And we're back with the second half of Jessie versus Ivor! Though, Jessie doesn't actually know it's Ivor, does he? I guess we'll just chalk that up to dramatic irony. Anyways, I'm rambling again. Thanks as always to our beta, Eneko95, and thanks to you for continuing to read our story and putting up with our erratic update schedule.
Chapter 33
War of The Planets
Derailed Rumble Part II
Purgatory
Jessie - 7000
Ivor - 3500
The power emanating from Ivor's body shook the structure they were in. Everything was moving like crazy, from the platforms to even the various machines around them.
Jessie kept his cool and did what he could to keep himself from falling off.
It soon died down, leaving Ivor's body glowing with a darker aura than before. It also gave him a more intimidating presence, even while he drew.
"You'll regret not submitting," he declared, his voice now having a demonic tone. "I activate Revolving Switchyard's second effect. By sending any card in my hand to the Graveyard, I'm allowed to add another Level 10 EARTH Machine-Type monster to my arsenal."
As he sent his A Wild Monster Appears! Spell to the Graveyard, another bright yellow spotlight switched on. Right as it shined on Ivor, his Duel Disk beeped and let out a single card for him to grab. The spotlight shut off when Ivor took the card, revealing it to be Snow Plow Hustle Rustle (10/2500/3000).
After adding it to his hand, his Deck shuffled itself.
"That's all for now."
Jessie couldn't help but look surprised at that move. He was sure that with his big display, his opponent was gonna go after him.
"Guy either really loves to put on a show or tried to intimidate me into submitting. Especially considering he didn't even bother going on the offensive," Jessie admitted. He was mentally communicating with Excalibur. "Any ideas?"
"I cannot say, which is a very bad thing," Excalibur replied. "In this case, it may be wiser to spring whatever he has in store."
Jessie thought about it for a bit, then nodded.
"Well then, since you don't have anything to defend yourself with. I think I'm gonna go ahead and knock you back down a notch or two. Take him, Gandiva!"
The horseman nodded as she grabbed another arrow from her quiver. This time, she did nothing special to it before releasing her bow.
"What was it you said earlier? 'Thanks for falling for such an obvious trap?' Thank you so much for being the most predictable Duelist I've faced. Your attack triggers the effect of the Snow Plow Hustle Rustle from my hand!"
Like with his previous monsters, both Duelists could hear a horn coming from one of the tunnels that appeared prior. In seconds, a large red train arrived next to Ivor. It shot a blast of compressed air from the bright yellow plow on the front and redirected the arrow into the void.
"Not bad. Though it seems like you forgot about one little thing," his opponent remarked. "My Burden of the Mighty's effect and I think this will serve as a reminder."
After saying that, the new monster's body gradually eroded with grim and peeled paint becoming the new coat for it to wear.
Snow Plow - (2500/3000 - 500/3000)
"I'm well aware of your cute little Spells effects, but it seems as though You know nothing of what this monster can do," Ivor began to explain. "Whenever Snow Plow is brought out to the Field this way, I'm allowed to destroy every Spell and Trap set on my side. When they're gone, I hit you with 200 points of damage for each one!"
Ivor's single facedown card shattered, and the pieces lay on the ground for a moment before Snow Plow sucked them in. Seconds later, it released a blast of compressed air and steam, plus what looked like pieces of glass.
Jessie covered his face and called up his power, creating a protective bubble around him. However, the pieces of Ivor's Spell card easily slipped through his shield and tore holes through his clothes.
Jessie - (7000 - 6800)
Ivor - 3500
The pain subsided as Jessie let his arms drop to his sides. Anyone could see that the spots that were torn open had blood coming out from them. It wasn't a dangerous amount, but it still hurt.
"Also, since an Earth Machine-Type Monster has been Summoned to the Field. I can Special Summon this one directly from my hand," Ivor added. "Meet Heavy Freight Train Derricrane (10/2800/2000) in Defense Mode!"
A much deeper train whistle sounded from one of the already-open tunnels. It may have just been from the echo, but the new train's wheels sounded louder than the previous ones as it rolled out next to Snow Plow.
Apart from the large crane attached to the back half of its body, Ivor's new monster looked almost normal. Just a basic, mostly-rectangular yellow and gray freight train. The smokestack just before the crane was odd, certainly, but it wasn't an unreasonable feature. It didn't even give the impression of having a face like Signal Red.
"Cool toy. Too bad both my Spells are still on the Field," Jessie repeated. "And I'm pretty sure you Special Summon it like that means you have to cut its Attack and Defense in half as well. I mean, I assume you know what you're doing…?"
As he said that, rust and dirt spread over Derricrane's surface like a time-lapse video of melting snow, to the point where it looked like no one had touched it in decades.
Heavy Freight Train Derricrane (2800/2000) - (0/1000)
"It must be fun thinking you have figured it all out," Ivor replied smugly. "But recall what my Field Spell does every time I Summon another Level 10 EARTH Machine-Type Monster."
Like before, the spotlight above shined down on him once more. This allowed another card to slide out of the Deck for him to grab.
"Now behold the third part of my victory," he declared. "I Special Summon my second Express Train Trolly Olley in Defense Mode!"
For the third time this Turn, another train whistle echoed as the monster arrived. It slowed down before completely stopping next to its two counterparts, Snow Plow and Derricrane.
A storage car followed soon after, attaching itself to Olley.
Trolly Olley - lvl 4 - lvl 10
"Hate to rain on your parade," Jessie began. "But with those effects you activated, my Gandiva was unable to continue her attack. And since it's still my Battle Phase, I think I'll let her try again. Attack that stupidly named train, Gandiva!"
Gandiva nodded before pulling out another arrow. This time focusing electricity through it, releasing it from the bow right at her enemy.
Piercing the window, multiple explosions occurred as the cockpit burst into flames. What followed was the rest of its body getting caught up in the fire, right before hitting the gas line. With it, a powerful explosion triggered and sent the force across the area.
"That ends my turn Conductor," Jessie chuckled.
Even when his monster disappeared, the only response Ivor gave was him drawing his next card.
"One monster may be gone, but I've already fulfilled the requirements for what I'm about to bring out," Ivor proclaimed. "Using Derricrane and Snow Plow, I rebuild the Overlay Network!"
'Shit, my Spells won't work on an Xyz Monster!' Jessie realized.
Soon enough, both trains transformed into orbs of light, only this time they left via the open ceiling.
Afterwards, the entire building began shaking once more as both Jessie and Ivor held onto whatever was close to them. It was stronger than the last time and threatened to knock them both off their platforms.
From the ceiling, the entire building split down the middle as the sides retracted, opening a large portion of the structure.
The two saw the Overlay Units flying into the galaxy spiral that appeared far off in the distance. Entering it, the explosion of starlight soon became replaced with a titanic vehicle.
"Bear witness to one of my strongest monsters ever, Superdreadnought Rail Cannon Gustav Max (R10/3000/3000) in Attack Mode!"
Two long train tracks appeared, extending past the middle of the platforms where the two duelists were standing. A mostly blue vehicle with a tank-like red base began approaching with a soft rumbling sound. As it got closer the rumbling became not just louder, but more of a sensation in their bones, like the boys were near the front row at an electro-funk concert.
Jessie couldn't stop himself from doing a double-take as the towering machine approached. He'd never seen anything that required three tracks to move before, and definitely not a monster this big. Even the Kaiju monsters he'd faced would look short next to the rail cannon.
It couldn't even get all the way over to where they were. It began stopping about a third of a football field from their platform, releasing clouds of steam that quickly covered the whole area, and even some of Jessie and Ivor themselves.
Moments later, it stopped moving entirely with a final hiss and burst of steam. Jessie wondered how he hadn't noticed the large green panel cubes surrounding the monster's "core" earlier, even with the obscuring steam clouds it had generated.
"I believe it's time for me to get back at you for all your disrespect earlier," Ivor remarked enthusiastically. "By using one of its Overlay Units, I can deal damage directly to you. About 2000 points of damage to be precise."
That single statement caused a look of horror on Jesse's face. He then heard the grinding of gears activating as the top of Rail Cannon began moving, splitting apart as a large cannon extended out and upward to the sky. One of the Overlay Units flew into the opening of the cannon, causing it to glow brightly.
In a matter of seconds, the shot fired upward and curved down. The payload descended closer and closer to the structure, specifically towards Jessie.
The Ra student summoned up as much of his power as he could, creating another barrier before the attack could hit its mark.
Upon impact, the explosion's shock wave rippled fiercely throughout the area. Even with the additional protection, the attack proved to be too much as it broke through the barrier and engulfed its target.
Jessie screamed in pain, and then in fear as the supports of his platform began to break. Rail Cannon's attack had set something below him on fire, and the resulting heat was cracking if not melting the steel. The platform buckled under its own weight.
Gandiva's horse whinnied as she turned towards him. She gave it a reassuring pat on the neck and urged it forward.
"And don't think I forgot your pathetic monster!" Ivor exclaimed. "Thanks to the Effect of Derricrane, when it gets sent to the graveyard via effect from an Xyz monster, I can destroy any monster on the Field!"
A spotlight hit Gandiva, followed immediately by a crane hook that swung down and stabbed her in the shoulder. She shouted in pain as it pulled her up, digging a little deeper in the process.
The crane hook then began swinging Gandiva back and forth like a pendulum, before finally smashing her into what was left of Jessie's platform and reducing it to debris.
Jessie - (6800 - 4800)
Ivor - 3500
The fire died down, allowing the result of the destruction to be seen. Scraps of metal and concrete reduced to a pile of debris, showing no indication of anything or anyone surviving.
Ivor looked at the carnage in front of him, slowly chuckling before it turned into maniacal laughter. He felt such joy at what he had done, getting a high from the rush of finally putting his opponent in his place.
Though it would be short-lived.
Movement began to show under some of the rubble, causing Ivor's laughter to abruptly stop along with his smile. In their place was a look of surprise and horror.
The movement got more and more frequent, almost as if something was trying to dig themselves out. Eventually, Jessie managed to push off the rubble he had been buried under and pull himself out. With his whole body out, he slowly got back on his feet.
Though with one glance, nobody could tell by looking that it was even him. He had to lean on a piece of a pillar that held the platform, breathing heavily from the damage he took. His outfit was completely shredded, leaving only tattered scraps hanging off his body except for his pants, shoes, and jacket.
A few seconds passed and he shook his head, getting his senses back in order while clearing the dirt and debris from his visor. Then he looked up and noticed Ivor's shocked, almost awed expression. That single look put a smile on his own face. He wasn't a bad person, but neither was he above enjoying a cocky opponent getting caught off guard.
"Since I… took damage, I can bring… back one special monster… from my Graveyard," he began saying in between breaths. "Come out… Heroic Challenger… Thousand Blades!"
Another storage car entered, creating its own track and pushing out the rubble that used to be Jessie's platform. With it gone, Thousand Blades came out through a sliding door while somehow not denting it with his blades in the process. Though he didn't have time to glare as he noticed his master and immediately went to Jessie to check on him.
Jessie turned to his monster, smiling and giving a small nod. He then groaned, kneeling down to grab his cards that had miraculously survived the inferno.
With the cards back in his right hand, Thousand Blade gently grabbed his master before jumping. The two then landed on top of the storage car that had arrived, allowing Jessie to be across from Ivor. Though now, the two were a bit lower to the ground than before.
'Is this what being blown up feels like?' Jessie wondered weakly as every nerve in his body screamed out in pain. 'How am I even still alive after that…?'
The student reached for his Deck, his left arm felt like it was made of stone and his movements sluggish. The normally weightless feel of the card as he pulled it was replaced by lead. He glanced at the card that was drawn, feeling a surge of adrenaline shoot up in him.
"You're near the end," Excalibur acknowledged with a mental response. "Just one last push, one more Turn. Let's finish this together."
"You read my mind partner," Jessie mentally replied with a smile. "I really enjoyed the pain and assault you graciously gave me, but I think it's time we finished this once and for all."
Ivor gave an honest laugh at his remark, something he rarely did for anyone. "That last hit really must've done more damage than I thought if you're spouting such nonsense."
Jessie took a deep breath, calling up whatever power he had left. Once he did, the pain completely subsided albeit temporarily.
"Guess I'll just have to show rather than tell," he commented. "From my Hand, I Normal Summon the card I placed on top of my Deck earlier. Come on out, Bull Blader!"
He slammed the card on an open slot, causing another storage car to emerge from one of the tunnels as it made new tracks. When it stopped, the doors opened as the beast leaped out, landing next to Thousand Blades and his master.
A large, humanoid monster clad in orange armor stood threateningly on Jessie's side of the field. Its bull head held aloft two large red horns and a large sword, easily a two-handed sword for the likes of Jessie, was clutched in a single one of the monster's hands.
"Next, since I Normal Summoned a Warrior-Type monster to the field, I can Special Summon this little lady, Blue Mountain Butterspy (4/0/1700)!"
A third storage car arrived and opened up at the top, allowing a small, teal, butterfly-winged monster to fly out and gently land next to her allies. Her lower body looked more like a dagger than an insect, or even a humanoid; indeed, the only limbs clearly visible were her arms, each currently bearing a thin double-bladed weapon similar to Heroic Challenger Swordshield's.
"Now the fun part: I use Butterspy and Thousand Blades to rebuild the Overlay Network. Show him what you can do, guys!"
The pair nodded to each other. The weapon Butterspy had disappeared as she took her comrades' hand, both transforming into orbs of light.
Afterwards, the pair entered into the spiral galaxy that emerged on the field to trigger the explosion of starlight once more.
"I Xyz Summon my partner, Heroic Champion - Excalibur (R4/2000/2000) in Attack Mode!"
The new monster emerged from the starlight, letting out a war cry as he landed heavily on the storage car next to Bull Blader. His attention first focused on Jessie, nodding before looking directly at his enemy.
The humanoid warrior clad in red and steel armor tightened his armored gloves, his yellow accents gleaming with one hand resting on the pommel of the sword on it's hip.
He was ready for action.
"Next up is his effect. By using both of his Overlay Units, I can double up his Attack Points until the end of your Turn."
Both of the orbs entered his body as the silhouettes of Thousand Blade and Butterspy appeared. They placed their hand on his shoulders, causing his red armor to glow even brighter. He then drew his sword and pointed at Ivor.
Excalibur (2000/2000) - (4000/2000)
"If that's all you got, then we really are done. Even with such a boost in power, it's still not enough to defeat my Rail Cannon," Ivor reminded him.
"I'm aware. But who said I'd use Excalibur to destroy it? Get that scrap heap, Bull Blader!"
The horned monster bellowed out and jumped off the storage car, running faster than average and closing in on Ivor's monster.
Ivor responded only by crossing his arms and giving Jessie a mildly amused stare.
"Oh I almost forgot to mention, Bull Blader's Effect should trigger right about now," Jessie explained. "When he attacks a monster with more attack points than him, not only do I not take damage but your monster also gets destroyed. OP? Maybe. Awesome? Hell yeah!"
Ivor dropped his arms at that remark, his eyes widening as he realized what that meant.
"Kakiye?"
"Go, Bull-Headed Charge!"
Having finally reached his enemy, Bull Blader jumped high into the air and slammed into Rail Cannon horns first. The large machine began beeping rapidly before immediately stopping. When it did, an explosion triggered that destroyed both monsters in a plume of fire.
Despite the distance, both Duelists felt the force of the shock wave come at them. It shook the area once more, this time much more intensely. When it stopped, Jessie looked back to Ivor. His proud and cocky enemy was looking around the area in fear. It dawned on him that there was nothing left he could do, that his fight with Jessie was at an end.
"Nyet!" He called out, his demonic voice having disappeared.
"Naí. Plus if I've done the math right, you've only got 3500 Life Points left," Jessie acknowledged. "This is over! Go Excalibur, end this Duel with Radiant Slash!"
Excalibur nodded, jumping upward towards his enemy's platform and holding his blade with both hands. Suddenly, electricity from the building came out to infuse his blade with power. The blade turned white with the energy that entered it.
Reaching the platform, the monster yelled and swung down at his enemy with all his might. He managed to slash Ivor right down the middle as the blade returned back to normal. The energy stored inside was shocking Ivor, almost as if he was sitting in an electric chair.
The roar of pain echoed through the area as spots of light began breaking through the whole building. With them, the entire structure created by the dimension crumbled apart and disappeared bit by bit.
Jessie didn't have time to react as he suddenly felt some of that light enter his body. When it did, one big explosion of light triggered, enveloping everything around it.
Jessie closed his eyes quickly in order to avoid the intense brightness the explosion had caused.
Jessie - 4800
Ivor - (3500 - 0)
Duel Academy
Forest
The light slowly rescinded and soon allowed the Ra student to open his eyes, seeing a familiar scene of forest around him. He then looked up, seeing that the night sky was now filled with stars and the Moon.
A sigh of relief left his mouth, realizing that he was back at the Academy.
Though part of him began questioning if whatever he went through and experienced actually happened.
Jessie's answer came to him when he felt the wind on his bare skin and looked down to see his ruined clothes. They looked as if someone had put them through a paper shredder, then cut the shreds with scissors halfway through. Though the real surprise was that even with all the cuts and bruises he had, Jessie wasn't feeling the pain he felt previously. The only thing he felt was sore and tired, plus a little hungry. Another thing he felt was his own power having been charged and now a bit stronger than before. Whatever that light that entered him was, it upgraded his powers a bit.
Before he could fully understand it, his attention turned to the loud screams of pain and frustration.
There he found Ivor flat on the ground, panting heavily and struggling to move. The mask he was wearing had returned to its original shape with his clothes now being exposed without his cloak. Though they were a simple combination of a black T-shirt and pants.
He struggled and tried his best to move, feeling every bit of the pain he had endured while in the duel. While he couldn't get all the way back up, Ivor did manage to sit up against a nearby tree even if it was only to rest.
"This… can't be," Ivor began saying, his voice still disguised. "I had the advantage, I have power beyond your pitiful understanding, and yet I still lost!? It's impossible, some kind of trick."
His enemy scoffed at his remark.
"You really are an idiot," Jessie added, limping towards him before stopping in front of Ivor. "I can tell you from experience that having some dark magic doesn't automatically make you superior to everyone else. Especially if you only took it because you were desperate and it seemed like an easy path, which I'll admit I was at the time. I broke past it, gained something better and made it my own. You'll never become better by relying on something that was never yours in the first place."
Ivor was silent for a moment. Then he let out a hurt laugh at Jessie's pitying expression.
"You don't know what strife really is, or real power for that matter. You were worthless since birth, but I was destined for greatness, even when I had nothing at all… "
Ivor closed his eyes and let the memories rise back to the surface. Hiding all alone in a back alley after his parents had died, too scared to ask a children's home for help. Finding increasingly creative ways to steal food (amazing what grocery stores will throw out, really), the perennial struggle to stay warm in snowy winters…
And then there was her. Even now he couldn't remember what his mistress' eyes looked like. Only her smile and her outstretched hand.
Let me help you, little one. That fire in your eyes, still burning after such hardship, will make you great…
To a scared, homeless, and hungry child on the streets of a Russian city, those were the sweetest words imaginable.
"You're a lost cause, and you have my pity," were the only words Jessie had left to say.
His enemy opened his eyes, looking back at the Ra student. "Pity yourself after you're dead!" Ivor proclaimed, attempting to summon up whatever power he had left.
Jessie's own power surged in response, but they were quickly cut short by an inhuman whistle echoing through the area.
While Jessie looked around to figure out where it was coming from, Ivor let out a small chuckle.
"Seems my time is up, but make no mistake, we are not finished…" Shadows enveloped him in a cocoon, making him vanish instantly.
All that could be heard was the wind and rustling of the trees, leaving Jessie to sigh in frustration before looking at Excalibur. "What did I get myself into?" he muttered with exasperation.
"I cannot say, but one thing is certain," Excalibur replied. "You have gotten stronger from this encounter."
When he said that, Jessie looked at his hand and knew what his partner said was true. Though despite wanting to learn more, he figured that it was enough excitement for one night and decided to return to his room.
The bushes rustled as Jessie limped back to the dorm, and two watchful eyes peeked out at his retreating figure. Someone else had seen the aftermath, and they had an interest in Jessie's role.
Well, that surprised no one, lol. Any guesses on who the mysterious person is? Thanks again for joining us on another chapter of Dual Guardians, if you guys wouldn't mind, we'd love to hear some feedback on this series and any reviews on what we could do to make it better. As Lee said, we apologize for the slow updates, but we hope to get it out as soon as we can. Also for those wondering, Children's Homes are essentially Orphanages in Russia.
Translations:
Kakiye - What?
Naí - Yes
