Chapter 7: Comeback

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh

Alex and Michael's large servant were led back onto the auditorium's main floor. Telham had stated that the observation booth would not be big enough for them to have their duel in. The tables and chairs from the day before had been removed, so there were no obstacles to interfere with the duel. Alex and the brute stood across from each other, separated by a fair distance. Alex retrieved his deck from the box on his belt, shuffled it, and placed it in his Duel Disk. He then flicked the switch on the bottom, bringing the device online.

Across the floor, the brute also shuffled his deck and placed it in his Duel Disk. His Duel Disk flared to life and shortly afterwards and he drew his first hand of five cards. Without waiting to ask Alex, he drew a card and began his turn. Alex couldn't be bothered to object, and decided to watch his opponent's first move.

"I'll begin with the permanent spell card; 'Heart of the Underdog'. While this card is in play, I can draw an extra card at the beginning of my turn if I draw a normal monster and show it to you. I'll also summon 'Gene-Warped Warwolf' in attack mode."

The brute's monster materialized on the field shortly. It was a towering beast, much like the brute himself. It resembled a white wolf standing on its hind legs, but also had four arms. Each of these arms ended in a black fist tipped with red claws. There were blue markings along much of its fur, and it let out a ferocious howl. It was a level four normal monster with a whopping two thousand attack points.

Alex drew his card and began his turn, although he was somewhat doubtful. The only level four monster he had that could beat that thing was 'Jain; Lightsworn Paladin', who was currently not in his hand. He did however have 'Jenis; Lightsworn Mender'. Although she only had three hundred attack points, her defense points were twenty-one hundred, enough to stop his opponent's attack. He also had 'Wulf' in his hand, which was a level four monster, but his effect stopped him from being summoned normally.

"I'll set one monster in face down defense position and set one card face down. That will do for now."

The image of the back of a card appeared on the field in front of Alex, aligned horizontally. Another vertically aligned card showed up directly beneath it. The brute drew another card and smiled. He showed it to Alex, revealing it to be 'Archfiend Soldier', a normal monster. He drew another card and added it to his hand.

"I figured you'd do something like that; little cowards like you always hide behind defenses. Now I'll activate another permanent spell card; 'Two Man Cell Battle'. As long as this card is in play, I can summon another level four or lower normal monster at the end of my turn."

The card appeared on the field next to his first one. 'Heart of the Underdog' depicted a young man wearing a long coat, which was being blown upon by a fierce wind. His new card, 'Two Man Cell Battle' depicted two creatures that Alex knew to be normal monsters attacking each other. The brute also set one card face down on the field.

"Now I'll summon my 'Archfiend Soldier', in attack mode."

'Archfiend Soldier' materialized on the field and walked up next to the brute's other monster. This new monster was a purple skinned ghoul wearing spiky armour. It had a long, tattered green cape drifting down from his shoulders. From underneath its cape, the 'Archfiend Soldier' drew out a long, jagged sword. This monster was also quite strong, with nineteen hundred attack points.

"Now I'll have my 'Warwolf' attack your defending monster."

The deformed wolf charged towards Alex, baring all four sets of claws. Alex's monster materialized in front of it, but Alex said nothing. 'Jenis' wore a flowing white robe with the Lightsworn crest on the breast. She also had a tall hat that symbolized her clerical position. She held a short, white staff that had a small green orb on the tip in the path of the oncoming attack. The staff seemed to create an invisible barrier that 'Warwolf' bounced off of. At the same time, his life point counter dropped to thirty-nine hundred.

The brute grunted at Alex's defense. "You got lucky you little twerp, but you'll be sorry once my monsters have at your life points. Before I end my turn I'll summon another 'Archfiend Soldier'."

The brute's second 'Archfiend Soldier' appeared on the field on the other side of his 'Warwolf'. Alex was now staring down three powerful monsters with just 'Jenis' protecting him. If he didn't start fighting back soon, then his opponent would summon something strong enough to beat her and walk all over him. When he drew his card, a small smile appeared on his face.

"I activate my 'Solar Recharge' spell card."

Alex discarded the 'Wulf' in his hand and drew two new cards. He had drawn 'Jain; Lightsworn Paladin' and 'Lightsworn Sabre'. He then discarded two cards from the top of his deck to the graveyard. One of the discarded cards was 'Gragonith; Lightsworn Dragon'. Since his face down card was 'Glorious Illusion', he could bring Gragonith back to stage the counter attack he needed.

"First the effect of my 'Lightsworn Mender' activates. Since I sent cards from my deck to the graveyard, she drains five hundred life points from you and gives them to me."

'Jenis' waved her staff at the brute, causing a stream of soft blue light to shoot out of his Duel Disk. This stream of light then flew towards Alex's Duel Disk, and disappeared into it. Alex's life points increased to forty-five hundred while the brute's decreased to thirty-four hundred. Alex hoped it would be enough of an advantage in case something backfired.

"Now I'll summon 'Jain; Lightsworn Paladin', in attack mode. I'll then equip him with 'Lightsworn Sabre', which gives him seven hundred more attack points. I'll also activate my 'Glorious Illusion' trap card. This let's me bring 'Gragonith; Lightsworn Dragon' back from the graveyard."

Alex's Paladin materialized and stood next to 'Jenis'. Shortly after that, his regular sword disappeared and was replaced by the 'Lightsworn Sabre'. This new sword was a long, thin rapier with a blade that glowed with a soft blue light. Then, in a blaze of light, 'Gragonith' emerged onto the field. He was rather large and dwarfed every other monster on the field. He let out a roar and stared at the brute. 'Jain's' attack power currently stood at twenty-five hundred, and 'Gragonith's' was twenty-three hundred.

"Now I'll have 'Jain' attack your 'Warwolf' while 'Gragonith' attacks one of your 'Archfiend Soldiers'. Go; 'Shimmering Slash' and 'Valiant Flare'."

'Jain' thrust his new sword into the air before leaping at the 'Warwolf'. At the same time, 'Gragonith' reared up and bellowed, before spewing a stream of white coloured flames from his mouth. Before the attack could connect however; a reflective, translucent surface appeared in the monsters' paths. The attacks struck the barrier and rebounded, destroying both of the attacking monsters.

Alex was completely dumbfounded. "What just happened?!"

The brute chuckled coldly at him. "If that's the best you can do, then you're in for a rude awakening. My 'Justi-Break' trap card activated when you attacked one of my normal monsters. It stopped your attacks and destroyed the monsters that launched them. Now, since you're out of moves, it's my turn. I'll summon another 'Warwolf' to keep the first one company. However, I still can't pierce your 'Jenis', so I'll end my turn. Not without setting another face down card and summoning a third 'Warwolf' though."

The two other 'Warwolves' now joined the first one on the field, along with the two 'Archfiend Soldiers'. Alex's opponent had managed to summon five monsters with a total of nine thousand eight hundred attack points between them. The only thing standing between them and Alex was 'Jenis' who was setting the defensive threshold by a mere one hundred points.

Telham decided to call out to Alex. "Remember Alex, all of his monsters are normal types. Since they don't have their own effects, they need the spell and trap cards to protect them."

Telham's words reached Alex just as he was drawing his card. The card he had drawn was surprising, as it related to what Telham had just told him. "I activate my 'Heavy Storm' spell card, which destroys all spell and trap cards on the field."

The image of the 'Heavy Storm' card appeared on the field, depicting a man along with large chunks of debris caught up in a typhoon. Out of the card's image, a massive column of wind emerged. The wind blew across the field and struck the brute's spell cards, shattering them. The same thing happened to the face down card he had set, which was revealed to be another 'Justi-Break'.

"Now I'll offer my 'Lightsworn Healer' as tribute, so that I can summon 'Celestia; Lightsworn Angel'."

'Jenis' dissolved into small particles of light which faded away shortly afterwards. In her place, another monster materialized. This new monster had very long, blue hair and a white aura around her body. She wore a tiara emblazoned with feathered wings, and had two great white wings of her own sprouting from her back. On her chest was an armour plate similar to 'Jain's', emblazoned with the Lightsworn crest. Held in her hands was a long spear, with a bright yellow jewel that had several emerald amulets attached to it connecting the blade to the shaft.

For the first time in the duel, the brute seemed intimidated. "What exactly is that thing?"

"This is 'Celestia', one of the more powerful Lightsworn Monsters. As long as the monster I tributed to bring her out was a Lightsworn, I can activate her effect. By discarding four cards from my deck, I can destroy up to two cards you control. This means you can say goodbye to two of your 'Warwolves'."

Alex discarded four cards from his deck and watched as Celestia drifted forwards. She held out her spear, the amulets on which rattled softly. The jewel lit up with a bright green light, which shot out of the spear towards the brute. The stream of light branched into two beams, each of which struck one of the 'Warwolves', destroying them both. Celestia then turned and looked to the brute's remaining monsters. She had twenty-three hundred attack points, besting all three of them.

"Now I'll have my 'Lightsworn Angel' attack one of your 'Archfiend Soldiers'. Go; Celestial Spear!"

At Alex's words, 'Celestia' dove at the 'Archfiend Soldier' to the brute's right. The monster held out its sword, as though it was trying to stop her. 'Celestia' broke the creature's sword with her spear before impaling it with the pointed blade on the tip, above the jewel. Since the difference in their attack points was four hundred, the brute's life points dropped to three thousand. 'Celestia' then flew back to Alex and floated next to him.

"You're gonna pay for that you little punk," said the brute as he drew his card. He smirked at Alex when he looked at it. "Told you so, because now I sacrifice my two remaining monsters in order to summon 'Tri-Horned Dragon'!"

The remaining 'Warwolf' and 'Archfiend Soldier' on the brute's field dissolved in the same way Alex's 'Lightsworn Mender' had. Taking their place was a massive dragon. Its scales were a very dark blue with red plates across its chest and at the base of its tail. At then end of each arm and leg were three long, sharp looking golden claws. Sprouting from the top of the dragon's elongated head was a massive horn, with two more spikes branching off of it. There was also another set of spikes just behind the Dragon's jaw.

The 'Tri-Horned Dragon' was as large as 'Gragonith' had been, but was presently much more powerful. It boasted two thousand, eight hundred and fifty attack points, more than enough to take out 'Celestia'. The dragon stepped towards Alex and let out a bellowing howl. Alex winced away from the dragon, as he could feel its breath from the roar.

"I'll also activate the spell card 'Double Attack'. By discarding the last monster card in my hand, my dragon is allowed to attack twice this turn. Now my beast, incinerate the twerp's angel and then the twerp himself!"

The 'Tri-Horned Dragon' let out another fierce roar, after which black flames licked around its mouth. It opened its mouth wide and spewed forth a massive stream of black fire. The stream of flames engulfed 'Celestia', causing her to yell out before being destroyed. The stream of flames didn't stop there, and continued on towards Alex.

Alex raised his arms in front of him, hoping to shield himself from the attack. His attempt was ultimately unsuccessful as the tide of flames washed over him. Although he remembered Telham telling him about the safety limiters, he couldn't help but scream as he felt the intense heat of the flames burn into every inch of his body. When the attack finally ceased, Alex fell onto his back, drained by the force of the attack. His life point counter also dropped to eleven hundred, indicating he had taken a total of three thousand, four hundred damage from that pair of attacks.

Alex barely managed to maintain his consciousness. He knew that if he passed out now, he would lose the duel. If that happened, then the brute would take Telham to Michael and he would lose the only source of information he had. Not to mention the fact that he would never be able to prepare himself to face Michael on his own, especially if he got beaten by this grunt.

The brute chuckled at him cruelly. "Had enough yet, whelp? I don't blame you, since you seemed like a lightweight to begin with. I'll end my turn with one face down card. Since I feel bad for you, I'll tell you what it is. It's a trap card called 'Birthright', which lets me bring back a normal monster from the graveyard. That means even if you somehow manage to beat my dragon, it'll come back right away."

Telham called out to Alex as well. "You can still win this, Guardian of Light. You know what you need to do, now do it!"

Both of their words reached Alex's ears, registering in his mind. He weighed his options and decided to listen to Telham. He never liked giving up, and he wasn't about to start now. He pushed himself into a sitting position, grabbing the cards that had fallen from his hand. He wobbled a bit as he stood, still shaken from the last attack. As he reached for his deck to draw, he felt a now familiar sensation. He knew he was about to win the duel.

"My move," he called, pulling the card from his deck. "Now I'll summon 'Judgment Dragon'!"

Alex placed his card onto the Duel Disk, which then erupted with bright light. When the light faded, 'Judgment Dragon' now stood behind Alex, towering over him. 'Tri-Horned Dragon' paled in size compared to 'Judgment Dragon', which could barely fit inside the already sizeable auditorium. The brute looked up at Alex's new monster in fright.

"How did you summon a creature that powerful without doing anything?!"

"Simple," replied Alex, gesturing at his dragon. Floating next to 'Judgment Dragon's' head were translucent images of all the Lightsworn monsters Alex had lost in this Duel. "My Dragon gains his power from the lingering wills of my fallen Lightsworn monsters. I can summon him automatically so long as I have four or more of them in the graveyard."

"Even so, you won't be able to wipe me out that easily. Even if he attacks my dragon, the damage will be minimal and I can bring him back."

"I'm afraid not, because I activate 'Judgment Dragon's' special ability. By paying one thousand life points, every other card on the field is destroyed. After that, you're wide open for a direct attack."

Alex's life point counter dropped to one hundred and a stream of light shot from his Duel Disk at 'Judgment Dragon'. The light served to charge up his dragon's power, as he because surrounded by a bright white aura. Alex's dragon let out a fierce roar, at which time the 'Tri-Horned Dragon' and the brute's face down card both shattered. The brute himself winced away from the force of the shockwave.

After its roar, 'Judgment Dragon's' mouth filled with white flames akin to those launched by 'Gragonith' earlier. With another roar, the dragon fired a burst of energy at the brute, impacting him fiercely. Not only did his life points drop to zero from the attack, but he was also thrown clear across the auditorium. He collided with the large door at the far end, leaving a rather large dent there when he fell to the floor.

After 'Judgment Dragon' faded away, both Alex and Telham ran over to the brute's side. He was twitching slightly, indicating that he has survived the impact. His eyes opened and he reached a hand up to his forehead, groaning painfully. He shook his head and then looked from Alex to Telham.

"Where am I?" he asked. "And who are you two?"

Alex seemed confused, so Telham spoke up to explain things. "Alex, this man is Robert Neshka, a professional duelist. He went missing a few months ago, and I suspected this was the reason why."

"So; he was under Michael's mind control?"

"That is correct. However; it seems that your power coupled with that of 'Judgment Dragon' has removed the Dark Guardian's control."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Robert, still quite dazed.

"It's nothing of importance really. Now, I'm going to call for a limo to escort you back to the hotel in the neighboring city."

Telham helped Robert to his feet and walked him out of the auditorium. Alex sat on the floor and waited for him to finish. Telham returned shortly afterwards, carrying the Duel Disk Robert had been wearing. Alex stood up again, stretching as he did so. Telham looked at him and spoke determinedly.

"I hope now you have some realization of what you're capable of, and also of the stakes riding on your success."

"Yes, I do, but I've got a lot to live up to. The guys on the TV show made saving the world look easy."

Telham chuckled a bit. "Fortunately, I'm more than willing to help you with that. Should you need them; the resources of our society as well as my company are at your disposal."

"That's good to know."

"Also, I have a word of caution for you. Be careful what you tell your friends. If they get tangled up in this mess, bad things might happen to them. As such, it might be better to keep them out of the loop."

"It's just as well; they think I'm here to become a professional duelist."

Telham chuckled again at this remark. "I would also like to thank you for defeating Robert. Not only did you free his mind, but I managed to reclaim this Duel Disk from him. I'll see that it gets put to good use."

Author's Notes: Yay, Alex managed to win against the brainwashed grunt. The worst is yet to come, so hopefully he'll be prepared for it. At least he has a multinational corporation backing him. Also, don't worry about things getting stale. Alex won't always be using JD as his last turn ass-pull, it just fit perfectly into this duel. Keep reading =D