While I make up my mind for the Before My Eyes series, I present to you another ZEXAL one-shot, this time an anime-verse one. It is set during Episode 72 and 73.
Shark was looking at the water, his thoughts focused on his sister. Now that the WDC was over, she still had to fully recover. He glanced at the card in his hand: Number 32: Marine Biting Dragon - Shark Drake.
In a matter of seconds he found himself in an empty space, just him and Shark Drake. "I feel your concern, master" the Number said.
"It's just that... I don't know when Rio is going to get out of that damn hospital! And I miss her so much!"
"She does misses you too" Shark Drake responded "However, you must stay strong. I'll fight alongside you if you want, but strength is something that comes from the inside"
Shark said silent for a moment, then asked: "Is there for me any way to be Ryoga Kamishiro again? Or I'll always stay Shark?"
"For the people you'll always be Shark, but it's not a name that decides who you really are"
He then stopped for a second. "Someone's coming"
The vision faded as the WATER Duelist turned around: in front of him was standing the whole Arclight family, a sad smile on their faces.
"Ryoga..." Byron said weakily.
"Can I help you with something?" Shark asked in a tone that mixed up sadness and annoyance.
"Thomas would like to have a word with you"
Thomas stepped forward and bowed a little. "For the name of all of us, we truly apologise for everything we've done to you and your little sister. If it can help you, we can provide cures for her"
"No, but thanks anyway" Shark simply responded "Anything else?"
"It seems like he doesn't want us to be here" Michael stated.
"Michael!" Chris scolded his little brother.
"No, he's right" Thomas said "He has all the rights to think this. But I still want something from you"
Shark simply looked at him.
"That Tsukumo kid said that bonds are created between Duelists, so I challenge you to a Duel, no Numbers!"
Shark widened his eyes.
"I can't ask you to be my friend, but perhaps our Decks can!"
At this point Shark smirked. "Interesting. I accept your challenge!" declared throwing his D-Pad in the air "DUEL DISK, SET!"
Shark's Duel Disk materialized from the D-Pad as Thomas's did. "D-GAZER, SET!"
The WATER Duelist put his D-Gazer as Thomas materialized his tatoo-made one.
"AR VISION, LINK ESTABLISHED!"
"DUEL!"
LP Shark 4000
LP Thomas 4000
"I'll go first!" Shark declared "Ore no turn! Draw! Killer Rabca Shoukan!"
A brown serpentine shark with a few body parts made of metal appeared on the field roaring (ATK: 700).
"Also Shark Sucker Tokushu Shoukan!"
A blue serpentine-like shark with a sucker on his head appeared (ATK: 200).
"When a Fish-Type Monster is Summoned successfuly, I can Special Summon this from my hand!" Shark explained.
"Two Level 3 Monsters..." Thomas thought.
"Ore wa Reberu san no Killer Rabca to Shark Sucker de, Obarei!"
The two monsters became blue energy waves that entered into a red portal.
"Ni tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan!" the WATER Duelist declared "Arawareyo, Senko Boukan (Underwater Mothership)... Aero Shark!"
Two sharks held together by an orange apparatus appeared on the field (ATK: 1900).
"Aero Shark no kouka hatsudo! By using an Overlay Unit, for each card in my hand, I can inflict you 400 points of damage for each card in my hand!" Shark explained detaching Killer Rabca "I have four cards, that means 1600 damage! Air Torpedo!"
Four torpedoes were fired from Aero Shark's apparatus. Said torpedoes then opened, revealing four bullets each. Said bullets fired towards Thomas and hit him.
LP Shark 4000
LP Thomas 2400
"Thank you. You've done what I wanted you to do!" Thomas said smirking getting a puzzled look from his opponent "Gimmick Puppet Death Ventriloquist Tokushu Shoukan!"
A humanoid puppet appeared on the field. It had no mouth on its face, but instead its pelvis contained a fissure with silver sharp teeth inside (ATK: 0).
"When I take effect damage, this card can be Special Summoned from my hand" Thomas explained "Also, its ATK increases by the damage I just took"
The fissure on the puppet's pelvis opened and the smoke created by the bullet's explosion went inside it, raising the monster's ATK to 1600.
Shark grunted. "Kaado ichimai settei. Turn end!"
"Amazing!" Michael said "Nii-sama just predicted Ryoga's first move!"
"Ryoga almost always opens his Duels with Aero Shark" Byron explained "I think it was obvious for Thomas to prepare himself for this evidence"
"Ore no turn! Draw!" Thomas declared "Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer Shoukan!"
A gear changer with arms and legs appeared on the field (ATK: 100).
"This monster can become the same Level as another Gimmick Puppet monster on the field" Thomas explained "Level up, Gear Changer!"
One of the monster's arm started to move the gear and the creature's Level became 8.
"Two Level 8 monsters..." Shark noticed.
"Ore wa Reberu hachi no Gimmick Puppet Death Ventriloquist to Gimmick Puppet Gear Changer de, Obarei!"
The two monsters became two energy waves, one purple and one brown, and entered into a red portal.
"Ni tai no Gimmick Puppet monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Gimmick Puppet Relinquished Doll!"
From the red portal a bisque doll wearing a red dress with blond hair and red eyes and holding a machete appeared to the field doing a creepy sound that sounded like a cry (ATK: 2800).
"Relinquished Doll no kouka hatsudo!" Thomas declared "By sending one Gimmick Puppet monster from my Deck to the Graveyard, your monster will lose 100 ATK for each Level that monster had!"
"This can't be good" Shark thought.
"I send to the Graveyard the Level 8 Gimmick Puppet Necro Doll!"
All of a sudden puppet strings appeared and wrapped Aero Shark, making it lose 800 ATK.
"Next Magic Card, Battle Chain, hatsudo! With this card's effect, you can't activate cards or effect during this Battle Phase!"
"Nani?! Now I can't use Killer Rabca's effect!"
"Relinquished Doll, attack Aero Shark! Revenge Slash!"
The creepy doll rushed towards Aero Shark and hit it with its machete, slicing it in half.
LP Shark 2300
LP Thomas 2400
"Wow, what a comeback!" Michael commented.
"Kaado ichimai settei!" Thomas declared "Turn end!"
Shark got up and looked at his opponent. "Ore no turn! Draw!" he declared "Trap Card, Rank-Up Xyz Spawn, hatsudo! This card Special Summons every Xyz Monster in the Graveyards to the players' field! Fujo seyo (Emerge again), Senko Boukan – Aero Shark!"
Aero Shark appeared once again on the field.
"Next for each Xyz Monster the player Summoned, it can Xyz Change them into a Rank higher monster with the same Attribute and Type!"
"Xyz Change?" Thomas asked.
"That's right" Shark answered "And since you didn't Summon anything you can't do anything. But I can... Ore wa Rank san no Aero Shark de, Obarei!"
Aero Shark became a blue energy wave and entered in a red portal.
"Xyz Change! Arawareyo, Navy Shark!"
A giant blue ship whose motif was a shark-like one appaeared on the field (ATK: 2600).
"Subarashi (Awesome)!" Michael said with amazement.
"Navy Shark no kouka hatsudo! By using one Overlay Unit I can discard one monster from my hand I can destroy 1 monster you control whose ATK is lower than the discarded monster's!"
He discarded Ancient Shark Hyper Megalodon, with 2900 ATK. Navy Shark fired its cannon and destroyed Relinquished Doll.
"The turn I activate this effect I cannot conduct my Battle Phase" Shark explained "Kaado ichimai settei! Turn end!"
The Arclight family was speechless: Sharl had turned the tables in just one turn.
Thomas chuckled. "That was very good, Ryoga. But why don't we start getting serious?"
Shark chuckled as well. "Fine by me"
"All right! Ore no turn! Draw!" Thomas declared "Magic Card, Trade-In, hatsudo! With this card, by discarding a Level 8 monster I can draw 2 cards!"
He discarded another copy of Necro Doll and drew his new cards.
"Now since I control no monsters and you control a Xyz Monster, Gimmick Puppet Magne Doll Tokushu Shoukan!"
A rusted green doll appeared on the field (ATK: 1000).
"Next Gimmick Puppet Necro Doll no kouka hatsudo! By removing one Necro Doll from the Graveyard I can Special Summon the second to the field!"
A coffin appeared on the field. Said coffin opened after a few seconds and a bisque doll with bandages covered in blood came out of it (ATK: 0).
"Ore wa Reberu hachi no Gimmick Puppet Magne Doll to Gimmick Puppet Necro Doll de, Obarei!"
The two monsters became two energy waves, one purple and one brown, and entered into a red portal.
"Ni tai no monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Gimmick Puppet Dawn Jester!"
This new monster appeared as a mechanical humanoid puppet with white skin and covered in a green and golden jester outfit (ATK: 2600).
"Next Trap hatsudo, Xyz Effect! This card allows me to destroy one card on the field since I've just Xyz Summoned!"
"He'll choose Navy Shark, isn't he?" Michael asked.
"No" Chris simply answered.
"My target is... your Set card!"
Shark's Set card (Zeus Breath) got hit by a white ray that came from Thomas's card, causing its destruction.
"Why didn't you use this effect on my Navy Shark?" Shark asked.
"Because of this!" Thomas answered "Dawn Jester no kouka hatsudo! By using one Overlay Unit I send the top card of my Deck to the Graveyard and, basing on the type of card, I can destroy 1 face-up card on your field with the same type! If I don't get it, I lose 1000 Life Points"
Shark grunted as Thomas drew a card and showed it to him. "The card I drew is Gimmick Puppet Night Joker, a Monster Card. Meaning your Navy Shark is destroyed!"
Navy Shark got wrapped by strings appeared from nowhere and got destroyed.
"Dawn Jester, attack Ryoga directly!"
As the monster went towards Shark, the latter smirked. "It seems you forgot about someone" he said "Killer Rabca no kouka hatsudo! By banishing this card from the Graveyard I can negate your attack and decrease your monster's ATK by 500!"
"Kuso! I forgot about that!" Thomas admitted "Turn end!"
All of a sudden both him and Shark started to laugh, much to the rest of the Arclight family's surprise.
"Now this is a fun duel!" Thomas said.
"Yeah, I agree with you on this one!" Shark answered "Who wonders who'll win in the end!"
"There's only one way to find out..."
"Let's continue, then. Ore no turn! Draw!" Shark declared "Overlay Shark, Tokushu Shoukan!"
A tiny shark with its belly golden instead of white appeared on the field (ATK: 100).
"When you have a Xyz Monster on the field, I can Special Summon this from my hand" Shark explained "And when I do, its Level becomes the same as your Xyz Monster's Rank!"
The shark grew in size, its Level becoming 8.
"Next Magic Card, Fujo (Surface), hatsudo! This card Special Summons a WATER Monster from my Graveyard in Defense Position. Yomigaere (Come back), Ancient Shark Hyper Megalodon!"
A giant shark with mechanical parts covering most of the white part of its body appeared on the field (DEF:1300).
"Ore wa Reberu hachi no Overlay Shark to Hyper Megalodon de, Obarei!"
The two monsters became blue energy waves that entered into a red portal.
"Ni tai no mizukusei (WATER Attribute) monsuta de, Obarei Netwaaku kochiku! Ekushiizu Shoukan! Arawareyo, Shark Bomber!"
From the skies a giant brown airplane that had the shape of a shark appeared on the field (ATK: 3000).
"Now that's a cool monster!" Thomas admitted.
"Shark Bomber no kouka hatsudo! By using one Overlay Unit I can Special Summon 1 WATER Monster from my hand!" the WATER Duelist explained "Arawareyo, Ancient Shark Hyper Megalodon!"
From Shark Bomber's bottom, a fissure appeared and from it the giant shark came out (ATK: 2900).
"Another one?!" Michael cried.
"Hyper Megalodon, attack Dawn Jester!"
The giant shark went towards Dawn Jester and ate it.
LP Shark 2300
LP Thomas 1600
"Next Shark Bomber attacks directly!"
Shark Bomber flew towards Thomas and hit him with all its might.
LP Shark 2300 – WIN
LP Thomas 0
The AR Vision faded as the two Duelists removed their D-Gazers.
"Thank you" Shark said as his opponent got up "It was a fun duel"
"Thank you for giving me another chance"
With those last words the Arclight family disappeared, leaving a wide smiling Shark alone.
Fanmade cards:
Overlay Shark
Level 1
Fish-Type
WATER
ATK 100
DEF 100
Effect: If your opponent controls a Xyz Monster: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). When you do, target 1 Xyz Monster your opponent controls (if any); this card's Level becomes the same as the target's Rank.
Gimmick Puppet Death Ventriloquist (TCG: Gimmick Puppet Des Ventriloquist)
Level 8
Machine-Type
DARK
ATK 0
DEF 1500
Effect: When you take Effect Damage: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand), and if you do, this card gains ATK equal to the damage you took.
Navy Shark
Rank 4
Fish-Type
WATER
ATK 2600
DEF 2000
Effect: 2 Level 4 WATER Monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and send 1 monster from your hand to the Graveyard, then target 1 monster your opponent controls that has lower ATK than the discarded monster; destroy that target. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect.
Shark Bomber
Rank 8
Fish-Type
DARK
ATK 3000
DEF 1500
Effect: 2 Level 8 WATER Monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and Special Summon 1 WATER Monster from your hand.
Gimmick Puppet Relinquished Doll
Rank 8
Machine-Type
DARK
ATK 2800
DEF 1200
Effect: 2 Level 8 Gimmick Puppet Monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card and send 1 Gimmick Puppet monster from your Deck to the Graveyard, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; that target loses ATK equal to that monster's Level x100.
Gimmick Puppet Dawn Jester
Rank 8
Machine-Type
DARK
ATK 2600
DEF 2100
Effect: 2 Level 8 monsters
Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card, excavate the top card of your Deck and apply one of the following effects depending on the card excavated:
*Monster: Destroy 1 face-up monster your opponent controls and send the excavated card to the Graveyard. If you can't, you take 1000 damage. Your opponent takes no damage this turn.
*Spell: Destroy 1 face-up Spell Card your opponent controls and send the excavated card to the Graveyard. If you can't, you take 1000 damage. You cannot activate cards this turn.
*Trap: Destroy 1 face-up Trap Card your opponent controls and send the excavated card to the Graveyard. If you can't, you take 1000 damage. You cannot Set cards this turn.
Battle Chain
Quick-Play Spell Card
Effect: Activate at the start of the Battle Phase. Your opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the End of the Battle Phase.
Rank-Up Xyz Spawn
Normal Trap Card
Effect: Special Summon as many Xyz Monster as possible from either player's Graveyard to the original controller's side of the field. Immediately after this effect resolves: Special Summon as many Xyz Monster as possible with the same Attribute and Type but with 1 Rank higher than the Summoned monster(s) attaching the appropriate Xyz Summoned monster as the Xyz Material. You cannot Normal Summon the turn you activate this card.
My God, this was difficult! I had, like, thousands of endings, one of them featuring a draw, another featuring Black Ray Lancer and another one featuring two more turns, only to quote three of them. Still, I'm happy that I've done it. Hope you liked it! Next time I'll upload a new Before My Eyes chapter. Until then, hasta la vista!