Ashes of the Phoenix

A Fanfiction by Wild Ceteruler

Disclaimer: All official Yu-Gi-Oh! GX characters & cards are property of VIZ, Shonen Jump, and Konami. All created cards belong to their creators!

Chapter 2

Bridget's eyes narrowed as her opponent, the proctor Regina Anura from Duel Academy, flipped a coin to determine the starting player, the small golden disk spinning upwards.

"Call it," she said, her boredom evident in her voice. Bridget growled slightly at the unspoken dismissal of her existence. 'I'll show her not to underestimate Bridget Nogard'!' she thought fiercely.

"Tails!" she cried, as the bright ring reached its zenith and began to fall…

ooo

Kieran's opponent, Edmund Tilper, was preparing to flip his own coin when Kieran suddenly spoke up. "You can go first."

Shocked, the proctor sputtered a bit before drawing 5 cards. "But why would you just let me go first?" he asked. He couldn't miss the gleam that flashed across the boy's glasses as he drew his own quintet of cards. "Because I always go second," he replied flatly.

Kieran: 8000

Edmund: 8000

Unnerved but determined not to look a gift horse in the mouth, Edmund drew a sixth card and glanced at it before playing it. "I activate the Spell Card Painful Choice, allowing me to pick five cards from my Deck and show them to you, and then you select one for me to keep. All the others are sent to the Graveyard. I choose my Guardian Grarl, my Hyper Hammerhead, my Element Saurus, my Mad Swords Beast, and my Tyranno Infinity."

Staring at the selection before him, Kieran pondered for a mere 3 seconds before declaring "I choose Tyranno Infinity." Adding the chosen card to his hand, the proctor discarded the rest, chuckling as he did so. He wasn't the only one, as some of the more experienced members of the crowd watching scoffed and guffawed openly.

"Bad move, kid," Edmund sneered. "Now you're in for a world of hurt!" His words seemed to have no effect on the violet-eyed teen, who remained as impassive as ever as Edmund lifted a single card.

"I activate Soul Release, a Spell Card that allows me to remove up to five cards from either player's Graveyard from play. I choose to remove the 4 monsters in my Grave from play." As Edmund inserted the named card, a slim cerulean sylph with a rainbow of colors in her hair swooped from his Duel Disk and gestured at his Graveyard slot. Watery see-through images of the 4 dinosaurs wafted from the slot and faded from view, followed shortly by their caller, who vanished as Edmund pocketed the removed cards.

"Now I summon the card that will destroy you: the mighty Tyranno Infinity!" A massive Tyrannosaurus Rex burst from the ground, its gray-green hide somehow crackling with purple electrical energy, and roared its pride to the heavens (4/?/0).

"That's a lot of fanfare for an unimpressive reptile," Kieran noted, cutting through the proctor's maniacal laughter. "Such a weak monster must have an effect that makes up for its shortcomings." Glaring at him for interrupting him mid-cackle, Edmund folded his arms huffily.

"Hmph; your observation is correct. Infinity gets 1000 ATK for every Dino removed from play, and I removed 4, so his points boost all the way to 4000!" His laughter resumed as the beast roared at its power increase (? + 4000), the wind produced by this action causing Kieran's hair to wave wildly. "Is that all?" Kieran said quietly.

"Not by a longshot, kid!" Edmund snapped, breaking from his laughter to insert a card into his Disk. "Next I activate the Spell Card Terraforming, which allows me to search my Deck for a Field Spell and add it to my hand." Pulling his Deck from its slot, he fanned it out and scanned the revealed cards before selecting one and replacing the other cards, causing the Duel Disk to auto-shuffle them thoroughly. Tapping the extreme end of the Disk's blade, he placed the chosen card into the hidden compartment that was ejected and allowed it to retract.

"I play the Field Spell Jurassic World, which grants all of my Dinosaurs-Type monsters 300 ATK and DEF, protects them from Trap Cards during the Battle Phase, and allows me to choose their Battle Positions when they're attacked!"

The world blurred around the duelists for a minute as the Disk processed the images on the inserted card, and then in a burst of light, they were in a verdant forest lush with trees and vines. Large winged creatures soared overhead, massive sauropods lumbered past in the distance with earth-shaking strides, and on the horizon, a large volcano towered. It seemed to be dormant, but the smoke streaming from its top bore the promise of a terrible fury that would be deadly were it unleashed. The oft-named king of dinosaurs appeared to enjoy its surroundings, for it seemed to stand taller, if such a thing were possible (4000 + 300/0 + 300).

Of the seated teens that were paying attention, the majority of them were shaking their heads and muttering amongst themselves. 'Oh it is soo over…' 'No way he can survive that for long…' 'I don't care what level of duelist you are, that's gotta be scary…"

Ignoring them all, Kieran remained taciturn as Edmund grinned and placed yet another card onto his Disk. "I activate the effect of my Gilasaurus, allowing me to treat his Summon as a Special Summon, at the cost of allowing my opponent to Special Summon a monster from their Graveyard. But since this is the first turn, I don't have to worry about that happening, do I?"

A dull brown Velociraptor sprinted from the foliage with a reedy screech, its deadly razor-sharp fangs and claws on display (3/1400/400). Though it was the size of a large Great Dane, it was easily dwarfed by the bulk of the bus-sized T-rex next to it, even though Jurassic World powered it up (1400 + 300/400 + 300).

"Don't get used to my little friend here; he won't be staying long. I activate the magic of the Spell Card Big Evolution Pill, which, at the small price of a Dino-Type monster, allows me to Normal Summon or Set Dinosaurs of any level during your next three turns!" As he spoke, a small meteor smashed into the ground before the two reptiles and cracked open, revealing three red-and-white pills that glowed with a purple aura.

The massive reptile monarch took a step towards the pills, but the smaller Velociraptor was faster. It lunged forward and gobbled them up, then keeled over, clutching at its throat. It convulsed weakly for a few seconds, then lay still. Its corpse began to glow with the same purple aura that the pills had, and then it atomized upwards, covering Edmund's field in golden sparkles.

"I'll end my turn with a facedown," Edmund concluded, a smug smirk distorting his face as a brown-backed card appeared before him. As Kieran drew a sixth card, many of the same teens from before began to jeer and comment loudly. "You don't stand a chance, dude!" "Just give it up; Tilper hasn't been defeated in years!" "Kid's screwed…"

Once again ignoring the jibes, Kieran examined his hand before speaking in a flat monotone. "Well that was a decent opening…if you were dueling a 3rd grader. Maybe I made a mistake in my choice of opponent." Gasps rippled through the crowd and Edmund's jaw dropped at the bold comment.

"What did you just say to me, kid? You've got an awful big mouth for someone who has yet to make a move." Kieran shrugged, a hint of a smile creasing his lips for the first time in the duel. "Let me ask you something before I do make my move: are you sure that you're a proctor? Because that was not a move I would like to learn from a teacher. You overextended yourself, emptied your hand, and didn't use the slightest bit of strategy while doing it."

"If you were going to empty your hand, you should have set whatever Trap or Spell you have there first, used Painful Choice to dump the 3 unimportant Dinosaurs to the Graveyard, Special Summoned Gilasaurus, tributed it for Big Evolution Pill's effect, and then used Soul Release; that way, you would have been able to summon a 4000 ATK Tyranno Infinity and Special Summoned the 2500 ATK Guardian Grarl since it was the only card left in your hand."

Growling, Edmund took a step forward. "Grr…Y-you just shut your mouth, kid!" he blustered. "What do you know about dueling anyway?" "Obviously more than you do" Kieran retorted. Edmund clenched his fists in anger and was opening his mouth to say something he would probably regret when Kieran spoke again.

"But enough with your sub-par skills; I've still got a turn to use. First, I activate Pot of Greed and draw 2 cards." Doing so, he glanced at them briefly before continuing.

"Then I activate Graceful Charity, allowing me to draw 3 cards at the cost of discarding 2 from my hand afterwards." Drawing 3, he barely stopped to look at them before discarding 2 of them. After that, he snapped another card off his deck. "One of the cards I drew and subsequently discarded was Broww, Huntsman of Dark World, which grants me an extra card if he is discarded by one of my card effects," he explained.

"And now I have all the pieces instrumental to your defeat! I activate Tribute to the Doomed, discarding one card from my hand to destroy your one and only monster!" Edmund, along with those who were watching the duel, gasped aloud as Kieran discarded a single card, after which bandages erupted from the fertile dirt, ensnaring the lord of dinosaurs completely before dragging him beneath the earth.

Kieran gave a fiendish smirk at the look on Edmund's face as he raised another card. "I take it you've realized exactly what level of an idiot you are." Edmund scoffed, but he was sweating slightly. "Whatever, kid. You can't finish me this turn and you know it."

"Au contraire, Mr. Tilper, for I can and will finish you this turn. My next card is the Spell Monster Reborn, reviving the card I just discarded – the Dark Magician Girl!" Now every single person present looked up in surprise as a teenage girl appeared, dressed in a miniskirt, top, and hat and wielding a small staff that terminated in a tight curl. She resembled a famous monster used by an even more famous duelist, but her ensemble was a deep black that contrasted with her blonde hair and cold blue eyes (5/2000/1700).

Edmund recoiled at the sight of the rare monster as she leveled her small staff at him. "What is that thing? That is not the Dark Magician Girl!" Kieran showed his teeth in a dark grin as he replied "I beg to differ, as does both of our Duel Disks. This is the Dark Magician Girl, but she's a bit…darker." He chuckled at his own joke as he slotted a card into his Disk.

"Next I play Sage's Stone, a Spell Card that can only be played when I have a face-up Dark Magician Girl on my field." A rune-inscribed circle flashed into existence onto the ground beside the grim sorceress, a multicolored tear-shaped pebble floating within it. "This card allows me to call forth the apprentice's master from my hand or Deck, so tremble as the ultimate Spellcaster is revealed – the Dark Magician!"

Pointing at the stone, the adolescent adept mouthed a silent spell, and it shattered violently, releasing a searing amethyst light. When the light faded, a tall man stood – no, floated beside his apprentice… but not the figure that was expected.

His skin was a pale green, but unlike the monster made famous by Yugi Motou, his hair was a bleached white the color of bone. His amour-like robes were different as well: they were sleeker, a dead black like that of his apprentice but with silver trim here and there, with the shoulder-guards sweeping upwards into points rather than curving smoothly downwards. Most chilling of all was his face: devoid of all but cruel power, it caused Edmund to shiver as he turned his black eyes towards him (7/2500/2100).

His mere presence seemed to cast a shadow upon the world, and many of the viewers rubbed their arms with imagined cold. Edmund gulped as he stared at the monster over an empty field. "I-impressive," he managed, "but still not enough to beat me this turn." Especially with my facedown ready for you… he thought.

"Who says I'm finished?" Kieran laughed, holding up yet another card. "I activate Dark Magic Attack, a Spell Card with the same name as the Dark Magician's attack, and one with a powerful effect – the destruction of every Spell and Trap on your field!"

The ebon-cloaked magician raised his slim staff to the sky, and a swirling chaotic maelstrom tore through the surreal blue, causing a violent wind to kick up. Trees bowed and split from the powerful suction, and the various reptiles on the land and in the air fled in terror. Edmund bent over his Disk to protect his cards from the mighty pull of the vortex, glancing up through slitted eyes just in time to see the portal fold in on itself to form a perfect sphere above the staff of the wizard, who smashed the staff into the ground, sending the sphere hurtling towards him.

Edmund shielded his face and cried out as the orb impacted the center of his field, producing a blinding flash that rendered many senseless from its light. When sight and sound returned, the paradisiacal world had vanished, along with the facedown card and the golden sparkles from Big Evolution Pill's effect.

Kieran smirked once more. "Planning to use that Sakuretsu Armor on me, were you? Madness. Continuing with your destruction, I tribute my Dark Magician to Special Summon one of his more powerful forms, one with powers unlocked through endless study and dedication – the Dark Eradicator Warlock!"

The shadowy sorcerer raised his staff and lowered it thrice to the floor, somehow producing a hollow *thunk* at each strike. Darkness flared around him, lifting him higher into the air as the phantom image of a grimoire hovered behind him. He closed his eyes and spread his arms wide, which caused the pages of the spectral tome to start turning. As they flipped faster and faster, a remarkable change took place.

An ebony cape unfurled from beneath the shoulder-guards of the magician's armor, extending to nearly touch the floor even from where he hung suspended. The torso of the armor expanded, no longer clinging to the wizard's abdomen, and the silvery tracing realigned to outline the general shape of his body. The tip of his staff seemed to unravel and split, forming a thicker base beneath three claw-like crooks between which the violet gem they had once encased spun, glowing brightly. The neck guard of the armor extended as well, hiding the lower half of his face from view. His transformation complete, the wizard turned warlock descended to the ground, alighting gently as the darkness around him faded along with the ghostly spellbook (7/2500/2100).

Despite the appearance of the new monster, Edmund asked what the majority of the crowd was thinking: "What was the point of that move? That monster has the same stats as the last one." Kieran sighed lightly as he shook his head pityingly. "For a teacher, you don't have a very good memory. Don't you remember my assessment of your Tyranno Infinity? Attack and Defense aren't everything in this game, and a person in your position should know that." "Shut up, kid!" came Edmund's harsh reply, his face livid. "I know more than you ever will about this game!"

Ignoring him, Kieran adjusted his glasses as he spoke. "Continuing with my turn, I should mention that Dark Magician Girl gains 300 ATK for every "Dark Magician" or "Magician of Black Chaos" in both Graveyards (2000 + 300). Also, I finally use my Normal Summon an acolyte of the Dark Magician's order, the Skilled Dark Magician!"

Another swirling portal appeared beside the warlock, and a dark figure stepped out of it. In shape it resembled a monk, for it was dressed in a long dark robe with a large cowl that threw its upper face into deep shadow, but this person wore heavy shoulder-guards with a large black gem set into each one, upon which were etched silver symbols reminiscent of triangles. In its gloved right hand was a short staff with another black gem at its tip, complete with its own triangular symbol. Eerie silence was its only sound (4/1900/1700).

"Still not enough…" Edmund muttered, causing Kieran to sigh again. "Have you been listening to anything I've said? Let me demonstrate my point by playing the Spell Card Toon Table of Contents, allowing me to search my Deck for another copy of said card and add it to my hand."

Removing his Deck, Kieran thumbed through it until he reached the green-bordered card he was looking for. "Since you know what I'm going to do, there's no point in me shuffling my Deck at this point, so I'll simply play this copy and search for the third copy, which I'll also play." After he completed this action, he replaced his Deck into its appropriate slot, triggering the auto-shuffle feature. "And now…it begins," Kieran said simply.

Edmund opened his mouth to speak, but he never finished his sentence, for a vicious jolt of violet lightning knocked him off his feet. His jaw locked and his muscles spasmed as the excruciating arc seemed to short-circuit his system one nerve at a time. After what seemed an eternity, the painful ordeal ended, allowing him to rise to his feet, smoking and panting in confusion.

Kieran: 8000

Edmund: 5000

"Wha-what happened?" he stuttered, his body tingling with residual electricity. Kieran raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "You mean you didn't know? My Dark Eradicator Warlock, the monster that I so pointlessly summoned, has a unique ability – as long as he is present on the field, whenever a Spell Card is activated, you take 1000 damage for each." Glancing at the bulky mage confirmed the information given, as the tips of his staff were still sparking with the purple energy.

Edmund gaped as a collective gasp shuddered through the crowd. "It also gave my Skilled Dark Magician 3 Spell Counters," Kieran said, gesturing to his monster, which seemed to be glowing with a bright purple light. Upon closer inspection, it was revealed that the silvery triangular symbols on his shoulder-guards and staff were emitting the light, partially obscuring his form in its glare.

Lowering his head to look at Edmund over the top of his glasses, his strange violet eyes twin stars beneath his black bangs, Kieran spoke in an ominous yet taunting tone. "During my Main Phase, I can tribute my mage with 3 Spell Counters to Special Summon the cornerstone of the Dark Order – rise again, DARK MAGICIAN!"

The light surrounding the acolyte suddenly shifted in hue, becoming achromatic in color, and engulfed the mage with an apparent hunger. The darkness pulsed once, twice, thrice, and shattered, revealing another ebon-armored magician, a smirk dancing upon his pale face (7/2500/2100).

"No…" Edmund whispered, as he realized that it was all over, and that it was he that had enabled it. It was Kieran's turn to laugh, a slow, dry chuckle that built up to an otherworldly howl as he screamed "Dark Mages, finish him with DARK TRIFECTA!"

The three magi lifted their staves and spoke as one, uttering but a single word: "Fatum!" The light surrounding their three staves intensified and once again blotted out the world in an amethyst flash. When it faded, Kieran was calmly heading back to his seat, leaving a dazed Edmund stretched out on the ground, smoke rising from his twitching body (2300 + 2500 + 2500 = 7300).

Kieran: 8000, Winner

Edmund: 0

Those that had mocked him before now scrambled to get out of his way, whilst others muttered things like "Unreal…" "A one-turn-kill on the second turn of the duel…" "Not a scratch on him…"

Edmund was helped to his rather unsteady feet by Ms. Kwere, who attempted to brush him off until he shoved her away. "I don't need your help!" he growled, picking up his scattered cards in preparation to test another applicant. She slapped him hard across the cheek, sending a fresh wave of pain through his head, and strode off in a huff, leaving him dazed, frustrated, and the subject of many snickers and jeers. "Who's next?" he grunted.

ooo

As the excitement from the duel wore off and people turned their attentions to the other duels, Kieran sat back in his chair, sighing slightly. "That guy was really a proctor?" he muttered to himself. "I wonder how he got into Duel Academy with that level of skill?" Shrugging and letting out a small yawn, his eyes hooded as he turned his attention to Bridget's duel…

-TBC-

Whew, finally got this chapter done! I hope it wasn't too wordy; I tried to pay close attention to detail, but I tend to overdo things sometimes! Anyway, R&R please!

Card of this chapter: Dark Magician

Facts of this chapter:

a. My version of Jurassic World is the anime version from Yu-Gi-Oh! GX; I'm perfectly aware of the actual printed version's effect.

b. Kieran's Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician are based off of the alternate artworks of those cards (I always did like the darker-colored Magicians better..)

c. "Fatum" is a Latin word that has several meanings, one of them being "Doom" (another is "Fate"…could that be a spoiler?)

Next Chapter: Bridget's Duel!