Chapter 4: Bad Blood
Lennox awoke to the light of the warm sun on his skin and the tuneful chirping of the birds. Ever since his first successful capture, Lennox had walked around with a spring in his step. He was in such a joyful mood most of the time, which pleased his friends and family. After getting ready, Lennox soon said his farewells to his father and had set off for school. As he locked the door, he took in a deep breath of fresh air.
"Ah" he began. "Nothing like a load of fresh air to begin the day."
"You've been rather cheerful lately master," Dawn Sword said as he materialised beside Lennox.
"How can I not?" Replied Lennox. "Ever since I got that Number, everything seems to be going my way."
"Yes. Well, let us hope that everything stays your way if you are to gather more Numbers" Dawn Sword said.
"That's right. I still don't particularly trust Yuma. I mean, I know he's my friend, but for him to beat Shark and have three Numbers does ring some alarm bells" Lennox explained.
"I see" Dawn Sword simply answered.
They soon were walking down a road that was full of traffic. It was still rush hour, and with drainage works happening near his house, Lennox had to find alternate routes to take to school. One such route leads down a very busy road. Depending on one's luck, it could be easy or difficult to get through. Today it wasn't particularly bad. The only problem people would have would be the traffic on the road. After a while of silence, Dawn Sword spoke up again.
"Ever since his capture, 52 has been awfully quiet," he said.
"You mean you're not the only sentient Number?" Lennox asked. Dawn Sword nodded.
"Yes. All us Numbers are sentient. Whether we choose to communicate with our hosts is completely up to us. Though in our case, you are not my host, rather my master" Dawn Sword told him.
"I see," Lennox said thoughtfully.
After some thinking, Lennox spoke again.
"I always thought that a Number could only be sentient if the holder wishes them to be," Lennox said.
"No. That is completely false" Dawn Sword informed him. Lennox didn't reply as he focused on getting to school. As he entered the park where he always went through, a thought struck him.
"What would happen if a blank Number came into contact with a Number holder?" Lennox asked. the question came as a surprise to Dawn Sword. He thought for a bit before answering.
"I'm not actually sure," he said. The two soon reached the crossroads and found they were the first ones there.
"Wow, I guess we got here early," Lennox said to himself.
"Not as early as me."
Lennox whirled around at the voice to see a boy with messy brown hair and sharp light green eyes. He wore the Heartland Academy second year uniform. Lennox face lit up like a lamp when he recognised the familiar stranger.
"Well, I'll be damned! Kyoya!" He exclaimed. Kyoya smiled as he walked up to Lennox and placed him in a headlock before giving him a noogie. Lennox laughed as tried to escape Kyoya's grip while Dawn Sword watched with interest. Lennox managed to unwrap Kyoya's arm from around his neck. Kyoya then grabbed Lennox wrist as Lennox was still holding his arm and swiftly spun Lennox around, putting him into an armlock.
"You give?" He asked casually.
"Yes!" Cried, Lennox. Kyoya released Lennox from his grip and the two then fist bumped each other.
"Man, I thought I'd never see you until halfway through the school year!" Exclaimed Lennox.
"Yeah, well, my dad managed to sort things out with mum and I moved here to stay with him while she's deployed overseas" Kyoya explained. It was a difficult life for Kyoya. His mother worked in the military and he would constantly move back and forth from Heartland to Yokohama as his mother was based in Yokohama and he lived in Heartland. Whenever his mother left, he would move up to Heartland to stay with his dad and then return to Yokohama to reunite with his mum. His mother couldn't go to Heartland as it was a long trip and she needed to stay near Yokohama if she was called to action. His mother had recently been deployed overseas and now Kyoya had a chance to return to Heartland.
"She said that I need to stay here until I finish this school year and then it's back to Yokohama" Kyoya explained.
"That's great," said Lennox. "We'll be able to do loads of catching up."
"Cool. So who we waiting on now?" Kyoya asked.
"Basically everyone else," Lennox told him.
"Lennox!" A voice cried out. Both teens turned towards to park to see Ruby running towards them.
"Hi, Lennox. Hi…" Ruby began as she reached them, but struggled to come up with a name.
"Ruby, you remember Kyoya right?" Lennox asked.
"You mean the guy who used to bully me in first grade and then got teased for eating glue? Yeah, I remember" she said. Kyoya chuckled.
"Nice to see you haven't changed," he said.
"And nice to see you haven't improved either" Ruby shot back. She then smiled.
"Really though, it's nice to see you again," she told him.
"Likewise" Kyoya replied.
Not long after, Yuma and his friends arrived. They were all pleased to see their old friend.
"It's so good that you're finally back!" Yuma exclaimed as the pair fist bumped.
"I know, I know. Geez, everyone keeps saying that" Kyoya said. He then looked around. "Where the heck is Shark? That asshole owes me a duel" Kyoya asked. Kyoya didn't really have anything against Shark. When the two hung out, there was usually lots of banter and name calling between the pair of them. But the two did it in a friendly way. Yuma looked away at the mention of Shark. Kyoya then gave concerned expression. "Yuma…what happened?" He asked. Yuma sighed.
"It's a long story. I'll tell you on the way" Yuma said as he began to walk off. The others soon followed.
The group had soon reached the school gates just as Yuma finished his story.
"And nobody at school has seen him since. It's like Shark just vanished like a ghost" Yuma finished. Lennox looked at him surprised.
"Wait, you didn't tell me he went missing," Lennox said. Yuma scratched the back of his head.
"Well, it only happened recently," Yuma told him. just then the first bell rung which signalled the students to head off the class.
"Class has started," Tetsuo said.
"Yeah, we'll catch up later," Kyoya said as he went to leave to head to the principal's office.
"See ya!" Lennox called as the group left Kyoya and headed to Professor Ukyo's classroom.
The day went by fast. It was both boring and entertaining as usual. Yuma had fallen over in the hallway while running for the cafeteria and had been chewed out by the Class Rep for his recklessness. That had been amusing to watch. Lennox had also taught Ruby a bit more about the game and she had stayed behind to witness Yuma's duel against Kyoya. Lennox was currently strolling around the streets of Heartland by himself. Ruby had called to ask if he wanted to go card shopping. It was about time for Ruby to get a deck of her own. This way, it would be much easier for her to be trained by Lennox rather than them using Lennox's bulk of cards he had stashed in his wardrobe. With her own deck, Ruby would be able to understand the game easier by understanding how her deck worked. Naturally, she wanted a Xyz oriented deck as they were all the rage these days. But she also wanted something that wasn't too flashy, just something that was her.
Lennox soon arrived at Ging's card shop. It had been a few days since the incident, the glass was and the door was fixed. As Lennox opened the door, he could see several kids in there, most of which were his age. It was a Thursday so several young duelists would come into Ging's shop to buy cards ready for any dueling events that took place on the weekend and Friday. As soon as Lennox stepped in Ging noticed him.
"Lennox! Nice to see you here!" Ging called out from behind the counter. A trio of boys younger than Lennox turned to see him walking up to the counter.
"Hi, Ging. Nice to see you up and running again" Lennox said.
"Yeah! I'm so glad they caught that guy. My money was returned and Heartland's company even paid for my shop to be fixed!" Ging explained happily.
"Wow, that's so good to hear" Lennox replied, thinking of his own encounter with Mr Heartland. "The usual?" Lennox then asked.
"The usual" Ging answered as he reached back and pulled out a booster pack. Lennox placed his money on the counter while the three boys watched the exchange. Lennox opened the pack and shuffled through the cards before sighing.
"Damn, none again. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to keep trying" Lennox said as he took out the cards he wanted to keep and pocketed them. He then held out the remaining cards to the three boys. "Do you want these?" Lennox asked them. "I have no room for them in my deck but I hate to see cards being wasted."
"Are you sure?" One of them finally asked.
"Of course. Just take them" Lennox replied. The boy was reluctant at first but then took the cards and began to look at them with his friends.
Ging smiled at the action that took place. He was happy there was a duelist such as Lennox that taught other duelists what the game was really about.
"Now listen here you three" Ging suddenly said to the boys. "That young man is one of the finest duelists you'll ever meet" Ging complimented. Lennox felt himself going red with embarrassment.
"Ging, stop it," he said sheepishly.
"He uses no Xyz monsters but can still give any Xyz user a run for his money" Ging continued.
The boy who Lennox gave the cards too stared at him in admiration.
"You really use no Xyz monsters?" He asked.
"Well I did have none before, but that's different now" Lennox explained as he reached into his extra deck box and pulled out the Xyz monster he got for Mr Heartland. Ging stared at the card before smiling.
"Well, it looks as it that wish of yours has finally been granted. You finally have a Xyz monster" he said.
"Yeah, it was given to me by someone" Lennox explained. He then turned to the boys. "So if you ever see me and want a duel, just ask," Lennox told them. The three boys nodded before Lennox turned back to Ging. "So, Ging? I need to ask you about a deck" Lennox said.
"What kind of deck?" Ging asked when the door was suddenly swung open with a loud crash.
The boy that stood in the doorway seemed to be a bit older than Lennox. He had light brown eyes with light blue hair that fell down to his neck and one wick of green hair falling over his forehead. His attire consisted of a short sleeved black jacket that was zipped up over a stripy green a white long-sleeved top. Along with that, he wore white trousers with red and black trainers. Ging glared at him.
"Excuse me young man, but that door has just been repaired. I would greatly appreciate it if it wasn't broken again" Ging told him sternly. The boy looked at him with cold eyes.
"Of course, my apologies," he said with a smile. Lennox didn't know what but there was something very off about this boy. The boy strode up to the counter and looked at the cards inside it.
"Excuse me," he asked. "But what are your rarest Xyz monsters?"
"You're looking at them," Ging told him. the boy looked down again at the cards in the glass counter.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" Ging asked him. The boy's attitude was starting to irritate him.
"Nothing really" the boy answered calmly. "Just window shopping." The boy continued to look at the cards before shrugging and walking out the store. Ging glared.
"That boy reeks of trouble" Ging commented before turning to Lennox. "So, you said something about a deck?"
Lennox soon left the store shortly after making arrangements with Ging about Ruby's deck. Ruby would be so pleased about this. He walked up the street to where Ruby would be walking to meet her. He looked up ahead to see the same strange boy from the store walking the same way. In front of him was Ruby who was busy on her D-Pad. The boy wasn't looking where he was going. Lennox was about to call out but it was too late. The pair walked into each other, knocking their things on the floor.
"Sorry" the boy apologised as he got up and held out his hand. "I should have watched where I was going" he continued.
"It's alright," Ruby said as she grabbed the boy's hand and he pulled her up. When he did, he didn't let go. Instead, he looked deep into her eyes. Ruby felt uncomfortable as the boy stared at her.
"Interesting," the boy said before letting go and walking off, leaving a confused Ruby behind.
Lennox soon caught up with her.
"Hey, Ruby. You alright?" He asked.
"Yeah, that was…weird" Ruby said.
"You mean that boy?" Lennox asked.
"Yeah! He helped me up, looked me in the eyes, and said interesting before walking off" She explained rather annoyed.
"Okay then? Anyway, I spoke to Ging. He should have you deck by the weekend" Lennox explained. Ruby's eyes lit up.
"That's great!" She cheered. Finally, she could become a real duelist at long last.
"It will be much better to train you using a real deck with cards that work well together, rather than using random commons," Lennox said. Ruby nodded in agreement and held up her D-Pad.
"Here's a good card shop that's not too far from here. I was wondering if we could check it out" Ruby said.
"Sounds great" Lennox replied and the two took off together.
The two soon walked around the streets in the evening light. The pair of them had gotten lost but had soon found their way. As they rounded a corner, a man came rushing past them, bumping Lennox as he ran past.
"Hey! What's your deal man?!" Lennox yelled angrily.
"M-Monster!" The man cried in terror as he continued to run. Lennox's eyes widened as he knew exactly what this was. He ran off in the direction the man had come from with Ruby following. As they ran, they passed another man and a woman running the opposite way. Once they reached the next street they saw a woman on the ground with a strange humanoid creature that was made from some kind of red goo standing over her. The Duel Blood stared at her, fascinated while she looked up at it in fear.
"Hey!" Lennox yelled as he stopped. The Duel Blood looked up at him, giving the woman a chance to escape. She slowly wiggled out from underneath before getting on her legs and running away.
Ruby soon caught up as she stood by Lennox. She stared at the Duel Blood, now becoming afraid.
"Lennox, what is that?" She asked quietly, still staring at the creature.
"That's the Duel Blood I told you about" Lennox whispered to her. "It's dangerous, so stay back, I'll handle this," he said as he moved forward. The Duel Blood paid no attention to Lennox as it then rushed at Ruby. Lennox saw this and pushed Ruby out the way as the Duel Blood ran at her. It spun around and attempted to swipe at her, but Lennox knocked it's arm away, removing it from its body completely. The remains of the arm landed on the ground with a splat. It then moved over to the Duel Blood, being absorbed back into its body before another arm shot out. Lennox stood in front of Ruby, holding his arm out in front of her to signal to the Duel Blood to back off.
"Leave her" Lennox ordered. "She has nothing to do with this." He then reached into his extra deck and pulled out his two Numbers. "You want these? Don't you?" Lennox teased.
"N-N-Numbers" the Duel Blood finally spoke.
"That's right," Lennox said, his face now creeping up into a grin. "We'll duel for these." The Duel Blood walked back over to where it once stood, not taking its eyes off Lennox and Ruby. It raised its left arm and the goo moulded itself into a duel disk. 40 cards then slid out. The Duel Blood let out a grunt, signalling it was ready to fight. Lennox continued to grin as he reached for his D-Pad.
"Lennox? Are you sure this is wise?" Ruby said worriedly.
"Relax" Lennox replied confidently. "I've beaten this stuff before." Lennox then tossed his D-Pad into the air. the D-Pad changed into a duel disk before attaching to his wrist. Lennox got out his D-Gazer and placed it on his eye while the Duel Blood's single eye glowed. Ruby's eye then glowed as it connected with the AR system with Lennox and the Duel Blood.
AR VISON LINK ESTABLISHED
DUEL!
Lennox: 4000
Hand: 5
VS
Duel Blood: 4000
Hand: 5
"Turn. Draw" the Duel Blood said as it drew its first card.
TURN: 1
Duel Blood: 4000
Hand: 6
"Activate continuous spell card, Spell Absorption" the Duel Blood announced. As soon as the card appeared on the field, Lennox gritted his teeth. He knew well enough what this spell did and how annoying it was.
"Now summon Goo Shadow." The familiar purple goo demon the rose onto the field out of a puddle of goo. It laughed creepily as it saw Lennox.
Goo Shadow: Level 4/DARK/Aqua/1400 ATK/1200 DEF
"Goo Shadow? Is it going for the same strategy as last time?" Lennox thought.
"Set two cards. Turn end" the Duel Blood finished.
Duel Blood: 4000
Hand: 2
"It looks like it is. One of those facedowns must be Fear Instinct. But even so, I can't let up." Ruby could see the hard expression on Lennox's face. She was worried for her friend.
"My turn! Draw!" Lennox announced.
TURN: 2
Lennox: 4000
Hand: 6
"Even if one of those cards is Fear Instinct, I've got to start strong and hit hard," He thought. He then picked out a card from his hand.
"I special summon Constellar Siat!" Lennox's monster was a small humanoid monster that, like the other Constellars, wore the same white armour and had a cape flowing in the wind. This monster, however, held a large pot above its head.
Constellar Siat: Level 1/LIGHT/Fairy/100 ATK/1600 DEF
"I can summon him when you have a monster and I don't" Lennox explained. "I now normal summon Consteallar Pollux!" The next Constellar was a large warrior in white armour. The right side of his body was covered in the armour, only revealing his left eye. The left side of his body was covered in gold plating with spikes. Additional accessories were a cape that showed the stars and a large twin bladed sword.
Constellar Pollux: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1700 ATK/600 DEF
"Now! Pollux gives me an extra normal summon! So I release Siat to summon Constellar Zubeneschamali!" Lennox announced. Siat the disappeared and another monster took its place. This monster was a strange one to look at. It had a circular shaped head with large green eyes and a large body too. Instead of proper arms, the monster had a pair of thin metal arms that attached to a large disk that had a green gem in the middle and long blades that acted as fingers.
Constellar Zubeneschamali: Level 5/LIGHT/Machine/2100 ATK/1400 DEF
"Zubeneschamali's effect now lets me add one Constellar to my hand." A card then ejected out of Lennox's deck. "I add Constellar Kaus." The Duel Blood seemed to pay no mind to Lennox move. It stood there calmly, waiting. This made Lennox feel uneasy.
"I know it's a trap, but I've got to attack to win this duel!" He thought.
"Battle! Zubeneschamali attack!" Lennox ordered. The machine charged forward, raising its bladed fingers.
"Activate trap, Mirror Force" the Duel Blood calmly said. To Lennox's horror, the infamous trap flipped face up.
"No way!" He cried. As Zubeneschamali continued to charge, a transparent rainbow barrier appeared in front of Goo Shadow. Zubeneschamali struck the barrier which shattered like glass. The glass shards the shot at Zubeneschamali, piercing through it and destroying it. The remaining shards then flew towards Pollux, destroying him too. Lennox stared in disbelief and mentally kicked himself for falling into such an obvious trap. "I set one card, turn end," Lennox growled.
"Activate continuous trap, Solemn Wishes" the Duel Blood responded.
"What?!" Lennox yelled. He hadn't been expecting that.
Lennox: 4000
Hand: 3
"Turn. Draw" the Duel Blood said as it drew. "Gain 500 life points due to Solemn Wishes." The trap glowed as the Duel Bloods life points increased.
TURN: 3
Duel Blood: 4500
Hand: 3
"Attack with Goo Shadow!" It announced. The goo demon oozed over to Lennox and prepared to punch him.
"Sorry! No dice! Dimension Wall!" Retaliated Lennox. Before Goo Shadow could punch him, a portal opened in front of Lennox and Goo Shadows punch flew in. another portal opened in front of the Duel Blood and the fist flew out, hitting it. The Duel Blood growled slightly as it recovered from the hit.
Duel Blood: 4500 – 1400 = 3100
"Set one card, turn end" it announced.
Duel Blood: 3100
Hand: 2
Ruby breathed a sigh of relief. She had kept quiet throughout the duration of the duel so far, but she couldn't help but feel extremely worried for Lennox.
"Lennox, please keep fighting."
"My go now! Draw!" Lennox yelled.
TURN: 4
Lennox: 4000
Hand: 4
Lennox smiled once he saw what he drew.
"Algiedi, good to see you. Duel Blood, prepare to feel the wrath of Dawn Sword" he thought confidently.
"I summon Constellar Algiedi!" Lennox's signature spellcaster soon appeared on the field, waving her staff.
Constellar Algiedi: Level 4/LIGHT/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1400 DEF
"And now for her effect! So I can now summon another Constellar to the field! Welcome to the game, Kaus!" Algiedi's staff glowed blue as its comrade was summoned. The bow wielding centaur soon rose up onto the field with its bow ready.
Constellar Kaus: Level 4/LIGHT/Beast-Warrior/1800 ATK/700 DEF
Ruby smiled when she saw the two monsters.
"Alright! It's Kaus! Now he can summon his number!" She cheered.
"You got that right" Lennox thought with a smirk. "I activate Kaus' eff-"
"Activate continuous trap, Forbidden Monster Seal" the Duel Blood interrupted. Lennox stared at the card.
"Forbidden Monster Seal?" He echoed in confusion.
"Activate by declaring monster name" the Duel Blood explained. "Monster is sent to graveyard and all copies can no longer be used for duration of duel. Also, effects of monster cannot activate."
"WHAT?!" Shrieked Lennox. This thing knew his strategy. It was like it had learnt from last time and had prepared ahead so it could beat him.
"Declare Constellar Kaus." Lennox could only look in horror as one of his most trusted monsters was covered in a purple aura before being destroyed. Kaus screamed in pain, calling out to Algiedi who could only look on.
"No…Kaus" he breathed. He didn't know what, but he could feel a strange feeling in his chest.
"Lennox…?" Ruby asked.
"Battle!" Lennox roared. "Algiedi! Smash him to pieces!" Algidi wasted no time in slamming her staff into Goo Shadow. The monster cried out as it was vanquished.
Duel Blood: 3100 – 200 = 2900
"Activate Goo Shadow effect. When destroyed, summon Goo Shadow from deck with 0 attack and defence." Another Goo Shadow rose from the ground lighting while its stats dropped to zero.
Goo Shadow: Level 4/DARK/Aqua/0 ATK (Originally 1400)/0 DEF (Originally 1200)
"I end my turn" growled Lennox.
Lennox: 4000
Hand: 2
"I can understand why he would be so angry. Kaus was his first monster. Seeing it in pain like that would surely upset him" Ruby though. She wanted to say something to him but didn't want to provoke his anger even further. She decided to just keep her mouth shut.
"Turn. Draw" the Duel Blood said. "Gain 500 life points due to Solemn Wishes."
TURN: 5
Duel Blood: 3400
Hand: 3
"Now must pay maintenance cost of Forbidden Monster Seal" the Duel Blood explained. Lennox looked at it confused. A dark aura surrounded it. "Pay 1000 life points." The Duel Blood seemed to wince in pain as its life was taken away.
Duel Blood: 3400 – 1000 = 2400
"I see. As long as it has that card on the field, it'll have to keep paying life points. All I have to do is reduce its life enough" Lennox though.
"Activate Pot Of Desires," the Duel Blood said. "Banish 10 cards from top of deck to draw two cards." The Duel Blood then grabbed a chunk of cards from the top of its deck. The cards then vanished, leaving Lennox dumbfounded.
"No way! It got rid of that many cards just to draw more?" he thought. The Duel Blood then drew two cards.
"Due to Spell Absorption and Solemn Wishes, life points will increase." Lennox gritted his teeth as the Duel Bloods life rose to what it was before.
Duel Blood: 2400 + 1000 = 3400
"Special summon Goo Shadow," the Duel Blood said. Another copy of the goo demon then rose of the field with an eerie laugh.
Goo Shadow: Level 4/DARK/Aqua/1400 ATK/1200 DEF
"How?" Asked Lennox confused. It didn't do this in his last duel.
"If control level 4 monster, Goo Shadow can be special summoned" the Duel Blood explained. It then raised its hand. "Now release Goo Shadow." The goo demon the disappeared. "Tribute summon, Goo Shade." Lennox blinked. He rubbed his free eye once. He could swear that he could see the monster there, but it felt like he couldn't see it. From what he could he could see, this new Goo monster was purple like Goo Shadow, but had a much simpler design. Its body was humanoid and made from goo. Its body then began to ripple like water. It was only when the monster's stats were displayed that Lennox could conclude the monster was there.
Goo Shade: Level 5/DARK/Aqua/2000 ATK/1800 DEF
"Activate Goo Shade's effect" announced the Duel Blood. "Goo monsters become level 5."
"No way!" Cried Lennox as he then saw the monsters level increase.
Goo Shadow Level: 4 – 5
"Overlay, Level 5 Goo Shadow and Goo Shade." The two monsters then turned into purple streams of energy. Lennox prepared himself for the worst as the two monsters flew up into the air. "Construct overlay network with two monsters," the Duel Blood said as a red portal opened at its feet and the two monsters flew in. "Xyz summon! Appear! DB – Angel!" What came out of the portal was defiantly no angel. This monster was female and grey robes that were a bit too revealing. Its remaining wing was also black, to show how it had fallen from grace. What was most disturbing about the monster is the fact that parts of her body had been replaced by red goo. One of its wings was made from the stuff, its left arm, and blotches all over its body.
DB – Angel: Rank 5/DARK/Aqua/Xyz/2400 ATK/1800 DEF/Overlay Units: 2
"Attack Algiedi!" The Duel Blood ordered. DB – Angel raised her goo covered arm and a blast of red goo shot out at Algiedi, melting her into nothing.
Lennox: 4000 – 800 = 3200
"Now activate DB – Angel effect. Detach overlay unit to increase life by destroyed monsters attack points" the Duel Blood explained. Angel absorbed one overlay unit into her chest. A red light washed over the Duel Blood s its life was restored.
Angel Overlay Units: 1
Duel Blood: 3400 + 1600 = 5000
"End turn" it finished.
Duel Blood: 5000
Hand: 2
Lennox suddenly felt nervous as he placed his hand on top of his deck.
"What? Am…Am I shaking?" He thought as he could see his hand slightly trembling. He shook his head. "No! Get a grip, Lennox!" He told himself. "You've still got another Number other than Dawn Sword." Strangely, Dawn Sword had kept quiet throughout the entire duel. This worried Lennox slightly.
"My turn, Draw!"
TURN: 6
Lennox: 3200
Hand: 3
Lennox smiled once he saw his mother's card. Hope For Escape could help him in a situation like this. Since the Duel Blood continuously increased its life points, he'd be able to draw several cards. First, he'd have to wait.
"I set a monster and one card facedown, that's all from me," he said.
Lennox: 3200
Hand: 1
Ruby looked at his field. Was that really all he could do now?
"Come on Lennox! Don't give up!" She cheered. She thought the extra support from her would help increase his confidence. Lennox looked back at her and smiled. She had done her job perfectly. He then turned back to the Duel Blood and prepared for its assault.
"Turn. Draw" it said and Solemn Wishes activated.
TURN: 7
Duel Blood: 5500
Hand: 3
"During standby phase, must pay maintenance cost of Forbidden Monster Seal." The dark aura appeared once again and sapped away the Duel Blood's life.
Duel Blood: 5500 – 1000 = 4500
"Set one card facedown. DB -Angel attacks set monster!" It said. Angel fired another goo blast from her hand and Lennox's monster revealed itself to be Satellarknight Vega.
Satellarknight Vega: Level 4/LIGHT/Warrior/1200 ATK/1600 DEF
Vega cried out in pain as it melted away while Lennox and Ruby watched in disgust.
"Active DB – Angel's effect. Detach overlay unit to restore life points equal to destroyed monster's attack points.
Angel Overlay Units: 0
Duel Blood: 4500 + 1200 = 5700
"Turn end" the Duel Blood finished.
"Hold it! I play Hope For Escape!" Lennox called out. The trap flipped itself face up, surprising the Duel Blood. "I pay 1000 life points…" Lennox started as lightning crackled over his body. "And draw cards equal to the difference in our life points for every 1000 points."
Lennox: 3200 – 1000 = 2200
"The difference in our life is 3500 points, so I draw 3 cards!" Lennox said as he drew.
"Alright! He refilled his hand!" Ruby cheered. Maybe Lennox was right. Maybe he could defeat this thing by himself. After all, he did beat the thief the other day.
Duel Blood: 5700
Hand: 2
"My turn, Draw!" Lennox announced.
TURN: 8
Lennox: 2200
Hand: 5
"I activate Ray Of Hope!" Lennox yelled as the card augmented into life. "Now I banish one light monster from my grave to add another with a different name but same level! I banish Kaus to add Algiedi!" The cards ejected themselves from Lennox graveyard. Lennox pocketed Kaus while he added Algiedi to his hand.
Duel Blood: 5700 + 500 = 6200
"I may not be able to summon Dawn Sword, but I can summon something else," Lennox thought as he eyed another card in his hand. "I summon Constellar Algiedi!" The white armoured spellcaster rose onto the field once again.
Constellar Algiedi: Level 4/LIGHT/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1400 DEF
"Now I use her effect to summon another Constellar from my hand" Lennox yelled as he slapped another card on his duel disk. "I summon Constellar Acubens!" The familiar white armoured, pincer welding machine rose onto the field, glaring at Lennox's opponent.
Constellar Acubens: Level 4/LIGHT/Machine/800 ATK/2000 DEF
"Now for his effect! So all my Constellars gain 500 attack points!" Both monsters glowed gold as their attack power rose.
Algiedi ATK: 1600 + 500 = 2100
Acubens ATK: 800 + 500 = 1300
Ruby then noticed both monster's levels.
"He's got two level fours. Is he going to…?" Her thoughts were proven correct when Lennox raised his hand.
"I overlay my level 4 Constellar Algiedi and Acubens!" Announced Lennox. Both monsters turned into yellow streams of energy and shot into the air. A golden galactic portal opened at Lennox's feet. "With these two monsters, I build the overlay network!" The two monsters sailed in and a burst of golden light shortly followed. "Xyz summon! Come forth beast go good fortune! Number 52: Diamond Crab King!" Out of the portal rose the Number's sealed form, a hunk of shining crystals. The hunk then grew, the crystals becoming large shining pillars. The monsters blue body crawled out from underneath and gave an ear piercing cry, the Number 52 glowing brightly on its claw.
Number 52: Diamond Crab King: Rank 4/EARTH/Rock/Xyz/0 ATK/3000 DEF/2 Overlay Units
"Alright! Crab King!" Ruby cheered. Now Lennox had a chance to turn things around. The Duel Blood seemed to be unfazed by the appearance of the Number.
"I activate Crab King's effect!" Announced Lennox as Crab King absorbed one of its overlay units into its crystals, now giving off a bright glow. "It's attack and defence points will now switch!" Lennox explained. Ruby was smiling.
"Its attack power will be 3000, more than enough to defeat that angel," she thought.
"Activate continuous trap," the Duel Blood said, crushing the teen's confidence.
"No!" Yelled Lennox as he saw what the card was.
"Fiendish Chain will negate monster's effects and prevent it from attacking" the Duel Blood explained to them. Dark chains then shot out the trap and ensnared Crab King. Crab King groaned in pain as the glow from its crystals died down. Lennox looked at Crab King in horror while the Number glared at him.
"And to think" Crab King finally spoke. "That you were the human that managed to beat me, how sad and pathetic you are." Lennox was hurt and confused.
"Wha? I-I…" he began but was silenced by the Number.
"Quiet you foolish mortal! You know my words are true!" The Number roared his words like poison. "You have failed in every stage of this duel! You have not learned from your past mistakes! You make foolish moves and don't properly think before acting in the duel." Lennox stood there frozen. He had no idea how to respond. You are predictable and weak! No wonder that human you spoke of earlier has more Numbers. You don't deserve to wield a powerful Number like Dawn Sword." The last sentence shattered him. Was the Number, right? Was he a fool. No! he could be! How couldn't he a beat the Duel Blood before? But then again, he would have lost if not for Dawn Sword.
"Master! Do not listen to that arrogant fool!" Dawn Sword suddenly spoke up. "You are worthy to have me! While you do have your flaws, you can learn from them and look past them!"
"So you agree with Crab King right?" Lennox said coldly. Dawn Sword then realised his words might not have been the best choice.
"Ha! Even the loyal weapon agrees with me!" Laughed Crab King.
"You shut up!" Dawn Sword yelled.
"No wonder you failed to save your old master you disappointment for a Number!" Crab King spat. This enraged Dawn Sword.
"You dare speak of my old master that way!" Dawn Sword roared. His memories had mostly come back and he remembered his old master dearly. Though he was a failure of a weapon, his old master never did treat him with one. He was treated with respect and kindness. Hearing his master being mentioned like that infuriated him. That walking pile or rock knew nothing! "When I have the chance, I will surely enjoy tearing off those precious crystals one by one!" He fumed. Crab King was about to retort when he was interrupted by Lennox.
"Shut up the pair of you! I don't care anymore!"
Unbeknownst to anyone, Ruby had heard the whole exchange and felt terrible for Lennox.
"Don't listen to them, Lennox! You are a great person! Regardless of what anyone says!" It broke Ruby's heart when she saw Lennox lower his head and place a card on his duel disk, signalling he was ignoring her. He was done with it all.
"I set a card and end my turn" Lennox simply said as the set card appeared on his field.
Lennox: 2200
Hand: 2
The Duel Blood began its turn instantly.
"Turn. Draw" it said as it drew.
TURN: 9
Duel Blood: 6700
Hand: 3
"Summon Goo Phantom" it announced. The monster was humanoid like all its predecessors and made from purple goo that was so dark it almost looked black. Unlike the others, this monster had no legs, it hovered in the air with a small serpent like tail. The monster's face was covered by the sheer amount of goo that was dripping off its head and onto the floor. All Lennox could make out was a pair of glowing red eyes.
Goo Phantom: Level 3/DARK/Aqua/800 ATK/600 DEF
"Activate Goo Phantom effect" the Duel Blood began. "Revive Goo monster as level three monster. Revive! Goo Shadow!" The graveyard portal opened up and Goo Shadow rose out with its level dropping by 1.
Goo Shadow: Level 3 (Originally 4)/DARK/Aqua/0 ATK (Originally 1400)/0 DEF (Originally 1200)
Lennox stared at the monsters in disbelief.
"No way…" He muttered.
"Overlay level 3 Goo Shadow and Goo Phantom," the Duel Blood said. The two monsters turned purple and shot up into the air as streams of energy. "Construct overlay network with two monsters." A portal opened up in front of the Duel Blood and the two monsters flew in. "Xyz summon! Appear! DB – Hellhound!" Out of the portal rose a large dog with grey fur. All over its body, it had bones sticking out of it and red goo littered its body, covering several parts. Its maw was the most terrifying as it was filled with rows of sharp teeth and had red goo oozing down the sides. Its eyes were completely white and it gave a soul shaking howl as it entered the battle.
DB – Hellhound: Rank 3/DARK/Aqua/Xyz/1400 ATK/1200 DEF/Overlay Units: 2
Lennox gave a fearful look at the monster. He had never seen something so terrifying in his life.
"DB – Angel attacks Diamond Crab King," the Duel Blood said suddenly, surprising Lennox slightly. Angel raised her hand at Crab King but Lennox was ready for it.
"Trap activate! Dimensional Prison!" As soon as the card flipped up a portal opened in front of DB – Angel. She struggled to keep her footing but was eventually overcome by the strong force that sucked her in. "Now your monster is banished!" Yelled Lennox as the portal disappeared with DB – Angel. The Duel Blood didn't seem to care.
"DB – Hellhound attacks Diamond Crab King" it continued like nothing had ever happened. The demonic dog ran at Crab King and sank its teeth into the hard rock which made the monster's crystals.
"Because it's effect was negated by Fiendish Chain…it can be destroyed by a non-Number!" Lennox suddenly thought as Crab King finally gave up and was destroyed.
Lennox: 2200 – 1400 = 800
"You stupid mortal!" Fumed Crab King. "It is your fault we're losing! If you had actually focused and had seen that your opponent had played a trap, we would be in this mess!" Lennox looked at the monster spirit that was next to him. "If you had played me in defence mode then this would be a much better situation! But no! all you are is pathetic and useless! I can't believe I lost to a flimsy mortal like you!" Lennox didn't want to admit it, but the monster's words were starting to get to him. Crab King then became very fearful. "Ahhh! I can't go back!" He began to panic. "I've only just been freed and I don't want to be sealed up again and used as lock!" He turned to Lennox again and began to hurl insults. Dawn Sword looked on in horror. He tried to defend Lennox but Crab King was determined for his voice to be heard.
Lennox then fell to his knees.
"Maybe Crab King is right. Maybe I'm just full of fucking flaws. I lost mom, I'm too scared to enter tournaments. Hell! I'm even fucking shaking now" Lennox was on the verge of tears. "I should have listened to Shino, I should have just went on with my normal life. I stood no chance. The only reason I beat it the first time was because mom helped me." Lennox was so busy doubting himself that he didn't notice the person standing above him. Ruby gasped when she saw him.
"Well this is sad, even for you," said the person. Lennox looked up and his eyes widened when he saw who it was.
"Shark?"
Cards made by other authors
OPFan37
Goo Shadow: Level 4/DARK/Aqua/1400 ATK/1200 DEF
Effect: If you control a level 4 monster, you can special summon this card from your hand. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, you can special summon one 'Goo Shadow' from your deck with its ATK and DEF reduced to 0.
Author made cards
Forbidden Monster Seal
Continuous Trap
Effect: Active by declaring one monster name. Send all face-up cards with that name to the graveyard. As long as this card remains face up, both players cannot play cards with the same name and all cards with the same name cannot activate their effects and their effects are negated. During your standby phase, pay 1000 life points or destroy this card. You can only control one face up Forbidden Monster Seal.
Goo Shade: Level 5/DARK/Aqua/2000 ATK/1800 DEF
Effect: When this card is summoned, you can declare a level between 1 and 8; all face up 'Goo' monsters you control become that level. For the rest of the turn, you can only summon Xyz monsters.
DB – Angel: Rank 5/DARK/Aqua/Xyz/2400 ATK/1800 DEF/
Effect: 2 level 5 monsters
When this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card, gain life points equal to the destroyed monsters attack points. During the end phase, if this card was destroyed by battle this turn, you can special summon this card from your graveyard. You can only use this effect of 'DB – Angel' once per turn.
Ray Of Hope
Spell
Effect: Banish one level 4 or lower light attribute monster from your Graveyard; add one light attribute monster from your graveyard to your hand with the same level. You can only active one Ray Of Hope once per turn.
Goo Phantom: Level 3/DARK/Aqua/800 ATK/600 DEF
Effect: When this card is normal summoned, special summon one 'Goo' monster from your hand or graveyard but its attack and defence points become 0. After; apply one of the following effects:
This card's level becomes equal to the summoned monsters.
The summoned monsters level becomes equal to this cards.
DB – Hellhound: Rank 3/DARK/Aqua/Xyz/1400 ATK/1200 DEF
Effect: 2 level 3 monsters
Once per turn, you can detach one Xyz Material from this card, this card can attack your opponent directly this turn. During the end phase, if this card was destroyed by battle this turn, you can special summon this card from your graveyard. You can only use this effect of 'DB – Hellhound' once per turn.
Damn, am I glad to get this out of the way. The duel was such a pain to write. But it's finally over. So Lennox has fought the Duel Blood and now Shark has entered the fray. Just a quick heads up. The next few chapters will contain a lot of Shark, trust me. But after that, the plot will soon begin to take off, Finally! Anyway if you enjoyed this chapter then leave a review why and I'll see you in the next update!