Chapter Twenty-Five: The Duel of Destiny

Another half hour and Pat was asleep. But still, his all-true nightmares didn't end… There was that one, certain OTHER DUEL that he remembered…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

One Year and a Half Ago…

Pat stood in front of a large, white-painted building with a large porch on the front. This was his own home. It was here that he was challenged by a mysterious foe…

This foe was Sartorious.

"Hmm. I accept your challenge, Sartorious! Let's duel!"

Pat wore a black t-shirt underneath a dark blue jacket, with black pants and shoes. Sartorious wore his present attire.

Pat pulled a small machine out of his pocket and pressed a red button on it. The ground rumbled, and a large mechanical, square-shaped thing burst out of the ground, with twenty large squares in the center, which was green.

"This is my personal duel arena. I hope it suits you." Pat smirked as both he and his opponent laid down their decks on their rectangular portions of the arena.

"I hope your prepared to lose. I have foreseen your fate." Sartorious smirked. As both of them drew five cards.

"…What? Oh, whatever."

"I see you do not believe in destiny, Pat…"

Pat frowned. "Like I would. Now here's how we'll determine who goes first: the stats on the third card in our hand. Whoever has a higher combined number goes first. What's yours?"

Sartorious smirked. Without looking, he said: "8000."

"WHOA. What kind of card… Never mind that. Mine has combined stats of 5500…"

Duel Setup: Pat McClintock vs. Sartorious

LP: 8000

DUEL!

Sartorious drew a sixth card from his deck, beginning his turn.

"I place one card facedown, and then I summon Arcana Force One – The Magician."

On the field materialized a strange-looking humanoid creature with a white and black striped body, thin arms, and spiked shoulder cloth around his small head. ATK/ 1100 DEF/ 1100.

"What kinda card is that?" Pat asked, somewhat insulted by the weak monster.

"You'll see, Pat." Sartorious smirked.

The Magician's card appeared over his head, spinning around slowly.

"Say when you want the card to stop. The way it points determines its effect."

Pat growled, and shouted: "STOP!"

The card stopped upright.

"Ah… Now when you activate a Spell Card, the Magician's Attack Points double!"

Pat growled. "Peachy. My turn, Sartorious!"

From his deck, Pat drew his sixth card.

"I play this: Dark Jeroid!"

A dark blue scorpion-like monster appeared, with six curved arms reaching from behind its upright back, forming a large ribcage. ATK/ 1200 DEF/ 1500.

"Now I can lower your Magician's Attack Points by 800!"

Dark Jeroid shot a dark beam towards the Magician. ATK/ 200 DEF/ 1100.

"Now, Jeroid! Attack his monster!"

Dark Jeroid ran towards the Magician, slashing him with his arms.

Sartorious' LP: 7000.

"Not bad, Pat. Not many people have been able to inflict one point of damage to me on their first turn…"

"Oh, yeah? Well it gets worse, Sartorious! I place two cards facedown, and then I'll let you go."

Sartorious chuckled evilly as he drew a card.

"Dark Jeroid cannot activate its effect again, so I can destroy it with this! Arcana Force Seven – The Chariot!"

A weird-looking brown creature with two black eyes and a tooth-covered lower jaw shaped like a watermelon with arms appeared. ATK/ 1700 DEF/ 1700.

The Chariot's card appeared over him, and began to spin.

"The same as with the Magician, Pat." Sartorious smirked. "Although, I already know it will stop face-up."

Pat rolled his eyes. "Okay, stop!"

The card ceased spinning… And was upwards.

"What the?! Grr… It was just a coincidence." Pat muttered.

Sartorious laughed. "Here is the Chariot's upright effect: When he destroys a monster by battle, I can special summon the destroyed monster to my side of the field! So, Chariot! Attack his Dark Jeroid!"

Chariot swung an arm towards Dark Jeroid.

"I don't think so, Sartorious! I play my Magic Cylinder! This redirects your attack at you!"

Two golden and red cylinders appeared, redirecting the Chariot's strike at Sartorious.

"I don't think so, Pat. I activate my facedown Trap Jammer! This negates one Trap you play in the Battle Phase!"

The cylinders disappeared, and the Chariot finished off Jeroid after turning around again.

Pat's LP: 7500.

"And now, Dark Jeroid is summoned to my side of the field!"

The blue Fiend returned to Sartorious' side of the playing field. ATK/ 1200 DEF/ 1500.

"Of course, now I must lower a monster's Attack score… So, I choose him."

(Dark Jeroid) ATK/ 400 DEF/ 1500.

"Your turn."

Pat drew a card from his deck. "Okay… I activate Brain Control to take control of your Chariot by paying 800 points!"

Pat's LP: 6700.

The Chariot was forced over to Pat's side of the field.

"Now I tribute him to summon Summoned Skull!"

The Chariot disappeared, and was replaced by a demonic skeleton monster with red muscles, ram horns on its head, glowing green eyes, black claws, and dark blue wings with spikes at the tip. ATK/ 2500 DEF/ 1200.

"Now, Summoned Skull! Attack Jeroid with Thunder Strike!"

With electricity crackling in-between its claws, Summoned Skull sent a large lightning bolt at Dark Jeroid, destroying it in a large explosion.

Sartorious' LP: 4900.

"Urgh… I foresaw this, Pat. Do not think you can win yet." Sartorious said.

"Whatever. Now, for my second Main Phase, I place three cards facedown, emptying my hand and ending my turn."

With now four facedown cards and a monster on his side of the field, Pat ended his turn.

"My move!" Sartorious drew a card. "Hmm… I play Arcana Force Twelve – The Hangman by tributing the Chariot!"

The Chariot disappeared, and was replaced by a bluish humanoid creature hung from a tree limb. ATK/ 2200 DEF/ 2200.

As with the previous Arcana Force cards, the Hangman's card began to spin.

"Stop!"

It was facing downwards.

"Perfect… I can destroy one monster on your side of the field, and you lose Life Points equal to its Attack Points! Say good-bye to your skull!"

The Hangman lashed out and hit Summoned Skull with its arms, slamming it into Pat.

Pat's LP: 4200.

"Now, Hangman! Attack directly!"

The Hangman also hit Pat with an arm, knocking him to the ground.

Pat's LP: 2000.

"Now I'll place four cards facedown."

Four facedown cards appeared on Sartorious' side of the field.

"…Urgh…" Pat groaned. "M… My turn, Sartorious…"

Pat drew one card from his deck.

"Okay, Sartorious… Prepare for this! First, I play my first facedown: Pot of Greed! I can draw two cards!"

Pat drew an extra two cards.

"And then, I activate another facedown: Cheerful Coffin! I can discard up to three cards from my hand, but I'll just do two."

Pat placed two cards in his Graveyard, and then Cheerful Coffin.

"Now, I play Monster Reborn to bring back Summoned Skull!"

Summoned Skull returned to the field. ATK/ 2500 DEF/ 1200.

"And now… By removing Dark Jeroid and the two cards I removed from play, Newdoria and Snipe Hunter, I can special summon my ace card! Dark Necrofear!"

As three dark pillars of light flew up into the air, a demonic creature with a large blue head, small red eyes, and wearing a purple suit with gold buttons and different-colored spots and lines appeared, glowing a dark purple. ATK/ 2200 DEF/ 2800.

"Now, Summoned Skull! Attack his Hangman! Lightning Strike!"

Summoned Skull blasted the Hangman with a lightning bolt, destroying it.

Sartorious' LP: 4600.

"Now, Necrofear! Attack directly!"

Dark Necrofear shot a dark purple energy ball at Sartorious.

Sartorious' LP: 2400.

"Not bad. I knew I was right when I chose you… But then, it was truly destiny that you would lose to me…" he smirked.

"LOSE?! I'm only losing by 400 points, you idiot! And I have two of the strongest Fiends there are!"

Sartorious began to chuckle evilly. "I don't think you'll win, Pat… I know you won't… For now, it's my turn!"

Sartorious drew from his deck and smirked evilly, his eyes enlarging.

"Now, here is this duel's end!" Sartorious shouted. He began to glow a strange white color.

"…What the…?" Pat mumbled, shocked by the strange aura.

"I activate three of my facedown cards: the Spiritual Lord, the Material Lord, and the Sky Lord!"

The three facedown cards flipped face-up. The leftmost, the Material Lord, formed a towering brown light, the Spiritual Lord, the center card, projected a pillar of blue light, and the right card, the Sky Lord, summoned a high green light.

"And now, by sending all three to the Graveyard, I can summon the ultimate Arcana Force monster! Come forth! ARCANA FORCE EXTRA – THE LIGHT RULER!"

The three pillars of light disappeared, and in their place appeared a gigantic brown monster with a scorpion-shaped body, having two heads instead of claws stretched out on two long necks sprouting from its back, one being a dragon's head with a blue circle on it, the other more claw-like, two other arms, with real pinchers on them, having silver claws, three purple spheres in its center body, yellow lines around its center body as well, and a long tail. ATK/ 4000 DEF/ 4000.

"HOLY CRUD!" Pat screamed.

Again, Arcana Force Extra's card appeared over its head.

"Argh… Stop!" Pat said after thirty seconds of spinning.

The card was upright.

"Here is Arcana Force Extra's effect: when he destroys a monster by battle, I can return one monster from my Graveyard to my hand. So, Extra, attack his Skull!"

Arcana Force Extra shot a beam of light energy, destroying Dark Necrofear.

Pat's LP: 500.

"I end my turn, without using Extra's effect."

Pat groaned as he drew a card. But as he did, his mind was clouded by pure whiteness.

Urgh! he groaned in his head. I can't… See my cards… What's… Happening… To me…?

He shook his head and cleared his thoughts and sight. "I switch my Necrofear to defense mode."

Dark Necrofear put its arms up in a defensive position.

"…That's all…"

Sartorious laughed evilly as he drew his next card. "This duel is over now! I activate my last facedown card: Meteorain! My Arcana Force Extra – The Light Ruler can now pierce through a defending monster for the turn! Extra, destroy his Necrofear with Light of Destruction! End this duel NOW!"

Arcana Force Extra shot another beam of light from its draconic mouth, piercing through Necrofear and hitting Pat to the ground below.

"NO!" he screamed.

Pat's LP: 0000.

This Duel's Winner: SARTORIOUS!

Pat groaned as he realized he had lost. But then he lost his senses for a moment…

…I can't see… What's happening to me…?! he thought.

When he regained his senses, he saw Sartorious standing over him.

"Well, Pat, you lost, and I have won. Anything you would like to say?"

Suddenly, Pat's eyes flashed white for a second. "Yes… I'd like to say that losing to you was destined… How foolish of me to fight back… Master Sartorious."

Sartorious let out an evil laugh as Pat stood up smirking…

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0

Pat awoke with a scream, sweat dripping down his head.

"Not again… Three dreams in a row… That last one was the worst… I gotta tell Alexis or someone about this… Argh…"

PM: Do not mention the wait; I had a heck of a time getting the info about the Arcana Force cards. Now you know how Pat joined the Society. And now, the updates will continue. I promise.