Chapter 37- The Final Rounds! A Gallant Turnaround

Drake stepped up to face the fiend. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach after what he had seen the first three go through, particularly Matt getting his head sliced off. He really didn't want to find out how that felt. Someone grabbed his arm.

"Wait, Drake." Julie said.

"What?" He asked.

"Use this." She held out a card, facedown.

"What is it?" He asked, grabbing a corner of it.

"I think it'll help. Don't look at it now. Wait until you draw it." She said.

"What's the point in that?" Drake said.

"I… don't know." Julie admitted. "It's this… thing I had. I don't think you need to be searching your deck for this card. I think it'll come to you when you need it."

Drake took the card and shuffled it into the center of his deck. "I suppose." He gave her a quick, one-armed hug. "Here's hoping I don't die in this."

"Please don't. That would make me really sad."

"I try." Drake smiled a little, just a bit. Then he turned away from Julie and walked to the fiend.

"Ready to die, little man?" the fiend said. He seemed to be larger than his colleagues.

"Not really." Drake said. "You guys keep asking us that, and the answer is always the same. Stop asking!"

The fiend smirked. "Well, then. No more questions."

"Right." Drake said, activating his duel disk.

"Let's duel!"

Drake: 4000

Fiend: 4000

"I'll go first." Drake said. He drew a card. Perfect. "I set one monster in defense mode, and end my turn." This should leave me well set-up, hopefully.

"Good. Now let the chaos begin!" The fiend drew a card. "I special summon Cyber Dragon (Light/Machine/Effect, 2100/1600) in attack mode! Then, I normal summon Card Trooper (Earth/Machine/Effect, 400/400) in attack mode! By activating his effect, I can send up to three cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard, which increases Trooper's attack points by 500 per card! I send three cards and give him a 1500 point boost! (1900)"

"Uh-oh, we have a blitzer." Flynn said.

"Looks more like an OTK that failed." Keith said. "But for an OTK deck, it looks relatively stable so far. Not good."

"Trooper, attack his monster!" The fiend shouted, as the machine ran forward, gun blazing.

Drake winced as he the bullets shot through his monster, causing him some pain as well. It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be, but it was distracting. "You killed the Apprentice Magician! When destroyed in battle, I can special summon one level 2 or lower spellcaster-type monster in facedown defense mode." Drake slid a card from his deck and placed it facedown.

"Cyber Dragon, attack his monster!" The Dragon let loose a burst of flames. Drake's card flipped over revealing a hunched over magician with white hair. He was burnt instantly, only to leave his staff standing in the ground. Drake winced from the sudden burst of heat he felt, then looked up and smiled a little at the fiend.

"That was my Old Vindictive Magician. When he's flipped, he destroys one monster on the field. So, I think your Cyber Dragon is now gone."

The fiend cringed as his powerful beast exploded from the blast from the staff. "Curse you… he'll be back. I set one card and end my turn."

"It won't help you." Drake said, drawing. I hope. I'm just taunting right now. I really don't have anything right now. His trooper is weaker now, but I really don't have an attack monster that I'd be willing to throw out there. What a pain. "I set one monster in defense mode, and add a facedown card. That will be all."

"What inactivity! It's pathetic." The fiend drew. He was smirking something horrible. "I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted, to respawn my Cyber Dragon in attack mode. Then, I activate not one, but two Books of Life! Now, I can special summon two zombie-type monsters from the graveyard and remove two monsters from yours! I special summon Ryu Kokki (Dark/Zombie/Effect, 2400/2000) and Zombie Master (Dark/Zombie/Effect, 1800/0) in attack mode, and remove both of your monsters! Then, I activate Zombie Master's effect, discarding one card from my hand to special summon Pyramid Turtle (Earth/Zombie/Effect, 1200/1400) in attack mode!"

"OH SHIT!" Flynn said. "He's going to get squashed!"

"Cyber Dragon, strike down his monster again!"

"Urg… that was another Old Vindictive Magician. He'll use his effect to destroy Ryu Kokki."

"Fine! You're still in the path of my other monsters! Zombie Master, attack him directly!"

Drake groaned as the dark magic hit him.

Drake: 2200

Fiend: 4000

"Now, Pyramid Turtle, strike!"

The turtle ran forward and smashed into Drake with the tip of its pyramid, drawing blood from his stomach.

Drake: 1000

Fiend: 4000

"Now, Card Trooper, let him have it!!!"

Drake winced as the Card Trooper's shoots ripped into his body, as if they were real.

Drake: 600

Fiend: 4000

Drake fell to the ground, in pain and bleeding from the wounds inflicted by the game. It… feels so real. He thought, his hand on one of the more severe wounds. I can feel the blood on my hands…

"This shouldn't be happening." Flynn said. "Isn't this not real? Then how is he bleeding?"

"It just seems that way." Matt said, his arms folded across his chest. "Remember, I was dealt what should have been a fatal blow and survived. It's just that you guys- except for Keith- aren't used to taking a whole lot of damage."

"Easy for you to say, you're dead!" Julie said, looking at Drake with concerned eyes.

"Exactly. Not to mention I had quite the collection of Purple Hearts while I was in the army. At last count… about eight, if I remember correctly. All for wounds received on the front lines. Those hurt a lot. I can ignore the pain because I'm quite used to it."

"But he isn't." Helen said.

"Clearly."

Drake wavered to his feet. "That… hurt."

The fiend laughed. "It was meant to! Why do you think it's called an attack? It's supposed to do damage! And thanks to my blitz, you have very few life points left! I end my turn there."

"Good." Drake drew slowly. It hurt to move. "I think… I might be okay. Just maybe… if…" He looked at the card. This card! "I activate my facedown card, Call of the Haunted. With it, I can bring back one monster. I'll use it to special summon Apprentice Magician, not that it really matters. I sacrifice her to summon the Dark Magician Girl (Dark/Spellcaster/Effect, 2000/1700) in attack mode!"

The fiend laughed. "So what? You can't defeat me this turn, can you? At least not with that! On my next turn, Ryu Kokki will chew up your pitiful little girl and kill you!"

"Not quite." Drake pulled a card out of his hand. "This card is your doom. I activate the spell card, A Gallant Protector Arises! I can only play this spell card when there is at least one female spellcaster- or warrior-type monster on my side of the field. It then allows me to special summon a male spellcaster- or warrior-type monster with more attack or defense points and a higher level from my deck! So, I'll use it to special summon the Dark Magician of Chaos (Dark/Spellcaster/Effect, 2800/2600) in attack mode!"

"So what? That's just one monster, and he'll still be destroyed by my Ryu Kokki's effect if they engage in battle."

"I know, now shut up and let me play my cards!" Drake was getting a little frustrated by the fiend's constant interruptions. "When the Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned, I am allowed to bring one spell card back from the graveyard!"

"So what? There are no spell cards in your graveyard!"

"Are there?" Drake pulled out the card he had just played, A Gallant Protector Arises. "He's summoned after this card ends up in the graveyard, so I can use his effect to bring this card back. Now, if I actually had another Dark Magician of Chaos, this would be a deadly move to pull, but I don't, so I'll have to use it somehow else. Anyway, I'm going to activate A Gallant Protector Arises again! This time, I'm going to call out Buster Blader (Earth/Warrior/Effect, 2600/2300) in attack mode. So now I have 3 monsters on my side of the field, ready to kill you. Next I activate Sage's Stone, just to make sure, to special summon the Dark Magician (Dark/Spellcaster, 2500/2100) in attack mode!"

"And now for the finishing touch, I activate Knight's Title! This card allows me to sacrifice my Dark Magician to special summon Dark Magician Knight! An when he's special summoned, I can destroy one monster on the field! Namely, Ryu Kokki!"

"Curse you… I'll have your head!"

"Not when I'm done with you. The presence of the Dark Magician in the graveyard gives the Dark Magician Girl 300 extra attack points. Now, Dark Magician of Chaos, strike down his Pyramid Turtle!"

Drake: 600

Fiend: 2400

"Ha! Since he was destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard…"

"No he's not."

"What?"

"Dark Magician of Chaos removes him from the game, so you can't special summon another monster. Now, Dark Magician Girl, attack his Zombie Master!"

Drake: 600

Fiend: 1900

"Now, Buster Blader, destroy his Card Trooper and end this match!"

Drake: 600

Fiend: 0

The fiend cried out a curse before exploding, showering the spectators in blood. William looked furious.

"You fool! You should have had him!" He shouted at the dead fiend's remains.

"Almost thought you had had it there, Drake." Flynn said.

"I almost did." Drake said, wiping some blood away from his injuries. "But I managed to draw that card… thanks, Julie. Where'd that card come from?"

"I'm… not exactly sure. I found it in my pocket a while ago and thought it went well in your deck. I didn't get a good chance to give it to you till now." She said.

"Hey! Stop relaxing! I'm not through with you yet!" William shouted. "So you managed to get through the first four of my fiends-"

"Duh. Didn't we tell you we would?" Matt said.

William turned red. "That's beside the point! Now, I've let you get off easy thus far…"

"Who's he trying to kid?" Drake whispered.

"…but now I'm going to pull something that's sure to win me this! Remember, I only need to win one game to defeat you all! And the person who's about to fight has only won one shadow game! The next duelist will be the former Professor Helen!"