World 030: Soul out of the Bottle
STHEREA itself felt a great loss; a shockwave of bottled thoughts and memories were released like a flood across the dimensions of the network. "Valkyrion?" And those of similar nature instantly shared the pain, despite their ignorance. Those like the Fire Princess. She did not know how it happened or why, she only knew that a dark fate had befallen her friend. "The Magna Warrior? Someone got to him? What are you going to do about it?" Her own survival had also been put on the line, as Zettai the ace duelist found her wandering the forests shortly before this. "What do you think I can do?" And the Fire Princess used that to fuel her anger, and her power. "!?" Much to Zettai's surprise, her target unleashed an aura of pure flame that incinerated the trees around her instantly. "!" She narrowly managed to fly away from the blaze before it consumed her along with the forest. "Ha! This is what I can do! I can avenge him by burning your avatar down to ash!" The Princess screamed, surrounded by her own inferno.
"Now I see why Echo desired four elements." Zettai grimaced as she hovered above the flames and smoke. Were these ADIs were gaining more and more power over this reality because she imagined this? "She should never have played god." If this is how it was to be, she would meet her enemy with equal force. The ace duelist called forth all her Sky Striker weapons and fired them straight down at the Princess. If she did not want to duel, then they would test their other powers instead.
...
Elsewhere the extension of Scarlet's optical senses, Medusa the Evil Eyed, observed the heated battle between ace duelist and digital royalty. In a completely different sector the ADI who named herself Cierze faced her own terrible odds: being pinned down by Acrates and Donna both at the same time. Medusa observed this duel as well. Things were proceeding smoothly all over. With her many eyes she also witnessed the destruction of Valkyrion. It pleased her to see the Scarlet Cross work so well, because it pleased Scarlet Fever as well. Valkyrion's body literally decomposed on the spot, and the bits and pieces fell down into the ravine below. Now if only she could find the remaining unknown elements: Crescent, Vigionair, Madam Blanche. At the very least Echo and the Fisherman decided to show up by themselves, which allowed Scarlet to make a call for reinforcements. She doubted that the Scarlet Cross would work on Echo herself, as it was intended to delete code constructs. That made it even more imperative to locate her, before she could reunite with her entourage.
"?" Yet they were not the only one with reinforcements waiting in the wings. Medusa was startled to see Madam Blanche jump unto the scene. Not just her, the fusion champion Dyzanthium was with her. When did they meet each other? It had to be back in the real world! Medusa did note that Dyzanthium had logged off half an hour ago without explanation, making this her first involvement with the hunt. Only she did not seem to be on their side anymore. Medusa saw the fusion champion and Blanche talk to Acrates, who looked receptive to their words. Donna on the other hand felt the tides turn against her and distanced herself from the trio. She would be forced to duel or retreat at this rate, while the Harpie Lady ADI would get away unharmed. Medusa could only assume this much, she was only Scarlets eyes...
"A scene like this makes you wish you could hear things as well, doesn't it?" And 'she' was two of the other senses. "You?" Medusa turned around and came face to face to face with the hybrid ADI of Mozarta and Rosemary. "I have the cure for that." The woman spoke with Scarlets voice.. and charged the snake woman with her dueldisk and deck.
...
Echo could no longer recognize her friend. Mere pieces of Valkyrion remained after the Eldlich got done attacking him, and all the pieces fell downwards into the ravine. "No!" Driven by pure instinct, the girl leaped out of her wheelchair and dove after the falling Magna Warrior. "Lady Echo!" The Fisherman, desperate to save her, summoned a stream of water from thin air and sent it down into the canyon to catch Echo and slow her descent. He tried to do the same for his own comrade, but by the time Echo came close enough to stretch out her hand towards Valkyrion.. he'd already been reduced to data powder. "No.." His hand was the last part that lingered, and that too vanished before she could touch him or say any last words to him. She was denied a farewell.
"He did it." Charles, still trapped and helpless in the dreamrealm, could not believe what Khan had done. And he could not believe what Static had done to Khan. He wanted to say that Khans avatar had merely been stolen and replaced with someone else, but this duelist sounded and spoke exactly like Bionis Khan. How many were like this? Was it everyone besides him and Blanche? Would the same happen to Cherry, and Tycho? And why did they want to destroy Echo? Why did Static fear and hate her so much?
"Heh. I wonder if he was scared at the end. It's hard to tell with that face of his." Khan reveled in his own triumph, unmoved by the dramatic display before him. "You.." Of course Valkyrion had been affraid. That emotion came as easily to them as the rage that built up inside the Fisherman. However that feeling was in turn overpowered by his concern for miss Echo, he grabbed Echo's wheelchair and jumped down the ravine to rejoin her and support her in this time of mourning.
They did not get much time to mourn. "Ah finally." Khan did not follow the pair right away for a reason: he expected back-up. "Is anyone else going to show up? Or is this it?" However the only ones who showed up were the Black Baron Schwarzwald, Wagnerok and the champion Heleil. The latter they could have done without. "This will have to do, our other companions have their own matters to attend to and communications have been exceedingly difficult as of late. We only found out because an admin happened to catch the scene from a distance." Schwarzwald mentioned in passing. "Yeah this had better be important. I was this close to getting a lead on Crescent!" Wagnerok bellowed. Of course he did not say why he wanted to find Crescent in front of Heleil. "It is! The big bad Echo is right there!" Khan directed their attention down to the duo at the bottom of the cliff. "Aha! But can't she take over our minds?" Wagnerok demanded a little more certainty before he dared to get close. "Ha! She could not even stop me from destroying her ADI, so no. She is harmless as long as you don't lose to her."
"That is all I need to hear." Heleil rasped and walked up the the edge of the cliff and activated her dueldisk. "Now we can finally end this whole insane mess." With a click of a button she would trap her inside a penalty box. The Admins were too affraid to be here in person, so she would deal with Echo herself.
But this was the moment that the Fisherman spotted the new arrivals. "Get away from her!" Still livid, the Fisherman summoned all the water he could and flooded the whole canyon. "Ha! A waste of energy!" However, Wagner dispersed the sea wall with a blast from his World Shield, creating a pocket of air in the middle. Heleil, Khan and Schwarzwald also all jumped down along with the Shield wielder. Echo's situation did not change for the better. "Damn you! If you want to get to her, you will have to go through me first! I challenge you to a duel!" The Fisherman activated his dueldisk instead. "Will you? You cannot stop all of us at once now. And why would we risk anything fighting him, when you are right here?" Schwarzwald came closer nonetheless. Even if the Fisherman could take care of him, which he doubted, there were still three duelists who did not have to wait their turn. "No. You.. You wouldn't! Echo, you have to run! Let Charles take you away!"
"No.. Not again." Echo turned away where Valkyrion had died wiped her tears away. "I am not going to let you sacrifice yourself for me too." She closed her eyes and held her hands together in front of her. Then, with one swift motion, she moved separated her hands and created a dueldisk in front her. It was like a table-extension for her wheelchair. "Miss Echo?" The Fisherman gasped. "Fisherman. Let me duel with you. I cannot let you do this alone." They were going to attack her anyway. This way they could at least support each other as a team.
"She wants to duel after all? Does she even know how to duel?" Heleil asked in an almost sort of pitying way. "Of course not! She always lets her minions do the work for her!" Wagner hollered. "I bet even any of you here can handle them both with his hands tied behind his back!" The valkyrie duelist did not feel particularly inclined to team up with anyone, since it would mean sharing a victory. Khan also acted reluctant for that same reason.
"If it is a tagduel she asks for, then we will give her one. Will you assist me, mister Hydra?" The pendulum champion reasoned that she'd at least make better opponent, since Echo could not have seen her in action yet. "But of course." Schwarzwald welcomed her with a pleasant smile. He felt differently about the glory of winning a duel: he did not care how he got there. He would even have battled Echo four against one, as long as that he could get what he want. "Then this is how it will be."
Team Echo's LP: 16000 Team Champion's LP: 16000
-TURN 01-
"I hope you understand what you are doing, miss Echo." Charles could not help them from here, she and the Fisherman were still the only ones who could see him. "I know. But I know what I should do. I've seen so many duels. I never thought I would have to be in one.." The memories of a million duelists were available to her, so aspects like drawing cards and establishing turn order did not require any further explanation. And it appeared the first turn would go to her. "But what cards will you even use?" The cyberse duelist expressed his curiosity. He could not begin to predict what kind of type or attribute she favored. "I.. made my own cards. Maybe you will like them. They're cards that reminded me of the one who found me. The one who gave me my name. He had cyberse too, but they were on fire. I do not like fire. I like the sea." The girl played her first spell, a spell Charles himself liked to use. "Cynet Mining?" A spell that supported the cyberse. "Alpha." Just like his monsters... and Tycho's Salamangreats.
"If I use my spell like this, I can get a level 4 cyberse or lower." Echo had to discard a cyberse monster, to draw a card called 'Marincess Seahorse'. "Marincess Seahorse: a portmanteau of Marine and Princess? That sounds more like an aqua or fish-type monster." Schwarzwald said with a merry chuckle. His opinion did not change when Echo normal summoned the Marincess: a short blonde-haired girl(3/1400/1000) [Zone 1] with a blue dress, golden bracelets and a seahorse-shaped shoulderpad. "If they are princesses, does that make you the queen?"
"Not a queen.. a host. When I was alone, all I had were my fake friends.. and my fake pets. My favorites were the ones from the aquarium, even the seaslugs. But also the coral fish, the seaplants and the starfish. With the ones I have now, I can link summon, with a level 4 or lower Marincess." The Seahorse girl dove into the link circuit and became a link material for a new ocean princess: Marincess Blue Slug(1500/LINK 1) {Down} [Extra Zone 2]. She wore a slicker deepblue dress with one sleeve and two black and yellow stockings. Her blue hair resembled the shape of a slug, with two stalks also sticking out at the front. "This way, when Blue Slug is link summoned, I can take one Marincess from my graveyard." Echo used the effect to redraw her Seahorse Marincess. She can summon herself too from my hand, the special way. She just needs a marked zone." The initial Marincess [Zone 4] returned and linked herself with the link Marincess. Immediately afterwards, the two vanished into a double-edged link circuit. "Together, like this, they can link summon Marincess Coral Anemone."
This time an orange-haired princess(2000/LINK 2) {Left/Down} [Extra Zone 2] came out of the extra deck, wearing a purple bodysuit with a white top and coral armor. Her sleeves and skirt were made of pink/white anemone plants. "She made herself an entire deck it seems like." Heleil grimaced. At this rate they were going to see a LINK 3 and LINK 4 show up.
"I did, miss Heleil." Echo made the champion look her way when she used the effect of her new monster. "Coral Anemone can special summon one Water monster, so she does not have to stay in the graveyard." The Seahorse girl [Zone 4] made her second comeback to the field, which could only lead to one thing. "But they will both have to leave now, when I link summon Marincess Marbled Rock." The materials were two plus WATER monsters: Coral Anemone and Seahorse. The endresult was an older looking princess(2500/LINK 3) {Left/Right/Down} [Extra Zone 2] who wore a midriff-baring dress in shining red. Her nails were long, and her black hair sharp like spikes, and her shoulders covered in sea-urchin needles. "But Marbled Rock can at least use her power to add one Marincess back to my hand. And Coral Anemone, if she has to to the graveyard, will also move one Marincess out of it." Echo activated one effect after the other, reclaiming Marincess Seahorse and the card she had discarded for Cynet Mining: Marincess Crowntail. "There, was my turn."
-TURN 02-
"Strange. This is not the kind of deck I would expect from someone who is supposed to be dangerous. Still I suppose appearances do deceive. She did after all manage to create a link 3 monster without losing any resources." Baron Schwarzwald mused to his partner, knowing fully well how she would react.
"Yes, things are never what they seem. The more we let her talk, the more she may influence us." Normally Heleil would be all for the drama and flair, but now she wanted to end this quickly. "I have the next turn!" She unceremoniously normal summoned her blonde circus jester: Performapal Skullcrobat Joker(4/1800/100) [Zone 1] and used his effect to add an Odd-Eyes monster (Arc Pendulum Dragon) from the deck to her hand. She also activated the continuous spell of Sky Iris, which destroyed a card (Skullcrobat Joker) to add a second Odd-Eyes (Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon) from the deck to the hand. "I set the scales! Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon and Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon!" On both ends of the spell/trap zone, the pillars of pendulum light were cast for the white-plated red dragon (Scale 1) and the arc crystal black dragon (Scale 8).
"And pendulum summon my cards!" Between the two any monsters from level 2 to 7 could be pendulum summoned. She put down the great red dragon Odd-Eyes Pendulum(7/2500/2000) [Zone 3] and the top hat-wearing red mage Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer(4/1500/800) [Zone 2]. The latter could destroy two cards to add two Performapals from the deck to the hand. "I destroy the Sorcerer, and Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon! And since an Odd-Eyes monster is about to be destroyed, Arc Pendulum Dragon can special summon one Odd-Eyes monster from my deck! I choose Odd-Eyes Wizard Dragon!" While Pendulum Sorcerer did his own things and selfdestructed to add two cards (Performapal Silver Claw and Performapal Celestial Magician) to Heleil's hand, the dying Persona Dragon could be traded in for a new and far more threatening looking Odd-Eyes. The Wizard Dragon(7/2500/2500) [Zone 2] had long claws, dark magician armor across its body and head, and massive multiple wings that carried two cannons powered by a red and green crystal orb.
"Pendulums: half monster and hall spell. It seems like a powerful card type." The Fisherman remarked. They did not have a lot of experience dealing with cards like these. "I don't need to be complimented by something like you. Besides, I can do a lot more than that." Heleil claimed as she placed the Silver Claw circus wolf (Scale 5) in the now empty pendulum zone. "Acrates would tell me that I am infringing on his territory. But Vitruvear did worse... What that means is, I am going to XYZ-summon the Dark Anthelion Dragon! And I will use my pendulums as the materials!" She activated her first true spell: Pendulum XYZ. The card special summoned Arc-Pendulum Dragon(7/2500/2000) [Zone 1] and Performapal Silver Claw(7/1800/700) [Zone 5] from their pendulum zones with equalized levels. Immediately afterwards, Pendulum XYZ forced both monsters to overlay and to create Heleil's XYZ-Dragon Dark Anthelion(R7/3000/2500) [Extra Zone 1]. Three sets of curved blades framed its sharp face and long claws, while eye-like crystals covered his purple armor including its mechanical wings. "It's here! Dark Anthelion! Each turn he can drop your monsters power by half and raise his own by the same amount!"
"It wont. If I do this." The girl in the wheelchair said as she activated a trap, despite never having set one. "From the hand?" Heleil twitched. Though Dark Anthelion tried to fold out its wingblades to charge up its effect, a wave of cold water froze its wings shut. "Yes. Marincess Wave. If I have a Link Marincess monster, I can negate your monsters effect. If my Marincess has two links, my monsters will also be unaffected by your card effects. And if the Marincess has three links, I can use this card from my hand. I did not mean to trick you, but I I was worried you would destroy my trap too soon." Echo stated apologetically, but Heleil would not accept it. "A handtrap is exactly what I would expect from someone so underhanded. But your trap did not protect your monster from everything!" She entered the battle phase. "Dark Anthelion, attack!" Purple lightning arced across its many crystals before it exploded towards Marbled Rock in a focused stream. The bolt impact caused a massive shockwave and made Echo shudder.
Yet she lost not a single lifepoint. "What is.. Is that your monsters doing?" Marincess Marbled Rock did not get destroyed either, she was covered by a forcefield of water. "Yes. When a monster attacks, Marincess Marbled Rock can stop all battle damage. If I discard a Marincess monster." The girl in blue had sent Marincess Crowntail to her graveyard before Anthelion's attack reached them. "First that trap and now this. She's thrown all of her resources into a total defense." Schwarzwald noted to himself. Echo's deck did not seem concerned with attacks at all.
"No defense is perfect." Heleil forced Odd-Eyes Wizard Dragon to attack as well, blasting the marine princess with green and red magic fired from both wings. "Why?" Echo discarded Marincess Seahorse and Marincess Marbled Rock reflected the beams with another barrier. "Why do you keep attacking if you know it wont work?" It cost the Wizard Dragon his life to break the barrier, because both monsters were equal in attackpower. "Because you are going to run out of things to hide behind eventually! Now, when Wizard Dragon dies I can special summon one Odd-Eyes monster from my deck and add the Spiral Flame Strike spell to my hand!" Heleil used this chance to special summon her Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon(8/3000/2500), and continued her assault with the golden claws of the red Advance dragon. "Run out? Like Valkyrion... did." Echo blocked that attack as well by discarding a Marincess Seastar from her hand. "I do not want to.. run out."
"I do not know what you want either, with all of this. I do not even really understand who you are. But it has to stop, one way or another." Heleil did not want to chance a fourth attack, so Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon stayed put and the second main phase took over. "I activate Performapal Celestial Magician as a pendulum spell!" A white-haired mage(4/3000/1000) in his black neonlit armor claimed the leftmost pillar of light. If a fusion, synchro or XYZ-monster left the field, it could be sacrificed to bring that monster back to life. "I wish I could do more, mister Hydra. Alas. My turn can go no further."
-TURN 03-
"You have done quite enough! From now on you will have to go through me, to get to her!" The Fisherman was furious, and let his cards show it. "I discard Deep Sea Minstrel from my hand, and another water monster, to banish one card from your hand for one turn!" He struck the black barons hand, removing his Red-Eyes Black Dragon for one turn. "I seem to be the unfavorite, heh." Schwarzwald would not miss the card. "Because we know what you did! To another friend of mine, Mephistar! And because we know what you are, a corrupted man! With each passing tide you bring us more suffering. But at the same time, we survive!" The Fisherman could still see Charles and the two exchanged a knowing look. "My last battle made me stronger, and come in with the new! So I activate my new skill: The Shape of the Ocean! When I control water monsters, I can special summon one from either graveyard with less attackpoints than the ones on the field!" He already shared Echo's control of Marincess Marbled Rock, so he could bring back the Marincess one stage below that: Coral Anemone[Zone 10] "No. I should correct myself. This is our skill, Echo and mine!"
The Shape of the Ocean, Skill Card
Special summon 1 WATER monster from either graveyard with less ATK than the combined ATK of all WATER monsters you control.
"Fisherman.." Echo did not expect this, that he would devote his first unique skill to her. "I know you do not like to fight Echo. But I can still be your sword." The Fisherman activated Coral Anemone's effect and special summoned one WATER monster with less than 1500 ATK from the graveyard: a pale-white leafy seahorse(4/1500/1600) [Zone 2] with long withered fins. This was the card he discarded with Deep Sea Minstrel's effect. "I have summoned the Lifeless Leaffish of the dead reef! It will discard one water monster from my deck!" He said and chose to discard a card called Buzzsaw Shark.
"Now, a spell card: Deep Sea Aria! I banish the Deep Sea Minstrel to claim the Deep Sea Diva from my deck." A seaserpent from the grave for a seaserpent in the deck: once the fisherman claimed his Diva he could go back to more familiar moves. The normal summoned Deep Sea Diva(2/1200/400) [Zone 2] used her special summon effect on the Deep Sea Artisan(1/0/500) [Zone 3]. And the Artisan in turn discarded 1 card from the top of the deck (LeftHand Shark) to special summon one WATER monster from the graveyard. "Come Buzzsaw Shark!" Echo's partner summoned a fish she would not normally see in her aquarium: a robotic red steel shark(4/1600/500) with spinning saws under its fins. "Sometimes a man imagines a creature too dangerous to exist, miss Echo. But we control these creatures too." He turned his eyes towards Heleil. "We can even control their greatest legends! Like the mighty Silent Honor Knight of the Ark! I XYZ-summon the 101st Number!" The lifeless Leaffish and the effectless Buzzsaw Shark were thrown into an underwater XYZ-portal that flashed both crimson and cyan lights.
"An XYZ-Number? A Number even!?" Heleil gasped as she witnessed the arrival of a something that she'd usually only see when Acrates dueled. The Number 101: Silent Honor ARK(R4/2100/1000) [Zone 9], linked with Coral Anemone, was a crescent-shaped and submarine with red stained glass, jet thrusters and two blade-liked cannons. "Tch! I activate Dark Anthelion's effect again!" Heleil saw what waited ahead of the curve, and struck pre-emptively. The Dark dragon(4250/2000) blasted Marbled Rock with the energy drain and stole half of her(1250 atk) attackpoints. "You are a skilled duelist, that much is true. If only you were not on the wrong side. But I thank you for inspiring me anyway. Like you, I do not have to restrict myself to just one type of special summon!" Now the Fisherman detached a card from his XYZ-monster. "I detach 2 materials, and let the ARK absorb the Dark Dragon!" His Silent shark ship could transform any monster into an XYZ-material, even the allpowerful Anthelion. Lifeless Leaffish and Buzzsaw Shark left the Ark's orbit and the XYZ Dragon hovered around it instead.
"Ha. You're acting like you just want revenge. Perhaps Ahab should be your name, Fisherman." Khan laughed from the sidelines. "If this was about revenge, I would be dueling you.. Khan. But I do not even know that emotion. This is about my devotion towards Echo and nothing more. And mark my words.. I will never let you or anyone like you harm her. Because I do not know what I would do without her.. And I never plan to find out!"
(To Be Continued in World 031: How Can This Small Heart Beat?)
Cards used by Echo
Marincess Seahorse
-
Marincess Blue Slug
Marincess Coral Anemone
Marincess Marbled Rock
-
Marincess Wave
New cards used by Heleil
Performapal Skullcrobat Joker
Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer
Odd-Eyes Wizard Dragon
Performapal Celestial Magician
-
Dark Anthelion Dragon
-
Pendulum XYZ
New Cards used by Legendary Fisherman
THE SHAPE OF THE OCEAN
-
Lifeless Leaffish
Buzzsaw Shark
-
Number 101: Silent Honor ARK
Mistar Boy
-
Deep Sea Aria
