, dismissing Thomas completely as a non-threat, “add ‘Hinotama Soul to your hand.”

Thomas did as he was told, still never faltering.

“Alright,” Thomas continued, “I flip-summon my favorite card. Appear, ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’!”

The many-eyed, fox-faced spirit appeared at Thomas’ side.

“Now,” Thomas explained, “I summon ‘Hinotama Soul’, and I tribute him to fuel ‘Ignis’’ effect, dealing my opponent one hundred damage for every Fire monster in my Graveyard.”

“What?” Armityle asked, surprised. He obviously hadn’t expected to take any damage so early in the game.

‘Hinotama Soul’, the living fireball, appeared at ‘Ignis’’ side. It was drawn into ‘Ignis’’ hands, and ‘Ignis’ raised his hands above his head, summoning up five fireballs that rained down on Armityle (9000-500=8500). Thomas nodded, satisfied with his work, “It’s not much, but it’ll do for now. Now, to take care of that hidden monster. I‘ll have ‘Ignis’ attack.”

‘Ignis’ conjured flames in his palms and charged toward the figure hidden in the shadows of Armityle’s side of the field. The monster was revealed as a floating ball, colored a sickly green. It looked like a single-celled organism blow up to several hundred times its size.

“Oh man,” Thomas lamented, “not ‘Giant Germ.”

‘Ignis’ punched the ‘Germ’ with a fiery fist, and the monster exploded, releasing a hazy viral cloud that poured over Thomas. He coughed, and his Life Points fell (3000-500=2500). Thomas watched wide-eyed as a portion of his arm disappeared, obviously as a result of the Shadow Game that our foe had created.

“It’s alright, son,” I told him. “When we win, you’ll go back to normal.”

Thomas gulped fearfully, “Good, ‘cuz this is freaking me way out.”

“Because you destroyed one ‘Giant Germ’,” said Armityle, “I get to summon two more ‘Giant Germs’ from my deck.”

Two more of the vulgar creatures appeared at the side of their master (ATK: 1000 (each)).

“That’s totally unfair!” Ria roared, always confrontational. I was opening my mouth to calm her when Thomas beat me to it.

“Don’t worry about it, Ria,” he said. “They’re no big deal. They barely hurt, and the fact that he used it so early proves he’s scared of us.

“This guy wants to cause us pain,” Thomas explained. “He wants to hurt us, because he wants to scare [i]us[/i]. Well, I’m not gonna let him do that. I’m not very brave most of the time. The only time I feel brave, or strong, or resourceful, is when I’m dueling. I won’t let him take dueling away from me!”

“And [i]I[/i] don’t plan on letting him take [i]anything[/i] from [i]anybody[/i]!” said Ria, roused by Thomas’ words. “My ‘Monk Fighter’ attacks one of the ‘Germs’!”

The ‘Monk Fighter’ attacked his target with a flurry of kicks. The viral cloud spread over Ria this time, and a portion of her right shoulder disappeared (3000-500=2500). Ria gritted her teeth against the pain of the experience, and then said, “Well, that sucks, but at least I did some damage (8500+1000-1300=8200).”

“I’ll deal you more than [i]some[/i] damage,” I stated fiercely. I guess Thomas’ words had inspired me as well without me even knowing it, “I draw, and I’ll have my ‘Cyber Ogre’ attack the final ‘Germ’. Once it’s gone the threat to our Life Points that they present will disappear with them.”

My ‘Ogre’’s claws tore the final ‘Germ’ apart, dealing substantial damage to our opponent (7300+1000-1900=6400). The ‘Germ’’s cloud reached me, but I ignored it. I could not, however, ignore the pain that came when a chunk of my midsection became part of the darkness summoned around us. I flinched, my eyes squeezed shut, my teeth clenched. It was more painful than I’d expected, but as surprising as the pain was, I felt even more surprised when I opened my eyes to find two figures having just appeared between the three of us and Armityle. The figures of two more ‘Giant Germs’.

“No way!” Thomas exclaimed.

“How?” I demanded.

“It was simple,” Armityle explained, “with the power of the ‘Transmigration Property’ Trap card. Now I have two monsters on the field once again.

“There’s nothing more that I can do against you, at least for now,” I told Armityle threateningly. “Take your turn.”

“Gladly.” Armityle drew, “I summon ‘Dark Jeroid’ in attack mode. This demon has the unique power to drain away eight hundred points of a single monster’s Attack.” Still mostly ignoring the others, Armityle declared, “I target the ‘Cyber Ogre’.”

A deformed creature with spindly legs and arms, no head, and a face in its midsection appeared (ATK: 1200). It raised its arms and drew energy from my monster. The machine’s power fell (1900-800=1100).

“And now,” Armityle continued, “in case you haven’t noticed, I control three monsters. All of these monsters are Fiend type. That means I can tribute all three of them to Special Summon the first of my three mighty forms, and the most powerful, the demon ‘Raviel, the Lord of Phantasms’!”

The floor shook beneath our feet. The two ‘Giant Germs’ and ‘Dark Jeroid’ disappeared. The floor behind Armityle broke clear away, carrying the front wall and most of the ceiling with it, along with the outer chunk of every room beneath Kagemaru’s office. The enemy’s three fiends melted away and poured through the gap in the building, joining with an immense form still emerging from the darkness.

“Arise my monster!”

Things were silent for a moment, and then the darkness broke, and it emerged. My eyes went wide. I couldn’t peel them away from such an awe inspiring sight. It stood at its full height, standing easily two stories taller than the building itself. Its demonic blue head alone was bigger than an SUV. ‘Raviel’ flexed his immense, oversized arms and massive claws. He opened his transparent, almost bat-like wings, threw his arms open wide, and roared. He swiped with his claws, slashing the front wall, opening the entire room up to the dark, star-speckled sky outside.

“With four thousand Attack,” Armityle explained, “my ‘Raviel’ cannot be matched!”

“Hey Professor,” Thomas asked nervously, “you wouldn’t happen to know what that thing does, would you?”

“No,” I answered.

“Well don’t worry,” said Ria sarcastically, “because I think we’re gonna get to find out.”

I stared up at the towering creature that was like nothing I’d ever seen, and I wondered how I ever could have hoped to win.

“I activate ‘Painful Choice’,” Armityle continued. “I’d explain its effect, but I really think you should know it by now.”

He fanned out my friend’s deck and selected five cards from it. In all of the years that I’d known Kagemaru, I’d never seen him duel, so I had no idea what to expect. I can honestly say I was surprised when I saw the choices: two copies of the draw card ‘Dual Gate’, and three copies of the damage prevention card ‘Delta Barrier’. Allowing him to draw more cards would put Armityle in a better place immediately, but giving him ‘Delta Barrier’ would make him far less vulnerable overall. That was something that I couldn’t allow. So when Armityle asked me, “So what will it be, David?” I was ready with an answer.

“Add the Dual Gate to your hand.”

“Excellent!” said Armityle excitedly. “I play ‘Dual Gate’, removing the ‘Dual Gate’ just played and the ‘Dual Gate’ in my Graveyard from play to draw two cards.”

Armityle drew, “Next, I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw again.”

He drew two more cards and then continued.

“‘Raviel’ attacks,” Armityle began, still looking right at me, “the pitiful ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’.” He twisted my friend’s lips into a wicked smile, and I realized his plan. He was going to make me suffer by hurting the children first.

[i]Not if I can help it![/i]

“I won’t let you,” I declared. “Reveal ‘Cyber Shadow Gardna’.”

A dark form appeared, growing larger as it prepared to take on the form of Armityle’s monster.

“Let me guess,” said Armityle. “You plan to divert my monster’s attack to his duplicate. Well [i]I[/i] won’t allow [i]that[/i]. Reveal ‘Dark Illusion’ to destroy your Trap monster. And my attack continues.”

‘Raviel’ thrust his claws.

[i]No![/i]

“Reveal ‘Staunch Defender’,” I declared, and my ‘Cyber Ogre’ stepped between the attacking ‘Raviel’ and the ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’, “and I discard a second ‘Cyber Ogre’ to activate my monster’s effect.”

Only inches from ‘Cyber Ogre’, ‘Raviel’’s claws were repelled by an invisible barrier.

“My monster’s effect negates your attack,” I explained, “and boosts ‘Ogre’’s Attack by two thousand until after he battles again (1100+2000=3100).”

“Set two cards,” Armityle declared, not nearly so cheery anymore, “and pass. But know this, you may have postponed his attack, but no matter how many tricks you have up your sleeve, there is no way that any of you can defeat ‘Raviel’.”

In that moment, looking up at the demon, I worried that he was right.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Three]

The Beasts Attack!
Sacrifices


I stood with my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ at my side, beside Karen and one of her strongest monsters, against Shin and his ‘Dark Simorgh’. The powerful Winged Beast was weaker than Karen’s monster and only a stone throw above mine in terms of Attack, but that didn’t make me feel much better in light of the incredible dark aura that I felt from it.

In short, the monster worried me. I was anxious to learn of it special abilities, on the off chance that doing so might put my anxiety to bed.

“It’s like a corrupt version of the monster that your cousin uses,” Karen told me.

“Yeah,” I agreed, “but the aura is way different. You can feel that it’s even more powerful than Amanda’s monster.”

“My monster is more powerful than you can imagine,” Shin said, interrupting my dialogue with Karen. “Of course [i]that[/i] monster,” he continued, gesturing toward ‘Master of Oz’, “still presents a threat, so I’ll play ‘Shrink’ to bring your monster down to a more manageable size.”

“I don’t have anything to stop that,” said Karen, sounding frustrated.

“Damn,” I said, “neither do I.”

As we spoke, the Spell took effect, and the ‘Master of Oz’ shrunk to half his original size, and half his original power (4200/2=2100).

“No,” said Karen under her breath, and it hit me that she was in a bad place. Her hand was empty and ‘Master of Oz’ had been her last gambit in a duel riddled with mediocre luck.

“‘Simorgh’,” Shin commanded, “attack! Black Tornado!”

A funnel of violent wind, colored black by the dark energy used to summon it, appeared as ‘Dark Simorgh’ flapped its powerful wings. The tornado poured over the shrunken ‘Master of Oz’ and quickly overwhelmed him, tearing him apart. More of Karen’s arms and torso disappeared into the shadows as her Life decreased even further (3700+2100-2700=3100). I watched her grit her teeth against the pain of Shin’s Shadow Game. That made me mad.

“Just because my monster has less Attack than yours,” I told Shin, “don’t expect your monster to stick around. I draw!”

I looked over my hand, [i]Bingo![/i]

“I set a card,” I said, but as soon as my set card appeared as a hologram on the field, that hologram was blown from the field by a dust devil charged with black energy. The card itself leapt from my Dark Disk, and I caught it.

“Sorry,” said Shin mockingly, “but you can’t set any cards in the presence of ‘Dark Simorgh’.”

I smiled, “Oh well. It’s not like the card I tried to set was needed to destroy your monster.”

“What?” Shin asked, surprised.

I ignored him, “I equip my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ with ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’, increasing his attack by eight hundred.”

The armor on my monster’s arm stretched out over his hand and extended to become a long, thin, sharp blade (2200+800=3000).

“‘Megacyber’,” I commanded, “attack! Megacyber Slash!”

‘The Fiend Megacyber’ charged his blade with intense black and yellow static energy and lunged at his massive foe.

“Let’s see if your ‘almighty’ monster is mightier than [i]this![/i]” I exclaimed, just as my warrior brought his sword down, slashing the giant bird in half from head to talon (6350+2700-3000=6050).

“I set a card,” I declared, “and I think this time it’s gonna stick.”

“And just because you beat ‘Master of Oz’,” said Karen, “don’t expect me to be out of this. I summon ‘Queen’s Bodyguard’ to attack directly!”

The red-coated swordsman appeared and lunged at Shin instantly at his master’s command. As the warrior’s sword passed through Shin’s body, a portion of his torso along the point of impact dissolved into shadows, and his Life Points fell even further (6050-1700=4350), but Shin didn’t seem to mind. His expression was somewhere between amused and excited.

“Very interesting,” Shin said, as if making note of the behavior of a bug at his feet. “You two are a bit stronger than I anticipated. Though I guess I should have known you would be trouble. My second duel with you, John, showed you to be quite capable. Still, you have nowhere near won this duel. In fact, you’ve only helped me out.”

[i]What?[/i] I wondered, but I didn’t have time to contemplate. Shin selected two cards from his hand and pocketed them as he had the two monsters removed from play to summon ‘Dark Simorgh’ in the first place.

“I remove another Dark monster and another Wind monster from play,” Shin declared, “this time from my hand, to revive my monster!”

The obsidian bird rose again with a shrieking cry as it spread its glistening wings.

“And you haven’t even realized my monster’s true purpose, have you?” Shin asked, full of pride, and the significance of his previous words became clear.

[i]“In fact, you’ve only helped me out.”[/i]

[i]Oh no![/i]

Shin saw my expression fill with dread, and he laughed, “Finally, you get it! Finally you understand my monster’s power. By removing monsters from play to summon ‘Simorgh’, I’ve set up for the ultimate swift swarm strategy! I pay two thousand Life Points to activate the Spell card ‘Dimension Fusion’, summoning all of the monsters that were removed from play!”

More of Shin’s body dissolved (4350-2000=2350), and a ripple appeared in the air overhead. From that ripple descended ‘Harpie Lady 1’ and ‘Dark Valkyria’, alongside two more monsters, a muscular swordsman with white hair and ashen skin, and a taller, more elegant ‘Harpie’, which I recognized as ‘Dark Grepher’ and ‘Harpie Queen’ (ATK: 1700/ATK: 1900).

“I follow through with ‘Giant Trunade’,” Shin continued, “removing every Spell and Trap from the field, and clearing a path for my monsters. I also set a card.”

Karen’s ‘Toon Kingdom’, my face-down card, and my ‘Fusion Sword’ disappeared from the field, prompted by a gale force wind, and a hologram depicting a face-down card appeared at our opponent’s feet. Karen looked over at me, and her look said it all. She knew Shin could kill either one of us. It was only a matter of which one.

I had to make sure he made the right choice.

In a very showy manner I started laughing and pointed at Shin’s monsters, “Are those really the best monsters you’ve got? Pathetic! Just like you. You’re just a darker, paler imitation of your other self. Hell, more than half the monsters I’ve seen you play are exactly the same, just darker, paler copies of other peoples’ cards!”

I saw Shin’s nostrils flare. He was fuming mad.

“John,” Karen said fearfully, “stop! Do you know what you’re doing?”

I ignored her, “I guess your ‘Simorgh’ is pretty impressive, though. My cousin uses a monster a lot like it. Of course she’s a [i]little girl[/i].”

Shin’s face twisted, enraged, “I’ve had enough of your insults! ‘Simorgh’, attack!”

‘Simorgh’ raised her massive wings, prepared to strike.

“Get him for me,” I told Karen under my breath, just loud enough for her to hear. Tears welled up in her eyes.

‘Simorgh’ flapped her wings, and the resulting whirlwind ripped my ‘Megacyber’ apart (4800+2200-2700=4300). Another portion of my body faded away.

[i]I wonder what losing my [/i]entire[i] body will feel like.[/i]

I waited to find out as Shin stood facing us, thinking.

[i]Come on,[/i] I pleaded silently. [i]You can’t hurt Karen. Attack me and ignore her![/i]

But either Shin saw the desperation in my eyes, or he decided that seeing Karen die at my side would cause me even greater pain than dying myself, because his next command was, “My remaining monsters attack the girl.”

“No!” I cried. “No, attack me!”

“Sorry,” Shin replied sarcastically, and I had to watch as his monsters combined their attacks and struck. Karen screamed. She reached for my hand, and I reached for hers, but before our fingers could touch, she dissolved into smoke. She was gone.

I’m not sure how long I stared at the spot where she’d been. I was too stunned to remember. It wasn’t until I recovered from the shock that an idea formed in my head.

Without looking up, I focused, and my Soul of Darkness glowed. Its magic confirmed my suspicions.

“You aren’t carrying any cards or charms infused with magic, and you don’t have any Shadow Items. Your power to create this Shadow Game comes from the Beasts, doesn’t it?”

Shin smiled, “Of course it does. My masters give me everything I need to increase my power to levels beyond my wildest imagination!”

“Well then,” I said, finally looking again at Shin, fire in my eyes, “if I want to get Karen back from the Darkness, I guess I’m going to have to beat [i]them[/i]. Too bad for you, you’re in my way.”

I placed my hand on the top card of my deck, and my Soul flared as I called, “Destiny Draw!” I pulled my card, knowing exactly what it would be.

“Your ‘Simorgh’ is a powerful monster,” I told Shin, “a more powerful monster than I gave it credit for, but it’s still no match for my next card. There’s a long tradition in Duel Monsters of monsters with female counterparts, and my ‘Fiend Megacyber’ is no different.

“While you control more monsters than I do,” I explained, determination resonating in my voice, “my next monster can be summoned without tribute.”

There was a burst of white, yellow and black light and a female figure appeared. She wore white armor decorated with yellow and black, and a visor over her eyes. Protrusions affixed to the armor from her shins down to her feet resembled blades, and she held her right leg up in a ready position, prepared to strike. She had long yellow hair, and blade-like “wings” hung on her back. She was a vision of grace, deadly and precise.

“Shin,” I announced, “meet my ‘Megacyber Girl’ (ATK: 2000).

“Next,” I continued, “I play ‘Graceful Charity’.”

I drew three cards, and I discarded two, including the ‘Mirror Force’ returned to my hand earlier by Shin’s ‘Giant Trunade’ Spell. I felt my own energy permeate my cards yet again as I drew.

“I equip my monster with two cards,” I told Shin, “the Spell cards ‘Assault Armor’ and ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’.”

The blade on my monster’s raised leg grew longer and sharper, and she was surrounded by a burning aura (2000+800+300=3100).

“I release the ‘Assault Armor’,” I declared, “to allow my monster to attack twice during this turn.”

The aura shattered, and my monster shot forward and spun, kicking, and slashing ‘Harpie Lady 1’ and ‘Dark Grepher’ across the chest, destroying them both in an instant (2350+1600+1700-2800-2800=50).

“Ha!” Shin chided. “Your attack was impressive, but you came up short! I’ve survived, and by next turn I’ll have beaten you!”

I smiled, “Don’t count on it, because I still have one more card to play! Activate ‘Against Overwhelming Odds’. When my ‘Megacyber’ monster is left alone facing multiple monsters, I can activate this Spell by paying half of my life (4300/2=2150), allowing a ‘Megacyber’ monster of my choice can attack you one more time!”

My monster was once again surrounded by an aura, and she jumped up from below ‘Simorgh’’s head, kicking and slicing clear through it.

“Shin,” I announced, “you lose (50-100=0).”

“This is impossible!” Shin cried in disbelief. “My masters promised me power, power greater than the two of you. Power greater than everything!”

“You don’t seem to get it, you moron!” I replied angrily, my rage barely contained, as Shin’s body faded before my eyes. “The Beasts were afraid of me and Karen. Why would they give you a power greater than the power they feared? Think on that while the darkness grips your soul.”

Just as realization finally struck him, my opponent faded into oblivion.

I turned toward the school, the darkness around me falling away, ready to press forward no matter the cost, because if I didn’t, I’d never get Karen back.

And if I didn’t get Karen back, then what was the point?


[b]Sheppard[/b]


I stood facing the Sacred Beast known as ‘Raviel’, my weakened and then powered up ‘Cyber Ogre’ at my side. Even with its strength boosted beyond original levels (ATK: 3100), my ‘Ogre’ was no match for the demon that loomed over us (ATK: 4000). I looked to my left, at Thomas and Ria. They both looked determined, despite the fact that their monsters were even further from ‘Raviel’’s level of power than mine.

I was still looking at them as vulnerable, inexperienced students. It had never occurred to me that they were Duelists of a high caliber as well, and that they were each busy hatching their own plan to bring about the demon’s downfall.

Or at least trying to…

“It’s my turn,” said Thomas, a fire in his eyes, “and I’m gonna even up the odds a bit. Your Sacred Beast cards are parallels of the Egyptian God cards,” he reasoned, “which makes them level ten monsters. That means that my Continuous Spell card ‘Burden of the Mighty’ will reduce your demon’s Attack power by a full one thousand!”

Raviel roared and slumped, as if he were holding up an invisible force that only weighed him down more the more he struggled (ATK: 4000-1000=3000).

“‘Raviel’ is still more than a match for you,” Armityle told Thomas, “no matter how much you weaken him.”

“I’m not planning to stop at weakening him,” Thomas replied sharply. “I plan to [i]destroy[/i] him with this! I activate ‘Reverse Trap’, inverting the effects of ‘Burden of the Mighty’ during this turn, giving your monster more power!”

The Sacred Beast’s burden became an aura that burned around him (ATK: 3000 -> 5000).

“And I reveal my final face-down card,” Thomas concluded, “‘Overworked’, destroying every monster on the field with more that its original Attack!”

He looked over at me, “Sorry, Prof.”

But I was too impressed to worry that my monster would be destroyed as well, because if Thomas’ Trap were to succeed, he would have succeeded in destroying one of the most powerful monsters in the game!

Of course I should have realized that a Duelist as powerful as my friend Kagemaru would be prepared for such a contingency, leaving Armityle prepared as well.

Energy began to flow from the aura around ‘Raviel’, forming an energy orb in the air above the demon which threatened to explode, but before it could, the orb was dispersed.

“Reveal,” Armityle declared, “the Trap card ‘Dark Bribe’. You draw a card, but your ‘Overworked’ card is negated.”

Thomas frowned, “Then I change my ‘Ignis’ to defense mode and I end my turn.”

‘Ignis’ assumed a defensive posture, and the Beast’s power fell once again as the effect of ‘Reverse Trap’ ended and the effect of ‘Burden of the Mighty’ was reapplied (ATK: 3000).

“Good try, Tommy,” said Ria, drawing her next card, “now let me take it from here. Because ‘Monk Fighter’ is the only monster I control, I can reveal ‘Lone Wolf’, the ultimate card to be used with a solitary fighter with no options left!”

An aura burned to life around ‘Monk Fighter’, and I understood Ria’s purpose for summoning such an insignificant-seeming monster.

“This card prevents my ‘Monk Fighter’ from being destroyed,” Ria explained, “and because ‘Monk Fighter’ has the power to meet an enemy attack with his entire being, I won’t take any more damage than he will when he attacks your Sacred Beast with ‘Kaminote Blow’, the God’s Hand Attack!”

An aura burned around the fists of the ‘Monk Fighter’, and I saw a flash of real fear in my friend’s eyes as Armityle realized what I already had, that Thomas and Ria were a threat to him as well.

“‘Kaminote Blow’ destroys any monster that battles with my ‘Monk’ this turn!” said Ria, and she declared, “‘Monk Fighter’, attack!”

The ‘Monk’ lunged, but moments before its fist could reach the demon, a strange standing device with a large lens on it appeared, a beam from the lens swept over ‘Raviel’, and the demon seemed to shimmer out of existence.

“Reveal,” Armityle announced defiantly, “the ‘Interdimensional Matter Transporter’, moving my monster forward in time to the end of the turn.”

“Then my ‘Monk Fighter’ will attack directly instead,” Ria declared, switching gears without missing a beat. The ‘Monk Fighter’ lunged at Armityle and struck with his powerful fist, slamming the foe in the chest (7300-1300=6000).

“At this rate,” Ria mocked, “you won’t last much longer. I end my turn.”

“And I begin mine,” I declared. “Your monster returns, but it is still affected by ‘Burden of the Mighty’, leaving it vulnerable to the attack of my ‘Ogre’.”

‘Raviel’ returned in a flash and met my ‘Ogre’ with a defiant roar.

“Your ‘Raviel’’s reign over the field has ended,” I told Armityle with equal defiance. “‘Cyber Ogre’, attack!”

My machine raised its claws and charged. I was confident that my attack would succeed, but as soon as I saw the look of confidence return to my opponent’s face I knew that I’d been wrong. Inches from the demon ‘Raviel’, my ‘Cyber Ogre’ was swallowed by a hole in space itself.

“Your monster fell through the portal into the ‘Dimensional Prison’,” Armityle explained, sounding quite proud of himself for being so completely prepared.

[i]Of course he was prepared,[/i] I thought. [i]He’s been prepared for everything that we’ve thrown at him so far. I would expect nothing less from a Duelist using Kagemaru’s deck. I should have waited to attack until I was sure.[/i]

“I’m not through with you yet,” I told Armityle. “I discard another card from the top of my deck to Special Summon another ‘Cyber Mite’.”

Another of the insect-like robots appeared.

“I tribute ‘Cyber Mite’,” I continued, “to summon one of my most powerful cards, the ‘Cyberdark Magician’!”

The ‘Mite’ disappeared and was replaced by a black-clad version of the ‘Dark Magician’ made famous by the King of Games, Yugi Muto. He had white hair, glowing green eyes, and visible circuits attached to different places on his body. He crouched down and raised his staff defensively (DEF: 2100).

“When your monster is Normal Summoned,” Armityle explained, smirking, “‘Raviel’ summons a ‘Phantasm Token’ to his side.” A smaller demon resembling ‘Raviel’ appeared (ATK: 1000).

“[i]I[/i] draw,” Armityle continued, “and I begin with ‘Enemy Controller’ on the ‘Flame Spirit Ignis’.”

A giant game controller appeared in the air alongside Armityle, plugged itself into ‘Ignis’, and ‘Ignis’ readied himself to battle (ATK: 1500).

“Next,” Armityle declared, “I tribute ‘Phantasm Token’ to summon the fearsome ‘Doom Shaman’.”

A horned demon with a combination of fur and scales covering its body, a long tail, and a golden staff in hand replaced the ‘Phantasm’ (ATK: 2400-600=1800).

“I tribute ‘Doom Shaman’ to activate ‘Raviel’’s effect,” Armityle explained, “Increasing his Attack by twenty-four hundred during this turn (3000+2400=5400), and I attack ‘Ignis’!”

I looked desperately at Thomas. What could I do? Thomas looked afraid, and yet he stood strong as ‘Raviel’ Absorbed ‘Doom Shaman’ into its claws and them raised those claws to strike.

“I reveal-,” Ria began, obviously meaning to use at least one of her two traps to save Thomas at the expense of whatever combination she’d been preparing, but Thomas wouldn’t have it.

“No,” he interrupted. “Save it and get this guy next turn.” Ria looked like she was on the verge of crying, or yelling, it was hard to tell, but she nodded.

“Reveal,” Thomas called, “the Trap card ‘Spiritual Fire Art – Kurenai’!”

‘Raviel’ thrust his claws, but they passed right through ‘Ignis’ as his body turned to living flames. The claw attack hit Thomas instead (2500-5400=0).

“Alright ‘Ignis’, buddy,” said Thomas to the living flame at his side, as his body faded away, “one last time. Attack!”

The last of Thomas’ body disappeared into the Shadows. ‘Ignis’, enraged by the loss of his master, burst forward, curling around the outstretched arm of ‘Raviel’ and hitting Armityle, engulfing him in fire. He cried out (6000-1500=4500).

Thomas was gone, but he’d achieved what I realized had been his goal. He’d remained brave in the face of possible death, and he’d given his last breath to hand us the one thing that we simply didn’t have anymore.

He’d given us hope.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Four]

The Beasts Attack!
Retaliation


Ria had tears in her eyes as she cried out, “You’ll pay for that, you [i]Diablo[/i]! Your monster is gonna die, right here, right now!”

“That doesn’t really seem possible to me,” Armityle responded arrogantly, “especially now that the annoying boy’s ‘Burden of the Mighty’ is out of play. With it gone, my ‘Raviel’ regains his original, overwhelming strength (ATK: 4000).”

“Do you think I’m joking?” Ria demanded. “Do you?! Well I’m not! I discard ‘Combo Fighter’ and ‘Combo Master’ to activate two copies of the Trap card ‘Rising Energy’. This boosts the Attack of my ‘Monk Fighter’ by three thousand!”

‘Monk Fighter’’s eyes filled with rage that was uncharacteristic of a monk and more characteristic of his master, and an aura burned around him like fire. His muscles filled out, and he balled his hands into fists (1300+3000=4300).

[i]I see, [/i]I thought. [i]Ria was planning this combo to take down the next Sacred Beast to battle her monster. When Thomas was about to die, Ria almost sacrificed this combo to save his Life, an action that would have indeed saved Thomas, but left ‘Raviel’ alive as well. Seeing this, Thomas told Ria to stop. He sacrificed himself so that Ria could defeat the Beast this turn.[/i]

I smiled, [i]Thomas, you were far more brave than you ever realized.[/i]

“Go my ‘Monk Fighter’,” Ria commanded, “destroy the demon with your undeniable fist!”

‘Monk Fighter’ jumped at the massive demon, an insignificant-looking figure alongside one so massive, but when he punched, when his fist connected with the demon’s armor-like flesh, the impact was severe enough to shake the ground beneath the demon’s feet so hard that the school shook with it. ‘Monk Fighter’ spun in midair and heel kicked the demon in the side of the head, pushed off of the demon with his foot, and spun again. ‘Monk Fighter’ summoned all of his energy into his aura, and propelled himself forward through the demon’s chest. ‘Raviel’ seemed to cry out, though it was hard to tell. He may have been roaring. Either way, in mere moments, the Beast was gone (4500+4000-4300=4200).

“That’s impossible!” Armityle exclaimed. “No regular monster can defeat one of my devil gods!”

“Apparently that’s not true,” I replied, “because one just did. Now it’s my turn, and I think it’s safe to say that things are going to become even more unpleasant for you very shortly. I draw, and I discard ‘Cyberdark Magician Girl’ to activate ‘Monster Reincarnation’, returning ‘Cyber Ogre’ from my Graveyard to my hand.”

A card ejected from my Duel Disk’s Graveyard slot.

“I follow up with ‘Polymerization’,” I continued, “fusing ‘Cyber Ogre’ in my hand with ‘Cyberdark Magician’ on the field to summon,” ‘Cyber Ogre’ appeared alongside my magician and roared as ‘Cyberdark Magician’ transformed into a cloud of smoke charged with magical energy and poured around ‘Cyber Ogre’, taking the form of a huge, muscular torso with a machine panel in its forehead and glowing green eyes, “‘Cyber Magical Ogre’ (ATK: 2900)!

“My monster attacks,” I commanded, “with Magi-Static Blast!”

‘Cyber Magical Ogre’ summoned a ball of combined electrical and magical energies into his palm and released it, hitting Armityle directly. He cried out in pain as my monster’s considerable power washed over him (4200-2900=1300).

“My turn’s over,” I spat, “you monster.”

Armityle waited, catching his breath and allowing the pain to subside. Then he continued the duel with the beginning of his turn.

“You humans are truly an amusingly stubborn species,” Armityle announced, “but frankly I’ve grown tired of you. Of your voices. Of your faces. If I didn’t need this human body at the moment to hold my essence while I recharge myself to my full power, I’d gladly destroy it along with the rest of you.”

He sighed, “Oh well, I’ll just destroy this body later. You two, however, I will destroy now. I play ‘Card of Sanctity’.”

He drew six new cards and examined them with interest.

“Next,” Armityle declared, “I play ‘Heavy Storm’ to destroy the annoying ‘Lone Wolf’ Trap card.”

“No!” Ria exclaimed as her Trap, her last real line of defense, was torn apart by a powerful gust of air.

“I’ll also play the Continuous Spell ‘Triangle Force’,” Armityle declared, “which lets me play two more ‘Triangle Force’ cards from my deck, and because I control three Continuous Spells, I can send all three of them to the Graveyard to summon the second great Devil God, ‘Hammon, Lord of Striking Thunder’!”

Lightning struck the ground outside and took form, becoming a second massive creature, yellow in color, with huge, transparent, fan-like wings, long, brutish arms, short legs, and a beak-like snout. Electricity lanced between his wings and his claws as he let out a piercing roar (ATK: 4000).

“I also play ‘Sacred Revival’,” Armityle declared, “to summon back my fallen Sacred Beast!”

‘Raviel’ appeared once again from a bright flash of golden light.

“Live again,” Armityle cried, “‘Raviel, Lord of Phantasms’!”

The supposed strongest Sacred Beast roared, the second Beast roaring as well, shaking the building under our feet.

“Go ahead and attack me,” I told Armityle defiantly. “My ‘Ogre’ and I aren’t afraid of your Beasts!”

“No,” said Ria, “he’s not after you. He’s gonna attack me. After all, I’m the one who killed his strongest card with a low level monster and humiliated him, right?”

I looked over at her. She was putting up a tough front, but I could see her knees shaking, and there was a certain look of terror in her eyes, just below the surface.

“That’s right, girl,” Armityle replied, a vengeful fire flickering in his stolen eyes. “‘Raviel’, seize your revenge and attack the ‘Monk Fighter’!”

“As I explained before,” Ria countered defiantly, “‘Monk Fighter’ meets your attack with his entire being, preventing any damage to my Life!”

As she spoke, the ‘Monk Fighter’ lunged at the swiping claws of the demon ‘Raviel’, and was obliterated.

“‘Hammon’,” Armityle continued, “finish it. Destroy her with your divine lightning!”

Electricity lanced from ‘Hammon’’s wings, striking Ria from many directions at once. She received the full force of the attack, and I heard her cry out in agony, even over the crackling of lightning. The attack ended, and Ria fell to her knees in tears. She looked over at me as the rest of her body began to fade away, pleading silently for me to save her from her fate, but there was nothing I could do. In another instant she was gone.

I looked at Armityle, hatred flashing in my eyes, “You’ll pay for this. All of this!”

“I’m not too sure of that,” Armityle replied confidently and arrogantly, “but I am sure of one thing, this duel is finally down to you and me, just as I always wanted. You see, this human that I currently inhabit has faith in your ability to save him. I look forward to crushing that faith completely.

“I want you to show me what Duel Academy’s number one professor can do,” Armityle explained, “so that I may prove my superiority once and for all! But first, I close out my turn with the Spell card ‘Trap Reincarnation’, discarding ‘Dual Gate’ to return a Trap card in my Graveyard to my hand. I set that card, ending my turn. As powerful as your ‘Cyber Magical Ogre’ is, it is no match for my Sacred Beasts!”

“I guess it’s lucky for me then,” I countered, “that ‘Cyber Magical Ogre’ isn’t my strongest monster. My next monster [i]is[/i] a match for your Devil Gods, and is more than powerful enough to finish you off this turn! Activate the Spell card ‘De-Fusion’, separating my ‘Cyber Magical Ogre’ into ‘Cyber Ogre’ and ‘Cyberdark Magician’!”

The magical smoke separated from the ‘Cyber Ogre’ at its core and reformed into the computerized Spellcaster. He stood alongside ‘Cyber Ogre’, ready to offer whatever support he could.

“Next,” I continued, “I play ‘Polymerization’, fusing ‘Cyber Ogre’ with a second ‘Cyber Ogre’ in my hand!”

My two ‘Ogres’ merged in a flash of light. A figure emerged from that light. It was a more streamlined, more advanced-looking ‘Cyber Ogre’ with a legless, serpentine body from the waist down, and fixed metal wings on its back.

“This is my strongest monster,” I exclaimed, “‘Cyber Ogre 2’ (ATK: 2600)! I increase his power with the Spell card ‘Rare Metal Soul’.”

My monster’s wings extended and dissolved into streams of light that surged outward, shimmering in the darkness that surrounded us (2600+1000=3600).

“My monster attacks ‘Raviel’,” I commanded.

Armityle laughed, “I think maybe you’ve miscounted.”

“Not quite,” I replied as my machine spread his new wings and flew straight at the massive figure looming before him. “When my ‘Cyber Ogre 2’ attacks a monster, he gains Attack equal to half the Attack of the monster he’s fighting!”

My monster was bathed in a deadly-looking red light (3600+2000=5600).

I looked at my hand, at the ‘Shield Sphere’ card that would protect my monster if the Trap that Armityle had set was something capable of destroying it, and I said, “In case [i]you’ve[/i] miscounted, you only have thirteen hundred Life Points. You won’t survive my attack!”

Armityle looked shocked, and I saw him mouth the word “no”. Then he regained his composure and declared, “‘Raviel’ won’t fall so easily. ‘Raviel’, meet his attack head on!”

The demon reached out with his massive claws to intercept the outstretched metallic claws of my ‘Ogre’, and the machine tore right through the demon’s claws, up his arm, and pierced him right through the chest. The demon’s body broke apart and erupted into smoke and fire as it was incinerated by my monster’s aura. Smoke filled the room, pouring out through the gap in the wall and into the sky. I let out a sigh of relief.

[i]I did it. I actually won. With Armityle’s spell broken, the others should return-.[/i]

But my internal dialogue was cut short by the sound of laughter. I looked, shocked, into the cloud of smoke as it began to clear. ‘Hammon’ was still hanging in the air outside, the ‘Cyber Ogre 2’ was at my side, and the others were still nowhere to be seen. Worst of all, Armityle still stood before me, in the body of my friend. He laughed, and I realized that he’d never been worried at all. It had all been a show for my benefit.

As the smoke faded entirely, I saw why Armityle had survived. Three orbs floated in a triangular formation between me and my opponent. An energy barrier spread between them. I was horrified, [i]How could I have been so stupid?! I assumed he would retrieve a Trap capable of destroying my monster, but I completely forgot about his most dangerous Trap, the ‘Delta Barrier’, a card that I sent to his Graveyard myself![/i]

“In case you missed it,” Armityle declared, “I revealed my ‘Delta Barrier’, allowing me to play two more ‘Delta Barriers’ from my Graveyard, and while I control three ‘Delta Barriers’ I can protect myself from damage from one attack per turn.

I looked at my hand desperately, and I saw one last chance.

“I set a card,” I said, “and end my turn.”

[i]Come on, let this work…[/i]

“Good,” said Armityle, “because I don’t feel like waiting any longer to kill you. You actually managed to destroy one of my lesser forms, and that cannot be forgiven.

“I draw,” Armityle announced, “and I send three copies of ‘Delta Barrier’ to the Graveyard to summon the third and final of the Sacred Beasts.”

I scowled, [i]I thought so. I was really hoping I was wrong.[/i]

Flames burst from the ground far behind Armityle, forming a fiery pillar which stretched, curled, and took the form of a huge, red, serpentine dragon, over one hundred yards long, with four relatively stubby legs and wide, transparent bat-like wings.

“Cower in fear,” Armityle taunted, “before ‘Uria, Lord of Searing Flames’! This monster has Attack power of one thousand times the number of Continuous Traps in my Graveyard (ATK: 3000), and he can destroy any one of your Spell or Trap cards per turn!”

I knew right then, in that moment, that the duel was over. I had failed.

‘Uria’ launched flames from his mouth, incinerating the ‘Mirror Force’ card that had been my last line of defense. Some of the flames splashed up, either singeing me or passing through the large gaps in my faded body.

“Now, my Sacred Beasts,” Armityle continued, speaking calmly, satisfaction apparent in his prideful smile, “destroy him.”

I stood, defeated, as ‘Hammon’ rained lightning and Uria rained fire down upon me, their attacks washing over me and my monster at the same time. ‘Cyber Ogre 2’ was vaporized, and I was struck with so much force that I couldn’t breathe. As the attacks ended the rest of my body faded into the Shadows, and I was gone.


[b]John[/b]


The shadows that had surrounded my duel with Shin fell away completely just in time for me to see two massive figures in the distance fade away, revealing a ruined school building behind them. I looked closely, and I saw a lone figure standing in the midst of the destruction. That figure turned to face me, sneering cruelly. I wasn’t surprised to see that it was Kagemaru, but not Kagemaru.

It was the Sacred Beasts. They were waiting for me in the frail body of an old man, wielding powers that rivaled anything that I’d ever seen.

[i]Fine,[/i] I thought, [i]if you want me, you’ve got me.[/i]

My Soul of Darkness flashed, and I passed into the shadows.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Five]

John vs. The Demon of Flames


I reformed from the darkness in what was left of Kagemaru’s office, where the Beasts stood in Kagemaru’s body.

“I’ve been waiting for you,” the Beasts said in Kagemaru’s voice, still looking out the gaping hole created during their duel against my friends. “So ignorant, you humans. This building is coming apart, and not even one of the humans on this island has noticed. I find that truly astounding. It’s one of the reasons that, once I’ve achieved my full power once again, I plan to exterminate you all.”

“You keep saying ‘I’,” I replied. “I thought there were three creatures in there. The demons named ‘Sacred Beasts’.”

“I am,” the Beasts said, “and at the same time I am not. I am three in one, and one in three. I am the best aspects of each Sacred Beast merged into one powerful, unrivaled mind. I am Armityle!”

I wanted more information. I was curious, not to mention the fact that I was going to have to fight this thing. As far as I was concerned, I needed all the info I could get.

[i]I’m gonna press it,[/i] I decided, [i]and see what I can get out of them.[/i]

“I don’t understand,” I said, only half lying. I had a good idea of what this strange foe was talking about.

“In that case,” Armityle replied, “allow me to explain. Since you will die today anyway, I might as well. The demons that you humans have named ‘Sacred Beasts’, like the three great God Monsters, are little more than three facets of one powerful being, though you probably didn’t know that. Anyway, when those facets act separately, they are acting as the Sacred Beasts. They are little more than a blunt weapon, guided by my underlying personality, but when they come together to act as one, they become me. Of course, either way, it is [i]my[/i] intelligence that governs their actions. I aim the barrel of the gun that is the Beasts themselves, so to speak.”

“I see,” I replied carefully. [i]This isn’t good. This thing isn’t at all like anything I’ve ever fought before.[/i]

“I’ll be honest,” Armityle continued, “I need to duel you to increase my own power so that I can return to my true, supreme form.”

“Then why the hell would I duel you?” I asked.

“Heh heh,” Armityle replied, “you already know the answer to that. The Shadow spells placed on your friends and allies when I defeated them, and the spell placed on the girl when she was struck down by my proxy, will not end until I am defeated in a Shadow Game. Not to mention that fact that I am still powerful, and I [i]will[/i] continue to grow more powerful with or without dueling you. Eventually I will become powerful enough to carry out my plans, and it will be too late to oppose me. But if you duel me now, you might be able to stop me here, today.”

I gritted my teeth, frustrated, “Then I guess I don’t really have a choice.” I gestured and my Neo Dark Disk activated.

“I’m glad you see it my way,” Armityle replied. He turned to face me and activated the Academy Duel Disk strapped to the headmaster’s arm. A Duel Disk that contained Kagemaru’s deck, a deck that many consider to be invincible.

“Against your little friends,” Armityle explained, “I was still much weaker than I am now. You don’t have that luxury. I play ‘Gold Sarcophagus’ to remove the strongest card in my deck from play. In two turns, the ‘Sarcophagus’ opens, and that card is moved to my hand. Just so you know,” he said, smiling tauntingly, “it’s one of the Sacred Beast cards. Next, I play ‘Painful Choice’, which allows me to-.”

“I know what it does,” I interrupted impatiently.

“Well,” said Armityle, “I’ll save us some time and skip to the end.” As he spoke he fanned out Kagemaru’s deck and chose five cards, placing them in his five empty Monster Card Zones. Images of his cards appeared in the swirling, deepening shadows, showing me three copies of the Trap card ‘Delta Barrier’, and two copies of the Spell card ‘Dual Gate’.

[i]I have to beat this guy fast,[/i] I decided. [i]Giving him a ‘Delta Barrier’[/i] and [i]putting two more ‘Delta Barrier’ cards into his Graveyard all at once wouldn’t be very conducive to that.[/i]

“Keep ‘Dual Gate’,” I said, wondering what exactly my opponent might have planned. I was forcing myself to remain aware of everything around me, even more so than usual, for Karen’s sake. I was aware of the arrogance in my opponent’s eyes. The complete, utter confidence. I was aware of the Shadow Game settling over us, its intensity almost overwhelming. I was aware of my opponent fingering a card in his hand in anticipation. I [i]would not[/i] let this guy get the drop on me.

“In that case,” Armityle declared, “I activate the ‘Dual Gate’ that was just put in my hand, removing it and one ‘Dual Gate’ in my Graveyard from play to draw two cards.”

He drew, smiling like an arrogant fool all the while.

“Next,” said Armityle, “I discard ‘Makyu the Magical Mist’ to play ‘Trap Reincarnation’!”

He played the card that he’d been fingering earlier, and discarded a card.

“This lets me move one of the three discarded ‘Delta Barrier’ cards to my hand.”

I winced, [i]Dammit![/i]

“I set a card and a monster,” Armityle concluded, “and end my turn.”

[i]That face-down card must be ‘Delta Barrier’,[/i] I decided. [i]Once he activates it, as long as he controls a monster, he’ll be able to prevent damage to his Life Points from one attack per turn. I need to get rid of his monster[/i] and then [i]deal damage.[/i]

I looked over my hand, [i]And I might have just the monster to do the job![/i]

“I summon,” I began, “the monster card ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’.”

A warrior wearing padding for armor with a three-pronged sword strapped to each forearm appeared at my side (ATK: 1600).

“Whenever my monster battles a defense position monster,” I explained, “he deals piercing damage, and then he can attack once more in a row. Attack with Double Blade Slash!”

My monster rushed Armityle’s monster, which was hidden in the darkness of our Shadow Game. The darkness parted, revealing a demonic form in metal bonds.

[i]Aw crap![/i]

“I reveal ‘Delta Barrier’,” Armityle declared, “to prevent the piercing damage.”

Three floating orbs appeared, representing the three ‘Delta Barrier’ Traps, projecting a triangular barrier between them that protected my foe from harm. My monster cut Armityle’s monster in half with a single strike.

Armityle chucked condescendingly, “And in case you missed it, you just destroyed ‘Newdoria’, which kills your monster, too.”

The two halves of ‘Newdoria’ came together, blossoming out to become a vortex of dark energy that sucked my ‘Marauder’ in and destroyed him.

“Then all I can do,” I said, “is set a card and pass.”

“I was hoping that you would put up more of a fight, even this early into the duel,” said Armityle mockingly. “Oh well, I was going to win anyway.

“I send three Continuous Traps to the Graveyard,” Armityle began, and I felt my eyes go wide with surprise, “to Special Summon the first of the Sacred Beasts!”

[i]What? No way![/i]

“Come forth,” Armityle cried, “the mighty Demon God, ‘Uria, Lord of Searing Flames’!”

A pillar of fire rose up from the ground far behind my opponent, wrapping around itself, and forming an immensely long serpentine dragon with demonic features and broad, semi-transparent demonic wings.

I gasped at the sight of the beast before me, [i]It looks like ‘Osiris’![/i]

Armityle laughed, having correctly interpreted the recognition flashing in my eyes, “I see that you are familiar with this form, particularly the God Monster that shares it. Yes, human, just this one single aspect of my being is as powerful as a God!”

Despite everything, Armityle’s taunting words didn’t make me feel any worse. In fact, they actually served to snap me out of my stupor.

“Oh, Armityle,” I said, giving him the smug face, “you just made your first mistake. See, I’ve fought the God Monster ‘Sky Dragon of Osiris’, and I’ve defeated him. Comparing your [i]false[/i] god to ‘Osiris’, as far as I’m concerned it’s the same thing as challenging me to defeat him, and I never fail to complete a challenge.”

“We’ll see about that,” Armityle replied, not at all intimidated. “Until then, let’s move right along. My monster’s Attack equals one thousand times the number of Continuous Traps in my Graveyard (ATK: 3000), and he has another effect as well. Once per turn he can summon a blaze to incinerate one Spell or Trap in play, giving you no chance to counter his effect!”

A flame appeared beneath my ‘Enemy Controller’, burning it to ash in an instant, before I even had a chance to begin to react.

“And ‘Uria’ attacks!” Armityle declared. ‘Uria’ formed a fireball in the back of his throat, prepared to strike.

[i]‘Osiris’ and the other Egyptian Gods have magical attacks so powerful that a single hit in a Shadow Game can kill![/i] I thought. [i]I have to assume that ‘Uria’ is just as powerful.[/i] Acting out of desperation I gestured, and the Shadows sprung up and swirled around me protectively. ‘Uria’ launched his fireball, blasting my shadow shield apart, but never actually hitting me. Only my Life Points took a hit (8000-3000=5000).

“Now do you see the power of my Beast?” Armityle asked. “Do you see that you have no greater chance against him that you would against God himself?”

“Actually,” I said, smiling with confidence, “you showed me that exactly that is [i]un[/i]true. You described your monster’s ‘effect’, which means, aside from its power to gain Attack points, it only has one power. The same power that I’ve already seen. Not to mention the fact that your monster’s effect itself proves that your monster is vulnerable to the effects of Traps, and likely Spells as well. The God cards on the other hand are immune to Traps and some Spells, and all other Spells only affect them for a turn.”

I pointed threateningly at Armityle and said, “Your monster is no God. It’s just a pale imitation of a power so great that not even you could possibly comprehend it, and claiming anything else is an insult!”

Armityle looked shocked, if only for a moment. “You’ve come to a great realization,” he said, visibly shaken for the first time during our encounter, “but that doesn’t change the fact that my monster has incredible power beyond that of a normal monster, and that I still have two more Sacred Beasts to summon.”

“True,” I agreed, “but it’s my turn, and I have plenty of powerful cards of my own to play.”

“Play any card you want,” Armityle replied wickedly, “I’ll be ready. First I place two cards face-down, and I activate ‘Phantasmal Martyrs’, throwing out the rest of my hand to summon three ‘Phantasm Tokens’.”

Three small, roughly humanoid demons appeared, their disproportionately long arms folded across their chests, held close to their bodies (DEF: 1000).

[i]This guy’s been in control of this duel for far too long,[/i] I decided. [i]Time to turn things around.[/i]

“I draw!”

I looked over my hand, [i]Yeah, that’ll work! I can kill it now![/i]

“I Special Summon,” I announced, “my favorite card, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’!”

My warrior appeared, accompanied by a burst of yellow and black lightning.

“I discard ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’ and ‘Stygian Street Patrol’,” I continued, “to transform my monster into his most supreme form!”

My monster was saturated by white, black and yellow light so bright that I had to look away. When I finally turned back to the duel, I had fire in my eyes, ignited by my monster’s presence. He dropped slowly to the ground at my side, energy rolling off of him like water.

“Behold, Armityle,” I announced, “the card created by the hands of the girl that your minion destroyed, and the card that will help me restore her, ‘The Fiend Omegacyber’ (ATK: 3000)! During the turn that I summon my monster,” I explained, “you can’t activate any Spells or Traps.”

“But your monster is only as strong as mine,” Armityle replied. “Would you sacrifice your monster just to destroy [i]mine[/i]?”

“No,” I replied frankly.

“Then I’ve already won,” Armityle announced with absolute confidence. “I’m willing to make any sacrifice required to achieve victory. If you’re not, then you cannot defeat me!”

“You’re wrong,” I replied calmly. “I won’t sacrifice my monster because I have faith, and because I have faith, my deck has provided me with exactly what I need to defeat your demon false-god. I combine the Spell card ‘Soul Absorption’ with ‘Soul Release’. Via the effect of the latter, I remove your ‘Makyu’, ‘Trap Reincarnation’, and three ‘Delta Barriers’ from play to gain twenty-five hundred Life (5000+2500=7500)!”

“No!” Armityle exclaimed.

“Oh yes,” I insisted, my barely-restrained hatred for my demonic opponent leaking into my voice, if only for a moment, “with no Traps left in your Graveyard, your monster’s Attack is reduced to zero!”

‘Uria’ roared painfully as his energy literally drained away, falling in wisps from his body (ATK: 3000 -> 0).

“My monster attacks,” I declared, and ‘The Fiend Omegacyber’ shot forward an almost imperceptibly high speed, his fists overflowing with power. He struck, his energy flowing over the weakened ‘Uria’, ripping it to shreds, “Omegacyber Impact!”

The remains of the massive creature fell to the ground, burning up as they landed (8000+0-3000=5000).

“You’ll never defeat me,” I explained, “because I possess the greatest power of all, the power that comes from being trusted by others, from having friends who you can lean on, and who feel that they can lean on you. It’s the ultimate power of unity!”

I was sure of myself, and I expected that to worry my foe, but Armityle seemed little more than amused by my attitude and by what I’d said.

“Stupid human,” he told me, “you have no idea what power is!”

He drew a card, and a golden box appeared, and opened.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Six]

The Enemy’s True Form;
The Chaos Phantom!


“My ultimate card is finally here, finally on hand,” said Armityle, “and I already have everything in place to summon him. I tribute three Fiend-Type ‘Martyr Tokens’,” the small demons dissolved into shadows and melded together, forming a massive blue demonic figure with broad fan-like wings with transparent membranes, and ridiculously long, sharp claws, “to summon ‘Raviel, Lord of Phantasms’!”

The blue Beast let out a terrible roar (ATK: 4000).

“So first it was a pale copy of ‘Osiris’,” I taunted, “and now it’s a pale copy of ‘Obelisk the Tormentor’? Wanna try something original for a change?”

“Don’t get ahead of yourself,” said Armityle. “You beat ‘Uria’ pretty easily, but ‘Raviel’ is [i]much[/i] stronger than ‘Uria’. And in case you forgot, I have one more Demon God to play!”

I frowned, [i]That doesn’t sound good.[/i]

“I reveal ‘Card of Sanctity’, to refill my hand,” Armityle continued, looking over his cards even as he drew them. “Next I activate the Continuous Spell card ‘Triangle Force’, which lets me play two more ‘Triangle Force’ cards from my deck, and I send these three Spells to the Graveyard,” Armityle declared, the Spells disappearing from the field as quickly as they had appeared, “to summon the final Demon God, ‘Hammon, Lord of Striking Thunder’!”

Lightning rained from the sky and struck the ground outside. Clouds built in the sky overhead. From them descended a giant yellow demon with a beak-like snout and similar fan-like transparent wings to the others(ATK: 4000). Despite its demonic features, its nature was clear.

“And ‘The Winged Dragon of Ra’’s Mirror Universe counterpart joins the party,” I said. “Two Sacred Beasts at once. This should be interesting.”

But as I spoke, I was calculating moves in my head. I came to a conclusion, [i]One of these things was easy enough to beat, but these two are more powerful, and they’re out together, complimenting each other. I can’t determine a way to defeat them until I know their effects.[/i]

[i]This could be tricky.[/i]

“You won’t find anything ‘interesting’ soon enough,” said Armityle. “‘Hammon’, attack the warrior stupid enough to stand against us Gods!”

[i]This isn’t good,[/i] I thought. ‘Hammon’ rained lightning down on my warrior, vaporizing him. Lighting rebounded from the dying warrior to me, making me jump and singeing my clothes (7500+3000-4000=6500).

“‘Hammon,” Armityle commanded, “activate your effect, Wicked Lightning!”

Lightning lanced down from ‘Hammon’’s wingtips and struck me. I was caught off guard. I screamed as my body was heaved from the ground. I was tossed backward and collapsed. When I finally rose back up to my feet, my clothes were smoking, and Armityle was laughing hysterically.

“When ‘Hammon’ destroys a monster,” Armityle explained, “he deals you an additional one thousand damage (6500-1000=5500).”

“Now you tell me,” I complained.

“And the best is yet to come!” Armityle continued. “‘Raviel’, attack directly!”

‘Raviel’ swung his mighty claws.

[i]He could kill me right now,[/i] I realized, [i]if those claws are as realistic as that lightning![/i]

I forced my tired, stiff, aching body to move, and I dodged to the side, avoiding all but a glancing blow to my left shoulder. A glancing blow that that still knocked me fifteen feet into the wall behind me, tore open my shoulder, and knocked my shoulder out of its socket. My arm went limp midway through my tumble and I dropped my cards. Blood ran from the wound in my arm, soaking my shirt. I sat there, against Kagemaru’s wall, for several minutes. Just sat, and allowed myself to recover, until finally I decided two things: I needed to stop bleeding, and I needed to relocate my shoulder. So I gritted my teeth and summoned two shadow tendrils out of the darkness surrounding us. One wrapped around my arm and became a black bandage that held my wound closed. The other gripped my arm and, in one sharp motion that was nearly as painful as the wound itself, thrust my shoulder joint back into place.

I stood up carefully and tested my arm. It moved [i]very[/i] uncomfortably, “Well, that was unpleasant.”

I looked down at my Life Point display, [i]Fifteen hundred Life. Only fifteen hundred.[/i]

“I draw,” I declared, facing my astonished opponent yet again. I drew my newest card, and then I bent over, picking up the cards I’d dropped and putting them all together. I hadn’t really looked at my hand since last turn, when I’d drawn cards for the effect of my opponent’s ‘Card of Sanctity’.

“Would you look at that,” I said, “it looks like I’m gonna destroy another of your Sacred Beasts this turn.”

“Impossible,” Armityle objected, but he didn’t look quite as confident as he was trying to sound.

I ignored him, shifting my Duel Disk and wincing at the pain in my shoulder, “I remove ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ in my Graveyard from play to recover five hundred Life Points (1500+500=2000), and to Special Summon a Fiend from my hand. The Fiend I Special Summon is ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’.”

The stout, portly, scantily-armored demon swordsman appeared (ATK: 1800).

“Next I tribute ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’ to summon the ‘Summoned Skull’!”

The ‘Djinn’ was enveloped in lightning, and promptly replaced by the skeletal demon, lightning rolling down his body, lancing between his massive claws (ATK: 2500).

“Activate,” I continued, “the Spell card ‘Quick Summon’, tributing ‘Summoned Skull’ for the ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

‘Summoned Skull’ dissolved into smoke, which reformed into the brown-skinned demon, the orbs in his shoulders and forehead gleaming with power. The demonic Sacred Beasts loomed over him, an inescapable force of pure power, but my demon stood before them, at his full height of twenty feet, completely unafraid. He flexed his claws threateningly, and roared.

“Let’s see which is stronger,” I said, “your Demon Gods, or mine (ATK: 5000).

“You Normal Summoned two monsters,” said Armityle, unshaken in the face of my demon, “so my ‘Raviel’ responds by summoning two ‘Phantasm Tokens’ to his side.”

Two smaller, human-sized demons resembling ‘Raviel’ appeared to either side of the blue demon, hanging in the air unmoving (ATK: 1000 (each)).

“And because your ‘Raviel’ resembles ‘Obelisk’,” I said, finishing my opponent’s thought, “he will have the ability to absorb the power of him servants, increasing his own power. Well no thanks. I equip ‘Great Maju Garzett’ with the Spell card ‘Sword of Dark Rites’.”

An evil-looking sword appeared in my monster’s claws (ATK: 5000+400=5400).

“‘Great Maju’,” I commanded, “make ‘Raviel’ your target before he can attack [i]you[/i], Vile Energy Blast!”

‘Great Maju’ summoned dark energy into his palm and released it, firing a wide beam of pure shadows. The beam passed over ‘Raviel’, sheering him in half (5000+4000 -5400=3600).

“In my next turn,” I declared, “your ‘Hammon’ will fall, your Beasts will be defeated, and you’ll have lost.”

“No,” said Armityle frankly, “you’re wrong. My Beasts may have failed to defeat you separately, but together they will triumph!”

And that’s when I finally understood the nature of my opponent, [i]Oh man![/i] [i]But if I’m right, then there may be nothing I can do![/i]

I looked over my hand, [i]I only really have one move left.[/i]

“I set a card and end my turn,” I declared. [i]I really hope this works![/i]

“I draw,” said Armityle, “and I begin with the Spell card ‘Sacred Revival’!”

There was a flash of golden light, and ‘Raviel’ reappeared, as good as new.

“Next,” Armityle continued, “I summon the ‘Phantom of Chaos’. This formless creature can take on the form of any one effect monster in my Graveyard!”

A cloud of living smoke appeared, billowing out, stretching until it was long and thin. It solidified into a paler-looking version of ‘Uria’, the third Sacred Beast.

“And now,” Armityle declared, his voice filling with excitement, “because all three Sacred Beasts exist on the field at once, I can merge them, body and mind, into their most supreme form.

“I can merge them into [i]me[/i]!”

I smiled, [i]I thought so.[/i]

“I didn’t quite get it when you were explaining yourself earlier,” I said, “but I understand now. You are the mind of the Sacred Beasts in their [i]fused[/i] form, and up until recently, you didn’t have the power to merge them together in a duel. But now you do, and you need to. You need to fuse them into [i]your[/i] true form and win a duel to regain the power to achieve that form [i]outside[/i] of one. Until you do, all that you can do is command the power of the individual Beasts, who have no real minds of their own.”

“Exactly,” Armityle replied, his voice growing deep and fierce, growing beastly, “but knowing that won’t save you! I remove my Demon God cards from play to merge the Demon Gods on the field!”

Wisps of violet energy poured from Kagemaru’s mouth into the three enormous monsters behind him, and Kagemaru’s eyes grew blank, his voice echoing in his open mouth as he spoke. The three Beasts moved closer together, and in a flash of light, they merged into one.

I stared, awestruck, at the figure before me. It had the humanoid body of ‘Raviel’, its chest colored violet, and his sides colored red, like ‘Uria’. Its body from the waist down was ‘Uria’’s, with a violet underbelly rather than the usual black one. It had ‘Raviel’’s head, and ‘Hammon’’s broad, yellow wings. Its right arm was a regular, humanoid arm, colored violet. Its left arm was made up of the neck and head of ‘Uria’. Its two heads roared in unison.

“This is my true form,” said Armityle, his harsh voice echoing from both the throat of his human host, and from the ‘Uria’ head on the monster’s left arm, “‘Armityle the Chaos Phantom’! In terms of your little game, I have no attack points, but I am also so far above all other monsters that I cannot be destroyed in battle, and once per turn, I can attack any target on the field for ten thousand points of Battle Damage! You may have recovered two thousand Life Points this turn through the effect of you ‘Soul Absorption’ (2000+2000=4000), but I am still powerful enough to destroy you with a single strike!”

He raised his more normal-looking right arm up over the head, and summoned up a massive black and violet orb of swirling, churning energy.

“Die, human,” he called, his tone echoing with the taste of victory, “Transmigration Wave!!”


He threw the orb (ATK: 10,000). ‘Great Maju’ rose up, his hand outstretched, catching the oncoming attack. He strained, holding it back just long enough for me to execute my plan, and then he was ripped apart, reduced to ashes.

“Reveal, the Trap card ‘Skull Lair’. I can remove a number of monsters in my Graveyard from play to destroy monsters of the same level. But since I can’t destroy your Phantom, I’ll remove ‘Summoned Skull’ and ‘Red-Eyes’ to destroy your ‘Tokens’!”

Two dark orbs launched from my Trap, destroying his ‘Phantasms’, and my Life Points rose (4000+1000=5000) just before I was hit by the ‘Phantom’’s flashing orb (5000+5400-10,000=400). The Shadows moved to protect me, but I was still sent flying, painfully. I managed not to fall, or to drop my cards, but I was still hurt. The air had been knocked out of me, and I was breathing hard, trying to recover.

“I’m not out of this yet!” I exclaimed.

“You survived?!” Armityle roared.

“I’ll always survive,” I said, choking on my pain momentarily. “I’ll always survive, until I defeat you!”

Armityle let out a low, fierce growl. “Then I set one card,” Kagemaru, his face still blank and lifeless, placed a card on the Duel Disk on his wrist, “and pass.”

I swallowed, nervously, and struggled to lift my Dark Disk. I pulled a card, my vision blurring momentarily. I examined my card, [i]’Pot of Greed’? This will come in handy.[/i]

“This is where you lose, Armityle,” I said. “I play ‘Pot of Greed’ to draw two cards.”

I drew, but I couldn’t bring myself to look. I’d tried to call on the power of the Soul of Darkness to summon up a Destiny Draw, but I hadn’t had the strength.

[i]These cards could be anything,[/i] I thought, [i]but I believe in my deck. I have to believe that it’s given me what I needed.[/i]

I turned the cards over in my hand, and smiled, [i]Bingo![/i]

“I play,” I declared, “the Spell card ‘Namesake Summon’, removing ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ in my Graveyard from play (400+500=900) to revive ‘The Fiend [i]O[/i]megacyber’!”

The white warrior descended from a portal formed in the air above me. His feet touched the ground beside me, his arms crossed defiantly, and I felt his power spread out from him, washing over me, and I felt my wound begin to heal. I flexed my arm. Only a dull pain remained. I even felt my energy returning. I removed my bandages. All that remained of the claw mark was a long, ugly scar.

Revitalized, I smiled and selected a card from my hand, “I equip ‘Omegacyber’ with ‘Fusion Sword Murasame Blade’,” the warrior’s armor stretched out over his hand, becoming a long, strong blade (ATK: 3000+800=3800). “You only have thirty six hundred Life Points. This attack will finish you off!”

My monster began to strike, but before he could make his move, a long black cord embedded itself in his chest, and he stopped cold.

“I reveal my ‘Enemy Controller’,” Armityle announced, a giant game controller appearing on the cord’s other end, “to change your monster to defense mode and prevent your attack.”

“Then,” I countered, “I activate my last card, the Spell card ‘Guard Penalty’, targeting my ‘Omegacyber’, allowing me to draw one last card.”

I placed my hand on my deck, prepared to draw, but I hesitated. I couldn’t think of a single card left that could win me the duel this turn. To summon any more monsters, I’d have to end the Battle Phase. There was just nothing I could do. It was hopeless. In theory, my own ‘Enemy Controller’ could have saved me, but it had already been destroyed by ‘Uria’, and any Traps I set would be useless, since ‘Armityle’’s ability to deal ten thousand points of damage once per turn isn’t an attack.

And for the first time, I really wanted to give up. I really wanted it all to end. Until, suddenly, I felt something coming from my Soul, and from the card atop my deck, and I knew, I [i]knew[/i] that I would win.

I drew, and I turned over the card. At first it was nothing, just a blank slate, and then its face took form, becoming an Effect Monster with a golden border. In that moment, without reading even a word of the card’s text, I knew exactly what it was, and what it could do.

“During my Battle Phase,” I declared, my characteristic smugness returning, “I can tribute ‘The Fiend Megacyber’ to summon him in his most powerful form, as the ultimate speed summon monster!”

‘Omegacyber’ rose into the air, glowing bright white. His armor shattered, exploding outward in every direction A white jumpsuit spread up his body, covering from the neck down, and a white helmet with a darkened visor and a golden arrowhead-like crest on the forehead appeared, concealing his face. He shot up into the air in a burst of light, did a flip, and landed at my side, his arms crossed in his characteristic gesture of defiance.

“Introducing,” I announced, “’The Fiend Megacyber – Advanced’ (ATK: 2200)! My monster can’t attack directly during a turn in which he is Special Summoned during the Battle Phase, but as you pointed out earlier, your monster doesn’t have any Attack power, and my ‘Fiend Megacyber – Advanced’ gains three hundred Attack times the Level of any monster he attacks!”

“No!” Armityle roared.

“Oh yes,” I replied. “I end this with Megacyber Flash!”

My monster shot forward, faster than I could follow, and tackled the massive phantom demon. There was a flash of yellow and black static (ATK: 2200+(300x12) =5800), and both ‘Megacyber’ and the demon shot high into the air. Inertia carried the demon higher than my warrior, where he threw open his wings and hung in the air, right above the possessed form of Kagemaru, with my monster between them. He discharged more energy, creating a pillar on light that struck the demon, as well as its master far below, and the demon was destroyed (3600+0-5800=0). My monster, and the card that had summoned him, disappeared.

I watched as Kagemaru fell to his knees. Armityle’s essence poured back into him, and he looked up at me angrily. The darkness swirled around us, expectantly.

“You’ve threatened countless lives,” I told Armityle. “You have no right to exist, but sadly your nature prevents me from destroying you completely. All I can do is give you a fitting penalty, one so severe that you will never threaten anyone again.

“Penalty Game,” I declared aiming my palm at the villain’s stolen form, “Mind of an Animal. I destroy your intelligence, and split your remaining psyche amongst the three Beasts. Never again will the Beasts act on their own, at urging of the powerful mind of which you are so proud, and never again will the Beasts form the ‘Chaos Phantom’ under their own power.”

As I spoke, the essence of Armityle poured from Kagemaru, joining with the shadows all around us, and Kagemaru collapsed into my arms, unconscious. I lowered him gently to the ground. Then I noticed the Sacred Beast cards hanging slightly out of his pocket where he’d placed them when they were removed from play. I picked them up, and I felt strong magic emanating within them.

[i]Even without Armityle’s intelligence controlling them, they still have so much power,[/i] I realized. [i]I can’t destroy them, and I can’t let anyone hold on to them either. Not even me. They won’t be able to act on their own anymore, but if they can ever manage to work their way into a Duelist’s mind again, they could manipulate him into acting in Armityle’s place. They have to be hidden away.[/i]

The shadows of our game faded completely, Thomas, Ria, and Professor Sheppard appearing from them, still dazed. Sheppard looked up at me and asked, “You beat them?”

“Yeah,” I answered, turning to face him. “I’m glad you’re awake, Professor. We have a lot to talk about. But first we should get out of this building before it collapses on top of us.”

My Soul flashed, the Shadows wrapped around the five of us, and we were gone.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Seven]

Aftermath


I used my Soul of Darkness to take the five of us to the Obelisk Blue dorm lobby where the new nurse, Fonda Fontaine, had set up a sort of emergency unit. Seeing it I understood why no one had noticed the duel going on at the school. As soon as the Beasts had appeared, Duelists all over the island had begun falling ill as their Duel Energy was drained from them. Miss Fontaine didn’t know what it was, but my Soul told me that I was right. I could already sense the Duel Energy of the incapacitated Duelists returning. They would be fine. With Sheppard’s help, I managed to move Kagemaru onto a cot. While Nurse Fontaine examined the Chancellor, Sheppard and I stepped away where we could talk.

“I’ve removed the vicious consciousness, the thing that we both dueled, from the Sacred Beast cards, but I underestimated the power of the individual beasts.”

I told him all about Armityle, how he was the fused form of the Beasts, and how he controlled the actions of the Beasts themselves.

“I planned to render the Beasts powerless by destroying this consciousness, but the three Beasts [i]still[/i] have willpower enough that, if they ever managed to worm their way into the mind of another Duelist, they might be able to manipulate him into acting as their intelligence the way Armityle did. The only permanent change I made to the Beasts is that, without Armityle’s consciousness, having them on the field together won’t be enough to combine them together anymore. It would take something more than that to summon the ‘Chaos Phantom’ again.”

“Obviously we can’t allow [i]anyone[/i] to hold onto these cards,” Sheppard said, making the obvious assumption that I wanted to hold onto them for myself.

“I couldn’t agree more,” I replied.

Sheppard nodded, “I think I may have a solution to our problem. They school will need to be rebuilt, including the [i]safe[/i] in the [i]basement[/i].”

I nodded my understanding, “Then I’ll entrust these to you, for the time being,” and I handed him the Sacred Beasts. He seemed to understand how much faith I was putting in him, because he looked somewhere between honored, and terrified.

We were silent for several minutes, but finally I spoke up, “Sheppard, I’m still not sure that I agree with the secret purpose of this place. Bringing so many Duelists together [i]is[/i] dangerous. But I also see your point, that Duelists need to be trained. Need to be made ready. Maybe I was a little hasty in saying that I’d destroy this place, but you can be sure that I will be keeping an eye on it.”

Sheppard smiled a bit, “After tonight, I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

We stood in silence again for several seconds. This time it was Sheppard’s turn to speak first.

“You have great powers,” he said. “I was wondering what powers you might have over the minds of others?”

I hesitated to answer. I don’t like to even think about my powers over peoples’ minds, the same powers that Yami used to brainwash Karen, Monty and Lawrence, and that Blackheart had used to control my body. “Do you really want to know?” I asked Sheppard, “because once you know, you can’t un-know, and you might not trust me so much anymore.”

Sheppard nodded, “I do want to know.”

I took a deep breath, “Okay, well, I don’t use them too much, but I do have limited power over the minds of others. I don’t know their full limits, but they follow the same rules as my other powers. I have domain over darkness, and there is darkness in the mind of every man. I can reach out to that darkness and use it to manipulate all that the darkness touches.”

“Memories?” Sheppard asked.

“Yes,” I said, thinking back to when I’d been allowed to look at Marcus, the War Ruler’s memories to learn about the danger posed by the man named Exodus, during the second Grand Championship, and again during the first Shadow Crisis when I’d made the other students forget what they’d seen by wiping their short term memories.

“Can you remove memories?” Sheppard asked.

“Yeah,” I answered, realizing what he wanted me to do, “I think so.”

Sheppard looked over at Kagemaru, lying on a cot, being checked out, “He is a good man. He doesn’t deserve to have to live with the memories of what the Beasts almost did using his body. Make him forget that this is his fault. Make him forget that the Beasts exist at all. Let him live in peace for the first time in so long.”

“You’ll never be able to tell him. I’ll have to patch his memories with a spell, and reminding him of what he did here might rip that patch and cause him harm.”

Sheppard nodded agreement, “Don’t worry, I won’t ever speak of his role in this ever again.”

I nodded, “Then here I go.”

I reached into Kagemaru’s mind, [i]Forget[/i]


My spell succeeded (which is good, since I wasn’t too sure it would). Kagemaru woke up within an hour, with no knowledge of what had happened. He decided in that moment that he wasn’t up for him role as Chancellor, and he stepped down. Sheppard, now Chancellor Sheppard, made arrangements for Kagemaru to return to the mainland to recover from the “accidental injuries sustained in the collapse of the school”. Everyone affected by the Beasts’ Shadow Magic returned after it was defeated and their spells were broken.

Two years later, Kagemaru would return to work, taking a position as DA Superintendent. It would be in this position that he would stumble upon the existence of the safe under Duel Academy, and, upon further investigation, the Sacred Beast cards hidden there. Another two years later, when Kagemaru’s health began to fail, he would enact a plan to gain possession of the Beasts and use their magic to restore his youth. In reality, and unknown to most people, it was his past connection to the Beasts nagging at the back of his mind that would draw him to their power. Within another few years, he would use the Beasts (or rather, the Beasts would use him) to attack the island, and I wouldn’t have to lift a finger, because by then there would be a new champion strong enough to protect the island from harm.

The next King of Games.




My story isn’t over yet, however.

We finished out the year, having classes where we could. Outside, in the dorms, wherever. Meanwhile, work on the new school building began almost immediately, but it wasn’t until the next year that it would finally be ready.

“It looks exactly the same,” said Thomas, his mouth full of Raisinets. He, Ria, Karen and I were standing out front, looking up at the restored building’s gleaming façade, which was, as Thomas had pointed out, exactly the same as before. The entire building was the same as before, except for the vault hidden under the school, which only a few people knew about.

“So what,” Ria replied, “it’s the same. What did you expect?”

“I dunno,” Thomas answered, shoving another handful of candy into his mouth, “but as often as this place gets attacked, I was expecting, like, defense towers or something. Or a cool moat, with alligators.”

“It’s a school,” said Karen.

“Yeah,” I agreed. “They don’t wanna scare kids away.”

“I guess you’re right,” Thomas replied, “but it still woulda been cool.”

I smiled, “Oh yeah, so cool.”

Karen sighed, “Boys.”

Ria laughed, “You said it sister.”

“Shut up,” I said playfully. “Come on. Orientation is about to start.”


Orientation was nothing special. It was held in the arena room, which had just been announced would be for the use of Blue students almost exclusively. Sheppard introduced the new year, his first full year as chancellor. Like I said, nothing special.

It was the end of orientation that was interesting.

“And now, before you all go about your business,” Sheppard concluded, “I have a special treat for you all. There are four particular students at this school whom I and others believe deserve special commendation. You all know them by now, whether by face or by name. In addition to being four of the highest ranking students at Duel Academy, they are also the four who risked their lives returning with me to the school last year, during its collapse, to help me rescue the former chancellor. I’d like them all to join me now, on the arena floor.”

Karen, Thomas, Ria and I knew that Sheppard meant us. It was the story we’d given to explain why we’d been in the school when it collapsed. We stood, and we were on our way down even before Sheppard could finish introducing us. As soon as we reached the floor, Sheppard continued.

“Now, I’d like to introduce a special guest to DA, co-founder of the school, and creator of the reason we’re all here, Maxamillion J. Pegasus!”

The crowd had been clapping and cheering for a while now, but now they went [i]crazy[/i]. The long-white-haired genius game designer and president of Industrial Illusions stepped into the room, wearing his trademark red suite and childish, over exuberant smile. Karen lit up at the sight of her former teacher. As always I had mixed feelings when I saw Pegasus. It’s not like I dislike the guy. It’s just that I don’t [i]like[/i] him either. He’s a little weird.

Sheppard stepped back from the podium, and Pegasus took his place.

“Hello students of Duel Academy!” said Pegasus in his usual flamboyant style. “Thank you for having me here today. I have a very special, very exciting announcement for all of you,” he turned to the four of us, “especially you.”

He turned back to the crowd, and gestured to us, “As all of you know, the entire purpose of this school is to discover greatness, nurture it, and reward it when it grows. These four students embody all that this institution represents, but even greatness cannot flourish without opportunity to help it along. I am only where I am today because I had the opportunity to get here. So I have decided to offer opportunities to these fine young people, giving them the chance to seize their futures.

“I am creating a new creative division at my company. One that is not just devoted to the continuation of Duel Monsters, but to its long-term future, its evolution.”

Pegasus turned to Karen, “My former student, I would like you to head up this department.”

“Really?” Karen asked, completely stunned. She was shaking she was so excited.

“Yes,” Pegasus replied, “really.”

He turned back to the podium, “Additionally, I have decided to start sponsoring a team of Professional Duelists, who will be funded by, and in return represent, Industrial Illusions International all over the world. For the first member of this team, I have chosen a Duelist with the type of no-nonsense spirit that helps one pave the road to success, Gloria ‘Ria’ Hernandez!”

“Who, me?” Ria asked, surprised. Then the reality of the situation sunk in, and she started jumping up and down excitedly, praising in Spanish. I couldn’t help but laugh.

[i]This is it,[/i] I thought, [i]my time has come. Pegasus is going to give us his backing. We’ll be able to move on and start living our dreams![/i]

And that’s when things took a turn for the worse.

“Sadly,” said Pegasus, “Industrial Illusions is only, at this time, prepared to sponsor one additional Duelist, and as you can see, there are two young Duelists remaining here with me, so we will have to settle which of these Duelists is right to join Industrial Illusions as it marches for the future. And, of course, there is only one true way for two Duelists to settle anything, with a duel!”

The crowd roared with excitement, but I felt horrified. Duel Thomas? I wanted to fight him, but only for fun. Not over something as important as this! Thomas wanted this as much as I did. What right did I have to take it away from him?

At the same time, however, this was all I’d ever wanted. I had to do as Pegasus had said and seize the opportunity presented to me. I looked from Karen to Ria. They were watching, their eyes a little bit sad, waiting to see what would happen. I looked over at Thomas. He looked about as horrified as I felt, but I saw a spark in his eyes, and I knew that this duel [i]had[/i] to happen.

“Well,” Pegasus asked, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, “will you two duel, or should I withdraw my offer?”

Thomas nodded at me, and I took a deep breath.

“Yeah,” I said, “we’ll duel.”


[b]Thomas[/b]


The podium was removed from the arena. Karen and Ria stood alongside the arena where they could watch the duel, and wait for the result. Sheppard and Pegasus took a seat side by side in the front row of the stands, but I barely noticed. I was more interested in Ria’s watching eyes. I knew that a big part of her attraction to John was because he’s such a smart, strong Duelist. I would prove to her that I am too. A ghostly image of my signature monster appeared beside me. An image that I knew only I, my friends, and a select few others could see. I glanced over at the spirit of ‘Ignis’, the last secret that I had from my new friends. After all, you don’t go around telling people that you see monsters. I’d planned to reveal my secret to my friends soon, but now seemed like as good a time as any. After all, it had been ‘Ignis’’ support that had inspired me to help Karen and Ria fight the Shadow the second time around, and was the source of my courage when facing the Sacred Beasts.

“This will be a complete duel, using the rule of eight thousand starting Life Points that people are still so fond of in America,” Pegasus explained. “There are no other special conditions. You are free to begin when ready.”

“I might not have been up to your level last year, during the Beast Attack,” I told John, “but I’ve improved since then. I’ve gotten stronger, and built a better deck, using some of the suggestions you gave me, plus some good old ingenuity. ‘Ignis’ and I are finally the strongest team that we can be, and now we can win against you.”

“Ever since the first day I saw you duel,” John replied, “back during the placement tests, I’ve wanted to duel you. I saw right away that you were strong, and I wanted the challenge. Nothing has changed, except that now we’re friends. I really mean it when I say that I hope you do well.”

I felt a wave of intensity wash over us, and ‘Ignis’ returned to my deck, ready to fight by my side. Without another word, the duel began.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Eight]

The Spirit’s Fire


[b]John[/b]


“I start things off,” I began. “I play ‘Dealing in Darkness’. I select five random cards from my deck and without looking I add one to my hand, discard one, return one to my deck, and remove the other two from play.”

I did as the card said, and I looked over my new hand, paying little attention to the card added to my Graveyard.

“I set a card,” I announced, “and summon the ‘Twin-Sword Marauder’.”

The mighty swordsman appeared (ATK: 1600).

“You can’t bait me into attacking recklessly with such a simple move,” said Thomas. “After all, I don’t need to attack to win. I play ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’ to increase the damage from my effects by three hundred.”

Wisps of black fog appeared around us.

“I’ll also set two cards,” Thomas concluded, “and summon my ‘Hinotama Soul’ in defense mode.”

A living fireball appeared, fluttering around Thomas’ head (DEF: 500).

“I pass.”

[i]He said that I can’t bait him,[/i] I thought, [i]but now he’s trying to bait me. Did he only say that to try and distract me from the fact that he was going to do the same thing? That has to be it. He’s trying to double bluff me into skipping my attack so he can set off a combo. But I know burn decks. I’ve fought a burn deck plenty of times. I know that if I give a burn deck time to get going, it can do a lot more harm than making a reckless attack or two.[/i]

[i]Still…[/i]

“To begin my turn,” I said, “I tribute my ‘Marauder’ for ‘Summoned Skull’!”

‘Marauder’ was destroyed in a burst of lightning, and the skull demon took his place, his mighty claws raised and ready (ATK: 2500).

Thomas looked confused, and rightfully so. After all, why would I sacrifice ‘Marauder’, a monster that can attack twice and has Piercing, for a normal monster, just because it was a bit stronger?

I smiled, [i]Well, you’re gonna have to wait to find out.[/i]

“I play ‘Painful Choice’,” I continued, picking five cards from my deck and placing them on my Duel Disk. Holograms of my ‘Stygian Street Patrol’, ‘X-Head Cannon’, ‘Y-Dragon Head’, ‘Z-Metal Tank’, and ‘Level Eater’ appeared overhead, “You choose a card for me to add to my hand, and I discard the rest.”

“I know all about your ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ and its effect,” said Thomas. “We can’t have you using it to Special Summon a card from your hand, so I’ll add [i]it[/i] to your hand instead.”

“Clever,” I replied, and I did what I was told. [i]Just not clever enough, because by the time I need its effect, my monster will be right where I need it to be.[/i]

“I attack ‘Hinotama Soul’ with Lightning Strike!” I commanded. Lightning poured from my monster’s claws and blew the fireball apart.

“Reveal,” Thomas declared, a look of uncertainty playing on his face, telling me that he wasn’t entirely sure if this combo was going to work, that it was something brand new, “the Continuous Trap cards ‘Backfire’ and ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’.”

[i]What? ‘Graveyard of…’ oh crap![/i]

“You take eight hundred damage from the combined effects of ‘Backfire’ and ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’,” Thomas explained, a pocket of air heating up and then exploding violently in my face (8000-500-300=7200), “and because a monster, my ‘Hinotama Soul’, was sent to the Graveyard, ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’ summons a ‘Fireball Token’ to my side of the field.”

A small fireball spirit appeared, weaving through the air (DEF: 100).

“Isn’t it great?” Thomas exclaimed, his confidence in his combo solidifying as it took hold. “This Trap, and the little monster is summons, are going to win me this duel. In case you haven’t figured it out yet, let me give you an example of how.

“I draw,” he continued, “and I begin by removing ‘Hinotama Soul’ in my Graveyard from play to Special Summon ‘Inferno’, the Fire Ghost of Torment.”

There was a spark in midair, which blossomed out into the wicked face made of flames, which hung in the air at Thomas’ side.

“And I destroy my own ‘Inferno’, dealing you eight hundred more damage, to Special Summon [i]another[/i] monster.”

‘Inferno’ exploded, spewing flames over me (7200-500-300=6400). Then the flames were sucked back in, pulled into a large metal container, shaped like a huge barrel, with a symbol for fire emblazoned on the front. A living flame erupted from the barrel, a wicked face similar to ‘Inferno’’s appearing within it.

“This,” said Thomas, “is ‘Goka the Pyre of Malice’, a monster that grows stronger by consuming fire (ATK: 2200). And, upon ‘Inferno’’s destruction, another ‘Fireball Token’ is summoned in its place (DEF: 100).”

A second fireball appeared, buzzing around Thomas in the opposite direction of its twin.

“‘Goka’ absorbs both of the ‘Fireballs’,” Thomas explained, and the two fireballs flew into ‘Goka’’s container. ‘Goka’’s flames flared up (ATK: 2200+(500x2)=3200), “‘Goka’ attacks the ‘Skull’!”

‘Goka’ released a stream of powerful, white-hot flames that incinerated the ‘Summoned Skull’, reducing him to ashes (6400+2500-3200=5700).

“I end my turn,” Thomas concluded, and his monster’s flames died back down as its Attack returned to normal.

[i]This isn’t good,[/i] I thought. [i]I saw how quickly Thomas pulled off his strategy during the entrance exams, but that was against an inferior opponent with fewer beginning Life Points. But I’m [/i]not[i] an inferior opponent. I won’t go so far to say that I’m superior, but he and I are, at the very least, equal. And yet here I am, my Life Points falling left and right, and I haven’t even managed to hurt him at all! Thomas wasn’t kidding when he said he’d gotten stronger.[/i]

I drew a card, [i]I can defeat ‘Goka’ here and now, but if I do, it could open the door for a stronger monster to be summoned in its place. Of course, I can’t let him keep a monster that powerful on the field if I can help it, so I don’t really have a choice.[/i]

“Reveal,” I declared, “the Trap card ‘Call of the Haunted’ to revive my ‘Summoned Skull’, and I summon ‘Stygian Street Patrol’.”

The once-fallen skull demon arose from a pool of shadows. He flexed his arms, lightning lancing between his fingers. Meanwhile, the demonic motorcycle cop appeared at my side, revving his engine (ATK: 1600).

“My ‘Skull’, attack ‘Goka’,” I commanded, “Lightning Strike!”

Lightning ran up the ‘Skull’’s body and lanced out from his claws toward ‘Goka’. The attack hit its mark, ripping the metal container apart, causing the flames that were the real ‘Goka’ to spread out and scatter completely (8000+2200-2500=7700).

“‘Backfire’ activates,” Thomas said, “dealing you damage, and my ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’ summons another Token in my monster’s place.”

There was another explosion (5700-500-300=4900), and another fire spirit appeared, moving randomly around Thomas at a leisurely speed.

“Your Token is little more than target practice to my patroller,” I countered. “Attack!”

My monster fired his beams at the fireball, blasting it apart.

“And,” I said, “because your Token doesn’t go to the Graveyard, neither of your Traps is activated.”

Thomas smiled, “I don’t need to deal you any more damage yet, and I definitely don’t need another Token yet either, because I have this.”

He drew, and he chose a card from his hand, “I summon ‘Fox Fire’ in defense mode!”

A flame appeared at Thomas’ feet, taking on the solid form of a small red fox with a fiery tail (DEF: 200).

“I end my turn,” he concluded, absolutely confident.

“You aren’t gonna mount an offense?” I asked.

“Attack you?” Thomas asked. “Why would I attack you? I don’t [i]need[/i] to attack you to win this duel. I just need to watch and wait.”

“We’ll see about that,” I replied. “I draw, and I reduce the Level of my skull demon by one to Special Summon ‘Level Eater’ from the Graveyard that was sent there by ‘Painful Choice’, and I tribute ‘Level Eater’ and ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ to summon ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’!”

Flames engulfed the Insect-type ‘Level Eater’ and the motorcyclist. From that fire emerged the mighty black dragon, his eyes flashing red with determination. (ATK: 2400).

“And now you have ‘Stygian Street Patrol’ in the Graveyard where you can use its effect,” Thomas marveled, “and two high level monsters that you can use to pay the cost of ‘Level Eater’ should you need it again. That’s why you summoned the ‘Summoned Skull’. You were already thinking ahead to when you’d reduce its level, revive ‘Level Eater’, and tribute it and ‘Street Patrol’. It was all to put ‘Street Patrol’ into the Graveyard, where its effect is most useful, all while preparing to summon the dragon.”

“Yep,” I answered. “Now, ‘Red-Eyes’, attack with Black Fire Bullet!”

‘Red-Eyes’ fired a burst of flames from his mouth, blowing the fox apart. I took another hit (4900-500-300=4100), and Thomas gained another ‘Fireball Token’ (DEF: 100).

“And the ‘Summoned Skull’ destroys your Token monster, leaving you defenseless.”

The fireball was blasted apart before the lightning bolt could even fully form.

“You think I’m defenseless?” Thomas asked. “You think that you’ve finally managed to overwhelm me? Well, you’re wrong.”

As he spoke, there was a spark at his feet, igniting the air, flaring out into the form of ‘Fox Fire’, reborn through its Special Ability.

And I realized what Thomas was doing.

[i]“I don’t [/i]need[i] to attack you to win this duel,”[/i] I remembered. [i]“I just need to watch and wait.”[/i]

I looked at my forty-one hundred Life Points, [i]My deck isn’t designed to win in any other way than through head-on attacks.[/i]

I looked at my opponent’s Duel Disk, at his displayed seventy-seven hundred Life, [i]His deck can deal heavy damage without attacking once.[/i]

I swallowed my nerves and took a calming breath, [i]And he’s well on his way to setting up a defense that I won’t stand a chance of getting through in a hundred years. But I’ll have no choice but to attack, as sitting still will only result in a deck-out, and each attack will wear down my Life until it’s low enough for his to summon ‘Ignis’ and finish me with one final blow. And unless I get [/i]really[i] lucky [/i]really[i] fast, there won’t be a damn thing I can do about it.[/i][i][/spoiler][/i]
[spoiler=Chapter Twenty-Nine]

A Clash of Wills!
Battle of the Ultimate Cards


“It looks like you’ve realized what kind of situation you’re in,” said Thomas. “John, you’re my friend, and you’re a resourceful player, but you’re pretty straight-forward. It sucks, but you represent a lot of players’ styles. Too many Duelists strong-arm their ways to victory. My deck used to be the same way, just throwing as much of ‘Ignis’’ fire at the opponent as possible and hoping to take them out, but I realized that I didn’t want to be like that.

“So,” he continued, “over the summer I sat down every night and tried to improve my deck, but I just couldn’t do it. Not until I remembered something you said about creating a focus around summoning tokens to fuel my spirit monster’s effect, and I remembered seeing a card in the bottom of my spare cards box, the ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’. As soon as I added this card to my deck,” he gestured at the hologram of his Trap, “everything fell into place, and it’s all thanks to you. Now, I can beat you!”

“Our decks aren’t the only thing that matter,” I replied. “A Duelist’s inner strength, his will to fight, matters every bit as much as the cards he plays. Our decks are each built expertly well, and when two experts’ decks clash, it is their wills that will decide the battle in the end.”

“Well,” said Thomas, “let’s see whose will is stronger, once and for all. I begin and end my turn with the Spell card ‘Card of Safe Return’, so that each time you [i]do[/i] kill my ‘Fox Fire’, I don’t just deal you damage and summon a Token, I also draw a card.”

“Good move,” I said approvingly. “Here goes. I draw!”

[i]He’s put me in a tough situation. Every time I attack, I increase his advantage, but I don’t have any other method of winning than through attacks. I can’t change who I am, or how I play this game, since it reflects who I am. All I can do is carry on![/i]

“I summon,” I declared, “my ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’.”

The obese monster appeared, standing at my side (ATK: 1800).

“Summoning an audience to watch me win?” Thomas asked, smiling with pride.

I smiled back, “I attack your monster with ‘Presider’.”

The crowd gasped collectively. “You can’t be serious,” Thomas remarked, shocked by my recklessness, but I only continued to smile.

‘Presider’ slashed the fox in half, and there was another explosion [i]ala[/i] ‘Backfire’ (4100-500-300=3300). I ignored it.

“I summon a ‘Fireball Token’,” Thomas declared, and another of the ghostly fireballs appeared.

“I attack it as well, with ‘Red-Eyes Black Dragon’,” I continued, and the dragon snuffed the ‘Fireball Token’ out with his claws.

“And the skull demon attacks directly!” I concluded. ‘Summoned Skull’ summoned lightning to rain down on Thomas, and he took his first real hit (7700-2500=5200).

[i]I don’t have any Spells or Traps to play,[/i] I thought, [i]at least not yet.[/i]

“I end my turn.”

“Then my ‘Fox Fire’ revives,” said Thomas, “and I draw an extra card.”

He drew two cards, one for his Spell card effect, and one to begin his turn.

“I play ‘Graceful Charity’ to draw three cards,” Thomas declared, “and then discard two. I discard two copies of ‘Hinotama Soul’, which activates ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’ twice, summoning two ‘Fireball Tokens’ to the field in defense mode.”

Two fireballs appeared, floating around the head of the elemental fox.

“I place one card face-down, and I end my turn. Give me your best shot.”

I smiled, [i]There are times when this kid really reminds me of me. His whole attitude, he’s like me if I hadn’t been forced to grow up so fast and fight so hard. I was wrong to assume that defeating him would be easy.[/i]

“I wouldn’t dream of giving this duel anything but my best,” I said, “and don’t think I’m dumb enough to attack your ‘Fox Fire’ again, when I can’t deal you any damage. Instead, I’ll attack the two ‘Fireball Tokens’ with ‘Red-Eyes’ and ‘Summoned Skull’.”

“And I,” Thomas declared, “counter with the Trap card ‘Negate Attack’!”

Flames and Lightning poured from my monsters, but they were swallowed up by a vortex long before they could reach the targets.

“I change ‘Presider’ to defense,” I concluded, “set one card, and end my turn.”

“This duel is almost over,” Thomas began. He drew another card.

“I begin,” Thomas declared, “with the Spell card ‘Card of Demise’, to draw until I hold five cards.”

He drew again.

“Next, I summon my sprit monster, and the key to my entire deck, and my favorite monster, ‘Flame Spirit - Ignis’!”

The fox-faced, many-eyes fire spirit appeared, floating in the air at Thomas’ side, his arms crossed defiantly (ATK: 1500). Thomas’ stance mirrored that of his monster.

“I tribute ‘Fox Fire’ and two ‘Fireball Tokens’ to cripple you,” Thomas declared, “with a total of twenty-one hundred damage!”

“In that case,” I countered, as Thomas’ other three monsters disappeared, and a barrage of fireballs appeared hanging in the air, in their place, “I use my last act of desperation. I discard ‘D.D. Crow’ to remove ‘Goka, the Pyre of Malice’ in your Graveyard from play!”

Some of the fireballs disappeared, just as ‘Ignis’ let the fireballs fly. They hit me, dealing not twenty-one hundred damage, but a much more manageable eighteen hundred (3300-1800=1500).

“Also,” I continued, “because I discarded a monster, I can also discard ‘Card Gifter’ to draw two cards from my deck.”

I discarded my second monster, and immediately drew two cards.

“A ‘Fireball Token’ is summoned when ‘Fox Fire’ goes to the Grave,” Thomas explained, the ghostly fire appearing, hanging in the air at ‘Ignis’’ side. “I tribute it as well, dealing you another six hundred damage!”

[i]If he’s planning what I think he’s planning,[/i] I realized, [i]Then I only have one chance![/i]

“I remove a card in my Graveyard from play…”

I was pelted by more fireballs, smoke surrounding me.

“Now,” said Thomas, “I pay five hundred Life to Special Summon ‘Angel of Holy Fire’,” A living form of fire in the shape of a woman appeared at Thomas’ opposite side (ATK: 1100).

“When my monster leaves the field, she is removed from play,” Thomas explained, “but with two monsters out, I have enough tributes left to finish you off!”

“Not true,” I replied.

“What?”

“When you activated your most recent tribute effect,” I explained, “I took a gamble and activated the effect of the first card sent to my Graveyard this duel, by the effect of ‘Dealings in Darkness’, and it paid off because that card was 'Damage Eater'! Instead of [i]taking[/i] six hundred damage, I [i]gained[/i] six hundred Life (1500+600=2100)!”

Thomas, frowned, but he insisted, “I still win! I tribute ‘Ignis’ to evolve him into his most powerful form!”

All except for two of ‘Ignis’’ eyes closed and sealed themselves, his jaw grew more angular and extended to a point, and a short, sharp horn grew from his nose. A long mane of scruffy hair sprouted from his head, neck, and upper back, and his wispy spirit tail solidified into two strong-looking legs covered in thick black fur from his waste to his knees. A fiery whip appeared in his right hand.

“This,” Thomas declared, “is the ‘Fire Elemental – True Ignis’ (ATK: 2700)! Once per turn, he can channel the soul of one other monster on the field into a direct attack, dealing you damage equal to half that monster’s Attack power.”

‘Angel of Holy Fire’ was absorbed into ‘Ignis’, and a fireball appeared in ‘Ignis’’ right hand. He threw it right at me, nailing me square in the chest, flames curing around my body (2100-550-300=1250).

“My ‘Angel’’s effect increases my ‘Ignis’’ power by one thousand until the end of the turn,” Thomas explained, and I looked at ‘Ignis’ and saw that he was right. A portion of the ‘Angel’’s fire lingered in ‘Ignis’’ hand, spreading from his hand across his body to his whip (ATK: 2700+1000=3700).

“Next,” Thomas continued, “I remove the last obstacle to my victory with the Spell card ‘Heavy Storm’, destroying every Spell and Trap in play. This has the added bonus of destroying your ‘Skull’, which was summoned by ‘Call of the Haunted’.”

A massive whirlwind picked up, its destructive force ripping apart ‘Backfire’, ‘Dark Room of Nightmare’, ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’, and ‘Card of Safe Return’, as well as my ‘Call of the Haunted’ and my face-down card. ‘Summoned Skull’ faded into wisps of black smoke.

“‘Ignis’ attacks your ‘Red-Eyes’ with Fire Whip!” Thomas commanded. “I win!”

‘Ignis’ lashed with his whip, right at the dragon’s head, but at the last second, the whip was deflected by an invisible barrier, three chanting monks appearing behind it, speaking an imperceptible prayer.

“Sorry, Thomas,” I told my opponent, genuinely sorry, “but just before it was destroyed, I triggered my face-down ‘Waboku’. Me and my monsters are safe from damage for a full turn. Your finishing move has been brought to a halt, and it’s my turn. That means I have one more chance to turn this duel around. In fact, if I fail to make a comeback this turn, I’ll give the duel to you.”

“The only way to truly turn this duel around,” Thomas explained, “would be to destroy ‘True Ignis’, but he has another Special Ability. If he’s destroyed in battle, I can remove two fire monsters in my Graveyard from play to revive him in the next turn! Getting by him is almost impossible.”

“Good,” I said. “I like doing the impossible. I draw!”

When I saw my next card, I was relieved, [i]Finally! Now maybe I’ll be able to draw something worthwhile.[/i]

“I play ‘Pot of Greed’,” I declared, “to draw two cards.”

I drew again, and when I would usually have been proud, I wasn’t. I frowned.

“Sorry again, Thomas,” I said, “but [i]I[/i] win. I finally have everything I need to summon [i]my[/i] ultimate card. I summon ‘D.D. Guide’ to your side of the field.”

The cloaked figure of my monster appeared alongside ‘Ignis’ (ATK: 1400).

“Also,” I continued, “since your ‘Graveyard of Wandering Souls’ was still in effect when your original ‘Ignis’ was removed from the field, you still control a single ‘Fireball Token’. I play ‘Level Value’. I return the Level four or lower ‘Djinn Presider of Rituals’ to my deck to draw cards equal to half his level, rounded up.”

My ‘Presider Disappeared, and I drew more cards.

“Now,” I continued, “because you control at least two more monsters than I do, I can Special Summon ‘The Fiend Megacyber’.”

The yellow and black warrior appeared at my side.

“And I discard two cards,” I continued, “to transform my warrior into ‘The Fiend [i]O[/i]megacyber’.”

Energy built around my monster, and his armor burned away, forming the distinctive white armor that was characteristic of his more powerful form. He stood there, bolts of energy lancing off of him, rolling across his entire body (ATK: 3000).

“I attack,” I commanded, “with ‘Omegacyber’’s Omega Impact!”

My monster charged forward and punched the ‘D.D. Guide’ as hard as he could, saturating him with static energy that blasted him apart (4700+1400-3000=3100).

“You left my ‘Ignis’?” Thomas wondered. “Why?”

“Because I’m not through with you yet,” I answered. “I play ‘Quick Summon’, tributing ‘Omegacyber’ to summon the Dark God, ‘Great Maju Garzett’!”

‘The Fiend Omegacyber’ turned into black smoke, which took on the shape of my monster, a skeletal demon with a brown body and a glowing gem embedded in his forehead and in each of his massive, strong-looking shoulders. Dark flames burned in my monster’s hands as he rose up to his full, towering height of twenty or so feet.

“My monster’s Attack,” I explained, “is twice the Attack of the sacrificed monster (ATK: 6000). I watched Thomas, as the realization of defeat spread across his face, and I realized in that moment that I just couldn’t do it.

“But it’s still possible that you have something in your hand that will defeat me if I attack, so rather than be humiliated, I’ll end on a high note.”

I placed my hand on my Duel Disk, over my Life counter and my deck, “I surrender.”

At first nothing happened. The room was silent. Everyone was shocked. Then our Duel Disks shut down and our monsters disappeared, and the room erupted with cheers.

Pegasus walked back over and stepped up onto the arena alongside a still-stunned Thomas, giving me an approving look. He turned to the crowd and lifted a microphone to his lips, “Both Duelists fought well, but the winner is clear.”

He turned to my friend, and shook his hand, “Thomas, welcome to the Industrial Illusions family!”

Thomas looked at me, and asked, “Why?”

I smiled, “because you’ve learned more here, at this school, than I ever could hope to. You deserve this, not me.”

And in that moment, for the first time, I was sure that I’d made the right choice.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Thirty]

Looking Forward


“What happened?” Karen asked, rushing to my side. Ria stood beside her, looking at me like I was crazy. Thomas still looked stunned, as if he didn’t know whether or not to accept the gift I’d given him.

“Nothing happened,” I told Karen. “The way Thomas had been playing, I was afraid that if I attacked he’d have some way to redirect it, or to destroy my monster, or both. So I decided to go out on a high note.”

“That’s a load of crap, and you know it,” said Ria.

“She’s right,” said Thomas, stepping past Pegasus (who was listening to our every word) and joining the conversation. “I didn’t have anything to stop your attack and you know it. You told me that I deserve this more. That’s crap too. You should have won that duel.”

I sighed, “Listen, Thomas. I thought I’d gotten a lot stronger during my time here, but in terms of learning experience, you’ve lapped me. That’s what I mean. I obviously still have a lot more to learn.”

“We all do!” Karen insisted. “Are you really saying that you gave up this chance because you don’t feel ready? Do you think I feel ready? I need you. I need you with me, or I can’t go. I can’t do this.”

I took her hands, “Yes you can. You’ll be fine. And I’ll be alright here until I graduate. Maybe I can get onto the I2 team then.”

That’s when Pegasus took the opportunity to speak. He lowered his mic and cleared his throat, “You seem to have misunderstood a bit. I’m still busy making arrangements for both projects. I won’t be ready for any of you to begin until around the time of midterms. You will remain here, and I will return at that time. Who knows,” he said, looking at me, “maybe by then I’ll have reason to add another Duelist to my employ, and maybe someone here will catch my eye.”

I smiled, “You were testing me.”

Pegasus smiled back in the way that he does, a silent yes, and then his face turned childish once again, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”


So, the day after midterms the four of us stood by the Academy Island peer waiting patiently.

“This is gonna be great,” said Karen, her hand in mine. “I’ll make the cards-.”

“And I’ll use ‘em to win,” I finished, and we looked into each other’s eyes and smiled.

“Look,” said Ria, “there it is!” she took her hand from Thomas’ and pointed at a large passenger ship which was just emerging from the fog. I recognized it.

“That’s the same ship,” I said.

“Yes it is,” said Karen. “The same ship that picked up the eighty Duelists who were to compete in the Duelist Kingdom tournament and ferried them to Teacher’s island. It’s his ship, after all.”

“That is sooo cool,” said Thomas. “Our boss has his own passenger liner! I’ve always wanted a passenger liner. Well, I’ve always wanted a [i]boat[/i]. I don’t really care what k-.”

“Honey,” Ria interrupted, “we talked about this.”

“Oh,” Thomas said, blushing, “right.”

“This is it,” I said. “This is the first day of the rest of our lives.”

“I feel great,” said Ria, “and I look great! But I always look and feel great.”

“I’m excited,” said Thomas. “Really excited. And hungry. But I’m always excited and hungry.”

We all laughed, and I realized, not for the first time, that Thomas and Ria really were made for each other.

“I couldn’t be happier,” I said.

“Neither could I,” said Karen, laying her head on my shoulder.

“Stop being so adorable,” said Ria. “You’re making me nauseous.”

“You mean ‘nauseated’,” I corrected, but she ignored me.

We waited for several minutes for the ship to dock, and for the entry ramp to lower. As it did, we found ourselves joined by Pegasus who walked up behind us silently. I didn’t hear him, but I still knew he was there.

“Hey, Boss,” I said. “I was wondering where you were.”

“I doubt that,” said Pegasus. “You were likely too busy observing your new accommodation. As I’m sure you’ve worked out by now, this is a historic ship. The very same ship that began the Duelist Kingdom tournament. It will take you all to New York City, where you will be taken to the Industrial Illusions headquarters located there. You will have free reign of the ship. After all, as I2 employees, you have access to all company amenities.”

“Teacher,” Karen asked, “you keep saying ‘you’. Aren’t you coming with us?”

“Oh, no,” Pegasus replied. “I find this place amusing. I think I’ll remain for a few days. No, it’ll be just you four and the staff. Do try to behave yourselves.”

“We’ll do our best,” I replied.

“I wonder what kind of food they have,” said Thomas. “I could really go for a steak. Or lobster. Or Shrimp. I really like shrimp. Hey, I wonder if they have lobster-stuffed shrimp! They have that now. It sounds pretty good, but it might be a little too much…”

He kept talking, and this time Ria let it go. He was talking as we boarded the ship. He was talking as we were given the tour by Pegasus’ assistant Croquet. He was talking as we ate dinner. I’d bet money that the kid talks in his sleep.

I wouldn’t have it any other way. In fact things seemed awfully boring nowadays whenever he [i]wasn’t[/i] talking.

Go figure.

My Life was progressing. I was finally where I’d always dreamed of being. Where I’d always felt I was [i]supposed[/i] to be.

Karen and I spent the evening lying on the deck, side by side, looking up at the sky. We watched the sun set, and then we watched the stars come out.

“The sky’s beautiful out here,” said Karen. “No pollution from the cities blotching it out.”

“Yeah,” I agreed.

We were silent again for a while before Karen finally broke that silence.

“You were right,” she said.

“Of course I was,” I replied. Then I paused, “Wait. About what?”

“In your letter to me,” she said, “way back, on the day that is not to be mentioned, you said that it seemed like I was trying to push you away. You were right. I wasn’t doing it on purpose, and I’m not doing it anymore.”

I looked over at her questioningly.

“I haven’t said much about my past with the Duelists of the Order,” she continued, “and I never will. But I will tell you this. I love you [i]so[/i] much, and it scares me, because all my life, every time I’ve loved someone, something’s happened to them. I loved my parents, and they died. I loved Teacher as my new family, and I ended up betraying him by joining the Order. I loved Monty and Lawrence as my friends, but it was my leadership that put them into the position where they were brainwashed by Yami. That’s why I try to keep apart from people. Even Kimi, the closest thing I have any more to a family, isn’t half as close to me as you. What if something horrible happens to you because I wasn’t strong enough to turn around and walk away from you?”

I smiled at her, “Then I’d be happy, because I got to know you for as long as I did. But that’s not going to happen, because I won’t let it.”

Karen smiled back, the peaceful silence returned, and for the first time, I didn’t worry about dangers to come, or whether or not the people around me were friends or foes.

Being who I am, I worry about those things a lot.

But for the first time in a long time, I didn’t have to be worried, because for the first time, my future looked bright.[/spoiler][/spoiler]

[legendhiro]

So, now that the entire series up to this point is online and updated, I plan to start posting new chapters again, beginning with the DA/DE crossover that I mentioned.

[spoiler=Crossover Special! A Threat to Us All]
[spoiler=Chapter One]

The Appearance


John


Sometimes life sucks for a while, is hard for a while, and you never think it’s gonna get easier. You think that things will never equalize. You make the best of things as they are, and you even come to enjoy overcoming the obstacles that pop in in your life, and you eventually convince yourself that things are okay. You become content, but content isn’t exactly the same as happy. When you are content, you’re only satisfied with things as they are without changing them. When you’re happy, you find enjoyment and satisfaction in everything that happens to you, and in every possibility that presents itself. When you finally find happiness, you just want the tough times to be over for good.

I know a lot of you reading this know what I mean. Businessmen, teachers, stay at home moms, students, soldiers, everyone has it tough. The degree of toughness ranges, and as Humans, we deal. It’s what we do. Just look at me and my friends. We seem to be magnets for the forces of evil, but whenever they attack we smack them down and then we continue on. We deal. And don’t get me wrong, I have fun curb-stomping baddies from time to time. It’s just that, ever since achieving my dream of being sponsored as a professional Duelist by a big-name company, namely Industrial Illusions, I just didn’t want to go through all of that anymore.

That’s not to mention my other big reason to be happy, my girlfriend Karen. We’d gone through and survived our rough patch, and things were better than ever. She’d still get annoyed from time to time by my tendency not to be more consistently mature, and I still had a bad habit of pushing her buttons in retaliation of her more grating tendencies, or just to get a rise out of her, but we both understood that we were just looking out for each other in our own ways. Overall, things were great.

Realize that there is a lot more to this story than what I have the time to write here today, so I’m going to write this as if you’ve read the rest of what I’ve written. Sorry. If you want to know the rest, you’ll have to read it for yourself. Either way, this story begins only a day after my last story ended. My friends Thomas and Ria, Karen, and I had recently been given full run of a cruise ship belonging to our new employer. A (mostly) fully stocked and staffed cruise ship. Pegasus, my new boss, had yet to give us any real instructions. The crew was heading to port in New York Harbor, and was still several days out. Me, I found that boring and spent most of my time trying to annoy the crew into taking us somewhere more interesting, like Hawaii, or the Bermuda Triangle.

My most recent attempt involved using the magic of my Soul of Darkness to manifest a pirate’s hat and stand in the control room issuing orders to the command crew while waving a broomstick around like a rapier. When the most I managed to get out of them was a series of disgruntled stares, I finally gave up, saying, “Fine then, I’ll go play pirate on the deck.”

So I traipsed through the interior corridors and out onto the exterior deck, whistling the theme to Pirates of the Caribbean, dissolving my hat back into my shadow, and twirling my broom a few times like a baton before leaving it propped against a doorframe. Aside from our destination, Pegasus hadn’t given us any instructions except to have fun, and that’s what I was determined to do.

You know, I thought, out of nowhere, I could have just made them go where I want. I still could. I have the power.

That one gave me pause. I never ever considered using those powers, the darker powers of my Soul, the darker powers of myself, especially on just some normal guys. Those powers were the powers of my darker half, my secret dark side that I could never let out. Every time I used those powers it meant letting him a little closer to the surface. That was something I couldn’t let happen, that I wouldn’t let happen. So I shook it off. I’d just been forced to use those powers more than usual lately, that was all.

I kept walking, past unmanned booths that would have been sources of entertainment for the ship’s guests, had the ship actually been transporting guests, and toward the large swimming pool in the center of the promenade. Thomas and Ria were there, lounging by the pool. They’d been swimming, but now they were just lying in the sun, curled in each other’s arms, just looking at the sky. When they spotted me, Thomas spoke up.

“Hey John,” he said, “if you’re planning on taking a dip, then I think you might be a little bit overdressed.

He was right, of course. He and Ria, however, were dressed perfectly for the occasion, Thomas wearing green and white trunks, and Ria dressed for success in a pink bikini and oversized sunglasses. Me, I was wearing my favorite old faded t-shirt and black jacket and jeans, and the blacklight purple spherical crystal pendant, the Soul of Darkness, that I always wore around my neck.

“Nah,” I replied, “no swimming for me today. I was looking for Karen.”

“Last I saw her,” Ria told me, “she was up near the front of the boat, but I dunno for sure. Chica doesn’t tell me much, ya know.”

I chuckled, “True, thanks.”

I made my way forward. The deck of the ship was huge. There were signs that it had recently been retrofitted. The ship was more than a few years old, but most of it looked new. New floorboards. New windows. It was snazzy. When I reached the forward deck I found Karen sitting cross-legged on some of those new floorboards scribbling in her idea book. She was wearing an airy, lacey white top (I think it’s called a blouse?), capris, and her cute-nerd glasses, which she only ever wears on the occasion that she's scatterbrained enough to lose one or more of her contact lenses. By the way she was scrutinizing her work, I could tell that she’d struck some kind of inspiration.

“What’ya workin’ on?” I asked, sitting down beside her and looking over her shoulder. It took her a second to even realize that I was there.

Without looking up, she answered, “You know that project I’ve been working on for Teacher?”

“Yeah,” I said, “what did Pegasus decide to call it, Synch-up?”

“Synchro,” Karen corrected. “Well, I’ve been thinking, the working concept of the Synchro cards puts them in the Fusion Deck, and makes the cards white, so what if I can create something like an opposite Synchro, a Dark Synchro, with a black card. It would be harder to summon, but more powerful, and there could be one’s that mirrored specific Synchro monsters, like an antithesis thing.”

She leaned over, resting her head on my shoulder, “I dunno, Teacher probably won’t do anything with it, but-.”

“It’s still a fun idea,” I said, finishing her thought for her.

“Yeah. Anyway, Teacher said he’s already working out the kinks in the Synchro idea. He’s even made up a few of my prototypes to playtest. He’s being really hush about it (like that’s a surprise), but there could be Synchros in booster packs as soon as next year, if everything goes well. As his Pro Dueling team, you, Thomas and Ria could be the first Duelists to use them.”

I was nodding my agreement when one of Karen’s sketches caught my eye. It looked like my favorite monster, ‘The Fiend Megacyber’, but all evil-looking and armored up.

“Hey, what’s that?” I asked.

“Just a Synchro idea I came up with for you, but I’m not sure I like how it turned out.”

“I like it,” I assured her. “Did you make one for you, too?”

“No,” she answered, going back over some of the sketch’s sweeping, intricate lines with her pencil, “but if Teacher’s even okay with making unique Synchros for us, which I doubt he will be, then I might.”

Finally she actually looked over at me, “Sorry for talking your ear off.” She leaned over and kissed my cheek, “What’s up?”

“Breakfast?” I asked.

“It’s almost noon.”

“Brunch then. The kitchen has just about everything.”

She smiled and nodded, “Sounds good. I’ll meet you in the galley. I wanna drop my notebook off in our room first, and grab my contacts. I forgot ’em.”

“Did you now?” I teased. I kissed her on the cheek, “Okay, see you there. Just don’t take too long or I’ll order for you.”

She made a face, “No way I’ll let that happen again.”

We laughed and got up to go our separate ways. We’d each made it exactly three steps when I was overwhelmed by a wave of sensation coming through my Soul. A sensation of power so intense that I’d only ever felt something like it once, though this was definitely different than the Dark Divine Dragon. That’s when it appeared, a swirling black cloud above us, twice the size of the ship, crackling with energy so intense that it made my skin itch. Karen and I looked up into the darkness, and I could feel that it was alive, and that it wasn’t here to make friends. Moments later Thomas and Ria joined us, looking down on the forward deck from the railing just above us. “What the hell is this thing?” Ria demanded, still in the process of wrapping her bikini-clad self in a towel.

“How should we know?” I replied.

“You’re the ones with magic-y things!”

She was right, of course. I concentrated, and my Soul of Darkness began to glow. My domain of darkness touches almost everything in existence. I can see, feel and touch anything that touches darkness, to some degree or another, even thoughts and memories, or other magic. There was magic in those clouds, which weren’t really clouds. They were more like the darkness itself, but I couldn’t command them. It was disconcerting.

“I don’t know what it is,” I told my friends, “but I don’t like it. It’s,” I struggled to put the feeling into words, “menacing.”

Just then the electricity building in the cloud began to overflow, jumping between the clouds and the ocean and the deck below them. They caused little damage to the ship itself, but I got a feeling that if they hit a person, it would be an entirely different story.

“Inside,” I told my friends, “now!”

The four of us turned in unison and ran for cover.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Two]

Scary Stories


Rocky


I stood across from Kimi on a weathered red exercise mat in the spare room of my somewhat crappy apartment in Tokyo, Japan. We were both wearing second hand Karate gi that I’d found at a shop. Kimi’s was loose around her small frame, and she’d had to pin it up almost as thoroughly as she had her straight black hair.

“I’m not sure about this, Robby,” Kimi said, speaking Japanese.

“You’re the one who said you needed to learn to defend yourself, Kim,” I replied in only slightly less fluent Japanese. I’d made a point to learn over the last couple of years, and now I could speak Kimi’s native tongue almost as well as she could.

“Talk is one thing,” Kimi replied anxiously.

“Come on,” I coaxed her, “where’s that positive attitude of yours?”

“Sitting in the corner,” She answered, “where you can’t flip it onto its back.”

“You’ll be fine,” I told her. “Now watch me.”

I showed her the hand motion again, the one that we’d been working on all evening, “See, it’s not all too difficult. When I come at you, just take a step and do what I just did and you’ll be fine.”

I stepped in close, moving slowly, swinging my hand upward toward her torso in a sweeping motion. Kimi brought her hands forward, clasping my wrist, stepped, turned, and pinned my arm against my back.

“Good,” I praised, “very good. Just remember, the most common weapon you’ll see on the street will be a knife, short enough to conceal, but still deadly, and the most common attack you’ll see, especially from a more experienced knife-wielder, will be one similar to the motion I just demonstrated. You’re going to be smaller than basically anyone who’ll try to mug you, so ideally your next move would be to use your newfound leverage to pin your opponent against a wall, giving you a chance to disarm them. Let’s try a couple more times, this time in real time, and then we’ll move on to the best way to counter a slashing motion.”

“Fine,” Kimi conceded, “just don’t flip me.”

“I’m not gonna knock you on your back,” I told her.

She smiled mischievously, “Well, not this early in the evening at least.”

She turned and looked seductively back over her shoulder, making me blush, and resumed the starting position. I moved to attack her again, but I was understandably distracted. Kimi moved fast, grasping my arm, turning, and flipping me. She knelt down beside me, smiling smugly, “How was that?”

I smiled up at her, “Not bad.”

“Hm,” Kimi said, lying down on top of me, “I think I deserve a reward.”

We kissed passionately, remaining that way for several minutes before we were startled apart by the sound of someone in the corner of the room clearing their throat. I sprung to my feet, ready to defend us both, “Who’s there?”

“Calm down Rocky,” came a familiar voice, speaking English, “you wouldn’t be able to beat me anyway.”

I smiled and relaxed my stance and replied, speaking English as well, “I don’t know. I seem to recall that last time we fought, I won.”

The newcomer chuckled and stepped out of the shadows. She was between mine and Kimi’s height with glossy brown hair, and piercing, intelligent dark eyes, an ever-taunting smile playing across her face.

“Hello, Rachel,” I told her, “It’s good to see you. You could’ve knocked though…”

“I didn’t mean to interrupt,” my old friend insisted, looking uncharacteristically embarrassed, and quite amused, as she adjusted the dark-gray-colored metallic necklace that she wore, tucking it under the collar of her scruffy dark brown jacket.

I saw Kimi out of the corner of my eye, scrutinizing Rachel, “Robby, who’s your friend?”

“Right,” I said, gesturing toward our guest, “Kimi, I told you about Rachel, my old friend from the Duelist’s Elite.”

Kimi glared a little before she finally smiled, a little falsely, and said, “Of course, nice to meet you.”

She offered Rachel a hand to shake, and I could almost feel the tension spark between the two young women, setting off my protective instincts to the point that I almost threw up a magical barrier between them.

“Uhm,” I said, stepping quickly between them instead, “it’s not that it isn’t good to see you again, Rachel, but why are you here? I doubt you would have gone so far as to teleport into my apartment unless something was going on.”

Rachel’s eyes darkened and her expression grew grim, “Rocky, we need you again. The Elite needs you again.”


Kimi and I got changed back into our street clothes, which for me meant jeans, an orange long sleeve t-shirt, and a survival vest, and for Kimi meant a sun yellow mini-skirt, a white t-shirt bearing the name of her school in yellow Kanji, and a thin black vest over top. Afterwards we rejoined Rachel in the living room/kitchen where she sat on an old run-down couch that Kimi and I had bought from a second hand shop back when I’d moved in. It wasn’t pretty, but it was comfortable. Kimi sat down in an equally run-down arm chair across from the couch (which had come with the apartment, in case you were wondering), and I sat down at the opposite end of the couch and turned toward Rachel. She’d helped herself to some tea from the kitchen and was letting it get cold in her hand while she stared absentmindedly out the window at the city below.

“Rachel,” I said, drawing her attention back to the situation at hand, “I thought the Elite was over?”

“It is,” Rachel answered, “it was, but a couple months back Prof appeared out of nowhere, as he tends to do, and told me he was getting a bunch of us back together. He said that he’d calculated a new threat, bigger and stronger than Emperor, and that we needed to be ready in case it was something only our Shadow Magic could stop.”

“How many is ‘a bunch’?” I asked.

“Just me, Charlie, Marco, Marcus and Raph. Prof wanted to bring you in right away too, but I convinced him not to.”

She took my hand, “I knew you were trying to build something, and I didn’t want you to have to relive everything that happened.”

“Are you kidding?” I asked. “You went through way more than I did.”

Rachel laughed and gestured and Kimi, who didn’t seem very excited by how things were going, “You have somebody. I don’t. All I know is fighting. Conflict makes me feel better, you know that.”

I nodded, “Okay, then why did you come for me now? Did something happen?”

Rachel looked upset as she answered, “We fought it. We fought it, all of us together, and we lost. Marcus was seriously injured, Raph’s still unconscious and we don’t know when he’ll wake up, and Prof’s gone, absorbed into the thing that attacked us, along with the Shadow Millennium Eye and Ring.”

“You guys were using the other Items!?” I demanded, piquing Kimi’s interest. I’d refused to tell her much about the Shadow Millennium Items after my time with the Elite, despite her prodding, “Didn’t Prof say something about the Items having a corrupting effect on the user? That they might have been the reason why Timothy went so far as to betray us in the first place?”

“I get it,” Rachel said defensively, “you think the Items are too dangerous, that we should have melted them down, but Prof is sure that the Items won’t corrupt as long as no one uses more than one or two at a time.”

She looked away, and I knew that she was thinking about Timothy, who had genuinely wanted to do good until he'd gotten his hands on enough of the Items that they twisted his goals into something else.

“But why,” I asked, “why those Items? I get why you keep the Necklace, it’s important to you, but is this thing really so strong that you needed all of the Item’s? And who carried the Rod?”

“Charlie wielded the Rod,” Rachel answered. “He’s the best at controlling Shadow Items and their powers, at keeping them from overwhelming him. Marcus carried the Scales, and Raph carried the Pendant, since he has the most Duel Energy out of all of us. Marco wielded the Key, even though the other Marco wasn’t really too happy about the idea. And yes, Rocky, the threat is that big, that powerful. Prof realized early on that without you there the Shadow Millennium Items were our only real chance. They should have been enough, and would have been if the thing weren’t so damn hard to damage. That’s why we need you now. Your powers should be able to hold the thing together long enough for us to hit it, and your Soul will more than make up for the loss of two Items.”

She looked desperate. She was reeling. Rachel was strong and smart, but she wasn’t a planner. She relied on Prof for that, and now he was gone along with two of the seven most powerful Shadow Items on Earth. Rachel wasn’t sure what to do. She was doing her best, but she wasn’t sure.

“Making up the difference might not be enough,” I said. “This thing survived all seven Shadow Millennium Items. Even if I hold this thing in place so that our spells and attacks can hit it, we need a plan. We need to be sure we’ll kill it all at once before it can regroup.”

“I’ll help,” Kimi spoke up.

“I can’t ask you to do that,” Rachel argued, “you aren’t Elite.”

Kimi argued right back, “I can handle myself. Maybe you’d like to find out?”

Now I like Rachel. She’s one of my best friends ever, and the only girl I’ve ever been remotely interested in besides Kimi. I trust her. I’m also a little terrified of her, and if there’s one thing you never want to do, it’s call her out.

Rachel smiled smugly, “Alright, fine, let’s have a duel, and if you actually beat me, I’ll welcome you along.”

“Kim-,” I began.

“Don’t argue with me, Robby,” she interrupted. “You’re always protecting me, but that can’t happen forever. I’m going to beat Sassy here, and I’m going with you to fight.”

I smiled and reached across to her, taking her hand, “I was just gonna say be careful. Rachel’s tough.”

Kimi smiled appreciatively and nodded, “Come on, Sassy, we’ll use the exercise room.”

She stood up, grabbed her Duel Disk, cards included, from its usual place on the side table, and made her way into the other room, looking badass. Rachel followed.

I smiled, I have a feeling that this is going to be interesting.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Three]



Cat Fight



Kimi and Rachel stood across from each other on the red excercise mat, activating their Duel Disks. I stood off to the side, my arms crossed, watching carefully. The room was fairly small, large monsters would only partially appear, but it was as good a place to duel as any.

"I'll go first," declared the aggressive Rachel. "I play 'Graceful Charity', drawing three cards and discarding two."

I watched Rachel discard two monsters, one of which was definitely her key card, 'Phantom Beast Cross-Wing'.

"Next," Rachel continued, "I place one card face-down and summon 'Phantom Beast Wild-Horn'."

A horned Beast-Warrior resembling an elk or a moose with large, elaborate horns appeared, carrying a sword which resembled one of its horns, appeared at Rachel's side.

"Because my 'Phantom Beast Cross-Wing' is in my Graveyard," Rachel explained, "'Wild-Horn''s power increases (ATK: 1700 -> 2000).

"I end my turn."

"Already?" Kimi asked. "Based on your big personality, I expected a bigger play from you."

She drew the sixth card of her opening hand, and I saw her eyes light up, "I summon 'The Agent of Wisdom - Mercury' in defense position, and equip him with 'Heart of Clear Water'."

A robed angel appeared at Kimi's side, a book under his arm, his wings held close to his body, surrounded by a magical barrier (DEF: 1700).

"I set four cards," Kimi concluded, smirking, "and I end my turn."

I smiled right along with Kimi. I knew exactly what was coming. Kimi and I actually have similar dueling styles. We both duel very defensively. The only difference between our styles is that Kimi retreats and retreats, constantly strengthening her position against any and all attacks, where as I am more balanced, more neutral, and more likely to attack back. Rachel has always been able to handle my dueling style pretty easily, but standing there, watching the duel beginning to unfold, I really wondered if the same would be true of Kimi's.

"I'm not afraid of your set cards," Said Rachel, beginning her second turn. "I know you set them just to empty your hand and trigger your 'Wisdom''s effect. And I'm not afraid of your 'Heart of Clear Water' either. Just because I can't damage your monster, it doesn't mean I can't damage you. After all, my deck can pierce any defense."

She chose a card, "I play 'Double Summon'. This allows me to Normal Summon an additional time this turn. First I tribute my 'Wild-Horn' for the 'Minoan Centaur'," a warrior with the torso of a man, and the body of a horse, appeared, only to disappear a moment later, "and I tribute him to summon two Beast Warriors from my deck."

A minotaur carrying an axe (ATK: 1700), and a vicious warrior carrying a blood-stained, curved, double-ended blade (ATK: 1900), appeared together at Rachel's side, in the 'Centaur''s place.

"I use my second Normal Summon," Rachel expained, her new monsters disappearing as well, "to tribute both of my monsters to summon," a giant Beast Warrior, like a centaur with the body of a black lion, rather than a horse, a muscular torso, and a mane of long hair, his face ringed by golden spokes, like rays of light, appeared behind Rachel, carrying a lance in one hand, and a round shield in the other, the top of his head and the back of his body clipping through the cieling and wall, "my ace, 'Beast King Barbaros'!"

Rachel's monster roared fercociously (ATK: 3000).

"I equip my monster with 'Fairy Meteor Crush'," Rachel declared, "giving him a Piercing effect, and I attack 'Mercury', revealing 'Horn of the Phantom Beast', increasing my monster's Attack by eight hundred (3000 -> 3800)."

'Barbaros' thrust his lance, charged with energy, and struck 'Mercury''s barrier. 'Mercury' stood defiantly, unfazed by the attack, but vibrations from the attack curled around the barrier and struck Kimi, damaging her (8000 -> 5900).

"Now that was a big play," said Kimi, impressed but still unconcerned.

"I reveal," Kimi declared, "'Solemn Wishes', and I draw to begin my turn, triggering the effect of 'Solemn Wishes', recovering five hundred Life."

Light rained down on Kimi (5900 -> 6400).

"Also," Kimi continued, "because I had no cards in my hand at the end of last turn, 'Mercury' gifts me with another card, and I recover more Life."

She drew another card, and her Life rose even further (6400 -> 6900).

Kimi chose one of her two cards, "I activate 'Graceful Charity', drawing again."

Kimi drew three cards, and discarded 'Numinous Healer' and 'Marie the Fallen One', 'Solemn Wishes' activating for a third time (6900 -> 7400).

"I also play 'Diane Keto the Cure Master'," Kimi declared, "increasing my Life Points further," light rained down on Kimi yet again, and her Life increased dramatically (7400 -> 8400), "and I activate 'Card of Sanctity'. We each draw until we hold six cards."

Kimi drew once again, and grew even stronger (8400 -> 8900), and with a full hand yet again, she kept on going.

"Activate," Kimi declared, "'Sanctuary in the Sky'."

Suddenly our surroundings changed. As far as any of us could tell, we were out in the open, up in the clouds, a Roman-style temple rising up from the clouds behind Kimi, radiating bright light.

"While we're at 'Sanctuary in the Sky'," Kimi explained, "I don't take any damage from battles involving my Fairy-type monsters. Monsters like 'Mercury', and my next monster, 'The Agent of Creation - Venus'."

A second angel in a simple brown dress decended to Kimi's side in a ray of light, her arms spread wide (ATK: 1600).

"I pay fifteen hundred Life," Kimi announced, "to activate 'Venus'' effect, summoning three 'Shine Balls' from my deck (8900 -> 7400). I summon 'Shine Ball - Blue'," a glimmering blue glass orb appeared, floating above 'Venus'' right shoulder, raining blue light down on Kimi (7400 -> 7700), "'Shine Ball - Green'," a green glass orb appeared above 'Venus'' left shoulder, shining green light on 'Venus' and 'Barbaros' (Venus: 1600 -> 2000/Babaros: 3800 -> 3400), "and 'Shine Ball - Red'," a final, red orb appeared above 'Venus' head, shining burning red light down on Rachel (8000 -> 7500). The three monsters circled 'Venus' head and body protectively, like orbiting planets (ATK: 500).

"Just as my 'Sanctuary' protects me," Kimi explained, "my next card, 'Mystical Shine Wall', protects my monsters by shielding them with my 'Mystical Shine Balls', the weakest monsters I control."

Her 'Shine Balls' moved to place themselves between Kimi's other monsters and 'Barbaros', a sheet of multicolored energy shimmering between them.

"Clever," Rachel admitted, "but I'm sorry to say, it isn't clever enough." She seemed sure of herself, but I could tell that Kimi was pushing her. She simply wasn't used to fighting someone like Kimi, with so many layers to their defense.

Rachel drew, and sighed, visibly relieved, "I summon 'Chiron the Mage'," a centaur carrying a mirrored shield appeared at Rachel's side, "and discard a card to destroy 'Sanctuary in the Sky'."

The centaur angled his shield to reflect the sky temple, and began to glow, but before it could destroy its target, the centaur was vaporized by a bolt of lightning from within the temple itself.

"Sorry, Sassy," Kimi said, triumphantly, "but my 'Sanctuary' defends itself. I reveal 'Divine Judgment', negating the activation of your monster effect, and destroying him."

Rachel scowled, "Then I'll weaken your position by destroying one of your orbs."

'Barbaros' thrust with his spear, just as light poured from all five of Kimi's monsters, striking Rachel. 'Shine Ball - Red' was shattered, falling as harmless red shards to the ground at Kimi's feet, but Rachel was the one who was truly worse off.

"Reveal," Kimi declared, "my 'Solar Ray', dealing you six hundred damage for every Light monster I control (7500 -> 4500). And it's my turn again. I draw, recover (7700 -> 8200), and the second effect of 'Mystical Shine Wall' activates, dealing you one hundred damage for every 'Shine Ball' I control."

The remaining 'Shine Balls' shone light on Rachel, who was forced to momentarily looks away (4500 -> 4300).

"Now," Kimi continued, "I reveal 'Aegis of Gaia', increasing my Life by three thousand."

A beautiful female spirit appeared behind Kimi, shrouding her in protective light (8200 -> 11,200).

"And," Kimi announced, "I tribute 'Mercury' for 'The Agent of Judgment - Saturn'."

'Mercury' was replaced by another, sterner male angel, surrounded by an aura of gleaming light.

"I tribute 'Saturn'," Kimi declared, "to activate his effect, dealing damage to you equal to the difference in your Life Points and mine."

'Saturn' turned into pure light and poured over Rachel's side of the field, as Kimi called, "Light of Burning Judgment'!" The light was so bright that I had to look away. When it finally faded, the monsters were all gone from the field, and Rachel's Life Points were zero.

For a moment or two, I was worried that Rachel would revert to her classic reaction to losing and get angry at Kimi, and so I was pleasantly surprised when she smiled instead and said, "Nice! I was wrong, not only can you defend yourself, you are Elite."

She walked up to Kimi and shook her hand pleasantly, "Welcome to the fold. Now hurry up, kids," she said, addressing both of us, "and get your things. We leave in-."

Suddenly her face went blank, and her expression started switching rapidly between terror and panic. She went pale, siezed once, and collapsed. I lunged forward and caught her before her head could hit the floor, knelt down, and lowered her gently to the exercise mat. Kimi rushed over and knelt down beside me.

"Rachel," I asked, "are you okay?"

The color had already started to return to her cheeks. She pushed us away, and sat up quickly, scowling and holding her head, "Shit!"

"What happened?" I asked.

"A vision from the Necklace," Rachel answered. "The thing the Elite fought, it's attacking again."

"It found the others?" I asked.

"No, it's attacking someone else. We have to help them."

She stood up too quickly, teetering. Kimi and I had to steady her.

"We need to get back to HQ first and get everyone else," Rachel said, "but between teleporting here, and the vision, I'm too worn out to cast the spell myself."

''I'll got us there," said Kimi, looking determined, "You just have to concentrate on where 'there' is."

Rachel nodded, placed her hand on Kimi's shoulder, and closed her eyes. Kimi placed one hand on Rachel's shoulder, and the other on mine. She looked nervous, so I placed my hand on her's offering her my strength, as well as emotional support. Our Souls glowed amber brown and golden yellow, and the eye on Rachel's necklace glowed white, and the three of us disappeared in a flash of yellow light.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Four]



The Minds of Darkness


John

The cloud of darkness swirled lower and lower, forming a miniature funnel cloud that reached toward the deck of the ship. Karen, Thomas, Ria and I, as well as the staff members who had been on deck working, watched through the small window in the door leading from the deck into the command section. The staff members were terrified, and Thomas wasn't too far off.

"Thomas, Ria," I said, "get the staff below decks, and sound an alarm. Then get back up here with your cards. We'll fight this thing back as long as we can, but it's powerful. We're going to need help."

Ria nodded, grabbing Thomas by the arm, snapping him out of his stupor, and the two of them led the crewmen deeper into the bowls of the ship. Karen and I stood with our hands on the hatch release, steeling ourselves up. In that moment, I looked at Karen and paused.

"Karen-," I began.

"I'm going out there with you," she interrupted. Her determination was unfaltering, so I didn't complete my thought. Instead I nodded, pulled the handle, and the two of us stepped outside. I summoned up the powers of my Soul of Darkness, and without thought, without meaning for it to happen, my Soul reached out for the mind of the thing hovering above us. I cried out in pain as my mind connected with dozens, maybe hundreds, of erratic, disjointed, chaotic minds, each one similar to the next, but still very different from the rest.

I callapsed. Karen caught me and helped me up as I concentrated as hard as I could, forcing my link with the thing, or things, to break.

"What happened?" Karen asked fearfully.

"Later," I told her, "I'm fine, and I've discovered something about swirling friend up there."

Lightning built in the swirling cloud and lanced toward the two of us, only to be deflected at the last moment by a shimmering, unstable yet strong barrier projected by Karen's glowing Soul of Imagination. We dove to the side, under an overhang.

"Whatever that thing is," I told Karen, continuing my previous thought, "it's not just one thing, it's a whole bunch, like some kind of hive."

Darkness, in the form of twisting tendrils, swirled out from the still-forming cyclone and reached toward us. I raised my hand to try to disrupt the shadows making up the attacking tendril, and I was suprised when the spell failed. I didn't let it distract me for more than a moment, though, and commanded my own shadow to reach up and become solid, deflecting the darkness before it could reach us. Then my shadow reached up and wrapped around the Duel Disk on my arm, transforming it into the Dark Duel Disk, which I separated into a sword and a buckler.

"Be careful," I told Karen, "this thing could come at us from any number of directions at once, and I can't control it with my magic."

Immediately I ran from the overhang, Karen close at my heels. Another two swirling tendrils reached toward us. I turned to meet them, Karen keeping just behind me, and I caught one of my blade and one on my shield, holding them back, and pushing forward, until the tendrils fell away, and Karen stepped out beside me, her Soul glowing, and raised her palm, slinging a wave of shimmering light, blowing the tendrils apart. What was left of them drew back, and two more thrust forward.

I couldn't bring my impliments up in time, but as a knee-jerk reaction, my shadow rose up and shielded me from one, while the other curled around me toward Karen. I looked back, unsure of what to do, just in time to see the tendril hit another shimmering barrier from Karen's Soul. She struggled, her Soul flickering uncertainly, but when she met my eyes, renewed determination found its way to her face, and her barrier stabilized, taking on the form of a transparent version of the Duel Monster 'Millennium Shield', holding the shadows back without effort.

Still, we were moments away from being overwhelmed. The shadows were swirling even faster, and more tendrils were forming, preparing to strike at us en masse. Like many times before, I felt a dark power swirling within me. An evil power. Usually I had no problem shoving that power, and the dark mind which came with it, back down into the depths of my heart, but this time, in the midst of my growing despiration, some of it got out. Energy exploded out around me, dispersing the tendrils and knocking Karen off of her feet. I didn't really care, though, evil power still burning around me. Even while I still struggled to force the power back down, my body reacted, driven by the dark mind that was the source of that power. I shot forward, practically skating across the ground on my black aura.

I launched myself upward, my sword wrethed in the same aura that surrounded me. I threw it, tethered to me by that aura. It spun through the air, plunging through the shadow entity, beginning to disrupt it. I guided it mercilessly, until, suddenly, I sensed a presense within the entity, a presense seperate from the entity itself, protected by strong magic.

I snapped out of the darkness' influence, and reacted, directing my sword to wrap the presense in my aura, and I pulled as hard as I could, giving the effort everything I had. After only a few moments, my sword burst forth from the funnel of darkness, dragging a lanky human figure behind it. I shoved my darkness back down, and melted my sword into my shadow, drawing it back to me and rejoining it with me shield, lauched forward, and caught the falling figure. I fell with him back to the deck, and rolled, pulling him with me out of the way of a deperately reaching tendril.

The dark entity went wild, lashing out randomly like a wounded animal, putting a hole in the deck nearby, and crushing a poolside structure. The funnel cloud finally touched down on the deck, drawing water from the pool into itself, creating a churning, swirling typhoon, complete with battering wind and rain. I couldn't do anything. My energy was spent, Karen was still down, unconscious or worse, and I couln't just run away, leaving her and the man I'd freed behind.

I thought I was finally finished when, out of nowhere, a group of six people appeared in a flash of light. Three of them I recognized as my friends Rocky and Kimi, and the War Ruler, Marcus, his head bandaged, and his arm in a sling. The others, a young latino boy with long, straight black hair, an attractive, brown-haired girl in a brown jacket, and a boy a few years older with the same color hair, I didn't know. Kimi and Rocky's Souls were alight.

As I watched, the six took action. Kimi's Soul glowed bright yellow, her light pushing the shadow entity's tendrils back. Meanwhile Rocky gestured toward the swirling darkness and circular arrays of light formed, floating in the air, surrounding the entity and holding its loose mass in place. Rocky was straining, and his allies seemed to know it because they went to work instantly.

The older boy, the girl, and Marcus spread out in a semi-circle around the darkness. A necklace around the girl's neck glowed, the boy held up a familiar metal rod, and Marcus held up a set of back metal scales in his good arm. I could feel energy pouring from the three items into Rocky's Soul, and suddenly he wasn't straining so much anymore. The glow of his circles grew brighter as well. Then the latino boy stepped forward, standing between me and the darkness, held up an oversized key, shaped like an Egyptian ankh, and he changed. His hair stood straight up and its color drained away until it was stark white. I felt an energy flow forth from within him, an evil energy that resembled a far weaker form of the energy locked within me, bolstered by the energy of the key-shaped item. A Duel Monster, the fierce and powerful 'Dark Armed Dragon', appeared at the boy's side, and the boy's energy poured into the dragon. It unleased a swirling blast of pure dark fire from its mouth, right into the swirling entity, causing it to begin to break up, ever so slightly. I could have helped him. I should have. But aside from being pretty much spent, I was too taken aback by what I was seeing.

He-he's the boy's dark side. That boy's controlling his dark side!

The boy and the dragon poured more and more magic into their attack, continuing to blast the darkness, forcing it apart, but it was too slow going. It just kept reforming further up, and pouring back down into the core of the cyclone. The attack was hurting it, and it might have killed it, but I could sense that the boy's energy would give out long before that happened. None of that mattered, though, because it became clear very quickly that this wasn't an attack, it was a rescue mission.

It was about then that Thomas and Ria rejoined us. Neither had changed out of their swim stuff, but they had taken the time grab Thomas' favorite flame-decaled t shirt, as well as their cards and their Duel Disks, from their cabins. When they saw the new arrivals, Ria exclaimed "Whoa, what did we miss?"

The latino boy backed up until he was standing right with us, the others joining him only a few moments later. All at once, they lowered their items, and the boy's dragon disappeared, his hair and his aura returning to normal. The entity began to rally, but it didn't matter. There was a flash, and by the time the darkness' attack reached the place where we'd been standing, we were gone, appearing a moment later in a cavernous room with several duel arenas marked on the floor, and some tables against the wall off to the side. It was a rough teleport, I hadn't managed to recover yet from using up so much of my energy, and I was kinda freaking out a little. I'm embarassed to say, I passed out.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Five]



Coming Together


When I woke up again I was lying on a cot in a different room, decked out with the kind of stuff that you might find in a hospital room or a clinic. Me being me, this freaked me right the Hell out. I don't like doctors much, and I especially don't like hospitals, or places that resemble hospitals.

I sat up quickly, instantly awake, and looked around, a little frantically, only calming down when I saw Karen standing nearby, moving to stand beside me. She'd been talking to Rocky and the girl with the long dark hair, but when she'd heard me jostle my bed, she'd turned immediately to make sure I was alright, sounding relieved as she said, "John, you're awake."

"Far as I can tell," I agreed, "but my head's still pretty fogged up."

"You put out a huge amount of magical energy all at once," the dark-haired girl said as she and Rocky joined Karen directly at my bedside, "It's no surprise that you'd feel weakened."

She smiled, looking rather impressed, "I never knew any one person could have that much magical energy. You're just as strong as Rocky always said."

That's when it clicked that I knew who these people were, "You guys are the Duelists Elite."

"That's right," Rocky answered, gesturing to the girl, "this is my friend Rachel. The others who were with us were Kimi and Marcus, of course, Rachel's brother Charlie, and Marco."

"What's going on here?" I asked, feeling like the last guy to hear the latest gossip. "What was that thing that attacked us?"

Rocky did his best to explain, but he kept veering off on tangents to explain his explainations, which included too many terms and two many names of people that I simply didn't know. Finally I stopped him, "Maybe you should just start at the beginning, and tell me everything that happened since you joined up with the Elite?"

So that's what he did, starting with his duel with Prof to prove himself worthy to join, and then moving on to explainations of Elite and it's mission, and then to the story of his first mission with them, where he'd lost his new friend James. He told me about the rise of Emperor, the revelation that Emperor was trying to bring together the seven most powerful Shadow Items to reshape the world in the image he desired, the mysterious arrival of Marco, who Rocky didn't seem to want to talk about much.

He told me about Prof and his crazy, but accurate, calculations, of Greg's power to place his soul in objects all over the globe, via the Shadow Millennium Ring, and about the invasion of the Elite. He told me about the kidnapping of Greg's brother, Tim (Rachel went red in the face at the mention of this name), the death of Greg at Emperor's hand, the mission to rescue Tim from Emperor, and finally, the difficult revelation that Tim was Emperor. He told me, with a pained expression, of Emperor's death at his hand, and Rachel gave him a funny look which told me there was more to that story, but that I shouldn't try to learn what it was.

"After that," Rocky explained, "I decided that I'd had enough of fighting, of tearing things down. I decided to build something instead. So I went and found Kimi in Japan. It was the only ending that made sense for me, and we've been together since."

"It's about time," I told with. He was smiling happily. I looked over at Karen, understanding exactly how he felt.

"But then," Rocky continued, "Rachel showed up just today and asked me to come back. She said that a new threat had arisen, and that she needed my help to face it."

"We tried to fight it without Rocky," Rachel explained, "using the Shadow Millennium Items, but we failed, and Prof was absorbed into that thing."

"Prof's the one with the crazy calculation skills?" I asked.

"Yeah," Rachel answered, and looked over at another cot. I followed her gaze and saw the man who I'd pulled from the creature. He wore a black metal ring around his neck, and a metalic eye.

"That's Prof," I realized, "and that ring pendant is the Item that Greg used to put bits of his soul all over the place."

"That's right," Rocky said, "but no one since Greg has been able to get that particular power to work. Prof was using it simply for it's superior power as a Shadow Millennium Item."

"Did you guys kill that thing?" I asked hopefully. I'd seen that thing's powers first hand, and I wasn't eagar for a repeat demonstration.

"Not even close," Rachel answered, crossing her arms.

"Then it's going to attack again," I told them. "Do we know if it wants something in particular?"

"That's the funny thing," Rachel answered, giving me a mildly suspicious look, "it seems to be after you."

"What?" I stood up too quickly and nearly collapsed. Karen and Rocky caught me and helped me to steady myself.

"It attacked us here first," Rachel told me, "even before we could consolidate our forces and move against it, and then it went right for you on your ship. We thin that it's because of your huge magical energy. It must have been drawn to it, like a bee to nectar,"

"Okay," I said, accepting her point uncontested, "but why. Why Prof, and why me?"

"Does it need a reason?" Rachel asked indignantly. "It's a monster. It sensed that we were a threat, so it came after us. It saw that Prof, with his intellect, was the real threat among us, so it removed him from the equation. It sensed your power, and tried to make your power its power."

"Basically," Karen summed up, "the best they can figure, it's acting on instinct. If there's more to its behavior, it isn't the kind of thing that would make any sense to us. All they do know is that, once it's recovered fully from its last encounter with us, it'll be back. If it's still after you, it'll be back here specifically. That's what we were discussing when you woke up."

"We need to prepare," I reasoned. "We have the Souls. You guys have the Shadow Millennium Items. Thomas has his Duel Monster spirit. We'll just have to hope it's enough."

"The Shadow Millennium Items together couldn't do a thing to it," Rachel argued, "and now we're three Items short. Maybe with your Souls added to the mix we can hurt it. After all, that's why I brought Rocky in, for his Soul power. But we used our plan on it on the ship, and it just kept recovering as quick as we could hurt it."


"I can carry one of the Items in addition to me Soul," I told her. So can Karen, and I'm sure Kimi or Rocky would be too. That way none of you guys will have to double up and risk being corrupted."

"That'll work for the Ring and Raph's Pendant," said Rocky thoughtfully, "but the Eye is part of Prof now. It's one of the strongest Items, so it has a steeper trade-off. Prof is the only person who could safely remove it now."

I looked grimly at my allies, "Then two out of three will have to do."


Karen took the Shadow Millennium Pendant from the unconscious Raphael, and I recieved the Shadow Millennium Ring from the unconscious Prof. As I put it around my neck, I felt my own energy flare, so much so that I had trouble reining it in. It was unsettling, but also kind of a rush. It's hard to explain to someone who has never used the power of either a Soul or a Shadow Item, but where the Souls really feel like a part of us Soul Weilders, like something completely natural akin to an arm or leg, Shadow Items are different. They're more raw, and less controlled. They feel like something apart from the weilder, like a tool, and a pretty clumsy one at that, and this was my first time using one.

I could feel my own energy being amplified, but unlike with my Soul, I could feel the Item amplifying the energy of the dark me as well. On any other day, this would have bothered me, but I'd just seen a kid, a kid, control his dark side perfectly. I felt that I should be able to do the same. Between that feeling and the anxiety of the coming battle, I simply didn't see my darkness as a reason to worry today. In fact, I'd allowed a truly horrible idea begin to form in the back of my mind that maybe, just maybe, I could do the same thing that Marco did.

Of course I was wrong, I just didn't know it yet.


"Where will it attack?" Kimi asked Rachel and the other Elite. The ten of us were gathered in the room with the Duel Disk arenas, which Rocky called the Arena Room, to discuss what was to come next.

"Last time," Rachel's sterm, unemotional brother Charlie answered, "we sensed it outside the installation, right above us out on the mountain. We went outside, to the runway directly above this room, to meet it in battle so that it wouldn't try to break through the rockface and cause a cave in. We expect something similar to happen this time."

"What should we do?" Ria asked, referring to herself and Thomas.

"From what I understand," Charlie answered, completely unsympathetically, "you can't do anything. Only one of you has any magical power, and it's insubstancial."

"My magic might come from a Duel Monster instead of a fancy necklace," Thomas argued, "and I may not like the whole magic thing much in general, but I'm going to help my friends fight if I can."

"And I can handle myself," Ria added. "In fact, I'm sure I could make a real difference if you'd give me one of those Shadow Item things."

In that moment I could have backed Ria up, and even offered to let her use the Shadow Millennium Ring, but I hesitated. I was still wrestling with the idea of releasing my darkness, and I wanted the power of the Item to put toward enhancing my control, and my powers. So instead it was Karen who spoke up, "I may not agree with Ria often, or ever really, but she does have a point. She's easily the mosy stubborn and tenacious person I've ever met. Let her fight, and she won't stop until the enemy falls, or she simply can't get up anymore herself."

Karen removed the Shadow Millennium Pendant from around her neck and handed it to Ria, who put it on, looking a bit awed.

"Just concentrate," Karen explained, "and you shouldn't have a problem making it work."

"Are we handing Shadow Items out to just anyone these days?" Marco griped. The others more or less ignored his bad attitude.

"Alright," Rachel said thoughtfully, eyeing Ria with uncertainty, "now that we've got that worked out, for better or worse, let's go over our strategy. Once this shows up, we'll-."

"Give it what it wants," I interrupted.

"Excuse me?" Charlie asked, looking at me like I'd grown a second head.

"It may or may not want Prof, but it definitely wants me," I explained. "If I'm there waiting for it, it should make me the focus of its attack. If I'm there to distract it, maybe your original plan can work, and if not, with the power of the Ring added to my own power, I should be able to manipulate this thing like I can manipulate any other shadows. I don't know if I can kill it, but I should be able to draw it into a Shadow Game. If it's really an unintelligent animal, it should be simple for me to beat it, and use the Penalty to destroy it."

"You're crazy," said Marco, astonished. He looked to Rachel, "Please tell me you aren't considering this."

"Hey," I said, before Rachel could respond, "this is what I do. In the last three years I killed a Shadow Demon and an evil God. And that's just the tip of the iceburg. I've practically got a black belt in killing-things-with-Shadow-Games-fu."

"John's right," Rocky said, backing me up to his friends. "I've seen him in action. If anyone can pull off something like this, it's him."

"Well," Rachel said with a little smirk on her face that said she still wasn't convinced that I wasn't crazy, "It seems like you've got everything figured out. Will you even need the rest of us?"

"Of course I will," I told them all. "Like I said, Our first course of action should be to try your collective attack again, and if that does fail, this thing can still multitask like crazy. If I'm going to fight it one-on-one, I need backup there to make sure it stays one-on-one. Maybe you can even continue your attack against it while I fight. Hit it on a second front."

"I still don't understand what you mean," Rachel said, "when you describe what this thing is."

I paused, struggling to put into words something that I didn't fully understand myself, "This creature isn't just one thing. It's dozens, maybe hundreds, of creatures all acting together as one. They all have very similar goals and methods, but they aren't exactly the same. They all communicate, coordinating their efforts to further the efforts of the creature as a whole, allowing the entire creature to multitask effortlessly, but at the same time it's comepletly unpredictable, because it's not just one mind that you have to predict,"

"That does explain why we had so much trouble fighting it directly when it first showed up," Charlie decided.

"That's right," said the injured Marcus, his bandages matting his short, light brown hair, pushing it up at the top, "it wasn't until we had Rocky to hold it all in place that we were able to damage it at all, but even then some of it still leaked out of Rocky's shield circle, avoiding our attack and keeping the thing alive so it could regenerate."

"Then this time I'll lend my power to Rocky," Karen suggested. "I'm the only person here who doesn't even have their cards with them, so if it comes to direct combat I'll do as much good as a guy with his arm in a sling."

She looked at Marcus apologetically, "No offense."

She looked to the rest of us and continued, "Anyway, my Soul of Imagination has a huge pool of energy to draw upon. It's unfocussed, and therefore difficult to utilize, but if I use Rocky's Soul as a lense to focus that power-."

"-It'll make my Soul much stronger," Rocky agreed. "It's worth a try."

The others looked at Rocky, Karen and I with mixed expressions. Kimi was on our side, but the Elite members, Rachel especially, clearly weren't too sure. It was obvious to everyone present that the direction this battle took would depend on Rachel. This was her house, and that made it her party, and she didn't really strike me as the kind of person who would just step aside and let someone who she'd just met lead her and her people into battle. Then the mountain began to shake, and I saw Rachel's indecision disappear. She looked at me, "Aye aye, captain."

In moments we were filing through an upward-sloping corridor to the surface.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Six]



Everything Goes Wrong


We arrived on the surface in only a few minutes, emerging into a wide trench cut into the moutaintop. The creature hung menacingly overhead, undulating violently, reminding me of a serpent preparing to strike. I could feel its thoughts. It was frustrated, determined, angry, disgruntled, and a dozen other things all at once. It seemed that every single aspect of the creature was feeling something slightly different, but they all seemed to share one common emotion: their desire to get to me.

"Alright everyone," said Rachel, "let's go to work."

The various members of her team, including, for the time being, Kimi, stepped forward as one. Thomas and Ria followed close behind. I saw a shimmer as the rox-like genie 'Flame Spirit Ignis' appeared in spirit form at Thomas' side, ready to share his power. Karen stepped up behind Rocky and placed her hand on his shoulder, her Soul shimmering, prepared to lend Rocky her strength. Rocky's Soul glowed brighter than I'd ever seen any one Soul glow before, and his seal-like barriers appeared again, this time with a curviture to them. They moved toward the creature, threating to ensnare it completely in a sphere of light.

I felt my own Shadow Millennium Item come to life as I focussed my power on the Item which Marco carried in his hand. I couldn't see the energy from the various Shadow Millennium Items pooling in Marco's Item, but I could feel it. He stepped forward, ahead of the rest of us, his hair standing straight up, draining of color, and with a flash he pulled a card from his deck, but he stopped suddenly when, just as the seals came together around the creature, it seemed to explode outward. Dozens and dozens of tendrils shot off of the swirling core of the dark creature, reducing its mass considerably, forcing the seals back long enough for the tendrils, now separate from the creature, to plunge to the ground, forming a thick hanging fog of darkness all around us. From the darkness emerged a tall, shadowy, almost-featureless humanoid form for each tendril, surrounding us completely, each of them weilding an equally featureless Duel Disk filled with cards which seemed to be made of mostly-solid darkness, rather than paper.

The battle began almost immediately. Marco's hair fell back into place, turning black once again, and he drew five more cards as his allies, save Karen and Marcus, and I, each drew six. Karen removed her hand from Rocky's shoulder, and the shadow creatures stepped forward.

Rocky

I turned myself to face one of the humanoid things. They were still a part of the Core Creature, which swirled overhead, even if they weren't visibly connected to it. Once again our plan had failed. Once again the creature had broken itself up to avoid our killing attack, except that this time, it had come up with a way to devide us as well. With the failure of our Plan A, we were left with just one possabilty to fall back upon: John, defeating the Core Creature in a Shadow Game.

"Hold them off!" I called. Then to Karen, I said, "Stay behind me."

I didn't notice however, that one of the shadow things had already summoned a sort of shadowy ghost and sent it past me to attack the unarmed Karen. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Karen's Soul glow, and a construct of the sorceress 'Dark Magician Girl' appeared, blasting the ghost apart with a bolt of light from her wand, and then charged toward the attacking creature with Karen at her side.

"Never mind," I said to myself as John stepped forward, bravely (or stupidly, you can never tell with John) approaching the Core Creature, his hands casually in his pockets as if he were out for a stroll, and I turned to face another of the lesser creatures. I set two cards and a monster, and I waited (LP: 4000).

It attacked, and I reacted.

My hidden monster, the colorful 'Stone Statue of the Aztecs', appeared first, wreathed in red light. My opponent's monster, a creature made of wispy shadows, just as featureless as its master save for black armor and a black sword, which it held in both hands, charged the 'Statue', its blade raised. There was no Attack Point display, and the card itself was too dark to read, so I had no idea how strong the enemy monster might be, but I was willing to bet that it couldn't survive what I had planned.

"Reveal," I annouced, "'The Reliable Guardian' and 'Cross Counter'!"

The Shadow Warrior's sword caught on the red barrier around my monster, and the red barrier exploded outward, engulfing the warrior and his master, blasting them both apart. The Shadow Creature became darkness, and melted back into the darkness from which he's emerged, but it was just then that I noticed two things which made my life even more difficult: that upon its death, the Shadow Warrior had left a Wisp of Darkness in its place, even after its owner had fallen, and that that Shadow Creature hadn't been the only one to step up to face me. In the very same turn, a second Creature tributed that Wisp, summoning a huge beastly Shadow Monster with very corporeal-looking black claws and teeth, and the Behemoth lunged.

Rachel

The Shadow Creatures acted quickly. As I drew my opening hand and took a step back to cover Marcus, one of them summoned a Shadow Warrior, which lunged right at my one-armed ally. He dropped his Shadow Millennium Item and drew his standard Shadow Item, a gunmetal-colored knife, and tried to parry, but the Warrior overpowered him, knocking him to the ground. I turned to face a Creature, standing back to back with Charlie, who faced down the creature which had attacked Marcus, as well as a second Creature, and Marco, who faced only one. Out of the three of us, Charlie was the first to take action.

"Summon," he declared, "'The Six Samurai - Yaichi', 'Grandmaster of the Six Samurai', and 'Great Shogun - Shien'."

A samurai warrior in dark armor glowing yellow appeared, carrying a bow (ATK: 1300). He appeared alongside an elderly warrior with a katana on his hip (ATK: 2100), and a tall, powerful-looking warrior in full red samurai armor, bearing a symbol of a flame on his chest and helm (ATK: 2500).

With barely a gesture from my brother, his monsters struck. 'Grandmaster' charged forward, unsheathing his sword, and slashing the Shadow Warrior in half (4000 -> 3600), leaving a Wisp of Shadows behind, which 'Yaichi' immediately blasted apart with a well-placed arrow, opening a path for 'Shien' to charge in and slash across the Shadow Creature's chest with his mighty blade (3600 -> 1100).

It was a great play, one that any Duelist could be proud of, but Charlie isn't any old Duelist. He wasn't finished yet. From his hand he played 'Hand Destruction', discarding two cards to draw two, followed by the Spell card 'Cunning of the Six Samurai'. 'Yaichi''s yellow aura disappeared, and he himself disappeared into the ground, and out of the ground in his place arose another samurai carrying a bladed pole weapon, his armor glowing golden orange. He was Charlie's favorite monster, 'The Six Samurai - Zanji' (ATK: 1800).

Charlie actually smiled a bit as he spoke his next command, "'Zanji', finish it."

'Zanji' lunged at the Shadow Creature, cutting it in half. It turned back into shadows and melted back into the darkness all around us. Of course Charlie was fighting two enemies. As soon as his turn was over, his second opponent moved to counterattack. It set a card made of mostly-solid darkness, and summoned a new monster, a Shadow Phantom in flowing rags with deadly-looking clawed hands. The Phantom phased right through Charlie's monsters like a ghost and slashed Charlie across the chest (4000 -> 3000). I saw my brother wince, thin, shallow red lines forming beneath his shirt, but I couldn't do anything about it, because I had my own enemy to worry about, who had just summoned a Shadow Warrior of its own.

Based on the damage the other Creature took when Charlie destroyed one of those monsters, I reasoned, it only has seventeen hundred Attack, which is no problem.

"Activate 'Graceful Charity'," I declared, drawing three cards, and then discarding two, feeding my 'Phantom Beast Cross-Wing' and 'Phantom Beast Thunder-Pegasus' into my Graveyard.

"And I summon," I said, "'Phantom Beast Cross-Wing', which gets a power-up from its discarded counterpart."

A bird with two pairs of wings, which seemed to form an X, appeared hovering at my side (ATK: 1300 -> 1600). This was my favorite monster, due to its versatility, which, despite the circumstances, I was looking forward to showing off once again.

"I set two cards," I concluded, "and end my turn."

I acted confident, but as my opponent drew to begin its second turn, and Marco's drew to begin its first I was reminded that this battle was only barely just beginning. No matter how many of these things we killed, there were more still waiting, as even more Shadow Creatures still emerged from the hanging fog of darkness that surrounding our little party.

Then my bad mood did a heel-face turn as all eyes turned toward a wave of light that washed over more than a dozen of the waiting creatures, washing them away. I looked toward the source of the light, and I saw Kimi with her 'Agent of Creation' and three 'Shine Balls' at her side, two copies of 'Solar Ray' held above her head, her Soul of Light glowing, and a smile across her face. I didn't know how she'd done it, but she'd managed to pull of an attack so strong that it might have just given us a genuine fighting chance. Of course her smile faded when a suviving creature stepped up to face her, and, as always, the battle continued.

Kimi

Several of the enemy Creatures fell to my light attack. I'd given up my Destiny Draw for this duel to fuel the attack, but even though it had left many of the Creatures still alive, I felt that it had been worth it. But I'm an optimist, not an idiot. I knew that this was no time to let my guard down, that this battle was far from over. To drive this point home, a suvivor of my attack immediately stepped up and set two cards made of shadows before summoning a Shadowy Phantom, which moved right through my monsters unhindered and swung its lethal-looking claws at me. I managed to deflect the claws off of the edge of my Duel Disk, but in terms of the game, I still took the hit (2500 -> 1500). My opponent did nothing else, though I knew that if I took too long to respond, he'd strike again.

"My turn then, I guess," I said. "In that case, before I draw I reveal 'Solemn Wishes', so that whenever I draw, I heal by five hundred Life."

I drew, and light rained down upon me (1500 -> 2000).

"I tribute," I explained, "two of my 'Mytical Shine Balls' to summon my guardian angel, 'Wingweaver'."

Two of the glass orbs disappeared, to be replaced by a tall, almost amazonian angel with long purple hair and six shining sky blue wings, wearing a flowing yellow dress (ATK: 2750).

"My monster attacks," I declared, "with Shining Breeze!"

'Wingweaver' flapped her wings, releasing a gust of wind which carried a barrage of glimmering blue feathers toward the Phantom, ripping it apart, but the Shadow Creature was ready for this. It revealed a Trap, which was shrouded in darkness, and the feathers which would have carried through and struck the Shadow Creature were caught in that darkness and thrown back at me. 'Wingweaver' watched the remnant of her attack surge past her and strike me instead of my foe (2000 -> 250), and she turned to look at the enemy with a fire in her eyes. I looked across at my enemy as well, and I saw a Wisp of Darkness hanging in the air where my opponent's Phantom had been.

My last 'Shine Ball', being in defense mode, couldn't attack, so I turned to 'Venus' and said, "Quick, destroy that Wisp."

'Venus' summoned light into her hands and blew the Wisp apart like it was nothing.

"Alright," I said, "that's enough. I end my turn."

John

I walked calmly past my friends and allies as they bagan what would be a long struggle against the army of Shadow Creatures. Karen, without her deck, was forced to trade blows with the Creatures armed only with the magic of her Soul. I watched her out of my peripheral vision. She was glowing, shimmering with sivery light. She looked like a statue, strong and unfaltering, but I knew that, even as powerful as she was, she couldn't hold out against the Creatures forever. I had to finish this before her power failed.

So I walked right up to the swirling, undulating core of the creature, my hands in my pockets, and I said, "I don't know if you can understand me, but I won't allow this to continue. You're hurting people. So whether you can understand me or not," I pointed up at the swirling mass dramatically, "this is your only warning: go away and leave us alone, or I'll destroy you."

The core of the creature undulated violently. It expanded downward to strike me, but with so much of its mass separate from its core form, and with its attention so divided, it wasn't nearly as powerful as before. I still couldn't manipulate it completely, even with the added power of the Shadow Millennium Ring, but as the reaching tendril approached me, my Soul glowed along with the Item, and by the time the tendril reached me it was no more solid or threatening than a moderate gust of wind.

I smiled, "You're limping, like a lame horse. Come on down here, so I can go ahead and put you down."

Darkness began to form around me like a wall of thin black smoke, leaving plenty of room for the Creature to manifest. The Shadow Game between me and the Core Creature had begun, which meant that on some level it had accepted my challenge.

The Creature funneled toward the ground, touching down like a miniature funnel cloud just long enough to deposit maybe a third of its remaining mass, which condensed down, forming a humanoid shape. At first I thought it was just another of the things that were fighting my friends, but I'll admit that part of me was relieved when I saw that this creature was different. It was, like the others, as big as a linebacker, but this Creature was more defined, with almost a face and almost muscles, and almost a head of hair, which was almost long and spiky. It brandished its powerful arm and a black Duel Disk, more defined than the ones worn by the multitude of featureless beings all around us, formed there. Darkness swirled into the Deck Loader of the Duel Disk, forming not Shadow Cards, but real Duel Monsters Cards.

"Hey," I said, "I can do that too!"

I raised my arm, and my Neo Dark Disk appeared there, summoned from inside the Elite HQ where it rested by my former bedside in the medical room, and I inserted my cards into it as the Duel Platform extended into place (LP: 8000).

"I hope you're tougher than your lackies," I told the Creature, "or else this Duel isn't going to be any fun at all."

The Creature remained silent, the drawing of its opening hand its only response.

"Not a talker, I guess," I said. "Well, that's okay, I have quips enough for the both of us. I start off with a set monster."

A form appeared at my side, obscured by the Shadows which swirled around us. It was a simple move, but it didn't need to be anything more than that. I was fighting a creature, a beast which only acted on instinct. A beast which happened to be dividing its attention amongst many different battles at that very moment. This thing, whatever it actually was, would pose no real challenge to me.

Yeah, I'm arrogant like that.

Immediately the Core Creature wordlessly set two cards, and activated a Field Spell, 'Mystic Plasma Zone'. A swirling cloud appeared above even the portion of the Core Creature which hung in the air overhead, still swirling in cloud form. The dark cloud of the Field Spell almost seemed to join with the Core Creature, lighting surging within the cloud of the creature and the cloud of the Field Spell all at once. At the same time, my opponent summoned a monster, 'Giant Germ', a giant virus cell, which grew stronger beneath the 'Mystic Plasma Zone' (ATK: 1000 -> 1500). The Core Creature gestured, and the 'Germ' crashed into my hidden 'Sangan', destroying it easily.

"Wow," I said, "thanks for attacking me when I obviously wanted you to. Because 'Sangan' was sent to the Graveyard, I can search my deck for a new monster, like the reliable 'Level Eater'."

I added the Level One monster to my hand, and I continued, "And because you already set a bunch of stuff, I'm going to bet that your turn is over."

I drew, "I play 'Graceful Charity', drawing three cards, and discarding 'Stygian Street Patrol' and 'Level Eater'. Next I remove 'Stygian Street Patrol' from play to summon a Fiend from my hand, a Fiend like 'Djinn Presider of Rituals'," a rotund demon swordsman in too-small plate armor appeared, his belly protruding, and his sword drawn (ATK: 1800 -> 2300).

"Next," I declared, "I activate the Spell card 'Level Transmogrification', changing my monsters Level to any Level from one to eight, at the cost of a little Life (8000 -> 7200). I choose to change my monster's Level to Eight, and then I lower his Level by one to Special Summon 'Level Eater' from my Graveyard."

A ladybug the size of a small dog appeared, its shell bearing a Level Star rather than spots. It rose into the air and hovered at my side.

"Now," I continued, "I tribute both of my monsters to Tribute Summon my newest heavy hitter," a huge hunanoid form of a warrior clad in black and gold armor with an array of spoke-like wings spreading from its back and a tiny yellow sun embedded in its chest rose up behind me like the sun rising up from the horizon, "'The Supremacy Sun' (ATK: 3000 -> 3500)! My monster attacks the 'Giant Germ' with Solar Flare!"

Flames poured from my monster, blasting the 'Germ' to pieces in an instant and dealing my opponent a huge hit (8000 -> 6000), but the 'Germ' was powerful in its own right. As it was destroyed, it released a cloud of toxic particles which choked me, causing damage (7200 -> 6700), and then coalesced into two more of the 'Germs', both in Attack mode (1000 -> 1500 (each)).

"Since I've already been carrying this conversation," I taunted, "I'll go ahead and say that even if you manage to destroy 'Sun' it won't be the last time you see him. Anyway, I set a card and end my turn. Come on and show me what else you can do."

I was smirking in the way that I do, smug, and confident in my superiority. Once again I'd found the fun in fighting for my life. That was about to change.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Seven]

Things Actually Get Worse


Rocky

The Shadowy Behemoth lunged right at me, its claws outstretched, teeth gleaming in its mouth. Lucky for me, my opponent had acted too prematurely. In a regular Duel it would not have been able to attack for a full turn and the effect of 'The Reliable Guardian' would have worn off. Unluckily for me, my opponent's monster, despite being only a one-tribute monster, had twenty-eight hundred Attack, and Piercing. It shattered my 'Statue' and caught me in the chest with the tips of two of its claws (4000 -> 3900).

As I was wondering what kind of one-tribute monster could have so much Attack and a strong effect, I was relieved to see that, as my new opponent's turn ended, the shadows which made up the body of the monstrous creature begin to melt away. The monster would fall apart completely in only another one or two turns. Worse come to worse, I would just have to last that long. Of course if it was at all like the Shadow Soldier, when it did self destruct, it would leave a piece of itself behind, a problem that I would just have to deal with as it came.

I drew and I played a Spell, "'Miracle Rupture' let's me send a Rock monster from my deck to the Graveyard and draw a card."

I leafed through my deck and discarded 'Criosphinx', shuffled, and drew again, "Next I play 'Premature Burial', paying eight hundred Life (3900 -> 3100) to revive a monster from the Graveyard, like the monster I just discarded. Come out 'Criosphinx'!"

A living stone statue with the body of a lion, the torso of a man, and the head of a ram rose up out of the ground, his arms crossed.

"And I tribute 'Criosphinx'," I declared, "to summon my strongest monster."

'Criosphinx' grew larger and glowed gold, charging shape until it was a towering golden Egyptian statue with large fists, sealed to each other at the knuckles, and a large headdress, resembling the legendary 'Exodia'.

"Introducing 'Exodd, Master of the Guard'," I said proudly (DEF: 4000). "You can't get past us, but you're welcome to try. I end my turn."

Rachel

As I fought my opponent, I watched out of the corner of my eye as Marco's opponent summoned another of the Shadowy Warriors. Marco retaliated with a face-down card, and the summoning of his 'Armored Dragon', a humanoid dragon in green armor (ATK: 1900). The dragon charged the warrior and destroyed him brutally (4000 -> 3800), leaving behind a Wisp.

Meanwhile Charlie took his next turn, "I equip my 'Grandmaster of the Six' with 'Legendary Ebon Steed'."

A black warhorse in black armor appeared, and the elderly samurai mounted it (ATK: 2100 -> 2300).

"'Shien' attack," Charlie commanded, and 'Shien' swung his fiery blade at the Shadow Phantom, destroying it. Charlie's opponent would have taken considerable damage, but he instead revealed a Trap which projected a black barrier, turning the flames from 'Shien''s blade back at Charlie (3000 -> 1500), and of course destroying the Phantom left a Wisp behind. Charlie being Charlie, however, didn't react in the slightest to his sharp loss of Life. Instead he commanded 'Zanji' to destroy the Wisp, and 'Grandmaster' to attack directly (4000 -> 1600).

Of course, calm and stoic as he is, Charlie didn't hold a candle to his opponent, who, having no face, couldn't react even if he wanted to. He gave no indication of his hand or his coming play as he revealed another Shadowy Trap card, a corrupted version of the Spell 'Monster Reborn', unhampered by 'Shien''s effect. The Shadow Phantom appeared again, rising up out of the ground.

Charlie ended his turn. His hand was mostly depleted, and he had no Traps to set, so he could only let come what might come. I saw the Shadow Creature play a Shadow Spell card. Darkness poured from that card and swirled around the Phantom, becoming a dark aura, which increased the monster's power, though I'm not sure just how much. All I know is that when the Phantom struck my brother this time, he fell to his knees and then slumped over backward, unconscious. I imagined that I hadn't seen it, that my brother was, as far as I knew, still fighting at my side. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to remain focussed on the task at hand.

It was about then that Kimi was defeated as well. I heard her cry out as a Phantom summoned by her opponent struck her, knocking her onto her back, where she lay unmoving. Having dueled Kimi myself, I knew her to be one of our strongest. If it weren't how the small amount of pleasure I got from seeing her former opponent turn to the unpleasant girl, Ria Something, whose 'Combo Fighter' had just managed to strike down a Shadow Creature with a flurry of kicks (ATK: 1600/LP: 2700), I probably would have panicked. Instead I watched Ria turn to face her new enemy with determination in her eyes as she set a card and passed, and I turned back to the duel at hand.

John

My opponent, of course, wasted no time demolishing my good mood. He drew, and he summoned 'Phantom Skyblaster', a fiendish blue beast with twin cannons on its back (ATK: 1100 -> 1600), which, as soon as it was summoned, spawned two weaker, paler clones of itself (ATK: 500 -> 1000). That wasn't too bad by itself, but my opponent also activated the Spell card 'Solidarity', increasing the Attack of all of his monsters further (Giant Germs: 1500 -> 2300/Skyblaster: 1600 -> 2400/Skyblaster Tokens: 1000 -> 1800), and revealed the Trap card 'Aqua Chorus', increasing the Attack of some of his monsters even more (Germs: 2300 -> 2800/Skyblaster Tokens: 1800 -> 2300).

"Well," I said, taken aback and trying to save face, "that sucks in so many ways, but you still can't get past my 'Supremacy Sun'."

I gestured at my monster, and he gestured impressively, reminding the enemy monsters who really had control of the field. They didn't seem impressed, either because they were hideous demonic creatures incapable of forming human facial expressions, or because my opponent still wasn't through with his turn. My opponent revealed a second Trap, 'Burst of Darkness', which can only be activated by a player who controls three or more Dark monsters. The card weakens opposing monsters up to the number of Dark monsters that its controller has in play. I watched energy from the Trap spread to my field, constricting 'Sun', weakening him just enough (3500 -> 2700). I was stunned. I'd underestimated my opponent at every turn and left myself vulnerable, and as I stood there, I wondered why. I'd come into this battle planning to take it completely seriously, and yet I'd allowed myself to be arrogant? What had I been thinking?

So as the Core Creature gestured again, directing the first of his 'Giant Germs' to slam into my 'Supremacy Sun' and destroy it (6700 -> 6600), I stood there, resolved to take this duel seriously from that moment forward. The second 'Germ' rushed forward, meaning to slam into me, and I deflected it with my Neo Dark Disk (6600 -> 3800). 'Skyblaster' opened fire, and I sidestepped the blasts, all except for one, which clipped me in the shoulder, nearly knocking me off of my feet and leaving behind a nasty burn (3800 -> 1400).

The two 'Skyblaster Tokens' opened fire as well. "Reveal," I declared, "'Quick Summon', calling 'Necro Guardna' from my hand."

A warrior in black and red armor appeared, his arms crossed defensively. He absorbed the blasts from the first 'Token', and was destroyed, but his spirit remained to absorb the blast from the second 'Token', preventing further damage to my Life. Despite myself, I smiled at the challenge placed before me.

This duel just got serious, I thought, and I get the feeling that its going to take everything I've got to win this one, and then some.

Rocky

My opponent waisted no time calling my bluff and proving my "Ultimate Shield" to be effectively useless. It played two Spells, both made of Shadows. One spread Shadows around my monster, draining him of his strength (4000 -> 3200), and the other wrapped the Behemoth in a dark aura, making him stronger. I only know how powerful the Behemoth became thanks to the damage I took from his subsequent attack (2800 -> 3500). The Behemoth tore through my monster, reducing him to dust, and slamming the ground so hard that I nearly lost my footing (3100 -> 2800). Then more darkness melted away from the Behemoth, and it slumped as it grew even nearer to its inevitable fate, even if its limited time on the field wasn't over yet.

Ria

I turned toward another of the many Shadow People, continuing to fight without hesitation. I knew from experience that it was best to think on my feet. I'd learned a long time ago that taking time to regroup just gives your enemies the chance to do the same.

So I set a card, and then I declared, "I tribute 'Combo Fighter' for 'Combo Master'!"

My monster, fit, well-muscled a young man wearing loose pants and a headband sharing the same yellow zig-zag pattern, matured into an older, more muscular version of himself (ATK: 2200).

"'Combo Master'," I comanded, planting my right hand on my almost-bare bikini-clad hip defiantly, "kill that 'Shadow Phantom'."

My monster unleashed a flurry of expertly-placed blows which dispersed the airy creature, sending it back to the Shadows, and leaving a Wisp behind (4000 -> 2800). I would have preferred not to leave the Wisp on the field, but at the moment I didn't have a choice, so I simply declared the end of my turn.

My opponent drew and wordlessly tributed the Wisp for a massive Shadow Behemoth, which roared so loudly that it nearly knocked me over. It reached out with a giant, clawed, paw-like hand and tore my 'Combo Master' apart (2700 -> 2100), leaving me picking up pieces. Lucky for me, I knew just how to go about turning those pieces into something great.

Rachel

"Time for my counterattack," I told my opponent, still struggling to ignore my brother lying on the ground a few yards away. "I tribute 'Cross-Wing', incidentally adding another 'Cross-Wing' to my Graveyard at the same time, to summon 'Phantom Beast Rock-Lizard'!"

My monster, a creature kind of like a centaur, except that it had a lizard body rather than a body of a horse, and its "human" body was more like a human-like lizard's body than anything else, replaced the many-winged bird at my side, drawing power from the three copies of my favorite monster in my Graveyard (ATK: 2200 -> 3100).

"I equip my monster with 'Fairy Meteor Crush'," I declared, "giving my monster Piercing, and I attack your Shadow Wisp, revealing my face-down 'Horn of the Phantom Beast'."

Horns grew from my 'Rock-Lizard''s head (3100 -> 3800), and he charged, tearing right through the Wisp and the Shadow Creature which it had been protecting, causing them both to melt right back into the Shadows. There were, however, plenty more where it had come from. Immediately another Shadow Creature stepped up to face me.

"I draw a card," I told my new opponent, "from the effect of 'Horn of the Phantom Beast', and I end my turn. Let's see if you're any better than your buddy."

I acted confident, and to an extent I was, because I was going to such lengths to keep myself that way, but I couldn't help take notice of the battles still happening all around me, at the poor direction that those battles were beginning to take. It was obvious that we couldn't keep fighting much longer. All I could hope to do was take as many of the enemies with me as possible when I went.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Eight]

Continuing Struggles


John

I drew a card to begin what I was well ware could be my last turn. When I saw it, I was more than a little bit relieved. It wasn't much, but it would give me a chance.

"In my Standby Phase," I declared, "I discard 'Mirror Ladybug' to activate 'Supremacy Sun''s effect, raising it from the Grave like the set sun rises above the horzon at dawn," my monster appeared behind me and rose up, glowing like the star that it represents, "and at the same time, I discard 'Card Gifter', allowing me to draw two cards."

I drew. I could have used my Destiny Draw, but I was still hoping to reserve it for something else later, so I took a chance that I'd be able to hold my own a little longer without it. I looked at my cards, and I was rather satisfied with what I'd drawn, In fact, I would actually get a chance to use my Destiny Draw for the purpose that I wanted.

"Next," I declared, "I summon 'Dark Manju'."

A dark-skinned almost serpentine creature that would have been humanoid in form if not for its literally ten thousand arms and hands, his eyes glowing red (ATK: 1400).

"When 'Dark Manju' is summoned," I explained, "I can send one card from my hand to the Graveyard to search my deck for a Dark Ritual monster and a Ritual Spell card and add them to my hand.

I searched through my deck and selected my cards, but my attention was split evenly between my own cards and my opponent. I was watching for a reaction from him, any reaction, but I saw nothing, so I just contiued with my turn.

"I play," I declared, "the Spell I searched for, 'Contract With the Dark Master'. I tribute 'Dark Manju', and remove 'Djinn Presider of Rituals' in my Graveyard from play to summon," the obese swordsman reappeared just long enough for he and the many-armed 'Manju' to be engulfed in flames, the flames swirling together, rising up, and then falling away to reveal a demonic figure with long sharp teeth and glowing red eyes, wearing a cape which flowed behind him like wings as he rose into the air, his clawed hands outstretched, "the 'Dark Master - Zorc' (ATK: 2700 -> 3200)!"

I held out my hand, summoning darkness into it, forming dark violet and purple swirled six-sided die with golden yellow numbers, the number one replaced by a golden moon and star.

I shot the dice across the battlefield, my Soul of Darkness flashing, "I activate my monster's Special Attack, and I use Destiny Roll!"

I gave up my Destiny Draw, but it was worth it. My Soul flashed brightly, and when the light faded, the dice had stopped just before reaching my opponent's feet, landing moon and sun up.

I smiled wide, "Critical Hit! Special Attack Zorc Black Magic Dark Catastrophe!"

'Zorc' rose into the air and raised his hands, summoning a huge orb of dark magic which he dropped onto my opponent's side of the field. It exploded, engulfing every one of his monsters, blasting them apart in an instant. 'Zorc' dropped to the ground at my side, his arms crossed defiantly.

"This next attack will end it," I said, my arms crossed right alongside my monster's, "'Supremancy Sun', attack with Solar Flare!"

'Sun' rose up and unleashed a wave of fire from the tiny star in his chest. The flames engulfed the Core Creature, swirling around him and rising high into the air (6000 -> 2500).

"'Zorc'," I commanded, "finish it."

'Zorc' summoned up more darkness in his palm, but he hesitated to release it. 'Sun''s flames fell away, revealing not an empty field, but a field containing two dangerous-looking monsters. One was male with long red hair, wearing a visor and black armor with long blades on the arms, a large sword sheathed on his back. The other was female, wearing lavender armor with a tall helm, carrying a large sword in one hand, held in a defensinve posture.

They were the Emissaries of Darkness, 'Gorz' and 'Kaiten', monsters which can only be summoned when their owner takes damage, either from the hand if their owner's field is empty, or from the deck with the effect of the Trap card 'Gateway to Darkness', which was fading from my opponent's field along with the last of the flames. 'Gorz' benefitted from the various card effects active on the field (ATK: 2700 -> 4000), and 'Kaiten' possessed Attack and Defense equal to the damage taken by my opponent to trigger her summoning (DEF: 3500). I scowled. Once again I'd completely lost my advantage, and once again I only had one chance left.

"I place one card face-down," I said, summoning up as much confidence as I could muster, "and end my turn."

This had better work, I thought, or this time I'm definitely going to lose.

Rocky

"Activate," I declared, "another 'Miracle Rupture', sending 'Stone Dragon' from my deck to the Graveyard to draw a card from my deck."

I drew again, and I smiled ever so slightly despite myself. Just because I might be more sensible than a lot of my friends, but I still do have a competitive spirit.

"Next," I continued, "I activate 'Card Destruction'. We toss out our hands, and draw the same number of cards."

I discarded my 'Alpha the Magnet Warrior' and 'Valkyrion the Magna Warrior', and my wordless opponent acknowledged my play for the first time, but only by discarding his own hand, consisting of a Spell card, two monsters, and a Trap, all made of Shadows like the rest of his cards. I drew my cards, and I couldn't help but feel excited. Everything was coming together.

"And I remove six Rock-type monsters in my Graveyard from play," I continued, "to Special Summon 'Megarock Dragon'."

Chunks of stone rose up out of the ground and merged together, forming a massive wingless, four-legged dragon which roared fiercely at the enemy monster (ATK: 4200). The Shadow Behemoth roared right back, despite the fact that it stood no chance against it's newest foe.

"My monster attacks," I declared, and 'Megarock Dragon' stomped the ground, knocking large chunks of stone lose from beneath him, into the air. He spun and hit the stones with his massive tail, knocking them into the Behemoth, crushing him (4000 -> 2600). He melted back into the Shadows, leaving behind not one Wisp, but two.

I frowned, Well, I know where this is going.

My opponent drew, and both of the Wisps disappeared, replaced by an even larger monster, still made of darkness. It was a hulking creature with enormous arms, wearing black armor. His vastly oversized fists, clad in spiked gauntlets, were clenched tight. It roared and Shadows emerged from the darkness around us, twisting into grotesque, half-hormed vissages of the Shadow Monsters that I'd already defeated during the duel. They swarmed my monster, and he roared with pain as those Shadows poured down his throat, leaving him coughing darkness. I watched as his Attack plummeted (ATK: 4200 -> 3000), "'Megarock', no!"

The Shadow Hulk rushed at me, and my injured dragon jumped forward to defend me. The Hulk beat with mercilessly, crushing him to gravel (2800 -> 2400). I'd been bested now twice, losing two of my strongest monsters, but I wouldn't give up. I'd seen Kimi fall. She and the rest of my friends were counting on me to, at the very least, hold these things off for as long as I could, and I refused to let them down.

Marco

My 'Armored Dragon' cut my opponent's Shadow Soldier in half, and it dissolved into a Wisp (4000 -> 3800). Immediately the Wisp disappeared, replaced by a Shadow Behemoth. I'd been paying attention and seen another of those monsters summoned. I knew how strong it was, and how dangerous. It reached out and cushed my 'Dragon' beneath its clawed foot (4000 -> 3100). I didn't care. Just as wordlessly as my opponent had destroyed my monster I moved on and drew my next card, and activated my Trap card, 'Immortal Dragon'. The battered 'Armored Dragon' rose up again, his injuries fading, and his armor mending.

Next I summoned a warrior in pink armor forged to resemble a dragon, my 'Dragonic Warrior', and played the Spell card 'Dragon Unit Ritual', merging my monsters into a larger, stronger 'Armored Dragon' wearing 'Dragonic Warrior''s armor, and carrying his oversized sword. He was one of my strongest monster, the powerful and ferocious 'Dragonic Knight' (ATK: 2800). I equipped him with 'Dragon's Treasure', and a crystal set itself into the armor over his chest, glowing brightly, wrapping him in an aura or power (ATK: 2800 -> 3100).

"Attack," I comanded, ignoring the voice of the other me in my head saying, Finally he speaks! I was starting to think he'd forgotten how. My dragon lunged forward, cleaving the Behemoth in half at the waiste, sending it back to the Shadows, leaving two Wisps behind (3800 -> 3500).

I set two cards in pointed silence and waited to see what my opponent would do next.

Ria

"You can't outmaneuver me so easily," I told my un-talkative opponent. "I summon 'Monk Fighter', and reveal the Trap card 'Lone Wolf'. Because 'Monk Fighter' is the only monster I control, 'Lone Wolf' makes him practically immortal. And because 'Monk Fighter' fights with his entire being, he absorbs all of the battle damage from every attack made against him, so I don't take any battle damage when he fights. I also play 'Kaminote Blow'! During this turn, any monster that battles my 'Monk' will be destroyed automatically."

My monster, a fit young man in modest garb, was wreathed in an angry aura so strong that it shook the ground (ATK: 1300). He lunged at the enemy's Behemoth, putting his fist right through the Behemoth's head. The Behemoth melted back into the Shadows, leaving two of those little Wispy things behind, which disappeared as soon as my opponent drew, replaced in an instant by a lithe, snarling, wolf-like Shadowy Beast creature. The Beast roared, darkness pouring from it. It seemed to grow a bit weaker, but my 'Monk' definitely did. He slumped, out of breath, choking on darkness as his aura faded. My conection to my monster was strong enough that I could sense what had happened.

"It weakened itself," I said aloud, taked aback, "to strip my monster of its Attack and its effect! If that thing attacks me now, that could be it."

I didn't know how strong the enemy monster was, or how much it had weakened itself to activate its effect, so I braced myself. It turned out, however, that I didn't have to. Just as the Beast lunged at my 'Monk', Thomas stepped in beside me, 'Flame Spirit Ignis' at his side (ATK: 1500/LP: 2300), and declared, "Reveal 'Widespread Ruin'."

The Beast exploded, leaving three more of those pesky Wisps behind, but I didn't mind, seeing how I was saved and everything. I stood literally shoulder to shoulder with Tommy, "Thanks, that one woulda been bad."

"It would have finished you. That monster had just enough Attack left to take the rest of your Life Points."

"You can tell how much Attack they have?" I asked, impressed.

"No," Tommy replied, "but 'Ignis' can, and I can understand him."

"Good to know," I told him, "it might just give us an edge. Together then?"

Tommy smiled, showing once again just how serious he becomes when he's dueling, "Always."

He drew, "I summon 'Hinotama Soul', and I tribute it to activate 'Ignis'' effect, dealing you damage."

A living fireball appeared alongside the foxlike genie, with its many eyes. 'Ignis' held out his hand and absorbed the fireball into it, and then thrust his palm, unleashing a barrage of smaller fireballs, which struck the opponent directly (2800 -> 1400).

"And I chain," Tommy continued, "my 'Graveyard of Wandering Souls', which summons a 'Fireball Token' to the field whenever a monster is sent to my Graveyard."

A ghostly white flame appeared, circling Tommy and 'Ignis'. 'Ignis' held out his palm again, absorbing that fireball as well. "I tribute the 'Fireball Token'," Tommy declared, "to deal than damage again."

'Ignis' unleashed another barrage of fireballs, literally blasting the Shadow Creature apart, only to have another one step up to take its place.

"'Ignis' attacks one of the three Wisps," Tommy concluded, and 'Ignis' lobbed a fireball at one of the Wisps, sweeping it away in a wave of heat and light.

"I end my turn," Tommy announced, and our new opponent drew a card. I had no idea what it had planned for us next, with two Wisps still to work with, but I had a distinct feeling that I wasn't going to enjoy it very much.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Nine]

Declining Hopes


Rocky

I drew, and let out a sigh of relief, playing my newest aquisition without hesitation, "I activate 'Card of Sanctity'. We each draw until we hold six cards."

Once again my opponent actually responded to my actions, however superficially, when he refilled his hand, as I refilled mine. I chose to ignore the fact that he drew nearly as many cards as I did.

"Next," I announced, "I activate 'Burial from the Different Dimension', returning 'Stone Dragon', 'Alpha the Magnet Warrior', and 'Valkyrion' to my Graveyard, and I play 'Monster Reincarnation' and discard 'Gamma the Magnet Warrior' to return 'Valkyrion' to my hand. Next I play 'Dark Factory of Mass Production', returning three Normal Monsters from my Graveyard to my hand as well. I choose 'Stone Dragon', 'Gamma', and 'Alpha'.

"Now," I declared, a little showishly, "I discard 'Alpha', 'Beta', and 'Gamma', the Magnet Warriors, to combine the three of them on the field," my monsters appeared and immediately broke down into various parts of various sizes and colors, which reformed into a tall, humanoid warrior made of stone magnet-themed parts, wearing a helm with curved blade-like horns protruding from its sides and a black visor, broad green wings spead from its back, carrying a sword and shield, "to summon 'Valkyrion the Magna Warrior' (ATK: 3800). 'Valkyrion', attack the enemy monster!"

'Valkyrion' glided forward and sliced the Shadow Hulk in half at the waste (2800 -> 2400), sending it back into the darkness from which it came, leaving three Wisps behind.

I scowled, Three of those things? I wonder what he could possibly have planned for three of them.

My opponent drew, and all three of the Wisps disappeared. I took a step back, bracing myself for what I knew already would be a monster somehow even more powerful and more dangerous than the ones that I'd already been fighting. In place of the Wisps appeared a creature which I can only describe as the shadow of a god. It resembled the legendary monster 'Obelisk the Tormentor', without spikes or horns or wings, instead wearing black armor, including spiked gauntlets and paudrons, and a helm adorned with a large metal crest in the shape of 'Obelisk''s trademark head protrusion. The immense creature raised its massive fist to strike, and I was nearly too stunned to react, but I still managed to trigger a card which I had set earlier, hopeing that this monster didn't share effects with the monster it resembled.

"Activate," I declared, "'Enemy Controller', changing your monster to defense mode!"

A giant game controller appeared, its cord reaching out and plugging into the giant's chest. It lowered its fist and assumed a more reserved stance. Good, I thought, it isn't as powerful as a real God Card, or it would have been immune to that. It does, however, seem to have just as much Attack as the real 'Obelisk', because it was strong enough to attack my 'Valkyrion'.

I drew, disappointed with what I'd gotten, Maybe, because its weaker, it will have lower Defense. I have to risk it, otherwise there's no chance at all that I'll destroy it this turn, and it will just destroy 'Valkyrion' anyway.

"'Valkyrion'," I commanded, "attack that Shadow God!"

'Valkyrion' swung his sword, but in that moment my opponent revoved from play a Shadow card which I'd forced him to discard earlier via the effect of 'Card Destruction', and a transparent black energy barrier appeared. 'Valkyrion' punched through the barrier, but he was slowed considerably, and when his blade struck the Shadow God, it was a weaker strike than what was normal. The God deflected the strike easily, dealing damage back to me (2400 -> 800).

Then my opponent revealed another Shadow card which appeared to depict a Shadow monster lunging at a regular monster, maybe 'Marauding Captain', and the God once again raised his hand, counterattacking against my 'Valkyrion'. The Magnet Monster was crushed to individual pieces with little effort, and the Shadow monster's massive fist carried through, glancing me as well, and I fell to my knees. Unable even to remain upright in that position, I immediately fell forward and blacked out.

Ria

Our opponent drew, and then played a Spell depicting one of the Wisps of Darkness, and the card became a Wisp of Darkness, which floated alongside the other two for a moment before all three of the Wisps disappeared, replaced by a massive Shadow God.

"'Ignis' says it has four thousand Attack," Tommy said, beads of sweat forming on his brow, "and thirty-five hundred Defense."

I looked over at him, and I saw that look in his eyes, the look that says "I'm about to do something completely stupid".

"Thomas," I said seriously, and I took his hand as the God raised its hand, to strike either of us, but Tommy slipped his hand out of my grasp, and he and 'Ignis' stepped forward into the parth of the strike, taking its full force themselves, making sure I wouldn't. 'Ignis' took the brunt of the attack, thank God, but Tommy was still sent spiralling through the air, landing, unmoving, far behind me. I let out a little scream and looked at the place where he lay, unconscious or worse.

He's alive, I promised myself, to keep myself from losing focus, he has to be. He just touched my hand!

Fear and sadness turned in an instant to anger, and I clenched that hand into a shaking fist, turning back to my enemy and said, "You fool, you just signed your own death warrant."

The creature set a card, but I didn't care, ignoring it as I drew my next card, beginning what I had dedicated my entire being to making sure was my opponent's last turn.

John

My opponent drew, and even on his detail-lacking face, I could make out apprehension as he eyed my set card. He knew how close he's come to losing only one turn ago, and I guess he was a more cautious gamer than I was, because where I would likely have attacked, he chose to consolidate his position by setting a card and waiting to see what I'd do next.

He must be planning something, I decided. Apprehension about my face-down card wouldn't be enough to stop a player as aggresive as this one unless he already possessed another way of dealing with my monsters

I eyed his face-down. I had a pretty good idea what it was, and I needed to get rid of it.

I need Destiny Draw, I thought, but I already used it to trigger 'Zorc''s effect, thinking I was about to make a final attack.

I was hesitant to draw, fearing that I wouldn't get anything worth using. What I needed was my 'Heavy Storm' card. It would solve so many of my problems that it was hilarious, but I also needed a monster strong enough to defeat the Emissaries of Darkness when their backrow support was gone. I really needed to draw 'Card of Sanctity', and then apply Destiny Draw to it, but there was nothing I could do about it now. I tried to focus, to balance my Soul's good and evil aspects with each other and myself to change my Soul into the Soul of Chaos, but it was no good. I couldn't focus. Summoning my True Soul had always been a difficult and unreliable task and now the same little voice which had suggested brainwashing the crew of Pegasus' ship was whispering an alternate plan into the back of my mind, a plan which I refused to carry out, and refusing it was just taking too much of my concentration. So instead I decided to just draw, and let come what came.

I picked up my card, and I turned it over, and I smiled. I still didn't have a Destiny Draw to apply to it, but it was something. I played the card, "I activate 'Card of Sanctity'. We each draw until we hold six cards."

My opponent and I rebuilt our hands, and I smiled again. At the very least I'd given myself a chance to live through the turn and, hopefully, get rid of my opponent's Trap as well. It would be costly, but I was running on fumes, and I figured it would be worth it.

"You really should have attacked me when you had the chance," I told my opponent, trying to throw him off center by turning the swagger up to eleven, "because my face-down card wasn't anything capable of stopping your attacks. In fact, it wasn't even a Trap. I reveal 'Soul Absorption', so that, from now on, whenever a card is removed from play, I recover five hundred Life. That, however, is only the beginning,

"'Zorc', use your Special Attack again," I commanded. The Dark Dice appeared in my hand again, and I shot it. It landed on a three, and I called out, "destroy 'Emissary Kaiten', Dark Catastrophe!"

'Zorc' called darkness down upon the field again, and the female 'Emissary' was destroyed in a flash of dark light.

"Next," I continued, "I tribute 'Zorc' for my favorite monster," 'Zorc' was engulfed in black and yellow lightning, which tore him apart, and then took the form of a muscular, dark-skinned man in a black robe covered in sinister-looking panels of yellow and black armor, wearing pauldrons with curved blades protruding from them, and a spiked helm in the shape of a metal hood, which wrapped his neck and chin and well as his head, "'The Fiend Megacyber' (ATK: 2200)! And I play 'Foolish Burial' to send a monster from my deck to the Graveyard, and I discard a card to play 'Monster Reincarnation', adding that monster to my hand."

There was a flash, and a monster slid from my Graveyard. Without a pause, I placed it upon my Duel Disk, "Because I control 'The Fiend Megacyber', I can Special Summon my next monster from my hand: the 'Megacyber Girl'!"

White, black, and yellow static built in the air next to my warrior, forming a female in angular plate armor similar to her male counterpart, covering her shoulders, arms, and legs, a black armored jumpsuit underneath. An armored visor beneath her long, braided yellow hair covered her eyes, and an array of blade-like wings hung in the air a few inches from her back. Blades wrapped her feet, running up the shins of her armor, making her legs into deadly weapons (ATK: 2000).

"Finally," I concluded, "I equip 'Megacyber Breaker' to 'The Fiend Megacyber', and I tribute a 'Megacyber' monster which was Special Summoned this turn to add the Attack of that monster to that of the equipped monster."

An enormous sword, longer than my warrior's body, appeared hoisted over his shoulder. It was little more than a long triangular slab of metal with a sharp edge and some futuristic parts afixed to the lower end, near the hilt. 'Megacyber Girl' turned back into static and merged with the sword, and those futuristc parts lit up, and the gray of the sword became the gray and yellow of the 'Girl''s armor. 'Fiend Megacyber' raised the sword above his head, his energy crackling with the energy of the 'Breaker' itself (ATK: 2200 -> 4200).

I paused, My monster is stronger than his. If I attack with both of my monsters, and my attacks get through, I'll win.

I looked back at my other remaining monster, 'Supremacy Sun', But if he has the Trap I think he has, and I leave both monsters in attack mode, I'll lose them both, and I'll need the last card in my hand to keep myself alive. I won't be able to revive 'Sun' again, not if I want to keep the card I draw next turn.

I considered doing what my opponent had done, and playing it safe. I could change 'Sun' to defense mode, and attack only with 'Megacyber', but then I remembered that I'd been able to accomplish so much only because my opponent had been cautious and waited to attack me. How much could he accomplish if I gave him the same chance? If 'Megacyber' failed, 'Sun' wouldn't last much longer either way, so I decided to take the risk.

"'Fiend Megacyber'," I commanded, "attack 'Gorz, Emissary of Darkness'!"

My monster swing his sword, unleashing a wave of static energy, which was caught at the last moment by a reflective barrier which sprung up around my opponent. The energy from my attack hung there for a moment, and then lanced back at both of my monsters and desroyed them. I scowled, I knew it. I knew his card was 'Mirror Force'.

I looked at my last card. I'd been right, and now that card was my last chance.

"I set a card," I concluded, "and end my turn."

Rachel

My most recent opponent drew its first card. It had inherited not just a Wisp from its predicessor, but a Shadow Soldier as well. It played a Spell, and the Soldier died, writhing in pain. I was surprised, but I understood what the enemy Creature was doing. A ghost of the Soldier split from its semi-solid body, which melted into a Wisp. The ghost surged forward, plunging right through my 'Phantom Beast Rock-Lizard', destroying it.

"Well," I said, "at least now I know that you're as stupid as you look, because destroying 'Rock-Lizard' damages you."

The pierced body of my 'Rock-Lizard' exploded, spraying my opponent with shrapnel, tearing away a chunk of his Life (4000 -> 2000), but the Creature simply didn't care, and it made good use of its new Wisp, tributing it to summon a Shadow Behemoth and declare a direct attack. My reflexes are good, so I was able to avoid the physical aspect of the attack, but I still lost Life (4000 -> 1200), and as I sidestepped, I saw my opponent set two cards.

I drew, "I play 'Fusion Sage', seaching my deck for a copy of the Spell card 'Polymerization'," I fanned out my deck and took the card into my hand, and I played it immediately.

"I use it," I declared, "to fuse 'Berfomett' and 'Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts' in my hand," a one-horned lion, and a demon with two curved horns and four powerful arms appeared and merged into a lion like creature with the heads of each, broad, feathered wings, and a snake for a tail, "to form 'Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast, and I immediately separate him with 'De-Fusion'."

My monster split into its two base forms, but this time they were already on the field rather than in my hand where they would do no good.

"I play 'Monster Reborn'," I continued, the four-winged 'Phantom Beast' appearing once again at my side, "to revive 'Phantom Beast Cross-Wing', and I tribute all three of my monsters for my most powerful monster," my monsters disappeared and were replaced by the lion-man who had battled Kimi earlier the same day, "my 'Beast King Barbaros' (ATK: 3000)!

"When 'Barbaros' is summoned," I explained, "using three tributes, he destroys ever card that my opponent controls."

My monster thrust his lance, and waves of energy poured from it, shaking the air, rippling across the field and tearing the enemy's cards apart, leaving only two Wisps behind.

"I attack a Wisp," I declared, 'Barbaros' piercing the small black cloud of darkness, "and I end my turn."

I forced myself to remain outwardly optimistic, but by now I was aware that many of us had fallen, Rocky among them, and even with 'Barbaros' to protect me, I was starting to wonder how much longer I could realistically hope to avoid the same fate.

Marco

My opponent wasted no time, tributing both of his Wisps for a giant, Hulking Shadow, which called the soul of other Shadow monsters from the ground and set them upon my 'Dragonic Knight', weakening him (3100 -> 2500). The Hulk attacked, crushing my dragon with his enormous fist, weakening me (3100 -> 2200).

That's it, I've had enough of this sidelines bulls**t, the other me said in my head, let me out!

I was aching all over from the strain of the Shadow Game and the force of the hits that I'd taken. I'd fought in a few Shadow Games before, but I'd also rarely ever fought one all the way through on my own. I wanted a repreive, so I agreed. My hair stood straight up and drained of color, and my consciousness receded into the back of my own mind.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Ten]


The Last Defender

Dark Marco

"Ah," I said, flexing my fingers with great relief, "finally. I've been itching to get in on this thing."

I shot my opponent a wicked, showy smile, "I only wish you were a sentient creature so that you could feel what I'm about to do to you, but oh well. Dark Draw!"

There was a flash of dark light as I pulled my spirit card. "Reveal," I declared, "the Trap card 'DNA Alteration' (2200 -> 1200), turning all monsters in both Graveyards Dark, and allowing me to Special Summon 'Dark Armed Dragon'!"

My monster, a huge black dragon in silver armor, spikes and drills protruding from his back and his various joints, appeared with a vicious roar, flexing his sword-like claws (ATK: 2800).

"I remove from play all monsters in my Graveyard," I declared confidently, "to destroy your Shadow monster, as well as the two of the three Wisps of Darkness that I expect you to summon."

My monster swung his claws, and waves of energy errupted from them and traveled along the ground, cutting the Shadow monster to shreds, and dispersing two of the Wisps that he left behind.

"Next," I declared with savage anticipation, "I reveal 'Dragon's Rage' which Marco set earlier, to give my Dragon monsters Piercing, and I attack the final Wisp."

My monster thrust his claws through the Wisp and dug right into my opponent (3500 -> 700), but he didn't seen to mind. In fact, he didn't react at all, which I found a little bit more than annoying.

"End," I growled, my dragon growling right along with me. My opponent drew his next card, and like a relentless machine he calmly summoned another of the Shadow Soldiers, and played two Shadow Spells, one of which increased the intensity of the Soldier's aura, and the second of which sapped the strength from my monster. His Soldier lunged and cleaved my monster's head off (1200 -> 800). I cursed as my opponent finished his turn with a face-down card.

Ria

I was done talking to this faceless, emotionless thing. I played my 'Pot of Greed' in silence, drawing two additional cards, and I set two cards, my 'Monk' standing defiant at my side, his Attack and his ability renewed, still protected by my Trap. At least he was protected until my opponent played a Shadow Spell which summoned the Shadows around and above us to reach out and pierce and destroy 'Lone Wolf'.

I smiled evily, Go ahead, walk right into my Trap!

My opponent silently commanded the massive Shadow God to attack, and I revealed my two set cards. I discarded my 'Gust Fan' and my 'Invigoration' cards, and my monster's defiance turned to rage, ala 'Rising Energy'. An aura flared around him, crackling in my ear, and his power soared (ATK: 1300 -> 4300).

"Kill it," I said simply, and my 'Monk' launched himself at the God, but before the two mighty creatures could meet in battle, my opponent revealed a Trap which caused his God to melt into a Hulk and a Behemoth.

"What?" I said as the two weaker monsters attacked my 'Monk', and he struck them down with ease, punching the Hulk clear through the chest, and kicking the 'Behemoth' back into the Shadows (4000 -> 2200). I was thoroughly confused, until my opponent gestured to the five Wisps floating all around him. They billowed violently and swelled, growing larger and swirling together as they rose up into the air, becoming a massive duplicate of the swirling vortex of Shadows which had started all of this in the first place. This Shadow Entity reached down like a funnel cloud, pouring over my field, destroying my monster, and dealing damage to me equal to his Attack (2100 -> 0). By the time the Shadow Vortex receaded, fading from the field, I was lying on the ground, unmoving.

Rachel

My opponent didn't waste any time proving my various apprehensions justified. It played a Shadow Spell which transformed into another Wisp, and my opponent tributed both of its Wisps to summon a Shadow Hulk, which struck my 'Barbaros' down with just one blow, reducing my Life Points to an uncomfortably low total (1200 -> 800). I gasped. The Shadow Game was really beginning to take its tole, but I was nowhere near ready to give up yet.

"I play 'Card of Sanctity'," I declared, renewing my hand, "and I play 'Monster Reincarnation', discarding 'Super War-Lion' to return 'Barbaros' to my hand."

I took my mighty beast from the Graveyard, exchanging it for another Beast, and I took 'Barbaros' and another card from my hand and placed then into my coat pocket, "Now, I remove 'Barbaros' and 'Machine Lord Ur' in my hand from play to combine them on the field," a red robot with beam guns for arms appeared alongside 'Barbaros', opening up to form armor which wrapped around him, the two beam guns transforming into energy lances which he gripped firmly, "forming 'Machine King Barbaros Ur'!"

My monster roared (ATK: 3800).

"But that's not all," I continued. "I increase the Attack of my monster with 'Megamorph'," my monster doubled in size and power (ATK: 7600), "and I increase his power further, and bypass his effect, which prevents him from damaging your Life Points, by playing 'Forbidden Chalice'."

My monster's beam lances glowed with holy light (ATK: 7600 -> 8000), and I commanded, "Kill that thing."

Beams of light errupted from 'Barbaros'' weapons, cutting right through the Shadow Hulk, slicing its master to pieces, sending him back to the Darkness, but leaving behind three of the menacing little Wisps for my next opponet to use to its own ends.

John

The Core Creature, of course, took full advantage of the opening that I'd left. Lucky for me he seemed to either have drawn a bad hand, finally, or he'd simply drawns Spell and Traps which he didn't yet need to play, because to my relief he didn't summon anymore monsters, only attacking with 'Gorz'.

I sighed, Even if he had summoned another monster, there's a chance that I would have survived, but this way I'll actually have some Life Points left to work with.

"Reveal," I declared, "the Spell card 'Residual Reflection', removing two monsters in my Graveyard from play to reduce damage from an attack to zero."

Tranparent images of my 'Megacyber Girl' and 'Dark Master - Zorc' appeared and deflected 'Gorz''s blades.

"This has the added benefit," I explained, "of restoring my Life Points via 'Soul Absorprion'."

Energy from the spirits of my removed monsters poured into me as they faded again from the field, and I felt the strain of the Shadows lessen upon my body (1400 -> 2400).

I smiled, forcing myself to appear confident, hoping that I could throw my opponent off balance, or at least confuse him, "You just keep coming, and I'll keep fighting you back until you've got nothing left."

My opponent didn't react, though I hadn't really expected him to. Honestly, my tough front was more for me than for him, I realize that now.

I glanced down at my deck, I survived one more turn, but something needs to change soon, or eventually that's going to stop happening.

Dark Marco

Frustrated by my inability to cause my opponent pain, I just wanted this whole thing to be over, so I said that as I drew, and smiled, "Well, this should help with that. I play 'Allure of Darkness', drawing two cards and removing 'Hunter Dragon' in my hand from play."

I drew again, and smiled, "Check this out! I play 'Burial from a Different Dimension', returning two of my removed from play monsters to my Graveyard, and 'Monster Reborn', reviving 'Dark Armed Dragon'."

My monster reappeared in a swirl of darkness and roared. I removed two more monsters in my Graveyard from play to unleash my monster's ability yet again, cutting down the Shadow Soldier and his Wisp, and I declared my dragon to attack. He breathed a stream of black flames on the enemy, incinerating him.

I laughed as another Shadow Creature stepped up, and I said, "Gimme your best shot!"

My opponent summoned a Shadow Phantom, which phased through my dragon and slashed me across the chest with its claws. I gasped and fell to my knees (800 -> 0). "When I said I wanted this to end," I said, "this really isn't what I meant."

My hair turned black and fell back down into the ridiculous style that Marco wears, and I blacked out.

Rachel

Another Shadow Duelist stepped up, tributing both Wisps to summon a Shadow Beast, which immediately slumped, weakened, shedding wisps of shadow which reached toward 'Barbaros', creaping up his body, draining his strength (3800 -> 0).

"No," I exclaimed as the Beast pounced, ripping my beast apart, hitting me with ribbons of darkness which trailed behind the monster's claws. I staggered (800 -> 0), and I fell.


And suddenly only Karen was left standing, holding back half a dozen monsters summoned by various Shadow Creatures with the glowing construct summoned up by her Soul in the shape of the 'Millennium Shield'. She was weakening, but when she looked around and saw that her allies had all fallen already, she redoubled her efforts. Her Soul flashed, and so did her construct, knocking the Shadow monsters back, and then the construct morphed into 'Black Luster Soldier', cutting the monsters to pieces. Karen stumbled, but she caught herself, looking with determination at the Wisps which formed. 'Black Luster Soldier' morphed into 'Dark Magician Girl', who blew the Wisps apart with a spell. Karen regained her footing, and 'Dark Magician Girl' morphed into a shining construct of the 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon', which unleashed its mighty beam at the Shadow Creatures which had summoned those monsters.

Karen, assuming that her enemies where defeated for the moment, dropped to her knees, gulping down air. She was trying not to let show just how exhausted she was, even allowing her construct to fade to conserve energy. Just then, in the cloud of dust kicked up by the dragon-construct's attack, she saw movement, and a Shadow Phantom emerged from it, barreling toward her. She stood, and her Soul flashed, vaporizing the Phantom, Wisp and all, just as its claws struck her in the chest. She staggered, and callapsed, unconscious, caught moments before she hit the ground by a lanky man with shaggy hair and a stubbly beard, wearing a lab coat over jeans and a t-shirt, who placed her gently at his feet.

Prof stood up to his full height and stepped past Karen to face the remaining Shadow Creatures. He looked around, "I'm not entirely sure what's happening here, but it looks like you've hurt quite a few people, several of whom are friends of mine, while trying to get past them to the young man fighting the more powerful being behind me."

He shored up his stance and activated his Duel Disk, the Shadow Millennium Eye gleaming, "Understand that you won't get by me so easily."[/spoiler]
[Spoiler=Chapter Eleven]


And Then There Was One

Three of the Shadow Creatures closest to me, two of which already seemed weathered from previous battles, turned to face me. A Shadow Phantom hovered beside each of the first two, and a Shadow Beast stood growling beside the other. I looked at each Shadow Creature in turn from left to right, through my Shadow Millennium Eye, and I could see their Life. The first of the Creatures still had all four thousand of its Life Points, the second, the one with the Beast at its side, had fourteen hundred, and the third Creature had full Life as well. Through the Eye, I could also see the strength of their monsters, and when I looked at the place on the Creatures' faces where eyes might be, I could see disjointed ideas and potential actions swimming in their minds, giving me an idea of their monsters' abilities. It was also thanks to this power of the Eye that I was able to see that the second creature had commanded his Beast to attack me in time to do something about it.

"Don't think you can attack me out of turn," I said as the Beast lunged, and I, in one fluid motion, drew six cards, and slapped two of them down onto my Duel Disk. My 'Kozaky', a sinister hunchbacked demon scientist wearing a labcoat, spikes from his back protruding through it, appeared encased in the magical barrier 'Heart of Clear Water', blocking the Beast's striking claws. My monster smiled smugly up at the Beast which he had bested.

I gestured tisk-tiskingly at the second Creature, "You're too hasty. You through away your turn, and now its my turn to attack you."

I summoned a giant robot tank with four arms, ending in a drill, a hammer, and two clamps, made of patchwork metal in the shape of 'Kozaky'. This was 'Kozaky''s personal battle machine, the 'Giant Kozaky'. It lifted 'Kozaky' up and placed him in the control center in its head, and 'Kozaky' took hold of the controls (ATK: 2500).

"Slay the Beast," I commanded coldly, and 'Kozaky' pulled one of the giant robot's control levers, compelling it to thrust it's spinning drill right through the Beast's head, ripping it apart and sending it melting back into the Shadows. I watched as remnants of the Beast formed three wispy entities which joined with another Wisp already hanging in the air at the Creature's side.

They're like Token monsters, I surmised, That these Shadow Duelists can use to ensure that they always have something to tribute. Clever, and dangerous for their opponents.

I set three cards, "Alright, gimme your best. I'm anxious to see the power that overcame my friends, and then overcome it myself."

The first of the two Creatures to control a Phantom drew a card, and then summoned a Second Phantom. The two ghostly monsters flew right at me, passing through both of my monsters, and moved to strike me with their claws, but they were repelled by a barrier which sprung up around me, from within my revealed 'Spirit Barrier'.

I smirked, "You'll have to do better than that."

The next Creature, the other one with a Phantom, played a Spell which transformed his Phantom into a silhouette of pure darkness, leaving behind a Wisp. I could see with my Eye that this was the distilled soul of the Shadow Phantom, and that if it touched either of my monsters, they would be destroyed. My opponent must have known that without 'Kozaky' to control it, my 'Giant Kozaky' would explode and deal me damage, because the Shadow Spirit lunged at 'Kozaky', but I was prepared.

"Good try," I said as I triggered a Trap, "but my 'Ultimate Offering' will allow me to dodge your effect by paying five hundred Life to tribute both of my monsters," 'Koazaky' and 'Giant Kozaky' disappeared and were replaced by a giant, muscular lizard man with green skin, wearing steel armor, flexing his long, sharp steel claws, "summoning my 'Gogiga Gagagigo' (ATK: 2950)."

The darkness hit the ground at my monster's feet, and he stomped it until it dispersed completely, growling viciously. The same Creature finished its turn by summoning an armored Soldier made of Shadows, and the final Creature drew, playing a Spell card made of Shadows which changed into another of the Wisps of Darkness, giving that particular Creature five. Those five Wisps rose up into the air and swelled, forming a giant swirling Shadow Entity, which immediately moved to bare down on my reptile. I could see what this thing could do, that it could wipe out any number of monsters and deal damage to me equal to their total Attack. If it hit my 'Gagagigo' I would lose three quarters of my Life Points all at once.

"Ooh," I said, smiling, "flashy, but here's a little flash of my own. Reveal 'Spark Breaker' to destroy my own monster."

Just as the Shadow Entity reached my monster, a bolt of lightining hit him, vaporizing him and dispersing the Shadow Entity all at once.

I smiled across at my opponents, "Not bad at all, but the three of you made one key mistake: you allowed it to become my turn again."

John

Thankfully as I began another turn, I was able to draw yet another card which might help me.

"I play 'Pot of Greed'," I told my opponent as I drew again, "and I follow up with one of the two cards I drew, 'Allure of Darkness'."

I drew two more cards, and then removed 'Twin-Sword Marauder' in my hand from play (2400 -> 2900).

"Now," I said, not even bothering to hide my releif, "I increase my Life Points even further by removing a Light and a Dark monster in my Graveyard from play to summon my strongest monster."

Light and darkness poured from my Graveyard, opening a doorway in the sky (2900 -> 3900).

"Special Summon," I declared as a warrior clad in ornate black and gold armor, carrying a curved sword and a jeweled shield emerged from the doorway, which closed, and stood by my side, "my 'Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning' (ATK: 3000)."

My monster didn't even wait for my command. He raised his sword above his head and swung it, slinging energy from its edge at 'Gorz'. The energy wave hit its mark, and 'Gorz' warped and disappeared from the field.

"My Life Points increase even further," I explained as ghostly energy poured from my 'Soul Absorption' card and reinvigorated me (3900 -> 4400). I allowed myself to relax for a moment. I was King of the Hill, but I was as aware as anyone else who'd ever played the game that no one hold such a post for long.

Prof

"I play 'Premature Burial'," I declared, my Life Points dropping again (3500 -> 2700), "to revive 'Gogiga Gagagigo'."

The armored reptile reappeared at my side with a roar.

"Attack," I commanded, and my monster lunged forward and sliced to bits one of the pesky Phantoms controlled by the first of my three opponents (4000 -> 2050), leaving a Wisp behind.

One more turn, I thought as I set a card, and all three of you will lose.

I looked past the three Creatures at the horde of others waiting behind them and frowned, It's all of you that I'm worried about.

The first creature played one of the Spells which summon a Wisp, and tributed two Wisps for a kind of Shadow Hulk with huge fists and thick muscles (ATK: 3400). The Hulk puched the ground, and spirits of Shadow monsters rose from beneath it and rushed at my 'Gagagigo', turning to smoke and causing him to double over, choking. The Hulk and the first Creature's remaining Phantom attacked together, only to be deflected by a barrier summoned by a trio of blue-robed monks, standing together, saying a prayer of safety.

"Reveal 'Waboku'," I declared, "protecting myself and my monsters from damage this turn."

My 'Gagagigo' managed to expell the rest of the smoke from his lungs, and he stood once again at his full height, and my barrier faded just in time for the next creature to draw and play two Spells, one which increased the power of his Shadow Soldier (ATK: 1700 -> 2400), and one which sapped the strength from my monster (ATK: 2950 -> 2150). The Soldier rushed forward and cleaved my monster in half, but my Life Points were spared damage thanks to my 'Spirit Barrier'.

The third Creature drew, and then summoned a Phantom to occupy its empty field. The Phantom flew forward and slashed me, tearing my shirt and my lab coat a bit, and making me gasp (2700 -> 1700), but I held my ground. I waited for Creature Three to set a card, before drawing one of my own. I was relieved when I saw it. I'd calculated that it would very likely be the next card I drew, but it was certainly nice to recive visual confirmation of my hypothesis.

I looked to each of my three opponents in turn, "Well, it's been nice knowing you."

John

The Core Creature wasn't shaken by my 'Soldier', but it was never shaken by anything. It drew, and matched my early turn extra draw with one of its own, playing 'Spellbook Inside the Pot', allowing both of us to draw three cards. He didn't react to his own cards either, but somehow I could sense that he'd improved his hand pretty significantly, but so had I. Or course I was well aware that, as strong as my opponent was, I might not actually get a chance to use them.

The Core Creature finally acknowledged my 'Soldier' by playing 'Dark Hole'. I watched, helpless, as a black hole opened in the center of the 'Mystic Plasma Zone', drawing my 'Soldier' into it and speghettifying him. Then the Core Creature summoned a monster of his own, the demonic 'Archfiend Soldier'. Between 'Mystic Plasma Zone' and 'Solidarity', the Attack of the skeletal, clawed demon skyrocketted (ATK: 1900 -> 3200). Its claws crackled with the energy of the Field Spell, and it swung them, jumping the energy to me (4400 -> 1200). I cried out. The pain was enormous! 'Soul Absorption' or not, this Shadow Game was really starting to put a strain on my body. I didn't know how much longer I'd last. I staggered, but I managed to catch myself before I could fall.

I was really starting to get sick of this duel.

The Core Creature set two more cards, and waited for me to make my next play. I only stood there, breathing steadily, collecting myself until, finally, I drew my next card.

"I remove 'Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning' and 'The Supremacy Sun' in my Graveyard from play," I declared, "to Special Summon 'Darkflare Dragon', which benefits from your Field Spell. This also increases my Life (1200 -> 2200)."

My monster, a vicious black dragon wreathed in fire, appeared standing behind me (ATK: 2400 -> 2900).

"When 'Darkflare' is summoned," I explained, "I can discard 'Eclipse Dragon' from my hand and 'Lightpulsar Dragon' from my deck to remove 'Phantom Skyblaster' in your Graveyard from play."

'Darkflare Dragon' roared, and several small suns formed around him, flying off toward my opponent's Graveyard, burning up one of the cards in it. My Life Points rose again (2200 -> 2700). I felt thankful that I'd decided to keep 'Soul Absorption' in my deck the last time I updated it. Without that card, I'd have lost a couple times over by now.

"Now," I said, "I attack 'Archfiend Soldier', and I think its about time we got rid of your pesky 'Solidarity' Spell. I play 'Mystical Space Typhoon' to destroy it."

A gust of wind tore my opponent's Spell apart, as my dragon breathed fire down on the 'Archfiend Soldier', burning him up (2500 -> 2000).

My opponent ignored this setback, revealing 'Robin' Goblin', and played 'D.D.R. Different Dimension Revival', summoning back 'Gorz, Emissary of Darkness', gesturing for him to attack (ATK: 4100). 'Gorz' dispatched with my monster effortlessly (2700 -> 1600). As my dragon fell, energy jumped from 'Gorz''s blades, knocking away the second to last card from my hand.

I was in pain, and I was nearly out of cards. I genuinely didn't know what I was going to do.

Prof

"I play the Spell cards 'Pot of Greed'," I declared, "and 'Graceful Charity'."

I drew, and then discarded two cards, my 'Brain Crusher' and my 'Brain Jacker'.

"Face-down," I declared, "and I play 'Monster Reborn' to summon my 'Brain Crusher' from the Graveyard."

A giant insect with a purple body, shining transluscent wings, and a posture like a dragon appeared at my side, roaring from its mandibles (ATK: 2400).

"But I'm not finished," I announced. "I still have 'Card of Sanctity'."

I drew six new cards, and continued, "Next I pay fifteen hundred Life (1700 -> 200) to play 'Autonomous Action Unit', summoning a monster from your Graveyard under my control."

A small probe appeared and burrowed into the ground. A moment later the Shadow Beast burst from the ground, the probe affixed to the base of its skull.

"I play 'Megamorph' on 'Brain Crusher'," I continued, my insect doubling in size (ATK: 2400 -> 4800), "and I activate the ability of the monster I took from you, reducing its Attack by one thousand to reduce the attack of your monster to zero and to negate its effect for the rest of the turn."

The Beast slumped, darkness pouring from it (ATK: 3100 -> 2100) and surrounding the Shadow Hulk, choking him (ATK: 3400 -> 0). I commanded the beast to attack, and it destroyed the Hulk, energy trainling behind its claws, hitting the Hulk's master, reducing him to wisps of Shadow which returned to the greater darkness all around us.

"Now," I continued, "'Brain Crusher' attacks the Shadow Phantom."

My insect bit down on the head of my second opponent's monster, reducing that Creature's Life Points to zero as well, and leaving the Phantom lying dead on the ground.

"And now for you," I told my third opponent. "I summon a second copy of 'Giant Kozaky', and to his summoning I chain 'Forbidden Chalice'."

The giant robot appeared again, wreathed in a holy light, and I smiled.

"'Forbidden Chalice' negates my monster's ability for the turn, allowing me to play 'Creature Swap' to exchange him for you Soldier," the robot and my opponent's Shadow Soldier traded places. "Now I end my turn, the effect of 'Forbidden Chalice' ends, and 'Giant Kozaky' explodes, taking you with it."

'Kozaky' lost his glow, and exploded, bombarding my opponent with shrapnel that shredded him and reduced him to a thin cloud of smoke. The the Shadow Phantom destroyed by 'Brain Crusher' rose up again, under the 'Brain Crusher''s control, floating at my side in defense position (DEF: 1000).

I'd managed to secure some powerful monsters, and to put up, if I may say so, a pretty spectacular fight, but as four more of the Shadow Duelists stepped up to oppose me, backed by at least a dozen more, I knew full well what was about to happen.[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Chapter Twelve]


The Heart of Darkness

I stared down at the last card in my hand. With both cards, I'd had some leeway, but now I'd have to draw exactly the right thing to even survive the turn. I could think of once card in my deck which could win me the duel right then and there, but even so late in the game, with so much of my deck gone, drawing it in one turn without Destiny Draw was incredibly slim. My head was starting to hurt, now. I could feel my dark energy tickling the back of my mind, looking to bleed through, but I wasn't desperate enough to let that happen, not yet.

I concentrated again. I tried to transform my Soul of Darkness into the Soul of Chaos. New Soul meant new Destiny Draw. Just as before, however, I couldn't find the mental balance to pull it off. The only other way I knew to call the Soul without Hiro's help was by finding balance amidst a crisis, and between the pressure of the Shadow Game, the whistering, itching sound in my head, and my situation in game all screaming at me at once, I just couldn't do it. I stared at that card, nearer to panic than I'd ever been before. I know now that some of what I felt at the time came from another source, from the darkness locked within my heart itself, looking to drive me to let it loose, but back then, I didn't know that. All I knew was that I was running out of time, and second chances.

Then I heard a subdued yelp of pain, and I turned to see Prof fall to an attack from a warrior-like monster made of Shadows which stood beside one of the many minions of the Core Creature. Three larger monsters stood by three other Shadow Minions, and as one, all of the Minions turned toward me, but I barely noticed. I was busy looking at Karen, lying on the ground, unmoving. Through the darkness that swirled all around us all, I couldn't see if she, or any of the others, were breathing.

That's when it became too much. I was no longer fighting for the greater good, or to defend myself, I was fighting to save Karen. I still didn't know the intensions of the multi-faceted creature hovering above us, but if I fell, Karen would be left completely exposed. Anything could happen. I panicked, unable to think, and then, for some reason, my eyes were drawn to the unconscious form of Marco, and I remembered something, and my panic subsided, replaced by anger. I looked once again at Karen, and then back at the thing which had hurt her, and I let that dark power out.

After all, I thought, if some kid can do it, so can I.

Now, looking back, I have no idea what I was thinking. I'd lived with that darkness my entire life. Even before magic, before I knew the nature of it, or how dangerous it really was, I knew to keep it bottled deep inside, because if I didn't, I might not be able to put it back again. I could feel, even as I let go, that that power had the potential to grow into something that put all of the evils that I'd ever fought to shame, but in that moment I didn't care. All I could think about was Karen, lying helpless, and saving her from the thing that had made her that way in the first place.

A black aura flared up around me, vaporizing the monsters controlled by the four Shadow Minions, and pushing the entire horde back away from me and my foe. With effort, I was able to reign the aura in, creating more like a barrier around me, so as not to hurt the other, and with even more effort I managed to hold onto myself, not letting the mind which drives my darkness overcome me, though I could feel it scratching away at the back of my mind. If I took too long, it would overcome me, there was no other way about it. Not only that, but I could already feel the darkness blackening my heart, tainting it, driving the light out of it, bit by bit. My hair fluttering in my own aura blackened, as I imagine my eyes did as well. My mind became clear and calculating, as it often had when I'd merge with Hiro, however this was different. I was just as cold as I was calculating, and just as indifferent as I was clear, and the longer the darkness licked my soul, it got worse. I could feel it happening, but with each passing second, I cared just a little less. I was renewed, however, and that meant just one thing: the duel was as good as over.

I smiled darkly and reached for the top card of my deck, my hand burning with dark fire. I pulled the card, dark energy pulsing from my hand, knocking my opponent back, and I called, "Dark Draw!"

Finally I'd drawn it, the one card which could turn this entire duel around, and the best reason for playing the last card left in my hand. I showed my opponent the other card first, and I declared, "I activate 'Soul Release'."

The spirits of five monsters emerged from my Graveyard and shimmered and faded away. Energy from them passed through my 'Soul Absorption' card and into me, and my Life Points increased again (1600 -> 4100).

My dark smile widened, "You don't even know it, but you lose. You would loose either way, really. As strong as I am now I could rip you apart as easily as I'd break an egg, but that's not nearly as fun. Instead I play my most powerful card, 'Dimension Fusion', opening up the Different Dimension and allowing each of us to call as many monsters as possible that we have removed from play."

The air shimmered overhead, and several monsters emerged from nowhere. My opponent's 'Phantom Skyblaster' reappeared, and my own 'Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning', 'The Fiend Megacyber', 'Megacyber Girl', 'Dark Master - Zorc', and Darkflare Dragon' dropped to the ground at my side. Several of my monsters benefitted from my opponent's own Field Spell card, but their Attack points didn't matter. With only two thousand Life Points left, any one of them could finish my opponent with a direct attack.

"I control this duel," I told my opponent, cooly and arrogantly, "and there's nothing more that you can do about it. My 'Black Luster Soldier' uses his Chaos Blade once again to send your 'Gorz, Emissary of Darkness' out of play."

I waited, but when my monster didn't respond my smile finally faded. I looked to my monster, and I could feel defiance rolling of of not just him, but all of them. Where I should have found this disturbing, in my current state I found it more interresting than anything else. Without even thinking, I reached out with the Soul of Darkness and I siezed control of their minds, forcing them to obey. Their eyes went blank, and 'Black Luster Soldier' swung his blade, banishing 'Gorz' from the field in a wave of light. With him gone, my monsters would have no trouble getting through his remaining defense.

With a thought, I commanded 'Megacyber Girl' to crush the 'Skyblaster', and she did, rushing forward on her bladed feet like a skater, and spinning and slicing the demon in half in a flash of white and yellow. My opponent was completely open now.

I took a moment to take everything in. I still had three powerful monsters ready to attack and destroy the Core Creature, and the others with it. I could even feel something resembling fear coming from the Creature, and I was enjoying it. This thing had threatened and attacked us. It had hurt Karen. I could feel it in my mind, and I hated it. It didn't deserve to exist. It was foul, and it was a threat to my power. I hated it from the many fragmented minds of its many aspects, right down to the strong, intelligent human mind burried deep within it.

"I finish it," I announced, but I'd begun to feel that something was wrong. Some detail was eating away at the back of my mind, some detail that the darkness flowing through me was preventing me from seeing clearly. With another thought, 'Fiend Megacyber' raised a fist, charged with energy, and sprung forward to strike the killing blow, but, thank God, it was at that moment that the detail clicked.

"Wait," I said aloud, "a human mind?!"

That's when my mind truly cleared, rather than just sharpening. I could suddenly see what I'd allowed myself to become. I was disgusted. My stomach churned, and I had to struggle to keep it from turning itself out. I had taken the form of a malicious thing which looked down on anything which didn't serve its purpose. I'd allowed myself to become the kind of thing that I fight against. I beat back my revulsion, and I did the only thing that I could think to do to begin to set things right.

I called out, "'Megacyber', stop your attack," but at the same moment I noticed that he'd already stopped. My moment of realization had broken the hold I'd put on my monster, and he'd stopped the attack himself, looking back at me, apprehensive, but expectant. I nodded, assuring the only monster which had been part of my deck since its conception that I was, indeed myself again.

I looked up at the Core Creature. Not the avatar that I'd been fighting, but the swirling entity itself. Darkness still flowing through me, through my Soul of Darkness, making my powers stronger, I could feel it, but it didn't make sense. "How," I wondered, "can you be human."

I took a moment to think, and I had an epiphany, Wait a minute. The Elite girl, Rachel, she said something that kinda reminds me of this. She told me all about that guy, Greg Hendriks, who was killed by Emperor.

I looked down at the artifact which I wore along with my Soul of Darkness, He used to wear this Shadow Millennium Ring, using it the spread pieces of his soul all over the world so that he could be basically omnicient.

I looked up at the Creature again, and felt the many franctured spirts which made it up.

Not franctured spirits, I realized, spirit fragments!

I remembered the Elite describing this thing's actions, how it first went for Prof, but now I was wondering if maybe it wasn't Prof it wanted, but the Ring which he, at the time, had worn, and its powers.

Then I thought, it came after me. With my darkness, I probably have more Duel Energy than anyone else on the planet. Amplified by my Soul and a couple of Shadow Millennium Items, it would be anough to cast one hell of a spell.

I'd begun to form a very clear idea of what this thing was, and what it was really after. Using so much of my willpower that it was physically exhausting, I managed to actually force my darkness under my control, despite its very vocal protests in the back of my mind, for only a few seconds while I focussed that dark power through the Shadow Millennium Ring, jump-starting its powers. The revelation of what the Creature was allowing me to overcome my darkness also served to restore balance to my heart, and in a flash of yellow light my dark purple soul with a shining yellow image of a large crescent moon wrapping a distant sun turned half purple and half yellow, the yellow half adorned with a purple moon, and the purple half adorned with a yellow sun. It had become the Soul of Chaos, a power which rivalled the darkness inside me and made it much easier to handle, though the two powers certainly didn't like to mix.

Using more power than I've ever even imagined using for anything before, I reached out and I connected my Soul to each separate spirit fragment in the Creature, through the Ring, and I pulled them all together, linking them to each other. The Creature swirled violently and lowered to the ground, sweeping up all of its various aspects, and then condensing down, down, down into the shape of a human being. My Soul returned to normal and I psuhed the last of my darkness back into the depths of my heart as the last of the Shadows fell away from him, and there he stood in the avatar of the Core Creature's place. He wasn't wearing any clothing, so it was easy to see how muscular he was. He was tall, with spikey brown hair and sharp features. He looked surprised, stumbing, but I caught him, and I watched as the intelligence returned to his dark eyes. I didn't recognize him personally, but as I helped him to find his footing, wrapping his shadow around his body, forming for him a stark black shirt and a pair of black jeans, I said, "Gregory Hendriks, I'm John, an ally to Rocky Stone."

I stepped back from the disoriented man, and I removed the Shadow Millennium Ring from around my neck, handing it to him, "I think this belongs to you."


I sat with everyone while the Elite told him everything. This powerful-looking young man who I could imagine taking the worst news in stride completely fell apart when he first heard that he'd been dead, and that it had been his own brother who'd killed him. We sat at a row of tables lining the arena room wall, where members would have gathered to eat and socialize while the base was in use. Greg sat at a table all his own, hunched over. He didn't seem to want anyone near him. When they finshed their story, there was silence for several minutes, and then Greg finally spoke.

"I'm not Gregory Hendriks," he said simply.

He looked over at the Shadow Millennium Ring, lying on the ground nearby where he'd dropped it, "I'm just leftover pieces of him, put back together into something that looks and sounds like Gregory Hendriks. The real Greg is dead, I don't belong here."

He closed his eyes sorrowfully, "My own brother, and I didn't even see it."

He kicked the Ring away. It skitted loudly across the stone floor, coming to a stop after a few yards. None of us knew what to say, except for Rachel. With a look of anger and frustration on her face, she stood up, walked over to Greg, and she puched him in the face. We were all shocked, too much so to say or do anything, though Rocky groaned a little, his eyes wider than I thought they could be.

"You asshole," Rachel said, tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, "none of us saw it, and believe me, some of us were more likely to see it than even you. Tim tricked everyone."

She paused, and I could feel the weight of her words. Tim had tricked her, too, and that was a particularly painful fact to her, more painful than I expected it would have been had he been simply a collegue or a friend. Suddenly I felt like I was spying on her, but then she continued, and I kept right on listening.

"And as for whether or not you're really Greg," she almost spat, as if she were disgusted, "I don't think you are."

"Rachel," Prof gasped, "don't say that!"

"But he isn't," she insisted vehemontly, never looking away from Greg, who refused to react to what was happening around him, "just look at him, sitting around and feeling sorry for himself. Greg wouldn't do that. He'd still feel it. I know he feels stuff, but he'd keep functioning through it all, and he'd work it out , because he's strong. He's the strongest person I know."

She glared down at him, "The way I see it, it's your choice who you are, and you decided not to be Greg the moment you said it out loud."

She wound up to punch him again, but the moment before her fist would have met with his face, his palm came up and caught the blow. Greg stood up, imposingly, towering over Rachel who wasn't so short herself, being about my height. His face was stern. Rachel looked up at him and smiled, "Welcome back, Greg."

There was celebrating after than. Prof, Rocky, and a reluctant Marco brought the surviving food and water from an adjoining chamber and we all ate and drank something, and then the Elite members led the rest of us into another adjoining chamber, a complete synthetic environemtn complete with grass and trees, kept alive by UV lights in the high ceiling, powered by the same solar panels and generators which kept the rest of this base running. The majority of our group played soccer on a field far from the door, using a worn old ball which had clearly seen a lot of use. Even the reserved Charlie kicked the ball around a bit, Marco, Prof and Greg watching from the sidelines as he made a complete fool of himself. Karen prodded me to join in. I was pretty good at soccer, I'd had to be to help my sister practice over the years, but I refused, blaming exhaustion from the spell I'd cast, even though that had since passed. Instead I sat against the base of a nearby three and watched them play until they seemed tired of playing and began talking about parting ways.

I followed the group back into the arena room. Ria, who had really bonded with Rachel in the midst of competition, was reluctant to say goodbye to her new friend, and Rachel was busy reasuring her that they'd keep in touch. That's when Greg approached me. I was apprehensive. I couldn't be sure how much he remembered from his time as a disembodied creature. I was worried that he'd bring up my actions, or that he's somehow deduced the source of my great Duel Energy, and that he wanted to confront me, but instead he offered me his hand.

"Thank you," he said, "for saving my life, or putting me back together, or whatever it is that you did. You must be very powerful."

I shook the offered hand, and I, relieved, shot him a goofy smile and assured him that it was nothing, really, that my Soul had known what to do, and that I hadn't really done much at all.

"Either way," said Greg, "thank you. I hope you and I meet again some day, but as allies, not enemies."

He smiled, and then his face went stern again as he turned to his people and said loudly to Prof, "So, I assume that because this place is still opperational that you failed to inform my benefactors of my death. Two years ago."

"Well," Prof responded, a big placating smile across his face, "I figured it wasn't that big a deal, this way we've got a place to go, just in case."

"It's fine," said Greg, looking toward the infirmary, clearly feeling guilty, "it means I can remain here and make sure Raphael gets back on his feet."

"And we'll be right there with you," said Rachel with a cheeky grin, indicating herself, Marcus, Marco, Charlie, and Prof, "you know none of us have any lives to get back to."

"We do, though," said Kimi, taking Rocky's arm territorially, "so we're gonna go."

"Yeah," Rocky agreed, "but Rachel, don't be a stranger."

"Except do," Kimi added with a false smile, and with a flash of her Soul, they were gone.

"We need to go, too," I told everyone, "we're supposed to be on our way somewhere."

"But good luck," said Karen, smiling, "and if you ever need us again, we'll be there."

There was some nodding and some goodbye-ing, and as soon as it died down my Soul flashed, and the Shadows reached up and grasped us, pulling us through them like a door. A moment later Karen, Ria, Thomas and I appeared on the deck of Pegasus' ship amidst astonished crewmembers who looked as if they'd been searching for us.

"Hey," I said, "what're you guys doing up on deck? We're supposed to be sailing to New York!"

I guess these guys were used to strange stuff happening, having worked for Pegasus, because they took this in stride, returning to their various posts. I grinned stupidly the way that everyone expected me to, but it was all an act. I got the feeling that it would be a while before I felt like myself again. I couldn't stop thinkning about what I'd been like after I let my dark power out. The mind locked away with that power was even worse, and I'd risked letting it out as well, and that was unexcusable.

I remembered how, under the influence of that darkness, I'd thought that foul things didn't deserve to exist, but I hadn't been the foul thing in that duel. As my friends returned to their previously interrupted activities, I stood there, unsure of what to do next.

If foul things don't deserve to exist, I thought, then do I?[/spoiler][/spoiler]
So as I did with the various books, I will link to this post on the first page. All chapters of the special will be posted here, with announcements further down the page whenever a new chapter is posted.

[legendhiro]

Ugh, I've been [i]ridiculously[/i] busy this week. New chapter soon, though, maybe even tomorrow.

[legendhiro]

Still no new chapter. Sorry about that. It takes time to write, and still more time to type, and I haven't had the time. What I have had time to do is carry my sketch book and drawing pens around with me and put together some images from the upcoming DF webcomic, even some test pages. Note this is all hand drawns and then assembled on the computer, and that the font is almost definitely not final, and that the character designs are sure to evolve as the comic progresses (and in fact already have in just the little time that I've been drawing it). Anyway, here they are. Don't laugh.

[url="http://i45.tinypic.com/w1qtlu.png"]http://i45.tinypic.com/w1qtlu.png[/url]
[url="http://i45.tinypic.com/2lvmrt.png"]http://i45.tinypic.com/2lvmrt.png[/url]
[url="http://i46.tinypic.com/24gt2eu.png"]http://i46.tinypic.com/24gt2eu.png[/url]
[url="http://i48.tinypic.com/34td739.png"]http://i48.tinypic.com/34td739.png[/url]
[url="http://i45.tinypic.com/2rf4mdt.png"]http://i45.tinypic.com/2rf4mdt.png[/url]
[url="http://i47.tinypic.com/2cp6pmd.png"]http://i47.tinypic.com/2cp6pmd.png[/url]

Yeah, John looks awful on the first page. I could change it, but I want to keep it for posterity's sake. By about page three we get the more final appearance of John (his face is shaped a little funny on page two), and we will see the rest of the original Duel Force in a few more pages. I plan I getting this comic up online soon. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd like to hear them first.

[Stigma_Horrizone]

It'd be better to draw the cards like those in the manga or else they'd be too messy, but overall is good


BTW, there's a pic of my chara and his ace in my siggy

[legendhiro]

So, and not for the first time, my login on this site simply stopped working with no explaination. Then life turned hectic and I simply forgot to check this site. My login works again (no joke, this really keeps happening and it pisses me off), and I'm back. Life is still busy, but I've reset my password again (just to be sure) and I'm back. I hope to keep working here, I've been working on my comic, found here, and I even plan to revive my Epic Battles thread with something that I came up with about a month back that I think is pretty cool. So if anyone is still around, there's that to look forward to.

 

Also, to prevent this happening again, I want to start posting my fics somewhere else as well. Once I figure out how that's gonna work, I'll let everyone know.

 

 

It'd be better to draw the cards like those in the manga or else they'd be too messy, but overall is good


BTW, there's a pic of my chara and his ace in my siggy

 

I'm working on learning to digitally add cards images, actually, whether the manga designs or the real life designs (I haven't decided), but I have practically zero skill with any image editing software. My art has really improved, though, you should check it out at the link above. I figure that I can only improve. As for the pic, I love it. Mind if I adapt it to my style for a cameo appearance or something? It would be fun.

 

 

Oh, and to all of my readers, remember how I said that I was going to consolidate several of my one shots into one book, and that Max was no longer going to get his own book? Well, I changed my mind. Yu-Gi-Oh! Reaper is back on.

[Stigma_Horrizone]

 Mind if I adapt it to my style for a cameo appearance or something? It would be fun.

sure

[legendhiro]

Oh, and yeah, so I added something called Advanced monsters to my Fics, primarily my DE and DA Fics. I was asked once what they were exactly, and never descibed them in detail. Advanced monsters are a unique kind of monster that a Soul Wielder or someone else with strong magic can use. They manifest it with their own magic and it is an upgraded form of their favorite monster that is somehow dependant on that monster to be summoned. In terms of RL game mechanics, regardless of the card type of an Advanced monster it is put into the Advanced Deck, a sort of second Extra Deck, and any one Duelist can only have one Advanced monster in their Advanced Deck. Once per game, instead of drawing, the Duelist can draw the card from their Advanced Deck, but if they don't use it before the End Phase of the turn, it returns to the Advanced Deck.

 

Example of an Advanced Monster:

[spoiler=Effect]

This card can only be Special Summoned by Tributing 1 "Aqua Spirit" that you control. While face-up on the field and in the Graveyard, the name of this card is treated as "Aqua Spirit". Monsters which have had their battle position changed since the end of your last turn cannot change their battle position. Once per turn you can change the battle position of one monster on the field. If you do, decrease the ATK and DEF of that monster by 500, and increase the ATK and DEF of this monster by 500.[/spoiler]

 

Just wanted to throw this out there. New stuff coming soon. I'm working on a few things right now, and I'm trying to find my stride. ;)