[LOCK PLEASE] [The Final Episode] Yu-Gi-Oh! D-Accel: Episode 74/75: The Ultimate End Game

[Synchronized]

 
 
Table of Contents

[spoiler=Creating Perfection Arc (1-15)]Episode 1: Defiance in the Name of Morality
Episode 2: Ride the Challenge
Episode 3: The Dark Before the Dawn, Part One
Episode 4: The Dark Before the Dawn, Part Two
Episode 5: Time to Bounze Back
Episode 6: Chaos Echoes
Episode 7: The Mystery Unravels, Part One
Episode 8: The Mystery Unravels, Part Two
Episode 9: A True Test of Strength
Episode 10: The Invasion Begins
Episode 11: A Letter from a Friend
Episode 12: I Must Break the Seal!
Episode 13: Escaping Perfection
Episode 14: The Bigger Picture, Part One
Episode 15: The Bigger Picture, Part Two[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Houshou Arc (16-25)]
Episode 16: Underlying Messages
Episode 17: A Mysterious Challenger Arrives, Part One
Episode 18: A Mysterious Challenger Arrives, Part Two
Episode 19: A Mysterious Challenger Arrives, Part Three
Episode 20: The Assassin's Failure
Episode 21: The Power of Illusion
Episode 22: Corrupted by Darkness, Part One
Episode 23: Corrupted by Darkness, Part Two
Episode 24: I Will Protect You!
Episode 25: Return of the Duelist! Go, Excalibur![/spoiler]
[spoiler=Alice's Arrival Arc (26-37)]

Episode 26: Sweet or Sour, Part One
Episode 27: Sweet or Sour, Part Two
Episode 28: Turn Up the Heat, Part One
Episode 29: Turn Up the Heat, Part Two
Episode 30: Turn Up the Heat, Part Three
Episode 31: The Scars of Betrayal
Episode 32: Unfinished Business
Episode 33: Written in Stone, Part One
Episode 34: Written in Stone, Part Two
Episode 35: Written in Stone, Part Three[/spoiler][spoiler=Grand Tournament Arc (36-50)]Episode 36: Cure for Defeat
Episode 37: Preparing for the Grand Showdown!
Episode 38: Illusions of Grandeur
Episode 39: The Ultimate Comeback
Episode 40: Thunder Clash, Part One
Episode 41: Thunder Clash, Part Two
Episode 42: Howl, Terrorfang!
Episode 43: Twist of Fate, Part One
Episode 44: Twist of Fate, Part Two
Episode 45 & 46: Duel Overload
Episode 47: The Countdown Begins
Episode 48: Winged Illuminator! Sora's Ultimate Sacrifice
Episode 49: Chaos-End Game, Part One
Episode 50: Chaos-End Game, Part Two[/spoiler][spoiler=Ultimate Battle Arc (51-62) Part 1]Episode 51: Move Forward! The Final Battle Begins!
Episode 52: Noble Victories, Part One
Episode 53: Noble Victories, Part Two
Episode 54: Pulling the Strings, Part One
Episode 55: Pulling the Strings, Part Two
Episode 56: Linked Together
Episode 57: An Unlikely Alliance! The Smarts and the Resilience!
Episode 58: Slashing Winds! Air Blade!
Episode 59: All or Nothing
Episode 60: The Valley of Souls Part 1/3
Episode 61: The Valley of Souls Part 2/3
Episode 62: The Valley of Souls Part 3/3[/spoiler]
 
The Valley of Souls Arc (Current) 

Episode 63: Foolish or Courageous? Calion's Hasty Decision!
Episode 64: The Hidden Objective
Episode 65: The Force of One
Episode 66: The Royal Palace, Part 1
Episode 67: The Royal Palace, Part Two
Episode 68: The Clash of Storms
Episode 69: The Power of Heritage
Episode 70: The Final Clash! It's all on the Line!
Episode 71: Clash of the Elements
Episode 72: The Pre-Finale, Part One
Episode 73: The Pre-Finale, Part Two
Episode 74: The Ultimate End Game, Part One
Episode 75: The Ultimate end Game, Part Two

Character Bios

First Installment

[Synchronized]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][b][spoiler=Chapter 1: Defiance in the Name of Morality][/b]

[font=courier new,courier,monospace][size=3]“This kind of technology is not only top-secret, but currently in development, as well. For us to risk anyone gaining word of it is absolutely not a chance I’m willing to take. Do you understand what that means?” The man, Takumi Moreno, spoke to his colleagues, seated around a large, wooden table in one of the most modern, up-to-date conference rooms one could find.

Seated around him were people of various shapes, cultures, and sizes. However, the one thing they all had in common was their place amongst the world’s top Duel Monsters Development Team – CodeEngine, or CodEn for short. As the years progressed, they had slowly worked their way towards the top of the food chain, so-to-speak. And with last year’s budget crisis, had finally been able to surpass KaibaCorporation as the world’s premier dueling design organization. The news came as a surprise to few, but seeing KaibaCorp go out of business nearly one-hundred years after its original rise to power was a shock to some, particularly those who had seen the company rise from its early stages to a powerhouse monstrosity.

The technology he was referring to was something revolutionary. Something he himself had designed and come up with, keeping it from almost everyone except those who needed to know bits and pieces to aid in the construction.

The original inspiration for the design was the Duel Runner, a popular vehicle used for travel and for "Speed Duels" in the city, fifty years earlier. After a while, these types of duels began to fall out of favor, and eventually, became irrelevant altogether. What remained of the Duel Runners became methods of travel for those who couldn't quite afford something better.

Dueling had once again became an on-foot competition, and he had no intention of changing that by reviving the concept of the Turbo Duel. What he did plan to do, however, was create an incredible energy source using the technology that allowed the Duel Runner to be constructed in the first place.

This system, of which he had not yet come up with a name, would allow Duelists to ride on the Runners, completely re-vamped and brought up-to-date, whilst attaching their D-Disk to the bike's mainframe, allowing normal duels to take place whilst traveling. The point? Generating energy. Each vehicle would have a variety of chips, using all sorts of technology and drawing power from the duels themselves as well as the passion of the duelists, to power and maintain the entire city.

There were some risks, but he had people for that. A few disposables, you might say. People who would be responsible for testing these new machines, and should there be no failures, CodEn could mass release them, making more than sufficent amounts of money as people hopped onto the latest trend. In addition, the company's standing in the public and professional eye would multiply tenfold.

"With this technology here today, that I will be revealing to all of you for the first time, I have put my life's work." Takumi spoke, as the people seated around the table began to chatter anxiously amongst themselves; many of them were very interested in seeing this new design after months and months of rumors. Would this finally be the tool to propel them to superstardom?

As he reached for the curtain covering the board which stood before them,

- - -

The one and only Runner of its kind, the V-Duel, was being sped down a sidestreet in the darkness of the night, the only vehicle on the road in Neo Domino at all. Takumi's assistants had been working on getting the product finalized, and at long last, the test bike had been completed. Of course, the only way to transfer it that far across town was to travel at night, where no one would see it and wonder what was going on, noticing the incredible differences between the old Duel Runners and this modern technology.

Terrance gripped the handles tight, almost losing control of the bike as he took a swift turn around the corner, passing the Domino City Duel Stadium, which had actually been packed earlier in the day with a big event, but was now empty, aside from maybe a security guard or two. They were of no concern. He had to get the bike to the CodEn headquarters quickly, and without notice. Those had been the orders he received, and going against Takumi was not a mistake he intended to make. However, the bike was shaky; it was far from perfected, and he could tell just from driving it that plenty of things would need to be changed before a product of the sort could be mass released.

Terrance was only twenty-five years old, but he had been working and designing duel technology for almost ten years, and had gained quite a reputation for it amongst those in power. Before KaibaCorp had been usurped, they had contacted him many times to assist in the process, and now CodEn was doing the same thing. Only difference, these people weren't normal businessmen. They had scary connections, and it wasn't a matter of whether or not he wanted to do the business. Rather, a matter of whether or not he wanted to remain in one piece of suffer the consequences.

The bike was powered throughout a series of underground networks, all of which generated energy. With this new technology, the bike would then take that energy and transfer it through different networks, and these networks would transport it to a main collection panel in the city, where it would be used to power anything and everything that needed it. The problem was the risks involved. Duel Monsters had a known history of strange occurences, including but not limited to Zero Reverse, which had happened over fifty years earlier. Most people had forgotten, but there were some who were alive to witness it happen, and the memories were more than evident.

Terrance of course, had not, but he'd heard many stories, and knew the dangers involved in a project like this. While its intentions were beneficial, CodEn's lack of concern for the outcome was not. This was a money project, no doubt about it. The more intense and passionate a duel was, the more energy the bike would generate. How much energy it would take to cause another devastating catastrophe like Zero Reverse years before was unknown.

The bike had a much sleeker frame, metallic in color, with the most up-to-date, reinforced tires that could handle any sort of conditions. Takumi's plan was to harness this technology to create all kinds of duel scenarios, taking the game to new heights that people had never seen before. Duels in mountains, forests, you name it - but the risks were very real.

Control-wise, it seemed to run fine. But even then, he wasn't sure.

"What's the status on the transportation?" A voice came over the radio, muffled so as to hide the identity of whoever was speaking.

"On my way as we speak," Terrance replied, keeping his eyes focused on the road ahead. "It seems to be testing alright, but I'm not sure I'd trust it. This is far from complete."

"That's no concern of yours," the voice said, superiority behind it. "Do not involve yourself in this business. You were asked and paid to construct it. From there, we will handle it. All you have to do is leave it at the instructed location, and from there, its as if this never happened. That was the contract you signed. You are aware of this, aren't you?"

"Right..." Terrance was hesitant to comply, if only because he knew of the possible outcomes. If something were to happen, this would be the only opportunity to stop it. Once CodEn had this technology in their hands, there would be no way to stop a release of the sort. This was the kind of thing people would jump onto almost immediately, especially duelists who were looking to up their game or increase how well they were known. But what could happen...

As the caller hung up the phone, he continued to ride, his mind starting to wander in a variety of directions, many of which did not yield positive thoughts. Loosely gripping the handle and not paying much attention, he felt the bike jolt to the side, and quickly lost control, remembering nothing but the glow of a street light as he collided with the side of the stadium wall, passing out almost instantly.

- - -

Hours must have passed before he woke up, but it was still dark. Everything seemed unfamiliar, but he was snapped back to reality as a kid stood over him, probably no more than seventeen years old. He was by himself, it seemed, standing directly in front of the street light, doing his best to keep the light out of Terrance's eyes.

Somebody else out here at this out? There was no way...quickly he sat up, shocked. The bike! Where was it? What kind of condition was it in? He was supposed to have it there before morning and he had no clue what time it was – or where he was, for that matter.

“Nice to see you're alive,” the kid said, extending a somewhat smaller hand to help him to his feet. Terrance complied a bit unknowingly. “You're lucky, that was a rough shot. You seem to be a bit bruised up, but aside from that, I'm sure you're fine. What's weird, though, is the bike hardly suffered any damage at all. Nice ride you got there.”

Terrance glanced over towards the wall he'd collided with. There was a decent-sized dent in the wall, but the bike, which had been stood up and was now leaning, had very little damage. “Thanks...I guess. Hey, how did you find me out here? It's not exactly a common time for people to be out on the street.”

The boy rolled his eyes. “Like I listen to those rules. Anyway, I was taking my own Runner for a spin; looks like great minds think alike, I suppose. Yours is unique though, I must say. I wasn't aware people were still riding these, never mind making new ones.”

Something was off. He wasn't sure what it was, but Terrance sensed a hint of sarcasm in the boy's voice, as if he knew something, but wasn't saying it. [i]Is he a CodEn agent? Is this some kind of test, they sent someone out to make sure the job got done properly? I don't get it...[/i]

“It's uh...just a hobby of mine,” Terrance replied, unconvincingly. “Something I do in my spare time. I build 'em.”

“Same here, mate.” The boy looked towards the bike, then back. He brushed his dark brown hair to the side, clearing his face. “Only difference is, you're rockin' a Pilot Chip. I've heard of 'em, never actually seen one. The panel cover was knocked off the bike, so I fixed it up. Couldn't help but notice. That's far from legal, you know.”

There was the clincher. It made sense now – Terrance realized he was dealing with someone close to his own level of intelligence, at least when it came to dealing with Duel Technology. He was right – Pilot Chips weren't legal for use in anything; of course, the amount of energy they could generate was risky. However, Takumi had ordered its use, and he wasn't going to go against orders. “If you know about the chip, you must be into some sort of not-so-legal research yourself. It's not exactly public information.”

“Didn't say I wasn't. But that's my business.” He reached into his pocket for a moment, feeling around for something, and pulled out a small data chip, no bigger than a piece of cereal. “I believe this is yours.”

“The Pilot Chip!” Terrance growled. “You disconnected it?!”

“I did,” he nodded. “But I'd be more than happy to re-install it. All I'd like in return is one thing.”

“What's that?” This wasn't looking good; he was already hours late for the mission.[/size][/font][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][font=courier new,courier,monospace][size=3]“A duel.”

“Right now?” Terrance asked. “It's the middle of the night, are you crazy? There's no way we won't attract some sort of attention.”

“That's the fun of it, no? And besides, I ain't talking about a regular duel, mate.” He walked over to the edge of the sidewalk, revealing a bright red Runner, looking sleek and newer than Terrance's own model. “We've both got some new rides, let's test 'em out.”

[i]There's no way he could have an interframe like this one...could he?[/i] What should he do? He had to get that chip back. Might as well test the Runner while he was at it. “I'm not sure I'm in any condition to ride, but you've got it.”

“Let's do this.”

Limping, he pulled himself over to the bike. This was only the beginning, wasn't it? Somehow he couldn't shake that feeling.[/size][/font]

[b]To be continued...[/spoiler][/b][/font][/size]

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

(was writing feedback when you bumped)

Hi di hi Galaxy. Good to see you writing again.

Hmmm...

First of all we have a board meeting among corporate characters. Well it's a logical starting point. And the head honcho is corrupt. That is also fairly normal

So the big money making scheme is.... to bring back D-Runners about forty years after they went out of fashion, and to make riding duels just normal duels. But on motorcycles. But regular rules, with normal continuous and field spells (how do you project a field spell while on a bike?) and no real USP (unique selling point) other than the novelty of .

Umm... yay?

It's just doesn't seem a likely business idea. Yes things come back into fashion for a while but...

And the plan is to generate energy, which I think will be diverted into some big machine OF DOOM! DOOOOOOM!!!

Anyway, so we get to our man Terrance. (Best name for a hero since FF4's Black Knight turned Paladin Cecil). However I suspect he might not be the hero, but I'll come to that. Would be nice to see another fic not just introduce us to the hero straight away. So this guy has made a bike, but hasn't made it that well (fair enough if he's been forced to rush by someone with a cloaked gun). Him crashing into the wall on that alone was a bit 'wut?' given his assossiate with bikes. He could at least have been forced off the road by a truck or something.

One thing that really annoyed me though was the reference to Zero Reverse fifty years ago. And how people forgot about it in that time. That simply would not happen. A massive catastrophe would not be forgotten about that fast (yes, fifty years is fast). Yes people would try to sweep it under the carpet especially when engineering plans of evil with similar technology but people just wouldn't forget after a generation. In fact a lot of the ideas are just too much like 5D's. There's not that much original content to get excited about.

So hours later, he wakes up, to find some kid standing over him who is threatening with taking this part. Rather than just walking off with it while he was out? Again, um, obviously he has a hidden agenda to want to duel, but it just seems a bit illogical and things are happening 'cuz plot'. Which we're all guilty of, but at the minute its all a bit too much 'what is going on?' and a bit too much 'why'd he do that?' (Oh, hello Mr Pot). I suspect the kid is going to waste our poor unfortunate Terrance, and the real hero will emerge later. Or Terenance is the hero, gets his ass handed to him first duel, and recovers (while being hunted by CogEN). That would be cool.

The chapter title also irritated a little. Terrance has already proved he doesn't defy in the name of morality (or at least doesn't think about doing so until the absolute last second)

Has potential, but some early promise seems a bit wasted a little

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Majestic Star Bahamut' timestamp='1339777701' post='5957346']
(was writing feedback when you bumped)

Hi di hi Galaxy. Good to see you writing again.

Hmmm...

First of all we have a board meeting among corporate characters. Well it's a logical starting point. And the head honcho is corrupt. That is also fairly normal

So the big money making scheme is.... to bring back D-Runners about forty years after they went out of fashion, and to make riding duels just normal duels. But on motorcycles. But regular rules, with normal continuous and field spells (how do you project a field spell while on a bike?) and no real USP (unique selling point) other than the novelty of .

Umm... yay?

It's just doesn't seem a likely business idea. Yes things come back into fashion for a while but...

And the plan is to generate energy, which I think will be diverted into some big machine OF DOOM! DOOOOOOM!!!

Anyway, so we get to our man Terrance. (Best name for a hero since FF4's Black Knight turned Paladin Cecil). However I suspect he might not be the hero, but I'll come to that. Would be nice to see another fic not just introduce us to the hero straight away. So this guy has made a bike, but hasn't made it that well (fair enough if he's been forced to rush by someone with a cloaked gun). Him crashing into the wall on that alone was a bit 'wut?' given his assossiate with bikes. He could at least have been forced off the road by a truck or something.

One thing that really annoyed me though was the reference to Zero Reverse fifty years ago. And how people forgot about it in that time. That simply would not happen. A massive catastrophe would not be forgotten about that fast (yes, fifty years is fast). Yes people would try to sweep it under the carpet especially when engineering plans of evil with similar technology but people just wouldn't forget after a generation. In fact a lot of the ideas are just too much like 5D's. There's not that much original content to get excited about.

So hours later, he wakes up, to find some kid standing over him who is threatening with taking this part. Rather than just walking off with it while he was out? Again, um, obviously he has a hidden agenda to want to duel, but it just seems a bit illogical and things are happening 'cuz plot'. Which we're all guilty of, but at the minute its all a bit too much 'what is going on?' and a bit too much 'why'd he do that?' (Oh, hello Mr Pot). I suspect the kid is going to waste our poor unfortunate Terrance, and the real hero will emerge later. Or Terenance is the hero, gets his ass handed to him first duel, and recovers (while being hunted by CogEN). That would be cool.

The chapter title also irritated a little. Terrance has already proved he doesn't defy in the name of morality (or at least doesn't think about doing so until the absolute last second)

Has potential, but some early promise seems a bit wasted a little
[/quote]

This seems to be a common problem of mine, and one I expected to arise regardless of how I went about this.

You see, I tend to struggle the most within the first 3-4 episodes, before I really find my stride and know for sure where I want to go with it. This time around, I do know; I have a lot of this planned out already, but I had to start with this somewhat re-dux of an intro (yes, I know, it bares some resemblance to 5D's but realistically this isn't the main premise) in order to get there. That being said, I agree with almost every point you made.

However, there is one thing which I must disagree with. There is, in fact, a reason for this duel, and there is a reason why the mystery duelist was able to locate Terrance in the first place. That part is not something I threw together for the sake of the plot. Of course, with my cliffhanger-style writing, I plan to explain that in due time.

The collision with the wall was done because his mind was so focused on the potential dangers of something along these lines being mass released, that he just lost control, which, as you said, is not normal. Again, a reason for that. Basically, I'm trying to really focus on storytelling here, which I why I was okay with foregoing a duel in the first episode, despite that being something people are against sometimes. Either way, I've definitely got some great ideas for this, especially with where I want to go.

I do appreciate the review and I hope that once I'm able to get a bit more into the story, you'll find it more to your liking.

I'm going to try and make more sense of things, as well.

[Synchronized]

[spoiler=Chapter 2: Ride the Challenge]

Chapter 2: Ride the Challenge!

"I suppose I'll start, no sense in wasting time, after all," the boy said as he hopped onto his Runner, pressing the start sensor and taking off hastily. No wasting time, indeed. "And I'll do so with this!"

Terrance re-mounted his own, trying to ignore the still very evident pain in his right shoulder as he attached his Duel Disk to the V-Duel's mainframe. The bikes were different in structure. They had to be, right? It was just, something about this kid knowing what the Pilot Chip was and more importantly, how it worked, drew some concern. Terrance wasn't sure what he'd just agreed to get himself into, test duel or not.

"The monster I just summoned is Revival Beast - Winged Falcos!" The boy sped forward, giving the armored eagle a place to materialize, while picking up speed on the Runner at the same time. "And as soon as Falcos hits the field per a Normal Summon, he's immediately sent to the Graveyard! I think with that, I'll place one card face-down, and end my turn."

[spoiler=Revival Beast - Winged Falcos]
***/WIND
Winged Beast / Effect
When this card is Normal Summoned: Send it to the Graveyard. If this card is Special Summoned from your Graveyard: You can target 1 Spell or Trap Card on the field; destroy that target. This card cannot be used as Xyz Material.
1300/1000[/spoiler]

Why would he summon a monster just to send it to the Graveyard? That’s got to be part of his strategy; there’s no way he’d make such a foolish play on the first turn. Terrance drew his starting hand, glancing it over quickly. “Well, now’s as good a time as any to see what this baby can do. Come on out, Rai Rider!”

Alongside Terrance’s Runner appeared a similar motorcycle, being operated by a masked human with long flowing hair, who seemed ready to accelerate and take advantage of a direct opening. “But this isn’t just any normal biker chick, cause I’m giving her the power of Cycle Wheels!”

[spoiler=Rai Rider]
***/LIGHT
Warrior / Effect
If this card battles an opponent’s monster: That monster cannot attack while it is face-up on the field.
1200/1400[/spoiler]
[spoiler=Cycle Wheels]
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a “Rider” monster. The equipped monster gains 300 ATK. When it inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to half the original ATK of the equipped monster.[/spoiler]

“I’m not sure why you wanted this game in the first place, but I’ve got a job to do, so I can’t afford to play around for more than a few minutes!” Terrance called out. Despite the uncertainty, he had to admit, being able to test out the Runner was kind of cool, with a huge adrenaline rush as he felt the energy from the duel already pulsing through the bike’s mainframe. “So let’s do this! Rai Rider, attack his Life Points directly with Motorized Mayhem!”

“Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen,” the boy responded, unmoved by the attack. “I knew you’d try and attack me directly, so I decided to play right into your hand! Activate Trap Card, Revival Blast!”

[spoiler=Revival Blast]
Normal Trap Card
When your opponent declares a direct attack while you control no monsters: Halve the Battle Damage you would have taken. Then, add 1 “Revival” monster from your Deck to your hand.[/spoiler]

“With this, the damage from Rai Rider is cut in half!” The cyclist struck the boy’s field, sending a few shockwaves through the bike, but nothing serious. It was true; his bike was structured similar to Terrance’s own, with a few significant differences. His power charge came from the opponent’s system, not his own. It was a method of protecting himself, in a way, while testing out his own technological designs.

Duelist: 3400
Terrance: 4000

“Impressive play, but that’s why I decided to equip Rai Rider with Cycle Wheels,” Terrance explained. “I thought you’d have a trap of some sort, but now, thanks to Cycle Wheels, since Rai Rider attacked you directly, you take damage equal to half of its attack points!”

[i]I gave him a bit more credit than I should have. I won’t make that mistake twice, I suppose.[/i] The duelist thought to himself as he took the hit, again not throwing off anything, and continuing to ride. The system was working perfectly so far. But in order to see whether or not the technology really worked, he’d have to deal some major damage of his own, and that required some skillful play.

Duelist: 2800
Terrance: 4000

“Not bad, but now that your attack has resolved, Revival Blast’s second effect kicks in, allowing me to add a Revival monster from my Deck straight to my hand!” He searched the Deck for a moment, revealing a monster and placing it into his hand before drawing a new card.

[i]Hm…I guess I was wrong, maybe he really is just looking for a duel.[/i] Both of those attacks didn’t phase him at all; there was no sign of the energy having any sort of effect or even throwing off the bike’s angles a bit. Terrance reassured himself, somewhat. Still, something seemed off about this entire situation, and he couldn’t help but wonder whether or not he was dealing with someone straight from CodEn, here to make an example out of his mistakes. He was controlling the bike, regardless. So even if that was the case, there was only so much the opponent could do. They needed his technology. And if it wasn’t, Terrance himself needed that Pilot Chip back. He had to keep the game in his favor.

“So it’s my move then! And I’ll start with this, Revival Beast – Mechanized Nightmare Hercules!” Terrance held back for a moment as the insectoid creature appeared on the field, a menacing presence in and of itself. It looked as though it would tear through Rai Rider with no issues, and with 1800 ATK, he had to be careful. “Like you said, why waste time? Mechanized Nightmare Hercules, destroy his monster with Steel Horn Assault!”

Duelist: 2800
Terrance: 3700

“It looks like the joke’s on you, because even though you destroyed my monster, its special ability kicks in afterwards!” Terrance roared, feeling a slight pull on the engine, which worried him a bit. The damage had hardly been significant. I can’t let myself get distracted. Focus. “Anyway, when a monster battles Rai Rider, regardless of the outcome, that monster can’t battle as long as it remains on the field!”

[i]I can’t help but feel like I’m facing an amateur. Restricting an attack? That’s the best he can come up with?[/i] “Fair enough; I’m sure I’ll find a way to get around that soon enough. I think a face-down will do.”

Before he drew, Terrance noticed a vibration throughout the runner. It was quick, but strong. He wasn’t honestly sure what it meant, but it was different than anything he’d felt before. Without the Pilot Chip, there should be no reason for the bike to be collecting energy anyways. Something was up. The fact that his opponent was dueling as though nothing was wrong and giving no indication as to any strange going-ons only made this situation more confusing. This guy was definitely younger, yet Terrance found him rather intimidating. He had to turn this around, and avoid taking more damage if possible.

“You know, there’s something about you, but I can’t put my finger on it,” Terrance said. “I appreciate the gesture of you taking care of me and all, but I don’t trust you as far as I could outrace you.”

“Heh, to each his own I guess,” came the nonchalant reply. “I just felt like a duel for the sake of a duel, man.”

“Well then I guess you won’t mind if I show you up a bit!” Terrance yelled, thrusting the pedals towards the floor as he accelerated way past the duelist’s Runner, feeling the energy beginning to take effect as the bike rode past. [i]There it is again! That power surge! Where is it coming from?[/i] “It’s my turn to make a comeback! I Summon Diskblade Rider in attack mode!”

[spoiler=Diskblade Rider]
****/WIND
Fiend / Effect
Once per turn; you can banish 1 Trap Card from your Graveyard. If you do, this card gains 500 ATK until your opponent’s next End Phase.
1700/1500[/spoiler]

“Sure, this monster may pack a bit more of a punch than your last one, but in case you didn’t notice, my beetle’s still packing way more power.” The duelist sped up, a grin on his face. The more energy Terrance had to use to keep up with him, the better of an idea he’d get on how his own chip was working. The ability to gather energy using these bikes, while at the same time inflicting damage solely to the opponent and not worrying about any of the risks on his end was a great feat, and it looked as though he would be able to pull it off.

“Oh, don’t worry, I noticed. That’s why I’m not just leaving it at that!” Terrance placed a card from his hand onto the Duel Field. “I activate the Spell Card Blustering Winds!”

[spoiler=Blustering Winds]
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 face-up monster you control; it gains 1000 ATK and DEF until your next Standby Phase.[/spoiler]

[i]I can’t tell if his Deck has a theme or what, but these random power cards are getting to be somewhat annoying.[/i] The duelist held his speed, waiting to see the move play out.

“Now, Diskblade Rider, take out his Hercules with Rising Slash!” With a boost in speed, the dastardly fiend took off across the field, catching up to Terrance’s opposition. It prepared to strike, but the duelist was quick to reveal a Trap Card, just barely saving himself.

“I’ll let it go through, but not without dishing some of the punishment to you at the same time!” A trap card depicting a mirror-like image appeared upright on the duelist’s field. “I activate Revive Infraction!”

[spoiler=Revive Infraction]
Normal Trap Card
When your opponent’s monster declares an attack: You can change that attack to a direct attack. If you do: Your opponent takes damage equal to the damage you would have taken.[/spoiler]

As the fiend drove its weapon towards the duelist’s chest, Terrance watched in amazement as the direction, again, remained unchanged. His opponent no-sold the attack completely.

Duelist: 100
Terrance: 1000

The fiend turned around, launching the same attack at its controller, per the Trap Card’s effect. As it did so, the V-Duel nearly collapsed entirely, going extremely lopsided and requiring an insane amount of effort to hold it up. Terrance tried not to panic as he ripped back on the throttle, getting the bike to an upright position once more. The engine indicators on the screen were showing immense amounts of charged energy, which was impossible. Unless…

“There’s no way you could have…” Terrance stopped in his tracks.

“Something wrong?” The duelist asked rhetorically. “Since it seems apparent you’re finally starting to catch on, I’ll go ahead and explain. You see, a few weeks back, I received a tip-off from an agent of mine about an exclusive kind of technology being manufactured by CodEn, you know, this huge, new powerhouse company that I’m certain you’re working for. They’re planning to use this technology to create a revamped version of the Duel Runner, like the ones the both of us are currently riding.”

The duelist sped forward, and presumably stopped talking for a few moments, as Terrance struggled to keep up, intent on hearing the rest of the explanation which was proving his fears correct.

“I studied the blueprints carefully, and I must say, your design is immensely impressive,” he continued. “However, I’ve been doing this for a while myself, and it wasn’t that difficult to take the ideas on that blueprint and…modify it slightly.”

“Modify?” Terrance asked. “In what way? This is all so new, messing with it could be extremely dangerous.”

“I appreciate the lecture, but I’ve got plenty of experience. See, while your Pilot Chip is used as a means of generating energy, the system I’ve got runs somewhat differently. Sure, it generates energy, but it does so at the expense of the opponent, making these duels a little more interesting.”

[i]That’s gotta be why I felt the shakiness on the bike before![/i] Terrance was beginning to understand; the more damage he took, the more energy was charged up. However, when this guy took damage, nothing happened to him, because it was literally as though he was simply dueling using the bike, and nothing more. The mainframes redirect the energy to the opposing duelist, which meant nothing but danger for Terrance himself. He had to get out of this situation – it wasn’t going to end well.

“So I guess I get what you’re saying,” Terrance replied. “But it doesn’t make sense – what do you have to gain from all of this?”

“You’re working with the big wigs, so you wouldn’t understand, but for us little guys, making it in this world is no simple task.” The duelist explained. “See, if CodEn manufactures this kind of technology, they’ll continue to make billions and billions of dollars from excited fans and duelists alike, wanting to improve to the next level of dueling. But, by designing a system that makes theirs look flawed, I’m essentially destroying their business from within.”

“By modifying the coding system of the Runner itself?” Terrance asked.

“Of course not, it’s way more complicated. Those vibrations and such that you felt, they were just the beginning.” Terrance maintained his focus, almost thankful for the break in the duel; it gave him a chance to think of a counterattack while the conversation continued. Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be much of a way out. If he lost, not only would he not get the chip back, but he didn’t expect the bike would be able to sustain the energy charges. If he won, CodEn would still demand the technology, and this kid’s game plan would become all the more effortless to pull off.

“There’s a system somewhere downtown that will act as the holding cell for all of the energy generated from duels like this, if everything goes according to plan.” The duelist didn’t explain that part further, knowing Terrance was already up to speed. “The networks that were implemented under the ground to transmit this energy are all connected to one another through a diverse system of codes. By coming up with one method to change all of the codes at once into one universal rewrite-

“Anyone involved in these kind of duels will meet an unfortunate fate.” Terrance finished his sentence for him.

“Precisely. Sure, a few people might suffer, but it will be worth it in the long run, when this company pays for the people and mistakes it has made!”

“You’re suggesting the solution to stopping a powerhouse company like CodEn is hurting innocent civilians?” Terrance began to speed up; he could feel himself growing angry, knowing he couldn’t allow something like this to be done. He wasn’t “with” CodEn neither, nor did he agree with their motives. But at the same time, the money had spoken. The options at this point were few and far between.

“I’m suggesting my people do what needs to be done.” Straight and to the point. “Now, enough talking, it’s time we finish this duel. In fact, part of me hopes you’ll survive this final attack, so that you can make your way back to your friends and tell them what’s going on! I’d love to see the looks on their faces as they watch themselves go down and know there’s nothing they can do to stop it!”

[i]Too bad for you I’m not gonna let that happen.[/i] Terrance straightened out the bike, pushing the throttle to max, as he speed past his opposition. He had to end this duel on the next turn, one way or another.

“Now then, it’s my turn, and I’ll activate the effect of my Mechanized Nightmare Hercules!”

Hold on a minute! If he’s able to pull off any kind of combo here, I’m done for. And to be honest, I’m not sure this bike can handle it. Better yet, if I can. I’ve got an idea. Terrance pressed a switch on the side of the Duel Panel, opening a small compartment from which there was a burst of light. Thankfully, it wasn’t something the opponent had seen, as he was too busy focused on his play. With the Pilot Chip’s removal, the bike was no longer being powered by energy. So he had one shot to flip this off and end the duel abruptly, with no winner. If he could do that and get far enough away from the scene, there’d be a chance.

“With this, I –” The duelist stopped in his tracks. “Wait, what’s going on here!” He called out, as the holograms disappeared from between them, leaving nothing but open road and the buildings surrounding them. It had worked!

[i]I got it! Still got that tech-savvy![/i] “Hey, I hate to call this one quits, but like I said from the get go, I can’t really afford to waste time right now!” Terrance laughed. “I must say, for a tech expert, there’s still some things you’re not fully familiar with, are you?”

“How could you shut off our duel?” He yelled, seething. “Once a duel commences, it must be finished!”

“You’re thinking of the old Runner technology, amigo. This is different, and it’s clear we both have plenty to learn about this one! But I’m assuming this won’t be the last time we see one another, will it?”

Terrance took a sharp right, speeding off down a side street as the duelist continued straight, not able to change directions in time. “Hasta la vista for now!”

- - -

There wasn’t much time to process the situation. The Runner’s clock implied he was already three hours late for drop-off, and it wasn’t much longer before sunrise. Knowing what he knew, was it worth it to take the bike to the location and drop it off, washing his hands of the situation and returning to work?

As much as he wanted to, something told him his involvement was imminent now. He’d have enemies on both sides whether he wanted to or not. The only advantage he had was the bike itself – and giving it up was no longer a plausible option.

[b]To be continued…[/b][/spoiler]

Second Chapter. Hopefully this one is a bit better than the first. I'd love some feedback if anyone's willing to give it.

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

The opening duel ended, with the hero running off and laughing about it?

WHA!?

So every time a hero or villian is in danger, they can just run?

At least Yusei's runner broke down at the hollywood last second.

I'm confused, I guess he didn't get his chip back then.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Majestic Star Bahamut' timestamp='1340233070' post='5960065']
The opening duel ended, with the hero running off and laughing about it?

WHA!?

So every time a hero or villian is in danger, they can just run?

At least Yusei's runner broke down at the hollywood last second.

I'm confused, I guess he didn't get his chip back then.
[/quote]

Woah woah, hold up. Who said Terrance was the hero? Infact, I haven't introduced the hero yet at all.

And no, he didn't get the chip back, because had the duel continued, the Duel Runner would've overloaded and blown up.

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

[quote name='Neo Galaxy' timestamp='1340234699' post='5960072']
Woah woah, hold up. Who said Terrance was the hero? Infact, I haven't introduced the hero yet at all.

And no, he didn't get the chip back, because had the duel continued, the Duel Runner would've overloaded and blown up.
[/quote]

I had already mused the likeliness of Terrance not being the lead protagonist. His actions in this chapter had made him even more unlikely/unsuitable for the role, just nameless clearly isn't our shining paladin either. Maybe the bit at the end made me think more of him than there is.

Right, cut your losses and run sort of deal.

Still, Kalin would be very unsatisfied with a non-result happening out of choice, as am I. Although it has been done before and I might have whined about it being too similar (hindsight is wonderful no?) a malfunction ending the duel and saving Terry's skin from the guy clearly about to scrap would have been better. Nameless' reaction to the duels end was also a bit wut? in that respect. "Wha? You're just going to end the duel? You can't do that, its against the rules!" I half expected him to say if his speech continued "I'm telling."

[Synchronized]

I suppose you do bring up some valid points that I really didn't pay much attention to. I'll have to try harder on the third one, see if I can make better progress.

[Synchronized]

[spoiler=Chapter 3: The Dark Before the Dawn, Part One]

Chapter 3: The Dark Before the Dawn, Part Two

"What do you mean the delivery did not arrive?" The voice asked, the elegant morning sun reflecting off his glasses as his underlings attempted to explain the situation. The older of the two, Yoruki, stepped forward, urging the younger to be quiet as he spoke. "We were waiting, as instructed, right outside the garage gates," Yoruki explained, drawing a look from his superior that while he could not see, he could feel. And it didn't feel good. "As you know, the deposit was to be made over five hours ago from this moment, and on top of that, we'd been waiting for at least an hour prior. Six hours of waiting, and nothing. Now that it's daylight, it's very unlikely to assume we'll see anything, Mister Takumi, sir."

"This is not acceptable," Takumi replied. And his words were truth. Yoruki watched, growing frightened as the Director's eyes filled with rage, an anger which he would unleash upon them and the others below him, until his demands were satisfied. At the same time, while anger wasn't something uncommon from him, this was new. It had been quite some time since Yoruki had seen this kind of emotion. "I have spent countless years working on developing a project of this caliber; something that would bring me greatness and importance far beyond anything people dream of. Now here you are, standing here with the nerve to tell me that you have failed me! Do my dreams not matter to you, Yoruki?! Do you not realize the importance of this design?!"

"No sir, of course we do," Yoruki tried to get the situation back under control before things intensified. "I can assure you the grounds have been checked over multiple times. I even walked them myself more than once. It was not a matter of us missing the deposit; it was a matter of the deposit not being made. I know it is not what you want to hear, Mister Takumi, but I believe we have a traitor among us."Takumi stood, silent, with the exception of a few deep breaths. Even he was aware of his ability to spiral out of control at a moment's notice, and was determined to keep that under control. The importance of this project demanded a calm mind and a cool head. If he were to blindly rage, it could lead to damaging results. And failure was anything but an option. Takumi himself had not met with the individual responsible for putting his blueprint design into action, but those on his Board had done so, Yoruki excluded. The middle-aged, brown-haired "yes man" stood in front of him, his eyes filled with concern, for he was not sure what would come next. Takumi was proud of himself; keeping an employee guessing and frightened was the most effective way of ensuring the job was done, and properly.

Of course this time, even Takumi himself knew it was not possible to place the blame on these men, despite their irrelevance in the development of the business. All they were good for was getting his coffee and relaying messages. Perhaps he could get a bit of use out of them, after all. While had had no true intention of punishing them, for they were useless anyway, and it wasn't worth the time nor the resources, he could try to instill a greater fear upon them - one that might yield some results as to the reasoning behind this issue.

"I suppose that isn't beyond the realm of reason, Yoruki." Takumi turned to face the window, staring out at the city below him. What a different world it would be, being able to revive the lost art of Duel Runners, and using their power and fascination to create a source of energy, something different, something powerful. He was someone the world needed - a hero. Someday, people would recognize him for that. The thought brought forth a smile. "Now then, it isn't beyond the realm of reason, either, to assume the two of you have failed me, and failure is intolerable when it comes to something of this level. To assure I make the proper decision, I am leaving it up to the two of you to retrieve the package and bring it here."

Was he serious? Yoruki knew the boss was one to expect greatness, but to ask something like this of them was nearly impossible. Logically, whoever was responsible for building and delivering the package – and what it was, Yoruki had no idea – had held back from doing so for a reason. It wouldn’t make any sense, nor was it reasonable, that he had simply “forgotten”, and it was far too coincidental that something would go wrong like this. No way. There was a reason behind it, for sure.

“I...I'm not sure what it is you're asking, sir.” Yoruki tried to maintain a sense of confidence, not to intimidate or stand up to his superior. Rather, he wanted to act as though he was willing to comply, but needed some assistance understanding how exactly they were supposed to solve this problem. “I've got no idea who is responsible for this, meaning tracking them down isn't a realistic solution.”

“Well,” there was a noticeable different in the tone of Takumi's voice. “I suppose it's in your best interest to make it one. I must go, I have business to attend to. You have three days.”

There was silence among the hallway as Yoruki and his assistant, Sakomo, stood side-by-side, neither one saying a word. Sakomo had worked for the company for a shorter amount of time, but even he knew the situation they had been placed into. Yoruki had no doubt that Takumi knew they were not to blame. However, he had power to throw around and nothing was going to stop that. That left them three days to find the missing package.

“We shouldn't waste any time,” Yoruki sighed. “But first, I need a cigarette.”

- - -

“There's no way I'm going to allow you to get away with this; you can't possibly think otherwise, Calion.” Allen Valiant spoke to his opponent with desperation in his voice, a confidence instilled in him by the fact that he absolutely had to put a stop to this, at all costs. His opponent, a man he wasn't even sure truly existed, went by the name Calion. Kevin had seen this figure in his dreams for months, often times waking up in the middle of the night, dripping with sweat and unable to fall back asleep from the nightmarish nature of it all.

In each dream, the figure, who looked very different from the normal human, would pose to him a challenge, a duel, but it was not like the normal competition. These duels always had a shaky, distractive darkness to them, something that was terrifying for reasons Allen couldn't figure out. The plays they would make in the game were so insignificant that the majority of them hadn't even resonated with him. However, it always ended the same way. Everything became shrouded in a dark veil and there was no escape. And Allen was forced to watch as the one card he'd always held onto, ready to pass down to his son when the time was necessary, was stolen from him. Whether or not more damage would come of it, he couldn't remember; but that same dream had haunted him day in and day out for months now.

The problem was, he wasn't sure it was a dream anymore. This time, it felt different. The duel had yet to begin, but something about it felt scarily real – more so than usual. Allen's professional dueling career was winding down. For the most part, he preferred spending time with his family and collecting, more basic hobbies, and ones that didn't involve massive crowds. It was just nice to have a break from it all. That's why the thought of someone – or something – targeting him, didn't make too much sense. He wasn't the type to believe in “otherworldly” forces, despite the events which had happened in New Domino City many years ago, and passed down through the generations.

They were all just really exaggerated, Allen thought. And what proof was there otherwise? The city had worked so hard to stray away from those events so that the people wouldn't remember and worry about such an occurrence happening again. However, something about this felt different. Despite it being in plain sight, he couldn't actually see Calion. The figure was there, but this weird, almost un-real effect to the creature was apparent. All he could really see was the duel disk. And it appeared as though they were about to play once more. Whether or not this time would be a dream, he couldn't be sure. It was bound to come true eventually.

“The words you speak, they are quite moving, but as you've learned, the end result is always the same.” The figure's dark, booming voice appeared to echo within the area. It was so loud, but none of the neighbors could hear as the two were standing in the street. The fact that no one else noticed or saw what was going on was Allen's incentive to believe that he was still dreaming, but it felt more real than ever this time around. At least, for the time being, he'd remember this duel.

“Usually it does, but this time, I've got other plans,” Allen replied, unsure if those words were the same he'd spoken in prior dreams, or if this being a reality made things different. The only way to figure it out was to duel. But he had to win.

“Then let us do this once more, foolish soul.” Calion stared into Allen’s eyes, trying to emit a sense of fear which was clearly there. He could feel it; in truth, it was something he could thrive off of. Inflicting this fear into those below him allowed him the strength to grow and become more powerful. A duel disk, created in the same design as Calion’s figure, with no real structure, and just a simple outline of black, appeared to form where his arm had been. “I shall begin with this, the monster Mad Reloader in Defense Position.”

[spoiler=Mad Reloader]
DARK/Level 1
Fiend / Effect
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Discard 2 cards; draw 2 cards.
0/0[/spoiler]

[center][img]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120222162613/yugioh/images/thumb/8/8a/MadReloader-JP-Anime-GX-NC.jpg/175px-MadReloader-JP-Anime-GX-NC.jpg[/img][/center]

The menacing fiend took its place on the field, placing its arms over its chest in a defensive maneuver as a hologram resembling a face-down card appeared behind it. “I shall place one card down, and end my turn. Let us do this for the last time, Allen.”

[i]Was that the move he always makes?[/i] Allen couldn’t recall. It was possible, in fact, that this was the same scenario he faced in each dream, but he was only able to remember it as long as the dream was happening. Even his own moves, the same ones he’d make in each duel, were completely void. It seemed reasonable to believe, though, that with each result being the same, the duel itself was the same, as well. Meaning that every move he’d made in prior dreams would be the same moves he’d make today. However, due to this being the real thing – if his intuition was correct – this would be the one time he’d actually be able to remember the entire game. “Let’s start with this, then! I Summon Lightray Grepher in attack mode!”

A muscle-bound warrior, clad in an off-white battle suit and wielding a sword to match, appeared on the field, prepared to strike on command. “I hate to break it to you, but your monster’s not going to be sticking around! Lightray Grepher, take out his Reloader with Shining Battle Strike!”

“That’s precisely what I was hoping you’d do, and you played right into it.” Calion replied, as the move had been solely in his favor. “What my Mad Reloader lacks in attack points, it makes up for with an extremely helpful special power. By sending any two cards from my hand to the Graveyard, I can draw two new cards from my Deck!”

[i]I played right into that one. I should be paying more attention to this. It’s safe to assume that Calion is familiar with each and every duel, and how it is played out, otherwise this recurring nightmare would not be happening. Maybe if I take a different approach…[/i] Allen tried to figure out a way to switch things up a bit. If Calion knew all of the plays he would make, he thought, perhaps the most effective way to do it was to make plays that weren’t the ones he first thought of. [i]If the duels are always the same, the first move I go to make on instinct is more than likely the one I’ve made in the prior duels. So if I refuse to make those moves from here on out, there won’t be a counter on his end, or at least, not nearly as easily as it must be for him now.[/i]

There were two Traps in his hand he could set; ‘Lumenize’ and ‘Warrior’s Arms’. Both of them could provide a boost, but instinctively, Lumenize looked like the best option, especially if Calion planned on bringing out a more powerful monster now that he’d had the opportunity to refresh his resources. Warrior’s Arms could stop an attack and equip Lightray Grepher with an equip spell card, which might make it possible to revitalize his strategy. It was worth the risk to try and see what happened. “I’ll place one card face-down, and end my turn.”

[spoiler=Lightray Grepher]
****/LIGHT
Warrior / Effect
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by discarding 1 Level 5 or higher LIGHT monster. Once per turn: You can discard 1 LIGHT monster; banish 1 LIGHT monster from your Deck.
1700/1600[/spoiler]

[i]All is going exactly as planned. And once I have the ultimate card in my possession, nothing will be able to stop me![/i] “I draw, and I can’t help but notice you’ve made the same move yet again. Of course, that’s to be expected.” Calion burst out laughing, borderline maniacally, and still no one heard him. The lights were off up and down the street on both sides; it didn’t make any sense. Were the dreams always like this? Why now, when he needed to remember, did Allen struggle so much?

“I shall counter with a different one, now that the time has come for our final meeting! I activate the Trap Card Fiend’s Sacrifice!”

[spoiler=Fiend’s Sacrifice]
Normal Trap Card
Banish 1 Fiend-Type monster from your Graveyard. Then, you can Normal Summon 1 Level 5 or 6 DARK monster from your hand.[/spoiler]

“With this, I’m allowed to banish the now-useless Mad Reloader from my Graveyard, in order to Normal Summon Phantasmal Warrior Dark Abyss!” The veil of shadows encased Calion’s field as a horned creature, larger than the figure himself, emerged from what looked like an opening in the pavement. The monster’s entire back was covered with spikes, some larger than others, and there was a red aura around it as it seethed in place.

[spoiler=Phantasmal Warrior Dark Abyss]
*****/DARK
Fiend / Effect
When this card destroys an opponent’s monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Inflict 800 damage to your opponent. Your opponent cannot activate the effect of a Spell or Trap Card during the Battle Phase.
2200/1000[/spoiler]

[i]That thing…why do his monsters feel so similar to him? Something about his presence as a whole just feels so off-putting.[/i] Allen couldn’t shake his fear.
“It is time for you to experience pain! Dark Abyss, destroy his monster with Nightmare Claw!” Before the warrior even had a chance to react, an arm comprised of shadows shot forward, and a claw grasped its face.

“Hold up, I thought you might try something like that, so I set the Trap Card Warrior’s Arms!” Allen shouted, pressing the red button on his duel disk just in time so as to reveal the card. “With this-”

“With this nothing!” Calion interrupted. “Your move matters not, for you see any Trap Cards activated during the Battle Phase is useless while Phantasmal Warrior is on the field! Now then, finish what you started!”

The warrior exploded into a burst of light, the effects of which struck Allen directly, almost knocking him off his feet.

[b]Allen’s Life Points[/b]: 3500
[b]Calion’s Life Points: [/b]4000

[i]What was that? Why…the attack felt real. This pain, I’ve witnessed it within each duel, but this time it didn’t feel like a dream![/i] Allen looked down at his right arm. A portion of it became consumed by the same shadowy veil which held Calion’s creature. “What’s going on here?!”

“The answer is simple, the moment has finally arrived. All this time I’ve waited for the opportunity to finally achieve the ultimate goal, and you have provided me with the moment to strike! Don’t fear, when you’re sent to the shadows, I will be sure to leave you a commemorative plaque to thank you for making it all possible!”

The shadows surrounding his arm began to expand, moving upwards toward his shoulder, and tightening significantly in grip as they did so. [i]I’m losing feeling in my arm! I don’t remember this from the dream![/i]

“You see, in order to complete the process, a human sacrifice is needed, and you as the mastermind behind the ultimate card will make for a fitting choice,” Calion bellowed. “With every bit of Life Points you lose in this duel, the shadows begin to take more and more of you, and once they reach zero, there is but memories remaining. It’s as if you don’t remember. Oh that’s right, because you can’t!”

“How long do you think you can keep this up, Calion?” Allen asked. “We’re in the middle of a residential neighborhood, eventually people are going to discover this duel is going on and start to ask questions. How do you get yourself out of that situation, huh?!”

“Don’t be a fool, you know that’s not going to happen.” The figure let out a laugh once more. “For you see, while it may appear as though we’re dueling right outside your home, we are actually in a dimension located between your world and the world of shadows! Only one of us will be returning back home.”

[i]That explains the tightening grip, the real pain. But there’s no way this could be happening. Things like this aren’t real, they’re just tales![/i] Allen tried to regain his composure. Allowing himself to believe he was really in this situation would only throw him off his game. He had no idea what was going on, truthfully, but he couldn’t let that stop him from trying to win.

“As bad as the pain you’re feeling now is, I assure you, it can only get worse! For you see, now my Phantasm’s effect kicks in, dealing you eight hundred points of direct damage! Go, Phantom Shockwave!” With the strike of the attack, Allen felt pain once more. Only now, the shadows began to grow, this time surrounding the bottom half of his right leg. And with them came more pain. He found it difficult to stand, never mind anything else.

[b]Allen’s Life Points[/b]: 2700
[b]Calion’s Life Points[/b]: 4000

[i]I can’t feel my leg now, either! Damnit! [/i]The pain was growing worse. Allen looked at the figure across from him, one so unfamiliar yet so well-known at the same time. He knew this battle would happen, though he wasn’t sure how. Despite it, he was unable to prepare for it mentally due to the lack of memory. It wasn’t the duel that scared him – it was the end result. The fire. It was always the same. And Rai. In each dream, Rai had been in the house, sleeping, but when the smoke had cleared, he couldn’t remember if there was anything left.

Himself getting hurt was one thing, but for Calion to bring Rai into it...he couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Are you going to just kneel there, or are you going to make your move? I tell you what, I’ll show you mercy and allow you to surrender immediately! I promise it’ll make the pain ten times less hard to handle!”

Calion’s face bore a look of surprise as Allen pulled himself together, standing up. The shadows around him calmed down, just moments earlier prepared to consume him entirely. “It’s been years since my time in the pro leagues, but I think I’ve got enough left in the tank to win this game! Too much depends on it!”

---

Rai Valiant sat up in a swift motion. He felt a chill down his spine. Suddenly, he had a bad feeling.

[b]To be continued…[/spoiler][/b]

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

Was holding off my review because other people should have an opinion, and I'm not responsible for 120 views.

First bit with evil boss and henchmen: Standard evil boss bullying his henchman. Not sure how major they'll be from this little scene, but its all part of the fun.

There seems to be a bit in there where some of that scene is copied and pasted in again during the opening of the duel, need to edit that.

Why is there a pic of Mad Reloader, and then only Mad Reloader?

Prett head screwy stuff. "I must have done the obvious move before, so I'll do this instead. Except maybe I had the same thought in my dream and tried that there..." very odd. Custom cards are largely good. Calion seems quite generic as a baddie. Hero is finally introduced, briefly.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Majestic Star Bahamut' timestamp='1340753552' post='5962841']
Was holding off my review because other people should have an opinion, and I'm not responsible for 120 views.

[i]Thanks. Yeah, I keep seeing all these views, but no responses. Makes me sad. I'll keep writing regardless. [/i]

First bit with evil boss and henchmen: Standard evil boss bullying his henchman. Not sure how major they'll be from this little scene, but its all part of the fun.

[i]Yeah, I know the evil boss is generic and whatnot, but believe or not he's actually the least relevant part of the story. He won't have much relevance after the first arc, where I'll get to the main part of the plot.[/i]

There seems to be a bit in there where some of that scene is copied and pasted in again during the opening of the duel, need to edit that.

[i]I'll take a look; appreciate that.[/i]

Why is there a pic of Mad Reloader, and then only Mad Reloader?

[i]I'm trying to do this weird thing where I incorporate some images, like that one, with some cards to make the duels a little visual, but obviously not for all the cards. Still sorta toying with it.[/i]

Prett head screwy stuff. "I must have done the obvious move before, so I'll do this instead. Except maybe I had the same thought in my dream and tried that there..." very odd. Custom cards are largely good. Calion seems quite generic as a baddie. Hero is finally introduced, briefly.

[i]It was definitely meant to make you think. This is of course, one of three plots going on at once, so it's going to be a little bit of a challenge to bring them all together. But it'll all have its relevance. And yeah, I figured, since it is third Chapter and all, the Main Character might as well get a second or two in the spotlight.[/i]
[/quote]

I appreciate the consistent reviews, man. It's nice to have at least one reader. I log on all the time hoping for comments, but there's not usually anything. I'm definitely going to make an effort to catch up with yours, too. Unfortunately, I don't have a good attention span when it comes to reading, which is where my difficulty lies.

[Synchronized]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][spoiler=Chapter 4: The Dark Before the Dawn, Part 2][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]Chapter 4: The Dark before the Dawn, Part 2

I may not know what’s going on, but I can’t let that get in the way. I have to fight to save my son! “You’re right, it is my turn, and it’s time I turn the tables on your little game! I’m going solely on impulse here, but who knows, that might just be enough! I activate the Spell Card Shining Ray Force!”

[spoiler=Shining Ray Force]
Normal Spell Card
Target 1 “Lightray” monster from your Graveyard: Special Summon that target. It cannot declare an attack this turn.[/spoiler]

“Now watch as I use the power of the light to call Lightray Grepher back to the battlefield!” Allen exclaimed, feeling the desperation and knowing he had to keep himself one-hundred percent focused on the duel, not thinking of the consequences. He was no amateur, after all. “Thanks to Shining Ray Force, my monster comes back to the field, but he’s unable to attack this turn. It doesn’t matter though, because now I can activate Lightray Grepher’s special ability! With this, I can banish Shining Angel in my hand, in order to banish a second monster, Lightray Archknight from my Deck!”

What is the meaning of this? This play is different. Calion wondered the reasoning behind Allen making a different play than normal. In prior duels, he’d simply set a second card and ended his turn, a Trap that was later revealed to be Threatening Roar, but Calion had been able to remove it from the field before it had any use.

Two spheres of light surrounded the Grepher as it knelt down to one knee. “Next, I activate the Trap Card Warrior’s Arms!”

[spoiler=Warrior’s Arms]
Normal Trap Card
Target 1 face-up LIGHT Warrior-Type monster you control and 1 Equip Spell Card from your Deck; equip the second target to the first target. When the targeted monster is removed from the field, banish it instead.[/spoiler]

“You may have stopped my trap last turn, but this time, there’s no way to counter it! And with it, I’m allowed to equip Lightray Grepher with the Light Laser Spell Card!”

[spoiler=Light Laser]
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a LIGHT monster. Any monster that battles with the equipped monster is banished instead of being sent to the Graveyard.[/spoiler]

“And with that, I think I’ll end my turn!” So far, his game plan had worked. While he normally would’ve done things completely different, setting the ‘Threatening Roar’ in his hand and ending his turn to buy more time, he had decided against it to try and throw Calion off his game. By equipping ‘Lightray Grepher’ with ‘Light Laser’, when Phantasmal Beast attacked, it would suffer the same fate as Grepher, with both being removed from the game.

“I fail to understand what you’re hoping to accomplish here, for you see, my Phantasmal Beast is free to attack once more!” Calion ordered the beast to take action. “Just like you, it appears your Grepher just doesn’t know when to stay down! Go, Phantom Claw!”

“It worked the first time, but I wasn’t going to fall that easily for your tricks twice!” Allen tried to raise his arm, but found it increasingly heavy from the shadow’s grip, and decided against it. It was no matter. “You can attack, but you’re walking right into a trap! Activate Light Laser!”

“You mean, your equip spell activates now?!” Calion asked in surprise. He wasn’t planning on something getting in the way of the battle.

“That’s exactly what I mean! When your Phantasmal Beast attacks Lightray Grepher, Light Laser’s effect kicks in, banishing your monster from the battle field!” Grepher fired the laser, engulfing the dark creature in a burst of light. It let out a roar, which got quieter as the light became more powerful.

“It’s no matter, for you see, Phantasmal Beast still destroys your monster, meaning you’re anything but safe from harm, fool!” The claw reached forward to strike for one last swipe of damage, only to vanish before contact. “What’s this?!”

“This is where the second part of my strategy comes in! Since I used Warrior’s Arms to give Lightray Grepher a power boost in battle, I have to pay the consequences, meaning my monster gets removed from play instead of being sent to the Graveyard!” Allen grinned – it had worked perfectly.

Calion would not stand for this. The thought of anything going wrong was just impossible. He had waited so long for this moment, and every time he’d prepared things had worked out perfectly. Why now was this mere mortal able to play without fear? How had he not been able to predict each and every move, just like before? This was not the way he was told it would happen. Every single time he’d tried, achieving the card was effortless. Allen Valiant had simply been too filled with fear to fight back, and his mediocre plays had led to his downfall. But now, it was as if he was facing an entirely different Duelist, rather than the washed-up pro duelist he’d faced all these times before.

Was this some kind of test for Calion himself? Was he lead to believe the real battle would be significantly easy? If they were responsible for this...he would not let something like that go unforgiven, trying to mess with him and challenge him like that. Did they not realize the importance of this mission? How essential it was to the final goal to obtain the ultimate card? Something was wrong; he’d been able to contact Allen with ease, to understand his every emotion, to intimidate him and know exactly how to play into his weaknesses. But something was different here. It was as if, in this realm, Allen’s real life had no relevance. Nothing mattered but this duel. He had somehow shut off his emotions for the sake of victory...but how?

“You can only put up this front for so long, Allen.” Calion spoke as though he knew something, something Allen wasn’t exactly in on. Though, the majority of it was a bluff. He thought if he could find a way to tap into the human’s emotions, he would be able to turn the duel back into his favor and not have to worry about him fighting back. After all, the shadows were no illusion – this was indeed a reality. Should Allen lose, he would not be returning home. However that had little to no effect on him, aside from making it more difficult for him to move. The pain...how could he fight through the pain?

“This isn’t a front, this is me manning up and handling my responsibilities like I should!” Allen knew he had to win; he was a duelist, after all. He’d faced the best of the best, and there was no way he was going to lose to someone who relied on cheap tricks for victory, no matter how frightening this entire situation was. If he made himself believe it wasn’t scary, then he had nothing to worry about. “I’m a bit more than meets the eye, and I think you’re going to learn that the hard way! Now finish your turn so I can put an end to this!”

“As you wish. I shall place two cards face-down and end my turn.” Calion tried to hide his frustration. “But remember, it is only a matter of time before the shadows consume you entirely. Your fate has already been decided, there is nothing you can do to stop me!”

“Time to put your theory to the test!” The next card was exactly what he’d hoped it would be. Whether or not this play was one he’d have made normally, it didn’t matter; he was able to turn things around to the point where the duel wouldn’t play out like it had originally. Funny how all it had taken was reaching the edge, and realizing how close he was to losing everything. This duel, and these constant nightmares, they were both about to end here. “It looks like fate’s on my side! Because the monster I just drew is the exact card I was waiting for! Lightray Sorcerer!”

The three spheres of light – the third which had formed with Lightray Grepher’s removal from the field – began to glow a radiant white color. Together, they released a series of rays, conjoining in the middle to form a much larger sphere of light, causing Calion to shield his eyes as a cloaked figure donning bright white robes emerged from within it, stepping onto the field.

[spoiler=Lightray Sorcerer]
******/LIGHT
Spellcaster / Effect
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by having 3 or more banished LIGHT monsters. Once per turn, you can target 1 banished LIGHT monster: Shuffle that target into your Deck; then banish 1 face-up card on the field. This card cannot attack during the turn this effect is activated.
2300/2000[/spoiler]

“That light...it’s blinding!” Calion was forced to shield his eyes as the shadows surrounding Allen began to loosen their grip. “I don’t understand, why are the shadows repelling! This duel is far from over!”

“The light is the symbol of strength, the beacon that allows me to continue fighting even when it appears as though I should give up!” Allen exclaimed, feeling the grip of the shadows loosening as his sorcerer illuminated the field. “I don’t know whether or not all of this is real or just some kind of illusion, but I know I’m fighting for something, and that makes it worth it!”

If this is to disrupt my plans, I shall make them pay! Calion forced himself to hold back his anger, at least somewhat. For he had to keep himself calm; everything would pan out, it was just a matter of patience. Victory was assured; he had to remember that. The mind games didn’t appear to be working, so he figured he’d be better suited to just duel as best he could. It was the only real solution. “Then why don’t you try?”

“I’m more than ready to accommodate you!” Calion felt the need to shield his eyes once more, this time as the sorcerer charged up a sphere of orange-colored energy. This attack – he wouldn’t be able to block it because he hadn’t been expecting it. “Lightray Sorcerer, attack his Life Points directly with Twilight Chaos Blaze!”

Allen’s Life Points: 2700
Calion’s Life Points: 2300

The power of the light...it is the only weakness I face. I shall not allow it to harm me again. “Consider this your one and only moment of hope, Allen. Because I will not tolerate anything other than complete success! Now, finish your move and allow the darkness to consume you!”

“I’m sorry to disappoint, but I’m not ready for something like that!” Allen exclaimed, placing a Spell Card into his duel disk. “And my turn’s not done yet, either! Because now I’m activating the Spell Card Lightray Alliance!”

[spoiler=Lightray Alliance]
Normal Spell Card
Banish 1 “Lightray” monster from your Deck, face-down. Then, target 1 face-up “Lightray” monster you control. When the targeted monster is removed from the field: Special Summon the banished monster, ignoring the Summoning Conditions.[/spoiler]

“With this card, I’m allowed to take any monster from my Deck and remove it from play!” As a fourth sphere formed, hovering above the Sorcerer which stood confident, Calion couldn’t help but notice a similar confidence in Allen’s eyes. He couldn’t help but feel rage, rage that he had allowed things to get to this point, where this mere human actually stood a chance. It wasn’t supposed to happen like this! “For now, that should be more than enough to end my turn! It’s time to see how strong you are when you can’t push me around with intimidation!”

Calion smirked, not paying Allen’s words any attention on the outside as he drew his next card. This changed everything. He could use this card to turn things around, but not yet. It was too soon. “I’ll begin by activating the Trap Card Fiendish Chain!”

[IMG]http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100318004004/yugioh/images/thumb/0/08/FiendishChain-EN-Anime-5D.jpg/113px-FiendishChain-EN-Anime-5D.jpg[/IMG]

[spoiler=Fiendish Chain]
Target 1 face-up monster on the field. That monster cannot declare an attack, and its effect(s) is negated.[/spoiler]

“Now, see what the power of darkness does to the mediocre forces of light!” Calion called out as chains shot out from the ground, surrounding the robed warrior, restricting its movement entirely, despite its attempts to struggle out of it. “As long as my Trap Card is in play, your monster is unable to declare an attack, and its special ability is completely negated! It has no choice but to stand by helplessly as I obliterate it, just like you!”

It’s a minor setback. Little does he know, as soon as Lightray Sorcerer is removed from the field, my true ace will be brought into battle! Allen decided that he’d play along, showing fear, allowing Calion to believe he’d been able to gain the upper hand. “It’s nothing I can’t come back from!”

“That’s what you think!” Calion placed a monster onto his duel disk. “But now, I’m afraid I must bring this duel to an end! Come forth from the darkness, Phantasmal Beast – Chaos Fiend!”

The shrouds of shadows returned once more, only this time a creature far more menacing than the previous one began to form, with a figure terrifying enough to throw Allen off his game for a moment as the winged creature appeared on the field, at least twice the size of Allen’s monster. With large, spike-clad arms, the creature wasn’t much different than the last one, except in size. But something was off.

[spoiler=Phantasmal Beast – Chaos Fiend]
*******/DARK
Fiend / Effect
You can Normal Summon this card (from your hand) if there is a Level 5 or higher “Phantasmal Beast” monster in your Graveyard that was sent there from the field. When this card destroys an opponent’s monster by battle: Inflict 1000 damage to your opponent.[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]3000/0[/spoiler]

“Hold on a second, that’s a Level 7 monster!” Allen interjected. “You have to Tribute two monsters to bring it to the field!”

“In most cases yes, dear fool, but haven’t you learned this isn’t your average game?” Calion laughed once more. “You see, I command the power of shadows, and with the power that my fallen beast has given me, I can call upon a creature far stronger for absolutely no sacrifices! And it is this creature that will bring about your demise!”

No way...I’ve got a game plan here, but I’m not sure if it’ll be enough to take that thing down! Allen took a deep breath. Wait. I have to stay calm. This is exactly the type of reaction he wants from me. I can’t give him that satisfaction!

“Chaos Fiend, instruct his Sorcerer on the true powers of darkness!” Calion called out. “Attack with Nightmare Shattering!” The creature vanished into thin air, leaving nothing in its place. For a moment, Allen wondered if it was over, only to be sorely disappointed as the hellish creature reappeared, only this time, it was on Allen’s side of the field. It shrieked with anger, driving a claw right into the face of Allen’s monster. Fiendish Chain made it impossible to defend himself.

Allen’s Life Points: 2000
Calion’s Life Points: 1700

Allen could feel the shadows beginning to creep up once more. He had to stay strong. There was absolutely no way he’d let them take over. Not yet. He had a game to win. Fighting through the pain, he took the card he’d placed in his pocket earlier and slammed it into the duel disk with all his might. It was now or never.

“You...may have gotten around my Sorcerer, but the power of light is never alone!” His most powerful monsters, the ones he’d used throughout his entire longevity on the pro circuit, had always been the ones he could rely on to get him out of any situation. Losing hope in them now was not an option. No matter what, he couldn’t give up!

“Before your speech, allow me to inform you of my Chaos Fiend’s special ability! You see, whenever my monster destroys one of yours in battle, you take one thousand points of direct damage!”

Allen’s Life Points: 1000
Calion’s Life Points: 1700 [/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]The shot stung like no pain Allen had ever felt before. He collapsed to the ground, unable to stop himself as his face met the pavement in an unforgiving blow. The last (and next) thing he heard was the sound of Calion's voice, bursting with laughter, as though it was so funny he couldn't contain himself. Whether or not he'd blacked out for a moment Allen couldn't recall, but as he lay on the ground, he could feel the shadows beginning to surround him once more, this time almost entirely. The pain was more than brutal.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“Ironic for you to have given such a powerful speech just moments ago, only to find yourself unable to move now.” Calion said, continuing to laugh. “It appears as though the result has been decided, wouldn't you agree?”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]Was this it? Would he be able to gather the strength to stand and continue fighting? It didn't seem likely. Thoughts of his son and everything they'd gone through together flashed through his head quickly. Rai. Somehow, someway, Allen knew that no matter the result of this duel, Rai would find himself involved in this battle. A battle that Allen himself had no knowledge of. But the feeling of something happening, something on the horizon, was more than clear. And while he may not be able to completely stop whatever trouble Calion would bring, he could do everything within his power and fight until the last drop of energy was exhausted from him.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]That...that was the only way. He wasn't out of the fight yet. The power of the light still remained strong within him. It was time to call on the power of the Lightray monsters one final time.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“I must say I commend the fight you were able to put up,” Calion said. “I will be honest; I did not expect a human like you to have the strength to get this far. But now, this battle is over.”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“You're getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't you?” Allen asked, struggling to form words. [i]I know I don't have much time left, and it's more than likely I won't make it out of here alive, but I'm asking for the power to make one final stand. Give me the strength I need to win this battle!”[/i][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]The card in Allen's back pocket began to glow a bright, white light. The shadows retreated in fear as Allen began to feel the pain that was consuming his body less and less. He became surrounded by a shroud of white light, a light that was almost powerful enough to pull him to his feet on his own. Calion couldn't believe his eyes.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“After all, I've still got one thousand Life Points, and that's more than enough to stay in the fight.” [/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“What is this, some kind of joke?” The spirit spoke, deciding to hold back his anger no longer. “This power, where is it coming from? You should no longer have the strength to stand!”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“Sorry to disappoint, but as long as there's something to fight for, the light inside my lives on! But you were right, it is time to end this battle! And I'll do so by calling upon the monster I was able to remove with Lightray Alliance! Come forth and lend me the power to defeat him, Lightray Daedalus!”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]As the light amplified, growing brighter and more intense, the shadow of a slithering dragon, towering over near everything in the vicinity, encompassed the field. A monstrous white serpent, lined with blue along its the back, emerged from the light, its devastatingly sharp claws poised for attack. [/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][spoiler=Lightray Daedalus][/font][/size]
[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]*******/LIGHT[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by having 4 or more LIGHT monsters in your Graveyard, and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Once per turn: You can target 1 Field Spell Card and 2 other cards on the field; destroy them.[/font][/size]
[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]2600/1500[/spoiler][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][i]How could I have allowed the duel to get to this point? Where did I go wrong?![/i] Calion was beginning to panic; there was almost no way to turn things around. The effect of that dragon was more than well-known. Allen had used it as a game-finisher nearly every time on the pro circuit, and they'd been watching him for years. Provided he had a Field Spell Card in his hand, Allen could simply play it, destroy it, and clear the field, before attacking for game. [/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“It's time I end this! You've made your last move, and you won't be beating me, despite the fact that I might be a little worn out! See, by taking the Luminous Spark in my hand and destroying it, I'm allowed to activate my Daedalus' special ability, one that will clear your entire field! Watch and learn, Illumination Blaze!”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]As a charged beam of light began to form in the creature's mouth, absorbing the energy from Allen's Field Spell, Calion was helpless to make a defense, and found his entire field obliterated. [i]This can't be![/i][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“Now, Lightray Daedalus, finish him off, attack his Life Points directly with Hydro Shock!”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][b]Calion's Life Points[/b]: 0[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]- - -[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][i]I...I've done it. Son, I know you'll be safe now.[/i][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]Allen dropped to the ground, barely any life left. Calion remained in place, but was noticeably weakened, as well. “What have you accomplished, human? You may have won the game, but you won't be able to move anymore, you've not the strength left to escape from this world!”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“I...may not have the...strength to go on...” Allen tried to stand, but couldn't. So he looked up at the spirit instead. “But I will tell you this much. By defeating you, I have put a stop to the destruction you've intended to bring to my family, you see? I know this battle is far from over, and I can't help the fact that my son will have no choice but to involve himself, especially after he realizes my disappearance, but hey, if he's anything like his old man, perhaps the final result will still remain your defeat.”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“You are foolish to think -”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]“And besides,” Allen interrupted. “You're not looking so strong yourself, whatever you are. I knew this battle would come, but I had no idea how to prepare for it. I was able to defeat you by allowing my pure emotions and instinct to control the battlefield, and that was more than enough to guarantee my victory. I know these cards will watch over my son, and I will do the same. So I wish you good luck in your endeavors, because...you will need it.”[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]With that he closed his eyes.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]Calion knew he had no choice but to retreat; he had not the strength to try and obtain the card now, never mind try and survive in the human world for more than a few minutes. [/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif]This battle was far from over. In fact, it was just beginning.[/font][/size]

[size=4][font=tahoma,geneva,sans-serif][b]To be continued...[/spoiler][/b][/font][/size]

[Synchronized]

Bump?

No one has any opinions, one way or the other?

[Synchronized]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][spoiler=Chapter 5: Time to Bounze Back]
Chapter 5: Time to Bounze Back

“We're on a time limit, so the best bet to make this work is quick and effective.” Yoruki spoke quietly as he kept himself just a foot ahead of the young Ori, his apprentice of sorts. While CodEn was a relatively new company, Yoruki had worked alongside Takumi for years, and was given a less than significant position now that the latter had risen to prominence in a new, successful company. But that didn't matter. What mattered now was they had to find some way to locate the package; a package that they knew very little about, no less.

The delivery had been kept top secret for a reason; very few within the company structure knew of its relevance, and those that did would not risk that information getting out, for the consequences would be much greater than facing unemployment. Since Ori had been appointed to work under Yoruki, the older of the two had taken a liking to him, wanting to keep him as safe as relatively possible – he knew what Takumi was capable of, and it was not something he wanted anyone to have to endure, unless absolutely necessary.

While Ori had stepped outside, Yoruki tried asking around, speaking to a few company executives, hoping to see if they had the slightest idea of what they were up against, and how he could go about trying to reclaim what was stolen with as little risk as possible. As expected, he didn't get much at all. But, they were able to give him a phone number. A call that had been tracked from the day before, presumably between someone in the company and whoever was responsible for the delivery, done to ensure things were going to go just as planned. Tracking numbers was normal for the company, so there was no risk of punishment should information be leaked.

But that was as far as they got. Outside the offices, Yoruki had taken a few minutes to look up the information, finding a place where the number might have a connection. There was nothing. He'd quickly filled Ori in on where they were at, but both of them reached the same conclusion; the probability of them finding an unidentified package with no knowledge of its location while taking into consideration the fact that whoever was responsible for its delivery had other plans...it didn't look good.

“I'm not even sure where to start,” Ori replied. “Literally, the city is huge, and we have no idea what we're looking for.”

“Damnit!” Yoruki slammed his fist against the wall. I've known Takumi to be unreasonable, but this is just a whole 'nother level. How am I supposed to find something that I know nothing about?!

“You got no results when you tried calling the number?” Ori tried to keep the conversation going, to help Yoruki calm down. They had to focus. “Nothing at all?”

“It said the number was no longer in service. This guy, whoever he is, isn't just acting on pure instinct here. He must know he's dealing with a business genius, and I'm guessing he's taken any and all precautions to avoid the trouble he'd face if he was caught.” To try and explain to Ori the way Takumi operated was a worthless task. Anyone who saw him would know he was bad news, but when he didn't get his way, innocent people paid the price for it. Now that they had usurped KaibaCo. as the go-to company for Duel Technology, there was even less people could do to stop him.

This project, whatever it was, appeared to mean more to the Director than anything he'd personally seen since working for him. With that in mind, he had no intention of disappointing. The reality that they could very likely fail was one he did not want to embrace, but what choice did they have? Perhaps...perhaps they could use this time to try and escape. If they could get far enough away and try and establish some sort of hiding place...no, Takumi would find them eventually. Especially with the company secrets they were aware of.

“Hey, the two of you are looking for something, eh?” Yoruki turned around so suddenly, he almost knocked his partner in the face. A cloaked man stood, leaning with one foot against the wall along the sidewalk. They couldn't see his face, but the duel disk on his arm indicated that he was in fact, a duelist.

“Who are you?” Ori asked. “This is none of your concern.”

What's this about? Something about the man seemed familiar, but as far as that went, Yoruki had no idea.

“Heh, I suppose if you don't need help, then I'll gladly be on my way. I thought I had some advice I might be able to offer you.” The man stepped away from the wall and prepared to turn around, when Yoruki stopped him.

“Wait, let's not be hasty here.” He said. “Ori, think about it this way. We've got absolutely no leads and less time than we had ten minutes ago. I'm not one to trust people, but if this guy's got something, what other option do we have?”

Ori nodded. “I guess you're right.”

“What can you tell us, then?” Yoruki asked, throwing his cigarette onto the ground and stomping it out.

“I know people around here,” the man said. “I've got some information that most people may not know. But it comes at a price.”

“I'm not sure what we've got for cash, but if you want it, we can talk numbers.” Yoruki replied. After all, money could be the least of our concerns if we don't find this thing.

“I don't want your money,” he laughed. “Don't be foolish. Money is of no concern to me. No, what I do want, is a duel.”

“A duel?!” Ori and Yoruki asked, simultaneously.

“Right. Either one of you can face me, I don't care who. If you can defeat me in a duel, I'll tell you everything I know regarding your problem.” The man sighed. “But if not, I'll be on my way.”

Ori gave Yoruki a look of concern. What if it was a trap of some kind? Yoruki nodded. It didn't matter. They had no other outs. It was either this or keep searching aimlessly. And besides, maybe a game would take some stress off, for a few minutes at least.

- - -

“Ori, I'll take this one, alright?” Yoruki stepped forward, leaving his apprentice to wonder. “I take responsibility for getting us into this mess in the first place. I'd rather not risk putting you through any more trouble.”

“Don't be foolish, I can -”

“No. I will duel.” As Ori stepped to the side, complying, Yoruki brushed his hair back and activated his duel disk. The cloaked man did the same.

“Duel!”

“I'll go first,” the cloaked man drew a card, placing it immediately onto the duel disk. “And I'll begin with Blade Bounzer in attack mode.”

[spoiler=Blade Bounzer]
****/EARTH
Warrior / Effect
Once per turn, if this card attacks and your opponent controls a monster at the end of the Damage Step: You can discard 1 card; this card can attack an opponent's monster once again during this Battle Phase.
1800/1400[/spoiler]

[IMG]http://images1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111227004321/yugioh/images/thumb/d/da/BladeBouncer-JP-Anime-ZX-NC.png/175px-BladeBouncer-JP-Anime-ZX-NC.png[/IMG]

“Then I'll toss a face-down and end it. Your go.”

“Don't mind if I do,” Yoruki answered the challenge. “Whereas you decided to play offensively, I'm going to do the opposite. After all, I'm still not sure why you wanted this duel in the first place. Go, Moonlit Papillon, in defense mode!”

[spoiler=Moonlit Papillon]
****/LIGHT
When this card is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Butterspy" monster from your Deck.
1200/1600[/spoiler]

The cloaked duelist gave a nod as the winged creature descended onto the field, surrounding itself with a veil of glittery light as its one eye opened. “That'll be more than enough to get an idea of what I'm up against.”

“Unfortunately, I'm not sure that's going to impress.” The cloaked man placed a card from his hand into the Graveyard, before issuing a command. “Now, Blade Bounzer, attack his butterfly with Razor Shred!”

Mercilessly, the panther-esque warrior leapt into the air, slashing a blade straight through the center of the opposition. Yoruki showed no sign of concern. “It packs a punch for sure, but by destroying my monster, you've activated Moonlit Papillon's special ability. It's one that allows me to grab a monster from my Deck and bring it straight to the field!”

“So I call upon, Morpho Butterspy!” A glistening creature, sporting wings a dark shade of purple and dual-wielding a pair of blades, took residence on Yoruki's field.

[spoiler=Morpho Butterspy]
****/DARK
Warrior / Effect
Once per turn, when the battle position of an opponent's monster(s) is changed (except during the Damage Step): You can target one of those monsters; it loses 1000 ATK and DEF.
1200/1600[/spoiler]

[i]I played right into his hand on that one.[/i] Yoruki watched, helplessly as the panther came back one more, this time slashing in a different direction, but the end result was still the same. Only this time, damage came with it.

Yoruki’s Life Points: 3400
Cloaked Man’s Life Points: 4000

“Yoruki, you alright?” Orii asked from the sidelines.

“Yeah, I’m good.” The duelist drew his next card, adding it to his hand as he stared down his cloaked opponent’s field. “Just a few scratches. Nothing I can’t come back from.”

“Perhaps if you stop playing so carelessly, you will be much better suited, wouldn’t you say?” The cloaked man continued, “After all, you didn’t even bother to pay attention to my monster’s special ability. You could’ve at least taken the precautions to summon your Butterspy in defense mode, where you would’ve been safe from damage. It looks as though your head isn’t in the game at all.”

“Thanks, but I didn’t accept your challenge to get a dueling critique,” came the reply, as Yoruki placed a new monster card onto his duel disk, “I accepted it because I know I’ve got what it takes to beat you down! Now come on out, Swallowtail Butterspy!”

[spoiler=Swallowtail Butterspy]
****/DARK
Warrior / Effect
When another monster you control inflicts Battle Damage to your opponent: Target 1 monster your opponent controls; the targeted monster loses ATK equal to the amount of damage inflicted.
1800/1200[/spoiler]

“But that’s not all, because I’m giving her some support in the form of Glistening Wings!”

[spoiler=Glistening Wings]
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a “Butterspy” monster, or “Moonlit Papillon”. The equipped monster gains 300 ATK. When the equipped monster is sent from the field to the Graveyard: You can Set 1 Trap Card from your Deck.[/spoiler]

Swallowtail Butterspy = 1800 + 300 = 2100

“Impressive, you’ve got more than enough points to take down my monster.” [i]Technically, I could stop his attack with my face down card, but I suppose I’ll allow it to go through. After all, there’s hardly a better way to gain advantage than to allow the opponent to think they’ve got the upper hand.[/i] “Continue, then.”

“You asked for it!” Dual-wielding a pair of swords, the monarch-colored butterfly took flight, bringing the two weapons together and piercing the center of Blade Bounzer with ease.

Yoruki’s Life Points: 3400
Cloaked Duelist’s Life Points: 3700

“Maybe now I can give you a big speech about your dueling, huh?” Placing a card down, Yoruki continued, “I end my turn with this.”

“Perhaps so, but I wouldn’t get over-confident. Don’t forget, there was a reason I challenged you to a duel, and doing so with the contemplation of losing wasn’t exactly on my agenda.”

“What do you mean?” Yoruki asked. What’s his motive behind this? I still don’t understand how he plays into this whole thing. Damn, it’s too much to take in at once!

“You’ll see soon enough, but first, I call my Hammer Bounzer to the field!” The possum-esque creature burst from the pavement, holding both of its claws in the air as it awaited orders. A stronger monster, Hammer Bounzer’s ability allowed it to be brought out as long as the opponent controlled a monster, which was the duelist’s strategy from the get-go.

[spoiler=Hammer Bounzer]
******/EARTH
Warrior / Effect
If your opponent controls a monster and you control no monsters: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). If this card attacks: Your opponent cannot activate Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step.
2300/2000[/spoiler]

“Before you question it, I’m allowed to bring Hammer Bounzer out since I don’t have any monster cards on the field. Now watch as I unleash the fury of my beast upon you!” The claws on the creature’s arms turned to steel, hammer-like objects, as it leapt skywards. “Clip his monster’s wings with Pulverizing Hammer!”

“Not so fast, I”

“Let me stop you right there,” the cloaked duelist said as Yoruki began to speak. “When Hammer Bounzer battles, you’re not allowed to activate any Spell or Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step, meaning my attack goes through unharmed!”

Yoruki’s Life Points: 3200
Cloaked Duelist’s Life Points: 3700

[i]Who is this guy? And why do I get such a strange feeling from him? I wonder what his connection is to all of this...[/i] Yoruki eyed Takumi quickly, but the latter didn't seem to notice. [i]I don't like the uneasy feeling I'm getting from this. I need to end this duel now, before it continues any longer. Perhaps Takumi's intuition was right; something about all of this just appears too convienent to be true.[/i]

“It looks like your turn has ended, so I'll take mine!” As Yoruki added the card to his hand, he breathed a sigh of relief. It was exactly what he needed to turn this duel around. “This game's about to be over, and you've got no one but yourself to thank for it! Since you were kind enough to destroy my Papillon and my Butterspy monsters, I've got more than enough targets in the Graveyard, and you see by removing them, I can call my Chaos Sorcerer to the field!”

[spoiler=Chaos Sorcerer]
******/DARK
Spellcaster / Effect
Cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by banishing 1 LIGHT and 1 DARK monster from your Graveyard. Once per turn, you can target 1 face-up monster on the field and banish it. If you do, this card cannot declare an attack during this turn.
2300/2000[/spoiler]

As Takumi watched from the sidelines, he felt a feeling of surprise come over him. Yoruki had resorted to using his most powerful card on such a random opponent. Perhaps he had begun to feel the same suspicion. Something was off about this entire duel. Ah well, better that he finished it quickly, anyway. [i]Just be careful...[/i]

“But I'm not done,” Yoruki placed a Spell Card from his hand into the duel disk. “Because I'm activating the Twilight Veil Spell Card!” With this card, his Sorcerer would be able to do battle and avoid being destroyed. In addition, when it destroyed another monster, that monster's controller would take five-hundred points of damage. He considered simply banishing it and waiting a turn, but he had to do as much damage as quickly as possible. Waiting would only make it more risky.

[spoiler=Twilight Veil]
Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a LIGHT or DARK Spellcaster-Type monster. The equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle by a monster with an ATK lower than or equal to its ATK. When the equipped monster destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.[/spoiler]

“I don't know who you are or why you made this challenge, but I know that too much rides on this duel for me to lose! It's time to end this, and I'll do it with my Twilight Veil!” Yoruki exclaimed, drawing no response. “But before that, I have one thing to ask you. What is the reasoning behind this? How do you know who we are?”

“Unfortunately,” the duelist replied calmly “I can't give out that information. What I can tell you is this. I challenged you for the sole purpose of testing your skill. As I assumed, it was more than effortless to win.”

“What?!” Yoruki felt his fist curl up in frustration. “This duel is far from over, don't insult my ability with your petty confidence!”

“You're wrong. For you see, this duel has already reached its conclusion.” The duelist explained, deactivating his duel disk, as it retracted and became much smaller on his arm. “This game has been over for about three minutes now, in fact.”

“That can't be! We're still in the middle of a game! What the hell are you talking about?!”

“I'm afraid I can't go into detail, but I'll explain in the simplest terms. You see, I've already won this duel. Upon the summoning of your Chaos Sorcerer, and the equipment of Twilight Wing, you declared your attack, at which point I played the Trap Card Phantom Token.” The duelist continued, “With that, I was able to block your attack and bring forth another monster to the field, my Phantom Bounzer. At that point, it was as simple as building the overlay network with both of my monsters to call upon my Photon Strike Bounzer.”

“None of this happened, what are you talking about?!” Yoruki was trying to process the information; was this a mind game of some sorts? It couldn't have been – his opponent had already deactivated the duel disk. [i]What the hell is going on?[/i]

“I'm not finished. Strike Bounzer's attack led to the activation of your Instant Boost Trap Card, which of course, would allow you to use Chaos Sorcerer's ability on my turn. This turned out not to be the case due to Strike Bounzer's own effect. From there, I used the Spell Card Overlay Reversal to bring my original monsters back to the field and attack for game. Don't worry though, Yoruki Izumaya. It'll catch up to you eventually.”

The cloaked duelist didn't bother to turn back; he simply continued walking, but s he did, he said one more thing which caught both of the men by surprise. “The item you're looking for is right around the corner there, in that alleyway. I've got no use for it anymore, do what you will with it. Goodbye.”

Was that it then? Yoruki couldn't believe what he'd heard. It was a miracle. Takumi rushed over to him to exchange words, but didn't have the opportunity as the events of the duel caught up with Yoruki, causing him to collapse to the ground – it was too much for his mind to handle at once.

At least they had the package...

[b]To be continued...[/b][/spoiler]

Brand new episode, took a little longer than I would have liked to get it posted, but regardless it's up now. I'm hoping more people will start to give this a look, I know it's confusing but pretty soon everything will make sense. About two more episodes of all this confusing stuff and then things will really unfold and get going.

If you read it, feel free to comment! I'd appreciate any and all feedback![/font][/size]

[Aerion Brightflame]

Sorry for not commenting before. My internet died each time i tried....

Anywho. I think you've got some talent. The duel's seem intresting, and you are creating some head screwy stuff. I don't know why but in the 3rd chapter i swear the bit where he is trying to think of how to break out of the nightmare was like Yami Yugi and Wheelers duelist kingdom duel. 'I shouldn't do the obvious becuase he's seen it before. but then what if i have thought this before and ....' Still, it is all good.

I'm not a brilliant one for critisizm of actual technique. But i did notice some moments of repititions. I think it was in Chapter 2 where you said 'In silence the two... such and such characters were standing, not talking'. I understand its easy to get caught up in the moment, and its not a big thing, but it's always suprising how many times you can spot yourself doing it after you've spotted it once.

And to end on a positive note, well done. And keep writing, i look forwards to reading more.

[Bahamut - Envoy of the End]

Caught up now.

Chapter 4 - Well... that didn't go as expected. Allen didn't exactly stay in the doom and gloom zone for very long at all, in fact from the very start of the chapter he was in a great mood, which was a weird mood to set off with. Then he... won?

Except he still collapsed/died/got consumed by the shadows. So Calion is now completely trainwrecked as a baddie in terms of being able to be taken seriously, and just... I dunno, the whole thing just seemed unsettling. Allen didn't need the win as much as Calion, other than it stopped him taking the 'ultimate card' (how much time and energy does it take to crawl over to someone's body and just take it? If it's that important he would have made the effort). That seems to be the only reasoning for Allen winning, and its to be honest a bit of a flimsy one. Calion crushing him in duel... Allen tricking him with 'cards not here and you're not going to find it'... thunderous rage "you shall pay for your insolence"... brutal death. Might have been done before, but makes more sense, bigs up Calion and doesn't detract from Allen. Unless I completely missed something.

Chapter 5 - Mm... check your editing much?

This duel is just weird as well. I'm assuming that's the same dude from the riding duel earlier, given this second random "yeah, I just want a duel against randoms really". Just finding his character, assuming its one and the same guy, a bit too weird. As opposed to the two henchmen who I don't really like at all. The time distortion duel's already finished thing was pretty mind bending but well done to be honest, I quite liked that. Yoruki's pretty weak to just pass out from it though.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='HiveNet' timestamp='1342354485' post='5978943']
Sorry for not commenting before. My internet died each time i tried....

[b]No worries at all. I appreciate any and all feedback and such a long response is awesome, thanks![/b]

Anywho. I think you've got some talent. The duel's seem intresting, and you are creating some head screwy stuff. I don't know why but in the 3rd chapter i swear the bit where he is trying to think of how to break out of the nightmare was like Yami Yugi and Wheelers duelist kingdom duel. 'I shouldn't do the obvious becuase he's seen it before. but then what if i have thought this before and ....' Still, it is all good.

[b]The difficult in this, especially without spoiling anything, is setting up for the big reveals that will come about Chapter 8. All of these separate plot points matter in the long run, but in the context of the episode itself, they seem cliche almost. I get that. As long as you're completely confused, I'm doing my job.[/b]

I'm not a brilliant one for critisizm of actual technique. But i did notice some moments of repititions. I think it was in Chapter 2 where you said 'In silence the two... such and such characters were standing, not talking'. I understand its easy to get caught up in the moment, and its not a big thing, but it's always suprising how many times you can spot yourself doing it after you've spotted it once.

[b]I do proofread, but sometimes I miss things. I'll be sure to give it a second go through before I post it the next time around. ^^;[/b]

And to end on a positive note, well done. And keep writing, i look forwards to reading more.
[/quote]

Awesome, I look forward to your responses!

[quote name='Majestic Star Bahamut' timestamp='1342364182' post='5978984']
Caught up now.

[b]As you should be. (Just kidding, of course.)[/b]

Chapter 4 - Well... that didn't go as expected. Allen didn't exactly stay in the doom and gloom zone for very long at all, in fact from the very start of the chapter he was in a great mood, which was a weird mood to set off with. Then he... won?

[b]The message I tried to convey was that in a time of desperation, Allen was able to pull everything together and unlocked a great power within himself in the process. I'll elaborate further soon, don't worry.[/b]

Except he still collapsed/died/got consumed by the shadows. So Calion is now completely trainwrecked as a baddie in terms of being able to be taken seriously, and just... I dunno, the whole thing just seemed unsettling. Allen didn't need the win as much as Calion, other than it stopped him taking the 'ultimate card' (how much time and energy does it take to crawl over to someone's body and just take it? If it's that important he would have made the effort). That seems to be the only reasoning for Allen winning, and its to be honest a bit of a flimsy one. Calion crushing him in duel... Allen tricking him with 'cards not here and you're not going to find it'... thunderous rage "you shall pay for your insolence"... brutal death. Might have been done before, but makes more sense, bigs up Calion and doesn't detract from Allen. Unless I completely missed something.

[b]I can understand where you're coming from with Calion needing the win, however Calion is simply a pawn in the grand scheme of things. The reasoning behind him not being able to reach over and grab the card is because the card wasn't in Allen's possession, it was located within the basement of Allen's own home, while the two were dueling in the Mid-World (between Calion's world and the world of the living). Allen didn't have enough strength to return home because of the immense amount of energy it takes just to survive there. While it's possible Calion could have left and returned to the world of the living to get the card, he wouldn't have had enough strength to return back to his own world, and therefore the entire premise of grabbing the card would have been pointless when he could wait to regroup his strength.[/b]

Chapter 5 - Mm... check your editing much?

[b]I saw that and thought I fixed it. It's all good now. I forgot to add a spoiler tag which threw everything off. The episode was more than just a one-move duel.[/b]

This duel is just weird as well. I'm assuming that's the same dude from the riding duel earlier, given this second random "yeah, I just want a duel against randoms really". Just finding his character, assuming its one and the same guy, a bit too weird. As opposed to the two henchmen who I don't really like at all. The time distortion duel's already finished thing was pretty mind bending but well done to be honest, I quite liked that. Yoruki's pretty weak to just pass out from it though.
[/quote]

The time distortion is extremely relevant to the plot and something I can't explain quite yet, but it'll be explained in greater detail soon. Yoruki passing out was due to the pressure on his mind from the warping. He'll be fine. Just a minor setback. Also, as for who the character is, and why, I can't tell you whether or not it is Terrance, but I can tell you that I feel like the reveal will definitely throw you for a loop.

Thanks guys, I'm working on Chapter 6 as we speak, so hopefully I'll be able to get that posted soon and start to make some more progress on the story!

[Randomflyingobjects]

Alright, so first couple chapters, interesting duel, and I liked how the guy was all resourceful, taking out his chip and all, deactivating the duel. This is because I actually [i]didn't [/i]like how when Yusei was about to lose to Kalin, his tire blew out, and the duel was deactivated. It left me thinking 'What the heck? The only reason he's not trapped in the Shadows is because some random tire blowout? I expected better.'. I also liked the theme of his deck, using Anyway, chapter 3-4 were also good, even though it was all a bit of a cliche. After the 3rd chapter, I realized that the current guy dueling might not actually be the hero, because he was losing like heck, and he was going to give his deck to his son, who apparently randomly sat up in bed at the end of ch. 3. The annoying part, however, was that he wins the duel... and yet he [i]Dies/gets trapped in the Shadow Realm [/i]anyway? Chapter 5 was interesting but I couldn't tell who to root or, or what the heck happened when the guy claimed he had already won.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Randomflyingobjects' timestamp='1342457823' post='5979925']
Alright, so first couple chapters, interesting duel, and I liked how the guy was all resourceful, taking out his chip and all, deactivating the duel. This is because I actually [i]didn't [/i]like how when Yusei was about to lose to Kalin, his tire blew out, and the duel was deactivated. It left me thinking 'What the heck? The only reason he's not trapped in the Shadows is because some random tire blowout? I expected better.'. I also liked the theme of his deck, using Anyway, chapter 3-4 were also good, even though it was all a bit of a cliche. After the 3rd chapter, I realized that the current guy dueling might not actually be the hero, because he was losing like heck, and he was going to give his deck to his son, who apparently randomly sat up in bed at the end of ch. 3. The annoying part, however, was that he wins the duel... and yet he [i]Dies/gets trapped in the Shadow Realm [/i]anyway? Chapter 5 was interesting but I couldn't tell who to root or, or what the heck happened when the guy claimed he had already won.
[/quote]

Alright, let me try to break this down and assess all of your points.

* While I didn't quite follow 5D's enough to know the exact reference you're making, I understand that people had some criticism regarding the way I ended the first duel. I'd like to say it will make sense, because that's the plan, but I can understand people seeing it as a shortcut of sorts, too.

* Allen is a very relevant character, but not at all the main one. As I explained to Matt in the earlier post, surviving in the Mid-World takes an incredible toll on the body. He was able to win, sure, but just barely, and it was only enough to stop Calion from escaping to the Human World, at least for now.

* Chapter 5 will make much more sense at Chapter 8, as I said. This whole "mystery" thing is the first time I've tried this, so building up to a big reveal is a new concept for me, and you can probably tell that by the shakiness in some of the details. I'm working on it, just a few more episodes of mystery and we'll get to the big reveal for sure.

[Randomflyingobjects]

Alright, things make a bit more sence now.

- That's understandable. Basically, I prefer the the way you did it over the way it happened in the show.

- OK, now I get it. So, when do we get to the main character? We've been sitting here, guessing for the last five chapters...

- I guess we'll all have to wait, then. When is the next chapter coming out?

- That's understandable. Basically, I like your scenario better that the one on the show.

- Alright. So, when do we actually find out who the main character is?

- OK, I hope it gets better. Anyway, when's the next chapter coming out?

[Synchronized]

It's possible I could finish Chapter 6 tonight, but I'd expect it tomorrow, so I'll go with tomorrow just to be safe.

[Synchronized]

[size=3][font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][spoiler=Chapter 6: Chaos Echoes][/font]
[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Chapter 6: Chaos Echoes

“Was that the full potential of the jikokusori?” The voice asked, spoken with such concern as the blisteringly cold air brought his every breath to visibility. “It was as though I had no idea it had happened until it did, but something told me this is what the ability is capable of.”

“Quite the contrary, for you have much more to learn before you can even begin to master its power,” an older man spoke, the tales of years and years of experience and endurance masking the true intention of his words. “You have come much farther than when this began, but don’t begin to think you’ve even begun to understand your abilities.”

“How can that be? You saw for yourself the effect it had on that duelist, he collapsed almost instantly from the mental pressure.” The voice replied, relaying a situation of which the elder was well-aware. “You don’t mean to tell me the jikokusori is capable of more than this, do you, Ankoku?”

“Your father knew of your abilities from the get-go, and it is for that reason he chose to keep you secluded from here,” Ankoku’s response was almost timid, but he was quick to mask the anger in his voice. “While I had approved of his decision, it does not change the fact that now, in a time of such need, we must work much faster than normal to prepare you for the fight that lie ahead.”

“When will you tell me, Ankoku?” There was a slight pause in the conversation as both men felt the chilling air pass over them. “Of my father’s work. Of this battle that you continue to reference. There must be a point to all of this; if I knew what I was fighting to achieve perhaps it would allow me to excel more easily.”

Ankoku sighed. “It was your father’s wish that I withhold such information from you for as long as possible. We both knew there would come a day where the burden of this situation would be placed on your shoulders, but I fear if you knew the entire depth of the situation, your mind would be blinded by rage and thus you would rush into battle unprepared. Should that happen, you would suffer a most disappointing defeat, and everything your father had done would be for naught.”

“Well then...” the voice replied, a calming confidence brewing in his words. “If my father did all of this to protect me, then tell me, Ankoku, what I must do to make his efforts worth his sacrifice. If I must master the jikokusori, then I will do so. But these pointless duels are nothing more than a waste of my time.”

“Not the patient type, are you?” Ankoku asked, turning his attention to some papers on his desk. “It’s quite interesting how much that quality in you differs from your father’s own actions. He was always such a patient man. Fine then, I suppose it’s about time I fill you in. But first, you must partake in one final duel. The duel against Yoruki was simply for the purposes of understanding the power we face. He and the other one are innocent pawns, simply stuck in the middle of an unfortunate situation.”

“I was going to ask, why was it, then, that you had me return the item to them in the first place? Isn’t the Duel Runner the purpose behind all of this craziness?”

“Far from it,” the elder quipped, “it’s merely a distraction from the overall goal. If we were to focus on the Duel Runner and stopping the energy generation process solely through dueling, we would be wasting our time. By returning the runner to them, of course without the Pilot Chip, we may have been able to spare their lives, and create a temporary distraction for the time being if Takumi, CodEn’s chairman, is to believe he has everything in front of him. We have bought enough time now. If you can win this last duel, we can begin to make some significant progress. Is that not what you want?”

“I want to avenge my father,” the voice replied, showing no hesitance for the tone of his voice as he spoke to the elder. “If it means I have to face one more of your little tests, so be it. I’m beginning to wonder though, the reactions some people might have to the amount of duels that have been going around under such circumstances. Yoruki wasn’t the only victim of the jikokusori, and a cloaked duelist taking out various opponents is surely to draw attention sooner rather than later.”

“Do not fear.” Ankoku said. “You do trust me, don’t you?”

[i]To be honest, I’m not sure. So much has been hidden from me that I don’t know what to believe any longer. It’s obvious that this jikokusori is hurting innocent people, and it’s a power I’m unable to control. The more I duel, the more of a risk there is of others getting hurt. But at the same time, if this truly is the only way to save my father, what choice do I have? I’d like to believe Ankoku and I have the same goals, but something feels off.[/i] “Of course, sir. I’ll be on my way, then.”

---

“Looks like we’ve got another prime target, eh Rondo?” Night had set upon the streets of New Domino City as Tyson Strong and his “pack” of followers were making their way. With an infamous reputation for mugging and thievery, Tyson had managed to evade Sector Security time and time again, continuing to get away with his actions. While Security was well-aware of his reputation, catching him was easier said than done, especially with his group of henchmen, a bunch of muscle-headed, pretty much brainless cronies in it for the money.

They were all capable duelists in their own right, but preferred to get their way through violence as opposed to dueling. And with the numbers advantage and outright strength that made up their group, it was hard to blame them. As Tyson lead the pack, they spotted a man sitting on the sidewalk, appearing to be asleep. Located next to him was a string backpack, and it appeared to be unnoticed. Perhaps they’d be able to get away with this one without drawing any attention at all. Despite Tyson’s crave for violence, he was no stupid man; to be able to grab the bag and be on their way would probably make for some nice riches tonight.

Of the five of them in the group, Tyson was by far the most intelligent. Although he had the skills to back his words up, he more often than not chose to withdraw from the scuffles unless it was necessary. He had four more than capable fighters, but without his leadership, they’d all be completely lost. He was the brains to their success and couldn’t allow himself to risk harm, for it would throw off the balance of everything. “Chad, Rondo, the two of you go ahead in; we’ll stay back. If you can avoid being noticed, feel free. It looks like’s asleep; either that or completely knocked out. Either way, grab the bag and we’ll get out of here relatively quickly.” He smirked. “It looks like its our lucky day.”

Chad stepped up first. A tall, bumbling man, albeit very muscular, ran his fingers through his sleek black hair, clearing the strands out of his eyes. Chad was a quiet personality, but he loved fighting, and the thrill of crime in general. He’d joined up with Tyson simply because it was something to do, and they’d managed to turn it into a rather easy way to make profits. “Boss, I gotta say, findin’ myself a bit disappointed that we ain’t gonna get a brawl hea’.”

“Don’t be a clown,” Tyson snapped. “You’ll get your opportunity. Just not with this guy. There’s no need to cause a scene.”

“Chad, just shut up and do your job,” Rondo replied in a stern voice. The bald-headed man was Tyson’s right-hand man, of sorts, and it was his responsibility to make sure the others knew their place. At the same time, he wasn’t a fan of meaningless whining and complaining. He wasn’t in it to fight; he was in it for the money, and solely for the money. The rest of the men listened to Rondo without complaints, because he was different from the rest of him. No one could really pinpoint what it was, exactly, but there was just something about his demeanor that made him stand out. He was feared.

While he would never admit it, even Tyson himself made significant efforts to avoid angering the hot-tempered Rondo. He’d only done it once before, and it hadn’t brought forth good results – just the opposite.

The footsteps, a short distance to walk no less, seemed endless as they approached the sleeping man. Chad felt the temptation to kick him, a good shot right in the cut just for the sake of a ruse, but one glare from Rondo shut him down quick. Rondo stood back as Chad reached down for the bag, grabbing it by the strings; it felt heavy as he tried to pull it off the ground. What the hell’s he got in this thing, anyway? He chuckled quietly.

They looked back at Tyson, who nodded. Rondo stepped away first, and Chad soon followed.

“You going somewhere with that?” The voice came from down below as Chad looked to his feet; the man’s hand had reached up and grabbed the bottom string of the bag, tightening his grip along it. Chad tried to pull it away quickly, but this adversary wasn’t budging. “It’s very rude to steal other people’s belongings, you know.”

“Ehha!” Chad exclaimed. “Its lookin’ like dis’ here pipsqueak ain’t so asleep afta’ all. Does that mean I get to knock ‘em around, boss?” [/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“What is it, Rondo?” Tyson asked aloud, though he wasn't sure the musclebound man heard his words at all. He sensed a strange feeling resonating from Rondo, something he could only recall seeing once before, the same time he'd made the mistake of infuriating him. It was obvious Rondo wasn't a fan of Chad at all, but that wasn't it. It was something about the man on the ground. Normally, he would have issued the command to assault, but something was holding him back.[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Chad wasn't waiting for an order. With a devilish grin on his face, he drove his knee straight into the skull of the still-seated man, who had zero reaction time. There was a scream of pain, but to Tyson's shock, as he looked up, the man was unscathed. “That's impossible...what the hell...”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The man plunged his head forward, smashing his cranium straight into Chad's right knee, and the upstart thug shrieked as he was thrust backwards, at least fifty feet to the other side of the road. As the man began to stand, the thugs stood, frozen with disbelief. [/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][i]He just...[/i] Tyson couldn't even process the events he'd just witnessed. [i]What kind of inhuman strength is this...[/i][/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“Go, make sure he's alright,” Tyson beckoned to the two men standing behind him. They rushed over to Chad, who was holding his knee in pain, grimacing as he rolled back and forth on the pavement. One of the men grabbed his knee despite Chad's hesitance, causing him to yell once more. [/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“It's...shattered in three places...” was all he could manage to say. “That's not physically possible. I mean, how...what [i]are[/i] you?”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“You shouldn't go around attacking people,” the man replied. His voice was calm, but frightening, and combined with what they'd just seen, Tyson had half a mind to back off and live to fight another day. “You never know what kind of trouble you might get yourself into.”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“You talk tough, but there's only one of you and five of us,” Tyson snapped. “What makes you think you stand even half a chance? You ain't gonna get lucky twice.”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“I'm not much of a violence guy; I'd rather solve this without a fight.” Tyson heard the words, not for the first time, either, but for once, actually considered them. Chad might have been an annoying idiot, but he could hold his own in a fight, and this guy had ripped him to shreds within seconds. He couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that he'd been able to see the attack coming given the situation. But that strength, a simple headbutt knocking Chad a literal fifty feet and shattering his knee...how could someone actually possess that much strength?[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“Boss, maybe it's best if we just leave this one be.” One of the henchmen attending to Chad replied. “He made a mockery out of one of the toughest guys we got.”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“It's for that reason exactly that he's not getting off so easily.” Tyson smiled. He knew that if they were to just walk away now, it would damage everything they'd achieved up to this point. No one would take them seriously if the five of them were beaten by just one man, and a man who wasn't even that large at that. “Get him, now.”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The two men stood, but not without mass hesitation. They began to advance to the other side of the street, where the opposition welcomed their challenge. “I've warned you not to fight, but if you insist, you leave me no other choice.” He dropped the bag onto the ground, carefully. “Now I will make it simple. I am placing this bag right here at my feet. We will fight if that's what you want, but if even one of you touches it before our fight concludes...”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The man looked up and stared directly into Tyson's eyes. “...I will kill you all.”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Tyson felt shivers run down his spine as the words were spoken, and despite his efforts to keep his composure, even his men realized they were in over their head. But at this point, it was too late to do anything but fight.[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“Kimore, you take him first,” Tyson ordered, speaking to the slightly shorter of the two men. “Rishida, if he should need your help, then by all means join in.”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Kimore took the front side while Rishida advanced to the back. By surrounding him, they had an advantage, and meant it would be far more difficult for him to gain any sort of upper hand. They weren't going to allow themselves to be caught by surprise like Chad was. No one was that stupid. “Take this you useless b****!”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Kimore drove his fist square into the man's gut—a hard shot, too. Before he had a chance to respond, Rishida struck from behind, taking out the right leg with a swift kick. The man dropped to one knee and Kimore dove in. Mustering up all his strength, he lifted his right leg and kicked the man square in the head. The impact was so loud it echoed throughout the nearby alleyway.[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“What the--” Kimore shouted, stuttering his words as he found himself unable to move his leg. It was still on the man's shoulder, but he had grabbed it with his left hand, holding it firmly in place. “How could you still be moving? You took that kick straight on!” [/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Rishida, looking to strike while the iron was hot, tried to go for the other leg. Surely there was no way he could block two attacks, especially not without letting go of Kimore. “I'm just about done with this fight!”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“Rishida watch out!” Kimore yelled, but he was too late. The man had already shoved Kimore forward, turning around and connecting with a right hook, straight to the jaw. With not much space between them and the wall, Rishida was sent flying, smashing his head against the brick foundation and falling to the pavement, where a puddle of blood began to surround him.[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“How the hell is he doing this?! Rondo, some help here?!” Kimore called out, but the larger man remained in place. There was a stern, yet almost blank expression on his face as he simply watched from a distance, not answering the plea. Kimore looked to Tyson, perhaps wondering if he'd issue an order that Rondo would obey, but their leader remained frozen in place, his right hand beginning to shake from the fear that had overtaken him. “Fine, I'll kill you myself!”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]He reached into his pocket and pulled out a switchblade. With a grin on his face, he flipped it open. “See, if you had just left well enough alone, it wouldn't have had to come to this. But now, you're going to suffer at my hands!” Kimore charged forward, blade out, going straight for the throat. A risky move, but one that would pay off should he connect. As he got closer to the man, he went to drive it home. Forward...the man reached out, sliding his two fingers over the blade of the knife and grabbing his hand. [i]What the...what the hell! I can't move! He's got...a pressure point![/i] “Hey, let go of me! Damn you, there's no way you'll hurt me!”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]The man pushed down until Kimore heard a crack. He screamed out, but it felt as though his screams were silent. With two fingers, his hand had been shattered. He dropped the knife to the ground, reaching for his hand, as thought that would somehow make the pain go away. The man kicked him in the gut, with such force behind it that he shot back, crashing into a lamp-post on the other side of the road, meeting the same fate as his partner had just seconds earlier.[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]Tyson stood in place, and Rondo wasn't moving, either. He waited for their move, before beginning to feel dizzy. Something was happening...[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]“Don't worry, you'll be fine in a matter of minutes. Just gotta wait for the jikokusori to catch up with you.”[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif]He fell to the ground.[/font]

[font=verdana,geneva,sans-serif][b]To be continued...[/b][/font][/spoiler]

This one was a blast to write. I'm actually really excited for the big reveal, which, obviously comes after the next Chapter. Don't worry, we'll get a duel in the next episode, too, for those of you ready to see some action.

I'd love some feedback. [/size]

[Randomflyingobjects]

Well, I didn't really understand exactly was going on in the beginning. I don't think you've introduced any of those people before, (which isn't really bad... I just don't know if I should know any of these guys.) I think they were referring to the events of the episode 2 chapters ago, with the guy dueling in the shadows, but I'm not exactly sure. Is this something that isn't supposed to make sense, for the sake of the mystery, or what? All I got out of it was: "If I tell you something, you'll go crazy." "But I want to avenge the disappearance of my father!" I'm not sure, but is this event related to the duel in 'The Dawn Before Dusk'? (Or whatever it was called?)

I enjoyed the second part a ton, though I'm not sure how these guys tie in with anything, though I'm not sure exactly what 'jikokusori' is.

[Synchronized]

[quote name='Randomflyingobjects' timestamp='1342629090' post='5981910']
Well, I didn't really understand exactly was going on in the beginning. I don't think you've introduced any of those people before, (which isn't really bad... I just don't know if I should know any of these guys.) I think they were referring to the events of the episode 2 chapters ago, with the guy dueling in the shadows, but I'm not exactly sure. Is this something that isn't supposed to make sense, for the sake of the mystery, or what? All I got out of it was: "If I tell you something, you'll go crazy." "But I want to avenge the disappearance of my father!" I'm not sure, but is this event related to the duel in 'The Dawn Before Dusk'? (Or whatever it was called?)

I enjoyed the second part a ton, though I'm not sure how these guys tie in with anything, though I'm not sure exactly what 'jikokusori' is.
[/quote]

[font=georgia, serif]All I can say about the first part is that it did involve the character from the previous chapter, the cloaked duelist. As to who that is, I'll reveal everything in Chapter 8, but it [i]was[/i] him and the jikokusori is what you saw in the end of Chapter 5, when Yoruki had already lost but hadn't realized it. It has something to do with warping time, but the full effects will be revealed with the rest of all the mystery I've been building up.[/font]

[font=georgia, serif]See, when I reveal everything, which will be done in backwards order, everything will make sense. We're in a few different timelines at the same time with the prior Chapters, but it will all come together to get us to where we're at now. This Chapter is current time.[/font]

[font=georgia, serif]The people at the end are being introduced for the first time; the man will become a main protagonist alongside another, but the villains were just a one-off for the sake of establishing the situation.[/font]