Hi, guys! Just like I posted in Gender Generations, I'm sorry for taking so long! I didn't meant to be absent for about 6 months! I was busy with work, school, and all that other stuff, but now that I'm practically free, I can get back to this fanfic along with Gender Generation, at least until I reach the end of Season 2 where afterwards, I'll take a bit of a break.
Just to let you all know, in this season, I'm going to be spilling some more about Elize's secret past that not even she knows of. I know you're all anxious to know what hidden, dark power Elize possesses, and some of it will be revealed in this story, but the full truth of that will be revealed in the next season. It's just to build up the climax and whatnot and how it'll affect future chapters.
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
"...I see. While I am pleased to know that a significant number of students have returned to normal, it's still a bit unsetting to not know more about Sartorius' plans," commented Sheppard as both Elize and Aster gave another one of their weekly reports to Sheppard.
Ever since Sheppard returned and hosted the Genex Tournament, Elize and Aster agreed to give him weekly reports on what's happening around on the island so long as the Society of Light threat still loomed over. So far, all the usual reports consisted of some duelists illegally cheating like Weevil Underwood and Rex Raptor, training results, and more importantly, the issue on the Society of Light. But, the only thing they had to report on that was the decrease of Society members that, out of the two of them, only Elize was handling, whereas Aster will still trying to collect any sort of information on the Society of Light members while avoiding them.
While going through the status of student participants in the Genex Tournament through his computer, Sheppard let out a heavy sigh. "And then there's Sartorius...I just can't seem to figure him out. For instance, why would he enroll here?"
"I initially thought he enrolled here to keep an eye on me, Jaden, and Elize. To see if we're the 'chosen ones' in his destiny," replied Aster.
"I figured he enrolled here because he formed the Society of Light and wanted to enlist more people starting with Duel Academy," pointed out Elize. "You know, I wonder how he managed to even enroll here, considering that Duel Academy has a strict age restriction from at least 13 - 18 years old."
"Actually, Sartorius is 17, " addressed Aster.
"Wait, are you serious? But he looks nothing like 17! I thought he was like, maybe in his mid 20s!"
Aster shook his head. "Nope. He actually is 17 years old, which unfortunately for us, fits him well within the age regulations. Anyways, Chancellor Sheppard, has Sartorius dueled anyone ever since the tournament started?"
"Just one," said Sheppard, searching through Sartorius' records. "It's the Prince of Misgarth, Prince Ojin. But why would he duel a prince? And why hasn't he dueled anyone since?"
"I'll tell you why."
Everyone turned around and saw a female secretary entering the Chancellor's Office, unannounced. Judging from her professional appearance and serious, yet calm expression on her face, it seems that she was an important representative person.
The female secretary continued, "My name is Linda, and I work for Prince Ojin. Something's gone wrong, sir. When he faced Sartorius, the two of them made a bet."
That perked Sheppard's interest. "A bet?"
"Yes, the Prince wagered his laser satellite and lost. Now, it belongs to Sartorius!"
"What?!"
"Hold up!" cried out Aster. "Are you talking about the SORA satellite system?! The one rumored to hold immense power, granting the country of Misgarth more popularity and power?!"
"The what system? And wait, did she say, laser satellite?!" exclaimed Elize.
Aster nodded. "Yeah, the SORA satellite system is technically an orbital satellite, rumored to have enough power to wipe away all life on the planet!"
"Are you serious?! Isn't that like, a huge governmental problem?!" questioned Elize, beginning to panic. "This is bad, this is bad, this is bad! Sartorius pretty much has an outer space weapon equivalent to the power of a nuke! He's now become more dangerous than ever!"
"Calm down!" Aster ordered. "He hasn't activated the SORA satellite yet, so we're fine!"
"And how do you know? We just found out that he has access to a world-endangering satellite!"
"Well, for starters, we're still alive, aren't we? If Sartorius really wanted to destroy the world, he would have done so, already. But, he has no reason to destroy the world since he's trying to spread the 'light' around," explained Aster. "That just means that he wants to keep the SORA satellite as a threat. To make sure nobody that threatens his Society gets in his way, otherwise he'll unleash the satellite onto them."
"Eh?! But then, wouldn't he just try and use it on us, then?"
Aster shook his head. "No, like I mentioned earlier, he probably needs us, along with Jaden. At best, he'll just blackmail us into doing as he says with that SORA satellite system." Aster turned to Linda. "You said you work for Prince Ojin, right? Do you think there's a way you can arrange an appointment between me and him?"
Linda shook her head. "I apologize, but right now, Prince Ojin is not available for any appointments. Due to risk of assassination attempts, political issues, and more, Prince Ojin will not be taking any appointments from anyone unless from the Royal Family so long as he remains in the Genex Tournament."
"Damnit...then, do you know the range of the SORA satellite's proximity?"
"I...am uncertain. I am not a scientist, but merely his secretary."
"How exactly would Sartorius control the SORA satellite?" wondered Elize. "Scientifically speaking, you would need a remote or some form of control over that, right?"
Linda answered, "There are three keys in order to activate the SORA satellite system. Prince Ojin wagered them and lost to Sartorius, and now Sartorius currently has the three keys in his possession."
"Shit...So we can't just sneak in and steal them back," said Aster. "Sartorius knows me all too well and he's likely to maximize the White Dorm's security to keep those keys safe."
"And I don't think I've ever seen or heard him come out of the White Dorm, so he must have stayed in there this whole time, even now," said Elize. "But, wait! We do still have an advantage! Sartorius may not know that we know he has access to the satellite, so maybe-"
"No, I'm sure he's already figured that out," said Aster, shaking his head.
"Huh? How do you figure?"
"It's already well-known throughout the world that Misgarth has a powerful laser satellite. So, since Sartorius has access to the satellite keys, I imagine that sooner or later, word is going to spread that he has them. Either we find out first, or Sheppard finds out and he tells us about this. Either way, he'll know that we know, so he'll take extra caution to make sure the keys aren't out of his grasp."
"Gah, that means we have nothing to defend against that laser satellite!" said Elize. "Why would a country invent something that could potentially destroy the world?!"
"Simple," Aster said. "Power. In the end, every politic relies on more and more power."
"It's more than just that," explained Linda. "Misgarth is a small, isolated country, so naturally, we wish to expand our country more. All our hard efforts eventually led to the creation of the SORA satellite system. With governmental permission, we would only use the laser for emergencies and to annihilate any enemy forces that dared to invade our country. Of course, there were conditions in which we could keep the satellite so long as we didn't take the offense ourselves."
"And why would you bring the keys to a very dangerous satellite instead of leaving them in your home country?" questioned Aster, shaking his head. "You know what? Forget I asked. We need a new plan now."
"We should evacuating the students! We're just lucky he hasn't started threatening to use the satellite on the students!" said Elize.
"We can't do that," said Aster. "First off, Sartorius isn't wasteful. He would never try and kill people whom he finds useful and can brainwash later. He finds all the students necessary for his Society. And second, we can't try to escape the island, because I know there are Society members guarding the docks 24/7. He'll know something's up, and I know he posted those people there to make sure the most important people don't escape this island. Namely you, me, and Jaden. Even if we teamed up and took them out, there'll be too many of them, and at worst, we'd probably be prisoners to his Society."
"If I may," spoke up Linda. "I wish to discuss more things in private with the Chancellor. I've already said too much when I entered here unannounced. Because this tournament was hosted by you, Chancellor Sheppard, I'd like to discuss more alone between the two of us regarding about SORA, the prince, and Sartorius. Any helpful information may help formulate a plan of sorts."
Sheppard nodded. "Very well. Aster, Elize, why don't you two take off and rest? I have some important issues to talk. We'll talk again at a later date."
"Fine," agreed Aster. "Elize, we better get going, too."
"O-Okay..."
Meanwhile...
In a private, white room within the White Dorm, Sartorius was sitting at a table all by himself with the briefcase containing the three SORA satellite keys. Originally, the SORA satellite was meant to extinguish any lifeform on Earth, but with some help, he had the satellite modified so that it was now a brainwashing tool instead of a world destruction weapon. There was no point in seeing the 'light' if the entire planet were to die, after all.
"He who controls the satellite controls the world," said Sartorius. "I shall open everyone's minds, and let the whole world see the light!" He grunted and held his head in his palm, feeling a headache as well as something deep within him trying to stop him.
"No! It's too dangerous!"
"Silence, you fool! We must obey the light!" Sartorius snapped, opening the briefcase to reveal three smaller cases holding the three satellite keys. "This is the only way to save mankind! With these three keys, the new order can begin!"
"Wait!"
Suddenly, the hands that held the three keys began shaking, and Sartorius found himself dropping the keys, as well as unable to go through with his plan. "W-What am I doing? I have to fight this! B-But I can't-!"
No matter how much the conflicting forces within Sartorius fought, it was inevitable that Sartorius couldn't fire the SORA satellite system. At least, not today.
Later...
'As the number of duelists decrease everyday, it's getting harder to find an opponent to duel with,' Elize thought, wandering around the docks aimlessly. 'Word of me dueling and returning students back to normal must have spread by now. That must be why lots of Society members are trying to avoid me now. It's...a little awkward, but it's a bit better than suddenly being ganged up and forced to duel them everyday. Although, now it's even harder to return them back to normal.'
"Ugh, great! All these twerpy duelists are nothing but all-talk and weak! There's gotta be at least one duelist here who doesn't suck!"
Looking around, Elize saw a light maroonish haired man prancing around in the docks, aimlessly searching for a strong duelist. They locked eyes before Elize broke away, looking away to see if there was anybody else around, but the only ones in the docks were her and the mysterious, older man.
"...Um...Hi?"
The man sighed, shaking his head in disbelief and placing his hands on his hips. "Of all the...Fine, fine. Hey you, girl. How about you and me settle on a duel? Have you dueled anyone yet today?"
"N-no..." said Elize, straightening her back. "But, if you like, I can duel you!"
"How good are you at dueling?" questioned the man.
"Well, I'm not really the strongest in the academy, but I've gotten a lot stronger recently!" 'Dueling more than 10 Society of Light members a day can do that to you, apparently.'
The man shrugged, activating his duel disk. "Fine by me. Let's do this! You, what's your name?"
"My name is Elize. It's nice to meet you, Mr...? Um...Sir?"
The man appeared stunned before shaking his head to snap out of it. "Sorry, was out of it for a sec. What were we-Right, right. We were about to duel. Get ready, kid!"
"Wait! I don't think you've told me your name, sir."
"Alister. My name is Alister. That's all you need to know from me. Now, let's duel!"
"Right! Duel!"
- DUEL -
Alister - 4000 LP
VS
Elize - 4000 LP
"Mr. Alister, sir? Would you like to go first or second?" questioned Elize. "I don't really mind which turn you choose to go first."
"Alright, then I'll go first!" said Alister. "I summon Cyber Solider of Darkworld in Defense Mode!"
Cyber Soldier of Darkworld - (DARK/Machine) - LV4 - (1400/1200)
"Next, I set a card and end my turn!"
"My move!" said Elize. "I set a Monster and then set one card facedown before I end my turn!"
"That's all? I was hoping for more of a challenge!" scoffed Alister. "Well, this should do for now. I sacrifice Cyber Soldier of Darkworld to Tribute Summon Spell Canceller!"
Spell Canceller - (WIND/Machine) - LV5 - (1800/1600)
"Now, attack her Monster!"
Spell Canceller stored up a large amount of energy before blasting it away at Elize's Set Monster, revealing to be Dharc the Dark Charmer, whose Defense Points were no match for the greater Attack Points Spell Canceller had.
"I end my turn. Come on, do something more interesting in your next turn!"
"Alright, then!" agreed Elize, drawing her card. "From my hand, I activate the Spell card, Poly-"
"Hold it! Spell Canceller's effect makes it so you can't activate Spell cards so long as he remains face-up on the field! Plus, all Spell card effects are negated!" said Alister. "But, nice for letting me know you have a Polymerization card! I'm guessing your deck focuses a bit on Fusion Summoning, huh? Nice to know that!"
'Well, that's a bummer, but if I can destroy Spell Canceller, I should be able to regain the ability to use Spell cards,' thought Elize. "I set a Monster facedown and end my turn!"
"Playing defensive, again? Please! Try something new!" insulted Alister. "Like this! I'm summoning Science Soldier in Attack Mode!"
Science Soldier - (DARK/Warrior) - LV3 - (800/800)
"Attack her Monster, Spell Canceller!"
Expecting the result of yet another destruction on Elize's field, Alister waited for the smoke to clear until he quickly saw that not only was Elize safe, but that another Monster, her Set Monster, was still intact and in Defense Mode.
Magician's Valkyria - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (1600/1800)
"Huh, so you had a Monster whose defenses could withstand my offenses! Looks like you're taking this to the next level after all!" praised Alister. "Fine! Nothing I can do but end my turn!"
"My turn!" said Elize, drawing her card. "I sacrifice Magician's Valkyria to Tribute Summon Dark Magician Girl!"
Dark Magician Girl - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV6 - (2000/1700)
"What a rare Monster! Looks like this duel definitely will be a bit more interesting! Alright, come at me!"
Elize nodded. "Alright! I attack! Dark Magician Girl, please attack Spell Canceller!"
"And now you fell for it!" called out Alister. "I activate my Trap, Sakuretsu Armor! When your Monster attacks one of my own, that Monster's instantly destroyed!"
Dark Magician Girl couldn't recall her attack back, as now, an armored barrier reflected back her magical dark fireball at her, destroying her.
"I activate the Spell, Double Summon, letting me Normal Summon one more time this turn, and then set a Monster and end my turn!"
"Once again, playing defense? Then again, in your situation, I suppose I can't blame you!" Alister taunted, drawing his card. "I summon Kinetic Soldier in Attack Mode!"
Kinetic Soldier - (EARTH/Machine) - LV3 - (1350/1800)
"Now, let's start off with your first and only Monster! Spell Canceller, attack her facedown card!"
Spell Canceller unleashed a laser assault and began shooting at the Set Monster before the Set card flipped over, but the lasers were deflected by the Monster known as Mystical Elf, one of Elize's strongest defensive Monsters. Alister was forced to shield himself with his arms when the lasers reflected back towards him.
Mystical Elf - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV4 - (800/2000)
Alister - 3800 LP
Elize - 4000 LP
"So, you had a stronger defense, huh? Not bad, but it'll take more than defense to defeat me! I set a card and end my turn! Now, show me more of your determination to beat me!"
Elize nodded. "Of course! I always do my best in a duel! My turn! Ah! Alright! I summon Gagagigo in Attack Mode!"
Gagagigo - (WATER/Reptile) - LV4 - (1850/1000)
Alister was taken aback by the sudden appearance of the Reptile-Type Monster. 'What?! Judging from all of the cards she's used so far, I thought that her deck was a Spellcaster-Type deck only! Looks like she has a few tricks up her sleeves after all. Nice, it was gettin' a bit boring around here!'
"Gagagigo, please attack Spell Canceller!"
Gagagigo charged ahead and made several swipes at the Machine-Type with his claws before jumping back and avoiding an explosion from Spell Canceller's destruction.
Alister - 3750 LP
Elize - 4000 LP
"Huh, not bad at all, kid," praised Alister. "Not bad at all..."
"Now, that Spell Canceller's gone, I can now use Spells now," reminded Elize. "I activate from my hand the Spell card, Polymerization! I fuse from my hand Lyna the Light Charmer and Raging Eria in order to Fusion Summon Isis the Ice Charmer in Defense Mode!"
Isis the Ice Charmer - (WATER/Fusion/Spellcaster) - LV6 - (1900/2100)
"I now activate Isis' special ability! Once per turn, by declaring one Attribute, either WATER or LIGHT, I gain 400 Life Points for each Monster on the field whose Attribute is the same as the one I declare! I declare WATER, so now, because Isis and Gagagigo are both WATER Attribute Monsters, I get 800 extra Life Points!"
Alister - 3750 LP
Elize - 4800 LP
"I end my turn!"
"Huh, you're starting to impress me a little bit, kid! But, just a little!" Alister said, drawing his card. "Nice! Just the card I needed! First off, I'll activate Graceful Chairty, letting me draw three cards and discard two! Then, I activate the Spell, Iron Call! So long as I control a Machine-Type Monster, I can target 1 Level 4 or lower Machine-Type Monster in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! The catch is, the Monster's effects are negated, and I have to destroy it during the End Phase! I'll Special Summon a Monster I summoned before! Cyber Soldier of Darkworld!"
Cyber Soldier of Darkworld - (DARK/Machine) - LV4 - (1400/1200)
"Then, I activate the Trap card, Soldier Revolt! If I've got Cyber Soldier of Darkworld, Kinetic Soldier, and Science Soldier on my field, you have to discard all the cards in your hand to the Graveyard, plus all cards on your field are destroyed!"
Elize watched as her Mystical Elf and Gagagigo were destroyed, but a watery light shielded Isis, mainly due to her special ability. "Unfortunately for you, Isis has another ability! She can't be destroyed by card effects!"
"Tch! So your Monster had that kind of ability, huh? No matter! If she can't be destroyed by card effects, the only other option is to do battle!" tsked Alister. "Now I activate the Spell, Sky Union! By sacrificing 3 Monsters I control, I get to Special Summon my ace Monster, Air Fortress Ziggurat!"
Air Fortress Ziggurat - (WIND/Machine) - LV8 - (2500/800)
'Isis' defense can't withstand that Sky Fortress' bigger attack!' thought Elize.
"I end my turn!"
"Huh? Why?"
Alister explained, "Unfortunately, due to using Soldier Revolt, I can't conduct my Battle Phase this turn. However, I can do something else! I activate Sky Fortress Ziggurat's special ability! During each of my End Phases, I Special Summon 1 Robot Token to the field in Defense Mode!"
Robot Token - (WIND/Machine) - LV1 - (0/0)
"My turn, draw!" said Elize. "I activate my facedown card! Element Chime! By targeting one Monster on your field, I can add a Charmer Monster from my deck to my hand whose Attribute is the same as your Monster! I'll choose Air Fortress Ziggurat and add Wynn the Wind Charmer to my hand! Then, I activate Isis' healing effect! I choose WATER, and now, I gain 400 extra Life Points!"
Alister - 3750 LP
Elize - 5200 LP
"I end my turn!"
"Once again, putting a defense, are we? Try something new!" said Alister, drawing his card. "I sacrifice my Robot Token to bring out Machine King!"
Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2200/2000)
"Now, for each Machine-Type Monster on the field, Machine King gains 100 extra Attack Points each, including himself! There's two Machine-Type Monsters, so he gains 200 extra Attack Points!"
Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2400/2000)
"Now, attack her Monster, Machine King!" ordered Alister.
Machine King raised his mechanical, enhanced fist and delivered a powerful blow onto Isis, pummeling her in one blow.
"Now, your turn, Air Fortress Ziggurat! Attack her directly!"
The gigantic sky fortress aimed its aerial weapons and shot rockets at Elize, knocking her off her feet and delivering a heavy amount of damage to her Life Points.
Alister - 3750 LP
Elize - 2700 LP
"I think that'll do it for now, and now, Air Fortress Ziggurat's End Phase effect Special Summons another Robot Token to my field!"
Robot Token - (WIND/Machine) - LV1 - (0/0)
"That, in turn, increases Machine King's Attack Points by another 100!"
Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2500/2000)
"My turn!" shouted Elize, drawing her card. "Alright! I activate the Spell, Fusion Recovery! I add a Monster that was used for a Fusion Summon from my Graveyard and add it to my hand along with Polymerization! I'll add Raging Eria to my hand and Polymerization! Next, I play Monster Reborn to revive a Monster from my Graveyard!"
"Oh? And I'm guessing you'll bring back your Isis Fusion Monster?" guessed Alister.
Elize shook her head. "Nope! The Monster I'm choosing to bring back is Dharc the Dark Charmer!"
Dharc the Dark Charmer - (DARK/Spellcaster) - LV3 - (500/1500)
"Why summon a weaker Monster? Especially in Attack Mode? Hoping to take out my Robot Token to reduce Machine King's power?"
"More than that!" decided Elize. "Now, I activate Polymerization and fuse Dharc the Dark Charmer with Wynn the Wind Charmer to Fusion Summon Venefictia the Poison Charmer!"
Venefictia the Poison Charmer - (DARK/Spellcaster/Fusion) - LV7 - (2500/0)
"Oh? An even better Fusion Monster than your last!" complimented Alister. "So, what now? Two of my Monsters are tied with yours, so unless you have some sort of strategy, that Monster is at a standstill!"
"I do!" said Elize. "I attack Air Fortress Ziggurat with Venefictia!"
Alister threw back his head and laughed. "Really?! That's the best you could come up with? You're just going to take out both our strongest Monsters in a tie?"
Elize seemed a bit hesitant. "U-Um...is something wrong? I mean, that's the best move I can come up with right now."
Alister sighed and shook his head. "What a disappointment...I was expecting more, but, oh well. If you're going to resort to a tie, then I have no choice but to activate this! Air Fortress Ziggurat's ability! While I still have a Robot Token out, you can't select any other Monsters I control until all Robot Tokens I have are gone!"
"What?!"
"See? This is what I mean by a disappointment. You're just like the other students I dueled so far. Too overconfident until they ended up losing."
Elize got a little annoyed at Alister's arrogance. "Mr. Alister, how was I supposed to know Air Fortress Ziggurat's ability? This is my first time dueling against such a Monster. of course I wouldn't know his effects! Also, if you're trying to compare me to the other students here, you should take a look at yourself."
"What'd you say?!" snapped Alister.
"Eep!" Startled from Alister's harsh reaction, Elize tried to sugarcoat her words gently. "I-I'm just saying, for someone who claims I'm too overconfident, are you kinda...being a bit hypocritical by being exactly what you say that I am?"
"..." Elize swore that she saw Alister's eye twitch. "...Well, I always do love a challenge, so prove me wrong, then!"
Elize nodded. "O-Okay! Because of your Monster's effect, I guess I have to attack your Robot Token, huh?"
"You guess?"
"Oh! Ah, yeah! I will attack! Venefictia, destroyed his Robot Token!"
Venefictia crackled to herself before leaping back and throwing multiple throwing knives at the Robot Token, hitting electrical vital spots that caused it to malfunction and blow up. Because of the loss of one Machine-Type, that caused Machine King's Attack Points to decrease by 100.
Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2400/2000)
"I set a card facedown along with a Monster and end my turn! At this time, Venefictia's effect activates! For every card you control on the field, she deals 100 Points of Damage for each one! You have...2 Monsters out, so you take 200 Points of Damage!"
Alister - 3550 LP
Elize - 2700 LP
"Hmph! 200 Points is nothing!" scoffed Alister. "I draw! Now this is a good card! I'll make my Air Fortress even stronger by equipping him with Machine Conversion Factory, raising his Attack and Defense Points by 300 Points!"
Air Fortress Ziggurat - (WIND/Machine) - LV8 - (2800/1100)
"Now, Air Fortress Ziggurat! Destroy her Fusion Monster!"
It didn't take long for Venefictia to be shot down by the more powerful Monster, letting out a loud witch-like shriek as she went.
Alister - 3550 LP
Elize - 2400 LP
"Now, Machine King! Take down the last of her defenses!"
Machine King send another powerful punch at Elize's last Set Monster, revealed to be Wynn the Wind Charmer, who was no match for his overwhelming power.
"I activate my facedown card!" called out Elize. "Burst Rebirth! By paying 2000 Life Points, I can Special Summon a Monster in my Graveyard in facedown Defense Mode! Urk!"
Alister - 3550 LP
Elize - 400 LP
"Are you an idiot?!" questioned Alister angrily as Elize not only revived one of her mysterious Set Monsters, but also sacrificed a huge chunk of her Life Points to do so. "Why go through that much trouble?! You only have a few Life Points left!"
"I know...but I know it'll be worth it in the end."
"...Tch! Fine!" Alister said. "I set a card and end my turn! And once again, Air Fortress Ziggurat's effect causes him to Special Summon another Robot Token, so even if you get a stronger Monster than Air Fortress Ziggurat, you still have to get past his soon-to-be army of Robot Tokens, and by then, he'll probably be too powerful to reach!"
Robot Token - (WIND/Machine) - LV1 - (0/0)
"And now, Machine King's effect lets him gain 100 extra Attack Points!"
Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2500/2000)
"I appreciate the advice, Mr. Alister! Thank you!" called out Elize, drawing her card. "I set a card facedown, and then Flip Summon Wynn the Wind Charmer!"
Wynn the Wind Charmer - (WIND/Spellcaster) - LV3 - (500/1500)
"I activate Wynn's Flip effect! Now, she gets to take control of a WIND Attribute Monster you control, and I choose Air Fortress Ziggurat!"
"What?!" exclaimed Alister. 'Damnit! Ziggurat's effect may prevent him from being unaffected from the opponent's Spells and Traps, but not Monster effects! And he's my ace card, too!'
Air Fortress Ziggurat moved towards flew towards Elize's side of the field now that she controlled the large Monster soaring in the skies.
"Now, I attack! Wynn, destroy his Robot Token!"
Because she was rarely used for offensive purposes, Wynn decided to do her upmost best to accomplish this goal. Summoning forth a burst of wind, she tore apart the Robot Token, shredding it apart with the power of wind.
"And with one less Token, your Machine King's Attack Points decrease by 100!"
Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2400/2000)
"Now, Air Fortress Ziggurat! Please destroy Machine King!"
Now turning his arms against his former ally, Air Fortress Ziggurat unleashed a barrage of lasers onto Machine King, piercing through his mechanical body before the Machine King exploded.
Alister - 3150 LP
Elize - 400 LP
"If you think that I'm through, then you've got a lot to learn, kid!" called out Alister. "I activate my Trap, Time Machine! When a Monster is destroyed in battle, I get to Special Summon that Monster back to the same field it was on, in the same battle position it was in when it was destroyed! That means Machine King's coming back!"
Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2200/2000)
"And because there are two Machine-Types out on the field, including him, Machine King gains 200 extra Attack Points!"
Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV6 - (2400/2000)
'Great, he just summoned one of his strongest Monsters again! But, this time, I'll be ready!' Elize thought. "Okay, then! I end my turn!"
"Let's finish this!" said Alister, drawing his card. "Perfect! Just the card I need! I play the Spell card, Silent Doom! This Special Summons a Monster from my Graveyard in face-up Defense Mode! I choose Science Soldier!"
Science Soldier - (DARK/Warrior) - LV3 - (800/800)
"Now, the pieces are set! I sacrifice both Monsters on my field in order to summon Perfect Machine King!"
Perfect Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (2700/1500)
"His ability now activates! For every Machine-Type out on the field besides himself, he gains 500 extra Attack Points! And, since there's if one more Machine-Type out there, namely Air Fortress Ziggurat, that means his Attack Points increase by 500!"
Perfect Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (3200/1500)
"And, just for safety, I equip Power Converter to my Perfect Machine King! Now, it's over! I attack your Wynn with my Perfect Machine King!"
"I won't let you!" declared Elize. "I activate my Trap, Magic Cylinder! Your Monster's attack is negated, and you receive damage equal to the amount of Attack Points your Monster had!"
Alister grinned. "I knew it. From watching your moves for a while, I knew you'd pull something like this, which is why I prepared myself! I activate the effect of Power Converter! During either of our turns, I can send it to the Graveyard to gain Life Points equal to the equipped Monster's Attack Points! The downside of this is that my Monster's Attack Points will be 0 until the End Phase, but at least I'll survive this!"
Perfect Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (0/1500)
Alister - 6350 LP
Elize - 400 LP
"Even if you reduce your Life Points, you'll still take the Effect Damage!"
Perfect Machine King unleashed heavily explosive rockets from the start, and in defense of this, two cylinder-like tubes representing Magic Cylinder absorbed the rockets and sent them flying back to Perfect Machine King just as his Equip Spell vanished.
Alister - 3150 LP
Elize - 400 LP
'We're pretty much back where we started!' thought Elize, shocked that her attempt to end the duel with her Trap card failed.
"If you thought I was going down that easy, then you definitely deserved that shocked look on your face," commented Alister, smirking. "I end my turn! And at this moment, Perfect Machine King's Attack Points return to normal, with the added effect bonus he has!"
Perfect Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (3200/1500)
"My turn!" said Elize. "I play the Spell card, Graceful Charity, and draw three new cards, but discard two! I then play the Spell, Pot of Greed to draw two more cards! Ah! This is it! I activate the Spell, Incantation Mirage! Now I get to Special Summon a Charmer Monster that was used as Fusion Material and another non-Fusion Material Charmer Monster, but they can't attack, and their Attack and Defense Points are 0! I Special Summon Hiita the Fire Charmer and Lyna the Light Charmer!"
Hiita the Fire Charmer - (FIRE/Spellcaster) - LV3 - (0/0)
Lyna the Light Charmer - (LIGHT/Spellcaster) - LV3 - (0/0)
"I then activate the Spell, Fusion Sage, to add a Polymerization from my deck to my hand! I then activate Polymerization to fuse together Hiita and Lyna to create Solano the Sun Charmer!"
Solano the Sun Charmer - (LIGHT/Spellcaster/Fusion) - LV7 - (2500/2100)
"Impressive Monster, but unfortunately for you, his Attack Points still aren't enough to defeat Perfect Machine King!" reminded Alister.
"I know, and that's why I'm not done yet!" said Elize. "I now Tribute both Wynn and Air Fortress Ziggurat in order to Tribute Summon Fog King!"
Fog King - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV7 - (0/0)
"You sacrificed that much...to bring a weakling like that to the field?" questioned Alister, confused.
"He's not weak! He's strong, and here's how!" Elize explained. "His Attack Points are the combined original Attack Points of the Tributed Monsters! As I recall, Air Fortress Ziggurat originally had 2500 Attack Points, and Wynn's Attack Points are 500, so that makes a total of 3000 Attack Points!"
Fog King - (WATER/Spellcaster) - LV7 - (3000/0)
"Not only has Fog King gotten stronger, but now, Perfect Machine King has become significantly weaker because of his effect! Now, he loses 500 Attack Points!"
Perfect Machine King - (EARTH/Machine) - LV8 - (2700/1500)
"Now I've got you! Fog King, destroy Perfect Machine King, please!"
Swift to obey his mistress' commands, Fog King raised his blade and sharply swung it down, bisecting Perfect Machine King in half before turning around and flying away as an explosion took place over what was left of Perfect Machine King's body.
Alister - 2850 LP
Elize - 400 LP
"Now, Solano, please attack Alister directly!"
Gripping his spear tightly in his hands, Solano concentrated on his magic and created an illuminating fireball that could resemble the sun before firing it at Alister, knocking him back.
Alister - 350 LP
Elize - 400 LP
"Whew! Okay! I end my turn!"
Knowing that he was running out of Life Points and was at a severe disadvantage, Alister drew his card. "My turn, draw! I activate the Spell, Magnet Reverse! Now, I can target 1 of my Machine-Type Monsters in my Graveyard and Special Summon it! Normally, Air Fortress Ziggurat can't be Normal Summoned or Set, but this Spell card overrides that! Now, I Special Summon Air Fortress Ziggurat!"
Air Fortress Ziggurat - (WIND/Machine) - LV8 - (2500/800)
'Why didn't he just bring back Perfect Machine King? He would have much more Attack Points than Air Fortress Ziggurat!' thought Elize before thinking it over some more before coming to a clear conclusion. '...Oh, I see. Because he's his ace Monster, is that it?'
"I'll finish this duel off with just my ace Monster! A symbolic end!" announced Alister. "But first, it's time to boost him up with the Quick-Play Spell, Limiter Removal! Now, his Attack Points are doubled until the end of this turn!"
Air Fortress Ziggurat - (WIND/Machine) - LV8 - (5000/800)
"Let's end this! Air Fortress Ziggurat! Destroy her Charmer Monster!"
The gigantic air fortress began the charging procedure for the grand finale of the duel, intending to literally end it all with a big bang.
"I won't let that happen!" shouted Elize. "I activate Solano's effect! Once per turn, when he's attacked, he can negate your Monster's attack, and then you take damage equal to the amount of Attack Points of the Monster that targeted Solano!"
"What?!"
But it was too late for Alister to recall Air Fortress Ziggurat's charged cannon assault. Fully prepared himself, Solano reflected the explosive blasts by shielding himself with a magical barrier, and soon, the fumes of the explosive blasts caught up to Alister, finishing him off.
Alister - 0 LP
Elize - 400 LP
Winner: Elize
Falling down on one knee, Alister was panting heavily, whereas Elize did the same, falling on her behind. Both duelists were catching their breath, still trying to get over how intense the duel was. Alister was happy because he finally encountered a duelist strong enough to defeat him, and Elize found herself surprised because there hasn't been too many opponents she's faced in this tournament that made duels this intensive.
"Damn...So, I lost, huh? Guess that means I'm out of the tournament," sighed Alister, fishing within his coat and coat pockets to take out a large load of Genex Medallions and just tossing them all to Elize.
"Gah!" Elize found herself somewhat covered in Genex Medallions, struggling to get up with the load of medals weighing her down a bit as she swiped them off her body. 'Jeez, just how many competitors are on this island?!'
While Elize was scrambling to gather the Genex Medallions into one huge pile, Alister stood up and walked towards her. "You...You said your name was Elize, right?"
"Huh? Yes, that's my name. Is something wrong?"
"Out of curiosity, what's your last name?"
"Simington. Elize Simington. I-I'm sorry if I didn't tell you my full name before if you're unsatisfied-"
Alister shook his head. "No, no. It's fine. Look, you did a pretty impressive job throwing me off my game during that duel, but I still think you're a bit too naïve. You wanna be a stronger duelist? Get more stronger by partaking in more duels and start taking the offensive more! Defense is good and all, but in this tournament, there's gonna be a lot more stronger duelists tougher than me that could easily penetrate through your defenses! I may be a Pro, but there are more stronger Pros than me! Got it?"
"O-okay! Thanks for the advice, Mr. Alister-"
"And stop calling me Mr. Alister! Gah, it feels like I'm getting old or something! But, despite your flaws, you helped me learn that I need more support and defensive maneuvers for my own Monsters, and I suppose I have to at least thank you for that."
Elize brightened her expression and giggled. "So, you're offering me advice to take the offensive, and now you're deciding to take defensive, huh? It's almost like our roles are switched together.~"
"...Huh. I never thought of it that way, but you might be right. B-but don't get the wrong idea! I'm only thanking you for helping me realize my problem in my dueling! That's all!" scoffed Alister, turning away while crossing his arms; nose up in the air.
Elize, having dealt with bullies and arrogant people like Chazz, was starting to get used to this sort of treatment. As such, she thought about what to say before deciding that Alister probably needed to hear this. "...You're a tsundere, aren't you?"
Alister's eyes popped wide open. "W-WHAT?!"
"I mean, you act cold, but you're really a nice guy, aren't you? Otherwise, you wouldn't be thanking me or giving me advice on how to better my dueling. So, thank you, Alister!"
"I...You...Gah, never mind," Alister said before taking out a battered-up mechanical toy from his pocket. "Hey, do you recognize this?"
"Hmm? Uh..." Elize peered closer and examined the toy carefully. "Oh! I think I do! I think I remember having a sort of toy like this back when I was really young! I remember because I didn't have too many toys when I was a kid, and a toy similar to this was given to me for my...5th or 6th birthday!"
Alister nodded, as though confirming something. "Yeah...This toy is my greatest treasure. His name's Dyna Dude, and he used to belong to my younger brother, Mikey. And now, this and the memories I hold of him are all that I have left of him."
Realizing that could possibly indicate that his brother, Mikey, was dead, Elize met his sorrowful gaze with an equally saddened gaze of her own. "Oh, I see. I...I'm sorry for your loss. But, why would you tell me something like this?"
"..." As much as Alister wished to tell her the reason why, he also knew it could potentially spoil a bit too much and he would have to explain things to her that he didn't have permission to do. "...I just felt like telling someone. That's all. Hey, do you still have that toy around?"
"My own Dyna Dude toy? Uh...Well, a couple years ago, I was getting too old for toys, so whatever toys I had, I kinda donated them to some charity center."
"YOU DONATED MY-?!" Alister paused, then took a deep breath, calming himself. He successfully managed to stop himself before spilling anything. "Never mind, never mind...It's alright...I'm not mad...It was your toy, so you have every right to do whatever you wanted with it..."
Elize was a bit startled when he yelled at first, but now she was downright confused at his sudden mood change. "Are...are you alright, sir?"
"Just...just great. I'm fine!" Alister turned around, no longer facing Elize. "Well, I'm gonna take off now. Try your best in the tournament, kiddo, because like I said before, there's gonna be a ton of tougher enemies up ahead. And...who knows? You might find a new and tougher opponent than me sooner than you think."
Having said all that he needed, Alister started walking away; his fingers trailing down within his pocket to reach for his phone.
'Tough opponents, huh?' thought Elize, staring down at a Genex Medallion in her palm. '...Yeah, I can see that. But the only opponent I truly want to defeat is Sartorius himself. No...No, that's not right. It doesn't matter who defeats him, so long as it'll put an end to all this Society of Light nonsense...'
Later...
"That Pro Duelist Alister? Yeah, I know about him," explained Aster as he and Elize walked side-by-side down the road. "Deals with Machine-Types, and admittedly, he is a bit of a prick. He's tough, stubborn, and known to knock his opponents down by both his words and actions. Made his debut as a Pro Duelist a couple years ago and is known to be ruthless, though not as ruthless as Zane."
"So, he's pretty much a bully version of a Pro Duelist?" questioned Elize.
"'Bully' is a very light insult. I prefer the terms, 'prick,' and 'douchebag."
"But isn't that your personal opinion?"
"Eh, same difference. Come to think of it, isn't he your first Pro Duelist that you dueled ever since the tournament started?"
Elize nodded. "Yeah, actually, I think that was the first time I actually dueled and defeated a Pro Duelist! He told me that there's going to be a lot more tougher opponents for me from now."
"And he's not wrong," agreed Aster. "As the tournament comes to a close, there'll be lesser opponents with more medals, and I can assure you that those opponents will be the toughest opponents until there's one remaining person left. And that person will be declared the winner."
"But our primary goal isn't to be the winner of the Genex Tournament. It's to stop Sartorius and whatever evil schemes he has in mind. Especially with what he plans to do with that satellite cannon."
"That's right. Oh, look. There are your friends."
"Hey, Elize! Aster!" called out Jaden, waving towards them as he, Syrus, Chazz, and Hassleberry rushed up to them. "What's hanging?"
"Guys, something important just came up! It's seriously bad!" cried out Elize, getting straight to the point. "We just learned that Sartorius has some sort of satellite cannon in his possession! We're all in serious danger because-"
"Oh? That satellite? The one he won from that prince guy? Yeah, we already knew that," stated Jaden nonchalantly.
"...What." Aster deadpanned, stunned.
Syrus nodded. "Yeah! I remember Sartorius dueling that Prince Ojin who came from that faraway kingdom! There are rumors that that satellite cannon has the power to destroy the world!"
"Wait, what?! Why didn't I hear any of this?!" questioned Chazz.
"You were there, remember? During the first day of the tournament," pointed out Hassleberry. "Ohhhh, that's right! You were still being brainwashed! Wait, but I thought you regained all your memories after you were turned back!"
"Well, not all of my memories!" Chazz answered.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" shouted Aster. "When did this happen? When did Sartorius duel Prince Ojin?!"
"Ooh! I remember!" said Jaden. "I remember because it took place during the first day of the tournament!"
"...The first day?" questioned Elize.
"Yup!"
"When Chancellor Sheppard returned."
"Yup!"
"When he returned several weeks ago. I repeat, several weeks ago."
"Yup."
"When the tournament began several weeks ago."
Syrus was beginning to realize something wrong was happening by the sudden change of tone and sudden tension in the air by both Aster and Elize. "Y-Yeah?"
"Did you guys tell anyone about this?" asked Aster. "About the duel between Prince Ojin and Sartorius? And about how Sartorius had acquired the controls to a potentially dangerous satellite"
"Hmm?" wondered Hassleberry. "I reckon that it was public knowledge, so there was no need to tell anyone if everyone knew about it!"
"...Elize. I need you to restrain and hold me back as much as you can. Part of me knows this is morally wrong, but most of me wants to do this. Because right now, I have never been more grateful that being rich can get you out of prison for murdering-!"
"WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS?!" hollered Elize, losing her temper first than Aster. "THIS is important stuff! IMPORTANT INFORMATION! Why didn't you tell us about Sartorius, of all people, getting a satellite cannon?! He is the worst, possible person to gain a very dangerous weapon that could easily kill us all!"
"Hey, hey, hey! I didn't know anything about this!" defended Chazz. "I just recently came back from that stupid white cult, after all! So, my memories are still in a jumble!"
"Fine!" Aster glared at Jaden, Syrus, and Hassleberry. "Chazz, at the very least, actually has a plausible excuse, but what about you three stooges?! I thought we were all in this together, that we have the same goal of taking down Sartorius! But so far, all you guys have been doing is nothing! Absolutely nothing! Sure, you managed to duel a couple of Society members and return them to normal, but that's IT. You failed your friend, Bastion, you're failing to uphold your promise to Sabrina, and worst of all, you failed to inform us of very crucial information! We could have better prepared ourselves long ago, but now, we're possibly of being turned to nothing but ash if Sartorius chooses to extinguish us with that satellite cannons of his!"
"The truth of the matter is, we don't know why Sartorius isn't using that satellite on us, which does bring some good news," added Elize. "And what made you guys think it was a good idea to keep this all to yourself?! Why didn't you guys tell us, or at least, Chancellor Sheppard?!"
Jaden rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Er...well, to be honest, I was too excited over that duel to do anything. I mean, Sartorius scored a No-Turn Kill! How awesome and badass is that?!"
'They didn't do anything...for a stupid reason like that?!' thought Elize, feeling her anger rising up and boiling over. "URGH! YOU GUYS ARE DRIVING ME NUTS!" She turned around and stormed off.
"..." Aster only glared at them before shaking his head in disappointment and walking away. "I thought you guys were getting better...but you're only turning out to be huge disappointments..."
As the two left, too enraged and disappointed in their "allies" to even bother looking at them, all that was left in Jaden's group was a throat-throbbing wave of shame and guilt, especially now that they've come to realize their actions and the consequences behind them.
Glaring at the three before him, Chazz crossed his arms, demanding, "Alright, so what the hell was that? Anyone mind filling me in?"
Meanwhile...
"BWAHAHAHAHA!"
"S-Shut up, Valon! Damnit, why did I even tell you that?!" yelled Alister, scratching at his head as though to hide his flustered face.
"A-A 'tsundere?!' Ha! Definitely suits you! Though, maybe it'll fit dear old Rafael better!'
"...No, it definitely suits Alister better."
"Ha!"
"I swear, I will wring your neck next time we meet, Valon," growled Alister, leaning back against the ship he was riding on. "Man, I'm already in a bad mood. First, I lost, then I told her the story about my brother's Dyna Dude, and then she proceeds to tell me that she threw away my secret birthday present to her! Well, she donated it, but still, that was a really rare Dyna Dude toy!"
"Alister. What she does with that toy is up to her."
"Yeah, yeah, I know, Rafael," Alister sighed. "But, she is really strong. She beat me, after all, and I did everything I could to win!"
"Huh. If she could beat you, then that'll make for an interesting challenge, alright! Luckily, I'm almost to the island, so in like a day or two, I'll be able to crash land to Duel Academy and take on any challenger who gets in my way! Oi, Rafael! You should join me, too!"
"You can go ahead and start without me. It'll take me a really long while to get to Duel Academy, anyways, especially since I'm still hunting down those Duel Spirit Hunters. But, Alister, is it true what you said? About her name, and how she uses...?"
"Charmers. Yeah, I already fought a couple of them, but I still lost," said Alister. "Rafael, if this is about...you know, just know that it isn't your fault. It was Dartz that set us up and down our own paths."
"I know, but now, part of my path is just waiting to go over to Duel Academy and see how she's doing. I...I know I may not have the right, but I just want to see how she's all grown up now."
I bet you can kinda interpret what's happening at the end, but there is going to be a bit more about Elize next chapter! Also, I was kind of ticked off when Jaden and his friends were witnesses to Sartorius' duel and his bet with Prince Ojin, but they didn't even bother telling anything for plot reasons! So, I addressed that here, but Elize and Aster are even more ticked off since they weren't informed of a WORLD DESTROYING satellite in the hands of Sartorius.
Read and review!~