Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.
Legends of the Demon Duelist-Duelist Academy Arc
Chapter 25: A bet with unbelievable consequences
Rikuo took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. "So far it seems fairly evenly matched, eh?"
"You can only say that because you have a 3000 attack monster on your field," Daniel dead-panned jokingly.
Snickering, Rikuo leaned in a little and winked to his other half. "I'm sure you'll pull yourself out of this one with little to no problems. After all, you did it eleven years ago."
Daniel knew that he was being mocked, but he also knew exactly how to get under Rikuo's skin. "You understand that if you win…the bet…" He left the rest to fester in his counter-part's mind.
Rikuo frowned and glanced up at Ichigo. "Damn…first time ever that I've actually almost not wanted to win a duel." His lips curled into an evil smile. "But then again, Eri is a big girl now. She's still my little princess, but she's also able to take care of herself." He looked over at Daniel and continued to smile evilly. "So…ready to continue?"
"Always am," Daniel drew.
One quick look at the card told Daniel all he needed to know. "I set one monster in defense and that's all."
Rikuo drew. ("What did you pull? If it is a high defense monster, then I'd still be able to defeat it.") "I set one card face-down and attack with Super Toy Knight! Go!" Lumbering forwards, the mechanical knight brought its sword down and cleaved the monster card in half.
Daniel braced himself against the backlash from his monster's destruction. "Are you done Rikuo?"
Shaking his head, the wolf demon snapped his fingers and his face-down card flipped up. "I activate Salvage Team. This will let me special summon all machine monsters that were destroyed as a result of battle this turn to my side of the field." A squat robot made of gears appeared on Rikuo's field. "So that's what you had set? A Gear Golem the Moving Fortress?" (800/2200)
The half wolf-demon shrugged innocently. "You gotta work with what life gives you."
"I never believed in that optimistic crap." Rikuo crossed his arms across his chest. "End turn."
Daniel drew. ("In two turns I'll have to discard my hand.") He had to make some headway before that happened. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Rikuo drew. "The clock is ticking, Daniel. Ready to see what fate has in store for you?" The wolf demon inserted one card into his duel disk. "I set this face-down, and then switch Gear Golem the Moving Fortress into attack mode!" The gear machine whined loudly as it started to hover in the air. "Super Toy Knight, attack his life points directly!" The machine lifted its blade back and brought it down towards Daniel's head…
Only to have it stopped by a glowing blue barrier of light…
"Oh bloody hell…" Rikuo wasn't even sure what had motivated him to switch Gear Golem into attack mode.
Daniel smirked and flicked one of his ears. "Gotcha…I activate my trap card! Go Mirror Force!" The barrier peppered Rikuo's field with energy and destroyed all of the wolf demon's attack mode monsters, which more or less meant almost his entire field.
Rikuo wiped a bead of sweat away from his forehead and took a deep breath. ("Sheesh…If I wasn't a demon I'd say I was getting too old for this.")
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"Father!!!" Eri looked completely enraged. "What are you doing!? How was that in any way a sensible play!?"
Ashley and Sammy just stared at the now ranting Eri. "Wow…."
Krieger and Griff stared at Ichigo, who was whistling loudly and cheering for Daniel. "Wow…"
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Daniel drew. One glance at the card told him that the win was his. ("Monster Reborn!") "I play…."
"You aren't playing anything!" Rikuo flipped up the card he had set. "Pyro Clock of Destiny speeds up the turn count by one, meaning that now you're at the five turn point. Card of Demise's secondary effect destroys your hand!" From out of nowhere a guillotine blade came slamming down and slashed right through Daniel's best current hope of winning.
With no cards in his hand or on his field, all Daniel could do was end his turn. "I'm not beaten yet…"
"We'll see!" Rikuo drew. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Daniel drew. "I'll also set one card face-down and end my turn."
"Good, then let's see what I've got for us!" Rikuo slid a card off of his deck gingerly. One glance at it told him exactly what he needed to know. "I play the magic card Pot of Greed." Depositing the card into his graveyard slot, the wolf demon drew two cards. "It looks like I'm…"
Daniel took a deep breath and motioned to his face-down card. "Activate Null And Void! This trap will force you to discard all cards that you draw from one effect."
Frowning, Rikuo discarded his hand. "Damn…I forgot that you know my dueling strategy just like I know yours. End turn."
Daniel drew. "I set one card face-down, end turn." He knew that he was currently sweating bullets, both figuratively and literally.
Rikuo drew. "And so our little Topdeck war continues. Who do you think will be the first to draw a monster card?" Snickering, Rikuo slapped the drawn card onto his disk. "Z-Metal Tank in attack mode!" (1500/1300) A yellow tank appeared on his field. "Attack his life points directly!"
Daniel motioned to his set card. "Activate Nanite Injection!" A metal syringe appeared on the field and stabbed its sharp metal tip right into the Z-Metal Tank. "This will turn your monster into the mental equivalent of a vegetable! It will be unable to attack or defend for the rest of the game!"
Rikuo tapped a button on his duel disk, flipping up his set card. "And I activate Explosive Interlude! It will destroy my Z-Metal Tank and drain both of us of 100 life points per level star of my beast." The yellow tank shuddered and exploded into flames. "End turn."
Daniel- 300
Rikuo- 2850
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Eri smirked widely, and glanced over at Ichigo. "My father is about to crush yours. As always, a hanyou can never defeat a true demon."
Krieger frowned and spoke up. "Correct me if I'm wrong Eri, but wouldn't you be a hanyou? After all, you are technically a half-breed…" His voice died down as he noticed how pale Sammy and Ashley were. As one they mouthed 'run'. "Oh damn…"
Seconds later a pair of blurs could be seen running out of the arena area. The first was a very terrified Krieger, and the second was a very pissed off Eri.
Griff stared at the spot where the chair Eri had been duct-taped to use to be. "Wow…at least the duct tape held."
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Daniel drew. ("Please let this be a monster…please be a monster.") One look at the card told him that it wasn't. "I set this card face-down on the field. End turn."
Rikuo drew. "Time is running out for you…I play Card of Demise!" The wolf demon slid five cards off of his deck. "Now that…"
"Hang on Rikuo, I have a trap card for that! I activate Trap Copier! By paying half of my life points this trap card can copy the effect of one trap card in my graveyard! So let's have it copy Null And Void!" Crossing his arms across his chest, Daniel didn't wilt in the slightest under Rikuo's glare.
Snarling distastefully, the wolf demon discarded his hand. "Very well. End turn."
Daniel- 150
Rikuo- 2850
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Eri came storming back in seconds later, this time free of the chair and the duct tape. "Stupid…moronic…hanyou…how dare he!" Growling angrily, she looked out at the arena and a cold smirk replaced the angry look on her face. "And once more, it seems like my father is in the lead, eh Ichi-chan?"
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Daniel drew. "I play the magic card Replay! At the cost of half of my life points, I can activate any magic card that is in my graveyard! So now I copy Monster Reborn!" There was an explosion of light, and the ground at his feet exploded. "I summon Cyber Dragon (2100/1400) back to the field in attack mode!" The metal dragon hissed loudly and began to charge up a ball of energy within its maw. "Evolution Burst!"
Rikuo threw up his arms to shield himself from the explosive blast that hit him.
Daniel- 75
Rikuo- 750
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Seeing the gaping look on Eri's face, Ichigo smirked and flashed the victory sign once more. "My dear demoness, do I need to repeat the magic words again?" All he got was a death glare from all three girls in return.
Griff sighed and wondered how long it would be until the entire female campus had something against his roommate.
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Rikuo smiled slightly. "Daniel…I'd say this is endgame, wouldn't you agree?"
The half wolf-demon nodded solemnly. "Yeah it is…"
"Good…just wanted to make sure." Rikuo drew. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Daniel drew. "Rikuo Amero…this is what I've missed for so long. I've missed the thrill of a battle against an attack that was worthy of my full strength. After all…once you've dueled evil goddesses and powerful demon kings, it kind of brings down the fun factor of normal duels. So, are you ready? I intend to end this here."
Rikuo smiled slightly at the determined look on the face of his other half. "I'm ready. Let's see if you can."
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Up in the stands, everyone had gone silent…
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Glancing at the drawn card, Daniel pointed at Rikuo. "Cyber Dragon, attack with Evolution Burst!" Roaring, the steel dragon charged up a ball of energy within its jaws and sprayed it across the field.
"Open face-down card, Mirror Force!" Rikuo's field become surrounded by a blue field of light, which absorbed the energy from the Cyber Dragon's attack and sent it back at Daniel in the form of a shotgun blast of power. Within mere seconds of attacking, the Cyber Dragon was destroyed.
Snapping the card in his hand over, Daniel slid it into his graveyard. "I discard Reconstruction Team (100/200) to bring back machine monster that was destroyed by a trap card effect." The earth shuddered again and the Cyber Dragon's head broke free from the stone. "End turn."
Rikuo drew, though he had yet to look at the card. "Are you ready?" Without looking he inserted it into his disk. "I set this and end my turn."
Daniel drew. ("A monster…alright, I'm pretty sure that I can risk attacking.") "Cyber Dragon, Evolution Burst!" Another ball of energy rocketed towards Rikuo…and the wolf demon wasn't making any move to activate his face-down card.
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"Alright dad! I knew he was bluffing all along!" Ichigo squirmed in his seat some more, trying to get free of the restrictive duct tape that kept him attached to his seat.
"Father! Don't let him win!" Eri literally roared out.
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Rikuo smirked slightly. "You've got me." Then he was engulfed by the Evolution Burst.
Daniel- 75
Rikuo- 0
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A compound cheer of "Go Daniel" had come up from Ichigo, Griff and Krieger.
Eri looked like she was about to spontaneously combust.
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"Rikuo…it was a fun game. I'm surprised that I managed to defeat you," Daniel started to approach the smoke cloud that had sprung up from the Evolution Burst slamming into Rikuo's field.
"Are you so sure?" Rikuo's voice echoed across the arena.
Freezing up, Daniel glanced down at the life point score.
Daniel- 75
Rikuo- 10
"Ten life points….how?" Then the smoke cleared, and Daniel saw why.
From behind a barrier of angry red light, Rikuo smirked slightly. "It's the end for one of us, but it certainly isn't me! Activate Big Bang Barrier!" With a roar that could drown out even the cries of some of the mightiest monsters in the game, the barrier sprayed out a wave of red power that blew into Daniel's Cyber Dragon and shattered it.
Owner of said Cyber Dragon braced himself, eyes wide at the fact his counter-part wasn't defeated. "What…"
"My set card was the trap card Big Bang Barrier, which can only be activated when it is the only card on my field and I'm being attacked for game. It stops my life points from falling below ten this turn, and it also destroys all monsters on your field. And for the last little kick to the proverbial groin, it forces you to discard one card from your hand for every monster destroyed by its effect." The wolf demon held up one finger. "This is how many monsters you lost…and it's also how many cards are in your hand."
Pale, Daniel discarded the monster he had drawn…
Rikuo drew. "I play Monster Reborn on Irios the Steel Monarch!" (2700/2300) A bulky clockwork humanoid robot appeared on his field. "Irios, direct attack!" Launching forwards, the machine slammed its fist down on Daniel's skull. With one gasp of pain he fell to his knees.
Daniel- 0
Rikuo- 10
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Ichigo, Krieger and Griff all had gone silent. Occasionally Krieger and Ichigo's ears would twitch, or Griff's right eye would do the same.
Eri, Ashley and Sammy all seemed to be in about the same mental process as well. Then they snapped out of it and started to cheer wildly.
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Daniel felt out of breath and tired…yet he couldn't say he felt sad. ("I got to duel Rikuo again…and that's all that matters.") He felt his counter-part haul him to his feet.
Still smirking, Rikuo ruffled his hikari's ears. "Eh…you're out of practice. Of course, perhaps next time you'll put your real best in?"
For a few seconds, Daniel felt torn between breaking down and crying, or just killing his other half. "I missed you so much Rikuo…"
"Keh! Well I'm not leaving for a little while, as long as you don't mind sharing your room." Patting his other half on the shoulder, the wolf demon gave a bow to the six teenagers up in the stands. "Thank you, thank you! We'll be here all week!"
Daniel frowned, silently cursing Rikuo for beating him. ("Now I have to be the one to tell them.") Without a word to his other half, the half wolf-demon bounded up the wall and into the stands.
Ichigo blinked as his dad was suddenly in front of him. "……..Uh…good try?"
Smiling at his son's ever-optimism, Daniel glanced over at Eri. "You aren't going to like what I'm about to tell you."
Rikuo grinned, realizing how lucky he was to have won the bet. ("If I'd have lost, I'd have to have been the one to tell them.")
Lifting her head haughtily, Eri snickered. "I doubt anything you could tell me would spoil my good mood at seeing you get destroyed by my father."
"Well…um…" Daniel tensed up just enough so that he could run it anyone attempted to attack him. "Alright…your mothers had this idea…"
Ichigo blinked in surprise. "Huh?"
Taking a deep breath to clear his thoughts, Daniel tried that again. "This Friday, as you ladies and Griff probably know, is a special Osiris Red and Obelisk Blue mixer party. The idea came into existence as a way to try and eliminate the natural Obelisk Blue disrespect for the lower class students…"
Ashley, Sammy, Griff, and Krieger all at once felt a cold chill up their spines. As one they glanced at each other, and then started to creep towards the exit.
Rikuo was already outside, and was smirking. ("Hmm…wonder who will be first out.")
Eri and Ichigo were strangely oblivious to their friends, who were inching towards the doors.
"…and your mothers thought it would a 'cute' idea for Ichigo to take Eri to the mixer…as his date." Daniel seemed to blur out of existence as he made a run for the door.
Both Eri and Ichigo were silent, and so far hadn't really moved yet. Slowly, they looked over at each other…and then looked over at the double doors where everyone had run out of. Both of them narrowed their eyes, cracked their knuckles, and in perfect unison stomped out after their fathers.
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"How'd they take it?" Rikuo gasped out, running alongside his other half.
"I didn't wait to find out!" Daniel glanced behind him nervously. "Come on, we'll be safe at the faculty lounge!"
Both of them skidded around a corner, and at once slid to a stop as they came within just a few inches of their strangely calm children. "Eeeeep!"
"Hi there dad…" Ichigo said slowly.
"Father, we need to talk…" Eri started to slowly advance forwards.
Rikuo and Daniel turned literal tail and ran.
They made it two feet before their children grabbed their respective tails and stopped them cold.
That night, both Daniel Pilkington and Rikuo Amero were nursing numerous bruises, cuts and a black eye.
To be continued…
Author's Notes: BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
BTW…what's with all the Daniel hate all of a sudden?
BBTW I just wanted to let all of you know that I am heading home for a month. No, this does not mean that you won't be getting any new updates for a month, but it will mean that I may not be able to keep up with my normal speed of updates. If I can do one new chapter per day, I will though.
To gohan11: I make up a lot of the cards. No, I will not bother listing them. I just don't have the time.
To falcon demon general: (Rikuo: ::In a full body cast:: Aww…I fight you another time, pigeon.
To Bobbomp: You're entitled to your opinion. Of course…I'm still allowed to declare your opinion wrong and mean!
To Anime Albino: TT Do you really think Daniel is that bad of a duelist?
To Sage Fire Ace: Thank you for the submission. I'll use it if I can.
To Seeker of the Soul: Duct tape can hold anything and everything.