I don't own ARC-V, but I DO own this story! Enjoy!
As Aren flew over the desolation that was Heartland, he closed his eyes as he remembered what the city used to be like. He remembered as a city overflowing with positivity, night-time lights, and above all else smiles.
Aren would walk through Heartland Park with Shay, Yuto, Alex, Sarah, Kite, Lulu, Rio, Shark, and the Arclight brothers. He remembered spying on Yuto and Lulu with Shay and the look on Yuto's face when he noticed us walking by just as his face was nearing Lulu's. He remembered witnessing Alex and Sarah performing their first Rank-Up Xyz Evolution Summons during the Heartland Duel Championships, and watching Quattro take down one Pro Duelist after another on the World Duel Circuit. He remembered his first ever duel against Quinton and Kite while being partnered with Trey, and he remembered laughing when Rio announced over the school's loudspeakers about her brother's strange fear of onions, much to his displeasure and embarrassment.
Those fun times no longer existed for the eleven of them. When Duel Academy invaded Heartland, they watched many of the friends that they had grown up with sealed inside of cards, their horrified faces eternally scarring anyone who witnessed the horrid sight.
"I know I should probably tell you to not dwell on the past, but I know better." admitted Soarnight Sniper from within his deck.
"Yeah." agreed Aren. "After what we've all been through, it would difficult to not dwell on the past." Aren's wings folded in on themselves as he skidded to a halt in front of a partially ruined building. The Resistance had been fortunate they were able to take refuge in the warehouse of the old Diamond Branch building. While the school itself had been reduced to ash, the warehouse had only taken minor damage, and was an ideal spot for the freedom fighters due to its vantage point in respect to the rest of the city. As Aren ducked through the destroyed front door and down a flight of stairs, he was greeted with the sight of his fellow Resistance members spread throughout the room.
"Welcome back Aren." said a Duelist with spiky white hair and a single green strand of hair. He was one of Aren's childhood friends, Kyoji Yagumo. Kyoji was famous as an interrogator in the Resistance when it came to wheedling information out of captured Duel Academy Duelists. While he never harmed any of them, he had an unusual connection with spiders, and he couldn't blame any of the Slifer Reds they captured when they began singing like canaries at the sight of his foot-tall tarantula. It came to no one as a surprise that Kyoji used a Spider Deck. "Anything happen while you were on patrol?
"I ran into Barrett again." said Aren nonchalantly. "The fact that I'm talking to you now tells you how our 3rd duel ended." Kyoji chuckled softly, before turning to a tiny spider that was resting in his palm.
"I've said it before and I'll say it again. That kid creeps me out." said Soarnight shakily. Aren didn't reply, but smiled in amusement of his spirit partner's shaky nerves. As he continued on, he passed a couple of girls from the Heart Branch, one of them being his old girlfriend Luna. Luna, while not a common front-line duelist for the Resistance, was a vicious, yet elegant duelist. Duel Academy goons tended to be distracted by her pink hair and natural beauty before she OTK'd them with her Moon Rabbit Legend Deck. Once the war began, the two of them ended their relationship in order to focus on the safety of the entire Resistance.
Aren was the number one technician for the Resistance. Not only did he build his own prosthetics to replace his amputated leg, arm, and eye, but he managed to clone Duel Academy's Human Sealing Technology for the Resistance to use, and had incorporated it into most of the Resistance's Duel Disks. Furthermore, he had also created several cards for the Resistance, his greatest creation being two copies of a Spell Card he dubbed "Cross Xyz," one of which he gave to his brother to use only when they found their sister.
Aren nodded at Luna, who gave a small blush, but turned back to the other she was helping bandage a rather nasty looking cut. Aren ducked underneath of a blue curtain embroidered with the logo of Heartland City and into the Resistance's meeting room. As he walked in, he was greeted by Rio and Reginald "Shark" Kastle. Rio had dark pink eyes and pale skin, along with dark blue hair that had light blue bangs. She also wore a ring on her right little finger, along with an arctic blue jacket overtop of a light pink shirt, black stockings, cyan jeans, and black combat boots. She had her red Resistance-member marker in the form of a red hair tie, which contrasted beautifully with her hair. Like his sister, Shark also had pale skin, but had dark purple hair that resembled octopus tentacles. He also wore a ring on his right little finger, along with a grey, shark tooth-shaped locket, a dark purple jacket over a maroon shirt, and dark blue pants with white, green-gem encrusted shoes. He had his red Resistance marker in the form of an arm sash on his right forearm.
The two were the Resistance's most powerful Tag Duelists. When the Clover and Spade Branches were almost wiped out by the Duel Academy Tag Duelists Gloria and Grace Tyler, Shark and Rio showed their might, driving the Amazoness Duelists back to the Fusion Dimension. Also in the room were Trey and Quattro Arclight. Trey had orange hair and green eyes, wore formal scarlet medieval-style attire embroidered with gold, and had his Resistance identifier in the form of a red ascot. Like his younger brother, Quattro also wore formal medieval-style attire, but his was white with gold, which strikingly matched his golden bangs and magenta hair. Like Trey, he also had a red ascot, signifying his membership of the Resistance.
When the fighting first broke out, the two of them each took down over a dozen Chaos Ancient Gear Giants with their Chronomaly and Gimmick Puppet Decks. Their older brother Quinton wasn't in the room, but he was known for personally defeating the Duel Academy General Zane Truesdale in a duel that lasted for nearly a day with his Space Deck.
The last person Aren saw was, to Soarnight's displeasure, Kite Tenjo, affectionately referred to his partner as Mr. Cipher. He had light blue-grey eyes, pale skin and blonde hair that curled up in a point, with a dark green spiked front and bangs. He wore a black trench coat with a high collar over a grey shirt and white pants with black boots. He also wore a belt with two purple Deck boxes, in addition to a red Resistance scarf wrapped around his right hand, which to no one but Aren knew in reality hid a scar from when Aren had accidentally bitten him 2 months prior.
Kite held the record among the duelists in the Resistance for the most Duel Academy Duelists defeated since the onset of the war, with over 800 Fusion freaks utterly annihilated by his Cipher Deck. That record came as no surprise to anyone, especially Aren, whom Kite had been his mentor when he first began dueling. He remembered Kite defeating him in three rounds with his Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon, whose anti-Xyz effect made his Enigma Eagles virtually powerless.
Next to Shay and Yuto, Kite was also the one that Soarnight was the most concerned about. The reason was because of Kite's other ace monster, Galaxy Eyes Cipher Dragon. Ever since the war began, Kite had begun using Cipher Dragon more than Photon Dragon, and Soarnight had worried that Cipher's anger towards Duel Academy was affecting Kite's mentality. Kite had become even stronger than he ever was, which was good for the Resistance, but Soarnight had noticed Kite becoming more agitated when it came to protecting his father and brother, whom had both survived the initial wave from Duel Academy's assault. While Aren wasn't inclined to believe Soarnight's claims, he still worried for Kite nonetheless.
"Aren!" exclaimed Rio, getting up and hugging the War Eagle. Aren's eyes widened as he saw Shark's eyes narrow. He knew that the Kastle brother could get very protective of his sister, so he ended the hug with Rio and smiled. "We were getting worried when you didn't check in! We thought Duel Academy might have carded you!"
"I did run into Barrett, but you all should know by now that until I save Lulu from those Fusion freaks, I won't lose to anyone." replied Aren. "Though I do appreciate that you were worried for me." Aren then recounted the events of his duel with the others.
"Were you truly trying in that duel? You let yourself take all that damage even when you had two face downs on your field?" questioned Quattro.
"I'm letting Barrett think that he nearly got the best of me, when in reality I had that match totally under control." said Aren smoothly.
"Llllllliiiiiiiiiaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrr…" mocked Soarnight. Aren retaliated by poking his card, causing him to screech in surprise and fade away.
"Barrett doesn't rest when it comes to you, does he?" questioned Shark, adjusting his Resistance arm sash.
"No he does not." commented Trey from the other side of the table.
"Can you blame him?" questioned Quattro. "Aren did mess up his face with the Trap card of his."
"But Aren also got badly hurt because of it." chastised Rio, redoing the red Resistance hair tie in her indigo and cerulean hair. "I've never seen Lulu so upset at anyone, not even when she caught you and Shay spying on her and Yuto by the pier last year."
"I gained a whole new respect for her when she chewed you out for nearly blowing yourself up." admitted Trey.
"Well I won, and that is all that matters." said Aren, sitting down. He undid a small latch on his prosthetic leg, removing it from his body and placing it on the table. He then pulled out a screwdriver from his pants pocket and began fiddling with a few of the gears of the metal limb.
"Recalibrating again?" questioned Kite, inspecting Aren's actions.
"It gave out on me again while I was out there on patrol and I had to fly to get back here." explained Aren, removing a gear and wiping it with his jacket. "I have to keep this thing in prime condition, or else I won't be able to be of use to you guys. At least my mechanical eye doesn't give me any trouble."
"That's not what you said when you ran into that brick wall last week in the city square.' teased Soarnight, his spirit appearing next to Aren, but only to the War Eagle's eyes. Aren waved the screwdriver through his partner's apparition, causing it dissipate, but not before he heard Soarnight screech in amusement.
"So where's Quinton?" asked Aren, returning the gear to its slot in his mechanical leg. "I thought he would be here chewing me out for breaking protocol."
"He went looking for Shay and Yuto." explained Quattro, who was now reorganizing his Gimmick Puppet Deck. He picked up one of his Xyz Monsters, Gimmick Puppet Andromeda and studied it. "Apparently the two of them snuck off again about an hour ago. So he, Sarah, and Alex went looking for them."
"That Shay just pushes my buttons sometimes." growled Shark. "He's going to get himself or Yuto killed with how he's been acting lately."
"Try being related to him." said Aren bluntly, reattaching his prosthetic leg, watching its energy trails glow blue, signifying it had finished its calibration. "I want Lulu back just as badly as he does, but at least I know when to exercise common sense."
Suddenly, Quinton burst in, panting heavily as if he just ran a marathon. Quinton wore long, dark formal medieval-style attire, in contrast to his two younger brothers' brighter colors. He had blue eyes and long, flowing silver hair with light purple fringes and one light green strand right in the middle. Like his brothers, he also had a red Resistance ascot.
"Everyone…" said Quinton, gasping for breath. Aren and the other five all stood up in alarm.
"Quinton, what happened? Where are Shay and Yuto?" asked Rio with concern.
"They're...they're…" panted Quinton.
"Spit it out man!" shouted Quattro, shaking his older brother's shoulders.
"They're...going to cross dimensions!"
Shay held up the Fusion Dimension Duel Disk, having just finished carding its Fusion Dimension Duelist owner. Shay was a tall young man with straight blueish-black hair that fell down to his chin, and light green bangs in the shape of a wing partially tucked under some strands on the left. He had yellow-green eyes, a red Resistance scarf wrapped around his neck, and he wore blue trench coat that was tattered at the ends. He also sported grey pants and brown shoes. He turned to a younger person next to him who had just removed a card from his Extra Deck. The younger boy, Yuto, who in addition to his trademark spiked black and purple hair, wore a punk-style outfit, with a dull green formal shirt and dark blue tie, as well as a black cape-like garment with ripped sleeves and edges, plus dark blue pants and black boot-like shoes. The two were about to create the interdimensional portal when they heard footsteps.
"Alex? Sarah?" called out Yuto. "What are you two doing here?" From behind a collapsed building emerged two 13 year old Duelists. Alex was a short boy with red spiky hair and bushy eyebrows. His eyes were teal and the front of his bangs were lined with yellow. He wore a maroon long-sleeved shirt, grey pants and yellow boots with white tongues and grey soles under a purple poncho emblazoned with a blue shield shape and green diamonds; two on the lower part of the shield and two smaller ones on each shoulder. He also wore a pair of roller-boots with retractable wheels that had two energy tires that appeared when activated. Alex gazed at the two Spade Branch Duelists with a fierce look.
Sarah was a bespectacled young girl with blue eyes and short light-purple and lilac hair that was restrained by light green and orange hair clips that resemble bicycle helmets. She wore a light blue dress with a teal turtleneck under a tan dress, held up with brown shoulder straps and a blue belt that had a golden symbol resembling twin birds back to-back, and green and orange pouches at both hips. She also wore brown tights, white fingerless gloves, white leg warmers with teal cuffs and straps, and light-orange shoes with green soles. Unlike Alex, however, her expression was that of extreme nervousness.
"What are you doing is the better question, Shay." countered Alex, stepping towards his two allies. "We've known you two were planning something, but crossing dimensions?! Isn't that too dangerous?!"
"You don't know what you're talking about Alex!" yelled Shay, pointing at the orange-haired Duelist. "They took my sister! I won't rest until I get her back!"
"That's why we're crossing dimensions, to save her." added Yuto calmly.
"But you're not going to the Fusion Dimension." said a voice above them. The four Resistance Duelists looked up to see Aren, Kite, the Kastle twins, and the Arclight brothers standing above them. The seven remaining members of the Resistance leadership hopped down to the eldest Obsidian sibling's level, with Aren walking towards his older brother with an incredulous look on his face. "You're going to the Standard Dimension...aren't you?" When Shay didn't respond, Aren knew he had hit the nail on the head. "You're going after that Professor guy's son...aren't you?"
"...We are." muttered Yuto sheepishly.
"And you honestly thought that the two of you could slip away without letting anyone else know?" asked Rio incredulously.
"We've known that you two were planning something, but we just didn't know what." added Quattro.
"But when Quinton told us you were planning to cross dimensions, I pieced it all together." finished Aren. "You told me last week that about your interrogation of that Slifer Red in the old post office, and how he told you that this Professor guy has a son named Declan in the Standard Dimension. You're going to capture him to use as a bargaining chip to get Lulu back...tell me, am I right?"
"You are, and you're not stopping us, Aren." said Shay shortly. "If we gets ahold of this Declan, then his father will have no choice but to free Lulu."
"Well you two aren't going alone." said Kite. Everyone turned to the Cipher Duelist. "This isn't something that just two duelists can do by themselves. It's a tactical infiltration of a completely unknown dimension. Two people alone can't do it by themselves."
"That's why you're going to take three of us with you, Shay." said Aren, taking a step forward. "If the Standard Dimension is aligned with Fusion, you won't last two days there. If more of us go, we'll be able to make more progress in a shorter amount of time."
"But if more of us go, the more attention we'll attract." countered Yuto. "That's why it can only be me and Shay to go."
"This is not up for debate you two." said Aren. "You two aren't going alone."
"And why should we listen to you, little brother?" challenged Shay, his tone rising.
"Because this." said Aren curtly. He held out his left arm, his silver Duel Disk blade appearing from his jacket-covered metal arm.
"Aren...what are you doing?" asked Quattro.
"What does it look like he's doing brother?" commented Trey.
"...You've never beaten me before Aren...why should I accept this challenge?" asked Shay.
"Because someone needs to screw your head back on." said Aren angrily. "Ever since Lulu was taken you've been acting recklessly. Even Shark has said it, and he's Mister Punch-First-Ask-Questions-Next!"
Shark was about to make a retort to the War Eagle's statement, when Sarah placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head as if to warn him to not make an outburst.
"Your actions are going to get yourself or someone innocent hurt brother." said Aren. "I'm not letting you create that portal unless you duel me!"
Shay studied his younger brother's determined expression for nearly a minute, before he pulled out his purple Xyz Dimension Duel Disk, and activated its blue angular blade. "I'll entertain your request little bro. But when I beat you, the rest of you will leave and forget all about this."
"And I when win, I'll finally make you see reason!" retorted Aren, moving into a battle stance.
"Let's Duel!" shouted both brothers, drawing their first five cards.
"I'll get things going Shay!" shouted Aren, selecting a card from his hand. "Since there are no Monsters on my field, I can Special Summon Enigma Eagle - Shadow Lanius from my hand!" A bipedal black-winged eagle/lanius hybrid holding a small boot knife in its claws appeared in front of the War Eagle. (ATK: 1800, DEF: 1500 / LV. 5) "Next I'll summon forth Enigma Eagle - Bullet Blader in Defense Mode!" Another bipedal eagle - surrounded by a blue aura - appeared in front of Aren, wielding a blade in the shape of a gun. (ATK: 1600, DEF: 1200 / LV. 4) "I then place two cards facedown, and end my turn!" Two cards materialized in front of the War Eagle, before disappearing after a short moment.
"I know your deck inside and out, Aren!" called out Shay. "I helped you build parts of it, I helped you create every move you use now with that deck, and now I'm going to take you down! I draw!" Shay drew his card, giving a slight smile, which Aren caught sight of.
"You know that look, right Aren?" questioned Soarnight.
'You bet I do.' thought back Aren. 'That's the look he gets right before he's about to perform his famous triple OTK against the Obelisk Force goons.'
"I summon Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!" said Shay, placing a card on his blue disk blade. In front of the eldest Obsidian sibling appeared a mechanical green bird with silver pipe-like wings. (ATK: 1300, DEF: 1600 / LV. 4) "With his special ability, I can summon another Vanishing Lanius from my hand!" An identical bird appeared next to the first one, giving Shay two Monsters on his field. "And now I'll Normal Summon Raidraptor - Skull Eagle!" A white and purple mechanical bird appeared in between the two Lanius. (ATK: 1000, DEF: 500 / LV. 3)
"Swarming the field with Monsters is the trademark of the Obsidian siblings." commented Quinton. "Both of them are doing an excellent job of living up to that reputation so far."
"Vanishing Lanius number one, attack Bullet Blader!" ordered Shay. The Lanius on Shay's left flew over and struck the Enigma Eagle with its beak, causing the Monster to dissolve into a shower of yellow sparkles, but since it was in Defense Mode, Aren took no damage.
"Damaging him wasn't Shay's goal, was it?" asked Trey.
"Right. I get the feeling that dealing damage wasn't his goal at all." replied Alex.
"I activate the Spell Card Raidraptor - Symbol!" said Shay, a green card depicting the trademark red symbol of the Raidraptors glowing purple against an orange sky appeared in front of Shay. "Since a Raidraptor battled this turn, I can add one Raidraptor from my Deck to my hand. I choose Raidraptor - King's Lanius! Then I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn." Shay took the Monster card and put it in his other hand, while at the same time removing the two remaining cards that were still his hand and placed them on his disk blade, which then materialized on the field in front of him, before disappearing after a couple of seconds.
"I'm up now big bro, so I draw!" said Aren, drawing a card, and then placing it next to the one remaining in his hand. "I summon Enigma Eagle - Valkyrie Vulture!" An eagle with a vulture's
Beak appeared in front of Aren, wielding a small metal shield. (ATK: 1000, DEF: 1000 / LV. 3) "Now I activate its special ability! By tributing him, I can revive one Enigma Eagle from my Graveyard and increase its Level by one! So say goodbye to Valkyrie Vulture, and hello again to Buller Blader!" (LV. 4 - 5)
"Two Level 5 Monsters…" muttered Rio.
"I activate Shadow Lanius's special ability!" said Aren, pointing at the 1800 attack point Enigma Eagle. "He can halve his attack points to attack you directly!" Shadow Lanius flew over to Shay, and struck him with the flat edge of his knife, causing him to stumble.
SHAY LP: 4000 - 3100
"I activate my Trap, Raidraptor - Flicker!" said Shay, one of his facedowns flipping up. "Since I took battle damage, I can add a Raidraptor from my Deck to my hand whose attack points are 100 higher than the amount of damage I took! I choose Raidraptor - Skull Eagle!"
"I activate Shadow Lanius's other effect!" called out Aren. "Since he dealt you damage this turn, I can use him and Bullet Blader from my field to Xyz Summon during the Battle Phase!"
"A Battle Phase Xyz Summon?!" questioned Quattro.
"Truly impressive." acknowledged Kite.
"I overlay Level 5 Bullet Blader and Shadow Lanius in order to build the Overlay Network!" said Aren. The two eagles turned into green lights and dove into the Overlay Network portal, which released a pillar of blue light. "Eagle with the strength of a thousand hurricanes, descend upon this battlefield and strike down those who oppress us! I Xyz Summon, Enigma Eagle - Hydrare Saber!" Aren's Xyz Monster was a large bipedal eagle coated in metallic combat attire, with two identical swords that had three circular holes running down the middle of their blades, and had two glowing green orbs orbiting him. (ATK: 2800, DEF: 2500 / RANK 5)
"That's the Monster he beat me with in the Heartland Championships." commented Alex.
"Let us fight together, my liege." said the sturdy voice of Hydrare Saber in Aren's mind.
"Always been a bird of chivalry, that brother of mine." snorted Soarnight in apparent mockery.
"I activate Hydrare Saber's special ability!" said Aren. "By using one Overlay Unit, he can slam you with 300 points of damage for every card on your field and decrease your monster's attack points by 500 each! But since I used Shadow Lanius' effect to Xyz Summon, his Overlay Unit Monsters are banished when they are used instead of going to the Graveyard! " Hydrare Saber slashed one his green overlay units with his left sword, and then slashed the ground beneath him with his other sword. Cracks appeared in the ground beneath Shay and from them emerged an intense green light, which struck Shay repeatedly.
(Hydrare Saber OU: 2 - 1)
(Vanishing Lanius #1 and 2 ATK: 1300 - 800; Skull Eagle ATK: 1000 - 500)
SHAY LP: 3200 - 2300
"I place one card facedown and end my turn." said Aren, a single card materializing in front of the War Eagle that then vanished. "Now do you see what you mean about you not having your head on straight, Shay? The fewest life points I've ever reduced you to in all of our past duels is 2400, and I just brought you down to 2300 in two turns. If you were thinking straightly Shay, you would've been able to beat me in that first turn of yours like you've done to me so many times in the past, but now you're making sloppy plays and have lost almost half of your life points."
"You think you have the upper hand simply because you damaged my life points so much?" questioned Shay, his eyes covered by his hair. "Well you couldn't be any more wrong. I have you right where I want you, and I'll prove it to you here and now! It's my turn now!" The Raidraptor user drew a card from his deck, adding it to the two cards in his hand that Aren knew to be King's Lanius and Skull Eagle.
"Prove it then Shay." said Hydrare Saber to Aren, who didn't reply, but simply adjusted his stance.
"Get ready Aren." advised Soarnight. "If there's one thing we can always count on from Shay, it's that he can make some big plays."
"I summon Raidraptor - King's Lanius from my hand!" said Shay. Appearing in front of Aren's brother was a decently large maroon mechanical bird. (ATK: 1300, DEF: 2000 / LV. 4) "King's Lanius lets me Special Summon one Level 4 or below Raidraptor from my hand to my field! So I'll call out my second Raidraptor - Skull Eagle!" An identical white and purple bird appeared to the one currently on Shay's field. (ATK: 1000, DEF: 500 / LV. 3)
"He has two level 3 monsters and three level 4 monsters now!" cried out Soarnight in alarm.
"I know what's coming next!" realized Shark.
"Heads up Aren!" advised Kite.
"I overlay my two Skull Eagles in order to build the Overlay Network!" roared Shay. His two white and purple Raidraptors transformed into purple streams of light before diving into the Overlay Network portal, which released a blue pillar of light. "Fiendish falcon, emerge from the shadows to fight our foes! I Xyz Summon Raidraptor - Fiend Eagle!" From the blue light appeared a black mechanical bird with translucent red wings surrounded by two orbiting purple Overlay Units. (ATK: 1000, DEF: 0 / RANK 3) "I'm not done though! I overlay my two level 4 Vanishing Lanius and my level 4 King's Lanius to build the Overlay Network once again!" The three birds also transformed into purple streams of light, which dove into the Overlay Network portal, which once again released a pillar of blue light. ""From the shadows, this falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" Shay's second Xyz Monster was a larger teal and blue mechanical bird with golden spheres that connected its wings to its body, which was frontlined by its head, which sported six red sensors on its forehead and pitch-black eyes, along with being surrounded by three orbiting purple Overlay Units. (ATK: 100, DEF: 2000 / RANK 4)
"Things just got really bad for Aren." said Trey.
"That's an understatement." commented Quattro.
"I activate Skull Eagle's special ability!" said Shay. "Fiend Eagle gains 300 attack points because I used it to Xyz Summon! So since I used two of them, Fiend Eagle gains 600 attack points!" (Fiend Eagle ATK: 1000 - 1600) "Now I'll activate Fiend Eagle's special ability! By using an Overlay Unit, I can slam you with damage equal to the attack points of one Special Summoned Monster on your field!" (Fiend Eagle OU: 2 - 1) "And since Hydrare Saber is not only a Special Summoned Monster, but the ONLY Monster on your field, the choice is simple! Take this! 2800 points of damage!" Fiend Eagle released a whitish-purple blast of light from its wings, heading straight for Aren.
"I activate the Counter Trap, Enigma Eagle - Whirlwing!" said Aren, one of his two face downs flipping upward. "Since you activated an effect that deals me damage while I have an Enigma Eagle Monster on my field, that damage is negated! So my life points remain protected and untouched!" A cyclone formed around Aren, which deflected Fiend Eagle's energy wave.
"Then I activate Rise Falcon's special ability!" continued Shay. "By using one Overlay Unit, it gains the attack points of every Special Summoned Monster on your field!" One of Rise Falcon's Overlay Units disappeared as it become surrounded in a fiery aura. (Rise Falcon ATK: 100 - 2900, OU: 3 - 2)
"Great...just what I needed." said Aren dryly.
"I'm not done!" said Shay, shocking everyone. "By banishing Raidraptor - Flicker from my graveyard, Rise Falcon also gains the attack points of Fiend Eagle! Furthermore, any battle damage you take during this turn will be doubled!" Rise Falcon's fiery aura grew even more fearsome as its attack points increased once again. (Rise Falcon ATK: 2900 - 4500)
"Aren, look out!" cried Sarah, speaking for the first time.
'You don't need to tell me twice.' thought Aren, sweating nervously.
"And now! Raidraptor - Rise Falcon will annihilate Hydrare Saber!" shouted Shay intensely. "Ravaging Rebellion!" Rise Falcon flew high into the sky before descending with the speed of a falling missile. Hydrare Saber screeched as he was blown apart by Shay's Monster.
Aren struggle to maintain his footing as his Monster was destroyed by the Raidraptor.
"Don't forget that the damage you take this turn is doubled due to Flicker's effect!" shouted Shay. Aren was blown off his feet and hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.
AREN LP: 4000 - 600
"Fiend Eagle, end this duel!" called out Shay. "Nefarious Nosedive!" Fiend Eagle positioned itself high in the sky directly above Aren, who was struggling to his feet.
"AREN!" shouted the eight onlookers as one, while Yuto's eyes widened quite a bit.
'I'm not out yet Shay…' thought Aren, staring at his remaining face down. 'And that card is the key to snapping Shay out of his funk…'
{Next Chapter:}
The battle between the Obsidian siblings continues with being Aren backed into a corner by Shay's Rise Falcon. When it seems that Aren has no options left, he envisions a new monster taking flight onto the field, and with his draw he calls forth a new hope for Heartland.
OC CARDS:
EE - Hydrare Saber [RANK 5, 2800/2400, 2 LV. 5 Monsters]
- If this card has an EE Xyz Monster as Xyz Material, it gains these effects: this card cannot be targeted by your opponent's Trap Cards, and this card gains 1000 attack points when it battles. Once per turn, you can detach one Xyz Material: inflict 300 damage to your opponent for each card on their field, and lower each of their Monster's ATK points by 500.
EE - Bullet Blader [LV. 4, 1600/1200]
-This card can inflict piercing damage. If this card is used as Xyz Material for a WIND-attribute Xyz Monster it gains this effect: it can deal piercing damage against a DEF position Monster.
EE - Shadow Lanius [LV. 5, 1800/1400]
-If you have no Monsters on your field, you can Special Summon this card from your hand. You can halve this card's ATK points; if you do so, this card can attack your opponent directly. If this card inflicts damage to your opponent, you can Special Summon an EE Xyz Monster during the Battle Phase, but they are banished when they detached by that Xyz Monster, or if the Xyz Monster is destroyed.
EE - Valkyrie Vulture [LV. 3, 1000/1000]
-You can tribute this card, Special Summon one EE Monster from your Graveyard to your field, then increase it's level by one.
EE - Whirlwing (Counter Trap)
-When your opponent activates a card or effect that would inflict damage while you control a EE monster: reduce that damage to 0.
Raidraptor - Flicker (Normal Trap)
-When you take battle damage,you can add one Raidraptor from your Deck to your hand whose ATK points are 100 greater than the amount of damage you took. You can banish this card from your Graveyard, target one Raidraptor you control: it gains ATK points equal to the ATK points of one other Raidraptor on your field, and any damage that the Monster inflicts during battle that turn is doubled.