Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh GX.

The Infinity Chronicles; Second Semester Arc

Chapter 14: The Fountain of Youth (Part 2)

"Feeling indecisive?" Reverse smirked smugly. "That's to be expected when your age is rewinding like it is, eh Erika-chan?" His voice was low so that only she could hear it again. "Perhaps you really should just give up, because at this rate you're going to wind up unable to duel."

That burned into Eri's mind. "I won't back down from this duel! For what you did to Ichigo, I'll show you the power of my Childhood Memories Deck!" Her hand clenched at the edges of one of her hand cards. "Here I go!"

Reverse just laughed as she threw a card on her disk and a little brown-haired boy wearing a simple dark blue robe with a white collar appeared on her field. "You summon another of those apprentices?

"Of course." The demoness pointed at her monster. "Apprentice Young Magician (400/800) attacks your life points directly thanks to my field magic card! Magic Fist Stick!" The young spellcaster on her field waved his hand and a large rubber fist attached to a wooden stick appeared in his grasp.

Reverse's eyes bulged out of his skull as the boy ran in and smacked him in the back of the head with the strange weapon.

Reverse- 1400

Eri- 4600

While her monster returned to her field, Eri pulled the top card off of her deck. "When Apprentice Young Magician deals you life point damage, I look at the top card of my deck. If that card is a magic card it activates now!" She smiled at what she saw. "It's the magic card School Textbook." A green glow fell over her spellcaster. "This equipment magic card raises the attack power of the equipped Apprentice by 1200 points, but it can no longer attack directly through the effect of Apprentice Academy." (1600/800) "End turn."

Reverse drew. ("I can't beat her monster, but I can do this!") "I activate the magic card Dian Keto the Cure Master." A green glow fell over him. "At this time I gain 1000 life points. Then I place card face-down in play and end my turn." He had no space left for magic and traps, but that didn't seem to worry him.

Reverse- 2400

Eri- 4600

Eri drew the top card of her deck. "Since I didn't lose any cards, you can't use the Fountain of Youth on me!" A card was thrown onto her field and a blue-haired boy wearing a green t-shirt and brown pants appeared in play. "I summon Apprentice Werewolf in attack mode!" (500/400) "According to my field magic card, I can attack directly!" The boy ran across the field so fast he left a dust trail in his wake, getting ready to tackle the Ra Yellow student.

Reverse points at his set card. "I reveal Spirit Barrier!" A yellow barrier appeared between him and his field. "While this face-up continuous trap card is in play all battle damage to me is zero while I have a monster in play!" He laughed as the Apprentice Werewolf crashed into the barrier and rolled head over heels all the way back to Eri's field, his eyes spinning.

Eri looked at her hand cards and bit her lower lip. "I…end my turn."

Reverse drew. "Go Lord Chronos, attack her monster now with Flow of Time!" A blast of energy washed over the girl's monster and blew it apart. "Your monster returns to your hand and you discard two cards from your hand that aren't the returned monster." (Apprentice Werewolf's stats: 1500/1300) "Then I end my turn."

Reverse- 2400

Eri- 4100

Eri growled and drew, while a card was spat out of her graveyard. "Damn you…" She felt the change this time, though since her clothes adjusted to her changed body it still wasn't very noticeable.

Reverse- 2400

Eri- 4600

Looking at the cards in her hand, the demoness realized there was nothing she could do this turn. "I simply set a monster face-down on the field. End turn."

Reverse drew. ("I know that is her Apprentice Werewolf, so there's no point in attacking.") "I suppose you'll have to enjoy a temporary reprieve…" Her just smirked to himself and placed a card face-down on his disk. "I set one monster face-down in play. End turn."

Eri drew. "Go Apprentice Young Magician, attack his set monster now! Magic Fist Stick!" The boy created his strange weapon again and charged in, slamming it down on the set card which in turn exploded. "So take that!"

"I'll gladly take it." Smirking, Reverse held the card up for her to see. "Morphing Jar's special ability sends all cards from our hands to the graveyard, and then we both draw five cards." Both of them did so. "Anything else?"

Eri inserted a card into her duel disk. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn."

Reverse drew and placed a card onto his duel disk face-up. "I summon Recovery Driver in defense mode." (0/2300) A large crane-like machine appeared on the field. "When it is summoned I discard all cards in my hand to the graveyard." Discarding his hand, he pointed at her. "Now five cards are returned to your hand from your graveyard!" He sneered. "And I draw five cards from my deck."

Eri's eyes widened right everything suddenly got a whole lot bigger all of a sudden.

Reverse- 2400

Eri- 7100

All of the student body stared as the dark demoness of duelist academy was replaced by an adorable six-year-old girl in a miniature Obelisk Blue uniform.

Adjusting her stance repeatedly, Eri tried to keep a handle on the nine cards in her hand while adapting to the fact that her Duel Disk was suddenly quite a big heavier.

Up in the stands Adriel pounded his fists into the railing. "Damn you, play fair you bastard!"

Reverse glanced up at half dragon-demon and sneered coldly. "What are you talking about? I'd think Erika-chan would be happy to gain so much life points and hand cards, wouldn't you?"

Adriel was suddenly gripped by a wish to leap down there and tear the Ra Yellow's face right off. ("I'll…I'll…") A hand gripped his shoulder firmly. Spinning around to snarl at whoever it was, he faltered as he looked right into a pair of yellow eyes. "Erian?"

The multi-colored boy looked deathly serious. "Calm down." Walking past him, he leaned over the railing and looked Reverse square in the face. "It looks like you guys decided to actually follow someone as crazy as Resshin, huh?"

Reverse scoffed. "Would it have been better if we followed someone like you? You were as much as a fool as our caretaker!"

Erian sighed. "Eri-san, don't worry about it anymore. The limit on the holographic system has been reached, it won't make things any harder for you."

Reverse growled and then snapped his around to look at the little demoness darkly. "Forget it, she's nearly to the point of being unable to duel! In fact, I think I'll just make her disappear." He felt his powers awaken. "Disappear!" Snapping his free hand at her, he felt the building power of his abilities…dissolve. "What?"

Up in the stands, Erian simply watched his 'brother' with a look of displeasure on his face. "You've abused your abilities, Reverse. As your eldest brother, I refuse to allow you to continue."

"You would dare to defy Resshin-san?" Reverse turned his head up at the other side of the stands to look at Resshin. "He's far stronger than you are!"

"I don't care about whom is stronger…" Erian looked to Eri, and his expression melted back to his normal stupidly clueless smile. "Eri-san, would you please forgive my brother? He's a very spiteful guy, but deep down he doesn't mean it."

The little demoness smiled slightly. "We'll see. First though I need to defeat him and move on."

At this point most of the audience was absolutely confused…but for the second-year and beyond students this wasn't so bad. Last year weird things like this happened just as often.

Reverse just laughed loudly. "I'm sorry, but you'll have to excuse the fact that I doubt that. You're locked, Erika-chan. End turn."

She drew, somehow keeping her balance despite the weight of the Duel Disk and the fact that her little hands were having difficulty holding onto so many cards at once. "It's my turn." The card she had drawn brought a smile to her face. "I first reverse summon Apprentice Werewolf!" (1500/1300) The blue-haired boy reappeared, though he looked quite a bit older than normal. "And then I summon Apprentice Red Riding Hood in attack mode!" (300/400) A little blond-haired girl wearing a red riding hood appeared on her field.

"Another weakling that Lord Chronos can crush easily…" Reverse chuckled. "Your deck can't defeat me like that now and you know it!"

"Is that so?" Eri somehow managed to insert a card into her duel disk. "I activate the magic card Holy Triad-Love!" Her Apprentice Red Riding Hood lifted into the air, and from under the collar of her hood a golden necklace lifted itself forward, red light coming the center jewel. "This card's special ability allows me to activate Holy Triad-Courage from my hand!"

A beam of red light shot from the little girl's necklace and flew towards the Apprentice Werewolf. He lifted up his arm to reveal a golden bracelet with a green jewel which caught the red beam and started to glow brightly. "The effect of Holy Triad-Courage allows me to activate Holy Triad-Hope from my hand!"

A beam of green light leapt from the jewel of his bracelet over to the Apprentice Young Magician, who lifted his hand to reveal a golden ring with a blue jewel attached to it. The blue jewel caught the beam of green light and absorbed it.

Reverse and the rest of the audience in amazement as the beam of light shot between the three monsters in that same continuous loop, moving faster and faster until it was three beams of light instead of one passing between them. "What are you doing?"

Giggling, Eri held up one more magic card from her hand. "I'm setting up for the big finish. The effect of Holy Triad Completion lets me send Apprentice Werewolf, Apprentice Red Riding Hood, and Apprentice Young Magician to my graveyard!" Her two male monsters disappeared, and the Apprentice Red Riding Hood became surrounded by the three beams of light, which formed into a flowing pillar of light which engulfed it. "Now I can special summon my ultimate monster from my deck!"

"Ultimate…monster?" Reverse covered his eyes to block out the incredibly bright light.

"That's right!" Eri smiled as the light engulfed her. "The ultimate weapon against evil!" When the light dropped a fifteen-year-old blond-haired girl wearing a strange red, blue and white dress was standing on her field. In that girl's hands rested a weird bow that almost seemed like some kind of plastic kid's toy.

Reverse gaped at the new monster, as did a good number of the male student body.

From behind her monster, a normal-aged Eri smiled sweetly. "When Holy Triad completes itself, Magical Princess Holy Up is special summoned from my deck or hand to the field." (1900/1300)

"Magical Princess Holy Up?" Reverse growled and stomped his foot into the ground. "Don't play games with me! How did you return to normal?"

The demoness shrugged innocently. "A dramatic arrival can cancel some of the silliest things."

"……" He just glared at her angrily.

"When Holy Up is special summoned by the effect of Holy Triad…" Eri pointed at Reverse's field. "All cards on your field are destroyed!" With one loud explosion the Ra Yellow's whole strategy disappeared.

Reverse frowned, but quickly recovered his composure. "How stupid are you? During my next turn I'll just restore my lock and set up my field to finish you off afterwards!"

Eri and Holy Up both smiled at the same time, and the latter lifted up her bow to take aim at the boy.

"Smirk all you want, but I'll still have 500 life points remaining!" Reverse was growing weary of being looked down upon by people like this girl, who just until his annoying older brother had shown up was on the verge of losing to him.

Eri pointed at her Magical Princess. "For every Apprentice type monster in my graveyard…" Pink energy started to flow out of her graveyard. "Holy Up gains 300 attack points. That makes 1200 attack points extra." (3100/1300) "Beauty Serene Arrow!" Pink light started to build up at the firing point of her monster's bow. "And for the finale….Magical Shoot!"

Reverse tried to block, but the pink arrow of energy Eri's monster launched slammed right into the center of his chest, blowing the air out of him and sending him sliding right out of the dueling ring.

Reverse- 0

Eri- 7100

"Erika Amero is the winner!" The announcer was nearly hanging over the edge of his booth in his excitement.

While the crowds cheered, Resshin smirked calmly. "Interesting…so you beat him despite his lock, eh?" Walking towards the dueling ring, he prepared his deck. ("Regardless, now it's time to see if Adriel Zaytel is worth my time.")

Adriel had already leapt down from the stands and was standing next to a grinning Eri. "That was amazing!"

"Never underestimate the power of a princess!" Eri flashed the victory sign to the audience. "Just two more wins and I'll be at the top!"

"Those two wins will be very hard to get." Resshin leapt from the stands right into the middle of the dueling ring, which was at least a forty foot jump. "However for the time being you have proved that your resolve to win is strong. Feel proud of that much."

She pointed right into his face. "After I take down that blond-haired bimbo, you're on my hit list, jerk!" Then she placed her hands on her sides and started laughing like she had already beaten him.

Adriel sweat-dropped and grabbed her arm, pulling her off the dueling ring. "I think you're getting a little too happy from your win." With her out of the way, he walked up to Resshin and smirked. "So, looks like I get to see how well your Burst Brawler will do against my deck, huh?"

Resshin shrugged nonchalantly. "I'm interested as well. Let's see just how strong you are, mister dragon-demon."

"Let the semi-finals begin!" The announcer said this loudly into his microphone while he tried to pull himself back into his booth. In his excitement he had fallen out of it.

"Duel!" Both boys drew their opening hands.

To be continued…