Hey there, Gusto here, and I'm opening this up with a question. You ever just NEED something and not know until you either do and/or receive it?
Well, apparently that was me for writing YGO fics, because once I started writing this, I was unable to stop until I got the chapter done. And so, I think I'm going to revive this old project from back in my earliest days of fanfic writing and see where it goes. It originally didn't get very far, but now I wanna try it again, and I wanna see if I can make it really solid and get people interested.
But before I do, I'd like to establish some ground rules:
1.) I have not PLAYED the actual Yu-Gi-Oh card game since around the beginning of the Link Era, despite still considering myself a fan of YGO. Because of this, I'll mostly be using stuff from the Eras I know (Synchro/Xyz/Pendulum Era), and you'll have to forgive me if I miss any sick new cards from the late Link/whatever the hell the Era is called.
2.) This story is technically a crossover, but not in the traditional sense. I'm only posting it over in the regular archive because I have NO idea what the hell I'm even crossing over yet, and most of the crossover elements are going to be heavily lampshaded. If you have a problem with that, well, all I can do is hope you'll approach this project with an open mind.
3.) I'm going to be doing something weird with a little back and forth between two characters, and I'll be trying to balance it out. I like to think I'm a decent writer, so hopefully it works out well.
Anyway, my long-winded opening aside, I hope you like what I've got here, and I'll try to update as I can.
Welcome to 'Yu-Gi-Oh! Crossroads'!
The grey clouds overhead signaled rain for a small town near the coast, as people walked or drove to return home before the downpour started. With an environment like this, most were heading away from the waters. Yet among those wandering these streets, one headed toward them.
She was a young woman, no older than 18, her long blonde hair flowing all over the place as the wind blew past. Scanning her surroundings with deep blue eyes, the woman found herself focused on the piers, which her feet only continued toward.
Her focus would prove a negative, however, as she heard an angered shout.
"What was that for, asshole!?"
Looking over, she stopped directly on the source of the voice, a disgruntled man in his early 20s, with a massive strawberry flavored stain across his… everything. It didn't take a genius for her to figure out that was on her.
"Oh my," she bowed respectfully. "I'm so sorry about that. I've-"
"Sorry ain't gonna get the stain out," the man interrupted her. "Why the hell are you wandering aimlessly like that anyway!?"
"I was… thinking about someone. I deeply apologize for ruining your drink and your shirt."
The man scoffed, before his eyes fell onto the small device holstered on her side. The ever so slightly malicious grin forming on his face was not lost on the woman.
"You a Duelist?" He asked.
"I'm a little rusty, but yes," she told him, trying to downplay her own skills. She really didn't feel like getting into a battle right now…
"Well, if you wanna make it up to me, how about you Duel me? I could use an easy win to blow off some steam."
Internally, she cringed, but externally, she tried to keep a cool demeanor. 'Okay Becky, this isn't good,' she mused in her mind. 'But I suppose I did spill his drink, and his request isn't too unreasonable…'
Slowly, Becky nodded. "Very well, I accept your challenge."
"Alright then. We'll duel right on that pier."
After a minute or two, they both stood across from one another, feet planted firmly upon the wooden boards that made the pier. The man activated his Duel Disk, the blade charging up with energy, giving Becky a look at his high-end model. She then equipped her own, the classic model's blade halves slamming together to form her field.
"So then, to whom do I owe the honor?" Becky asked.
"Name's Jack Grey. You?"
"Rebecca Mizuhara."
And with introductions out of the way, the two challengers drew their cards, and the competition was on.
DUEL!
Jack Grey (4000 LP)
Vs
Rebecca Mizuhara (4000 LP)
The coin toss did not go in Becky's favor, but she did not mind that. She was used to an era where going second actually had its own advantages. And her deck reflected that, as her opponent would soon learn.
[Turn 1, Jack Grey]
"My move!" He declared, looking at his 5 cards, and grinned. "First, I'll Normal Summon Beast King Barbaros!"
From his side of the field, a massive chimeric monstrosity appeared, pointing its lance threateningly toward Becky.
(1900/1200)
"When Normal Summoned without a Tribute, Barbaros' original Attack becomes 1900," Jack explained, holding up 3 cards. "But that should be fine for now. I set three cards and end my turn."
[Turn End, Hand: 1]
[Turn 2, Rebecca, Hand: 5]
With that, Becky was quick to draw her card, eager to see this to the end as fast as possible. And looking over the 6 cards in her hand, she saw an easy way to do that.
"First and foremost," she said, "I will activate Unexpected Dai! With this, I can special summon a Level 4 Normal Monster straight from my deck as long as I have no monsters! So, I summon Crowned by the World Chalice!"
On Becky's side of the field, a small humanoid monster appeared, her blue hair flowing behind her and a strangely shaped staff in hand.
(0/2100)
"Up next, I activate Inferno Reckless Summon! With the conditions now met, I'm allowed to summon 2 more copies of my World Chalice monster, at the cost of letting you summon all the copies of Beast King Barbaros from your hand, deck, or graveyard!"
In an instant, two more copies of 'Crowned of the World Chalice' appeared on Becky's field, while Jack's was overrun as two more Beast Kings appeared with a mighty roar.
"And you're being so helpful… because why?" Jack asked.
"Because I haven't used up my Normal Summon yet," Becky explained, revealing a card to her opponent. "But before that, by revealing this monster in my hand, I can copy stats and the effects of a monster on the field with the same Level. I choose to copy your Level 8 Beast King Barbaros!"
Jack watched as a horrific green glow overtook his monster and seemed to gravitate right back into the card in her hand. A card he'd never seen before, but that he did not like look of…
"Now, I tribute 3 monsters, to summon Orichalcos Crystal!"
And with the command given, three small Spellcasters vanished from the field, their energies pooling into a strange symbol that appeared on the ground. From the symbol, a bright burst of light summoned forth the monster, a single large stone.
A sickeningly bright light came from the stone, as it burst forward and took shape. A mass of hard light materialized, forming 4 large legs, two arms, a head, various armor pieces, and a massive lance. Before they knew it, the Orichalcos Crystal has taken the form of Beast King Barbaros.
(3000/1200)
"With the effect of Beast King Barbaros copied, when Orichalcos Crystal is Tribute Summoned by using 3 Tributes, I can destroy every card on your field!"
Jack gulped, looking over his face-downs as he remembered his cards. He'd laid down a 'Mirror Force', a 'Rising Energy', and a 'Call of the Haunted', none of which would be that useful to stop that effect. All he could do was watch as this strange stone used his monster's stolen ability. With a mighty roar that could be heard from the other side of the town, all three of his real Beasts were shattered, and so to were his Trap Cards, the destroyed pieces being thrown away onto the wind before dissipating completely.
"And lastly," Becky said, revealing one last spell card from her hand. "I activate Monster Reborn, allowing me to Special Summon one of your Beast Kings to my side of the Field!"
"What!?" Jack asked incredulously, watching in abject horror and sadness as his Ace Monster joined his opponent's side of the field.
"And now, I attack you directly with both Orichalcos Crystal and Beast King Barbaros."
Looking to the last card in his hand, Jack felt a sense of horrified resignation, as he realized he did not have an answer. All he had was a playmaker he'd had plans for next turn, but now he was not going to get that chance.
And before he knew it, both lances struck him, and his life points hit Zero.
[Duel Over, Victory: Rebecca Mizuhara]
With the duel over, Becky headed over, and offered Jack a hand up. Reluctantly, the man accepted it, before Becky returned to him his Beast King Barbaros card.
"Jeez," Jack said. "Here I was expecting an easy win for me, but you made me look like a chump."
"I hope it was fun for you, at least," Becky offered. "And again… apologies about your shirt."
"Eh whatever, I guess I needed to do laundry anyway. Man, if that's you when you're rusty, I'd hate to see you at your best…"
To this, Becky hung her head down. 'You and me both. I barely know this deck, and yet I was able to pull that off. And that monster…'
"Well anyway, I'm getting out of here before the rain catches me," Jack said, pulling her out of her thoughts. "You should do the same."
And before she could get a word in edgewise, Jack Grey was gone, leaving her back to what she was thinking. She didn't even get to ask him if he had seen either of them…
A heavy sigh escaped Becky's lips. "Dammit. I can't be wasting time like this. I have to find out where they are."
Walking to the edge of the pier, she saw an island in the distance with a massive structure facing the side she could see. It almost reminded her of Duel Academy from GX, and that fact only depressed her more. It reminded her she was an outsider…
Another heavy sigh. "Hikaru, Wes, where are you?"
The dueling arena was alive, and the crowds were excited, as the Professor waited eagerly for his next opponent. Worn over his Obelisk Blue blazer was the Duel Vest commonly accompanying high ranking members of Crossroads Academy – a title which fit him to a T. He was Professor Atlas de Medici, and today, his smile would not leave his face.
'I love this time of year,' he thought to himself, running a hand through his long brown hair. 'New students, new cards, new strategies to test out, the Chancellor FINALLY agreed to let me test students with my personal Deck. And to top it all off, I recently got my hands on a pretty rare card! Hopefully for this final Duel, I'll get the chance to show it off. Speaking of which… I wonder where he is. A Mr… Mizuhara, was it?'
As if hearing his question, the whir of the door opening answered him. In stepped the final applicant of this year's Duel Tests. In walked a young boy, no older than 15 and no taller than 5'3, with jet black hair, fairish skin, dressed in a turquoise hoodie and black jeans. At first, he didn't look to intimidating, but the moment his blue eyes met Atlas' red, he knew there was something there…
"Welcome," the Professor said cordially. "I see you're the final aspiring student for the day."
"That's me, but before we start, I need to ask a question."
"Of course."
Mizuhara looked into his eyes and asked, "Tell me, has a boy named Hikaru Mizuhara or a woman named Rebecca Mizuhara come through here?"
For a second, Atlas thought on it. It had been a long day, and he'd had several Duels this hour alone. However, among those, this young man was the only one he could remember with the name 'Mizuhara'. So, he told the young man, and saw the disappointment in his eyes.
"Damn, they're not here either…"
"Family, I take it?" Atlas asked, having already considered the implications of that line.
"Yeah, twin brother and big sister," he explained. "Becky doesn't surprise me too much, but I figured this would be the first place Hikaru would come…"
The boy let out a sigh at this and shook his head. "Oh well, no use whining about it. Let's get this show on the road!"
"Very well then," Atlas charged up his Duel Vest, the blade in his hands. "I am Atlas de Medici, your opponent for today!"
In a flash, the boy activated his own Duel Disk, a classic model that slammed together perfectly, reminding Atlas of his own time back as a lad. He'd have to ask where he got his hands on such a find later.
"I'm Wes Mizuhara," he said, placing his deck into the machine. "And I accept your challenge!"
"DUEL!"
Atlas de Medici (4000 LP)
Vs
Wes Mizuhara (4000 LP)
The coin toss was done, and in the end, Wes was given the first move.
[Turn 1: Wes]
Looking over the 5 cards in his hand, he already had a couple of strategies come to mind, but that stopped the moment he saw one particular Spell Card. One card that made his blood run cold...
'… No,' He told himself, shaking off the weird feeling. 'Not gonna happen. You can just sit there and be discard fodder. The rest of these though…'
"I'll Normal Summon my Blue Dragon Summoner!"
In a flash, Wes' first monster appeared on the field, a blue-robed mage with the silhouette of another monster behind her.
(1500/600)
"Next, I'll set a card face-down and end my turn."
[Turn End, Hand: 3]
[Turn 2, Atlas, Hand: 5]
The Duel Vest dispensed Atlas' card, and a grin crept onto his face upon seeing what it was. "You're going to love this, matey," the Professor told his opponent, getting a bit into character. "I activate my Polymerization! With this, I fuse my Depth-Dwelling Archfiend and my Summoned Skull!"
As soon as the Spell Card was placed upon the board, both Summoned Skull, the monster Wes recognized, and a strange demon bearing some bioluminescent bulbs across its body, which Wes did not recognize.
"Great Demon who commands the seven seas! Descend on this battlefield and rain down hell on those who oppose your power!
Fusion Summon!
Appear! Level 8! Seafaring Archfiend!"
(3000/1200)
From the bright light of fusion came Atlas' newest monster, a rare card released in the newest pack. And Wes was aware of that. He'd heard people talking about it, and when he saw it as the cover art for the packs, he immediately knew he wanted one… if for no other reason than it reminded him of Captain Kidd from P5R.
But that fact meant something didn't add up.
"Wait a second," Wes said aloud. "They got a new, not to mention rare card in an Exam Deck? Something doesn't add up."
Atlas laughed, not in a demeaning or taunting manner, but a genuine laugh. "Trust me, boy, this is not one of those impersonal setups. This is my personal deck."
Wes raised an eyebrow at that. "They let you do that?"
"It took a lot of convincing on my part, but they decided to give me a shot doing Dueling Exam with something other than the standard Exam Decks. It always seemed to me like a counterproductive test if your opponent's fighting with a handicap, don't you agree?"
Wes nodded, understanding the Professor's position. "Though I gotta say, I'm not looking forward to getting a beating from that thing…"
Atlas grinned. "Well beforehand, Seafaring Archfiend's summon effect goes off. When he hits the field, we both draw a card, and if it's not a monster, we can keep it. If it is a monster however, we have to throw it overboard!"
And so, both Duelists drew their cards, and Wes watched as Atlas sent his to the Graveyard. Meanwhile, looking at his own sent a smile on his face. It was something he could use if he played his cards right.
"Now then! Keelhaul him, Seafaring Archfiend!"
Taking aim with his left arm, the Fiend monster attacked his opponent, unleashing an unholy cannonball with enough kickback to cause him to recoil. And all that force slammed right into Blue Dragon Summoner, leaving Wes only able to watch as the Spellcaster was torn through and sent straight to the Graveyard.
And yet despite that, Wes was not deterred.
"I activate Defense Draw!" Wes said, revealing his face down. "When a monster is destroyed, I take no battle damage, and I get to draw a card!"
Drawing from his deck, he saw the perfect card. A design began to form in his mind, and all it required was one more card. And with this, one more effect will make it perfect.
"And when Blue Dragon Summoner goes to the grave from the field, I can add a Dragon, Warrior, or Spellcaster Normal monster from my Deck to my hand! And the card I'm choosing… is Gaia, the Fierce Knight!"
To say Atlas was surprised would be an understatement. Gaia, in this day and age?
'There's something about this kid that I'm not entirely sure of,' he mused. 'His cards scream 'novice', but his confidence screams 'expert'. Yet his stance screams 'moderate'. Oh well… I suppose we'll just have to see which one screams loudest.'
"To end my turn, I set two cards in my backrow! Your move!"
[Turn End, Hand: 1]
[Turn 3, Wes, Hand: 6]
"I draw!"
Upon seeing his draw, Wes beamed. 'And the good news keeps coming! Man, my draws were never this good back home! But… if I play it properly, I think I can get over that Seafaring Archfiend of his!'
"I activate Monster Reborn, allowing me to summon my Blue Dragon Summoner from the grave!"
(1500/600)
"And then, because I did, I can activate Inferno Reckless Summon, allowing me to summon my other two copies from my Deck!"
(ATK: 1500 x 3)
"Since your Seafaring Archfiend is an Extra Deck monster, you can't special summon it with Inferno!"
"Indeed…" admitted Atlas, looking to the three monsters on the field. "Am I right to presume you won't be overlaying these 3 into an Xyz Monster?"
"You would be," answered Wes. "I'm going to instead tribute two of them to summon Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
From the sacrifice of two of the Summoners, a Knight riding a purple horse charged onto the field, one of his lances pointed right at Atlas.
(2300/2100)
"And just like before, when my summoners leave the field, I can add Normal Monsters from my deck to my hand! I'll add Alexandrite Dragon and Cosmo Queen! And next, I'll pitch Cosmo Queen to activate Twin Twisters!"
Atlas' blood ran cold at that, as two mighty tornados appeared on his field, blowing away his face downs, revealed to be Mirror Force and Dark Illusion right before their destruction.
"Hm…" Atlas smiled. "Your combo game is on point, despite your card choice being rather unconventional."
"I'm not done yet, because I still got one more spell to play! Advanced Ritual Art!"
The spell card burst onto the field, a ritual seal appearing before Wes' middle monster zone. On it, appeared a glorious dragon, body covered in crystals.
"By sacrificing an Alexandrite Dragon from my deck, I can use this to summon the Ritual Monster I've been saving!"
Hearing that resulted in a collective gasp from both the crowd, and from Professor Atlas himself. A Ritual Duelist was a rare sight, and Rituals in general weren't very often used for being… underwhelming, to put it mildly. So, suffice it to say, no one was expecting this. But Wes wouldn't let that bother him. He had the perfect Ritual Monster for the job.
"Great spear of thorns and divine blood of Lugh! Descend on the fields of war once again, guided by rage, by ruin, and by might!
Ritual Summon!
Level 4! Cú Chulainn the Awakened!"
A pillar of radiant energy burst forth from the seal, dissipating to reveal the lynchpin in Wes' strategy. A mighty Irish Demigod given the form of a Duel Monster, clad in heavy armor adorned with various patterns, and carrying a mighty spear, the Gáe Bulg.
(500/1000)
"Ah, a fan of mythology, I see," Atlas joked, having heard of this character before. "Well, I certainly hope the hound's bite is better than his bark."
It was barely noticeable, but both Duelists saw Cú Chulainn tense at that declaration. Not that Wes could blame him. He could barely hear the crowd, but there were a few jeers that he could make out. Some people laughing about how weak the monster was, some people questioning why he would waste a deck space on that thing, and some just badmouthing Ritual Summoning in general.
'Guess we'll just have to show them how wrong they are, Cú.'
With a great flourish, Wes took Cosmo Queen out of his Graveyard and revealed it to Professor Atlas.
"Cú Chulainn's special ability activates: Ríastrad! By banishing a Normal Monster from my grave, I can increase his Attack power by that monster's Attack!"
Using the energies of Cosmo Queen, Cú Chulainn's body is enveloped by light for a second, before bursting out of it in a more horrific state. His muscles were much larger, his body having shattered his armor from sheer size, his teeth have sharpened into fangs, and his eyes went glowing red in rage.
(Cú Chulainn's ATK: 500 + 2900 = 3400)
"This is what Rituals are capable of! Cú Chulainn, destroy Seafaring Archfiend!"
With speed unlike anything he'd ever seen, Atlas watched as Cú Chulainn ran Seafaring Archfiend through, and slammed him on the ground, dealing the first bit of damage in the match.
(Atlas' LP: 4000 – 400 = 3600)
"Next up, I direct attack with Gaia the Fierce Knight!"
Gaia's horse charges forward, and Atlas takes a lance right to the shoulder, the pain of the attack burning in his body, but did not knock him down.
(Atlas' LP: 3600 – 2300 = 1300)
With a heavy exhale, Atlas revealed the card in his hand.
"Upon taking damage, I can summon Gorz the Emissary of Darkness! And because it's battle damage, I can special summon an Emissary of Darkness Token to the field with the same attack as the damage I took!"
As soon as the card was laid unto the board, both the black and red-clad demons appear on the field. Gorz took his sword off his back and pointed it at Gaia threateningly.
(Gorz: 2700/2500)
(Token: 2300/2300)
"Rrrgh… I end my turn!"
[Turn End, Hand: 2]
[Turn 4, Atlas, Hand: 0]
"My turn then. Draw!" Looking to the card, Atlas nodded. "And from my hand, I activate the effect of Bloodlust Archfiend! When he's tributed, all Archfiends that attack this turn deal doubled Battle Damage!"
Wes gulped upon hearing that. Doubled Battle Damage did not sound good to him...
"Next, by banishing my Seafaring Archfiend, I can summon my Summoned Skull back from the grave!"
(2500/1200)
The crowd went wild as three high-powered fiends stared down Wes and his monsters. Unfortunately, that was not a sight that the young Duelist liked to see in any capacity. His eyes scanned his cards, searching for an easy out, but unfortunately such a thing didn't exist right now. He'd have to take this, and it was going to hurt…
"First, Gorz will attack your Fierce Knight!"
In a flash, the Emissary of Darkness cleaved through Gaia, along with his weapon and his horse, as though they were nothing more than a minor inconvenience.
(Wes' LP: 4000 – 400 = 3600)
"Next, I'll attack your Dragon Summoner with Summoned Skull! And due to the effect of Bloodlust Archfiend, you take doubled damage!"
Summoned Skull did as commanded, unleashing a stream of lightning that obliterated Wes' Blue Dragon Summoner, dealing an incredible amount of damage. Wes gritted his teeth as he felt his life decrease.
(Wes' LP: 3600 – 2000 = 1600)
"When Blue Dragon leaves the field, I can add a Normal Monster from my deck to my hand!"
Pulling out his deck once more, Wes looked over his choices, and was stumped. He was down to three, those being one remaining Alexandrite Dragon, one Dark Magician, and-
'Wait a minute… when did that get in there?'
Glancing over to the card near the top of his deck, shock filled Wes' system. It was a card he recognized, but not one he owned.
'Tri-Horned Dragon? Hikaru's card? Did I… forget to give it back to him when we put these decks together and dueled?'
Pulling the card out of his deck and looking into its eyes, he couldn't help but smile. Turns out today was a good day, even if he hadn't found a hint toward where Hikaru or Becky were. And right now, he needed a card like this to remind him.
"I'll add Tri-Horned Dragon to my hand!" He told Atlas, before shuffling his deck.
"Sounds good to me, matey," Atlas said with a smile. "I'll end my turn now."
[Turn End, Hand: 0]
[Turn 5, Wes, Hand: 3]
It was down to the wire now, and both Duelists knew it. Neither one would last another turn at this rate, and right now, it didn't look to good for Wes. But, as he reminded himself, he had more resources in his hand. All he needed was one good draw to turn this around…
"I draw!"
With a flourish befitting an anime protagonist, Wes drew what he presumed to be his final card. And to his surprise, it was something he could use.
(Cú Chulainn's ATK: 500)
"I activate Hand Destruction! By discarding two cards, I can draw 2 more! Normally, you'd be able to as well, but because you have no cards to discard, I get the benefits while you don't!"
Atlas chuckled. "Touche, Mr. Mizuhara."
The first card he pitched was the Spell Card that had been in his hand since the start of the duel. He was going to pitch Alexandrite Dragon initially, but then he saw something. For some reason, it seemed like Tri-Horned Dragon… nodded at him? Maybe it was a trick of the light, but he could have sworn he saw the dragon's head bob a little. Almost like it was saying 'Trust me, I'm the card you want.'
'I'm losing my goddamn mind today,' he told himself. 'But whatever. If nothing else, that gives me a strong monster for Cú's effect.'
And so, he pitched Tri-Horned Dragon to the Graveyard, and drew his two cards. Two incredibly powerful cards, one of which made him seriously glad about his choice.
"Sorry Professor, but I think it's time I end this!" Wes called out, revealing a Spell Card. "I activate Raigeki! With this, I destroy all monsters you control!"
"Afraid not, Wes! By banishing my Protector Archfiend from the Grave, I can protect my monsters from destruction and targeting by card effects for the rest of the turn!"
The burst of lightning was cut short by the appearance of a powerful demon wielding dual tower shields attached to his meaty arms. His silhouette split apart, and apparitions of him shielded the Fiends on Atlas' field.
"You'll have to try harder than that, Wes," taunted Atlas.
"You ain't seen nothing yet, Professor!" countered Wes. "You're only protected from card effects. That leaves me free to smash your Archfiends down with brute force! And to help me with that, I banish my Alexandrite Dragon and my Tri-Horned Dragon in the Graveyard, to special summon Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!"
From Wes' Duel Disk burst forth a mighty monster, clad in dark armor, wielding both a sword and shield, with a long ponytail flowing behind him. He looked over to Cú Chulainn the Awakened, and the two monsters shared a cordial smile.
(3000/2500)
"And last, but certainly not least, I activate Cú Chulainn's ability once again! By banishing Gaia the Fierce Knight, he gets a 2300-point boost!"
(500 + 2300 = 2800)
Wes pointed to the Emissary of Darkness Token on Atlas' side of the field. "700."
He then turned his focus to Gorz. "Plus 300 makes 1000."
And finally, he set his sights on Summoned Skull, and smirked. "And plus another 300 makes 1300. So unless that Depth-Dwelling Archfiend of yours is some kind of an 'Honest' for Fiend cards that activates from the grave, I think that's game over for you."
Atlas shook his head. "Afraid I've drained myself of resources by this point. But hey, I'm man enough to admit when I'm beat. The least I can do is watch my monsters go out fighting."
"Well then, let's settle this. BLS, Cú, you know what to do!"
The first to move was Black Luster Soldier, who cut through the Emissary of Darkness Token with minimal effort. Despite the monster trying to block the strike, she was too slow, and got split down the middle by the Chaos Blade.
The second in line was Gorz, the next monster to suffer his wrath. Despite being marginally tougher and wielding his sword well, the true Emissary of Darkness was taken down almost as easily. His sword seemed to bounce of Black Luster's shield, leaving an opening that left Gorz cleaved in two.
And finally, it came down to Summoned Skull. Cú Chulainn lunged forward at him with his spear, the Archfiend's lightning blast not fazing him in the slightest as he thrust the weapon through his bone armor, lifting him off the ground, and then slamming him right back into floor, completely destroying Atlas' last monster, and with it, the last of his life points.
[Duel Over, Victory: Wes Mizuhara]
Parts of the crowd went wild by this result, the cheers of the crowd filling Wes with a certain euphoria. He felt on top of the world right now, and if he could have, he would have hugged BLS and Cú Chulainn right then and there.
"Congratulations, Wes," Atlas said happily, powering off his Duel Vest. "I can safely say that's one of the funnest duels I've had all day. You're a daring opponent, all things considered."
"Hey, I live to please," Wes told him. "I'm just glad I won."
"Likewise. I think you're going to like it at Duel Academy. Trust me, you'll fit right in."
Something about the way Professor Atlas said that line sounded ominous to young Wes, but he was quick to shrug it off thanks to his mood. Right now, nothing would ruin it. He knew later on he'd be thinking on that, and no doubt his mind would wander back to Hikaru and Becky, as well as every other hang up he's had recently on top of those.
But for right now, he was simply going to bask in the afterglow of victory.
Depth-Dwelling Archfiend (WATER, Level 3, Fiend/Tuner/Effect, ATK: 1250/DEF: 500): When an "Archfiend" Monster is summoned to your side of the field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. If this card is in your GY, except the turn this card is sent to your GY: you can banish this card; add 1 "Archfiend" card from your deck or GY to your hand.
Seafaring Archfiend (DARK, Level 8, Fiend/Fusion/Effect, ATK: 3000/DEF: 1200): 1 "Archfiend" Monster + 1 WATER Monster. When this card is summoned: each player draws 1 card, and if it is a Monster Card, discard it. Cannot be targeted or destroyed by the effects of your opponent's Special Summoned Monsters. When this card is in the GY: you can banish this card; Special Summon 1 Monster used for the Fusion Summon of this card from your GY.
Protector Archfiend (DARK, Level 3, Fiend/Effect, ATK: 500/DEF: 1900): While this card is in the GY: you can banish this card; until the End Phase of your next turn, "Archfiend" monsters you control are unaffected by your opponent's card effects.