The morning after Cyrus's birthday, Cyrus and Nicky were chatting over breakfast, with Justin, Leon, and Yukio still asleep.
"So... run that by me again?" Nicky asked.
Cyrus sighed, gently holding his red dragon plushie. "I want you to make a card of Cy here. I know you like to draw, so it would be nice if you could design a card for him." His green eyes looked pleadingly into Nicky's own. "Please?"
"Well... I do still owe you for study buddies, which did save my math grade…" Nicky rested his elbows on the table, taking a bite of a sausage. "Deal. So, tell me more about Cy. I can't draw him as a doll- the Madolches have the monopoly on that. So, who exactly is Cy the Red Dragon?"
Cyrus speared the last bite of his pancakes on the end of his fork and ate it up, kicking his legs. "Well... He's a playful, happy little... well... red dragon cub. He loves to fly and is fresh in learning to breathe fire. He's kind, honest, and reliable, especially to his friends. And he would protect them no matter what."
"...Just like you, Cyrus." Nicky smiled slightly and finished his breakfast, before jumping down from the high stool he was sitting on and going to Cyrus's kitchen sink to wash his plate. "You can do the stats, I do the drawing, and maybe Haru can amp up the depth with his skills, if that painting of his is anything to go by. Sound cool?"
"Sounds good!" Cyrus beamed as he went to wash his plate as well. As soon as he was finished and had stacked his plate above the dishwasher, he ran for the phone to call Haru.
For once, Haru was up early. He was in his room, sitting at his easel, and upon a canvas, he was painting that same scene he gave Cyrus yesterday, with one interesting difference. Haru, in the painting, was a little closer than in the original, his hands behind his back and his gaze averted from the group, and Cyrus was looking in his direction with a smile.
"Whatcha painting? The new Picasso?" Ariel appeared by his side, almost giving Haru a jolt. But by now, he was somewhat used to her. The little Spellcaster scrutinized the painting, squinting and pretending to hold a magnifying lens to her eye. "Hey... that's the painting you gave Cyrus, ain't it? Except for you being closer, and Cyrus looking at you. Why are you painting the same picture twice?"
"Practice makes perfect," Haru countered coolly.
"Mm, whatever you say, Ponytail. Y'know, the Dragon cubs were right, this painting IS symbolic."
Haru bit his lip. "Can it."
"Don't want it going public?" Ariel asked.
"You know precisely why I don't want it going 'public', Ariel... Just leave me be for now, okay? I don't want to disturb Haruka," Haru grunted.
As if Haru had jinxed it, RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRIIIIING! The phone in the living room rang like crazy, waking Haruka, who had fallen asleep on the couch, up anyway.
"Waah!" The older of the Taylor brothers yelped as he was startled out of a dream, rolling off the side of the bed and falling to the ground in a thump, much like his little brother did when startled awake. "I'll get it!" Haruka staggered to his feet and stumbled over to the phone that lay innocuously on the mantelpiece. "Taylor house. Haruka. Start talking, it's your nickel."
"Hey... It's Cyrus... You okay, Haruka?"
"Just woke up." Haruka apparently shared the same bad temper that his brother did when awoken by force. "Sorry. What's wrong?"
"Nothing wrong, but Nicky and I wanted to talk to Haru."
"Oh?" Haruka shook his head to clear his thoughts, and nodded. "Sure, gimme a minute." He took a deep breath, then bellowed, "HARU! PHONE! IT'S CYRUS!"
Haru abandoned his painting and traipsed his way downstairs, grabbing the phone from Haruka's hand. "Uh, Haru here..."
"Hey, Haru!" Cyrus said. "Uh, Nicky and I are designing a fanmade Duel Monsters card for Cy the Dragon. Would it be okay if you could use your mad painting skills to make it look really good?"
"Oh, that red dragon toy... Um... Well, if you can give me a sketch and about a week, sure, I guess..." Haru rubbed the back of his head.
"Awesome. We'll get it to you ASAP!"
"Okay. See you."
On the other line, Cyrus hung up and smiled at Nicky conspiratorially. "We're good, just need to get him a sketch and give him a week, bingo."
"Perfect," Nicky said. Then, he shifted slightly from where he was seated on Cyrus's living room couch. "Uh, by the way… I didn't tell anyone this, because I got sick, but, uh..."
He leaned in to Cyrus's ear, eyes darting from side to side, and whispered.
"There's a card design contest coming up, and I'm thinking about entering Cy."
"Really?" Cyrus asked.
"Uh-huh. Sounds good to you?" Nicky smiled.
"How does the contest work?"
"Everyone who enters submits a card, and the top five cards become official cards in the game and win their makers really cool prizes!"
"And... all the others?" Cyrus asked.
"They get reviewed by Industrial Illusions, and the good ones become game cards too."
"I wanna make Cy the best card possible. So plenty of people use it." Cyrus clenched his fists and looked Nicky square in the eye. "Can we do it?"
Nicky nodded. "We can do it."
Cyrus, Nicky, and Haru quickly got to work on the special card, not knowing Nicky had something extra special planned for the card later. Cyrus was the one who had created the original template, featuring the card's stats, Type, name, effect, and Attribute. Nicky, using the Cy toy as reference, drew a sketch of the Duel Monster edition of Cy. Then the sketch was given to Haru, who, impressed by Nicky's efforts, put HIS best efforts in too. The week rolled by, and soon, it was ready.
"Um... here it is," Haru said as they met up outside Cyrus's house the Saturday after his birthday party, holding a canvas. Eagerly, Cyrus grabbed the mockup that they'd created, and looked over it with a surprising intensity.
The card's stats were as follows: Fire-Attribute, Level 3, 900/700, Dragon/Tuner. Its effect was quite simple: "This Monster can attack twice in the same Battle Phase."
The picture was the best part, though. It depicted a young and admittedly cute dragon cub standing proudly atop a mountain, overlooking a vast sapphire sky dotted with clouds and a deep, verdant valley below.
"Wow... Haru... your coloring and depth is amazing... Nicky, the scene is perfect," Cyrus said.
"The card itself is good, too," Nicky said. "Sorry my sketch was so rough, Haru."
"No problem..."
"There's a Card Design contest coming up. The top five cards that get submitted are made official," Nicky finally revealed.
Cyrus blinked. "Wait, wha?"
"Are you saying…" Haru gasped.
Nicky nodded. "We're submitting Cy into the contest."
"Cy... an official card?" Cyrus could barely believe his ears.
"Right," Nicky said. "I know how special he is to you, so why not immortalize him in art?"
"Whoa… an official card design contest. I really hope that this will work, Nicky."
"I'm certain of it." Nicky nodded.
Meanwhile, though, Haru noticed something. Cyrus's Partners, Baby and Petit Dragon, had appeared on his shoulders, and were whispering to one another.
Nicky stared at Cyrus for a moment. "...Cyrus."
"Huh?" Cyrus tilted his head slightly. "What is it, Nicky?"
"...You do realize that there are a pair of dragons sitting on your shoulders, right?"
"I do?" Cyrus asked, tilting his head.
"Yeah, right…. here."
And to Haru's shock, Nicky PICKED UP Petit Dragon, and held him out to Cyrus. "See?"
"...What the?!" Cyrus looked at Petit. "Petit? ...Nicky... let go of him, you're gonna hurt him!"
Nicky let go, the startled dragon fluttering unsteadily back to his partnered human.
"You can see us now?!" Baby Dragon asked, flying right off of Cyrus's shoulder and getting in his face.
"I… uh… yeah?" Cyrus answered unsurely.
"Thank goodness! He can see us!" Petit said in joy and relief.
"We and Wind Dragon have been waiting so long!" gushed Baby Dragon.
"Wind Dragon?" Cyrus tilted his head. "As in Wind Dragon of the Eons?"
"The one and only, young one." With a quick poof, Wind Dragon popped in, right in front of Cyrus. "Thank goodness you can see us now."
"Whoa!" Cyrus's mouth was hanging open. "But… What's going on here?"
"We're your Duel Spirit Partners. You made us, after all."
"...I did?"
"Yep! Me and Petit were born from the two cards you always carry around your neck," Baby Dragon said.
Cyrus looked at the card-holder locket that was around his neck, and opened it up. Sure enough, Baby Dragon and Petit Dragon's cards were in there.
"And I was resurrected when you played me in the duel with that Dinosaur girl," Wind Dragon said.
"..." Cyrus looked towards Nicky and Haru. "Are you guys seeing this?"
They nodded.
"So... what's going on here?" asked Cyrus, a little confused.
"Um…" Haru opened his mouth, then closed it again. "It's, uh, hard to explain…"
"Well... long story short, you humans created us. But the bad spirits, the Parasites, want to control humanity and we need your help to stop them," Wind Dragon said.
"Ohh… Okay!" Cyrus nodded. "Sounds easy!"
"All you gotta do is beat Parasites in Duels," Petit said.
"Yeah... Parasites paired with Duelists with skills ranging from decent to big league," Haru added.
Cyrus blinked. "Wait, what?"
Nicky put a hand on Cyrus's shoulder, and suddenly, Cyrus felt something hostile coming off the other blonde. When he spoke, his voice was low and cold. "Cyrus. Fighting the Parasites is not a game. They can and will hurt people very, very badly. As inept as some can be, most of them are extremely dangerous. Do you think you have the strength it takes to face them?"
"...Yes. As long as I have something to protect, I can fight," Cyrus said.
"Someone... to protect..." Nicky's mind began to drift for a second, losing itself in a certain memory of a time long ago…
...but he shook his head. "No," he said, voice even colder. "You don't have the strength to fight them at all."
And he spat at Cyrus's feet. "You'll never have it, and if you think you will, you couldn't be more wrong."
"HEY! Don't you do that to Cyrus!" Wind Dragon yelled.
Nicky turned his withering gaze on Wind Dragon. "Stay out of this, you miserable excuse for a Synchro."
"Please don't be a jerk, Nicky." said Cyrus. "I can fight the Parasites."
"No you can't!" Nicky snapped, making everyone recoil. "You're just a kid! You've never had those monsters take away the person who means the most to you in this world! Just go home and leave this to the people who actually know what they're doing!"
Before anyone could say anything to stop him, Nicky turned on his heel and bolted away, and Cyrus and Haru both were shocked to see that there were tears streaming down his face.
"...Well... He was a total jerk..." Ariel said.
Wind Dragon frowned. "Doesn't he understand that the Parasites don't exactly give humans a choice in the matter?"
"What?" Cyrus asked.
Haru shook his head, holding a hand up. "On… on the contrary, I think that he understands it all too well."
"But Cyrus can't just leave this alone. Parasites WILL come after him," Petit Dragon said.
"What?" Cyrus asked again.
"And what's the deal with him saying that stuff?" Baby Dragon added. "Sure, Parasites like to hurt humans emotionally by manipulating, injuring, or outright killing their loved ones, but-"
"WHAT?!" Cyrus shouted at the top of his lungs.
"...Perhaps I've said too much." Baby Dragon shut his mouth.
Nicky locked the door of his room as tight as he possibly could once he arrived back at his house, not even bothering to greet his father.
"Nicky, what's wrong?" his father asked from behind the door.
"Go away!" the blonde shouted, diving onto the bed and covering his head with a pillow.
"Nicky, tell me what's going on! Don't be rude!" Mr. Anderson demanded.
"No! I don't wanna see you! I don't wanna remember Sparky! Go away, go away!"
At the name, Mr. Anderson's anger faded as quickly as it had flared up. "Sparky? What brought that up?" the father asked.
Nicky whimpered. "Cyrus and Haru, they're awake, they're awake! They can see Duel Spirits! They've been Partnered!"
"..." Mr. Anderson didn't speak for a while. When he did, his voice was quiet. "How do you know?"
"I saw the Spirits when I went to see the card for the contest."
"What Spirits are they?"
"Haru had Gishki Ariel and Water Dragon of the Endless Mirror. Cyrus was Petit Dragon, Baby Dragon, and Wind Dragon of the Eons."
"Then they'll be okay. You know how Dragon Spirits never fail to protect their human partners. Remember Cousin Christian?" the dad said.
"...I don't want them to be hurt too."
"Then protect them!" Mr. Anderson said.
"Obviously. I just… I'm scared. I was so weak the last time…. And now Sparky's gone."
"But you're stronger now, and you have me. And it's not just one person, it's multiple people. You can all protect each other."
"...Are you certain?"
"Yes. I promise."
"..." Nicky lifted his head from under the pillow. "...okay."
"Now how about you go see your friends again?" Mr. Anderson said.
"...okay… Should I buy them something to make up for running off?"
"Of course."
"...So... I need to be able to protect my grandpa from the Parasites?" Cyrus asked. Nicky had returned to the meeting place with apologies and grape soda, and the two of them and Haru were sitting on a bench.
Nicky nodded seriously. "Yes. I'm sorry I snapped at you earlier, but like I said, it is not easy. Parasites are Duel Spirits, after all. They know the ins and outs of the game very well."
"Did you lose someone?" Cyrus asked once more, Wind Dragon seating on his shoulder.
"...Yes." Nicky looked away. "My older brother, Samuel."
"Ouch... I won't ask further." Cyrus looked away from Nicky.
"It's okay... anyway... I got you something as an apology." Nicky handed Cyrus the grape soda. "I didn't have much money, so this was all I could buy."
"Oh! Crush Grape! My favorite! Thank you." Cyrus smiled, accepting the soda. Nicky nodded.
"Ah… by the way, the contest is tomorrow."
Cyrus had almost totally forgotten the contest in the aftermath of Nicky's outburst, and he perked up as he remembered. Almost immediately, his eyes darted to the Cy canvas. "Are you sure we have a good card?"
"Yes. In fact, I think we can win. How much effort did we put into it?"
"...I did my best to make sure the stats and effect were fair," Cyrus said.
"My sketches were as accurate and clean as I could get them." Nicky added.
"And my colors were… okay…" Haru fidgeted.
Nicky and Cyrus stared at Haru for a second, before redirecting their gaze to the canvas.
"If that's considered 'okay', I'd LOVE to see what you call your best," Cyrus said.
"N-no, it's nothing special…" Haru bit his lip. "R-really, I'm not very good at all…"
"Well, this is still really good. We'll be winning the contest with Cy."
"Agreed," Wind Dragon said.
"There you go... there's your card, sweetie," a soft voice said.
.
A girl was staring at the card in her hand. "Thank you…"
"Now, you must pay your return fee. May I borrow… this?"
The girl's body slumped over.
The next day, at the plaza, the registration table was set up... and there were already ten people lined up.
"Ueh… People...,." Haru looked distressed.
"Ugh, Lines..." Cyrus looked distressed.
"...competitors." Nicky looked confident. "We'll blow them out of the water."
The kids soon were up next up.
"You each submitting a card?" the contest lady asked.
"No, we're in this together!" Cyrus proudly presented their canvas.
"Wow, this is definitely a pro quality card. Congratulations, you're in the contest." The receptionist smiled and gestured for them to move on. "Please remain in the plaza for further results. OH! I need your names."
"Cyrus Strong."
"Nicky Anderson."
It took a slight elbow to Haru's hip to get him to talk. "H-Haru Taylor."
"You're all set! I'll be rooting for you." The lady beamed. "Have fun!"
The three boys stepped away, and a girl with white hair and dark skin came up.
"Hello," she said sweetly. "I'm here to submit a card!"
"Let's see it."
The girl slid a card onto the counter, which the receptionist picked up and took a good hard look at.
"...Yeesh, what a card..." the lady said. "You're, um… in."
"Thank you!" the girl chimed brightly, walking away. She smiled brightly once more at the receptionist… and for a second, the receptionist thought she saw the girl's eyes flash red.
Leon meanwhile was in town with his family, enjoying a non-Dueling day with his family.
"I can't believe I can't support the guys in that contest," Leon said, taking a bite from a mango on a stick.
Yukio rolled his eyes. "Is it really that important?" he asked. "If it were something big like a tournament or something, maybe, but this is just a little contest."
"I know, but friends usually need to support each other in whatever they do," countered Leon.
"In kiddy cartoons."
"It's true friends should support each other, but it doesn't mean they have to always be physically present," Mrs. McCloud reasoned.
Yukio and Leon stared at their mother.
"...ever thought of just telling them good luck via a simple text?"
"You never got either of us a cell phone," Leon grated.
"Then I can send it, I have Haru's number."
"If you could do that, that'd be great," Leon said.
In his pocket, Haru's phone vibrated.
"A text?" Haru pulled out his phone, checking the text.
"Leon and Yukio are wishing you their best. -Charlotte"
"Guys, we got well wishes from the McClouds," Haru said.
"We won't need it," Nicky said stoutly. "We have talent."
"Come to think of it... Why isn't Leon here anyway?" Cyrus asked. The others shrugged.
"We'll let him know how it goes, I guess…." Haru mumbled. He stuck his hands in his pockets. "Guys, I really don't think we're gonna win anything, I ruined it with the colors…"
Cyrus and Nicky stared at him. "How? The colors were amazing..."
"I can do a LOT better..." Haru looked guilty. "I messed up really bad on that, it was horrible… I shouldn't have even tried…."
"If you didn't try, Cy would never even have had a chance. The rules state the visuals MUST be colored." Cyrus shook his head.
"It would still have been better," Haru protested weakly. "I… I just messed up so bad…"
"I sincerely doubt that," a voice said out of nowhere, right behind Haru.
Haru jolted as he whipped around, to see Joshua smiling at him. There had been nobody behind him just a few seconds ago, how did Joshua get there so fast? "Hehehe… What's got you so down, Haru?" Joshua asked.
"Long story short, I screwed up all of Cyrus and Nicky's hard work."
"How?"
Haru pointed at the canvas.
"Aww, that's a cute little Dragon!" Joshua admired. "Who made that?"
"I did the Effect and Stats!" Cyrus said.
"I take credit for the sketch," Nicky added.
"I did the colors…" Haru bit his lip. "But it's so ugly, look…" He pointed at Cy. "That shade of red is all wrong, it clashes so bad with the sky and the trees…" He proceeded to point out a bunch of things, all kinds of trivial little details that didn't even look all that bad.
"Um…." Joshua looked the canvas over again, trying to see what Haru did, and raised an eyebrow. "I don't see it," he said. "All I see is a possible Balance Dragon with a great design."
The second sentence knocked the kids for a loop. "A possible what now-!?" Nicky spluttered.
"Cy could make a good Balance Dragon," Joshua said.
The trio stared.
"You're… kidding, right?" Haru ventured uncertainly.
"Nah… What do you say, Iona?" Joshua pulled a white-backed card out of his pocket, one that didn't seem to be for Duel Monsters. Emblazoned on it was the image of a mysterious, dark-haired girl in revealing clothing. Joshua cocked his head towards the card, as if pretending it were speaking, then smiled and put it back in his pocket. "Iona agrees with me. Cy would make a good addition to the group."
"Um… okay..." Haru shrugged.
"And being a judge, I can tell you, you got a winner here."
"Wait… what?" Cyrus raised an eyebrow. "You're a judge?"
"Yep. I've been a judge for three years now." Joshua chuckled.
"Um… How old are you, exactly?" Haru asked. Joshua looked like a teenager. Were teenagers allowed to be judges?
Joshua laughed slightly. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Not even Iona could at first, ahaha."
"...Enough said..." Haru backed away from Joshua, creeped out a LOT.
"On a less creepy note, you guys seemed closer as friends for now," Joshua smiled warmly.
Haru flinched. "T-that word… Don't say that word…" he mumbled.
"What word?" Joshua asked.
"F-f-f-f-f….." Haru was having trouble spitting it out.
"Friend?"
Haru cringed even harder. "That word…"
"I see... Oh, it's judging time. I have to go. See you in about two hours." Joshua smiled again, and waved goodbye, walking away. Soon, he had vanished into the crowds.
Haru breathed a sigh of relief. "Scary…" he whimpered.
"Well, we got some waiting to do. Bookstore?" Cyrus asked.
"Bookstore."
"Bookstore…"
As the three were looking at the books and comics, someone was watching them.
A white-haired girl with dark skin, red eyes, and a wicked smile. She was hiding behind a bookshelf, staring right at Nicky.
"I have you now, little one…" she murmured.
"You think he's gonna just go down so easily?" a voice said.
The girl whipped around to see Joshua. "How did you-?"
"Never judge a book by its cover." Joshua rolled up his sleeve to reveal some kind of magic seal tattooed on his arm.
Upon seeing the seal, the girl's eyes went wide. "You're-!"
"Not in the mood for taking your guff… Grimro. For what reason do you have the gall to come out of hiding after the taboo you committed?" Joshua's eyes changed from grey to harsh gold as he stared right at her, frowning.
The girl became indignant. "Taboo!? What taboo? All I did was make a deal! What of it if the human didn't know what it entailed? I'm here to finish what I started, and get that little creep off my back!"
"You stole a human child's soul. You know the rules. You, and all like you, are forbidden to take a human soul! Let alone a child's!" Joshua's teeth began to sharpen. He reached out, and grabbed Grimro's neck, slamming her against the bookshelf. "I won't let you touch another human child, Grimro!"
The noise, however, got the attention of Nicky, Haru, and Cyrus.
And Nicky overheard the name "Grimro".
Almost immediately, he stiffened, his whole body going rigid and his eyes widening.
The three boy came running to see what was up, and saw the golden-eyed, razor-toothed Joshua, trying to choke Grimro. "Uh... Joshua... what's up with your eyes and teeth?" Cyrus asked.
Almost immediately, Joshua's face became a serene smile. "Hello there," he greeted. "Don't mind me. I'm just taking out some trash." All the while, his grip on Grimro's neck was growing tighter.
"Hands off her, Joshua." Nicky said. He threw his left hand out to his side, and uttered a word: "Load!"
Cyrus and Haru's eyes very nearly popped out of their head when they saw something golden coalesce into existence around Nicky's arm. At first glance, it looked like a Duel Disk, made of red-gold metal… But what kind of Duel Disk had a card-holding tray that sharp? It looked more like a weapon than a toy. In fact, there didn't seem to be any sort of method for it to hold cards, save for a slot that seemed big enough to hold a standard sixty-card deck.
"What is that?" Haru asked.
"Ah, this?" Nicky shrugged. "I call it a Loader. It's good for things like what I'm about to do."
He turned to Grimro. "Fabled Grimro… I formally extend an invitation to a Spell Battle."
"A what?!" Joshua blinked and let go of Grimro. "No one's ever done a Spell Battle in two hundred years!"
"To your knowledge. I've had seven in the past three months." Nicky shrugged again. "Comes with being Spirit-Touched.
"You're Spirit-Touched?!" Joshua was wide eyed.
"...Yes... So… Grimro. Accept my offer?"
By now, Grimro had recovered from Joshua trying to strangle her, and stood up. "I'm going to enjoy claiming your life, like I did the trash you called your brother." Grimro smirked.
Nicky remained cool. "You don't scare me, you worthless excuse for a Light-Attribute Fiend. The Theban Nightmare is creepier than you."
"But the Theban Nightmare never destroyed your life like I did."
Nicky was not fazed. "We'll discuss our terms of negotiation in the plaza."
The two shook hands.
Two minutes later, Nicky stood on one end of the plaza, and Grimro on the other.
"So, on the off-chance you beat me, what do you want out of me?" Grimro asked.
Nicky examined his fingernails. "I'd ask for Sparky's soul back, but he's long gone by now, thanks to you," he said. "Rather… When you lose, I want you to bond with me."
"Bond with you? You want to Partner with me?" Grimro laughed. "I've heard of Stockholm Syndrome, but this is something else entirely! Bwahaha! It's your funeral, kiddo!"
"And if you win, what's your prize?"
"I want that little boy." Grimro pointed to Cyrus, who yelped.
"M-me!?" he squeaked.
"I can tell, Nicky cares about you quite a bit." Grimro leered.
Nicky bit his lower lip. "Can it, Parasite," he said shortly. "Let's get on with this battle."
"Joshua..." Haru looked at Joshua. "Explain this Spell Battle thing. Since you apparently know about it."
"Oh, certainly," Joshua said cheerily. "Spell Battles are magical duels, and were widely performed in antiquity to settle conflicts between humans and Duel Spirits. This is the first time I've heard of someone using actual Duel Monsters cards as their medium in the battle. I'm rather interested in seeing what comes of it!"
Haru's eyes went wide. "...how do you know about Duel Spirits?"
"Ahaha, a gentleman never kisses and tells." Joshua chuckled.
"Are you like us, Joshua?" asked Cyrus.
All Joshua did in reply was chuckle again and lean towards Haru…
Chu.
Haru sat straight up, and his hand flew to his cheek, which Joshua had just kissed. Joshua was looking as wry as ever.
"Like I said," the mysterious, grey-eyed boy said as easily as ever, "a gentleman never kisses and tells."
Before anyone could respond to that, though, Nicky and Grimro spoke in unison. "Spell Battle, Engage!" As soon as the last word escaped their lips, a dome of light surrounded the plaza, and everything changed.
"Hey! What's going on? I can't see inside the dome!" Joshua complained. He groaned and ran towards the thing.
"W-wait! What the-?!" Haru stammered as Joshua charged full tilt into the dome... But the boy was forced back from it.
"I guess no one goes in during a Spell Battle." Joshua sighed. "Oh well. It'll be like a radio play!"
"What's a radio play?" Cyrus asked.
"It's from before your time."
"Ready to lose another person important to you?" Grimro taunted. She and Nicky were inside the light dome, within which everything had changed.
Nicky's fists clenched. "Prepare to eat your words, feather face." He tapped on his Loader, which had something like a touch screen on it where the Life Point counter on a Duel Disk would be. "Spell: Blaze Accelerator!"
Grimro smirked. "Oh, really?" she sneered. "Do you really think one petty little Spell is enough to stop me? Summon: Gil Garth! Blade Knight! Vorse Raider! Gene-Warped Warwolf! Rude Kaiser! Spell: Five Axes of Despair!"
Two magic circles formed under them. Grimro's was white, while Nicky's was red. In a burst of white and red energy, the two were suddenly not alone. Five Monsters appeared in front of Grimro: a steel-blue robot with electricity crackling all over its body (ATK 1800), a knight in shining armor (ATK 1600), a fearsome, snaggle-toothed barbarian in spiked clothing (ATK 1900), some kind of white-furred lupine with four arms and a serious case of the ugly (ATK 2000), and a crocodile in armor (ATK 1800). All of them were armed with hideous, blood-spattered axes, which increased their Attack Points by a thousand each. At the same time, Nicky was armed with something like a camera mounted on a tripod. Sure, there seemed to be a tiny spark of fire at its very end, but other than that it was rather a poor defense against five slavering Duel Monsters with upwards of one thousand Attack apiece.
"ATTACK!" Grimro laughed, pointing right at Nicky. All five Monsters hollered and charged right for the boy, axes swinging. However, Nicky catapulted himself out of the way, one axe just barely missing the top of his head.
"Nice try, buddy... My turn." Nicky aimed the camera-thing, and pulled a cord at the back.
The next thing Grimro knew, she was diving out of the way of a volley of fireballs that spewed forth from Nicky's Blaze Accelerator, which hit the Duel Monsters and lit them on fire. All five howled in agony as the flames consumed their bodies, leaving nothing but ash in their wake.
"Blaze Accelerator destroys monsters." Nicky smiled. He tapped his Loader's screen again. "But I prefer… direct damage. Let's go, Misfortune!"
He thrust a hand out, and the magic circle flared up under him. Nicky stuck a finger out… and tapped the air in front of him. All of a sudden, a pinging noise echoed out, the air rippling in front of Nicky, and Grimro cringed.
"Damn it!" she swore, doubling over and covering her ears. "I hate that stupid card! Damn those infernal Destiny Heroes for inventing that technique!"
"Truth hurts." Nicky shrugged. "Now, you gotta pay the price. Summon: Volcanic Rocket!"
"Um... what?" Grimro tilted her head.
"This."
A gate appeared in the sky. Through it came... a rocket? No, not just a rocket. It was some kind of prehistoric reptile- a huge, skeletal pterosaur. Not a Zombie, for a passionate flame still burned in its eyes, and its body was still warm and whole. This monster was surrounded by flame. true to its typing as a Pyro. (ATK 1900)
"You like to hit hard, huh? I can hit hard too." Nicky smirked. "I've come a long way since the scared little kid you met when you stole Sparky's soul."
"Bring it!" Grimro challenged.
"If you insist." Nicky gestured. "Volcanic Rocket… ATTACK!"
The Monster changed headlong at Grimro, ramming her right in the stomach. The Parasite's eyes bugged halfway out of her head as she was thrown back from the impact, landing on the ground with an "Oof!"
"Did that hurt?" Nicky asked.
"Shut up, human brat," Grimro grated, staggering to her feet. She lunged forward, and grabbed the Rocket. "Spell Card: Change of Heart!"
"Blaze Accelerator, on Rocket." Nicky pulled his Blaze Accelerator's cord again, and it complied with a loud roar of flame. Rocket was scorched before Grimro could charm it to her side, but the Accelerator itself soon suffered the same fate when Grimro pulled out a quick Mirror Force.
"I can see my usual cards aren't going to be enough for you," she said darkly. "Well, it's time to get serious! Trap Card: Mirror Wall!"
"What?" Nicky canted his head to the right.
Then, he yelped as a series of huge mirrors sprang up all around him, blocking Grimro from his vision.
"Just try and get out of there, small fry!" the Fiend taunted. "I dare you!"
Nicky tried his Blaze Accelerator again, launching a large fireball at the wall. However, his eyes widened in panic when the fireball bounced right off the mirror… and right at him.
BAM!
"Oogh…" Nicky groaned once the flames had dissipated. He had been subject to a face full of fire, leaving him slightly singed and his equipment a smoldering pike of rubble. "Sheesh…. she isn't kidding," he muttered to himself. "But how do I get out of here?"
A quick once-over of his surroundings gave him a channel to briefly analyze the situation. Mirrors: very tall, reflected attacks, probably too slippery to climb without outside interference. Nicky: Scorched and prone on the ground, vulnerable to any possible stunts his opponent could pull. Grimro: Lurking somewhere outside the Mirror Wall, no doubt planning a dastardly sneak attack.
"Think, Nicky, think!" he said to himself, trying to find a way out. "Spells are no good, most of my Traps are defense… Monsters?"
He looked at his deck box, where he kept his Extra Deck.
All of a sudden, an idea popped into his head. "Yeah… perfect…"
"Have you given up?" `Grimro's voice called from outside the Mirror Wall.
"I'm just getting started, feather breath!" Nicky shouted back. He staggered to his feet, and popped his deck box open. Drawing a card from it, he held it up. "Let's go! Polymerization! I fuse Giga-Tech Wolf and Flame Viper, to draw out the true star of my deck!"
"A dead star, I assume?" scoffed Grimro.
"Hardly. Let's go…. Blaze Fenix, the Burning Bombardment Bird!"
A vortex of red and brown energy erupted around Nicky, swirling around him in a brilliant prominence. A gate opened below him….
Not seeing this, Grimro remained unimpressed. "Whatever it is, it will fall before the Mirror Wall's power!"
"If you could only see…" Nicky looked down into the gate, and snickered. "Oh well. You will in a minute…"
Suddenly….
BAM!
Something huge and gray and black and ON FIRE burst from the ground below Nicky, carrying the small boy on its back and completely blasting the Mirror Wall into oblivion.
Grimro fearfully looked up at the being responsible. As the flames cleared away, the creature was revealed.
It was none other than an enormous bird made of fire and metal, flying high up in the air with Nicky upon its back. The lad grinned widely. "Now who's the small fry?"
"Shall I end this battle, master?" the phoenix asked.
"One, don't call me that," Nicky said. "Two, yes."
"Very well." Blaze Fenix bowed its head… Then opened its mouth, and a volley of fireballs with twice the intensity of Hinotama burst out. Grimro's eyes widened, and she let out a high, strangled cry. Naturally, the Parasite tried to run, but the speed of the fire blast was far too great for her to even have a hope of dodging it. She was caught in the burst, and consumed.
To the shock of Haru, Joshua, and Cyrus, who had been watching the dome, it suddenly vanished, revealing a triumphant Nicky, and a very scorched, but alive, Grimro, who was lying prone on the ground.
"Nicky, you okay?" Cyrus asked, running to his friend.
"Never better." Nicky helped Grimro up. "Now, Grimro, you're going to honor your end of our wager. Get your pasty butt out of this poor girl's body, and get in here." He pointed to himself.
"Why?" Grimro asked. "Why do you WANT me to bond with you?"
"No reason… Just curious about something." Nicky affected a mild expression. "Is that alright with you? C'mon. Don't you want to spread more and more misery to lowly humans like me?"
"Wait a second... are you-"
"A deal's a deal, and you are bound by Spirit law." Nicky's face twisted into a glare. "Bond with me now!"
Grimro scowled. "So be it." She reached a hand out, and grabbed Nicky's shoulder. Grimro began to glow, a dark blue glow that transferred onto Nicky.
All of a sudden, Grimro's eyes fluttered for a second, and suddenly, they were no longer red. They were brown.
"What's… going on?" she asked, in a voice totally unlike Grimro's. "Am I at the contest?"
Nicky nodded. "Yup. You were kind of out of it today. Are you alright?"
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Grimro's voice echoed in pure agony, startling Haru, Joshua, and Cyrus.
The girl looked around. "Did you… hear something just now?"
"Nah," Nicky said easily. "I take it you're a contestant also?"
"Uh-huh…" She nodded and held her head. "Yeesh… I must have overslept or something, I'm having really bad memory..."
"Well, you'd better get to the plaza. Judging is underway soon." Nicky smiled. "See you there!"
The girl smiled back gently and walked off.
But Haru and Cyrus were watching something rather nasty. The true form of Grimro was hovering behind Nicky- a demonic girl wearing black clothing made of feathers, with pale skin and monochrome red eyes. And she was thrashing and writhing about in pain, sobbing and howling as her body seemed to literally be unraveling like a spool of thread.
"What... the?" Haru rubbed his eyes and stared at the rapidly disintegrating Duel Spirit. She was clawing at her face, howling incoherently.
"DON'T LET ME DIE LIKE THIS! PLEASE! NOOOO!" Grimro wailed, now only existing from the waist up.
"Shoulda thought about that when you decided to take my brother away," Nicky said lightly. "See you on the flip side." And tears began to brim in his eyes.
"What's... going on?" Cyrus asked.
Nicky smiled, the tears finally spilling down his soft cheeks, as the last of Grimro came apart and vanished with one final scream. "It's over," he said in a voice softer than cloud. "It's finally over. The monster who haunted my life for so long is gone."
"You... You're an Anathema." It was Joshua who had spoken, and he looked very pale, his eyes wide open and his irises contracted. Haru noted with surprise and a bit of fear that said irises were flickering and changing between grey and gold.
"ANATHEMA?!" The three Balance Dragons screeched, popping out of their cards and curling protectively around their Partners.
"Anathema." Nicky nodded. "Been one for ages."
"What's an Anathema?" Haru and Cyrus both asked.
Joshua shuddered. "An Anathema is a human whose aura is toxic to Duel Spirits. Any Duel Spirit that bonds to an Anathema immediately dies, painfully, if they don't break the bond fast enough."
"So... the reason you wanted her to bond with you..." Cyrus hid behind Haru.
"To kill her." Nicky shrugged. "I've done it a bunch of times."
"A bunch?" Haru asked.
"Uh-huh… Not sure how many." Nicky wiped at the tears that were still streaming from his eyes. "But it was a lot. They were tough, too, almost got hacked to pieces by a Bistro Butcher once."
"Ouch." Cyrus winced.
"...You wouldn't hurt our Partners... right?" Haru asked.-
Nicky shook his head. "Never. I'll never hurt a Partner like that. Only Parasites deserve to be killed off."
"OH! Results time!" Joshua realized. He hurried away. "Hurry up, we have to be at the judgment panel in the plaza!" he called over his shoulder.
Back at the stage, the team was eagerly awaiting the results of the contest.
"Think we did okay?" Cyrus asked with some trepidation as the trio weaved through the crowd amassing in the sunlit plaza, towards the row of chairs in front of the stage where the winners were to be announced.
"Don't start doubting now," Nicky murmured. "It's in the bag."
"So... don't you have a Dragon?" Haru asked, changing the subject.
"Anathema," Nicky said shortly.
"I meant a Balance Dragon card."
"Nope."
But there was no time for this to continue, for at that very second, the announcements started. Cheers broke out in the crowd as the three boys took their seats.
And it was Joshua making the annoucement. "Well everyone, it's me, Joshua Addams, with the results of the contest," he said cheerfully, standing center stage with his hands on his hips and a smile on his We had a hundred fifty entrants, from which only twenty could make it. After a remarkably short judging period, we have our five winning cards. If your card is displayed on the big screen behind me, and I announce your name, please come join me on stage."
"Chase said it was Gonzales..." Haru whispered.
"He gives me the creeps," Ariel's voice hissed in his ear.
"First up, by Maria Marroquin, we have Fabled Corvus."
The girl that was possessed by Grimro gasped in excitement. "Yes!" She immediately ran up on stage, squealing with joy.
"He didn't penalize her for Grimro?" Haru wondered.
"Demonic possession isn't exactly grounds for disqualification, Haru," Water Dragon said flatly.
"Fair point..." Haru conceded.
"Next, by Vincent Vincente, Gradius-EX."
An African American boy came on stage, grinning widely. "Alriiiight!" he cheered, pumping his fists.
"Next, Rica Sonata, Sniper Blade!"
A cute girl in a tank top and jeans walked up, blushing.
"Fourth is Miriam Ruby's Xyz Reinforce!"
A girl wearing grey and white strode onstage confidently, a swagger in her step which was halfway between cocksure and determined and which looked absolutely amazing.
"Lastly is actually a team effort, from Nicky Anderson, Haru Taylor, and Cyrus Strong, Cy the Red Dragon!"
The trio went on stage to the sound of loud applause; Haru nearly fainted.
"All five of these cards shall be made official, but one card will be soon be named number one. The maker or makers will be awarded for all their hard work." Joshua pulled some note cards out of his pocket. "Let's see here… The winner is…."
Drumroll.
"Cy the Red Dragon!"
The audience erupted into cheers. Cyrus gasped. Nicky smiled.
Haru fainted.
Joshua beamed. "And now, what they've won!" He grinned. "For all their hard work, these lucky guys will receive the new Duel Disk model, an all-expenses-paid trip to Maebashi, Japan for three days, and the opportunity to meet the CEO of Industrial Illusions himself, Antonio Pegasus!"
"WE WON!" Cyrus said excitedly. He turned to hi-five Nicky, in the process accidentally stepping on Haru's forehead."Oh! Sorry Haru!"
Naturally, the unconscious Water Duelist could not respond.
"Oh! Nicky, I have something extra for you." Joshua hurried over and slipped a card into Nicky's pocket. He grinned. "Enjoy."
"Eh?" Nicky pulled the card out. It was another Balance Dragon: Fire Dragon of the Bright Sun.
"You'll need it." Joshua said, and walked away.
Nicky raised an eyebrow.
Eventually, the crowds dispersed, Haru was awake, and everyone went home.
Nicky yawned as he opened the door to his room. "Man, I'm tired," he muttered. The battle against Grimro had taken a lot out of him.
"You okay, kiddo?" a voice asked.
Nicky was suddenly on guard. "Who's there!?" he shouted, immediately grabbing his deck and his Loader.
"On the computer desk," the voice said. Nicky's eyes flicked towards the computer desk in his room, upon which lay a Duel Monsters card: Fire Dragon of the Bright Sun, the same that Joshua had given him. But, what looked like the Duel Spirit of the Dragon was sitting ON the card.
It stretched and yawned lazily, the afternoon sun glimmering on its red scales. "Got any Twinkies?" it asked.
"And... who are you? Some kind of ghost or something?" Nicky raised an eyebrow.
"Naw." The Dragon grinned, showing off sharp teeth. "I'm your new Partner. Well, I will be at any rate. Pleased to meetcha."
Nicky stared flatly at the Fire Dragon. "...I'm an Anathema."
"I'm not bonded. But Joshua asked me to be your unbonded ally."
"And what business does Joshua have with me?" Nicky asked, folding his arms and putting on a very unimpressed expression.
"He said your friends each had a Dragon, so he wanted you to have one too, to be fair. Don't worry, I'm an Xyz that can work great with your deck."
"And you know this how?"
"I looked at your deck... sorry." Fire Dragon's ears pointed down. "I was curious, that's all."
"...It's alright. Just don't be a freeloader." Nicky tentatively reached out and petted Fire Dragon's head. "And don't antagonize my dad. He's Spirit-Touched just like me."
"As said in that show, Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
All went silent for a minute, Nicky staring at Fire Dragon and Fire Dragon staring back.
Then…
"...Joshua watches My Little Pony?"