Yu-Gi-Oh! Eternal
A Fan-Fiction by neomage
(DISCLAIMER: Back once again! And as before, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh!)
(WARNING: Potential spoiler in this chapter! Avoid reading unless you've seen the end of Yu-Gi-Oh GX's third season!)
CHAPTER 36 – Power Source
DUEL ACADEMY OSIRIS RED DORM, 1:40 p.m.
"No way! So even after all that, you got grounded?" Natasha asked in dismay.
"Yeah," Janus sighed dejectedly, leaning back on his mattress. "What a crock…I play the role of the hero, save my dad from certain death, and in the midst of thanking me, he grounds me for breaking one stupid rule…"
Ricardo chuckled. "Never mind, Janus; even your being grounded can't last forever, right? Soon you'll be free from punishment, and then everything will be just as it was before all this craziness happened."
"But don't you get what this means?" Janus wailed. "Now that I'm grounded, I won't be able to go to the big tournament that Drake invited me to attend!"
"Oh—you mean that tournament announcement that came on the TV a while ago?" Cassara inquired. "Too bad…guess that means you won't be getting to duel in another big tournament so soon after the World Championships…" And she stuck her tongue out at him.
"What's with that tongue sticking out?" Janus challenged her.
"More importantly, Janus, thanks to your efforts Duel Academy is safe from that psycho and his lackeys," commented Jiro, sitting a little ways away from the group. "That should count as a small solace to not going to this tournament, wouldn't you say?"
"YOU can say that…" Janus drooped.
"Say, Jiro, how are your injuries now? Any better?" Natasha asked.
Jiro gently patted his torso. "I feel a little bit stiff from these bandages," and he indicated some wrappings underneath his jacket, "but I'll be all right, I guess. The same goes for everybody that was sent to the infirmary; just as long as we all take it easy, things should be fine."
Cassara frowned. "What I find hard to believe is, how exactly were holograms able to inflict that kind of actual physical damage to people? I thought that was merely psychological during duels and such…"
"Well, you didn't seem concerned with that during your duel with Vasha…" Ricardo reminded her.
"Oh, shut up!" Cassara snapped, punching him in the head.
Just then the door flew open, and in came Dean Burchell, walking rather stiffly even as he held a hand to his chest. "Ungh…damn wound still aches…" he grumbled. "Hey, Yuki, the principal wants you in his office, now. Get a move on, already."
At once the kids looked at each other. "What next?" Janus grumbled.
----------
A little while later, Janus entered Principal Yuki's office. "Okay, Dad, you wanted me, here I am," he said in a grudging tone as he walked into the room and sat down before his father's desk. "What's up?"
Principal Yuki, seated behind the desk, had his fingers intertwined under his chin, and a solemn expression on his face. "I called you here for two reasons, Janus, and I want you to pay close attention to what I'm going to tell you," he said.
Janus cocked an eyebrow. "Lemme guess—you're taking back my punishment and letting me compete in Drake's tournament after all?" he asked, a ray of hope appearing on his face.
"No, you little runt," Principal Yuki said sternly. "Now shut up and pay attention."
Crestfallen, Janus gave a longsuffering sigh and looked at his father. For his part, Principal Yuki adjusted his tie slightly with one hand and cleared his throat. "Janus," he said. "I am going to…take back your punishment and let you compete in Drake's tournament after all!" he announced with a sudden impish grin.
"HUH?" Janus jumped up, rushed around the desk, and caught Principal Yuki in a strangulation grip. "Hey, don't shoot down my expectations and then bring them back up like that, you dumb old man!"
"Who're you calling a dumb old man, you little squirt?" Principal Yuki snapped back, fangs in his mouth even as he wrestled Janus off him.
Then, more serious and composed again, Principal Yuki rubbed his neck a little. "Like I said before, you saved us all from Fletcher's machinations. And on personal review, that far out-trumps the fact that you broke your mother's rule never to go near the abandoned dorm. I think she, too, will be willing to overlook it this once, considering the circumstances."
Janus nodded appreciatively. "Thanks, Dad."
"However…" Now Principal Yuki's eyes narrowed. "There's another reason I called you here, Janus. I've been meaning to have a little chat with you for a while…about that pendant you're wearing."
Janus looked down at the Shadow Charm Pendant, still hanging around his neck. "This thing? What about it?" he asked.
"Janus…how much do you really know about it?" Principal Yuki asked him. "Be honest with me, now."
Janus looked at his father for a moment. "Well…not much, actually…other than that it helped me out of some tight spots during the whole debacle with Fletcher," he admitted. "What's this about, Dad?"
"That pendant…the Shadow Charm Pendant…" Principal Yuki's lips were set in a thin line. "It gives its wearer the ability to sense magical presences of any kind, and also to negate the effects of magic wherever it may lurk."
"Uh…okay…how do you know that?" Janus wondered.
Principal Yuki leaned back in his chair and propped his legs up on the desk. "Do you remember those bedtime stories I used to tell you when you were younger, about my days as a student here at Duel Academy?" he asked. "If you'll recall, some of those stories involved a group of duelists that called themselves the 'Shadow Riders,' who wanted to steal seven keys to open a gate that would bring forth an incredibly destructive power. Well, while I may never have gotten into detail about it back then, the Shadow Riders wielded the power of eight mystical artifacts in their quest to obtain those keys and open that gate. The Shadow Charm Pendant you now wear was one of them."
"No way! Seriously?" Janus exclaimed, looking at the Pendant with astonishment clear on his face.
"Mmm-hmm," Principal Yuki nodded. "I defeated the majority of them and collected their Shadow Charms, and later on in life I sent them to Ryou Bakura, that famous archaeologist and the curator of the Domino City Museum, for safekeeping and study. And now…this one's ended up in your possession."
"Well, uh…about that…" Janus scratched the back of his head.
"Never mind—there's no need for you to explain," said Principal Yuki. "I know how you got it, after all. Oh, come on now, don't look at me like that" —for Janus had a huge sweat-drop on his head now— "it's not all that important. However, what is important is…the effect it's had on you."
"The effect it's had on me?" asked Janus.
Principal Yuki looked him squarely in the eye. "Have you noticed any changes in yourself since you first wielded the Pendant's power, Janus? Anything at all?"
Janus frowned. "Well…now that you mention it…something funny did happen to me when I first put it on…it was as if something inside me woke up…like, another me, or something…"
"Another you?" Principal Yuki queried.
"It's a little weird and hard to explain," Janus admitted. "I mean, I can activate the Pendant's power, and then I become…well, me, but not really me…"
Principal Yuki nodded. "I see…Janus, do you want to know why that is?"
"Um…isn't it the effect of the Pendant?" Janus queried.
"Not exactly," Principal Yuki answered. "That part of you…has been dormant for many years. The Pendant merely woke it up."
"…come to think of it, that's what my other self said as well," Janus recalled. "But why would you know about that, Dad?"
"I'll show you." Principal Yuki took a deep breath. "Hey, partner, it's about time he got acquainted with you, isn't it?"
Suddenly—and much to Janus's astonishment—a ghoulish-looking shadow emerged behind Principal Yuki! The shadow wasn't very clear at first, but gradually it took a more definite form…that of a woman with pink skin exposed here and there, but most of it being covered up by what appeared to be a skintight black and grey body suit. She had large black wings on her back, and one half of her hair was dark purple while the other half was white. One of her eyes was amber, the other was green…and she also possessed a huge third vertical eye in the middle of her forehead. "So…this is your brat, eh, Jaden?" she asked, in a somewhat amused voice.
"AAACK!" Janus jumped up, knocking his chair over in the process, as a horrified expression emerged all over his face. "Hey, Dad! What the hell is a freaky-looking thing like this doing here?"
"Don't insult her, Janus!" Principal Yuki scolded him. "Ahem…this is my current Duel Monster spirit partner…Yubel. Yubel, my son, Janus…and sorry for his rudeness."
"I'm used to it," Yubel shrugged. "And can you blame him, anyhow? Look at him—he's still freaked out."
Indeed, Janus looked like a ghost. "Your…your…your…spirit partner…?" he finally croaked.
"Sit back down, Janus," Principal Yuki instructed him. "Yubel is the best one to explain how it is that you have another version of yourself residing within you, that was awakened by the Shadow Charm Pendant. At the very least, give her an opportunity to tell the story, eh?"
Quite nervously, Janus edged back toward the desk and, not once taking his eyes off Yubel, righted the chair with one hand and sat back down. "Okay, so, uh…I'm listening," he said.
Yubel nodded. "I've been your old man's Duel Spirit for quite a number of years, including long after he quit using the Elemental Hero deck in favor of passing it on to you and started using a deck that centered more on me. Admittedly, our relationship has been…complicated…but we've come to an understanding over time. Which brings me to your particular situation."
Janus nodded, blinking.
Yubel chuckled. "Well, kid…there is one day out of every year when Duel Monster spirits are able to interact with the people of this realm. Fifteen years ago…fifteen years ago, that came on one particular day…when your mother was still carrying you in her womb. She was four months along at the time, I believe."
Janus looked confused. "Sorry, but I'm not following," he admitted. "What do you have to do with that?"
"Well, kid…basically speaking, since I was able to interact directly with people on that particular day that year," said Yubel, "I was able to approach your mother directly and make her a deal. I'd…infuse a little of my own power into the child she was carrying…so that when that child grew up and became mature enough, he'd have a great power at his beck and call, to use for the purpose of justice. Back when he was around your age, your father had to face many a supernatural enemy…so I felt that if his offspring were reasonably prepared, they'd be able to continue the fight against evil where necessary when he himself became unable to continue doing so."
"Yeah." Principal Yuki nodded gravely. "Janus…I've waited for the last fourteen years to tell you about this. I'd always known I'd have to tell you eventually, but I was never sure when the right time would be. And then…when you were able to use the power of the Shadow Charm Pendant as easily as you did against Fletcher…"
Janus wasn't looking at either of them now; he was looking down at his hands in his lap. "So…I've got a Duel Monster spirit's power inside of me now…?"
"Yes and no," Yubel answered. "True, that power came from me originally…but it was only awakened by the added power of that Pendant of yours. Brought together, those two powers became one unique superpower, all yours to command."
Silence followed Yubel's statement, as Janus continued looking at his hands and the other two looked at him. Then Principal Yuki took a chance and broke the silence. "Janus…?"
Janus then looked up—and stars were in his eyes. "COOL!" he exclaimed. "So, like, what kind of powers have I got? Can I fly? Do I have super-strength? Can I turn invisible?"
"He's certainly taking it a little better than I expected he would…" Principal Yuki sweat-dropped.
"Oy, oy, kid, don't get too far ahead of yourself," Yubel warned Janus. "You want to know what kind of powers you have, eh? Well…have you noticed anything special since you activated the Pendant's power so far?"
Janus paused in his jubilation and lapsed into deep concentration. "Well, hmm…I know I've basically got two 'me's' in one body…and my other half can knock people back with just sheer concentration…and can create Dark Games…"
"Just like the Dark Games of Egypt 3000 years ago," said Principal Yuki. "Your other half is capable of creating penalty games against those who've done wrong to others or who have serious blemishes of character. And, as I explained before, the Pendant has great power in its own right. But, Janus…a word of warning…"
Hearing the serious tone in his father's voice, Janus looked at him. "Yeah…?"
Principal Yuki looked very stern now. "That kind of power is not to be abused, or used only for selfish reasons. I taught you a long time ago that true justice is exhibited by helping the needy, bringing fair dealings to the lives of others, and bringing punishment only to the bad people when there is absolute, irrefutable proof of their wrongdoings. Heroes fight for others, not for themselves. Only responsible people deserve to have any power at their disposal; anyone else with power will only use it to bring sorrow to others." His eyes narrowed, and for a moment they flashed amber and green. "Janus…swear to me, as my son, right here and now, that the power you've tapped into with the Shadow Charm Pendant will only ever be used for true justice, and not for your own selfish goals. Swear to me!"
Janus looked solemn. "No need to swear to that. I already vowed it in my heart ages ago, anyway."
"Nonetheless, make that pledge in a way that I can know you've made it." Principal Yuki held out his hand.
"Right." Janus reached forward and grasped his father's hand in his own.
Yubel allowed herself an amused chuckle as she observed the mini-rite. "Touching…"
At length they released each other's hands, and Principal Yuki's eyes went back to normal. "Oh, one other thing," he said to Janus. "I'd advise you not to let anybody else know about what you've just learned. You, your mother and I are the only ones who have any knowledge that you have this power inside you—and of course, Yubel knows, too."
"Aren't you forgetting someone, Jaden?" a familiar voice asked—and then Elemental Hero Neos appeared in spirit form. "Hello, Yubel, it's been a little while."
"Too long," said Yubel. "Tell me, what do you think of Jaden's brat?"
"Janus? Well, admittedly, he's very different from Jaden…and yet, they're cut from the exact same cloth," Neos admitted. "They both firmly believe in the proper application of justice."
"Yeah, I can agree with that," said Principal Yuki. "But as I was saying, Janus, if you can avoid it, don't let anybody else know what you've just learned here today. They likely wouldn't understand, and they'd possibly freak out and think of you as anything but normal or human."
"The same thing kinda ran across my mind," Janus admitted, sweat-dropping.
"I'm glad you agree," said Principal Yuki. "And I'm also glad you're taking this whole revelation as well as you are. I was genuinely afraid you'd freak out."
"Hey, if I know Duel Monster spirits exist, then I doubt anything can really surprise or shock me," said Janus.
"Touché," Neos chuckled, and vanished into thin air.
And Yubel smirked. "Indeed." And then she vanished as well.
Silence fell over the room again; then Principal Yuki broke it once more by clearing his throat. "Well, now that that's out of the way…let's talk about a more immediate matter, huh, Janus? The matter of Drake's invitation to you to come play at his tournament…"
"Yeah?" Janus looked at him.
Principal Yuki nodded knowingly. "As you'll have seen from his announcement of that tournament, he's going to have pro-level duelists participating. Now, I know you went up against some serious competition during Dueltropolis, but these guys are a whole other game altogether—more so because they never got to participate in the World Championships, so naturally they'll probably feel more than a little resentful that you, Yugo Muto and Seta Kaiba claimed the top three world rankings. And then, of course, there's Drake's own grudge against you, which I and a few others suspect is the real reason he's launching this competition of his…"
"Yeah…" Janus paused, suddenly looking very thoughtful.
Principal Yuki noticed the change that had come over his son. "Well, anyway, after I saw the announcement a while earlier, I did a little thinking. And I've got an idea…"
"An idea?" Janus queried.
"Yes." Principal Yuki nodded. "How'd you like to have a practice duel against a former pro duelist…yours truly?"
Janus blinked in rapid succession at that. "No way…really? No joke?"
"Nope," Principal Yuki replied. "If you're up to it, meet me in the auditorium's dueling arena in the next half an hour. But I'm going to warn you from right now: just because you're my son doesn't mean I'll hold anything back."
"As if I'm supposed to be scared of an old geezer like you!" Janus scoffed. "Next half-hour, then! Don't be late, old man!" And he jumped up and ran out of the office with a huge grin on his face.
"That's what I should be telling you," Principal Yuki muttered as a huge vein bulged on his head.
Yubel reappeared, smirking. "Still, Jaden…he's really not much different from you when you were his age, you know. Like Neos said, you and the brat are cut from the same cloth."
"I guess there's no denying that," said Principal Yuki. "Well…time for me to unseal my old deck, I suppose."
Getting out of his chair and stooping on the ground, he reached down and pulled up one of the floor tiles—and revealed a safe that had been built into the floor. "A floor safe? Pretty original—for you, anyway," said Yubel.
"Mmm-hmm," said Principal Yuki, even as he opened the safe and reached in, pulling out a small black box…
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DUEL ACADEMY AUDITORIUM, 2:15 p.m.
"So, your dad challenged you to a duel, then?" Cassara asked.
"Yeah, he sure did," Janus acknowledged. "This is just for practice, though, so that I can get a feel of how pro duelists really play."
"Even so, he's not going to hold back on you one bit, is he now?" Jiro wondered.
"What I'm curious about is what kind of deck Principal Yuki will play," Ricardo remarked.
"This is so cool! We're actually going to see Principal Yuki duel!" Natasha exclaimed in delight.
The five were walking toward the main building; Janus had his Duel-Disk ready on his arm. "Well, I'm not underestimating Dad," he said. "He was a pro duelist, after all, so it only stands to reason that he must be pretty tough to beat. And he still does get a lot of dueling practice, even nowadays…"
"Does he, now?" Jiro asked.
"Yeah," said Janus. "Whenever Mom and Dad have arguments about stuff and can't come to an agreement or a compromise, they settle it with a duel."
"Hmm…well, it certainly beats actual physical violence, if I do say so myself," said Cassara. "And, pray tell, who wins these arguments?"
At that Janus sweat-dropped. "Heh, heh…most of the time, it's Mom who wins."
Ricardo shook his head. "Tsk, tsk…your dad's whipped good. Makes one wonder why he's the principal and your mom's the vice-principal, instead of the other way around…"
"Never mind about that now…the main event has to do with Janus and Principal Yuki!" said Natasha. "So let's just look forward to a good fight, huh, guys?"
By and by they headed up the steps to go inside the building…then they were walking along the corridor to go to the auditorium…and at length they reached the auditorium's entrance. "It's dark in here," Natasha noted. "Maybe Principal Yuki isn't here yet?"
"Dad? Are you in here?" Janus called.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here, just give me a minute," Principal Yuki's voice answered from the other end of the auditorium. Then—
CLANK! The lights suddenly flashed on—and there was Principal Yuki, also wearing a Duel-Disk on his arm. "So you didn't chicken out after all, Janus—and it seems you brought spectators along," he observed. "Well, it HAS been a while since I had an audience to one of my duels…even if the audience is only a few people now."
Janus ran up to the dueling platform and climbed up on top of it. "C'mon, old man, hurry up and get up here!" he exclaimed.
"What's this, now?" Principal Yuki chuckled, even as he began to walk leisurely toward the platform. "Are you really in such a rush to lose, Janus? You can't seriously think you're capable of defeating me, the principal of Duel Academy and one half of the team that trained you?"
"I'll show you the result of that training, right here and now," said Janus. "I may not know what kind of deck you're going to use, but I'll soon show you the skill that allowed me to land third place in Dueltropolis."
"Well, now, that's very interesting," said Principal Yuki, finally reaching the platform and climbing up to Janus's level. "Why did you come in third in the tournament, Janus? Why not first place, or even second place?"
Janus scowled at that. "…okay, so I'm not the world's ultra-best duelist, but at least I'm in the top three!"
"But in the world of the pro leagues, being in the world's top three won't be enough." Principal Yuki's eyes narrowed. "There's an old proverb about being king of the hill, Janus. 'The man who stands at the top has no place to step but off.' Yugo Muto is currently ranked as the world's best duelist, but…who's to say that one day, another duelist won't take his crown and his throne? And with you being in the third-ranking spot, what does that say about you?"
As he continued to talk, Principal Yuki activated his Duel-Disk, pulled a deck out of his pocket, and pushed it into its slot. "Whether you're the World Champion, a contender for that title, or simply an extremely skilled duelist—none of that will matter to pro league duelists. The world of pro dueling isn't all fun and games—it's fight and survive, or surrender and die. Being a frequent pro-league duelist himself, Drake Phoenix realizes this, and therefore if you make one mistake during his tournament, he won't hesitate to use it against you and crush you. So…I'm going to show you right now, just what kind of brutality you'll be faced with at that tournament. If you can't manage it, you won't have a prayer, even with all the training and experience you have."
Janus activated his Duel-Disk, too. "Didn't I tell you the story already, Dad?" he asked. "When I took part in Dueltropolis, I ended up having to help save the world from a bunch of psychos. I even went toe-to-toe with one of their higher-ups who'd sneaked into the tournament, and that's when I experienced brutality first-hand. So, yeah, these pro duelists that Drake's bringing into his tournament may surely be good…but compared to what I had to go up against in Dueltropolis, how bad can these guys be?"
"Wait right there. I'll soon show you." Principal Yuki nodded meaningfully.
The others, meantime, took seats around the platform. "So cool! We actually get to watch Janus duel his own dad!" Natasha giggled. "I wish we could've sold tickets to this!"
Jiro simply smiled. Okay, Principal Yuki…let's see what kind of strength you've got at your disposal!
JANUS: 8000; PRINCIPAL YUKI: 8000
As the duelists' life point counters lit up and showed 8000 points apiece, the holographic coin was quickly tossed. "Well, I guess I'll let you call it since you're the principal and the challenger," said Janus.
"Very well…I call heads, then," said Principal Yuki.
The coin then landed—and indeed it was heads. "All right! I'm gonna do my best!" said Janus as he drew his first five cards.
"Get your game on, then!" Principal Yuki smirked, drawing his first five cards also. Then he drew his sixth to start off, and examined it closely. "Well, isn't this interesting…"
"Eh? Got a good hand already?" Janus asked.
"With this deck I'm using, that's no big surprise," Principal Yuki answered. "It may have been a long time since I even looked at this deck, let alone used it in a serious duel, but even so it still has its magic touch within. Now, how to begin…I'll set one monster in Defense Mode, and that's all for now."
"Only one monster? You're really aging, old man," Janus needled him.
"Show some respect! And stop calling me an old man!" Principal Yuki snarled, fangs in his mouth.
"Uh-huh…so what are you, then, a baby?" Janus chuckled.
"Why, I oughta come over there and strangle you!" Principal Yuki exploded, the fangs in his mouth getting bigger even as his eyes inexplicably turned red. "Just hurry up and take your turn!"
"Sheesh…what a father-son dynamic those two have…" Cassara muttered.
"Seriously, I'm not sure which of them is the more mature one now," Ricardo sighed, running his palm over his face.
Janus drew his card. "I activate the Magic card, Convert Contact!" he announced. "This card could only be activated while I wasn't controlling any monsters…but now, I can send one Neo-Spacian monster from my hand and one from my deck to the Graveyard. So, from my hand goes my Neo-Spacian Grand Mole (ATK 900, DEF 300)…" He discarded a card from his hand. "…and from my deck goes Neo-Spacian Aqua Dolphin (ATK 600, DEF 800)…" Here he quickly pulled out his deck, picked out the named card, and slotted it off into his Graveyard. "…and then I draw two cards!" And he drew his two cards, so he held a total of six in his hand.
"Uh-huh…?" Principal Yuki nodded. "And?"
"Wait—I'm not done yet!" Janus continued. "Next, I activate the Magic card, Cocoon Party! This lets me Special Summon one Chrysalis monster from my deck for each Neo-Spacian in my Graveyard…and since there are two there now, I can bring forth two Chrysalis monsters from my deck—and I call upon Chrysalis Dolphin (ATK 400, DEF 600) and Chrysalis Pantail (ATK 800, DEF 300), both in Attack Mode!"
Moments later a baby dolphin and a panther cub emerged on the field, both surrounded by cocoons. "Now," Janus went on, picking another card from his hand, "I'll sacrifice both of these guys and call forth my deck's ace monster—Elemental Hero Neos (ATK 2500, DEF 2000) in Attack Mode!" And as both of his monsters vanished in a burst of light, Elemental Hero Neos appeared, doing some shadow-boxing.
"Nice! Janus got his signature monster on the field on his first turn!" Ricardo exclaimed.
"But isn't it a little early to call the outcome of the duel?" Jiro wondered. "I mean, sure, Janus has his signature monster out now, but we still haven't seen yet what Principal Yuki can do."
"Well, surely he isn't the principal of Duel Academy for nothing," Cassara reasoned. "Let's watch and see what he does after all is said and done."
"Whatever happens, it's bound to be cool!" Natasha grinned.
"Well, Janus? Are you going to try and attack now, or do you have something else to do first?" Principal Yuki asked.
"Don't worry—I've almost finished setting up my strategy," Janus replied. "Next, I activate a Magic card—Hero Heart! This card can only be activated by selecting one Elemental Hero on my side of the field…that Elemental Hero will then have its ATK halved for this turn, but at the same it will be able to attack twice during this turn's battle phase. And naturally, I choose Neos!"
Neos's ATK promptly went down to 1250 as a bright green energy surrounded his body. Then Janus held up another of his hand-cards. "Now, I'll activate a Continuous Magic card—Common Soul!"
Suddenly, bright energy began to course all over Neos's body, and the gem on his chest shone intensely! "Common Soul…it lets you select one monster on the field, and then you get to Special Summon one Neo-Spacian monster from your hand to the same side of the field as the selected monster," Principal Yuki noted. "Then, the selected monster gains ATK equal to the ATK of the Neo-Spacian that was Special Summoned by that card's effect…and when the Common Soul card is removed from the field, the Neo-Spacian in question will be returned to your hand."
"I'm not surprised that you know what this card does—this deck was originally yours, after all," Janus acknowledged. "Now, using Common Soul's effect, I Special Summon from my hand…Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird (ATK 800, DEF 600) in Attack Mode!"
Air Hummingbird soon appeared on the field next to Neos, flapping his wings at blinding speed. The energy coursing around Neos grew even brighter, and his ATK rose to 2050. "And now what, I wonder? Since this is Air Hummingbird you've just summoned, I suppose you'll use his effect?" Principal Yuki remarked.
"Well, duh!" said Janus. "I'll increase my life points by 500 for every card in your hand—and you're holding five!"
Honeysuckle plants suddenly sprouted from the five cards in Principal Yuki's hand, and Air Hummingbird flitted from one to the next in rapid succession, increasing Janus's life points.
JANUS: 10,500; PRINCIPAL YUKI: 8000
"All right, now that that's over with," said Janus, "it's time to attack! Elemental Hero Neos, attack his facedown monster now!"
Neos jumped forward and delivered a crushing punch to the facedown monster, revealing it to be a large tomato with a face and a mouth full of sharp fangs. "Take that!" Janus cheered.
But—on Principal Yuki's face, there was a knowing smirk. "You shouldn't celebrate so quickly, son," he said coolly. "That monster you just destroyed was my Mystic Tomato (ATK 1400, DEF 1100), and when it's sent to the Graveyard via battle, I get to Special Summon one Dark monster from my deck in Attack Mode, as long as that monster's got an ATK of 1500 or less, after which I shuffle my deck. And…" He pulled his deck out of its slot on his Duel-Disk and began to thumb through it. "I happen to know just which monster I want…and it's a monster you've gotten acquainted with pretty recently…"
"Huh? A monster I got acquainted with…?" Janus looked confused.
"Forgetful already?" asked Principal Yuki. "Then allow me to remind you. The monster I choose for my Mystic Tomato's effect is…Yubel (ATK 0, DEF 0)!"
At that Janus's eyes widened in astonishment. "What!"
Suddenly, swirling streams of black mist collided together on Principal Yuki's side of the field—and then there appeared Yubel, her huge black wings spread out behind her even as she crossed her arms and looked at Janus with a smirk on her face. "Say hello to my ace monster, Janus," said Principal Yuki.
On the sidelines, the other kids stared in astonishment at the newly-arrived Yubel. "What…what IS that?" Cassara whispered fearfully.
"I've never seen that monster before," said Jiro.
"It's scary," Natasha whimpered.
"Hmmm…" Ricardo frowned.
Janus, meantime, examined Yubel's stats. "Dad…you're kidding, right? I mean, no offense, but Yubel doesn't have a single ATK or DEF point. Even my weakest monster could take her down, no problem."
"Then why don't you prove it, if you can?" Principal Yuki returned.
Janus's eyes narrowed. "Fine, then! Thanks to the effect of my Hero Heart card, I can attack a second time with Neos, so…go, Neos, knock that monster's head off!"
Neos seemed to hesitate for a moment…but then he dashed forward and flung his fist toward Yubel's head. At the point of impact, an explosion rocked Principal Yuki's side of the field, covering that side of the platform in smoke! "Take that!" Janus crowed.
"Whew…well, at least that scary-looking monster's gone now," Natasha sighed, passing the back of her hand over her forehead.
"But why would Principal Yuki summon such a weak monster like that?" Cassara asked. "Janus said its ATK and DEF are zero, didn't he? And Neos just now had an ATK of 2050…"
"Hmm…Principal Yuki wouldn't be that reckless, would he?" Ricardo frowned.
"I wonder about that…" Jiro cocked an eyebrow.
The smoke from the explosion gradually cleared…but as Janus peered forward, all at once his jaw dropped. "No way…!"
The others were surprised at what they saw, too. "Impossible!" Jiro shouted.
"But…wasn't it a direct hit?" Natasha protested.
For right there on the field, Neos's fist had indeed connected with Yubel's forehead—but somehow, Yubel was still there, not even flinching. "Now what was that supposed to be, Janus—a punch or a baby tap?" Principal Yuki chuckled.
All at once a dark energy field surrounded Yubel, forcing Neos backwards. At the same moment several bolts of black lightning shot out from Yubel, some of them hitting Janus in the process! "YEEEEOOOOWWWW!" Janus screamed out.
JANUS: 8450; PRINCIPAL YUKI: 8000
"Well, now, I guess it's time for me to explain Yubel's effect," said Principal Yuki. "She can't be destroyed in battle, and I get no damage from any battle she's involved in." He pointed out his own life points, which were still intact. "Also, when she's attacked by one of your monsters while she's in Attack Mode, before the damage calculation I inflict damage to your life points equal to that attacking monster's current ATK. In other words, she's invincible in a fight, and will strike back hard against anybody foolish enough to take her head-on."
"Ouch…" Janus cringed as the effect of the lightning bolts from moments ago still stung him. "Wish I'd known that earlier…"
"Hmph. All that effort, all those cards used up…and all of it for nothing." Principal Yuki shook his head. "Your strategy just now might've worked against another duelist, Janus, but not against one of pro-league caliber. If you're ever going to have a hope of even scratching my life points, let alone beating me, you'll have to rethink your whole game plan. But then again, I shouldn't be saying anything yet, should I? After all, it's still your turn…will you do anything else?"
"Uh…" Janus examined the one card left in his hand. "No…nothing else. I'll end my turn now…and by the way, since this is the end of the turn, Elemental Hero Neos's ATK gets readjusted." And true to his declaration, Neos's ATK rose back up to 2500, then by the effect of Common Soul his ATK rose further by Air Hummingbird's ATK amount, leaving him with a total ATK of 3300.
"No matter what your monster's ATK is, it still won't change the facts—Yubel won't be taken down by rushing headlong into battle just so," Principal Yuki said sternly. "And if you intend to rush into fighting at Drake's tournament in that kind of manner, you'll be smacked down hard. At least remember that, if nothing else."
"Well, I haven't lost yet," Janus replied. "Every monster has its weakness—and Yubel's no exception. Now, bring it on! I'll beat you and your monster without a doubt!"
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neomage: Principal Yuki has brought Yubel out to play! Who will win—father or son? Review soon, please!