Chapter 10: Shadow game
Luna and the others were heading back to the stands to prepare for Yusei's match.
"I'm scared for Yusei, he has to go up against the Witch." Luna said.
"If anyone can beat her, it's Yusei." Crow said as they passed the bathroom.
"Hold on I have to go." Luna said.
After she went inside, a man followed her inside.
She thought she heard footsteps and turned to see a man wearing a professor's attire.
"Hello Luna, may I have a word with you."
Goodwin was speaking with another man over the computer.
"All but two signers have been identified sir, and we're close with the last two."
"Good, very good. Don't let me down Goodwin."
Goodwin got up with Lazar and watched as the match got underway.
"Perhaps the Witch will show us if he is a signer."
"Perhaps, we shall see."
Sayer was with Akiza in the hallway.
"This is it, defeat him and you'll face Jack. You'll become Duel queen."
"The Arcadia movement will be closer to saving the world."
Sayer smiled.
"Indeed my dear."
Akiza looked nervous.
"Sayer, do I have to bring out the Witch. I."
"Akiza, the Witch is who you are. Don't hide from her, she is what will save us all." Sayer said as Akiza felt the sensation inside her.
She gave a cold look and nodded.
Yusei was outside the battlefield and took a deep breath as he walked out, the audience cheering for him.
Likewise, Akiza came out being booed and yelled at.
"This is it folks, the last battle before our championship. The winner will go on to face Jack!" The MC shouted.
"Come on Yusei!" Crow shouted.
"Hey where's Luna?" Leo asked.
Bolt looked around.
"Where is she?"
"Hold on, I'll find her." Bolt said as he got up and left.
Yusei saw Akiza stand across from him.
The two stared intensely at each other.
"So am I dueling Akiza Izinski, or the Black Rose Witch?" Yusei asked.
"They're one and the same."
"Are they?" Yusei asked as Akiza gave a more intense look.
"Alright enough delaying, let's get this match started!" The MC shouted.
"My turn, draw." Akiza said as she drew.
"Activate Black Garden." Akiza said as a large garden appeared around them.
"Next I summon Gigantic Cephalotus in attack mode." Akiza said as she summoned the dinosaur plant.
(Attack 925: def 250)
A rose token also appeared.
(Attack 800:Def 800)
"I set one reverse card, turn end."
"Geez she already has such a big start." Tenzen said.
"My turn, draw. Activate Magic card, Mystical space Typhoon!" Yusei shouted as Akiza saw her garden get destroyed.
Several in the crowd began applauding at the sight of this.
"Next I summon Crusader of Endymion."
The Magician Warrior came out in a fighting stance.
(Attack 1900:Def 1200)
"Attack her rose token!" Yusei shouted before his Crusader blasted the rose.
Akiza grunted as she saw her life points drop.
(LPA 3200)
"I set one reverse card, turn end." Yusei said.
"Alright Yusei!" Crow shouted.
"He's got an early lead."
Akiza gave an irritated look.
"My turn, draw. I activate seed of Deception to summon Copy plant."
The cross shaped plant came out and took Crusader's form.
"Next I summon Dark Verger." Akiza said. as another of her monster's appeared.
They both glowed before coming together.
"I use both my monsters to Synchro summon Queen of Thorns!" Akiza shouted as a plant queen appeared in front of her.
(Attack 2200: Def 1800)
"Next I equip her with spike root." Akiza said a root came out of her back.
"Attack Crusader!"
"Activate reverse card, Negate attack!" Yusei shouted before the spiked root smashed his trap card.
"What?" Yusei said.
"Spiked root allows my monster to one time destroy a trap card and inflict 300 damage towards the user."
Queen of Thorns destroyed Crusader of Endymion as Yusei felt the pain of Akiza's effect.
(LPY 3400)
Many in the crowd looked afraid as Yusei grunted.
Sayer smiled.
"Let the witch come out."
Yusei looked back at Akiza.
"You don't seem very happy."
"Of course I am , I hurt you."
"Hurting people makes you happy."
"Does it?"
Akiza's expression became more uneasy.
"Turn end."
"My turn, draw. I summon King's knight."
(Attack 1600: Def 1400)
"Next I activate the Magic card, Desynchro." Yusei said as Queen of Thorns turned back into the two monsters that made her.
"What?" Akiza said.
"King's Knight attack!" King's knight leapt forward and slashed copy plant apart as Akiza shouted, her life points taking a serious beating.
(LPA 1600)
"Ha ha that what you deserve!" Someone shouted as Akiza looked more angry.
"Don't listen to them." Yusei said as Akiza looked at him.
"What?"
"I said don't listen to them, they don't know what they're talking about."
"Oh come on they're cheering for you."
"No they're cheering against you, because of what they think you are. But you're not what they think you are."
"Yes I am!" Akiza shouted.
"Are you?"
Akiza's expression became more uneasy.
"What is Yusei doing?" Leo asked as Crow looked closer.
"I set one reverse card down, turn end."
"My turn , draw. Activate seed cannon."
A spiked rose came out with a cannon like bloom."
"I sacrifice my monster to summon GigaPlan."
A massive monster venus fly trap monster came out and roared.
"Activate seed cannon's effect, every time a plant monster is summoned you lose 500 life points."
The rose blasted Yusei as he grit his teeth, feeling the pain of her power.
"Hold on Yusei." Crow said.
"Next I activate Gigaplant's special effect, summoning one plant from my graveyard." Akiza said as Gigantic Cephalotus came back out and Yusei's life points were blasted again.
(LPY 2400)
"Attack his king's knight!" Akiza shouted as Cephalotus charged forward hitting and destroying King's knight.
(LPY2250)
Yusei had to hold his side in pain as Gigiaplant prepared to attack.
"Win the duel." Sayer said.
"Activate reverse card!" Yusei shouted as his trap activated.
"Spellbinding circle!"
A large star shaped spell entangled Gigaplant , stopping him in his tracks."
Akiza set one card face down.
"Turn end."
"You turned it around again, I can see why you made it this far."
"I'm the Black Rose Witch, I am feared for a reason."
"That reason is you're misunderstood."
"I'm not miss understood! I told you, I like hurting people!"
"I don't think you do Akiza, I think you're in pain and hurting others is your only way of coping with it."
Akiza's expression got more angry.
"Stop talking and go!"
"What is this fool doing, didn't he see what happened to the last man who antagonized her." Lazar said.
Jack was watching carefully.
"He's not trying to antagonize her."
"Beat the witch!" The crowd kept chanting.
"My turn, draw. I Activate card of Sanctity." Yusei said as both of them drew cards until they had six cards.
"Summon Magician's vanguard." Yusei said as his soldier Magician came out with a flail inland.
"Activate magic card, Book of Secret arts." Yusei said as Vanguard began reading and his attack went up.
(Attack 1900: Def 1200)
"1900." AKiza said nervously.
" Vanguard attack her Cephalotus." Yusei said as Vanguard leapt up.
"Activate reverse card, wall of thorns, destroying all your monsters." Akiza started as a wall of spiked roots flew at Vanguard only to wilt and shatter upon contact.
"What?" Akiza said.
"Any trap card that effects Vanguard is instantly destroyed." Yusei said as Vanguard smashed Cephalotus, destroying him.
Akiza heard the crowd cheer again as her life points went down.
(LPA1550)
"I set one reverse card, turn end."
"You enjoy it don't you, enjoy people loving you, even if it's at my expense."
"It looks like I was right." Yusei said.
"What?"
"You do care that people hate you, even if you won't admit it."
Akiza gave a flustered look.
"I don't care!"
"You're not a monster Akiza, you're lonely. I can relate, feeling unwanted by others. Living on your own, without your parents."
Akiza's expression began to change drastically.
"What's he doing?" Leo said.
"He's , he's trying to get through to her." Crow said.
Many in the crowd were also confused.
Goodwin and the others were watching in interest when Goodwin got a call.
"Professor." Goodwin said.
"Mr. Goodwin sir, I've confirmed that Ms. Luna is a signer."
"Excellent, bring her to us and." Goodwin started before he heard something else.
"Hey who are you? Hey what are are you?" The pressor started before Goodwin heard him scream and get attacked.
"Professor? Professor?" Goodwin said.
Elsewhere back in the bathroom, Luna was shaking as Bolt held her in his arms and the professor's head was laying in a toilet with bruises all over his body.
"What kind of man picks on a little girl like that?" Bolt said.
"It's ok Luna we're getting out of here." He said as he carried Luna out of the bathroom.
Back in the battlefield Sayer was getting irritated as he saw Yusei get through to Akiza.
"Akiza, you don't have to do this to yourself."
"You , you don't know me." Akiza said.
"I can tell there's more to you than what you show. You're not just the Black Rose Witch, but you are like a rose. You may have thorns , but beyond them is something beautiful."
Akiza's face turned red.
"No you don't." Sayer said.
"I." Akiza started before she heard Sayer's voice in her head.
"Akiza, you didn't think I'd let some Satellite keep the Black Rose Witch from emerging, did you?"
"Sayer." Akiza said before she screamed, holding her head.
"Akiza!" Yusei shouted.
The hair clip fell out again as her long bangs came around her.
When Akiza's head came back up she was wearing her mask again with the black aura around her.
"Akiza is gone, I am the Black Rose Witch." She said as many in the audience looked afraid again.
Sayer smiled.
"Destroy him."
Yusei tightened his fist before he felt a great power inside himself.
"Prepare to die." Akiza said before she saw Yusei's Millennium Puzzle glow and a glowing eye symbol appear on Yusei's forehead.
"You're not Akiza." Yusei said , his voice sounding slightly different.
"You're an evil entity, a manifestation of her hate, her suffering, created through her suffering and her is your prisoner, and I will free her from you Witch."
"How do you plan on doing that?" The Black Rose Witch said before she felt something strange inside her.
"Goodwin we're picking up something powerful from Fudo." Lazar said.
"His signer energy!"
"No, something else."
"What, what have you done?" The Black Rose Witch said.
"I've modified the rules of the match. This is no simple duel anymore, this is a shadow game. For years you've hurt others with your power, now the playing field has been leveled. Every time you lose life points, you will be afflicted by your own power."
"You would do that to Akiza?"
"Not Akiza, you. I activate my Vanguard's other effect" Yusei said as Vanguard unleashed a blast and hit Black Rose Witch.
"If he destroys a trap that was meant to destroy him, you lose 150 life points."
(LPA1400)
Black Rose Witch felt pain that she had never felt before as she grunted and then noticed a part of the mask tear off.
"What?" She said as Sayer saw this.
"What?"
"I've tied your power to the mask, Akiza won't be hurt by the darkness, only you." Yusei said.
"Come on Yusei!" Crow shouted as the crowd cheered.
"I'll make you suffer." Black Rose Witch said as she drew.
"I sacrifice Gigaplant to summon Rose Tentacles." Black Rose Witch said as a massive rose monster with long thorned tentacles came out.
(Attack 2200: Def 1200)
"Next I equip her with Spiked Root."
Yusei grit his teeth, knowing he couldn't use Mirror force with that card out.
"Attack his Vanguard."
Rose tentacles snatched Vanguard before crushing him.
"I also activate my seed Cannon's effect." Black Rose Witch said as Yusei was hit and lost many life points, feeling immense pain all throughout his body, falling to his knees.
"Yusei!" Leo shouted.
(LPY1450)
"Turn end." Akiza said
Bolt came back with Luna, who looked frightened.
"Luna there you are, what happened to you?"
"Some jerk had her wired up to some machine in the bathroom, so I beat the crap out of him." Bolt said.
"Is, is Yusei winning?"
"Not currently, it keeps going back and forth." Crow said.
"My turn, draw." Yusei said as he got back onto his feet.
"I summon Stardust apprentice in attack mode." Yusei said as he summoned the Magician girl.
(Attack 1500: Def 1300)
"Next I activate her effect, brining out Breaker the Magical Warrior." Yusei said as Breaker came out.
(Attack 1900: Def 1000)
"Activate monster reborn!" Yusei shouted as Crusader of Endymion came back from the Graveyard.
"Ohh he's gonna do it!" Crow shouted as Yusei's monsters came together as he Synchro summoned a much more powerful monster.
"Come forth Stardust Champion!" Yusei shouted as the Magician warrior champion came onto the field.
(Attack 2800: Def 2400)
Black Rose Witch could heard the crowd applause for Yusei.
"Attack her monster." Yusei said before Stardust champion leapt forward, slicing apart her monster.
Black Rose Witch screamed in pain as a large portion of her mask was torn off.
"No, no." Sayer said
(LPA800)
"Turn end." Yusei said, feeling confident as he still had Mirror force on the field.
"I know Akiza's still in there, I will bring her out."
"We'll see. My turn, draw." Black Rose Witch said very intensely.
"Activate monster reborn, summoning Gigaplant." She said as he monster came back.
"What good will that do her, unless!" Yusei said as Black Rose Witch placed another monster not he field.
"Summon Copy plant."
Another copy plant appeared as her two monsters glowed.
"She isn't." Leo said.
The two monsters came together.
"She is!"
Yusei and the crowd watched in horror as Black Rose Dragon formed behind Akiza and roared.
(Attack 2400: Def1800)
The Seed cannon blasted Yusei again.
(LPY950)
Yusei braced himself.
"Now you are destroyed. Black Rose Dragon destroy everything." Akiza said as her dragon unleashed her rose petals all across the battlefield, destroying every card.
Yusei grunted.
"Activate torn out by the roots. If every card on my opponent's side of the field I can remove from play every card in their graveyard."
"What!" Yusei said.
"That's not all, I can also special summon one level 4 or lower monster so long as they don't attack and I can't normal summon next turn. I chose Blue rose dragon." Akiza said as the small blue dragon appeared
(Attack 1600: Def 1200)
"Now what does Yusei do, she's destroyed his chances of winning." Luna said.
"Yusei isn't done yet." Crow said.
"I set one reverse card, turn end."
"My turn, draw." Yusei said as he drew.
"Activate Pot of Greed." Yusei said as he drew two more cards.
His eyes widened as he looked at the three cards in his hand.
"This could still work. I activate the effect of Watapon, allowing me to special summon it to the field." Yusei said as a small pink fluff appeared in defense mode.
(Attack 200: Def 300)
"That's it?" Leo said.
"Oh kid." Bolt said.
"That's all you have for me, how disappointing." Black Rose Witch said as she drew.
"Destroy his pathetic monster." She said as her Blue rose Dragon blasted and destroyed Watapon.
"Activate magic card, Fragrance Storm, destroying one plant monster, my Blue rose dragon."
"That means." Yusei said as Black Rose Witch nodded.
Black Rose Dragon roared as he came back onto the field behind Black Rose Witch.
(Attack 2400: Def 1800)
"Yusei!" Crow shouted.
"Ha ha ha! End this." Sayer shouted.
"Black Rose Dragon attack his life points directly."
Yusei braced himself as he was blasted by the massive dragon.
However, when the smoke cleared, Yusei looked unharmed.
"What!?" Black Rose Witch shouted as Yusei smiled holding Kuribo in his hand.
"Kuribo!" Luna shouted.
Yusei discarded Kuribo , reducing his damage to zero.
"You bought yourself one more turn, it won't save you." Black Rose Witch said.
"Akiza, if you can hear me, I want you to know that you've given me a great challenge. I have great respect your you as a duelist. I also want you to know that I'm going to save you now."
"What! You have one card in your hand and all the monsters in your graveyard are destroyed," Black Rose Witch said.
Yusei smiled.
"This one card is a card I drew at the start of the game. An ace I hid up my sleeve, a powerful monster that can only be summoned under certain conditions. If set up right and played up at the right time, this monster can win you the duel. I saved him for a moment like this, and I have everything ready to summon him."
"You have no monsters on the field, none in your graveyard!" Black Rose Witch shouted.
"Wrong, I have two. Watapon and Kuribo. Light , dark." Yusei said.
"Light, Dark?" Jack said.
Yusei held up his card.
"I remove Kuribo and Watapon from he game to summon the ultimate soldier!" Yusei shouted as he put the card on his duel disk.
"Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning!" He shouted as the audience was in disbelief.
"What!" Sayer shouted.
"That's , thats's one of the rarest cards in all of duel monsters!" Tenzen shouted shaking.
"Yusei." Crow said.
A huge muscular soldier, wearing fierce dark blue and golden armor with large shoulder spikes and long brown hair coming out of the back of his helmet.
(Attack 3000: Def 2500)
"No, no!" Black Rose Witch shouted.
"Black Luster Soldier attack!"
Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning leapt up, using his legendary sword to slice Black Rose Dragon's head off.
Black Rose Witch screamed as most of her remaining mask was torn off.
(LP200)
"Akiza I'm going to free you now."
"What?"
"Black Luster Soldier has a special ability, if he destroys a monster in combat he can attack again."
"What?"
The crowd uproared in applause.
"End this." Yusei said as Black Luster Soldier leapt into Black Rose Witch, slashing her.
"Ahhh!" She screamed.
"No!" Sayer shouted.
Black Rose Witch fell to her knees as Yusei walked over to her.
She slowly looked up at Yusei.
"I will not be destroyed!" She screamed as the mask began to reform and she stood up with her arms out.
The eye symbol reappeared on Yusei's forehead.
"You have lost the Shadow game, be gone." Yusei said as The dark aura around her faded.
"Ahhh!" Black Rose Witch shouted before the mask disintegrated entirely.
Yusei no longer felt the Black Rose Witch inside Akiza.
She almost blacked out and fell.
Yusei quickly caught Akiza and held her in his arms as the audience was unsure what to think.
Akiza slowly opened her eyes and saw Yusei.
"Yyusei?" She said softly.
"It's over Akiza."
Akiza felt something unbelievable, she felt no trace of the Black Rose Witch, she was gone, just gone.
"I'm free." Akiza said as she looked Yusei again.
"You, you freed me." She said reaching at his cheek with her hand.
"Akiza!" They heard as Sayer came up behind them.
He grabbed Akiza and threw his jacket over her.
"We're leaving." Sayer said as he came up to Yusei with an enraged expression.
"You don't realize what you've done boy, you've made yourself a powerful enemy. This is a mistake you'll regret." Sayer started before Yusei grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.
"You made her into the Black Rose Witch, if you try to hurt her again, I will find you." Yusei said staring right into Sayer's soul.
He pushed Sayer back as he walked out with Akiza.
Akiza looked back at Yusei before turning back, her face blushing.
"Uhh what just happened?" Leo asked.
"Yusei won! He's going to the finals!"
Yusei looked up at Goodwin's box, he stared right at Jack who stared back at him.
"Well, it's up to you now Mr. Atlas." Goodwin said.