Chapter Twenty-One:

Stone Will VS Kenshin 5: Blank Canvas

Gishinki frowned. He looked at the six other members of his team.

"Channeler." said Gishinki. "Where are Flounder and Shift?"

"Ah." said Channeler. "My apologies for not telling you earlier. I was focused on their duel..."

"They were dueling?" asked one of the men in the room, frowning. "What the hell were they thinking?!"

"Now, now, Mitsu." said Gishinki. "They might have had a very good reason. Who were there opponents, Channeler?"

"Well..." said Channeler. "They were...

"Mao Zhang and Fan Zhang."

Gishinki grinned, and two of his teammates raised their heads. "Emperor, Empress...it seems you two shall have opponents to face after all."

The man, Emperor, smiled as well. "I see. Thank you, Gishinki. After all...they're probably here for us."

The man named Mitsu frowned. "So that means all seven of us will duel someone in the final round? How...?"

"Do not worry, Mitsu." said Gishinki. "Only three will actually be in the duels within the tournament...the other duelists will be facing targets I specify."

"I see." responded Mitsu. He was standing, so he sat down on a chair. "I still shall duel Amy, correct?"

"Yes." said Gishinki. "That is...if they make it to the final round..."

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Vy: 4000

Negita: 4000

Vy frowned. Both she and Negita had drawn five cards. But who should go first?

"You go first." said Vy. She yawned. "It'll be good for you to have a handicap."

Negita drew. "You think I need one, Vicky Menzuro?"

Vy smiled. The collar that had shocked her when that name was said had long since been removed by her father.

"What's so funny?" asked Negita, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing." said Vy, making her smile stop. "Go on with your turn."

"Fine." he placed a card onto his duel disk. "I'll start off with the spell card, Pot of Greed!"

He drew two cards, smiling as he did so. "Perfect. I set one monster in defense mode and I end my turn."

"My turn." said Vy. She drew. "And I'm summoning Occult fighter (1000/1300) in attack mode! Attack!"

Negita grinned widely. "Prepare yourself, Vicky!"

His monster was revealed. It was simply a blank canvass...

Occult Fighter was sucked into it. Negita laughed.

"Vicky Menzuro!" he laughed. "Because of my monster, Absorption Canvass (0 + 1000/ 0 + 1300), your countdown has begun!"

"What do you mean?" asked Vy. It was her turn to raise an eyebrow.

"While my monster is on the field..." said Negita, "And it has a monster absorbed...

"You lose in an amount of turns equal to that monster's attack points, divided by one hundred! And that means...you'll lose in ten turns!"

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Flounder sighed. She and Shift had lost, but they were alive.

"Shift." said Flounder. "We were lucky..."

"I know." said Shift. Looking up at the cloudy, but bright, sky. "I felt the monster inside of that one as well..."

"Monster?" said a voice. Flounder and Shift had no need to turn around.

"Oh, hello..." said Flounder. Recognizing the voice.

Shift turned back to see him. He was dressed in a simple purple outfit, although it had a purple cape attached. He wore glasses, and had an annoying grinning face.

"...Doctor." finished Flounder, sounding bored. She sighed. "Doctor...is this the end for us, then?"

"Yes." said Doctor. "You lost. And now..."

He took out a gun. He smiled at them both.

"...you must die..."

"I see." said Flounder. She sighed. "Do it, then..."

It was swift for her. Shift didn't look.

He ran.

"Now, now..." said Doctor, after finishing off Flounder. He turned to the direction that Shift was running in. He raised his gun. "I don't believe that I gave you permission to go anywhere..."

His fingers pulled at the trigger, making only a 'bang' sound. Shift fell down to the ground, bloody.

"Damn you..." he whispered, right before he passed away.

Doctor didn't hear him.

The gunman smiled, though.

"Ah." he said. "It is almost time. You beat me, Kenshin Menzuro...

"But when you did, I wasn't even using fifteen percent of my true power."

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Mao and Fan arrived at the Menzuro household shortly, sitting down on the grass in front of the house for a few seconds upon arriving.

"No one should be home." said Mao. "We can just go in through the window."

"Yes." said Fan. She was about to say something else, but a voice from behind interrupted her.

"Now, now." said the voice. The siblings turned around. "Thieves?"

"Who are you?" asked Mao.

"Aren't you going to answer my question?" the one talking was around thirty-five years old, and yet was about five foot ten. He had fluffy black hair, light blue eyes, and wore a frown. As well as a duel disk.

"I have no need to answer the question of one who is not human." responded Mao, standing up.

"Ah." said the man. He smiled slightly. "So you noticed."

Mao nodded. "Who and what are you?"

"I am Dream." said the man. "Also known as Watage Tama. Also known as...

"The last of the Nomeds."

Fan frowned. Nomeds? She had never heard of such a thing...

"I see..." said Mao. "My name is Mao Zhang, and this is my sister, Fan Zhang."

"Nice to meet you." said Dream.

"Now that we've gotten that out of the way..." said Mao. "Dream..."

"Yes?" asked Dream.

"Get the hell out of here...before I kill you."

Mao's eyes turned into a glare. They turned red with malice...

His mouth was tilted into a deep scowl, and their was a terrible aura around him...

"You..." said Dream, eyes widening. "You...you're..."

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"Ten turns...hm?" said Vy, smiling. "You're saying that I'm going to lose?"

"Yes." said Negita. He was not smiling anymore. "You seem not to be taking this seriously."

"Oh, I am." said Vy. "And I know that I won't lose..."

She placed a card into her duel disk. "One card face-down, and I end my turn."

Negita drew. "Alright, Vicky. One turn has passed. And I shall show you that you will not win."

He placed three cards face-down on the field. "I place three cards face-down, and switch Absorption Canvass (1000/1300) into defense mode. My turn ends."

Vicky. He thought. I will play a game with you, through this cards. You will win, if you are lucky.

"I draw." said Vy. This starts the third turn...

She shook her head. "Alright, I summon forth my Occult Healer (800/800)!" said she. A purple version of Monk Healer, with its now-purple robes as well, appeared. "And then I play Occult Magic- Magic Spear! By paying seven hundred Life Points (VLP: 3300), I can destroy one of your monsters!"

"Hmph." said Negita, scratching the back of his head. "You are a fool..."

He revealed one of his face-down cards. "I play Art Seal- Spell Seal!"

He revealed the face-down trap card, the spear that was flying at his Canvass disappearing. "What it does is forbid the activation of all spell cards that do not contain 'art' in their card name. Although I have to pay four hundred Life Points each standby phase, it's a small price to pay."

"Hmph." said Vy. "I end my turn."

"And I begin mine, ending the third turn." said Negita, eyes closed. By the way...

"I still have two face-down cards. One of which...is the one I'm activating now."

A clock appeared on the field. Negita smiled. "This, before, was turn four. Now it shall be turn ten."

"Time Jump!" whispered Vy. "Damn it! No!"

"Sorry." said Negita, shrugging. "But this is the end...

"I end my turn."

The Canvass, holding Occult Fighter, now had Vy's picture instead. Vy screamed...

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed, as if seeming something terrible...

Vy: 0

"As I said." said Negita, while Vy was doubled over in fear. "Team Stone Will shall obtain victory."

He looked down at Vy. "No others."

Vy was staring at the ground in fear...

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After Vy was helped up, Ress now stood across from his opponent.

Iwashi Obi.

"Hello, Mister Obi." said Ress. "How are you today?"

"Spare me." said Iwashi. He grinned. "We both want to win, so we might as well get this started. Are you ready?"

Ress grinned back. He activated his duel disk, as did Iwashi. "Only if you are."

Iruka raised his hand. "Match Five, Round One, Duel Six...begin!"

Ress: 4000

Iwashi: 4000

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Next Time:

Stone Will VS Kenshin 6: Other Kenshin

As the score is now 3-2, it's the sixth duel of match one, round five! Ress Moonshadow and Iwashi Obi must duel now, either tying up the score or winning the game!

Meanwhile, what is Mao? And what does it mean to Dream? A bloody conflict now reveals the truth of Dreams powers!

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Author's Note: The story is getting more in-depth, Doctor has returned, and Mao and Dream have met.

I really like Mao and Fan...

Please R&R!

-Salazare