Yu-Gi-Oh! Generation Fusion!

by Autismo555

A masked man, known as the Controller, has plucked the major focal points of Duel Monsters history and gathered up the biggest villains from each timeline to destroy the history of Duel Monsters itself! Now with the help of their friends and allies, Yugi Muto, Jaden Yuki, Yusei Fudo and Yuma Tsukumo join forces to prevent the threat from destroying the game they love!

14. The Desert Bloom!

AUTHOR'S NOTE!

Hi, loyal fans!

Boy, real life stuff is really difficult to juggle nowadays! From being distracted by video games (I got the Nintendo Switch with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Super Mario Oddyssey), to finding a way to decompress after a long day's work, to now juggling my free time and time I need to get schoolwork done. I had planned to finish this chapter by the start of my classes, but I've had major writer's block issues, so there's something that took a while to overcome.

So expect the next chapter to not be out in months while I also try to work on "A Kindred Spirit". I have no idea where I might lead Jaden and the others in the story, so I'll try to make it up as I go along. Anyway, here's the latest chapter of Generation Fusion, and I hope it's to your liking! It's the first Duel with Tag Team Rules!

Enjoy!
~Autismo555

---

Pharaoh's Palace - Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

The guard who patrolled the outer walls of the palace sprinted through the inner halls.

His spear in his hand tilted downwards for safety, the guard came across a grand doorway, leading into a chamber much grander than any chamber or dungeon in the palace alone.

When the guard burst into the chamber, he was facing seven special individuals, all of their faces and most of their bodies obscured in shadow.

Each of those individuals wielded a golden trinket imbued with powerful magic. Some wore those trinkets around their necks, two held one of the trinkets by the handle, and one wore the trinket in his eye.

Six of the people who stood on the floor watched as their guard entered the chamber and quickly dropped to one knee in respect. The respect was given towards the seventh individual who sat on a grand golden throne. Around his neck was one of the golden trinkets, an upside-down pyramid shattered and reassembled and hanging by rope, imbedded in the center with the Eye of Wdjat. He was the mighty Pharaoh of Egypt, the most powerful individual who could tap into the power of the shadows and call up his army of monsters, spells, and traps to use against his opponents.

"My Pharaoh, something has happened in the desert!" the guard reported.

"Speak," the Pharaoh commanded in an authoritative voice.

"Strange lights have erupted from the middle of the desert! They have flown straight into the entrance of the Shrine!"

"Our shadow creatures!" said the man holding a trinket taking the form of a pair of balancing scales. "They have been freed and returned to the Shrine!"

"That would explain the trembling in the earth we have just felt, my Pharaoh," the calm voice of a woman deduced, one who wielded another trinket resembling a necklace.

"I had feared that the third Egyptian God was angered by a crime of our own volition," spoke the voice of another man who wore his trinket in his eye socket. "It seems we were all mistaken there."

"Although, the lights entering the Shrine of Wdjat was no mistake," the man who wore a trinket that was shaped like an ankh-shaped key said. "Remember, it was that same light earlier this morning that aided the escape of those shadow creatures from their stone imprisonment. Something must have happened that would force the shadow creatures back into those slabs."

"Perhaps someone defeated a High Mage in a Shadow Duel," a peppy female voice suggested, one who wielded a golden ring worn with a triangle in the center and five dangling spikes around her neck. "After all, this kind of magic has a similar signature to the High Mage's magic."

"A good guess, but I'm afraid I must disagree with you," said a man who wielded a trinket in the form of a rod. "Only we hold the powers to combat and defeat a High Mage in a Shadow Game. Unless there is another out in the desert who wields a magic equal or greater than ours, I cannot see any proof to back your theory."

"Then perhaps a solution is in order. I can establish a psychic link with the power of my Millennium Necklace to one of my monsters, and I can send them to determine the cause of the shadow creatures' returns to their slabs." The woman with the calming voice, wielding the necklace with the Eye of Wdjat imbedded in it turned to the Pharaoh, placed a hand on her chest, and bowed slightly. "My Pharaoh, with your permission, I would like to look into this matter personally."

"See that you do," the Pharaoh granted. "The sooner we look into the cause of the lights, the sooner we can determine a solution to our darkened skies and our red sun."

"As you wish, my Pharaoh," the woman bowed once more graciously. "So let it be written, so let it be done."

The woman held her own DiaDhank out, the wing unfurling into five golden feathers. The eye on the Millennium Necklace began to glow, as did the "eye" on the center of the DiaDhank, linking the woman and her life force to that single powerful artifact. Closing her eyes, and with the power of the Millennium Necklace, the woman's mind traveled out of the palace, over the walls, and into the Shrine of Wedju where she immediately made psychic contact with the engraving of a creature that had the physique of a young woman but the feet, claws, and wings of a bird.

"Come forth, Airo!" the woman decreed.

Suddenly, the "Harpie Lady's" stone tablet glowed, releasing the creature, revealing to have long neon pink hair, large green arms with enormous wings, a lavender body suit, and a fierce look in her eyes. The "Harpie Lady" screeched with the combination of a woman's war cry and the screech of a strix as it soared up into the sky, flapping its wings and gliding over the sand. The woman with the Millennium Necklace was now seeing as the harpy saw, and she could hear what the harpy heard as well, but unfortunately, she could feel what the harpy felt as well. One major flaw in the magic of the DiaDhanks.

"Now, Airo, fly into the south and the west," the woman commanded her Winged Beast. "I will guide you to where you need to be."

Without a sound from the harpy's mouth, the named "Harpie Lady" flew into the direction given to her by her master.

---

Underworld Temple Ruins - Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

Silent tensions rose within the circle of animated anachronisms, all gathered before the ruins of what was once a grand temple honoring the Egyptian deity of the departed, Anubis. Akiza Izinski, with her beautiful eyes all aflame like a fiery rose, stared intently at Jaden Yuki, who returned that stare with an intense gaze of his own. Tristan Taylor stood close by while he watched the horse-riding girl looked down at his friend while little Tori Meadows was still comatose, the tiny bird-of-paradise watching dutifully over her while perched on her head.

"So, you're one of the reasons why we're all in this mess," Akiza calmly but firmly inquired the Slifer Red.

"Something like that. What of it?" Jaden retorted with his own question.

"Why don't you tell me what's going on and why we're stranded in the middle of a desert?"

"To answer your second question, we must've gotten flung here by that storm by accident," Jaden answered. "As for your first question, that's a long story."

Akiza's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "You're going to tell me what you know, and you're going to tell it now."

Tristan noticed the horse Akiza rode on and distinctly remembered the steed from before.

"Hey, Jaden, isn't that the same horse that threw us off earlier?" Tristan asked in a hush-hush voice.

"That's definitely it," Jaden answered in a whisper. "I recognize the saddle and the reins you tried to commandeer."

"So what about the people riding it? Do you know them?"

"I don't know much about the green-haired girl, but I think we've seen the red-haired girl before."

"Really? Because I don't think I've seen her before."

"Sure we have. She was in the plaza when our monsters battled the Controller, remember?"

"Uhhh..."

"Care to share what you two are whispering about?" Akiza asked the two teens.

"It's nothing important," Jaden insisted. "We're just trying to remember seeing your faces before today."

"You probably haven't recognized me, kid, but I've definitely seen you before," Akiza said, flashing back to the battled between the Legendary Duelists and the Controller. "I remember seeing you with Yusei when you guys fought that maniac from before. I may not understand why we're stuck in the middle of a desert in a creepy dimension, but I can tell you that you are one of the people that maniac is targeting. So why don't you fess up and tell me why we're here and why I was separated from my friends."

"It's a long story, but I can break it down into smaller parts if we have the time," Jaden offered.

"I don't have much time to listen to stories," Akiza said. "I have a girl here who's sick and she'll succumb to the desert heat if I don't do anything."

Jaden and Tristan looked over to the green-haired girl and gasped.

"Oh man! She looks like she's getting fried under the sun!" Tristan stated from observation.

"No joke! She's definitely got it worse than the three of us combined!" Jaden backed his friend up. "We'd better take her under the shade and get her some water quick."

"And how are we supposed to give her water?" Tristan inquired. "We're in the middle of a desert. I bet the only source of water is about miles away from where we are now!"

"There's an oasis back there several miles away from our location," Akiza said, "but I won't let you off easy unless I know you can be trusted."

Jaden smirked. "Don't worry about that. I have a trick or two up my sleeve that can help us beat the heat," he said with unbridled optimism. "All I ask in return is that you have a little faith in me."

Akiza felt the urge to suppress a gasp. How could she have faith in a boy she had just met when clearly, he was the intended target for that masked maniac along with Yusei and his two other friends? She learned to be wary of the trust of others in the past, but her meeting the boy was clearly something she had to be extra cautious about. The boy seemed to have an air of mystery around him, like some great power was housed within his mortal vessel. She could sense it. She could feel it burning in her Signer Mark. She knew Tori had recently acquired an unknown power that made her recoil from the searing sensation in her Signer Mark, but she feels the boy had a power greater than that.

It wasn't before long that while Akiza was considering her actions carefully, Tristan stepped up. "I'd take him on that offer," he advised the Psychic Duelist. "I've seen him do some crazy things to the last two opponents who tried to take him on in a Duel, and he's always got a way to turn the bleakest outcomes around. If you really want to save that girl's life, then you'll just have to put a little more faith in Jaden here."

This time, Akiza did not suppress a surprised gasp. "Jaden? You're not the Jaden Yuki I heard all about, are you?"

The teen in question felt himself puzzled. "Uh, yeah, that's right."

"My friend talked about you when he traveled back in time to prevent the future from being destroyed," Akiza explained. "You might know him, his name is..."

"Yusei Fudo," Jaden interjected, smiling. "Then you must be one of his friends from his own time, am I right?"

Akiza gasped a little further. "That's right. Yusei told me how he and you and the King of Games himself teamed up together to save our future." The Psychic Duelist then placed a hand over her chest and formally introduced herself. "My name is Akiza Izinski, and I do come from the same era with Yusei. I have to apologize for suspecting you for being involved with that madman. I hope you understand why I'm in an anxious and impatient mood."

"No worries, I've been in similar situations where I'm the target for suspicion," Jaden assured, smiling.

Tristan took a look at the unconscious green-haired girl. "So what about that girl in your arms? Isn't she from your time, too?"

Akiza looked down at Tori resting in her arms. "No, she's from a completely different time, but if I don't do something to bring her heat intolerance down, she'll run out of it."

"Well, what are we doing standing around for?" Jaden rhetorically asked. "Come on, there's plenty of shade around the temple."

"Temple?" Akiza looked at the monumental-sized pile of sandstone rubble. She looked at Jaden with a raised eyebrow category of bemusement. "What temple?"

It wasn't before long that Akiza quickly brought Tori to the shade provided by the rubble from the recently ruined temple. Fortunately, there was a space large enough to fit the four teens (and tiny bird) together where it began slightly cramped, even when they did crouch down together. Tapping into Yubel's otherworldly powers once more, indicated by his glowing dichromatic eyes, Jaden activated his Duel Disk and slapped down a familiar bubble-themed buster.

"Come on out, 'Elemental HERO Bubbleman'!" Jaden said as he called forth his aforementioned monster in solid form.

And it did so by flipping its cape to the side and struck a pose, crouching down to make a fit in the space.

Akiza was surprised by the display. "He just Summoned his own monster like it was a real person!"

"If you think that's amazing, just wait until you see what Jaden can do," Tristan said to the surprised psychic.

"Hey, 'Bubbleman', how about giving the kid some water before she fries up like an egg?" Jaden suggested to his monster.

With a nod, "Bubbleman" shot a mild stream of bubbles from his wrist-mounted nozzles towards the unconscious girl which popped over her head, spreading a mist that gave her only a fraction of the hydration she needed. Some of the mist that didn't fall on her face went down her mouth and into her throat. It wasn't much, but at least it was clearing up Tori's sore throat. The reaction was the young freshman coughing at the burns at the back of her throat, which gave Akiza an idea.

"Wait," she said, making both the Slifer Red and the "Elemental HERO" pause for a moment as she took off her handmade water basket. "Here, get some of those bubbles in here so she hydrate quicker."

"Bubbleman" looked at Jaden awaiting a reply for his orders.

He just smiled. "You heard the lady. Give her some water, pronto."

With it, the gadget-using "Elemental HERO" splashed some water from the nozzles and into the basket. Gently, Akiza shifted over to Tori, lifted her head up, and gently tipped the basket at her bottom lip to let the cool water run into her mouth. Unconscious and unknowing, Tori accepted the gift of water, swallowing small mouthfuls after mouthfuls, letting the pure, cold liquid flow down her throat, healing the dry, scratchy throat, and providing the body from the inside with much-needed hydration. After the basket was empty, Akiza went back for seconds, which "Bubbleman" was happy to do.

"Jeez, Akiza, I'm surprised you know how to survive in the desert heat," Jaden commentated.

"This isn't anything to be surprise about," Akiza said. "When you're enrolled in Duel Academy to become a doctor, one must know how to stay hydrated and fight dehydration every step of the way."

"Hang on. You guys still have Duel Academy in your era?" Jaden said, never letting his smile slip from his face.

"Yep. Duel Academies from around the world have been around for longer than I can count," Akiza answered with a nod.

"Oh, sweet! It's good to know that teaching eager young Duelists is still a big fad," Jaden said.

"Yes, Jaden," Akiza nodded. "Now tell me what happened before you and your era were taken to this place."

"Well, we were having a class reunion on Duel Academy Island, and me and my friends were having an exhibition Duel when we were pulled into the Void," Jaden said.

"The Void?" Akiza repeated curiously.

"Yep. That's the name of the dimension that we're all trapped in. That's what the Controller called it, anyway."

"The Controller? Isn't he the guy I saw who used his Dragons to battle all those other monsters for that glowing card?"

"Yeah, and it gets a lot complicated, too," Jaden said somberly. "He's got this wicked Dueling skill that wiped the floor with Kaiba, and that was only a fraction of what he can really do. For the first time in forever, I'm not even sure if I have what it takes to match up against him, even with the fuller extent of my power."

Tristan felt a gasp stifle halfway in exasperation. "You know that's not true, Jaden. I've seen what you can do, too. If you can turn a bleak-looking Duel around in a flash, then surely you can beat this guy."

"But that's just it, Tristan, I'm not sure I can beat that guy alone," Jaden said. "Think back real carefully, Tristan. You've seen the Controller wipe the floor with Kaiba in that Duel, and that was just one of the Dueling Decks that he possesses! Even if I did challenge him to a Duel with Yugi, Yusei, and Yuma, we'll have a high chance of having our butts handed to us, big time! Let's not forget, Tristan, is that if you lose a Duel in the Void, then every trace of your existence will be wiped away from your memory!"

Akiza's eyes widened with shock. "What!? Are you serious! Tell me this is not how Dueling works in this dark place!" she begged.

"I wish I could, Akiza, but it's a fact. The last two Duelists I've defeated since we've been here have completely disappeared, and all that's left of them are blanks in my head and their strongest card."

"If what you're saying is true, then..." Akiza whipped her head and her gaze out the crack of the rubble and towards the Void above. "I have to get my friends and fast! If any of them lose, it's the end of the world as we know it!"

"Don't worry, Akiza, we'll figure a way out of this desert," Jaden assured the Psychic Duelist, "and my pals and I agree that the best place to look is at the Pharaoh's palace."

While the Slifer Red explained the situation to his friends, Tori's gently closed eyes squeezed tighter. She felt her senses slowly come back as her headache began to clear up. The first thing she registered was two different voices, one male and one female, all muffled and distorted but becoming clearer with each passing second. She fluttered her eyelids open and saw only a blur which steadily reverted back to her usual 20/20 vision. With a few blinks of her eyes, she saw she was lying down in the sand under the shade, propped up by a familiar-looking young woman conversing with a boy in a red jacket and a teenager older than her with a pike-like hairstyle on his head. In between those strangers was another man, garbed in blue armor with a mask covering all but the grin on his face while holding his arm mounted with the intense sprayer nozzle.

"The Pharaoh's palace?" she heard the young woman speak. "How is that going to solve anything?"

"This is Ancient Egypt. This is the time when the earliest Duel Monsters games were played using the Seven Millennium Items," she heard a teenage boy explain. "If we can somehow convince the Pharaoh of this era to use the magic of the Millennium Items, we can hitch a ride back home!"

"The Pharaoh? You mean we've been sent back thousands of years to the origin of Duel Monsters?"

"Yeah, and with the power of the Millennium Items, they were able to bridge a gap between our world and the Spirit World. If they can do that, then maybe they can send us back to the future."

"That's a good idea and all, Jaden," she heard another teenage boy commend the other boy, "but how are we going to convince the Pharaoh that we're trying to get back home?"

"I dunno, but I'll think of something along the way."

Tori couldn't help but hold back a moan, catching the attention of everyone under the shade. Without enough brainpower for her to tilt her head, Tori weakly looked around the area using only her gaze to take in the sights. She looked to her right and saw a distinctively familiar woman looking at her with a relieved smile, keeping her propped up by cradling her upper body in her arms. She looked to her left where the two teen boys met her tired gaze with delighted faces of their own.

"Well, look who decided to wake up!" Jaden announced in his lighthearted tone.

"Are you feeling alright, Tori?" Akiza asked the younger girl.

"I guess..." Tori took one more sweep of the area with her gaze. "...where am I?"

"You're still in the desert, but we're safe with friends now," Akiza informed her. "Do remember who I am?"

It took Tori a moment to register the woman's appearance... her burgundy hair, her gentle eyes, her crimson Victorian-styled clothing... before it all sunk in.

"I do. You're Akiza. You're the one who found me at the oasis."

Akiza smiled. "That's right, and I'm the one who's gonna get you home, Tori, just like I promised."

A grateful smile broke across Tori's cheeks as hey eyes brimmed with moisture.

"Thank you, Akiza. That means a lot to me," she said.

"Don't mention it, Tori. I'm just looking out for someone who's far away from her friends."

Jaden stifled a slight chuckle. "I guess we've all gotta look out for each other that way, huh?"

Tori turned her head to the Slifer Red.

"Who are you guys?"

"My name's Jaden. Jaden Yuki." The boy saluted the girl and gave her a friendly wink. "Wassup?"

Then it was the other boy's turn. "Oh, my name's Tristan. I guess I'm here for the ride."

"They've been separated from their friends as well," Akiza gently explained to Tori. "Jaden has an idea of where we need to go, don't we?"

"I do have an idea," Jaden said, his smile faltering a little. "It's not exactly what I would call 'a walk in the park', but maybe we can somehow this era's Pharaoh to help us out some."

"But on the off-chance that we do, then

Not too far from where the gathering teens were, there was a cacophony of stamping hooves gathering at the top of a sand dune overlooking a recently ruined temple.

Five of the Shadow Bandits riding atop their pitch-black stallions watched from the apex of the nearby taller sand dunes, spotting the group of young lost anachronisms grouping under the ruined structure of the temple's entrance. Each cloaked criminal observed the teens with cold, unwavering eyes. They saw how innocent they were, how weak they were, and how unaware of their presence they were, making this a perfect set-up for a sneak attack on them.

"So they must be the source of those strange lights," the first Shadow bandit assumed.

The second Shadow Bandit nodded and said, "Indeed. And that boy in red must be the same boy who sent our previous leader to the Shadow Realm."

"Then we shall take him and his comrades to the Bandit King!" the third Shadow Bandit declared, unsheathing his scimitar. "Who's with me!?"

The other four Shadow Bandits unsheathed their scimitars and let out a war cry, allowing their black steeds to rear up on their hind hooves before they initiated their charge on the youths.

This would prove to be a graven error on their judgment for two reasons. One reason is that they were unaware that their fellow black steed was now owned by the young woman in rose clothing. When they approached, their attempts to strike the youths in one fell swoop, Black Tuscany gave an alarmed whinny and started to jump on its hind hooves, alerting the others that something was wrong and it was coming in fast (and making the hydrating "HERO" disappear at the same time).

"Hey, what's up the horse?" Tristan asked.

"I think it's trying to tell us that something's coming," Akiza said.

Jaden had a second opinion on that as he got a closer look at what was coming down the sand dune.

"Not something... someone," he said, observing a familiar sight. "Lots of someones riding horseback in black cloaks and holding their swords out."

Tristan gasped, reeling back in shock. "Black cloaks and swords!? You're not saying what I think you're saying, are you!?"

Jaden looked back at the panicled teen. "I'm afraid so, Tristan. We've got trouble, and they're coming in hot on horseback."

"What exactly are we talking about here?" Akiza asked.

"Shadow Bandits. They're not exactly the friendliest people you'd wanna meet on the street," Jaden answered, sneering a little.

"I was chased down by a few of those Shadow Bandits earlier today!" Tristan explained. "If Jaden hadn't shown when he did, then I wouldn't be here right now!"

"Oh, so they're that bad, huh?" Akiza probed.

"In this era, they're the worst of the worst," Jaden said, "and that's being generous given how many bad guys I've beaten in my time."

"I see." Akiza gently transferred Tori into the arms of Jaden, her course made clear. "Well then, if you would all excuse me, I would like to give those bandits a piece of my mind."

"Wait, hold on a second! I'm coming with you!" Jaden said, gently transferring Tori into a surprised Tristan's arms, going after his new comrade.

"Listen, Jaden, I appreciate the help and all, but keeping Tori alive and well is something I've gotta do," Akiza insisted, narrowing her glare towards the oncoming intruders. "I made her a promise to get her back with her friends, and that's something that I intend to keep."

"Of course you did," Jaden said, standing at her side. "That's why I plan on fending these guys off with you."

"You think you can take on five Shadow Bandits all at once?" Akiza challenged, inserting her hybrid Duel Disk on her arm and activating it.

"Please, I'm too modest to boast," Jaden said with a smirk, activating his Duel Disk and allowing his eyes to glow a familiar red and green colors separately.

When the Shadow Bandits closed in on the two teens positions, ready to strike them down with their curved swords, both Jaden and Akiza nodded to each other in accord.

"Ready?" Jaden asked, drawing a card from his Deck.

"Now!" Akiza shouted, slapping a card on her Duel Disk. "'Black Rose Dragon', come out!"

With her psychic abilities to materialize her monsters in life-like solid form conjuring up a powerful gust, Akiza called forth her most powerful monster, its rose petal wings unfurling as it loomed over the Shadow Bandits with a feminine screech. With a whip of its thorny tentacles into the sand, the "Black Rose Dragon" instantly induced panic within the black stallions (including Black Tuscany, I'm sorry to say), and made a few of the Shadow Bandits draw back in fear.

"Hey, don't forget about me!" Jaden called out, slapping his favorite card on his Duel Disk. "Give us a hand, 'Neos'!"

With the aid of Yubel's powers, the white muscular humanoid from outer space appeared in a flash of light, ascending high into the air then descending down towards the other Shadow Bandits with the speed of a falling meteor. Curling its fist, "Elemental HERO Neos" struck the ground near the Shadow Bandits, creating a shockwave that sent the other bandits and their steeds flying. The two monsters continued to incapacitate their enemies while their owners watched them at work.

"You've brought your own monster to life!" Akiza exclaimed to Jaden with surprise. "Are you a Psychic Duelist, too?"

"Not really. My powers are based on a spiritual level, if you catch my drift," Jaden replied.

"This isn't really the best time for jokes, Jaden," Akiza said, quickly seeing an open window of opportunity. "Quick, here's our only chance to escape!"

"Right," Jaden said, turning to Tristan. "Tristan, you and Tori have gotta bail out and fast!"

"Way ahead of you, Jaden!" tristan called back as he carried Tori up to the familiar black horse.

Unfortunately, thus plan of action was not lost on one of the Shadow Bandits.

"You're not going anywhere!" the Shadow Bandit growled.

Converting his life energy into his DiaDhank, the Shadow Bandit activated his ancient Duel Disk, unsheathing its five golden wings while the "eye" in the center of the forearm glowed yellow. Quickly, just before Tristan and Tori reached one of the traitorous stallions, that Shadow Bandit called forth a small stone tablet, used the DiaDhank's magic to shatter its stone shell and converted it into a Spell Card, depicting a steel dome-shaped age with spikes embedded in the center of the crossing bards, entrapping an apparition inside.

"You cannot escape the clutches of my 'Nightmare's Steelcage'!" the Shadow Bandit declared.

All of a sudden, just before Tristan took another step, steel-pated bars shot up from underneath the sand, surrounding him, the unconscious girl, and the newly-frightened stallion on all sides. When the steel cage met at the apex, they were all held together by a single spike at the top, the size of it being obviously bigger than the other smaller spikes keeping the cage together. Black Tuscany began to buck and kick aimlessly out of fear while Tristan observed the futility of trying to escape.

"Uh, Jaden! We're in big trouble here!" he called out.

Tristan and Akiza both turned to the sound of Tristan's screams, and gasped as they saw their friends trapped in the cage.

"Oh no! The Shadow Bandits have captured our friends!" Akiza shouted in shock.

"We've gotta get them out of there and fast!" Jaden shouted, making an attempt to run at the cage.

Suddenly, another of the Shadow Bandits recuperated quickly and stood by his comrade, stopping Jaden in his path.

"You cannot save them now, boy!" the first Shadow Bandit said. "They will be taken back to our glorious Bandit King, even if we have to drag them all, kicking or screaming!"

"That is right!" the Shadow Bandit that captured the distressed trio concurred. "If you desire to free your friends, then all you have to do is give yourself up in exchange for their freedom!"

Akiza's once gentle and caring eyes quickly narrowed with her brow. A raging fire began to grow inside her at the sight of her friends being captured and the bargain of Jaden's freedom for them.

"Oh really?" Jaden said, a frown spread across his grin. "And where exactly are you planning on dragging me off to?"

"That remains only a secret to the Shadow Bandits, and the Shadow Bandits alone!" the second Shadow Bandit answered.

"The tales of your resistance against our brethren has quickly spread, and it was your tales that has gained our king's interest," the first Shadow Bandit explained. "If you turn yourself in, we will take you to see the Bandit King himself, and we will be rewarded handsomely for your capture."

"Yeah? Well, I hate to disappoint you guys, but you're not getting that reward!" Jaden argued.

"And why is that, do you believe?" the first Shadow Bandit asked.

With a frown spread across and down on his face, Jaden activated his Duel Disk and showed it off to the two Shadow Bandits.

"Because, like you said before, we're not going anywhere!" Jaden argued. "Least of all, not with you creeps!"

"Then you choose to do this the hard way then?" the first Shadow Bandit asked, he and his comrade showing off their respective DiaDhanks. "Then you will fall where you stand!"

"Oh no, you don't! I'm not leaving you to Duel these two on your own!" Akiza protested, running up to Jaden's side. "Not without me, anyway."

Jaden looked at the Psychic Duelist surprisingly. "Huh?"

"Look, Jaden, despite how much you want to save your friends and your home from total destruction, I have an obligation to protect Tori from harm," Akiza said, her eyes closed as she formed the words in her speech. "Remember how I said I promised her I'd keep her safe? Well, that's exactly what I intend to do. When I found her lying unconscious and sizzling under that hot sun, I needed to keep her safe because she was missing her friends back home, and so was I. I couldn't exactly leave her to succumb to the heat, and given how desperate our situation seemed, I made a promise to her that I'd get her home back to her friends, even if it meant I could lose everything I had."

Akiza shot her eyes open, her gaze strictly focused towards the two Shadow Bandits that dared to capture her new friends with ill intent. "So now I'm going to make good on my promise by beating these two knuckleheads in this Duel, so win or lose, I will help Tori get back to her friends safely, and anyone who gets in my way will be squashed like a bug under my boot."

Jaden stared at the Psychic Duelists with widened eyes and a shiver running down his back.

Watching Akiza stare down her two opponents and her fierce loyalty to protect the girl was like watching a mother bear protect her cubs against the hunters.

"Yikes, Akiza. Remind me never to get on your bad side," Jaden said with a slight quiver in his voice, making the Duelist in question smirk.

"You don't have to worry, Jaden, because you happen to be standing on my good side," Akiza quipped, her smile then melting at the sight of the two Shadow Bandits as she, too activated her hybrid Duel Disk. "Now these two, on the other hand, have gotten me so peeved that I'm about to show them that this rose has some prickly thorns."

The first Shadow Bandit chuckled.

"You have decided your own fate as well, have you?" he asked, holding up his DiaDhank as its golden wings unfurled and the "eye" in the center glowed bright.

"Then so be it!" the second Shadow Bandit said. "All of us will Duel each of you until you fall or we fall!"

"Fine by me! Let's do this!" Jaden challenged, drawing his five cards. "Now get ready to get your game on!"

"I will not let you get away with imprisoning my friend!" Akiza vowed, starting with five cards in her hand too.

"Generating Action Field: Crossover."

Once more did the feminine robotic voice resonate from each of the players' Dueling devices, that the power of the Field Spell did make it easier for the anachronisms to initiate their match. As such, the familiar Field Spell, its energy streams crisscrossed amongst a realm of colorful circuitry stretching towards the horizon appeared in its ethereal form above each of the Dueling devices. Then the more gigantic ethereal image of that card appeared above their heads, lingering above in the air until everyone spoke its sacred mantra.

"LET'S DUEL!"
"LET'S DUEL!"
"LET'S DUEL!"
"LET'S DUEL!"

Suddenly, the Field Spell "Crossover" was shattered into gold dust, raining down on the players as each of their Life Point values began at 4000.

Turn 1: Jaden Yuki (4000)

Hand: 5

"Non-Shadow Bandits get to go first!" Jaden declared, drawing his first card. "First, I place two cards face-down!"

Two face-down cards appeared in Jaden's Spell/Trap Card Zone right before he plucked another card from his hand. "Next, I Summon my 'Elemental HERO Avian' in Attack Mode!"

In a flash of light, a wicked whirlwind picked up, and the winged warrior in question emerged from it, ready for battle. (1000/1000)

"That's all for me," Jaden said. "Now let's see what you've got."

Turn 2: Shadow Bandit I (4000)

Hand: 5

"Ask and you will receive," Shadow Bandit I said as a random tablet emerged from the "eye", converting into a Duel Monsters card.

"Soon, my boy, you will taste the firsthand terror of the wild beasts that roam this land at night!" Shadow Bandit I said, plucking a card from his hand. "I call upon my 'Hyena' in Attack Mode!"

Shadow Bandit I slapped that card on his DiaDhank's Monster Zone. From out of the light appearing in front of the Shadow Bandit came a feral hyena of grey-colored fur, its predatory red eyes studying "Avian" closely, its mouth dribbling with saliva, and an animalistic cackle escaping from the back of its throat. (1000/300)

"A hyena?" Jaden questioned, lightly surprised. "It won't hold up in a match against my 'Avian', they're going to destroy each other!"

"It is true that our two monsters are equal in power and equally as destructive," Shadow Bandit I said, revealing an Equip Spell in his fingers, "but once I equip my 'Necklace of Command' onto my 'Hyena', you will think otherwise!" Shadow Bandit I slapped the Equip Spell into his Spell/Trap Zone, and when the card appeared on the field, it transformed into a spiky beaded necklace with an amethyst jewel in the center. The "Hyena" laughed when the necklace was worn around its neck, leaving Jaden wondering about the significance of the necklace.

"What's the point of that? It didn't even raise your 'Hyena's' Attack Points," he pointed out.

Shadow Bandit I giggled. "My dear boy, if you are in need of understanding my necklace's power, perhaps destroying our own monsters may share an insight to my plan! Go, 'Hyena', destroy his monster!"

Eliciting a snarl, the "Hyena" drew back and pounced, opening its salivated maw to bite down on "Avian".

The winged "Elemental HERO" responded to this by leaping into the air at the same arc to meet with the feral beast.

The attacks connected when "Avian" threw his clawed gauntlet right into the "Hyena's" mouth, causing a reaction in which the buildup of power caused both of the monsters to be engulfed in an explosion.

The shockwave from the explosion rocked the two Duelists, covering their faces against the blast before it calmed down almost instantaneously.

"Okay, so our monsters have been destroyed at the same time," Jaden said bemused. "What was the point of destroying our monsters?"

A wicked grin stretched across the Shadow Bandit's grin. "Only to render your field defenseless," he said. "When my 'Hyena' is destroyed by battle, it can call forth two of its comrades from my Deck!"

Two more stone tablets emerged from the DiaDhank's "eye" which were engulfed in a golden glow, growing and expanding into two life-sized rectangular lights. Cracks webbed into the lights before they shattered into pieces as two more "Hyenas" of different colors jumped out onto the Shadow Bandit's field, one with blonde-colored fur (1000/300), the other with a brownish fur (1000/300). Each of them sounded a combination of an animalistic growl and a psychotic cackle, drooling from their mouths.

"Uh oh! I walked right into that one!" Jaden gasped.

"Yes, and now since a monster who wore the 'Necklace of Command' has been destroyed, I can force you to discard one card from your hand!" Shadow Bandit I explained, pointing at Jaden. "Now then, boy, choose one of the cards to send to the great beyond!"

Jaden growled. "Guess I have no choice," he said, picking his "Elemental HERO Necroshade" from his hand and sending it to his Graveyard.

All part of the plan.

Shadow Bandit I waved his hand towards Jaden. "And now that I have rendered your field empty, I can attack you directly with my two 'Hyenas'!"

With a cacophony of snarls, growls, and unnatural cackling, the "Hyenas" made for the seemingly defenseless Slifer Red.

"You'd better tell them to heel, pal, because I have a Trap Card! Go, 'Hero Signal'!" Jaden shouted, forcing his face-down Trap Card face-up which shown a spotlight with the "H" insignia shining in the sky.

"Thanks to this, since my 'Avian' has been destroyed by battle, I can Summon a new 'Elemental HERO' directly from my Deck," Jaden explained as his Deck glowed, jutting a card out from the middle. "You'd better be ready for a clobbering, because I'm Summoning my 'Elemental HERO Clayman' in Defense Mode!"

In a flash of light, the golem-shaped "Elemental HERO" appeared in a ready pose, crouching down and crossing its literally stone-hard arms. (800/2000)

One by one, the two "Hyenas" crunched down on "Clayman's" arms, but could not destroy the defending monster while they were stuck to its arms by their teeth. With its hulking strength, "Clayman" threw the "Hyenas" off of its arms with a giant swing, throwing them back onto the Shadow Bandit's field and landing onto their sides.

"No! What have you done!?" Shadow Bandit I asked as his Life Points was halved almost immediately. (Shadow Bandit I: 4000 - 2000 = 2000)

"What have I done? I just built up a little defense is all," Jaden answered. "You getting your Life Points dropped by half? That was all on you, bro."

Shadow Bandit I growled as he took a few cards from his hand. "Don't get cocky with me, boy," he warned as he threw those three face-downs on the field in his Spell/Trap Zone. "You are only delaying the inevitable defeat!"

Nearby, Akiza watched as Jaden easily made it through his opponent's turn.

"Jaden's off to a good start, but something tells me that he shouldn't underestimate the Shadow Bandits," Akiza thought to herself. "If these Shadow bandits intend on taking each of us down with their number, through either dropping our Life Points to zero or depleting our Decks, then the odds are definitely against us. Thankfully, what we lack in numbers we easily make up for in our skills, and I'll be using these skills to beat these Shadow Bandits and save Tori from a horrifying fate."

"You there! Quit your thinking about!" Shadow Bandit II barked. "It's time that you participate in this game as well! Or are you willing to stand there and let us claim our prize for the Bandit King!?"

Akiza's eyes narrowed down furiously; to even think of the torture they would put Tori through!

"Fine, if you want me to play your game so badly..." Akiza said, placing her fingers on the top card of her Deck.

Turn 1: Akiza Izinski (4000)

Hand: 5

"...then I'll play!" she yelled, drawing her first card, taking a quick peek at it.

"From my hand, I activate my Field Spell, 'Black Garden'!" Akiza declared.

The Field Zone on Akiza's Duel Disk ejected open, and with it, she laid down a Spell Card depicting a garden of overgrowing thorny vines in a dull and dreary background. Some black roses bloomed on the abundance of vines as some of them grew around a stone statue of a satyr. In reaction to the card's immediate activation, and along with the power of Akiza's psychic powers, those vines began to sprout from under Akiza's feet, spreading across the field, surrounding the two Duelists. Those vines then encased them in a cage of thick vines with several black roses blooming so elegantly, yet so foreboding as well.

"What is this!?" Shadow Bandit II demanded to know. "What kind of magic have you cast upon us!?"

"Why? Don't you like my garden? It's a general reflection to my personality when someone like you threatens to take my friends away," Akiza said bitterly to her cloaked competitor. "Thanks to my 'Black Garden' Field Spell, for each time we Summon a monster, those monster's Attack points are cut in half, but in exchange, we can grow a 'Rose Token' to the other player's field in Attack Mode. It may seem that I'm growing those lovely flowers on your field out of my good heart, but trust me when I say that those roses have thorns."

Akiza picked up another card. "And speaking of, I Summon my 'Evil Thorn' in Attack Mode!"

A circular glowing blue portal appeared, and from it came a wrangled vine with a wilting pink rose and a bloated black pomegranate covered in spikes. (100/300)

"Ha!" scoffed the second Shadow Bandit mockingly. "What good will a weak little weed do to you when all it can do is grow weaker thanks to your garden!?"

As the Second Shadow Bandit predicted, the "Evil Thorn" drooped a little as a violet aura encased it until that pomegranate touched the grown, having half of its strength sapped from it. (50/300)

"It may be a 'weak little weed,'" Akiza retorted, "but thanks my 'Black Garden' Field Spell, you get a little 'Rose Token' on your field."

Sprouting from one of the vines on the floor, a rose bud grew on the Shadow Bandit's side of the field, blooming into a beautiful rose with stems and leaves appearing vaguely human-like. (800/800)

"So what!? It's still not powerful enough to take on even this insignificant rose!" Shadow Bandit II argued.

"True, but why should I contend with a rose when I can activate my 'Evil Thorn's' special ability?" Akiza asked rhetorically. "You see, by Tributing it from my field, I can sting you directly with 300 points of damage. Just a fair warning, this might sting a little."

Shadow Bandit II stepped back in shock as the pomegranate on the "Evil Thorn" grew, expanded, and finally, exploded, sending a barrage of thorns to his way. The Shadow Bandit cowered before the shower of thorns that did sting him, lightly shredding it in only a few places before he recovered with a disapproving frown. (Shadow Bandit II: 4000 - 300 = 3700)

"Are you done?" the Shadow Bandit seethed.

"Not even close," Akiza answered, "because once I've used this special ability, I get to grow two more 'Evil Thorns' directly from my Deck."

Two more glowing light blue circles appeared, allowing the entry of two more "Evil Thorns" (100/300) onto Akiza's field in Attack Mode.

Shadow Bandit II reeled back, fearing another sting of those accursed thorns.

"Why so jumpy? My 'Evil Thorns' aren't gonna hurt you now," Akiza teased, "not especially since I'm forced to halve their Attack points and their special abilities negated."

As it stood, the two "Evil Thorns" were encased in the same dark violet aura as they wilted further, just like the first copy did. (50/300)

"Besides, you're getting a bonus of two more 'Rose Tokens' to grow on your field," Akiza reminded as two more roses arose from the vines and bloomed into the beautiful flora they were. (800/800)

Akiza took two more cards from her hand and placing them face-down in her Spell/Trap Zone. "I place three cards face-down and end my turn."

Turn 2: Shadow Bandit II (3700)

Hand: 5

"You think some greenery will stop me? Please," Shadow Bandit II huffed, drawing the card converted from its stone-like shell. "From my hand, I play the 'Temple of the Kings'!"

The Continuous Spell Card glowed as a new earthen temple arose from the rubble of the ruined Underworld Temple, the ground quaking as it did. Unlike the latter temple, this one was a smaller temple with a staircase leading up to a sarcophagus up near the wall in the back, looked down upon by the Eye of Wdjat, guarded by the statue of a jackal halfway up the staircase. The pillars were etched in hieroglyphs, and the sarcophagus was guarded by Egyptian deities.

Akiza stood back, her eyes narrowing. "This could mean trouble with a capital T."

"Thanks to the magic of this temple, I am allowed to play a Trap Card the turn I play it face-down," Shadow Bandit II said, placing a card face-down on his field. "I bet you can guess what this face-down card is."

"I have an inkling of what it might be," Akiza replied.

"Good to see we're on the same page," Shadow Bandit II sneered, throwing his arm up. "I activate the Trap, 'Ultimate Offering'!"

The second Shadow Bandit flipped his recently face-down Trap Card, depicting a crimson fiend emerging from a wisp of the same color from the head of a green fat ogre.

"Now I can Summon a monster from my hand at the cost of 500 measly Life Points each. So I must be thanking you for these generous donations of these roses, because now I will sacrifice one of them..." Shadow Bandit II declared as one of the "Rose Tokens" on his field disappeared in a pop of golden dust. "...so that I can Summon the powerful 'Ghost Knight of Jackal'!"

Forming from the gold dust came a muscular anthropomorphic jackal, wearing turquoise armor with an Egyptian Nemes Crown of the same color, and a violet cape in slight tatters. In one hand, he wore a bladed weapon almost as tall as he was, and in his other hand, he held the reins to the more animalistic and feral jackal he rode upon his steed. Their eyes glowed red as the animal jackal growled while the humanoid jackal howled a war cry. (1700/1600)

"Don't forget, even though your monster is powerful, it's still gonna get weaker thanks to my 'Black Garden'," Akiza reminded the Shadow Bandit as both the humanoid jackal and the slightly bigger and animalistic jackal were both engulfed in the dark violet aura, making them droop as they became visibly weaker. (850/1600)

"That may be true, but you also receive a 'Rose Token' on your field! And you thought I wasn't being generous at all!" Shadow Bandit II remarked as a "Rose Token" grew on Akiza's field. (800/800) "And why should I stop there when I can pay 500 of my Life Points..." (Shadow Bandit II: 3700 - 500 = 3200) "...so I can Summon another powerful monster from my hand!?"

The second Shadow Bandit held a card out in front of him as he eyed the roses on his field. "I sacrifice two of my 'Rose Tokens' so that I can call upon my most powerful creature! Arise, 'Mystical Knight of Jackal'!"

From a flash of light came another humanoid anthropomorphic jackal with an appearance strikingly similar to the "Ghost Knight of Jackal", except instead of riding a jackal wielding the bladed weapons, it wielded yellow katars on its wrists. (2700/1200)

Shortly after the "Mystical Knight of Jackal" appeared on the Shadow Bandit's field, the dark violet aura cast by the magic of "Black Garden" filled him with a drained feeling as half of its Attack Points were deducted from its strength... (1350/1200) ...which in turn, caused the secondary effect of "Black Garden" to sprout another "Rose Token" onto Akiza's field, beckoning the opponent's monster to try and destroy it. (800/800)

"And now my 'Mystical Knight of Jackal' will make short work of your 'Evil Thorn'!" the Shadow Bandit declared, gesturing a thrust with his open palm at the weak Plant. "Go, 'Ghost Knight'! Reduce that witch to mulch with your mighty blade!"

With a guttural roar, the "Mystical Knight of Jackal" pounced, thrusting its arm out as it attempted to use the katar on his right arm to slice the weaker plant.

"That's not going to work," Akiza sneered. "I activate my Trap! 'Rose Blizzard'!"

The Trap Card was forced face-up, the artwork depicting a rose having all of its petals blown off in an icy background.

"Because you targeted my 'Evil Thorn' for your attack, this Trap freezes your attack and switches it to Defense Mode!" As it stood, Akiza's Trap Card blew a blizzard-like zephyr with icy rose petals towards the "Mystical Knight of Jackal", making it stop in its tracks as it was forced to defend itself against the cold in Defense Mode.

The second Shadow bandit humphed. "It does not matter if my 'Mystical Knight' does not finish your monster off, I still have an attack that my 'Mystical Knight' has yet to make! Go, 'Ghost Knight'! Attack!"

With a complying roar, the "Ghost Knight of Jackal" reared his canine steed up on its hind legs and beckoned it to charge at the "Evil Thorn".

"Oh, and did I mention!?" Shadow Bandit II piped up. "When my 'Ghost Knight of Jackal' destroys a monster in battle, I can Special Summon it to my field in Defense Mode!"

Akiza's eyebrows furrowed as she watched the "Ghost Knight" swing its blade, slicing through the volatile black fruit of the plant just as it too exploded, sending the damage in the form smoke and golden dust back to her. Luckily, Akiza shielded her eyes away from the blast just before the dust was blown into her, but her Life Points took a significant amount of damage. (Akiza Izinksi: 4000 - 800 = 3200)

"Now that your 'Thorn' has been whacked by my 'Ghost Knight', it can grow onto my field!" Shadow Bandit II said as the glowing violet Graveyard portal opened up on his field.

"That's what I was counting on!" Akiza said, throwing her hand out to her second face-down. "I activate the Trap, 'Rose Flame'!"

The Trap Card was forced face-up, depicting a humanoid plant creature with leafy wings resembling a fairy, standing atop of a rose that disperse fire which blew away a few of its petals.

"Each time you Summon a Plant monster on your field, you'll take 500 points of damage! I guess building up a defense using my monsters aren't as all cracked up as you think!" Akiza said as a stream of fire and twirling rose petals shot from the card's artwork and went through the Shadow Bandit. The villain in question grunted as the heat blew through him, making it almost as unbearable as wandering through the desert alone without provisions. (Shadow Bandit II: 3200 - 500 = 2700)

"Cocky little witch!" Shadow Bandit II said, slapping a card face-down on his DiaDhank. "You are only delaying the inevitable!"

Turn 3: Akiza Izinski (3200)

Hand: 1

"We'll just see about that. I draw!" Akiza said, drawing her card, the card being a Spell Card depicting a single magenta-petaled flower in the center of a hurricane-like storm. "From my hand, I activate 'Fragrance Storm'!"

Akiza activated the Spell Card on her Duel Disk, which then materialized on her field. "Now first I have to destroy one of my 'Rose Tokens' from my field," she said as one of her "Rose Tokens" exploded into fine golden dust, "and I can draw one card from my Deck, and if it happens to be a Plant-Type monster, then I am able to draw one more card. You'd better hope for your sake that this first draw is not a Plant-Type monster."

Akiza drew her first card, revealing it to be a Monster Card depicting a single bulb sprouting a flower of green leaves and white petals with one single eye in the center. "This doesn't look good for you," the Psychic Duelist teased her opponent, making his face drop in nervous shock, "because not only did I draw 'Glow-Up Bulb' which happens to be a Plant, but thanks to the effect of my 'Fragrance Storm', I get to draw another card."

Akiza drew her other card, a Monster Card she would have to save on a rainy day.

"I Summon my 'Glow-Up Bulb'!" Akiza slapped the next Monster Card down, and from the light came the little cyclopean bulb, blinking its one eye as its petals were clamped shut. (0/0)

Once more did the magic of "Black Garden" take effect, encasing the little "Glow-Up Bulb" in the dark aura, but not affecting it since the cyclopean seedling had no Attack Points. However, the Shadow Bandit was forced to grow another "Rose Token" onto his field (800/800) while Akiza's Continuous Trap Card, "Rose Flame" shot a stream of flames and rose petals towards his way. He grunted and growled as the hot flames seared through his body, dropping his Life Points by 500 once more. (Shadow Bandit I: 2700 - 500 = 2200)

After the flames had stopped burning him, the Shadow Bandit took one look at the "Glow-Up Bulb" before he suddenly broke out in laughter. "You poor, foolish girl! Is this the extent of your abilities in your Duels!? For all of your bravery and your fierceness, you only make me laugh by calling out yet another weak and worthless piece of greenery! Just look at them! They do not possess enough strength to take on a beast as great as my 'Jackals' do! Face it, there is no possible way for you to defeat me with your weak little garden!"

Akiza closed her eyes and sighed. "It's true that my monsters are weak, and they don't really amount to your 'Jackals'' strength..." The Psychic Duelist's eyes shot wide open. "...but what they lack in strength, they can make up for by combining the Levels of their strength into a stronger monster!"

Akiza then focused on the weakest bulb on her field. "Now Level 1 'Glow-Up Bulb' tunes with my Level 1 'Evil Thorn' and my two Level 2 'Rose Tokens'!"

The "Glow-Up Bulb's" petals bloomed beautifully as its body was encased in light, converting into a little shining orb. The orb then transformed into a singular neon green ring as it passed over the two "Rose Tokens" and the lone wilting "Evil Thorn", turning their bodies translucent and dark with only the glowing neon orange outline of their bodies framing their shape. inside the bodies were even more shining orbs representing their Levels.

"Now, let the essences of earth give way to a beautiful force of nature!" Akiza chanted as the orbs lined up vertically and perfectly, encases in a pillar of light not as wide as the diameter of the ring. "I Synchro Summon my Level 6 Synchro Monster, 'Splendid Rose'!"

From that pillar of light came a female humanoid of beauty and short blonde hair curling to the left side of her face to conceal her eye. Her clothing was split down the middle by two shades of pale green and bright green, the cuffs on her wrists was reminiscent to bright green leaves, and the red frillies at her ankles greatly resembled a crimson rose. In a whirling twirling pirouette assisted by four thorny vines on her back, "Splendid Rose" had descended onto Akiza's field with poise and grace. (2200/2000)

The Shadow Bandit reeled back in shock. "Impossible! How could you call forth such a powerful monster!?"

Akiza gazed at her opponent intently as the wind flapped her clothing to the side, but not fazed by the lick of the zephyr.

"Quite easily, actually," she said. "By combining the strengths of my monsters, I can Summon a monster powerful enough to destroy your Life Points, like my 'Splendid Rose'!"

The Shadow Bandit grit his teeth and growled. "Yes, but don't forget, thanks to the magic of your 'Black Garden', your pretty rose's strength is cut in half!"

As expected, the "Black Garden's" dark magic began to take its toll as "Splendid Rose" was encased in the violet aura, sapping half of her strength away. (1100/2000)

"Yes, and by doing so, you get another 'Rose Token' on your field!" Akiza said as another rose blossomed onto the Shadow Bandit's field. (800/800)

"And don't forget, since you have Summoned a Plant monster onto your side of the field, the effect of my 'Rose Flame' takes effect, dealing you an extra 500 points of damage," Akiza said, gesturing towards the Trap Card on her field as a stream of flames and rose petals was fired from the card's artwork, burning the Shadow Bandit in its hotness before it suddenly faded. (Shadow Bandit II: 2200 - 500 = 1700)

"Next, from my hand, I activate the Spell, 'Wonder Clover'," Akiza said, slipping the Spell Card into her Duel Disk, depicting a powered-up "Maji-Gire Panda" holding "Girggle in its left paw" while standing atop the fallen bodies of "Mystic Tomato" and "Lord Poison". "Now all I have to do is target my 'Splendid Rose' and send one Level 4 or lower Plant monster from my hand to the Graveyard."

As it stood, Akiza sent her Monster Card, one depicting three roses with eyes in the center, joined by three thorny stems forked at the center stem. "Now my 'Splendid Rose' is free to attack another time."

"What!? You are crazy!" Shadow Bandit II barked. "Your monster cannot defeat all of my jackals in one battle! She is not strong enough to face my 'Mystical Knight'!"

"I know my own monster's strength has ben weakened, but what my 'Splendid Rose' has lost she can make up for with her special ability! By banishing one of my Plants from my Graveyard..." she explained as one of the "Evil Thorns" in the swirling dark vortex of her Graveyard disappeared in a poof of gold dust, "I can halve the Attack Points of one of your monsters, like that troublesome 'Ghost Knight of Jackal' of yours!"

"Oh no! My precious jackal!" the Shadow Bandit screamed.

The tentacle-like thorny vines suddenly extended out towards the jackal-riding anthropomorphic jackal, wrapping them in a tight grip. The Beast-Warrior in question roared with agony as the thorns sapped it of half of its once-immense power. (425/1600)

Akiza threw a pointer finger at the monster. "Now that that's settled, I think have my 'Splendid Rose' can attack your 'Ghost Knight'!"

"Splendid Rose" brought two curled hands at the sides to each other, and pulled them back as she conjured up a thorny whip. With a crack of that whip, "Ghost Knight of Jackal" was destroyed in an explosion of golden shards, sending the damage right back at the Shadow Bandit. (Shadow Bandit II: 1700 - 675 = 1025)

"And don't think that I'm done yet!" Akiza shouted, making the Shadow Bandit gasp. "Since I've targeted my 'Splendid Rose' with my 'Wonder Clover' Spell Card, she can wage another attack! Fortunately for you, your 'Mystical Knight of Jackal' is too powerful and you have my 'Evil Thorn' defending a coward like you, but unfortunately for you, there is one more 'Rose Token' on your field that needs a good whacking! So charge, 'Splendid Rose', turn his Life Points into mulch!"

Holding her thorny vine whip in her hands, "Splendid Rose" went in for her second attack. The whip sliced through the "Rose Token", destroying it in an explosion of golden shards, and the vine in question slapped the Shadow bandit across his torso. (Shadow Bandit II: 1025 - 300 = 735)

"Now I activate the Trap, 'Blossom Bombardment'!" The third and final Trap Card on Akiza's field was flipped face-up, depicting a pink-petaled flower, possibly a rose, with its petals flying off, a few of them exploding. "Since my 'Splendid Rose' destroyed your 'Jackal' in battle, you'll be taking damage equal to its Attack Points!"

The Shadow Bandit grumbled. "But wait... that 'Rose Token' had about 800 Attack Points... that would mean..."

"That would mean it's game over for you," Akiza said. "Let this be a lesson to you and your fellow Shadow Bandits: you mess with my friends, then you'll have to deal with me."

As she spoke, Akiza's "Blossom Bombardment" Trap Card released a flurry of petals from its artwork towards the screaming Shadow Bandit as each petal exploded when they made direct contact with him. The rapid fire of explosions flung the Shadow Bandit back through the air, the time all around him seeming to slow down all around him by this one loss. (Shadow Bandit II: 735 - 800 = 0)

"Comrade!" a third Shadow Bandit yelled as he dismounted his dark steed and sprinted to his distressed friend. He activated his DiaDhank just before his comrade hit the vine-covered sand.

"Intrusion Penalty: 2000 Life Points."

The third Shadow Bandit was perplexed at first by the female voice coming out of nowhere.

When he looked down at his DiaDhank, the artifact crackled with some kind of mystical spark, and in a split second, he screamed as his body felt like it was struck by lightning, depleting half of his Life Points in one fell swoop. (Shadow Bandit III: 4000 - 2000 = 2000)

The third Shadow Bandit was brought down to his knees and took a moment for his mind to restore itself after the pain was diminished. After that moment passed, the third Shadow Bandit took his scimitar, sliced through the vines of the "Black Garden" materialized into actual vines, and ran to his comrade just as his body glowed golden and disintegrated into glowing golden dust. "My friend! My comrade! Please do not tell me that you have let this girl defeat you so shortly!"

Shadow Bandit II gasped for air as he turned his gaze to his friend, a painful cringe on his face. "Comrade, beware of this girl's power. She is beyond any of us."

Shadow Bandit III gasped, not from shock but from exasperation and disbelief. "Not beyond any of us!? Do not speak in riddles, comrade! How can one girl be more powerful than us!"

"It is not as simple as you think!" the Shadow Bandit said as his upper portions began to fade up to his head. "Remember the legend about the girl who possessed the power of the white dragon!"

With those final words echoing into nothingness, the Shadow Bandit disappeared, leaving behind his "Mystical Knight of Jackal" card.

Then, like a dizzy spell sweeping all over the nearby inhabitants like a plague, every memory involving the defeated Shadow Bandit disappeared with a temporary head throb.

Everyone quickly recovered from their slight migraine, leaving the Shadow Bandits shaken and fearful, and Akiza Izinski just confused.

"What just happened?" she asked herself. "I thought I was Dueling someone there for a minute, but now... I can't remember who I Dueled."

Her newest opponent, the Shadow Bandit who sliced through the vines of her "Black Garden" Field Spell and ran to the vain aid of his comrade, knelt on the floral floor over the card that was left behind, a grim reminder that the Shadow Bandits had lost one of its comrades. Tightly clutching one hand in a shuddering fist, the Shadow Bandit breathed loudly like a snarling animal, turning his angered attention to the perplexed rose-haired girl.

"You! You did this!" the Shadow Bandit screamed, pointing at Akiza. "I do not know what you have done and how, but you are going to pay for your transgressions!"

"And you're going to pay for threatening my friends," Akiza shot back. "You and your little friends too."

"Not unless I send you to the Shadow Realm for good!" Shadow Bandit III retorted, drawing the five stone tablets that converted into his starting card hand.

Nearby, the Shadow Bandits witnessing both Duels taking place began to murmur fearfully towards one another.

"These children's strengths must be beyond anything I've seen before!"

"Look at those shadow creatures! I have never seen anything like them!"

"What kind of monsters are they!?"

"Is it possible that we've underestimated these children?"

Jaden watched with fascination by his friend's Dueling skills, despite being barely able to see through the cage of vines and black roses.

"Those are pretty sweet moves," Jaden noted. "Looks like we're gonna get along just fine."

Yubel appeared next to him in her ethereal form. "Focus, Jaden, remember the task at hand."

"Sorry 'bout that, Yubel. I guess I got caught up in the excitement that I forgot that it was my turn," Jaden apologized, placing his fingers on the top card on his Deck.

Turn 3: Jaden Yuki (4000)

Hand: 3

"Here goes!" Jaden said, drawing his card, his favorite Spell Card at that.

"Sweetness! I activate 'Polymarization'!" Jaden declared as he slapped down his card, the image materializing on his field. "Now I can fuse together my 'Elemental HERO Clayman' with the 'Elemental HERO Sparkman that's in my hand! Now I can combine my 'Clayman's' massive size and my 'Sparkman's' electrical toughness to create the strongest soldier of the storm!"

The "Elemental HERO Sparkman" appeared in a flash of golden light and ascended in the air with "Clayman" before each of them glowed red and blue. Their physical forms disappeared and the the two colored lights swirled around each other before they formed a brilliant light. Jaden brought his hands together to officially seal the deal with his upcoming monster. "I Fusion Summon! Make way for the one and only, 'Elemental HERO Thunder Giant'!"

From the light came the hulking silhouette of the "Elemental HERO Thunder Giant". With one hefty pound, the "Elemental HERO Thunder Giant" pounded its fists together, causing lighting to shoot from its hands and then pumped them into the air and bellowed, causing the skies to flicker with lightning. (2400/1600)

The Shadow Bandit who was unfortunate to face off against Jaden and his stronger monster drew back in shock.

"What kind of monster is that!?" he asked nervously. "What kind of power do you possess that would allow you to call forth a mighty creature!?"

"It's not a power, it's 'Polymerization'," Jaden answered nonchalantly. "I should be surprised that you guys would know about combing their own monsters in this era, seeing as how the Millennium Scales can do that, but those reactions are getting to be really old. Where I come from, anyone can have the power to Fusion Summon a stronger monster, but that depends on if you've got the right kind of monsters for the job first, and now you get to see firsthand how I can use them!"

Jaden gestured towards the gigantic sparkling warrior. "I activate my 'Elemental HERO Thunder Giant's' special ability! Now I can destroy a monster you control with Attack Points lower than my 'Thunder Giant's'!"

The Shadow Bandit drew back a little. "What!? Oh no!"

"Oh yes!" Jaden said with unbridled enthusiasm. "Now say a little farewell for one of your 'Hyenas'!"

The "Elemental HERO Thunder Giant's" chest orb sparked with intense electricity, channeling the raw energy through to the monster's raised gauntlets as the lightning crackled at its fingertips. In between the giant's palms, in the center of the colliding currents, a great pillar of lightning was shot into the sky, then came striking down on the "Hyena" with the brown fur, destroying it in a split second. The Shadow Bandit growled as one of his only monsters was destroyed in an instant.

"Next, I Summon my 'Wroughtweiler' in Attack Mode!" Jaden said, slapping down a Monster Card, materializing a mechanical hound with a teal-tinted visor for a face. (800/1200)

"Next I play the Spell, 'Hero Heart'," Jaden said, revealing a Spell Card depicting an armored blue-haired knight with a ragged red cape, holding a broken sword in one hand, and another sword in another. "Now by halving the Attack Points of my 'Elemental HERO Thunder Giant', I can have him attack twice in this one battle!"

"Two attacks!?" the Shadow Bandit screamed at the frightening effect.

"That's right, bub!" Jaden answered, optimistically since he was about to emerge victorious from this next move. "So you'd better batten down the hatches because my 'Thunder Giant' is gonna bring a whole thunderstorm of pain to you and your Life Points!"

Gathering up the electrical energies in its hands, the "Elemental HERO Thunder Giant", despite having its Attack Points halved by the effect of "Hero Heart" (1200/1600), released a shower of potent lightning bolts, one hitting the remaining "Hyena" and destroying it in an explosion, and the second one striking the Shadow Bandit directly, giving

so you might wanna batten down the hatches because my 'Thunder Giant' is gonna bring a rainstorm full of hurt on you and your Life Points!" Jaden advised, pumping out his fist

The "Elemental HERO Thunder Giant's" Attack Points were indeed halved by this effect (1200/1600), but with it, the giant shot two bolts of lightning from its hands, the first one striking and destroying the "Hyena", and the second one hitting the Shadow Bandit directly. The cloaked criminal screamed as the lightning coursed through his body, reducing his Life Points by a big chunk of 1400 points as he fell flat on his back in the sand. (Shadow Bandit I: 2000 - 1400 = 600)

"And now my 'Wroughtweilier' can attack you directly!" Jaden said, pointing at the Shadow Bandit. "So sic 'em, boy!"

With a cybernetic-sounding roar, "Wroughtweiler" pounced onto the Shadow Bandit, pinning him down by its mechanical paws. It raised one paw up over the Shadow Bandit's figure and swiped it, sending the Shadow Bandit flying to the side. (600 - 800 = 0)

"Comrade, no!" A fourth Shadow Bandit yelled as he quickly dismounted and rushed up for his comrade's aide.

By the time that Shadow Bandit IV made it to his friend's side, Shadow Bandit I had already fell hard onto the sandy floor.

The fallen Shadow Bandit looked at his approaching comrade, grunting in pain as he turned his gaze to him.

"Comrade... I beg you... please do not face this boy..." Shadow Bandit I pleaded to his fellow as his body glowed gold. "...his strength is nothing like we have seen before..."

Shadow Bandit IV gasped, his twisted angry face clearly indicating how offended he was by how his comrade easily accepted his defeat. "What!? You think I cannot defeat him just because he's defeated a weakling like yourself!? How dare you!? I have never been more insulted in my life! If you could not be able a child half your age, then I will do so myself!"

"Don't do it..." the fading Shadow Bandit begged. "Please, I implore you... do not engage that child in a Shadow Game... because surely, you will lose... and you will forever disappear in the shadows!"

The Shadow Bandit whom had finally disappeared into a puff of golden dust couldn't be farther from the truth.

That being said, another sweeping headache washed over the entire group and beyond, the memories of the person recently losing their existence to the Void now lost.

With that, Shadow Bandit IV grit his teeth angrily and snarled, turning his ferociously mad gaze at Jaden.

"You!" he bellowed at the Slifer Red. "I don't know what kind of trickery you have conjured up, boy, but I know you are going to pay for it!"

"Me pay!? What about you guys!?" Jaden barked. "You're the ones going around and attacking weak and innocent people outta nowhere, so you really shouldn't put the blame on us!"

"You and your friends were undoubtedly at the center of those strange lights not too long ago!" Shadow Bandit IV retorted as he activated his DiaDhank, the "eye" glowing with mystical magic and the golden wings for the card zones unfurling. "We were originally going to show you mercy by taking you all to the new Bandit King, but since you insisted to fight us, then we have no other alternative but to send you and your friends to the shadows!"

"Intrusion Penalty: 2000 Life Points."

The fourth Shadow Bandit caught a glimpse of static electricity crackling on his DiaDhank, then in a split second, felt like lightning course through his body, sapping half of his strength away. (Shadow Bandit IV: 4000 - 2000 = 2000)

The electric discharge left the Shadow Bandit staggering, but able to keep on his feet. He then eyed Jaden with his consecutive glare as he held up his DiaDhank. "Is this another one of your tricks, boy!?" he shouted as he gathered his cards in his hand, magically converted from their stone form. "It will take more than a pretty voice and a lightning summoning spell to intimidate the likes of me!"

"Hey, I'm just surprised about this as you guys are!" Jaden argued. "So why don't you guys stop playing the blame game with me and just own up to your actions?"

Jaden ended his question with a face-down.

Turn 4: Shadow Bandit IV (2000)

Hand: 5

"Enough! No more of your trickery!" the Shadow Bandit yelled as a stone tablet emerged from the "eye" from the DiaDhank, transforming into a card. "I activate call upon my 'Emperor Sem' to battle for me!"

After slapping the aforementioned card onto his DiaDhank's Monster Card Zone, the Shadow Bandit's defenseless field was suddenly inhabited by a wisp of dark smoke, swirling around in a pattern and billowing as it got from that smoke came a dark jackal-like creature with crimson dragon-like wings, and a gold necklace embedded with a jade scarab in the center. (1300/2200)

"Forged in the shadows cast by the light, my 'Emperor Sem' is more than capable to destroy your pathetic companion!" Shadow Bandit IV boasted, pointing at the mechanical hound. "But that is only the beginning because now I activate 'Ultimate Offering'!"

The fourth Shadow Bandit revealed a familiar Continuous Trap Card, one of the three face-down cards that was already face-down on his field. "Now I can sacrifice 500 Life Points to Summon another monster from my hand! So now I sacrifice that many Life Points..." (Shadow Bandit IV: 2000 - 500 = 1500) "...so that I can Summon another 'Emperor Sem'!"

Once more did another dark wisp of smoke billow from out of nowhere, taking the form of a bat-winged jackal wearing a golden necklace with an emerald scarab embedded in the middle. (1300/2200)

"How did that guy know what those face-down cards on his field were?" Jaden wondered. "Those cards were the ones left by the last guy who Dueled me. So how could that guy have known what cards he laid down?"

The Shadow Bandit wasn't done with his move yet. "Now I sacrifice two of my 'Emperor Sems'!" the Shadow Bandit declared as the two Fiends suddenly disappeared in a puff of golden dust. "Now come forth, 'Maju Garzett'!"

(Shadow Bandit IV: 1500 - 500 = 1000)

From out of the ground like an eruption from under the sand came a crimson skeletal claw, slamming down into the sand to drag its grotesque and horrific body up from the underground. It was a Fiend that resembled an archfiend, the left half having a demonic skull with a horn and a skeletal armor, and the right side having dark, shaggy fur. In short, the Fiend was an all-around wide awake nightmare, bellowing a deep screeching roar with enough force to make the wind blow, making its owner's cloak whip through the gusts, and sending the sand back in Jaden's face. (?/0)

"That's quite the beast you've got!" Jaden complimented sarcastically. "Too bad I can't say the same about its bad breath!"

The Shadow Bandit motioned towards the other face-down card on his field. "My beast's breath will be the least of your problems, boy, because Garzett's Attack Points become equal to the combined Attack Points of the monsters I sacrificed to Summon it!"

The Fiend's body glowed an azure aura as its strength rose, making it growl. (? + 1200 + 1200 = 2400/0)

"Next, I activate the magic of 'Double Attack'!" the Shadow Bandit shouted as the second face-down was flipped up, depicting "Maurading Captain" bisecting an "Inpachi" with his sword.

"How did he even know what kind of card that was!? There's gotta be some kind of parlor trick that allows those Shadow Bandits to see through their friends' face-downs!" Jaden theorized in his mind.

"Now I must send one Monster Card from my hand to the Graveyard, like my 'Mazera DeVille'!" the Shadow Bandit said, discarding a Monster Card with the image of a muscular fiend with a green hood, green wings, and dark violet trousers. "Now my 'Maju Garzett' is allowed to attack twice this turn, and that's twice the trouble for you!"

"Wait, hold on!" Jaden protested. "If you attack my 'Thunder Giant', you'll only end up destroying your own monster!"

The Shadow Bandit snickered with a sneer. "It is true that our monster's own attack strength are equal," he said revealing an Equip Spell Card, depicting a pale green hand gripping an azure orb with fiery-colored markings, "but once I boost my monster's strength with 'Dark Energy', that will all change soon!"

Once again, the body of "Maju Garzett" glowed azure as the magic of "Dark Energy" boosted his Attack Points by 300. (2400 + 300 = 2700/0)

Jaden growled, his teeth gritting. "Well, that complicates things."

Shadow Bandit IV thrust his hand out, motioning for his brutish fiend to go for the offensive. "Now, 'Maju Garzett', send his giant and his hound to the Shadow Realm!"

The giant fiend roar, heaved his head back and belched out a noxious green gas from its fanged maw, destroying both of Jaden's monsters in one fell swoop. Jaden covered his face as the gas drifted past him, taking some considerable damage. (Jaden Yuki: 4000 - 1900 - 300 = 1800)

A grin spread on Jaden's face, knowing that this was the moment that Jaden was waiting for. "Thanks! Since you destroyed my 'Wroughtweiler', its effect activates, letting me bring back 'Polymerization' and my 'Elemental HERO Avian' from my Graveyard back to my hand!" he said with unbridled optimism as he added the aforementioned two cards to his hand.

The Shadow Bandit huffed. "That matters little to me, boy," he said, as he laid a face-down. "You have lost over half of your strength, and now you face a creature whose power is more than enough to finish you off."

Turn 5: Jaden Yuki (1800)

Hand: 3

"Like that's gonna happen," Jaden said, drawing his card. "HAAAA!"

Nearby, Tristan and Tori watched from their steel cage captivity as Jaden and Akiza each battled their respective opponents, not letting up, not backing down, and more importantly, not giving up. An unspecified amount of time passed as Jaden and Akiza took down their opponents in one fell swoop. With a battle command, Jaden defeated the fourth Shadow Bandit with his "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" when the Fusion Monster destroyed his "Maju Garzett" through unknown means, either having its Attack Points boosted or "Maju Garzett's" Attack Points dropped. Either way, the hideous fiend was destroyed by its dragon-like arm cannon, and the fire from that cannon was sent back to the Shadow Bandit as effect damage, dropping that Bandit's Life Points down to zero and winning the Duel.

Akiza, meanwhile, used her "Splendid Rose" to destroy the third Shadow Bandit's "The End of Anubis," using its special ability to halve the dark fiendish jackal's Attack Points and attacking it. Then, using "Splendid Rose's" second special ability, Akiza allowed her Synchro Monster to attack once more, defeating the Shadow Bandit handily. Unfortunately, for the cases of the two young Duelists, when each of the Duelists defeated their opponents, their comrades stepped in at the last second, receiving the Intrusion Penalty that cost them 2000 Life Points, half of their life force zapped away as per the rules to the Controller's game. Shortly after their defeat, the Shadow Bandits were spirited away in gold dust, as did all the memories of that person.

"Oh, man, just look at them go," Tristan commentated. "Maybe this is one of the main reasons why the Controller wanted Jaden in the first place."

Tori turned her head weakly at the red jacket boy. "How come?"

"I've seen Jaden Duel a couple of times before, and coming from me, he can Duel like a professional, just like my friend, Yugi," Tristan explained to the red-haired girl as they both watched Jaden and his "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" make short work of the sixth Shadow Bandit's "Fushioh Richie", noting the smile spread on his face. "You see how he Duels? He's got a certain zeal that's unlike anything else that I've ever seen before. He's passionate about the way he uses his Deck, he can turn any desperate situation around no problem, and the best part of it is, he doesn't do it alone."

Tristan turned to the rosy-dressed Psychic Duelist within the vine-covered cage that was her "Black Garden" Field Spell, taking down the fifth Shadow Bandit's "Endless Decay" with her "Splendid Rose" and her powerful "Rose Tentacles". "You see? Even if we have met each other for only a short time, Jaden manages to find some new friends and allies who save those who can't fight for themselves and take down the evil forces who are willing to see the world burn. If anyone can stop any Shadow Bandit, High Mage, or Duelists from a destroyed future, it's Jaden."

Tori watched Jaden and Akiza as they made short work of their opponents, all of them barely able to lift a candle towards their Dueling skills. Her pupils widened in amazement; watching Jaden Duel was like watching Yuma Duel, and as for Akiza, it was like watching Kite and/or Shark Duel as well.

-ELSEWHERE-

Far above in the skies did Airo the "Harpie Lady" fly, flying high enough so that any desert-dweller would mistaker it for a bird.

Through the eyes of the "Harpie Lady", the wielder of the Millennium Necklace watched over the desert vigilantly, intent on finding the source of the mysterious lights that returned the Egyptian Spirit Monsterss to their stone captivity, now locked safely away in the Shrine of Wdjat. The one advantage of seeing what the Winged Beast was their keen eyesight, their gaze more powerful and focused than the eyes of a hawk. This went without saying, seeing as how Airo was her owner's first choice to scout out an area where a disturbance occurred.

"Quickly, Airo, we must seek the answers to the return of our shadow creatures or we may never know if it is connected to crisis upon our land," the Millennium Necklace owner urged her "Harpie Lady" telepathically, making it comply by boosting its flying speed, exceeding that of the Peregrine falcon.

A couple of miles away in the distance, there was a noise, like thunder booming but with no clouds in sight. The "Harpie Lady" suddenly stopped and hovered upon sensing the explosion, turning her gaze to a dust cloud suspiciously lingering in the dunes several miles away from its location. Through the "Harpie Lady's" keen eyesight, the owner of the Millennium Necklace knew that this was no ordinary dust cloud swept up in the wind.

"There. That must be where the shadow creatures came from. Quick, Airo, fly up to the clouds and see what is happening," the woman ordered her Winged Beast as it flew over to where the explosion occurred.

-ELSEWHERE-

Jaden and Akiza turned their attention towards the Shadow Bandit, a person of bigger stature than his underlings but also of great strength, marching towards him with an unwavering expression.

"So, you have managed to survive an onslaught of Shadow Bandits," he said in a gruff and loud enough voice. "Judging by how I cannot recollect having any underlings under my watch, I would say that they were all weaklings to being with, and you have bewitched us into sponging away our memories of them. Such a crime will not go unpunished, and for that, I will be the last opponent that you two will ever face."

"That's fine! So long as I got Life Points to spare, I'm taking you down!" Jaden declared.

"And as long Shadow Bandits like you are around, there's no chance of us ever helping Tori and Tristan get free," Akiza said, furrowing her brow. "So let's do this."

"And this will be your last mistake." The seventh Shadow Bandit, the strongest out of his group, activated his DiaDhank, the "eye" glowing yellow and unfurling the wings into his card zones.

"Intrusion Penalty: 2000 Life Points."

As per the rules, the seventh Shadow Bandit's was immediately swarmed with electrical shocks, draining half of his Life Points from the get-go. Unlike the others that might have come before him (he wasn't sure because the memories of his underlings was wiped away), the Shadow Bandit only grunted over the shocks and frying pain, a display to how initially tough he was. (Shadow Bandit VII: 4000 - 2000 = 2000)

The Shadow Bandit sneered a low sinister laugh, collecting his five cards.

Turn ?: Shadow Bandit VII (2000)

Hand: 5

"Now we will see who will be left standing," the Shadow Bandit said, drawing his first stone tablet-turned-card. "I place a card face-down."

The Shadow Bandit slapped a card face-down on his field, appearing on his field. "Next, I activate the magic of 'Earthquake'," he said, revealing a Spell Card depicting the "Goblin Attack Force" being brought down by a strong earth tremor that was strong enough to topple a set of Roman-styled marble columns. "Thanks to the power of the earth-shattering spell, I can force all monsters on the field into Defense Mode, leaving your monsters vulnerable for my onslaught of powerful monsters!"

As such, coming from the card's artwork was a series of powerful wavelengths, strong enough to shake the earth measured on a powerful four-point quake. The sands rippled, the Duelists and the captive spectators wobbled in place, and their monsters suddenly staggered as they were all forced into Defense Mode.

The force of the unnaturally natural disaster even spooked the horses as the stallions reared up on their hind hooves, braying in fear before they turned tail and galloped away. The only horse who hadn't ran away was Black Tuscany who was still locked away in the "Nightmare's Steelcage" made solid, and because he was spooked by the tremors, it went on a bucking rampage, kicking its hind hooves against the iron dome bars of the cage and putting the other two captives in danger.

"Hey, watch where you're kicking, big guy! We've got a sick kid here and you're really gonna hurt her!" Tristan begged the horse, cowering away from the horse and ducking his head down, keeping the shuddering, whimpering, and frightened Tori close to him to shield her away from the horse.

Jaden and Akiza turned to the "Steelcage", their reactions mixed with shock, frustration, and desperation at the scene.

"Oh, great. Thanks to that 'Earthquake' Spell, it must've spooked that horse up something bad," Jaden noted the obvious.

"Then we can't waste any time," Akiza said, silently agreeing with the Slifer Red. "We've got to finish this Duel before Tristan or Tori get hurt."

To answer the distressed girl's proverbial cry for help, the little bird-of-paradise quickly fluttered its wings and flew around the bucking horse in circles, glowing a familiar light that surprised even Jaden, Tristan and Tori (as she was unconscious the first time the little bird had used its newly gained powers from that glowing card). The bird produced a sprinkle of sparkles falling like snowflakes on the wild stallion, instantly calming it and bringing it a sense of calmness to the horse, causing it to stop bucking and putting the two young captives in harm's way.

"Hey, he stopped kicking!" Tristan noted. "I guess we're lucky that bird used that magic trick to calm the horse down."

Tori watched the bird wondrously as it flew down and perched onto the nose of the black stallion, chirping a few notes and making the horse answer with the bob his head once and a slight whinny.

Then the tiny bird fluttered back down and perched on Tori's shoulder.

Just how in the world did it do that?

Watching the scene unfold, Jaden and Akiza sighed with relief.

"Wow, that was scary," Jaden calmly huffed. "For a second there, I thought they were goners."

The Shadow Bandit bellowed a big-bellied laugh. "Goners, you say? I would not worry too much about them now and instead worry about yourselves. With this next turn, I will end this Duel as quickly as possible by destroying your monsters and your Life Points in one fell swoop!" he said, plucking a card from his hand. "Next, I call upon the 'Mystical Space Typhoon' to destroy your precious 'Black Garden'!"

The Shadow Bandit slapped the Quick-Play Spell Card down on his DiaDhank, and as soon as the card materialized, a violet twister blew from the artwork, blowing the vines, the black roses, even the little cherub statue away bit-by-bit into oblivion. Akiza gritted her teeth. "Great. He must've known that Summoning a powerful monster to his field would be a risk because of my 'Black Garden' Field Spell, so he's come up with a way to counter that plan."

"Exactly right, girl," the Shadow Bandit confirmed his female opponent, "and thanks to the magic of the 'Temple of the Kings', I can activate my Trap! 'Pyramid of Light'!"

The same card the Shadow Bandit laid face-down was forced face-up, a Continuous Trap Card depicting a solid pyramid of golden light.

"And since I have 'Pyramid of Light' already on my field, by paying 500 of my Life Points, I can call upon a powerful monster to my side! But why settle for just one powerful monster when I can get two all for the same price!?" the Shadow Bandit rhetorically asked, making Jaden and Akiza gasp. The "eye" on his DiaDhank glowed as bright as the sun, releasing a light of the same brightness as two beastly silhouettes emerged from the light, one of them bellowing out a mighty roar, the other a hissing feminine shriek. "I call upon two of my most powerful beasts! 'Andro Sphinx', and 'Sphinx Teleia'!"

(Shadow Bandit VII: 2000 - 1000 = 1000)

The first "Sphinx" monster to emerge from the light was "Andro Sphinx", a brown-furred anthropomorphic lion ripped with muscles, sporting a wild golden mane and garbed in Egyptian warrior clothing. (3000/2500) The second "Sphinx" monster was "Sphinx Teleia", a creature with the delicate white-furred body of a lioness, the golden wings of an eagle, and the face of a beautiful woman with flowing magenta hair, and beautiful eyes with slits of feline features. (2500/3000)

The feminine sphinx screeched a feral roar at the two opposing Duelists, both of whom drew back from the two Egyptian giants cautiously.

"Great, it's not enough we have to take down the last Shadow Bandit, but we also have to deal with his cat problem," Jaden remarked.

"Try not to panic, Jaden," Akiza advised. "Those sphinxes can't attack the turn they were Summoned, so that gives us an edge."

The Shadow Bandit snickered and sneered. "Who said I was going to wait for my next turn to let my beasts attack?"

Jaden and Akiza looked at the Shadow Bandit curiously.

"It is true my sphinxes possess powers greater than any creature in Egypt, but what you have neglected to notice that I have a contingency plan to unleash the power of my sphinxes onto you and your puny monsters! I activate the 'Pyro Clock of Destiny'!" Shadow Bandit VII screamed as he forced the activation of a Trap Card depicting an ancient Egyptian-styled clock with one of the "hands" blazed in fire. The sight and name alone made the two joining Duelists gasp.

"Oh no! Now he can attack with his monsters!" Jaden yelped.

"That is right, boy! Now I can unleash the power of my 'Andro Sphinx' on your 'Elemental HERO Flame Wingman'!" the Shadow Bandit said, motioning towards the Fusion Monster. "Go, 'Andro Sphinx'! Use your mighty roar to exterminate that creature!"

The anthropomorphic lion inhaled, then bellowed out a devastating roar, one with enough power to make the "Flame Wingman" cringe. The power of the roar was so great that the Fusion Monster exploded, sending the shockwave back at the flinching Slifer Red. "When my 'Andro Sphinx' destroys a monster in battle in Defense Mode and sends it to the Graveyard," the Shadow Bandit said with a toothy grin, "then you'll take damage equal to your destroyed monster's Defense Points."

Jaden only had time to gasp before another shockwave ripped across the field, throwing him backwards, taking all 1200 points of damage as he landed on his back. (Jaden Yuki: 1800 - 1200 = 600)

"Jaden!" Akiza gasped.

"Ow! That looked like it hurt!" Tristan commented, wincing at the spectacle.

Jaden pushed himself up, cringing at how he got from that last attack.

"If you think that hurt, then wait until my 'Sphinx Teleia' makes short work of that 'Splendid Rose'!" the Shadow Bandit said, making Akiza cringe fearfully as he motioned towards the feminine Synchro Monster. The woman-headed creature screeched a feminine roar and pounced onto the "Splendid Rose", pinning it down painfully under the full weight of its paws. Then the sphinx raised one claw and swiped it across the humanoid plant's body, shattering it into gold dust.

"And just like my 'Andro Sphinx', when 'Sphinx Teleia' destroys a monster in Defense Mode, you will take damage equal to its Defense Points," the Shadow Bandit said, smirking a wide, toothy grin. "So now the only way of protecting yourself from my beasts has become your greatest downfall."

"Oh no!" Akiza yelped. A shadow covered her body, and when she looked up, she saw the ivory sphinx leap high into the air, intent on pouncing the Psychic Duelist and leaving a scar or two to signify the damage she would leave her. Unfortunately for the sphinx, Akiza was quick enough to dodge the incoming paw from flattening her to the ground, but unfortunately for Akiza, she only jumped mere inches away but not far enough to escape the feel of the shock the attack left behind, thus she was flung into the sand next to Jaden. (Akiza Izinski: 3200 - 2000 = 1200)

"Akiza...!" Tori weakly shouted, wincing and coughing as the use of her lungs in her current condition ached.

The two Duelists struggled to get up, let alone lift their gazes towards the laughing Shadow Bandit.

"How sad. Even when your powers are combined, you are no match for my strength!" the Shadow Bandit goaded, slapping his last card onto his DiaDhank, a Spell Card depicting a familiar green pot with a mischievous smiling face carved into it. "But just in case you are planning something big, I will increase my strength further thanks to my 'Red Medicine'! Now I can regain a little of my strength by 500 Life Points!"

The Spell Card glowed a sparkling red aura, and the Shadow Bandit basked in the red sparkly aura surrounding him. (Shadow Bandit VII: 1000 + 500 = 1500)

"I end my turn," he said with a toothy grin.

After the turn had ended, Jaden and Akiza eventually found the strength to get up from where they were laying.

"Ha! So you do have enough strength to stand up after all!" the Shadow Bandit mockingly scoffed. "It matters little anyway, for my beasts are far more powerful than someone like you can imagine!"

"That may be so," Akiza said, stumbling in place as she tried to regain her balance, "but what you don't know is that there is more than one way to take down powerful monsters like your sphinxes."

"Oh? And what would you do to destroy my beasts?" Shadow Bandit VII asked.

Turn ?: Akiza Izinksi (1200)

Hand: 1

"You're about to find out," Akiza said, drawing her next card. "I Summon my 'Copy Plant'!"

Sprouting out of the sandy soil came a cluster of roots shaped vaguely like a humanoid, sporting drying stems wth two beady green eyes somewhere in the tangle. (0/0)

"And now I'll opportunity to make my monster bloom by tuning my 'Copy Plant' with my 'Rose Tentacles'!" Akiza declared as the root cluster and the rose-like cephalopod were lifted up in the air by an unknown force, the roots suddenly glowing bright before they popped into a single glowing orb. The orb shot up into the air where it transformed into a single neon green ring, making the high-Leveled "Rose Tentacles" pass through the center, its body turning into dark translucent matter, outlined by neon orange.

"Let the force of deep earth intertwine with the prickly essence of the roses!" Akiza chanted as the "Rose Tentacle's" body faded away, revealing six other bright orbs which quickly lined up in a vertical single file. Then the pillar of light shot through the hoop and down into the earth, right behind the Psychic Duelist, whose eyes narrowed with determined. "I Synchro Summon the 'Black Rose Dragon'!"

From the pillar of light came the silhouette of a dragon-like creature, spreading its wings out in full. The pillar of light was quickly snuffed away like candlelight in a zephyr as the dark-bodied dragon appeared, emitted a roar that revealed its beautiful yet dangerous splendor. A hurricane of strong wings and crimson rose petals danced around Akiza's presence, causing the sand to blow out in all directions. The dragon's petal-like wings and its thorny tails danced gloriously in the winds as they died down, towering just over the two beasts that backed away from the dragon's mighty being. (2400/1800)

"Hey, that's one of the dragons I saw take on the Controller back in the plaza!" Jaden recalled, staring at the gigantic creature, soaking in its size, its ferocity, and its outward beauty. "I guess this confirms that that dragon is definitely on our side!"

"Unbelievable," Tristan said, gawking at the mighty dragon with a slightly gaping mouth. "I've never seen a dragon that beautiful in my life."

Tori, too, gaped at the dragon that appeared in its splendor, then turned her gaze to the dragon's owner with an unwavering determined look in her eyes. "Akiza..."

The Shadow Bandit took a step back, shuddering fearfully for his life. "A dragon! That's impossible! How can a girl like you possess a great beast such as this!?"

"My dragon is no beast, Shadow Bandit," Akiza corrected, pointing at the cloaked criminal, "but while people like you exist to hurt people and steal from them, especially around my friends, then I can unleash that beast without ever having to hold anything back."

Akiza pointed at her beloved dragon. "I activate my 'Black Rose Dragon's' special ability! Now on the turn that she's Synchro Summoned, I can destroy all cards on the field! Go, Black Rose Gale!"

The "Black Rose Dragon" bellowed out a roar of tremendous potency, and immediately, conjured up another gale force decorated with black rose petals. The gale, now shaped into a tornado, whipped all around the field and into the Shadow Bandit's field, making his two powerful Beast-Type monsters roar in agony before they disappeared in a shattering implosion, adding to the "Pyramid of Light" Continuous Trap Card which shattered alongside too. In one fell swoop, the Shadow Bandit's field was completely empty, wiped away clean of any cards on the field.

"Whoa! Not only does that dragon look cool, but it's got one wicked power!" Jaden said, giddy with excitement. "Just one more attack, and we're gonna win this Duel!"

Akiza nodded once, sharing Jaden's enthusiasm, but that all faded quickly as the two youths were diverted to the Shadow Bandit's howling laughter. "Do you believe that you're going to win just because you destroyed every card on my field?" he rhetorically asked, making Jaden and Akiza gasp. "I was counting on you to destroy my 'Pyramid of Light' and my sphinxes, because once they're destroyed, by paying 500 Life Points..." (Shadow Bandit VII: 1500 - 500 = 1000) "...I can call forth their true form! Arise, 'Theinen the Great Sphinx'!"

The ground quaked and the Duelists shook, as if something was to erupt from the ground like an underground volcano. And sure enough, the ground did erupt like an underground volcano, and from it came a giant physical amalgamation of "Andro Sphinx" and "Sphinx Teleia", made up with the former's upper torso attached to the latter's lower body, even having the latter's beautiful face and hair attached to the back of the former's head. With the combined screech of "Teleia" and the mighty roar of "Andro Sphinx", "Theinen the Great Sphinx" had been called forth in its most intimidating splendor. (3500/3000)

"Well, that's just fine!" Jaden yelped. "Even after we call up a dragon to destroy his powerful beasts, that Shadow Bandit managed to work his way around it by Summoning an even more powerful beast!"

"Don't give up just yet, Jaden," Akiza said, plucking the last card from her hand and slapping it on her Duel Disk's Spell/Trap Zone. "This is just a temporary setback is all."

"That's good to know," Jaden said, turning to face the Shadow Bandit, "because I'm about bring this guy a serving of hurt!"

Just as Jaden declared what action he was about to enact against the seventh Shadow Bandit, they unknowingly gained a new spectator, just coming up on the Duel from high up the troposphere. Airo's eyesight detected the Duel near a pile of ruined temple rubble, detailing the sights of eight black stallions in total, six without an owner, even one trapped in a dome-shaped spiked steel cage with two children. Her gaze fell onto two more children wielding strange devices with heavy resemblance to her owner's DiaDhank's, then to the Shadow Bandit with his DiaDhank whipped out on his muscular bandaged arm, and then to the monsters on their respective owners' fields.

"It appears that we have stumbled onto a Shadow Game," the telepathic voice of Airo's owner noted. "Judging by the number of dark horses left without an owner and those held in the captivity of that steel cage, it looks like those children have battled all but one of the Shadow Bandits in order to ensure their freedom, but that Shadow Bandit looks as though he has the upper hand with that beast. If those children have any chance of defeat a creature of great size and strength, they will have to call upon a stronger monster to defeat it and the Shadow Bandit along with it."

"Jaden, I wasn't able to beat this guy with my 'Black Rose Dragon' like I had wanted," Akiza said apologetically. "In order to defeat that 'Theinen' sphinx, we're gonna need to combine our cards to win."

"Exactly what I was thinking Akiza," the Slifer Red replied, placing his fingers on the top card.

Turn ?: Jaden Yuki (600)

Hand: 3

"Here goes!" Jaden said, drawing his card and smiling. "Sweetness! I activate 'Legacy of a HERO'!"

Jaden slapped his Spell Card down, depicting the "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman's" dragon-shaped arm cannon and white wing lying in the spotlight without an owner. "Now by returning two of my Fusion Monsters that requires a 'HERO' monster to Summon it, I get to draw three new cards," the Slifer Red explained as both his "Elemental HERO Thunder Giant" and his "Elemental HERO Flame Wingman" jutted from his Graveyard slot, to which he plucked out.

"So now I'm returning both my 'Flame Wingman' and my 'Thunder Giant' to the Extra Deck," Jaden said, placing both cards into his Extra Deck and laying his fingers on the top of his Deck. "Okay, here's hoping for something good!"

Jaden drew his three cards, and immediately, he felt like the formula for his victory was complete.

"Sweetness! I activate the special ability of my 'Elemental HERO Necroshade's' ability from my Graveyard!" Jaden declared as the ethereal spirit of said "Elemental HERO" appeared behind him, a head taller than he was. "Now I can Summon a Level 5 or higher 'Elemental HERO' from my hand! And guess what? I don't need to sacrifice any monsters! So now, from my hand, I'm calling out my 'Elemental HERO Neos'!"

In a flash of light, the "Elemental HERO Neos" appeared, crouched down in midair at first before it stood tal and poised, ready for action. (2500/2000)

"Next, I activate the Spell, 'Common Soul'!" Jaden said, revealing the Spell Card with "Elemental HERO Neos" on it with a galactic background, surrounded by four glowing spirit orbs as the orb on "Neos's" chest glowed in the dark. "Now I can target a monster on the field, and then I can Summon a 'Neo-Spacian' monster onto the side of the field where my targeted monster is, and that monster gains Attack Points equal to my 'Neo-Spacian's' Attack Points. In case my wors fail you, I'm targeting my 'Elemental HERO Neos' and then I'm Summoning my 'Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab' from my hand!"

In a little pillar of fire, Jaden Summoned an anthropomorphic black-shelled scarab, a muscular-toned beetle with insect-like wings and single sharp talons for feet. (500/500)

"Now my 'Elemental HERO Neos' will gain Attack Points equal to those of my 'Flare Scarab's'!" Jaden said as a fiery orange aura surrounded the "Flare Scarab", transferring its power to "Neos". (2500 + 500 = 3000/2000)

"Ha! Even with the strength of your monster, it won't be enough to stop my 'Theinen the Great Sphinx'!" the Shadow Bandit boasted as his monster growled in acknowledgement.

Jaden gestured towards his anthropomorphic beetle. "I activate my 'Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab's' special ability! Now he can gain 400 Attack Points for each Spell and Trap Card that my opponent controls!"

The Shadow Bandit guffawed. "You'd better check your eyes, boy! I have no more Spells or Traps on my field, so it won't work for your pathetic little bug!"

The Slifer Red smirked. "Actually, I think you'd better get your eyes check, buddy boy," he said, bringing his foe's laughter to a screeching halt. "I said my 'Flare Scarab' gains 400 Attack Points for each Spell and Trap Card on my opponent's field, and since this is a Tag Duel, and Akiza and I aren't sharing the same field, that makes us her opponents, and that would mean that my 'Flare Scarab' gains 400 additional Attack Points!"

The "Flare Scarab" did not move nor flinch from its spot, but felt its fiery aura rising as it felt its strength grow. (500 + 400 = 900/500)

Jaden gestured towards his strongest monster. "And don't forget, since 'Common Soul' is still in play, my monster gains Attack Points equal to the Attack Points of my 'Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab', and now that my 'Flare Scarab' just got stronger, so does my 'Elemental HERO Neos'!" (3000 + 400 = 3400/2000)

The Shadow Bandit growled. "So what matter did that move make! All it ever did was strengthen your monster, but it's still not enough to stop my 'Great Sphinx'!"

"He's right," Tristan commentated on the sidelines. "Even with that power boost, Jaden's 'Elemental HERO' doesn't have enough Attack Points to take down that overgrown pussycat."

Tori continued to watch the Duel, now wearing a worried face for her new friends.

But Jaden, as weaker as his monster was, was not fazed by this by one bit. "That's true, but in the game of Duel Monsters, even when it doesn't look like it at first glance, there's always more than one way to take down a powerful beast like that. Sometimes all it requires is a little teamwork," Jaden said, gesturing his galactic warrior to go on the offensive, "and that's just what we're about to find out! Go, 'Elemental HERO Neos', tame that wild beast!"

Upon his master/friend's request, "Neos" leapt high in the air, his fist ready for the blow that would determine the Duel.

"I activate my Trap, 'Rose Restriction'!" Akiza shouted as she activated her Trap, depicting "Black Rose Dragon" breathing out a stream of violet fire with dark rose petals spiraling around it. "Since I have my 'Black Rose Dragon' out on the field, I can banish my 'Splendid Rose' from my Graveyard," she declared ass the ethereal image of the feminine Synchro Monster rose to the dragon's head level, to which the creature chomped with its jaws into shattered gold matter, "and your monster loses Attack Points equal to my banished monster's Attack Points!"

"No! This cannot be!" the Shadow Bandit screamed.

"It be and it will!" Akiza said, motioning towards the Shadow Bandit's "Great Sphinx". "Black Rose Dragon, cut that gigantic beast down to size!"

Gathering that purple fire in its mouth, the "Black Rose Dragon" released a stream of fire and dark rose petals, and the impact it made on the "Great Sphinx's" chest was so powerful and so potent that it staggered back a few steps. The Shadow Bandit watched in absolute horror as the greatest monster he had ever possessed was being seared by the dragon's fire. (3500 - 2200 = 1300/3000)

"No, my sphinx! My 'Great Sphinx,' brought down to its knees by a couple of mere children!? How can this be happening!?" the Shadow Bandit screamed from the top of his lungs, panicking.

"Hey, don't feel bad. If it makes you feel any better, you're not the first guy who wondered why they were beaten by kids, and you're not the last," Jaden said, gesturing for his ace monster to continue on with the attack. "Now, 'Neos', let's pick up where we left off and finish this Duel! Go, Cosmic Crush!"

Finally compliant to follow through with the order, the galactic warrior dove from his position in mid-air and dove towards "Theinen the Great Sphinx", letting loose all the power it built up in his fist as he gave the giant amalgamated beast the biggest right cross across the muzzle as it could ever give it, followed with a left cross. The feminine face on the back of the sphinx's head cringed, having to share the same kind of pain with the lion-like face getting thrashed at the front. The "Great Sphinx" staggered backwards and failed to find its balance before the damage done from the two punches was so great that it was obliterated in a single explosion, sending the great force back at its owner in the form of damage that reduced his Life Points to zero.

Unlike the other Shadow Bandits, this one had enough stamina to stand his ground, but his body's aching muscles betrayed it all in the end as he fell to his knees, the last light in his DiaDhank's "eye" depleting away.

(Shadow Bandit VII: 1000 - 2200 = 0)

(WINNER: Jaden Yuki)

(WINNER: Akiza Izinski)

The holograms of the last monsters faded away into nothing, and since the seventh Shadow Bandit had carried the magic of the "Nightmare Steelcage" Spell Card left by one of his former comrades, that instantly disappeared as well. When the last bit of iron disappeared into nothingness, not one second was wasted as Tristan bolted down the sand dune hill with Tori in his arms, followed by Black Tuscany and the little bird-of-paradise.

"Jaden, you did it!" Tristan said with excited vigor. "You beat the Shadow Bandits!"

Jaden shook his head. "No, Tristan, we did it," he said, casting a glance to Akiza. "All it took was a little teamwork to overcome the impossible odds."

"Especially when we had to fight to save our friends," Akiza concurred. "We may not know each other's strength, but what we lack in our knowledge of this more than makes up for it in believing in others."

Jaden bore a happy toothy grin, holding his hands behind his head. "I couldn't have put it better myself."

The grunt from the defeated Shadow Bandit snapped everyone's attention to him. Instinctively, Jaden and Akiza went into their battle stances as they watched their fallen foe push himself up.

"You foolish children... don't think you have won just yet..." the Shadow Bandit said as his body began to glow golden, steadily disappearing from the hands and feet up. "You may have defeated me and sent my comrades to the shadows... but you have yet to face an army of Shadow Bandits at my leader's back and call. Soon, he will unleash an army that will cover all of Egypt in shadow... and not even the likes of you can possibly defeat us all. You'll see. You'll all see...!"

With his last words fading to an echo, the Shadow Bandit's body dissipated into gold dust, leaving behind "Theinen the Great Sphinx" behind.

A sharp pain washed over the Duelists and the witnesses, making them gasp.

In the skies above, the "Harpie Lady" and her owner felt the sharp pain in their heads, making only the owner gasp.

Stumbling in her place from the migraine, causing her head to swim with a sudden case of vertigo, the other wielders of the Millennium Items witnessed her distress as she fell to her knees, holding a hand to her head.

"What is happening?" the wielder of the Millennium Rod asked.

"Cleopatra, are you hurt!?" the wielder of the Millennium Scales inquired.

The Millennium Necklace wielder, Cleopatra, held her head while the unfamiliar and alien pain in her head ached.

The Pharaoh whom she served under watched the debacle from his throne.

---

Underworld Temple Ruins - Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

The sharp pain in the children's heads eventually subsided.

Though Jaden and Tristan were kind of used to it by now, this painful sensation was still new to Akiza and Tori.

"Ow, my head. What was that we felt just now?" Akiza asked the boys.

"That's what happens when someone loses a Duel in the Void," Jaden answered. "If anyone loses a Duel here, then you'll lose more than just a simple match, you'll lose all traces of existence."

Akiza spotted the "Theinen the Great Sphinx" card lying in the sand. She went over and picked it up, inspecting it closely. "I see. And I suppose that their strongest card is all that's left of them."

Jaden nodded once. "Pretty much. Up until now, I've face off against a couple of opponents and won. I'm guessing this is like some kind of system to tally up how many people you beat in a Duel until you lose."

"Maybe, or maybe the Controller is leaving these cards behind for a good reason," Akiza theorized, curling a ringer along her chin. "Maybe he intends for us to use them in a Duel or to mark the spot where they were defeated?"

"Whatever the case is, I'd say we'd better be going," the Slifer Red suggested. "The sooner we get to the Pharaoh's palace, the sooner we can find a way back to our own eras."

"And to our friends," Akiza finished.

"Exactly," Jaden said, nodding once with a slight grin.

"But where are we going to find the Pharaoh?" Tori asked.

"I don't know, myself," Jaden said as his hairy winged Spirit Partner appeared next to him for all to see, "but my Winged Kuriboh might. Isn't that right, buddy?"

Winged Kuriboh nodded once, chirping happily and optimistically.

Akiza's face lifted with a slight grin. "Well, if your Kuriboh can lead us the way, then I guess we'll follow along as well."

Jaden pumped his fist. "Sweetness! Looks our course is clear for the taking!" he declared, wiping his nose with his thumb. "Alright, guys, let's hitch up and ride out!"

"Whatever you say, cowboy."

Jaden, Tristan, and Tori giggled to the Psychic Duelist's quip.

---

Pharaoh's Palace - Sahara Desert - Ancient Egypt

"Lady Cleopatra, are you feeling ill!?" the wielder of the Millennium Scales asked worryingly.

"I am fine," the Millennium Necklace wielder, Cleopatra, answered, standing back on her feet.

"What happened to you? You looked like you fell ill for a moment," the young woman with the Millennium Necklace inquired.

Cleopatra held her forehead with one hand. "I do not know, but it felt like some enchantment has cast its spell on me, like the memories of an individual has suddenly disappeared forever."

The other five Millennium Items wielders staggered a little in shocks and gasps. "Disappeared!? Like the person would be forgotten by everyone?"

Cleopatra shook her head. "No, like the person had never existed in the first place. And the people that made it possible was a group of children in strange garb, wielding strange DiaDhanks of their own."

"Children with DiaDhanks? Impossible! Only we at the Pharaoh's court have the will to possess such magic!" the Wielder of the Millennium Eye gasped.

"And yet, everyone I saw through the eyes of Airo could wield the power of their own DiaDhanks like they were conjured up by a different magic, one with the power to call upon creatures from the Shadow Realm!" Cleopatra rebuked. "And the children I saw who could wield these strange DiaDhanks have easily Summoned monsters whose combined powers are proven greater than what the Shadow Bandits possess! They may possess the power to save all of Egypt from this terrible darkness!"

"Or the power to destroy it!" the Millennium Eye holder replied. "We know not yet the full extent of the power that these children wield."

"For once, I must agree," said the holder of the Millennium Scales. "If their power fall into enemy hands, then all of Egypt will be doomed for all eternity."

The Millennium Rod wielder turned to the highest figure sitting on the throne. "My Pharaoh! What course must we take to ensure that Egypt is at peace again!?"

The Pharaoh, most of his body obscured by shadow except for his Millennium Puzzle, shifted in his seat, pondering. "These children with strange garbs and powers must know the source of the darkness that surrounds Egypt. There is no doubt in my mind that they must be plotting their course to our city to seek audience with me. Perhaps if we can use their power to our advantage then we can use their power to defeat our enemies," the Pharaoh thought aloud, "but for now, we keep a close eye on them. Cleopatra, continue to keep watch over these children, and do not let them out of your sight."

"Yes, my Pharaoh," Cleopatra said, bowing.

"As for the rest of you, be on your guard. We will never know when our enemy will strike again."

The other Millennium Item bearers gave a humble bow. "Yes, my Pharaoh. So let it be written, so let it be done."

When the command was issued, the other six Millennium Item bearers went their own separate ways, a few heading out the palace doors, a couple into different hallways connected to the palace throne room, all of them leaving the Pharaoh alone to think. "Something is not right. First the entire land of Egypt is plunged into a realm of darkness and the sun turns to crimson red, then we hear that the Shadow Bandits are using the conduit of our magic to call upon monsters, and now we are visited by children in strange clothing. This cannot be coincidence. If these events are somehow related to one another, then I will have my answers, and I will make them restore my kingdom back even if I have to send them to the shadows myself."

While he thought deeply about the difficult scenario his land and his people were forced into, he had failed to notice the shadow of a threat growing in his palace walls, in his very throne room.

---

FEATURED CARDS

JADEN YUKI'S CARDS

-NORMAL MONSTERS-

Elemental HERO Avian
(WIND/Level 4/Warrior/Normal/1000/1000)
A winged Elemental HERO who wheels through the sky and manipulates the wind. His signature move, Featherbreak, gives villainy a blow from sky-high.

Elemental HERO Burstinatrix
(FIRE/Level 3/Warrior/Normal/1200/800)
A flame manipulator who was the first Elemental HERO woman. Her Burstfire burns away villainy.

Elemental HERO Clayman
(EARTH/Level 4/Warrior/Normal/800/2000)
An Elemental HERO with a clay body built-to-last. He'll preserve his Elemental HERO colleagues at any cost.

Elemental HERO Neos
(LIGHT/Level 7/Warrior/2500/2000)
A new Elemental HERO has arrived from Neo-Space! When he initiates a Contact Fusion with a Neo-Spacian his unknown powers are unleashed.

Elemental HERO Sparkman
(LIGHT/Level 4/Warrior/Normal/1600/1400)
An Elemental HERO and a warrior of light who proficiently wields many kinds of armaments. His Static Shockwave cuts off the path of villainy.

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Elemental HERO Necroshade
(DARK/Level 5/Warrior/Effect/1600/800)
Once, while this card is in the GV, 1 Level 5 or higher "Elemental HERO" monster you Normal Summon can be Summoned without Tributing.

Neo-Spacian Flare Scarab
(FIRE/Level 3/Insect/Effect/500/500)
This card gains 400 ATK for each Spell/Trap card your opponent controls.

Winged Kuriboh (spirit)
(LIGHT/Level 1/Fairy/Effect/300/200)
You take no battle damage from battles involving this card. If this card on the field is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: For the rest of this turn, you take no battle damage.

Wroughtweiler
(EARTH/Level 3/Machine/Effect/800/1200)
If this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Target 1 "Elemental HERO" card and 1 "Polymerization" in your Graveyard; add both those targets to your hand.

-FUSION MONSTERS-

Elemental HERO Flame Wingman
(WIND/Level 6/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/2100/1200)
"Elemental HERO Avian" + "Elemental HERO Burstinatrix"
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the Graveyard: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster in the Graveyard.

Elemental HERO Thunder Giant
(LIGHT/Level 6/Warrior/Fusion/Effect/2400/1600)
"Elemental HERO Sparkman" + "Elemental HERO Clayman"
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. Once per turn: You can discard 1 card then target 1 face-up monster on the field with original ATK less than the ATK of this card; destroy that target.

-SPELL CARDS-

Common Soul
Continuous Spell
Target 1 face-up monster on the field: Special Summon 1 "Neo-Spacian" monster from your hand to the same side of the field as the selected monster. The targeted monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the monster that was Special Summoned by this effect. When this card is removed from the field, return the Special Summoned monster to its owner's hand.

Hero Heart
Normal Spell
Target 1 face-up "Elemental HERO" monster you control; halve its ATK until the end of this turn, but it can attack twice during this turn's Battle Phase.

Legacy of a HERO
Normal Spell
Return 2 Fusion Monsters from your GY to the Extra Deck that list a "HERO" monster as Material; draw 3 cards. You can only activate 1 "Legacy of a HERO" per turn.

Polymerization
Normal Spell
Fusion Summon 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck by using monsters from your hand or side of the field as Fusion Materials.

-TRAP CARDS-

Hero Signal
Normal Trap
If a monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Elemental HERO" monster from your Deck.

AKIZA IZINSKI'S CARDS

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Evil Thorn x3
(DARK/Level 1/Plant/Effect/100/300)
You can Tribute this card; inflict 300 damage to your opponent, and if you do, you can Special Summon up to 2 "Evil Thorn" from your Deck in Attack Position, but their effects cannot be activated.

Rose Tentacles
(EARTH/Level 6/Plant/Effect/2200/1200)
Cannot be Special Summoned. At the start of your Battle Phase, for each Plant monster your opponent currently controls, this card gains 1 additional attack during each Battle Phase this turn. Each time this card destroys a Plant monster by battle: Inflict 300 damage to your opponent.

-TUNER MONSTERS-

Copy Plant
(WIND/Level 1/Plant/Tuner/Effect/0/0)
Once per turn: You can target 1 other Plant monster on the field that has a Level; this card's Level becomes that monster's current Level, until the end of this turn.

Glow-Up Bulb
(EARTH/Level 1/Plant/Tuner/Effect/100/100)
If this card is in your GY: You can send the top card of your Deck to the GY, and if you do, Special Summon this card. You can only use this effect of "Glow-Up Bulb" once per Duel.

-SYNCHRO MONSTERS-

Black Rose Dragon
(FIRE/Level 7/Dragon/Synchro/Effect/2400/1800)
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
When this card is Synchro Summoned: You can destroy all cards on the field. Once per turn: You can banish 1 Plant monster from your Graveyard, then target 1 Defense Position monster your opponent controls; change that target to face-up Attack Position, and if you do, its ATK becomes 0 until the end of this turn.

Splendid Rose
(WIND/Level 6/Plant/Synchro/Effect/2200/2000)
1 Tuner + 1+ non-Tuner monsters
Once per turn: You can banish 1 Plant monster from your GY, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls; halve that target's ATK, until the end of this turn. During the Battle Phase, if this card attacked: You can banish 1 Plant monster in your GY; halve this card's ATK until the end of this turn, and if you do, this card can make a second attack during this Battle Phase.

-SPELL CARDS-

Black Garden
Field Spell
If a monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned, except by the effect of "Black Garden": Halve its ATK, also you Special Summon 1 "Rose Token" (Plant/DARK/Level 2/ATK 800/DEF 800) to its controller's opponent's side of the field, in Attack Position. (This ATK loss remains even if this card leaves the field.) You can target 1 monster in your GY with ATK equal to the total ATK of all Plant monsters on the field; destroy this card and as many Plant monsters on the field as possible, then if the total ATK the destroyed monsters had on the field is equal to that target's ATK, Special Summon that target.

Fragrance Storm
Normal Spell
Target 1 Plant monster on the field; destroy that target, and if you do, draw 1 card, then if that card is a Plant monster, you can reveal it and draw 1 more card.

Wonder Clover
Normal Spell
Send 1 Level 4 or lower Plant monster from your hand, then target 1 monster you control; during this turn, the targeted monster can attack twice, but other monsters you control cannot attack.

-TRAP CARDS-

Blossom Bombardment
Normal Trap
When a Plant monster you control destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's ATK in the GY.

Rose Blizzard
Normal Trap
If a monster your opponent controls targets a monster you control for attacks: Negate the attack, and if you do, change the attacking monster to Defense Position.

Rose Flame
Continuous Trap
Each time a Plant monster(s) is Special Summoned to your opponent's field; inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

Rose Restriction
Normal Trap
During your opponent's battle Phase, if you control 1 face-up "Black Rose Dragon": Banish 1 Plant Synchro Monster from your GY, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; it loses ATK equal to the banished monster's ATK until the end of the Damage Step. You can only activate "Rose Restriction" once per turn.

SHADOW BANDITS' CARDS

-EFFECT MONSTERS-

Andro Sphinx
(LIGHT/Level 10/Beast/Effect/3000/2500)
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by paying 500 LP while you control 1 face-up "Pyramid of Light". Cannot attack the turn this card is Summoned. Cannot be Special Summoned from the GY. If this card destroys a Defense Position monster by battle: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's DEF.

Emperor Sem x2
(LIGHT/Level 4/Fiend/Effect/1300/2200)
Each time you Tribute Summon: Each player targets 1 card in their GY; place it at the top of their Deck.

Ghost Knight of Jackal
(EARTH/Level 5/Beast-Warrior/Effect/1700/1600)
If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: You can Special Summon that monster to your field in Defense Position.

Hyena x3
(EARTH/Level 3/Beast/Effect/1000/300)
If this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: Special Summon any number of "Hyenas" from your Deck.

Maju Garzett
(DARK/Level 7/Fiend/Effect/?/0)
This card's ATK become equal to the combined total ATK of the original ATK of the monsters used to Tribute Summon this card.

Mazera DeVille
(DARK/Level 8/Fiend/Effect/2800/2300)
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand) by Tributing 1 face-up "Warrior of Zera" you control while "Pandemonium" is on your field. If this card is Special Summoned while "Pandemonium" is on you field: Your opponent must discard 3 random cards from their hand. If "Pandemonium" is not on your field, this effect is not applied.

Mosaic Manticore
(EARTH/Level 8/Beast/Effect/2800/2500)
During the Standby Phase of your next turn after you Tribute Summoned this face-up card on the field: Special Summon, from the GY, as many monster(s) as possible that were used for its Tribute Summon. They cannot declare an attack, and their effects are negated.

Mystical Knight of Jackal
(LIGHT/Level 7/Beast-Warrior/Effect/2700/1200)
If this card destroys and opponent's monster by battle and sends it to the GY: You can target that monster; return that target to the top of your Deck.

Sphinx Teleia
(LIGHT/Level 10/Beast/Effect/2500/3000)
You can Special Summon this card (from your hand) by paying 500 LP while you control 1 face-up "Pyramid of Light". Cannot attack the turn this card is Summoned. Cannot be Special Summoned from the GY. If this card destroys a Defense Position monster by battle: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the destroyed monster's DEF.

Theinen the Great Sphinx
(LIGHT/Level 10/Beast/Effect/3500/3000)
Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. Must first be Special Summoned (from your hand or Deck) except by paying 500 LP if both "Andro Sphinx" and "Sphinx Teleia" you control are destroyed at the same time. If this card is Special Summoned this way: Pay 500 LP; this card gains 3000 ATK until the end of this turn.

-SPELL CARDS-

Dark Energy
Equip Spell
Equip only to a Fiend monster. It gains 300 ATK.

Double Attack
Normal Spell
Discard 1 Monster Card from your hand, then target 1 monster you control with a Level less than the discarded monster; it can make a second attack this turn.

Necklace of Command
Equip Spell
If the equipped monster is destroyed by battle, and this card is sent to the GY, you can either:
● Draw 1 card, OR
● Your opponent discards 1 card.

Nightmare's Steelcage
Normal Spell
This card remains on the field for 2 of your opponent's turns. While this card is face-up on the field, no monsters can attack.

Temple of the Kings
Continuous Spell
You can activate 1 Trap Card the turn it was Set. You can send 1 "Mystical Beast of Serket" in your Monster Zone and this card you control to the GY; Special Summon 1 monster from your hand or Deck, or 1 Fusion Monster from your Extra Deck. You can only use each effect of "Temple of the Kings" once per turn.

-TRAP CARDS-

Pyramid of Light
Continuous Trap
If this card is removed from your field: Destroy any "Andro Sphinx" and "Sphinx Teleia" on your field, and if you do, banish them.

Pyro Clock of Destiny
Normal Trap
Move the turn count forward by 1 turn. The turn in which this card is activated continues as normal.

Ultimate Offering
Continuous Trap
During your Main Phase or your opponent's Battle Phase (Quick Effect): You can pay 500 LP; immediately after this effect resolves, Normal Summon/Set 1 monster.

OTHER

-NORMAL MONSTERS-

Harpie Lady
(WIND/Level 4/Winged Beast/Normal/1300/1400)
This human-shaped animal with wings is beautiful to watch but deadly in battle.

-SPELLS-

Crossover
Field Spell
At the start of this Duel; force this card's activation from your hand or Deck. If each player controls 1 copy of this card, this card gains this effect:
● Cannot be targeted by, or destroyed by card effects. If any player activates a Field Spell; that player can place that Field Spell underneath this card (min. 1). This card's name becomes the name of the card placed underneath this card, also it gains its effects. (Each player can only have 1 Field Spell placed under 1 copy of this card. During either player's turn, if a player activates a new Field Spell while a player controls 1 copy of this card with a Field Spell placed underneath it; that player must send that card to the GY.)