Hyper Runners: Duel Legacy
All Character © Respective creators
Elemental Knights © TheBlackCrow2
Chapter Twelve: Rise of the Machine
Nearly a week had passed since the unusual combination of Marcus Kiva and Akira "Rev" Seta had faced the rogue duelist, Ignite. Since then, Crow had been discharged from the hospital in full health, Amy had been returned to its proper owner, and Yusei and Marcus had been working tirelessly. Akiza tried to drag information out of them, but the most she knew was that it was for the Ultimate Duel Tournament, which was tomorrow. Ruki, Namura, and Hikari were sitting under the dragon statue of Muto Park, once again without their obnoxious leader.
"Aw..." Ruki whined. "What is that idiot doing? It's been four days since we've seen him."
"And you're complaining?" Namura smiled lightly. "Personally, I find the momentary peace relaxing."
"What do you mean momentary." Hikari asked. The scarred duelist glanced to Ruki, who was watching the clouds. "Oh...now I get it."
"You would think he would have at least trusted us with what he's doing." Ruki moaned annoyingly. "I mean, we're his best friends. But that idiot just locks himself in the garage all day and night."
"Tomorrow is the Ultimate Duel Tournament." Hikari noted. "At the very least, we should get some practice in if we want to make it past the preliminary rounds with Marcus. Duelists from New Domino City and the neighboring cities will be coming to compete for the chance to win the prize. The best of the best will be there."
"And among them is Akira Seta." Namura said, grimacing at the thought. "If we go against him, we don't stand a chance."
"Don't say that." Ruki said encouragingly. "Like Hikari said, we just need to get a little practice in."
"Did someone say practice?"
The group looked to their right at the sound of the voice. And young and, in Hikari's opinion, very beautiful girl approached them with a gentle smile. She looked to be around their age with flowing platinum-gold hair, wearing a black skirt, black knee-length boots, a black corset as a shirt, and a black jacket – she was very dark. Namura saw her developing assets from beneath the corset and couldn't rest a small spurt of blood leaking from his nose. Ruki saw this too and muttered darkly under her breath – she was very small for her age.
"Did you guys say you needed some practice?" The girl asked.
"Uh...yeah." Hikari nodded absentmindedly.
"Then you must be participating in the tournament tomorrow." The girl smiled. "My name is Valerie and I'm entering as well. I thought maybe I could brush on my skills with some new opponents. Care to try your luck against me?"
"Sure." Hikari nodded, grabbing her male friend's arm. "Namura would like to try."
"Say what?!" Namura exclaimed.
The scarred duelist had no other choice. Since Hikari had already elected him, Namura couldn't dare to disappoint the female that stood across from him. But then again, there was a part of him that didn't want to turn her down. Ruki seemed to notice this as well and sent a spiteful glare at her friend; the scarred duelist shivered unconsciously.
"I don't get what makes her so attractive." Ruki thought grudgedly. "Well, Namura will cut her down to size."
"Are you ready, sweetie?" Valerie asked sweetly.
"Uh...y-yeah." Namura stammered.
"Duel!" The shouted together
Valerie (4000) – Namura (4000)
"Ladies first." Valerie said, drawing her sixth card. "And to start off, I summon Magician's Valkyria in defense mode."
A humanoid character emerged on the field in the center of a ritual circle. She had fiery-golden hair wearing a light-blue pointed armor with a torn purple skirt covering her lower half. The monster also wore a light-blue magician's helmet and carried a curved staff with three emerald opals (1600/1800).
"And then I place one card face-down and end my turn." Valerie finished.
"Magician's Valkyria, huh?" Namura pondered. "That must mean she has a Dark Magician archetype deck. If that is the case, she'll definitely be working with magic cards. So Spell Reactor would be the best choice for..."
"What are you doing, Namura!" Ruki screamed, causing the boy to jump. "Stop thinking and go on the offensive!"
"I never get a break." Namura sighed, drawing his sixth card. "And I summon Spell Reactor – RE in attack mode."
The red mechanical dragon appeared on the field, hissing darkly (1200/900).
"You activated my trap card: Shadow Spell!" Valerie declared, revealing the face down. "Not only does it decrease your monster's attack points by 700, but your monster can neither attack nor change its position!"
As the trap card exposed itself, a series of chain links escaped from the card face and lashed out to Namura's monster. Spell Reactor struggled to prevent capture, but found itself quickly ensnared by the chains. At once, its power began leaking out through the black steel.
Spell Reactor – RE – (500/900)
"Damn..." Namura cursed. "I place one card face-down and end my turn."
"Sorry, darling." Valerie giggled, drawing her fifth card. "But that's the way it has to be. But think f it this way; you'll be crushed by my favorite card. Because I'm sacrificing my Magician's Valkyria to Summon Dark Magician Girl!"
The female warrior faded away in a shower of light particles to make way for the newest addition to the game. She looked very much like the previous monster with some minor differences. Her armor and helmet were more of a navy-blue with a pink cape flowing in the back, a whole pink skirt around her lower region, and carried a hand sized staff (2000/1700).
"And then I'm going to add Magical Formula to the game." Valerie smiled. "This card will increase Dark Magician Girl's attack by 700 attack points."
"But you forgot Spell Reactor – RE's special ability." Namura interjected softly. "When a magic card is played, it can destroy that card and deal 800 points worth of damage."
Though still struggling with the chains, the mechanical dragon managed to move just enough to make its underbelly visible. It released one of the rockets contained within it and eradicated the spell card as it was placed on the field. Then missile then exploded on Valerie's side, who was smiling lightly.
Valerie (4200) – Namura (4000)
"What?!" Ruki exclaimed. "How did her life points go up?!"
"Because of Magic Formula." Hikari explained. "When it is destroyed, the controller of that card gains 1000 life points. And because of Spell Reactor's effect, she was only allowed to gain 200 life points."
"Grr...I really hate her." Ruki snarled.
"Nice shot, sweetie." Valerie smiled; Namura blushed. "But that still won't stop my Dark Magician Girl! Attack!"
The petit sorceress waved her scepter out in front, releasing a bolt of black lighting from the head. It stabbed straight through the machine's chassis, obliterating it in an instant.
Valerie (4200) – Namura (2500)
"Then I'll place one card face down and end it there." Valerie finished.
"My move." Namura announced, drawing his fourth card. "And now I summon Sonic Jammer in defense mode."
A small machine crawled onto the field, giving the appearance of an insect. It resembled much like a silver beetle with large blue wings and a sapphire opal on its back (350/650).
"And now I play Machine Duplication." Namura continued. "This card works for machine monsters with less than 500 attack points. Now, I can summon two more copies from deck."
Shortly following, two more Sonic Jammers formed on the field in the defense.
"This is good." Hikari thought. "With Spell Reactor gone, Namura can't summon his best card. The only thing he can do at this point is raise his defenses and think of a plan."
"Come on, Namura." Ruki prayed. "Don't lose to her."
"Sorry, sweetie, but this is game over." Valerie said joyously, drawing her third card. "Because now I activate my face-down card: Dark Magic Curtain. By paying half my life points, I can special summon the Dark Magician!"
Valerie (2100) – Namura (2500)
A large skeletal character wearing a massive cape appeared in the center of the field. The scarred duelist watched anxiously as the skeleton reach below and moved the curtains to either side and revealed the most revered spell caster of all time. A tall and stern looking male with dark hair drifted forward wearing dark-purple body armor with a curved armored hat and carried a long jade scepter (2500/2000).
"Now I activate the magic card: Thousand Knives!" Valerie stated. "As long as there is a Dark Magician on the field, I can destroy one of your monsters!"
The card stood up and unleashed a devastating assault on the central Sonic Jammer, which was impaled the mechanical bug before exploding.
"Now for the last two." Valerie smirked. "Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, end this with Dark Magic Attack!"
Both master and apprentice held out their staffs and released a pulse dark energy for their adversaries. The cybernetic insects sparked ominously and exploded in Namura's face, who was forced to hide himself from the blast. Now he was left defenseless.
"And now I end my turn." Valerie smiled. "I hope you come up with a good comeback soon. Otherwise, both of my Dark Magicians will blow you away in the next turn."
"Oh man, this is too tense." Namura thought nervously, staring down at the one card in his hand. "All I've got is one magic card and it won't work unless I use a certain monster. And my face-down..." He stared thoughtfully at the card. "Unless I draw a lucky card on my next turn, it's over."
"This is bad." Hikari said softly. "Namura has been backed into a corner and I don't see a way out. I'm afraid he'll..."
"Don't you dare finish that sentence!!" Ruki scream, shocking the Gambler Duelist. "Come on, Namura! You can lose to a skank like this!!"
"R-Ruki...?" Namura muttered surprisingly.
"I know you can win this duel!" Ruki said proudly. "You just have to believe in yourself!!"
The scarred duelist lowered his head to hide his eyes from view. At the first impression, one might have thought that he was crying. But that was until they noticed the wicked grin spreading across his face. When the scarred duelist snapped his attention back to his opponent, everyone noticed a definite change – the scarred eye had transformed to a piercing gold.
"W-what is that?" Valerie stammered.
"This is the end!" Namura shouted excitedly, drawing his second card. "Perfect. Now I activate my face-down card: Rise of the Machine!" It revealed a spell card with a pair of red eyes emerging from a pile of discarded robot parts. "This is a ritual spell card that requires an offer of seven levels. And look what I happened to find."
He held out the card, earning a shock from his opponent.
"Mechanical Hound..." Valerie thought.
"And now I sacrifice Mechanical Hound from my hand to summon Metal Sonic!!" Namura yelled.
A robotic hound appeared on the field, wearing golden-copper armor, until it disassembled without warning. Then all of a sudden, pieces of the robotic dog twisted around into a cyclone and reformed into a newer shape. When the machine was complete, Hikari and Ruki were shocked by its likeness. A sapphire-blue robot with thin silver limbs, complete with matching armor protecting them, three curved "quills", a rotating engine in its chest, and pair of lethal claws, and ruby-red feet to resemble shoes. In all honest opinion, it could have passed off as a mechanical version of Sonic the Hedgehog.
Metal Sonic – (2400/2000).
"Whoa, that is impressive." Hikari commented over Ruki's cheering.
"That little gadget may look fancy, but its nothing compared to the Dark Magician." Valerie stated.
"That why I'm playing this little number." Namura grinned, placing his last card. It was a spell card showing Metal Sonic with and electrified claw. "I play the spell card: Metal Surge. With this card, whenever Metal Sonic destroys a monster, that monster's attack points get dealt straight to your life points!"
"No!!" Valerie screamed.
"Let's go Metal Sonic!" Namura commanded. "Finish this with Metal Surge!!"
The mechanical hedgehog grabbed its right wrist with its left claw as a current of electricity began to flow over it. The machine warrior's evil-red eyes glowed dangerously towards the Dark Magician Girl, who was trying to hide behind her master. In one swift burst, Metal Sonic dashed across the field, past the Dark Magician, and struck his apprentice through the chest. Valerie cried out in fright as a spike of lightning stabbed at her duel disk.
Valerie (1700) – Namura (2500)
"And it's not over yet!" Namura laughed wildly. "Tim to bring it to a close!!"
Metal Sonic, after eliminating its target, dashed ahead and stabbed the opponent's duel disk. Valerie fell backwards to the ground upon impact and moaned painfully as the duel was ended.
Duel Victor: Namura
"Namura, you were great!" Ruki shouted excitedly, hugging the disoriented boy.
"Huh?" Namura said confused. "What happened? Last thing I remember was..."
"That was an impressive duel." Valerie said kindly as she approached the group. "It looks like I have a lot more training to do before I'm ready to compete."
"You're not going to enter the Ultimate Duel Tournament?" Hikari asked surprisingly.
"Not yet." Valerie shook. "When I know I'm strong enough, I will definitely compete." She turned her smile to the scarred duelist. "Namura, you are definitely going to go far. And not only that, but you're kind of cute."
The scarred duelist blushed heavily and laughed nervously, which Ruki was quick to catch. Without even warning the boy, the blue-haired female slapped Namura across the face and sent him flailing into a tree. The poor boy fell backward on the ground as Ruki stormed off in the other direction, much to the boy's confusion. It didn't really help much that Hikari and Valerie were giggling endlessly.
"What'd I do?" Namura groaned.
After much training and waiting, the day had finally arrived – the Ultimate Duel Tournament. The actual event was taking place in the Satellite in the islands main facility: The Dragon Domes. The actual stadium was made of four individual domes, each with one of the 5 Star Dragons, and were all connected to the central dome, which held the Stardust Dragon. Hikari, Ruki, and Namura were pushing past the eager crowd towards the Black Rose Dome.
"Man, look at all these people." Hikari awed, staring at the multiply crowds. "It's hard to believe they're all here to compete."
"Most of them will be weeded out during the preliminaries." Namura explained. "In the end, only sixteen people will be able to compete in the main tournament, which is taking place in the Stardust Dome."
"With this many opponents, it's almost enough to lose your confidence." Ruki commented.
"Hey, don't say that." The trio turned on their heels and spotted Marcus standing in the center of the gathered Signers. "Yo, what's going on?"
"MARCUS!!" Ruki screeched furiously, pulling the Marked Duelist into a headlock. "You have the nerve to disappear for a nearly a week and you ask what's up?!"
"I'm...sorry." Marcus chocked.
"What are you guys doing here?" Hikari asked nervously to the Signers. "You're not here to compete, are you?"
"Nah, we're just here to watch." Yusei shook. "This is your moment to shine."
"Of course, if I did compete..." Jack said conceitedly. "None of you would last five seconds against Jack Atlas!"
"Aren't we being modest?" Akira "Rev" Seta said coldly as he approached the group. He looked between his rival and the three centered around him. "So, you actually accepted my offer."
"I had no choice." Marcus said seriously. "I will win my deck back."
"We shall see." Rev said before walking away.
Not too far from the heroes, a new duo was watching the Elemental Duelists from a distance. The shorter one of the two was Nami, the female who had watched Marcus and Rev's first duel on Daedalus Bridge. The second one was a man slightly taller than her and at least a year older. He had messy silver hair and dangerously dark eyes. He wore a black, long-sleeved shirt with matching black pants, a roll of bandages across his waist, a pair of fingerless, navy-blue gloves, and a silver vest. And around his neck was the emerald necklace with the kanji of wind etched inside.
"Is that them, Nami?" The man asked.
"That's them, boss." Nami nodded, handing him two cards. They were information cards with pictures of Marcus and Rev that included their stats and signature cards. "They are both Elementals like you."
"This should be interesting." The man said.
Not too far away, another person was keeping his eyes close on Marcus. He was at least seventeen years old with ragged dark hair and piercing-red eyes. He wore a black shirt with a yin-yang symbol on the chest, a pair of black pants with white tiger stripes, and a sleeveless, tattered brown coat.
I finally found you, Kiva." The boy thought angrily. "My revenge will be swift and merciless."
"We finally made it, guys." Marcus thought as he stood among the duelists. "This is the moment we have been waiting for."
"We have trained tirelessly for the past week." Yubel said confidently; she and Amy appeared on either side of their chosen duelist. "This time, Akira will be in for a little surprise."
"Don't worry, Sonic." Amy smiled joyously. "I'm coming."
The horde of duelists was suddenly in an uproar and Marcus had no idea why. Facing the same direction as his competition, he also noticed a man standing at the top railing of the Stardust Dome. He looked to be a middle-aged man with shockingly-white cut at three points with two strands draped over his forehead. He didn't show much of himself as he was wearing a ceremonial white robe with golden laces along the neckline over his body in honor of the event. This man was obviously the master of ceremonies as he silenced the crowd by lifting his hand.
"Greets fellow duelists!" The man spoke loudly. "I am Hazama, host of this special event! And allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Ultimate Duel Tournament!
The true test of will begins! Will Marcus and his friends persevere through the preliminaries? Who is this duo that seeks the Elementals? And why does this boy seek revenge against Marcus? Find out on the next Hyper Runners!
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