Author Notes: Thank you everyone for supporting this story! Only 25 chapters in and this story now has 100+ Follows and Favorites! Last chapter was my highest Favorited/Followed chapter yet and we haven't even gotten past the first season yet! I hope you're all excited for this story as I am!
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Revendread Slayer: 4000 LP
Chazz: 400 LP
"I'll show you!" The Princeton Heir screamed as he stared down his opponent. "I sacrifice Ojama Black and Green to summon Light and Darkness Dragon!" Even the appearance of one of his trusted monster did little to ease the former Obelisk Blue.
Before Chazz could call an attack, something happened. One card activated. Chazz quickly had Light and Darkness dragon negate the effects, but he couldn't negate the second card that activated afterward. The black-clad duelist watched in horror as his dragon imploded on itself, and he was swallowed too by the flames.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains.]
Revendread Slayer: 4000 LP
Jesse: 400 LP
"Pearl! Sapphire! Pegasus!" Jesse yelled as he braced himself from the explosion. "When they're destroyed," He caught his breath as he realized his field was empty. "Wait, where are my gems!?"
"They've been banished." Jesse's stomach dropped as he turned to the Shadow Rider. "All your monsters, your family, are gone forever."
"No! No!" Jesse yelled defiantly but felt cold sweat pouring down his face. "My Crystal Beasts and I will take you down!"
"Look around you," The darkness around them crept forward. "You are the only one left."
Jesse looked at his hand, his graveyard, even his deck. But his Crystal Beasts were gone. He had never felt so empty before, so alone.
"No, not alone," Slayer pointed as if reading him completely. "You still have MY monsters around you."
Out of the darkness, an army of amalgamations rushed for the Crystal Beast Duelist. Jesse couldn't even hear his own screams as the monsters tore him apart.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains.]
Revendread Slayer: 4000 LP
Bastion: 400 LP
Bastion fell to his knees and gasped for air. "H-How!? I've made every preparation to counter your deck! How was outplayed by that much!?"
The Revendread Slayer spoke in a cold tone. "It's simple: you only countered my deck." Bastion looked up to see his glowing, fiery eyes in the darkness. "You of all people should know, Bastion Misawa. A deck is only as good as the duelist wielding it."
The Darkness lifted, and Bastion paled as he saw the piles of bodies behind his opponent: all of the other Keepers and his friends.
He failed them. He had failed them all.
"And I have proven time and time again that I AM the better duelist." Slayer pointed his hand forward. "Battlelord, end him!"
The last thing Bastion saw was a demon bringing down his giant blade on him.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains.]
Revendread Slayer: 4000 LP
Jaden: 400 LP
The Slifer Ace gasped for breath as he faced down this overwhelming opponent. No matter which card he pulled off, his opponent had a counter already prepared for him.
"I-I'm not done!" Jaden yelled as he picked up a card from his deck. "I play Polymerization! I fuse Sparkman and Flame Wingman to form Shining Flare Wingman!"
The powerful fusion monster appeared at a critical moment. Jaden watched his monster reach attack points needed for a reversal. "Go, Shining Flare Wingman!"
The Fusion monster raced for the 3rd Shadow Rider. However, instead of even moving, a face-down behind the Shadow Rider popped up.
"Magic Cylinder?!" Jaden yelled in surprise before the attack reflected off Revendread Slayer and went right back for him! "AAAAAHHHH!?"
Jaden fell on his back from the impact. As he did, he heard the sound of screams around him.
"J! Help us!" Syrus's voice screamed out as Jaden saw all of his friends being burned alive by blue fire.
"Guys! I'm coming!" The Slifer Ace screamed as he tried to get up, only to feel something ensnare his leg. When he looked back, a legion of Vendread Creatures pulled him towards the darkness.
Jaden looked back and watched in horror as the rest of his friends fell one by one. More limbs and other tendrils held down the boy as his vision slowly reached darkness.
He saw the last figure, Wilona, falling to her knees before a creature with three eyes grabbed the girl's head.
"Wilona!?"
She looked at him without light in her eyes. "... You broke your promise." But the three eyes behind her looked at the girl with such burning hatred... and did Jaden feel jealousy?
The grip tightened, Wilona's scream was silenced, and Jaden's world only knew darkness and pain.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains.]
Chazz, Bastion, Jesse, and Jaden woke up with screams and gasps. Those in Slifer Red had their friends and Spirits wake up and try to find out what was wrong. In Ra Yellow, Bastion was fortunate enough that Brier and Dimitri were up late working on a class project and happened to be passing his room.
"What a situation we got ourselves into."
"Indeed, The 3rd Shadow Rider leaves quite the impression."
"If he was there back then, I doubt anyone would be able to beat him. At full strength, he'd pose a threat."
"We do have one advantage. Time here is misplaced slightly. I haven't seen any of them in the hot springs yet."
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Brier, Dimitri, and Beauregard didn't know what to make of it, but the way Bastion was scribbling notes on random napkins instead of eating was a bad sign.
"Bastion, come on. Professor Sartyr's food is some of the best on the island. Don't let it get cold." The Copycat duelist started.
"Cold?" Bastion's eyes had visible bags underneath them. "I forgot to factor in that Wisp's ability! He almost forced Seika to a Draw with it. I mustn't underestimate that ability as well!"
"Bastion, come on," Beauregard spoke with tenderness. "You gotta eat, man."
"I cannot. I will need to account for every possibility when dueling against Revendread Slayer. If my calculations are off even by one percent, he will notice it and use it against me."
Dimitri blinked. "Won't your tag partner cover ya?"
Bastion snapped his head to him, and the Copycat duelist found the gaze of a sleep-deprived teen very intimidating.
"Tag... partner?"
"Yeah? Wilona said that you're all going to buddy up against this new guy, ain't ya?"
The three other Ra Students paled when Bastion ripped up the notes he was scribbling on. "How could I be so foolish!? All these equations were done for a one-on-one duel! I must begin anew!" And then he stole all the nearby napkins and started furiously writing on them, completely ignoring his food.
Brier punched Dimitri's shoulder. The Copycat duelist rubbed his shoulder while the former Brains of the Duel Giant gave him the stink eye.
"Why did you say that!?" The former mastermind cried out. "I was trying to help!" Was the quick response of the former card thief.
The green-haired young man sighed into his palm until he heard a beeping from his PDA. When he reached out for it, he saw that he got a message from Wilona.
"Bring Misawa over to the School Hot Springs." The Ra Yellow students looked at Bastion. The genius stopped using napkins because he kept ripping them with his fast writing and was now vandalizing the table they were sitting in.
"How are we gonna do that?" Dimitri asked before he and Brier looked at each other. Then they looked over to the only one on their table who could easily benchpress the table Bastion was vandalizing.
"W-What? Me?" The gentle giant pointed to himself.
"You pretty much carried like twenty jackets over your head and still moved freely," Dimitri noted before he was elbowed again by Brier.
"Ix-nay on the crime-ay," Right, Dimitri forgot they were all being blackmailed. Even if their blackmailer was nice, it was easy for them to still get kicked out of school. Brier sighed before turning back to Beauregard. "I know you don't want to, but your the only one who can! Look at Bastion! If he were to duel," The small Ra yellow looked around and placed a hand to cover his words from the Ra Yellow Ace. "You-Know-Who right now? He would lose in the first turn, and it'll be his own turn too!"
The big Ra Yellow looked to Bastion.
"Blast, the ink isn't working! I need something sharper to carve into the wood! Is there a sharp knife nearby?"
"Okay," The giant stood up and went behind Bastion. Everyone else in the Ra Cafeteria turned to the "interesting" sight of Beauregard Colin carrying away a struggling Bastion Misawa.
"Nothing to see here, folks!" Dimitri exclaimed as he brought Bastion's food along. "Go about your regular business!"
Even after the four left, everyone still watched the doors they walked out of.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"Sora and the Tyler Sisters couldn't make it. They mentioned a project they had to do research for. Other than that, is this everyone?" Wilona looked out to the Music Club. Then she eyed the last of the Key Keepers: Bastion had bags under his eyes and was struggling to hold a pen. Chazz looked more annoyed than usual, so much that he didn't notice his hair still had traces of random strands of hair standing outward from his already spiky hair. Jesse and Jaden looked alright, but the usually boisterous two were silent and almost unresponsive.
"Alright, you guys go in and enjoy yourselves." Wilona eyed Chumley and Syrus, both of who nodded as they took the silent agreement to make sure the boys de-stress.
"It's been a while since we've gone to the bathhouse!" Mindy cried out after the girls separated from the boys.
"It's our first time," Jasmine corrected. "There's usually no need to go because Obelisk Blue has good outdoor baths."
The two girls walked ahead of both Wilona and Alexis. The green-haired girl noticed that even Alexis looked downcast.
"I'm not terribly good at getting people to cheer up." The blonde girl looked over towards the Slifer Red female. "But if it helps, you played well."
"Thanks, Wilona." The Blonde gave a small smile. "But I'm worried about the guys. Vendread Slayer is flat out beating us at our best. And we were warned that the last ones were just as strong as him!"
"Barely," The green-haired Slifer corrected. "He almost lost to both of you at the end. It was not one-sided." At that point, Wilona started to recall something. "Did you notice how he avoided mentioning his wish when you asked him?"
"I was wondering why he didn't say. Don't bad guys usually like to shout their plans to the world?"
Wilona opened her mouth, but she found herself unable to speak. She kept thinking about the forlorn look on the shadow rider's face.
"Wilona?"
"Apologizes, I am looking forward to this. It's my first time here."
"Let me tell you about the bath salt. It's so good!" Alexis told her friend as the two walked in.
Wilona was looking forward to a stress-free and relaxing day. (Neither girl saw a glint of black and white chasing after the boys.)
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
"Jaden, don't jump into the whirlpool!?" Syrus didn't know what he was expecting. He wanted a fun day at an indoor bath. He did not want a whirlpool to appear in the middle of the pool. He didn't want Jaden to follow his Duel Spirits and ask about something called a "Spirit Festival".
Honestly, Jaden jumping into the whirlpool made by Duel Spirits was more of the outcome Syrus was trying to prevent.
So why did he jump after him?
His mom warned him about following the popular kids off the cliff. Technically, she never warned him about following unpopular kids.
As gravity started to pull him down, Syrus remembered why he did so bad at his own tests: using his brain was not his strong suit.
However, his lungs?
"AAAAAAHHHHHHH!?"
As darkness came over him, he knew that following Jaden would be the end of him. Again.
...
...
"Sy? Syrus." When the small Slifer Red woke up, he wasn't expecting to see Bastion and what looked to be a cave.
"Bastion? I-Is that you? Did you die too?"
"Logic would point to that when ones usually fall into a whirlpool. But seeing as we're surrounded by duel monsters, I'd wager this has more to do with Alternate Worlds or whatever powers the Shadow Riders are capable of." Now that Syrus regained most of his sight back, he started to notice that Bastion was in his clothes again. (A good thing too. How was someone so book smart so ripped?!) And the Ra Yellow had his Duel Disk.
The more Syrus regained his senses, the more he was able to look around the area: the said area was a cave where a large group of Duel Monsters migrated towards the exit. He also spotted Chumley and what looked like one of his Des Koala monsters. The former was unconscious and also in his clothes again while the latter was waving at him.
"Where are the others?" The younger Truesdale looked around but saw no sign of his best friend.
Bastion pointed to the only exit. "I do not know, but I have a suspicion that it may be where all these Duel Monsters are heading."
When Chumley came to, the unlikely group followed Des Koala. When they reached the exit, they spotted what looked to be a mountain with pink cherry blossoms as far as the eye could see; lantern lights and shops were set up in such a way that it looked similar to places like Golden Week, and at the very top of the mountain was a tree the size of a skyscraper with white wood and blue-colored leaves.
"Yo! You guys have some great human costumes!" The Duel Academy students watched as some raccoon samurai approached them. "I didn't even know there was a costume party in this year's Spirit Festival!"
"Who are you?" Syrus asked before the easygoing Duel Spirit wrapped his hands around both Slifers.
"I'm Kama 3, one of the Yosenju asked to protect the other Duel Spirits during the Festival!" Bastion mentally noted he might be a tanuki. It was hard to say since Biology wasn't one of his main focuses. "If there was a costume contest, you guys would win for sure! Huh? You know what? We should go check if there is a costume contest! You guys would win without a doubt, come on!"
Despite the scrawny size, the Yosenju pulled both Syrus and Chumley with ease towards the Festival. Bastion had the unique experience of sharing a look with Des Koala before the spirit went after his Duelist.
Bastion put a hand on his head. "Perhaps Brie and Dimitri were right. I am sleep deprived." He exclaimed before walking after the others.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
The winds were familiar but mischievous. "I thought I asked you to not go near cliffs without me?"
Chazz dusted himself off as he looked to his right. "It's you." On one hand, the Yosenju's appearance meant Chazz returned to a place he clearly hated. On the other, meeting one of the few beings, from both Duel Spirit and Human sides, Chazz didn't dislike was enough to calm the annoyed teen down.
The Ojama brothers all smiled and waved towards the former friend. "Yo number 2!~" "It's great to sees ya!" "Man, looking cool as always."
Light and Darkness dragon gave a polite bow.
The blue-themed samurai motioned to the large festival in front of them. "Usually, the signs of multiple humans would mean dark omens. However, seeing as it is a time for festivities and when the walls between both our worlds are weak, would you and your new companions like to accompany me in patrolling the Spirit Festival? You may enjoy the festivities as we travel."
The Princeton Heir looked behind him to see Dimtri, Brier, and Beauregard gawking at the strange area surrounding them.
"Hey, Ra Yellow!" The former North Academy Ace cried out. "Quit your gawking, and let's go! Unless you wanna stay here and be eaten by dragons!"
"W-What!?" Beauregard screamed out loud.
"Be calm, friend." Kama 2 had a serene voice that soothed the nervous giant. "Only Chazz here would be considered delicious to dragons."
For some reason, Chazz felt the urge to turn to Light and Darkness Dragon, only to spot the enigmatic beast to be staring at him with all the restraint of a dog told not to eat their favorite food.
"I know you're messing with me." Great, his dragon has been spending too much time with those freeloader Duel Spirits. So much for having at least one serious Duel Spirit.
"Man, it's great to be back in the spirit world, isn't it fellas?!" "YEAH!" The black-clad student turned to see the Dark Scorpions already making their way towards the giant tree atop of the pink mountain.
"Hey, Boss, can we go too!?" Ojama Yellow asked before he and his brothers carpet-bombed their duelist with the word, please.
"Fine!" The former Heir shouted. "We'll go. We need to find the others anyway."
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Jesse moved to each game stand the festival had to offer.
"He's certainly an excited one." Yosenju Kama 1 moved like the wind on a lazy day.
"It has been a while since he had been to a festival. However, this is his first time in a Duel Monsters Festival." Pearl Reindeer spoke as most of the other Crystal Beasts trailed behind their good friend. "Not to mention that it's good to see him in a better mood than a while ago."
"I should also thank you, Ms." Kama 1 turned to the motherly Crystal Beast. "Seeing you always brightens my mood."
As Pearl Reindeer laughed, the other Crystal Beasts except, Ruby and Emerald, leered at the Samurai Tanuki for attempting to get close to one of their family.
"So this is the spirit world. Nature here is so much different than I thought it would be." Daimon put his hand on a nearby tree and felt the almost musical heartbeat of the land.
To the right of the former jungle boy, Belowski was being carried by his three Moki Moki monsters. "Man, this is cool. Festivals ain't really my style, but my pals are all stoked up for this place."
Damon folded his hands and looked over himself. "It's weird how we all have our clothes again. Why did we all jump into that whirlpool?"
"Sometimes you gotta go with the mojo, man." The Moki Moki duelist let his pals carry him forward. "Especially when the Mojo called everyone here."
Damon, after hanging out with Belowski for a while, figured out that Belowski meant he didn't know. "Well, at least we're all back in our clothes. It would have been awkward if we were all wearing towels." The former Jungle boy sighed. However, Damon couldn't help but feel on edge even in a festive place like this.
Why did it feel like a hunter was staring him down like prey?
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Jaden whooped as he used the toy gun to shoot several prizes down easily. "Haha! Did ya see that, Winged Kuriboh?"
The little spirit cooed in high spirits.
"You did very well," Yosenju Sabu folded his arms as he walked up to his new acquaintance. "I don't think I've seen someone do so well at this game."
"It's all in the wrist!" Jaden huffed with a puffed-up chest.
As Skull Servant set the items back, he turned to see a cloaked figure coming up to the stand. This newcomer got the toy gun the proceeded to not miss a single shot.
"On second thought, that guy is better." The raccoon samurai elbowed his friend.
"Hey, I hit all my targets too!"
"True, but he did it faster."
Jaden frowned before he turned back towards the game. He looked up to the stranger, and while he didn't see the face, it didn't stop him from staring intensely at the newcomer. "Okay, cloaked stranger, it's time to get your game on!"
The cloaked figure turned to the human before he gave one soft laugh.
For a skeleton, the Skull Servant started to sweat as he put the pieces back up again. A crowd started to gather around the booth Jaden and the Stranger was in.
Then they started to play. The Stranger won the first game. Undeterred, Jaden tried again.
And again.
And again in a different game.
However, with each contest, despite Jaden doing well, his opponent simply did better than him, stylishly too.
"I mean I could totally do that too!" Alright, it's time to get my game on! "I wanna play again!" It didn't take long for a crowd to gather around Jaden and the cloaked challenger. However, while Jaden played well, his opponent simply played with greater expertise. This followed as even Jaden wanted to challenge the guy to other games.
Jaden's competitive spirit sparked. Every loss to this stranger made him want to win more. Finally, he eeked out one win in a kickball-esque game.
"Whoo! Yeah! I finally won one!" Jaden pumped his fist up as some of the crowd started to cheer.
"You were very persistent." The stranger admitted with a tone of understanding.
Jaden did his two-finger salute at the guy. "And you were amazing! I got beaten badly by you in all the other games so far!"
"A victory after countless losses is indeed sweet." Huh, Jaden had this strange feeling that this guy's voice was familiar. "At least yours has meaning."
"Are you alright, man?" Jaden tried to take a peek under the hood. However, he still did not see anything. "I mean, you shouldn't feel so bad for losing!" The Slifer Ace realized the meaning of his own words as he thought back to his nightmare.
"Is something wrong?" The hooded stranger asked the young teen.
"Well, it's just," Jaden rubbed the back of his neck. Now that he brought it up, a piece of him really wanted to express himself. "I used to think dueling was even more fun than all these games. It didn't matter when I won or lost because the game was so fun."
When Jaden fell uncharacteristically silent, his new friend continued for him. "Now something has changed your game. You need to win or else."
"Yeah, how'd you know?"
The cloaked man stilled for a second. "Let me just say that I also am in a similar situation. I must win, even if the consequences are dire."
Jaden... he felt the same way but hearing those words and desperate tone tugged on his heart the wrong way.
The stranger was quiet for a bit even as the festival went on around them. Jaden then did not expect the stranger to find his words again with a much more heartfelt tone. "For what it is worth, I believe that you are stronger than you think you are. The people you are fighting to protect are just as much a source of strength as they are a burden. When you feel scared, remember them at their best; let their fond memories inspire you to be brave and kind no matter what. It will help you as the memory of my beloved did in my darkest hour."
Jaden started to recall his entire time in Duel Academy. It was a little weird from time to time, but it was also so much fun. He made a lot of great friends, and the idea that some zombie or madman might take them away from him... it ticked him off. The stranger was right! He wouldn't let some weird zombie get away with threatening his friends! That Slayer guy was strong, but Jaden would play his best, and even if he would beat the Slifer Ace, there was no way he was going down without the fight of his life! But at the same time, Jaden had no reason to believe he was just going to roll over against this Shadow Rider. In fact, the idea of dueling the powerful Slayer didn't seem scary anymore. Jaden's competitive spirit started to rise. If he beat the Shadow Rider, who beat Zane and Seika, wouldn't that mean he'd be the best duelist on the island? Now that was a sweet idea! He had to find Jesse and get to practicing their tag dueling!
But first, "Hey, Mister? Thanks for the advice. I feel a lot better now."
Jaden and the other two spirits were surprised when the cloaked man laughed. "I'm glad to help. I should also be thanking you for lifting my mood up as well."
The Slifer Red felt determined now. But how exactly was he going to find the others around—
"Boo! Bah! Hiss! Boo~!"
Jaden quickly turned at the sound of the playful jeers. His eyes widened and his body tensed as he saw Paradox sitting atop a tree and shouting at him.
"Who are you!?" Yosenju Sabu drew his blade and pointed it at the blonde Shadow Rider. Even Winged Kuriboh huffed angrily, but there was a small tone of worry in the small creature.
"What are you doing here, jester?!" The cloaked figure also shouted in anger towards the Shadow Rider.
"Is it not obvious, 3rd?" The blonde casually shrugged his shoulders before Jaden's eyes shot open. The Dark Scorpions told them that the Shadow Riders were ranked by arrival. Revendread Slayer was the 3rd to arrive: so he was named the 3rd Shadow Rider.
But he just called this stranger who helped him...
Jaden's thoughts were interrupted when Paradox threw something with enough speed to create an afterimage at the brunette Duel Academy student. Something moved faster to protect and evade the attack: the stranger. However, his cloak tore from the impact, revealing the familiar yet powerful Duel Spirit had been the one to soothe and play with Jaden Yuki this entire time.
"It is you!?" Jaden's mind was never good at academics. But he understood less as to why their most powerful enemy yet was so nice to him a while ago!? "Why?"
Revendread Slayer turned to Jaden before he looked back to Paradox. "Killing the Keeper while bonded to the Spirit Key forever locks the Spirit Gate! You know this, fool!"
"I wasn't going to kill him, silly," Paradox waved his hands without care. "I just wanted to see the look on his face when he finds out the one giving him such a nice pep talk happens to be his greatest enemy." He started to laugh. "I now wish I brought a camera! It's pure, Ra-colored gold!"
The Shadow Rider stopped laughing for a second when he jumped out of the way from an upward sword slash.
"Hey, you clown reject!" Yosenju Sabu eyed the Shadow Rider with contempt the friendly samurai tanuki never showed until now. "This Festival is under protection by the Yosenju." His sword edge started to gleam as he fixed his stance. "Quit whatever you're doing and leave."
"Leave?" Paradox started as put a hand on his chin. "Maybe you're right. For a Festival, it sure is boring here." The man with long spiky hair turned around and started to walk into the forest. However, he froze to a stop, making the others tense. "Oh, how silly of me~?" The second Shadow Rider turned and raised his hands out in a way that rang alarm bells in everyone else's head. "If it's boring," Paradox quickly drew a Duel Monster's card from his sleeve. "Then it's only fair to make it interesting?"
Paradox flipped the card—
Revendread Slayer and Yosenju Sabu rushed for the Second Shadow Rider with the intent to stop whatever he tried to start. However, a bright light exploded from the mask of the bizarre clown. Both Slayer and Yosenju got blinded before they felt a powerful force push them back.
When the light died down, Jaden saw what had appeared in front of Paradox. How could he forget the monster that brought fear to both Alexis and Seika?
"No. No!" Revendread Slayer cried out in what almost sounded like fear and desperation as Vendread Battlelord towered in front of them even a good distance away. "What did you do, Paradox?! When did you steal that from me!?"
Paradox didn't answer. Instead, Vendread Battlelord roared to life as his light set ablaze. He rushed for the group, but Revendread Slayer ran up to meet with what was supposed to be his own monster. Instead, the titan caught the speedy ritual monster with a punch that sent him flying through other stands.
Yosenju Sabu's eyes widened. "Everyone, get to safety!" He yelled to the other bystanders before he rushed for Battlelord. Seeing as how the other faired, the Samurai Raccoon went on the more defensive approach. He baited and attacked the giant titan. However, no matter how true his strikes were, they simply bounced off the deceptively hard carapace of Battlelord's skin.
Battlelord roared as he swung his blade, causing the Yosenju to duck under the large swipe. However, the slash beam continued past and destroyed more stands.
"Crap!" Yosenju Sabu cursed before moving to avoid a punch that caused the ground to crack.
"No no," Jaden and Winged Kuriboh turned to see Paradox shaking his head. "This still isn't enough." He snapped his fingers and disappeared.
"Where'd he go!?" Jaden looked around for any sign of the Shadow Rider. However, he was distracted when he heard Yosenju Sabu cry out in pain. Jaden turned and saw that the grotesque titan pinned down the friendly samurai. Out of the stands, Revendread Slayer moved like a bullet and used his tendrils to smash into Battlelord with the weight of a full train.
"I am making sure you stay back where you escaped!" Revendread Slayer bellowed before rushing for the fallen Battlelord. However, just as he was about to land the finishing blow on the downed beast, it vanished much like Paradox did. "No!" Revendread Slayer turned towards the giant tree at the top before he winced and fell to his knees.
"Wh-What happened?!" Jaden asked as he ran up to Yosenju Sabu.
"Paradox," As the Slifer Red helped up his new friend, he turned to his future opponent. "He stole some of my power and," He got up, but it was like watching a newborn trying to stand for the first time: not pretty. "He re-released Battlelord."
"What? I don't get what's going on, isn't he your monster!?" Jaden pointed to the Shadow Rider.
Before Jaden could ask more, they heard a voice echoing from the sky above.
"Ladies, Gentlemen, and whatever you call yourselves!" Paradox's mocking voice filled the once peaceful and fun night sky. "I think it's time this Festival really lived up to its name! So it's time for a great game!"
The ground started to rumble. Everyone started to hear distant screams and murmurs.
Even though they couldn't see him, most who knew of Paradox could imagine him making exaggerated movements as he spoke. "It's a simple human game: King of The Hill! For those that don't know, the game is a person who stays the longest in the highest point of the area is the king and wins! Here's the twist: I already appointed a king atop the Mountain."
A powerful and familiar roar echoed from the skies, signaling where Vendread Battlelord teleported to.
"The game ends when someone 'knocks' off this King. And for every second he stands atop... well..."
Another sound carried across the sky. However, it sounded like a wave of tortured animals roaring in pain.
"The King's soldiers will try to conquer the land."
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Bastion and the other Slifer Reds panicked as they saw Vendread Monsters rushing for them. Yosneju 3 unleashed their blades before rushing to stem the tide.
"Oh, and before I forget!" Paradox's voice echoed in the sky.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Chazz ordered Light and Darkness Dragon to blast Vendread Chimera into dust. While the attack connected, a flock of deformed birds swarmed around the mighty dragon. A tornado swirled and blew away the swarm, but Yosenju 2 did not drop his guard a group of Vendread Behemoths rushed past broken stands towards him, Chazz, and the Ra Yellow.
"There may be some of you thinking you won't be able to participate in this fun game."
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villians]
Jesse and the Crystal Beasts did their best to protect the other civilian Duel Spirits, but the Vendread Hordes and Revenants outnumbered them 1 to 100.
With Belowski and Damon trying to lead away those that couldn't fight, the Jungle Man felt goosebumps rise on his skin and stopped.
"But don't worry. This is a game everyone can join in."
A black fire appeared and encircled the base of the mountain. It started to enclose in. Damon had no choice but to lead everyone back towards higher ground, where the Vendread monsters swarmed from.
[Tag Force Heroes and Villains]
From atop the giant tree, Paradox relaxed onto a beach chair as he watched the carnage below.
"With that said," He raised a martini drink up high. "Good Luck and have fun!"
If the mad man wasn't sipping on the drink he created, he would have been laughing at the chaos below.
The best part of it all? This was only the beginning of the chaos this world would experience.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
A/N: I wanted to slow down on the duels a bit after writing the Revendread Slayer Vs Alexis and Seika duel. And, at first, I was doing that with the Hot Spring/Kaibaman episode. The story began light-hearted and fun.
But then Paradox entered my writing. He didn't like everyone being chums. He didn't like people being happy.
Then this simple relaxation story took a nose dive into jagged rocks. And this madness came out.
There aren't going to be any duels, but that's not going to stop the guys of the Music Club from feeling the burn. Well, things go to heck one way or another in this story, and it's just the first season.
Anyway, good luck out there guys.