Chapter 14: The Illusion Exposed

To allow Kite the time needed to jumpstart the shield generator at Atrona City, Yuma and Erica duel Primo and Water specialist Fritz. The Noble has nearly overpowered Erica with his Meklord Emperor Wisel and he's blocked Yuma's attack using Labyrinth of Kline.

Yuma Tsukumo: 4000 LP/Erica Shaw: 1800 LP

Field: Number 28: Titanic Moth (Rank 7/ATK: 1900/DEF: 2400/OLU: 2) and three face-down cards

Hand: 1 (Erica); 2 (Yuma)

Primo: 3000 LP/Fritz: 4000 LP

Field: Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity (Level 1/ATK: 4900/DEF: 2500), Wisel Top, (Level 1/ATK: 500/DEF: 0), Wisel Attack (Level 1/ATK: 1200/DEF: 0), Wisel Guard (Level 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 1200), Wisel Carrier (Level 1/ATK: 800/DEF: 600), and one face-down card.

Hand: 3 (Primo); 5 (Fritz)

"I must admit, Yuma is doing great, but it's only a matter of time before he calls out Astral for assistance," Primo commented.

"Yes, and when he does, we'll have him right where we want him," Fritz smirked.

"We'll see about that! It's your turn!" Yuma declared.

"Fritz, I hope you have something that can deal with this," Primo told his teammate.

Turn 4: Fritz (4000)

"Oh, I do, Primo. Watch closely!" Fritz draws his card. He analyzes his hand. He grins. "I activate Trade-In!"

"Uh, what's Trade-In do?" Yuma asks.

"If Fritz discards a Level 8 monster in his hand, he gets to draw two cards," Erica explained.

"That's right, and what better monster to toss away than Phantasm Spiral Dragon." Fritz sends it to the Graveyard and draws two cards from his deck.

"Hold on, why would he toss a powerful card away just to draw two more?" Yuma wondered.

"He plans on bringing it back on a later turn," Erica deduced.

"Yes, and this card will help me out with that. I summon Megalosmasher X!" He summons an underwater dinosaur that emerges from the waves. (Level 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 0)

"And now I shall play the Equip Spell Phantasm Spiral Crash! And I'll equip it onto my predator." A blue aura surrounds the Dinosaur.

"Megalosmasher X, attack Erica directly!" The dinosaur charges at Erica.

"You won't get to me that easily! I activate the Spell Searing Fire Wall!" Erica reveals her Spell. "For every Laval monster I banish from my Graveyard, I get a Laval Token in Defense Mode." Two Laval Volcano Handmaidens disappear from the Graveyard as two small flames appear in front of Erica. (Level 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0 each)

"An impressive move, Miss Shaw. A real shame it's for nothing."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Any monster equipped with Phantasm Spiral Crash gets to deal piercing damage!"

"What?"

"Megalosmasher X, finish her!"

The giant dinosaur chomps down on Erica's Token monster. Erica tries to shield herself from the shock.

"Erica!" Yuma yelled. Worried about his teammate, he acted on impulse. "I activate the Trap Damage Diet! Now all the damage Erica takes this turn is cut in half!" The shockwave sends Erica flying. (Erica: 1800→800 LP)

"How brave of you to use your card to save her, but you will soon regret that!" Fritz shouts. "Since Megalosmasher X successfully dealt you damage, Phantasm Spiral Crash's effect activates, allowing me to summon Phantasm Spiral Dragon from my Graveyard!" A winged serpent emerges from the depths of the Graveyard with a mighty roar. (Level 8/ATK: 2900/DEF: 2900)

"And now Spiral Crash's effects are transferred to my new monster." The glow around the dinosaur disappears and reappears around the Phantasm Spiral Dragon. "And thanks to its power, one of your monsters switches battle mode." Titanic Moth switches to Defense Mode.

"Now, Phantasm Spiral Dragon, extinguish that Laval Token! Phantasmal Wave!" Phantasm Spiral Dragon prepares to attack. "Goodbye, Erica!"

Erica stood in fear as she braced for her end.

"I activate the Trap Nitwit Outwit! By tossing a monster in my hand to the Graveyard, your monster loses Attack Points equal to the Attack Points of the monster I discarded." Yuma discards Dododo Warrior to activate his Trap card. "Since Dododo Warrior has 2300 Attack Points, your Spiral Dragon loses 2300 Attack Points." A red glow surrounds the winged serpent, siphoning its power. (ATK: 2900→600) Though weakened, it continued its attack and destroyed the Token. The shock sends Erica flying. (Erica: 800→500 LP)

"So you were able to save her from two attacks. It changes nothing. With my Spiral Dragon and Primo's Wisel, you're finished!" Fritz smirked. "So unless you want our monsters to tear your little partner to pieces, you better call Astral here for help." He hears no response from Yuma. "Oh well. Your turn, Erica." Fritz ends his turn with two face-down cards. Titanic Moth's Attack and Defense Points switch back to normal. (ATK: 1900→2400/DEF: 2400→1900)

Erica slowly gets up so she can start her turn.

Turn 5: Erica (500)

"It's… my turn." Erica breathed heavily.

"Erica, be careful. Their monsters are very powerful." Yuma warned her.

"I'll be okay, Yuma. Your cards helped me stay in this, after all." Erica smiled. "As long as I have Life Points, I can fight."

"Then show them that you can fight."

"Okay! I draw!" Erica finally draws her card. She sees that it's a Spell.

"I activate Pot of Acquisitiveness! By returning three banished monsters to my Deck, I can draw one card." The three monsters that were banished earlier return to her Deck, which is then shuffled. Erica draws a new card after that. "I place one card face-down and summon Laval Blaster in Defense Mode." A rock golem with blasters on its wrists emerges. (Level 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 800)

"One face-down and a monster in defense? You must be really desperate to survive." Primo chuckled.

"Don't think that one monster can change the outcome of this duel, Primo," Erica told him. "I'm activating Blaster's special ability. If there's a Laval monster with a different name than him when he's Normal Summoned, I pick a number between 1 and 5 and I send that many cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard."

Four cards slip out from the top of her deck. "I'll go ahead and toss four cards away." She sends those cards to the Graveyard. They're revealed as Laval Coatl, Laval Lakeside Lady, Kickfire, and Laval Warrior. "And for every Laval monster among them, my Blaster gains 200 Attack Points." The blasters are loaded with three flames. (ATK: 1200→1800)

"What's the point of summoning a monster that boosts it Attack Points if it can't attack?" Fritz asked.

"That's for me to know. Your move, Primo." Erica declared the end of her turn.

Turn 6: Primo (3000)

"Yes, and it'll be on this turn that I finish you!" Primo declares as he draws his card with a yell. He sees that his new card is Wisel Attack 5. He smirks.

"I'll begin by activating the Trap Wise A3! It lets me upgrade Wisel Attack and transform it into Wisel Attack 3!" Wisel's left arm detaches from the body and transforms into a more powerful arm with a blade on the back of its wrist. (Level 3/ATK: 1600/DEF: 0)

"And with a more powerful part, Wisel gains more attack points," Primo explains as Wisel Attack 3 attaches onto the body, boosting its power. (ATK: 4900→5300/DEF: 2599→2900)

"That is so not good," Yuma trembled.

"And it will get worse! By sacrificing Wisel Attack 3, I can upgrade it to Wisel Attack 5!" Wisel Attack 3 disappears and a more animalistic left arm appears. (Level 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 0) It transforms into an energy bladed axe and attaches onto Wisel. The new weapon retains its flames. (ATK: 5300→5700/DEF: 2900→3300)

"Talk about supercharged!" Yuma yelped.

"That's putting it lightly, Yuma Tsukumo. With Wisel Attack 5, not only can Meklord Emperor Wisel deal piercing damage, that damage is doubled!"

"What!?" Erica gasps.

"Meklord Emperor Wisel, demonstrate your new power! Attack Laval Blaster!" Primo commands Wisel to attack. It raises its bladed arm.

"You may have powered up your monster with those new parts, but I can still put a stop to your attack. I activate the Trap Impeding Whirlflame!" Erica reveals her trap, depicting the Laval Crest flashing in front of a wall of fire. "If I have 3 or more Laval monsters with different names in my Graveyard when I activate this Trap, I can block your attack."

"Guess again!" Primo countered, earning a puzzled look from Erica. "Wisel Attack 5 has another special ability – an ability that negates any Trap Card you play and destroys it!"

"Say what!?" Erica gasps as her Trap is destroyed.

"And with that, your chances of victory are just like that Trap – gone in a flash. Wisel, finish her!" Wisel swings its bladed arm and smashes Laval Blaster to a pile of rubble. The shock sends Erica crashing through a tree. (Erica: 500→0 LP)

"ERICA!" Yuma yelled as Erica fell to the ground.

"Don't worry, she'll live, though I can't say the same for you once I finish you off," Primo said as he placed a face-down card ending his turn. "Let's see you come back from this, child."

Yuma looked back at Erica, lying prone on the ground. "Erica… I'll finish this for you."

Turn 7: Yuma (4000)

"It's my turn! I draw!" Yuma draws his card. He sees a new card: Xyz Variable. "Xyz Variable. I could use this to summon Utopia, but to use it, I need to get rid of Titanic Moth's Overlay Units. But how?" He sees another Spell: Ultimate Xyz. "Wait… I've got it." Yuma smiles when he sees the strategy. "I activate the Spell Ultimate Xyz! Now I'll get rid of Titanic Moth's Overlay Units." The two red orbs orbiting around Titanic Moth disappear.

"So what? That will change nothing, you hear me?"

"Actually, it does, because with Ultimate Xyz, a monster on your field whose ATK is less than the combined ATK of the detached monsters is destroyed."

"What!?" The spirits of Gagaga Magician and Laval Judgment Lord appear and charge at Megalosmasher X, destroying it.

"And you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's ATK." Fritz's monster explodes, sending him back. (Fritz: 4000→2000 LP)

"Impossible! What makes you think you can beat us? We already took down your partner and Kite has fled! You're nothing without Astral!" Fritz taunted. Yuma smirked. "Hold on… did Kite take…?" Suddenly it hits him. "Where's Astral?"

"Long gone, pal. Ha! Psych! I activate Xyz Variable!" Yuma surprises them with his Spell Card. "If I have a Number monster with no Overlay Units, I can use it to Xyz Summon a brand new Number!"

"A new Number!?"

"That's right! I choose to overlay Titanic Moth!" The giant moth turns into a red energy streak and enters a swirling galaxy. "With this monster, I build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon Number 39: Utopia!" A red "39" flashes above as Yuma's ace in the hole emerges from above. (Rank 4/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000)

"Say what!? What happened to Astral?" Primo questioned.

"Isn't it obvious? You moron! Kite left with the Key and Astral with it." Fritz clarified.

"Well, now that they know about our plan, should we connect some more dots for them?" Erica asks as she got up.

"Well, we should at least give them the rundown," Yuma replies. "I secretly gave Kite my Key in case you goons got the jump on us. We knew you'd focus on me, first thinking that I'd call Astral out during our Duel. So while I kept you guys busy, Kite and Astral can continue on our true mission."

Fritz growled angrily. "You slippery snakes conned us again!"

"You got that right, and we're about to restart Atrona City's shield, which will cut off your reinforcements. I activate the Spell Xyz Treasure Ticket! Now I get to draw one card for each of Utopia's Ranks." Yuma plays another Spell. "You understand now? No matter how many of us you defeat, we can win if we work together! Primo, Fritz, you two better be prepared because I am feeling the flow!" Yuma's right hand glowed bright blinding the Noble and the Water Specialist.

"What's happening!?"

"I don't know!"

"A truly powerful Duelist can shape the outcome of a Duel! They can even generate the very cards that he needs to draw!" Yuma declared as the top cards of his deck glow. "Go, Quadruple Shining Draw!" He sees the four cards he needed to win. "I equip Magnum Shield onto Utopia! Magnum Shield gives Utopia Attack Points equal to its original Defense Points." The shield onto Utopia raises its power. (ATK: 2500→4500)

"So what!? My Wisel still has him outmatched."

"We'll see. I equip Double Buster Swords onto Utopia!" Utopia's swords glow brightly.

"You think you can beat us with those Equip Cards? Think again! I activate Wise G3!" Primo springs his Trap. "By sending Wisel Guard to the Graveyard, I can summon Wisel Guard 3 in its place!" Wisel Guard disappears and a snail-like appendage appears. (Level 3/ATK: 0/DEF: 2000)

"And with Wisel Guard 3, not only can it redirect your attacks to it, it can protect itself from destruction once per turn."

"That's too bad for you. With Double Buster Swords, not only can Utopia deal piercing damage, it can attack twice." Yuma explained. "The downside is that Utopia is destroyed at the end of the turn."

"In other words, you get one chance at winning this duel," Primo noted.

"One chance is all I need. I activate Blustering Winds! The winds of fate are blowing in my favor because this card gives Utopia an extra 1000 Attack and Defense Points!" A wind gust boosts Utopia's strength. (ATK: 4500→5500/DEF: 2000→3000)

"No way!"

"Go, Utopia! Attack Wisel Guard 3!" Utopia raises its sword and brings it down on Wisel Guard 3. The attack slices through Wisel's entire body. Wisel explodes and the blast sends Primo and his cards sprawling out. He screams in agony as he lands hard. (Primo: 3000→0 LP)

"Now for you! Utopia, attack Phantasm Spiral Dragon and end this Duel!" Yuma commands his monster to attack the winged serpent.

"You may have taken down Primo, but it'll take more than that to defeat the captain of the emperor's Naval Force! I activate the Trap Sea Stealth Attack!" Fritz springs his Trap. "When you attack a Normal Monster that's Level 8 or higher, my Trap automatically destroys it!"

"Face it, Yuma Tsukumo! It's over!"

"You're wrong! I activate the Spell Forbidden Dress!" Yuma plays his last Spell card. "In exchange for 600 Attack Points, Utopia is protected from your card effects!" A green aura surrounds Utopia. (ATK: 5500→4900)

"Oh no!"

"Utopia, take out Phantasm Spiral Dragon! Go, Rising Sun Buster Slash!" With two sword swings, Phantasm Spiral Dragon roars in pain as it is destroyed. Fritz screams as he is sent crashing into a rock. (Fritz: 2000→0 LP)

"Yuma… you did it." Erica groaned as she got up.

"Curses!" Fritz growled. "You were lucky this time, Duelists!" They teleport from the battlefield. Fritz's ship turns around and flies from the fray. Yuma and Erica share a high five.

Meanwhile, with Kite, he looks at the Key given to him by Yuma. "Let's go, Astral. We have to get that shield up."

"Lead the way, Kite. I'm ready," Astral nods as they see the generator ahead.