Now it is Tèa and Asuka's turn to see some action! Who will they face? After this chapter, it's back to the main cast! Please enjoy!
Yugioh: The Power of Four
Chapter 27: ARC-V — PART 13
"You guys really are good." Asuka added, sounding impressed.
"I agree. You two did great." Tèa said, adding to Asuka's compliments to Manjome and Kenzan's dueling skills. She and Asuka just took down some of what they heard were Sector Security Duelists from the Synchro Dimension. Although, she felt inferior compared to Asuka. It must've shown on her face because the other female Duelist approached her.
"You alright, Tèa?" Asuka asked in a concerned voice. Tèa tried to shrug it off.
"Oh, it's nothing. I'm fine Asuka." She said, trying to sound like she was fine. Asuka, however, didn't seem to buy it.
"Something is bothering you. What is it?" She asked. Tèa sighed before confessing.
"It's just… even with my new and improved Deck, I don't think I'm as good as everyone else out here. Even you are better than I am." Asuka was surprised.
"Tèa, you did fine when we dueled together. Your Deck is really good, and so are you. You just need to have more faith in your skills. Sure, me and some others here are more seasoned Duelists, but you shouldn't underestimate yourself."
"But I never even got to use my best Monster against those jerks." Tèa complained.
"You'll get another chance. Believe in yourself more, and you will definitely shine." Tèa smiled from Asuka's words.
"I'll do that. Thanks Asuka." Asuka smiled as she thanked her back for listening.
At that time, Tèa and Asuka were also enveloped by a dark golden barrier. "Hey! What is this?!" Tèa yelled, sounding scared.
"I don't know. Manjome! Kenzen! Are you two still there?" Asked called, but got no answer. "They probably can't hear us." She guessed.
"So what do we do?" Tèa asked before a dark door appeared right before them. The girls glanced at one another, telling each other to be ready for anything. They watched as someone came walking of the strange entryway.
"Who are you? What do you want with us?" Asuka bravely asked. The stranger raised their Duel Disk before smiling in an unpleasant way.
"What I want… is to send a message to a certain someone. And I want you to deliver that message, if you survive that is…" The new arrival was a young dark haired woman with her hair tied into two buns. She was dressed in what seemed to be Asian attire. Tèa immediately recognized her and couldn't hide her shock.
"You're… Vivian Wong?!" She asked in complete disbelief. She had never expected to battle against her, at least in this world.
"You know her?" Asuka asked. Tèa nodded, not looking pleased.
"She's from my world. Vivian is a Duel Monsters Champion from the far east. The last time I saw her was at a tournament hosted by Kaiba. She had an obsession with Yugi." She said with great distaste. At this, Vivian giggled.
"Obsession? That is not what I would call it." She replied.
"You kidnapped Yugi's grandpa from the hospital to force him to duel you!" Tèa accused as she pointed at her. Asuka gasped at that. Vivian narrowed her eyes at Tèa.
"I remember you now. You are one of Yugi's little friends. But back to my point, I did what I had to do. Yugi Muto is the object of my desire: For him to be my love slave. But alas, I wasn't strong enough to claim him at the Kaiba Corp Grand Prix. But with the power I now have, he is as good as mine."
"What power? And how did you get here in the first place?" Asuka demanded. Vivian smirked.
"I was practicing my martial arts at my home when a strange doorway appeared. Then a disembodied voice spoke to me and asked me if I still wanted Yugi Muto. I told the voice "Of course I do!" right before I was given a major power boost in my Deck. It then told me to put my new power to the test before going after Yugi, and so here I am after going through that freaky portal thing. You two shall be the first to be crushed under my feet." Vivian declared before turning on her Duel Disk.
"No we won't!" Tèa retorted as she too activated her Duel Disk.
"You shouldn't underestimate your opponents, Vivian!" Asuka added as she activated her Disk as well. "By the way, what is this message you mentioned? I take it that it's for Yugi?" Vivian smirked.
"It is. As for what the message is, you'll have prove yourselves worthy of passing it on to him. To do that, you'll have to try to defeat me!" Vivian answered.
"Both Tèa and Asuka stood ready as their battle with their enemy began.
"DUEL!"
(Tèa: 4000) (Asuka: 4000) (Vivian: 4000)
"I'll take the first turn! My turn! Draw!" Vivian said, starting the Duel. After seeing Serena's match against Sho, Asuka wasn't surprised that Vivian got to draw on her first turn. "To begin, I Summon Kung Fu Nyan Nyan!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1700; DEF: 1000) A red haired woman that dressed similarly to it's controller appeared on the Field. "Then I Set 3 cards facedown and end my turn. Now show me what you girls can do before I kick you both to the ground!" She challenged.
"The only one that's going to get kicked is you! My turn! Draw!" Tèa retorted as she started her turn. She didn't see anything big she could use right then, so she decided to play a little defensively. "I play a Field Magic card, The Sanctuary in the Sky!" The area around the girls was replaced with a ruined sacred temple on top of some clouds. "Next I Summon The Agent of Creation – Venus!" (LIGHT; Level 3; ATK: 1600; DEF: 0) A female golden angel with long blond hair now stood opposite of it's adversary. "Now I activate Venus' Monster Effect! By paying 500 Life Points, I can Special a "Mystical Shine Ball" from my hand or Deck! I will use this Effect twice to Special Summon two of them from my Deck!" (LIGHT; Level 2; ATK: 500; DEF: 500) Two shining crystal balls now floated on each side of Venus. "Then I Set two cards facedown and end my turn!"
(Tèa: 4000 – 1000 = 3000)
"Not much of an opener. I doubt you will be any trouble against a pro like me." Vivian said condescendingly. Tèa didn't reply, trusting herself to know what she was doing.
"I wouldn't say that about my dueling partner. Trust me Vivian, you'll see her true skills before long. My turn! Draw!" Asuka said as she made her move next. "I Summon Cyber Egg Angel in Defense Mode!" (LIGHT; Level 2; ATK: 200; DEF: 300) Asuka's Monster looked like a robotic egg with green crystalline wings and a single glowing yellow eye from the egg's shell. "Cyber Egg Angel's Monster Effect activates! When it is Summoned, I can add a "Machine Angel" Magic card or 1 "Ritual Sanctuary" from my Deck to my hand! I'll add "Machine Angel Ritual" to my hand!" Asuka did so, showing said card to Vivian as she placed it in her hand.
'A Ritual Magic card? I wonder what she's going to bring out with that…' Vivian thought curiously.
"Next I play Cyber Call! When I have a "Cyber" Monster on my Field, I can Special Summon another one from my hand! I Special Summon Cyber Prima!" (LIGHT; Level 6; ATK: 2300; DEF: 1600) A tall, grey mouthless warrior with large gold rings around its body appeared next to the smaller Monster. "Now I play my Machine Angel Ritual! By Sacrificing Monsters whose Levels are exactly the total Level of the Ritual Monster I plan to Summon, I can bring that Monster out! My Level 6 Cyber Prima and Level 2 Cyber Egg Angel will now be Sacrificed to commence the Ritual! Angel of light hiding destructive powers. Wipe away your enemies with your divine weapons! Descend! Level 8! Cyber Angel Izana!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2600) Asuka's Ritual Monster was a blue armored warrior woman with four arms. It held a powerful spear in two of it's hands and an small axe in another.
"Now that's more of what I expected." Vivian commented. Asuka smirked.
"Be careful what you wish for. I activate Izana's Monster Effect! Since it was successfully Ritual Summoned, I can make you send one of your Magic or Trap cards you control to the Graveyard! I'll choose the one the in middle!"
"Say what?!" Vivian was not pleased one of her facedown cards was lost before she could use it. 'Damn! I wasn't expecting that! That Trap was something I needed to stop an incoming attack!' She quickly got over that, remembering that Trap's other Effect…
"I'm not done! Battle! Cyber Angel Izana, attack Kung Fu Nyan Nyan! Sacred Slash!" Izana expertly swirled it's spear and axe as it flew toward it's target. However…
"Like I'd let you! I activate my facedown Quick-Play Magic card, Flying Dragon Whirl! Now I can send up to four Dragon Monsters from my Deck to my Graveyard, and for each one sent one of my Monsters gains 300 Attack Points until the End Phase! From my Deck I'm sending "Pitch-Dark Dragon", "Kiryu", "Sky Dragon", and "Blackland Fire Dragon" to my Graveyard! That means my Kung Fu Nyan Nyan gets a whopping 1200 Attack Points!" Vivian, countering Asuka's attack.
(Kung Fu Nyan Nyan's ATK: 1700 + 1200 = 2900)
Asuka gritted her teeth as she watched her Monster being destroyed by it's suddenly stronger opponent. Vivian giggled with glee, until she noticed something was off. Asuka lost no Life Points from that brief skirmish.
"Hey, what's the deal?! Why didn't you take any damage when your Monster was destroyed?!" Tèa provided the answer.
"That's because the Effect of The Sanctuary in the Sky protected her! As long as my Sanctuary is in play, if a Fairy Monster is destroyed in battle, that Fairy's controller takes zero damage!" Vivian growled at her.
"Why you!" Was all she said in a whinny voice. Asuka smiled at Tèa and nodded her way. Tèa nodded back at her partner.
"I may have lost my Monster this time, but not my Life Points. I Set one card facedown and end my turn." Asuka declared, ending her turn. At this time, Kung Fu Nyan Nyan's Attack Power returned to 1700. Vivian was starting to feel annoyed.
'If I'm ever going to prove strong enough to take Yugi for myself, I need to show those two what they are really up against!' She thought, feeling more determined to win. "My turn! Draw!" Vivian smiled, knowing she was going to show the opposing girls how tough she was. "I Summon Master Kyonshee!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 1750; DEF: 1000) Appearing next to Vivian's first Monster was a warrior with long braided hair and a paper with the symbol for "curse" on it covered it's face.
"I've got a bad feeling about this." Tèa said nervously. If she remembered right from watching her previous Duels, Vivian was about to pull all the stops.
"Time to enter the dragon! I now activate Luminous Clouds! This allows me to Sacrifice my Master Kyonshee and Kung Fu Nyan Nyan to Special Summon my pride and joy from my hand or Deck! I Special Summon from my Deck… Dragon Lady!" (LIGHT; Level 7; ATK: 2500; DEF: 2100) Vivian's Ace was a well armored red haired woman wielding two big swords.
"I knew she would bring that out sooner or later." Tèa said wearily.
"You know what that Monster is capable of?" Asuka asked. Tèa nodded, however Vivian got their attention once more before she could say anything.
"Alright, get ready for a beating! Battle! Dragon Lady, attack The Agent of Creation – Venus! Dragon Saber Swipe!" Tèa held her ground as her Venus was destroyed. Asuka was surprised. Why didn't Vivian try to attack her directly, when she had no Fairy Monsters to take advantage of The Sanctuary in the Sky's Effect? She didn't wait long for the answer.
"Remember, I don't take any damage thanks to my Sanctuary!" She reminded her opponent. Vivian smirked.
"Oh, I know. I just didn't want you to Summon another Monster to your Field because of Venus' Effect. Now I activate Dragon Lady's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can destroy one Magic or Trap card on the Field! I'm choosing to get rid of that pesky Sanctuary in the Sky!" By stabbing it's blades to the ground, Dragon Lady tore apart Tèa's Field Magic card, resulting in the area being returned to how it previous was. "Now you can't protect your Life Points from battles involving your precious Fairy Monsters anymore!" Vivian gloated with a chuckle.
"Why didn't she attack Venus after destroying Sanctuary in the Sky. Why not before?" Asuka asked, confused by Vivian's latest move.
"Using that Effect prevents Dragon Lady from attacking that turn. That's why she chose to attack first." Tèa answered, having remembered Vivian's previous Duels. Vivian smirked.
"Clever girl. There's another reason for that, and here it is! I play my last facedown card, Mystic Eruption! When a Magic or Trap was destroyed this turn, this nasty Quick-Play Magic card can inflict 1000 points of damage to the owner of that destroyed card! Take this!" A blast came out from Vivian's card and blew Tèa off her feet and landed hard on the ground.
(Tèa: 3000 – 1000 = 2000)
"Tèa!" Asuka shouted, worried for her friend.
"I'm okay, Asuka." Tèa said as she shakily got up again. Vivian smirked.
"Not for much longer. I Set one card facedown and end my turn." Vivian had Set the last card in her hand. Tèa scowled at the woman in front of her. Vivian took notice but seemed rather amused rather than nervous.
"What's with the look? Actually afraid that I will win and take Yugi?" She mocked. Tèa wanted to slap that smirk off of her face.
"Not a chance! I'm not afraid of you, Vivian! And you will never lay one finger on Yugi… not while I'm standing here in your way!" Vivian snorted.
"So, you want him for yourself too, do you? How is your desire for him any different than mine?" She asked. Tea stood firmly on her ground as she replied with a strong voice.
"There's a huge difference between a "love slave" and a loving partner. Yugi and I have feelings for each other that you can never understand! We want to be together because we choose to, not because one of us is forcing the other into it! Love is a mutual thing, Vivian! People like you just don't get that!" Vivian grunted, clearly not accepting what she was hearing.
Asuka smiled from Tèa's speech. She was right. Love isn't something you can't force onto someone else to get them to be with you. She was then reminded of Manjome's efforts to woo her back in his world. Of course, that was when he thought she was the Asuka he knew. She then remembered how remorseful he was when he realized his mistake, and his disappointment that the Asuka he knew chose Judai over him.
She tried to cheer him up just before he left, but it didn't seem to do any good. When Manjome arrived here with Kenzan and the others, he refused to look her in the eye. He didn't say anything to her other than a "hey" in a low voice. He said nothing more before their battles began. Also, just before these strange barriers cut them off, she caught a glimpse of his face as he turned away. He looked pained.
'Manjome must be more heart broken than I thought if he isn't even making eye contact with me. I guess he really had strong feelings for the other Asuka. Seeing me again must be a constant reminder of his pain.' She then remembered seeing his reaction when Reiji assigned their teams for the upcoming battle. Asuka saw that when Manjome learned he would be on the same team as her, he definitely did not look happy. 'I know it wasn't Reiji's fault; he simply wasn't aware. Maybe he wouldn't have done that if Manjome had said something to Reiji before now. So then, why didn't Manjome object and request to be on on a different team? And… is there a way I can help him at all?' Asuka truly wished to help Manjome overcome his heartache and move forward. There just had to be something…
"If you think your own love can overpower my desire, then show me! I dare you to think you can take me down!" Vivian challenged, snapping Asuka out of her thoughts. Tèa definitely looked determined to beat her. Asuka told her she needed to believe in herself more, and now she did.
"I don't think I can take you down… I know I can! My turn! Draw!" 'Great! This will be a big help!' Tèa thought as she observed her hand. "Here I go! First I Sacrifice my two Mystical Shine Balls to Advance Summon Athena!" (LIGHT; Level 7; ATK: 2600; DEF: 800) In the place of the two Shine Balls was a tall beautiful woman with long silver hair under a helmet, wore a white toga and held a golden spear and a shield in her hands.
"So is that your Ace, Tèa?" Vivian asked. To her surprise, Tèa shook her head.
"Nope. You still haven't seen it yet! Trust me, you'll know it when you see it! Now for my next move! I banish The Agent of Creation – Venus from my Graveyard to Special Summon Master Hyperion from my hand!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 2700; DEF: 2100) Standing next to Athena was a heavily armored warrior in black and gold with enormous wings made out of fire, like they are part of the sun itself. "And now it's time for Athena's Monster Effect! When another Fairy Monster is Summoned to the Field, you take 600 points of damage!" Tèa said, pointing at Vivian a stunned Vivian.
"Gah!" She gasped as she took the damage.
(Vivian: 4000 - 600 = 3400)
"Nice going!" Asuka cheered.
"Thanks, but I'm not finished yet! I activate Master Hyperion's Monster Effect! Once per turn, I can banish a LIGHT Fairy Monster from my Graveyard to destroy one card on the Field! I'll banish one of my Mystical Shine Balls so that Hyperion can destroy your Dragon Lady!"
"Are you kidding?!" Vivian nearly shrieked as she watched her Monster got blasted away due to a huge flame from Master Hyperion's chest.
"Now you are wide open! Master Hyperion, attack Vivian directly! Solar Blast!" Master Hyperion then formed several rings in front of him, resembling the solar system, and concentrated them into a powerful energy beam that struck Vivian hard, nearly knocking her down.
(Vivian: 3400 - 2700 = 700)
"Dammit!" The Asian Duelist cursed loudly.
'Tèa's doing great! One more direct attack and it's over!' Asuka thought.
"I'm putting an end to this Vivian! Athena, your turn! Direct Attack!" Tèa's second Monster moved in for the finishing blow by throwing it's spear right at her enemy. But Vivian Wong wasn't going down that easily.
"I'm not losing to some amateur! Trap card open, Counter Gate! When I'm about to receive a direct attack, I can negate that attack!"
"Darn it!" Tèa lightly cursed as her attack got bounced off.
"There's more! Since I succeeded, I can also draw one card from my Deck! If it's a Monster, I can Normal Summon it in Attack Mode! I draw!" Vivian drew her card and was very pleased with it. "I have drawn Soul Tiger! Now I can Summon him to my Field!" (EARTH; Level 4; ATK: 0; DEF: 2100) Vivian's new Monster seemed to be a red eyed tiger made up of blue spiritual flames.
"I almost had her! Darn! I end my turn." Tèa then turned to her partner. "Sorry Asuka."
"It's fine Tèa. You did more than enough. I'll take it from here." Asuka told her with confidence. "My turn! Draw!" Asuka was determined to finish what Tèa started. "I play my facedown card, Monster Reborn, to bring back my Cyber Angel Izana! And remember the Effect of Athena! Since another Fairy has appeared, you take another 600 points of damage!" Vivian remembered alright as she took more damage.
(Vivian: 700 - 600 = 100)
"Battle! Now Izana, Direct…"
"If you think you can try to win this turn, then you're just as dumb as your partner! I banish my Tiger Ban Trap card from my Graveyard to skip the Battle Phase this turn!" Izana, who was about to attack, lowered it's weapons instead.
"Damn. That Trap she banished must've been the card I destroyed earlier with Izana's Effect. Talk about ironic. I Set one card facedown and end my turn." Asuka said, sounding a little dejected. Vivian chuckled.
"Tiger Fan has another Effect! The controller of a Monster who's Attack Power is higher than 2000 takes damage equal to it's Attack Points! This time you're the one taking damage Asuka!" Asuka got knocked back by the unexpected damage.
(Asuka: 4000 – 2500 = 1500)
"Both you girls tried to beat me, and you've both failed! This game has been very amusing, but I've had enough playing around! My turn! Draw!" Vivian smiled wildly and began to laugh. "Yes, I was hoping to bring this out! If you thought Dragon Lady was a pain, you've seen nothing yet!"
"I really don't like where this is going." Tèa said, sounding more than a little nervous. Asuka felt the same way.
"Remember me mentioning I have been given new power! Well now you're about to see what I meant! By banishing Soul Tiger from my Field and Dragon Lady in from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon from my hand… my newest Ace! Come out, Tiger Lady!" (LIGHT; Level 9; ATK: 3500; DEF: 3000) Vivian's new Monster was another female warrior, but this one wore orange armor with black stripes and had the face of a Tiger. It also wielded two gauntlets with huge tiger-like claws on each one.
"Okay, now I think we're in trouble." Asuka said. Vivian chuckled.
"Oh, you have no idea. Since I successfully Special Summon Tiger Lady, it's Monster Effect activates! For each opposing Monster on the Field, their controllers take 800 points of damage!" With a mighty roar from Tiger Lady's mouth, Tèa and Asuka were blown back and hit the ground.
(Tèa: 2000 - 800 = 1200)
(Asuka: 1500 - 800 = 700)
"Ow, that really hurt." Tèa said while getting up.
"Yeah, it did. That is no ordinary Monster." Asuka noted, now really feeling they were in trouble.
"You bet your pretty little butts it's not ordinary! It also has the added bonus of negating the Effects of all Level 5 and higher Monsters when there is at least one Dragon in my Graveyard, and I have 4 in there right now! Which means none of your Fairy Monsters can touch it!" Tèa and Asuka cursed from that. "Now for Tiger Lady's other Effect! For each of your Monsters, I can draw one card from my Deck! Three Monsters mean I get to draw three cards!" She liked the cards she had drawn. "Next I'll play Dian Keto the Cure Master to give myself 1000 Life Points!"
(Vivian: 100 + 1000 = 1100)
"And finally, I'll Set one card facedown and end my turn. Well ladies, I strongly suggest you quit now while you only have minor injuries! When my next turn comes, I will make your defeats quite painful!" Vivian warned why giggling in a very unpleasant manner. "Oh, before you make your pitiful comebacks, I should give you this." She then took out what appeared to be a small Chinese scroll and tossed it to Tèa. "It's the message I want you to give to Yugi. Go ahead, take a look."
After taking the scroll, Tèa opened it and read it. The contents of that scroll both shocked and horrified her. She couldn't believe Vivian Wong would sink that low to get what she wants! What she did was way worse than kidnapping Yugi's grandpa! After managing to stand up fully again, Tèa rolled up and put away the scroll. She stared back at Vivian with nothing but contempt. "We won't… let you." She told her. Asuka could tell that Tèa was really pissed off. What could that scroll have said to upset her that much?
"Oh? After all that, you still refuse to give up? You can't win." Vivian said arrogantly.
"Yes we can." Asuka said as she too stood once more. "You may be tough, but not invincible." Vivian snorted at them.
"I beg to differ. I'm the one that's about to win. And very soon, Yugi Muto will be all mine!" Tèa's blood boiled. She had it with her!
"Yugi isn't your property! Plus, I told you that you won't lay one finger on him! He and I plan on having a date later on and I'm not going to miss it!" This was it. If there was ever a time for Tèa Gardner to shine, it was now. "Here I go! My turn! Draw!" The girl hoped this card could get her what she needed. "I play Graceful Charity, So now I draw three cards and send two to my Graveyard." Tèa's eyes widened. 'Just what needed!'
"I'm waiting." Vivian said impatiently.
"You won't have to wait long! I'll start by Summoning The Agent of Hope – Neptune in Defense Mode!" (LIGHT; Level 4; ATK: 1500; DEF: 2000) What appeared to be an aquamarine skinned man in a light blue robe with a small green beard. "While he's on my Field, and if "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is in my Graveyard, Neptune can be treated as My Field Magic!"
"Oh come on! Not that again!" Vivian groaned, sounding annoyed.
"That was just the start! With another Fairy Summoned, Athena's Effect activates again!" Vivian growled and cursed her opponent before Athena took another chunk out of Vivian's Life Points.
(Vivian: 1100 - 600 = 500)
"Damn you!" Vivian cursed again.
"Now I play my facedown Polymerization to Fuse my Master Hyperion and Athena together!" Tèa revealed.
"What?! That wasn't a Trap?!" Vivian exclaimed in surprise. She watched as Tèa's Monsters molded into something new.
"Here it is Vivian! My real Ace in the hole! Master Hyperion and Athena combine to form Solus - Lady of the Stars!" (LIGHT; Level 8; ATK: 3200; DEF: 2600) Tèa's true Ace was a long, dark haired woman in armor that shined with stars and swirling galaxies. "Solus can only be Fusion Summoned while "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is in play, and thanks to Neptune copying Sanctuary's Effects, that became possible! It is also unaffected by card effects and cannot be destroyed by battle!" Vivian cursed loudly, for she knew now Tiger Lady's Effects were useless.
'There it is! The card she hoped to play!' Asuka thought proudly.
"It may be immune to Tiger Lady's Effects, but it's not strong enough to go toe to claw with her!" Tèa was about to prove Vivian wrong once more.
"She doesn't need to! I activate Solus' Monster Effect! By banishing a "The Agent" Monster from my Graveyard once per turn, I can destroy all your Monsters on the Field! I banished The Agent of Wisdom – Mercury from my Graveyard to clear your Field of all Monsters! Your Tiger Lady just got it's tail kicked!" Tèa said as Solus fired a shower of stars down on Vivian's Field, obliterating Tiger Lady instantly.
"No! My Tiger Lady! I'll get you for that you little wench!" Vivian swore. 'Her Mercury must've been sent to her Graveyard by Graceful Charity. It was the only way it could've gotten there!'
"Since I used this Effect, I have to skip my Battle Phase. So now I end my turn." Tèa smiled at her partner. "How was that?" Asuka gave her a thumbs up.
"Definitely your best play by far! Now then…" she turned to Vivian. "This time I will finish you! My turn! Draw!" Vivian wasn't going to give her a chance to strike her down.
"Continuous Trap card open, Dragon Soul! As long as I have this in play, I can prevent Monster attacks by banishing a Dragon from my Graveyard once per turn! I banish Sky Dragon to…"
"That's what you think! I activate my Counter Trap, Divine Punishment! When my opponent activates a card effect while "The Sanctuary in the Sky" is in play, or my Sanctuary powered Neptune that is, I can negate and destroy that card! So much for your Dragon Soul!" Tèa countered, to Vivian's chagrin.
"Stop butting in on my strategies will you?!" She complained.
"Thanks for that Tèa. I'll take it from here." Asuka said, preparing to finish this fight.
"Hold it! My Dragon Soul has another Effect! By banishing it from my Graveyard, I can reduce Battle damage to zero this turn! Now you can't touch me!" Vivian said with an overconfident grin, thinking she was safe until her next turn. She was wrong.
"I wouldn't say that Vivian. I play Double Attack! This Magic card allows a Monster I control to attack twice this turn by discarding a higher Level Monster from my hand!" Asuka then reveals one of the cards she was holding. "As you can see, the Cyber Angel Vishnu in my hand is Level 10, while Izana is Level 8! By discarding Vishnu, Izana can now attack you twice! It's over for you, Vivian Wong! Cyber Angel Izana, Double Direct Attack!"
WHAT?! NO!" Vivian yelled in despair as Izana made it's final assault. It's first strike was negated due to the second effect of Dragon Soul, but there was no stopping the second one that finished her.
(Vivian: 0)
Vivian Wong screamed as the Izana's weapons struck her and sent her flying back through the doorway she came out from. She was gone.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
After her crushing defeat, Vivian found herself back in her bedroom of her home. Once she recovered, she banged her fists on the floor and yelled in anger. "Damn those two! I was supposed to beat them! How could they beat me, a Duel Monsters Champion?! I'm supposed to be strong enough to make Yugi Muto mine!" She wined.
"Oh give it a rest, Vivian Wong." Vivian stopped and looked around, frightened by the voice that just spoke.
"W-Who's there?! Come out! Show yourself!" She demanded. This was not the voice she heard before, the one that improved her Deck and sent her to duel those two bitches.
"I'm talking to you in your mind. I am nowhere near where you are." This didn't do anything to quench her fear.
"Yeah well, you still haven't told me who you are!" She said. The voice chuckled.
"Let us say that I am an expert of… "despair". I work with the being that aided you." Vivian then started to calm herself a little.
"Oh really? Why are you chatting with me after I've messed it all up? And why is the first voice not talking?" Vivian asked.
"That guy is busy with his own plans. Besides, I wanted to tell you that I actually thought you did well for your trial run. True, you've lost, but you have proven to be a formidable Duelist. Therefore, you are suitable for my own needs."
"What needs?" Vivian asked.
"You will know soon enough. One day, you will have what you desire. For now, rest up. I look forward to meeting you in person." After that, the voice stopped speaking. Vivian had no clue what that was all about, but if working for this "despair expert" would help her get hands on Yugi, she would do it. She looked forward to that day. She then regained her unpleasant smile.
"One day soon, Yugi Muto, you will be my adorable love slave. And I won't stop until that day comes…"
/\/\/\/\/\/\
The moment Vivian vanished, the energy dome that trapped them vanished with her. "Glad that's over. Thanks Tèa, you really shined like I knew you would." Asuka said as she turned to Tèa. However, she didn't seem to be listening. "Tèa?" The other girl looked at her.
"Sorry Asuka. It's what this said." She then handed her friend the scroll from Vivian. Upon reading it she understood why Tèa nearly lost earlier.
"Tèa, I don't know what to say. I didn't know Vivian Wong was that kind of person..."
"Neither did I." Tèa responded. She had tell Yugi what Vivian did and discuss what to do regarding her latest actions. But first they had to get out of Maiami City. The pair then turned to see the barrier near them also disappear to reveal Manjome and Kenzan. They both seemed to be fine, but they weren't looking their way. The girls were about to call out to them when they heard…
"Yeah, we won… against a jackass who didn't give a damn about the woman that pretty much devoted her life to him. Talk about pathetic." He said. Kenzan looked sympathetic to him.
"All that talk about rejected love. This is about Asuka, isn't it?" He asked. Manjome clinched his fists again.
"She chose her love… it just wasn't me. I really don't think anyone could get my attention like Asuka did." He said softly. Kenzan really didn't know what to say, so he kept silent. Tèa and Asuka felt extremely awkward from hearing that, more so Asuka than Tèa.
"Hey guys! Glad you two are unharmed!" Asuka called out, making Manjome and Kenzan turn to them.
"Are… you guys okay?" Tèa asked, trying not to sound like she heard what she heard.
"Oh, we're dandy! We had to battle someone we didn't expect and he nearly got us, but we're good." Kenzan said.
"Same here." Tèa replied. Asuka decided she had to talk to Manjome regarding his issues.
"Manjome, can we talk alone for a second?" She asked, to his great surprise.
"Sure, I guess." Manjome said. He and Asuka then walked a little ways from their teammates so they could talk quietly.
"Manjome, you've been giving me the silent treatment since Astral brought you and the others here to back us up. I think I know why." She looked straight into the young man's eyes. "You're still not over your world's Asuka rejecting you." Manjome looked away.
"What's that got to do with anything?" He asked softly, sounding irritated. Asuka sighed.
"I heard what you said a moment ago." Manjome gasped and flushed with embarrassment.
"Y-You weren't supposed to hear that!" He said, nearly shouting. Asuka put her hands on his shoulders.
"Listen. I didn't realize her rejecting you had hurt you to this extent. I'm sure she didn't mean too, but you clearly wanted to be with her. And that pain is why you don't want to be with me. Am I right?" Manjome didn't say anything, but he nodded slowly. "Then why didn't you ask Reiji to transfer to another team?" Manjome finally looked at her, though reluctantly.
"I was trying to suck it up. We're in a war, and there wasn't any time for stuff like team transfers. Also, I didn't want to come off as a selfish prick with heart break. Still…" he hesitated before he too sighed. "I'm sorry for how I've behaved toward you… again. You didn't deserve that."
"It's okay." Asuka said, but Manjome wasn't done.
"No it's not okay. If you heard what I said, then you know how much it's killing me. Looking at you… I just can't get past it. I don't think… I ever will." He said despairingly as he looked down.
"Manjome…" Asuka felt more pity toward him than ever. She could see clearly how much pain he was in just by looking at his eyes. His feelings for the other her was the reason he felt so bad. Manjome really believed he could never move on. He was at an emotional roadblock. How could she help him? There must be something she could do.
That was when she decided to take drastic action. Asuka wouldn't do this under any other circumstances, but in this case, it might be the only way. She hoped this would not only ease Manjome's inner turmoil, but also to help him start to move forward. She then placed her hands on Manjome's face and made him look at her. "What?" He asked, seeing how serious Asuka looked.
"Manjome, I don't want you to take this the wrong way. I'm doing this to help you." She said, confusing the guy.
"What're you…?" His questioned went unfinished when, suddenly, Asuka pulled him in for a kiss. He could feel her lips crashing into his. His eyes widened and went stiff. Was this happening? Was Asuka… this other Asuka… really kissing him? It felt way too real to be some fantasy. He then just went with it as he shut his eyes and put his arms around her, kissing her back. After a moment, Asuka pulled away, giving them both a little air. When she looked at him again, Manjome appeared completely bewildered. "Woah." He said shakily. Asuka smiled
"Not too shabby yourself. How did that feel?" She asked. To her great relief, Manjome smiled back.
"Really good. Actually, I think that was what I needed. I don't feel so depressed anymore. Thanks." He said gratefully.
"You're welcome. I honestly hope you do find someone truly special." She said. Manjome nodded, hoping he would too.
"What the hell was THAT?!" Manjome and Asuka turned to see Kenzan and Asuka staring at them, totally dumbstruck.
"Relax guys, it's not what you think." Asuka said with a chuckle.
"She's right. We didn't hook up or anything. Asuka was just…" Manjome was interrupted when all four Duelists were instantly encircled by lots of soldiers composed of the Obelisk Force and Sector Security. They all laughed evilly while arming their Duel Disks.
"Oh crap. Guess the sappy stuff is over." Manjome commented grimly.
"You think?!" Tèa asked with sarcasm. The four then activated their Disks once more and began to stand their ground.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Please forgive me. I truly wished not to harm any of you, but I was left with little choice. I pray you will somehow survive this." On the ground lay the defeated trio of Masumi, Yaiba, and Sawatari. They all lay on the ground with cuts and bruises on their bodies. The individual who defeated them turned to walk back through the door from they came.
"Wait! Why are you… doing this? Just who… or what… are you?" Masumi demanded weakly. The light blue skinned woman with yellow pupilless eyes and long silver hair turned around and frowned.
"My name is Enna. I am trying to protect my own world. Again, I hope you can one day forgive me. I must go now." Masumi told her to stop, but Enna had already gone through the door and was out of sight. Just after that the dome covering the LDS Team also disappeared.
"Enna…" Masumi said to herself before checking her teammates. "You two okay?"
"I'll be fine. Dammit. Who would've thought we'd take a beating from someone like?" Yaiba asked painfully as he held his shoulder. "You?"
"I'm fine, just a little bruised." Masumi said.
"That makes three of us. But man! Just what kind of person was that anyway?! She didn't look remotely human!" Sawatari shouted. Masumi shook her head.
"I don't have the faintest idea, Sawatari. We need to check on the other teams and report back…" The LDS Duelists didn't get to do anything else before they were swarmed with Obelisk Force and Sector Security officers.
"Oh great. Just when things couldn't get any worse." Yaiba complained. Masumi knew she and her remaining teammates were in no shape for another Duel. It looked like they were indeed goners.
"Any last words before you three are carded?" An Obelisk goon asked, grinning maniacally. Masumi sneered at him.
"Go screw yourselves." She spat back defiantly. The masked soldiers laughed as they prepared to seal the trio. They were just a inch from starting the process when from out of nowhere, more people materialized around them.
"What's this?!" One of the Sector Security officers gawked. More than a dozen Duelists in red, yellow, and blue uniforms stood between the LDS Team and their enemies.
"It's okay! We're here to help you out!" One of the Yellow dressed Duelists said over his shoulder. The LDS Duelists were stunned.
"Who the hell are you guys?!" Sawatari demanded. This time it was a red Duelist that answered, and his answer shocked everyone.
"We are former Academia Duelists here to assist you...under direct orders from Commander-In-Chief Edo Phoenix!"
To be continued.