Rex and Weevil
"They left?" Weevil asked at breakfast. "When?"
"At dawn," Rex replied after a loud yawn, stirring a heavy breakfast of bacon, bacon and more bacon with six sausage patties mixed with sweet spices. "High Chancellor Pegasus sent them a high-powered boat for them to get to Domino quicker."
Weevil cringed with anger. "I hate it how those royal chumps are so heavily pampered. There was a time when we were the top dogs in this school! Then that Zane showed up! And that pompous princess, Alexis! Now we must contend with Yugi Muto with his Dark Magician and Yuri Wallcroft and his Black Tyranno and those God Cards! Our Houses were some of the most feared in the land taking down the Valentines in the War of the Blue Mountains. We are the sons of two of the greatest warriors in the West. Now Yuri's made a laughing stock of us both!"
"I at least lost with some dignity," boasted Rex, leaning back against his orange leather seat of the booth they were sitting in. "You had to stick to your old ways and cheat! That's why you've been demoted to Mirage Dragon Yellow last year."
"I don't care about the dorms. What matters is all these new kids are taking our turf. This school was once ruled by you and me! The kiddies looked up to us. The girls went after us. Professor Crowler showered us with rare cards. But thanks to the new blood those days are finished!"
"And word on the street is, there's some girl duelist in our class who holds the Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Rex crunched on a strip of bacon and looked out the window at the dawn. The sun was casting a sweet pink glow in the sky and the waters below were a wonderful baby blue. He could see other students in the smaller building beneath him from the restaurant they ate in. He eyed them jealously as they laughed and joked while walking the halls. They were in a large group of friends while he was alone with Weevil.
"That can't be!" said Weevil. "Unless Seto Kaiba is some sort of crossdresser that's impossible!"
"The odds of that are unlikely," chuckled Rex, trying hard not to imagine Seto Kaiba in a dress. He shoved an entire patty into his mouth. "I don't know about you, but from what I heard, she's really hot!"
"Is that so?" sneered Weevil. He arrogantly held up his deck. "Perhaps I should visit her and see what she's got."
"Those cards are fake if you ask me," said Rex. "It would be an even greater dishonor of you lost to fake cards."
"If they're so fake, why does Seto Kaiba say nothing?"
"Good question, so why don't we do some asking around and see for ourselves."
"But we don't even know what she looks like."
They heard some laughing from another booth across the way on the other side of a sprawling garden with glowing neon plants. They were a group of students from the Kaiser Glider dorm, though it was hard to tell because it was Saturday, and classes were off. Luckily one of them wore a black t-shirt with the escutcheon of his dorm emblazoned in bronze.
"No way!" said one of the students, an Eldori with spiked blue hair. "You're telling me Seto Kaiba's daughter saved your scrawny ass!"
"Yeah, she did!" said the storyteller, another Eldori with clean-cut red hair with blond highlights. "This hotshot Treasure Hunter arrives thinking he can scoop some rare cards from us, students. He came to me and challenged me to a duel under the Battle City rules, in which the losing duelist forks over his rarest card."
"Don't tell me, you lost?" cackled a tan-skinned Eldori with black hair swaying over his eyes in mop-like bangs. His friends laughed leaving the storyteller blowing fumes.
"All right, all right, I lost. Happy!"
"No, we're just not surprised!"
"Whatever. Anyway, the Treasure Hunter starts to get physical with me when he's not impressed with my Armageddon Knight. So, he starts asking for more. When I refused him my cards he threatened to beat me up. That's when Kaiba shows up. He's with his little brother, Mokuba, some blonde-haired pretty secretary and her!"
He gave told them the story of their duel in great detail. He told them of the new model Duel Disk Cora was using and the horrifying beast she summoned to scare the Treasure Hunter into submission and how Kaiba gave the tourist an unfair advantage with a plethora of extremely rare cards from the collection in his metal briefcase.
"So, this Cora Kaiba," asked one of the storyteller's friends. "Was she a looker?"
"Yeah, she was," said the storyteller. "A gift from Ana if I ever saw one."
"Hey!" Rex said, approaching the table with Weevil. "You guys wouldn't happen to know where she is, do you?"
They all laughed at the duo.
"Well, well, well, it isn't Rex Raptor and Weevil Underpants!"
"WHAT!" squealed Weevil.
"What's it matter to you where Cora is?" asked one of the friends.
"Looks like they want to duel her," sneered the storyteller. "Haven't you two been humiliated enough already!"
"We're both going to challenge her!" said Rex. "Now tell us where she is!"
"Or what?"
"Or his father will come after your father!"
"My father is the head of the Cadet Branch of House Delgado. And right now, they are on a mean streak! It would be unwise to piss them off. You guys don't want trouble just for a bit of information, do you?"
"Uh, he's got a point bro. House Delgado is not one to be messing with."
"We don't want any trouble," said the storyteller. "All we know is that she likes to hang out in the cove around eight. If you hurry you just might catch her!"
"Thanks," he tossed them a Star Chip for their trouble. He and Weevil hurried down to the ground floor of the castle. When they came outside, they stopped. It was warm.
"What gives?" asked Rex, removing his scarf.
"You haven't heard?" asked a passing girl. "The elementary kids have been having some of the lowest grades in years. The Blizzard Dragon in the mountains is calling off his frost for the snows until they bring their grades up."
"Thanks," Rex said to the girl and removed his jacket. "Wish I'd have known that earlier. Damn it's hot out here. It feels like the rain forests back home."
"Just as well," said Weevil. "I hate the cold. It sickens me to know we have to change the weather down here just because the kiddies want a little snow."
"The cove is down this way," said Rex. He attached earbuds to his PDA and put on Walkin' on the Sun by Smash Mouth as he and Weevil began to search around for Cora. They went east and west and through a forest of palm trees until they spotted Mokuba talking to a girl who matched the description of the storyteller. She was sitting on a wooden bench, examining her cards while the little Kaiba was standing on the black pavement with his knuckles on his hips. He looked angry. Rex couldn't hear a word he was saying because the music was blasting in his ears. He asked Weevil if it was her, and he nodded yes with a greedy grin.
He then ordered Weevil to get a look at her cards after Mokuba walked away and left her alone. Rex hid behind a limestone statue of a Celtic Guardian while Weevil excellently sneaked towards Cora from behind the bench where she was reclined. He peeked over her shoulder and scanned her deck as she flipped through her cards with her thumbs. He spotted the Chaos MAX Dragon on the front of her deck but not even so much as the vanilla corner of their cards could be seen. Then he saw the letters B-L-U glimmering on the next card to look at. But his beady little eyes drifted to Cora's cleavage from her tight black tank top. He ogled at them as though hypnotized by some spell and stretched his neck upwards to get a better look. His morning breath gave him away.
Cora turned her head to see Weevil inappropriately gawking at her. Weevil made a nervous grin as Cora's fiery blue eyes glared at him. She snarled and punched him hard on the face. She gathered her things and walked away. Rex groaned and face-palmed himself. He had to admit, the music in his ears made the scene a little funny.
Weevil swayed left to right with dizziness while trying to walk to Rex.
"Were they fake?" he asked.
"No…" croaked Weevil. "They were very real."
Rex narrowed his eyes, for it wasn't the Blue-Eyes White Dragon cards he was talking about. And then Weevil fell hard to ground succumbing to the darkness. He lay on the green grass, knocked out.
"Serves you right," groaned Rex. He was defeated for now, but Cora was still in his sights. He wanted to know the truth behind the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in her deck. One way or another.
Phoenix
Alexis Rhodes, Princess Evelyn, Ezra, Jasmine, Mindy, Phoenix, and Xifeng were having a video conversation through their PDA's. Too exhausted from their hectic week, they all decided to relax and wind down in their respective houses until that night which was Endless Night, a weekend event where players dueled all night long if they so choose in the forests of the island. Tourists and citizens of Palmhold, a small resort town at the bottom of the island were even welcome to play the students in the school grounds.
Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, and Bastion were of no good company this warm Saturday morning. Every morning during the weekend Bastion would wake up his roommates at the crack of dawn and stand by the beach exercising their draws. Bastion was training them today for their first Endless Night.
Ser Dancer and Ser Kevin would be at the meadows practicing their swordplay with wooden swords they borrowed from Professor Wheeler's classroom (they may be on an island for dueling, but they were still knights). And Ethan was still rejected by his friends and was probably sulking about the academy halls somewhere. Alone.
Phoenix was beside the fireplace of her dorm room doing yoga dressed in a black sweater and black athletic shorts. When she would wave her hands, she couldn't help but to perform a basic fire spell or two creating displays that wooed Ezra from her screen.
"So, they've ditched us," Alexis said feeling rather peeved. Phoenix could see her chewing a strip of bacon from a window in her PDA. The windows showing her friends formed a circle over a background of the academy's coat of arms. "What are we supposed to do now?"
"Duel, what else?" said Ezra, her voice distorted from the speaker of her phone muzzled by the purple mat where it laid. "This is Duelist Academy is it not?"
Jasmine gave a yawn. Phoenix could see a room with pink walls behind her. Mindy was sitting beside her hugging a chibi Black Tyranno plushy. Jasmine shoved her to the side lightly with her shoulder and said, "Yeah, I guess we can duel, but it won't be as fun without Yuri and the others. He really got everyone excited." She looked at Mindy who nodded in agreement.
"And he was just starting to get good," said Mindy. "Plus, I've been dying to find out what the rare card Yugi gave him is."
"At least, Jeayoung left me his pretty lieutenant," said Alexandra, putting a friendly arm around Xifeng who was joining her in her room for breakfast and another lesson in the common tongue.
"Why he leave with no say goodbye?" asked Xifeng rather sadly. "I miss Jaeyoung."
"Aww," they all said in sympathy for Xifeng. Now she was all alone in this strange world.
"Don't be so sad Xifeng," said Mindy. "You've got us."
"You're not the only one who has been left behind," crooned Alexandra, petting Xifeng's back.
Another window popped up next to Alexandra's. They agreed to let the user join them. It was Antoine.
"Morning ladies," Antoine said appearing on the window. He was dressed in a red velvet robe and smoking from an ivory pipe. "Beautiful day is it not? Say now, Phoenix, aren't you with the alliance too? Why didn't you go to Domino?"
"I am merely High King Yuri's Court Magician, Antoine," said Phoenix, going on all fours and arching her back. Her spine cracked. "The Arch-mage of the Citadel is the one needed for the peace talks."
"Still, you are a part of their group," said Alexandra. "It would have made sense to bring you along."
"I don't mind, really," Phoenix answered. She was looking at a textbook on the ground, studying for her test on the Elvish language with Professor Tea.
"I just want to be here at the academy."
"That's the spirit," said Antoine. "Now that the field exams are done and over with, classes have been a little more lenient. So now we can play."
"I look forward to the games on Endless Night," said Phoenix.
"PHOENIX!" someone cried.
Phoenix felt uneasy when she felt someone…or something was hugging her butt. She turned her head and spotted Ricky, Yuri's Fingolin familiar. He smothered his face on her rear end. Phoenix could smell beer in his pink fur. He was drunk.
"How long have you been here!" shouted Phoenix.
"At last you and I are alone my sweet!" he swooned rubbing his cheeks on her cheeks.
Phoenix yelped in disgust. "Augh, get off! You can't do that!" She shook her posterior violently trying to shake him off.
"Weee!" cheered the little creature, holding onto her pants. He lost his balance and fell yanking her shorts down with him.
Phoenix screamed and pulled them back up with her hands.
"GET OUT OF MY ROOM YOU PERVERTED RABBIT!" shouted Phoenix punting him so hard he flew out the window.
Avi
She had never heard a crowd cheer so loudly before. He felt her eardrums would burst open and bleed. From a balcony atop one of the House of Gray's guest palaces, she watched Yuri and his friends parade on horseback through the streets under a rain of confetti and flower petals surrounded by soldiers and knights who had traveled from afar to see them. A forest of banners from their respective Houses washed the streets in their colors. But poor Yuri had no House to claim to. No one from the Delgados wanted to raise a banner from him and House Wallcroft was extinct.
But Stas, Marcel, Michael, Jaeyoung, Jon, and Ryon rode on both sides of Prince Yuri proudly holding up the banners of their Houses as though he was a member. Avi smiled seeing the brotherhood the princes had with each other. They had considered Yuri as family. How could they not after all they had been through? She prayed she could be part of that bond herself. She went weak in the knees seeing Prince Yuri for the first time. Yami rode alongside him dressed in black engraved armor with a black solid cape with red underneath. It wrapped around him as though it was made of solid steel.
"Do you grow nervous, My Lady?" Stefan asked, standing with her waving to the crowd who were congratulating them both on their marriage.
"I have never met the Eradicator of Anubis before," Avi gulped nervously, dressed in a white gown of a flowery design trimmed with gold. The top shaped like a budding lily flower opening to reveal the upper-half of her breasts. Fira disapproved of the design for there were slits at the sides which showed much of her legs. No doubt it was of Stefan's choosing. A tiara of silver and diamond glimmered on her head. Her golden hair was pulled back and curled. Large diamond earrings shined brightly on her ears.
"I haven't met them before either," said Stefan. "I am more nervous than you."
"What makes you say that?"
"I am still an enemy in their eyes. At least Yuri and Master Yu-Gi-Oh have accepted you." He stared at her for quite a while. "You look beautiful."
That made Avi grin, but she began to wonder if he really meant it. Ser Gerhalos was wise to stay vindictive of the Church, for they were not known of keeping oaths. Her future husband's father was a good example of that when he raised an army despite being on the losing end of a duel under the Dueling Pact. But she was not worried.
She had her dragons and her friends. And as soon as Ser Gerhalos came back, she would pack her things and leave, resuming her quest to find more dragons and finding opponents to beat to gain the favor of Stardust Sifr Dragon and Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend. With those two in her arsenal, she would prove to be a formidable foe in the Tournament of the Summoners when it was time for Yuri's coronation. Then again, Stefan promised her the location of far more powerful dragons should she choose to go through with the wedding and no time was wasted for its preparation.
As of now, the best tailors in Domino City were hard at work designing a wedding dress for Avi. She gave a heavy sigh looking down at the parade again. Camera crews began sending out drones to get a good look at the seven princes for the news outlets reporting the festivities of the conference which would end all hostilities with the North once and for all.
"Present arms!" shouted the general of the Royal Army of Eredas. The soldiers in suits of Kevlar and steel plate raised their rifles as Prince Yuri and his companions approached the gates of his castle.
Yami looked up at Avi. She smiled at him and waved to get his attention, but her master just glared at her and turned his head away. Avi's smile faded quickly, and she felt a sense of uneasiness rush through her gut and up her chest.
"He didn't look too happy," Fira whispered into Avi's ear.
"He's just serious," said Aldara. "Don't worry."
"Look at all those knights!" Tordo gawked at the heavily armored men below. He admired the armor Prince Yuri was wearing. It was the armor the Elven-kings gave to him the day it was announced he was going to be High King. The jewels studded all over the massive golden plate Yuri was wearing made him sparkle with each step. The banners whipped through the air and the hooves of their steeds clopped on the white cobbled streets.
"This will be a very interesting luncheon my friends," said Stefan. "I will see you there, love." He kissed Avi's left cheek and strolled away casually followed by an escort of tactical knights and the abbot.
"We should get moving too," said Ser Arthur now clad in white enameled scaled armor with a gleaming white cape.
"Aw, but I want to see the knights!" pouted Tordo.
Neow! Neow! Hissed the Baby Tiragon, proudly perched on Avi's shoulder. He snapped at Tordo as if telling him to get moving.
"Come my little warrior," Aldara beamed at him. Baby Tiragon flew off of Avi's shoulder and on to Aldara's.
"You'd best come along too, Dove," said Fira. "I imagine there is much to discuss at this lunch."
Avi followed Fira and Aldara back into the castle. The fans cooled her face dreadfully warmed by the hot southern sun. Hard to believe Duel Island was starting to undergo winter thanks to that Blizzard Dragon she heard so much about, one of the few surviving true dragons in Termnnia alongside Ser Damien's Luster Dragon and the Five Dragons of the Knights of the Crimson Dragon.
She had met one of them, Ser Yusei Fudo, earlier that day before the parade began. She would have loved for him to be one of her companions. To her surprise, Yusei said he would think about it. The rose petals that rained down from the sky was from Lady Akiza, another Knight of the Crimson Dragon, riding atop her Black Rose Dragon, showering the princes below with roses from its rose-shaped wings.
As Avi went deeper into the tower that was the House of Gray she saw Yami leaning against the engraved walls waiting for her.
"Master Yu-Gi-Oh!" Avi bowed. "It's so good to see you again."
"I wish I could say the same about you."
"What do you mean? What have I done that has displeased you? I'll have you know I found many of the creatures on my quest."
"And by many you mean two?" Yami asked.
"It is not easy finding these things, Master! I thought you should know that."
"Come, I have someone who wants to meet you."
He got off the wall and walked down the extravagant halls of the tower. Avi was not surprised when she saw who her guest was. Yami took her into a room with glass walls veiled with white curtains. There looking out into the city was Prince Yuri. He turned to look at her and smiled.
"Yuri," said Yami. "This is her. Lady Avellana Lofnmagni Ethelfleda. The Summoner of Dragons."
"My prince!" Avi cried out in shock. She fell to her knees. "I am not worthy."
"You act as though I were the Higher Power himself," Yuri chuckled warmly. "If anything, you have more influence over the people than I do. It's you I should bow down to."
"You will be the High King," Avi said standing up. "You bow to no one."
"True, and you are the Summoner of Dragons so the feelings mutual. Yami...er...Yugi tells me that is not a gift seen in this world for thousands of years."
"Indeed," said Yami. "A gift that was wiped out by the very organization you vow unity to."
Yuri nodded. "You're marrying the arch-bishop of the Church and the King of the North. Both of whom are mortal enemies of cultures like ours. Why, Avellana?"
"He was so convincing," said Avi.
"So convincing that you would strike your knight champion in defense of this foolish proposal?" Yami scored. "Ser Gerhalos has risked much to keep you safe young lady and this is how you repay him?"
Great. Avi frowned. Just great. First, she had to lectured by Ser Gerhalos. Now it was Yami.
"He treats me like a child! And what do you mean foolish? I'll have you know this marriage was for Prince Yuri's benefit."
"And just how will marrying the most powerful figure of a cult hell-bent on the termination of magical ideologies benefit me, Avi?" Yuri asked. "The Church sent witch-hunters to kill my mother. If they had, I would not be here right now and Anubis would be ruling again. And, if I recall, they sent witch-hunters after you too."
"You also preached your hate against them many times," said Yami. "Why the sudden change of heart?"
"They were under orders of King Forrest," Avi protested. "Stefan is different."
"I'll decide that for myself," said Yami. "At the feast."
"That goes for me too," said Yuri. "I can't take his word without suspicion. We believed King Forrest would end his violence with a pact and look how that turned out. He tried to have me killed! My friend Slifer made sure he paid for going against me. And for killing my brother."
"I am sorry about Leon, My Lord."
"If you truly are, you would not have accepted Stefan's proposal for marriage." Yami sighed with frustration. He rubbed his Millennium Puzzle to ease his tension.
"Why are you against this?" Avi asked. "I could very well end the violence and hate that poisons Termnnia."
Yami sighed again. "As you wish. While we are here, I'd like to discuss your quest for the dragons, Avi."
"Ah, just in time," a voice said from outside the halls. He entered the room. The young man was an Eldori with tanned skin, golden eyes and dark teal hair that spiked out from the back of his head, and in twin spikes with the likeness of two horns in addition to two ponytails bound with golden rings. He was holding a black staff with cubed holographic orange ornaments that spun and disappeared and reappeared in a loop.
"This is a fellow Eyar of my order," said Yami. "And, if Avi wills it, her newest companion. May I introduce you to Aigami."
Yuri and Avi bowed before the presence of another wizard of the Eyar.
"Aigami is the one who knows where your origins lay, Avi," said Yami.
"However, that little secret will remain hidden until matures at her task," Aigami said inspecting Avi, sternly. "She cannot be a Summoner of the High King with a record like hers. Two dragons even denied being summoned by her, for she is too weak."
"This is true," Avi said shamefully. "What he says is true."
"I know," said Yami. "But don't worry. Aigami knows a thing or two about Summoning. He will be a perfect companion on your quest. Once you master your skills, Aigami and I will take you back to Normandia and meet with your father.
"Why must we wait so long? Can't I see him now?"
"Your father will not speak to you until you have proven yourself a Master Summoner, Lady Avi," said Aigami. "I know, believe me. I spoke to him. For now, keep questing for the dragons of Saafani. With me by your side, finding them will prove a little easier."
"Well this is exciting news," said Yuri. "I wish you luck on your quest. I must say, it's good to finally meet you. I look forward to having you as my Summoner but be wary. The competition for that job is fierce."
"Thank you, Thank you all," said Avi. "My prince, I believe they are expecting us for lunch." She offered Yuri her arm. Yuri bowed politely and took it and led her outside into the halls. Yami and Aigami followed.
As they trekked through the castle, Yuri and Avi were blinded by flashes from hundreds of cameras. Microphones were shoved into their faces from eager reporters bombarding them with questions. How do you feel Prince Yuri? Lady Avellana, are you thrilled to finally meet with the High King? Can I get you two to kiss? Show us your Black Tyranno, Prince Yuri! Can we trouble you for a demonstration with your dragons Lady Avellana?
Black Luster Soldiers and Buster Bladers quickly separated the two most famous figures in Termnnia from the mob of reporters and escorted them to the grand dining hall where the Princes were sitting together before a very long table of polished redwood. The guests clapped when Prince Yuri and Avi came through the doors with Aigaimi and Yami following.
There was a throne of gold and wood in between Jaeyoung and Jon. That seat was for Yuri. When he sat down he felt as though he was trapped in a prison of food. Roasted king crab legs. Swordfish steaks crusted with herbs. Honey baked ham on a silver platter with sweet-smelling plants surrounding it. A lobster still steaming from the pot lay gallantly encircled by quail basted in honey sauce and peppered with herbs as well.
Avi could not sit with them, for her place was with her future husband and with a group of priests from all the chapels in Domino. And Stefan's four brothers, Pyke, Jaime, Romulus, and Seamus each of them were lords of Naralia.
There was a woman with red-blonde hair sitting alone at the corner of the table, away from Stefan and the princes. She wore red enameled armor trimmed with gold and a long red skirt damasked with dragon-like designs. She was once King Forrest's ward when the New Dragonheart Rebellion was set to rise a decade ago. Her name was Daralis Dragonslayer, a former member of House Deepclaw a cadet branch of House Dragonheart.
High Chancellor Pegasus and his sons Yako and Gekko were sitting together at the right end of the table.
Stefan was standing proudly over his guests dressed in his best on his own throne in front of the large glass wall with a panoramic view of the city behind him. Prince Marcel glared at the arrogant king, for his throne was bigger than Yuri's.
Stefan stood up and held out his hand for Avi's. She blushed nervously and took it. He led her gently to her chair of silver and myrrh and comfortable white cushions. A fleet of helicopters thundered behind the window and shook the dining hall, brilliantly lit up by sun casting rainbow hues on the table. She sat down and observed the princes with her silver eyes.
They must have heard of her engagement to Stefan, for they did not talk to her or even look at her. In their hearts, Avi marrying a great enemy of their culture was like a stab in the back. A betrayal to the good faith they had in her.
Michael especially. He had known her longer than any of his friends, yet he did not even greet her. Avi wanted to burst into tears seeing them neglect her this way. Yami saw this and offered a toast to break the silence. He felt relieved when they clinked their glasses with Avi's though they did so hastily. And so, they dug in after a priest gave a two-minute blessing to Yeyu.
Jon could take it no more and grabbed his fork and started eating. Michael and the others followed as well.
"Praise be to Yeyu!" the priest called out before sitting down, feeling perturbed that the arrogant youngsters disrespected his faith this way. Avi began feeling uneasy. She and Stefan may sway the people in peace with their marriage but it would take a great deal more convincing to get Prince Yuri and his friends to approve. Shortly after starting their meal, Stefan stood up and tapped his steak knife against his glass.
Yuri and his friends stopped eating at once and looked at him like poisonous vipers ready to strike.
"I'd like to thank you all for coming here," he announced. "Now I know, you are still in the third month of your semester at Duelist Academy, and, again, I'd like to thank each one of you for taking time from your busy schedules to join me in this talk of peace between or cultures. Enough blood has been spilt for our beliefs and I believe we can end such hostilities today."
"If you have a point, get to it," grumbled Stas. "I'm starving."
Avi sighed with disbelief. Stefan was no doubt from the most aggressive faction of this dispute, but he was more on the side of peace than Yuri and the others.
"It is not the first time you and your people have held peace talks before," said Michael. "Every pact we have made with your Church you have broken. Master Yu-Gi-Oh defeated your father's champion, your little brother Prince Malcolm the Spoiled, in a match to stop the hostilities and yet he sailed to Emboldor and tried to kill not only Yuri, but all of us."
"I am not King Forrest," said Stefan. "Friends. Please. Do not persecute me for the sins of my father. Look, I have more than proven myself by asking Lady Avellana to marry me. She is a magic user and I am a Yeyunist."
"An act we find rather condemnable," spat one of the preachers. "If you want her for a wife, she must promise to convert to the true church and cease summoning those demons."
"They are not demons!" shouted Avi.
"I rest my case," Michael said leaning back on his chair. "Avi you once talked my ears off with your hate for the Church. Now you marry one of its leaders. Where is the logic in that? You yourself said there is no negotiating with them, and this priest here is proof of that. Even when in the midst of discussing peace, he forces you to convert to the faith under pain of death."
"I never said…"
"You don't have to say anything, Father," Michael interrupted the priest. "I have read your White-Gold Tome. 'He who does not accept my word or the teachings in my Tome will have his head removed and he is a demon caller, burn his cards. And if he has a wife, she will be given to you to pay for his sin of non-belief. And you will sell his children away. His daughters will be slaves and his sons will take up sword with the Templars'." Michael grinned arrogantly. "You said this to me once when I rejected your religion, yes?"
The priest went quiet. Stefan nodded in agreement.
"It is because of radical people like you that we have enemies everywhere, Father!" shouted Stefan. "You either accept my wife is a user of magic or I will have you stripped of your position!"
"Your father would have your head for this if he was still alive!" snapped another priest.
"You lot are ruining everything!" shouted Pyke. "Damn you all!"
"And to think I could be dueling in Endless Night right about now," groaned Stas. "I knew this peace conference was a waste of time. And so what if you're marrying Avi. You think marrying a pretty mage convinces us that you are true to your word? Have you heard the tale of Lady Angelina and the Wailing Tower?"
"I have," said Stefan. "But those are the days of old. I assure you that our faith can move forward. We must unite our forces and combat the Orcs."
"So that's it, eh?" said Jon. "And you needed to marry Lady Avellana to do this when all this time you could have just joined us long ago?"
"I agree," said Yami, wiping his chin with a red handkerchief. "If you really wish to lend your support to Prince Yuri, why not just end your hostilities and just join him. You did not have to bring Avi into this though marriage."
"Don't any of you see?" said Avi. "Mages, duelists, and magic users everywhere look to me in these dark times. If they can see me unifying with Stefan, the archbishop of the Church of Yeyu, they will surely change their minds and see we can coexist with the Faith and vice-versa. Our bond will show Termnnia is a land for everyone, regardless of their beliefs."
"You gamble a lot with this, Avi," said Michael. "Your admirers could see you as more a traitor than a beacon of unification and peace."
Avi grimaced and looked down at her plate sadly.
"It is also foolish to think a single marriage will end the hostilities of the Church," said Marcel.
"Which is why I sought to join your alliance today," said Stefan. "Please. Allow me in this grand brotherhood you have and let us show the people that we are capable of getting along. Together, we can rebuild Termnnia into the superpower it once was in the ancient days."
"Fine, but there are a few terms you must meet to gain our trust," Jaeyoung said, spinning his knife on the table.
"I will do whatever I can for you," said Stefan. "Whatever you ask. I will do. If you ask me to end my marriage with Lady Avi. I will do it."
"As ludicrous as the marriage is, you make valid points," said Jon. "Keep the Summoner. It matters not to us."
Avi cringed again. They hated her. Deep down they all thought she could be the ultimate tool in taking down the poisonous ideologies of the church. But her accepting Stefan's proposal to marry him was like taking a furious jab at their hopes for toppling the organization for good. Yami groaned with disbelief as well. He could not believe they were being so hard on her.
"First off," Ryon began. "You will tell your people to end all violence with magic users once and for all. If they so much as harm one of our citizens the alliance is off and we'll march with full force to Naralia to throw you out of power and send every Yeyunist back to Balodrum!"
"I will tell them as soon as I can," said Stefan.
"You will tell them today, at the speech!" Ryon demanded. "You will sign the treaty my friends and I have been working during our trip from Duelist Academy. Your promise will be law."
"It will be done."
"Furthermore," Jon added. "None of your followers will force any of our citizens to convert to your religion. That will also be part of the treaty."
"Third," said Jaeyoung, "your church will pay for Elleria's debt to the Termnnian Bank."
"This is preposterous!" shouted one of the priests.
"It will be done!" Stefan shouted over him. "For many years, you lot and my father have harassed that kingdom. It is high time you paid for your sins. All of you!"
"But Your Grace…."
"SILENCE!" shouted Stefan. "Not another word!"
"And another thing," said Jon, "you beheaded Talion Alteria the Prince of Elleria," he leaned towards Yuri and whispered, "Try saying that three times fast," then he leaned away and said, "he was to be betrothed to my little sister, Astrid. You will make up for this treachery by marrying one of your brothers to her."
"We had to do it!" shouted a priest from Naralia. He was the man who read Talion his last rights before he was beheaded. "The man was a faggot!"
"Watch your tongue!" shouted Michael, furiously standing up from his seat. "Or I will chop it out of your mouth and spoon feed it to you!"
"You would threaten a man of the Church!" the priest countered. "I have contacts everywhere who can make your life a living hell boy."
"ENOUGH!" roared Yuri. "SIT DOWN!" he ordered Michael. "We're not getting anywhere like this!"
"Prince Yuri is right," said Avi. "Please, everyone, this is a conference for unity and friendship. Let us not bicker like children. We all want a world that we can live together in peacefully. Fathers, I know this must be very difficult for you. You are a proud men and astute believers in your faith and I commend you for that. But these are new times. If you are to move forward and keep your Church standing tall, you must accept there are those who do not see the world as you do. And violence will only pull you further and further away from the peoples of this world. You are up against armies vastly superior to yours and…" he looked at Yuri and his glowing green eye. "And a god."
"He is no god, Lady Avi," said the priest.
"Then call him what you will," said Avi. "It does not change the fact he has the power to kill dark lords and commands three of the single most powerful beings to ever walk the earth, who alone can destroy all you stand for. That is the last thing you want is it not?"
"She is right, brothers," said a priest, garbed in blue. "This alliance is blasphemous in my eyes, but, it is one we must make. Otherwise, we will wind up destroying one another. The wars caused by the violence of our followers has cost us all dearly, you know this."
Murmurs of agreement from the priests.
"The same goes for you lot," Avi directed her words to Yuri and the Princes. "A leader from the organization you hate has come offering terms of friendship and you spit it back in his face. Prince Michael, how many times have I heard you make speeches at the table begging for a better world? A world where we can be free and share our ideals? Well, you have your chance now and refuse to take it. Shame on you! Shame on you! Shame on you! And now, you all persecute me for trying to bring us together. At least I have made some attempts to end the violence with the church. What have any of you done?"
Avi silenced everyone. She didn't know how she was doing it but she got everyone to settle down and think about what they were doing. Her speech continued. Soon, Jon started rolling up the parchment with his list of demands. Yami beamed at her.
"She's amazing," said Yugi, appearing next to him to watch her speak. When she was done, Pegasus stood up from his seat and clapped. Yako and Gekko did as well, followed by Yami and Aigami.
"Yes, she is," said Yami.
"I will marry your sister," said Seamus Lord of the Ice Barrier. "And pay for the wrongdoings of my father."
"So be it," said Jon.
"And we will begin collecting donations to pay for the debt Elleria is in," said the blue-garbed priest. "We were the cause of that unjust war. It is only fair we atone for our mistakes. We have plenty of gold anyway."
"So what say you, Prince Yuri?" Stefan asked. He stood up and offered a hand. "High King of Termnnia?"
Yuri stood up and shook his hand.
Phoenix
"Ugh, I've got such a headache," poor Ricky said stumbling around the room with an ice pack on his head, where Phoenix kicked him earlier. "What's going on with you?"
"Where in the hell did Yuri find that thing?" Mindy asked. She and Jasmine were joining Phoenix to watch their friends on live television at the peace talks. Alexis and Alexandra would be up later with food.
"I don't know," said Phoenix, coming to sit down on her couch next to Jasmine. "But it would be really great if he brought it along with him. I've never felt so violated."
"Apparently, he didn't want me meeting Lady Avi," said Ricky coming to sit down next to Mindy on the floor.
"That's a good reason as any to keep you here," said Jasmine. "You can't control yourself around girls. Any chance for peace would have been ruined if you tagged along to meet Lady Avellana."
"I wonder if it went well?" Jasmine asked. She was eating a bowl of fruity cereal while sitting on the couch. "They've been inside the House of Gray for hours."
"It's politics sweetheart," said Ricky, swerving left and right while making his way back to the couch. His beady eyes were replaced by brown swirls and there was a lump comically growing out of his head. "Oh, my aching head."
"Augh," Phoenix said with disgust when she spotted knights on the screen in colossal armor colored dark purple with black capes marching down the streets holding purple and gold banners and flags. The flaming green eye of Yeyu was engraved on their breastplates. "Templars!"
"Who?" Jasmine asked, shoving another spoonful of cereal into her mouth.
"Templars, the special forces of the Church Militant. They are the ones the Pope of Yeyu calls when things go wrong. They are responsible for the killing of the dragons during the Inquisition. The Templars also led the hunt for Lady Luvia's capture."
"Wow, they sound pretty nasty," said Mindy.
"It gets worse," said Phoenix. "They know a horrid form of magic…"
"Wait," Mindy said looking up at her. "I thought the Church hated magic. Why do their best soldiers have it?"
"They don't call it magic, dear," said Phoenix. "They call it 'Blessings of Yeyu' or Charms. The spell seeps its way into the mind and somehow mutes all rudiments of magic in the human body. But magic is entwined with both body and mind, meaning the poor soul who finds themselves on the other end of this charm loses not only the skill to cast magic, but their minds."
"Oh no!" gasped Mindy.
"And then the empty shells are used as mere servants, doomed to serve under the Church for the rest of their miserable lives. Master Yu-Gi-Oh has protested for years to get the charm banned, the Church always retaliates by demanding all of our spells be banned too."
"And we're forming an alliance with these savages?" Jasmine irked. "Lady Avi must be out of her mind if she intends to marry the arch-bishop of the Church."
"They can't harm her," said Phoenix. "If they tried casting the charm on Avellana, it would spell certain doom for the Church. Yuri would have a cause to amass his forces and march upon Naralia to kick them out and send their phony ideology back to Balodrum."
"I sure hope they know what they're doing," said Jasmine. "Our futures are a stake."
"Hey, Phoenix, where's your bathroom?" Mindy asked, zipping open her backpack, and taking out extra clothes. "I'm going to take a shower until Yuri and the others come out."
"Yeah, she needs it," teased Jasmine. "She sweats up a storm when she's nervous and will stink up the place."
"Very funny, Jazz," said Mindy.
"Upstairs darling," said Phoenix. "Next to my bedroom."
"Thanks," Mindy said getting up from the floor. She felt something hop onto her shoulder.
"I'll come with you, sweetie," Ricky swooned.
"Eh, why not?" said Mindy. "You look like you really need a washing."
Someone knocked on the door. Phoenix got up and answered. Alexandra and Alexis and Ezra were outside.
"Ezra, I thought you'd be in the bathing springs with Evelyn," said Phoenix.
"I'd rather come here with you. I haven't seen you since you departed from the Citadel on Yuri's quest."
"It has been a while." Phoenix grinned. "Come on in, ladies."
"Thank you oh so much," Alexandra said parading in first. Alexis stuck her tongue out at her and raised the middle finger as the Seranian princess strutted into the room. "And little Mindy?" Alexandra asked, planting herself on the couch, spilling some of Jasmine's milk onto her shirt.
"Aw, weak," said Jasmine.
"She's in the bathroom taking a shower," said Phoenix.
"With Ricky," Jasmine winked. "I bet five gold stars she'll come running out of that bathroom."
"I'll take that bet," said Alexandra. "Five gold stars it is."
There was a blare of trumpets announcing the arrival of the princes. They came out of the House of Gray, riding atop their horses towards the city's grand amphitheater by the sea. News drones showed close-ups of Yuri in his armor. He smiled and waved to the crowd, cheering his name.
"Ah, my charming husband," swooned Alexandra. "He is so handsome on TV."
"Yuri's on?" Phoenix said rushing back to the sitting room. Alexis and Ezra followed. "Should we call Mindy?"
The pipes creaked and made strong torrential noises indicating the shower had been turned on.
"It's all right," said Jasmine. "She wants to see the speech."
"He's not your husband yet," Alexis said sitting down on an ottoman. "Yuri has to be married at twenty-one. He's going to be nineteen in a few weeks. You're only betrothed."
"A few more moments with me, and he'll be begging for the wedding." Alexandra licked her lips.
"You're wasting your time, princess," said Alexis. "Yuri is not a bad boy."
Alexandra jeered. "He will be when I'm done with him."
Yuri
Yuri stood with his friends in the amphitheater awaiting Stefan, Avi, and the Church to make their way to the balcony where Stefan was to make his speech. The Templars marched first as both an escort for King Stefan and as a display of power from the Church. The Church's anthem was playing loudly on the numerous speakers placed around the stadium. A large crowd of people had filled every seat to catch a glimpse of both Yuri and Avi and Yami, who they thought was Yugi. Drones flew around like giant metal mosquitoes to get good shots of the three biggest players of this political game for the news.
"Peace be upon you abbot!" someone called out. Yuri turned his head and saw the abbot of the Domino City chapel making his way down the crowd of nobles who were of the Faith. Avi and Stefan were behind him. Avi was clad in a furry white shoulder cape looking around the crowd nervously while Stefan bore his snowy-white smile and waved to the cameras and the crowd.
"What did that guy say?" Yuri asked.
"That's the abbot," said Michael. "A figure of high authority in the small community of Yeyunists here in Domino."
"Oh, God," Yuri shivered.
"Blessings of Yeyu upon you abbot." A noblewoman said to the abbot.
"And blessings upon you sister." The abbot smiled at her.
"Thank you for being here abbot."
Yuri's teeth chattered. He tried his best to keep his legs from shaking as the man approached.
"Hail! Welcome abbot!"
"Blessings upon you," said the abbot.
Yuri could not take it any longer. He would never get a chance like this again. He ran for the velvet rope and cupped his hands over his mouth before shouting: "HEY ABBOT!"
The abbot paused and looked around spotting Yuri, whose face was blushing bright red and his teeth clamped down in an awkward smile.
I can't believe I did that! Yuri thought.
"Get back here you fucking clown!" Ryon growled, grabbed Yuri by the gruff of his cape.
"Who was that?" the abbot asked, continuing his march to the balcony.
"That was Prince Yuri, abbot," said Avi.
"So it's true? They did send him to earth!"
"That they did, abbot," said Stefan. "It was revealed a week ago."
The abbot growled and shook his head. "Bloody earthlings. I HATE it when they do that. That's the tenth time this week."
Yuri
His face still red from his outburst; Yuri followed Stefan and Avi up the stairs to the podium. He asked Michael and Jon to join him, and they followed. An announcer on the intercom shouted the arrival of Prince Yuri and King Stefan and Avellana. The crowd went wild ("I think they love her mostly." King Stefan whispered into Yuri's ear). From the balcony, Yuri could see everything. There was a large gap behind the amphitheater which revealed the marvelous blue waters of the Vankim Bay.
"Where's Ser Gerhalos?" Avi whined.
"I don't know My Lady," said Stefan. "No one has seen him." He looked at Yuri and said, "Smile, My Lord. Don't be so nervous."
Yuri never thought he would give a speech before an audience of thousands. He supposed it was a skill he needed to develop throughout his years, for there was no doubt in his mind that he would be giving more speeches in the future when he was crowned High King. He exhaled and forced his mouth into a smile and then raised his arm into the air waving to the crowd.
"LONG LIVE THE KING!" the crowd shouted at Yuri. "LONG LIVE THE KING!"
King, Yuri thought. No, High King. The odds of being chosen for such a destiny was a trillion to one. He would have had a better chance of winning the lottery back on Earth than being chosen for this position yet fate dealt either a marvelous or cruel hand to get him here.
Even after all he had been through, the training with the Legion, the battles with various monsters, and the climbing of the mountain to achieve his three precious cards, he still felt like he didn't want the title. As grand as being named High King has he had a feeling in his gut that this job was not meant for him.
The job proved daunting for even Tiberius the Uniter who was the first High King of Termnnia. But he was a man capable for the job. Yuri had been nothing more than a child playing card games most of his life. He felt something cool and soft squeeze his hand.
He turned to his left and saw Avi smiling at him. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. "It's going to be all right," she said softly and fixed his crown. "You're going to rule well. You're not alone in this little prince."
She walked forward to the podium, and the crowd jumped to their feet seeing their beloved Summoner take the stage. Avi laughed seeing both mages and Yeyunists all together in the arena. She held out a hand to pacify the crowd, but it was not enough to contain their excitement.
She grinned beautifully and then put a finger to her lips. "Shhh," she shushed them gently. And slowly the noise went down as though someone lowered the volume with a remote. Then all was quiet, save for the seagulls in the air and the waves crashing against the rock. A few helicopters above rumbled.
"Everyone," she finally said. "It is with great pleasure that I finally say, the war with the North is over."
The crowd cheered.
"For many years, all of us have fought violently for what we believe in. Foolish wars were started in the name of faith and country…"
Phoenix
"So, that's her," Phoenix said staring at the screen.
"The Summoner of Dragons," Alexandra said unimpressed.
"She's beautiful," Ezra swooned clasping her hands together.
"Look at Yuri," chuckled Alexis, "he looks so nervous standing in front of that crowd."
They pointed and jeered at the screen, seeing Yuri's face turning into a pale shade of green. Yami, Michael, and Jon were standing behind him with serious looks on the faces as Avi made her speech. She made many grand points and announcements that caused the crowd to cheer and stand up on their feet clapping for her.
"She knows how to woo a crowd," Alexandra said, stuffing a pretzel into her mouth.
"I have to admit she's lifted my spirits," said Alexis. "Her speechcraft is amazing."
"I'll say," said Jasmine. "I don't know how she's doing it, but she's making me feel for the Church. Tyrannical kings and corrupt politics made them into what they are today."
"It would be foolish to think that a well-performed speech from a pretty girl will be enough to get the Church from practicing their ways," sneered Alexandra. "This speech and this day is nothing more than a ceasefire. The war with the North may be over, but violence has only been quelled for the moment."
"Oh, be positive, princess," said Jasmine.
"You be positive dear, I'm being realistic. I won't say I told you so if something does happen along the way. Yeyunism is a cult of death. All they want to do is fight. You cannot reason with people like them. Ah, if it isn't his highness from the North now."
King Stefan took the podium.
Yuri
King Stefan cleared his throat as he brought his lips to the microphones and called for his fellow members of the Faith to lay down their arms and shake hands with the nearest mage or duelist or non-human standing next to them.
He promised a new age of prosperity for the Church after this day. An era of reconstruction and a renaissance for the kingdom, as he announced that as of today, the Daltons were going to share the machines with the North. Stefan announced that Naralia would become modernized much like Domino, starting with the capital of Lionhold. One of the priests started to protest. He may have disagreed, but there were many followers of the faith amongst the crowd who cheered at the prospect of a new Naralia.
"To prove this is a new day!" shouted Stefan. "Watch as I shake hands with the man my father has called an enemy for so long!" he beckoned Prince Yuri forward. Yuri took a few steps toward the microphone and Stefan took Yuri's hand and shook it.
He put an arm around his new ally, and the camera's flashed, and the crowd thundered. He patted Yuri on the back and let him go. "And allow me to introduce you to the future queen of Naralia! A magic-user we have persecuted for far too long. With her aid, she will help me, us, build a new North. A new home!"
The crowd went bonkers at his announcement. Stefan signaled for Avi to join him. She walked forward and took his hand. He then embraced her passionately for a very long kiss. Yami scowled at the sight. His ears bombarded by whoops, whistles, and cheers for the crowd.
"I know this must be hard for you, spirit," Yugi said, looking up at Yami in his phantom form.
"This is not what I wanted for her. In reality, I wanted Avi to marry another." He looked at Yuri, who was also feeling uncomfortable from the kiss.
"This is blasphemy!" spat a priest in red and gold garbs. "The archbishop kisses a witch!"
"Be quiet!" said Jon.
"The days of political correctness are over, Father," said Michael. "Too long have weak rulers let you rape our land with your radicalization. Prince Yuri and we, his friends, are in charge now. You either adapt to the new rules and live with our culture peacefully or you can get out."
When Stefan and Avi's lips were free from the kiss, Stefan signaled Yuri to join him. "Do you want a kiss too, Your Grace?"
The crowd laughed.
Stefan put an arm over Yuri and another over Avi. "Behold, our new alliance. And may the days of High King Yuri be blessed!"
The crowd cheered one final time.
Confetti fell all around them, and then everyone in the stadium began to sing the Termnnian anthem, both mage, and Yeyunist, hand in hand. But the celebrations would not last for long. Explosions suddenly rocked the amphitheater and helicopters swarmed overhead holding metal crates. There were soldiers above in rickety iron armor with white surcoats and gun magazines attached to boiled leather holsters here and there on their person, giving them a poor tactical look.
The soldiers shouted: "Yeyu be praised!" and dropped the crates on the audience. They attempted to run, but their constant pushing and shoving slowed them down, and the crates fell on top of them crushing them and killing them.
More crates were dropped and from the top of the amphitheater, more soldiers rappelled into the stadium blasting their weapons. Yuri knew rifles, for his older brother, Buzz back on Earth was a religious gun collector. Those weapons seemed hand made. Though crude they seemed well forged. Some of them even had elemental enchantments. One soldier had his enchanted with ice damage and when he fired he froze poor souls who couldn't get away and then his comrades took out bronze swords and smashed them to pieces.
Aldara and Fira grabbed Avi and formed a diamond formation as they escorted her off the balcony. Yuri could see boats on the sea loaded with corsairs who had crates of their own loaded on the decks of their ships. When the soldiers caused enough chaos, their leader, a mercenary in well-polished steel armor with tactical holsters pressed a gooey on a holographic wrist display on his gauntlet.
"Less this be a lesson, of the fury of our lord and master Yeyu, the Lord of the Fires of Judgement!" he shouted.
The crates opened.
"They like to play with monsters. So we'll give them monsters!"
The crates slowly opened. Steam hissed out of the machinations opening the doors. They were pounded down by a horde of wild Duel Monsters. Ooguchi, Ocubeam, Stone Ghost, the lobster-like Zarigun, Man-Eater Bug, and fiendish creatures such as Neck Hunter, Shadow Specter, Saggi the Dark Clown, Phantom Ghost, Megirus Light, and Blue-Eyed Silver Zombie. Winged creatures took to the skies such as Whiptail Crow, Mabarrel, One-Eyed Shield Dragon, a swarm of purple eyes called Monster Eye, Air Eater, Gale Dogra, and Skullbird. From the sea, the terrorists opened a metal crate and let lose the largest Duel Monster of the attack, a Dice Armadillo.
"By the Ten Hells!" shouted Michael. "How?"
"We can worry about that later!" Marcel cried out unsheathing his blade. "Let's take care of these beasts and sort out the who's and why's afterward."
"Finally," Jon sneered drawing his blade from the sheath on his back. "I was getting a little bored. Time to cut me up some Yeyunists."
"CHARGE!" Yuri shouted, drawing his jeweled, at least he tried to. Unsheathing his weapon proved rather difficult for him. He finally got it. "Okay, for real this time," he pointed his sword at the monsters. "CHARGE!"
"Where's your lightforged sword?" Michael asked as he ran down the spiral pathway towards the stadium.
"I left it in Pegasus' care," said Yuri. "Now come on, where is your weapon? I thought you were the Lord of One-Hundred Swords."
Michael grinned and held out his hands. Two beautifully crafted swords materialized into his palms. Five more appeared and danced divinely around him.
"Woah," Yuri and Jon and the others croaked.
"I'll explain my gift later," said Michael. His twin swords erupted in into flames. His left one was engulfed in ordinary flames, but his right one was scorched in blue fire. Fire and Ice, they were called. They ran into the eye of the storm, the lower stands where the monsters came out of the crates.
Jaeyoung drew his Zhanmadao, sent to him by his five generals in Uzume as a token of good luck in school and with High King Yuri. He leaped into the air and jabbed the long blade into the mouth of a charging Man-Eater Bug.
Jon searched around for an opponent and spotted an Ooguchi feasting on the body of a woman. The creature looked up at join chomping on a large chunk of meat. It's round lips normally a shade of lime-yellow were dark red like lipstick. It snarled at Jon feeling content with fresh meat.
"You want some?" Jon asked. "Bring it on!"
The beast charged but then Michael jumped from the top of a crate and flipped elegantly. The five swords he summoned formed into a halo that cut off the monster's head so cleanly and so quickly that it still charged at Jon thinking nothing had happened. Blood spurted out of its neck, and the head came rolling off. The four legs of the beast went limp, and the body slumped lifelessly before Jon's feat.
"YOU BASTARD!" Jon shouted furiously. "It still counts as mine! Damn show off."
"Look at them go!" Tordo shouted from the safety of a VIP box.
"Let me join them!" Avi demanded. "I want to fight too!"
"What's with Stefan?" Fira asked. "He's just standing there, smiling."
"Bastard!" snarled Ser Arthur. "I bet he had something to do with this!"
"No, that's impossible!" said Avi. "He couldn't have done this!"
"Then why does he stand there basking in the chaos?" Fira said angrily. "He played us all for fools." She took the safety off her rifle. "One bullet to the brain and I will end this." She aimed down her multi-vision scope. The targeter zoomed in on Stefan's head.
"DON'T!" shouted Avi. "FIRA DON'T!"
Down below, Yuri and the others fought the monsters.
"It's Yuri and the princes!" a terrorist shouted. "Let's end this now."
"Yeah let's get 'em!"
"Get those bastards!"
"When Naralia learns that we killed Prince Yuri, they will build a statue in our honor!"
Fira noticed the soldiers swarming towards them. The Templar of the Church were surprisingly marching to engage the terrorists and the monster horde they brought out. Perhaps Stefan was true to his word. Whatever the case, the Templars fighting the attackers was enough to get her to cease aiming at Stefan. Meanwhile, in the docks, the corsairs in their ships poured out and began attacking civilians. A shadow loomed over the stadium. She turned her head and saw that Avi was missing.
"Where's the Summoner?" she demanded.
"LOOK!" shouted Tordo. He was pointing at the sky. Avi was flying into the bay on Arvas' back.
"Oh, that girl!" Fira pouted.
The corsairs pointed up at the sky. Avi glared at them, her eyes burning like molten platinum. She held out her arm, and her staff appeared onto her hand. She gave it a beautiful twirl. Two white arcane circles morphed on either side of her. White-Horned Dragon and Light and Darkness Dragon flew out from the circles and roared when they arrived into Termnnia. Her staff glowed, and Prime Material Dragon emerged.
"Eyath ian, inflimarus!" she shouted in Norman.
The three dragons roared and dove down towards the bay. Avi held onto her stomach as Arvas flew like a bullet towards the ships. The wind whipped her face, and her hair flew all around her. Arrows and bullets whistled by her face. White-Horned Dragon flew to the east and blasted four ships with his fiery breath. Light and Darkness Dragon fired its blackish laser beam and caused the targets to blow into black mushroom clouds snapping with blue sparks.
Phoenix
Mindy ran out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. "Guys!" she shouted, still moist from her shower. She was listening to the news on her PDA. "Do you see what's happening?"
Ricky hopped after her wrapped in a pint-sized towel. He gave a happy twirl and said: "That was my first ever shower, ladies and gentlemen. It was beautiful!"
"Well now," Alexandra said calmly. "It appears there are those who are not supportive of this new alliance."
Alexis sniffed and shook her head in frustration. Even now, while witnessing bloodshed before their very eyes, she was so calm and collected. It aggravated her to see how emotionless Alexandra was.
"They're being overrun!" cried Phoenix. "Oh, I knew I should have come!"
"Don't stress yourself, mage," said Alexandra. "It looks like our pretty little Summoner has everything under control."
"Wow, she decimated those corsair ships with her dragons!" said Ezra. "What power."
"If Yuri were smart, he'd summon one of his Divine Beasts right now," said Jasmine.
"And blow up half the city?" laughed Alexandra. "You need to think logically, Jasmine."
"Look at that Stefan," said Mindy, sitting down beside Jasmine. "He's acting as though nothing is going on."
"FUCK YOU!" shouted Ezra, giving the finger at the young king's smug look. "I should have known this alliance was too good to be true."
"What do you expect from people like them?" Alexandra jeered. "Goodness, there are so many of them. If this keeps up, I will be a widow before I even get married."
"You seem rather pleased about this," Phoenix said suspiciously.
"I jest, mage, do not worry. My husband-to-be is handling those beasts rather well." She watched Yuri cut through the tough armor of a Zanigun. "Ouch, that had to hurt."
"Go, Yuri!" cheered Mindy.
"That's my boy!" Ricky cried out joyfully, hopping up and down.
Yuri
Yuri dodged an attack from an incoming Skull Bird. The pink-fleshed bird monster swooped down for another strike. Yuri jumped atop of a pile of rubble which gave him enough height to reach the bird and cut off one of its wings.
The Skull Bird screeched and crashed into the bay. Yuri turned to see what was next. His eyes beheld chaos. The stones of the amphitheater were painted red with the blood of the fallen, many of them civilians who came to celebrate peace.
Yuri ground his teeth in anger. He should have listened to his friends. The Church was never to be trusted. Even though he saw Templars fighting against the terrorists and their monsters, Yuri had no doubt in his mind King Stefan was behind all the bloodshed. He heard blasts from the bay as Avi and her dragons decimated the corsairs. Fira and Aldara were at the top level providing overwatch for Yuri and his friends.
"I'm running out of ammo!" shouted Fira.
"This is my last magazine." Aldara tossed it at her. "Make it count."
Yuri then spotted Jon in a fierce fight with a Man-Eater Bug. The beast overpowered him and whacked him to the other side of the stadium with a whack that knocked him out. Yuri looked up at the balcony and spotted Stefan still standing there with his eyes closed. He was smiling as he muttered words. He was locked in prayer. No doubt he was thanking his false god for the destruction.
"YOU!" Yuri shouted. He dashed up the ramp to the top floor. Fights were going on all around him. Michael cut a dark clown in half before he spotted Yuri dashing up the ramp to the podium, sword in hand, and fiery anger in his eyes. He knew of Yuri's intent and dashed after him to protect him from terrorists and monsters.
Avi
White-Horned Dragon burned the last of the ships. The corsairs ran about screaming in agony while the fires burned their bodies. Avi fell limp on Arva's neck exhausted.
"My Lady," Arvas said to her. "Are you all right?"
"I am exhausted," Avi groaned. "I never summoned all of you at once like this. My power grows stronger it seems."
"And so does his," Arvas said, staring at White-Horned Dragon who started to glow. He became bulkier and bigger and grew another set of wings. "Congratulations, Avi."
"AVI!" shouted Ser Damien, riding towards her atop his Luster Dragon. Throvor was riding behind him, his face green with air sickness.
"Where is Ser Gerhalos?" Avi cried out weakly.
"You'd best return to the amphitheater," said Ser Damien. "Yuri looks like he's lost his mind. He's charging towards your betrothed."
"What? But why?"
"Unless you want to be widowed before you're wedding you'd best stop asking questions and get back there and stop him Summoner!" shouted Throvor.
Avi nodded and instructed Arvas to take her back to the stadium. A thick column of black smoke rose into the blue skies. She could hear sirens from the fire department and the tactical police forces.
"I hope I'm not too late."
Yuri
"STEFAN!" Yuri shouted, getting closer to the young king. Now he was holding up his arms and vividly looking toward the skies. Yuri gave an energetic battle cry and raised his sword up high ready to cut off his head.
"Traitor!" shouted Michael. His aura of swords dancing even more pugnaciously. ("YURI NO!" Avi shouted, getting closer to him). Jon joined him. Followed by Ryon, Stas, Jaeyoung, and Marcel. All of them ready to get a piece of their enemy. Their charge was halted when Yuri ran into the face of a barrel. The abbot was holding a rifle, shaking with rage.
"You dare point a weapon at the High King?" Michael asked.
"And doesn't Yeyu forbid you to use guns?" Jon asked.
"There are exceptions!" snapped the abbot. "Let the king do what he needs to do!"
"You mean stand there and do nothing as innocents die!" barked Marcel. "Step aside, or we will cut you down with him."
"That rifle bolt-action," said Michael. "There are many of us, and our armor is strong. You will die if you continue to stand in our way."
"Look!" shouted Stas.
A blue arcane circle spun underneath Stefan's feet. A chain reached down into the circle and pulled out a creature not seen since the dawn of time.
"It can't be!" gasped Yuri.
The beast's metamorphosis was complete, and the world beheld the sight of a Duel Monster. Not just any Duel Monster. It was...Exodia.
"Impossible," said Marcel.
Exodia, Master of the Guard
Exodia, Master of the Guard towered over the stadium, looking down at the many foes for it to destroy. Its body was still wrapped in chains. He broke them with his arms while a choir from nowhere sang for his arrival.
Yuri began to wonder, how? How could such a person be worthy of this creature so fearsome, so magnificent? Monsters looked impressive on their cards but seeing them come out and show their true fury was a sight that brought tears to Yuri's eyes. He dropped his sword, watching the great beast destroy the monsters with a blue laser blast from each of his fingertips.
Gunfire then peppered Exodia from the lead terrorist's helicopter, but it was a foolish move. Leviathan Dragon felt no pain and received no damage and then sent out a powerful soundwave from its mouth that caused the helicopter to explode, killing him and his crew. Once the water dragon Leviathan Dragon summoned had its fill, it dove into the bay to drown those it picked up.
People crowded into the stadium, pushing and shoving to get a glimpse of the monster that saved them. They pumped their fists into the air and cheered for it. Whistles and gleeful shouts filled the stadium as the Master of the Guard roared.
Avi watched with disbelief from atop Arvas. White-Horned Dragon snarled with confusion as did Light and Darkness Dragon and Prime Material Dragon.
Exodia was once again wrapped in the divine chains that kept him locked in another realm. He growled sadly, for he wanted to stay here in this world even longer. Stefan looked at it with a prideful grin planted on his face. He took a moment to bask in the cheers of the people below shouting his name. Yuri and his friends seemed almost forgotten. Everyone, no matter what their belief came together and cheered for Stefan.
"LONG LIVE STEFAN! LONG LIVE STEFAN!"
Yami slowly walked towards Yuri and his friends, staring at the dragon.
"How?" Yuri asked.
"I don't know." Was all Yami could say.
"Yuri!" Avi called, running up the steps. "Good work."
"Did you know about this?" Yuri asked the Summoner with complete shock.
"No. No, I swear. But this only strengthens our alliance. A high figure from the Church is also a Summoner."
"I suppose she's right," said Marcel.
"Is everyone all right?" Stefan asked approaching the group.
"How were you able to acquire this power?" Yami asked.
"I was born with it," answered Stefan. "Father was furious when he saw me calling it. I was only five at the time. The beast nearly drained me, killing me almost, but I told father I would get stronger if he sent me to the Citadel and Duelist Academy to learn how to control it. Naturally, he refused my request to join either. We are a family of the faith, and father wanted it to remain that way. He sent me to live with the Pope and become of Follower of Yeyu. He had hoped the faith would make me forget this gift I had. But I always practiced summoning my creature. I am a man of faith, but I wield magic. The Church wanted me executed, but I was a crown prince of Naralia, and even my father had limits when it came to their unjust decisions. So you see, Master Yu-Gi-Oh, that is why I wanted Avellana to be my betrothed. We are both Summoners of Termnnia's mightiest monsters. With my influence upon the people, we can finally end the violence between our cultures and unite our forces against our true enemy. The Orcs."
"So be it," said Yami.
"Do I have your blessing, Master Yu-Gi-Oh? It seems Avi's closest figure, Ser Gerhalos, has left. Now that father figure is you."
"What do you say, Master?" Avi asked, slipping her arm around Stefan's waist.
"You have my blessing," said Yami.
Yuri sighed with heartache. He did well to hide it from them. He had somewhat of a crush on Avi. But he forced his mouth into a smile to show his appreciation for their marriage. He still had his doubts, but the Leviathan Dragon he summoned almost washed it away. Almost.
"My Lady," Throvor said, waddling past Yami and the princes. Ser Damien followed glumly.
"Have you found Ser Gerhalos?" Avi asked.
"We were attacked by assailants in the forests just outside the city," said Ser Damien. "They were attacking Ser Gerhalos."
Avi swallowed.
"Did you save him?"
"Well, we arrived on time…"
"Ser Gerhalos!" Avi said immediately. She didn't want stories. "Where is he?"
"He fell," Throvor said almost in a sob.
Ser Damien walked to Avi and took her hand, opening it and placed the silver necklace that Ser Gerhalos intended to give her onto her palm.
"I am sorry, My Lady," said Ser Damien. "'Take care of Avi for me,' were his last words. And I promise you that is what I intend to do."
Avi said nothing, staring into the silver pendant. She knew of its story. Ser Gerhalos had told her about his cub. But, she never knew he wished to give it to her as a gift when she found all her dragons. She felt darkness consuming her. Her legs got wobbly. The whole world was spinning.
"AVI!" shouted Yuri. He dashed by Yami and grabbed her before she fell.
"GUARD!" shouted Stefan.
Two Templars rushed towards Avi. Their chainmail and plate jingling with every step. Stefan sped forward to examine Avi. She was out. He rubbed her face sympathetically. "The Summoner needs rest. Take her to my quarters in the House of Gray at once."
"It will be done My Lord," one of the Templars said, scooping Avi from Yuri's arms. They marched away. Ser Damien and Throvor reunited with Ser Arthur, Tordo, Aldara, and Fira. Baby Tiragon chirped sadly on Aldara's shoulder, understanding that he would never see Ser Gerhalos again. The Summoner's companions said farewell to Yuri and his friends, then marched after Avi.
"What now?" Jon asked.
"We go back to the academy and finish your studies," said Yami. "There is nothing more we can do here."
"What about Avi?" Marcel asked.
"She is in good hands," said Yami. "The dragons are her affair. The future of Termnnia is yours. In due time, your paths will meet again."
"I hope she finds comfort in the coming days," said Michael. "Ser Gerhalos was a valiant knight. May the grace of the Goddesses take him to the Gardens."
Denethon
He stroked his long white beard examining the visions he saw in his magical well, swirling with an eerie essence of magic. He stood alone in the black abyss of his chambers. The walls of iron were asymmetrical and jagged and shelves with macabre ingredients lined against them. A fireplace in the shape of a dragon's mouth burned on the other side of his chambers. His black robes turned a shade of molten red steel against the roaring fire. He heard footsteps echoing in the halls towards him. A woman in armored black robes knelt when she beheld his presence.
"Master," she said. Her hood up to conceal her features, save for sensuous lips cloaked in shiny red lipstick arched into dark and seductive smile. "A new Summoner of Dragons has been discovered."
"So it would seem," Denethon said looking into the water of his magical well. "I had no idea the young prince was capable of such power. He proves more and more useful."
"And Prince Yuri?" the woman asked. "He gains more allies and grows stronger still. We've been given a contract to end him, and the Sisterhood always finished a contract. You hold us back more than Bakura did."
"Bakura," Denethon said with a loud laugh that boomed to the high ceiling of his chamber. "The damn fool. He too thought he could take on Yuri with is ancient Shadow Magic. Even Millennium Items have no effect on Daveed. Until I find a way to counter his power you and the rest of the Order will stay put. I already lost one of your Sisters to Prince Yuri and that idiot spirit as well. I don't want to lose another. Anubis put me in charge of you ladies, and for good reason. Your skills are far beyond any man, and that fact has clouded your minds with arrogance. While you are here, Daphne, our newest member has vanished. Do you know where she has gone?"
"No," said the woman, pulling her hood off to reveal an Eldori with long wavy light-blue hair spiked on both sides to look like jagged horns. "Last I heard, she spoke about seeing that boy-lord in the Coasts, Hector Delgado. And I came to tell you, Ally has gone missing too."
Denethon fumed with rage. Steam shot out of his cauldron and the water began to boil violently. "WHY DO NONE OF YOU LISTEN!" he roared. A group of bats fluttered about the ceiling, startled by his sudden outburst.
"There are still many of us who obey you, Lord Denethon," another member of the Sisterhood said, coming into the chamber. She too was an Eldori with flowing red hair and glowing eyes the color of neon teal. Her name was Delphi. "Shall I form an escort party to bring her back?"
"No," said Denethon. "I know where she is going. She makes way for Duelist Academy to deal with the demi-god himself. Perhaps we may learn something if our youngest member battles Yuri."
"So we do nothing?" asked Daphne. "You'd risk the life of one of our Sisters?"
"I don't care," grumbled Denethon. "Even in death, the information she will learn from her battle will prove useful. And if she dies, it is a just punishment. I am a wizard of the Eyar. You will do well to obey my orders. Any of you who do not will wander the Shadows with Bakura!"