Hey all. Little snafu on my end in regards to the last chapter. I meant to augment Vrash's effect to be more of an Anime Only effect. The part 'Special summoned from the Extra Deck' was meant to be ' Special Summoned Monsters'. Lot of you pointed that out and I'll freely admit I goofed. At the time of my update, I was getting close to leaving for my work so I rushed. But now, we're back into the Seven Stars arc!
The fillers of previous chapters were for a reason and you'll discover what they are soon! For now, enjoy!
The moon was full in the clear night sky over Duel Academy. Once more things had settled down after small events. But tonight, a gathering was take place. Far from the school, in a cave, four figures sat around a single candle. The shadows covered them, but did not quiet their voices. A high reedy voice spoke to the other three, a large hammer nearby.
"It took us several weeks and the craziness going on around here, but we finally did it. All we need now is the boss."
"Indeed...say, how did you guys get here anyways?" A larger figure asked, cleaning a large mallet.
One by one, the group told their tales. The reedy voice said he got in as a transfer just before some kind of duel between two schools. He was tasked by the boss to do some recon and wait for the keepers to be revealed. Once that was done, he was to observe them.
"The boss didn't trust Nightshroud to succeed at the time so he sent me ahead of time as an insurance policy."
"Hm, sounds like the boss alright. Glad he did so, Nighty mucked it up badly." A smarmy voice chuckled out.
Smarmy then told his tale. He had gotten in during some whacko frenchman dueling two kids. He had used the boat to get close to the island and then he used some diving gear to discreetly get to the island.
"From there, I added myself to the security force with no one the wiser."
A female's voice spoke up then, holding out a whip.
"Classic."
"What about you? How'd you get to the island?"
The woman told the group that she was part of the tennis teams nurse. They finally returned to the island and one of their star players was beaten. She did the same thing as Smarmy and added herself to the school hospital wing. The last one nodded sagely, simply saying he stole aboard that whacko Admiral's ship and then acted like he was stranded on the island. He got a job after 'discovering' the school after weeks of wandering.
But now things were in place...
"And the Dark Scorpions will strike!" The four said, their weapons raised high into the air.
EODGX
Far out at sea, a lone ship rode the waves. On the bow was a man in a large trench coat and wearing an old time detective's hat. The captain of the small vessel called out to the man.
"Land ho, Detective! That's Academy Island right there!"
The man watched the island get larger and larger, smiling to himself.
"Time to get to work."
EODGX
In one of the many halls of the school, Alexis was with Jasmine and Mindy, the latter looking at the back of her brother while the former were watching her. They heard some steps and turned around. Approaching the three was Jaden and Fonda.
"Hey Jay."
"Miss Fontaine. You didn't sneak off to do a quickie with Jay did you?" Jasmine asked with a grin.
The woman blushed red before returning the smirk.
"Maybe I did."
The red head gaped at what she heard. Both Fonda and Jaden burst out in laughter at seeing Jasmine's bugged out expression. Fonda assured the girl she did no such thing and Jaden confirmed it.
"Although...I did smack her ass when we were alone."
Fonda blushed an even deeper scarlet, smiling.
"It was...exciting."
Jasmine and Mindy pouted, upset that they didn't get the same treatment. Seeing the pouts, Jaden moved to walk by them to talk to Alexis. While he did, his hand shot out like a ghost. Both girls eeped in shock when they felt two phantom smacks on their own asses. They looked at Jaden with blushes.
"W-warn us next time please, Jay!"
"Y-yeah! Although...thanks." Mindy said, blushing red.
Their comedy over, Jaden turned to Alexis.
"How's he doing?"
Alexis sighed, stating that Atticus was doing better, but he was unresponsive. In fact, all he was doing right now was staring out the window. He barely said anything to her or anyone who knew him. Jaden took her hand in his own, caressing it. The simple gesture made Alexis smile sadly.
"Thanks Jay..."
There was another sound, everyone turning. They saw Jason and Kaiba walking with a man in a large Trench coat.
"Professor Jason. Mister Kaiba." Everyone greeted.
"What brings you here?" Fonda asked.
Jason turned to the man behind him.
"The law."
The man tipped his hat to the group, saying he was Detective Zaloog. Jaden's eyes narrowed when he saw the patch, sensing the darkness from it. Alexis saw her boyfriend's look and knew right away another item had been found. She asked why he was there. Here, Kaiba took over.
"There was a rash of thefts in the past few weeks, mostly money and gems. Given how no one on the island fessed up, Sheppard thought it was best to bring in the police."
"However, that's not all. I heard of recent attacks here regarding some important items." Zaloog said, looking at the group.
Jaden nodded. He told the 'detective' about the shadow riders. They had defeated three of the seven with only one loss of the key on their end. The that was lost was due to outside circumstances. Zaloog and Jason both nodded, Jason asking where they kept their keys.
Here, the four pulled out their keys.
"With us at all times." Jaden said.
Zaloog frowned, looking at the four. Stating that made the kids targets and was a reckless move. Kaiba and Professor Sweet, he could understand, but the kids? That was dangerous. He was going to help them hide the keys so the Shadow Riders couldn't steal them. Alexis looked ready to speak, but one look from Jaden made her quiet.
Her man had a plan.
"We thank you for the offer, Detective."
The man smiled and asked for a tour.
EODGX
The group were at the revamped Slifer dorm, Jaden explaining things to Chazz. The boy scowled, looking at the man who was talking with some Ra Yellows.
"Sure this guy is legit?"
Jaden shook his head, stating that the eye patch was a Shadow Charm. Kaiba nodded along with Jason. Clearly the man was an impostor and was here for the keys. Hence the interest in them. Alexis looked at Jaden, confused but understanding dawning on her face.
"Is that why you didn't mention the ancient duel edict, Jay?"
"Exactly, Lex. We've no doubt been scouted since the day we got these keys but odds are the riders weren't told in advance about the rules...or if they were, only a select few knew."
Chazz crossed his arms for a few seconds before snapping his fingers.
"I have an idea."
The boy explained his idea to the four, making them look at him in shock. Kaiba praised the idea for being ingenious while Jaden smirked.
"This is the only way we can call him or them out. So everyone...play along."
EODGX
An hour later, the five were in Chazz's room, the boy setting the key inside his closet. After shuffling around some, he placed something else in out of Zaloog's eyesight. Once done and closing it, he placed a padlock on it.
"There, nice and secure." Chazz said, Zaloog nodding in approval.
There was a clatter of noise making the man tense up. He demanded to know who it was. Kaiba opened the door seeing a large man in a gray uniform and holding a paint brush. The man smiled and waved.
"Gorg?"
"Greetings Mister Kaiba. Some of the kids were saying that the paint was starting to wear out. All this heat isn't too good for it so I'm adding a primer and sealant."
Kaiba looked and saw what Gorg said was true. Several parts of the rail had fading paint. He nodded, letting the man get back to work. Inside, the group explained that Gorg was a new janitor to the Red dorm. Zaloog calmed down at that.
EODGX
At the Blue Dorm, Jaden placed his in a junk drawer of his. Unseen by Zaloog, both he and Chazz slipped something else in. After the drawer was shut, he too locked it.
"There. Not only will they never find it in all that clutter, but the lock will deter them from even opening it."
Zaloog had a slight scowl on his face, but nodded. There was another sound, making everyone turn to the door as the doorknob tried to open. Jaden hurried over and opened the door to reveal a small boy with spiky blonde hair in a red uniform.
"CK? How did you get all the way to the blue dorm?!"
CK looked shocked.
"Blue dorm!? Oh man, I must have gotten my map legends mixed up! I thought I was on the path to the main campus!"
After giving some directions to the embarrassed boy, Jaden went back in and reported it was a false alarm. It was CK, a student with special needs. Chazz groaned at hearing that.
"I swear that guy gets more lost then Barry!"
EODGX
They all gathered in the Yellow Dorm, Professor Jason leaving to get Bastion. After warning the boy about the suspected rider, the two arrived at the group. As one, they moved into his room. Everyone gaped at the amount of equations covering the walls. Bastion sheepishly rubbed the back of his head.
"Sorry, I tend to go a bit overboard. Now...ah, here we go." Bastion said, putting his key in a small container with a keypad on it. "I sometimes have chemicals that require extreme handling so this is the perfect spot for the key."
Zaloog made note of where it was at, seeing Kaiba walk nearby in the corner of his eye. The detective's eye didn't see Kaiba also placed something near it.
EODGX
In the girls' dorm, Alexis placed hers in a small jewel case. Stating it was where she kept all of her valuables, it would be best protected there. Zaloog was smiling happily until the sound of heels alerted him. He quickly charged out of the room before anyone could stop him. There was a woman's shriek followed by a loud smack. Zaloog stumbled back in, a red handprint on his face. Alexis saw a brown haired woman walking away in a huff.
"Ohh, Miss Thorn. She's one of the school nurses and...not a real fan of men." Alexis said, grinning sheepishly.
"So I discovered..." The Detective said, holding his face.
EODGX
The last two placed their keys in the main school safe. Zaloog said it was nice and sturdy, perfect for the keys. A shadow moved by the door, making everyone tense up. A man with glasses stopped and looked in, giving a wave to the two men.
"Hello, Professor, Mister Kaiba."
"Oh, hello Clifford. It's alright, its one of our campus security members. If anything, he'll protect the safe."
Zaloog nodded, sighing in relief. Chazz let out a yawn suddenly, noticing the sun lowering in the sky.
"Better turn in. It's been a day."
The rest all agreed, missing Zaloog's smirk.
EODGX
With everyone retiring, the four shadows now joined by a fifth moved all over the island. The first stop? The Obelisk Blue dorm. The smaller of the shadows scaled the dorm's walls and jumped from balcony to balcony. They arrived at a certain room and entered in. Taking out a tool, they began to taper the wall. Once they broke through, they reached in to a drawer. Picking the lock was child's play and soon the spirit key was in its hands.
They rejoined the group of four.
They traveled to the nearby Girls dorm and a second shadow stole in. Taking to the vents, they crawled until getting to a room. Popping the vent off without a sound, a whip sailed through the air, wrapping around a gem box. A tug made the box go flying into the vent.
The second exited and they were on their way to the Yellow Dorm. Once again, the smaller shadow stole in and came out holding the key. They hurried to the Red dorm.
The larger of the shadows didn't hesitate, they smashed into the room and ripped the closet door clean off, grabbing the object inside.
Their work done due to the fifth shadow hitting the safe earlier, they headed into the night.
EODGX
In a large underground lake, the five shadows placed the six keys in the slots.
"We have all seven keys...now, Beasts of Twilight, AWAKEN!"
But nothing happened.
Unseen by the five, three large shadows sweat-dropped.
"Are they for real?" One of the shadows asked.
"I think so, Uria...man, when did Duel Spirits get so stupid?!"
"Hard to say, Hamon...hard to say. I'll say this though, they are not in the employ of the King."
"NO DUH RAVIEL!" The two shadows yelled at the larger one.
The female noted that the gates were not opening even though they had the keys. The reedy voice hummed in thought.
"Maybe there's something else?"
That observation made the other four groan in annoyance.
"Those kids might have known! Well, no more mister nice thieves!"
The six keys were regathered and the five shadows vanished leaving the three unseen spirits to sweat-drop.
"I so cannot wait to be back with Judai...least his adventures are entertaining!"
"Amen on that." The other two said, vanishing back into their lock.
EODGX
Chazz opened his eyes, wondering why he was up. He saw a shadow and sat up. There was Syrus, shouting and waving his arms but no sound was being heard. The black haired teen sighed, removing the ear plugs he put in.
"Sy, I sleep with Earplugs in...noisy duel spirits...so start over again will ya?"
"Chazz! Someone has robbed you!" Syrus said, pointing at the wrecked door.
Chazz's jaw drop and a vein popped up.
"I JUST FIXED THAT FUCKING DOOR! COME ON!" The boy wailed.
That was when it hit him; the key! Frantically, he hurried over to his closet, seeing the door smashed as well dashed any hope he had. Jumping off his bed, he grabbed his PDA and dialed Jaden's number.
"Yeah?" The King's voice said, sounding tired.
"Jay, they struck."
That made the king become fully awake.
"On my way. I'll contact the others too."
Chazz nodded, hanging up.
EODGX
After the calls went out, everyone was at the Slifer Dorm, explaining everything to each other. Chazz looked at Kaiba and Jason.
"They took the bait...now, everyone know your parts?"
"No problem. Expose them for what they are Chazz." Jaden said.
It was then that Syrus and Chumley returned with Detective Zaloog.
"Sorry it took so long, I had to round up some suspects." Zaloog explained.
Chazz waved him off, letting him in. One by one, they all sat around the room. Chazz started things off, stating that the only people who knew where the keys were hidden were in the room. Meaning that the thief or thieves were too. Syrus pointed out that they needed evidence for that though.
"Evidence huh?" Alexis mused aloud. "Come to think of it, I found a press-on nail on the floor before I came over."
Thorn flinched at that, quickly checking her fingernails. There, on her right index finger, a nail was missing. Chazz smiled, seeing the reaction out of the corner of his eye. Everyone else did too, now knowing who was in Alexis's room.
"Good clue, Lex. Where is it?"
Alexis rubbed the back of her head, acting sheepish.
"Well...I kinda threw it away."
Chazz rolled his eyes, disappointed. Jason and Kaiba spoke up then, saying that there was some muddy footprints near the safe they had used. Cliff stiffened, eyes quickly darting around. Alexis caught it and sent a hand sign to Chazz. The boy nodded, asking the two the size and print of the foot wear. Jason groaned, rubbing his head.
"Shit...sorry Chazz, I vacuumed it up before coming over."
"I stepped out of the room for a minute to let Bastion know about the theft and to check his key when Jason did that, so I didn't see a thing." Kaiba said, crossing his arms making Chazz groan.
"Bastion?"
"Sorry Chazz, but my room had no evidence what so ever. They were through with me. What about you Jaden?"
Everyone turned to the king who sighed.
"Well, better get this off my chest then...I found a hole in my wall right above my hiding spot."
Chazz pinched his nose. He asked the King if he had sealed the hole up already. Jaden nodded, sending a hidden signal to Chazz that CK was hiding the tool used to drill the hole. Chazz nodded, making the group think it was in disappointment.
"Oh this is most disappointing. I guess without the evidence, we won't know who did it." Zaloog said.
"Heh, not that it matters anyways." Chazz said.
The group looked at him confused or rather in the Key Keeper's case, acting confused.
"Oh don't tell me you all forgot! Sheppard said that there was an ancient protection edict surrounding the Keys. They can only be won in a duel."
"SAY WHAT?!" The five shouted in shock. "YOU MEAN TO TELL US THAT...that...th-oh shit..."
The reactions from the kids and adults was not what they expected. They were all looking at the five with smug expressions on their faces.
"You were on to us this whole time weren't you?" CK asked.
"That's right. However, Chazz was the one who came up with the plan to expose you for who you really were."
Chazz smiled, pulling out his deck.
"Course, we had some help."
The Ojama's, Chazz's zero attack monsters, and Jaden's many spirit allies appeared, making the five step back in shock. Jaden explained that they were duel spirits, his and Chazz's eyes and ears when they weren't around. They kept watch over the keys and when they were taken...
"We were informed right away and Chazz kicked off this trap."
The five all looked at the group, Zaloog chuckling.
"I must say...I am impressed. Not many can get the drop on us or fool us. I tip my hat off to you all. With the jig up, its time to reveal who we are."
The group of five threw off their clothes, revealing brown leather armor and striking a pose. Chazz, Kaiba, Jason and Jaden instantly recognized the pose.
"That pose is similar to Mustering of the Dark Scorpions spell card!" Jason exclaimed in shock.
"Another set of Duel Spirits based on the monster cards of the same name..." Kaiba ground out.
"So that's why...this is bad. The person who is after the Beasts has a means to replicate the Supreme King's power." Jaden whispered, making Yubel become alarmed.
Chazz and Zaloog both declared it was time to duel.
The group all headed outside, everyone stating that Chazz earned the right to duel the leader. The boy thanked them and deployed his disk. Zaloog did the same, both of them saying one word.
"DUEL!"
Zaloog: 8000/Chazz: 8000
Zaloog started things off, drawing his card. He chose one of them and placed it facedown in his S/T zones. Then choosing another, he played it on his MZ.
"I play Golem Sentry in defense mode. I'll end at that."
Chazz drew his card, looking at it. He revealed it to be Fiend's Sanctuary, allowing him to summon one metal fiend token. However, the monster was sticking around. Chazz tributed it for his Armed Dragon level spiked dragon appeared, roaring.
"Now, attack his Golem! Smash it into rubble with spiked arm smash!"
The dragon spun its arms rapidly, flattening the monster. Chazz smirked, ending his battle phase. Armed Dragon level five glowed then, Chazz explaining it was his Level Five's effect. He could send it to the grave and then summon out his Armed Dragon Level Seven.
The massive monster appeared, roaring. Zaloog frowned, not liking the more powerful monster. Chazz placed two cards facedown and ended his turn.
Zaloog drew his card, looking at it.
"I play Pot of Greed allowing me to draw two cards. Next up, I set this monster in facedown defense mode. I'll end my turn at that."
"Boss..."
"Don't worry you guys, I have the cards, just not...you know."
Chazz drew, declaring an attack on the facedown. The Level seven easily tore through it, revealing it to be a Stone Statue of the Aztec's monster. Chazz ended his turn with a third facedown card, frowning. Zaloog drew his next card, smirking.
"Perfect. Now I summon Don Zaloog!"
He played the card, but no monster appeared. Instead, Zaloog stepped out onto the field. That made Jaden nod.
"Definitely a duel spirit. Watch it Chazz, the Dark Scorpion monsters have some nasty effects if they land some battle damage!"
Chazz nodded, recalling Jaden teaching about them several months back. Zaloog revealed a spell in his hand, Mustering of the Dark Scorpions. He was now allowed to summon the four from his hand.
"Dark Scorpion, role call!"
"Gorg the strong! Also, who brought rolls?"
"Meanae the thorn! A rose like any other."
"Cliff the Trap Remover. Three guesses on how I remove them."
"Chick the yellow! I'm six foot when I jump!"
Chazz frowned, knowing that there was a trap that supported the five monsters before him. Zaloog revealed it to him.
"Dark Scorpion Combination. This trap card allows us to attack you directly, Chazz. However, the downside is that the damage you take is only four hundred points."
The five all charged at Chazz, the boy's eyes wide in shock. Gorg struck first, hitting the side of Chazz with his hammer. Chick followed up, bonking the boy on the head with his mallet and reminding Jaden of his past once again. Meanae struck, the thorny whip cutting his cheek. Two blasts struck him, making him fall to one knee.
Chazz: 6000
"That's not a good way to start the next round." Alexis said worried.
"It's going to get even worse. Despite the low damage, the Dark Scorpions can still trigger their effects." Bastion said aloud.
Bastion was correct. Zaloog stated that with the damage dealt, their effects took over. Gorg's was first. He returned one monster on the field to the top of the deck. Level Seven vanished making everyone gasp. Chick then took over.
A card on Chazz's field, be it spell or trap was returned to the hand. Cliff then said that the top two cards of Chazz's deck were sent to the graveyard. Chazz groaned, recalling that his level seven was on top. He sent the two to the grave, annoyed.
"One card is randomly discarded from your hand to the gravy as per my effect, Chazz." Zaloog stated.
Chazz held up his hand, Zaloog pointing at the far right. It was a masked Dragon that joined the rest. Meanae took over then, stating that one card from the grave could be added to Zaloog's hand.
"I chose Dark Scorpion Combination. The trap that started it all." Zaloog said, adding the trap to his hand.
"Sorry, but I'm gonna have to cut you off right there. I activate Level Modulation 2.0! This works like Level Modulation, only its a trap card and you get a single card instead of two. But I get to summon one Level monster in my graveyard, ignoring its cost. So rise my Armed Dragon Level seven!"
The dragon returned, roaring as the Dark Scorpions cowered. Chazz smirked, seeing them cower. Zaloog chose his final two cards and placed them facedown, frowning as he ended his turn. This was not going to end well at all. Chazz drew, looking at the card. He used Armed Dragon's effect, sending Despair from the Dark to the grave.
"Now, monsters who have less attack points are destroyed...guess the team that sticks together, dies together."
"Wrong! I use my Dark Scorpion Retreat trap! Now, all of us return to the hand." Zaloog said, everyone scattering and appearing behind him.
All that did was make Chazz smirk.
"Thanks for that. Now I play Different Dimension Hanger and remove my Y-Dragon head, Z-Metal Tank, and W-Wing Catapult!"
The three monsters appeared flying into several hangers. Chazz explained that if he summoned a monster listed on either of those Union monsters, they could be summoned. Everyone pointed out he had just one card though. Chazz nodded and revealed his other facedown.
"Card of Sanctity! Now both you and I draw until we hold six cards Zaloog."
"Ah, I see. Zaloog will only get one card thanks to Chazz's spell. Nice work." Bastion said with a smile.
"But he gets a whole five cards. Way to play!"
The two drew, Chazz smiling.
"I summon my X-head cannon! Thanks to my Hanger, both Y-Dragon and Z-Metal appear! But now I remove all three to play XYZ-Dragon Cannon!"
The three machines combined to make the massive monster. Zaloog started to get nervous. Chazz was planning something. He revealed another spell, Double Summon. He summoned out his V-Tiger Jet thus getting his W-Wing. The boy smirked.
"Now, I have all that I need! Armed Dragon! Attack Zaloog directly!"
The dragon formed a ball of energy, the energy flying through the air and crashing into the spirit.
Zaloog: 5200
"XYZ, continue the assault with Lighting Blitz!"
The metal monster aimed and fired all its weapons at the hapless Zaloog, costing even more life points.
Zaloog: 2400
"Ugh...you done?" Zaloog panted out.
"Not by a long shot! V-Tiger! Skyward Strafe!"
A minigun appeared in the Tiger's mouth and fired several blasts at the leader of the thieves. The man groaned, falling to one knee.
Zaloog: 800
"You go bye-bye now! W-Wing! Missile strike!"
The monster's missile loadout popped open, the rockets sailing through the skies. Zaloog gasped, the explosion kicking up a massive dust cloud. The man was on his back, his one eye spinning.
Zaloog: 0
"N-no way...I can't lose..." He muttered, the eye patch glowing brightly.
One by one, the Dark Scorpions all turned back into their default state, cards. Chazz walked over picking up the cards and the Shadow Charm. Handing it over to Jaden, he took the five cards.
"Gonna need to make another deck for these guys." He muttered, heading to his room for a good night's sleep.
Heh, kind of a short duel. But then again, unlike other archtypes, the Dark Scorps don't have a lot of support to them other then Mustering and Combination. Something else I didn't like was that the keepers forgot about the edict. Seriously, Sheppard said in the first episode of the Arc that they had an advantage with it in play! Anyways, hope you enjoyed!