A/N: Hello again everyone! Hope you are all safe and well! Before diving into the story, let's answer some questions:
Why didn't I use six samurai or gladiator beast deck for the SI?
Because both decks contain cards that are beyond the GX era and do not appear until after GX.
Regarding the Vision HERO cards and Custom HERO cards:
I might start including the Vision HERO cards later on in the story to upgrade the deck but in the meantime I'm sticking with the Masked HERO/ E-HERO mix deck. As for custom HERO cards, feel free to send me any ideas for some as I might add one or two, but please make sure they're realistic in strength, so no OP cards that are impossible to counter (they need to have a limitation or a weakness).
To Larhalt1210: Feel free to send me your ideas of a combo or even a possible deck for Serena Black. Any contributions to the story is deeply appreciated, and major kudos to anyone who goes out of their way to help improve it!
SI's power:
To those who are concerned about the SI being too OP or replacing a protagonist like Jaden, you can all relax because my story isn't that kind of story. The SI will not be able to duel like a pro and win every time. Also, aside from the Masked HERO cards and Terra Firma, the SI doesn't have any original or super-powered cards as the Omni-Elemental HERO Fusion Monsters can be used by other players but they're rare.
Now back to the story! Our young hero will now participate in the Underworld Tournament in order to raise the money to go to Duel Academy! Will he be able to face all the rumored dangers that are waiting for him in this tournament?
Disclaimer: I do not own anything from Yu-Gi-Oh except my OC(s). Everything else belongs to Konami.
"You're going down!": Normal speech
'Hope he's not hearing my thoughts': Mental thoughts
"I will end you!": When a character is using some form of power, or is possessed.
(ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 4): level 4 monster in Attack mode
(ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 4): level 4 monster in Defense mode
Somehow I'm in GX!
Chapter 4: Underworld Tournament Begins!
A few days after the invitation:
SI POV:
After receiving the invitation, I spent the next week preparing for the tournament. The first thing I did was make up a story for Misako to allow me to go to the tournament. After twisting the facts a little bit to make it seem like I was invited to a private tournament that was completely legit, Misako sat me down for an hour long interrogation session where she squeezed all the details out of me about the tournament.
'I swear this woman must have worked with the police at one point of her life' I thought while sweating internally as Misako was glaring at me like she knew all of my deepest darkest secrets. My creativeness and acting abilities were really being pushed to their limits here. Despite all of the pressure, I kept on my poker-face with every shred of willpower I had. If there was one thing I learned from lying to your parent/guardian/superior, is that the first rule to successfully bullshitting your way out of a situation is to appear confident in your story against all the pressure you're being put under.
"I just don't understand why you're required to go to this tournament by yourself? If the tournament is going to take place somewhere that's pretty far from where you're staying, you should have an adult with you since you're still a minor." Misako said exasperatedly.
Damn. She got me there. Thankfully I prepared an answer to that little issue which brings us to the second rule of a good bullshit story: always anticipate the arguments that you will face and prepare counters for them in advance.
"Don't worry Ms. Takahashi, the organizers for this tournament told me that all participants will get a free escort to and from the tournament. Also the security for the event is top-notch, so I'll be perfectly safe. Besides, they went to a lot of trouble to invite an orphan to a prestigious tournament like this, and I don't want to repay their kindness with insulting their competence by bringing someone when I was invited alone." I lied smoothly with a "pleading" face which wasn't completely fake, as I really needed to win this tournament or I'll never be able to raise the money needed to apply for Duel Academy.
After staring at each other for a moment, Misako finally sighed in defeat and replied, "I understand how much this tournament means to you, which is why I'm letting you go, but I expect you to call me after the tournament's over to let me know you're okay." With a happy face I agreed and promised to call her.
With that issue behind me, I set about preparing myself for the tournament, which included preparing my deck and making sure my duel disk was functioning properly. I kept the same outfit I usually wore to the underground duels with the addition of a red mouth-scarf to cover my face so that people would only be able to see my eyes. Finally, I tucked a small switchblade that I managed to "win" in a duel a few days ago from an idiot who couldn't handle the humiliation of losing all of his money in a duel, so he tried to stab me with the switchblade in a fit of rage. Luckily, I managed to keep my cool long enough to dodge the first couple of swings before security tackled him to the ground. All I had to do after that was watch Joe do his job as a bouncer, and I kept the knife as compensation for my troubles. It won't do me any good in a fight with trained professionals who will most likely have guns at their sides, but it's good enough to scare away wannabe gangsters who try to act tough.
When the day of the tournament finally came, I said my goodbyes to the rest of the orphans who wished me luck and extracted promises from me to teach them how to play Duel Monsters and help them to make their own decks. 'Those little munchkins really know how to worm their way into a person's heart with their cuteness and innocence' I thought fondly. While I do have a soft spot for kids, I was still amazed on how little time it took for me to consider the other orphans as surrogate siblings. 'Is this because I was currently in the body of a person that already had a close relationship with them?' I wondered to myself. If my guess was right, then that means I inherited more than just a body to use.
While still deep in my thoughts, I entered Misako's office to say goodbye only to find that she wasn't there. I was about to turn around and go look for her when I noticed that one of her desk drawers was slightly open. Moving to close it, I quickly noticed an unsealed envelope from the local bank in our neighborhood. My curiosity got the best of me, and I opened the drawer fully and began to skim through document in the envelope. With a sinking heart, I realized that it was a warning from the bank that we were close to defaulting on the mortgage loan for the orphanage. If we don't make the monthly payment of 4,000$ then the bank will repossess the orphanage and leave us all without a home.
'Shit. It's bad enough these kids don't have parents or a family to take care of them. Now they're going to end up without a home too?' I thought to myself with gritted teeth. I may have been here for only a month but I began to see this place as my home with the orphans and Misako as my second family, and it will be a cold day in hell if I sit here and let myself get evicted from the only home I can afford. I gently closed the drawer before a voice behind me called out, "Cenric? What are you doing here?"
Spinning around I found Misako at the doorway. Taking a deep breath to suppress my frustration at the extra-shitty situation I found myself in, I looked back at Misako and replied, "I was looking for you, Ms. Takahashi. I came to say goodbye before going to the tournament."
Misako's expression softened and she replied warmly, "I already told you to call me Misako, Cenric. Ms. Takahashi makes me feel old, and good luck on your tournament! I know that you'll make us proud." Despite the cheesy conversation we're having, I couldn't help but feel warm inside. From Cenric's memories I saw that despite her legendary temper here in the orphanage, Misako never mistreated any of the children under her care, and always raised each of us as if we were her own. She would always go the extra mile to make sure we were happy, even if it came at the cost of her own happiness, which made me all the more determined to win this tournament. 'Dear God, I've only been here for about a month and my life is already shaping up to be like an anime character.' I thought to myself dryly.
After taking a moment to take control of my emotions, I looked up to her and smiled softly, "Don't worry, Misako, I'll do my best to win this thing."
After saying the rest of my goodbyes and went out to the orphanage gate, I looked back at the rundown building that became my residence in this universe. There was nothing luxurious about it, and it barely had functioning electricity and water, but there was still an atmosphere there that made you feel safe and free from your worries, which is why I quickly got used to calling this place my home, which is why I couldn't lose this place no matter what. Tying the mouth-scarf around my face, I walked out of the place to face whatever challenges the tournament was going to throw at me. Deep down I had the feeling that either I'll come back with the prize, or I won't come back at all.
A short time later:
The sun had nearly set by the time I arrived the location specified at the card that Midget gave me. Looking around, I saw that there was nobody else around. With nothing else to do, I sat down on the sidewalk and began to look through my cards to pass the time. After shuffling my deck, I drew the top card which turned out to be Elemental HERO Ice Edge before I suddenly heard a sound, 'Hnn.'
Startled, I turned around to see what caused it only to see that I was the only one around. Great, I must be imagining things now. The roaring of an engine quickly snapped me out of my thoughts as a black motorcycle came down the street with its rider wearing a black leather jacket with jeans and a helmet until it stopped next to me. I stood up warily with my hand instantly going into my pocket to grasp the switchblade in case I needed it. The rider chuckled and called out to me as he got off the bike, "Why so scared kid? You always treat your friends like this?"
Seeing me still with the wary stance and suspicious glare, the biker chuckled again and removed his helmet to reveal…
"Joe!?" I exclaimed in disbelief as I saw Joe's face grinning back at me as he tucked his helmet under his arm. Relaxing a bit and removing my hand from my pocket, I scowled back at him, "First of all, I didn't know it was you under that helmet, so you can't bitch about the way I treated you. Second of all, what are you even doing here? If you're trying to convince me not to do this, then save your breath. I already told you I'm not backing out of this tournament."
Joe then lost the smile and stared solemnly back at me, "Nah, I know you're too stubborn to back out of anything, so I figured that if I can't stop you from doing something stupid, then I'll have to tag along to make sure you're okay."
I gaped back at him for a few seconds before vehemently shaking my head, "Are you fucking kidding me Joe!? You can't just come with me to the tournament! You already told me that it's pretty dangerous. What if something happened to you? Who'll take care of Serena?"
Joe smiled softly back at me, but I could still see the same steely look in his eyes, "Nice try kid, but you're not getting away from me that easy. I've faced worse than a bunch of crooks who like playing cards. Also Serena is out of town visiting some relatives from her mom's side of the family. Besides, you know as well as I do that she'll kill me if I let anything happen to you."
I was about to protest when Joe reached out and gripped my shoulder with a fierce look on his face, "Listen here, Cenric Cross! You're my friend whether you like it or not, and I'll be damned if I let one of my friends go off on a suicide mission by themselves. So either I'm coming with you, or I'm dragging your sorry ass back to the orphanage!"
Once again I was a bit overwhelmed by the emotions that Joe's little speech stirred up in me along with the desire to throttle him. Since when do people who were complete strangers a month ago risk their necks for each other like that? While Joe was a pretty nice guy, I didn't see him just doing stuff like this for anybody. 'It might be that good ole anime logic that makes absolutely no sense in my original universe.' I thought with a bitter chuckle.
Looking back at him, I sighed and replied, "Guess you're just as stubborn about this as I am. Just don't go blaming me if shit goes sideways."
Joe let out a bark of laughter before replying, "Somehow I think you'll go looking for trouble if it doesn't find you first, which is why a scrawny-ass runt like you needs someone like me to watch your back."
I cracked a smile at his attempt of humor before sitting back down at the sidewalk with him chaining his bike to a lamp post before sitting down next to me. We simply sat there for what seemed like hours in comfortable silence that neither of us were willing to break.
After the sun completely set and the sky darkened, the familiar roar of an engine sounded out in the street. Quickly standing up, Joe and I squinted our eyes as a black SUV drew closer while shining its high-beam headlights on us. Raising a hand to block out the light, I saw through my a figure getting out of the SUV before the driver killed the engine and the headlights to reveal the figure to be a suit who looked similar to the other two who were with Midget that night.
With an expressionless face, the suit addressed me, "Red Hood?" at my nod the man opened the door to the SUV before continuing to talk to me, "I've been sent to escort you to the tournament."
Before I could say anything Joe stepped up to stand next to me while crossing his arms, "I'm coming with him."
The suit looked back at him with a sneer, "I've only been sent to escort Red Hood, so do us all a favor and fuck off, gramps."
Seeing Joe's nostrils flare in anger, I quickly moved to de-escalate the situation before things got ugly, "This is my manager, and we're kind of a package deal. He goes wherever I go. So if you want me to be in this tournament, then you'll take him with us."
After staring at us for a moment, the man finally let out a grunt and held out the door for us. Once we were all in the SUV, the driver immediately took off into an excruciating 30-min ride into the city's suburbs with an extremely tense atmosphere in the car. I just sat there quietly looking alternatively at Joe and the suit who were having what looks to be an unofficial staring contest during the entire time, just daring each other to break eye contact or make the first move.
This situation kept going throughout the entire ride. Finally the SUV made it to what looked like an abandoned complex with an underground parking lot. The driver then drove into the parking lot and finally stopped the car in-front of an elevator where a group of suits were waiting for us. After getting out of the car, we were led into the elevator which began to go down. A couple of the levels later, the elevator doors opened with a ding and one of the suits barked out, "This is where the two of you part ways. The kid goes down to the locker room with the other contestants. As for you, old man, you'll wait here with the other spectators."
Joe immediately gave me a worried look. Despite the fact that I was probably even more nervous than he was, I tried to keep a blank face and gave him a nod to reassure him. After Joe got out of the elevator, the doors immediately closed and we kept going down 2 more levels before the elevator doors opened again and I was escorted through a short corridor before going into a locker room had about 7 other duelists with some of them decked out in the weirdest costumes possible. One guy looked like he just came from of a LARP party in his black skeleton like armorwhich he didn't have time to change out of. Another one was trying his best to look like a mad scientist/doctor as he giggled madly every now and then while staring at everyone in his lab coat and surgical face-mask and gloves. If I didn't know any better, I'd say I stumbled on either a Halloween costume party or a wrestling match. The other immediately looked up at my arrival and quickly gave me a glare as if just kicked their puppy.
"So you're that little brat who's the talk of the underworld these days, huh?" a man sounded out behind me. Turning around, I saw a duelist who was wearing a sleeveless biker's jacket with a red shirt, white pants, and a USA flag themed-bandana with sunglasses on. It took me a few seconds to recognize this guy to be…
"Bandit Keith?" I asked with slight disbelief. Said duelist grinned smugly as I recognized one of the biggest cheaters in the original Yu-Gi-Oh series who was rivaled only by the likes of Weevil Underwood. The man looked almost exactly like his portrayal in the series with the exception of him growing a trimmed beard.
"It's good to see that you know who's the better duelist around here, brat. At least now you know before this tournament starts that second-rate snot-nosed punks like you don't stand a chance against someone like me. So why don't you go back home and leave the dueling for the adults. Besides, I think it's past your bedtime anyways."
Nasty laughter rang out from some of the other duelists as they heard the conversation between us. Looks like Bandit Keith was up to his old tricks. His little diatribe against me was most likely his classic tactic of intimidating people he sees as "weaker" players in order to psyche them out and ensure he has an easier time winning his matches. What this dumbass didn't take into account is that two people can play this game.
"Says the idiot who couldn't even win a match without cheating, and even then you still lost against people like Joey Wheeler who you thought was an easy match for you. I'm honestly surprised that a sore loser like you was actually invited to this tournament, or maybe you stole someone else's invite to get here, because there is no way in hell anyone would willingly have scumbags like you in a tournament that's supposed to be for the elites."
After I stopped tearing Bandit Keith a new one, there was dead silence before the locker room rang out in laughter as other duelists turned at Keith and laughed at him as he quickly turned several shades of red in rage as I brought up some moments from his past that he most probably wanted to forget. Bandit Keith then snarled and began to march towards me with his hand going into his jacket as the onlookers quickly fell silent as they saw what he was trying to do. Realizing he's probably reaching for the pistol he used to threaten Pegasus (1), I quickly ran towards him while reaching for my switchblade which surprised Bandit Keith as he expected me to fall back as many others do when they think that the other guy has a gun, which would be a huge mistake as giving distance to someone with a firearm in a closed room is basically a death sentence to anyone who tries to do so. Before we managed to reach each other a voice sounded out from the room's entrance, "I suggest you gentlemen put your toys away and leave the aggression for the duels."
I turned around to see a tall man in an expensive white suit surrounded by five bodyguards who had their hands in their blazers ready to pull out their guns if things came to blows. Accompanying the man was none other than Midget who had on his classic sleaze-ball smirk. Realizing that there was no way either of us could come out on top in this situation, both Bandit Keith and I backed away from each other and removed our hands from our pockets. The man in the white suit, obviously revealed to be the boss, smiled and began to walk towards us as his bodyguards relaxed and let go of their guns. As he got closer, I got a brief look at his face which was pretty aristocratic with elegant black hair that was complemented by a small moustache and icy-blue eyes. The man then stopped in the middle of the room where everyone could see him and began to address the gathered participants while still smiling, "Hello everyone. My name is Mr. White, and welcome to my little tournament. As you all know, you are here because you are the best duelists in the underground circuits which makes you all worthy of my tournament for the elites. Tonight, you will all duel each other in consecutive duels until only one duelist remains standing. That duelist will then earn the right to face our current champion in a duel not only for the grand prize of 50,000$, but also for the prestigious title of King of the Underworld!"
All the duelists were staring at the man with undivided attention. His mention of the winner's prize and title introduced a greedy glint into their eyes with a couple of duelists even licking their lips for good measure.
Suddenly, the man's smile turned dark which caused me to unconsciously shiver as he continued explaining, "However, before we can begin with the tournament, I must first explain a few rules and conditions of your participation. The first rule is no participant is allowed to forfeit their duels or leave the tournament until it is over, since it's too late for any of you to get cold feet. The second rule is that cheating or underhanded tricks is strictly prohibited, but ruthlessness against your opponents is not only allowed, but also encouraged. Any attempted violation of these two rules will be severely punished. Finally, during the duels, each of you will be outfitted with these little gadgets."
At his gesture, one of his men stepped forward with a briefcase which was already opened to show that it contained several spiked black metal collars and armbands that were rather familiar. It took me a few seconds to recognize these things.
Oh. Shit.
'It's just my luck that this fucking tournament would involve the same shock collars that drove Zane Truesdale mad! If they're anything like the ones shown in the series, then they must pack some serious voltage!' I thought with a panic as one of the duelists looked at the gadgets and asked suspiciously, "What are those things supposed to do?"
Mr. White's smile turned positively evil as he answered, "Oh nothing much. We just use them to make the duels a little more lively and as motivation for the duelists to do their best to win."
The bodyguard then closed the case and tucked it away as White clapped his hands in excitement, "Now that you all understand the rules of the tournament, I wish you all good luck in this tournament! Let the best duelist win!"
After White left the locker room, Midget stepped forward with a bodyguard who was holding a glass bowl filled with slips of paper. Smirking, the fat man quickly cleared his throat in a way that seriously reminded me of a frog croaking before he started speaking, "We will now determine the matches with these paper slips in the bowl. Each of you will get a paper slip with the number that ranges from 1 to 8. Now please come up to get your paper."
Each duelist then went up to the bowl and grabbed a slip of paper. After I got my paper I flipped it to see a black 8 staring back at me. Afterwards, each of us then showed the room the number we got. I heard a chuckle as I saw Bandit Keith holding up the number 7 while smiling evilly at me.
Midget then clapped his hands to get our attention before he continued, "Excellent! Now the duels will be divided in this order: 1 vs. 2, 3 vs. 4, 5 vs. 6, and 7 vs. 8. The winners of the first two duels will face each other, and the same will happen with the winners of the last two duels. Finally, the last two duelists will face each other in the semi-finals to determine who will face the tournament's champion. Any questions?" when nobody said anything, Midget smiled and left, leaving us duelists with a couple of bodyguards who were probably there to stop anything from happening.
A hand roughly gripped my shoulder and I was promptly turned around to face Bandit Keith who was still sporting that malicious cocky grin. "Try not to cry too much when I crush you, brat. Who knows? Maybe I'll take your Deck and lunch money while I'm at it."
Scowling back at him, I quickly pushed his hand away before retorting, "Like hell I'm going to lose to a dumbass like you. Try not to pull any shit like you did in Duelist Kingdom, okay? I'm pretty sure these guys won't be as lenient as Pegasus was."
My reminder of his humiliation in Duelist Kingdom must have been the last straw, as Keith growled hatefully and gripped my shirt while raising his fist for a punch. A cough sounded out as a member of security approached us with an unimpressed look on his face.
"That's enough out of both of you. You'll settle your differences in the duel, so you two can both sit down and shut the fuck up or we'll make you." he growled out as two of his buddies stepped up behind him while cracking their knuckles to show that they meant business.
For a moment I thought Keith was going to disregard their warning, but apparently he still had some common sense after all these years. While giving me one last glare he went back to his corner of the room and sat down. The security then looked at me pointedly until I got the message and sat down in the corner that was farthest away from Keith.
After that little bit of excitement, the duels began as contestants would leave the room in pairs before the winner would return after the duel was over. Where the loser went is a mystery I'd rather not get into. I quickly noticed that the cosplayer and the mad scientist were among the winners. The worst thing that occurred with all the waiting is that we were not allowed to watch the other matches. 'Probably to make sure we don't know what type of cards our opponents are dishing out. Luckily I already have a general idea of what kind of deck Bandit Keith is packing. I'll have to be careful with the others to make sure there aren't any surprises' I thought.
Finally the time for my match came as four security guards showed up and beckoned for me and to Bandit Keith to come with them. We were then escorted through a white corridor that eventually bifurcated. I was escorted to the left while Keith was taken through the right corridor. Eventually we reached a dark room with a metal platform in the center. As I was made to stand in the center of the platform I began to hear noises from the crowd above me. 'Looks like I'm under the arena.' I guessed.
Finally one of the security guards came to stand directly behind me as he was holding a metal suitcase similar to the one that had the shock collars. He then nodded to his partner standing at the edge of the room who immediately flipped a switch that caused the platform to rise slowly. As we got closer and closer to the ceiling, a hole that was the same size of the platform then opened, and my senses were immediately assaulted by shining light and the roars of a crowd that got louder and louder until I finally reached the surface of the arena.
After taking a few seconds to let my eyes adjust to the sudden brightness, I looked around me to see that I was in a cage similar to the ones used wrestling matches. Sitting around the cage in the stands were a horde of well-dressed men and women cheering and hollering for the match to begin, and on the other side of the arena I found Bandit Keith glaring at me as a guard was putting the shock collar and armbands on him. A click sounded out next to me as the guard opened the case and began taking out my set of torture tools. After properly adjusting the collar and armbands on the two of us, the guards then went out of the cage through a side door which was then slammed shut and locked with chains to stop us from getting out of the cage.
An announcer in a well-tailored suit then stepped up from outside the cage with a microphone in his hand as he addressed the crowd, "Ladies and Gentlemen! Please take your seats as the fourth match is about to begin! In this corner, we have a veteran of the Pro-Dueling Circuits and one of the finalists of the Duelist Kingdom tournament! Please welcome the ruthless master of machines, BAAAANDIT KEEITH!"
The announcer's voice was then quickly drowned by a mix of the crowd's cheers and boos. From hearing the crowd's voices and seeing Bandit Keith's scowl, I'd guess he wasn't the most popular underground duelist around.
The announcer was then able to calm the crowd to continue, "And in this corner, we have a rising star in the underground circuits. The underground vigilante himself, the REEEEDDD HOOODDD!"
The crowd then roared out with another mixture of cheers and jeers. Thankfully the cheers were more numerous than the jeers, and I watched with a smirk as Keith scowled even deeper as he realized that he was less popular than some new "snot-nosed brat".
The announcer then continued when the crowd's noise died down, "Now that we got the introductions aside, let the match begin!"
While the crowd cheered, Bandit Keith and I quickly activated our duel disks.
"DUEL!"
Bandit Keith: 4000
Red Hood: 4000
"I'll go first!" I quickly called out as I drew a card and added it to my hand, bringing it to six cards total including: E-HERO Stratos, Parallel World Fusion, Skyscraper, Shift, Paradox Fusion, and Mask Charge.
After taking a moment to plan my move, I then continued with my turn, "First I'll summon out Elemental HERO Stratos in Attack Mode (ATK: 1800, DEF: 300, LV: 4)!" Stratos immediately flew out with his mechanical wings before settling on my field. I then continued, "Now I activate his special ability, which allows me to add one HERO monster from my Deck to my hand, and I choose Elemental HERO Blazeman!" After adding Blazeman to my hand I then set down Shift and Paradox Fusion before ending my turn.
Bandit Keith then drew his card and grinned at me, "Alright! First I activate the Field Spell Mausoleum of the Emperor!" Suddenly, a bright light shined all around us until it faded to reveal that we were standing in a weird temple with two pillars and a giant lit brazier in the middle. Unperturbed, Keith continued, "Now the both of us can summon monsters without sacrificing by paying 1000 LP for every sacrifice required to summon them. So now I pay 2000 LP to summon Barrel Dragon in Attack Mode (ATK: 2600, DEF: 2200, LV: 7)!" the mechanical dragon with its 3 cannons quickly emerged on Bandit's side of the field with a roar. Suddenly, Bandit Keith's collar and arm bands lit up with a red light, and I had to hold back a wince as I knew what was coming next.
"What the- AAAAAAAHHHH!" Keith screamed as he was shocked with a high level of voltage due to losing LP.
Bandit Keith: 4000 – 2000 = 2000
Red Hood: 4000
Seeing one of the duelists in pain must have turned the crowd on as they quickly roared in delight as they watched Bandit Keith cry out in agony. Finally, the shock collar was switched off and Keith was allowed to breathe before he gasped out in pain, "What- What the fuck was that!?"
Taking pity on him, I decided to explain, "It's what happens when either of us lose Life Points. The collar and armbands give off an electric shock to the duelist who loses LP."
Bandit must have sensed the pity in my tone because he glared at me savagely, "Did it make you feel good, you little shit!? Watching your opponent feel pain?"
"What? Hell no! I'm not a-" I began to protest before he quickly cut me off.
"Save it you motherfucker! I'll show you what happens when you mess with me!" he roared before continuing on with his turn, "I activate Barrel Dragon's special ability! Once per turn, I can choose a monster on your field, and flip a coin three times! If it lands on Heads twice or more, then your monster is automatically destroyed, and I choose your Stratos!" A hologram of a coin then appeared, and was then flipped once to land on Heads. Shit! The coin was then flipped again to land on Tails. I then held my breath as the coin was flipped one last time to land on-
"NO!" I shouted as I saw the Heads icon being displayed. Bandit Keith simply laughed, "That's right punk! Now Barrel Dragon! Destroy his monster with Barrel Blast!" The dragon quickly let out a mechanical roar as its central cannon lit up before firing a laser beam at Stratos who let out a groan of pain before being blasted to pieces.
With a border-line maniacal grin, Keith continued, "Guess what, kid? I still have Barrel Dragon's attack! Attack him directly with Tri-barrel Blast!" This time all three of the dragon's cannons lit up before firing at me simultaneously. After I recovered from the attack, I watched in horror as my own collar and armbands lit up and I was then promptly introduced to the feeling of an electrical shock. I tried to hold back my scream but the sheer amount of pain from the huge amount of voltage coursing through me was too much to bear, and eventually I was screaming myself hoarse in pain as Bandit Keith and the crowd watched with sick delight as I was electrocuted before them. Finally, the tools switched off and I immediately fell to my knees as I tried to catch my breath. I blinked away tears of pain in my eyes as I took in deep breaths to recover from what I just went through.
Bandit Keith: 2000
Red Hood: 4000 – 2600= 1400
As I struggled to get back on my feet, I could barely register Keith speaking, "Now I play Sebek's Blessing! Now all the battle damage you just took gets added to my Life Points! I set a card face-down and end my turn!"
Bandit Keith: 2000 + 2600 = 4600
Red Hood: 1400
I stared incredulously as Bandit Keith managed to take more than half my LP while increasing his own in a single turn. Jesus Christ! If the likes of Bandit Keith are this good, then what about duelists like Seto Kaiba or Yugi Muto? They'd probably crush me in a single turn!
I shakily drew my card as my arms were still twitching from the shock I just took a few moments ago. Looking at the card I just drew, I saw that I got E-HERO Ice Edge.
'Hn!'
It was that voice again! I stared down at the card for a moment, with a suspicion starting to form in my head. Deciding to deal with this later, I then started my turn, "Alright, I summon Elemental HERO Blazeman (ATK: 1200, DEF: 1800, LV: 4)! Since I was able to successfully summon him onto the field, I can add one Polymerization Spell card from my Deck to my hand." Blazeman then emerged unto the field with his fists covered in flames before he settled on the field. I then held out Ice Edge and Polymerization, "Now I activate Polymerization! I now fuse Blazeman with Elemental HERO Ice Edge in my handwho is a Water-Attribute Monster!" Both of my monsters then jumped into the vortex and began to fuse together.
Feeling dramatic, I decided to use a chant, "Master of the unforgiving cold! He who brings the chill of fear into the heart of villainy! Arise, Elemental HERO Absolute Zero (ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 8)!" Absolute Zero then emerged in a spiral of ice with his spiky white armor, helmet, and cape. I then opened the Field Spell Zone before putting Skyscraper and then closing it and continuing, "I now activate the Field Spell Skyscraper!" Immediately, the temple we were in faded before tall modern city-buildings erupted from the ground until we were surrounded by large skyscrapers. I then explained to Keith who looked a bit confused at the change of scenery, "Now my Elemental Heroes have the field advantage, and they get a 1000 ATK point boost whenever they attack a monster that has higher ATK points!" Ignoring Keith's gasp of surprise, I pointed at Barrel Dragon, "Go Absolute Zero! Destroy his Barrel Dragon with Ice Shard Blizzard!" Absolute Zero (ATK: 2500 – 3500) then held out his hands as the area around him turned cold with water vapor simply freezing mid-air before solidifying to form hundreds if not thousands of shards of ice. The newly-created shards then quickly flew all around Barrel Dragon and assaulted it from all directions. The mechanical dragon let out a giant screech before it was skewered to pieces and exploded. Bandit Keith then let out a small scream of pain as his Life Points took a hit and he was once again receiving a shock from the collar and arm bands.
Bandit Keith: 4600 – 900 = 3700
Red Hood: 1400
Panting in pain, Bandit Keith then interjected, "Nice try brat, but I activate my face-down: Time Machine! When one of my monsters is destroyed in battle, I can summon it back from the Graveyard instantly! Now Barrel Dragon returns from the Graveyard to field in Attack Mode (ATK: 2600, DEF: 2200, LV: 7)!" At his words a large black machine emerged from the ground. Steam quickly hissed as the machine's doors opened to reveal Barrel Dragon which let out a mechanical roar. I then ended my turn and watched as Absolute Zero powered down (ATK: 3500 – 2500)
Bandit Keith then drew his card and grinned evilly at me, "I now activate Barrel Dragon's effect! I can now flip a coin three times! If it lands on Heads two times or more, I can destroy one of your monsters!" The coin hologram once again appeared and was flipped once to land on Tails. On the second flip it landed on Heads. Finally, the coin was flipped once last time to land on-
Tails.
I let out a sigh of relief as I was safe from Barrel Dragon's effect, while Keith growled in annoyance before he continued, "You got lucky, but luck won't save you from this, brat! I now summon Mechanicalchaser (ATK: 1850, DEF: 800, LV: 4)!" A floating sphere-like machine with a head and wings, and mechanical arms holding weapons like swords, spears, and claws then emerged next to Barrel Dragon. Keith then held up a card with a vicious smile before continuing, "I now activate the Equip Spell Card 7 Completed, and I equip it to my Barrel Dragon which increases its Attack Points by 700 (ATK: 2600 – 3300)! Now Atta-"
"Hold on!" I quickly interrupted, "I activate a Trap Card: Paradox Fusion! By removing one Fusion Monster on my side of the field from play, I can negate your Spell Card's activation and destroy it! Also, at the end of my second turn after this card's activation, my monster returns back to the field." A portal appeared under both Absolute Zero and 7 Completed. Both monster and spell card then descended and disappeared into the portal.
Bandit Keith was surprised for a moment before his surprise turned to delight. He then quickly mocked me, "Nice going kid! Now your field is empty and I have two monsters ready to wipe you out!"
"Check again." I interrupted with a grin as I saw the silhouette of Absolute Zero appear behind Keith's monsters.
"Hey! What's your monster image doing here? I thought you said he's removed from play for your next two turns?" He asked in confusion.
"I did, and now his special ability activates. Whenever Absolute Zero is removed from the field, all your monster are destroyed!" I explained to him.
"What!?" Keith exclaimed in disbelief as ice began to form in the joints in his machines and quickly spread to cover them completely before they shattered.
Growling with anger, Keith then ended his turn.
I then drew my card and smiled as I drew E-HERO Captain Gold. I then looked back at Keith with a grin and began my turn, "Alright Keith! It's time I introduced you to the master of Skyscraper, so say hello to Elemental HERO Captain Gold (ATK: 2100, DEF: 800, LV: 4)!" Captain Gold then shot out of the ground and ascended until he stood at the top of the highest building with his golden armor and red cape.
Pointing at Keith, I shouted, "Battle! Captain Gold! Attack him directly!"
Captain Gold then dived from the tip of the skyscraper towards Keith with his leg outstretched in a drop kick that nailed him in the chest.
"GAH!" Keith gasped from the attack, and then he let out a scream as the collars and armbands were activated once again.
Bandit Keith: 3700 – 2100 = 1600
Red Hood: 1400
After I ended my turn, Keith then staggered a bit from the pain of being electrocuted as he growled hatefully at me before he drew his card. A grin then grew up on his face as he then set a monster face-down in Defense Mode before he ended his turn.
I then drew my card which was revealed to be Elemental Recharge and added it to my hand. Looking back Keith, I then ordered Captain Gold to attack his face-down monster which was revealed to be-
"Blast Sphere (ATK: 1400, DEF: 1400, LV: 4)!?" I gasped as the red ball-like machine with its mechanical spider legs was destroyed.
"That's right kid! Since Blast Sphere was in Face-down Defense Mode when your monster destroyed it, it gets attached to him instead of going to the graveyard. On your next Standby Phase, Blast Sphere will explode, taking your monster with it and dealing you damage of equal to his Attack Points!" Keith gloated as the sphere once again appeared and latched onto the back of Captain Gold who struggled as the sphere's legs pinned his arms together.
Shit. I then quickly set down Elemental Rechargebefore saying, "I set down one card and end my turn. It's been 2 of my turns since I activated Paradox Fusion, so now Absolute Zero returns to the field!" A portal appeared on my side of the field and Absolute Zero leapt out of it before assuming a battle stance (ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000, LV: 8).
Bandit Keith then drew his card, and then began his turn, "First I play Pot of Greed! Now I can-"
"I know what it does! Everyone knows what it does! Just get on with the duel!" I interrupted him impatiently. After listening to duelists explain the function of one of the most well-known cards dozens of times, I was sick and tired of the explanation. I swear if I heard that explanation one more fucking time, I'll go on a rampage.
Scowling at me for interrupting him, Keith then growled, "Okay smartass, then let's see if you know what this does! I now summon Black Salvo in Defense Mode (ATK: 100, DEF: 1100, LV: 3)! Now I activate its special ability, which allows me to Special Summon a LV 4 Dark Machine-Type monster from the Graveyard in Defense mode, so rise Mechanicalchaser (ATK: 1850, DEF: 800, LV: 4)!" A bomb with an emoji-like evil face along with his Mechanicalchaser then appeared on
Keith's side of the field. Keith then set one card face down and ended his turn.
I drew my card, and before I could say anything, Keith called out, "Blast Sphere's ability now activates, so say goodbye to your monster and most of your Life-"
"I activate a Trap Card: Elemental Recharge! Thanks to this I get 1000 LP for every Elemental Hero on my side of the field, and I have two!" I quickly interrupted as Blast Sphere was glowing and getting ready to explode. Immediately after I activated the Trap Card both Absolute Zero and Captain Gold glowed with a green auras before the same aura appeared around me.
Bandit Keith: 1600
Red Hood: 1400 + 2000 = 3400
Blast Sphere then exploded taking Captain Gold along with it. I only had a few seconds to prepare myself when the collar and armbands lit up before I started screaming at the top of my voice as I was once again getting electrocuted. Once it was over I then fell down on the ground in pain.
Bandit Keith: 1600
Red Hood: 3400 – 2100 = 1300
I was barely able to stand up again after I was shocked for the second time. After managing to get back to my feet, I then began my turn while trying to catch my breath, "I summon Elemental HERO Ocean (ATK: 1500, DEF: 1200, LV: 4), and now Absolute Zero's second ability kicks in which increases his ATK points by 500 for every Water-Attribute Monster on the field other than himself!" The blue-skinned Ocean then emerged in his Atlantean-like armor and brandishing his curved bident (2). At the same time,Absolute Zero let out a shout as he was surrounded in blue-white aura (ATK: 2500 – 3000).
I then pointed at Keith's Black Salvo, "Ocean! Destroy his Black Salvo!" Ocean then leapt at the bomb-like monster with his bident held over his head before Bandit Keith interrupted, "I activate my Trap Card, Negate Attack! Now your attack is cancelled and the Battle Phase is over!" Ocean then hit a barrier which formed between him and Black Salvo before he returned to my field. I then ended my turn with gritted teeth.
Bandit Keith then drew his card and began to laugh evilly, "Alright kid you did a pretty good job, but the fun is over! I now sacrifice my two monsters to summon Perfect Machine King in Attack Mode!" Keith's two monsters then dissipated into particles of light which immediately coalesced to form a large figure of light. When the light died down, the large Transformer-like battle machine appeared with its two fists pounded together. Keith then held up a card as he grinned maliciously, "Get ready to feel the pain again kid, because I activate my second copy of 7 Completed, and I equip it to Perfect Machine King (ATK: 2700 – 3400)! Now attack his little fish monster! This duel is over kid!" Perfect Machine King then charged a plasma ball between his hands before he fired it at Ocean.
"Not so fast! I activate my Trap Card: Shift! Thanks to this Trap Card I get to choose the target of your attack, and I choose Absolute Zero!" I quickly shouted while pressing the button to activate my last face-down card. As the plasma ball got closer and closer to Ocean, Absolute Zero then leapt in front of his comrade and took the hit instead. With a shout of pain, Absolute Zero was then quickly destroyed and I let out another scream of pain as I took another round of voltage as my Life Points decreased again.
Bandit Keith: 1600
Red Hood: 1300 – 400 = 900
"Tch. Looks like you managed to survive this time, brat. I'll just wipe you out next turn." Bandit Keith growled in annoyance as he saw that his opponent was still standing. He then ended his turn.
I was barely standing as my muscles were screaming in protest from being zapped too many times. However, I was able to reply with a low voice, "There won't be a next turn, Keith. Did you forget Absolute Zero's special ability? When he leaves the field, all of your monsters are destroyed."
Bandit Keith then watched in realization and horror as Absolute Zero's silhouette appeared once again and caused ice to cover Perfect Machine King before he exploded.
Sweating bullets, Bandit Keith retorted, "So what? Your Ocean is not strong enough to defeat this turn, and there's no way you'll be able to draw a Monster Card this turn!"
I glared at him with tired eyes as I drew my card, "First of all, you shouldn't jinx yourself like that. Second of all, I don't need luck when I have skill. Since we're in my Standby Phase, I get to activate Ocean's special effect! Now I get to choose one HERO monster in my Graveyard and add him to my hand, and I choose Elemental HERO Stratos. Now I summon Stratos onto the field in ATTACK MODE!" Bandit Keith then shook with the realization that he was about to lose the duel as Stratos emerged with his mechanical wings outstretched (ATK: 1800, DEF: 300, LV: 4).
Without giving him to chance to talk, I then shouted, "Now Stratos! Attack him directly and end this duel!"
Keith then cried out as Stratos glided towards him before punching him in the face. He then let out one last scream as he was zapped for losing the rest of his Life Points.
Bandit Keith: 1600 – 1800 = 0 (LOSE)
Red Hood: 900 (WINNER)
I stood there breathing heavily as the crowd cheered at the duel's finish. I then took a look at Keith was lying face-down motionless. 'Oh Shit. Did I kill him? I don't wanna go to jail for this' I thought in a panic before Keith let out a loud groan of pain as he twitched. Sighing in relief, I watched as he struggled to his feet before glaring at me with pure hatred as he stumbled towards me.
"YOU LITTLE PIECE OF SHIT! I'LL SHOW YOU THAT NO ONE MESSES WITH BANDIT KEITH AND GETS AWAY WITH IT!" he roared as he reached for the pistol in his jacket.
Damn.
I could barely stand after all this shit, much less run or fight. Suddenly, Keith's collar and armbands once again lit up and began to electrocute him as he dropped the pistol while screaming out in pain.
"I did say I don't condone cheating in my tournament." A man spoke behind me and I turned around to see Mr. White coming towards us with several security guards while pressing on a remote in his hand which pointed at Keith who was still writhing on the ground in pain as his nervous system was getting fried with electricity before White switched off the collar armbands.
Coughing, Keith looked up with a weak glare at the tournament's organizer as his hand was inching towards his dropped pistol, "What're you talking about? I didn't chea- AAAAAAGGGGHH!"
Unfortunately, Keith couldn't even finish his sentence as one of the security guards stomped on the hand reaching for the gun with a sickening crack that made me grimace. Judging from the sounds that came from Keith's hand, I'd say he had several broken bones from that stomp.
Unperturbed at his guard's brutality, White simply kept walking until he stopped right in front of Keith. Reaching down, he grasped Keith's uninjured hand that was still strapped to his duel disk and pushed back Keith's sleeves to reveal a metal contraption that held several copies of 7 Completed. I clenched my fists and the crowd began to boo as we all realized what was going on.
That Motherfucker!
'It's one thing to cheat in duel in order to win a prize, but it's a whole other thing to boost your monsters' ATK points to get your opponent to suffer from electrocution' I thought with rage as I was itching to get my hands on that bastard as the sight of Keith's cheating machine had already killed whatever sympathy I may have had for his injuries.
With a smug smile, White took the cards that were hidden up Keith's sleeves, "I think you know very well what I'm talking about, Mr. Keith. I did warn you of what would happen if anyone tried to cheat." Turning to his men, he quickly addressed them coolly, "Boys take our cheating friend here aside and teach him what happens if you break the rules." The crowd then cheered as Keith was dragged out of the cage kicking and screaming by a couple of security guards.
Turning towards me, White extended the 7 Completed card which I tentatively took before he continued, "My deepest apologies for Mr. Keith's dishonorable methods, and congratulations on winning your match. You can keep this card as both a prize and compensation for your opponent's actions. Good luck with the rest of the tournament."
White then left the arena with his security guards as another one came up to escort me back to the locker room. As I was led towards back to locker-room I realized just how much of a shitty situation I was in. Looks like Joe was right after all. In this tournament you're not just battling for money or fame. In this tournament, you're battling for your own life.
A/N: That's about it for this chapter folks. Looks like things are going to get pretty dark in this tournament, with Bandit Keith being one hell of a sore loser. As usual, feel free to drop any advice or feedback in the reviews section. Till next time!
(1): Bandit Keith used a pistol in the original version of the anime. In the dub, the scene was censored till it looked like Keith had a finger gun instead.
(2): Bident is basically a trident with two prongs instead of 3.