Chapter 10: No Laughing Matter

(Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh whatsoever.)

Andre and Doug sat by Westin's side. The latter was still unconscious, struggling against the pain while even asleep. The dark room in Doug's home sheltered the three as Zoey was out for the night trying to find whomever had done this.

Andre shook his head. Why did I let her go alone? She could be in so much trouble. Knowing Zoey, that's very likely.

As if on cue, Zoey opened the door and stumbled into the room. Her clothes were covered in dirt and she had several small cuts and bruises.

Andre and Doug stood. "What happened?"

"The Hearts of Darkness. They are the ones to blame." Zoey answered. "Don't take the bridge on the East side of town, it's out at the moment."

"What do you mean?" Doug asked.

"I dueled a woman named Krystal. She said that the Hearts of Darkness were out to get those who have abused dueling." Zoey sat with a groan.

"And how did a duel cause this?" Andre looked her up and down.

"She used a Spirit."

"What?" both males looked shocked.

"Fossil Drake Tiamat, it's a very powerful card. I would have lost if it wasn't for the bridge collapsing." Zoey sighed. "I guess I'm very lucky."

"Well who do these people think they are?" Andre slammed his fist into the wall. "They hurt you and Westin. In fact, they had the nerve to use Flamvell Nidhogg on him. That's low."

"Calm down Andre." Doug touched his shoulder.

"No, this is it!" Andre broke away. "I'm sorry, but now I see what you mean't Zoey. I'm going to have a word with the authorities, something must be done."

"Andre wait." Zoey cried as he stormed from the room and slammed the door in his wake.

The night air ruffled Andre's hair as he sped down the Central Lane highway towards the Sector Security Main Headquarters. He passed several advertisements, one promoting Bolger and Companies Duel Runners. Another showed a beautiful photo of Misty Tredwell with a hotline underneath. Apparently, they were still looking for her attacker.

As he continued down the highway, Angela Rains appeared on one of the advertisement screens with a mug shot of a very injured, tanned man.

"This just in, a Mr. Devack was attacked yesterday at the New Domino City Zoo. Several primates were released due to the destruction of their holding cells. Mr. Devack's condition is identical to Misty Tredwell's and authorities believe that the two incidents are likely connected. If you have any leads, please contact the number below." Angela droned.

Andre sped past the screen. What's going on with this city? Goodwin goes missing and soon half the town has to follow suit. The Battleground Cup starts in a few days and now everything goes haywire. Where's Yusei when you need him?

Dawn was approaching as Andre neared the Sector Security Headquarters. The sun was barely visible over the horizon. Suddenly, a loud fissure shook the highway. Several cars stopped and collided as Andre had barely enough time to correct himself before slamming into a compacted, yellow car.

"What's going on?" it's driver stuck her head out the window.

It was Carly Carmine. Andre had seen her at a few events over the past few years. She was actively studying Jack Atlas and his lifestyle. However, she had disappeared for some time during the Dark Signers reign of terror.

"I don't know." Andre answered.

"What's that smoke coming from?" Carly's glasses flashed in the light as she pointed towards a large tower of smoke rising from the West side of town.

"It looks like something exploded. I'm gonna go check it out." Andre turned his Duel Runner around and sped away in the opposite direction.

"Well, nobody seems to wants to talk to me." Carly whined.

Andre reached the district to see a large, yellow balloon with a frowning face on the front gliding by in the early morning light. A small man held onto the balloon from underneath, he resembled that of a clown, wearing a crimson jacket with a black collar and gold trimming. The man leapt from the balloon onto the ground, the balloon floated away in the distance.

That's the vice-director, Lazar!

Andre gunned the Duel Runner and sped towards Lazar as he made his was from the grassy area he had landed.

"Hey, Lazar, wait!" Andre shouted.

The clown man caught a glimpse of the speeding runner and began to sprint in the other direction, dodging boulders and tufts of grass.

"Please, I have to talk to you." Andre gunned the motor even more, landing from his vantage point, cornering Lazar near a large boulder.

"What do you want?" Lazar asked.

"I want to know what's going on in this city." Andre threw off his helmet and stepped off the Duel Runner.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't play games with me." Andre grimaced.

Lazar began to laugh.

"Hey, this is no laughing matter!"

"You foolish boy. Even Yusei doesn't know what's in store for this city. I've had enough. I'm heading back to my wife and son. I suggest you stop meddling in affairs that don't concern you." Lazar said.

"It concerns me when my friends are being attacked." Andre spat.

"What? Placido hasn't ordered anything else." Lazar looked puzzled.

'Who's Placido? I'm talking about the Hearts of Darkness." Andre said.

"I have no idea who the Hearts of Darkness are?" Lazar truthfully answered. "They are probably just some vigilantes looking for trouble. Let the street beat cops deal with them."

"They aren't just vigilantes. They are using the Spirits."

"What?" Lazar asked, aghast.

"Yes, they've used those monsters again." Andre said. "And they are making the duel effects real."

"I once dueled someone who used a Spirit. Flamvell Nidhogg to be exact. That monster was something that has scarred me for life. I haven't dueled since." Lazar looked down.

"So, are you going to tell me what you know about them?" Andre continued.

"I told you kid, I don't know anything."

"They get ready to duel again. If I win, you tell me what you know. If you win, you can go ahead and get out of here." Andre offered.

"Fine with me, but this will be pointless, I'm telling you the truth." Lazar said, activating his duel disk.

"We'll see about that." Andre activated his as well.

"Duel!" the pair shouted in unison.

Andre 8000LP / Lazar 8000LP

"Since you cornered me into this, I'll make the first move." Lazar said as he drew. "I summon my Jester Masque in attack mode."

A woman dressed in tight, colorful clothing appeared. She was adorned in a mask which resembled a frowning face. (Atk: 0)

"I also set two cards face down and end my turn." Lazar cackled as two face down cards glowed to life at his feet. "Jester Masque gains 500 attack points for each Spell and Trap card on the field."

Jester Masque cackled with laughter as her points increased. (Atk: 1000)

"It's my move." Andre drew quickly. "I summon Luster Dragon!"

The sapphire dragon appeared with a roar. (Atk: 1900)

"Now, attack his Jester Masque!"

Luster Dragon reared back and unleashed an indigo beam of energy from it's maw.

"I activate my Trap card, Malevolent Catastrophe. When you attack, I can destroy all set Spell and Trap cards on the field." Lazar countered.

A wind picked up, blowing Lazar's other set card into the air before it shattered.

Jester Masque screamed as her attack points decreased. (Atk: 0)

"Another thing, my destroyed card was Dark Coffin, so I'm going to draw an extra cards from my deck." Lazar giggled as he drew.

The blast from Luster Dragon finally connected with Jester Masque, the she-monster screaming in pain before shattering into pixels.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but if there are no Spell or Trap cards on the field when Jester Masque is destroyed, you take the damage I would have." Lazar cackled.

A wave of pain connected with Andre and the Dragon-wielder kneeled in pain.

(Andre 6100)

"I place one card face down and end my turn." Andre breathed as he stood.

"Don't mind if I do." Lazar drew. "I place two cards face down and summon Jester Lord."

A jester appeared juggling fireballs. (Atk: 0) Two face down cards also appeared at Lazar's feet.

"Next, I activate Tribute to the Doomed, discarding my Jester Confit in order to destroy that pesky Luster Dragon." Lazar cackled as he slid the card into his graveyard.

Luster Dragon groaned in pain and shattered. Jester Lord's attack increased. (Atk: 3000)

"What's happening with your monster?" Andre asked.

"When he is the only monster on the field, Jester Lord gains 1000 attack points for every Spell and Trap card." Lazar answered.

"What? No!" Andre spat.

"Yes, now, Jester Lord, direct attack." Lazar pointed directly at Andre.

Jester Lord caught all three fireball he was juggling, and launched them at Andre. The teen screamed as he was seared by the heat.

(Andre 3100)

"Are you finished yet kid?" Lazar asked. "I've gotta get back to my family."

"Not until you give me the answers I'm after." Andre grunted.

"Fine." Lazar waved his hand. "One more turn is all I need."

"It'll take longer than one more turn to defeat me." Andre drew violently.

"Well well, I activate both of my face down cards." Lazar interrupted. "Discord and Late Penalty."

"What do they do?" Andre asked.

"Discord stops both of us from Synchro Summoning until it's third turn after activation. And Late Penalty doesn't allow you to attack the turn in which you don't posses a monster during your Standby Phase." Lazar informed him.

"Well, Synchro monster aren't the only dragons out there. I activate Future Fusion, sending five dragons from my deck to the graveyard." Andre discarded Petit Dragon, Vice Dragon, Dread Dragon, and two Masked Dragons from his deck to his graveyard.

"Well, you can't summon out F.G.D until two turns from now, so what good did that do?" Lazar leaned back, holding his sides with laughter.

"It did a lot of good. I activate Dragon's Mirror, removing those five dragons in my graveyard from play in order to Fusion Summon F.G.D." Andre interrupted.

Lazar's laughter ceased as the five dragons appeared and melded into one. The outcome was immense and awe-inspiring. The dragon was enormous, covering over half the duel field as it roared to life. It's wings spread wide. It possessed even more heads than Andre's other ace monster. Each head represented that of a different element: fire, water, light, dark, machine. (Atk: 5000)

"I learned a little something from Kisara Kaiba. Just because you can't Synchro Summon doesn't mean you can't win. She was an inspiration to me. I watched her during the Legacy of Champions. Despite her loss, she has grown into a true duelist, just as I have." Andre said.

Jester Lord's continued laughter also ceased as his attack points returned to it's original amount. (Atk: 0)

"Since you activated Late Penalty during my Main Phase, F.G.D can attack you still. Go, destroy Jester Lord."

F.G.D roared, shaking the very earth as much as the explosion from before. It swept forward and unleashed a searing stream of energy from each head. The five streams connected with Jester Lord at the same time, shattered the clown in seconds.

Lazar screamed in pain as he slammed into the large boulder behind him.

(Lazar 3000)

"It looks like this duel is back to even." Andre began to laugh as Lazar clenched his fists.

"It's my turn now, I draw." Lazar spat, drawing his card. "I set another card face down and end my turn." The reverse card appeared at his feet.

"That was pretty useless." Andre drew." I summon my Debris Dragon."

The petite Stardust Dragon appeared with a small roar. (Atk: 1000)

"Now, F.G.D., end this duel, attack him directly." Andre screamed.

The five heads unleashed their beams at the same time.

"I activate Imperial Manners. Whenever you attack me when I have no monsters on my field, all of your attack position monster are destroyed." Lazar cackled.

A beam of yellow energy tore from the Trap card, shattering Andre's two dragons.

"You'll pay for that." Andre gritted his teeth. "I guess it's your move." He glanced at his face down from the first turn. Let's end this!

"I draw." Lazar drew. "What luck is this? I'll teach you not to mess with me. I summon my second copy of Jester Lord."

The cackling Jester appeared with laughter. (Atk: 3000)

"Since you have no monsters, his attack points get that increase once more. Now, attack this boy." Lazar laughed.

Jester Lord stopped juggling once more and launched the orbs at Andre, the latter screaming as he fell to one knee once more.

(Andre 100)

"One more turn and it's all over." Lazar laughed. "Make your last move."

"I already did." Andre said as he stood.

"What are you talking about? You still have life points." Lazar spat.

"I know that. But you don't." Andre smiled.

"I have 3000 left! What trick is this?" Lazar screamed.

"No trick, but a trap. I activate my Trap card, Draconic Eruption!" Andre shouted. "When I have 1000 or less life points, I can remove a dragon-type monster in my graveyard from play and deal damage to you egual to it's attack points."

"What! This can't be. I had you beat." Lazar screamed.

"I remove F.G.D from play to deal 5000 points of direct damage to you." Andre said as he pocketed the card.

Lazar backed up as a ball of elemental energy formed in front of him.

"No, this is why I don't duel anymore!"

The orb slammed into him, slamming him into the boulder once more.

Andre 100LP / Lazar 0LP

Jester Lord and Lazar's Trap cards faded to nothing as Andre made his way over to the small man. Lazar was slowly pulling himself up before seeing Andre's outstretched hand.

"Here, need some help?"

Lazar slapped his hand away. "Stop being so nice! You're just like Yusei and his friends. He just saved my life you know. Someone else who I thought was my ally betrayed me and Yusei got me out of it."

He finally got to his feet.

"Was that the explosion I heard a little while ago?" Andre asked.

"Yes, that was. And I repayed him. But that was the last nice deed from me. I'm taking my family and getting out of here. Look kid, I understand that there are some dark deeds going on here, and I should step up and try to stop this, but I won't. I was deceived by Goodwin, and now by the others, Enough is enough. I don't know anything about the Hearts of Darkness, that's your problem. Just make sure to make this city safe, and when it is, I'll bring my family back."

With that, Lazar sprinted away, ducking behind a few boulders in the distance. Andre didn't stop him. Lazar was changing, not too long and he would be one of the good guys.

Thanks to my continued reviewers. That duel was short and went pretty fast, but I really did enjoy writing it. Andre is my favorite character in this and I hope to expand on him and his deck a little more in the near future.

Jester Masque

DARK/ Spellcaster/ Effect/ Level 4/ Atk: 0/ Def: 0

While this card is face up on the field, it gains 500 attack and defense points for each Spell and Trap card on the field. When there are no Spell or Trap cards on the field and this card is destroyed by battle, reduce the Battle Damage you would take to 0 and inflict that damage to your opponent.

(The above card was created by Digidramon, an amazing author despite some recent slander thrown his way. If you haven't already, please check him out.)

Imperial Manners

Normal Trap

Activate when your opponent declares an attack and you control no monsters. Destroy all attack position monster your opponent controls.

Late Penalty

Continuous Trap

If your opponent controls no monsters during their Standby Phase, they cannot conduct their Battle Phase this turn.

(The above two cards were used by Lazar against Crow in Yugioh 5Ds. Creative credit goes to it's writers.)

Draconic Eruption

Normal Trap

Activate only when you have 1000 life points or less. Remove one Dragon-type monster in your graveyard from play and inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's attack.

(The above card was created by me and all creative credit must go to me.)

Next time on Rise of Darkness: Doug stays behind to man the fort as Westin, Andre, and Zoey go to the Premier Event for the Battleground Cup to get their applications. However, when a mysterious duelist approaches him, he is forced into a duel in which his opponent knows the secrets of a certain aquatic Spirit.

Be sure to check out Chapter 11: Flash Flood