Hey all. This chapter picks up where the last one left off.
Kaiba had not expected this at all when he started his day. He had expected it to be another stressful day of watching his and the rest of the keepers backs. That all changed when Jaden called him about the seventh rider. He joined the boy and the other two. They found out about Chazz's loss and then headed right for the Abandoned Dorm. He had to send the two back, they were not ready for this kind of battle. Now here he was in a duel and just watched as Amneal had summoned three monsters on his first turn. Now it was his. Drawing, he looked at his hand. He had no idea what that facedown monster was and those monsters could attack him directly so a facedown defense was a moot point. He chose a card in his hand, a monster.
"I summon my Battle Ox in attack mode, Amneal! Now my beast, ATTACK!"
A massive Ox in battle armor and holding a curved blade appeared, roaring. It charged at one of the Beasts. Kaiba smirked, only to scowl when the facedown flipped up.
"Elemental Absorber! Now if he removes a monster with an Earth Attribute, he can prevent any kind of attack from a monster with the same attribute!"
"Correct, so I remove my Spirit of the Rock to cancel your pitiful attack!"
A top with Spikes showed up then and spun around until one of its spikes glowed brown. A square appeared and a wall of earth rose up, blocking the swords attack. Kaiba sneered, not yet having his Dust or Mystical yet. He placed two cards facedown and ended his turn. Amneal then took over, drawing a single card. Looking at it, he ordered his three to attack Kaiba directly. The man grunted, getting burned, blasted, and finally speared.
Kaiba: 6500
"I am not done yet! I now play the card I drew, Black Process – Negledo!"
(Black Process – Negledo – Type/Spell/Normal.
Activate only while you control a face-up "Chaos Distill" and you have no cards in your hand. Remove from play all face-up "Alchemy Beast" monsters you control. Draw 2 cards for each removed card.)
Amneal explained that by banishing his three Alchemy beasts, he could draw two cards for each one. Kaiba snarled. Six cards meant a new hand for this guy. He watched the man draw the hand, watching. After all six were drawn, the masked duelist picked three of them.
"I play Tin Circle, Mercury hourglass, and Silver Key. This brings out more Alchemy beasts! Behold, Aretos the Tin, Ekenas the Mercury, and finally, Moonface the Silver!"
A fish, an eagle, and a large orb of silver appeared. Ending his turn with another facedown, Kaiba took over. Drawing, he sacrificed his Battle Ox for a large golden dragon.
"Meet my Prime Material Dragon, Amneal. Now, he'll attack one of your monsters and dole out some heavy damage!"
"I think not! I reveal my facedown card, Transmutation Circle!"
(Transmutation Circle – Type/Trap/Continuous.
You can only activate this card if "Alchemy Kettle - Chaos Distill" is in play. Declare 1 Attribute. All monsters on your opponent's side of the field become the Declared Attribute.)
"Thanks to this trap, I am making your Prime Material...an EARTH!"
Prime Material slammed into massive stones that sprung up. Gritting his teeth, Kaiba ended his turn. Amneal drew, revealing another spell card. This one was called White Process – Albedo. A massive monster appeared next to the other three, a large golden Golem.
"This is Golden Homunculus and he is one of the worst monsters you will ever face mister Kaiba. He gains three hundred points times the number of cards that are Banished. I currently have thirteen which is considered unlucky and magical in some areas."
Golden – ATK/0 → 3900
Ordering his monsters to attack, Kaiba grunted, taking the direct attacks in stride.
Kaiba: 5000
Next up was the Golden Monster, but Kaiba revealed one of his facedown cards.
"Go Ring of Destruction! I'm using it on that overgrown nugget there!"
"It matters not...you will damage yourself as well."
"Not really. I activate my Ring of Defense! This will protect me...you? Not so much."
The ring of explosives detonated, destroying the Golem. Amneal gasped, covering his face from the explosion. Shards of his monster struck the mask, making it crack and split in several places.
Amneal: 4100
"Nice, you managed to tie it all up, Seto."
"Don't count him out yet. I recall that monster I just destroyed now. Its power is similar to another set of monsters and trust me, those three don't go down easily."
They heard a meow and turned to see Pharaoh run by. Jaden tried to grab the cat only to get a scratch on his hand for his troubles. The cat continued to run, stopping and rubbing itself against Amneal. That made Jaden pause. Pointing out that the cat never got comfy with strangers. Amneal sighed, shaking his head.
"Pharaoh...naughty kitty. Ah well, guess my secret was bound to come out anyways."
Leaning down, Amneal picked up the cat and then removed his mask. Both Kaiba and Jaden gasped in shock. There, standing before them, was Lyman Banner! Though he had seen better days. Several thick veins were around his face and his hair was slowly turning white. Kaiba looked at the coffin and then at the one he was dueling. Jaden asked the question that was on the CEO's mind.
"A clone?"
"Yes, a Clone. Or rather, a homunclunus, a fake life."
"Wait! Now I remember you! You were Pegasus' assistant when he discovered that hidden tomb containing those stone tablets behind you!" Kaiba suddenly shouted.
"Quite so. We had discovered the final resting place of the Supreme King by complete accident. Pegasus, still protected by the ancient magics of his taken Millennium eye, walked away unharmed. Myself on the other hand, came down with a terrible disease science could not explain."
Banner turned to Alchemy to extend his life, but even then the body he had created was on borrowed time. Here, his face cracked a little, making him grunt in pain. He intended to use the power of the Beasts to restore his original body to life. Kaiba shook his head.
"Even if that were, you know that they'd only obey Jaden!"
"I know...but still, what is life without at least trying? After all, you probably would still be at the orphanage with your younger brother if you didn't try to best your adopted father." Banner stated bluntly.
Kaiba frowned, not because his bastard of an adopted father was mentioned, but because Banner had a point. He had taken a gamble that paid off. Banner was doing the same, but win or lose, he knew his life was ending. In that, Kaiba could grudgingly respect his reasons. Still didn't make him forgive the man for pulling the wool over his eyes.
"Its my move! Draw!" Kaiba shouted.
Seeing the card drawn, Kaiba revealed it.
"I play Ancient Rules! Thanks to this card, I can summon forth the one monster you cannot beat, Banner! Come forth...my BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON!"
There was a flash of light and an ear piercing roar. From the shaft of light, a massive dragon that was pure white rose up. It descended down, its blue eyes fixed on Banner. Banner frowned, knowing that the dragon made things tricky but at the same time, he was safe due to his circle. Kaiba used Burst Stream of Destruction, destroying the three monsters. He followed it up with his facedown.
"Behold my Dust Tornado. Now I get rid of that pesky Circle and have my Prime Material attack you directly!
Jaden watched in awe as the mighty monster let loose a stream of pure energy. Banner smirked, revealing a facedown. Macro Cosmos he called it. By banishing his distill, he was going to make the game ascend. The distill behind the man glowed white hot, steam pouring out of all sides of it. It exploded then, bathing everyone in light.
When the light died down, Jaden was shocked to see that they were in space. Several planets floated by, Jaden seeing several figures in them. Bastion was in Mars, Alexis Venus, Atticus Jupiter, and Chazz Uranus. Snorting a tad in laughter, he turned his attention back to the duel. He saw that there was a new monster on the field with only eight hundred attack points. Kaiba attacked, Banner smirking.
"I reveal my facedown spell card, Planetary Alignment!"
All around them the planets lined up and suddenly they felt gravity increase. Both Dragons roared before blowing up and Kaiba's life points falling.
Kaiba: 4700
Kaiba scowled, but placed a card facedown and ended. Banner took over, drawing a card. He played a Card Destruction, removing three other spirit monsters; Aqua, Garda, and Flame Spirit. After getting his new hand, he chose another card revealed it to the two, stating that it was a mouthful to say, but a handful for Kaiba.
"It's called Yellow Process – Kitolenics! This card allows me to remove my Helios the Primordial sun to play from my deck, Helios Duos Megistus!"
The one single monster vanished in a flare of light and in its place was a larger sun with a second sun orbiting. Banner explained that she gained two hundred points for each removed from play monster. Kaiba did some quick math and counted twelve. That meant it now had twenty four hundred points.
Banner used his new monster to strike at Kaiba, but the CEO revealed his trap.
"Go Call of the Haunted! Return to me, my Blue Eyes!"
The famous dragon returned with its roar, but Banner continued with the attack. The dragon easily countered it, its White Lightning piercing right through. The blast tore through the monster, Banner covering his face.
Banner: 3500
Kaiba frowned, knowing what was coming next. The monster returned and with it, it gained a power boost.
Helios Duos – ATK/2400 → 2700
"Attack again!"
The flare came out, Blue Eyes easily countering once more.
Banner: 3200
The monster reappeared, gaining another three hundred and matching Blue Eyes White. The final attack blasted both, but once more, Helios Duos appeared.
Helios Duos – ATK/3000 → 3300
"You are now wide open, Mister Kaiba. Attack!"
Kaiba grimaced, seeing the flare coming right at him. He was consumed in the fire, yelling out in pain. Smoke floated off of him, the man falling to one knee. Jaden looked on, grunting and wanting to help.
Kaiba: 1400
"One more attack and you are finish Mister Kaiba. I'll end my turn."
Kaiba drew, looking at the card. Seeing it was not what he needed, he looked over his hand. He revealed his pot of greed, drawing another two cards. Seeing them, he set one card in facedown defense and two cards facedown. He passed it off to Banner who drew.
The Professor revealed Chaos Greed, allowing him to draw two more cards. He revealed another card, Red Process – Rubedo. By tributing his Helios Duos, he was allowed to summon his Helios Trice Megistus.
The one monster split into three, each one glowing brightly.
Helios Trice – ATK/0 → 4200
"Now my monster, attack!"
The three gave out a massive solar wind wave that crashed into Kaiba's facedown. It was revealed to be a Cyber Jar, both monsters blowing up. Kaiba revealed his top five, four of them being monsters.
Kaiser Sea Horse, Ryu-Keshin Powered, Kaibaman, and finally, White Stone of Legend. The one card he had, Card of Demise was added. Banner revealed his five, three monsters, but none of them could be summoned as they were Alchemy Beasts and two spells. Trice returned then, growing stronger.
"Now my monster can attack again since you control another monster! Wipe out his Powered!"
The blast tore through the fiend, making it groan. Kaiba scowled, not liking this. Banner then revealed another spell card he had gained thanks to Cyber Jar.
"I play Grand Convergence! With this, you take another three hundred and all monsters are destroyed."
The planets all re-aligned and several meteors came down hard on all the monsters. Kaiba watched as his monsters were all wiped out, a card sliding out of his deck and into his hand. After his work was done, Trice reappeared.
"Oh you gotta be kidding me!"
Helios Trice – ATK/4200 → 4700
"Once more, you are helpless. Attack!"
"Go Negate attack!"
The counter trap appeared and absorbed the attack making Banner scowl. He ended his turn. Kaiba drew his card, looking at it. His eyes went wide before smirking. Banner didn't like that smirk and even less when he revealed his facedown card.
"I play Birthright! This allows me to revive a normal monster in my grave. Return to me Blue eyes!"
The Dragon roared, Banner smirking. That smirk turned to a frown when Kaiba played Monster Reincarnation, discarding his Card of Demise and regaining the second of his Blue Eyes. But that was okay, Kaiba didn't have-
"I play Polymerization and fuse the two Blue eyes in my hand with the third on my field! Let loose your roar, Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"
The three legends appeared before going into the vortex. A large three headed dragon descended, roaring. Banner frowned, not happy that Kaiba managed to get out one of his Ace fusions. However, he was safe for now. His Helios was the more powerful of the monster in play. Kaiba didn't have a prayer!
"Judging by your smug expression, you think you have the upper hand don't you." Kaiba stated, crossing his arms.
"Quite. My monster is two hundred points stronger then you BEUD. It stands no chance."
Kaiba smirked. Then he started to laugh. Banner watched on, his smug smile slowly falling from his face. What was the CEO laughing about?! He had him beat!
Kaiba revealed a card. Banner went still and his face went pale.
"Behold, Necroface! I play him in attack mode!"
(Necroface – LV/****, Attribute/DARK, ATK/1200, DEF/1800, Type/Zombie/Effect.
If this card is Normal Summoned: Shuffle all banished cards into the Deck. This card gains 100 ATK for each card shuffled into the Main Deck by this effect. If this card is banished: Each player banishes 5 cards from the top of their Deck (or their entire Deck, if less than 5).)
A monster with a broken skull and several tentacles appeared, a single eye staring. All of Banner's banished cards appeared then before flying into his deck. Banner's eyes were wide, watching helpless.
Necroface – ATK/1200 + 100 x 28 cards → 4000
Helio Trice – ATK/4700 → 500
"Look at that...now your monster is weakened. Now...Blue eyes Ultimate! Attack with Neutron Blast!"
The three heads all charged up their attacks, unleashing them in one massive stream. Banner watched the approaching doom, a small smile of relief on his face. He had watched the group grow so much and knew they were truly ready for what was coming. Sides...Jaden was their rightful owner after all.
The explosion made the man go flying back, landing hard on his ass.
Banner: 0
Kaiba deactivated his disk, quickly heading over.
"Banner!" Kaiba snarled, grabbing his cloak.
"I apologize, Mister Kaiba...for my deception and my lies. Sadly...my time is up." Banner said, his face cracking.
Looking over the shoulder of the man, he saw Jaden approach. Wordlessly, he held out his book. Five orbs of light flew out, shooting out of the dorm. All around the island the five that had been beaten were back where they were at. Banner panted, feeling his life energy ebb away.
"Not much time...Jaden...the tome I have. It is not only the final piece of that Shadow Stone, but contains the chant to bring out the being that took the other students. Please...undo my mistake...my greatest failure. Be ready...the true...leader is...coming."
With his final warning given, the body of Banner turned to dust in Kaiba's hand. The two looked over to see the mummified body do the same. Jaden looked at the tome in his hands, opening it and leafing through some pages. He came to a stop at one page, eyes wide in shock. Kaiba looked over the teen's shoulder and saw what it was.
A picture.
Not just any picture, but of that First Promotion exam. It showed the entire Red Dorm, Banner in the middle with Jaden next to him, all smiling and holding up V for Victory signs via their fingers. Kaiba felt his heart clench when he read the words at the bottom of the photo, written in Banner's hand.
My family.
Kaiba placed a hand on Jaden's shoulder. The teen looked up, small tears in his eyes. Kaiba gestured to the door and got a nod. They left the lab behind, not seeing Pharaoh devour a tiny ball of light before following after them.
EODGX
When the two got out of the Abandoned dorm and to the main campus, they saw everyone was cheering and clapping. Many congratulated the two, Alexis, Atticus, Bastion, Professor Jason, and Chazz all next to Sheppard and Midori. Alexis rushed forward, pulling Jaden into a hug. The boy looked shocked for a few minutes before slowly returning it. Wondering what was wrong, the blonde pulled back.
Jaden sighed, simply showing her the picture. She took it and looked it over. Kaiba told everyone who the last rider was earning many gasps. They found that in the tome after he had passed and...it affected Jaden more then he liked to admit. All of the keys had returned to the keepers. Each one took off their keys and handed them to Sheppard. The man took the offered keys and put them back into the box.
"I will put these back in the safe and at the end of the year will unlock the gates for you Jaden."
"Good. Those cards belong to him anyways." Kaiba said, turning around.
He was proud of the seven and congratulated them on a job well done. They'd be getting anything they wanted from a pack of rare cards to a card commission from Pegasus himself if they wanted. The six looked impressed and thanked the CEO. Kaiba smirked, walking away to his jet.
Everyone watched him go, a gentle breeze blowing.
"So...its finally over." Bastion said.
"Guess so." Chazz muttered.
"Well...gotta say its been a interesting year." Professor Jason said, grinning. "Now we better address our adoring public."
Everyone cheered the group, said group turning and waving to everyone.
Yep, it looked like a bright day indeed.
Crowler then announced that exams were less then three weeks away, ruining the mood for everyone.
EODGX
Far from the island, in a dark room, a single computer monitor was on. A shadow looked at the monitor, seeing a graph steadily climbing with a rapid beeping tone coming from it. Unseen, the shadow smiled.
"Soon...just one more big duel and they will be unleashed...and I will have what I always crave."
The battle was won...but the War was far from over.
Now, before you all ask...NO. Chazz-anova is NOT gonna happen. For one, Chazz knows Alexis is dating Jaden. Second...I plan on the Graduation match being the lynchpin that makes the beasts come out. Seriously, THAT Would have been a great way to end the first season. Jaden and Zane's duel awakening the beasts and Jaden dueling Kagemaru...
But I haven't forgotten Chumley. He's gonna be the star of the next chapter and then the Graduation match.