Yu-Gi-Oh!
God of Shadows
Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-gi-oh! I own this story, Amara Kaiba, Darius Phoenix, the 20 card set used by Osiris, and several other cards that appear throughout this story.
Chapter 1
It has been 20 years since the shadows were sealed away and the pharaoh's spirit laid to rest. Ever since then, Yugi Motou, declared King of Games after the Duelist Kingdom Tournament, has achieved numerous victories in Duel Monsters tournaments around the world, and has also become an instructor at one of the most prestigious Duel Monsters universities in Japan. However, it is at the height of his dueling career that Yugi is about to face his greatest challenge yet.
Late one spring afternoon, Yugi's friends Joey, Tea, Bakura, and Tristan were walking to the university where Yugi teaches advanced dueling classes. They knew his last class for the day would be letting out soon, so they had decided to stop by to see him. As they approached the building, they noticed a crowd rushing inside.
"What do you think this is all about?" asked Tea.
"I dunno, but I'm gonna find out," answered Joey before running up towards the crowd. He managed to catch up to one of the last few people entering the building.
"Hey, what's goin' on here?" Joey asked the student.
"Some kid just challenged Professor Motou for his title as King of Games," said the student as he ran inside. Hearing this, Joey ran back to the gang and told them what was happening.
"Well if Yugi's duelin' then we should get in there," commented Tristan. As the group went towards the entrance, a familiar voice stopped them in their tracks.
"What are you geeks up to?"
They turned to see Seto Kaiba standing before them. The president of Kaiba Corporation had on the white duster that he wore during the Battle City Tournament, with his black Kaiba Corp uniform underneath. The duel disk on his arm made him all the more intimidating.
"Hey, Kaiba," said Tea in a cheerful voice, "How've you been?"
"Still makin' money, rich boy?" remarked Joey.
"I see some of you still haven't moved past old grudges," said Kaiba, looking towards Joey. Looking back towards Tea, he said "I've been good. So what's goin' on?"
"Yugi's dueling someone for the King of Games title," explained Tea.
"Friends or not, I'm the only one who's going to claim that title. If some nobody duelist is going to attempt to steal that title from Yugi, I want to see this amateur get crushed. Let's get in there," said Kaiba. With that, the group headed inside.
As they entered Yugi's classroom, they were forced to stop. Despite the size of Yugi's classroom, the students were packed against the walls. The cause of the cluster was the giant black cloud in the center of the room. Among the rest of the group, Kaiba seemed especially dumbfounded.
"Someone want to explain this to me?" said Kaiba. "I thought all of this Shadow Games nonsense stopped when the pharaoh's spirit was sealed."
"That's what we thought as well," said Tristan.
"Hey you, what's with that cloud?" Joey asked a student near him.
"I don't know," responded the student. "They activated their duel disks, then Professor Motou's opponent raised some sort of dagger above his head, and this cloud just appeared. No one can get through it."
"Did anything about this dagger stand out?" continued Joey.
"There was some kind of symbol on the dagger. A golden eye."
"So it is a Shadow Game," commented Bakura.
"And it gets worse," said Tea. "Without the pharaoh's spirit, Yugi may be facing his most dangerous challenge yet."
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Inside the cloud, the two duelists stood opposite each other, their duel disks raised for the duel to begin. Yugi was wearing his Battle City uniform, minus the Millennium Puzzle he had worn around his neck. His opening hand was already drawn. His opponent stood drawing his hand, wearing a red blazer and sporting a duel disk that suggested he once attended Seto Kaiba's Duel Academy. He had brown hair and a look of determination in his eyes. The life-point meter flashed 4000 for both of them.
"I don't know how you managed to cause a Shadow Game, Jarona, but I will make sure you never do again," said Yugi as he drew his first card. He held his hand up, contemplating his first move. "I summon Big Shield Guardna in defense mode." As Yugi said this, the duel disk projector created the hologram of one of Yugi's most faithful monsters, its golden shield concealing most of its body. "Then I place one card face-down, and end my turn." Once the hologram produced a face-down card, the turn went to his opponent.
"I will defeat you," said Jarona confidently as he drew his card, "and resurrect my master from the shadows."
"What do you mean? I thought you were after my title."
"I had to say that so you would agree to duel me. I knew you couldn't back down from someone challenging you as King of Games. Truth is, I don't care about your title one way or another. I duel only to resurrect the great Osiris."
"Osiris? You mean the Egyptian God?"
"Not exactly. I refer to the reincarnation of the God, like the one you fought after Battle City."
"The one I…Anubis."
"Exactly. And with the Dagger of Fate, all I need is to win this duel, and your soul will make a perfect sacrifice. Now, I place two cards face-down, and summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode." His monster summoned, Jarona ended his turn.
As he drew, Yugi thought about what Jarona had said. "Did you say the Dagger of Fate? I thought only the Millennium Items could generate a Shadow Game."
"You thought wrong, Yugi. You see, the Millennium Items were not the only mystical artifacts created in the time of the shadows. There were also seven items created to rival the Millennium Items. These were known as the seven Shadow Items. A major difference between the items is the red sphere at the center of the eye on the Shadow Items." Jarona held up the Dagger of Fate to show Yugi the red sphere where the golden circle should be. "And each of the Shadow Items was entrusted to one of the seven dark reincarnations of the Egyptian Gods. I believe you are familiar with the Pyramid of Light that was entrusted to Anubis. That Shadow Item had the power to make the monsters real. The ability of the Dagger of Fate is much more impressive. By sacrificing one soul, it can restore another."
"Then I can't let you win this duel. Now, I sacrifice my Big Shield Guardna to summon my Dark Magician Girl." Yugi's monster was enveloped in a swirling wind, and when it cleared the Dark Magician Girl was standing there. "Now go. Destroy his Bubbleman with Murky Burning."
"Not so fast, Yugi," said Jarona. "Reveal face-down card. Bubble Shuffle." Both Yugi's Dark Magician Girl and Jarona's Bubbleman were shifted to defense mode.
"What happened?" asked Yugi.
"I thought you were the King of Games," mocked Jarona. "Now listen up. By activated Bubble Shuffle while I have Bubbleman in attack mode, I shift both Bubbleman and your monster to defense mode. Then, I am allowed to sacrifice Bubbleman for another elemental hero. So I will." With that, Bubbleman was enveloped in the same swirling wind. When it cleared, an entirely different monster was standing in its place. This monster was covered in gold armor and had two horns and a menacingly sharp blade on each arm. The focal point of its armor seemed to be the green jewel in the center of its chest. "Say hello to Elemental Hero Bladedge."
"Impressive," said Yugi. "I've only seen one other duelist with this strategy."
"You've seen less than you think, Yugi," said Jarona, beginning his turn. "Now, Bladedge, attack his Dark Magician Girl." With that, Bladedge swung its arm down on the Dark Magician Girl, destroying it. "And because of Bladedge's special ability, you take damage equal to the difference between my monster's attack and your monster's defense." Yugi groaned as the shockwaves blew past him, and his life-point meter reduced itself from 4000 to 3100.
"Impressive, but not quite good enough," said Yugi after he'd drawn his card. "Now I send Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors from my hand to the grave in order to combine them, and summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior." As Yugi sent them to the grave, the three monsters appeared on the field, disassembled, and combined into one monster with a huge sword. The attack-point meter flashed 3500. "Now, Valkyrion, attack." The Magna Warrior began its advance, raising its sword as it approached Bladedge. As it approached, however, the sword came down on a flashing blue barrier. "What happened?" asked Yugi.
"I activated my face-down card, Hero Barrier. As long as I have an elemental hero in play, I can stop one of your attacks." Valkyrion disconnected from the barrier and jumped back to its place before Yugi.
"Very well. I place my last card face-down, and end my turn."
"My turn then," said Jarona as he drew his card. "Now say goodbye to your monster. I set one card face-down, then I activate Skyscraper." As he played the card, a giant city like environment rose up around them, with Bladedge standing at the top of the tallest building. "As long as Skyscraper is on the field, my heroes gain 1000 attack points when attacking stronger monsters." He raised his head. "Bladedge, attack his monster." As it attacked, the attack-point meter showed Bladedge's attack power rising from 2600 to 3600. However, Yugi was prepared for this.
"Reveal face-down card," Yugi said, raising his card, "Magical Hats." With the card revealed, Valkyrion was covered by a black top hat, which then separated into four hats. However, Valkyrion wasn't the only thing concealed by the hats. Yugi's face-down card was hidden as well.
"Bladedge," called out Jarona, "destroy the third hat." Bladedge's attack destroyed the hat, causing an explosion of smoke. Before the smoke cleared, a rainbow colored beam shot from it and hit Jarona, causing his life-point meter to drop from 4000 all the way to 1400. "What was that?"
"You didn't get my monster, Jarona. Instead you struck my trap card, Magic Cylinder." As the smoke cleared, Jarona could see the two red cylinders that had redirected his attack. "Now it's my turn." As Yugi touched his deck, he could feel the power of the card he was about to draw. "Now, Valkyrion, reveal yourself." As Valkyrion jumped from the fourth hat, the remaining hats disappeared. "Now, separate."
With that, Valkyrion disassembled itself and became the three Magnet Warriors once again. "Now I sacrifice Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to summon this." The swirling winds around the three monsters combined into one giant tornado the reached nearly to the ceiling. It cleared to reveal a blue, winged titan with claws sharp enough to cut a steel beam in half with one swing. "Obelisk the Tormentor."
"This is funny," said Jarona, chuckling softly. "I should have known that, in attempting to resurrect and Egyptian God, I would have to face one."
"This duel is over," said Yugi. "Obelisk, attack with Fist of Fate. Destroy his Bladedge and end this duel." On Yugi's command, the Egyptian God raised its fist, and brought it down directly on Bladedge, destroying it.
"Normally that would be the end," said Jarona as the shockwaves settled, "but I knew you'd destroy Bladedge, so I had this waiting." He raised his face-down card. "This is a very special trap known as Dimension Wall. It is one of the very few trap cards that will have any effect on the Egyptian Gods. You see, it has no direct effect on a monster, merely the damage it inflicts. It redirects any battle damage I take back at my opponent." Without any further explanation, the remaining force of the attack struck Yugi from behind, and his life-point meter dropped from 3100 to 1700.
"That was a good move," said Yugi, recovering after being hit. "Now take your turn."
"I shall," said Jarona, drawing his card. "I summon Winged Kuriboh in defense mode, and end my turn."
"That's a very interesting move. I feel like I've seen this exact strategy before."
"You should," said Jarona. "You gave me this card."
"I suspected as much, Jaden."
"You remember, I see."
"I gave you that card because I sensed greatness in you," said Yugi. "I had hoped you would be a duelist of good."
"I was," said Jarona, "but when I discovered the Dagger of Fate, I became Jarona, and things became clearer. The only thing that matters is power, and none is greater than my master's power."
"Then I guess the only way to clear your mind is to defeat you. I draw, and attack your monster." Obelisk attacked, and destroyed Winged Kuriboh.
"My turn," said Jarona. "I play Pot of Greed. This allows me to draw two cards from my deck." He drew the cards. "Now I activate a magic card known as Premature Burial. By paying a mere 800 life-points, I can revive one of my fallen monsters. Now come forth, Winged Kuriboh." As his life-point meter dropped from 1400 to 600, his monster was resurrected in a flash of light, seeming completely unaffected by Yugi's last attack. "Now I place a card face-down, and end my turn."
I know what he has planned, Yugi thought to himself, and if I am to beat it, I need the right card. He placed his hand on his next card. Heart of the cards, guide me. With that thought, Yugi drew his card. He smiled when he saw the card. "Now Jarona, let's end this duel. I summon my Silent Swordsman, and then I activate the magic card Level Up. This card allows me to raise one of my monsters to its highest level." Just as Yugi said, his Silent Swordsman changed from a kid, barely strong enough to lift its sword, to an experienced warrior, brandishing a sword far upgraded from that of its lower level. "Now my swordsman, strike down his monster."
"You're a fool, Yugi," said Jarona. "You should never have attacked. Now I shall win. I reveal my face-down card, Transcendent Wings. By discarding two cards from my hand, I can also bring my monster to its highest level, which will mean my victory." He discarded the last two cards in his hand, and the Transcendent Wings approached his Kuriboh. When the wings reached the Kuriboh, however, they disappeared. "What did you do?" Jarona asked Yugi.
"I didn't do anything," answered Yugi, "but my swordsman did. At his highest level, my Silent Swordsman has the ability to negate all magic cards." This realization brought a look of fear to Jarona's face as the Silent Swordsman destroyed his Winged Kuriboh, dealing 2500 damage in the process. As his life-point counter fell to zero, Jarona fell to his knees.
"Defeat or not, I succeeded," said Jaden. "I'm sorry, Yugi. The Dagger of Fate changed me, made me evil, but now its influence is broken. However, it still gets to claim my soul for losing this duel. Osiris will still be resurrected." Jaden leaned over in pain, then looked back at Yugi. "Yugi, before my soul is taken by the shadows, I shall tell you everything I know. The Shadow Items corrupt their wielder. Another duelist may already be attempting to resurrect one of the Gods. You have to stop this. You must destroy the Shadow Items before it's too late." A faint smile crossed Jaden's face. "Good-bye, Yugi." As he said those words, the Dagger of Fate lifted itself into the air, pointed its blade at Jaden, and began to absorb his soul. When it finished, Jaden fell to the ground, followed by the Dagger of Fate. Yugi ran to Jaden's side and lifted him slightly.
"I will put a stop to this, Jaden," said Yugi in a deep, determined voice. "I will find the Shadow Items and destroy them. I will defeat any Gods that have been resurrected and seal them away. And I will restore your soul."
"Is that what you think?" said a voice that sounded like every word was being forcefully pushed from its owner's lungs. "You fool. You shall never succeed. By manipulating this fool, I was resurrected instead of Osiris. He didn't realize that to use the Dagger of Fate properly, he would need an image of the one he intended to revive. Because he didn't have one, I was able to manipulate the Dagger of Fate into releasing me from my prison. Now I am free to resurrect my army. The Gods will rise, and you shall fall. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha." The voice continued laughing as it and the shadow cloud faded. Once they could get through, Yugi's friends rushed to his side.
"Are you okay, man?" asked Tristan.
"Yes, but he isn't." Yugi gestured towards Jaden.
"I know him," said Kaiba. "He was one of the strongest duelists ever to attend my academy. Jaden Yuki."
"See to him," said Yugi as he walked to his desk. He turned to address the students. "Can I have your attention, everyone? All classes are dismissed for the rest of the semester until further notice. Everyone please return to your dorms." After he'd finished speaking, the students began leaving the room. Once everyone left the room, Yugi turned towards his friends.
"You mind explaining what's going on here,Yugi?" asked Kaiba.
"Yea, what's with the "school's out" routine?" asked Joey.
"He's back," said Yugi. "Zorc is back."