AJ: Well, here we are again!
Bil: You decided to stay up because you have work at 7:00 AM on a Sunday, correct?
AJ: Mhmm…
Bil: That's all fine and good…
AJ: Then why are you complaining?
Bil: Because…YOU DRAGGED ME HERE TO STAY UP WITH YOU, DUMBASS!!!!
AJ: No one said you had to stay here, Master.
Bil: I gotta make sure you don't screw up the story.
AJ: Oh…right…
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Chapter 26: Strength of Bonds: United We Stand!
"You will end," Kaiser told him, "and you will end this turn!"
"What do you mean?" Judai questioned.
"You'll find out in a moment! Draw!" Kaiser looked at it and grinned. He selected his first card. "I'll summon Proto-Cyber Dragon in attack mode!"
"Proto-Cyber Dragon…!?" Judai gaped.
"That thing barely has any attack points," Momoe surmised.
"Yeah," Junko added, "what does that thing matter to Judai's Neos?"
"It's not that thing's attack points that has Judai nervous, right now, I can tell you that," Fubuki grit his teeth.
"When Proto-Cyber Dragon's on the field, it's name is treated as 'Cyber Dragon'," Asuka explained, "meaning while it is face-up on the field, he can use it to summon Cyber Dragon's Fusions!"
"I activate the Magic Card, Overload Fusion!" Kaiser roared, holding it up in the air.
"Overload Fusion!?" Judai shouted.
"No…!" Edo cried, standing up in fear.
"With this card, I can remove Fusion Material monsters listed on a Dark Main-type, Machine subtype Fusion Monster from play, in return Special Summoning the Fusion Monster from my Fusion Deck!" Kaiser explained. Four monsters slid out of his Graveyard, which he snatched up, immediately. "YOU WANTED TO SEE THE POWER THAT ALLOWED ME TO TRANSCEND PERFECTION, JUDAI!? HERE IT IS!!!!"
"I'LL REMOVE PROTO-CYBER DRAGON, MY THREE CYBERDARK MONSTERS, AND CYBER PHOENIX FROM THE GAME IN ORDER TO SUMMON, CHIMERATECH OVER-DRAGON!!!!" Kaiser roared. The five monsters each turned into a giant black pillar of light, all of which formed into a single enormous pillar of black light. The crowd gasped and cried in shock and awe as the swirling energies from the card erupted and overtook everyone, wind whipping in their faces. The single pillar soon released a giant metallic ball, which had several openings. One opened to release an enormous tail that surrounded its master, while five others released dragon-like heads out, every single pair of eyes flashing red, gleaming at the opponent across the way.
"Chimeratech Over-Dragon's effects activate," Kaiser explained loudly over the din caused by the roaring machination and swirling wind of the output of its power, "First, it gains 800 attack points for each monster used to summon it!" The monsters attack points shot up to 4000.
"Attack Neos! Evolution Result Burst!" Kaiser directed. The one of the monstrosity's heads opened its mouth and launched a lightening-strike at the hero, which struck its chest, piercing it and eliminating it. Judai grunted and cried out in pain as the red electricity flowed from the collars he bore.
"And now, his second effect activates!" Kaiser grinned, "it can attack you once for each monster used to summon it!"
"No!" Asuka shouted loudly.
"That'll kill him, Kaiser!" Edo shouted, horrified.
"Don't do it!" Fubuki hollered.
"EVOLUTION RESULT BURST!! END THIS!!!!" Kaiser directed. The other fours heads opened their mouths, each sending a wave of blue lightening towards Judai, who was still reeling from the shock he received from the first attack.
Everyone of his friends gasped in fear and shock at the declaration, all calling out to him,
"JUDAIIII!!!!!!!!!!"
Judai's hand slipped towards his duel disk. "Trap, open!" he hollered before the four streams of energy struck and caused an enormous explosion to envelope the hero. The blast rocked the arena, and caused everyone to shield themselves from the earthquake that seemed to be happening within the stadium. Some of the cameras shorted out due to the sheer strength of the explosion.
Several people gasped in horror at what could've happened to the duelists inside, as the debris kicked up overtook Kaiser as well. The only thing that could be seen was a rough outline of Chimeratech's body. The cloud of dust that had collected finally began to clear up.
"What do you think happened…?" Momoe wondered. Junko shook her head in reply, though she looked very worried.
The side of Kaiser's field cleared away first. He glared at the smoke across his field, awaiting for the final result to reveal itself. A dust cloud part slightly, revealing a part of someone's leg and what seemed like some sort on transparent, bluish barrier. "That's…!" Kaiser gasped.
The dust cloud finally separated to reveal Judai protected by a barrier, with E.Hero Neos standing in front of the duelist. "I activated Neo-Spacia Road," Judai explained matter-of-factly. "This card can only be activated when Elemental Hero Neos is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard as a result of battle. I can immediately end the Battle Phase, then I can draw one more card." He took a card from the top of his deck and added it to his hand. His frown picked up into a small grin, though he was sweating and out of breath.
(Kaiser's Life Points 2000; Judai's Life Points 1700)
"Turn end," Kaiser grunted, though he was smirking.
"My turn, Draw!" Judai looked at his newest card. "I'll summon Wroughtweiler in defense mode! Then I'll set a card. Turn end." The dog-like robot bent down into a defensive position, while the back of Judai's set card appeared on his field.
"My turn, Draw!" Kaiser tore a card from the top of his deck. "Chimeratech Over-Dragon, attack Wroughtweiler!" he directed. The robotic animal had absolutely no chance. The blue bolt struck the monster, incinerating it almost instantly.
Judai defended himself with his forearms from the blast. "I activate Wroughtweiler's effect!" Judai announced. "When he's destroyed in battle, I can take one E.Hero and one Polymerization from my Graveyard and add it to my hand!" Bubbleman and the Fusion card slid out of the Graveyard, as Judai withdrew them.
"But I still have four more attacks, Judai," Kaiser smirked. "Go, Chimeratech Over-Dragon!" The four other heads opened fire upon Judai.
"I'm not finished yet," Judai told his opponent. He pressed a bit on his duel disk. "Trap open, Negate Attack!" A swirling barrier once again appeared in front of Judai, absorbing the attack. "This card negates an attack of the opponent and ends the Battle Phase."
"Sneaky as always…" Kaiser murmured. "But its your never-say-die outlook…your 'taste-efferent' style…that always pushes me into strengths I can never get to on my own."
"Thanks, Kaiser," Judai accepted. "You, as well, force me into corners and use ideas I could never have thought up on my own."
"That's good," Kaiser nodded, "because our duels helps out the both of us." He took a card from his hand. "I'll set a card. Turn end."
"Draw!" Judai hollered. "I'll summon Bubbleman in attack mode!" The water-type hero appeared on Judai's field. "And because he's the only card on my field, I can draw two more cards!" He looked at the two cards.
"I'll activate Graceful Charity!" Judai announced. "I get to now draw two cards while sending two to my Graveyard!" He slid two cards, Bladedge and Fusion Sage, from his hand into his Graveyard after drawing a set.
"I'll set one card facedown!" Judai called. "Turn end."
"You keep summoning trash to the field, Judai," Kaiser growled. "How long do you expect to keep this up?"
"As long as it takes to defeat you, Kaiser!" Judai scowled. "You shouldn't be calling my monsters trash, no matter how strong it looks! You should know that better than anyone!"
"You don't need to tell me that," Kaiser growled, "I'm more than aware of that fact. It's just that you're not even fighting back right now. I want this duel to last as long as possible, but Bubbleman's in attack mode, even with Skyscraper's increase, it'll only be to 1800 points. What can you hope to accomplish with that?"
"The bond I and my Heroes have is stronger than anything you could hope to destroy so easily," Judai stated. "It's the same with my friends. I don't lose because they believe in me and want me to succeed. As long as my friends and my heroes are there for me, and I believe in myself, there's nothing I cannot accomplish!"
"Bonds?" Kaiser growled. "SUPREME DUELISTS SUCH AS OURSELVES HAVE NO NEED FOR SUCH WORDS, JUDAI!"
"If you think it's as simple as that, then attack me," Judai simply told him.
"Fine then, Draw!" Kaiser directed his monster to fire. "Destroy Bubbleman!"
"You sure you want to do that…?" Judai grinned. Kaiser's eyes widened in mild surprise. "I told you, the strength of heroes comes from them combining with one another! Trap open, Soul Union!"
"No…!" Kaiser shouted.
"Yes!" Asuka cried.
"This may be the turnaround Judai's been waiting for!" Manjoume agreed.
"This trap allows me to select one E.Hero in my Graveyard," Judai loudly explained, "and add its attack points to another E.Hero on my field!"
"Dammit…" Kaiser swore.
"I'll add Bladedge's attack points to Bubbleman's! And thanks to Skyscraper, it now has 4400 attack points!" The hero's strength increased over fivefold, able to tangle with Chimeratech's attack. The blue bolt struck the hero in the chest but the hero caught it and redirected it to the side, out of harm's way. It then leapt up into the air and aimed the gun on its arm at the giant dragon. An enormous stream of water exploded out from the monsters wrist, and rushed towards its target.
"I'm not done, yet!" Kaiser hollered. "Reverse card, open! Black-Armored Plating!" Kaiser slid a card into his Graveyard. "By discarding one card into my Graveyard, I can make it so all Machine-type monsters on my field cannot be destroyed by battle for the remainder of the turn!" The water rushed around the monster, some of it striking Kaiser, who he groaned in pain, due to the electrodes.
Kaiser breathed heavily, wiping the sweat off his brow, but grinned excitedly. "This is great," he commented.
"There's no doubt about that, Kaiser" Judai stated. "But I will defeat you, in this duel."
"I won't let you, because I won't forsake the name of 'Hell Kaiser'," he told his opponent, sliding his last card into his duel disk. "One reverse card. Turn end."
"Draw!" he glanced at his card. "I'll switch Bubbleman into defense mode!" The hero bent down on one knee in front of Judai.
"Next, I'll summon Card Trooper, in defense mode! By sending three cards to the Graveyard from the top of my deck, I can increase its attack by 1500 points!" He ripped off three cards and sent them to the graveyard.
"Next, I'll set two cards facedown and end!" Judai stated, sliding two of his last three cards into slots in his disk.
"Another Trap, eh?" Kaiser barked. "Well, I'll just keep whittling away at you until you finally give in underneath the strength of Chimeratech Over-Dragon. My turn, Draw! Trap open, Lost Pride!" Kaiser exclaimed, pressing a button on his duel disk.
"I can discard one Spell card from my hand to the Graveyard and add one Spell card from my opponent's Graveyard to my hand! If I activate the selected card, I take 1000 points of damage." Kaiser flipped around the card in his hand, revealing Power Bond.
"What…!?" Judai shouted in surprise.
"I'll send Power Bond to the Graveyard, gaining Pot of Greed from your Graveyard!" He slid the card into his Grave, as Judai's Spell fired itself out from Judai's graveyard. Kaiser snatched it out of the air.
"Kaiser!" Judai hollered. "You sacrificed the card that signifies your strength just to get a couple of draws!"
"I told you," Kaiser scowled, "I'll deny even myself, if it allows me to transcend perfection! I can't lose this duel! I refuse to forsake the name of 'Hell Kaiser'! I'M GOING TO SETTLE THIS, JUDAI!!!!"
"Kaiser," Judai stated firmly, "you realize you'll have to drop your act eventually, right?"
"What?"
"You can't go on like this. I can see it in your style, you don't wish to do harm to others. It's just because you are afraid of becoming stagnant like you did as Duel Academia's Kaiser." Kaiser's brow furrowed, though he stayed quiet, listening to the duelist. "You don't need to be 'Hell Kaiser' just to retain your strength as a duelist. You don't need to keep strength at the expense of other people's lives. You say that you're trying to transcend perfection, to be remembered as the best duelist of all time, but you're doing it all wrong."
"What are you saying?" Kaiser grunted.
"If you keep going down this path, you'll just be remembered as a tyrant! It won't be, 'Hell Kaiser', the Greatest Duelist, you'll be labeled simply as a beast!" Judai pointed at the boy accusingly. "Just what are you giving your title for!? Your pride!? Your pride doesn't want you to harm others in your pursuit for glory! Every time you strike an opponent down, a piece of your pride is lost! That is why your duels are never fulfilling with anyone else other than me!"
"That's a load of trash…" Kaiser murmured menacingly.
"Is it?" Judai wondered. "You make it sound as if it is difficult to attain a fulfilling duel with anyone else other than me, yet every time I duel someone, I can get a rush out of it that is different from every other time I duel! In a duel, you try to entertain yourself, building your own deck in order to get enjoyment out of that duel. Once you just focus on winning, that is when the duels become boring!"
"When you just focus on winning, and worry about how the result of the duel comes, that's when all you feel is pressure!" Judai shouted. "When you entered the Pros, you were bent on winning, yet you lost one time, and suddenly, you couldn't handle it. The pressure overwhelmed you, am I right!?"
Kaiser simply growled in annoyance. "Judai…"
Judai lowered his gaze slightly. "You were wrong when you said that your Hell Kaiser persona was created so you could transcend perfection," he continued calmly, "You just made it so you could hide away from the pressure! If you could decimate your opponent, then it wouldn't matter who said what, because eventually no one would be left standing! Am I right!? Well!?"
Kaiser looked down, holding up his palm. He stared at it. "I…"
"So, what happens when you attain your goal of the greatest duelist, Kaiser?" Judai asked him. "What then!? If everyone else around you is annihilated, what happens then!? It is lonely at the top when there is no one to share it with! You've got to drop your act, now, Kaiser, and rebuild your relationships with your old friends, with your brother, Sho, from the beginning! Do it, before you become permanently lost within the bowels of your fake persona of 'Hell Kaiser'!!"
The stadium watched in awe as the weary Judai barked at his opponent. The group, especially, watched in awe of the two's discussion. "What's going on?" Areka asked. "What's happening to Judai and Kaiser?"
"Judai is trying to get in touch with the old 'Kaiser' still within Hell Kaiser," Fubuki mumbled.
"Get in touch with the old Kaiser?" Manjoume repeated.
Fubuki nodded. "It's even more painful for each of them than when they're getting shocked by that electricity," he stated. "Kaiser, who's already recently lost to Judai, views him as someone on par with his abilities. He can't stand the fact that someone he views as a peer telling him the truth. Judai also views Kaiser as a peer, and even someone he can look up to, personally. However, he also has more knowledge in this area than we can ever hope to know, right now. Kaiser knows this, making Judai probably the only person whom he would listen to this kind of discussion with. Otherwise, Kaiser would've cut in already."
Kaiser clenched his fist closed. He lifted his head to reveal his eyes, which had softened into a calm, cool disposition. "Even if what you say is true, I cannot go back to being the old Kaiser," the champion told the hero-user. "Nor can I neglect this duel with you."
"That's fine," Judai smirked. "I wouldn't have it any other way. Besides…" he began.
"…we have to find out…" Kaiser continued.
"…which one of us has truly transcended 'Perfection!'" They both shouted at once.
"Onii-san…" Sho breathed. "Aniki…"
"I think we'll have to prepare," Fubuki smiled, "Because we're going to see something unlike anything we'll have ever seen before."
"Magic card, Pot of Greed!" Kaiser hollered taking a couple of cards from his deck. "I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon! This card can destroy one Spell or Trap on the field, and I choose your Skyscraper!!" The enormous torrent of wind swept over the field, forcing Judai's Field Spell to eject from its place in his deck, before heading for his facedown.
"Why didn't he go for my facedown card…?" Judai wondered out loud.
"I'm going to show you that I can out-maneuver any Traps that you may have set for me!" Kaiser replied loudly. "Chimeratech Over-Dragon attack his two monsters!" The two creatures didn't stand a chance, as the blue bolts struck them, eradicating them from existence.
Judai shielded himself from the blaze in front of him. "When Card Trooper is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can draw one card!" He took a card from the top of his deck and placed it in his hand.
"Chimeratech, attack him directly!" Kaiser angrily roared. Three blasts fired out from three separate mouths towards Judai.
The first blast approached, as Judai reached for his first card. "Trap open, Hero Spirits!" Judai hollered. The first bolt struck a transparent form of Judai's Bubbleman, which disappeared immediately. "I can only activate this card during a turn when an E.Hero has been destroyed in battle! I can negate one attack of the enemy's!"
"Next, I activate Call of the Haunted!" Judai announced. "This allows me to Special Summon one monster to my field in attack mode! I'll summon Bladedge to my field!" The minotaur-like hero appeared on Judai's side of the field.
"You may survive one strike, but it'll still decimate your Life Points!" Kaiser hollered loudly. "Destroy Bladedge!" Kaiser directed. The bolt pierced through Bladedge's armor, electrocuting him and incinerating the hero. Judai's cry pierced the arena as his shackles reverberated voltage throughout his entire being. Judai regained his footing immediately, though it was obvious his breathing had been forced to hasten from the added electricity.
"It appears you are out of facedowns," Kaiser remarked, "but I still have one more attack!"
"It's a mistake to think I'm done yet, Kaiser!" Judai replied weakly. "I activate Necro Guardna's effect! I can remove him from play in my Graveyard to negate one of my opponent's attacks!" He took the card and slid it into his deck holster on his belt, as the hologram appeared in front of him. The blast struck the creature, causing it to disappear. Judai remained unharmed.
"Unbelievable…" Kaiser muttered. Judai coughed a little, covering his mouth. He lifted his gaze to his opponent, chuckling smugly. Kaiser shrugged, chuckling, and even releasing a small grin, "Guess I'll end."
"My turn, Draw!" Judai roared. "First, I'll activate Neo Space!" Judai announced, sliding the card into his Field Spell slot. Growing from Judai's side of the field, and soon surrounding Kaiser's side, was a multi-colored dimension. The crowd gasped in awe at the dazzling brightness.
"Next, I'll activate O-Oversoul!" Judai declared. "This Spell allows me to Special Summon one E.Hero Normal Monster from my Graveyard to my side of the field! I'll summon E.Hero Neos!" The white-armored hero once again appeared on the field, poised to strike.
"And due to Neo Space, he gains 500 Attack Points!" The hero's attack value rose to an even 3000. The hero began to glow a bright golden hue, magnificently causing his own rush of power throughout the stadium. However, unlike Chimeratech's chaotic aura, this one was more like a tranquil, calm breeze on a summer's day.
"So, Judai," Kaiser announced, "we both have our Last Resort monsters on our field." His grin grew slightly wider, "But it appears that yours lacks power compared to my creature."
"I told you, with the bond of my heroes and friends, I can accomplish anything," Judai repeated, "including the defeat of you, Kaiser!"
"Interesting," Kaiser stated, "perhaps you should demonstrate such a power that gives you such confidence. Then, we'll see who's fit to be dubbed the 'Greatest' and who…IS FINISHED!!"
"You shall see it, with this Magic card," Judai grinned, flipping it around to reveal it, "Hero's Rule III - Soul of the Hero! With this card, I can select one E.Hero on my field. No other monsters can attack during the turn, but for every E.Hero monster on my field and in my Graveyard, it's attack points increase by 300 points!" The transparent holograms of every Elemental Hero in Judai's Graveyard appeared behind Neos, as its attack points increased to 6600.
"Go, Neos! Attack Chimeratech Over-Dragon!" Judai declared loudly. The hero leapt high above the Fusion-monster across from him, charging a giant ball of light within his hands, and preparing to fire on command.
"SOUL OF THE HERO!!!!" Judai cried. Neos unleashed a golden stream of energy, which overwhelmed the black-plated, draconic machine. Kaiser grunted, as the burst eliminated his monster and cried out as it eliminated his Life Points.
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AJ: Sorry for the abrupt end, but you'll get the repercussions and immediate aftermath in the next chapter, which, coincidentally, is also the last one of this Arc.
Bil: Which, coincidentally, is also the last chapter you'll ever write.
AJ: Come on, Master, at least I made Kaiser in to a cool character…I think.
Bil: Yeah, right. Making him into a sissy. Really well done, there.
AJ: Why're you waiting till next chapter, anyways?
Bil: I always think you should finish what you start, so I'll let you finish that before I kill you.
AJ: Thanks. Next Time: Chapter 27: Sign of Fate: The Second Year Ends.