Thank you to TentacleWolf, DarkZorua100, Vanishing Raptor, TRAINER RUSS, EndlessNight025, reven228, BALT01, bobmanv2.0 and iloveyugiohGX93 for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are the greatest.
Also, again, huge thank you to EndlessNight025 for being an awesome beta-reader.
Also, I came up with a good idea for a rewrite of Season 3 of Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, which would include my favorite GX pairing (Spiritshipping) but, if it is posted, it will not take the place of this story or any of its sequels. However, it will likely replace Legacy of Darkness: Genesis, mostly because I'm not sure where to go with that story so it's on indefinite hiatus as of now. This new story may or may not be posted but I thought I'd give ya a head's up in case you wanted to check it out. It's currently untitled but when I get a title, I'll let ya know.
So here is chapter 21 in which a great revelation is made and my second major OC is introduced. I hope that you enjoy it and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.
21
Revelation
Alexis was sitting beside her brother's unconscious body, still stunned that he was back. She had been hoping, praying that her brother would come back and, now that he was back, she was relieved, but also concerned because she had no idea what happened to cause her brother to become a Shadow Rider.
She placed a hand on her brother's shoulder before looking at Ms. Fontaine, the Academy's nurse, as she walked over to her side. "So, he's going to be okay?" she asked.
"From what I can tell, there's nothing physically wrong with him," Fontaine said. "I don't know why he's not waking up, but we don't know what he's been through. His condition is stable, though."
"Thank you."
Fontaine nodded before she walked over to check on Kasumi, who was sleeping peacefully in a medical bed nearby. The door to the nurse's office opened and Jaden made his way into the room. "Morning, Lex," he said.
"Good morning, Jaden. You're up early," Alexis said.
"I couldn't sleep," Jaden admitted as he sat down beside his sister's bed. "I guess I was worried."
"Understandable," Alexis said before she stood up and moved over to sit beside her crush. "Can I ask you something, Jaden?"
Jaden looked at her. "Sure, what's up, Lex?" he asked.
The Obelisk Queen hesitated for a moment. "During the duel," she began, "when Kasumi blocked that attack, how did she do that?"
Jaden remained silent for a moment, turning his gaze to his sleeping sister. "It's not my secret to share, Lex," he said softly. "I can say this. You know that Kas is afraid of fire, right?"
Alexis nodded.
"Well, what happened last night…that's one of the reasons why. I get the feeling that it's more than that, but Kas hasn't told me the real reason," the E-Hero duelist admitted. "All I can figure out is that something bad happened in her past and it had to deal with fire, but I don't wanna push."
Alexis nodded slowly. "Everyone's entitled to their own secrets," she said before she looked at Jaden and added, "What about you?"
"What about me?"
"You told Kasumi that you understood her better than she thinks and that you understood what it was like to be bullied and called a demon and treated the same way Kasumi said she was being treated," Alexis said.
Jaden was silent for a long moment. "My story's more complicated than Kas's," he said softly. "But I can say that I have been in Kasumi's place before, being bullied for being different, being seen as a demon."
"You aren't a demon, Jaden. Even if you are different, nothing you've done since we met suggests you're a demon. Whoever these bullies are, they're wrong," Alexis said.
Jaden didn't respond to that. If you knew the truth, you would change your mind on that, he thought.
'You don't know that she would,' Yubel said. 'Raiden accepted what happened.'
Raiden doesn't know everything, especially since he was barely conscious the second time. The only ones who know the full truth are dead. Everyone else just knows what I've told them, Jaden thought.
'I've said this before and I will say it again. I really think you should tell someone you trust the complete truth. You can't just keep it to yourself like this. It'll only hurt you in the end,' Yubel said.
"Jaden?" Alexis said softly before Jaden could respond to Yubel's words.
He looked at her and, seeing the concerned look in her eyes, smiled. "I'm okay," he said. "Well, class is starting soon. We should probably head to it."
"I get the feeling Crowler's gonna be shocked that you're on time," Alexis said as she got to her feet.
Jaden gave her a mock-glare. "I'm usually on time," he said.
"Uh huh."
"Okay, maybe not all the time."
"That's better."
Jaden chuckled and the two of them left the nurse's office.
. . .
"Do you think it's possible?" Jaden asked, glancing at his friends as they left their last class of the day. He was heading over to the nurse's office to check up on his sister and was walking with his friends and his fellow Key-Keepers.
"What's possible?" Bastion asked, looking back at him.
"Well, I've been thinking…Alexis said that her brother disappeared from the Abandoned Dorm and he came back as a Shadow Rider, so do you think that, maybe, the others who also vanished from the Abandoned Dorm are also going to come back as Shadow Riders?"
Bastion seemed to think about it. "I suppose it's possible," he said. "Why do you ask?"
Jaden sighed. "I'm just thinking that…maybe my brother will come back, too. I mean, I don't like thinking that he'll come back as a Shadow Rider, but at least I'll know he's alive," he said, turning his gaze to the empty hallway in front of him. "It's hard not knowing if my brother's alive or not."
"I didn't even know you had a brother, Slacker," Chazz said.
"Few people did," Jaden said with a shrug. "I hope that my theory's right, though."
"How many students have disappeared from the Abandoned Dorm anyway?" Kyle asked curiously.
"As far as I know, only three; Atticus, my brother and my brother's other friend, but I don't know if there are others," Jaden said with a shrug.
"Wait, I might," Alexis said suddenly.
"What?"
Alexis stopped walking and the rest of the group stopped as well. "Don't you remember that memory stick that the reporter Gerard gave us after that Battle Royal?" she asked.
"Right, he said something about finding the information he could use to ruin Duel Academy, but gave it to you instead," Jaden said. "Do you think he could have found the identities of those missing students?"
"It's possible. I haven't looked at it, though."
"Do you have it with you?" Bastion asked.
Alexis shook her head. "It's back at my dorm. I can go get it, though," she said.
"Well, we still have one Shadow Rider to worry about that's here already," Kyle said as Alexis headed toward her dorm.
"And he's coming after me," Jaden said. "That's what Nightshroud said. He said that his colleague wanted to duel me."
Syrus looked worried. "You don't sound worried," he said.
"Well, it is Jaden we're talking about. I've never seen him worried before a duel before," Arina said.
"True."
. . .
Kasumi woke up in the nurse's office, unsure of how she got there until the memory of what happened came back to her. Sitting up slowly, she looked at her arms and noticed that white bandages were wrapped around them. Apparently, she had really burned her arms when she blocked that last direct attack in the duel.
She looked around as the door opened and Jaden made his way into the office. "Hey, little sis," Jaden greeted her as he took a seat next to her bed.
Kasumi yawned. She was still tired to the bone. "Hey," she mumbled.
"Still tired?"
She nodded. "I don't remember feeling this tired after my duel with the Gravekeeper's Visionary, though," she said.
"I think it's 'cause your duel with Nightshroud was worse than your duel with the Gravekeeper's Visionary," Jaden said thoughtfully.
"Are Syrus and Chumley all right?"
"Yeah, they're fine, a bit shaken up, but fine. We were more worried about you and Atticus."
"Atticus?"
"Oh, right, you've been unconscious." Jaden nodded toward a medical bed nearby where a brown-haired teen was sleeping. "Turns out Nightshroud was Alexis's brother, Atticus."
"Really?" Kasumi was shocked as she looked over at the sleeping boy. "I never would've guessed."
"Yeah, it was a pretty big surprise," Jaden said, eyes fixed on Atticus's unconscious body before he looked at his sister. "It gives me more hope for Raiden, though." He pressed his lips together before adding, "I was also thinking about something earlier."
"You were thinking about something?" Kasumi echoed with a smirk.
Jaden rolled his eyes. "Funny, Kas, really funny," he said. "No, I was thinking about this whole thing, Atticus's disappearance from the Abandoned Dorm, Raiden disappearing from there, the fact that Atticus came back as a Shadow Rider, the possibility that the same could happen to Raiden, and then I thought…if there are other missing students, then it might be possible that they will come back as Shadow Riders, too."
"We don't know how many students have disappeared, though," Kasumi said.
"But we also don't know how many Shadow Riders there are."
"I think it's safe to assume there's one for each Key-Keeper, but your theory's sound."
"And I know there are at least three students who disappeared from the Abandoned Dorm," Jaden said. "I already told you what Raiden told me about his two friends last year and that photograph was evidence that Atticus was one of his friends, so that's three right there. Alexis might have a way of getting the identities of all the students who disappeared."
"Really? How'd that happen?"
Jaden gave her a brief rundown of what happened between him, Alexis and Gerard after the Battle Royal. "And he gave it to her and told her that he'd try to help us find our brothers and the other missing students. My guess is that the memory stick contains the identities of the missing students, but I'm not sure."
"Well, we won't know until the other Shadow Riders show themselves," Kasumi said before she yawned.
"You should get some more rest, Kas," Jaden said. "You're still recovering from that duel and from using your power like that. I know when I use too much of my power, I get tired, too."
Kasumi yawned again. "Well, I'll see you later, Jay. Go find your future girlfriend and tell her I say hi," she said before she lied down and closed her eyes, smirking as her brother blushed and glared at her.
. . .
Alexis scanned the list that she found on the memory stick Gerard had given her. There were so many students on it that she was stunned that so many had disappeared without a trace and she wondered how many of them had become a Shadow Rider like Atticus. She continued to scroll through the list, passing her brother's name and picture, before she paused when she came across one profile.
Raiden Yuki.
The image was that of a boy the same age as Atticus who looked a lot like Jaden; he had the same skin tone and the same dark-brown hair, though Raiden's lacked the patch of orange on top, but their eyes were different; Raiden's were a much lighter shade of brown. He was also dressed in a white variant of the male Obelisk uniform and he was smiling brightly at the camera, a smile that reminded Alexis of Jaden.
They really do look alike, Alexis thought as she read through the brief information before she saved the file, disconnected the memory stick, shut down her laptop and got to her feet before leaving her dorm room.
She found the group hanging out in front of Duel Academy. "Hey guys," she greeted them.
"Hey, big sis," Kyle greeted her.
"I thought you got lost heading back to your dorm," Jaden said with a smirk to show he was only kidding.
Chazz snorted. "That'd be something you would do, Slacker," he said.
"Would not!"
"So, do you have the memory stick?" Bastion asked.
Alexis nodded and held it out to the Ra. "Yeah, I looked through it and it is filled with the identities of all the students who are missing. Atticus and Raiden are on that list, of course, and it's not just Obelisks, either," she said.
"That's surprising, considering the Abandoned Dorm was a branch of Obelisk Blue," Jaden mused. "I guess those who disappeared who weren't in Obelisk were just visiting or something."
"Who knows," Alexis said.
Bastion, who had connected the memory stick to his Duel Pilot, was looking through the list. "There are a lot. I will send a copy to your Duel Pilot's for you if you want," he said.
The rest of the group nodded in agreement before they went their separate ways.
They were unaware of a pair of eyes watching them from the shadows of the forest.
. . .
It was later in the day.
Jaden had just got done visiting his sister, who had only stayed awake long enough to hear the information that Alexis found, and was now heading back to his dorm. Syrus and Chumley had come with him as Kasumi was their friend too and they hadn't had a chance to visit her earlier and thank her for saving their lives, though she had assured them it was nothing.
"Hey, Jay, can I ask you something?" Syrus said, breaking into the silence that had fallen over them.
"What is it, Sy?" Jaden said, glancing at his friend.
"I'm just wondering, well, I've been wondering, how did Kasumi do that during her duel with Nightshroud? Stop that fire, I mean."
"You aren't the only one who's asked that today," Jaden said. "And, like I said to Alexis, it's not my secret to share. If Kas wants to tell you then she will, but don't push her."
"I wasn't gonna. I was just wondering 'cause I've never seen anything like that before," Syrus admitted.
"Believe me, it startled me when I first saw it," Jaden admitted.
The three of them walked onward for several more feet before Jaden frowned; he had the strange feeling that they were being watched. Do you sense that? he thought, glancing at Yubel as she appeared at his side.
'I do. Someone's watching us,' Yubel said.
"Jay, what's the matter?" Syrus asked.
"Something's not right. I have this feeling we're being watched," Jaden said.
Syrus gulped.
"Do ya think it's the other Shadow Rider who came with Nightshroud?" Chumley asked.
"I think it is."
A chuckle suddenly sounded, sounding nearby and yet, as Jaden looked around, he couldn't see anyone besides his friends. "Well, what do you know? You're right," a cold voice said.
"Where are you?" Jaden demanded.
"Try looking up."
Jaden looked up to see a figure standing in a tree branch high off the ground at the edge of the forest they were walking beside. Jaden narrowed his eyes. "And who are you?" he asked.
The figure chuckled again before leaping down, performing a front-flip and landing lightly on his feet at the base of the tree. "Call me Dark Shadow," he said calmly as he stepped away from the shadows so that Jaden could get a good look at him.
He was a little taller than him and slender with dark-brown hair peeking out from under the hood of the black cloak he had clasped at the base of his neck and a black metal mask covering his face; he also had a duel disk on his left arm and a half-medallion around his neck that glowed briefly at the same time as Jaden's before the light faded.
"And I'm here to do what Nightshroud could not," Dark Shadow added. "Take that key around your neck, Key-Keeper, as well as that medallion." He held up the half-medallion.
"That's it?" Jaden said with a raised eyebrow. "No soul snatching?"
"Oh, there's that, too," Dark Shadow said dismissively. "But I'm more concerned with the Spirit Gate key." A cruel smirk crossed his face as he added, "Your soul is just a bonus."
"Well, you're not gonna get it," Jaden said as his duel disk whirred to life and he inserted his deck as Dark Shadow's disk also came to life.
"At least we aren't in danger this time," Chumley murmured.
"Don't jinx it," Syrus hissed back before looking at Jaden. "Be careful, Jay."
Jaden nodded to his friend, his gaze fixed on the Shadow Rider.
"Duel," he and Dark Shadow declared as they drew their opening hands.
Dark Shadow: 4000
Jaden: 4000
"I'll start things off," Dark Shadow said before he drew his sixth card and looked at it. "And I Set a monster and end with that."
"That's it?" Jaden drew his sixth card. "Well, let's see you handle this. I summon Elemental Hero Lady Heat in Attack Mode."
His blonde fiery heroine appeared on the field (A: 1300/D: 1000).
"Lady Heat, attack Dark Shadow's Set monster," Jaden ordered and Lady Heat conjured up a fireball before tossing it at the card, causing it to flip up to reveal a female warrior with silver hair, dark-eyes and a crescent-moon shaped necklace around her neck (A: 800/D: 1000).
"Meet Shadow Reckoner Rogue," Dark Shadow said, "and when she's flipped, I'm allowed to add one Shadow Reckoner monster and one Fatal Alliance from my deck to my hand."
He retrieved the cards and his Rogue shattered.
"Shadow Reckoner?" Syrus echoed.
"Uh, isn't that the archetype that came out like a few years ago or something?" Chumley asked.
"It is," Jaden said with a frown. That's the same archetype Raiden used, he thought as he slipped a card into a card slot. "I throwdown a facedown and end my turn, which activates Lady Heat's effect, dealing you 200 points of damage for every Elemental Hero on the field." Lady Heat tossed another fireball at Dark Shadow, though he didn't so much as flinch when the fireball struck his duel disk.
Dark Shadow: 3800
Jaden: 4000
"It's only 200 Life Points. You're about to lose a lot more," Dark Shadow said as he drew a card before he held out another one of his cards, one depicting two humanoid monsters in black cloaks shaking hands with a cyclone of dark energy between them. "I'm starting my turn by activating Fatal Alliance." He inserted the card into a card slot before adding, "When this card is activated, I can remove Shadow Reckoner Rogue from my Graveyard and Shadow Reckoner Night Marauder from my hand from play in order to Fusion-summon Shadow Reckoner Rogue Marauder."
His silver-haired rogue woman and a tall warrior in black armor with a silver lined black cloak around his shoulders appeared momentarily before fusing together. In their place was a beautiful woman with long, silver hair in black armor wielding a staff in one hand with a crescent-moon shaped necklace around her neck (A: 2700/D: 2300).
"Uh oh," Syrus whispered.
"Don't sweat it, Sy. He's still got a facedown that could stop an attack," Chumley said.
"Perhaps so," Dark Shadow said with a chuckle. "But my Rogue Marauder has a Special Ability. When it's Fusion-summoned, I can select up to two face-up monsters my opponent controls with an attack lower than the attack of my monster and remove those monsters from play." He pointed to Lady Heat who shattered and Jaden scowled as he removed the card from his disk.
"And now, Rogue Marauder, attack him directly," Dark Shadow ordered and Rogue Marauder held up her staff before a beam of dark fire shot forward and slammed into Jaden, sending him skidding backwards and nearly knocking him off his feet.
Dark Shadow: 3800
Jaden: 1300
That hurt, Jaden thought with a grimace.
"Jaden, are you okay?" Syrus called.
"I'm okay," he assured his friend.
"You won't be when this duel's over. I place this facedown and end my turn," Dark Shadow said and a vertical facedown card appeared at his feet.
"My move then," Jaden said before he drew a card. Okay, that Rogue Marauder is a pretty strong monster. Luckily, I have the monsters and cards I need to make a monster that's stronger, he thought.
"I activate E-Emergency Call to add Elemental Hero Bubbleman to my hand from my deck," Jaden said before he retrieved said card. "You're not the only one with Fusion monsters, Dark Shadow. I activate Polymerization to fuse Elemental Heroes Bubbleman and Avian in my hand in order to summon Elemental Hero Great Tornado in Attack Mode."
His blue caped hero and green winged hero appeared before fusing together to create a warrior in green, black and gold armor with a torn black cloak around his neck and silver and gold gauntlets around his wrists (A: 2800/D: 2200).
"And when Great Tornado is summoned, the Attack and Defense of all of your monsters is cut in half," Jaden added, causing Dark Shadow to scowl in irritation as his Rogue Marauder was weakened (A: 2700-1350/D: 2300-1150).
"Next, I'll use my Normal Summon to summon Elemental Hero Sparkman to my field in Attack Mode," Jaden added and his blue-and-gold armored warrior appeared on the field (A: 1600/D: 1400).
"Now, Great Tornado, attack with Great Wind Blast," Jaden ordered and Great Tornado flew into the air before unleashing a powerful blast of wind that slammed into Rogue Marauder, causing her to cry out in pain and shatter.
Dark Shadow: 2350
Jaden: 1300
Dark Shadow chuckled. "Thank you for that," he said.
"What?"
"By destroying Rogue Marauder, you activated my Trap: Reckoner Apocalypse," he said, revealing his Trap, which depicted a Shadow Reckoner monster with silver-gray eyes surrounded by a red aura and the ruins of a city. "This Trap only activates when a Spellcaster-type Shadow Reckoner, like Rogue Marauder, is destroyed by battle. This card destroys every single monster on the field. Say goodbye to your Great Tornado and your Sparkman." He chuckled again as a wave of red light shot across the field, enveloping and destroying Great Tornado and Sparkman.
Jaden scowled. "I'll throwdown another facedown and end my turn," he said.
"My move then," Dark Shadow said before he drew a card and looked at it. "I summon Shadow Reckoner Assassin to my field in Attack Mode."
After he placed the card on his disk, a woman in a black bodysuit with black gloves and black boots wielding a dagger in each hand appeared (A: 1000/D: 800).
"And I activate my facedown, Emergency Provisions and, by getting rid of my other facedown, I regain 1000 Life Points," Jaden said and his other facedown shattered as he was surrounded by a white light.
Dark Shadow: 2350
Jaden: 2300
"You'll need those points. Assassin, attack him directly," Dark Shadow ordered and his monster leapt into the air and slashed downward with both her daggers; Jaden winced as the blades sliced through him.
Dark Shadow: 2350
Jaden: 1300
"He's right back where he started," Syrus murmured.
"He would've been lower if he hadn't done that, though," Chumley pointed out.
"True."
"I place this facedown and end my turn," Dark Shadow said.
Jaden drew a card just as a call of "Jaden!" sounded and he, Syrus and Chumley turned to find Alexis and Arina jogging over to join them with Bastion, Chazz and Zane just behind them.
"What're you doing here?" Jaden asked.
"Our keys," Bastion explained, holding up the Spirit Key. "They led us here."
"Oh, goodie, an audience," Dark Shadow said. His lips quirked as he added, "Well, more people to see you fall, then, and more keys to take when I'm through with you."
"Don't bet on it, Dark Shadow," Jaden retorted, turning his gaze back to his opponent. "I activate Card of Sanctity so that we each draw until we have six cards in our hands."
He and Dark Shadow drew until they had a full hand and Jaden smirked when he saw his new hand.
"And next I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Elemental Hero Avian," he added and his winged green hero reappeared on the field (A: 1000/D: 1000).
"Now, I activate Dark Fusion and fuse Elemental Hero Avian and Elemental Hero Burstinatrix in my hand in order to summon Evil Hero Inferno Wing!" he declared and his two monsters fused together to create the spiky-green haired Fiend, her visored-eyes fixed on Dark Shadow and a smirk was on her face (A: 2100/D: 1200).
Dark Shadow frowned, for he felt as if he had seen that monster before. It was similar to how he learned the Slifer's identity and why he felt familiar to him; he shook his head, not bothering on thinking about the memories of another person that he had been trying to block from his mind unless they were absolutely necessary.
"Inferno Wing, attack Shadow Reckoner Assassin, Inferno Blast," Jaden ordered and Inferno Wing unleashed a blast of blue fire that shot across the field and slammed into the assassin, causing her to shatter.
Dark Shadow: 1250
Jaden: 1300
"And now you take damage equal to your monster's Attack," Jaden added and watched as Inferno Wing bathed Dark Shadow in blue flames, though the Shadow Rider barely flinched from the attack.
Dark Shadow: 250
Jaden: 1300
"Nice move," Bastion said.
"Way to go, Jay," Syrus said cheerfully.
"Keep it up, Jaden," Alexis said with a smile.
Dark Shadow glowered at the audience before turning his gaze to Jaden. "Your cheerleading squad is going to get annoying, quick," he said.
Jaden glared at that.
"By the way, I activate my facedown," Dark Shadow added, revealing his facedown, which depicted two Shadow Reckoner monsters caught in between two different colored wavelengths that were crisscrossing across each other. "Crosscurrent. When a Shadow Reckoner monster is destroyed, I'm allowed to Special Summon one Shadow Reckoner from my Deck to my field, so long as it's Level 4 or below, as well as add one Shadow Reckoner from my Graveyard to my hand. I summon Shadow Reckoner Guardian in Defense Mode and return Shadow Reckoner Assassin to my hand."
He retrieved the mentioned cards and placed the first one on his disk; an armored man with a shield on his back and a short sword in his hands appeared before kneeling down (A: 1200/D: 2000).
"Fine, I end my turn," Jaden said as Inferno Wing floated downward to hover a few feet above the ground in front of him.
Dark Shadow drew a card. "I summon Shadow Reckoner Spy in Defense Mode and place this card face down. That's it," he said and a woman in a black dress with black tights, black boots and silver-gray eyes appeared before kneeling down (A: 1100/D: 1000).
What is he planning? "My move,"—Jaden drew a card before pointing to Spy—"Inferno Wing, attack Shadow Reckoner Guardian."
"I activate my Negate Attack to, well, you probably already know what this card does, unless you didn't pay attention in that class," Dark Shadow said with a mocking sneer.
Jaden glowered at that while his attack was stopped and Inferno Wing, looking disappointed, returned to his side of the field. "I place this facedown and end my turn," he growled, slipping the card into his duel disk.
"Calm down, Jaden. He's just trying to get you riled up so that you'll make a mistake," Alexis called.
Jaden took a deep breath to calm himself down. Dark Shadow's plan had been working. "Well, it's your turn," he said.
Dark Shadow simply drew a card before looking at it and smirking. "Let's see how you handle this monster," he said before he held up a card and added, "I sacrifice Shadow Reckoner Guardian and Shadow Reckoner Spy in order to summon Shadow Reckoner Silver Wyvern to my field in Attack Mode!"
The two monsters on his field vanished. They were replaced by a beautiful silver wyvern with large, glittering wings, long sharp claws on its two legs and glowing red eyes who coiled in the air above Dark Shadow (A: 2500/D: 2500).
"And next I equip Silver Wyvern with Burning Aura. This Spell gives my Wyvern 500 extra Attack and Defense Points and makes it so that it can't be destroyed by battle. Essentially, it makes my monster invincible," Dark Shadow said with a grin as he inserted the card into the card slot beneath his wyvern's card and his wyvern was surrounded by bright red flames (A: 2500-3000/D: 2500-3000).
"3000?!" Syrus exclaimed.
"That's a lot," Arina said.
"Now, Silver Wyvern, attack Inferno Wing, Silver Dark Stream!" Dark Shadow ordered.
The wyvern roared before unleashing a beam of black and silver energy that twisted together into a single beam before it slammed into Inferno Wing; the force of the attack not only caused Inferno Wing to shatter but also sent Jaden flying to where he crashed hard into the ground.
That is definitely going to hurt in the morning, he thought.
Dark Shadow: 250
Jaden: 400
"Jaden!" Alexis called worriedly as Jaden struggled to get to his feet.
"I end my turn with that," Dark Shadow said before he smirked. "You're proving to be such a wonderfully difficult person to beat! I don't know how I'll ever be able to beat you…oh, wait, I already am." A cold chuckle escaped his lips.
"I'm not…beaten yet and you really shouldn't be talking. You've got less Life Points than me," Jaden retorted as he drew a card and Dark Shadow scowled. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." He drew two cards before adding, "And, next, I play Double Summon so that I can summon both Elemental Hero Clayman and Elemental Hero Voltic to my field in Defense Mode."
His clay warrior (A: 800/D: 2000) and a warrior in purple armor surrounded by lightning with a lightning bolt on his helmet appeared before kneeling down (A: 1000/D: 1500).
"You summon a pile of rocks and a lightning rod? Whatever am I going to do?" Dark Shadow said coolly.
'He insulted me? Let me at him!' Voltic hissed furiously.
'You sound more like Lightning Golem when you talk like that,' Clayman said with a sweatdrop.
"I end my turn with that," Jaden said.
"Pathetic," Dark Shadow said with a snort.
"As I said before, you shouldn't be talking considering you have less Life Points than me," Jaden spat, eyes flashing to gold.
Dark Shadow raised an eyebrow at that before frowning as another unbidden memory of another person came into his mind and he ruthlessly shoved it aside. He hoped that if he defeated this kid then he would no longer have to worry about the memories—except the ones he needed to know, like how to use this deck—of the person to whom this body originally belonged. "Whatever," he said as he drew a card. "It's over for you, Key-Keeper. You certainly are a let-down. I was expecting so much more from you. I activate Stop Defense to switch your Clayman to Attack Mode."
Clayman stood up.
"I'm not out of this yet! I activate Elemental Recharge, which lets me regain 1000 Life Points for every Elemental Hero on the field, and I have two," Jaden said, revealing his facedown and he was surrounded by light.
Dark Shadow: 250
Jaden: 2400
Dark Shadow snorted. "For someone who knows you as well as I do, I was expecting a comeback like this," he said and Jaden frowned. "Silver Wyvern, attack Clayman, Silver Dark Stream!"
The beam of silver-and-black energy shot forward from the wyvern's maw to strike Clayman, destroying him and sending Jaden to the ground again.
Dark Shadow: 250
Jaden: 200
"This isn't good," Bastion said.
"Jaden!" Syrus gasped.
Alexis frowned. What did he mean when he said 'for someone who knows you as well as I do'? she thought.
Jaden, gritting his teeth in pain, forced himself to his feet as Dark Shadow signaled the end of his turn. "What did you mean by that?" he demanded, drawing a card.
"What did I mean by what?" Dark Shadow sounded amused.
"You know what I'm talking about! What did you mean when you said 'for someone who knows you as well as I do'? You don't know me at all!" Jaden hissed, golden eyes flashing with fury.
Dark Shadow laughed. "Oh, I know you better than you would think. Granted, I don't know a lot about you, but I do know you well," he said. Based on what I learned from those memories anyway, he thought.
"I don't know what you're talking about, Dark Shadow, but you're crazy if you think you know anything about me. I summon Wroughtweiler in Defense Mode. And I'll place this facedown, and that's it for me," Jaden said and his black metal canine appeared before sitting down on the field (A: 800/D: 1200).
Dark Shadow chuckled as he drew a card. "Crazy? You think I'm crazy? Judai, I'm not crazy," he said.
Jaden froze while his friends exchanged glances and frowns and Yubel looked startled. "What did you just call me?" Jaden demanded.
Dark Shadow raised an eyebrow. "Getting hard of hearing, Judai?" he asked with a smirk.
Jaden's thoughts were running through his head a mile a minute as he attempted to process what was happening. Hearing that name come out of the mouth of the Shadow Rider, the name that only two people—one of whom was a duel spirit—could call him without him getting upset, was surprising. His friends knew what his real name was, but they knew that he preferred his middle name; even Kasumi knew not to call him by that name.
And yet this Shadow Rider was calling him by the name that only his spirit partner and his brother called him by, a name he shouldn't even know.
How in the world does he know that name? Was he spying on us? But that still doesn't explain how he knows that name, unless he heard Yubel call me that, which is unlikely, Jaden thought.
Not waiting for Jaden to respond to his question, Dark Shadow pointed to Wroughtweiler. "Silver Wyvern, attack Judai's metal dog," he ordered and his wyvern unleashed another beam of silver-black energy.
Jaden pulled himself from his thoughts and quickly activated his Trap. "I activate my Trap, Negate Attack," he said and the wyvern's attack was stopped.
"So you saved yourself. I'll just finish you off next turn. I place these two cards facedown and end my turn," Dark Shadow said and two vertical facedowns appeared at his feet.
"So, uh, why's Jaden so surprised that this Shadow Rider is calling him by his real name?" Syrus asked.
"How does this guy know Jaden's real name, Syrus? It make sense that Jaden would be surprised considering we know that name but this guy shouldn't," Zane explained.
"So, what? Did he like spy on us or something?" Chazz asked.
Zane shrugged. He didn't know.
"I don't know how he knows that name, but I'm going to find out and I know that I have to win this duel in order to do so," Jaden said as he drew a card.
"You won't be able to try and do that this turn, Judai. I activate Thunder of Ruler so now there is no Battle Phase this turn," Dark Shadow said, revealing his Trap before he chuckled and added, "Oh so sorry, little Judai."
Jaden frowned, starting to feel really suspicious because that was what Raiden used to call him when he was younger, mostly because Raiden knew it annoyed him. This guy shouldn't have known that any more than he should have known what Jaden's real name was. Is it possible that this guy is Raiden? "Fine," he said. "I activate Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two."
He did so before he gazed at the card he drew and then at the spirit floating at his side. Yubel nodded once at him.
"I then activate O-Oversoul to bring Elemental Hero Burstinatrix from my Graveyard to my field in Defense Mode." His fiery heroine appeared on the field and knelt down (A: 1200/D: 800).
Jaden looked at Yubel again before smiling and looking back at Dark Shadow. "I don't know how you know my real name but no one but my brother has ever called me 'little Judai'. It's for that reason that I suspect I know who you really are. If I am right then I know you'll recognize my next monster. I sacrifice Voltic and Burstinatrix in order to summon my favorite monster, Yubel!"
Surprise flickered across Dark Shadow's face as Burstinatrix and Voltic vanished to be replaced by Jaden's half-male/half-female Fiend spirit partner (A: 0/D: 0).
"Zero Attack and Defense?" Chazz said with a frown. And it's a high level? Must have a good effect, he thought.
"And in Attack Mode? What's Jaden doing?" Syrus exclaimed.
"It's a Level 10 monster so it must have some sort of effect," Zane said.
"I agree and one that makes up for its lack of Attack and Defense Points," Bastion said.
Jaden was studying Dark Shadow's expression and the surprise and recognition on his face revealed what he already suspected was true, at least the person in front of him was his brother physically and likely had his brother's memories, but he was not Raiden. Of that, Jaden was positive.
"I end my turn with that, which means I have to tribute Wroughtweiler in order to keep Yubel on the field," Jaden said and his metal dog vanished.
Dark Shadow narrowed his eyes as he drew a card. "Don't think I'm going to fall for your little trick, Judai. Leaving a supposedly 'weak' monster in Attack Mode. I know its effect and I'm not falling for it. I place this facedown and end my turn," he said.
"What is Yubel's effect anyway?" Chumley said as Jaden drew a card.
"Must be a good one," Kyle said.
"You'll see, and it is," Jaden said. "I activate Legacy of a Hero. If I have two or more Level 4 or higher Hero Monsters in my Graveyard, I can draw three cards." He drew three cards before adding, "And I summon Elemental Hero Woodsman in Defense Mode."
A muscular warrior with a branch for an arm appeared before kneeling down (A: 1000/D: 2000).
"And next I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy one of your facedowns."
The mini-tornado spun across the field before crashing into one of Dark Shadow's facedowns and it shattered.
"And I'll place this facedown and end my turn, tributing Woodsman to keep Yubel on the field."
Woodsman vanished.
Dark Shadow snorted as he drew a card. "I'm still not falling for your little trick, Judai," he said.
"What makes you think you have a choice?" Jaden said with a smirk as he pressed a button on his duel disk. "Especially not when I have my Trap, Battle Mania."
Dark Shadow snarled in fury and shock. "No!" he hissed.
"Yes," Jaden said. "Battle Mania forces your monster to attack, which activates Yubel's effect; I take no damage whatsoever and you take damage equal to the Attack of your monster!"
"That is an amazing effect," Bastion breathed.
Zane, Kyle, Arina, and Alexis nodded in agreement. Chazz just snorted but his eyes betrayed that he agreed with the others.
Silver Wyvern roared before unleashing the black-and-silver energy stream and Yubel smirked before raising her hands and vines coiled around her arms, one vine caught the energy stream and transferred it to another vine that shot it back at Dark Shadow. He screamed in pain and anger as he was sent flying into a tree before collapsing to the ground as shadows shot from his body like a bullet, sailing through the trees and vanishing.
Dark Shadow: 0
Jaden: 200 WINNER
Jaden stumbled over to where Dark Shadow lay unconscious at the base of the tree as their monsters vanished and Yubel returned to her spirit form. He was sure he already knew the truth just based on Dark Shadow's reaction to Yubel' appearance, but he wanted to confirm it. Despite his body protesting, Jaden managed to make it to the unconscious Shadow Rider's side.
"Jaden?" Alexis said softly as she and the rest of the group moved forward.
Kneeling down beside him, Jaden ignored his friends as he gently turned the Shadow Rider over before reaching over and removing the metal mask. Apparently, that touch was enough to cause the teen to stir for light-brown eyes fluttered open before gazing at Jaden. Jaden felt tears well up in his eyes as he gazed into the face of someone he never thought he'd see again.
"Raiden," he whispered.
His brother gazed at him for another moment before his eyes closed and he drifted back into unconsciousness. Jaden gathered his unconscious brother into his arms and closed his eyes, though that did little to stop the tears.
"I thought it was…him," Jaden murmured weakly, feeling the aftereffects of the Shadow Duel and wanting nothing more than to sleep.
"Who is it?" Arina asked.
"My brother," Jaden mumbled before he fell to the ground into unconsciousness, still cradling his brother in his arms.
. . .
A/n what do you think?
Blaze: well, that's that. My second major OC has finally made his appearance
Darth: yay!
Blaze: (chuckles) yup
Chazz: what's going to happen next?
Blaze: two duels in one chapter and Camula makes her appearance
Crowler: great
Blaze: (lifts flaming machete)
Crowler: eep (takes off running)
Blaze: (tosses flaming machete into Kagemaru) okay, question time. Now where did I put it this time? (Starts looking for question)
Jesse: (holds up piece of paper) it's right here, Blaze
Blaze: oh (sheepish smile) Thanks (takes paper) Okay, today's question is: What are you top three favorite fandoms? Mine are Star Wars, Harry Potter and it's a tie between Yu-Gi-Oh (original, GX, 5Ds and Zexal [I haven't seen enough of ARC-V to say I like it or not]) and Danny Phantom.
Jaden: cool
Blaze: yeah, so here are the cards that I created that are used in this chapter listed below with all their stats:
Shadow Reckoner Silver Wyvern
9
DARK
Dragon-Effect
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2500
This card gains 300 ATK and DEF for each monster with "Shadow Reckoner" in its name on the field, other than "Shadow Reckoner Silver Wyvern".
Shadow Reckoner Rogue Marauder
"Shadow Reckoner Rogue" + "Shadow Reckoner Night Marauder"
7
DARK
Spellcaster-Fusion-Effect
ATK: 2700
DEF: 2300
Must be Fusion Summoned and cannot be Special Summoned by other ways. When this card is Fusion Summoned: Select up to 2 face-up monsters your opponent controls with an ATK lower than this card's ATK. Remove the selected monsters from play.
Shadow Reckoner Guardian
4
DARK
Warrior
ATK: 1200
DEF: 2000
Shadow Reckoner Assassin
3
DARK
Warrior
ATK: 1000
DEF: 800
Shadow Reckoner Spy
3
DARK
Spellcaster-Effect
ATK: 1100
DEF: 1000
Once per turn, you can pick up 2 cards from the top of your opponent's deck. Select 1 of those cards and put it on the bottom of your opponent's deck, and put the other card on top of your opponent's deck.
Shadow Reckoner Rogue
3
DARK
Warrior-Effect
ATK: 800
DEF: 1000
FLIP: Add 1 "Shadow Reckoner" monster and 1 "Fatal Alliance" from your Deck to your hand.
Burning Aura
Equip Spell
Equip only to a "Shadow Reckoner" monster. It gains 500 ATK and DEF and cannot by destroyed by battle. (Damage calculation is applied normally.)
Fatal Alliance
Normal Spell
Remove from play, from your hand or your Graveyard, the Fusion Material Monsters listed on a "Shadow Reckoner" Fusion Monster Card, and Special Summon that monster from your Extra Deck. (This Special Summon is treated as a Fusion Summon.)
Reckoner Apocalypse
Normal Trap
Activate only when a Spellcaster-Type "Shadow Reckoner" monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard. Destroy all monsters on the field.
Crosscurrent
Normal Trap
Activate only when a "Shadow Reckoner" monster you control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower "Shadow Reckoner" monster from your deck and return 1 "Shadow Reckoner" monster from your Graveyard to your hand.
Blaze: and there you have it. Chapter 21 is complete and chapter 22, which, as I have already said, will cover the first two episodes in which Camula makes an appearance, will be posted sometime next week, maybe…it just depends on how stressed I get with school and all that. I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, my OC (remember: Dark Shadow will be important in Chained so remember him) and my OC deck; reviews, as always, are much appreciated.