Yuu(sitting at a table with Atsuto, drinking a glass of soda): You know, kids, when you are tired of dueling, nothing is better than the 'good looking evil genius drink'!
Atsuto(licks his lollipop): It's truly fabulous and it makes your hair look gorgeous and your skin sooth and shiny.
Yuu: With the 'good looking evil genius drink' you are assured to gain Victory in every duel!
Atsuto: So buy it now and become a better duelist! (both make the V sign)
The tournament went on, its next duel being between Tiger King, the former chosen nature duelist, and Nick Exen, a solid bald man dressed in a white shirt, a pair of jeans, with a big nose and red eyes. So far the duel progressed pretty good, building to an epic climax where Tiger had ten mana, three shields, Quatro Fang, Super Gang Leader and Quatro Fang, Soul Gang Leader in the battle zone, and Nick had ten mana, two shields and nothing in his battle zone due to Tiger's removal.
"Go, Quatro Fang, break his final shields!" Tiger ordered and the menacing white panda warrior used its katana swords to slash off his opponent's last shields.
"Shield trigger activate, I summon Aqua Surfer and send Quatro Fang, Soul Gang Leader back to the hyperspatial zone!" Nick said and the hologram of a blue surfer appeared riding on its surfboard and 'hit' the psychic creature version of the panda warrior, making it disappear, its card bouncing off the battle zone and landing in the hyperspatial zone. "Also, shield trigger activate, I cast Faerie Life!" he continued and the top card of his deck which was Bolbalzak Ex landed tapped in his mana zone. "Perfect, your end is approaching soon."
"Oh yeah? You're the one to talk when you're shield less? Oh well, let's see what you can do, I end my turn."
"Very well then, I begin by summoning Goemonkey! Snake-Handed Boss! By its effect I may summon creatures from my mana zone!"
"And what's so special about that? You only got seven mana untapped and all of those creatures cost eight or more."
"Not quite all of them."
Nick then put his hand on the last mana card that he had gained with Faerie Life and with a sly grin he placed it in the battle zone saying:
"I summon Bolbalzak Ex! By its effect I untap all of my mana cards!"
"Oh crap…" Tiger uttered.
"Then I summon GILL Supergalactic Dragon which destroys Quatro Fang and sends one of your shields to the graveyard!" Nick continued and Tiger watched how his creature blew up along with one of his shields. "Still think you're going to win?"
"We'll just have to wait and see." the blonde replied arrogantly.
"Your time's up, boy!" the bald man replied. "Bolbalzak Ex, break his final shields!"
The hologram of the white winged red armored dragon with a burning X scar fired lasers from its shoulders which made Tiger's last two shields disappear. The teen took the two cards in his hand and showed one of them to his opponent saying:
"Not so fast there, pal! Shield trigger, I summon Blazing Tiger, Crimson Lord!"
A white tiger with black stripes materialized in the battle zone holding a flaming sword in its mouth which it used to cut the hologram of Aqua Surfer and make it disappear.
"Tsh, I end my turn." Nick said sweating.
"Time to end this – I summon Yattare Pippi and evolve it into Great Hercules, Giant Insect!" Tiger said and then a giant dark blue beetle appeared behind him. "I attack with Great Hercules and by its effect I put Silver Shovel in the battle zone! With Silver Shovel's effect I send itself to the mana zone."
"I send Bolbalzak Ex to my mana zone."
"Then Great Hercules, finish him off, to…"
"Not so fast! Ninja Strike 4, I summon Falconer, Lightfang Ninja and turn GILL Supergalactic Dragon into a blocker. GILL, block Great Hercules!"
"Nice try, but it's still over. Blazing Tiger, todomeda!"
The white tiger rushed at the tall muscular man and hit him with its sword, making him fall on his back along with his cards.
"And the winner is Tiger King!" Yuu shouted and the crowd went wild.
"Piece of cake." Tiger rubbed his hands.
Meanwhile at the other side of the building in a darkened corridor, Blaze and Trey were kneeling down in front of a girl dressed in a cloaked black robe with golden lines at the cloak's and sleeve's edges and that also had the Light civilization symbol on its back.
"So what info did you manage to gain from the tournament, boys? And I trust that you have both won your first matches, right?" she asked crossing her arms.
"Yes we have, Black Widow-sama, our opponents were no match for us." Blaze answered.
"As for the former chosen duelists, they were both capable of winning their matches with ease." Trey added.
"I say that they can take care of themselves in the tournament."
"Yes, it will be a great pleasure facing them, if we ever get the chance."
"I see. And did you notice anything out of the ordinary, boys?" Black Widow asked.
"Actually, we did." Trey raised his index finger. "There is this strange red haired guy called Roger. He is a pianist and he's got this group of weirdos following him around."
"They are all signed up at this tournament and from the looks of it; they most definitely are up to something!" Blaze pointed out. "What is it that they are after? We still do not know yet, but we promise we will find out in the future."
"Please do so." Black Widow insisted. "But for now I urge you to be overly cautious, for if anyone were to find out about your real mission, we…"
In the next moment Black Widow jumped in the air and landed at the corner of the corridor grabbing a small person that was spying upon them. Blaze and Trey both watched their master clutch the small spy with their jaws dropped.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" Black Widow demanded an answer.
"I-I am C-Campo Shorts…" the scared person barely spoke.
"He is the one who Tamma faced!" Blaze exclaimed.
"He's also one of Roger's duelists." Trey recalled.
"Is that true?" Black Widow asked the even more intimidated Campo.
"Y-yes, it is true…" the little teen spoke.
"Alright, then let the interrogation begin. What are you and your master after?"
But Campo refused to talk. That angered Black Widow who tightened her clutch in hope of scaring him even more. However, somehow his fat body managed to slip through her arms and the boy escaped the girl's grip.
"What I am after?" a now arrogant Campo spoke. "I have come to collect the Zero cards of these two, aka Greatest Great, Zenith of "Life" and Kaiser "Demon Fang", Zenith of "Certain Victory"! So if you two know what's best for you, hand them over right now!"
"Oh yeah? How about I hand you this instead?" Blaze asked while pulling out his deck.
"Oh it will be a pleasure pummeling you to the ground." Trey considered and took out his deck as well.
"Boys, stand your ground!" Black Widow ordered. "I shall be the one who faces this loser."
"Yes, Black Widow-sama." the duo complied and made a step back.
"And what the hell do you want?" Campo asked her.
"If you wish to get their Zero cards, you will have to go through me first." Black Widow affirmed approaching him with her glowing deck in her right hand.
"Oh great, another hindrance to my job… Let's just finish this quick, will you?"
"Oh don't you worry, kid. I will finish this before you even know it."
Their decks shined with great power and caused two metallic dueling tables to rise from the floor. The two players walked to them, put their decks on, set their five shields and thus their match began. The blue shields did not materialize on either side, appearing just as holograms as neither of them had Victory cards.
"I'll start! I charge mana and summon Deadly Fighter Blaze Claw!" Campo said.
"I charge mana and end." Black Widow said. "Boy are you a quick one, aren't you?"
"You haven't seen the half of it! I summon Sagrada Familia, Vizier of Instant Seal. While this baby is tapped, you can't cast spells that have shield trigger in their effect. And now Blaze Claw, break her shield!"
A wave came out of his Fire card and went to Black Widow's table, pushing one of the cards from her shield zone into the air. The girl took it to her hand and smiled under her cloak.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but I already got my shield trigger."
"What the…"
"Shield trigger, I cast Christie Gate!" Black Widow said and then she looked at another one of her shields and put the card in the battle zone causing the hologram of a golden armored centaur demon with three pairs of white wings wielding four green swords appear by her side. "By its effect I look at one of my shields and if it is a non-evolution Light Demon Command, I may put it in the battle zone. So I now put Dying Message, Friction of Heaven Freezing in the battle zone! By its effect I tap Sagrada Familia. Also, Christie Gate allows me to draw a card."
"Oh no, she already got a big creature out!" Campo remarked. "I end."
"Much more is to come, I assure you! I summon Emeral."
Black Widow placed a card from her hand into her shield zone and then she took another card from her shield zone to her hand.
"And now I attack Sagrada Familia with Dying Message and by its effect I also keep Deadly Fighter Blaze Claw tapped for your next turn!" Black Widow said and watched with satisfaction how Campo's Sagrada Familia card fell in his graveyard.
"Grr… with that thing out, I can't have a stable battle zone. I… I summon Mestapo, the Patroller and end." Campo said disappointed.
"I cast Aquan Jr's Delivery."
The top cards of Black Widow's deck were Prison Spark, Codefight Alibi Trick and Metafiction, Ruler of Fiction. All were Light and all went to her hand.
"You're way out of your league, kid. You should have left my minions alone, tucked your tail between your legs and run away to your master. But oh well, it's too late to back down now. Dying Message, attack, tap Mestapo and destroy Blaze Claw!" Black Widow ordered and another card of Campo's fell into his graveyard.
"I'm not giving up yet! I summon Magnum, Fast Attack Puppet! Go, Magnum, break her shield!" Campo ordered and Black Widow took another card from her shield zone to her hand.
"Boy, you are a stubborn one, aren't you? Oh well, I can't blame you for trying. Dying Message, attack, keep Mestapo tapped and destroy Magnum! I end my turn here."
"Then it's my turn, I cast Volcanic Arrows! By its effect I put one of my shields to the graveyard and destroy your Emeral!"
"Heh, nice shot."
"Then I end."
"Sadly, that did not help you with anything." the robed girl broke it to him. "I cast Hyperspatial White Blue Hole and put Cheval, Temporal Demon Spirit in the battle zone. Also thanks to White Blue Hole's effect I also put one of my cards into my shield zone. Dying Message, attack and destroy Mestapo!"
"Heh, but when destroyed, Mestapo returns to my hand!" the short fat teen pointed out and took the card back into his hand. "And now it's my turn, I charge mana with Mestapo and summon Kodamanma, Gil Gil Puppet to take one of my shields to my hand. Then I summon Violent Children!"
"Violent Children? I've never seen this card before."
"Hehe, it's one of my trump cards. It makes all my creatures with cost 3 or less into speed attackers and it also makes all your evolution creatures and speed attacker creatures to be put in the battle zone tapped!"
"Aha, I see, so it is like a mini version of Eternal Ryusei Kaiser."
"Yeah, you could call it like that. Anyway, I break another one of your shields with Kodamanma, which now has speed attacker!"
Black Widow took the card into her hand and she smiled with a slick smile. Her last two shields were both set up by Emeral and White Blue Hole. As for the card that she had received in her hand, it was a shield trigger that she had been waiting for.
"Shield trigger activate, I cast Christie Gate! By its effect I put Codefight Misdirection from my shields into the battle zone!" Black Widow exclaimed and the hologram of a golden horned demon wielding a rainbow sword appeared behind her.
"Oh no, another powerhouse!" a scared Campo exclaimed.
"You got that right, buddy! And since it's the end of your turn and I have two Demon Commands with cost 6 or more, Cheval awakens into Cheuxvelt, the Awakened Demon Spirit! Boy, your life will be a living hell now!"
"Oh shut up!"
"Don't you worry, once this duel ends you will not hear my voice again. Anyway, I cast Energy Stream and draw two cards. Then I summon Aqua Super Emeral and replace my last shield with a card from my hand. Now I attack with Dying Message, tap Violent Children and destroy Kodamanma! Then I attack Violent Children with Codefight Misdirection… and I use Attack Chance!"
"Attack Chance?" a surprised Blaze asked.
"Attack Chance is a new effect that recent spells gained. By this effect they are cast when a certain creature attacks." Trey explained.
"Attack Chance: Unknown, I cast Zenith Symphony, Secret Zenith!" Black Widow showed the nine cost Zero civilization spell. "By its effect I now summon Suspense, Zenith of "Curse"!"
A white demon with mouths for arms, a long tail, bat wings for ears and a bird beak appeared behind her as a hologram.
"By Suspense's effect I now choose two of your shields and look at them. I will cast any spell from them and then put them all to the graveyard." Black Widow said but then she had the disappointment of getting Rhapsody, Guard of Hope and Disturbing Chuusa in his shields. "Oh well, send them both to the graveyard! Also, Codefight Misdirection, destroy Violent Children! Then I break your last shield with Cheuxvelt. I now end my turn and by Zenith Symphony's effect I return Suspense to my hand."
"M-my turn… I-I s-summon Hachiko, Jin's Faithful Dog." Campo said and then he searched his deck and took another Hachiko, Jin's Faithful Dog in his hand. "Then I summon another Hachiko and by its effect I take a third Hachiko to my hand. I end."
"Heh, and thanks to Cheuxvelt I get two extra shields." Black Widow replied smiling. "And now I guess it's high time you told me what your master is after before I blow you to smithereens."
"I'm sorry, I didn't quite hear you."
"Oh, you did not hear me? Here, let me help you – Codefight Misdirection, todomeda!"
A yellow wave of energy came out of Black Widow's card and hit Campo, throwing him away in the hall. Black Widow sighed and packed up her deck as Blaze and Trey rushed to her.
"Congratulations for your splendid victory, Black Widow-sama!" Blaze said.
"I did not expect less from our dear master." Trey added.
"Thanks, boys." the robed girl said and wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Boy did that duel tire me. I'll see you back at the mansion. For now I've got to go. You keep an eye on everything that is going on and report to us everything that you find out about Roger and his minions."
"Understood, Black Widow-sama!" the duo bowed in respect to their master.
Back at the tournament arena, Tiger joined up his friends at their respective row and as he sat down on his seat he hi-fived with Blane.
"Good job kicking that guy's ass!" the swordsman complimented him.
"Heh, was there ever any doubt that I could not do it?" Tiger boasted his ego.
"You were absolutely awesome out there, Tiger!" Tamma praised him.
"Yeah, ya gave that guy a run for his money, partner!" Rita continued.
"When I had been told that you were the strongest of the chosen duelists, I certainly was not lied to!" Pyro affirmed.
"There's no need to thank me, I simply gave the best I could." Tiger faked modesty.
"Let's see who is facing who is the next duel." Yuu suggested.
"Next up is the match between Jessica Alley and Blane Kaminaga!" Atsuto announced.
"Dude, that's your call!" Tiger slapped Blane on the back. "Get out there and show her what you're made of!"
"Indeed I will." Blane nodded and headed to the middle of the arena.
And so in a matter of minutes he found himself in front of his dueling table with his shields set up, facing a black haired girl dressed in a short white shirt that revealed her belly button and a pair of tight blue jeans. Her lips were decorated with shiny red lipstick and her yellow eyes shined with the desire of a victory.
"So your name's Jessica, right? Cute name, I like it. And to top it off, it fits a cute girl like you." Blane flirted.
"Oh Blane!" a familiar voice resounded from the public.
Upon hearing that voice a shiver went down the brown haired duelist's spine. When he turned around and looked at the source of the voice, he had the shock of seeing in the very front row a blue eyed girl with her blonde hair shaped like a lion's mane, she being dressed in a short golden dress and golden boots with high heels.
"L-Leona?!" Blane shouted. "What are you doing here?"
"Watching the tournament, but I am wondering what the hell you are doing with your very own opponent!" the rather irritated girl replied.
"Hehe… we were just chatting. No biggie." he scratched his hair sweating.
"Make sure it is just a minor chat." Leona suggested him and revealed her sharp nails. "I wouldn't like to spill blood today, so don't make me."
"Is she your girlfriend?" the black haired girl asked.
"Sort of…" Blane mumbled scared.
"Boy I wouldn't want to be in your place, buddy. Not that your stupid flirting had any effect on me." Jessica confessed.
"Can we just get this thing started?" the slightly devastated male begged.
"Alright then… duel start!"
Thus their match began. Both players started by charging mana with multicolored cards. Then on their second turns each charged mana again and played a card.
"I cast Mendelssohn." Blane said and then he revealed the top two cards of his deck which were Mitsurugi Boost, Matchless Dragon Demon and Cerulean Dagger Dragon, both landing in his mana zone tapped.
"I generate Master Weapon – All Yes." Jessica said.
"A cross gear? I haven't seen those in ages." Blane commented.
"Wow, that is actually a cross gear being used after such a long time!" Yuu remarked.
"The last time cross gears were being used in Duel Masters was during the Sengoku Saga when they had support from the Samurai race." Atsuto reminisced. "It is nice to see them again after such a long time."
"Not that a puny cross gear will stop me. I charge mana and cast Mendelssohn again!" Blane exclaimed and this time the top two cards of his deck were Magmadragon Balga Geyser and Infinity Dragon, both landing in his mana zone tapped.
"Nice mana acceleration you got there. But I think it's time someone stopped that – I summon Time Tripper, Shadow of Stagnation!" Jessica said and then the hologram of a fat ghost with four arms that had a huge mouth in its stomach appeared behind her. "Now thanks to Time Tripper's effect all your cards are put tapped in your mana zone."
"Heh, a small hindrance, but that won't stop me." the brown haired duelist affirmed and put Eco Aini tapped in his mana zone, then he placed a Nature card upon one of his shields. "I fortify one of my shields with Hustle Castle! End turn."
"I generate another Master Weapon – All Yes. Then I cross Time Tripper with one of the All Yes cross gears! Master Weapon – All Yes turns the crossed creature into a blocker, gives it +4000 power and when it attacks it also discards a card from your hand." Jessica explained.
"Oh crap…"
"You can say that again! I break a shield with Time Tripper and discard your last card!"
The card that Blane discarded was Magmadragon Balga Geyser.
"Heh, I end my turn here."
"Fabulous move! That cross gear really packs a punch!" Atsuto commented.
"Right you are. Let's see if mister Blane will be able to stop it." Yuu added.
"Oh don't you worry – this game has just started!" Blane spoke optimistically. "My turn, I charge mana and summon Bolshack NEX!"
A red dragon with silver horns, big wings, fire hands, white armor and a long red and white tail that had a zig zag separating the two colors appeared behind him and roared.
"With its effect I search my deck and put Mach Lupia in the battle zone." Blane continued and a red bird with black wings holding a small fan appeared circling the dragon. "Mach Lupia makes all my Dragons speed attackers. Also, Hustle Castle lets me draw two cards. I attack Time Tripper with Bolshack NEX, destroy that little critter!"
"Tsh…" the girl spat as her card fell in her graveyard.
"Then by Mach Lupia's effect I return Bolshack NEX to my hand and end."
"You like searching your deck for Lupia creatures, don't you? Well then, let's stop that process, shall we?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh nothing, just this – I summon Mestapo, the Patroller and cross him with Master Weapon – All Yes! Now thanks to Mestapo, none of us will be able to summon creatures! Haha, next turn you're done for because I'll gain full control!"
"We'll see about that, I summon Mitsurugi Boost, Matchless Dragon Demon! By its effect I send it to the mana zone and destroy Mestapo!"
"Think again!" the girl said while taking the Light creature to her hand. "When Mestapo is destroyed, he returns to my hand."
"Dang it! Oh well, then I draw a card due to Hustle Castle and summon Eco Aini!" Blane said and then a parrot like bird with green wings appeared flying alongside Mach Lupia and it caused the top card of his deck to go to his mana zone, that being Bolshack NEX and which was also followed by another card, Faerie Life. "I draw thanks to Hustle Castle's effect and end."
"Then it's my turn. I summon Gaga Pikarian, draw a card and I also summon Mestapo, the Patroller. End." Jessica did her turn quickly.
"I summon Cerulean Dagger Dragon and draw two cards, one for its effect and one for Hustle Castle's effect. Since Mach Lupia makes all my Dragons into speed attackers, I attack with Cerulean Dagger Dragon, double break her shields!" Blane ordered and the red armored dragon swung its blue blades and slashed two of the girl's holographic shields, causing their cars to go to her hand.
"Shield trigger activate!" she announced. "I cast Hades Death Gate which destroys Mach Lupia and revives my Time Tripper! Also, shield trigger, I cast Terror Pit and destroy Cerulean Dagger Dragon!"
"Nice comeback with shield triggers!" Atsuto burst out.
"Indeed, people these days tend to overlook them, but Miss Jessica has proven that they are still strong as always!" Yuu intervened as well.
"Seems like the tables have turned, haven't they, lover boy?" Jessica mocked him. "I summon Berlin, Bell Gravekeeper. Then I cross Time Tripper and Mestapo each with a Master Weapon – All Yes. Now attack, Time Tripper, and discard a card from his hand!" the girl ordered and her opponent discarded Bolshack Cross NEX while one of his shields got broken. "Mestapo, attack as well, and discard another card!" she continued and caused him to discard Eco Aini as well as lose another shield. "Hahaha, you're running out of luck!"
"No, this can't be the end!" Blane thought and then he took a good look at the public, at his friends Tiger, Tamma, Rita, Pyro, and then at Leona. "I can't let them down, not now! And most importantly, I can't let him down." Blane looked at his pants' pocket in which the purple token with the Darkness civilization symbol lied.
Suddenly a pulsating wave of red energy came from his deck and hit his hand. Blane looked down at the pile that had a few cards left and then his hand shone with a bright red aura. He knew that it was coming. And when he drew it, a big smile appeared on his face.
"What happened? Why are you so happy all of a sudden?" Jessica asked.
"Oh nothing, I just drew the card that will help me win this game! But first let me start my turn by summoning Mach Lupia." Blane said. "And now behold the might of… Ogre Warrior Kaiser "Win"!"
A golden dragon that shined with the glory of the rising sun appeared behind Blane, at its chest it held an orb, one that gave it great power as a command dragon and the creature was also holding two shield-like disks both shaped like arrows and its blue wings were made of electricity.
"Awesome, he summoned Torch!" Pyro said.
"And with that Mach Lupia his creature is now also a speed attacker." Rita added.
"Heh, I knew that he wouldn't lose so easily." Tiger praised.
"Woo hoo, go Blane! Get her!" Tamma cheered.
"So this is your Victory card… I knew you had one ever since I saw you bring Bolshack NEX into the arena." Jessica said.
"Yes, and Torch is also my deck's avatar." Blane replied and tapped the card. "Now you're going to find out why! By its effect we shall play Hardcore Judge until I lose or stop myself, and for each time I win you will have to choose one of your blockers and destroy it while Torch gains +6000 power and breaks an additional shield!"
"But that's just broken!" the girl complained. "Oh wait… my All Yes cross gears turn my attackers into blockers as well. Oh no!"
"Let's do this – Hardcore Judge!"
The top card of Jessica's deck was The Grave of Angels and Demons while the top card of Blane's deck was Hustle Castle. It was 4 VS 5, so Blane won and Jessica chose to destroy Mestapo which went back to her hand. Then they played Hardcore Judge again, the top card of Jessica's deck being Batou Shoulder, Shadow of Fiction while the top card of Blane's deck was Cocco Lupia. It was 3 VS 3, so Blane won yet again and Jessica chose to sacrifice Time Tripper. Once again they played Hardcore Judge, and this time the top card of Jessica's deck was Lost Mind Torture while the top card of Blane's deck was Bolshack Cross NEX. It was 4 VS 9, so Blane won for a third time and Jessica had to destroy Berlin, her final blocker.
"Alright, enough Hardcore Judge for a duel. Torch, break all of her shields!" Blane ordered and the dragon swung its disks and used them to slash off the last three holographic shields.
"I… I got no shield trigger…" Jessica spoke with shame.
"Eco Aini, finish this, todomeda!"
The parrot flew towards the girl and poked her in the forehead with its beak, causing her to fall on her back defeated.
"And the winner is Blane Kaminaga!" Atsuto announced and the crowd did its cheering game yet again.
Blane packed up his cards and then he showed off by bowing in front of the crowd, thanking them for their support and obviously receiving applause. Afterwards he walked back to his seat and passed by Leona to whom he gave a smile but received nothing in return.
"Way to go, Blane, ya showed that girl who's the true Sheriff in town!" Rita complimented him in her own way.
"Yeah, your Dragon deck is really strong, I still can't believe I was lucky enough to defeat it back then." Pyro modestly recalled.
"Go Blane! Go Blane!" Tamma cheered and jumped on his shoulders, holding onto his head.
"Woah, get off me!" Blane struggled not to fall on the stairs.
"Haha, looks like you've got yourself a new fan." Tiger joked. "Though in all seriousness, good job there, dude. Splendid victory!"
"Thanks, Tiger…" Blane barely spoke due to the heaviness of Tamma's body pressing on his back.
At the UFO, as time went by, Rad had finally managed to reach the final page of the book he was reading.
"And as he ran off with the cursed card in his possession, he heard the evil doctor Albert's shouts of wrath from behind: 'Curse you, Dar! One of these days I will have my revenge!', but instead of intimidating him, it only amused him even more. The doctor who had tried so hard to trap him in that pyramid had now himself ended up in his own trap. And to make it worse for him, he had accidentally pressed the button that activated the machine which brought up the whole city of Sandopolis from its underground sandy hideout. But now it was doing the exact opposite – it was sinking the entire city back where it was hidden for the past two thousand years. And it was pulling the doctor and his cohorts with it. 'This should keep them busy for a few months… or years.' Dar joked as he followed his own steps in the sand back to his crashed airplane. With the cursed card of Dorballom, Lord of Demons in his hands, another mission was successfully completed and the world was once again saved, thanks to the adventurous duelist Dar."
Rad closed the book with a big smile on his face. But it was different; for it was the first time he had smiled with happiness ever since he came back. The red haired teen fell on his bed, his head landing on his comfortable pillow, and he sighed and hugged the book tightly.
"Boy did that feel good. Now I remember why reading is so much fun, it takes your mind off so many things." Rad contemplated while staring at the ceiling. "Everything now seems like one huge nightmare."
Now his mind was set on totally different objectives: finding the next book in 'The Adventures of Dar' series, getting a chili dog and a can of coca cola, having a good duel and taking his rocket out for a ride. Then it struck him. He had not seen his precious rocket for over a year.
He got up, hid the book in his vest, picked up his mask and ran with the speed of an athlete to the garage. When he opened the door, he was greeted by the chilling air of a dark closed room. When he turned on the lights, he was surprised of seeing that dust had settled upon every possible object from the garage. To top it off, all its objects were in the exact way he had left them, as a sign that nobody had entered it ever since he had apparently died.
And there it stood, in the middle of the garage, with the lights shining upon it, catching the sight of anyone who entered it. The red racing rocket with yellow flames painted on it looked as awesome as ever. Rad slowly approached it, with each step that he took; his heart was beating faster and faster. To him it was like approaching a powerful divinity that made him look like an insignificant worm in comparison. His hands trembled as he touched its metallic walls, almost as if he was committing a blasphemy by tainting the divine with his unworthy palms. But he had to feel its steel coldness, for it reminded him of the loud energetic sound of its motors and the speed with which he seared through the air.
"Those were the good old days." Rad sighed. "Back then we didn't have to worry about anything except protecting the world. Back when we were five. Who would've thought that life would take us on such separate ways?"
"Now this is the master Rad that I remember!" Genji said and appeared as a small version of himself on his shoulder. "I don't know what happened to you, but you finally are back. I am pleased."
"Oh Genji, Genji, you're the only one who went through this whole madness with me. You're always so loyal. Why did you not forsake me when you saw me pick the path of vengeance?"
"You know very well that I cannot do that. Besides, what is a soldier without a leader?"
"A soldier still. Just like how a duelist without a deck is also still a duelist, as long as he has the knowledge of the game."
"You speak such truth and yet you still struggle on this path of the warrior that you have chosen. Maybe you should turn back and pick another path. There is still time."
Rad took another good look at his rocket and recalled all the happy times that he had spent together with the chosen duelists, the training he had in his younger years at the Temple, all the wacky adventures they had gone through and the warmth he felt for finally being part of a group. Then he looked at his golden samurai mask and remembered the year he spent in Japan training alongside Koji at the camp of the Genji, the few battles they fought in, the warmth that he felt from having even just one best friend, and then inevitably came the heartbreaking sorrow of seeing his own clan slaughtered, and he knew it was not the fault of the Heike, but the fault of Tabitha, for he had seen her at their palace, cackling and drinking, enjoying the massacre. And then it struck him, it was not a matter of choosing a new life; it was a matter of honor and revenge.
"I'm sorry, Genji." Rad confessed. "But the sole reason I came here is to take that witch down once and for all. What happens afterwards… will be decided by time."
"I understand." Genji lowered his head. "I respect your decision, master, and I swear that I will follow you even in the most raging inferno."
And so Rad put on his samurai mask and left the UFO. At first he turned back and gave it one final look, but then he resumed his quest, disappearing in the city.
Back at the tournament, the crowd was getting more and more nervous as the two Duel Heroes stood silent while looking down some papers. They were in their break and their tiredness was easily seen. It had been a busy day for them both and all they wanted was to go have a drink and chat, for it had been a long time since they last saw each other.
"Let's just get this over with, shall we?" Atsuto suggested.
"Very well then." Yuu replied and then he spoke in his microphone. "Alright, people, the last duel for today is between Yanus Beat and Roger Thornton!"
"The contestants are called to join the dueling tables now." the black haired Duel Hero added.
At the final level of the arena, Campo, Humpty, Dumpty, Nick, Jessica, June and Ren watched how their master Roger elegantly descended the stairs. As he walked past Blane and his group, they all felt eerie and a chill vibrated down their bodies.
"So this is your brother…" Pyro remarked.
"Yeah, and Ah tell ys, he means trouble." Rita warned them.
"How so? He doesn't look that dangerous." Blane lied in an attempt to gain more info from the girl.
"He may look innocent, but trust me, there's more than meets the eye with him. He's no good news at all." the red haired sister insisted.
"Heh, let's see what he's got." Tiger suggested and crossed his arms looking at the dueling tables.
Roger walked up to his dueling table and graciously shuffled his deck while fixing his melancholic green eyes upon his opponent – a preteen red haired boy with blue eyes dressed in a school uniform. For a moment, the child reminded Roger of himself when he was of that age. But those times were long gone and he had a duel to win.
"Let the duel begin!" Roger announced and with a single wave of his left hand the top five cards of his deck landed onto his shield zone one by one and his five shields materialized above him, afterwards another five cards went from the top of his deck into his right hand.
"Duel start!" Yanus replied and set his cards as well, him getting holographic shields.
"I charge mana and end my turn." Roger said placing Codeking Wilhelm tapped in his mana zone.
"I charge mana and end." Yanus said putting Hot Spring Crimson Meow tapped in his mana zone.
"I charge mana and cast Mendelssohn!" the pianist spoke revealing the top two cards of his deck as Mitsurugi Boost, Matchless Dragon Demon and Chopin, Dragon King, both which joined Wilhelm and Cocco Lupia in the mana zone.
"I charge mana and summon Rikabu's Screwdriver!" the young school boy spoke and a robotic red screwdriver creature appeared behind him as a hologram.
"I charge mana and cast another Mendelssohn!"
This time the top cards of Roger's deck were Necrodragon Abayo Shabayo and Codeking Mozart, both which landed at the right of his Trueking Viola Sonata in his mana zone.
"Then I also cast Faerie Life!" Roger continued and Necrodragon Odol Needle also landed in his mana zone.
"Great mana boost from Mister Roger!" Yuu commented.
"Yes, he has already reached eight mana in his third turn." Atsuto added.
"I charge mana and cast Hyperspatial Extra Hole!" Yanus said and put the two Mendelssohn spells of Roger to the bottom of his deck. "I put Deepsea Yanus, Temporal Warpanther in the battle zone. Then I break one of your shields with Rikabu's Screwdriver!"
A wave of energy came out of his cards and broke Roger's middle shield to pieces. He stood still as a statue while the shield shards went past him and then he reached his left hand in the air when the same shards began uniting themselves and turned into a card.
"Shield trigger, I cast Faerie Life." Roger said and a Mendelssohn landed in his mana zone tapped. "And now I guess it is my turn, no? Very well, I charge mana and summon Beethoven, Zenith of "Horror"!"
All of a sudden, a giant blue armored dragon wielding a sharp golden spear shield in its left hand and a golden shield shaped after the sol key in its right hand. The dragon looked upon the whole arena of amazed people with a bloodthirsty look on its face. The left hand of Roger that had his white glove with the Zero civilization mark shined with a bright silver aura.
"Ladies and gentlemen, meet Beethoven, my very own Victory card!" Roger introduced his Zenith to the crowd.
"It's huge…" the shocked Yanus uttered.
"When Beethoven is summoned, I may return three Dragons from my mana zone or graveyard into my hand, then I may put the top three cards of my deck into the mana zone, tap Beethoven and your creatures will have to attack him if they attack." the red haired pianist explained with a sudden maniacal grin on his face.
The cards of Mitsurugi Boost, Matchless Dragon Demon, Necrodragon Abayo Shabayo and Codeking Mozart all went from Roger's mana zone back into his hand and the top three cards of his deck which were Faerie Life, Cocco Lupia and Codeking Wilhelm all went into his mana zone. Afterwards the Zero civilization creature card tapped itself and he ended.
"I…I summon Disturbing Chuusa and… and end." the school boy barely spoke.
"And now it is time to mark the end!" Roger announced and then his left hand that was covered by the black, green and red glove shone with a bright purple aura as he placed Necrodragon Abayo Shabayo in his mana zone and all eleven cards tapped themselves. "I summon Codeking Mozart!"
In the next moment a giant horrifying looking black dragon dressed in a sharp black and golden armor with purple spears at its edges appeared behind Roger and shrieked so loudly that it shook the whole arena. The holograms of the poor boy's creatures were long gone and now he lied at the pianist's mercy.
"When Codeking Mozart is put in the battle zone, all creatures that are not Dragons are destroyed. Also, all of your Dragons, if you use any, will not be able to attack." Roger explained with a vile tone in his voice. "Now go, Beethoven, triple break his shields!"
A single attack from Roger's creature was enough to send a shockwave that not only did it break three of the boy's holographic shields, but it also caused him to fall and land on the cold metallic floor on his butt. The child was horrified with Roger's Dragons and fearing that he might be harmed by them, he got up and ran away, leaving his cards to be scattered on the floor.
"I give up! I give up!" Yanus cried and rushed down the contestant's entrance.
"And the winner is Roger Thornton!" Atsuto announced but this time the crowd did not cheer, for a good chunk of it had already left.
"Alright, the first round of the Duel Masters tournament ends here. Be sure to check in next week at the same hour, same day, same place, for the second round!" Yuu added. "But for now, this is Yuu the Passionate…"
"And Atsuto the Fabulous…"
"And we wish you good luck and more Victory to your duels!" both chanted in unison.
Thus the lights in the arena went off along with Roger's creatures. The people that remained on their seats got up and left, nobody daring to make eye contact with the gloomy pianist.
As the crowd was making its way out of the building, Leona walked out of it and hid in a darkened room waiting for Blane and his friends to appear so that she could chat with them. But then, just then, she felt a cold hand touch her shoulder. The girl jumped and turned around with her sharp nails ready for attack, but then she saw that the one behind her was Tabitha Lenox.
"Hey, I know you… You're that witch that caused the chosen duelists lots of problems." Leona said.
"My name is Tabitha Lenox, dear. And we two have a lot to talk." the witch replied grinning evilly.
Atsuto(sitting at a table licking his lollipop): I can't believe that we were forced to star in that ridiculous commercial!
Yuu(spinning a spoon in a glass of cocktail): It was either the commercial or no money.
Atsuto: I guess you're right. So what job do you have next?
Yuu: Let's see. (searches on his iPad) There's this old rich lady that wants to have some young boys to clean her up and change her diapers.
Atsuto: Eew, no thanks! (disgusted) I can't go that low!
Yuu(sighs): If only hosting tournaments brought us more money. I know, maybe there are some other tournaments that need hosting.
Atsuto: Actually, you know what? Maybe we should do what the chosen duelists did and save the world! Surely that's a better paid job.
Yuu(bursts out laughing): Boy Atsuto, you're such a joker, hahaha!
Atsuto(embarrassed): What? What's so funny? Tell me, Yuu!
[In the next chapter]:
Subaru and the Doctor finally find out Tabitha's hideout and the wandering samurai joins them on their trip. But the witch has prepared many deadly traps as she awaits their arrival. Will our heroes be able to survive and stop her devious plot?