Author's Note Part 1: Thanks goes to Ulrich362, Doccy Larsson Seraphim, iloveyugiohGX93, and mcdinh for reviewing the previous chapter!
Sorry, still kinda blocked on Shimmer… but I am working on it, don't worry. It'll be updated eventually.
Man, I got a game called Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy earlier this week, and I love it so much… one of the battle themes in it, which is from Final Fantasy XIII, in particular. It's called "Blinded By Light" …and yes, is most likely the reason I named this chapter after it. That, and the fact that I listened to that song while writing this chapter… and made a Spell Card that Toby uses…
Anyways, I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds, but I do own my OCs and some of the cards used in this chapter. Enjoy!
Chapter 35
They didn't go very far. In fact, they landed directly next to the crater, waiting for us. We land a decent distance away from them, my eyes on Toby the entire time. 'I'll save you, Toby, I promise,' I think.
"Ah… you both came! Lovely! Now we can get this match started!" Ayame says with glee.
"Hold on, what's the order going to be?" Yusei asks.
"Mm? Toby here is going first," Ayame replies.
"Then I'll go after him," I say.
Yusei looks at me, "Are you sure?"
"Yeah," I say. "Besides, you'll be the only one able to attack on your first turn. It works best that way." He knows my Deck, and I know his. Most of his cards are better than mine, ATK and DEF wise.
He nods. "You're right."
"Good, good, that's out of the way," Ayame says. "Now, it's time to Duel!"
The purple flames of the Butterfly Geoglyph surround us, and the marks on our arms light up.
Ayame's Life Points: 4000, Toby's Life Points: 4000, Yusei's Life Points: 4000, Angel's Life Points: 4000
"Draw!"
Toby examines his hand, expressionless. "I'll start by activating the Field Spell Realm of Light!"
Our surroundings are no longer the rocky ground of the B.A.D. sector, but an ancient city of tan stone, two magnificent pillars by the entrance. Even a false sun shines down on us from the sky.
But… wait, where are Yusei and Ayame? I don't see them… anywhere. "What… where did they go?" I ask.
"You will face me for the time being," Toby says.
Dang it. I was going to try to get rid of Ayame first—that would break the control she has over Toby, meaning he wouldn't have to be harmed. I think my motivation to fight this Duel just vanished… and yet, I can't lose…
"…n't worry! I'll be fine, even if you beat me!" Toby's voice echoes in my head.
"Toby? What do you mean? You won't be fine!"
"Yeah, I will! I'm not really a Dark Signer! If you beat me, I won't disappear like the others!" he replies. "So don't give up, okay?"
I smile for a split second. That Toby isn't going to disappear is all the motivation I need. "No problem. I'll break you free."
"Now I Summon Ehren, Lightsworn Monk!" the possessed Toby continues.
Ehren, Lightsworn Monk ATK: 1600, DEF: 1000, Level 4
The monster that appears is a woman with gold-lined white armor covering her torso, and a red skirt around her waist. She wields a brown staff, the ends capped with gold, and her almost knee-high boots match the armor on her torso.
"I'll place one card face-down, and end my turn," he finishes. "And with that, the negative effect of Ehren activates, making me mill the top three cards of my Deck."
Toby takes the three cards from his Deck, and sends them to the Graveyard. Except suddenly, a portal of light appears in the ground, and out comes another monster. This one is a white-furred werewolf retaining his ability to stand on two legs, and also human hands with claws sticking out from the knuckles. In one hand, he holds a golden lance with a black and white tip.
Wulf, Lightsworn Beast ATK: 2100, DEF: 300, Level 4
"Wulf, Lightsworn Beast was one of the cards I milled, and that allows me to Special Summon him," Toby explains. "Also, because cards were sent from my Deck to the Graveyard, Realm of Light gains a Shine Counter. For each Shine Counter it has, all 'Lightsworn' monsters gain 100 ATK."
Realm of Light SC: 1; Ehren, Lightsworn Monk ATK: 1600 to 1700; Wulf, Lightsworn Beast ATK: 2100 to 2200
A twinkling light appears in the window of one of the nearby buildings. That must be the Shine Counter.
"It's your move, Angel," Toby says.
"Ah… right…" I shake my head, trying to clear away the lingering thoughts. "My move, I draw!" A quick scan of my hand tells me I have a decent starting move, but I still have to be careful. I know Toby owns several Traps that activate in the Graveyard, and he also has one face-down card. "I'll start by activating the Continuous Spell Teleport! Now, if you control monsters but I don't, I can pay 800 Life Points and Special Summon a Psychic-Type monster from my hand. And I think I'll do just that! I Special Summon Winda, Priestess of Gusto!"
Angel's Life Points: 3200; Winda, Priestess of Gusto ATK: 1000, DEF: 400, Level 2
A young girl with bright green eyes and similar colored hair appears in front of me. She has on a long, tan coat over a white dress, and open-toed brown boots. She holds a white staff that curves around the top, where a light-green crystal resides.
"For my Normal Summon, I'll bring out the Tuner Gusto Gulldo!" I continue, placing my second monster onto my Duel Disk.
Gusto Gulldo ATK: 500, DEF: 500, Level 3
A bird with vivid blue-green feathers appears, flying around the field. Even the green armor it wears can't keep it down.
"Now I Tune the Level 3 Gusto Gulldo with the Level 2 Winda, Priestess of Gusto! Twisted winds come together to create a mighty creature! Synchro Summon! Soar over darkness, Daigusto Gulldos!" I chant.
Daigusto Gulldos ATK: 2200, DEF: 800, Level 5
The monster that appears actually resembles a combination of the two monsters used in its Synchro Summon. A much larger Gusto Gulldo, with armor that has a lot more spikes on it, flies around, guided by Winda, Priestess of Gusto on its back. Winda's staff now has blue electricity surrounding it, though.
'I'm not going to attack, because the difference in my monster and Ehren is too close, and he might have something in his Graveyard, but I can still get rid of Wulf,' I think as I examine my options. "Gusto Gulldos has the ability to return two 'Gusto' monsters in my Graveyard to the Deck, in exchange for being able to destroy one of your face-up monsters," I say. "Goodbye, Wulf, Lightsworn Beast! Blinding Tornado!"
The electricity around the staff increases, and it shoots out at the white werewolf. Toby's monster shatters, and the excess electricity dies down.
"I place two cards face-down, and end my turn," I say.
"My turn! Draw!" Still expressionless, Toby looks at his card. He nods. "I release Ehren, Lightsworn Monk in order to Tribute Summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!"
Celestia, Lightsworn Angel ATK: 2300 to 2400, DEF: 200, Level 5
An angel with two white wings and long, dark blue hair replaces the monk. The angel's armor is white with gold lines, much like that of the monk and werewolf before her, and covers her shoulders, torso, and waist. Below the armor is a white dress that ends at her feet, which are encased in white boots much like Ehren's were. In her gloved hands, she holds a long staff, the end adorned with a glowing ornament that looks kind of like a sun.
"When Tribute Summoned using a 'Lightsworn' monster as the Tribute, I can send the top four cards of my Deck to the Graveyard, and destroy up to two cards you control," Toby continues, the expressionless face turning into a grin. "I'll destroy your face-down cards."
'There goes Dust Storm of Gusto,' I think, 'but the other card…'
"Not so fast! I'll chain my Trap Hallowed Life Barrier!" I shout. "Now I take no damage this turn, and you can't destroy Gulldos, either, but I have to discard a card."
Toby frowns a little as he moves the four cards from his Deck to his Graveyard. Celestia's staff glows brightly, and she waves it in front of her. A ray of light comes from it, and that ray destroys my two Traps, although the transparent silver barrier still surrounds me.
The frown vanishes as he states, "Realm of Light gains another Shine Counter."
Realm of Light SC: 2; Celestia, Lightsworn Angel ATK: 2400 to 2500
"And since you've basically cancelled any reason for me to attack this turn… I'll just end it," Toby says.
"Alright, my move!" I draw my card. It's not what I need, but it can help me get there. "I activate the Spell Angel Baton! Now I can draw two cards, and discard one." I draw my cards, grin when I see the one I need in it, and continue, "I'll discard Gusto Griffin due to that effect, but now his effect activates! When he's discarded, I can Special Summon a 'Gusto' monster from my Deck! Come and join us, Asteri, Light of Gusto!"
Asteri, Light of Gusto ATK: 1300, DEF: 900, Level 3
A young girl with light-green hair, a white streak down the middle of it, shows up in a burst of light and green feathers. She wears a light-brown overcoat over white clothing, and has a small staff in her left hand. There is a small green orb at the end of the staff, with one green feather adorning it.
"Now I activate Asteri's effect! I can look at the top two cards of my Deck. If there's a 'Gusto' monster among them, I can Special Summon it and send the other card to the Graveyard. If not, then both go to the Graveyard," I explain.
The small orb on Asteri's staff lights up, and she waves it in my direction. The top two cards of my Deck appear in front of me, and I scowl. Psychic Commander, and Contact With Gusto. Neither fit the effect, so they're both destroyed.
Oh well. I still have my Normal Summon. "Fine, I Summon the Tuner Gusto Egul!"
Gusto Egul ATK: 200, DEF: 400, Level 1
A small eagle with white feathers on its face and green everywhere else appears. The bird has on some armor, but not much.
"And now I Tune my Level 1 Gusto Egul with my Level 5 Gusto Gulldos! Wind and light, together in a furious twister, rise up to put an end to the darkness! Synchro Summon! Shine, Daigusto Sphreeze!" I chant.
Daigusto Sphreeze ATK: 2000, DEF: 1300, Level 6
The woman who steps out from the column of light has bright green hair, the ends orange, and pale red eyes. Her chest is covered by white armor, while from her waist down she has tight green shorts and tights, with knee-high black boots. Her staff, with its blue crystal, glows faintly even among the light of this ancient city.
"With her effect, I can add a card with 'Gusto' in its name from my Graveyard to my hand… and I choose Contact With Gusto," I continue, retrieving the card I named. "But it won't stay here for long, because I'm going to activate it! I return the Gusto Egul and Gusto Gulldos in my Graveyard to my Deck and Extra Deck, respectively, and now I can destroy one card you control! I choose… Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!"
A whirlwind destroys Toby's angel, and his only line of defense… well, aside from what he has in the Graveyard, and his face-down. But I suspect his face-down isn't for this situation…
"Asteri, Light of Gusto, attack Toby directly!" I shout.
The girl points her staff in the direction of my mind-controlled boyfriend… and I almost try to call off the attack. I still don't want to see him hurt, even if he won't disappear… But she continues her attack, zapping Toby with a small burst of light.
Toby's Life Points: 2700
"Daigusto Sphreeze, your turn!"
"Not this time," Toby says. "I activate the effect of the Necro Gardna in my Graveyard, banishing him to negate your attack."
I knew he had something up his sleeve. "Okay, in that case, I end my turn."
"Good, it's time for me to finish this!" Toby declares, drawing his card.
"Time to 'finish this'?" I ask. "I still have the advantage."
"Not for long," he replies, with a dark grin. "I activate the Spell Blinded by Light!"
…What? I've never seen Toby use that card before… and I haven't heard of it, either. Does this mean… he got a new card because of Ayame possessing him? And if so, then are there others, like—I stifle a gasp. What if Toby has a Dark Synchro?
"This card makes both of us take 300 damage for every card in our respective Graveyard—we each have seven—and then return all of them back to the Deck," Toby explains. "Then, we can Special Summon a Synchro Monster from our Extra Deck with ATK or DEF equal to or less than the damage we took, ignoring its Summoning conditions."
That has to mean he has a hidden agenda. That card will put his Life Points dangerously low…
I scream as a giant explosion of light knocks me off of my feet, and into the wall of a building behind me. I definitely hear a crack upon impact, although I don't know what made the sound. I blink a few times, stunned but not in pain, trying to get my vision back to normal.
And when it does, I gasp.
This place, this isn't… where am I?
To be continued…
Author's Note Part 2: Yep, because I couldn't make a completely normal Duel. And I had to end with a cliffhanger. This is nowhere near my original idea for this chapter, by the way. But it works sooooo much better! You'll see. You'll all see…
Thanks for reading! I hope you leave a review, because they make me happy and let me know that people like this story!
And… I'm not gonna end it just yet. I've got another hidden word puzzle for all of you!
JOFEGOODALS
ERACANLFOAJ
RAJSDCOMEELJ
ERLFROMEALD
LRDARKNESSRY
RLEDANDFLCZI
WELSEVILRELUJ
XIFFROMRYNLS
PLNLIGHTZADR
One word per line, and… well, punctuation would be a dead giveaway, so a comma belongs after the word in line 5, and in the one in line 7. Good luck!