New chapter coming right up at this moment!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
BOOM! Lightning struck downwards from the origin of its dark clouds as fury winds and raging rain pouted down endlessly that late night. In his office, Sheppard was lost in thought; a troubled look that soon turned surprise when he spotted a dark thing soaring through the dangerous, stormy skies.
Sheppard realized what was he saw and frowned, growing serious. "And so, it begins..." He murmured darkly. "The fight...the war."
The dark figure flying through such disastrous weather happened to be a hang glider that swooped down at the base of the island's volcano safely. Once landed, a young man wearing dark clothes and wearing a mysterious mask set fire to his hang glider, finding no more use of such a thing.
Around his neck was half of an ancient looking pendant, which started glowing, catching the man's attention. He clasped the pendant with one hand before glancing off at the horizon.
Wearing a faint smirk, the young man replied, "So, the other wielder of the other pendant is here. Hope he's really strong, otherwise this wouldn't be any fun."
Meanwhile, Elize was asleep and curled up in her bedsheets, sleeping like a baby, though she had some difficult sleeping with the storm shaking things up on the outside.
What she failed to notice was that her pendant granted to her by Gravekeeper's Chief was faintly glowing.
The next morning...
"Jaden! Jaden!" whispered Elize, nudging Jaden on the shoulders and trying to wake him up so that he doesn't get in trouble in class again. She sweatdropped at the sight of his...smiley face mask that rested on his forehead, acting as his face. A nice attempt, but nobody would fall for something like that.
Jaden yawned, stretching his arms before looking proud and strong as he flexed his muscles. "Time to get up!"
"Uh...for the next class?" guessed Syrus.
"For lunch!" Opening the lid of his lunchbox, Jaden licked his lips hungrily before grinning. "Oh yeah! The one subject I can't get enough of!~"
"Jaden, I don't think a classroom is appropriate for eating," Elize said, voicing her concerns as Jaden looked prepared to chow down as usual.
"Just a moment there, Jaden," interrupted Banner, calling on the Slifer Red while rubbing Pharaoh's fur softly from his seat. "I'm afraid your lunch will have to wait. It seems that Chancellor Sheppard wants to have a word with you."
Gulping down the fried shrimp he was eating, Jaden's face fell. "Awww! Couldn't this wait until after lunch? Like, during Crowler's lesson? I'd really appreciate that!"
"Jaden, I'll watch over your lunch for you!" offered Chumley. "Especially if it has grilled cheese!"
"Haha! You wish!"
"Chancellor Sheppard? Aww, Jaden! What'd you do?" complained Syrus, worried for him.
"Hmm..." Pausing for a moment to think, Jaden said, "Maybe it's an reward!"
"Hahaha! No way!" shouted Chazz, standing up from his seat not too far away from the group. "It's never good news with Sheppard! You are so busted!"
"C-Chazz! I don't think it's like that!" Elize tried defending Jaden. "Maybe there's a good reason besides trouble?"
"Actually, Chazz, he wants to see you, too," replied Banner, startling the black jacket student before turning to the rest of his class. "And three others. Bastion Misawa, Alexis Rhodes, and Elize Simington. The Chancellor wants to see the five of you. Well, six including me."
Bastion and Alexis stood up when their names were called but the only other who hasn't was Elize, who was freaking out and worried.
"O-Oh no! W-What did I do wrong? N-no, wait! What did any of us do wrong?! Are we in trouble like Chazz said?" exclaimed Elize, trembling.
Jaden frowned, taking off his smiley face mask. "This doesn't sound good!"
Alexis grew concern for Elize and wished to run over and comfort the girl. Instead, she merely glared fiercely at Chazz, who flinched when he caught her sharp, eagle-like gaze. After the bell rang for dismissal, the six grouped together and proceeded to walk towards the Chancellor's Office.
"Uh...we're not going to make a run for it, Professor Banner!" said Jaden as the group continued walking down the hallway with Banner right behind them to ensure nothing...bad happened. "You don't have to escort us to Chancellor Sheppard's Office!"
"Ah, but I must. After all, he wants to see me as well."
Still feeling nervous, Elize held onto Alexis' hand as they walked until she noticed that everyone stopped moving. Curious, she let go of Alexis' hand and stepped forward, spotting Crowler and Zane right before the Chancellor's Office.
"Well, well! Look at this group of students! Some of the best duelists in the school, I see!" praised Crowler before glancing at Jaden and Elize. "Uh oh! Which one of these are not like the others?~ Clearly, some people are a little bit lost!"
"He is not! Chazz is invited!" said Jaden.
"Also, we have Professor Banner with us, so we're okay!" assured Elize before bowing her head. "Thank you for the concern, though."
"He means both of you!" shouted Chazz, disbelieved that the two of them were dumb as bricks. "Ugh! Whatever! Let's just go inside!"
Once inside, Sheppard welcomed everyone with open arms and proceeded to explain the details as best as he could, leading to more questions and more demanding explanation as to what was happening.
"Three Sacred what cards?" wondered Jaden.
"Beasts. Three Sacred Beasts," corrected Sheppard. "And due to their immense power, their colossal might, they were hidden here."
"Sweet..." Pondering for a moment, Jaden asked, "Like under the mattress or under a cookie jar?"
"Let him finish!" hissed Chazz.
"Jaden, where do you even get these bizzare ideas?" wondered Elize, sweatdropping at such important cards being hidden in convenient places.
Sheppard chuckled at Jaden's child-like thoughts. "They're not under a cookie jar. They're actually much closer than you ever think! Right below you! You see, this Academy was built in place to protect the Sacred Beast cards. They were buried deep underground. Their power sealed safely away! After all, legends has it that if these cards ever see the light of day, terrible things will happen! Buildings will crumble, light will fade, souls will fall! Our world will be no more!"
Alexis gulped as a bead of sweat trailed down from her forehead while Bastion stood, astonished by how much force the three cards possessed. Elize covered her mouth with both hands, her legs trembling as she knew Sheppard wouldn't lie or joke about something like this. The others remained silent or calm, though.
Only Jaden was the only one staying chipper. "Well, what are we waiting for? Where are these cards? I say we take them out for a spin!"
"HAVEN'T YOU BEEN LISTENING?!" screamed Crowler; a tick mark on the corner of his forehead. Oh, how much he wanted to mash his fist onto Jaden's thick skull!
"So, there you have it. This is why the eight of you are here. To protect the three Sacred Beasts from the wicked ones!" said Sheppard.
"The wicked ones...?" muttered Zane, confused.
"That's right. Seven duelists who call themselves the Shadow Riders will come after these cards. And I'm afraid one of them is already here. He arrived at the thick of last night's storm."
"Naturally," said Bastion. It was only natural that an unknown enemy would make the first move, as it was chronicled several times in a hero's book that the villain always makes the first move.
"Okay, so how do we protect these cards?" asked Alexis.
"By protecting the seven Spirit Gates!" explained Sheppard. "To get to the cards, one must unlock them! And to unlock them, one must unlock the seven keys to each gate! That, is how we will protect those cards. By protecting the keys, and here they are. One for each of you to guard."
Placing a small box in front of him, Sheppard opened it up for all to behold and see the seven Spirit Keys all arranged together almost like they were a puzzle. Ancient symbols surrounded each key, with the only different being the shape of each key, seeing how they were made to come together as one.
"Wait, so...we hold the keys?" questioned Bastion. "Won't that make us targets?"
Sheppard nodded with a a sorrowful expression. "Yes, it's true. With these keys, the Shadow Riders will seek you out."
"Uh...seek us out? You mean, take us out!" corrected Chazz.
"Only...in a duel! Fortunately, for our side, the keys can't simply be stolen. An ancient rule states that they must be won in a duel. And so, I've called upon our school's eight best in order to fight a good fight!" Glancing up, he turned to both Crowler and Banner. "Well, six best, but I needed seven, so..."
"He certainly doesn't mean me!" Crowler whispered to Jaden, who pouted and crossed his arms.
'He doesn't mean me, either! I mean, out of everyone here, I'm the weakest!' thought Elize, growing discourageous.
"Of course, if any of you don't feel like it and feel like backing out, then I won't blame you. After all, these Shadow Riders play for keeps. So, who wants to go save the world?" asked Sheppard, encouraging the others while also feeling regret about his decisions and wondering how they'll affect the future."
The others glanced at each other hesitantly, worried about the high life-staking risks. Excited, Jaden was the first among the group to collect his Spirit Key. "Count me in!" he said, placing the Spirit Key around his neck since it also acted as a necklace. "Huh, how about that? It's my size!"
Intrigued by the challenge of strong duelists approaching, Zane was the second to take a Spirit Key. "I, too, accept."
Bastion nodded, retrieving his own Spirit Key. "It would be my honor."
"I don't want you boys to be having all the fun," said Alexis, taking one along with Chazz.
"How could I refuse? I mean, our very world is at stake!" replied Crowler joyfully. "The way of life, the future of the school, and, if I said no, I wouldn't get this lovely piece of jewelry!"
"Y-yes, well...good to know that you're doing it for the right reasons," said Sheppard. "...Kinda..."
Stepping forward, Elize caught glance of the last, remaining Spirit Key in the box and reached out to grab it when she stopped, hesitating. What if she wasn't strong enough? She's too weak, so she'll easily be taken down. If that's the case, then-
"Well, what are you waiting for? Go on, go grab the Spirit Key," said Banner, lightly pushing her forward. Elize yelped and her fingers gazed onto the Spirit Key. Not wanting anymore eyes to continue looking at her, Elize just grabbed the key and held it close to her chest.
"Well, let's get started!" said Jaden, trying to cheer up everyone. "I was thinking that the best duelist should go first, so that would mean...Well, me!"
"You?!" shouted Crowler, startling Jaden and causing him to fall to the ground. "You couldn't possibly! Obviously, I should go first! If not, I say Zane! After all, he did beat Jaden!" Getting all over on Jaden's face, Crowler sneered at the Slifer Red boy. "Yes, that's right! I know all about that little match you had with Zane! And I know you lost to him in no time at all! How pathetic!"
Helping Jaden stand up, Elize assured him, "It's okay, Jaden! I'm sure you did your best! If anything, I lose more than you!"
"Ah, forget the both of them!" said Chazz confidently. "I'm clearly the best choice!"
"But...didn't Jaden beat you before in that school duel?" reminded Elize. "I mean, if you couldn't beat Jaden, and if Jaden got beat by Zane, wouldn't Zane be the obvious choice."
Eye twitching and teeth gritting, Chazz placed Elize in a headlock and began ruffling her hair roughly. "Grrrrrrr! Don't remind me!"
"Aaaaaah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"There's no choice! This isn't some tournament where we choose who goes first!" scolded Sheppard, unable to believe that his students and even Crowler were acting this way immaturely. "This is war! You could be attacked by your enemy at any time at any place! So, my students, be on guard!"
Later...
'What do I do...? I have a Spirit Key, so it's likely that I'll be targeted,' thought Elize, walking down the hallways of Duel Academy. She gripped her Spirit Key so hard so her knuckles started to turn white from stress and too much restraint. 'But...! I don't want to let the others down! But at the same time, I'm too scared...!'
"-lize! Elize! ELIZE!"
"Huh?" Turning around, Elize saw Alexis running up to her, waving her hand before she stood in front of the girl. "O-oh, hello, Alexis!"
"Elize, didn't you hear me? I've been trying to call out to you," Alexis lightly scolded, placing both hands on her hips.
"Y-you were? Oh...I'm sorry, then. I probably couldn't hear you."
'I wasn't even that far away from you,' thought Alexis, sweatdropping. "Elize? Are you worried about the whole situation with the Spirit Keys and the Shadow Riders? Is that what this is all about?"
"N-no! I'm okay! Don't worry! I promise, I won't fail you!" cried out Elize quickly, shaking her head and backing away while clenching her Spirit Key.
Alexis' face fell. "Elize, it's alright. You don't need to worry. It's okay to be scared."
Elize shook her head. "Sometimes, I don't think that's the case. You say that it's okay...but I don't think it is. Other duelists I faced are really mean and tell me to quit being a crybaby..."
Alexis wanted to groan. Of course, the Obelisk Blues would tell her something like that! "Listen, don't pay attention to people like that! They're the bad ones here! Tell you what, how about we have a sleepover tonight?"
"But, last time-"
"That happened in the Obelisk Blue Girls Dorm. But this time, how about we go to your room? I heard from Jaden that you have a bunk bed, so we can share the two beds!" suggested Alexis.
"That's true," said Elize nodding as she was warming up to the idea. "But it's the Slifer Red Dorm, the lowest ranking dorm on campus. Are you sure you want to spend the night there? Getting the drinks and food is no problem, but..."
"That's fine with me," said Alexis. "So, what do you say? Agree to one girl's night out? I doubt Mindy and Jasmine will come to the Slifer Red Dorm, though."
Feeling safer and more relaxed with Alexis, who's been nothing but a sister figure and role model all this time, Elize nodded. "Okay, I don't mind. I guess, in a way, this will make up for what happened in the last sleepover. But before that, do you think we can go around and ask people for dueling?"
"You want to train?"
"Yes...I think that the more that we train, the more that we'll be ready for the Shadow Riders. Or, at least, that's what I think."
Alexis couldn't have agreed more with Elize. "Alright. Let's do it. You're right, and this will help improve our dueling skills, anyways. Might as well go for it."
That night...
"Alexis? I think we should thank Miss Dorothy tommorow for lending us these grocery bags to carry all this stuff around," suggested Elize, holding two small grocery bags full of snacks and drinks in her arms.
Alexis nodded, carrying a large grocery bag of her own. She looked back at the road in front of them as the two girls continued to walk down the trail towards the Slifer Red Dorms. She still couldn't get the thought of the Spirit Keys and Shadow Riders off her mind even though she assured Elize it would be alright.
'If what Chancellor Sheppard says was right and the Shadow Riders get to decide who to duel, then the odds are that they'll go after who's weakest first,' thought Alexis, glancing at Elize. 'And with that Slifer Red jacket, it's either Jaden or Elize. Since Jaden's more skilled than Elize, Elize should be Target #1. I should probably warn her, but I don't want to upset and frighten her. I'll protect her, though!'
Hidden deep in the woods near the Slifer Red Dorm was a masked man, whose eyes glowed red in the dark night as he awaited to challenge his first opponent.
Meanwhile, Jaden and his roommates were fast asleep in their comfty dorm room when a bright light shined through their window. This alerted Winged Kuriboh as he flew toward Jaden and started nudging him to wake him up.
His attempts succeeded as Jaden slowly started awakening. "Whoa, Kuriboh...Can you keep it down?"
Winged Kuriboh started bouncing up and down on Jaden's bed until he groaned and started getting up. Eyes widening at the sight of such brilliant light, Jaden rubbed his eyes and figured he wasn't in some dream. Like Winged Kuriboh, he tried to wake his two friends up from slumber.
"Hey, guys! Wake up! Sy, come on! Chum, you gotta check this out!"
As the two girls began approaching the Slifer Red Dorm, one of Elize's Duel Spirits, Hiita the Fire Charmer appeared in front of Elize, causing the girl to stop. "Elize, you gotta hurry! I sense something wrong in Jaden's room!"
"Jaden's in trouble?" wondered Elize, confused. Before Alexis could question what Elize was talking about, the light from Jaden's dorm room nearly blinded them, but at the same time, alerted them that something was wrong.
"Oh, no! Jaden!" Both Alexis and Elize dropped the groceries they were carrying before rushing up the dorm stairs towards Jaden's dorm room. Luckily for them, Jaden often forgets to lock his door, so it was easier to gain access to his room.
Upon entering the room, the two girls entered the bright room, although everything was somewhat blurry and it felt as though they entered inside a different room inside a room. In reality, they seemed to have entered a force field area controlled by the enemy.
Jaden, who had been trying to wake up Chumley and Syrus, spotted the two girls. "Hey, what's happening?!"
"Ahahaha!" A maniacal laughter echoed in the room before answering Jaden's question. "The first duel is happening!"
The three duelists had to shut their eyes the moment light blinded them before every resident inside the room was teleported away.
Inside a volcano...
The insides of the volcano was brimming with hot, boiling lava which spurted out bubbles that, in less than a second, popped. Smoke arose from the ocean of lava, making it extremely dangerous to enter inside the volcano, yet a clear floor providing a large amount of space opened high above the lava right before Jaden, Alexis, and Elize landed on top of the floor.
"Where are we?" gasped Alexis, glancing around.
"In one very weird dream," muttered Jaden, pondering if this was really reality or just some nightmare he can't seem to wake up from.
"I think we're in some sort of volcano," voiced Elize. Jaden crawled closer to the edge of the floor to see if the lava was real when flames shot up from the lava, startling the three before the flames took the form of a dragon that exploded once it came into impact with the same floor.
Emerging from the explosive flames was a dark, masked man who started approaching the three of them with a sinister grin on his face.
"What's going on?!" demanded Jaden.
"You mean, you don't know?" said the masked man.
"Call me a slow learner."
"And call me Nightshroud!"
"...Nightshroud?"
"I'll be the one taking that key you have around your neck!" the masked man named Nightshroud replied, extending his arm forward as if reaching for the Spirit Key in Jaden's possession.
Jaden blinked. "Wow, you guys sure don't waste time, do ya?"
"Hmm?" Noticing half of his pendant glowing, Nightshroud glanced his before noticing the other half of the pendant around Elize's neck, which also came in resonance with Nightshroud's pendant. "Nice medallion. The Gravekeeper must be getting sloppy."
"Huh?" Glancing down at her own pendant, Elize held it close to her chest. "P-please don't say that...The Gravekeeper's Chief was really powerful...Wait, why do you know him?"
Nightshroud pointed to his pendant. "Because I have the other half of the pendant, or were you too blind to see that? Anyways, I think I'll change my target and focus on you first, girly!"
"W-what?!"
"HEY!" Shielding Elize, Jaden glared at Nightshroud, not wanting his friend to be forced to duel him. "If you wanna duel someone, duel me! Leave her out of this!"
"Patience. You'll get your turn. Besides, if you don't comply, then I have other methods. For example, I have certain...friends who'd be delighted to meet you," spoke Nightshroud sadistically. "Here, say hello to Syrus and Chumley!"
"JADEN!"
"Help us!"
Alexis, Jaden, and Elize gasped when they saw both Syrus and Chumley encased in an orb of light over lava. They were crying out for help and smashing their fists against the orb, frightened of the lava and the terrible results should they happen to fall in.
"Oh, no!" cried out Jaden.
"Hold on!" shouted Alexis as Elize stood there, terrified.
"Looks like they're in hot water, or rather, hot, molten lava," joked around Nightshroud. "But then, such is the nature of a Shadow Game!"
"Shadow Game?!" gasped Jaden, realizing what that meant. "Look, just duel me! But let them go!"
Nightshroud shook his head. "I'm afraid not! I need them for a speedy match! After all, that protection orb...Well, let's just say it's not exactly meant to last. Oh, and I'm afraid there's more too!" Holding up a blank card, Nightshroud explained, "For you see, also at stake, is your soul, which will be sealed in this card when you lose! Of course, when I lose, my soul will also be sealed! But hey, let's be honest with ourselves! Me, lose? No way! Now then...shall we, little girl?"
Turning her eyes away from Chumley and Syrus, Elize glared at Nightshroud before realizing for the first time just how terrifying he truly was, enough for her to be frozen like ice. The intense fear she was resisting to show failed as her body trembled. She couldn't move or think straight the more she continued staring at Nightshroud and his evil smirk. She even felt he was dangerous and things were only getting worse since her fear was quickly seeping out into the open.
"Just..."
"Hmm?" Taking pleasure in the obviosu fear lying rest in front of the girl, Nightshroud grinned. "What was that? I couldn't hear you!~"
"Please...Just...you can take my Spirit Key! But, in exchange, please let go of Chumley and Syrus! Please, they didn't do anything wrong!" cried out Elize, blurting out what she had to say in fear. She just wanted to get out of here with her friends and forget this all ever happened.
"Awww...Sorry, but it's not that simple. See, I need to win a duel in order to get the Spirit Key, so I can't steal your Spirit Key. But, don't worry, I'll probably release your friends after you lose and your soul is trapped in this very card I hold."
The consequences and risks of such a duel pushed Elize past her limits as she fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Crying out of fear, Elize was shaking like a leaf, unable to control her emotions as Nightshroud simply laughed at her pitiful self.
Gritting his teeth, Jaden yelled, "Enough! Stop laughing at her! What's wrong with her being scared?! I'll be your opponent!"
"J-Jaden..." Sniffling, Elize had enough sense to look up and try stopping him. "I-I'm okay..I just *sob* I just need a second!"
Jaden shook his head, smiling softly. "It's alright. I can do this. I'm not going to let you be forced into a duel when you're all terrified like this. Besides, it's not like this is my first Shadow Game. I'm just hoping it doesn't hurt as bad as the others."
"Jaden..." Both Elize and Jaden had more than one thing in common, but one of the most important things is that both of them experienced Shadow Games before, Jaden had to fight against Jinzo to free three lost souls, and Elize had to participate in a duel against Gravekeeper's Chief to free her friends.
Alexis kneeled down besides Elize and placed her hands on her shoulders, comforting the poor girl before nodding to Jaden, assuring him that she'll take good care of Elize.
"Okay, pal! You wanna duel? You got it!" challenged Jaden, activating his duel disk. "Let's throw down!"
"Fine! Not like it matters who I duel so long as I get a Spirit Key and someone's soul in the end!" said Nightshroud, giving in to his new opponent as he put on his duel disk.
"Get your game on!"
- DUEL -
Nightshroud - 4000 LP
VS
Jaden - 4000 LP
"You wanna see game?" spoke Nightshroud, taking the first turn. "Here goes! I summon Troop Dragon in Defense Mode and I set a card before ending my turn!"
A green dragon garbed in armor and carrying a sword and shield kneeled down in front of Nightshroud.
Troop Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV2 - (700/800)
"Not bad! Ha!" Now that it was Jaden's turn, he drew his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in Attack Mode!"
A jungle man wielding a broaded, curved sword while providing no defense for himself appeared.
Elemental Hero Wildheart - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1500/1600)
"I attack Troop Dragon with Wildheart! Go, attack!"
In no time flat, Wildheart rushed up to Troop Dragon and slashed him to pieces, destroying the dragon.
"Ah, you know, there was something I forgot to mention!" said Nightshroud. "Troop Dragon's special ability lets me Special Summon another Troop Dragon from my deck whenever he's sent to the Graveyard! And I'll Special Summon him in Defense Mode!"
Troop Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV2 - (700/800)
"Grr...hench the word 'troop,'" commented Jaden. "I end my turn!"
"That's right! And I'm not done yet!" continued Nightshroud as he drew his card. "Now, I'll play my facedown, Call of the Haunted! This lets me dig from my Graveyard a Monster that was previously destroyed! Such as another Troop Dragon but in Attack Mode!"
Troop Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV2 - (700/800)
"But wait! There's much more where that came from! Now, I sacrifice both of my Troop Dragons to summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Flames in the form of a spiral dragon burst from the lava and circled around the field for a bit before emerging and taking in the form of a powerful, black dragon that stood behind his master.
Red-Eyes Black Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2400/2000)
Taking advantage of Jaden's reaction to his powerful, rare dragon, Nightshroud cried out, "Now, Red-Eyes! Attack Wildheart! Inferno Fire Blast!"
The legendary dragon fired a fireball full of his power directly at Wildheart, destroying the Monster with little to no effort. The explosion was so huge that Jaden was caught in it and was thrown back, injured.
Nightshroud - 4000 LP
Jaden - 3100 LP
"Jaden!" Both Elize and Alexis exclaimed. Elize glanced up from staring at the ground, forgetting all about her fears and focusing on Jaden. After all, it was her own fault and weakness that caused Jaden to take her place.
Jaden clutched his chest painfully. "That hurt!"
"That's right!" Said Nightshroud, satisfied in seeing his opponent in pain. "And it's about to hurt a lot more, Key Keeper! Because the true pain is about to begin! I'll end my turn! Come on! Hurry up and make your move! I've got a doomsday to start!"
Jaden grudgingly stood up on his feet, not willing to throw in the towel and give up. "Sorry, Nightshroud! But the only doom coming here is your Monster! My draw! Alright! I play the Spell card, Polymerization! And by fusing both Cayman and Burstinatrix in my hand, I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster in Defense Mode!"
With both Elemental Heroes combined strength, an armored, tank-like female Elemental Hero kneeled while taking aim from behind her red shield.
Elemental Hero Rampart Blaster - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2000/2500)
"And even in Defense Mode, she can blast you directly using half of her Attack Points!" Shouted Jaden. "That means you lose 1000 Points of Damage! Now go, Blaster! Attack Nightshroud directly!"
Rampart Blaster obeyed and fired two missiles at Nightshroud, inflicting and injuring him with some damage. Still, it wasn't enough to take him down but Rampart Blaster's Defense was an all-powerful shield.
Nightshroud - 3000 LP
Jaden - 3100 LP
"And if you want to get to me, you'll have to go through her!" Shouted Jaden, referring to his Rampart Blaster and her high Defense Points. "I end my turn!"
Nightshroud grunted and wiped any blood from his mouth as his entire body was a bit tattered and injured. Glaring at Jaden, he did not appreciate being inflicted damage like .
"Enough" yelled Nightshhroud, unable to tolerate the situation. He drew his card and smirked."You fool! That blaster doesn't change a thing! But you can bet this next card will! It's going to change your Life Points, Jaden! Oh, and not in a good way! You see, Jaden, your blaster can't protect you against my Red-Eyes' attack!"
Jaden, thought disbelieving him, deciding to entertain him a bit. "Alright, I'll bite. Why not?"
"Because this time, the attack's an actual card! I activate Inferno Fire Blast!"
Without a command from his master, Red-Eyes Black Dragon still unleashed a fiercesome, powerful blast of fire that managed to bypass Rampart Blaster's defenses and directly hit Jaden, causing a massive explosion once more.
"Nice card, huh? It's just as strong as my Red-Eyes' attack!" bragged Nightshroud. "The only difference is that this special card can hit your Life Points directly! But, I can't attack with Red-Eyes this turn."
Nightshroud - 3000 LP
Jaden - 700 LP
"But I'm not through with you yet, Key Keeper! Next, I summon Attachment Dragon in Attack Mode!"
A scale-like turquoise colored dragon that lacked in strength and defense flew up to the skies near his master's side.
Attachment Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV1 - (100/100)
"But, don't worry! He's not the attacking type, see? He's a lot more of the attaching types! Show him, Attachment Dragon!"
Attaching his special ability, Attachment Dragon opened his talons and swoop down towards Rampart Blaster, using all of his strength to lift her midair and keep her there, changing her from Defense Mode to Attack Mode.
"Blaster's made a new friend! A friend that forces her into Attack Mode thanks to his special ability!' said Nightshroud. "And because of that, no more direct attacks!"
Screams reached everyone's ears, causing both Alexis and Elize to see both Chumley and Syrus cuddling close to each other in fear. The orb they were trapped in was beginning to disperse, and if that continued, then that meant they would fall to their doom towards the lava.
"No! Hang on!" cried out Alexis as Elize stared in shock.
"Alright, my turn!" yelled Jaden, swiftly drawing, praying that it would be the one card that would turn the tides around. "I play the Spell card, Pot of Greed! It lets me draw two cards! And if that's not enough for ya, I play De-Fusion, too! Come apart, Rampart Blaster!"
With Rampart Blaster gone, all that was left was her two Fusion materials, Burstinatrix and Clayman.
Burstinatrix - (FIRE/Warrior) - LV3 - (1200/800)
Clayman - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/2000)
"And since Rampart Blaster is gone, Attachment Dragon is destroyed!"
Like what Jaden said, the moment Rampart Blaster fell apart, so did Attachment Dragon as he was quickly sent to the Graveyard.
"Next, from my hand, I'll activate Fusion Sage! This lets me add a Polymerization from my deck to my hand! That means I activate Polymerization and fuse Clayman on my field with the Sparkman in my hand the Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!"
The two Elemental Heroes fused together and a brand new Elemental Hero took in both their powers in the form of a huge, armored hero standing guard in front of Jaden.
Elemental Hero Thunder Giant - (LIGHT/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2400/1500)
'It's an even match up,' thought Alexis, noticing how Jaden's Thunder Giant and Nightshroud's Red-Eyes have the exact same Attack Points.
'W-what'll happen?" wondered Elize, wishing for Jaden to win and not for his soul to be taken.
"Alright, time to see who blinks first!" said Jaden, commencing his attack. "Elemental Hero Thunder Giant, attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Voltic Thunder!"
"Go, Inferno Fire Blast!" countered Nightshroud, not wanting his precious dragon to go down without a fight.
Thunder Giant charged up as fast as he could to unleash a devastating voltage strike from his palms while Red-Eyes Black Dragon releashed a raging fire breath from his jaws; the two attacks colliding with one another until both Monsters exploded from too much strain on their powers.
"Both are destroyed...?" gasped Elize.
"But what was the point, Jaden?" wondered Alexis.
"The point is, now that that Red-Eyes is gone, Nightshroud is directly into Burstinatrix's line of fire!" replied Jaden, riled up for more offense. "And I do mean FIRE! Attack! Flare Storm!"
Seeing her chance to deal heavy damage, Burstinatrix conjured up enough firepower to blast her power right onto Nightshroud, who was completely helpless against her.
Nightshroud - 1800 LP
Jaden - 700 LP
Disappointed that he never got a reaction from Nightshroud, Jaden complained, "Aw, come on! Aren't you gonna flinch or anything? How about a winch? Can I get a grimace?"
Nightshroud smirked. "Sorry, but I leave all that to my opponents!"
"Oh, yeah? Well, let's just see what we can do about that, Nightshroud! I play Mirage of Nightmare! During your Standby Phase, this Spell card can let me draw cards until I have four in my hand! But during my Standby Phase, I have to randomly discard the same number of cards I drew to the Graveyard!"
"Hmph. Do whatever makes you happy!"
"In that case, I'll throw down a facedown, too! And that's it!"
"Good! My draw!" said Nightshroud, pleased as he drew his card.
"Yeah, mine too thanks to my Mirage of Nightmare!" interrupted Jaden, drawing four cards. "Here I go!"
Nightshroud shrugged. "Whatever! Just don't forget to discard the same amount of cards you draw next turn, okay?"
"Actually, Nightshroud, I was kinda thinking that I wouldn't!" Jaden said, confusing Nightshroud. "I play my Quick-Play Spell card, Emergency Provisions! Now, by destroying one Spell card on my field, I gain 1000 Life Points! And the card that I think I'll destroy is Mirage of Nightmare!"
Nightshroud - 1800 LP
Jaden - 1700 LP
'Now Mirage of Nightmare's discard rule is no longer in effect!' thought Alexis as Elize examined the duel more closely in order to strategize.
Nightshroud was somewhat impressed. 'So you were able to avoid Mirage of Nightmare's unpleasantness...But you don't be avoiding this one! I summon Mirage Dragon!"
A yellow, skull-like dragon roared as he snaked around Nightshroud.
Mirage Dragon - (LIGHT/Dragon) - LV4 - (1600/600)
"And despite his name, his attack's no illusion! Go, Spectrum Blast!"
A colorful aurora-like beam shot out from the dragon's mouth and blasted through Burstinatrix, hitting even Jaden and causing him to collapse on one knee from the damage he received.
Nightshroud - 1800 LP
Jaden - 1300 LP
"No...I can't let it end here!" groaned Jaden, getting back up.
"You don't have to!" taunted Nightshroud. "Mirage Dragon will end it for you! I end my turn!"
The more the duel was taking longer to finish, the more the orb's protection around Syrus and Chumley was weakening, bringing them closer and closer towards the lava. "Chumley, if we don't make it, I just want you to know that you're a great friend! I love you!" declared Syrus, wiping sweat off his forehead."
"Jaden, hurry up! Sy's getting all mushy!" pleaded Chumley, somewhat disgusted by Syrus' words.
"Jaden, that orb's disappearing, fast!" reminded Alexis, urging him to hurry and finish the duel.
"Yeah, well not as fast as that Mirage Dragon's about to!" said Jaden, hastily drawing his card. "I summon Elemental Hero Bubbleman!"
A new Elemental Hero whose element consists of water arrived to quench out evil and protect his master from harm.
Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1200)
"And I activate his ability! You see, when he's summoned out all by himself, I can draw two more cards!" Jaden explained quickly. "One of which I'm gonna use right now! I activate my Silent Doom card! It lets me Special Summon Sparkman from the Graveyard to the field in Defense Mode!"
Sparkman - (LIGHT/Warrior) - LV4 - (1600/1400)
"And now, I'll play the Field Spell card, Fusion Gate! Oh, yeah! A storm's coming, and it's coming for you, Nightshroud! Now that Fusion Gate is out, I fuse Bubbleman and Sparkman, who are on my field, with Avian, who's in my hand, to create the mighty Elemental Hero Tempest!"
With the three male fighters merged together, their combined strengths recreate Tempest; a hero donning Sparkman's mask, Avian's steel-like wings, and an upgraded version of Bubbleman's blaster.
Elemental Hero Tempest - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2800/2800)
"Alright, way to play, Jay!" cheered Syrus.
Chumley nodded. "Yeah, 2800 Attack Points! That's more than Mirage Dragon's!"
"Now, go Tempest! Attack Mirage Dragon with Gliding Strike!" commanded Jaden.
Spinning around, Tempest blasted a blue thunder-like blast from his blaster gauntlet, electrifying Mirage Dragon and damaging Nightshroud so badly, he groaned in pain and stumbled back due to his injuries.
Nightshroud - 600 LP
Jaden - 1300 LP
Jaden grinned. "There's that flinch I was looking for!"
Gritting his teeth, Nightshroud tried to deny that he would ever cry out in pain in front of his enemy. "No, it wasn't! That was a twitch! It's not the same! I had something in my eye, that's all! You got that? It was a twitch!"
"Hey, call it what you want," said Jaden. "But there's one thing you can't argue! I'm winning this Shadow Duel now, Nightshroud! And I think I'll end my turn leaving you with that thought, plus a facedown!"
"Hmph! You chump!" insulted Nightshroud, drawing his card. "Life Points don't decide who's winning the duel! It's the cards you hold! And, if you don't believe me, I'm quite certain that this one here will prove it to you!"
"Yeah, right! I bet that you're just bluffing!" scoffed Jaden, finding no possible way for Nightshroud to come back up after his last defense was gone.
In response to Jaden's reply, as if they were being insulted themselves, several dragons of lava sprouted up from the sea of lava and appeared by Nightshroud's side, glaring down at the one who dared to challenge their wrath.
"...Or not."
"Did you honestly think, Key Keeper..." started Nightshroud. "That you could get rid of all my dragons so easily? That you could simply banish them all to the Graveyard? And then be done with them?"
"...That's kinda what I was hoping for," admitted Jaden honestly.
"Well, you can just keep on hoping, because I summon the Red-Eyes Black Chick!"
Sprouting from a bubble of lava, a red, oval-shaped egg appeared on the field before cracks caused some parts of the egg to break, revealing red eyes.
"So...that's your big card?" questioned Jaden, unable to believe such a small thing could defeat a powerful Elemental Hero like Tempest.
"That's right!" said Nightshroud. "Until I use Chick's special ability, that is! You see, by sending Chick to the Graveyard, I'm allowed to Special Summon from my hand...his Daddy! The full-grown Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2400/2000)
"Actually, that's not quite true! Because Red-Eyes can still get bigger! Red-Eyes! I now sacrifice you to Special Summon Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!"
Even the sudden appearance of the dragon that rose up from the hottest flames and lava of the volcano caused the volcano to rumble and cause fear in everyone else's hearts. The new, armored black scales and gleaming red eyes along with the steel-like wings and the darkness seeping within the dragon would prove to anyone how powerful he truly was.
Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV9 - (2400/2000)
"Now, the molten ashes of my fallen dragon boil up to their fiery graves! A blaze with new life! Each granting my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon 300 additional Attack Points! In other words, for every Dragon-Type in my Graveyard, he gains 300 Attack Points for each one!"
Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV9 - (4500/2000)
"4500?! He can't withstand that!" cried out Alexis.
Elize fell to her knees, unable to bear watching the duel anymore as her body shook with fear. "It's hopeless...there's no way Jaden can...and it's all my fault..."
"It's over! The Spirit Key, your friends, your soul!" spoke Nightshroud. "With Darkness Dragon's attack, they're all mine! So, go! Inferno Dark Fire! END THIS!"
Merged with an aura of darkness Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon opened fire with his newfound comet-like firepower towards Tempest. Jaden's friends couldn't bear to watch anymore as well, shielding their eyes from the wrathful attack.
"Don't think so! I've got a Trap! Go, Negate Attack!" shouted Jaden as a barrier shielded Tempest from the mighty dragon's assault.
"What the?!"
"That's right! Your attack's been cancelled and the Battle Phase is forced to a close, so you can't attack me anymore this turn!"
"Hmph. Oh, well. Till next time," promised Nightshroud, making sure to prepare himself for next turn. "I end my turn!"
"Alright, my draw!" said Jaden, drawing his card. "First off, I summon Wroughtweiler in Defense Mode!"
Wroughtweiler - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (800/1200)
"And, I'll switch Elemental Hero Tempest to Defense as well! I'll end my turn from there!"
"That's funny! You know what I call it? A waste of time!" insulted Nightshroud, finding Jaden's resistance to be amusing for him. "And time, in case you've forgotten, is at the very essence by now! At least for your friends who are about to be deep fried, that is!"
Though trembling and hugging Chumley close for comfort, Syrus called, "Don't you listen to him, Jaden! Just concentrate on winning the duel!"
"Deep fried? I'll never be able to look at a French Fry again! Though, I'll probably still be able to eat," mumbled Chumley.
"Jaden! Hurry up!" urged Alexis.
Jaden, panting heavily due to his exhaustion and stress, nodded. "Yeah...I know! That lava is beginning to look really restless!"
"It's hotter than my Dad's hot sauce in here!" cried out Chumley, hugging Syrus even more tightly.
"What to do? What to do?" Nightshroud jokingly sang.
"How about you make your move?" spoke Jaden rudely.
Nightshroud smirked. "Oh, right. It's my turn. Sorry. I draw! I summon Spear Dragon in Attack Mode!"
A flying dinosaur-like dragon flew besides Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, ready for combat.
Spear Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV4 - (1900/0)
"Now, Spear Dragon! Give that Wroughtweiler something to chew on! Attack! Cyclone Blast!"
After charging, Spear Dragon lifted his jaws and fired a green twister-like laser which pierced through Wroughtweiler's armor.
"Wroughtweiler doesn't roll over that easily!" shouted Jaden. "See, when you send him to the Graveyard, I get to bring back a Polymerization and an Elemental Hero to my hand thanks to his spec-URK!"
An arrow-like laser shot through Jaden's chest, causing him to drop to one knee as his Life Points depleted.
Nightshroud - 600 LP
Jaden - 600 LP
"Ahaha! Don't get ahead of yourself!" laughed Nightshroud. "When Spear Dragon attacks a Monster in Defense Mode, if his Attack Points are greater than the defending Monster's Defense Points, the difference is dealt to you as damage! However, as you can see, Spear Dragon must then switch to Defense Mode!"
"Grr...!"
"And now for the matter of your Tempest and his special ability? Since you can save him from being destroyed in battle by sending one card from your field to the Graveyard, I'll get rid of Fusion Gate by playing the Quick-Play Spell, Mystical Space Typhoon, which allows me to destroy a Spell or Trap on the field!"
Hot winds swirled around the battlefield and flared up the entire volcano even more since more winds can power up a burning fire, making the situation worse for Jaden.
"Now, Key Keeper! Just try saving your Tempest!" dared Nightshroud. "Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon! Attack! Inferno Dark Fire!"
This time, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's incinerating fire blast burned through Tempest's defenses, destroying him and leaving not even one speck of ash from him. The blast threw Jaden back a little, damaging his body and exhausting him even further.
"I end my turn! It's your move! If you have any strength left to make it!"
The Shadow Duel was placing too much strain on Jaden and causing so much damage that Jaden collapsed and fell facedown to the ground, making him groan in pain.
"Jaden!" gasped Alexis, rushing towards his fallen body and trying to wake him up. "Get up! Please! Tell me you're okay!"
Unable to take it anymore, Elize leapt to her feet and cried out, "Stop! Stop it! That's enough! You don't have to continue this duel anymore, Mr. Nightshroud!"
"Says who? Who are you to tell me what to do?" questioned Nightshroud.
Revealing her Spirit Key, Elize pleaded, "Just let everyone else go! In exchange, I'll duel you and lose my soul to you, whether I win or lose! Please, anything to let my friends go! I should have taken the opportunity to duel you when you gave me the chance! Not Jaden! Please!"
"Elize, no! You can't!" shouted Alexis, standing up. "If that's the case, then I'll duel him!"
"No! This way, you can get everyone else back safely to the infirmary!" said Elize, shaking her head sadly. "Besides, let's face it. I'm the weakest one here. I was bound to be the first to lose my Spirit Key, either way. So, why not early?"
"N-no...!" groaned Jaden, struggling to get back up after hearing Elize speak such words. "I won't let you take the burden, Elize...!"
"But-!"
"No, but thanks for trying to cover me. And besides, I'm about to win this! I'm about to get my game on!" yelled Jaden, drawing his card.
"Well, you better hurry!" cried Syrus as the tidal waves of lava began to overflow and splash towards their defensive orb.
"I don't wanna be a French Fry!" shouted Chumley, hanging onto Syrus even more.
Rushing to end the duel, Jaden quickly said, "I summon Elemental Hero Wildheart in Attack Mode!"
Elemental Hero Wildheart - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1500/1600)
"Next, I'll activate the Spell, Wild Half, from my hand! And now Wild Half's gonna cut your Monster in half! See, what it does is take the original Attack Points of your Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon and split it by Special Summoning another Monster Token with the same Attack Points to the field!"
Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV9 - (3300/1000)
Half Token - (DARK/Dragon) - LV9 - (3300/1000)
"But because of all the dragons in Nightshroud's Graveyard, they still have 3300 Attack Points each!" exclaimed Alexis.
"I'm getting to that!" said Jaden. "Next up is Polymerization! Which I'll use to fuse Bladedge and Wildheart! Now merge to create the Elemental Hero Wildedge!"
Wildheart, combined with parts of Bladedge's armor, grew even more stronger as he let out a ficious roar.
Elemental Hero Wildedge - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2600/2300)
"And one of the things that put him in the edge of being wild is that he can attack all Monsters on your side of the field!"
"You just go ahead and do that, then!" challenged Nightshroud. "He still has less Attack Points than my dragon's!"
"Again with the Attack Points!" whined Jaden, tired of hearing the same thing over and over from his previous duels. Seriously, it was like a record that went rewind every time! "Alright, I guess it's about time I address that little issue with you guys! Or better yet, let Skyscraper do it for me!"
"What?!"
"That's right, I activate the Field Spell card, Skyscraper!"
Even though the sea of lava haven't changed, most of their surroundings were covered with tall buildings that even Nightshroud was unaware of until just now; a surprised look of his face as he discovered they were surrounded by the buildings that reached the skies.
"And once Wildedge's done with your dragons, you're gonna be scrubbing them off the pavement!" Said Jaden. "'Cause here, whenever an Elemental Hero attacks a Monster whose Attack POINTS are higher than them, they gain 1000 extra Attack Points!"
"No way!" Gasped Nightshroud.
Elemental Hero Wildedge - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (3600/2300)
"Inpossible!"
"Now, Wildedge! Attack the Red-Eyes Dragons and Spear Dragon!" Ordered Jaden.
Blades activated from his gauntlet, Wildedge twisted around and slashed at the dragons one by one as if he was a knight slaying the evil dragons.
Nightshroud - 0 LP
Jaden - 600 LP
Winner: Jaden
"That's...game..." panted Jaden before falling down out of exhaustion as pillars of lava burst from the lava field and rose up to the air. Nightshroud screamed as he burst into flames, having lost the duel.
"Jaden!" both Alexis and Elize cried out, rushing towards his aid before finding themselves caught up by a circle of flames; both hugging each other to protect one another as they braced for any incoming pain.
Once the chaos calmed down, Syrus and Chumley were instantly teleported towards the outside of the volcano where they regained consciousness.
"We're alive...we're alive...!" gasped Syrus before he and Chumley spotted Elize and Alexis, who were starting to wake up themselves.
"Are we...outside of the volcano?" wondered Elize, helping Alexis sit up as the older girl clutched her forehead in pain.
"He did it...Jaden actually did it," spoke Alexis, astonished over the results of the life-threatening duel. "But...where is Jaden?"
"Ah! Look there!" cried out Chumley, pointing to his unconscious and battered body not too far ahead. The four of them ran up to him, attempting to resuscitate him since he wasn't moving.
"Jaden! Jaden! Wake up, please!"
"Jaden, are you okay? Say something!"
"Please, wake up! Wake up!"
"Guys! Guys! He's fine!" assured Alexis, checking his pulse. "Tired, maybe, but he's fine. Which is more than I can say for Nightshroud."
Noticing a card besides Jaden, Elize picked it up and noticed it was the blank card Nightshroud had, only it contained a picture of Nightshroud's mask this time. She could sense a dangerous presence of darkness inside, so she dropped it.
Looking around, Alexis spotted another battered body and, assuming from the body size and dark clothes, she concluded it was Nightshroud. She turned him around and gasped; tears threatening to escape her eyes.
"A-Alexis..." the man known as Nightshroud muttered before fainting.
"I-It can't be...!"
"Jaden! Hold on! We're coming!" called Bastion as he, Chazz, and Zane rushed towards the base of the volcano.
"What happened?!" exclaimed Chazz.
"O-One of the Shadow Riders came...and wanted me to duel him. But...Jaden took my place instead...and it's because of me that he's like this!" cried out Elize, tears dropping down her cheeks.
"And? What happened? Did he win?" Chazz questioned, anxious to know.
"Sure was, Chazz!" said Chumley.
"So, is that him?" Zane wondered, turning towards the body that Alexis was holding onto, wondering if it was the Shadow Rider Jaden faced. Hearing soft sobs from Alexis, Zane's expression softened. "Alexis...?"
"It's him, Zane! It's him!" sobbed Alexis to Zane, who was shocked to see the true face of Nightshroud. "I don't know how, but it's him! I thought I lost him, but he's back! He's finally back!"
"...Atticus...?!"
With the entire group gathered and rushing towards Alexis and Zane, with Chumley carrying Jaden, Alexis began explaining, "It wasn't him before...but that card took away whatever darkness was holding him! He's back now!"
"...And if this is how it is whenever you win a duel, just think what it is when you lose," muttered Zane ominously. "It might not be coming up now, but night will fall again soon, and when it does, we must be ready..."
Finished just in time before school starts! Read and review!