World 092: Owner of a Frozen Heart
Tycho, Nakana and the others finally found their targets.. finally came face to face with Mr. and Mrs. Shintaro inside Continuum's hive bunker. "Do not be intimidated by them, Nakana! Their entity cannot mess with our mind this time! And they're all out of toys!" The Salamangreat duelist was determined to put an end to their enterprise here in this morgue of corruption.
"!?" Except several of his assumptions were proven wrong rather quickly. Several Karakuri units dropped down into the room. "What? They're going to..." Before Khan, Tycho and Olympia could do anything about it, they were in the midst of a duel. Not just with them, but with Vitruvic as well. "What? Back at it again?" Tycho snarled, but the champion gave no response. He stared vacantly at his opponent. "Did you.. take control of his mind just so he could get in our way again?"
"Vitruvic was converted at this very location, so he was already under our control. And none of his other faculties will be necessary for the moment." Mr Shintaro callously explained as he turned to his incredulous daughter. "So you're literally picking and choosing what parts you like continuously? You're... unbelievable." Nakana did not fail to notice that they had deliberately not sent anyone after her. "You would not be like that, Nakana. You deserve better." Her father assured her, with the same tone that he used to justify absolute mind control. "I do not believe you! I do not believe IT. That things just wants to make everyone the same! Tycho was right, there is only one thing that might knock some sense into you!" In the end Nakana could not let anyone else have this duel anyway. "It would seem you still have not learned your lesson." Her mother sighed very slowly and approached the girl with her own dueldisk. "This will be the last time we shall teach you."
Shintaro's LP: 8000 Nakana's LP: 8000
-TURN 01-
The mother began and showed her level of commitment by activating her continuous skill card right away. It took the Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits spell from the deck and activated it on the field.
Continuum Force, Continuous Skill
Once per turn during your main phase, if you do not control a card activated by this skill card: you can activate 1 Continuous Spell or Trap card from your deck.
Her mother added and normal summoned the Ancient Warrior knight Masterful Sun Mou (4/1800/1500) [Zone 5]. Then she activated one more more Ancient Warrior Saga from her hand: Borrowing of Arrows. "Visitors never come one at a time. When I summon an 'Ancient Warrior', this spell shall add one such warrior with a different name from my deck to my hand." She drew the Eccentric Lu Jing. "And Masterful Sun Mou can send your spell to the graveyard to get another Ancient Warriors monster from your deck. I remember.. Mother." Nakana scoffed. "There is so much you still do not know." Her mother chided her right back as the Masterful warrior destroyed the Three Visits spell to add the Ancient Warriors Valiant Zhang De to her hand. "For instance, if the Three Visits are sent to the graveyard, I can special summon one Ancient Warrior from my hand." Another warrior of the water element 'visited' the field: the Lu Jing(4/700/2000) [Zone 1] with his dark hair, mustache and blue plated robes. "I do not care about your cards! I care about you! I want to talk about you, with you! With you both!"
"There is no need to be this loud, Nakana. Nothing will come of it." Her father scolded her while he mother ignored the outburst to special summon the green armored general Valiant Zhang De(7/2700/900) [Zone 3] from her hand, which she could do when she controlled two Ancient Warriors or more. "Lu Jing sends one continuous spell to my graveyard, to return one other Ancient Warriors-spell or trap card to my hand." The Eccentric warrior opened up a long scroll which absorbed the card of the Borrowing Arrows. With a slight gesture of his hand he then recreated the Three Visits spell card and rolled the scroll back up. "Since the Borrowing Arrows have been sent to the graveyard while two attributed Ancient Warriors exist on my field, I can set one Ancient Warriors trap card from my deck." She chose to set a trap: Ancient Warriors Saga - Defense of Changban from her deck. "Hmm. She still appears to be defiant." The mother said as if her daughter herself was not worth talking to. "You made it too easy for the last time." Her father shared this cold indifference.
"We wont be like that, this time. She will see how incomplete she is." Mrs. Shintaro placed two cards from her hand face-down in the spell/trap zone, reactivated the Saga of Three Visits... and performed a link summon. "The materials are two Beast Warriors including an Ancient Warriors of the Wind attribute." All the Ancient Warriors were a part of the beastwarrior archetype, and Zhang De was also a WIND monster. It and Eccentric Lu Jing disappeared into the circuit and created a monster that seemed to personify Nakana's current opponents. The Double Dragon Lords were a crowned emperor and crowned empress in one card(1100/LINK 2) {Downleft/Downright} [Extra Zone 1], the stern husband wearing green/red/blue dragon armor and the smirking wife armored robes of those same colors. Their(1600 atk) first effect added 500 ATK and DEF to all Ancient Warriors like Sun Mou(2300/2000). Their second effect added an Ancient Warriors-card (Ingenious Zhuge Kong) from the deck to their hand. "When this card is added to my hand, I can special summon it." The final visitor of this turn was a wind-warrior in green armor and white robes: a defending Zhuge Kong(4/1500/2500) [Zone 3] "This should be enough for a beginning."
-TURN 02-
"You will not turn this into another lesson, mother. We are fighting for your life!" Nakana shouted angrily as she activated the handtrap Infinite Impermanence. "I negate the effects of Zhuge Kong!" She would not play by their rules anymore. "You are too dramatic, too unstable. You cannot even see the flaws in your own actions." Yet Zhuge Kong could negate one effect each turn by sending one continuous spell to the graveyard. The Ingenious warrior struck the Three Visits spell with his fan to shatter it and to blow Infinite Impermanence away. This then allowed Mrs. Shintaro to reactivate that spell and special summon another Ancient Warriors card from her hand, the Virtuous Liu Xian(4/1900/1700) [Zone 1], in defense mode. "Nakana! Calm down already! You're letting them get into your head!" Bionis shouted.
"Focus on your own duel, Bionis. I am calm.. calm with rage. That does not mean my judgment has been impaired.. I was counting on them to stop me." The lady of the undead smirked. Now she could be certain that her mother had no handtraps left to spring on her. "When my opponent uses a monster effect in my turn, I can activate Triple Tactics Talent! As its name implies, I can activate one of three talents! The second of which takes control of one of your monsters, mother!" Himiko used the spell to brainwash the Double Dragon Lords. "..." If they were surprised, they did not show it. Nakana would make it hurt nonetheless. "I can see that this card can send one card to the graveyard to return another face-up card to the field! I will use the Dragon Lords themselves, to dismiss the Ancient Warrior Liu Xian!" The traitorous lords turned against their own Virtuous soldier, forcing him back into Shintaro's hand while they themselves perished because of the effort. "You should know what it feels like to be taken control of, mother.. father. Continuum did the same to you!"
"Are you done?" Her unimpressed Father scowled. "No. That was just my beginning! Now I activate That Grass is Greener!" Nakana fired back with the deck thinning spell. She discarded cards from her deck of 54 cards, until it matched her mother's deck of 31 cards. What they saw as the indecisiveness and indulgence of a desperate duelist, Nakana saw as a deliberate advantage. Among the cards sent way by the Green Grass spell were Mezuki, Glow-up Bloom, Gozuki, Shiranui Spectralword and the Mayakashi zombies Dakki and Tsukahagi. "When Glow-Up Bloom is sent to my graveyard, I can add a highlevel undead to my hand! When Gozuki is sent, I can banish one zombie monster from the grave to special summon one zombie from my hand!" She added the Jack-o-Bolan zombie and banished the Shiranui Spectralword to summoned Shafu the Wheel-carriage transporting Mayakashi(3/1200/400) [Zone 3]. "You will see what it's like when I am really fighting, father!" With its effect, she could special summon one Mayakashi from her graveyard. She could choose several..
"What is gone should stay gone, Nakana. The right of ressurection belongs with Continuum." But she would not be able to choose Dakki. "!" As Mrs Shintaro flipped her spell, Called by the Grave, to banish Dakki from the graveyard and to negate that card's effects for the rest of the turn. "We've seen enough of your tricks, Nakana. Without that tuner, your cycle of Mayakashis cannot begin or end." Mrs. Shintaro also activated her second trap card: Ancient Warriors Saga - Chivalrous Path. Once per turn, if the opponent special summoned a monster, the saga trap would create an Ancient Warriors token(1/500/500) [Zone 2] in defense mode.
"Is that so?" Nakana shook her head. "Then it's a good thing that I wont need it!" Nakana had never planned to revive Dakki on this first loop anyway, Shafu resurrected the Tsukahagi the poisonous samurai Mayakashi(2/0/2000) [Zone 4] instead. "I can discard one zombie to special summon Jack-O-Bolan from my hand!" Blue flames broke out around Nakana, as she summoned the ghost of halloween. Jack-o-Bolan took the form of a one-eyed pumpkin(7/1500/2200) [Zone 3] with demonic wings and rotted roots that had mutated into claws and a skull-head. "I synchro summon! Yoko the Graceful Mayakashi! And link summon Yuki-Onna the Ice Mayakashi!" The jack-o-lantern tuned with Tsukahagi, to skip the early phases of the Mayakashi cycle and immediately create the nine-tailed fox spirit Yoko(9/2900/2400) [Extra Zone 2]. The two Mayakashi, Yoko and Shafu, then turned into link materials for the frozen ghost mistress Yuki-Onna(1900/LINK 2) {Downleft/Downright}. Finally she banished Mezuki from her graveyard to special summon one zombie, Jack-O-Bolan [Zone 3] back in attack mode. "What is the point in all of this?" Her parents seemed genuinely confused.
"I am getting to it." The daughter smiled and normal summoned a brown-haired woman(4/1500/0) [Zone 1] wearing red lantern trousers and a pink sleeveless kimono. "The Shiranui.." For once, she caught them with an unexpected development. "Yes, mother. Shiranui Squire to be exact. Her effect special summons another Shiranui, a Spectralsword, from my deck." The squire called out her samurai spirit master: Shiranui Spectral Sword Shade(3/800/0) [Zone 2]. "These were not in your deck before." Her father stated. "No they were not. But I have learned to adapt to this new world you seek on my own! I knew I would have to be unpredictable to escape your preparations for me! Even if you likely already know what these cards can do!" Nakana could tribute Spectralsword Shade to resummon two of her banished zombies this turn. She split the shadow Shiranui up into two tuners: one-eyed corpse flower Glow-Up Bloom(1/0/0) [Zone 2] and the original Shiranui Spectralsword(2/800/0) [Zone 4]. "I synchro summon Shiranui Swordsaga!"
Now she could release a whole new clan of zombies from the extra deck. The Squire tuned with the Glow-Up Bloom and turned into an older male swordsman(5/1900/0) [Zone 5] in a white gi. "Swordsaga switches one monsters position!" The Shiranui raised his sword af if to taunt his enemies. The effect managed to work on Ingenious Zhuge Kong, who switched to attack mode. "Then I synchro summon Shiranui Squiresaga!" The Spectralsword tuned with the Swordsaga to open a new chapter of the Shiranui tale. Squiresaga(7/2100/0) [Zone 5] resembled the brownhaired Squire again, only now the spirit of the Spectralsword lingered in her drawn sword. "She banishes one monster in my graveyard, and if it is a Fire Zombie Synchro monster I can destroy one monster card and one spell card you control! And all my monsters gain three hundred attackpoints!" SwordSaga gave his spirit up to pass on permanently, and his lingering will turned into a flame of destruction that burned the Ancient Warrior Sun Mou and the Changban Defense trap card away while it empowered the Squire(2400), Jack-Bolan(1800/2200) and Yuki-Onna(2200 atk). A banished Swordsaga would also leave one Shiranui token behind, which assumed the form of a spectral sword wraith(1/0/0) [Zone 2].
"Because of you I started out cold, but now I feel as if I am burning all the time. "And you will get to share that feeling, mother! Link summon! Shiranui Skillsaga Supremacy!" The materials were any two zombie monsters, no matter how cold or hot. Himiko took Yuki-Onna and the Shiranui Token and turned them into longhaired fire priestess(2300/LINK 3) {Up/Left/Down} [Extra Zone 2] wearing a purple kimono with long bright red sleeves. "Let me explain her powers in terms you cannot misunderstand! Skillsaga makes my fire monsters unaffected by death in battle and my synchro monsters immune to all destructive effects! You will have to get your hands dirty, if you want to tame this fire!" Squiresaga drew her sword and sliced up the helpless Zhuge Kong. Jack-o-Bolan destroyed the Ancient Warrior token, and the Skillsaga attacked directly with a double-sided golden blade staff. With each hit Nakana made sure to remind herself that her mother was no longer human..
Shintaro's LP: 11300
But whatever satisfaction she might have gained from her attacks were immediately swept aside by the sudden rise of both players lifepoints. "What?" And it did not go up because of any effect, the damage she inflicted still happened. "Did you think you would be punished by just your mother, Nakana?" They went up because another player had entered the duel and turned this into a two-on-one match. "You are still so naïve. There are no rules but the ones we make." He shared his field with his wife, and would get the very next turn because of it. "And here I thought you did not have it in you. You always let mother handle discipline." Nakana snapped back. Though she understood how dire her situation became because of this. All of her cards had been spent on her attack, leaving little to nothing to defense. Khan, Tycho and Olympia would not be able to help her with this. "I end my turn.." At this rate none of them would be able to get near Continuum either.
-TURN 03-
"We just do not understand why you would be so antagonistic, Nakana. We are giving you the world.. and you continue to throw yout gifts away. That ends today.. I activate Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak." For his turn, Mr. Shintaro would be taking his family to a more open location. The Fire Formation field spell transformed the halls of government into the peak of a forested mountain with the duelists standing on a path wall that led into a royal chinese stronghold. "Each time a Fire Fist monster is summoned, this field spell gains one counter." Shintaro explained with his static voice, and used his wife's continuous skill to activate Fire Formation Tenki and add a beastwarrior from his deck to his hand. That card was Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant, a martial fighter(4/1000/1800) [Zone 1] in a black suit and gold-white armor. "Fire Fists?" Tycho grunted and wondered if he was trying to mock his daughter's speech about her burning resolve. Then again these people likely did not even remember what insults sounded like, and these purely FIRE beastwarriors worked well alongside the FIRE, WIND and WATER Ancient Warriors.
"Fire Fist Elephant sends one Fire Formation card to the graveyard, to summon one Fire Fist monster from my hand. Then Elephant sends one Fire Formation card in my graveyard card to my deck, to add a level five or higher Fire Fist monster to my hand." The grey-haired Elephant warrior sent the Tenki spell on a long trip: first sacrificing it to special summon another member of his brotherhood. That turned out to be Ram: a more magically empowered Fire Fist member(3/800/200) [Zone 3] with dark hair and a golden headband. After that the Fire Formation Tenki spell got shuffled into the deck so that Shintaro could claim a ritual monster of the Brotherhood: Fire Fist - Eland. "Then the special summoned Ram can set one Fire Formation spell from my deck." The second warrior sent a streak of purple flames into the deck and burned a spot open for a new spell: Fire Formation Domei. "I do believe these cards were once considered to be outdated. But thanks to the right companies, they too have adapted to the future..."
"Why are you telling me this now?" Nakana hissed. "Because these monsters were designed by Continuum. Including that very same monster whose marker I shall now use. You owe what power you believe you have to him, so we are taking it back." Her father said as he threw both Ram and Elephant, two Fire Fist link materials, into a burning link circuit and link summoned the Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Peacock. She was a dark and red-dressed woman(1000/LINK 2) {Up/Left} [Zone 4] with twintailed black hair and a segmented metal whip. "It created link monsters? Why? Because it did not like the other methods? Well here is what i think about its creation!" Nakana yelled as she activated one of her monster's effects. "I can banish Jack-o-Bolan for one turn to revive one of my zombies! I choose Yoko!" The halloween spirit disappeared into the next dimension and raised the Nine-tailed Mayakashi spirit[Zone 3] instead. "And I destroy your link monster!" The reborn Yoko could kill any one monster with the fires of the beyond, and in this case they cremated the Peacock warrior.
"The other methods were too chaotic, too restrictive. Link monsters can take any and all forms of matter. Of course, the companies that Continuum fed this idea to eventually turned it into a new form of chaos." The mother scoffed while her Chivalrous Path trap card reactivated to place another Ancient Warriors-token(1/500/500) [Zone 3] on their shared field. "But power is still power." Besides link monsters, the Brotherhood owned members for each side of the summoning spectrum. Losing this one card hardly mattered. "I activate my spell, Fire Formation Domei. And when a Fire Formation card is activated, I can special summon the Fire Fist Panda from my hand as well." Her father's set spell flipped up to initiate a quasi-ritual. First a mustache-sporting brotherhood warrior(5/2100/400) [Zone 1] in golden/red armor materialized on the field and activated his powers to resurrect his brother in battle: Fire Fist Elephant[Zone 2]. Then the Formation of Domei took the Panda and the Ancient Warriors token as sacrifices for a level 6 ritual monster. "I ritual summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland."
Eland(6/2400/2000) [Zone 1] was the archer specialist of the Brotherhood: a darkhaired woman in gold and dark-green armor. "Then, we shall also fusion summon Brotherhood of the Fist - Swan." By now the Fire Fortress (6 counters) had seen six summons of Fire Fist monsters. Mr Shintaro removed all six of its counters to pay for the field spell's second effect and add another Fire Fist beastwarrior (Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon) to his hand. "With the spell of Fire Formation Ingen." Yet another continuous spell began to burn brightly. The flame of Ingen fused Fire Fist Dragon warrior with Fire Fist Elephant in order to create Fire Fist Swan(8/2600/2200) [Zone 4]. He was the lancer of the brotherhood, a bearded warrior in black armor and a swan-white coat. "When my fusion monster is summoned, the opponent takes 200 points of damage for each Fire Formation spell on the field." Swan gave a shout and pointed his spear at Nakana to direct the three flames of Ingen, Domei and Liang Peak towards her. "Your opponent? I am your daughter!" The effect damage barely hurt her. The words her father said felt far more painful.
Nakana's LP: 15400
"We know. That is why we are doing this. This is for your own good." He claimed as he entered the battle phase. "When Swan attacks, I can tribute one Fire Formation spell to destroy one card you control." Her synchros were immune to destruction, but her link monsters were not. The Swan warrior absorbed the flame of Domei and set them out against Shiranui Skillsaga Supremacy. "Tch! You wont stop her from effect!" The Skillsaga could special summon one banished zombie during the opponents main phase, which would have helped if Nakana could bring back the position-changing Shiranui Swordsaga. "You are focusing on the wrong card, Nakana. Eland can negate one monster's effect by tributing one Fire Formation spell." But the ritual monster worked too well in conjunction with the fusion monster. Eland repurposed the flame of Ingen to block the Skillsaga's abilities and trap her in a fiery prison. Soon afterwards the Swan finished the Shiranui off with its own effect, and killed Shiranui Squiresaga with its attack. "No.." Nakana was beginning to lose control of the situation.
Nakana's LP: 15200
"When Fire Formation Ingen is sent to the graveyard, one Fire Fist monster returns to my hand. When Fire Formation Domei is sent to the graveyard, one Fire Fist monster returns to the field." The field only improved for Mr. Shintaro. He redrew his Fire Formation Panda monster and revived the Fire Fist Peacock [Zone 5] just in time for her own attack. "Now, when Fire First Peacock attacks, I can send my Fire Formation spell to the graveyard to make one of yours monsters link to her and become mine. But it cannot attack this turn." The Peacock girl removed Liang Peak, though the illusion of the forested mountain remained. Even so, her father gained control of Mayakashi Yoko [Zone 4], leaving Nakana wide open for two direct attacks. "Remember. What you are about feel is because of your own actions." He did not hesitate for a second. The Fire Fist Peacock lashed his daughter in the side with her segmented whip sword... "Haaa!"' ...and the Fire Fist Eland released a golden arrow straight at her.
Team Nakana's LP: 11600
And it found its way into Zanbatou's chest. "!? Zan?" Nakana's eyes went wide with shock as her former friend stepped in between her and her father to take the hit with a warm smile. "What...are you doing?" This action managed to break Mr. Shintaro's composure for a fraction of a second as well. It appeared that neither he nor his wife had expected this to happen. "I am doing what I must sir..." The stoic bodyguard replied. He was a part of Nakana's team now and because of that he could take any damage intended for her because of their shared lifepoints. "I apologize for being this late, my lady." But now, now he could fight with her...even if it meant fighting against them.
...
In other parts of the world, where happier reunions between parents and offspring were more likely to occur, Charles Adami found himself wishing to find that same fortune. He knew it was a risk to visit his mother and father, but it did not feel right to leave them in the dark either. Blanche took them to a place where Static would not randomly come across them: booking a stay for them at one of the many hotels she once visited. His parents were not picky, but they of course did not understand why all of this had to happen. They deserved to be told. With Vigionaire's filters he could keep Static from fooling him a second time, and he used the cover of stealth to move through the area unseen. Even so he could not shake the feeling that he was being watched. Just a few minutes ago, he'd been overwhelmed with anger at Static. But as always his anger did not last, not when his fears kept accumulating. They were supposed to keep in touch at all times, but neither he nor Therese heard anything from them. He should have stayed with them! Why did he leave them alone, just so he could settle his war with Static?
"Mom! Dad?" Charles teleported into the room, hoping for the best. "Oh." Fortunately he did not scare the living daylights out of them this time. Because they were not awake. "Oh thank god." They were still there, only that mattered. Arthur slept in a chair while Gwen stayed on the bed. They must have been tired, what timezone were they in anyway? "Oh hey" Their puppy was with them too, sitting at the side of the bed. "I kinda forgot about you.. ehrm.. dog." He realized he'd never asked the pet's name and sighed. He would get a chance to catch up properly one day, when all this madness would be behind them. Though things would never be the same. "Their home.. Our home." So much was lost already. "Your home too I guess. Eheh." Charles sat down and tried to pet the dog.
He was whimpering. "What? What's wrong?" He flinched and got back up and looked at his mother and father. "Gwen? Mom?" He tried to wake her up gently... Then he shook her a little rougher. Then he shook his father roughly as well. Nothing happened. "No." They were not waking up, they were not just asleep. "NO!"
(To Be Continued in World 093: The Theseus Family Paradox)
New Cards used by Yoro-Himiko/Nakana Shintaro
Jack-o-Bolan
Shiranui Squire
Shiranui Spectralsword Shade
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Shiranui Swordsaga
Shiranui Squiresaga
Shiranui Skillsaga Supremacy
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Triple Tactics Talent
New Cards used by Mrs Shintaro
CONTINUUM FORCE
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Ancient Warriors - Eccentric Lu Jing
Ancient Warriors - Ingenious Zhuge Kong
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Ancient Warriors Oath - Double Dragon Lords
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Ancient Warriors Saga - Three Visits
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Ancient Warriors Saga - Defense of Changban
Ancient Warriors Saga - Chivalrous Path
Cards used by Mr Shintaro
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Ram
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Panda
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eland
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Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Peacock
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan
Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Eagle
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Fire Fortress Atop Liang Peak
Fire Formation - Tenki
Fire Formation - Domei
Fire Formation - Ingen