Hi, guys! Time for this chapter to start! Don't really have anything to say, so let's get started!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
Sighing deeply, Alexis continued to stare at the back of her big brother as he glanced at the windows emotionlessly. Even though he was physically fine, Atticus hasn't been his usual, cheerful self, as he was lost in thought and wondering what he's done as Nightshroud. The guilt of what he could have possibly have done must have been thawing at him a lot from deep within, as he had refused to talk about it to anyone, even to his little sister.
"Alexis? How are you?" called out Elize, walking up to the older girl. She saw what Alexis had been watching over and grew sad. She felt bad for Alexis since Atticus barely said a word to anyone and that Alexis was suffering for it. The least she could do right now was be at her friend's side.
"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine. There's no need to worry," assured Alexis, giving her a sad smile.
"Hey, guys! What's up!" This time, Jaden, accompanied by some others, came towards the two girls with his usual happy grin. "Alexis, how's your bro, Atticus, doing?"
Turning back to her brother, Alexis answered, "So-so. I mean, he's out of that hospital bed now, but he still can't remember much of what happened."
"I'm sure he'll come soon around, Alexis," assured Jaden, trying to comfort her.
Alexis nodded, knowing that Jaden was right and that she appreciated his attempts at cheering her up. "Anyways, what brings you all over?"
"The law, actually!" answered Banner, moving aside to reveal what appeared to be a detective by his side.
Everyone looked at the strange detective before them as he took his hat off as a sign of politeness before beginning to introduce himself. "Good afternoon, ma'am! I'm Detective Zaloog!"
Blinking, Alexis thought his appearance seemed a bit off, especialy with the strange golden eyepatch he had on. Then again, she wasn't usually one to judge someone based on appearance. "Okay...?"
"You see, Alexis, since three of the Spirit Keys have already been taken by the Shadow Riders, and the fate of the world rests on protecting the remaining four, the Academy thought it'd be best to call in the police," explained Banner.
While the police wasn't exactly the best defense against mystical, magical powers that the Shadow Riders wielded, it did make sense to put in some form of protection for the students. At least this way, the police could provide some assistance and protect their lives. After all, the Key Keepers were still human after all; teenaged students at that.
"Uh...By the way, where is your key, Lex?" Jaden asked Alexis, since the topic of protecting Spirit Keys was important.
"Right here, around my neck," the female Obelisk Blue member answered.
Revealing his own Spirit Key around his neck, Chazz said, "Same here."
Picking up his Spirit Key from around his neck, Jaden nodded. "Yeah, same with me."
Elize unzipped her Slifer Red jacket a little, showing her Spirit Key was still in place. "Mine's safe too."
"Oh, my. That's exactly what I was afraid of," sighed Zaloog. "You may think that's where it's safest, but it's not. For you see, all the Shadow duelists have to do is find you, and they find the key."
"So," spoke up Banner. "The detective suggests that we all hide our keys somewhere!"
Shrugging his shoulders, Jaden agreed, "Whatever's clever, I guess."
In Chazz's room...
Opening the sink cabinet, Chazz fished his hand into the dark depths underneath the sink pipes to place his Spirit Key inside. "Nobody will think to look here!"
"Yes," agreed Zaloog, nodding. "Just be sure, Chazz, to keep it a secret!" A strange noise from outside Chazz's room startled everyone, as it could be a Shadow Rider. "Who's that?!"
Quickly slamming the door open, Alexis and Jaden saw a janitor happily painting the railings of the Slifer Red Dorm dark brown, as the paint from before was starting to stain and rust.
"Oh, that's just Gorg! He's the janitor!" said Jaden; his tone assuring everyone that Gorg was alright.
In Jaden's room...
"There! The junk drawer!" said Jaden, placing his Spirit Key inside his desk drawer filled with some marbles and papers.
"Good! No one will ever find it mixed in with that cludder!" said Zaloog, nodding his head in approval.
Pushing the desk drawer closed, Chazz, Jaden, Alexis, and Elize simply stared at the detective until a noise snapped them out of it.
"Who's there?!" Jaden demanded, swunging the door open all of a sudden.
A Slifer Red student shrieked, surprised by the sudden approach. Glancing out from behind Jaden, Elize blinked and sighed in relief. "Oh, I thought it was a Shadow Rider!"
Curious, Zaloog asked, "Well, who is it?"
As they were approaching their way towards their own room, Syrus and Chumley recognized the mysterious Slifer Red student before stopping near him. "Hey, Chick. Lost again?"
"Your room's next door, remember?" Jaden reminded him.
"O-oh! Oh yeah!" Frantically, Chick ran off, not wanting to waste anymore time in that situation.
Chumley and Syrus were already introduced to Zaloog awhile ago and fully understood the details of the investigation at hand. Seeing his confused expression, Chumley explained, "Chick's a new transfer student! He's kinda on the slow side. I love dueling him!"
In Elize's room...
"Hmm...I dunno where to put my Spirit Key," said Elize as everyone had already gathered in her spacious room.
"I know! The closet!" exclaimed Jaden.
"Jaden, that's the first thing the thief will look for," reminded Chazz.
"What about under the bed?" suggested Alexis.
"Yes, very good!" agreed Zaloog. "No one will ever think to look there during the night unless they want to risk waking someone up!"
"Huh?" Elize noticed a security guard walking past her room due to her room entrance being opened. "What's a security guard doing here?"
"Hmm? Oh, I made some arrangements and had Officer Cliff look after this dorm temporarily," explained Zaloog. "After all, three of the Spirit Key holders live in this dorm, so it needs extra protection! Now, come on. There's one more Spirit Key we have to hide! Young lady in blue, would you kindly escort us your room?"
Alexis nodded. "Sure, though it'll take a while to walk to there."
As everyone started leaving Elize's room, Elize felt a ghostly hand clasp her shoulder, prompting her to turn her head. "Miss Doriado?"
"Elize." The serious and concerned expression on the Duel Spirit's face didn't seem like she was joking. "I sense something...strange with that detective person. Perhaps it would be best if you changed your hiding spot."
"Hmm? Why? I trust Detective Zaloog."
"Appearances can be deceiving, Elize. You may not understand this yet, but I'm sure you will. Please do this task for me."
"Well...Okay." Elize pulled the Spirit Key from underneath her bed and decided to hide it underneath her red cap. "Will this do?"
"Yes, I suppose."
"Elize! Are you coming?" called out Jaden's voice from outside.
"Oh! Yes! I'm sorry to keep you waiting!"
In Alexis' room...
Gently placing her Spirit Key in the insides of her glamorous jewelry box, Alexis spoke, "Well, this is where I keep all my valuables. There."
"Nice work!" complimented Zaloog, who was relaxing by leaning against Alexis' couch.
Glancing at the insides of her jewelry box, Elize was amazed by some of the jewelry Alexis owned. "Wow! That green gem looks pretty!"
Smiling, Alexis offered, "That's called an emerald. If you want, I can let you borrow that for a special occasion some other time, alright?"
"Okay! Thanks!"
"Oh! Uh..." Having accidentally entered Alexis' bedroom, a beautiful-looking nurse with a clipboard looked around, confused. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you all!"
"What? Who? Who is this?" wondered Zaloog.
"It's cool! She's the school nurse! No one to worry about!" assured Alexis as the nurse gave a friendly and kindhearted smile to everyone.
"Wait, I thought Ms. Fontaine was our school nurse," recalled Elize as the nurse panicked for a brief moment.
"O-OH! Well, she needed some assistance! After all, one woman can't possibly do her work alone without some help!"
"Oh, that makes sense!"
Banner yawned; exhaustion read all over his face. "Well, I suppose we can go to sleep soundly!"
"Yes, quite so. Now, children, get to bed. You all must be so exhausted," Zaloog advised.
Late, that night...
Chazz, who had been asleep the entire time, awoken when light shined in his direction, causing him to wake up at the sight of Jaden, Syrus, and Elize yelling at him to get up. Since he was wearing earplugs, he couldn't hear them, so he sat up and took out the earplugs from his ears.
"Uh...Morons? See these little things in my ears?" interrupted Chazz rudely. "They're earplugs, so start over."
"Your key! It's vanished, Chazz! Look!" cried out Jaden, pointing to Chazz's door. Well, it couldn't properly be called a door anymore since it was smashed to bits as wooden splinters and pieces scattered on the ground.
"What in the-?! No, it can't be!" Shocked, Chazz was now fully wide awake as he ran over to the sink cabinet, where he opened it and scrambled his hand, trying to feel his way towards the Spirit Key. Nothing. "It's gone! How!?"
"Those things in your ears? They make it so you can't hear any doors being kicked in!" Jaden said, reminding Chazz about the fact that he himself was the one who blocked off any sound. "It looks like they're back!"
Chazz gasped, upon realization of who he meant. "The Shadow Riders!"
"Come on! We've gotta tell everyone!"
Having informed Alexis and Banner of their predicament, all of them decided to gather in Elize's room since it was more spacious than any of their rooms. They sat down near a small table to talk amongst themselves.
"So, all your keys are gone, too?" questioned Chazz.
"Yes, I'm afraid so," said Banner, ashamed.
"See, Jaden?! And they weren't wearing earplugs!"
"Um..." Raising her hand, Elize spoke up, "My Spirit Key didn't get stolen."
"What? Are you serious?" asked Jaden, who was as surprised as everyone else. "But why?"
"I...I got a bit worried, so I decided to move my Spirit Key to a different hiding spot just in case. I woke up because I was feeling cold, and I saw my window was opened. I don't normally open my window at night, so I knew something was wrong."
"Then this just proves it," said Chazz. "Someone managed to sneak into our rooms and stole our Spirit Keys, but because Red Hat Girl here moved her Spirit Key, the intruder tried to sneak in her room, but found nothing."
"Yeah, I did hear some weird noises, but I thought it was nothing," admitted Elize. "I'm sorry I couldn't be much help."
"We'll figure this out," announced Zaloog, who was accompanied by the nurse, Gorg, Chick, and Officer Cliff.
"Detecitve Zaloog! What's going on?" gasped Banner, wondering why so many people were here.
"I rounded up some suspects! To help get to the bottom of this most serious crime!"
Banner nodded, understanding. "So, you'll question them?"
"In due time. After I pose a few questions to you first!"
"Huh...Whatever!" agreed Jaden, standing up. "After all, he's the detective, right?"
Chazz shook his head; eyes closed and arms crossed in concentration. "Wrong. Something's up."
"What's up?"
"Chazz, let's let him do his job," offered Banner kindly.
"Sorry, but this here's a job for...Chazz Princeton! Ace detective!"
"Huh?!" Everyone in the room was baffled by his declaration but decided to allow him to speak his piece as they settled down in Elize's room.
"Now, everyone who knew where those keys were are all in this room," explained Chazz, detailing down the case. "So that means the thief has to be, too!"
Syrus had to agree with that sort of logic. "Yeah, I guess...But how will we find him? I mean, won't we need evidence?"
"You know," started Alexis. "I did see a press-on nail on my floor."
The nurse gasped, glancing at her fingernails, which one of the press-on nails were missing. She panicked, not wanting the others to get in on her and deem her suspicious.
"A press-on nail, huh?" That appeared to interest Chazz as he asked, "That sounds like a very promising clue, Lex. So, where's the press-on nail, now?"
"I uh...Kinda threw it in the garbage." Once admitting it out loud, Alexis blushed, embarrassed about a silly little mistake that could have been a vital clue.
"The garbage? Well, there goes that idea."
"Yeah...I guess I goofed."
"You know, there was a hole in the wall in our room!" recalled Jaden, turning to both Chumley and Syrus.
"It's true!" said Syrus, nodding as he remembered such a terrible thing happening to their wall.
"And let me guess, slacker! You already sealed it back up!" At this point, Chazz wasn't even surprised anymore.
"Well...Kinda?" Jaden tried to lighten Chazz's mood with a grin, only to fail.
"You guys are really something!"
"Hey, thanks! We do what we can!"
"You sure do!"
As Chick nervously and quickly hid a drill-like tool from behind his back, Elize tried to assist Chazz by trying to think of any clues in her room, given that they are in her room at the moment. She glanced around for a while, but found nothing of the sort that could provide as a clue.
"I'm sorry...I can't think of anything that might help you, Chazz," sighed Elize in defeat.
"Come to think of it, why was this young lady's Spirit Key the only one left alone?" wondered Zaloog.
"That's because, I sorta hid it somewhere else besides from under the bed. I got a little cautious and decided that was for the best. I-I'm sorry..."
Banner shook his head, patting Elize on the head. "No, no! This is actually a good thing! At least the thief did not steal all of our Spirit Keys! This way, the world can still be saved as long as there's one key left!"
"I-I'm honestly not sure whether to take that as a compliment or be nervous that the fate of the entire world rests in the final key I have."
"Young lady, may I ask where you hid your Spirit Key?" asked Zaloog, interested.
"I'm not sure I should say that right now," said Elize nervously. "Chazz did mention that the thief could be somewhere in this room, so I don't want to risk anything."
"Yeah, best not to say anything for now," agreed Chazz. "We don't want another incident like this happening."
"Well, without any evidence, I guess we won't know who did it," sighed Banner, having given up on the case. Well, at least if there was one Spirit Key remaining in safe hands, it was fine.
Mind snapping into place, Chazz pointed his finger at four people; Gorg, Officer Cliff, Chick, and the nurse. "He did it! And him! And him! And her!"
Mildly startled for a moment, the accused four managed to calm down. "Uh...you're basing this on what?" questioned Chick.
Angered, the nurse demanded, "Yeah! You heard everyone! You've got no proof! You've got nothing on us!"
"Oh, don't I?" spoke Chazz, smirking. He had already succeeded in his plan, and he was planning to unfold it here and now!
"Look, how about I ask the questions?" suggested Zaloog, knowing that if he allowed this kid to continue playing detective, things were about to end badly for him and his own agenda.
"How about...we hear from them?!" Swiftly, Chazz fished out three of his main Ojama cards; Ojama Black, Ojama Green, and Ojama Yellow. "See, when we hid each of the Spirit Keys, I hid one of these cards with them! The three of them are my eyes and ears when I'm not around! And in my dorm room...I had these watching over mine!" Chazz attempted to make himself appear cool by suffling his deck before they accidentally scattered all over the floor. "T-the point is, they all saw who did it!"
"Caught ya red-handed!" said Ojama Black, pointing to the accused four.
"Zoink! We did!" Ojama Green said.
Bouncing into the conversation, Ojama Yellow said, "You're so busted!"
"Who told you what?" Zaloog seemed confused, along with the other four, as they didn't appear to have the ability to see Duel Spirits unlike some few in the room.
"Well, maybe you can't see them, but I can!" shouted Chazz. "And I know they're behind this, detective!"
Zaloog merely chuckled darkly at Chazz's correct interpretation. "You're mistaken. It's not just them. It's me, too!"
"WHAT?!"
"That's right, my children! All of us are in on it! We are the criminal ring known as..."
Throwing away their costumes, the detective along with the four supposed thieves moved into position, posing as they were garbed in dark brown clothing meant for stealth and thievery. "THE DARK SCORPIONS!"
"Uh...sorry, never heard of you," admitted Jaden, Alexis, Chumley, Syrus, Banner, Chazz, and Elize curiously with question marks printed above their heads.
Zaloog didn't seem surprised by their reply. "Of course you haven't! We've been deep undercover in your school for years, now! Waiting for a chance to nab those keys!"
"And now, the Scorpions finally have them!" cried out all members of the Dark Scorpions, thinking their goal was accomplished.
"Except you're missing a crucial detail-No, two, in fact!" replied Chazz confidently. "First off, you still don't have Elize's key, so that doesn't exactly count as mission accomplished. Second, to use them, you still have to beat us in a duel!"
"Oh...Of course! That's it! Why the keys didn't work! Ha!" laughed Zaloog before putting on his duel disk, determined to obtain the Dark Scorpions' goals. "We have to beat them in a duel!"
"Got that right! So, let's go, Shadow Rider!" said Chazz, determined to beat the leader once and for all. Also, to get payback for them breaking down his door.
Outside...
"Guys, I'm a little worried!" said Elize as she and her friends watched as Chazz and Zaloog prepared to face each other in a duel for the Spirit Keys. "What if Chazz loses?"
"Nah, no worried, Elly! He'll be fine! He's strong, after all!" assured Jaden, petting her on the head.
"Besides, it's not exactly the end of the world if Chazz loses! After all, the Dark Scorpions need your Spirit Key as well, so it's more than likely they'll duel you next should he lose!" replied Banner cheerfully.
"Uh..."
"That's not very encouraging!" yelled Alexis, placing her hands on Elize's shoulders protectively.
"DUEL!" Both duelists appeared to be ready as the duel quickly commenced for the two of them.
- DUEL -
Zaloog - 4000 LP
VS
Chazz - 4000 LP
"I'll win this as easy as I stole your keys!" said Zaloog, beginning the start of the duel. "First, I'll summon Golem Sentry in Defense Mode!"
Golem Sentry - (EARTH/Rock) - LV4 - (800/1800)
"Next, I place a card facedown! That'll do for now!"
"My turn! Ha!" shouted Chazz, drawing his card. "I play the Spell card, Fiend Sanctuary! With this card, I can Special Summon a Metal Fiend Token to the field!"
Metal Fiend Token - (DARK/Fiend) - LV1 - (0/0)
"And now, I'll sacrifice my Fiend Token to Special Summon Armed Dragon LV5!"
Armed Dragon LV5 - (WIND/Dragon) - LV5 - (2400/1700)
"Go, Armed Dragon! Use those arms to destroy that Golem! Spiked Spinner!"
Thrashing his spiked fists forward in a rotational direction, Armed Dragon LV5 took little to no effort in destroying the defensive Monster, creating a bit of an explosion.
"Alright, and for my next move, I'm gonna place two facedowns! Then, I'll use my dragon's special ability, and it's a big one! Now, evolve! Armed Dragon LV7! Now I end my turn!"
Armed Dragon LV7 - (WIND/Dragon) - LV7 - (2800/1000)
"Wow! That dragon's huge!" gasped Elize.
Jaden nodded, agreeing, "Got that right! On the turn that Armed Dragon LV5 destroys a Monster in battle, well then, you can trade him in for a LV7 Monster!"
"Level him up all you want!" called Zaloog. "It won't matter! And you're about to see why! My draw! First, I play Pot of Greed! It lets me draw two more cards from my deck! Just what I wanted! I summon the one and only Don Zaloog! And when I mean one and only, I do mean it! For you see, my children, I am him!"
Witnessing Zaloog stepping onto the playing field confidently, that just raised further questions for everyone. Detective Zaloog was actually a trading card from the beginning? But that would have to mean he was a Duel Spirit the entire time!
Don Zaloog - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (1400/1500)
"Well, this only peaked my interest!" said Aussa, having watched what happened. "Elize, just in case, I'll check up on some info involving the Dark Scorpions. It may help out a bit."
"O-Okay, sure."
"Now, I play the Spell card, Musterings of the Dark Scorpions!" announced Zaloog. "Now I can Special Summon all the Dark Scorpions that are in my hand and onto the field! Now, Dark Scorpions! Roll call!"
Standing up while wielding an almighty battle axe, which was fitting for a muscular guy like him, Gorg the former janitor glanced around with a bit of drool running down his mouth. "Rolls?! Who's got the rolls?"
Dark Scorpion - Gorg the Strong - (DARK/Warrior) - LV5 - (1800/1500)
"He means to say our names, Gorg!" corrected Meanae, throwing her hair to the side to see more clearly. "I'm Meanae the Thorn!"
Dark Scorpion - Meanae the Thorn - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (1000/1800)
"The name's Cliff the Trap Remover!" introduced Cliff, dangerously wielding a dagger to his side. "Guess how I remove them!"
Dark Scorpion - Cliff the Trap Remover - (DARK/Warrior) - LV3 - (1200/1000)
Leaping up and down excitedly, Chick cried out, "I'm Chick the Yellow! Six foot when I jump up!"
Dark Scorpion - Chick the Yellow - (DARK/Warrior) - LV3 - (1000/1000)
"AND TOGETHER, WE'RE THE DARK SCORPIONS!" The five members of the Dark Scorpions spoke together in unison.
'Losers,' Chazz thought, not daring to admit that out loud or else they would run into a pointless argument and waste everyone's time.
"Now, I'll play a Trap! Dark Scorpion Combination!" Zaloog said, activating the Trap for all to see as Chick stood aside. "You see, on the first turn that all the Dark Scorpions are out, this Trap allows all of us to attack you directly! And for every one of those attacks, you lose 400 Life Points! Now, let him have it!"
Once the Trap settled its magic, the five Dark Scorpions leapt into action towards Chazz, avoiding Armed Dragon LV7 safely before striking out at all directions, giving it everything they've got into their attacks.
"Take this! Thorn Whip!"
"Double Blast Attack!"
"Scorpion Slice!"
"Mallet Mash!"
"Hammer Hammer!"
Once all five attacks struck home at Chazz, the Dark Scorpions returned back to their side of the dueling field as Chazz winched in pain, having experienced the brutal force of all five strikes.
Zaloog - 4000 LP
Chazz - 2000 LP
"And there's more too!" started Zaloog, chuckling. "For you see, Chazz, now our special abilities go up against you since we all inflicted Battle Damage towards you!"
"Say what?!"
"That's right! So, first, a Monster on your side of the field returns to the top of your deck," explained Gorg.
"And then next, a card on your field returns to your hand," said Chick as one of the two facedowns Chazz placed down was magically back in his hand.
"There's more! The top two cards on your deck go to the Graveyard," replied Cliff as Chazz discarded the top two into the Graveyard.
"And then one card in your hand is destroyed!" said Zaloog, making Chazz to raise the cards in his hand as one of them vanished.
"And finally, a card with Dark Scorpion in its name can be added to our hand from the Graveyard," finished Meanae as Zaloog retrieved Dark Scorpion Combination from their own Graveyard.
"And I'll take this! Dark Scorpion Combination! The card that started it all!" said Zaloog before he and his fellow Dark Scorpions got into position once more. "And it'll end it all!"
"Stay tough, Chazz!" encouraged Jaden. "You can beat these guys!"
"Hello! Of course I can! Now, be quiet and let the Chazz do his thing!" snapped Chazz, irritated. "I play my Trap, Level Modulation! Now you get to draw two cards, and I get to Special Summon a LV Monster from my Graveyard without paying a dime! And I choose Armed Dragon LV7!"
Armed Dragon LV7 - (WIND/Dragon) - LV7 - (2800/1000)
Gritting the teeth at the fact that the Dark Scorpions have another problem to settle with, Zaloog drew his two cards. "Him again? You give me no choice but to play two facedowns and end my turn!"
"I hate it when this guy plays facedowns!" complained Syrus.
"Even worse, we don't even know what they are," added in Elize.
"I hear you guys," agreed Jaden, having been in Chazz's situation multiple times before. "This should be interesting..."
"It's my turn!" stated Chazz, drawing his card. "And first, Armed Dragon LV7's effect activates! By sending 1 Monster card to the Graveyard, Monsters with Attack Points equal or fewer than the one I just discarded are all destroyed! And the card I'm discarding is Despair from the Dark! 2800 Attack Points!"
"Hold it!" Zaloog shouted. "I play a Trap, Retreat of the Dark Scorpions! Now all Dark Scorpions on the field return to my hand!"
In a hustle, the five members of the Dark Scorpions rushed out of the playing field in a hurry, not wanting to get caught up with the dangerous effect Armed Dragon LV7 possessed, though their retreat would serve as a comical act.
Sweatdropping for a brief moment, Chazz grew serious and exclaimed, "Fine, I'll attack directly! Armed Dragon, go get him! Dragon Sonic Spear!"
Energy pulsing and flaring up at his right palm, Armed Dragon LV7 then thrusted his palm forward, firing the energy ball at Zaloog. Once contact was made, a gigantic explosion took place, injurying Zaloog greatly.
Zaloog - 1200 LP
Chazz - 2000 LP
"Oh no!" cried out Gorg and Chick.
"How dare he strike the boss like that?!" demanded Cliff, angered.
"Don't you worry! We'll get him back!" Meanae said, promising vengenance for their leader.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn!" finished Chazz.
"One lucky move! That's all! But it won't matter! It ends here!" grunted Zaloog, drawing his card after he had regained his strength. "I summon myself, Don Zaloog again!"
Don Zaloog - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (1400/1500)
"And then I'll play Musterings of the Dark Scorpions! Welcome back, team!"
Just before the Dark Scorpions could reunite on the playing field, Chazz had to interrupt their little fun. "Sorry, they're not back yet! I play the Trap, Ojama Trio!"
Right when the rest of the Dark Scorpions could step in, they were blocked off by Ojama Black, Ojama Green, and Ojama Yellow, who were relaxing and goofing off.
Ojama Token - (LIGHT/Beast) - LV2 - (0/0) X3
"Wait, why are they on our field?" wondered Cliff.
"So that you all can't be!" explained Chazz, causing the Dark Scorpions to revert their attention towards him. "You see, Ojama Trio creates Ojama Tokens and they take up 3 of your Monster Zones! And when destroyed, you lose 300 Life Points!"
"Sorry, pal!" said Ojama Black, who was performing push-ups.
"Thanks for having us!" said Ojama Green, casually picking his nose.
"I just love hot chocolate!~" giggled Ojama Yellow, who was sipping a cup of hot chocolate.
Elize laughed awkwardly and sweatdropped. She remembered the times when she had a duel with Chazz and how many times he activated that Trap on her. It was sorta hard to get her Spellcaster-Types into the field, and the effect once they were destroyed was pretty devastating as well.
"So we can't come out? No fair!" whined Chick.
"I can!" said Meanae, having made up her mind about a new plan. "Go on, boss! Do what you have to do!"
Touched by her willing sacrifice, Zaloog closed his eyes momentarily. "Meanae...I'll never forget you for this...I play Dark Scorpion - Tragedy of Love! When Don Zaloog and Meanae the Thorn are on the field, I can send Meanae to the Graveyard to destroy all of your Monsters!"
Jumping up high in the air, Meanae swung her whip forward, yelling out a battle cry as her whip wrapped itself around Armed Dragon LV7's neck. Upon contact, electricity sparked from the whip and caused a massive explosion, taking out both Monsters.
"Avenge me, boss! Avenge me!" yelled Meanae before getting caught up in the explosion.
Clenching his fist and teeth, Zaloog nodded, giving a moment a silence for Meanae. "I sure will! I attack you directly! Double Blast Attack!" Firing two rounds from his pistols, Zaloog managed to deal some damage towards Chazz, as he was almost out of Life Points.
Zaloog - 1200 LP
Chazz - 600 LP
"And now my special ability activates! You have to discard one random card from your hand!"
It took one look at his last remaining card for Chazz to smirk in succession. "Actually, it'd be my pleasure! Because the only card in my hand is Ojamagic! And when this card is sent to the Graveyard, Ojama Black, Yellow, and Green all come to my hand from my deck!"
"Bring them out!" challenged Zaloog. "They don't scare me! I end my turn!"
"Yeah, well, we'll see what I can do to change that! My turn!" said Chazz, drawing his card. "Go, Pot of Greed! It lets me draw two cards! And next, I play Polymerization! Scared, yet? You will be after I fuse all three of these Ojamas! Do your thing, Ojamas!"
The Ojama brothers flew upwards until they bumped into one another, causing a bit of a fireworks-like explosion as their bodies merged. Once the fusion process was completed, a gigantic, white Ojama with a crown and red underwear hovered over the field while the Ojama Tokens on Zaloog's side jumped up and down and cheered for their king.
Ojama King - (LIGHT/Beast/Fusion) - LV6 - (0/3000)
"Now, I play my Spell card, Ojamuscle!"
After flexing his muscles, thus revealing his muscular form, Ojama King noticed the Ojama Tokens and commanded, "Ojamas! Come to Daddy!" Extending his tongue, he wrapped the Ojama Tokens up, much to Zaloog's disgust, and swallowed them whole.
"Ojamuscle destroys all Ojama Monsters out! And for every one destroyed, Ojama King gains 1000 Attack Points! Oh, and since those were Ojama Tokens that were destroyed, you now lose 900 Life Points!"
Zaloog - 300 LP
Chazz - 600 LP
"And now, Ojama King's Attack Points will rise to 3000!"
Ojama King - (LIGHT/Beast/Fusion) - LV6 - (3000/3000)
"Now, go! Ojama King! Attack Don with Flying Belly Flop Drop!"
Raising his muscled arms, Ojama King leapt up high in the air like he was performing a cannonball, but instead, he collapsed on top of Zaloog. Not only did he flattened the leader of the Dark Scorpions, but also decreased his Life Points all the way down to 0.
Zaloog - 0 LP
Chazz - 600 LP
Winner: Chazz
"No...It can't be...I lost...?" groaned Zaloog, dizzy and unable to get up. The golden eyepatch attached to his eye illuminated brightly as the rest of the Dark Scorpions tried to rush towards Zaloog's aid, only to disappear. The only things left behind were the golden eyepatch and the cards left behind.
"Well guys, guess that's one less Shadow Rider we have to worry about," said Chazz, picking up the golden eyepatch and Don Zaloog's card.
"Well, I say, good riddance!" said Chumley, standing near Syrus, who was kneeling near the cards and picking them up.
"That's what you get for trying to steal."
"Yes, and now the Spirit Keys are now in safe hands," Banner stated, returning to his room.
Still, things weren't fully satisified for Jaden, Elize, and Alexis. "But where did Don Zaloog and the rest of the Scorpions go?" wondered Alexis.
"Dunno, but Chazz seems concerned," pointed out Jaden. "Wonder why?"
Sensing the worry in his master, Maha Vailo clasped a hand on Elize's shoulder. "Do not worry, Master. They are fine. They have simply returned to the Spirit World."
"Oh, I see. That's a relief," sighed Elize before glancing up at the moon. This time, the enemy wasn't as dangerous as the last two, but who knows when the next Shadow Rider would appear?
Skit: Wisdom of a Thief
"Guys? I have a question," spoke up Elize. "Won't Duel Spirits normally get punished if they go out the human world in physical form and cause trouble?"
Mystical Elf nodded. "Usually, that's the case, but Don Zaloog and his Dark Scorpions have used ancient dark magic from the Shadow Charm they had to assume physical form. There are exceptions to the rules, so I doubt the Dark Scorpions will be punished."
"But isn't dark magic...scary and bad? I don't really get why they wouldn't be punished."
"Just because dark magic was used doesn't necessarily mean the caster will always be evil. If a superhero used darkness to commit good deeds, would that make him a bad person?"
"No...because he used it for good, right?"
"Exactly. Well, the Dark Scorpions did commit a bad crime by stealing, but how things will turn out from here on is up to them."
"Hey, I managed to find some information about the Dark Scorpions!" spoke up Aussa, holding a book of sorts. "I guess they're not that dangerous of criminals, but they still steal. They never murder anyone and are in it for the riches."
"So basically, they're not exactly that bad, but not good either. I guess I should apologize for doubting you, Mystical Elf," apologized Elize. "You did tell me not to judge someone by appearance alone."
"Yes, but I know that you will forget that lesson in time. Maybe in this case, it could teach you a life lesson."
"I...admit, I'll probably forget. But, I'll do my best not to!"
Skit: Snooping Perverts
"Hey! Hands off my lotion! I need it!" Ojama Black yelled at Cliff, clutching to his bottle of lotion close.
"You use too much of the lotion! Can't you just give me a little bit?!" argued Cliff. "Oh wait, I'm a thief! What am I saying? I could just steal it from you anytime!"
"Don't you dare-!"
"Um...Is this a bad time?" asked Elize, walking up to the two.
Noticing one of the few humans who could see Duel Spirits, Ojama Black flew towards her, hiding behind her. "Ah! Elize! You're a nice girl, right? Then tell this bozo to lay off my lotion!"
"Are you kidding?! He has to share! In fact, that's the same product I brought before!"
"It's just a coincidence we have the same! Buy some more! Or better yet, steal some!"
Irritated, Hiita marched forward and stepped in between Cliff, Ojama Black, and Elize. A fireball rested on top of her palm, silencing the two bickering Duel Spirits. "Hey! Elize was talking! Now shut up or I'll burn you alive!"
"Y-Yes, ma'am!" Both male Duel Spirits immediantly responded, backing away from the hot-tempered mage.
"I just want to know something," stated Elize. "Ojama Black, your card was placed under my bed because Chazz put it there, right?"
"Yeah, so?"
"U-Um..." Blushing heavily, Elize replied, "I do a lot of private stuff in my room. D-Did you happen to...see if...Um..This is so embarrassing...but...did you see me change?"
"W-what?! No! Wha, you thought I was some pervert or something?"
Shyly, Elize nodded. "You...wear strangely. You don't wear a shirt and all..."
Flaring up, Hiita turned to Ojama Black. "Come to think of it, it's inappropriate to wear only underwear in front of a girl, don't you think? Ojama Black, I think I need to have a word with you and your brothers-Hey! Don't you dare run away from me!"
"Heeeeeelllllppp! She's gonna kill me!"
Both Cliff and Elize sweatdropped as Hiita continued firing fireballs at Ojama Black as he ran away from her. "Mr. Cliff? Uh...were you the one who broke in my room?"
"Er...Yeah. No point in hiding it."
"D-did you open any of my drawers or something?"
"Nah, I didn't have time. I did panic when I saw that underneath your bed was empty, and I wanted to search for more, but it looked like you were going to wake up, so I got out of there."
Elize nodded. "Oh, I see. Well, I have to go now. Have a good day!"
After seeing her leave, Cliff sighed. 'Whew! Probably best that I lied. Okay, so I may have caught a glimpse of her clothes, but damnit, it was a mission from the boss to retrieve the key! Where did she hide it anyways?'
Skit: Heroic Justice
"...I see. Alright. I will inform the others. Thank you," spoke Sparkman, who had been in a conversation with Elize. Once the conversation finished, he disappeared back into the Spirit World.
"Hey, Elize," welcomed Jaden, entering his dorm room where he discovered Elize near his desk, where his deck laid. "What are you doing here?"
"Oh, hello, Jaden," said Elize, bowing her head. "I'm sorry for barging in, but I saw that the room was empty and that your deck was here. I wanted to talk to one of your Elemental Heroes and tell them all about the Dark Scorpions and to beware of them."
"Awwww! That's a good little Elizy!" awed Jaden, walking over and ruffling her head with a grin. "You did pretty good!"
"Oh, it was nothing! I just told them what I wanted to say, that's all."
"Still, I was taught that information can help others, so that was still good! Want this sticker sheet I got from a cereal box? Apparently, it was some cereal prize, but I'm not that interested in stickers."
"Oh, okay! Don't mind if I do!"
Skit: Hiding Spots
"Hey, come to think of it, we never did learn where you hid your Spirit Key, Elize," spoke up Jaden.
Elize merely took off her hat, and laying on top of her head happened to be her Spirit Key.
"So, that's why nobody could find it! It was with you the entire time!" gasped Syrus.
"Even though Mr. Zaloog said that it would be dangerous for us to keep the Spirit Keys with us, he and his friends couldn't have guessed that it was with me the whole time," said Elize. "I guess that counts for irony?"
"Yeah, we should probably put a different hiding spot for these keys," said Alexis.
"Why? I mean, no offense, but the keys won't work anyways if the Shadow Riders steal them."
"True, but more safety can't hurt."
"I got it!" exclaimed Chazz. "We'll hide our keys somewhere in our bodies! Alexis, hide it in your chest!"
The next second was spent with Chazz laying unconscious on the ground with a huge bump on his face. Everyone else stared at Alexis, terrified as she sported an angered expression.
"You know what? Just placing them around our necks is fine!" demanded Alexis, causing the others to nod frantically.
Whew! Read and review!