Disclaimer: I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't own Yugioh Gx.
Note: I combined episode 1 with most of episode 2 for this chapter.
The Shadow Realm Returns – Part 1
It was a dark and gloomy night. The moon hung over Duel Academy, though it was obscured by the clouds that diminished the light that reached the island. In a more remote part of the island within the forest, was an old, creepy and abandoned building. It had broken windows, vines creeping up its walls and other signs showing that no one had lived in it for a long time. Despite its condition, it still stood from end to end. At the gate in front, was a blue clad girl, holding a rose in her hand. Alexis looked at the building with a look of sorrow on her face. She then took a step forward and laid the rose on the ground before the gate. 'Be at peace brother. Wherever you are.'
Meanwhile, at the Slifer Red dorm, Jaden, Jeremy, Syrus and Chumley were sitting around a table in the common room. They had a single candle lit on the table as well as a stack of duel monster cards and were telling scary stories. "And underneath the full moon, I see a path to a cavern that seems... abandoned," Syrus spoke.
"Whoa really? Then what?" Jeremy asked.
"Then at the back of the cavern, I see a mysterious lake. So I go in to look very carefully and under just the right angle of light... At the very bottom of the lake, beyond my reflection, I see a rare and powerful card. Naturally I go to grab it, but when I reach for it, an arm shoots out, grabs me and begins to pull me into the lake. Ahhhhhhh! Help me! Not the water, anything but the water!" Syrus had been so immersed in his story that he had his arms in the air, waving them around as if he were really drowning.
"Water's not that scary," Jaden commented.
"Uhh? Dirty swamp water? Ohh you're right. Only a chump would be scared of that." Chumley was out of his seat, hugging the wall in fright.
"Still it was a good story for the level you got. Now let's see what I get." Jeremy drew a card from the pile, getting Berfomet. "Let me think for a second." While Jeremy considered what to say, Chumley made his way back to his chair. "All right I got one. Long ago, in the time when the islands of Japan were still young, there lived a strong and powerful warrior who defended them against all their enemies. But one time, a huge army tried to take over their land. They came at them with overwhelming numbers, bloodthirsty creatures out of nightmares and magic forbidden by all other nations." Syrus and Chumley stared at him with wide eyes, while Jaden looked with interest.
"Japan's armies were almost completely annihilated, but the brave warrior never gave up. He gathered all the people who were left that could fight and marched against the invading army. They fought for three days, men, women and creatures dying all around the warrior, until he reached the enemy leader. He was a huge giant, blood running from his mouth and carrying a big sword. Despite that, he engaged him without hesitation. After a fierce battle, the mighty warrior killed the giant and his army crumbled with him gone. But the fight had left him scared so much so that he fell to the ground in his victory. But before he did, his soul split into six fragments. And from those fragments, rose the Six Samurai who took his place." The three other boys remained quiet as he finished his story.
"Cool! Where'd you learn that one?" Jaden asked.
"When I got my first Six Samurai cards, I was also told the story of where they came from."
"Nice! I think we've been getting too many lower level cards. Let's see if I can get a high one." Jaden flipped the top card and revealed the Sinister Serpent.
"Ahh you lucked out. You hardly have to scare us at all with that low card."
"All right. Well I think I have a story that'll do the trick. Actually, it's more like a memory. Back when I was a kid, I used to hear sounds. But I'd only hear them really late at night. I'd think I was dreaming, but then... They sounded like voices, but not ones I recognized. I would go to check it out, except whenever I did, there was nothing, nothing at all. Just my cards."
"And?" Syrus and Chumley leaned forward expectantly.
"And that's the end of the story."
"That's too weird. It's actually happened to me when I was a kid too."
"You're not joking Jeremy?" He shook his head. "Whoa! But you want hear something strange? Lately, I've started hearing them again."
"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! Hey I want to join in on the fright fest." Banner's voice spoke loudly near the four Slifer students. Chumley ran to the wall again, Syrus fell off his chair and Jeremy teetered on the edge of his before falling backwards. Only Jaden remained sitting, although he was no less surprised.
"You just did!"
"We're kind of on the edge of our seats here."
"Or at least we were a second ago." Syrus and Jeremy got up and sat on their chairs again. "But since you're here why don't you draw a card? The tougher it is, the scarier your story has to be," Syrus explained.
"Oh well that certainly seems simple enough. Let's see here." Banner flipped a card his with hand, the other holding Pharaoh against him. It turned out to be F.G.D.
"Whoa! That's a level twelve monster."
"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go to bed now."
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. What's wrong? Don't you want to hear about the abandoned dorm at the end of the island?"
"Abandoned dorm?"
"Yes. Not many people talk about it, but there was once a special dorm set at the edge of the forest. It was shut down after several students mysteriously disappeared."
Syrus gulped. "Where'd they all go?"
"Well that's the mystery of it. But the rumor was that it had something to do with shadow games."
"Thanks! You can stop now." Chumley was away from the table, apparently still frightened.
"You see kids, shadow games are duels played with powerful mystical items."
"Millennium Items right?" Jaden sounded almost bored. "I've heard about this, but it's not true."
"I don't know Jay. I've heard pretty convincing stories about it. An eerie darkness, not being able to see anything beyond the duel you're in, pain coming from every hit you take and if you lose… BAAM!" Syrus and Chumley fell over as he suddenly raised his voice. "Your soul's gone, just like that." Jeremy laughed a little at having scared his friends.
"Yes. Most people don't believe in shadow games now a day. But I find that most stories, well they generally have to come from somewhere." Pharaoh meowed, catching his master's attention. "Well I think that is my queue to get back home."
"Later."
"You know guys, there is this creepy building I saw in the forest once."
"Sweet! Then you can lead the way for us tomorrow night."
"Huh!? Wait a sec. What do you mean us?"
"Ahh come on you two. It'll be fun. Right Jeremy?"
"I think it might."
"Yeah, fun."
"Aww man."
Just outside of the room, Crowler was listening to the four Slifer students. "This is just the opportunity I've been waiting for to get rid of them. I think it's time the shadow games made a come back. Millennium Items and all."
Elsewhere, in a darkened and remote alley, two men stood surrounded by an eerie fog that reached up to their waist level. One of them was bald, wore black glasses, a t-shirt of the same color, a pair of army pants, a duel disk on his arm and clutched his heart with one hand. The other was clad in a black trench coat with a gray belt, a circular hat and a strange mask over his face. He had a different shaped duel disk on his arm and a chest piece that went with it. In one hand a held a golden colored pyramid shaped puzzle with an eye on the front. "Ok, ok you won. Please, just take whatever you want and go," the bald man pleaded.
"What I want, is your soul." His puzzle shone brightly as he talked.
"No please! Show some mercy!"
"Mercy? You want mercy? I'm afraid I don't know what that means." When the light from the puzzle died down, the other man was lying on the ground and wasn't moving. "Rest in peace. In the Shadow Realm." A cell phone rang from one of the survivor's pockets. He picked it up and talked in his sinister voice. "Speak." The person on the other end of the line spoke briefly. "Duel Academy? Tomorrow night? I'll be there."
The next morning, Jeremy, Jaden and Syrus were sitting in Banner's class. Jaden and Syrus were leaning against each other, both asleep and snoring lightly. "The philosophy of dueling went through a second renaissance with the rise of what some historians dub, virtual dueling." Through their teacher's explanations, Jeremy was sitting beside his friends. He was leaning back in his seat and nodding every now and then, making it seem as if he were paying attention. But like the other two Slifers, he was also sleeping.
At the same time, Crowler was looking at them through a small opening in the classroom's doors. 'Sleeping through yet another class. But you'll have a make up lesson soon enough. A lesson in the shadow games.'
Later that night, the Obelisk Blue's headmaster was waiting at the docks. Soon after, the man he'd called the previous night walked up to him. "So you're the one they call the Shadow Duelist."
Fog seeped from around him, encircling both men. "My opponents call me many things. Most of which are hard are to discern through their shrieks of sheer terror. But enough small talk, what's the job?"
"I want you to frighten a couple of students so intensely, that they leave this academy and never come back. Up to the challenge?"
"Of course. I never back down from a challenge. So who are these students?"
Crowler handed him a large brown envelope. "All you need to know is in here. The targets' names, their pictures and where they'll be tonight." The black clad man took the envelope and opened it up. He briefly scanned its contents and put them back in. "One last thing, to what name do I make the check out to?"
"Just make it out to Titan. Now then, I should get going. Pleasure doing business with you." With that he 'slid' away from Crowler and disappeared into the background.
One thing that neither of them had realized, was that they weren't the only ones in the area. A short distance from them, another dark figure had been watching and listening to the conversation. "Shadow duelist huh? Pah! What do they know about it? But those students might be of interest. I think it's time that the Shadow Realm returned to this world, not just a bunch of cheap tricks." The figure then 'melted' into the shadows with its destination in mind.
In the forest, the four Slifer students were wandering about, each carrying a flashlight and Jeremy and Chumley with a backpack. "I mean you could look at it as being lost, or you could just say we found a couple of places where it's not."
"Yeah well we've been finding places for over an hour now. But I guess it could be worse for Sy."
"For Sy?"
"We could be near a lake of dirty swamp water."
"Very funny. But you were the one who refused to take a bath because you were scared of the bath water last night."
"Really? Chumley you scare too easily," Jeremy commented.
"Well maybe if Syrus cleaned it once in a while it wouldn't look so swampish."
"Maybe if you grew up and started to take showers."
"Come on guys. This isn't going to help." Syrus and Chumley quieted down and continued their walk in silence. After a while, they eventually arrived in front of an old abandoned building.
"Hey check this out." Jaden pointed his flashlight at a rose on the ground in front of the gate.
"Check out what's behind it. The old dorm."
"And probably lots of ghosts too."
"Relax Chumley. Ghosts don't exist and nobody's here but us." The sound of someone stepping on a twig caught the boys' attention. Syrus and Chumley hugged each other in fright and Jeremy spun around, settling in a karate pose with his flashlight pointed in the direction of the noise. Jaden turned as well, but in a more relaxed manner. The disturbance turned out to be Alexis and Christine.
"Alexis? Christine? What are you two doing here?" Syrus asked, having calmed down a little.
"That's funny, I was about to ask you guys the very same thing," the blond girl answered.
"We heard about the abandoned dorm and wanted to check it out."
"Well that's not very intelligent. Didn't you know that kids have a habit of disappearing around here?" her friend filled in.
"Ahh come on. Who believes in that kind of stuff?"
Alexis looked at Jeremy with a frown. "It's all true. Believe me I know. Why else would the academy make this place completely off limits? They catch you guys here and they'll expel you in a flash."
"Yeah sure. Ok, so then why are you here?"
"I have my reasons! That's why!" she replied rather loudly to Jaden's inquiry.
"Whoa Alexis! No need to snap. We just came here to check the place out. But hey, we'll stay out of your way. Don't worry about it."
"Look. It's just that… One of the kids who disappeared here… Was my brother." Christine placed an arm around her friend's shoulders to comfort her. The Slifer boys stayed silent as the two girls started to walk away.
"If Alexis' brother disappeared… Then the rumors aren't just rumors. I say we go back Jaden."
"Yeah? Well I say we go in. Who's with me?"
"Hey we got this far. Why not go further?" Jeremy said.
"Okay then. If you guys are going." Jaden pushed open the gate and walked towards the entrance, along with Jeremy and a reluctant Chumley.
"See you in a few Syrus. Don't disappear on us."
"Disappear!? Ohh, wait up." Syrus ran to catch up with his friends.
The Obelisk girls watched as they walked out of sight into the building. "I sure hope they know what they're doing."
"It's okay Alexis. They'll be fine," Christine tried to reassure her. At that moment, a tall man dressed in black seemingly appeared out behind Alexis. Just as Christine tried to warn her friend, she felt herself being snatched by another person. Both girls lost consciousness as a rag was applied on their mouths.
The man frowned as he looked at the other figure. "Who are you? And what are you doing here?"
The outline of the person was curved enough to be able to assume that it was a woman. She wore a long red dress that went down to her ankles, but it was dark enough to mistake it for black, especially as there was not a lot of light. It was split at the bottom part to allow her greater mobility. She also wore a cloak of the same color and had the hood over her head to hide her face. On her left arm, was a dark bracelet with a strange insignia inscribed on it. "Who I am is of no importance. If I didn't have another objective in mind I might take the time to show you that the Shadow Realm is more than just a couple of tricks."
The man in black stood stunned by her words. "What? How did you?"
"Unlike you I actually am a shadow duelist. But since I'm feeling generous, I'll let you have the brown haired kid for your own plans, but his blond friend is mine. Stay out of my way, or I'll send you to the Shadow Realm myself." The woman then faded into the shadows along with Christine.
The four Slifer boys were now inside the abandoned dorm, exploring around. "This place is sweet!" Jaden exclaimed. "You know, a little paint, a couple of cardboard boxes, maybe a throw rug and we could so totally move in here."
"What? Are you kidding? This is even worse than the Slifer dorm. I mean, what's all the stuff on the walls?"
"Do you think it has something to do with the shadow games?"
"Jaden, don't stand so close."
"Hey. I think it shows the seven Millennium Items." Jaden turned his flashlight towards another wall, on which was a picture of a boy with brown hair and an Obelisk Blue blazer. "And that shows someone I've never seen before."
As Jaden was examining the picture, Jeremy stood in front of the wall showing the Millennium Items. He moved his hand along the tablet, looking closely at all the details. He was so absorbed in what he was doing, that when he realized that the wall was rotating on itself, it had turned too much for him to get away. "Hey! What's going on here?"
"Jeremy? Where are you?" Jaden's voice came from the other side.
"I was just looking at the Millennium Item drawings when the wall just turned on itself and now I'm stuck on the other side."
"Try pushing on your right and we'll push on the other side." Jeremy placed his shoulder on his end of the rotating wall and pushed while the three other boys did the same from their side. Despite their efforts, it failed to budge even an inch. "Let's try the opposite way." They all changed around to push on the left ends but it still didn't move. As they pushed, they heard a scream coming from deeper into the building that sounded like Alexis. "Was that Alexis?"
"Go on and save her guys. I'll find a way out myself."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah. Now just go!"
Following Jeremy's request, they all ran in the direction that they'd hear the scream. They ran to another room where they spotted an object on the ground. When they got close, they could tell that it was a duel monster card. Jaden picked it up and saw the card was in fact, Etoile Cyber. "This is Alexis' card."
"Well there's only one way that she could have gone." Chumley pointed in the direction of a tunnel that looked like one from a mine.
"Then that's the way we're going."
They ran down the tunnel, shouting Alexis' name in the hope that she would hear them. They eventually got to a wide open circular space that had strange lines on the rock floor and walls. An eerie gray fog was spread across most of the floor. Opposite from them, was Alexis, except she was in a coffin propped against the wall. "Alexis!"
An unknown voice spoke from the fog. "HAHAHAHAHA. She can't hear you. She's far away, locked in the Shadow Realm."
"Who's there?"
The man in black rose from the fog. "Your worst nightmare come true.
"Oh gimme a break."
"Then let me prove it to you. In a shadow game."
"We've gotta get Alexis back."
"Yeah! Hand her over right now or you'll be sorry."
"The only way I will free her, is if you defeat me in a shadow game."
"He's not looking at me is he?"
"No I'm pretty sure he means Jaden."
"Look I'm not afraid of dueling you, but shadow games aren't real."
"The others didn't believe in the shadow games either, but they were soon convinced. For you see, when you lose in a shadow game, you don't just pay with your life-points, you pay with your soul."
"So you're the one behind all those disappearances. Well you're not getting us, especially Alexis."
"Unless you win, she'll be mine forever and so will you."
Chumley reached into his back pack and handed Jaden his duel disk. "Good luck Jay."
"Thanks. Now get your game on."
"Shadow game that is." A part of his armband extended to form a duel disk.
Jaden inserted his deck into his own academy disk. "Just hang on Alexis. I'll get you out."
"Duel!"
Jaden: 4000
Titan: 4000
The two duelists drew their five starting cards and Titan took his sixth. "Prepare you fool to enter into, the shadows. I summon Infernalqueen Archfiend in attack mode." A monster with blue hair, beige claws, wings and horns appeared on his field. It was decked in a purple robe and its torso was covered in strange red and beige armor. (900)
"An archfiend monster?"
"Yes and now that this card's out, each and every monster with 'Archfiend' in its name, gains one thousand attack points." The Infernalqueen glowed purple as it powered itself. (900-1900)
"Uh yeah, actually, I already knew that. And I also know that to keep those archfiends on the field, you have to pay life-points during every standby phase of your turn."
"No I don't. Not after I activate the field spell card Pandemonium." As he inserted the named card into his disk, a small pool of lava appeared in the center of the field. From there, a bunch of red bone shaped lines spread out and at each extremity was a differently shaped skull.
"Pretty cool."
"And it doesn't just change the scenery. It changes the rules. Now I don't have to pay any life-points for my archfiends and if they're ever destroyed outside of a battle I get to add another one right into my hand. I know what you're thinking, your little friend's fate is all but sealed. Well you're right." Alexis' coffin closed itself and sunk into the ground.
"Alexis!"
"That's not fair."
"Yeah! What have you done to her?"
"The same thing I will do to the both of you, if you do not cease to pester and annoy me."
"Hey! Just leave my friends out of this. My draw." 'Ok. I don't have any card that can beat 1900 attack points, but maybe if I do this.' "Elemental Hero Avian, I summon you in attack mode." Jaden's winged green hero appeared before him. (1000) "And I'm gonna throw down two face-downs as well."
"Too bad you won't have a chance to use them. I summon Terrorking Archfiend in attack mode." A muscular red and beige fiend with wings appeared beside the first. (2000) "Now you have two vicious archfiends to contend with. And thanks to the special ability of the Infernalqueen, the Terrorking's attack increases by a thousand, making him an even more fiendish force to be reckoned with." A purple aura surrounded the Infernalqueen, which spread to the other fiend. (2000-3000)
"3000 attack points!?"
"That's right. And now I'm going to put them all to use. Terrorking Archfiend, attack Avian. Locust Storm Barrage." The powerful monster's ribcage split open and a swarm of locust shot out towards the green hero.
"No way. You forgot about my face-down card, Mirror Gate." A blueish white light appeared in front of Avian, pulsating outward like water with a rock dropped into it. "This trap card causes our monsters to trade places in battle. My Avian for your TerrorKing. So now all those 3000 attack points are gonna be going to work for me."
Titan simply smiled at this. "You really thought you could bait me into a trap? Look around you and tell me who's trapped."
"Wadda you mean?"
"I mean your trap won't work against my Terrorking. It simply activates his special ability. An ability that will determine our monsters' fate by way of chance." Six different colored balls with numbers rose from the lava pool and arranged themselves in a circle next to the archfiend duelist's head. "You see when he's targeted by an opponent's effect, Terrorking's special ability gives me a gambling chance. A number between one and six is selected at random. And if it happens to be a two or a five, then your trap's destroyed and my archfiend stay's on my side. So, let's spin the wheel of fate and see what happens shall we?" One of the balls was surrounded by fire which moved around the circle.
"It's okay. The odds are way in Jaden's favor."
"You flunked math Chumley."
"No. I got a 54."
When the fire stopped, it had landed on the two. "It seems as though chance has favored the Terrorking Archfiend. Mirror Gate is shattered." The light around Avian broke apart, giving way for the swarm of locust that hit Avian.
Jaden: 4000-2000
"Well that stinks. But at least it let's me use my other trap. Hero Signal." A beam of light appeared from Jaden's trap that shone an 'H' on the ceiling. "When my monster is destroyed in battle, this trap let's me summon another from my deck or my hand with 'Elemental Hero' in its name. And I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode." The stone hero crouched down in front of Jaden. (2000)
"Way to duel!"
"That Clayman should keep him safe."
"I don't think so. At least not from this." He pulled a pyramid shaped puzzle from his pocket and held it so the eye was 'looking' at Jaden. Light shone from it as it dangled from his hand. "Now the shadow games have truly begun. Don't your life-points seem insignificant when it's your very life that's at risk?"
Jaden looked down and saw that a part of his arms and his chest were gone, as if someone had dragged an eraser across him. "Hey! My arm."
"It is the way of the shadows, transcending the game, attacking your body."
"I can't move my feet."
"Of course not. As the shadow fog rolls past, you all will feel the darkness take you into its grip. You are at the mercy of the night now."
"I can't feel anything," Syrus said.
"Treasure the numbness, for it will not last. Soon you will drawn into an infinite chasm of eternal darkness where every waking moment will be filled with-"
"Gimme a break. How bad can it be? So what? Back at our dorm we have blackout curtains so we can sleep in later. I'm not scared of the dark."
"But your blackout curtains do not wield the same kind of mystic power as my millennium item does. It's your move. But make it count. It may be your last."
'Wow. Millennium Items, a shadow fog, who could ask for a better challenge?'
'What's he smiling about?'
"Here goes buddy. For my move I play the spell card Pot of Greed. Next I'll fuse Elemental Hero Sparkman with my Clayman on the field. Now say hello to Elemental Hero Thunder Giant." Jaden's two monsters disappeared into a vortex. A fork of lightning then struck the ground, from which rose a new one. (2400) "And now I'll use his special ability, which let's me destroy a monster whose original attack points are less than his own. Now Thunder Giant, let loose, Static Blast." A stream of electricity erupted from the palm of his hand and flew towards Terrorking, but stopped a meter short.
"I activate Terrorking's special ability once again. Spin Roulette." The numbered balls formed a circle again and fire went around them. This time when it stopped, it was on a five. "Hahahahaha. I win again. It seems as though fate isn't on your side even half the time. And now you will pay the price."
The blast of electricity turned around and struck the monster from where it came. "This stinks! Talk about a run of some really rotten luck."
"Your destiny is set. Soon my archfiend deck will finish off all your monsters. And my millennium item will finish off your soul."
"This match isn't over yet. I've still got a few cards up my sleeve. Like this one, Mirage of Nightmare. And I'll throw down a couple of face-downs while I'm at it."
"Don't waste my time. Your life-points won't last long enough for you to use anymore of your cards. Alexis' soul will soon be gone and so will yours. It's my turn."
"Hold on. I think you're forgetting something. Mirage let's me draw cards until I have four in my hand."
"So go ahead then. You could have four million and it wouldn't defend you against the crushing power of my monsters. Allow my Terrorking to give you an example. Attack with Locust Storm Barrage." The archfiend's rib cage split open once again to shoot out a swarm of locust.
"Talk about butterflies in your stomach. Good thing I played a trap. Mirror Force. Say goodbye to all your monsters in attack mode."
"Totally lishus. If Jaden keeps this up we can finally get out of here. And with Alexis too." A glass like wall materialized in front of Jaden. The locusts slammed into it and bounced back in flames that wiped out the two archfiends.
"How dare you!?"
"How? Cause I'm daring I guess."
"Well let's see how daring you are after this. I'm using Desrook Archfiend's special effect. By sending him to the graveyard, I can resurrect Terrorking Archfiend. Say hello to a not so old friend." The named monster appeared once again, though without its extra attack points. (2000)
"Him again?"
"And now I activate the effect of the field spell card Pandemonium. Its magic allows me to draw a new archfiend, if one of my archfiend monsters is ever sent to the graveyard by an effect. Of course this new archfiend can't be as powerful, but then my Terrorking is already packing more than enough power as it is. Now let's try this again. Locust Storm Barrage." Again the terrorking's rib cage opened to let loose a storm of locust.
"Go Emergency Provision. This spell card allows me to sacrifice another spell or trap card and gain a thousand life-points for each one."
Jaden: 2000-3000
Jaden put his disk in front of him before the locust swarm made contact.
Jaden: 3000-1000
"You still stand?"
"As long as I've got two good legs."
"But your legs are not good. And now with this latest strike on your life-points, neither are your arms." More parts of Jaden faded as the millennium item shone.
"Aww man. Jaden's fading really fast."
'Talk about hanging on by a limb. Better make this turn count.' "All right. I use the spell card The Warrior Returning Alive, which brings back Elemental hero Avian. Now fuse with Burstinatrix and create the Elemental Hero Flame Wingman." The red and green heroes merged and in their place was Jaden's headliner. "Now what do you say we turn up the heat in here wingman? Attack with Infernal Rage." The Flame Wingman burned the archfiend by shooting fire from its dragon shaped arm. "Oh by the way, did I mention his super power? Your monster won't be the only one hurting, you will too. You take damage equal to your destroyed monster's attack points."
Titan: 4000-1900
Parts of the archfiend duelist's body disappeared as he was hit with the wingman's fire. "Parts of him are starting to disappear too Chumley."
"You think that could work on my waist line?"
"It matters not. Because I have yet another Desrook Archfiend. I simply discard him to bring back my Terrorking. There's no escaping him. Rise again." The muscular archfiend appeared once again from the graveyard. (2000)
"This guy's really overstaying his welcome. I've gotta find a way to get rid of him somehow. But first I'm gonna protect myself with Dark Catapulter." A gray and purple metal monster kneeled in front of Jaden. It had a snake like neck, a red half orb on its forehead and what looked like antlers on its shoulders. (1500) "Now come on and do your worst."
"You want my worst? You should be careful what you wish for. Because you just might get it. Especially when this card is in the midst. I sacrifice my Terrorking Archfiend and call forth the Skull Archfiend of Lightning." The persistent monster disappeared and was replaced by another resembling the Summoned Skull, except with a darker more fiendish look. (2500) "You wanted my worst? Well now you have it. Every last supercharged volt." The new archfiend hurled forward a stream of lighting which destroyed Jaden's hero.
Jaden: 1000-600
'I've got to hang on. For Alexis.'
"Look into my millennium item and feel yourself drifting even further into the shadows. You are defeated, your life-points are all but gone. Soon you will be nothing but a hollow soulless shell. Feel yourself drifting… Drifting… Drifting."
'I can see anymore. What's happening to me?' Jaden fell down to one knee, feeling too weak to stand.
'Look at him suffering. The shadows are a powerful weapon indeed. Even the ones simply in your mind. If only he knew.'
Jaden's deck glowed, though only he could see it. A ball of light formed and flew around him. "Coo!"
'Hey, that you Winged Kuriboh? What is it pal? You trying to tell me something? Woah! Stay steady will you? With that bright light you're gonna hypnotize me quicker than you help me. Wait! That's it. That's what you're trying to tell me. We're not playing in the shadows, he's playing with my mind.' Jaden stood up again. "Well no more. I got this shadow game scam figured out."
"Did he just say 'shadow game scam'?"
"What's he mean?"
"I mean, my soul's not on the serving plate anymore. Let's keep going."
'What's happening? Why isn't he scared anymore?'
"My turn." A small ball of light appeared on Catapulter's forehead as Jaden drew his card. "First, I'm gonna activate my Dark Cataputer's special ability. It allows me to remove one card from my graveyard, for every turn he was in defense mode. Then for every card removed, I get to destroy one trap or spell card out in play. So seeing as he's been in defense mode for one turn, I'll remove Avian and destroy your Pandemonium card. Storm Shower Blast." A ball of energy formed between Catapulter's antlers and speed towards Titan. It connected with his duel disk and caused the field to crumble and resume its original appearance and without the fog.
"So what? You still haven't destroyed this." He held out his millennium item.
"You otta be careful what you wish for. You might just get it." Jaden flicked his Avian which flew towards Titan and stuck into the puzzle. When it did, both duelists' bodies fully reappeared.
"Alright Jaden. You got your body back."
"I never lost it Sy. This whole shadow game was just a big fake. It was all just hypnosis. A whole lot of smoke and mirrors to make me think I was losing my soul. This guy's probably just some out of work carnie."
"No I'm not. I can get my job back at the fair anytime I want." He placed his hand over his mouth immediately after saying those words.
"You're a sideshow phony."
"You fool! You forget. The girl's soul is still imprisoned in the shadow realm. That proves this Millennium Pendant is real. What do you say to that?"
"Besides that you're a big fake? See all the Millennium Items were sketched on the inside of this dorm. And yours would be called The Millennium Puzzle, not Pendant. You don't have Alexis' soul. You never did. So hand her over and all the other kids you snatched."
"Other kids? I don't know what you mean. And because of your carnie comment, you can find your friend by yourself." He threw a ball on the ground which exploded into smoke.
"No way! You're not getting outta here that easy." Jaden rushed into the smoke, but as he did so, spheres of light appeared in the mouths of the snakes carved in the walls around them. It then flowed into the middle of the room, dispelling the smoke, monsters and creating an eye on the floor like those on the Millennium Items. "Whoa! How'd you do this?"
"I didn't." The two duelists were then surrounded a dome of purple light that prevented anyone from seeing through. Inside it, they could only see themselves. All around them, there was only a strange darkness as far as their eyes could see. "What is this place? Where am I."
"Come on! Enough tricks already."
"A trick? I can't do something like this." Small black blobs appeared around Titan and swarmed him. "Help! They're attacking. Jaden, save me."
"What in the-" Jaden looked down and saw that he himself was surrounded by the same kind of creatures. He then heard a voice coming from his disk followed by his Winged Kuriboh squeezing its way out. "Now that's weird. First I hear you, now I see you. What in the world's going on here?" Kuriboh flew down and shooed the blobs away from its master. "Way to show em who's boss Kuriboh. Too bad he doesn't have a friend like you."
Some of the other black blobs swarming the archfiend duelist had dived into his mouth. When they stopped, his eyes shone red. "Jaden Yuki. The shadows crave fo a soul. Only one shall survive." He spoke in a different voice then before.
"Oh come on now! Red contacts? You've really gone overboard setting up for this."
"This duel shall now continue in the Shadow Realm." The blobs dispersed to form a circle around the two duelists and their monsters reappeared.
"So you're sticking with the Shadow Realm thing. Fine, at least we get to finish our match. I play the spell card Monster Reincarnation. So by discarding one card, one of the monsters in my graveyard comes back. And I choose everybody's favorite golden boy Sparkman." The blue and gold hero kneeled beside Jaden's other monster. (1400)
"Very well. My turn."
"But don't forget Mr. Tall, Dark and Scary, without your Pandemonium field card, having an archfiend out costs you 500 life-points per turn."
Titan: 1900-1400
"500 life-points is nothing compared to a soul. Skull Archfiend attack." The Summoned Skull mimic obliterated Jaden's Catapulter. "I now place one card face-down and summon the Desrook Archfiend in attack mode to end my turn." A monster shaped almost like the Pandemonium card appeared beside the other fiend. (1100)
"Coo!"
"Don't you worry Kuriboh. I'm totally still in this. Here goes." 'They say the best defense is a good offense. But what's cool about this card, is that it can let me have both.' "Sparkman, I'm putting you in attack mode." The electric hero rose from its crouching position. (1600) "And arming you with the spell card Spark Blaster." A rectangular gun appeared in the heroes' hand. "It has three blasts, each of which let's me change the battle mode of one monster on the field."
"So be it. Change the mode of my Skull Archfiend. His 1200 defense points should make for easy conquest, unless his effect negates your own."
"Sorry, but that's not the monster I was talking about. In fact he's not even gonna use it yet. He's attacking your Desrook Archfiend with Static Shockwave." The Sparkman shot a blast of electricity from its free hand at the smaller fiend.
Titan: 1400-900
"And as for who he's gonna use the Spark Blaster on, the Sparkman himself. From offense, to defense." The hero aimed his weapon at his feet and fired it, causing him to kneel down. (1400)
"Coward. First you have your Sparkman attack my life-points and then you have him switch to protect your own. But it matters not. Nothing can protect you from the trap card Battle-Scared. Now the 500 life-point per turn cost of my Skull Archfiend of Lighting affects not only me, but you too. And for as long as he's out on the field."
Jaden: 600-100
Titan: 900-400
"Coo!"
"Don't worry Kuriboh. It's all good. We've still got Sparkman."
"Wrong! Skull Archfiend destroy that peon. Blast Stream of Fury." Another blast of lighting destroyed Jaden's only monster. "Next I place a face-down and activate Double-Spell. Now by discarding a spell card in my hand, I can now use a spell card from your graveyard. And I select Emergency Provision. Then I sacrifice one meaningless card and regain a total of one thousand life-points."
Titan: 400-1400
"Your fate is sealed. You have no cards left in your hand. Battle-Scared will drain your last life-points next turn. Then you'll join the rest of the students I've taken. In the Shadow Realm."
"Better make this turn count. Cause one way or another, It'll be my last. Here I come! I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode." A new hero rose before Jaden in a stream of bubbles. He wore a white cape, was dressed in dark blue and wore light blue armor with two tanks on his back and pipes to shoot water on his hands. (800) "If there's nothing else on the field when he's summoned, I get to draw two more cards. And wouldn't you know. I drew his favorite. Bubble Shuffle. See, it works like this. I switch him and one of your monsters to defense mode, then I sacrifice Bubbleman and summon a hero."
"If my Skull Archfiend's counter effect does not render your card useless that is. If the roulette lands on a one, three of six, your Bubble Shuffle spell fails to activate." The fireball spun around the numbered balls.
"Ahh, I've had bad luck with this thing." Fortunately for Jaden, it stopped on the two. "All right. Finally I win!" Both the archfiend and hero knelt down. (1200) x2 "Now let's give a big Shadow Realm welcome to Elemental Hero Blade Edge." Jaden's Bubbleman disappeared and was replaced by a tall hero covered completely in golden armor with blades attached to his arms and jet wings on his back. (2600) "I know what you're thinking, he looks pretty sharp. Well you're right. So sharp, that when he cuts through your defending monster, all extra attack points go to you. Now Hero Blade Edge, show him how you got your name. Slice and Dice attack." The new hero dashed towards the crouched archfiend and passed through it. Cracks formed over it before exploding.
Titan: 1400-0
"NOOOOOOO!" The defeated duelist was then submerged by the black blobs and when they were gone, so was he.
"Now those are some sweet special effects. So realistic."
"Coo!"
Jaden looked at his furry monster and saw an opening in the darkness. "Huh!? Think that's an exit? Well, works for me. Come on, let's get outta here." The purple dome shrunk into nothingness just after he got out.
"Jaden!"
"You okay?"
"Never better guys."
"So what happened?"
"He did this cool magic trick. There were these little monsters and vortexes-"
"Magic trick? You don't think that was the real Shadow Realm?"
"It's just like I said. Just mirrors and fog machines. Though I'd give my entire deck to know how he did it. I've never seen anything like it."
"Well at least you're back. Now we can take Alexis and get outta here."
"Wait! Jeremy might still be in this building. We need to make sure to find him before we leave. Let's go guys!"
Thank you for reading. If you have anything to say, please leave me a review and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Next chapter starts from where Jeremy was left off and follows him as he duels against a 'real' shadow duelist with a dark deck to save Christine.
