Well, it's been officially one year since my story has been up! :) (fire works) I plan to do more chapters this upcoming year. Enjoy this chapter!
Chapter 8: Twin Determination
In a dark room, that was only lit up by the light of the moon, was a girl who was staring out the window. But this girl was no ordinary girl, this girl was Millennia.
"Shark. The boy already has five Numbers. His rage, his chaos, is making him more powerful. But it's not enough to see if my hypothesis is correct. What I need is to see his true rage. Perhaps if he hears that Terra is in this upcoming tournament, it will make his blood boil!"
"So you need someone to inform him of this?" A voice said.
"I hope that you'll get my message delivered." Millennia said as she turned to face a childlike figure hiding in the shadows.
"Of course I will!" The figure said in a childish voice and then gave a laugh that was almost psychotic.
It had been a full week since the whole Amber-Kite-Barian battle event and Rio wanted to confront her brother about her having an Number. But since the she found someone else who had a Number, Number 52 Diamond Crab King to be exact, and just like when she Dueled Ms. Frost a red ghost had appeared and took it too, bringing the Number to her. And what bothered her most was the blonde girl in the mask Frost mentioned. Yuma said that the Numbers where part of his friend Astral's memories, but then this Barian thing also wanted the Numbers.
"Hey Rio." A voice said.
Rio turned to see Bronk.
"Did you hear about the Duel Carnival?"
"Duel Carnival?" Rio asked.
"Yeah! Heartland is hosting a Dueling tournament: The World Duel Carnival!" Bronk said with excitement.
"Really? I guess you're participating in it?"
"You bet! How about you?"
"Maybe. I mean my Dueling is still a little rusty."
"Well sign ups are due by the end of next week so you have time."
"Cool." Rio said as she noticed her brother. "Shark can I talk to you for a minute?"
"Sure." Shark said as Bronk left.
Rio was nervous. She then pulled out her extra deck and pulled out two cards.
"Rio, are those…" Shark was surprised by the cards his sister had. "Where did you get those?!"
Rio held out Justice. "I got this one in a Duel against Ms. Frost. And this second one just recently." Rio explained.
"But… why haven't you told me about this?" Shark asked.
"I didn't know you knew about these! If I told you some girl gave our teacher a card that possessed her and made her knock you out and tried to steal your-" Rio was interrupted.
"Wait! So it was Ms. Frost who knocked me out! And who gave her the card?" Shark asked.
"She didn't recognize her. All she saw was a girl about our age, she was blonde, had a ponytail, and was wearing a blue visor mask. Have you or Yuma come across anyone who looks like that?"
"No. But I'll tell Yuma to keep an eye out for her." Shark told her.
Just then they heard screaming from the front of the school. They ran out front and saw that the school lawn was a littered with beaten Duelists.
"Man I got my butt whipped." A female student said.
"Some of us quite literally!" A male student said, rubbing his butt.
"What happened here?" Rio asked.
"We heard that a champion Dueling was at the front of the school and would give a fabulous prize to whoever could beat him in a Duel." The male student said.
"Who is it?" Shark asked.
"Quattro!" Both students said.
"WHAT?!" Shark said outraged.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't Reginald and Rio Kastle." As voice said.
The twins turned to see a man dressed in a long, white, medieval style trench coat. He had a cross shaped scar over his right eye. His spiky hair was multi colored, dark red in the back, and yellow in the front. He smiled at them in a disturbing way.
"Quattro you rat bastard! What are you doing here?!" Shark demanded.
"Relax Reginald, or as I hear you go by Shark now, I'm not here for you. I'm here for Rio. I have a message for her." Quattro said.
Just then Yuma and Astral showed up to investigate the situation.
"Oh crap! It's Quattro!" Yuma said.
"'Quattro'? As in the cheater who tricked Shark in to peaking at his deck in that tournament?" Astral asked.
"The very same." Yuma said. He knew this couldn't end well.
"I'm no interested in anything you have to say you #$%!" Rio said, which shocked everyone.
"Yuma, what's a ' #$%'?" Astral asked.
"Uh Astral, that is what we call a curse word. It is a word that is very bad and you should never say." Yuma told him.
"But Rio said it."
"Yeah, but she is extremely mad and that is the only exception."
"Observation Number 11: A curse word is only to be used in times of extreme anger." Astral said to himself.
"No need to use the vulgarities on me Rio! Save it for Terra." Quattro said.
"Terra?!" Shark, Rio, and Yuma said.
"Yes Terra. She's the one who wants to give you the message."
"You better tell me where that bitch is right now!" Rio demanded.
"I couldn't even if I wanted to. I'm just a middle man."
"Middle man or no, you're still going to pay for what you did to me!" Shark said as he readied his Duel disk.
"Oh you want to Duel? Fine by me!" Quattro said as he readied his Duel disk. His looked like a dark gold gauntlet with a blade on it with crimson markings.
"I'm getting in on this too!" Rio said as she activated her Duel disk and her Duel gazer, as did Shark.
Quattro however, had a purple tattoo over his left eye instead. Also a strange glowing purple crest with a flame shaped insignia appeared on his right hand.
Astral gasped. "That mark…"
"What is it Astral?" Yuma asked.
"That mark on his right hand… it feels… familiar."
"Does it have something to do with the Barians?"
"I don't think so. But it's definitely not of this world."
Augmented Reality Vision Online
Shark: 4000
Rio: 4000
Quattro: 4000
"I'll start this, I draw!" Shark started. "I summon out Big Jaws!" A torrent of water appeared on the field and out came metal mouth shark.
Big Jaws: Level 3/WATER/Fish/1800 Atk/300 Def
"With that I end my turn."
"Really Shark? I thought that you would make a more impressive move on your first turn. Or are you so lame that you had to cheat your way up to top to get to the Nationals finals in the first place?" Quattro taunted.
"Shut your Duel hole! It's my turn, I draw!" Rio announced. "I summon Blizzard Falcon!" Rio's ice bird flew onto the field out of a blizzard.
Blizzard Falcon: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/1500 Atk/1500 Def
"Next I activate Black Pendant! This increases his power by 500!"
Blizzard Falcon Atk: 1500 + 500 = 2000
"And best of all, since his attack points changed, you automatically take 1500 points of damage!" Rio explained as a large blizzard surrounded Quattro, who didn't even flinch.
Quattro: 4000 – 1500 = 2500
"I end things with a face down."
"Not a bad move, but it's my turn, draw!" Quattro said. "I place a monster face down in defense mode! And then I place two more cards face down!" Quattro's face downs appeared on the field. "Finally I activate the field spell Xyz Coliseum!" The area around them turned into a ancient coliseum that was falling apart.
"This place is creepy." Yuma noted.
"Allow me to explain how this field spell works, all Xyz Monsters gain 200 attack points, but any monster that isn't one can't attack. Now I end my turn."
Utopia appeared next to Yuma. "Something is off about this field. I sense a lot of despair and pain in this field. It's if monsters have been tortured here so much that their sorrow has be permanently buried into this field."
"Wow really?" Yuma asked.
"Yes and something else is off too. I can't tell if Quattro has a Number or not."
"What?" Astral said with shock.
"I'm trying to see into his soul to see if there's a Number. But all I see is a purple light in the shape of flames."
"What does that mean? Does it mean he doesn't have a soul? Because it would explain a lot!" Yuma said.
"My turn! I draw!" Shark said. "I summon Tripod Fish!" A purple blue fish with long spines and yellow orbs at the base of the spines.
Tripod Fish: Level 3/WATER/Fish/300 Atk/1300 Def
"Next I Overlay my Level 3 Tripod Fish and Big Jaws, in order to build the Overlay Network!" The two monsters disappeared into the red portal.
"I XYZ SUMMON SUBMERSIBLE CARRIER AERO SHARK!" The large twin shark carrier bursted out of the ground ready to attack.
Submersible Carrier Aero Shark: Rank 3/WATER/Fish/1900 Atk/1000 Def
"And thanks to the Coliseum field spell Aero Shark gains 200 attack points!"
Aero Shark Atk: 1900 + 200 = 2100
"Now I activate his ability! By using one Overlay Unit he dishes out 400 points of damage for each card in my hand! And I'm holding four cards!" The torpedoes on Aero Shark launched. "GO AIR TORPEDO." The torpedoes hit Quattro.
Quattro: 2500 – 1600 = 900
"Aero Shark destroy that face down! DEVOURING DIVE!" Aero Shark charged at the face down card, which turned out to be a female wooden puppet with brown hair and wearing a pink dress. Aero Shark crunched it to pieces.
"That was my Gimmick Puppet Princess." Quattro said.
Gimmick Puppet Princess: Level 1/LIGHT/Machine/0 Atk/0 Def
"That monster was as weak as they come! And with only 900 Lifepoints, all I need is one strike and we win!" Rio said.
"Not so fast! I activate my Repair Puppet trap! Whenever a Level 4 or lower Puppet monster is destroyed in battle, I can summon a second one directly from my deck! So here's another Gimmick Puppet Princess!" Quattro said as another doll came to the field. This one had bluish black hair and a green dress.
"I'll admit that was clever, but it won't save you for long! I end things with a face down!" Shark said.
"I can take it from here! I draw!" Rio began her turn. "I activate Blizzard Vision! This spell creates a copy of my Blizzard Falcon!" A storm picked up and a copy of the blue falcon appeared.
Blizzard Vision: Level 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/0 Atk/0 Def
"Now I Overlay my two Level 4 monsters in order to build the Overlay Network!" Both monsters disappeared.
"I XYZ SUMMON HAIL HARPY!" A large blue woman with bird wings made of ice and ice talons for feet came out of a blizzard. She had on a simple white dress with short blue hair that looked like feathers.
Hail Harpy: Rank 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/2100 Atk/0 Def
"Now due to your own field spell my Hail Harpy gains power, and since Black Pendant went to the Graveyard, you take an additional 500 points of damage!"
Hail Harpy Atk: 2100 + 200 = 2300
Quattro: 900 – 500 = 400
"And don't think that just because your monster is in defense mode you can't be damaged! Because by using one Overlay Unit Harpy can switch your monster's battle mode! SNOW SWITCH!" Harpy created a snow storm with her wings that froze the doll solid.
Puppet Princess: 0 Atk
"All right! Now Rio just has to attack and it's over!" Yuma said.
"Don't be so sure. While Quattro is wide open for an attack, he doesn't seemed worried at all." Astral said, noticing that Quattro was actually smiling.
"Now Harpy, destroy that doll! HAIL STORM!" Rio said as her monster created an enormous storm that demolished the doll. But when the field cleared of the storm, everyone was shocked.
"Sorry Rio, but that won't work." Quattro said, with his Lifepoints untouched and with a new monster on the field. This one was a headless horseman with the horseman as a medieval looking mannequin and the horse made completely out of discarded mannequin parts.
Gimmick Puppet Headless Horseman: Level 8/DARK/Machine/800 Atk/2000 Def
"What gives?!" Shark yelled.
"It's quite simple. I activated the ability of my Gimmick Puppet Headless Horseman from my hand! If I would take more than 2000 points of battle damage, then I can summon this monster and negate the damage!"
"No way!" Yuma said.
"Oh and there's more! Since my Lifepoints are under 2000, I get to draw a card!" Quattro drew his card.
"I end my turn." Rio said.
"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Quattro said as his tattoo glowed and his mark appeared on his hand. "Let's get this show on the road! Since all the monsters I control are Gimmick Puppet, I can summon Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll!" Large pieces of metal clustered together to create a metal doll held together by wooden balls appeared next to the horsemen.
Gimmick Puppet Magnet Doll: Level 8/DARK/Machine/1000 Atk/1000 Def
Astral gasped. "Yuma, he has two monsters with the same Level."
"Then that can only mean…" Yuma said.
"I Overlay my Gimmick Puppet Headless Horseman and Magnet Doll! With these two monsters I build the Overlay Network!" Both monsters disappeared into a golden portal, meaning one thing.
"I XYZ SUMMON THE ALL POWERFUL NUMBER 15: GIMMICK PUPPET GIANT KILLER!"
The sealed form of the Number rose out as a pulsing black heart made out of puppet limbs coiled together. The limbs unraveled from each other, revealing the monster's true form. It was a gigantic black, humanoid shaped puppet with short red hair and a blank expression on its face. It was sitting on a flat chair, and on top of the chair, two crane like structures pulled the strings that were attached to the monster's limbs. An orange 15 pulsed on the puppet's golden headband. There was also a large, gaping hole in the center of the monster's chest, showing that it was just as heartless as his master.
Number 15 Gimmick Puppet Giant Killer: Rank 8/DARK/Machine/1500 Atk/2500 Def
"He has a Number!" Everyone said.
Quattro smiled. He held his right hand and instead of a Number symbol, his crest appeared instead. "And don't forget, due to Xyz Coliseum my Killer gains 200 attack points."
Giant Killer Atk: 1500 + 200 = 1700
"There's that symbol again! I don't know what it means, but I do know that its connected to his Number immunity!" Utopia said as he reappeared.
"Wait, how can you tell that he's not affected by the Number? I mean this could explain his cruelty!" Yuma said.
"While it is true Numbers can warp people to be cruel like he is, but the energy that is being emitted by that symbol is both in his soul and is coating the monster. That leads me to conclude that whatever the marking is, it's protecting his soul from the Number's influence and allows him to control it too."
Shark didn't look worried. "Please. Even though it's a Number it still has fewer attack points than our monsters!"
"And to be a Rank 8 monster with such few attack points is just pathetic!" Rio added.
Quattro chuckled. "While it does have few attack points, it makes up for it with a massively powerful ability. By using one Overlay Unit he destroys all other Xyz Monsters on the field!" An Overlay Unit was absorbed into the headband and the giant monster raised his hands and a swarm of marionette strings came out of his finger tips and attached themselves to Aero Shark and Hail Harpy.
Rio quickly acted. "I activate my monster's ability! She uses her final Overlay Unit to switch your Giant Killer to defense mode!"
Giant Killer: 2500 Def
"Doesn't matter." Quattro said with a smile as the two monsters were dragged into the gaping hole in his monster's chest, and was shredded by the giant gears in the chest.
"No way." Yuma said.
"Opps, I forgot to mention that each player takes damage equal to the attack points of the monsters they control! DESTRUCTION CANNON!" As the gears moves back into the body a giant cannon emerged and blasted Rio and Shark with red energy.
Rio: 4000 – 2300 = 1700
Shark: 4000 – 2100 = 1900
"Shark! Rio!" Yuma yelled as his friends were sent flying.
"Oh it gets a whole lot worse! I banish my two Gimmick Puppet Princesses to bring back the two monsters that destroyed them!" Quattro smiled as the Graveyard portal opened and the two princesses came out and they repositioned their bodies to reveal the strings in their bodies that dropped back into the portal and pulled up Aero Shark and Hail Harpy before breaking into pieces. "And don't forget that Xyz Colosseum increases their power so that I can do even more damage!"
Aero Shark Atk: 1900 + 200 = 2100
Hail Harpy Atk: 2000 + 200 = 2200
"Of course! Quattro has set up a perfect attack loop!" Astral said.
"An attack loop?" Yuma questioned.
"Yes! He forced Shark and Rio to summon monsters that he could use to his advantage! It's a devious, yet extremely effective strategy!"
"Now Giant Killer will once again destroy your pathetic monsters!" Quattro said as his monster's last Overlay Unit was absorbed into the headband and the monster raised his hands and released the marionette strings.
"Not so fast Quattro! I activate my trap Extreme Pressure Power! It destroys my monster and allows me to draw a card from my deck!" As if gravity had increased dramatically, Aero Shark was crushed to a pulp right before the strings reached it and Shark drew his card. "Guess I out trapped your trap!"
"Fine, but Rio isn't safe though!" The strings attached themselves to Hail Harpy and she was destroyed the same way as before. "GO DESTRUCTION CANNON!" The cannon blasted at Rio, but the blast was blocked by a large snow flake. "WHAT?!" Quattro said furiously.
"Sorry, but when you destroyed my Hail Harpy the first time, she had no Overlay Units. That means her second ability activated; when she's destroyed by a monster and has no Overlay Units, I take no additional damage for the rest of this turn!" Rio said with a smile.
"Well, well, well. It seems that you two have a bit more skill than I thought. So it looks like I have to end my turn."
"Then I draw!" Shark said. 'This is bad. If I don't come up with a plan soon, I'm through.' He thought.
"Then summon me!" Shark Drake said. "Use me and I will break that pile of scraps!"
"Sounds good." Shark said out loud, which made everyone look at him. "I activate Surface! This card allows me to summon a Level 3 or lower monster from my Graveyard in defense mode! I bring back Tripod Fish!" The Graveyard portal opened and the strange fish reappeared.
Tripod Fish: 1300 Def
"And whenever Tripod Fish is Summoned from the Graveyard I can raise his Level by one!"
Tripod Fish: Level 4
"Next I summon Hammer Shark and Silent Angler!" The hammer headed shark and angler fish appeared on the field.
Hammer Shark: Level 4/WATER/Fish/1700 Atk/1500 Def
Silent Angler: Level 4/WATER/Fish/800 Atk/1400 Def
"I can summon Angler since I have a WATER monster on the field. Now I Overlay my three monsters in order to build the Overlay Network!" The three monsters vanished into the golden portal.
"I XYZ SUMMON MY KING OF THE DEEP, NUMBER 32: SHARK DRAKE!" The crimson shark tooth rose out of the portal and reshaped into the fearsome monster it's known for.
Number 32 Shark Drake: Rank 4/WATER/Fish/2800 Atk/2100 Def
"Now my Shark Drake gains 200 points and will destroy that monster!"
Shark Drake Atk: 2800 + 200 = 3000
"Now Shark Drake destroy Gimmick Puppet Giant Killer! DEEP SEA DESTRUCTION!" Shark Drake blasted Giant Killer with his shark attack and destroyed it.
"Oh please! Like that would have affected me?!" Quattro taunted, since his monster was in defense mode.
Shark smiled. "I activate Shark Drake's ability! By using an Overlay Unit, he restores your monster and lowers its attack points by 1000! And the he'll attack it a second time!" Shark Drake blasted water on the ground and the Graveyard opened and began to rise from the Graveyard.
"Not so fast!" Quattro announced. "I summon Gimmick Puppet Twilight Joker! I can do so by banishing Giant Killer! Sorry your plan was cut short!" A red and black jester came out and sliced Giant Killer to pieces with its large scythe.
Gimmick Puppet Twilight Joker: Level 8/DARK/Machine/800 Atk/1600 Def
"Man! Quattro just seems to have a backup for everything!" Yuma complained.
"Yes. His tactics are a bit devious, but are quite effective. I dare say his skills might even rival that of Kite's." Astral commented.
"I end my turn." Shark said bitterly.
"Then I draw!" Rio said. She had a plan, but she would be pushing herself to the limit. "Now I activate Crystal Redemption! A little present I got from Amber!" The spell used by Rio was similar to Amber's card, which show's an Xyz Monster throwing an ice bird through the Graveyard portal and copy of the bird made completely out of ice. "It banishes Hail Harpy and summons one of the monsters used to summon her the first time! Return Blizzard Falcon!" The Graveyard portal opened and the blue falcon flew out. "And that's not all! His Level is raised by one and this spell transforms into a copy of monster!" A mirror image of Blizzard Falcon appeared on the field.
Blizzard Falcon: Level 5/0 Atk/0 Def
Crystal Redemption: Level 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/0 Atk/0 Def
"Wow! Cool spell!" Yuma commented.
"Indeed. It's quite similar to Amber's Crystal Ancestry spell." Astral stated.
"I got this as a gift from Amber since she thought it would really help my Dueling skills, and turns out she was right! Now I Overlay my two Level 5 monsters!" Rio's two birds went into the Overlay Network.
"I XYZ SUMMON RIOTO HARPYIA THE SUB-ZERO PRINCESS!" The ice woman appeared on the field ready for battle.
Rioto Harpyia The Sub-Zero Princess: Rank 5/WATER/Winged-Beast/2500 Atk/2100 Def
Rioto Harpyia Atk: 2500 + 200 = 2700
"I know what you're thinking Quattro. Since your monster in defense mode you take no battle damage. But watch this! If I use one Overlay Unit I can use my monster to Xyz Summon an even more powerful monster!" Rio's monster slashed an Overlay Unit with its scythe and went into the golden portal.
"I XYZ SUMMON NUMBER 21 FROZEN LADY JUSTICE!" Out of the portal rose a large blue diamond. The sealed form of the Number broke and reformed into an elegant white woman dressed for battle with a sword at her side and the red 21 on her leg glowed.
Number 21 Frozen Lady Justice: Rank 6/WATER/Winged-Beast/500 Atk/500 Def
"This is unreal!" Astral remarked.
"Indeed! I had no idea that the girl had a Number! And you spend a lot of time with her which makes it all the more strange!" Utopia said.
"Rio, just how long have you had that Number?!" Yuma questioned.
"I've had it since I Dueled Ms. Frost a while back. Now time to disappear Quattro!" Rio said as she changed the subject.
"Oh please! It only has 500 attack points and even with the field bonus it won't help you!" Quattro said.
"I think you of all should know not to underestimate a monster based on attack points! Justice gains 1000 attack points for every Overlay Unit she has!"
Justice Atk: 500 + 200 + 2000 = 2700
"And now her ability activates! Of course by using an Overlay Unit she loses attack power, but it's a worthy price since it destroys all defense position monsters! ETERNAL PERMAFROST!" When Justice unsheathed her sword it sliced an Overlay Unit and it created a blizzard that destroyed the joker.
Justice Atk: 2700 - 1000 = 1700
"Now end this with FROSTBITE BLADE!" The sword was heading towards Quattro, but he only smiled.
"I activate Gimmick Puppet Dummy Shield! I can summon this monster when I'm attacked directly!" A ventriloquism dummy in a black tux with the body of a round shield came out only to be sliced in half.
Gimmick Puppet Dummy Shield: Level 4/DARK/Machine/800 Atk/0 Def
"Ugh! I end my turn!" Rio said bitterly.
"Then I draw! I have to admit you two are pretty good, but not good enough against me! I activate the spell known as Gimmick Puppet Ritual! Since I have under 2000 Lifepoints I can summon two Level 8 Gimmick Puppet monsters from my Graveyard! Rise again Gimmick Puppet Headless Horseman and Magnet Doll!" The two puppets rose up from the Graveyard.
"Oh no! With his monsters back he can-" Astral started.
"I once again Overlay Gimmick Puppet Headless Horseman and Magnet Doll!" The golden portal opened again and both monsters vanished into it.
"I XYZ SUMMON NUMBER 40: GIMMICK PUPPET HEAVEN'S STRINGS!"
A robotic puppet that looked like a one winged angel rose up, carrying a large sword. It possessed short bluish green hair, and it wore a red skirt around its waist. The left half of the angel, which had its arm and single wing, appeared to be broken off from the rest of its body, and the only thing connecting it to the rest of its body were a few thin cords of puppet strings, literally hanging on by a thread.
Number 40 Gimmick Puppet Heaven's Strings: Rank 8/DARK/Machine/3000 Atk/2000 Def
Heaven's Strings Atk: 3000 + 200 = 3200
"Sadly, the use of Gimmick Puppet Ritual means I can't battle this turn. But I won't be winning this turn, I'll be winning next turn!" Quattro stated.
"How can you win next turn?" Shark asked, confused by the fact that it was his turn next.
"By using one Overlay Unit Heaven's Strings plays a MELODY OF MAYHEM!" The giant monster started playing the strings on it's chest and after it finished it blasted red energy into the sky that created a dark cloud that rained red strings onto the field and attached to both Shark and Rio's Numbers. "At the end of the next turn all monsters with String Counters are destroyed and Duelists controlling them will take damage equal to attack points of the monsters they control! Its over for the both of you! I end my turn."
"This is bad! Neither of us have enough Lifepoints to survive that effect!" Rio said. She messed up. She was so blind with the rage of Quattro escaping defeat yet again that she didn't set the card she drew her last turn, Diamond Dust, which could have won her and Shark the Duel.
"Don't worry Rio! He isn't going to win, I draw!" Shark couldn't believe it! He actually didn't have a way to beat Quattro, but the card he drew could win him the Duel! 'Maybe Yuma is right about feeling the flow.' He thought. "I activate Jews of the Deep! It equips onto Shark Drake!" A large nautilus shell shaped blue gem as part of a necklace of blue pearls appeared on Shark Drake's neck, the same necklace on the mermaid in Shark's spell. "This raises his attack points by 500 for each Overlay Unit he has!"
Shark Drake Atk: 3000 + 1000 = 4000
"Reginald, where did you get that card?" Rio asked, knowing all of her brother's cards.
"Amber gave me the card. She gave all of us a card as a sign of friendship. Now Shark Drake destroy Heaven's Strings and end this! DEEP SEA DESTRUCTION!" A powered up Shark Drake blasted his signature shark at Heaven's Strings.
"I hoped I didn't have to do this, but when in Rome I guess! I activate Gimmick Cataclysm!" The second card Quattro put down on his first turn revealed itself, showing a humanoid lion in a chair holding a sward in its hand was sitting on a ledge over a large catastrophe. "This ends the Battle Phase and destroys my Heaven's Strings and we all take damage equal to its defense points!" Quattro said as his card activated, which blew up Heaven's Strings and the pieces hit everyone.
Shark: 1900 – 2000 = 0 (LOSE)
Rio: 1700 – 2000 = 0 (LOSE)
Quattro: 400 – 2000 = 0 (LOSE)
Draw!
"That rat! He'd rather rather drag everyone down instead of losing!" Yuma said.
"Man! Since I didn't win I can't take those Numbers!" Shark said as he got up.
"This bites!" Rio said.
"Quattro is quite strategic. That trap he had was face down since his first turn, as a backup card in case things went wrong. His strategies are rather dirty and devious, but nonetheless, he is quite skilled." Astral said to himself.
"Well now that's done, it is time for the message. Terra wanted to let you know that she will be competing in the World Duel Carnival, as will I." Quattro told them.
"Well, if that's the case then I guess I'll have to enter the tournament to beat her!" Rio said.
Quattro chuckled. "I seriously doubt that. Even with my skills I seriously don't think that I could beat her."
Just then Bronk, Tori, and Amber showed up and were surprised.
"What the what just happened?" Tori asked.
"Well, it seems I better go. I surely hope you guys get better if you want to survive the tournament." Quattro said as his mark glowed so bright it blinded everyone and then he disappeared.
"What was that?" Bronk asked.
"That was Quattro." Yuma said.
"The cheater?" Amber said.
"The very same. And I hate to admit it, but he was tough. If it weren't for the cards you gave me and Rio, we couldn't have got as far into the Duel as we did." Shark said.
"Well, you're welcome. I had collected them long ago and since you guys are my friends I wanted to give them to you as a token of our friendship." Amber blushed a little.
Then Rio noticed something poking out Amber's skirt pocket. "What's that?" She asked as she pointed to the object.
Amber then reached into her pocket and pulled out a blue amber locket. "I thought I left this at home…" She said softly as she opened it briefly, revealing part of a picture of a small boy.
"Why would you leave that at home? Its gorgeous!" Tori said.
"Who is that?" Yuma asked, pointing to the exposed picture.
"Jasper…" Amber said quietly as she closed the locket and had a small tear in her eye.
"Jasper? Who's that?" Shark asked.
"I…uh…I don't want to talk about it." Amber said as she wiped the tear out of her eye and pocketed the locket and walked away.
"Something's up." Rio said.
"Yeah, but it's obvious that she doesn't want to talk about it and we shouldn't get involved." Yuma said.
"Wait, you Yuma want to stay out of someone else's business?" Shark said, shocked by what Yuma said.
"Well, this is different than all the other times. I do like to help others, but this seems to be something very deep and upsetting. The way she looked at that picture of that kid, Jasper, she seems to be very emotional, the same way I look at my key that was my dad's, or the way you Shark look at your necklace." Yuma said as he held his key and Shark pulled his necklace with his family photo in it. "Neither of us want anyone to bring those events up and clearly Amber doesn't want to bring up what happened with that boy so we should let her tell us in her own time." Yuma said.
"Wow Yuma, that's very insightful. I didn't think you were capable of such in depth thinking." Astral said.
"Thanks Astral!" Yuma said sarcastically.
"You're welcome."
Fanfic cards:
Gimmick Puppet Dummy Shield: Level 4/DARK/Machine/800 Atk/400 Def
If you would be attacked directly you can Special Summon this card, from your hand, in Defense Position.
Gimmick Puppet Headless Horseman: Level 8/DARK/Machine/800 Atk/2000 Def
If you would take 2000 or more points of damage from battle, you can Special Summon this card from your hand and negate the damage. If this card is Summoned this way and your Lifepoints are under 2000, draw 1 card.
Hail Harpy: Rank 4/WATER/Winged-Beast/2000 Atk/0 Def
2 Level 4 Winged-Beast Monsters
Once per turn, during any player's turn, you can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to switch the battle position of 1 monster your opponent controls. If this card has no Xyz Material and is destroyed by an opponent's monster, battle or card effect, you take no damage for the rest of the turn.
Crystal Redemption: Normal Spell
Banish 1 WATER Xyz Monster from your Graveyard and then Special Summon, if able, 1 of the monsters used to Xyz Summon it the first 1 Level higher with 0 Atk/0 Def. Then Summon this card as Monster card with the same stats as the revived monster.
Jews of the Deep: Equip Spell
Equip this card to a WATER Xyz Monster and it gains 500 Atk for each Xyz Material attached to it.
Gimmick Cataclysm: Normal Trap
Activate during the Battle Phase, end the Battle Phase and destroy 1 "Gimmick Puppet" Xyz Monster you control and then all players take damage equal to its Defense Points.
Author's Notes:
And another one bites the dust! Not only did we witness an epic twin take down, but we also got a sliver of Amber's past. Next chapter we not only get to hear her story, but another big reveal is made, for the characters at least.