"Lame on, get your lame on, come on now, battle play your cards wrong! Come on and get your lame on!" Chazz sang to himself, traversing the dark halls of the pyramid alone. As expected, he'd entered the temple moments after ditching those two losers Konami and Jaden, though he had yet to meet up with the assault team of Zane, Wisteria, Bastion, and of course, Alexis. And as if that wasn't bad enough… he had to put up with this nonsense too!
"Uh, hey boss, are we there yet?" the persistent pain in Chazz's side, Ojama Yellow, asked curiously.
"For the last time, no! Now stop talking! You're getting on my nerves!" Chazz snapped, waving the transparent Duel Monster Spirit from his face.
"Aw boss, you know you love me!" the Ojama replied as it dodged the swipe, moving to rub its butt in Chazz's face happily.
"I do not!" Chazz denied vehemently, angrily brushing the spirit aside. "Now shove off already! Before I start to regret not throwing you into that lame ass well! Oh wait," Chazz said, amending his statement. "I already do! Guess it's time to throw out the trash-!"
Ojama Yellow whined worriedly, and in response, two more Duel Spirits emerged from Chazz's Deck. Namely, Yellow's brothers, Ojama Green, and Ojama Black.
"But you already tried that, remember?" Ojama Green asked.
"Yeah, it didn't work out so well!" Ojama Black agreed. "Besides, we're still grateful you saved us from that place to begin with! I thought I was gonna die in there!"
Chazz grunted in annoyance, recalling the situation perfectly. It had been just a few days following his return to Duel Academy, and despite his new – and most certainly temporary – placement into Slifer Red, he had done his upmost best to avoid Jaden and the rest of the ilk. Of course, Jaden's "let bygones be bygones" nature and friendly demeanor meant that he went out of his way to find Chazz when possible, and that meant that Chazz had to resort to extreme methods to get his peace and quiet.
Staring into the sunset by the pier, exploring deserted areas of the island, he'd done it all, and no one had even noticed, because they'd all been too busy worrying about these "Shadow Riders". What a joke! He hadn't even seen anything that explained how they were even the least bit dangerous, and as for Konami's "injuries"… well, Chazz just knew that Slifer was a clutz. He probably… fell down the volcano or something!
"Uh, boss? Are you alright? You seem to be zoning out there!" Ojama Yellow said, snapping Chazz back to his senses!
Right! Those Ojama! He'd found them during one of his many escapades, tossed down some old forgotten well along with a mass of other weak cards. He'd have left them there too, if it weren't for Ojama Yellow's incessant moaning and screaming at the thought of being reunited with his brothers. Obviously, the little jerk never mentioned that meant two more Ojama cards to annoy Chazz all the more.
But they had their uses… not that Chazz would admit it.
"I'm fine!" Chazz grunted, brushing the near-naked Duel Spirit from his face once more. "And I thought I told you to stop talking?!"
"S-Sorry boss!" Ojama Yellow said, butt wiggling alongside his just as apologetic brothers. "But I just can't help it! This place is just so dark, and spooky!"
"There's nothing spooky about it!" Chazz complained, walking further down the dimly lit hall. "It's all just atmosphere! As soon as I beat that Shadow Rider, everyone will see it! And then… they'll realize that the Chazz has better things to do than babysit a couple of Slifer Slackers!"
"Even when you're one of those "Slifers" yourself, Chazz?" a feminine voice sighed softly from behind him.
Chazz's eyes widened as he turned around, and he instantly knew he was caught.
Yu-Gi-Oh: Tag Force
Learning to Duel
Arc Five – Chapter Four
The Swift and the Strong
A terrible cry echoed through the many halls of the pyramid, and as they ran through the halls, Team YKB paused.
"Huh? What was that?!" Yuma asked, glancing about wildly as she stared down both halls.
"Dunno, but it sounded like Chazz." Konami said.
"Or Zane." Blair added.
Yuma nodded thoughtfully at both answers, before realizing that really, it didn't matter. From the level of volume the yell had produced, the culprit was obviously nowhere near them, and as a result, they had nothing to fear regarding their own safety. Safety which, at the moment, was Yuma's least concern.
"Well I for one vote for it being Bastion!" Yuma said, guiding the group further into the darkness.
"That sounded nothing like Bastion!" Konami complained. "Besides, it doesn't really matter who it was, does it? What matters is that we go back to help!"
"Nuh uh. We don't even know where that yell came from, least of all how to get there!" Yuma said. "We're heading to the goal, where fortune and Shadow Duels await!"
"But what if it was Zane?" Blair asked worriedly. "Shouldn't we check and see if he's alright?"
"Still think it was Chazz…" Konami muttered, "but Blair's right! Someone could have been hurt, Yuma! And what if it is Bastion? Do you really wanna have his death on your conscience if there was something we could have done to save him?"
"Huh? Die? In here? Puhlease." Yuma snickered sheepishly. "I mean, Bastion's way too smart for that, and Zane's Zane right?"
"Well, maybe you're right…" Blair murmured softly, "but Zane's still my destination, and that means we should go back anyway!"
"No." Yuma denied bluntly. "We are almost there now. I can taste it. No turning back."
"You can… taste it?" Konami asked, a deadpan expression on his face. "You alright there Yuma? You're acting a little weird… as in, more than usual."
"H-Hahi?! Weird? Me?! Of course I am, you lovable numbskull you, we're almost to the end of this place, and that means Shadow Duels! Do you know how long I've been waiting to see one?! I'm almost drooling just thinking about it, heh."
Yeah, I can tell. Konami thought, averting his eyes with an annoyed expression. But Shadow Games are nothing to drool about, Yuma. Especially if it's one against a Shadow Rider!
Yuma straightened her back.
"That's it. I see it." she said, squinting her eyes into the darkness. "A doorway!"
"What? Already?!" Konami asked in surprise, squinting into the distance.
Yuma was right. Not five meters from their location was a large, stone door, etched with symbols and markings that just screamed Ancient Egyptian. Yuma's eyes sparkled at the sight.
"Oooh Hieroglyphs!" she shouted, carrying Konami over to the door as an exasperated Blair followed soon after. "I wonder what they say? Unfortunately I don't read Egyptian, neither of you would happen to, would you?"
"Oh yes," Konami said sarcastically, "because Blair and I have most definitely taken Ancient Egyptian in the classes that focus on nothing but HOW TO PLAY DUEL MONSTERS!"
"Yeesh!" Yuma said, squinting her eyes in annoyance at the tone. "No need to yell, I get it! So no one here reads Egyptian. Oh well then. You know what they say! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! So…"
Removing one of the hands she was using to stabilize Konami, Yuma pushed gently against the great stone doors, unknowingly touching the etched Eye of Anubis as she did so. The rune glowed softly upon contact, and the doors gave way – revealing the large chamber within.
"Huh. Somehow I can't help but feel a little… disappointed." Yuma said, stepping into the room with a small frown. "I was expecting something noisy to happen! You know, at least an explosion or two! This is just… meh."
"Well excuse me for liking it." Blair said, folding her arms uncomfortably as she averted her eyes from the pair. "Besides, I really think we should hurry up and look for Zane…!"
"Or at least whoever it was that screamed earlier." Konami agreed, glancing around the room for another exit. "Is it a dead end…?"
Yuma snorted. "Hardly. You can't see the other door on the other side of the room? It's freakin' huge!"
Konami blinked, and turned his head in the direction Yuma was facing. Indeed, there was a door present, and it was far larger than any of the other passages Konami had seen since entering the pyramid. In fact… it might have been the size as the initial entranceway itself!
"Boss Room… huh…?" he found himself muttering, narrowing his eyes at the large slabs that made up the doors. "End of the line."
"Yes… for you." An annoyed voice drawled from behind them, and the group of three turned, facing their angry addressor quietly.
Konami's eyes widened. "You're-!"
"Unbelievable." Wisteria said, arms folded and eyes narrowed at the group. "Even after everything I told you, you still come in here and manage to screw everything up." She sighed, brushing one of her twintails from her face before continuing. "I'm getting real tired of your shit, Konami-kun."
Konami's eyes widened as he heard the words, and he knew he was caught.
-GX-
Meanwhile…
-GX-
"A-A-Alexis! W-What are you doing here?!" Chazz asked, backpedaling quickly as he stared at the exasperated girl who'd snuck up behind him.
"That's what I should be asking you." she said softly. "Weren't you supposed to stay behind and keep an eye on Jaden and Konami? Don't tell me you let them run in here too? It's dangerous."
Chazz averted his eyes guiltily, and scratched his cheek softly as he thought up a story. "Um… well… you see…"
Alexis sighed. "Never mind. You can explain later, once we've met back up with the rest of the group!"
"Rest of the group?" Chazz asked, confused. Alexis gave him an unamused stare, and suddenly Chazz understood. "Ah, that's right! You came in here with Zane and the others! Where are they? What happened to them?"
"We got separated." Alexis said. "This pyramid… its traps weren't like anything we expected. We'd barely been inside five minutes before everything started going wrong."
"Heh, well then it's a good thing you ran into me, isn't it?" Chazz asked with a cocky smirk. "Don't worry Alexis, I'll make sure you get out of here safely, and I'll take care of that Shadow Rider while doing it! Just you watch! This time, it'll be the Chazz who saves the day!"
Unbeknownst to him, Alexis had already started walking while he was finishing what he thought was a heroic monologue. Realizing his mistake upon seeing she was already moving, Chazz sputtered, before quickly moving to catch back up.
"H-Hold on Alexis! It's dangerous to go alone!" Chazz shouted.
"Well then, I guess that means you should keep up, huh?" Alexis asked innocently. "Besides, we don't have time to fool around. There's no telling what you might've attracted with that scream earlier."
"Scream? What scream? I didn't scream! Did you scream?" Chazz asked, folding his arms defiantly – after all, Princetons didn't scream, especially not when they were the best Princeton ever, also known as the Chazz, also known as Manjoume Thunder, also known as –
"Great, we're here." Alexis said, once again cutting off Chazz's inner thoughts.
With a stumbling halt, Chazz blinked furiously, gazing at the large open door that stood before them. "Huh? We're here? Doesn't look like anything special to me. Just another door to go through!"
"Yeah, but you weren't here when I opened it." Alexis said. "It was different, glowing. Definitely not like the other doors I've gone through."
"Maybe." Chazz grumbled his agreement. "Well, in that case let me go first. Wouldn't want a trap or something to set off and hurt you."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'll be fine." Alexis said, stepping past Chazz into the room.
With a startled cry Chazz raised his hand after her, as if worried for her safety before shaking his head no. What was wrong with him? Alexis knew how to take care of herself! She didn't need him babysitting her – not that he would mind having to do something like that!
Focus Chazz, focus! He told himself, clapping himself on the cheek before following Alexis inside.
The door slammed itself shut behind him.
"What in the world-?"
"Chazz, please tell me you didn't just lock us in here." Alexis asked hopefully.
"I didn't do it! It closed on itself, scout's honor!" Chazz promised, moving back to pound on the door angrily. As expected, it didn't budge.
"Guess that means the only way's forward then… not that there was a way out that way to begin with." Alexis frowned.
"Actually girlie, there is! Not that you'll get a chance to use it!"
The shout came from behind them, and Chazz turned his head to glare at the offending figure.
"What's that?! Who's there?!" he shouted, clenching his fists tight as Alexis continue to glance around the room warily.
"The name's 'loog, Don Zaloog!" the figure said, revealing himself as he stepped from the shadows. "And you my friends," he said, grinning before pointing to the two students, "are in for a world of pain!"
"Stop kidding around!" Chazz said, taking an angry step forward. "Don Zaloog? What kind of lame name is that?!"
"The name of the Shadow Rider who's gonna take your Spirit Key for the Pharaoh, that's what!" Don Zaloog said with a grin, folding his musclebound arms eagerly.
"Shadow Rider?!" Alexis asked, eyes widening. "You mean you're the one who raised this pyramid?!"
"Not quite girly, didn't I just say it?" Don Zaloog asked, wagging his finger intently. "This pyramid is the tomb of the powerful Abidos the Third! He's also a Shadow Rider, and he's given me form to become one as well!" the man explained, gesturing to his golden eye. "But enough talk, you're here to duel aren't ya? Well, so am I! And we'll make the prize, that Spirit Key of yours!"
"Well, it's straight to the point, and I don't see any reason why I should refuse. If it means defeating one more of you, that might mean that the chances of my brother waking up will increase as well!" Alexis explained, and she raised her Duel Disk.
"Alexis, wait!" Chazz shouted, stepping in front of the girl and blocking her path with a hand. "Let me duel this joker!"
"What? Chazz!" Alexis gasped, surprised not at his declaration, but his boldness in blocking her off.
"Heh, you wanna duel? Fine by me! As long as I get a Spirit Key outta the deal, I don't care which of ya I have to beat!" Don Zaloog said. "In fact, why don't we make this easier for all of us?! One duel, for both the keys! You both got em, don'tcha?!"
Chazz grit his teeth in annoyance, recognizing the familiar weight dangling around his neck. "Yeah, we got em! But there's no way they're gonna end up with you!" he spat, clenching his fist angrily. "After all, you're facing the strongest of the key-holders – Chazz Princeton, and you know what that means?"
"What? What does it mean?" Don Zaloog asked.
"It means…" Chazz said with a nasty smirk, activating his Duel Disk. "That it's time for you to go bye-bye!"
Alexis sighed, but lowered her own Duel Disk at the Slifer's words. "Chazz…"
"Heh, don't worry Alexis! There's no way this guy'll be able to beat me, because right now the Chazz is cooking up a storm – and where's there a storm, there's thunder! Manjoume Thunder!"
Don Zaloog averted his eyes in disgust at the lame puns. "Are you going to sit there and talk, or are you going to put your money where your mouth is?! It's time to duel, key-holder!"
"Yeah, whatever. Let's hurry up and get this over with." Chazz snorted.
The two duelists glanced at each other for a moment, both of them filled with delusions of fortune and grandeur. They shuffled their decks –
DUEL
CHAZZ VS DON ZALOOG
CHAZZ – 4000 LP
DON ZALOOG – 4000 LP
"Let's go!" Don Zaloog said, making the first draw. "I'll win this! And it'll only take a minute!"
TURN ONE – DON ZALOOG
"First I summon Golem Sentry in Defense Mode!" he shouted, placing a card on the Field face-up.
A large, rocky warrior emerged from the floor at the words, his stony exterior more than enough to provide him with adequate defense.
Golem Sentry – (EARTH/Rock) – LV4 – (800/1800)
"Next I'll place a card face-down, and that'll do for now." The man finished, grinning all the while.
"My Turn!" Chazz shouted, not even bothering to acknowledge the blatant misuse of rules. Those Egyptians must've done things funky.
TURN TWO – CHAZZ
"I play the Spell Card Fiend Sanctuary!" he shouted instead, revealing the green card in his hand swiftly. "With this card, I can summon a Metal Fiend Token to the Field in Attack Mode!" Chazz explained, thrusting his hand outward as a large, metal statue of a monster appeared in his first Monster Zone.
Metal Fiend Token – (DARK/Fiend) – LV1 – (0/0)
"But he won't be around for long, because now I'll sacrifice my token… to bring out the Armed Dragon at Level Five!" Chazz roared, raising his hand to the sky valiantly as his monster descended on the Field.
His Monster Zones shone with light as the hulking red-black dragon appeared, grunting in annoyance at the state of affairs. It gazed at the defending Golem Sentry strangely, almost as if to say, "Really?" before narrowing its eyes.
Shit just got real.
Armed Dragon LV5 – (WIND/Dragon) – LV5 – (2400/1700)
"Now, Armed Dragon! Use those arms to destroy that Golem!" Chazz shouted, and his monster roared in agreement, swirling its arms around rapidly to unleash a torrent of swirling blades that cleaved the stone warrior in two. Don Zaloog grit his teeth as the monster exploded, sending debris flying throughout the chamber in response to its destruction. Still, at least he had his Life Points!
"Alright," Chazz grunted, clenching his fist eagerly, "now for my next move, I'll place two face-downs, but that's not all, because since my Armed Dragon destroyed a monster this Turn, I can send him to the Graveyard to Special Summon his next form – the Armed Dragon at Level Seven!" he shouted, watching as his Armed Dragon grew and changed into a brand new form at his behest.
Armed Dragon LV7 – (WIND/Dragon) – LV7 – (2800/1000)
"Wow, Chazz really isn't holding back." Alexis noted to herself. "And those Level cards of his are pretty powerful…"
"He can level them up all he wants!" Don Zaloog shouted. "It won't matter, and you're about to see why! My Turn, Draw!"
TURN THREE – DON ZALOOG
"First… I'll play the Spell Card Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards!" Don Zaloog said, grabbing the top two cards of his Deck with a smirk. He glanced at them, and the smirk only widened into a full grin. "And what do you know? They're just what I wanted! I play… myself, Don Zaloog, in Attack Mode!"
Chazz and Alexis's eyes widened in surprise at the words, and they watched in confusion as the man leapt onto the Field, taking his place in the Monster Zone.
Don Zaloog – (DARK/Warrior) – LV4 – (1400/1500)
"Wait a second! How does that work?!" Chazz snapped.
Alexis too, was surprised. "You mean you're a card?!"
"Not just me, but my compatriots from the old days too!" Don Zaloog revealed. "And you're about to meet each and every one of them, because I have a Spell Card – the Mustering of the Dark Scorpions! It allows me to summon all the Dark Scorpions I have in my hand, which means… that you get to meet the whole team!"
He quickly placed what appeared to be his remaining four cards onto his Duel Disk, and golden light filled the chamber, along with what could only be described as sinister laughter. In a flash, a burly team of legendary robbers appeared alongside Don Zaloog, forming along with him some kind of signature battle pose that symbolized their teamwork.
To Chazz, it just looked stupid.
Chick the Yellow – (DARK/Warrior) – LV3 – (1000/1000)
Cliff the Trap Remover – (DARK/Warrior) – LV3 – (1200/1000)
Gorg the Strong – (DARK/Warrior) – LV5 – (1800/1500)
Meanae the Thorn – (DARK/Warrior) – LV4 – (1000/1800)
"Boss, it's been a long time!" Chick shouted.
Cliff nodded in agreement. "Yeah, so long! Can't wait until I can kill some Traps!"
"I… am Strong." Gorg mumbled.
"Don." Meanae said bluntly.
"Meanae." Don acknowledged, before glancing back at Chazz victoriously. "How about it, key-bearer? Think you still stand a chance against my complete team?!"
"Of course." Chazz replied, folding his arms. "From what I see, they're nothing but a bunch of losers anyway!"
The Dark Scorpions all cried out in outrage at the words for their own reason, but Don Zaloog silenced them with a laugh.
"We'll see who the loser is, after you see what my Trap Card can do!" he shouted, revealing his face-down laid on the first Turn. "Behold, The Dark Scorpion Combination! See, on the first turn that the Dark Scorpions are out, I can use this Trap to let me and my team attack you directly! But for every one of those attacks… you only lose 400 Life Points!"
"What…?" Chazz muttered, taking a step back in annoyance.
Alexis' eyes narrowed worriedly. "Not good…"
"Now, let him have it!" Don Zaloog roared, and the Dark Scorpions sprang into action.
Together, they unleashed their various moves upon the unsuspecting Slifer, lashing out at his black wardrobe and sending him sprawling to the floor in pain. Chazz cursed violently as he crawled back to his feet, and he glared at his Duel Disk, watching the Life Point Counter drop.
CHAZZ – 2000 LP
DON ZALOOG – 4000 LP
"Of course, that's not all!" Don Zaloog laughed. "See, now my Dark Scorpions' effect kicks in! And you can bet they'll only hurt you more!"
"That's right," Gorg said, "so first a monster on your Field returns to the top of your Deck!"
Chazz's eyes widened as he watched Armed Dragon vanish from the Field, leaving him wide open for attack.
"And then next," Chick laughed, pointing at Chazz's remaining cards eagerly, "a card on your Field returns to your hand!"
One of Chazz's face-downs fled back into his hand, leaving Chazz to scowl even further.
"There's more!" Cliff shouted. "The top two cards of your Deck go to the Graveyard!"
Chazz grit his teeth, watching as the Armed Dragon just returned was sent packing early, to join its predecessor six feet under.
"And then one card in your hand is destroyed!" Don Zaloog laughed.
By that point Chazz was tired of the ordeal, and stared blank-faced at the group before discarding another card to the grave.
"And finally!" Meanae said with a grin. "A card with "Dark Scorpion" in its name can be added to Don Zaloog's hand from the Graveyard!"
"And I choose… the Dark Scorpion Combination!" Don Zaloog revealed, grabbing the Trap and placing it back into his hand.
"Chazz, you better do something or you'll lose!" Alexis warned.
"I'm on it Alexis!" Chazz snapped back. "Because I have this! The Trap Card Level Modulation!" he shouted, revealing his lone face-down before addressing his opponent. "Now, you get to draw two cards from your Deck, and I get to bring back… my Armed Dragon Level Seven!"
The great dragon roared as it reappeared in a flash, scattering the Dark Scorpions and leaving Don Zaloog to grit his teeth in annoyance.
Armed Dragon LV7 – (WIND/Dragon) – LV7 – (2800/1000)
"That card again?" Don Zaloog grunted. "Well then, you leave me no choice! I play two cards face-down and end my Turn!"
"Then it's my Turn!" Chazz shouted, drawing his next card.
TURN FOUR – CHAZZ
"And first, Armed Dragon's ability activates!" Chazz shouted. "Now by sending one monster card in my hand to the Graveyard, monsters with Attack Points equal or fewer than my discarded one are destroyed! And unfortunately for you and your crew... the card I'm discarding is this – Despair from the Dark, who has 2800 Attack Points!"
"Hold it!" Don Zaloog shouted. "I play a Trap – Retreat of the Dark Scorpions! It returns all Dark Scorpions on the Field to my hand!" he revealed, leaping away and watching his monsters vanish just in time to see Armed Dragon obliterate the area where they stood seconds earlier.
Chazz clucked his tongue in annoyance. "Fine then I'll attack directly! Armed Dragon go get him! Dragon Sonic Sphere!"
The great dragon roared, gathering a glowing yellow sphere of energy in its palm before lobbing it forward, slamming it into Don Zaloog's unprepared form swiftly. The man cried out in pain, his one working eye widening in surprise as he felt the damage seep through to his very bones.
CHAZZ – 2000 LP
DON ZALOOG – 1200 LP
"I play one card face-down and end my Turn." Chazz said.
"One lucky move! That's all! But it won't matter!" Don Zaloog replied, drawing his next card. "It ends here!"
TURN FIVE – DON ZALOOG
"I summon myself, Don Zaloog!" he shouted, jumping back onto the Field quickly.
Don Zaloog – (DARK/Warrior) – LV4 – (1400/1500)
He laughed, before reaching for another card in his hand. "And next I'll play… another Mustering of the Dark Scorpions, which means my team gets to come back out for an encore!"
"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to rain on your parade!" Chazz shouted. "I activate… Ojama Trio!"
He revealed the trap he'd played on his last turn, and immediately the three Duel Spirits of the Ojama siblings appeared, hovering through the air before taking up positions on Don Zaloog's side of the Field.
"What's this?! Why are they on my Field?!" Don Zaloog exclaimed.
"Simple, so that your team can't be!" Chazz laughed. "See, Ojama Trio creates Ojama Tokens who take up three of your monster slots! And when they're destroyed… you lose 300 Life Points!"
Don Zaloog grit his teeth angrily at the revelation, and he turned his head to glare at the three wastes of space.
Ojama Token – (EARTH/Beast) – LV2 – (0/1000)
Ojama Token – (EARTH/Beast) – LV2 – (0/1000)
Ojama Token – (EARTH/Beast) – LV2 – (0/1000)
"Sorry pal!" Ojama Black said with a grin, doing pushups.
"Thanks for having us!" Ojama Green said happily.
Ojama Yellow smiled cheekily, and began sipping from his cup. "I just love hot chocolate!"
"Tch… well if my whole team can't come out, then I guess I have no choice!" Don Zaloog cursed. "Meanae!"
He placed the one monster into his sole remaining Zone, and the brown-haired Scorpion appeared in a flash.
"Boss… do what you have to." she said sadly, already knowing what was in store for her.
"Alright, don't worry! I'll never forget you for this!" Don Zaloog shouted, and he threw his hand to the sky. "I play Dark Scorpion – Tragedy of Love! When Meanae and I are both out on the Field, I can send Meanae to the Graveyard to destroy all of your monsters!" he shouted, and the woman leapt into action, lashing her whip about wildly in a suicide strike.
Armed Dragon roared out in pain as the thorn-like slashes cut into his body, and with one last twirl, Meanae sent both herself and it to the Graveyard, leaving Chazz defenseless once again.
"And now that you're defenseless…" Don Zaloog said, masking a tear as he pulled out his guns. "I can attack you directly!"
Chazz grimaced as two loud bangs echoed through the chamber, and he gripped his body in pain, feeling the dark bullet pierce through his skin but leave no visible wounds.
"G-Guh…!" he cursed, glaring at his Life Point Monitor.
CHAZZ – 600 LP
DON ZALOOG – 1200 LP
"And don't forget my ability!" Don Zaloog shouted. "One of your cards, is going to the Graveyard!"
Chazz chuckled. "Fine by me, because I only have one card in my hand, and that card is – Ojamagic!" he said, grinning as he revealed the Spell in his hand. "And when this card is sent to the Graveyard… Ojama Black, Yellow, and Green all come to my hand!"
Don Zaloog grinned. "Bring em out! They don't scare me!"
"We'll see about that!" Chazz grinned, adding the cards to his hand and drawing his next card. "My move! Draw!"
TURN SIX - CHAZZ
"Alright! Pot of Greed!" Chazz shouted. "You used it yourself earlier, so you know that it lets me draw two cards!" he grabbed the top cards of his Deck, and grinned. "And whaddya know? I have just what I need now! So first, I'll activate Polymerization! Scared yet?"
Don Zaloog took a step back, eyes widening at the implications of the card.
"Don't comment, it's clear you will be!" Chazz shouted, raising his three monsters to the sky. "Go on Ojamas! Fuse together now!"
"Alright boss!" Ojama Yellow shouted.
"Let's do it guys!" Ojama Green agreed.
"Here we go!" Ojama Black roared.
The three weak monsters leapt together, banging their heads together as they attempted to fuse and wound up distorting the rules of reality itself. Sparkling lights shone down upon the Field, and as the three monsters faded into its glory, a large white giant appeared, bearing a grin that took up almost all of his body.
Ojama King – (LIGHT/Beast) – LV6 – (0/3000)
"W-What is this?!" Don Zaloog asked, taking a step back at the sight of the towering monster. Beside him, the Ojama Tokens danced and cheered.
"Now then," Chazz grinned, "I'll play my Spell Card – Ojamuscle! It destroys all Ojama monsters on the Field besides Ojama King, then gives him 1000 Attack Points for each one destroyed!"
Ojama King grinned and opened his jaws wide, prompting the three tokens to disappear inside the beasts mouth with a loud, nasty chomp. The King's muscles bulged and pulsed upon receiving his subjects, and his grin grew even wider, filling him with untold strength.
Ojama King – (LIGHT/Beast) – LV6 – (3000/3000)
"3-3000 Attack Points?!" Don Zaloog gasped, staggering back further.
"That's right," Chazz said, wagging his finger, "and don't forget, since those were Ojama Tokens that were just destroyed, you take 300 damage for each, not that it matters, because with this next Attack – it's over! Ojama King, attack Don Zaloog and end this Duel! Flying Belly Drop Flop!"
"Oh Chazz…" Alexis sighed from the sidelines, palming her face in embarrassment. "Your Attack Names clearly need work."
Ojama King didn't seem to care. With a booming laugh, he marched several steps forward, and promptly fell, leaving Don to cry out at the approaching figure.
"NO!"
CHAZZ – 600 LP
DON ZALOOG – 0 LP
"Like I said…" Chazz murmured, turning his back to the now nonexistent Shadow Rider. "You go bye-bye."
The remaining monsters faded from view, and the passageway Don was blocking minutes prior gave way, revealing a new passage to follow – one christened with golden light.
"See Alexis? Told you I had it." Chazz said, walking through the door toward victory.
Alexis sighed at Chazz's antics, but ultimately had to smile softly. "Yeah, I guess you did."
They entered the new hallway, and Chazz released one last statement.
"One more Shadow Rider down…. Four more to go."
Chapter Fifty Four
END
A great victory! Manjoume shines?! As Chazz and Alexis continue down the path to Abidos, what surprises lie in wait for them now? And what of Konami's group? What nonsense shall they be forced to endure?! Find out next time, on Yu-Gi-Oh Tag Force – Learning to Duel!
And don't forget to leave me your thoughts! They give me ideas on how to proceed!
And now…
Ringing.
The unmistakable sound of ringing filled the air.
With a soft groan, Red Hat – no, Konami Kodo rose from beneath his sheets, and reached for the beeping cellphone. Something that he wasn't entirely sure he really had in the first place.
"H-Hello?" he asked tiredly, yawning into the receiver as a familiar female voice returned his greeting… in a less than cordial manner.
"Is that you, Konami?! What's the meaning of this?!" Yuma asked, practically shouting into the receiver on her own end. "I was just talking to some girls in the lounge when I heard something about their Sunday Plans – something about how they were going to do their best drawing sandwiches with you."
The spite in Yuma's voice was unmistakable. Had he made a mistake? Really, he went to draw sandwiches with everyone. Giving them Golden Eggs seemed to really lighten the mood – even with Zane.
"They looked really happy about it." Yuma drawled, in a most un-Yuma-like manner.
"I-Is that… so?" Konami asked, averting his eyes from the phone to stare at the wall.
"You had specifically promised that we'd go out together on Sunday didn't you?!" Yuma complained. "You know, doing friendly friend things that only friends should do?! Tch… but if you promised to go with those girls… no one would say anything, right?"
"Well… um…" Konami scratched his cheek, searching for an excuse.
There was none. Or rather, Yuma didn't give him the time to think of one.
"So who was tricked?" Yuma asked curiously. "Those girls, or me? And more to the point, how am I supposed to be friends with those girls now? Of all things… Quadruple-timing in this academy…! How can you be serious about anyone? I won't listen to any excuses! In fact, I don't think we should talk for a while. Really… if you act like this, it's no wonder everyone hated you back then…"
"H-Hey! That's going too far-!"
The phone line clicked dead, and Konami stared blankly at the wall. Did Yuma… just… hang up on him?
Before he could completely comprehend the situation, the phone rang once more.
"Ugh… hello?" Konami asked, answering it once again.
"It's me." Wisteria said sharply. "Direct Attack! That is all."
"HOLD IT!" Konami retorted.
"Oh. You want to know my reasons for this Attack? How else do you propose I dish out punishment? Is death not good enough?!"
"Uhm… erm… well…!"
"Hmph. This important Sunday finally came around, and I find out you've been quietly double-booking." Wisteria drawled. "It seems our plans to go Rare Hunting where just on the level of stalking Zane. And isn't Blair like, half your age? Pathetic."
"What?! No! It's not like that!" Konami complained.
"Don't get the wrong idea, Red Hat. I didn't call to listen to your excuses." Wisteria said, idly stabbing his eye in a picture with a sharp knife. "The date of your death has already been decided. Before it arrives I want you to reflect on how useless and utterly worm-like you are. That is my only condition. I'll kill you soon."
Again, the phone line went dead.
The door to his dorm started knocking, and Konami jumped. "H-Huh?!"
"It's me, Blair." The girl said, entering the room several seconds later. "So… I've been hearing about how the Girls' Dorm is practically collapsing in on itself… I went over there with Jaden earlier and… well… it was pretty bad. I know this is mostly because of you, so I just wanted you to know that whatever you're doing, is definitely not good." Blair's eyes narrowed, and she pulled out a gun. "Therefore-!"
"WHOA! WHOA! WHOA! Where did you get that?! Just… don't do anything crazy now…!" Konami said, inching himself toward the window.
Blair didn't give him the chance.
"I will remove you!" she shouted, and a gunshot rang out.
"UWWWWWWAGH!" Konami roared, opening his eyes and banging his head on the top of his bunk.
He promptly crashed back down onto his pillow, sweating profusely. "Oh thank Horahkty. It was only a dream…"
Blair swept her head out from her bed and glanced at him upside-down. "Hey are you alright?"
"UWAGH!" Konami shouted, raising his sheets to defend himself at Blair's sudden appearance.
"Another nightmare? Jeez, aren't you too old for those? Go back to sleep Konami." Blair complained, and she rolled back onto her bed.
Konami sighed, and closed his eyes, never realizing that on the table, lay a used handgun.
END
