Thank you for all of the Favorites/Follows everyone!
Before we begin this will be how monsters will be displayed in duels
Monster Name
Level, attribute, type, ATK, DEF,
Any Ace or big monsters will have their effects shown, with effects from any non-ace monsters being written in the narrative instead.
I'm also going to apologize for the long wait for this chapter. I am going to go on vacation, and I was busy with work and writing my other fanfic; Yu-Gi-Oh VPD. But without ado, let's get this chapter started!
A Closed Fist to an Open Palm
Chapter 2: Only through Struggle, we can find our Determination part 2
"DUEL!"
Jasmine's LP: 4000
Zenn's LP: 4000
"I will start first, Jasmine Makurada, I will normal summon Necro Shinobi in attack position!" Out came from the ground was a skeleton dressed like a nimble shinobi tailed to a tattered red scarf, the zombified ninja clasped his boney hands together, forming a shinobi hand seal sign that Zenn smoothly mimicked.
Shinobi Necro
Level 2, DARK, Zombie, ATK: 700, DEF: 0
"I will set two cards and end my turn, your move, Jasmine Makurada." Zenn finished before graciously bowing his hand to the red-headed girl; she let out an exasperated huff in reply, indifferently drawing a card from her deck.
"I summon Cyber Harpie Lady in attack mode I guess," Jasmine somberly placed the monster card on her duel disk, remembering another defeat that featured the armored Harpie that joined her.
Cyber Harpie Lady
Level 4, WIND, Winged-Beast, ATK: 1800, DEF: 1300
"And I attack your Shinobi, here comes the mirror force..." She ordered her monster as she let out a dour sigh. The girl slumped her head, not bothering even to watch the battle unfold as she knew the inevitable trap card outcome. Her Harpie Lady swung her energy whip a couple of times against the ground before lashing it out at Zenn's Zombie Ninja; the monster screeched in a ghastly wail as it was sliced in half by the Harpie's attack, shattering the ninja into pieces.
Zenn's LP: 2900
"Oh, wow, that's surprising, are you holding back?" Jasmine questioned, genuinely surprised from the absence of the soul-crushing Mirror Force
"Not at all, for I activate my trap card!" Zenn replied, shaking his head before showing off his trap card.
Needlebug Nest! I will send the top five cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard." Zenn hastily plucked out five cards from the top of his deck and sent them to his graveyard.
"At least it wasn't a Mirror Force...I set two cards, face-down, and end my turn." Jasmine lamented with an indifferent shrug. "My turn, draw. So, this Jaden Yuki, is he a bad person?" Zenn suddenly asked. Jasmine growled as the mere thought of the happy-go-lucky boy, made her blood boil.
"Of course, he is! He's an annoying Slifer Slacker who pisses me off to no end!" The girl covered her mouth as she realized who she was talking to a Slifer Red.
"I mean, not all Slifers are slackers..." Jasmine fumbled around her words.
"I understand Jasmine, I train every day to oppose that image," Zenn stated, seemingly unperturbed by the insult.
"Is that you wear those rocks around your waist?" Jasmine pointed out; the Slifer Red nodded quickly in reply before explaining his case.
"For every step, I take with these burdens, my strength hardens. I will start my next turn with Normal Summoning Samurai Skull!" A pallid head of that a former samurai swooped into the dueling field with a cackling laugh, its long snake-like tongue dragging along in its skinless maw.
Samurai Skull
Level 4, DARK, Zombie, ATK: 1700, DEF: 0
"I then activate its effect! I send Gozuki from my deck to the graveyard! Which, in turn, activate's Gozuki's effect! Once Gozuki is sent to the graveyard, I can banish Shinobi Necro to Special Summon Burning Skull Head!" A blazing human skull would join its fellow head monster as they both began to laugh in devilish cackles.
Burning Skull Head
Level 3, FIRE, Zombie, ATK: 1000, DEF: 800
"And with Burning Skull Head's effect, you take 1000 points of effect damage!" Jasmine would inattentively shrug as her lifepoints decreased.
Jasmine's LP: 3000
"Now! Shinobi Necro returns to the field because of being removed from play by Gozuki's effect!" The zombie ninja returned to its owner's side in a puff of a black smoke bomb.
"Wow three monsters summoned in one turn, that's pretty strong," the red-head admitted, placing a hand on her hip in her subdued admiration.
"Thank you, Jasmine. But I'm not done, I'm going to end this duel right here and right now!" Zenn declared. Jasmine sighed in return, staring at the ground in defeat. Already believing she has lost.
"Oh, great, I knew this would happen...A One-turn kill, why does this ALWAYS happen to me?" She lamented as her head dropped low, now thoroughly demoralized from Zenn's bold claim.
"Only through struggle, Jasmine, we can find our determination! And through that, we can find our way through our faults!" Zenn continued to recite his quote to get Jasmine to understand.
"I am giving you the struggle! Now find your determination and defeat me! Since I control more three Zombie Monsters, I can Special Summon from my hand!" Zenn lifted his leg high up in the air before striking down against the ground with his heel, upheaving a small mound of dirt.
"Kasha! The Hot-Wheeled Yokai!" A fiery portal opened up from the earth, and out came rolling from it in blazing glory, was the hot-wheeled chariot Yokai monster; Kasha. The Yokai was a twisted mockery of a regal carriage, with sickly green arms acting as lantern holders and a horned demon as a pale imitation of a chariot's horse.
Kasha
Level 8, EARTH, Zombie, ATK:?, DEF: 1000
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must be Special Summoned (from your hand) by controlling 2 or more Zombie monsters. If this card is Special Summoned: Shuffle as many other monsters on the field as possible into the Deck, and if you do, this card's ATK becomes 1000 x the number of face-up monsters shuffled into the Deck this way, whose original Type was Zombie.
"All of our monsters except my Kasha are sent back to our decks! And Kasha gains 1000 attack points for each Zombie-type monster sent! Go Kasha! Sin Gather!" The Chariot's fanged maw would let out a wicked laugh before opening the doors to its chariot, pulling in all of the monsters on the field into a dark swirling vortex inside of the Demon's carriage.
Kasha's ATK:? - 3000
"I guess I lost again...Why did I even agree to this..." Jasmine mulled as she hung her head in shame. With no monsters defending her lifepoints, Zenn had a clear way of attacking directly and winning this duel. She saw the writing on the wall; she lost.
'Only through struggle, we can find our determination.' Zenn's wise words echoed throughout Jasmine's mind as Zenn declared an attack.
"I will attack you directly and end this duel! Kasha! Burning Haze!" Jasmine stood utterly still as she was coveted by Kasha's deadly attack, embracing the demonic flames around her.
The girl was silent, slowly closing her eyes as she took a moment to contemplate her next move.
'I keep losing...' Jasmine started solemnly. 'But that doesn't mean I shouldn't give up,' The girl continued, her thoughts glistened with hope, finally understanding Zenn's cryptic quotes.
"You're right Zenn..." Jasmine suddenly remarked, raising her head back up and locking her eyes onto her opponent. Zenn could notice the newly-found determination burning within her brown eyes, Blazing a light that shined brighter than the flames around her. "Hmm?" Zenn scoffed back, somewhat unsurprised.
"Only through struggle, we can find our determination...So I'm not going to give up until my lifepoints hit zero! I activate my trap card! Defense Draw!" Jasmine revealed the trap card with a shout. Jasmine was then shielded by a glowing aura of sapphire blue, protecting the girl from Kasha's deadly flames.
"With this trap card, any damage I take from this battle is reduced to zero! And I get to draw a card!" Before the flames could burn out Jasmine's lifepoints, the girl would draw a single card with a mighty flourish. The sheer force of the draw buffeted out a gust of wind, snuffing out the flames around her, leaving nothing but her defiant self in the aftermath.
"Well done Jasmine, but my monster still stands, and I doubt you have anything stronger than my Yokai. I end my turn." Zenn challenged as he folded his arms, waiting for the girl to start.
"We'll see about that Zenn because I'm mounting my comeback! I draw!" Jasmine announced as she drew another card from her deck with a thrust of energy.
"I start my turn off with Hand Destruction! We both discard two cards from our hands and draw two from our deck!" Jasmine steadily picked a pair of cards from her hand and slotted them into the graveyard; after that, she would pluck a couple of cards from the top of her deck.
"My Yokai monsters enjoy the graveyard, so I thank you." Zenn bowed in return as he did the same action.
"Trap card activate! Hysteric Party! I discard my Birdface to Special Summon All Harpie Ladies that are in my graveyard; this means my Cyber Harpie Lady and the two other Harpie Ladies I sent to the graveyard when I used Hand Destruction! come on out girls!" A trio of Harpie Ladies arrived at the field in a burst of emerald green feathers; all hunkered down with their wings shieldings themselves from harm.
Harpie Lady 2
Harpie Lady 3
Level 4, WIND, Winged-Beast ATK: 1300, DEF: 1400
Cyber Harpie Lady
Level 4, WIND, Winged-Beast, ATK: 1800, DEF: 1300
"So what? These three are mere pidgeons compared to my yokai; hopelessly doomed to be scorched by Kasha's flame." Zenn scoffed in response, unimpressed by Jasmine's feeble monsters.
"That's why I'm gonna play some defense until I draw the card I need, I set another monster face-down and end my turn." A single face-down card would join the defending harpie lady's side.
"Just another monster to be burned. Turn Start." A small smile crept on the boy's rugged face as he a gazed upon the card he drew.
"I Normal Summon, Shutendoji in attack position!" A fierce-looking red oni with a vast wild yellow mane arrived in a torrent of spirits.
Shutendoji
Level 4, EARTH, Zombie, ATK: 1500, DEF: 800
"I will activate its effect to banish two of my Zombie-type monsters from my graveyard to draw a card!" Shutendoji would open up its jug, spilling out a pair of drifting souls that laid themselves on the top of Zenn's deck to which he would draw from
"Kasha! Attack Jasmine's Harpie Lady 2 with Burning Haze!" Kasha's fanged maw widened to an unnatural degree before breathing out a blast of hellish fire, the harpie screaming in agony before turning to ash.
"Too bad you picked the wrong harpie to attack! Harpie Lady's number two's effect activates! Now your Kasha can't attack for two turns!" The Hot-Wheeled Yokai began to stutter and sputter as it would be cover in a distracting haze of emerald green feathers, disorienting the zombie from further attacks.
"It's a minor setback for I know that there is no Harpie that can defeat my Yokai. I'll continue my Battle Phase by attacking your face-down with Shutendoji!" The Yellow-maned Oni opened up its fanged maw, breathing out streams of demonic flames at the face-down card. The face-down card revealed itself to be a spindly bug-man before it turned into ash.
"You destroyed my Flying Kamakiri! Which means I can Special Summon a Wind monster from my deck that has 1500 or fewer attack points, so I bring out Harpie Girl!" A younger Harpie of flowing blonde hair and molting pink feathers joined the dueling field alongside her defending sisters, yawning from supposed boredom.
Harpie Girl
Level 2, WIND, Winged-Beast, ATK: 500, DEF: 500
"You can't hide behind your monsters forever, Jasmine," Zenn warned as he ended his turn. Jasmine gritted her teeth, apparently offended by the Slifer's words "I'm not hiding Zenn, I'm not that kind of duelist that turtles for a win!" She defended.
"I just need to draw the right card..." She whispered, staring at her deck.
"Jazz! Yo Jazz! Are you okay?!" Mindy called out as she aimlessly trekked through the forest. Specs of dirt and bits of leafs latched onto the girl's uniform as she stumbled through the beaten path, not used to having to walk through Duel Academy's dense foliage in search of her hot-headed friend.
'I pray to Ra Jazz doesn't do anything dumb, she always does when she's peeved...' Mindy lamented tiredly, dusting off some small twigs that got stuck in her hair.
"Jaz-" Mindy silenced herself as she arrived at the scene. There she saw her best friend Jasmine dueling against a Slifer Red next to a shimmering lake.
"Oh no, Jasmine...Don't tell me you bullied this Slifer Red into dueling you; I can't believe you!" Mindy concluded with a facepalm, already assuming the worst.
"It's my turn! I draw!" Jasmine announced.
"Damn it; this isn't the card I need..." Jasmine grumbled as she looked at her hand.
"I'm only going to set another monster, set my Harpie Girl to defense mode and end my turn. Your move Zenn." Another set monster card joined the wall of monsters that Jasmine put up for herself. Zenn shook his head disapprovingly, not finding Jasmine's defensive tactics to be thrilling.
"If you plan of hiding in your shell, it is only appropriate that I shatter it to pieces, my move," Zenn recited while solemnly drawing a card.
"My Kasha isn't needed anymore, my Shutendoji as well, for I will tribute both of them!" The two Yokai monsters turned into a pair of red orbs of fire, joining together to form a swirling vortex of hellish fire.
"This monster is the lord of flames! The master of the Burning Skulls! I Summon! Skull Flame!" the swirling vortex transformed into an undead bone-armored demon with a cape of searing fire. Skull Flame would light up its fist in a blaze before slamming it to an open palm.
Skull Flame
Level 8, FIRE, Zombie, ATK: 2600, DEF: 2000
Once per turn, you can Special Summon 1 "Burning Skull Head" from your hand. You cannot conduct your Battle Phase the turn you activate this effect. You can add 1 "Burning Skull Head" from your Graveyard to your hand instead of conducting your normal draw during your Draw Phase.
"And its effect activates! I will Special Summon a Burning Skull Head from my hand in defense mode, dealing another 1000 damage to you!" Skull Flame would raise a single finger in the air, forming a monster out of embers. The Skull cackled as its effect activated, laughing out a torrent of sparks that lightly grazed Zenn's opponent.
Jasmine's LP: 2000
"I guess you have three copies of those numbskulls, huh?" Jasmine quipped as she flicked her hair.
"It is to use my Skull Flame's effect fully; I end my turn, Jasmine."
"Come on, come on! This draw has to be it!" A deep silence occurred on the girl as her eyes gleamed upon the card she drew.
"This is it..." She whispered to herself with a small hopeful smile as she felt a surge of hope flowing through her veins.
"Zenn..." Jasmine started. Zenn perked up slightly, waiting for the girl to speak up.
"I think I understand what you were talking about earlier, you know, about everyone 'delving into darkness' and we have to work together to pull ourselves out of it. You helped me get out my dueling rut, so...Thanks for that Zenn, if you weren't here I probably would've dumped my cards and be on a boat sailing back home right now." Jasmine admitted with a bright smile, grateful for the Slifer Red who wanted to aid her faltering confidence.
"Especially since I finally drew the card I need!" Jasmine's voice turned into an excited shout. "What?" Zenn chirped in surprise.
"You heard me; I'm going to win this duel once and for all! I tribute my Harpie Girl and Harpie Lady 3!" The two harpies turned into ruffles of gilded feathers, gathering together to shape themselves into a pair of gold angelic wings.
"Swooping down from the great sky comes the mighty king of the Winged-beasts! I summon!" The feathers exploded into a flash of light, blinding Zenn and a hiding Mindy as they winced from the brightness.
"Simorgh! Bird of Ancestry!" A massive golden hawk stood proudly as the light dissipated. It would stretch its wings out like a pair of theater curtains, its feathers were as tough as shields, and its beak was as long as a reaper's scythe. The Winged-Beast God looked down upon Skull Flame, towering over the Zombie Monster. It let out a mighty yell, echoing the land like a thousand warhorns.
Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry
Level 8
WIND, Winged-Beast
ATK: 2900, DEF: 2000
Both players Tribute Summon WIND monsters with 1 less Tribute than required. If you Tribute Summon this card by Tributing only WIND monsters, return up to 2 cards your opponent controls to their owner's hand. This card is treated as a Normal Monster while in your hand.
"Impressive Jasmine, but it's not enough! Your monster may have more attack than either of my monsters, but my lifepoints will still stand." Zenn said, maintaining his stone-faced composure.
"I Activate Simorgh's effect! When I tribute summon Simorgh using only wind monsters, I can select up to two monsters you control and send them back to your hand! Go Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry! Blistering Hurricane!" Jasmine declared, flinging her hand towards Zenn's monster. Simorgh silently complied to its master wishes, with a flap of its wings, Simorgh gusted out a blistering gale of winds, yanking Zenn's monsters off the ground, and turning them into monster cards that went back to Zenn's hand.
"Wait...This means your monster can attack me directly!" Zenn exclaimed, realizing that his lifepoints were equal to Simorgh's attack.
"That's right, Zenn! Its time to end this duel once and for all! Simorgh!" She ordered the golden hawk glanced down to the girl, waiting for her command.
"Attack directly with Shining Cyclone!" Simorgh, Bird of Ancestry obeyed as it opened up its beak. Simorgh would perk itself up, charging up and blasting out a golden tornado out of its maw. Zenn shielded himself, engulfed in the attack, entrapped in the eye of the mighty storm. The slashing winds blew away his rock-anchored sash.
"Well...Done." Zenn managed to congratulate Jasmine before being swept off of his feet, unceremoniously falling to the ground.
Zenn's LP: 0
Winner: Jasmine!
Jasmine fell silent, her well-earned victory setting in.
"I can't believe it..." Jasmine whispered. Feeling a surge of emotions, satisfaction in her victory, and confidence in facing another challenge, but, she also felt guilty for beating the person who helped her. Taking losses were always disheartening, and Jasmine knew the feeling of losing all too well.
Jasmine silently walked to the downed Zenn, still stunned from Simorgh's attack. Zenn stared at Jasmine in bewilderment, taken aback from the whole ordeal.
Jasmine leaned down to the boy before offering a hand to him.
"Good game, Zenn." Jasmine declared, lightly smiling.
Zenn solemnly accepted the help, his roughly mat palms embracing Jasmine's delicate ones.
"Yeah, you're right it was, how do you feel now, better?" Zenn asked, picking up his fallen rock-tied sash.
"Yeah, I do. But sorry for the loss." She murmured an apology before glancing away.
"There's nothing to be sorry about Jasmine; you won fair and square. With your skill and your skill alone." Zenn replied, seemingly unfazed from the loss as he tied back his rock-burdened sash.
"Well, that, and your advice helped me too." The boy covered his mouth to cough as he heard the compliment. Through Jasmine's keen eyes, she quickly made out that Zenn was hiding a deep red blush rather than snuffing out a cough. Despite Zenn's stone-faced expressions and stern voice, a single compliment was enough to shatter the boy's hardened facade and make his face redden like a tomato.
"You're not as stoic as you put yourself out to be huh," Jasmine pointed out, placing a hand on her hip. Zenn's eyes widened in surprise, he would try to recite a wise quote to decry Jasmine's claim.
"T-The path to the s-something is n-not...paved? With uh..." He stammered in a mish-mash of quotes and sayings from his master, ultimately amounting to a ramble of awkward confusion.
"Zenn let's make a promise to each other." Jasmine suddenly suggested, silencing the Martial Artist Duelist.
"I promise never to stop dueling and improve. In return, you'll promise me that you're going to start showing me who you really are. Deal?" Jasmine stuck her hand out. Zenn was hesitant, unsure of what she meant.
"Through patience and guidance, all shall be-"
"That right there, enough with the speeches, enough with your master's sayings. I want to know the real you, the Zenn that put his own dream on the line to save mine." Jasmine interrupted, sounding serious.
Zenn was stunned, oddly yet touched. Never before he heard someone say that they would like to know him more, from a girl no less, he wordlessly and cautiously took Jasmine's hand, shaking it in a steady but unsure grip.
"I w-will try my best...Jasmine." He agreed in a shaky voice; she smiled in return.
"Good, because seriously, you kind of act like a dork with all-"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU, JASMINE!" A yell came out of the bushes. Stumbling out of some nearby bushes; was a frazzled Mindy, several leaves were lodged in her raven black hair, making her look like a witch in the woods. She stomped her way to the two duelists, absolutely livid for some reason.
"Mindy? What are you doing here?" Jasmine asked, bewildered from Mindy's sudden appearance.
"Don't you dare change the subject, Jazz! I can't believe you would bully this Slifer into dueling you for a cheap ego boost!" Mindy loudly accused, poking Jasmine on the chest.
"What? Mindy, you got it all wrong...Zenn, can you tell Mindy-" Jasmine stopped herself, only noticing until now that Zenn has already left, leaving only herself to explain the situation.
"See!? Your bullying scared him off! Why do you have to be such a bully Jazz!?" Mindy asked in vain. Jasmine's temper got the better of her. Frustrated by Mindy's accusations, Jasmine argued back, raising her voice.
"Excuse me!? You're the one who scared him off! I mean, look at you! You look like some crazy forest witch with all of those leaves and twigs stuck in your hair!" Jasmine retorted, evidently pulling a sap-covered twig out of Mindy's hair.
As the two Obelisk Girls bickered by the lake, Zenn trotted back to the path he was training on. His rock-anchoring sash tied around his waist once more.
"I will honor our deal until the bitter end, Jasmine Makurada," Zenn promised in a whisper, smiling softly.
"Now, lets us find this...Jaden Yuki and teach him one of my favorite sayings: If you mettle with someone's dream, be prepared for a nightmare." Zenn wrathfully said, his smile warping into a vengeful glare.
Author's note: And that's the end of this chapter! And it ends with a cliffhanger no less! I hope you guys enjoyed it, Favorite/follow.