Happy New Year everyone! I know you all waited awhile for my epic tale to continue, and now I'm feeling refreshed and ready to pick up where I left off! Without further ado, on to the next Duel!
Yugioh: The Power of Four
Chapter 24: ARC-V — Part 10
"Everything seems to check out on my end. How about you, Dr. Faker?" The dirty blonde man in question, Dr. Faker, turned to the long silver haired young man opposite him.
"Same here, V. All systems seems to be at top efficiency." He replied, sounding pleased. He then sighed.
"Something wrong, Doctor?" V asked. The older man chuckled.
"Oh, its nothing. It is just that I wish I could be at that camping trip with Kaito and Haruto." He truly wanted to be with his sons. It was not as if he was too busy to take time off for his family. The thing was on the evening prior to the trip, he got an alert from his friend and V's father, Tron, that an anomaly had occurred in their lab in Heartland City. He agreed to come and take a look, regrettably telling his sons that he couldn't make it. Though, nothing had happened since. Still, Dr. Faker didn't want to take chances. V understood.
"They know why you chose to stay. Anything unusual about the inter-dimensional gateway is not something that can be ignored. But so far, I don't detect a single…" He was interrupted when the gateway suddenly started itself up, shooting out blue energy spikes "What the hell?! What's happening?!" He yelled, surprised by this.
"I don't know! V, help me contain the energy output! Quickly!" Together, the duo made sure none of the equipment was damaged or destroyed. After several seconds they managed to stabilize the machine. However, before either man could try to shut it down, a figure fell through and hit the floor. The figure lay facedown, so their face could not be seen.
"Is that… a person?!" Dr. Faker shouted in shock. He and V then saw that the gateway was beginning to expand and more energy spikes erupted. Now they were dark red. "V, we have to shut it down! NOW!" He yelled in panic.
"I'm working on it!" V yelled back. Despite their efforts, the darkness continued to grow and seemed about to come through. In desperation, V ran to the power output cables and disconnected them from the device. Instantly the gateway was finally offline and the energy dissipated. After a quick check, Dr. Faker and V began to relax. "It is done. The gateway is shut down. With the power disconnected, it shouldn't fire up again. I strongly suggest we keep it that way until we can discover the cause."
"Agreed." Dr. Faker agreed wholeheartedly. Once the danger had passed, the two then rushed over to the unknown person that came out. V turned the figure over and realized it was a teenage girl with hair that was long in the back while the hair on her head was light pink. She wore a circular green pendent around her neck. "Who is she? And where did she come from?" The older man asked.
"I don't know, but she seems to be alive and has suffered no injuries." They paused when the girl stirred. Slowly, her eyes opened, revealed to be the same green as her pendent. She gasped when she saw the older man.
"Dr. Faker! You're alive! I can't believe it! It worked! I made it!" The girl said, sounding relieved as she got to her feet. V was perplexed, but not as much as Dr. Faker.
"You… know me?" He asked, surprised that his newcomer knew his name. The girl then stared at him, confused.
"Of course I do. It's me, Luna. Don't you remember? I'm your assistant." Dr. Faker stared at V, who seemed just as stunned as he was. Dr. Faker looked back at the girl.
"Young lady, I have never seen you in my life." The girl, Luna, gapped at him.
"What? No, that can't be right. I should only have gone back a little more than a year. I know I had been working for you around that time! Why don't you remember me?" She started to sound frantic.
"Luna, tell us what is going on. Where did you come from? And how did you get here?" V asked. Luna turned to V, now looking worried.
"Something must've gone wrong during the transit. Maybe I didn't… travel the way I hoped." Luna said to herself.
"Travel in what way?" Dr. Faker asked. Luna turned back to him, grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Dr. Faker, you must listen to me! I came here to warn everyone! We must find Yuma, Kaito, and Ryoga! They need to know!" Luna shouted, now sounding desperate.
"Warn them about what?" Dr. Faker asked, unsettled by Luna's words.
"Tell us what you're talking about." V insisted. Luna turned to him, her eyes pleading.
"My world is gone! I'm all that's left! If nothing is done, then the same thing will…!" Before the girl could explain further, another phenomenon had occurred. A doorway made up of dark yellow energy materialized in front of the trio. Then a new voice called from within.
"You did well to survive, Luna. However, I still have plans for you." At that moment, a hand stretched out the door and grabbed Luna's face. She screamed and tried to pry it off, but the grip was too strong. Before long, she stiffened and stopped struggling. As the hand pulled away, the two men saw that Luna's eyes now had a yellow four pointed star in each pupil. Her expression was totally blank. "That's better. Now, obey my order and destroy your enemies!" The voice commanded. Obediently, Luna marched forward to the doorway.
"Wait! Stop! Who are you and what do you want with Luna?!" V demanded. As Luna vanished from sight, the voice gave an ominous answer.
"Let's just say… I want to have fun watching humans destroy one another." The doorway then disappeared as well, along with Luna. Dr. Faker and V stared at the spot where Luna was before turning back to each other.
"What the hell is happening this time?" Dr. Faker asked quietly, with V too shocked to say anything other than:
"We must inform my father and Kazuma Tsukumo about this immediately."
/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Well, that was one way to blow off some steam." Shark said nonchalantly as he and Gauche looked down at the utterly beaten Obelisk Force trio before they vanished as dozens of little blue lights. Gauche nodded.
"I'll say. Those bastards never stood a chance." He said. Across from them, the Kaito they knew and Rio also succeeded in taking down a squad of Obelisks. They didn't fair any better against his sister and one of his biggest rivals than they did against him and Gauche. Shark snarled as his sister dared to look at him. She merely huffed and turned her back to him without a word. Gauche raised an eyebrow from that exchange. "Still not talking to her, huh?" Shark narrowed his eyes, which were looking away.
After leaving for battle, the Kamishiro siblings didn't say a word to each other before their own Duels started. The tension between them could be felt by both Kaito and Gauche. "Why would I? She suddenly decided it was okay if she and Yuma hooked up… without discussing it with me beforehand!" He yelled deliberately loud enough for Rio to hear him. She gave no response.
"Dude, listen. I may not know what it's like to have a sister, but I can see that's she's really into Yuma. If Rio wants to be his girl, that's not up to you. Besides, don't you trust Yuma to be good to her?" Gauche asked. Shark glared at him.
"It's not about trust. I just… forget it. I'm not discussing this." Shark said, ending the talk. Gauche sighed while scratching his head, thinking the guy could use a hook up too to soften him up. Though he couldn't think of anyone that would put up with a guy like that.
Right then and there, dark gold barriers instantly covered the two Xyz pairs. One with Shark and Gauche, the other with Rio and Kaito. "Rio!" Shark yelled, worried for his sister.
"Rio! Kaito!" Gauche shouted, but they got nothing. "What's going on?"
"I don't know! But when I get out of here I'll personally…" Shark didn't get to finish his threat before a dark doorway appeared before them. Then out came a figure, a Duel Disk at the ready. Shark and Gauche immediately activated theirs, feeling another Duel was coming. "You! Who are you? Are you with Academia?!" Shark demanded.
"I am here… because I was ordered… to fight you." The stranger replied in a dull, emotionless voice. "My name… is Luna, an Emissary… of the Moon. Both of you… will fall… before me." Shark scoffed at her, not believing he will lose to this newcomer.
"Emissary of the Moon? The hell's that supposed to mean?" Gauche asked. Luna did not respond.
"Look, whoever she is, it's clear she's here to take us down. Let's just kick her ass and get out of here! The sooner we do, the sooner we can reach Rio and Kaito!" Shark ordered. The bigger Duelist nodded in agreement.
"Alrighty then! Let's do this!" All three of them then put on their D-Gazers. Shark's was grey and green with a red lens and a yellow spike. Luna's was a crescent moon tattoo over her left eye.
"AT Vision, Link established." Said a computer voice from all their Duel Disks while creating a new area for them.
"DUEL!"
(Shark: 4000) (Gauche: 4000) (Luna: 4000)
"I will go first. My turn. Draw." Luna began, still seemingly blank. "I Summon Moon Warrior." (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 1600; DEF: 1300) Luna's Monster appeared to be a knight covered in a suit of armor with the same glow as the Moon itself. "Then I Set one card facedown and end my turn."
'I need to end this quick, and I just might have a way to do that.' Shark thought to himself as he started his turn. "I'm not impressed. My turn! Draw! I Set a Monster facedown in Defense Mode. Then I also Set a card facedown and end my turn." He wished he could've ended the Duel this turn. He became really worried about Rio after these strange barriers popped up, separating them. Shark berated himself for behaving so stupidly toward his sister earlier. If they both manage to get out of this in one piece, he would make it up to her. Until then, he hoped Rio would be alright since Kaito was with her.
"I got this! My turn! Draw!" Gauche liked what he had. "First, I play Graceful Charity, letting me draw three cards and then discard two! Next, I play Monster Reborn to revive a certain Monster I just discarded! Come on back, Heroic Challenger – Thousand Blades!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1300; DEF: 1100) A heavily armored man with many blades in his back stood before its master. "Now I activate Thousand Blades' Monster Effect! Once per turn while it is in Attack Mode, by sending a "Heroic" card from my hand to the Graveyard, I can only Special Summon "Heroic" Monsters for the rest of the turn! Speaking of which, I can also Special Summon a "Heroic" Monster from my Deck, and by doing so, Thousand Blades is switched to Defense Mode! I discard Heroic Gift from my hand to Special Summon Heroic Challenger – Extra Sword, also in Defense Mode!" His Level 4 1000 ATK and DEF Monster appeared next to it's fellow warrior.
"Neither of your Monsters pose a threat." Luna said coldly. Gauche smirked.
"I'm just getting started! Now I Sacrifice Thousand Blades to Advance Summon Heroic Challenger – War Hammer!" (EARTH; Level 6; ATK: 2100; DEF: 1300) A huge, blue armored horned warrior appeared in Thousand Blades' place holding a dangerous looking hammer. "Battle! War Hammer, attack Moon Warrior! Hammer Break!" War Hammer lifted it's weapon and ran forward with the intent of striking down Luna's Monster.
"Trap card open, Negate Attack! Your Monster's attack is cancelled out, sparing my own!" Gauche grunted as his War Hammer's weapon got repelled.
"Not too shabby. I Set one card facedown and end my turn."
"My turn. Draw." Luna decided to go on the offensive now. "I Summon Moon Magician." (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 1800; DEF: 1500) A dark robbed figure with rabbit ears and wielding a scepter with a crescent moon on it's end appeared next to Moon Warrior. "Now I Overlay my Level 4 Moon Magician and Moon Warrior! Using these Monsters, I build an Overlay Network! Xyz Summon! Appear, Kachi Kochi Dragon!" (EARTH; Rank 4; ATK: 2100; DEF: 1300) Luna's Xyz Monster resembled a dragon made up of pale stone. "I now activate the Effect of Moon Warrior! When it is used as Xyz Material, the Xyz Monster it is attached to gains 500 Attack Points!"
(Kachi Kochi Dragon's ATK: 2100 + 500 = 2600)
"Battle! Kachi Kochi Dragon, attack Heroic Challenger – War Hammer! Pulverize!" With one mighty earthquake caused by it's mere movement, Gauche's Monster was no more.
(2600 - 2100 = 500)
(Gauche: 4000 - 500 = 3500)
"Thousand Blades' Effect activates! When I take damage while it is in the Graveyard, I can Special Summon it in Attack Mode!" Gauche's first Monster returns to the Field. Luna didn't seem bothered by it.
"It is of little consequence. I activate the Effect of Kachi Kochi Dragon! Once per turn, when it destroys a Monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can detach one Overlay Unit to have it attack again this turn! Your Thousand Blades is the only Monster in Attack Mode, so it will be…"
"Hey! Are you going to ignore me?! I'm not someone you should take lightly!" Shark interrupted. Luna seemed to be taking his words into account. "Come on!" He demanded, hoping she would take the bait. Luna gave an amusing smirk.
"If you insist. Kachi Kochi Dragon, attack that facedown Monster!" Luna ordered as her dragon attacked once more, destroying Shark's unknown Monster, which seemed to be an octopus/shark with a saw attached. Shark smirked himself; his opponent fell for it, hook line and sinker.
"Big mistake! By destroying my Sharktopus, you triggered it's Monster Effect! When an opponent's Monster destroys it in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can Equip it to your Monster!" Instantly, Sharktopus reappeared behind Kachi Kochi Dragon and wrapped it's tentacles around it. "The Monster Equipped with Sharktopus loses all it's Attack Points and cannot change it's battle position!"
(Kachi Kochi Dragon's ATK: 0)
"Hell yeah! In your face!" Gauche taunted. Luna didn't seem annoyed.
"It matters not. You shall not prevail. I Set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."
"Forgive me if I don't agree. My turn! Draw!" Shark had what he needed to finish this. "I Summon Saber Shark!" (WATER; Level 4; ATK: 1600; DEF: 1200) A purple shark Monster with a sword on it's face swam up to do it's controller's bidding. "Then I Equip it with Aqua Mirage! When a WATER Monster Equipped with this is about to used for an Xyz Summon, Aqua Mirage can also be treated as an Xyz Material with the same Level as the Equipped Monster! Now since I control a WATER Monster, I can Special Summon Silent Angler from my hand!" (WATER; Level 4; ATK: 800; DEF: 1400) A big fish with a light at the end of a long appendage appeared next to Shark's other fish. "Time to stop messing around! I Overlay my Level 4 Saber Shark, Silent Angler, and the now Level 4 Aqua Mirage!"
'So he is calling out his own Ace now.' Luna thought, thinking it wouldn't pose a problem for her.
"Show yourself, Number 32! The most powerful ruler of the deep sea! Your sharp fangs shall exterminate everything! Xyz Summon! Marine Biting Dragon - Shark Drake!" (WATER; Rank 4; ATK: 2800; DEF: 2100) Shark's Ace took the form of a two legged dark red sea serpent with four wing like fins on each side. It also had a bright red "32" on the left side of it's chest.
Luna became surprised upon seeing it. "A… Number?" She asked softly. She then recalled a memory of such a Monster…
Flashback
One evening, Luna had just confronted Ryoga Kamishiro, aka Shark, and dueled him. She lost, but she was not disappointed. "If you're this good with Xyz Monsters… then I judged you right. In light of your skill, I have a favor to ask."
"A favor?" Shark asked, confused. Her answer shocked him.
"Erase all the Numbers from this world!" She exclaimed.
'The Numbers?!' The gravity of what Luna was asking made him tremble with fear. She couldn't be serious! "That's insane! Why should I?! A Number card once possessed me!" He yelled angrily. Luna remained calm as she replied.
"That's exactly why. You know how awful they are. Numbers are mirrors that reflect human hearts. In the past, your heart was weak. However, you've changed. Yuma Tsukumo and Astral took the darkness from your heart." Shark appeared stunned by her knowledge. "Shark, you're the only one who can put a stop to Dr. Faker's ambitions!" Luna then approached Shark and gave him a card. "And this… is a new power to protect you!"
Flashback End
Shark and Gauche then noticed a change in their opponent. Not only did Luna's eyes turn green, but her overall expression became more… human. She gasped and smiled when she saw Shark. "Ryoga!" She yelled, her eyes watering.
"What? How do you know my name?" Shark asked in a confused voice. He was sure he hadn't introduced himself.
"Ryoga, I don't have a lot of time! Something is controlling me, forcing me to fight you! You may not know me, but I know you! I beg you, save me… just as you did before! Please!" Shark and Gauche noticed how desperate she sounded. It seemed too real to be some ploy to catch them off guard.
"Luna, who's controlling you? Is it Leo Akaba?" Shark demanded.
"I don't know! I…" Luna then screamed as she held her head in agony. Shark and Gauche were After a moment, Luna stopped and stared at her opponents again. The star symbol had returned in her eyes and she became cold once more. "That's enough of that. Continue your turn." She said.
"What the?!" Gauche said, freaking out a bit. Shark was feeling the same way, but with more concern now that the situation was more complicated than he expected.
'Dammit. Luna wasn't kidding around. She's being used as someone's puppet. I need to free her!' Shark then resolved to saving Luna. "I don't know what the hell is going on, but if there's one thing I cannot stand, it's an innocent person being manipulated for something evil! I will free Luna… by winning this Duel! Battle! Shark Drake, attack Kachi Kochi Dragon! Depth Bite!" At his command, the sea serpent Number rushed forward and chomped Luna's dragon into rubble.
(Luna: 4000 - 2800 = 1200)
"It will take more than that." The controlled Luna muttered.
"I know! I activate Shark Drake's Monster Effect! When it destroys a Monster in battle and sends it to the Graveyard, I can detach an Overlay Unit to Special Summon that Monster back to your Field, but 1000 Attack Points weaker!" Just as Shark said this, Luna's dragon returned but not at it's full strength.
(Kachi Kochi Dragon's ATK: 2100 - 1000 = 1100)
"There's more! After that Monster is brought back, Shark Drake can attack it once more! I'm ending this! Shark Drake, destroy Kachi Kochi Dragon again! Finish it!" Shark's Monster moved to destroy Luna's Monsters again. He knew if this attack succeeded, the Duel would be over. However…
"Trap card open, Moon Xyz! When an Xyz Monster I control loses it's Overlay Units, and if one of those Units was a "Moon" Monster, I can Xyz Summon an Xyz Monster from my Extra Deck with the same Rank using my first one as Xyz Material!"
"What?!" Shark yelled in shock. He and his dueling partner watched as a new creature appeared.
"I Overlay my Kachi Kochi Dragon! The White Rabbit of Legend, descend from the Moon and be empowered by it's bright light! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Moon Rabbit Goddess!" (LIGHT; Rank 4; ATK: 2900; DEF: 2500) Luna's true Ace Monster was a humanoid green eyed white rabbit wearing a silver robe, it's long ears hanging the shoulders. On the rabbit's forehead was a full moon insignia.
Shark had no choice but to stop his attack. "Damn! I end my turn." He said reluctantly. "I was so close." He muttered.
"Don't sweat it Shark, I'll save your new girlfriend." Gauche declared.
"She's not my girlfriend Gauche! I don't even know her!" Shark shouted angrily, though he did seem a little red in the face. The big guy chuckled.
"Yeah well, from what I could tell, she knew you quite well. She did seem pretty happy to see you when she was herself for a moment." Shark growled at him.
"Shut up." He said through gritted teeth. "Just try to finish this, will you." Gauche nodded, but still smirked.
"I got this, Romeo. My turn! Draw!" Gauche was pleased with his drawn card, while ignoring Shark's annoyed look. 'Yes! Now I can bring out my new secret weapon!' He thought excitedly. He didn't need it when he and Shark flattened those Obelisk Force soldiers, but he sure needed it now. "I got what I need to take your rabbit down! First, I Summon Heroic Challenger – Assault Halberd!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1800; DEF: 200) Alongside Gauche's other Monsters stood a dark armored man holding a three bladed sword. "Then I activate my Trap, Copy Knight! When I Normal Summon a Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type Monster to my Field, I can Special Summon this as a Normal Monster with the same name and Level as that Monster!" His Trap then became a second copy of Assault Halberd. (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 0; DEF: 0)
"So he's finally going to unleash it, is he?" Shark said softly. He hoped the big guy would be alright.
"He has four Level 4 Monsters…" Luna muttered. She then saw a faint blue glow coming from his chest, right over his heart. "What is this power?" She asked herself, now sounding nervous. Gauche chuckled.
"It wouldn't be the first time I've used a Monster like this, but I'm sure I'll be fine! I now Overlay my Level 4 Thousand Blades, Extra Sword, Assault Halberd, and my now Level 4 Copy Knight! Appear, Number 86! The Champ wielding a mighty spear, throw it and smite all who oppose it! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Heroic Champion - Rhongomyniad!" (DARK; Rank 4; ATK: 1500; DEF: 1500) Gauche's new Ace was a formidable warrior white armor with golden horns on its helmet and dark platings in the back. A red "86" could be seen on it's upper left leg. It also held a golden red spear in it's right hand.
"Another Number?!" Luna exclaimed in shock. This was something unanticipated. "But I don't have to worry. My Rabbit Goddess is still far superior to your Monster." She claimed. Gauche hadn't lost his smile.
'Thank goodness I have that gizmo Astral made for me. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to control my new Number.' He thought gratefully. Before arriving here with the others, Astral gave him a device that would protect him from the Number's influence. It was a strap with a blue circle on it, place right above where his heart was. That device was powered by energy from the Astral World itself. As long as Gauche wore it when he used his Number, he would be unaffected by it. When asked why Shark and Rio each didn't get one as well, Astral said they had their own means of protection. Gauche tried to ask what that meant, but he said no more. He decided to accept what he heard and believed him. Now it was time to put his Number to good use.
"Now this should be good." Shark said with a smile.
"Rhongomyniad gains some powerful effects depending on how many Overlay Units it's got. Since it has four Overlay Units, it now can't be destroyed by battle, it is unaffected by other cards' effects, it gains 1500 Attack and Defense Points, and my opponent can't Normal or Special Summon Monsters! Of course, I have to detach an Overlay Unit during each of your End Phases, but I'm sure this will be over before I lose too many!"
(Heroic Champion – Rhongomyniad's ATK and DEF: 1500 + 1500 = 3000)
"Tch, that is bothersome." Luna said, not sounding happy.
"That's not all! Being a Warrior Xyz Monster, Rhongomyniad gets another 1000 Attack Points for having Extra Sword as one of it's Overlay Units!" Gauche revealed as his Monster's Attack Power went up from 3000 to 4000, further annoying his opponent. "Here we go! Battle! Rhongomyniad, attack Moon Rabbit Goddess! Spear Thrust!" Gauche's Monster ran forward, readying it's weapon to strike it's enemy.
"At this time, I activate Moon Rabbit Goddess' Effect! Once per turn, by detaching an Overlay Unit I can prevent my Monster's destruction!" Luna said as her Monster was pierced through, but still stood.
"Maybe, but you still take the damage!" Gauche reminded her.
(4000 - 2900 = 1100)
(Luna: 1200 - 1100 = 100)
"There is more! Any damage I take from battle is also dealt to all my opponents, and it is doubled!" Luna revealed with a sinister smile.
"What?! Doubled?!" Shark and Gauche yelled as the pair were thrown back and landed hard on their chests.
(Shark: 4000 - 2200 = 1800)
(Gauche: 3500 - 2200 = 1300)
"Time for me to do some healing. Trap card open, Moon Heal! For each "Moon" Monster in my Graveyard, I gain 1000 Life Points! I have two Monsters, so I gain 2000 Points!" Luna said as her Life Points went up.
(Luna : 100 + 2000 = 2100)
"Damn, that hurt." Shark muttered as he and Gauche slowly got up again. "You alright, Gauche?"
"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry about that." The older Duelist admitted.
"It wasn't your fault. Taking down that Rabbit Goddess of hers is definitely going to be an issue." Shark said. To his and Luna's surprise, Gauche chuckled.
"Actually, I still got that covered." Luna narrowed her eyes.
"You really believe you can vanquish my Monster? How delusional. I doubt you will last until your next turn."
"Oh? Who says I have to?" Gauche said.
"What do you mean?" Luna asked.
"My turn isn't over yet! I play a Magic card called Overlay Regenerate! For each Xyz Monster we control, we take cards from the top of our Decks and attach 1 card to them as Xyz Materials!" He, Shark, and Luna each took one card from their respective Decks and attached those cards to their Xyz Monsters.
"What good would that do? You've just given me back an Overly Unit I just used. Now destroying my Monster will be twice as difficult for you." Luna said.
"Yeah, but by giving one more Overlay Unit to my Rhongomyniad, it gains it's most powerful Effect! Now I can destroy all your cards on the Field once per turn! Since you already used your Moon Rabbit Goddess' Effect this turn, you can't prevent it's destruction this time!" Gauche revealed triumphantly.
"What?! No!" Luna watched as her Monster was instantly destroyed, unable to save it a second time.
"Sucks to be you, doesn't it? I end my turn." Luna scowled at him, widened eyed with fury.
"You will pay for that, wretched human! My turn! Draw!" She yelled.
"Wretched…human?" Shark was confused by Luna's insult. It sounded like she wasn't even human herself. 'No, not her. Whatever is controlling Luna must not be human at all.'
"Since I have at least one "Moon" Monster in my Graveyard, I can play Moon Eclipse! This Continuous Magic card prevents me from taking damage until after my next turn! Even if I can't Summon Monsters for the time being, I still won't allow you to defeat me! I end my turn! And remember, you have to detach an Overlay Unit from your Monster during each of my End Phases!" Luna declared, looking slightly deranged while pointing at Gauche.
"I didn't forget." Gauche said as he detached an Overlay Unit from Rhongomyniad.
Luna waited for Shark to start his next turn. Instead, he asked an unexpected question. "Who are you? What are you… Really?" Luna and Gauche were surprised.
"Excuse me?" Luna asked. Shark narrowed his eyes.
"I've seen the real Luna earlier in this Duel. She was pleading me to save her from whatever you are! Tell us the truth! Now!" Luna stood silent for a moment, seemingly trying to make a choice. Then she laughed maniacally. Then, her voice sounded much deeper than before… and far more menacing.
"You want the truth, human? You are correct. This human, Luna, is merely a puppet for my amusement! She is a pawn in a game of my own design! All the Duels taking place right now are happening because of my will!"
"So you're all having us fight just to get some kicks out of it?!" Gauche demanded.
"That is part of it. There is another reason. This "Gauntlet" that was unleashed upon all of you is also… an experiment."
"Experiment? For what?" Shark asked, now having a very bad feeling about this whole thing.
"To test to see if a hypothesis of mine was correct. Judging by the results, I would say that it is. Now I'm certain my "real" plan will work…"
"What plan?" Gauche asked. Luna chuckled.
"That is something I don't plan to share with you." Shark had enough of this bullcrap.
"Who the hell are you?! Are you working for Leo Akaba and Academia?!" Shark demanded angrily. He didn't know why, but seeing Luna being used like this pissed him off a lot, more than it should. He really wanted to free her from this nutcase as soon as possible. Luna chuckled.
"I work for no one but myself, human. As for my identity… you can call me "The Light that was cast out"."
"The Light that was cast out?" Shark repeated to himself. Gauche also wondered what that meant.
"Now, I've said enough. I believe it is your turn now." Shark growled as he prepared to make his next move. A move that had to count.
"I will end this and free Luna from you! My turn! DRAW!" He had to finish this now, while Luna's controller couldn't Summon any Monsters to protect her Life Points. "I play Mystical Space Typhoon, which lets me destroy one Magic or Trap on the Field! I'm destroying your Moon Eclipse, which means I can now damage you!"
"Grrr." Luna growled.
"I'M TAKING YOU DOWN NOW! BATTLE! Number 32: Shark Drake, DIRECT ATTACK!" As if feeling it's master's rage, Shark Drake rushed ahead towards the possessed Luna.
"I won't allow it! Trap card open, Moon Banishment! By banishing a "Moon" Monster from my Graveyard, I can end the Battle Phase! I banish my…"
"Screw you! Counter Trap, Deep Sea King's Verdict! When my opponent activates a Trap card during the Battle Phase, I can negate that Trap! And if I do, it is destroyed! Your Moon Banishment is washed away!" Shark declared as he got rid of his opponent's last defense.
"Damn you!" Luna yelled in anger.
"There's nothing protecting you now! Shark Drake, FINISH IT!" Shark's Number Monster went ahead and struck down Luna, depleting the rest of her Life Points. She then fell on her back.
(Luna: 0)
"You may have won this battle, humans. But I will ultimately… win the war." With that final warning, Luna fell unconscious. As they did, the dome around them disappeared and revealed the surroundings of Maiami City once more.
"Luna! Can you hear me!" Shark called out as he held her head up. The girl held stirred and opened her eyes, their normal green again.
"Ryoga?" She muttered. Shark smiled as he nodded.
"You okay?" He asked softly. Suddenly, Luna hugged him tight, stunning him.
"Ryoga, whatever was controlling me seems to be gone now. I don't feel it anymore. Thank you." She whispered. Blushing a little, Shark hesitated a bit before he awkwardly hugged her back. Gauche smirked.
"Heh heh. If only Yuma was here to see this." He said. Shark snarled at that remark. Luna then released herself when she heard the name.
"Yuma? Is he here? Wait a minute…" Luna looked around for the first time and noticed she was not in Heartland City anymore. "This isn't Heartland! Where are we?!" She started to panic like earlier.
"Somewhere a lot further away." Gauche answered. This confused the poor girl further.
"The last thing I remember before ending up here was arriving in Dr. Faker's lab. I met him and a long silver haired man. Now I'm somewhere else. What is happening?" Luna asked herself.
"Dr. Faker and V? How did you get from there to here? In fact, how do you even know my name when we haven't even met before?" Shark questioned. Luna looked at him with sadness.
"I'm sorry. Everything has happened so fast for me that… I'm having trouble processing it all. I don't even know… where to begin."
"Why don't you start with how you know me?" Shark suggested. Luna nodded.
"Where I'm from, we worked together. We were partners on a mission to save the world from destruction. After we did, we…" She then blushed slightly. "We became very close."
Shark looked away, feeling embarrassed. "I… I see." He managed to say. Luna's expression saddened.
"Then one day, everything fell apart. I lost it all. My life, my home, my friends, and…" she then looked into Shark's eyes. "You. Everyone… they all died. All except me. I'm the only one that escaped."
Shark and Gauche were shocked by this. What she just told them made no sense. "What in the hell are you talking about?" Gauche asked. Luna tightened her fists and showed anger in her eyes.
"Luna, this disaster you escaped from… Was it caused by the thing that was controlling you?" Shark asked calmly. To his further surprise, Luna shook her head while looking away.
"No, not that thing. The one responsible for taking away everything from me was something else… something powerful and… simply pure evil." She answered.
"Who?" Shark asked further. Luna had both anger and fear in her voice when she said the name:
"E'Rah."
To be continued.