Chapter 34: Waltz of the Puppets
"Yo, Akane. It's time to – holy crap, you look terrible."
"Ugh…uh…huh…?"
Akane opened her eyes. Nature was standing by her bed, fully dressed.
"You alright, Akane?" Nature asked.
"Yes," Akane blinked as she rubbed her eyes. "Is there something wrong?"
"Well…here."
Nature gave Akane a mirror. When she looked at it, she almost dropped it in surprise.
Her face looked very pale, and despite not feeling tired, the look on her face suggested the opposite. It was as if she had a very serious fever.
"You sleep well?"
"Yes."
"You stayed up all night?"
"No."
"You sick or something? Because you're sharing a room with me and Crystal…"
"Erm…I'm feeling fine. And besides, did I look sick to you yesterday?"
"Well, no. Just checking. Actually, you don't think it's because of what happened with those guys at New Domino City?"
"Well…"
"Hehehe…"
Akane opened her eyes as her head throbbed painfully. But she wasn't at the street anymore. Instead, she found herself standing in an endless white room. It felt familiar to her…
"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all…?"
She felt her head throbbed again as her vision blurred momentarily. But the moment she could see again, she noticed a dark figure several feet away from her.
"Wha…?"
"Can you answer my question, Akane Kuroyuki…?" the dark figure asked as it began walking toward her. The figure took the shape of a little girl in a dress, but everything about it, even its face and dress, were covered in darkness as if it was literally a shadow. However, Akane didn't feel afraid of it. Instead, she somehow felt that she had seen the figure before…
"I…" Akane murmured as the dark figure stopped in front of her. She could see its face; it was pitch black. Even its eyes were covered in darkness as it spoke again.
"Do you desire power?" the dark figure asked. "Do you wish for power to protect the ones you hold dear…? I could give you that. If you answer my question."
"Mirror…mirror…on the wall…" Akane tried to move, but found that she was paralyzed on the spot. "I…I don't know…who are you? I don't know who you are, but yet I feel that I still know you from somewhere…"
The dark figure giggled as it stuck out a hand. A burst of light shone from the center of its palm, and Akane strained her eyes to see what was emitting that light when it stopped. A single gear with seven teeth rested in its hand. She stared at the strange object when –
'Ugh!?' Akane couldn't move her hands as she felt her head throbbed painfully once more. Her vision blurred, but it was clear to her that the area around her was changing. The white, endless void of a room changed into a smaller room ablaze. She wanted to cover her mouth as she breathed in smoke, but she couldn't. All the while, the pain in her head continued to increase until…
Everything froze. The pain stopped and her vision returned.
She was standing in the room that was on fire, but everything froze. The flames, the smoke, everything. But she didn't care. With her vision now normal, she noticed another figure standing in the back of the room. The figure's body was covered in darkness, but that was due to the fires, and the one in the room was much taller than the dark figure.
Another burst of light, stronger than the last, shone in front of Akane's face. She cried out as she reflexively covered her eyes with her arm. She realized that she had regained the movement of her arms, but she still couldn't move her legs.
"I'll give you only a small portion of this power, but only for this moment. I'll look forward for our next meeting, Akane Kuroyuki. And I expect a new answer to my question…"
She uncovered her eyes and saw that a tooth of the gear was floating in front of her. She was unsure why, but something was telling her to take it.
And so she reached out…
"After all…"
And took it. The exact moment her fingers touched the surface, everything began fading into white. The last thing she heard was…
"We're all connected with a network of our souls."
Akane still remembered the cryptic message that the shadowy figure told her.
'What was that? Was it some sort of illusion, or was it real…?'
"…I don't know," Akane responded, choosing to change the subject. "But I'm fine. Speaking of which, where is Crystal?"
"She left early," Nature responded. "If you're not feeling well, just take a break, alright? See you."
Nature set down the mirror and left the room. Akane took the mirror and looked at her face, wincing at the sight of it.
"…Maybe a quick shower will help me," she concluded as she left the bed.
The sound of an echoing trumpet caught Akane's attention as she tied her hair to a ponytail after changing. She poked her head out of the small window to see the giant hologram of Mr. Heartland in the sky.
"Gooooood morning, brave duelists!" he boomed. "The World Duel Carnival proceeds to its second day, and now the real fun begins with something special happening today!"
'Something special?' Akane wondered.
"But for now, keep your hearts burning in passion as you duel! HEART BURNING!"
With that statement, Mr. Heartland's body was enveloped in literal heart-shaped flames as they disappeared as well.
Akane looked at herself in the mirror and pinched her cheek. She looked perfectly fine now.
"Well, I better get – UGH!?"
She cried out in surprise as her foot stepped onto something round. She flipped and fell; the object clattered next to her hand, which she picked up.
"Urg…what's this…? Blue…hair dye?"
"Who knew it belonged to her…"
Akane placed her Duel Disk onto her arm, but pocketed her Duel Gazer as she left the inn. However, she only took ten steps when…
"LOOK OUT!"
"…Hu – UGH!?"
She cried out in surprise – again – as somebody rammed into her. Both of them fell to the ground with a painful thud.
"Are you alright?" A female voice spoke above her. "Gosh, Yuma. You need to be more careful!"
"Yes, yes, I'm…wait. Yuma?"
Akane opened her eyes to see a familiar red and black spiky-haired boy flying on the ground. Yuma Tsukumo realized whose voice it was and sat up.
"Huh - ? Oh, You're – Akane!"
The young boy jumped back to his feet and helped Akane up. The green-haired girl that was Tori also realized it and smiled.
"Long time, no see!" Yuma grinned. "So you're in the World Duel Carnival as well?"
Akane nodded as she pulled out her Heart Container and her four Mini-Heart Pieces.
"Yes. So how much did you collect yesterday?"
"Check this out!" Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his own Heart Container that had six inside.
"Ah, just two ahead of me," Akane noted. "But where are you two going? You seem to be in very high spirits, Yuma."
"Of course I am!" Yuma replied. "Me, Tori, and two of my friends are going to meet up with IV!"
Something in her head went off as she recalled what Crystal had told her about.
"IV…? You mean the National Duel Champion of Asia? Is he participating in the World Duel Carnival?"
"Right," Tori responded. "Our friends Tetsuo and the Class Rep are heading to the location to duel him. Want to come along?"
"Well…sure thing," Akane agreed. "It would be interesting to see a champion duel."
"If we hurry, then we can catch up to Tetsuo and the Class Rep," Yuma stated. "I think they went this way. C'mon!"
The boys that Yuma and Tori called them Tetsuo and the Class Rep was a plump boy wearing an orange t-shirt and blue pants while the Class Rep was Takashi Todoroki, the boy who was with the group when they confronted Ukyo Kitano, their professor that was controlled by a Number.
The destination was a strange one; it was an empty junkyard, quite isolated from any nearby areas that people would go.
"Huh…pretty weird dueling here," Yuma said.
"But we can duel with IV quietly, right?" Takashi pointed out.
"Yeah, I guess you're right. Wait, is that him?"
Yuma pointed ahead of the two boys. Akane looked at his direction and saw two people approaching them. One was a few years older than them, with blonde hair and oddly enough, a long scar on the right side of his face. He had on a flowing white coat with clothing of the same color, giving him the appearance of some sort of noble.
Behind the young man was a boy about the same age as Akane, with red hair and green eyes. He wore a similar style of clothing as the one in front except that it was red.
Tetsuo and Takashi gave happy cries as they rushed forward with their Duel Gazers.
"Are…are you IV?" Takashi asked.
"Quite so," IV smiled, noticing Akane, Yuma, and Tori. "And these are your friends?"
"Yep," Tetsuo said. "Is it okay for them to watch our duel?"
"Yes, yes! The more, the merrier! Oh, and behind me is my younger brother, III."
The redheaded boy named III smiled and waved.
"Well then, sorry for the wait, you two. Now, let's get started."
"Wa – wait!" Takashi and Tetsuo held up their Duel Disks. "Could you sign your autograph on this? Please?"
"Of course," IV nodded as he took each of them and signed them. "I'm glad. Fan service is my motto after all!"
'Fan…service…?' Akane blinked.
"YES!" Tetsuo gave a shout of triumph as he held his dueling gear above his head. "Now! Which one of us should go and duel first?"
"If you don't mind, then perhaps all three of us should duel at once," IV suggested. "That way, everyone's happy. The duel itself will have both of you share 8000 Life Points and I as well. Of course, to add in on the fun, we're going to bet all of our Heart Pieces on this duel."
At that moment, Astral appeared.
"It's a risky move," he said. "This duel is a two – on – one match. Even if IV is an advanced duelist, surely he will have trouble battling against two at once."
"Don't let your guards down, though," IV said as he placed his Duel Disk, a custom model of three red blades attached to a golden gauntlet onto his arm. "But who knows? You two might be able to defeat me. That is the miracle of dueling, where your cards will save you in your darkest hour and shine the path to victory."
"Alright then, here goes!"
At the same time, both boys equipped their Duel Disks and the entire group put on their Duel Gazers.
IV: 8000
Takashi Todoroki and Tetsuo Takeda: 8000
"Well then, let's see what you guys can do," IV smiled. "I'll let one of you take the first turn."
"But in a two against one duel, the later duelist gets the disadvantage," Tetsuo pointed out.
"But he's letting us go first!" Takashi replied. "We have to take advantage to it!"
"You got a point," Tetsuo said as he drew. "Alright, I'm summoning Tin Goldfish (800/2000)!"
A large toy resembling a goldfish appeared.
"When I summon this little guy, I can special summon a level four monster from my hand, so I'm bringing out Gearknight Soldier (1000/1500)!"
A mechanical toy soldier painted completely gray appeared. In its hand was a large gear, which it held up into the air. Spikes popped out of the teeth of the gear, turning it into a chakram-like weapon.
"And now, I'm going to overlay my level four Tin Goldfish and Gearknight Soldier! With these two monsters, I form the Overlay Network to Xyz Summon Steel Jawbeast (2400/2500)!"
The ground where the red portal formed exploded as a large worm-like creature encased by blue armor appeared. It opened its mouth to roar, revealing rows of sharp teeth.
"A Xyz Monster in the first turn. Impressive!" IV exclaimed.
Takashi looked at Tetsuo with an excited look.
"Did you hear that? IV just praised you!"
Tetsuo chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.
"Still, we can't let our guards down. So with that, I'm setting a card and end my turn."
"Then to summarize, it's my turn!" Takashi declared as he drew.
"I'm summoning Marauding Captain (1200/400)."
The blonde-haired warrior appeared.
"Next, when he's summoned, I can special summon Peten the Dark Clown (500/1200) in defense mode!"
A clown wearing a large red hat appeared. It flipped through the air several times before finally stopping. It chuckled as it pulled out several knives out of nowhere.
"And with that, I'm going to set two cards and end my turn."
"Eh? The class rep didn't overlay his monsters…" Yuma noticed.
"He might be thinking of something else…or at least planning to summon another level three monster," Akane said. "After all, no players can attack on their first turn, so your friends' monsters are going to be fine…I think."
"Alright…here goes nothing!" IV drew. "I summon Gimmick Puppet Juggler (1600/1000)!"
Rising out of the ground was a tall mechanical doll dressed in purple robes and had on a mask over its face.
"Next, I play the Field Spell Puppet House."
The area changed around them. The entire group stood inside some sort of theatre. It was completely empty except for the group, with III, IV, and his monsters standing on the stage while Tetsuo and Takashi were standing several feet away.
"Furthermore, I activate Gimmick Puppet Juggler's effect. By sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard, I can inflict 500 points of damage."
The two boys' eyes widened as the mechanical doll held out an arm and a fireball materialized above its hand. IV took the top card of his deck and looked at it.
"The card that is sent is my level one Gimmick Puppet Princess. But first, Juggler's effect hits now!"
The doll threw the fireball at the boys, which struck the ground at their feet. They both cried out as it exploded.
IV: 8000
Takashi and Tetsuo: 7500
"Hang in there!" Yuma and Tori shouted, though their words of encouragement were drowned out by the sounds of clapping above them.
Akane looked up to see that there were puppets spectating the duel from the balconies above. All of them were dressed in expensive clothing.
"And now, onto Puppet House's effect. Every time a Gimmick Puppet monster is sent into the graveyard, I can add another one to my hand as long as its level is equal to or higher than the one that was sent."
Adding the card to his hand, he took three.
"I now set three cards and end my turn."
Tetsuo gave a confident smirk as he drew.
"Alright, now's our turn to dish out some damage," he declared. "I summon Aye-Iron (1600/1800)!"
A large mechanical toy resembling a lemur wearing a yellow shirt and blue overalls appeared. It flipped into the air, slamming its golden cymbals together.
"I'm activating my Quick-Play Spell Mystical Space Typhoon!" Takashi declared as one of his set cards flipped over.
IV's eyes widen in shock. "Oh! So now…"
"I'm going to destroy…the set card in the middle!"
A tornado swallowed up IV's set card. It fluttered in the wind, and the group was it to be a Trap called Mirror Force.
"Let's go, Steel Jawbeast!" Tetsuo commanded his massive worm-like monster as it charged forward, swallowing up Juggler.
IV: 7200
Takashi and Tetsuo: 7500
"I'm activating my Trap, Puppet Repair as well as Puppet House's effect!" IV cried out as his second set card flipped over. "When a Puppet monster's destroyed, I can special summon another copy from my deck!"
A second Juggler appeared.
Tetsuo glanced at Aye-Iron and back at Juggler. They both have the same attack points.
"Uh…I think I'll end my turn here," he concluded.
IV gave a sigh. "That was close," he said. "You almost got me there, Tetsuo."
"R-really?" Tetsuo grinned.
"Time for me to turn things around!" Takashi drew. "I summon Crashbug X (0/2000)!"
Akane remembered this one; the small child with the bomb head appeared in a puff of smoke.
"And now, I overlay my level three Crashbug X, Marauding Captain, and Peten the Dark Clown!"
All three monsters flew into the air and back down into the red portal. Slowly ascending out of it was a giant pixelated nurse wielding an even bigger syringe filled with green liquid.
"I Xyz Summon Antidote Nurse (1800/1200)! Now, attack Juggler!"
The nurse flew toward Juggler and slammed into it, sending it flying through the wall behind it.
IV: 7000
Takashi and Tetsuo: 7500
"I activate Puppet House's effect again…" IV winced.
"And with that, I end my turn."
"Very nice so far," IV said as he drew. Glancing at his hand, he gave a friendly grin. "You two have been working very well together…but can you withstand this one? I banish my two Jugglers from my graveyard…"
A dark portal opened up at IV's set. The surface of it bubbled as if it was water, and suddenly, the two boys gave a frightened shout followed by a series of loud gunshots.
A floating creature in rags emerged out of the portal. Its body was completely covered in a torn up gray cloak, and its face hidden by its hood. But as soon as it appeared, it began firing the two giant revolvers it had in its snow white hands everywhere. Through the flash from the revolvers, Akane could see its face; it was also pure white with no nose or mouth. Just two, inhumanely giant eyes staring at Takashi and Tetsuo.
"Freaky…" Tori murmured.
"You knew that IV has a card like in his deck?" Yuma added.
"Yuma, remember what Shark told you yesterday about IV?" Astral asked. "Perhaps this is what he was talking about."
"Maybe, but…maybe it just has a powerful effect," Yuma responded.
"Correct on that," IV said. "Gimmick Puppet Reaper Doll (2500/2000) can attack twice if it destroys a monster. And now…I'll attack Aye-Iron!"
Aiming its revolvers, the ragged creature fired a series of bullets at the toy lemur, reducing it to scrap metal before exploding. Above them, the dolls clapped once more.
IV: 7000
Takashi and Tetsuo: 6600
"And now, Reaper Doll will attack Antidote Nurse."
One of the bullets shot by Reaper Doll struck the syringe that the nurse was holding. It exploded, and she was swallowed up by the explosion.
IV: 7000
Takashi and Tetsuo: 5900
"Now then…that will be it for me."
"That hurt…" Tetsuo groaned. But checking his hand, he grinned. "I draw!"
"Now, since all the monsters in my graveyard are Machines, I can special summon Gearspring Spirit (100/100)!"
A thin white puppet with multiple arms and wearing a purple robe appeared.
"Now, with my Spirit, I can reduce the power of a monster on your field to zero!"
"What?" IV gasped as Gearspring Spirit's hands glowed purple.
Gimmick Puppet Reaper Doll: (0/2000)
"Now, Steel Jawbeast will send your Reaper packing into the afterlife!"
The giant beast opened its mouth. Despite unleashing a series of bullets into the monster's mouth, it didn't flinch as it swallowed it whole.
IV: 4600
Takashi and Tetsuo: 5900
IV was pushed back. "I…I activate my Puppet House's effect…"
"And lastly, I'll equip Jawbeast with my Ring of Magnetism, so you can only attack it. I end my turn here!"
"Yes!" Yuma cheered. "Now IV doesn't have any monsters left on his field! Go for it, class rep!"
"Maybe…maybe even someone like IV let his guard down…" Takashi muttered as he drew. "I activate the Spell Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards."
Once he drew, he gave a huge grin.
"Next up, I activate two Spells: Monster Reborn and Direct Strike!" he announced. "I choose to revive Antidote Nurse. Also, when Peten the Dark Clown is in my graveyard, I can banish him to special summon another copy."
As the two monsters appeared, their bodies were enveloped in a golden aura.
"As for Direct Strike's effect, to summarize, every time you get hit by a direct attack, you take an additional 500 points of damage!"
"I see," IV said. "But just to point things out, if you attack me right now with both of your monsters, I would still have 1300 Life Points."
"Which is why I activate Desperate Power," Takashi responded. "By paying 1000 Life Points, I can double the attack power of one of my monsters until the end of this turn, and I choose Antidote Nurse!"
IV: 4600
Takashi and Tetsuo: 4900
Antidote Nurse: (3600/1200)
"Oh…oh no!"
"Now's my chance. Peten, attack IV directly!"
Cackling, the clown unleashed a barrage of throwing knives at IV, who staggered back from the attack.
IV: 3600
Takashi and Tetsuo: 4900
"Antidote Nurse, finish this now!"
Before IV could recover from the last attack, Antidote Nurse charged at the champion, and the entire stage was enveloped in large smoke clouds…
"Yeah!" Tetsuo and Takashi cheered.
"We did it! We actually did it!" Takashi cried.
"We beaten IV!" Tetsuo added.
But their moment of happiness subsided with a laugh.
IV's laugh echoed across the room of the theater, and when the smoke clouds cleared, he was still standing with his Life Points intact.
"That was beautiful," he said in a sarcastic tone, slowly clapping as he spoke. "Too bad it was completely useless."
Yuma's eyes widen. "What the - ? But we say him take a direct hit!"
"No," Akane shook her head as she pointed toward IV's field. "Look."
IV pointed toward the last set card that he had placed in his first turn, which was now flipped over.
"During the attack, I activate the Trap Gimmick Box. All damage I would have taken becomes zero, and I can special summon it as a monster."
Above his head, a portal opened up as a silver box with many carvings that resembled faces emerged.
Gimmick Box: (3600/0)
"Brother."
III, after silently watching the duel, spoke in a soft tone. It was completely different to the sudden harsh tone in iV's voice…
"Please hurry. If they haven't summoned them by this point, then they don't have Numbers to begin with."
Everyone gasped at III's words.
"The Numbers?" Yuma asked.
"If they know about the Numbers…then they must be Number Hunters as well," Astral concluded.
IV's face curled to a sneer. The friendly air that was around him was long gone…no, it was never there to begin with.
"Do you ever stop to wonder why you manage to make it this far?" IV asked. "It's the false vision of hope, where human expression is at its finest!"
"I-IV…" Takashi mumbled, clearly unnerved. "What…what are you saying…?"
"Those hopeful expressions quickly turn to despair as I snatch the chance of victory away! That is why I let my fans have the advantage, so I will always enjoy their pain of losing!" IV cackled. Reaching for his face, he ripped off his Duel Gazer and crushed it. A burst of purple light shone from the back of his hand, and imprinted on it was a mark that resembled lightning. A purple tattoo now covered his eye where his Duel Gazer used to be at.
A tattoo similar to Kaito Tenjo.
"It's my turn!" he roared. "No matter what, no matter what combination or strategy you use, it is far from outplaying me! I summon Gimmick Puppet Limbo Limb (0/0)!"
The ground in front of IV cracked as several skeletal limbs flew out.
"Now, I banish level eight Gimmick Puppet Reaper Doll to change the levels of all my monsters to eight!"
A soft laughter echoed from the limbs as a dark aura enveloped it and Gimmick Box.
"Now, have a good taste, the fan service that I will give to you two! I overlay my level eight Gimmick Box and Limbo Limb! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network…!"
Emerging out of the portal is a massive puppet controller. But attached to it is what seems to be a pulsating heart made out of limbs; light is escaping from the cracks that the limbs aren't covering. Suddenly, the puppet controller tilted until the bottom side is facing both Tetsuo and Takashi and landed on the ground, creating a cross-like tower. An opening was then formed near the top of the tower, and Akane could barely see it, but there is what seems to be a small puppet that is starting to spin something. The pulsating stopped and the heart rumbled as the limbs began to uncoil. The creature that resulted in the uncoiling is a massive black puppet, whose front body is completely opened, revealing hundreds and hundreds of gears working at once, but was quickly covered by skin. The puppet stared down upon the two young boys with green eyes. It had on a red headband that has the number '15' on it…
"…My servant, the marionette of Hell! Number 15: Gimmick Puppet Giant Killer (1500/2500)!"
"He…he really has a Number…" Tori whispered.
"Then…do you think the Number is controlling him?" Yuma asked.
"Most likely not," Astral said. "Based on what Shark said about him, then this is what he truly is…"
"I activate Giant Killer's effect," IV snickered. "By detaching a Xyz Material, I can destroy all Xyz Monsters on your side of the field!"
"What?" Tetsuo gasped as the giant puppet lifted its arms as one of its Xyz Materials flew into its headband. Strings shot out from the center of its palms and connected to Steel Jawbeast. The massive ironclad monster tried wiggling free of its strings as it was slowly dragged toward it.
And then Giant Killer's chest opened, revealing a massive grinder.
Tori closed her eyes while Yuma, Tetsuo, and Takashi looked on in horror at what was about to happen. But no one but Akane noticed that something had changed the puppets watching from the balconies.
They no longer resembled puppets. Their frozen, set faces were now leering at Tetsuo and Takashi as they bared their fangs and their eyes flashed red. Their skin was the color of snow or completely black as if they were charred by flames. They looked so real, yet so unbelievable at the same time…
"Take this!"
The sound of a cannon blast returned Akane. Giant Killer must have pulled Antidote Nurse to her doom, as she was no longer at Takashi's field. The grinder split in two, and a large cannon poked out. It unleashed a red laser that swept across the two boys' fields, and they cried in pain as they were sent flying by the attack…
"No!" Yuma shouted.
IV: 3600
Takashi and Tetsuo: 1500
"How beautiful!" IV laughed as Tetsuo and Takashi reeled in pain from the devastating attack. "Your pained, twisted expressions…I bet you want some more of my fan service! Luckily for you boys, I have just one more that I want to show you, and it's the Spell Attack Gimmick!"
The exact moment IV declared it, part of Giant Killer's arm opened up and a whip fell out, but it grabbed it.
"With this, Giant Killer gains 500 attack points, and as an added bonus, if it destroys a monster, I can inflict even more damage equal to its attack points! So go, FINAL DANCE!"
The massive puppet silently looked down at the two fallen opponents with cold eyes. And through the hoots and urgings of the demonic puppets, it raised its whip and slammed it at Gearspring Spirit, which crashed into Takashi. He didn't even let out a yell…
IV: *WINNER*
Takashi and Tetsuo: 0
"Not yet! Not yet!" IV said. "There's still Attack Gimmick's effect!"
"NO!" Yuma shouted. "Isn't this enough? You've won already!"
"But can't you see their faces? Maybe just one more of my fan service will satisfy them! Go, once more!"
"TETSUO! TAKASHI!"
But it was already done. Tetsuo was struck by the whip, and it was over.
Yuma and Tori ran toward their injured friends while Akane glared at IV. Despite no physical damage on their bodies other than the minor bruises and dirt on their clothes, you could still feel pain during AR Duels, and getting hit by a laser and whipped wasn't the best thing you could feel…
"Tetsuo, are you alright?" Yuma asked as he kneeled toward the larger boy. "C'mon, get a hold of yourself!"
"I'm fine…" Tetsuo groaned, though his body was shaking. "But…what about the class rep…?"
"Why…?" Akane trembled, both in fear and rage at over what she had seen. She had seen many cruel and terrible things in the past, but this was one of the most horrific things that she had ever seen.
IV laughed. "Oh? Is there something the matter?"
"WHY!?" Akane shouted. "They admired you like a hero, and you stomped on them like bugs! This isn't how a respected champion should treat his fans!"
"Oh, come now, I'm just defending my reputation. A star like me would give everything that he has at his fans so that they would enjoy it. Everything, that is…"
"You bastard…" Akane didn't notice herself swearing at the cruel man. "I should've known something was wrong when you wanted to duel here…I…I'll never forgive you!"
"Oh?" IV raised his eyebrow. "You seemed rather spirited. Perhaps you want to be my fan as well?"
But before Akane could open her mouth, something dropped down from the sky and in between them. It was a bike with one wheel, something that Akane had seen before…
"I've found you," Shark snarled as he took off his helmet.
IV smirked. "Ah, Ryoga…"
"Did you forget about your number one fan, IV!?"
Antidote Nurse
LIGHT/Machine/Xyz/Rank 3/1800/1200
3 Level 3 monsters
When a Spell, Trap, or effect is activated that would change a monster's original ATK and/or DEF: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; negate the effect.
(The above card is used by Takashi Todoroki/Caswell in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL Episode 33. All credit goes to the writers.)
Attack Gimmick
Spell
Target 1 face-up "Gimmick Puppet" monster; until the End Phase that target gains 500 ATK. Then, if it destroys an opponent's monster by battle this turn: Inflict damage to your opponent equal to the ATK of the destroyed monster.
(The above card is used by IV/Quattro in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL Episode 42. All credit goes to the writers.)
Puppet Repair
Trap
When a Level 4 or lower "Puppet" monster you control is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Special Summon 1 monster with the same name from your Deck.
(The above card is used by IV/Quattro in Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL Episode 33. All credit goes to the writers.)
Desperate Power
Spell
Pay 1000 Life Points and target 1 monster you control; Double its ATK until the End Phase.
Direct Strike
Spell
This turn when a monster attacks your opponent directly: Inflict 500 damage.
Gimmick Puppet Juggler
DARK/Machine/4/1600/1000
Once per turn: You can send the top card of your Deck to the Graveyard; Inflict 500 damage to your opponent.
Gimmick Puppet Limbo Limb
DARK/Machine/Tuner/1/0/0
Once per turn: Target 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster in your Graveyard; change the Levels of all monsters on your field equal to the Level of the monster targeted.
Gimmick Puppet Reaper Doll
DARK/Machine/8/2500/2000
You can Special Summon this card from your hand by banishing 2 "Gimmick Puppet" monsters in your Graveyard. When this card destroys a monster: This card can attack again.
Puppet House
Field Spell
When a "Gimmick Puppet" monster is sent to the Graveyard: You can add 1 "Gimmick Puppet" monster with a Level equal to or higher from your Deck.
Steel Jawbeast
EARTH/Beast/Xyz/Rank 4/2400/2500
2 Level 4 Monsters
When this card would be destroyed by battle: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card; This card gains 300 ATK instead.
(The above 7 cards are made by me.)
Chapter 35: Before Hate and Rage
A showdown between Shark and the unknown boy III begins. Despite giving him a small advantage, III uses it for his own benefits as he summons his Number. Reflections and memories arrive as Shark struggles to control himself from the influence of the Number as he swears to punish IV for what he had done…
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