Yu-Gi-Oh: Sacred Darkness
First Defense of Dragons
The sky was covered in darkness, the only sources of light from above being the bright stars that littered the view. The night sky gave way to the street lights that illuminated the neighborhood, which contained houses that completely pitch black within, indicating the occupants taking their sleep. However, one house had a room with light still emanating from it, indicating its occupants' conscious state. Within that very room, Kaosu Cross sat at the desk that his bedroom held, indifferent expression on his face as wrappers of boosters laid around the desktop. Duel Monsters cards were placed in certain rows all over it, as he held a few cards in his hands, looking them over.
"Hmmmmm...that card could help her indeed. Yeah, it definitely helps out in a basic, starting deck, I think." Kaosu noted to himself as he placed a card onto a sizeable stack of them, then picked up another card. "Hmm, and let's go with that one as well. This trap is definitely needed for her. Oh...not really liking this card, but for a Dragon Deck, she may need it, so yeah, but wait...this card could do it better...she can't have both of them...hmmm...oh...that card will go better with my deck, better keep that one. Let's see, what else..."
"Geez, shouldn't you be getting some sleep already, Kaosu? You need it after all."
Kaosu didn't jump or react to the sudden sound of the voice, instead choosing to turn his head almost boredly to the right. His gaze was met with the sight of the Dark Magician Girl, her figure transparent as she floated beside him, an amused expression on her face. Over the past few days, he had surprisingly gotten acquainted to her presence for some reason. He always felt he should be more freaked out by this, but he wasn't. In fact, it was getting hard to tell his life without her. Still, he was still adjusting to replying to her out loud and not mentally in the presence of other people, lest he look like a complete loon or stupid as she was only visible to him.
"I'll be going to bed soon, Dark Magician Girl. I just need to finish up making this deck for Kisara. I promised I get a starting deck finished for her by tomorrow, and I intend on doing that. Though it's more difficult than I imagine..." Kasou noted with a sigh.
"Oh, why is that? I thought you were pretty good at Duel Monsters." DMG noted with surprise.
"I am by some people's standards, but even so, I have to build a specific deck for Kisara. A DRAGON DECK." Kaosu shook his head. "And Dragons aren't really my thing, so it's hard for me to really build a decent deck with something I'm not too familiar or cool with. Plus, there's the challenge of keeping it basic and simple for her. She's just beginning this game, and if I give her something too complicated, she'll never be able to use it right. She needs to start out with a base, and work from there. Though that's easier said than done..."
"Yet here you are, ready to sacrifice precious sleep in order to do it. Though just judging from the sizeable stack of cards there, you're almost finished." DMG noted, pointing to the seeming deck that was building up.
"Yeah, took me awhile, but I THINK I got something at the least for Kisara. It's nothing special, but it will get her off on the right track...I hope." Kaosu sighed before picking up a card and looking at it. "...Alright. THIS will be her trump card for now. Lucky enough to come across this in one of the boosters, and it's a Dragon, so it should work for now as her ace." Kaosu then placed the card on the deck and nodded. "Barring any last-minute changes that SHOULD do it."
"About time. For building a simple STARTER deck, I was beginning to think it would take you forever..." DMG giggled as she floated behind him.
"I am going to ignore that smart remark from you, DMG." Kaosu replied, slightly annoyed now.
He grabbed the deck of cards and gave a quick double-check to make sure everything was in order, which it was. Kaosu gave a big sigh of relief as he placed the deck down, ready to be handed to Kisara. He then grabbed some cards on the right and looked them over as well, seemingly intrigued with them. DMG, herself intrigued, looked over Kaosu's shoulder and at the cards he was holding, blinking twice.
"Oh, so you actually got yourself a few new cards for your deck, Kaosu?" DMG questioned.
"You didn't think I would buy and trade all these cards and not want a few for myself?" Kaosu said, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course not, but then again, you seemed so focused on the starter deck, I wouldn't put it past you forgetting about them." DMG grinned warmly.
Kaosu rolled his eyes at DMG before looking at the cards again. "Well the duel with that prick, Mason, opened my eyes. In the end, my cards got me through, but at the same time, it showed me it was slightly out-of-date. My deck hasn't been used in a year or so, and new cards are around, popular as ever. And if I don't update my deck, I'm going to pay the price for it. Mason used a few cards that I could use, so I'm adding them to my deck, as well as a few good cards that I came across while building the deck for Kisara."
"Yeah, I can understand that. Times are always changing, the card game through which we Duel Monsters connect to this world through is always moving, always adding more to it. Without constant adaptation, you're going to get left behind by everybody, and we can't have that. Though I also can tell this is for the tournament...the one in a few weeks that Pegasus invited you too." DMG said with a calm look, staring as Kaosu as she did who stared back.
"...That tourney's going to have the best of the best in America showing up, and I can't afford for my deck to not be able to match up to them." Kaosu stated softly, searching through the cards. "I can't lose, DMG...at least not until I do a certain thing in that event. Until then...I HAVE to win, and I'll be prepared as best I can for it."
"Why IS winning this tourney so important to you?" DMG questioned, genuinely curious but also slightly worried about what Kaosu may be feeling. "This seems so...personal to you. What is it about this tourney that has you like this?"
Kaosu did not turn to reply to her, instead choosing to go with silence as he made some last-minute decisions on which cards he would be using. Once it became clear that he would not respond, DMG simply sighed and sat (at least LOOKING like she sat) on the desk next to Kaosu's position and looked at him with a pout.
"Fine, don't tell me. But you are always so full of secrets." She pouted at him.
"Yeah, I get that a lot from people who know me." Kaosu replied with a straight face, though the outlines of a smirk could be seen by DMG. "I have my reasons. Besides, I like the secrets I keep. Makes me feel better and safer in the long run."
"Well keep your secrets for now, but soon enough, I'm going to find out. After all, we are partners now, and we help each other as best we can." DMG grinned, and Kaosu only shook his head. "So until you let me know what this tourney is to you, how about, for once in the night...GO GET SOME SLEEP. Seriously, you are starting to look like you need it badly."
"Fine, fine, fine DMG. No need to be my mother." Kaosu groaned, holding his hands up defensively. "I was finishing up with the set-up of the decks anyway."
DMG smiled as Kaosu pushed himself out of his seat and made his way to the bed. "Very good to hear, Kaosu. I really want you to be fully rested so you can be at your best. I'll see you in the morning. Good night, Kaosu."
Kaosu stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the warm smile of DMG that he was beginning to grow fond of, as it always soothed him for some reason. After a few moments of simply staring at her with a calm expression - he REALLY hoped it didn't look or feel awkward with her - he nodded back at DMG, and reached out to the light switch as she began to fade away.
"Good night, Dark Magician Girl..." He said softly before flipping the switch to the lights off, enveloping the room in darkness.
The Next Day...
"Here you go, Kisara...one Dragon Deck for you to use." Kaosu stated as he handed the white-haired girl the deck he had built.
The school day had finally come to an end, and Kaosu had elected that he, Kisara, and Sam would meet up in a street not too far off from the school. He couldn't give the deck to her before or during school because he knew Ms. Wilson would find it off of Kisara and confiscate it. Ms. Wilson could be very thorough when she wanted to be, and took awhile for her students to learn to hide things from her effectively, so it was safer for her to get her cards afterwards. Kisara stared at the deck in her hand with a sense of awe and wonder, looking them over as Kaosu stood in front of her with his usual indifferent expression, hands stuffed in his pockets, all while Sam watched with an intrigued expression on his face as he leaned against a wall.
"...My Dragon Deck...my very own Duel Monsters Dragon Deck..." Kisara softly said before she slowly looked up at Kaosu...and nodded. "Thank you, Kaosu...I can't tell you how happy I am with this." Kisara smiled at him.
"Well, it was a pain in the ass to build, I won't lie." Kaosu shrugged. "Dragons aren't my forte, but I guess it was the least I could do. You weren't going to be able to build a deck right now, soooo...yeah."
"Well again...thank you." Kisara giggled as she looked over what cards she had in her new deck.
"Hey, Kaosu...tell me, is that deck you made her any good?" Sam blinked twice as he watched what was going on.
"The deck she's got was one that I made as basic and simple as I felt was needed." Kaosu replied as he crossed his arms over his chest, Kisara looking over a card front and back as he did so. "She was never going to be able to use a more complicated, and advanced deck, so I built a 'starter' for her, you could say."
"Yeah, I get that, no problem, makes complete sense...but is it ANY GOOD?" Sam emphasized as he narrowed his eyes.
"Well...as I said, Dragons aren't my thing...but I built it as best as I could with the limits I set. It's all up to her and how she uses it, and I can't teach that. That's all on her." Kaosu noted, which caused Kisara to look at him from her card looking with a surprise in her eyes. Meanwhile, Sam mulled on this against the wall.
"Hmmmmmm...I see... Well...how about we teach her that the old-fashioned way?" Sam said as he got off the wall with a smirk. "...With me and her, in a duel right now!"
Kaosu turned to Sam with a surprised look on his face, while Kisara just looked at Sam with wide eyes, an expression of shock having come across her. His grin however never left him despite these reactions, and Kisara gulped a bit as she tried to process that information...
"...Y-You...d-duel me...right now?" Kisara asked slowly.
"Yeah, of course! What else could I possibly mean?! What do you say?" Sam asked with that usual grin of his.
"...Sam...what are you THINKING?" Kaosu asked, almost scolding. "She JUST got her deck, and you are challenging her to a duel here and now off the bat?! She may understand the concepts of the game, but understanding the concepts and knowing how to duel are two ENTIRELY different things, and she doesn't know the latter just yet! Are you really trying to throw her into this so quickly?!"
"Kaosu, you're my pal...but don't protect her so much." Sam asked, a retort with resolve that Kaosu wasn't expecting. "She may not how to duel much, but the only way she'll get to learn how to duel is through experience. She can't get that by constantly watching you, she has to duel some time. And hey...better me be her first opponent than some douchebag that'll likely break her and her spirit with pure destruction." Kaosu was about to open his mouth again, but Sam cut him off. "And before you say what I know you'll say, YOU are way too much to be her first opponent, man. I've seen the plays you pull off, I don't know if you'll be able to go easy on her knowing how you play! At least with me, she'll be able to handle it. I'm realistic about my skills right now, after all..." Sam gave a hearty laugh before turning dead serious. "Come on, Kaosu...let this be a teacher for her."
"...I just don't want her being thrown into too much too soon." Kaosu stated with a conflicted look. "I mean, I've seen duelists that-"
"Kaosu..." Kisara spoke up, catching his attention. "...Let me duel him. I'll be fine."
Kaosu was surprised at Kisara accepting the duel as she did, and even moreso at her look of determination. "...Are you sure, Kisara?'
"Yes...I am. Sam's right, I won't be able to get better without going through a few duels, and I can't just avoid them forever if I want to get to the point I want to get to. And besides...if anyone's going to be my first duel..." Kisara smiled at Sam. "...I'm glad it'll be a friend like Sam."
Sam was surprised by the admission by Kisara, and even gave an embarrassed chuckled a small "Thanks" at those words. Kaosu just sighed, but gave in, knowing that he was overruled in this situation. He began rummaging through his bag and eventually pulled out his Duel Disk, which caught the attention of Sam and Kisara.
"...Well if you two are going to duel, then YOU are going to need a Duel Disk, Kisara. I'll put it on for you..." Kaosu stated as he held her arm and slipped and latch the Duel Disk onto her arm carefully before slipping her deck into the deck slot...all while Kisara just smiled.
"Thank you for lending me your Duel Disk, Kaosu. Don't worry, I'll be just fine. Who knows? Perhaps something good will happen in this duel." Kisara stated.
"Yeah, yeah, just get into position on your side of this duel. Same goes for you, Sam...and go easy on her, will you?" Kaosu questioned with a knowing look in his eyes.
Sam chuckled as he simply gave him a salute and went over to his position as Kisara nodded and went over to her side as well. Kaosu simply went off and stood on the sidelines, hands in pocket as he awaited the start of the duel, silently hoping everything would be alright under his indifferent mask. Soon, Kisara and Sam had reached their positions, and Sam grinned at her.
"Alright, Kisara you ready for your first duel? Could be a ride, you know." Sam told her as he activated his Duel Disk.
"...Yeah, I'm ready." Kisara nodded, though with a bit of nervousness in her tone as she activated her own Duel Disk. "I want to get better, no matter what. So come at me, Sam..."
"Alright then..." Sam said as he drew five cards and so did Kisara.
"LET'S DUEL!" Sam shouted.
Duel: Kisara Stevens vs Sam Kazui
Kisara's LP: 4000
"Ladies first, Kisara." Sam stated as he held a hand out with a bow to her.
"Thanks, Sam. Alright, I draw a card..." Kisara said to herself as she did that and looked over her hand. "Ummmm...okay, let's see...which ooonnneee...um...I think I'll summon...The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave (ATK: 1300). And...I'll end my turn."
Kisara placed the card on her Duel Disk, and on the field came a huge dark green dragon that seemed to have dwelled in caves appeared on the field. It laid on its stomach as its red eyes bored onto Sam as he snouted smoke from its nostrils. Kisara seemed confident in her move...until she saw Sam with a quite surprised look on her face, and then saw Kaosu with a shake of his head.
"Uh...did I do something wrong?" Kisara asked innocently.
"...Kisara...that's...not exactly a monster made for attacking." Sam said as he scratched his head. "In fact, it's more for defending. Hell, it's got high defense points for such a thing."
"But you placed it in Attack Mode rather than Defense Mode, and you left it wide open as you didn't place any facedowns to protect it. So yeah...I guess you could classify it as wrong." Kaosu added with a sigh.
"Oh...I'm sorry. It...didn't occur to me to do any of that. I just...played it." Kisara said as she looked down embarrassed.
"It's fine...just...learn from that, okay? Nothing that can be done about it now." Kaosu closed his eyes.
"Wow, that was a mistake if I've ever seen one..." DMG spoke as the Duel Spirit appeared next to Kaosu. "Leaving herself open to attack with such a monster."
"Yeah, rookie mistake, and this is what I was afraid of." Kaosu replied mentally, now used to DMG appearing out of nowhere like that. "As I said, she may know the concepts, but how to play the cards is still lost on her. She'll have the cards, but what to do with them is what she isn't sure of. This is supposed to be a learning experience for her...but it's not going to be a pleasant ride, that much I am sure of."
"Yes, it's obvious that the girl is going to make a few mistakes here and there. Poor girl's going to have a tough time..." DMG noted as she watched on.
"Well, Kisara, as much as I want you to learn, I also got to play how I play so you CAN learn. So it's my move." Sam stated as he drew a card. "I place a monster facedown in Defense Mode, and end my turn."
The placed cards appeared on the field facedown as holograms, and while Kisara didn't seem too fazed by what he did (likely from her lack of experience and realizing what was wrong with it), Kaosu seemed surprised his actions.
"That's strange...he could have attacked considering how weak her monster was and with no difficulties, but instead chose to play defense. That's not a conventional move." Kaosu stated mentally with wonder.
"You're his friend...don't you know his playing style and deck?" DMG asked.
"Actually, I don't. The only duel I know he was in ended before I could even see a second of it. So all of that is completely unknown. So this might be part of his style, I don't know." Kaosu answered.
"Well, the girl doesn't seem to know better, she's too new to this sort of situation. And I think we're about to find out that style right now." DMG proclaimed as she looked at Kisara.
"Okay...my turn, I think." Kisara said as she drew a card. "Okay, let's see...you have a monster in Defense... So I'll attack with The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave! Attack his facedown!"
Kaosu's eyes widened at the reckless and obviously rookie attack. "Kisara, wait...!"
But it was too late as the dragon snorted through its nostrils as it opened its moutn and fired a stream of fire at the facedown card before breathing fire down at the card, engulfing it. Kisara smiled happily at what her dragon was able to do, but it soon turned to shock as she saw that the fire was somehow being deflected...by a medium-sized shield.
"What...what's going on?" Kisara asked in surprise. "Why isn't your monster being destroyed?"
"Simple...because the monster you attacked was Mid Shield Gardna (DEF: 1800)!" Sam proclaimed. "And he's more than strong enough to defend against your dragon!"
Indeed, a man with long brown hair, and a green headband over his forehead which covered his eyes and a green short-sleeved shirt holding back the flames with a green, blue, and yellow shield on his forearms. The dragon blew its flames with all its might, but the man held strong and suddenly dispersed the flames with a great push of his shield, remaining fully intact.
"Mid Shield Gardna's Defense Points were much higher than your Dragon's attacks point, so it was able to withstand the assault! And because of that, you also lose a portion of your Life Points... Sorry Kisara, but you really shouldn't have attacked like that..." Sam stated with a sad tone.
Kisara's LP: 3500
Kisara seemed taken back by this sudden development, as if not anticipating that his defensive monster would be so strong, and began looking through her hand to try and figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, Kaosu and DMG just watched her, and Kaosu just sighed.
"Another rookie mistake...attacking with no plan in mind. Kisara really is green when it comes to Dueling." Kaosu stated mentally.
"I guess it's true that you can have knowledge about certain things, but unless you know how to apply them and are experienced with it, that knowledge might as well be useless." DMG noted with a sad look in her eye. "She's trying so hard, but she seems so confused... Kaosu, say something. Can't just leave her like that..."
"Right...Kisara deserves more than that." Kaosu nodded before speaking out loud. "Kisara...don't leave yourself open like last turn. Don't let this be how your turn ends...make sure your protected."
"Huh? What?" Kisara suddenly spoke up from her slight panicking, surprised by Kaosu's sudden input, before slowly calming down and taking it in. She then looked at her hand. "Ummmm...well...I think...uh...I'll place...THIS card facedown... And end my turn..."
Kisara's card appeared on the field, and Kaosu nodded in approval of that move, but also noted the nervousness when she played the card. Meanwhile, Sam was ready to make his next move.
"Alright, my turn!" Sam stated as he drew his card. "Okay...I think I'll take it easy since it's you, Kisara, and place one card facedown on the field and end my turn. Your move, Kisara."
Sam's card appeared on the field, and even Kisara seemed a bit confused by the move. Even with her rookie mistakes, she seemed to expect a bit more from Sam. And Kaosu...well, he was perplexed.
"This time just a facedown...not even another monster summoned. I've never seen this sort of dueling style before...what's Sam up to?" Kaosu questioned.
"Okay...I draw." Kisara stated as she did just that, and then her eyes widened upon seeing what it is.
"This monster...it's got a high attack point total. It could destroy his monster, and give me an opening...but I feel like I could do more. But what can I do? Wait..." Kisara thought as she looked at her hand more closely. "That card... Now that I fully notice the card, I think I could use it! Yes...yes, if I play these two cards together, I'll have a monster that could possibly break through any future defense of his. Will it? Well...worth a shot."
"Alright...I summon Luster Dragon (ATK: 1900) in Attack Mode!" Kisara proclaimed.
A meaning, hard-skinned blue dragon covered in sapphire with very sharp teeth, bright yellow eyes, and strong thick wings appeared beside the Dragon already on the field, staring down Mid Shield Garnda on the field. However, that wasn't ALL that Kisara had in mind for this turn.
"And now...I shall equip Luster Dragon with Dragon's Treasure! According to this Spell Card, by equipping it to a Dragon-Type monster, that Dragon will gain 300 Atacck Points, and I'm going to give those points to my Luster Dragon!" Kisara proclaimed.
Luster Dragon felt the power surge through him as the image of the Dragon's Treasure appeared before it until it was absorbed into it and gave a loud roar as his power increased. Luster Dragon (ATK: 1900 + 300 = 2200)
"And with this, this makes Luster Dragon strong enough to take out any monster you put in front of it!" Kisara stated.
"Not bad, Kisara...not bad. Nice way to prepare for any monster after this..." Kaosu nodded.
"Luster Dragon, attack! Destroy his Mid Shield Gardna!" Kisara ordered as her dragon charged at the Gardna.
"...That was definitely a good move, Kisara, but I can't let you do that! Because you forget, I got a facedown on the field! I activate my Trap Card, D2 Shield!" Sam proclaimed, activating that card.
"Trap card?!" Kisara exclaimed in shock.
"Yep, and with this card, I can take one face-up Defense Position monster on my side of the field, and DOUBLE its original Defense Points. And guess which monster that'll happen to be this time around? Yeah, it's my Mid Shield Gardna! So take the double-up, buddy!" Sam shouted.
Mid Shield Gardna's began to glow, and suddenly its shield began to grow larger and larger as his power grew and the dragon came closer. Mid Shield Gardna (DEF: 1800 x 2 = 3600) when the dragon came in for a final lunge, it crashed SMACKED DAB into the now large shield, creating a small shockwave from hard it was, and after a bit of a struggle, Mid Shield Gardna pushed the dragon back into its original position. Kisara seemed damn-near floored at what just happened, barely registering the drop in life points she had.
Kisara's LP: 2100
"SAM!" Kaosu suddenly shouted, catching Sam's attention unexpectedly. "I TOLD you to take it easy on her! What was THAT?! You damn near took out a giant chunk of her Life Points and left her shellshocked right on her feet! What are you thinking?! She's still a rookie, and this sort of thing isn't helping ma-"
"Kaosu...I AM taking it easy on her..." Sam spoke out of nowhere, nothing but honesty in his tone. Kaosu was shocked by both his words AND his tone. "...Yeah, maybe the last move WAS a bit much for her, but I could've done more with what I got in my hand. I am going easy on her, but I'm not just gonna let her do whatever. She needs to learn, and the only way she'll learn...is if she goes through a bit of struggle. You know that, Kaosu...so don't baby her...trust me, man."
"...Dammit...you better not pull a stunt like that AGAIN, Sam." Kaosu gritted his teeth, simply conceding to Sam for now as he continued to watch.
"...Defense." DMG spoke up as she appeared, taking Kaosu a bit by surprise in his frustrated state. "That's his dueling style. He runs on defense and dealing damage from that defense. The fact that he hasn't attacked and all done things from Defense Mode proves that."
"Yeah, it's obvious he goes by the mantra 'A strong offense is a good defense.'" Kaosu replied mentally. "He lures opponents into attack, and lets the Defense Points do the damage, with his traps and spells making sure that happens. An unconventional way of dueling, but one that works if done right. I'm trusting Sam to do this teaching duel right...but I hope Kisara can find a way to handle this right."
"Alright...seems that it for you, Kisara, so it's my turn!" Sam stated as he drew a card. "I set a Monster facedown in Defense Mode, and then place one card facedown on the field. Your move, Kisara..."
However, Kisara still seemed a bit shellshocked at the heavy hit in Life Points she took as well as how easily she was countered. That wasn't something she was used to, and it really took a chunk out of her confidence levels. Kaosu noticed how long it took for her to regain herself and spoke up in order to snap her out of it.
"Kisara! Calm down!" Kaosu stated, suddenly catching her attention. "Look...I know you took a big hit, and that wasn't something you were expecting...but the duel isn't over yet. You can still do something, and that's what matters, right? So get a hold of yourself, learn from this, and make your move. It's not the end...not yet."
Kisara listened to the advice of Kaosu closely, closing her eyes as she did so, and they slowly soothed her. "He's right...Kaosu's right. I can't let this keep me down. I NEED to get better, and if I have to go through this, then so be it...but I won't be a weak duelist. I got to do something this turn...I know I have to."
"Alright, Kaosu...I understand. I'll make sure this turn counts, I promise that. My move!" Kisara exclaimed as she drew her card, and she froze upon seeing the card.
"...Shield and Sword! This card...if I remember correctly, this card is very powerful with its effect, and considering the position and points of his monster...yes, I could use this! ...But wait...there's got to be MORE I can do with this...I'll just get rid of his monster, that's all. And knowing how Sam's been in this duel, that just won't work. What else can I do? There's got to be someth-" Kisara's train of thought stopped for a moment as her eyes laid on her facedown. "My facedown card! I forgot I placed that there a few turns ago! I did it just to follow Kaosu's instructions, but...if I can remember correctly then it..." Kisara's eyes widened as she FINALLY recalled what the card did, and then began looking through her hand, and saw a PARTICULAR card in her hand. She then began alternating between looking at the three cards over and over. "This...this could ACTUALLY work. It just might..."
As she looked at her particular cards, Sam just blinked twice from his position in the duel, a bit bewildered by Kisara's behavior and constant look-switching at cards as if her head was on rotation. Even Kaosu raised an eyebrow at Kisara, wondering what she could possibly be thinking. Eventually, when Kisara wasn't showing any signs of stopping, Sam eventually spoke up.
"Ummmm...Kisara...it's...your move..." Sam pointed out, bewilderment obviously in his tone.
This broke Kisara out of her loop and back to reality, and when she realized what was going on...she smiled. "Yeah, it's my move...and I'm about to do something you won't see coming. I may be new to Duel Monsters, and I may make rookie mistakes, I may not know everything...but I'll get better! I'll show everybody that I can be a good duelist! And it starts here with this... In order to summon this monster, I'm going to sacrifice The Dragon Dwelling in the Cave and Luster Dragon!" The two dragons gave roars before they were shattered to pieces. "And with them sacrificed, I now summon...Hyozanryu (ATK: 2100)!"
A bright light engulfed the area as a giant diamond began to come up from the ground and stood over everyone, and after a few moments, it began to crack over. It then shattered into pieces as something emerged from it in glorious fashion. It was a dragon that seemed made out of pure diamond, its body sparkling with blinding light, a beautiful as an orange streak went up its belly and neck. It had a yellow diamond horn as its nose, and even two horns on its head made of the very same gems, as well as claws on its head. It stared down Sam and his monster as it stood tall over all of them all, and Sam looked on in wonder.
"...Wow...I got to admit...that's a pretty cool monster, I won't lie. Damn, Kaosu got you one hell of a card..." Sam admitted.
"As pretty as the monster is..." DMG began as she popped up beside Kaosu. "It only has 2100 attack points, and it was weaker than Luster Dragon when it was equipped with Dragon's Treasure. So why would Kisara do this? ...Unless she has something in mind..." Kaosu said nothing, but he obviously had the same thought process.
"...Okay, enough eyeing that monster. It's cool and impressive, I won't lie, Kisara, but it still can't get past my Mid Shield Gardna thanks to D2 Shield! Don't know how it's going to help you..." Sam told her.
"Oh, it's about to help in more ways than one, and you're about to find out why." Kisara smiled. "I activate the Spell, Shield and Sword!"
"WHAT?! ...Oh crap!" Sam cursed.
"According to the power of this card, when activated, Shield and Sword will switch the Attack and Defense Points of every face-up monster on the field for the rest of the turn!" Kisara explained. "And you know what that means..."
The power of Shield and Sword began to take effect as static appeared around both the Gardna and Hyozanryu, the switching happening before them. As it did, Gardna's shield slowly shrunk until it was as small as it possibly could be on his arm and his body sagged in its defensive position. Mid Shield Gardna (DEF: 100) And as that happened, Hyozanryu began glowing a bright light, the sparkling from its diamond becoming even more bright as a result as it gave a great roar. Hyozanryu (ATK: 2800)
"My Gardna's crappy attack strength becomes its defense power, while Hyozanryu becomes even more powerful thanks to that effect. There goes my powerful defense..." Sam stated.
"And that's not at all!" Kisara smiled once more.
"Not all?!" Sam questioned.
"Yeah, because I just remember what my facedown card can do! I was unable to use it because I was so caught up in everything, but I think I got it now! I activate my Trap Card, Dragon's Rage!"
"Ah CRAP..." Sam stated.
"That's it!" Kaosu mentally proclaimed as he watched the duel with intrigue.
"With this Trap Card in effect, now anytime a Dragon of mine attacks and destroys a defense position monster of yours, the difference will come out of your life points!" Kisara stated, joy starting to become evident in her voice. "And thanks to Shield and Sword, that card effect can now be used to its full advantage!"
"Oh, I am not going to enjoy this next attack..." Sam noted as he waited for the inevitable.
"Hyozanryu, attack! Destroy his Mid Shield Gardna with Diamond Horn Strike!" Sam ordered.
At her order, Hyozanryu's horn began to glow brighter as its eye began to burn red as rage began to take it over due to the Trap Card's effect. As the horn glow as bright as it possibly could, Hyozanryu gave a giant angry roar as it charged toward the Gardna, and when it got close, it pierced its horn with a big blast right through the Mid Shield Gardna, destroying it into tiny glass pieces. Sam held his arm to brace himself as the explosion happened, and his Life Points took a MAJOR hit.
Sam's LP: 1300
"...It worked...It...worked..." Kisara blinked a few times, taking what happened in...then smiled the biggest smile possible, joy now overwhelming her usually quiet and soft self. "IT WORKED! I actually managed to pull it off! Oh, I was so hoping it would work out! I actually did something right! I thinking I'm starting to get the hang of this now!"
"That was a pretty good move by her, considering she's a rookie...she used Sam's own dueling style and had it work against him to cause some major damage." DMG noted with a smile on her face. "I got to say, I'm impressed."
"Yeah, that was good thinking on the spot for her. She may be a rookie, and she's bound to make amateur mistakes...but a move like that proves to me...that she's got potential. She just needs to harness it." Kaosu stated.
"Dang...I did NOT see that coming at all. You REALLY got me there, Kisara. Man, I lost nearly 3000 points in one shot. But I ain't done yet here." Sam stated as he drew his card and looked at it. "Kisara...you did well. You did really well, you certainly learned a few tricks...but it's time to end this duel."
"Huh?" Kisara asked innocently. "What do you mean?"
"What I mean is that the teaching duel is about to end, and I'm sorry for what I'm going to do next..." Sam sighed. "First off, I sacrifirce my facedown monster..." the card shattered into pieces. "...in order to summon my favorite, Total Defense Shogun (DEF: 2500)!"
Soon enough, a large man with metal armor all over his naked body especially the shoulder guards appeared on the field. His flowing red cape swung with the wind as he stood on the field, two giant swords sheathed and strapped to his back as if just extra insurance should he ever need them. His third sword was in his right hand, held up easily while a giant shield was held in his left hand, ready to defend against whatever came at him.
"I remember that card...that card was the one that I got back for him when he lost it to Jack. And if that card is Sam's ace card...then I think things may be over soon for Kisara." Kaosu noted mentally.
"And now I activate my facedown card, Rush Recklessly! And with this Spell Card, my Total Defense Shogun gains an additional 700 Attack Points until the end of the turn." Sam proclaimed, watching as Total Defense Shogun had a red aura envelop him, increasing his strength. Total Defense Shogun (ATK: 1550 + 700 = 2250)
"Huh? But why do that? It's in Defense Mode, so it's Attack Points don't mean much right now." Kisara stated in a curious manner.
"But see, that's the power of Total Defense Shogun, and why defense is the way to go! See, his Special Ability is unique, because it allows him to attack even when he's in a defensive position!" Sam stated.
"Wait, so that means he can attack even if he's in Defense Mode?!" Kisara questioned.
"Yeah, and now I play the Spell, Double Attack!" Sam said as he placed the card in the Disk. "This card is very nifty, because with it, I discard one Monster in my hand, and I can choose a Monster on the field that has a Level lower than it and it can attack twice. So I'll discard Stone Dragon from my hand, which is Level 7, and apply my card's effect to Total Defense Shogun, who is Level 6!"
"Oh no...that means that Total Defense Shogun can not only attack Hyozanryu, but also me as well!" Kisara exclaimed with wide eyes.
"Exactly. You did well, Kisara, better than I think we thought you would in the end, but I got to end this! Total Defense Shogun, slice her dragon down to size!" Sam exclaimed.
The Total Defense Shogun readied itself as he heard his duelist's command before charging right at the dragon with a might roar. Hyozanryu just roared in response and charged toward the Shogun itself and thrust its horn at the warrior. Total Defense Shogun however raised his shield, and blocked the diamond horn of the dragon, knocking it back before he swung his blade as hard as he could, slashing Hyozanryu into two before it shattered into piece. Kisara shielded herself as her Life Points went down.
Kisara's LP: 1950
"And now, Total Defense Shogun, end this duel! Attack one more time, and this time, attack her Life Points directly!" Sam ordered.
A bright aura glowed around Total Defense Shogun briefly before it allowed him to charge once more, this time at Kisara. The warrior held up his blade as it glowed brightly with energy before swinging it down at Kisara, striking her and engulfing her in the energy. Kisara slightly cried out before falling onto her back as the rest of her Life Points dropped down to zero.
Kisara's LP: 0
Winner: Sam Kazui
"...She did good." DMG noted to Kaosu as they watched the end of the duel. "Yeah, she may have lost in the end in decisive fashion...but she did good. And I think that's what matters most right now."
"Yeah, she showed me one thing...she CAN be a great duelist. She showed flashes of brilliance...she just needs time to become that great duelist. And me and Sam...we'll help her get to that point, if she's willing to put in the time and the effort." Kaosu replied.
"Watching her grow is going to be so interesting." DMG giggled. "These next few weeks are sure going to be interesting on so many levels..."
"Tell me about it." Kaosu replied as DMG's presence disappeared.
Kisara still lied on the ground with her eyes still closed, the realization coming that she had lost her first duel. A wave of disappointment hit her as she really hoped to do more in the duel, and she felt she really failed in what she set out to do. Suddenly, she felt somebody standing over her, and opened her eyes to see Sam standing over her with a smile on his face and a hand held out to her.
"Hey...need a hand?" Sam asked with a grin.
Kisara blinked twice at seeing this sight, but after a few moments, she offered a small smile in return for the help as she grabbed his hand. Sam then pulled her up to her feet with ease considering her light weight. Kisara almost stumbled at how easily she was pulled up, but managed to keep her balance.
"Man, Kisara, I got to admit, you really got me there." Sam said with a chuckle as he placed his hands behind head.
"What do you mean? I got beat so decisively just now, and I made so many mistakes during the duel..." Kisara said sadly as she looked down.
"Well, yeah, but you didn't let that keep you down, and look what you managed to do. I mean, powering up Luster Dragon to try and take down future defenses was good, and what about your LAST move?! I mean, dang, you took out a GIANT chunk of my Life Points! Hell, I think you took out nearly three-fourths of it! That move was pretty damn good, can't remember the last time someone used my defense against me! Haha, I got to say, that was some smart playing right there!" Sam laughed.
Kisara looked up at Sam with surprise in her eyes. "Really? You really liked my last move that much?"
"Of course I did! How can I not when the whole purpose of the duel was to help you learn?! And man, did you pick up stuff quick! Yeah, you got a few kinks to work out, but you definitely got something to ya! I can feel it!" Sam grinned.
"Wow...thanks Sam...I don't know what to say..." Kisara said softly.
"Then don't say anything, you don't need to." Kaosu said as he walked up to the two. "This duel was to give you your first experience as a Duelist, and it did just that. I won't lie, you are VERY green, you've got a lot of problems to work out..." Kisara held her head down sadly...until Kaosu placed his hand on her shoulder. "...but you're on the right path, Kisara."
"...Thanks, Kaosu. That means a lot to me. I'll be honest, as much as I wanted to try this out, I was a little...nervous...about if I would enjoy this..." Kisara admitted as she looked at them. "I was afraid that I wouldn't like it at all when I finally got to playing it. But...despite losing, and all my mistakes...I think I had fun just now." Kisara smiled warmly. "I think I'm going to enjoy Duel Monsters quite a bit."
"That's good to hear, Kisara. Good to hear... Me and Sam will make sure that you get all the help you get in order to improve your skills. Though you'll have to deal with my time being limited as I got to spend a portion of my time training and planning." Kaosu informed Kisara.
"Oh right, the tournament! You got that in a few weeks!" Sam stated. "Hey, you gonna go into one of those isolation deals while being some mysterious dude so you can get stronger and stronger?"
"Shut up, Sam, and get your mind out of fantasy." Kaosu deadpanned, while Kisara just giggled at the antics before her. Kaosu looked up to the sky and sighed. The next few weeks were going to be busy and hectic for him. But that's the price he had to pay in order to do what he had to do...
Several Weeks Later...
The sun was shining brightly down on the airpot as it bustled busily within, people coming and go through the airport in order to get their destinations, whether they be in the city they were in, or whether they were about to leave for another. People came for their plane tickets, and were either waiting at the gates, or just getting off the planes. It was an always busy place as was to be expected, and sitting near one of the airport gates was one Kaosu Cross, leaning back in his seat with his bag next to him, legs crossed as he listened to some music through some headphones on an iPod.
"Another tragedy in the news... Someone shooting down the right to choose... It doesn't seem at all they chose the right way..." Kaosu quietly sang to himself, eyes closed as he drowned himself in his music as his hands were behind his head as he relaxed.
"Kaosu?" A voice spoke up a bit loud in order to get his attention.
Kaosu managed to hear the voice over his headphones and pulled them out as he turned his head. He was met with the vision of his mother, Lexa Cross, standing to the right of him with his sister, Kyuui Cross, holding hands with her as Lexa held some bags.
"The plane to San Francisco is finally here, and everyone's starting to board it. We should get on it ourselves right now as well, son, if we don't want to miss it." Lexa told her son.
"Yeah, man, we got to get going now, we didn't come here for nothing, you know." Kaosu turned to see a grinning Sam with a slightly smiling Kisara to his left, also holding their own bags, Sam slinging his over his shoulder. "I mean, you don't want to miss the tournament you're actually a part of, man. Now that's just rude. So why don't you get up and let's get going?"
"Fine, fine, give me a second. Trust me, I wasn't going to miss this flight one bit." Kaosu noted with a roll of his eyes before grabbing his own bag as he stood up.
"YAAAAYYY! Big brother is going down awesome in the tournament! I know he will!" Kyuui exclaimed, giving out the biggest smile she possibly could, which earned a chuckle from her older brother.
"What do you think's going to happen when we get there, Kaosu?" Kisara asked out of pure curiosity; she had never been a part of anything like this before.
"Honestly? I have no idea, Kisara." Kaosu stated with a shrug as he stood. "But knowing my luck so far...just about ANYTHING is likely to happen. And I'm ready for it, know that."
Kaosu looked at all the people that were now going with him as he was about to embark on this trip. Sam with his usual energetic grin, Kisara with her innocent but supportive expression, his mother with her usual motherly love and happiness for him, and Kyuui with the biggest and cutest smile you could ever see on a child. He then glanced to right beside him, where he saw Dark Magician Girl with her own smile towards him.
"I am right beside you through this, Kaosu. Every step of the way. So what are you waiting for?" DMG asked in a playful manner, and Kaosu just nodded before turning away.
"Let's go everybody. Time to say hell to San Francisco."
Kaosu then walked over to the gate entrance to the place while everyone else followed him, and all the while, a thought ran through his head.
"I'm going to get through whoever is put in my way, no matter who it is. I will face him, and I will get back what was taken from me. It's time to put it to rest."
A/N: Man, how long has it been since I last updated this? Long time, I know. I lost inspiration for this as I got into some of my other stories, so I'm very sorry. But I got inspiration for this again when I began watching the series again, and this has surprisingly become one of my most popular stories based on hits, favs, and alerts, so I thought I finally get this chapter done after so long. Don't expect speedy updates, I got college, and I can be a lazy guy, but I promise to get updates whenever possible. Hopefully, this chapter is worth the wait, I am sorry everyone, and I hope you enjoy the story being back. I am willing to take any ideas, suggestions, or even OCs for perhaps a future appearance or even duel, just PM me about it. Cookie for anyone who gets what the song Kaosu was singing to himself at the end. Make sure to review this chapter in the end because reviews are loved.
Kisara's first-ever duel ended in defeat, but her promise shown in the duel has showed that one day she could be a great duelist. And now, it is time to head to San Francisco for the American Duel Monster Championships. Will Kaosu be able to hang with the best the country has to offer? Will Kisara be able to reach her full potential as a duelist? And what is it that Kaosu seeks to reclaim? Find out on the next Yu-Gi-Oh!: Sacred Darkness.