So, the first chapter got some decent interaction, and I've been hyped to continue. So, for your viewing pleasure, I present to you, Chapter 1 of Wes' Journey.
Like I said, I'm going to be doing a back-and-forth between protags, as the two characters of Wes and Becky are kind of separated at the moment. Since I want to give their individual journeys the spotlight, I'll be switching between them on a chapter-to-chapter basis. This is also the first chapter where major crossover elements start to show themselves, and some of you might find my crossover choices odd, to say the least. Like I said, all I can hope is you'll come at this with an open mind.
But enough about the serious stuff, I'm going to answer reviews.
ChroniclerDL: Gee, it's almost like that's what I was going for. And trust me, it ain't stoppin' any time soon.
Guest (#1): As fun as that sounds, I have enough on my plate as is, and I highly doubt I could do someone else's fic justice. So I'm afraid I'mma have to go with 'no'.
Guest (#2): Two twin brothers, Wes and Hikaru Mizuhara, and their older sister Rebecca 'Becky' Mizuhara.
Wes sat far away from the others as the boat to Crossroads Academy continued to speed along the water, idly fiddling with a small stone in his pocket. Sure enough, the ship had been there within a few hours of exams ending, and everyone had exactly enough time to gather any supplies they intended to bring with them.
For Wes himself, that didn't mean much. Aside from his Duel Disk, he only really had what was in his backpack when he came here; enough money for a couple nights at a motel while he got his written exam done, his laptop, a few DVDs from his home, and a large deck box.
The box had been on his mind all day, mostly for its contents. He had to resist the urge to take it out and go over his cards out in public, but at the same time, part of him wanted to do a quick switch out, in no small part due to his opening hand with Atlas.
That part only reminded the boy of how much of an outsider he really was.
If this was the world he thought it was… then he had cards no normal person should have.
'Goddammit, I know that box is full of my favorites, and I do love Ritual Monsters, but still,' he thought, feeling the breeze flowing through his hair. 'If I'd have known this would happen, I'd have brought some more fully realized decks. Like my Cyber Dragons. Or my Ancient Gears. Or my-… Huh, a lot of Machine decks, now that I think about it.'
After a second, the unconscious mind won out, as Wes reached into his backpack and pulled out the box. Opening it up revealed a couple of different piles of cards, each having been made just containing many of his most beloved cards from various eras. He'd had some of them for as long as he can remember, the only reason they were still in good condition being that Becky made sure they were sleeved.
'Now if only I could find my Ultimate Rare 'Ancient Gear Golem'. Seriously, I know it was in my deck when I dueled with-'
His thoughts were cut off as he remembered a certain play that had happened the last time that they were all together. It was clear now…
"BECKY!"
"Who?"
Wes flinched and slowly turned his head toward the voice. As if he hadn't suffered enough strange happenings in the past few hours, before him was a horribly familiar face. Not familiar in the sense that they've directly met, but in the sense that he has seen it so many times before.
Before him, stood a boy not much taller than him, with a slight tan and deep brown hair on his head, styled into a spiky mess befitting of any anime protagonist. His outfit was clearly meant more for adventuring than school, what with his various accessories and the pieces of leather that evoke the images of armor.
Wes didn't want to believe it initially, but looking into those blue eyes, he knew for a fact that this was him.
"Oh… uh, who are you?" Wes asked, trying to play the fool.
He chuckled, placing his hands behind his head in the most carefree manner Wes had ever seen. "Right, sorry. I'm Sora, and I just noticed you seemed to be away from everyone else."
"That's kinda by design," Wes admitted. "I've had a lot on my mind today, and I still gotta update my deck."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah."
"Any way I can help?"
A light chuckle escaped Wes' lips. This was definitely that Sora.
"Awfully kind of you to offer to help someone you just met," Wes joked. "You like that with everyone?"
To that, Sora shrugged. "Well, yeah. I just like to help others."
"Well, I guess you can take a stab at it, if you want."
Sora wasted no time sitting down and getting comfy, eager to see what cards Wes had hidden. And Wes was more than eager to deliver on that, revealing the first pile, and running through them with great speed.
"So, this one might be good for my Ritual build I'm thinking," Wes told him, already considering the strategies. "It's pretty good generic support, and I can always go for some extra monsters. I might also have some room for this card here, since it's extra power for my Rituals, and I plan on getting rid of a spell anyway. This one's also pretty good for recursion, since I do a lot of banishing and… I've totally lost you, haven't I?"
Sora rubbed the back of his head and chuckled. "Yeah, a little. I don't really play Rituals. I'm more of a Synchro guy myself."
This elicited a roll of Wes' eyes and an amused grin. "They're not that far off, you know. Just replace the Ritual Spell with a Tuner Monster, and boom, Synchro."
"Fair enou-"
Upon seeing two cards in Wes' pile, Sora's train of thought stopped dead. He recognized their aesthetic rather well.
"Legendary Six Samurai?"
To that, Wes raised an eyebrow, before giving a cursory glance to the monsters on display. Sure enough, they were two different 'Legendary Six Samurai' monsters – Mizuho and Shinai.
"Oh yeah," he thought aloud. "I kept a couple of them among my cards. I always thought it was cool how they represented teamwork between their monsters."
A light chuckle escaped Sora's lips. "You and I are kindred spirits then. I actually run Six Samurai."
'… Yeah, that tracks,' Wes thought.
"Unfortunately, I don't have the full sets," Sora said. "Still working on the Legendary Samurai."
"Like Mizuho and Shinai?"
"… Yeah, actually."
Needing to hear no more, the raven-haired boy pulled the two cards out, and immediately handed them to Sora. To say the other was a bit shocked was an understatement, but quickly replaced with a smile.
"You're just gonna give 'em to me?" Sora asked. "That's awfully kind of you, you know."
This got a chuckle out of Wes. "Well, you know what they say, one good turn deserves another. And besides, better that than they collect dust in this box."
"Well, thanks." Sora took the cards appreciatively. "Now then… you were saying something about recursion or whatever?"
And with that, their previous conversation began again with full force, as both boys looked over the cards, and thought up various ideas for combos. Changes were made, cards were removed and replaced, and they got a good chance to just talk. Neither noticed the boat had already docked until someone came to get them, at which point the box was haphazardly closed and tossed back into Wes' backpack.
And as soon as it was out of sight, a faint green glow came from within.
Orientation was about as dull and stuffy as Wes had expected it to be, even though Professor Atlas was a very charismatic speaker. It went over the usual stuff, from curriculum to the school Houses. As it turns out, this was more than just a dedicated Duel Academy, as he'd initially thought, and they provided a strong mix of general education alongside the advanced Dueling curriculum.
It was all quite fascinating, but one line Atlas said during the speech had given him certain goosebumps.
"We seek to help the displaced, the disillusioned, the despondent, to find their place in this world, to find the strength hidden deep within, and bring it forth for all the world to see!"
It seemed a bit odd for a speech about a school, and it almost made it sound like a sanctuary of sorts. But perhaps he was simply overthinking things – it wouldn't be the first time he'd done that in his life. But still, he couldn't get that line off his mind for the rest of orientation.
As it turns out, despite his decently impressive showing against a high-ranking Obelisk Blue, his written exam left a lot to be desired, leaving him in the Slifer Reds, the lowest house on the proverbial totem pole. Said placing left him feeling a major sense of Déjà vu by proxy, as despite not experiencing these events directly, he'd heard them before.
But if there was any solace to it, at the very least he and Sora had the same House.
Walking out into the courtyard, Wes admired the red fabric of his jacket. "Well, now I really am like Jaden, I guess…"
"Who's that?" Sora asked, having reluctantly changed into the Duel Academy uniform. "Another friend of yours?"
"Not quite, but he's someone I admire," answered Wes. "He was a Slifer Red, but was one of the best Duelists of his era."
"Pfft. Sounds to me like some slacker with a lotta dumb luck."
Turning their heads behind them, the two were greeted by the owner of that voice – another face Wes recognized, though only barely. Were it not for her hair's strange mix of various shades of blue, she probably would have looked like a normal person, but that plus her yellow eyes did give her away. And, much to his chagrin, she was an Obelisk Blue.
Oh, this was gonna be fun…
"Don't you think that's a little unfair?" Sora asked. "I mean, just because he's a Slifer doesn't mean he's a bad Duelist."
"Uh, yeah it does," the girl said in the most deadpan fashion. "Slifers are the bottom of the pecking order here. It's a wonder some of 'em even made it in in the first place."
"Well, Jaden wasn't," Wes countered. "And neither am I. Or did you miss my match against Professor Atlas?"
"Yeah, I'd call that dumb luck too."
"That's just your way to try and discredit my skill."
"I accept the logic behind Wes Mizuhara's interpretation of events."
Three heads turned once again, as a fourth voice entered the fray. Another girl in Obelisk Blue colors, among the tallest they'd ever seen, standing at 6'3, eclipsing everyone in the group. But something about the way she looked seemed… off. Almost synthetic if Wes had to put a word to it. He saw no light in her similarly yellow eyes, and her hair looked like a wig of silver locks. This, combined with her strange way of talking, led to confusion from the arguing teens.
"Who the heck are you?" asked the blue-haired girl.
"I am designated as Unit CD-001, alternate alias: Cyber Dragon."
A million thoughts raced through Wes' head as the 'girl' stated this in the most monotone mechanical voice to ever grace his ears. But as much as he'd love to consider the implications of her statement, and the whole host of questions that came from it, he instead decided to use this chance to improve his ego.
"Well, thank you, Cyber Dragon," he said happily. "I'm glad somebody acknowledges I've got skills."
"Wait, you really believe he's all that?"
'Cyber Dragon' nodded. "Atlas de Medici's professional record is 43 Victories to 1 Loss, 20 Victories the result of One-Turn Kills. Wes Mizuhara has no professional record to speak of, with his first official victory being listed against Professor Atlas. In addition, Wes Mizuhara's deck appears to be centered around Rituals, statistically the most undersupported Summoning Method.
Ergo, the only logical conclusion that my system can accept aside from cheating and/or bribery is that Wes Mizuhara's dueling skills are optimal to allow such a victory."
A brief silence enveloped the group, before Wes broke it. "That… went in a very different direction than I thought it was going."
"So, you're saying that there's a chance he could have cheated or bribed the proctor to take a dive?" the blue-haired girl asked.
Wes deadpanned. "You're really THAT determined to believe I'm not good, Indigo?"
"Prove me wrong, Slif-… wait, how did you know my name?"
"I heard someone else say it," Wes lied, not really in the mood to explain he heard it in a movie.
"… Whatever, I got more important things to do," Indigo taunted. "Let's see if you've got the skills to back up all that bravado."
"What right here and now? In front of all these people?"
Indigo looked around, and sure enough, a few of their fellow students were eyeing them with great curiosity. This however, only caused a smirk to adorn the bluenette's face, as she pulled out her new Duel Disk.
"You think I'm gonna get stage fright or something, big shot?" she taunted. "Please. Flooring you in front of everyone else will be the most satisfying thing I do today."
A lone sigh escaped Wes' lips, as he pulled out his own new Duel Disk. It was a top-of-the-line model, the newest of its kind, possessing a built-in 'D-Pad' to allow Duelists to keep better track of the fields. And just like the jackets, the Duel Disks were color coordinated, Wes' being Red, and Indigo's being Blue.
"I guess I can give you a demonstration," Wes said, as their devices sparked alive. "Let's do this!"
DUEL!
Wes Mizuhara (4000 LP)
Vs
Indigo Zap (4000 LP)
Soon enough, the crowd had gathered around them, including the students from various Houses, Sora and 'Cyber Dragon' standing to the side, and even Professor Atlas de Medici himself standing in the crowd, a grin plastered on his face.
"Kick her butt!" exclaimed Sora.
"Battle at maximum capacity, both of you!" 'Cyber Dragon' told them.
"Ms. Zap, show him exactly why you're in Obelisk Blue!" declared Professor Atlas, before looking over to Wes. "Sorry Mr. Mizuhara, but house loyalties and all that!"
The coin toss was called and ended in Indigo Zap's favor. Naturally, she chose the first move.
[Turn 1, Indigo Zap]
"To start, I'll activate Reinforcement of the Army!" Indigo called out, revealing the classic Spell Card to her opponent. "With this, I can add a Level 4 or lower Warrior from my deck to my hand! I'll add my Celtic Guard of Star Sabers!"
"'Star Sabers'?" Wes mused. "That's a new one."
"Well, you'll get to meet him right now! I normal summon Celtic Guard of Star Sabers!"
And true to his name, Celtic Guardian appeared on the field, or at least some iteration of him. This one wore a very different armor, this one lighter and vaguely more eastern in a way. In his hands, a single sword, adorned with a constellation pattern on it; the Sacred Sword of Seven Stars.
(1700/900)
"And with his effect, I can Normal Summon a second Celtic Guard! I summon Celtic Guard of Noble Arms!"
Bursting forth from the card, another variant of the elf swordsman appeared on the field, this one wielding two ornate longswords in his hands, and returning to a more traditional armor for him.
(2100/500)
"And finally, with Celtic Guard of Noble Arms' effect, I can Special Summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guard!"
And with one last burst of light, out came the original, or at least the retrain of the original. The classic armor, the single sword, the look of raw determination on his face. This was the monster Wes remembered.
(1400/1200)
"And to end my turn, I'll set one card face-down! Your move!"
[Turn End, Hand: 1]
[Turn 2, Wes, Hand: 5]
Wes nodded. "I dra-AAAAAAAH!"
The sudden scream caught everyone off-guard as Wes' card fell to the ground. Thankfully, it fell face down, so no one got the chance to see what it was for more than a glance. He very quickly picked it up and held it close, incredulously looking at the offending spell in question.
"What the hell!?" He asked frantically. "I know I took this out!"
"Took WHAT out?" Indigo asked, genuinely concerned something was amiss. Wes' reaction only furthered that worry.
"Oh uh, nothing! Nothing you need to worry about! Everything's fine, let's continue!"
But from Wes' perspective, everything was NOT fine. That infernal spell, which he knew for a fact he had placed in his Deck box, and yet here it was plain as day for him to see again. He hated it because he knew what it was all too well.
'The Seal of Orichalcos…' he thought. 'And then there's that stupid stone that won't leave my pocket despite my best efforts. I'm starting to believe it's genuinely got some occult powers now, and that's terrifying…
Okay Wes, tone down the panic, it's fine… I need to focus on the Duel.'
"Alright, Indigo, get ready!" Exclaimed Wes as he finally decided on his move. "First, I activate Advanced Ritual Art, allowing me to pitch my Alexandrite Dragon to perform a Ritual Summon!"
Much like his first duel, a pillar of light appeared, and within, Wes could see a very familiar silhouette.
"Great spear of thorns and divine blood of Lugh! Descend upon the fields of war once again, guided by rage, by ruin, and by might!
Ritual Summon!
Level 4! Cú Chulainn the Awakened!"
(500/1000)
"And next, I summon my Blue Dragon Summoner!"
(1500/600)
The two monsters shared a glance, Cú Chulainn's eyes locked with the Celtic Guard of Noble Arms. He gripped his spear tightly, as if seeing the elf brought out his dearest emotions.
"And thanks to Advanced Ritual Art, I can banish Alexandrite Dragon to activate Cú Chulainn's effect; Ríastrad!"
Much like against Atlas, the Warp Spasm happened, as Cú Chulainn grew in size and bulk, his teeth sharpening into fangs, and his eyes burning with red hot fury.
(500 + 2000 = 2500)
Wes nodded. It was time.
"Alright, let's go! Blue! Cú! Attack Indigo's Obnoxious Guard and Guard of Noble Arms respectively!"
The first to move as the command was given was the furious Cú Chulainn, He lunged forward, eager to strike his opponent down. Neither he nor Wes noticed the smirk on Indigo's face until it was too late.
"You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?" she asked, pressing a button on her Duel Disk. "I activate my 'Mirror Force' Trap Card!"
And the instant the Gáe Bulg attempted to piece Celtic Guard's armor, both it and its master were thrown back with great force. As if a mirror had shattered, both of his monsters were blown away from the field in an instant.
"When Blue Dragon Summoner leaves the field," Wes explained, trying to remain defiant. "I can add 1 Dragon, Warrior, or Spellcaster Normal Monster from my deck to my hand! I add my Tri-Horned Dragon!
And next, I play Monster Reborn, to return Blue Dragon Summoner to the field in Defense Mode!"
(1500/600)
Indigo chuckled. "So, you decided to bring that lame little mage back?"
"Hey, just 'cuz you knocked her down once doesn't give you the right to call her lame!" protested Wes, who could have sworn he saw a hurt look on his Summoner's face.
"She kinda is though," Indigo said, amused at Wes' indignation. "All you got out of it was a pretty sucky Normal Monster. Oh wow, I'm so scared."
"You will be. I'll set a face down and call it there!"
[Turn End, Hand: 2]
[Turn 3, Indigo, Hand: 1]
"I draw! … And I'll Normal Summon the original Celtic Guardian!"
(1400/1200)
Wes gulped, now that there were 4 elf swordsmen staring him down with sharp objects in their hands. From where he was standing, there were several ways this could get worse, and he didn't like any of them…
"Now I use Celtic Guard of Noble Arms and Celtic Guard of Star Sabers to build the Overlay Network!"
'Why do I think things?' Wes asked himself, as the field lit up. The two monsters turned to energy, and entered into a swirling vortex on the ground, in which the new monster was created.
"I Xyz Summon the Rank 4, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"
From the portal bust forth a black and purple bipedal dragon, covered in metal adornments, including the one on its chin, and the blades that made its wing. Wes couldn't help but take a step back when he saw its piercing yellow eyes.
(2500/2000)
"Aw, no summoning chant, Ms. Zap?" Atlas questioned from behind the girl. "Come now, a monster like that deserves something special!"
"No way," Indigo argued. "I'm not gonna make up some cheer for every time I summon this thing. That's lame."
"A Duel is as much a performance as it is a competition, young lady." The Professor answered. "You could stand to lighten up and have some fun."
"I AM having fun! I'm about to beat this guy in one turn. I build the overlay network with my other two monsters, to Xyz Summon the Rank 4, Heroic Champion – Excalibur!"
Second verse, same as the first, a vortex of stars appeared and both swordsmen entered into it as energy. From the resulting summon appears a giant warrior, clad in dark red armor, and carrying a massive blade.
(2000/2000)
Under normal circumstances, this move would have terrified Wes, but this was a different story. Actually, he was extremely grateful that Indigo did this because this gave him an answer to another question he had.
At the very least, now he knew this was pre-Links.
"I now activate Excalibur's effect," Indigo said, taking off the cards from underneath the Xyz Monster. "By using both Overlay Units, he can DOUBLE his attack points until your next end phase!"
In an instant, the two orbs surrounding the monster flew into his blade, which glowed with incredible fury. He took up stance, glaring at Wes with his intentions clear.
(2000 x 2 = 4000)
"You're going down, you Slifer Slacker! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, destroy his Blue Dragon Summoner!"
The command was acted upon faster than he could have ever imagined, as the dragon came over and pierced through Blue Dragon Summoner with the blade on its chin. Much like last time, Wes was able to add a Normal Monster to his hand, and he chose 'Gaia the Fierce Knight'.
And then, Indigo called for her Heroic Champion to attack. The crowd waited with bated breath to see if Wes could find a way out of this one…
And then he smirked.
"You didn't think it'd be that easy, did you?"
Wes couldn't help but take some pleasure in the look on her face as he threw her words right back at her. With a press of a button, his 'Defense Draw' card was activated, and the effect resolved; from this battle, Wes took no damage, and he got to draw a card.
And when he did, for the second time, he wanted to scream.
'Winged Kuriboh?'
He wanted to scream, and he wanted to scream very loudly.
Not only did he have Hikaru's 'Tri-Horned Dragon', but apparently, he also had Becky's favorite little ball of fluff in his deck without even realizing it. But that didn't make sense to him! He'd thoroughly gone over his cards when he was considering the swap outs with Sora! The only possible answer was he somehow missed it despite having searched his deck at least EIGHT different times today, or…
'… Of course!'
And as if to answer him, he saw a faint glow come from his hand, where the Seal was now a bit more radiant than before. He grit his teeth, it feeling as though he could quite literally FEEL the spell's excitement in the back of his mind. Now, he knew something was up, and he didn't like it.
No, he didn't like it one bit…
"Hey! You gonna go or what!?"
Those words pierced his focus and brought him back to reality. Once he did, he noticed the impatience on Indigo's face, as well as the crowd, who seemed to be waiting on him to go.
[Turn End, Hand: 1]
[Turn 4, Wes, Hand: 4]
"Better hurry, Mr. 'I Beat an Obelisk Blue'," taunted Indigo. "Seems the crowd's gettin' antsy."
"Hmph… I draw! And immediately, I'll play Trade-In, using the Tri-Horned Dragon you decried as 'pretty sucky' to draw 2 cards!"
With a quick discard, and swearing he heard a satisfied growl in the back of his mind, Wes drew two more cards, both of which he could make great use of. The first of them, he used right now.
"I activate Pre-Preparation of Rites! With this, I can add a Ritual Monster and the corresponding Ritual Spell from my deck to my hand! I'll add Black Luster Soldier and Black Luster Ritual!
And speaking of BLS… I activate my Black Luster Ritual!"
In the middle of his battlefield, a stone tablet appeared, as did his Winged Kuriboh, and Gaia the Fierce Knight.
"By sacrificing Winged Kuriboh, I can strengthen Gaia into a more powerful monster!" boasted Wes, as he watched the great light envelop Gaia, who charged through it.
"Invincible Knight, born of light and dark! Charge through the gateway of Chaos, and retake your true, unbridled form once more!
Ritual Summon!
Level 8! Black Luster Soldier!"
In a burst of radiance, out came one of the most – if not THE most – classic and well-known Ritual Monsters of all time. His armor gleamed in the midday sun, and his sword glowed as if primed to shatter all of Indigo's field in an instant.
(3000/2500)
"Good to have you back, old friend," said Wes happily, before turning his attention back to his opponent. "You REALLY should have used Dark Rebellion's effect last turn. Now you've given my monster an easy target. BLS, attack Dark Rebellion!"
Before either Duelist could react, a great 'SHING!' could be heard, as the knight of chaos appeared on the other side of the dragon, who exploded in a flash, dealing the first bit of damage all duel.
(Indigo's LP: 4000 – 500 = 3500)
As BLS jumped from Indigo's field over to Wes' with an impressive backflip, the Slifer Duelist placed a card face-down, and gestured to her to take her turn.
[Turn End, Hand: 1]
(Heroic Champion – Excalibur's ATK: 2000)
[Turn 5, Indigo, Hand: 1]
"Alright then! Here goes!"
She drew her card, and immediately a plan hatched within her mind. And she had just the card for it.
"I activate the Warrior Returning Alive to add my Celtic Guard of Noble Arms back to my hand! And next, I'll summon my Celtic Guard of Lightforce Sword!"
The fifth variation of the elf swordsman that Wes had seen today revealed itself, as well as the second one he'd never heard of. He had however heard of the 'Lightforce Sword', and sure enough this version had in his hands the blade that had been wielded on the classic Trap Card.
(1600/1000)
"When he's summoned, I can invite back a Celtic Guard monster from my Graveyard. And so, I'll invite back my Celtic Guard of Noble Arms!"
(2100/500)
"And next, I'll build the Overlay Network one more time! I Xyz Summon the Rank 4, Celtic Guard of Sword Breakers!"
From the vortex burst forth perhaps the most amazing version of the 'Celtic Guardian' to date. Adorned in shining silver armor, with a black cloak covering his back, bearing a pair of twin sheaths attached to his belt. And in his hands, were a pair of swords, not based on any on monster artwork, but rather a simple set of sword breakers, the one in his main hand larger than the one in his off hand.
He ran the smaller blade over the edge of the larger one, creating sparks as if to taunt Wes' monster, and as the effects of 'Celtic Guard of Lightforce Sword' finally activate.
(2600/0)
"Take a good look, slacker, because this guy's gonna end you!" Indigo taunted, pointing a finger at Wes' field. "Celtic Guard of Sword Breakers attacks Black Luster Soldier! And once I declare this attack, I can activate his special ability!"
"I think not!" Wes countered, revealing his trap card. "Fiendish Chain!"
"I think not. Celtic Guard of Sword Breakers has more than one ability! While he has a Celtic Guard monster as an Overlay Unit, he can't be targeted or destroyed by your card effects!"
Despite the best efforts of the chains to cover the swordsman, he cut through them as if they were nothing more than paper. Finally, he'd reached Black Luster Solder, and their blades clashed.
"Now as I was saying, by removing 1 Overlay Unit, I can increase Sword Breaker's attack by half the original attack of his opponent!"
And much like Excalibur before him, an overlay unit entered Celtic Guard's sword, and the blade glowed. With a single swift motion, he jerked the blade down, the teeth that caught Black Luster Soldier's blade having cracked it down the middle…
(ATK: 2600 + 1500 = 4100)
And leaving him open for a sword through the chest, shattering the Ritual monster, banishing it thanks to the effect of one of its Overlay Units, and dealing hefty damage to his master.
(Wes' LP: 4000 – 1100 = 2900)
"And next, I attack you directly with Excalibur!"
(Wes' LP: 2900 – 2000 = 900)
"And with that, I end my turn!"
[Turn End, Hand: 0]
[Turn 6, Wes, Hand: 1]
Standing back up after just being on the receiving end of a holographic sword, Wes looked to his hand, and was horrified. He was on his last legs, with nothing but a single spell, and unless he drew something he could use, he would certainly lose.
It all came down to this…
"I DRAW!"
With one final flourish, Wes drew his last card, and was surprised. It was a spell, and one he did not recognize.
'Cards of the Sacred Stone?' He questioned, quickly reading over the effect text. 'Alright, let's see. Draw 2 cards, you must control th-'
He stopped himself immediately, and his blood ran so cold he was worried he'd freeze from the inside out.
He wanted to scream again.
This card was a draw power card if he'd ever seen one. The catch?
He had to control the 'Seal of Orichalcos' in order to activate it in the first place…
The faint glow of the card returned. Wes paled, certain that this was its doing. Hell, if he'd been sure to look, he might have even seen a trail of glowing green when he actually drew it; that wouldn't have surprised him with all the crap it was pulling right now.
'But… but I can't!' he thought, remembering what he knew about the Seal. 'I've seen the anime, I know what that card does! But if I don't, then I'll guaranteed lose… but if I use it, then I draw and win, then Indigo will lose her soul!'
When that thought came to mind, Wes' pupils became pinpricks, and he had to keep himself from retching at the fact that he even CONSIDERED it.
'I… I can't do it. No victory is worth that…'
"I… end my turn…"
When he said that, he felt something in the back of his mind. He wasn't sure how to describe it, but it felt like… disappointment? But disappointment from where? It couldn't have been the card, could it? No, that couldn't have been possible. Indigo? Maybe, he had noticed a twinge of sadness on her face for a split second.
Maybe it was his own disappointment, that he'd been pushed into this corner…
"Well, I guess it really was dumb luck…" Indigo said, sounding as though the wind had been taken out of her sails. "Fine. Celtic Guard of Sword Breakers, end this Slifer Slacker!"
And before he knew it, the rest of his life points were drained away, and Wes' first duel on the island. The crowd cheered for Indigo, and dispersed shortly after, leaving Wes to wallow in his own anger.
"That was a great Duel, Wes."
Until Sora came by, at the very least. Seeing the boy's infectious smile managed to at least help remove the frown from Wes' face.
"Don't let Indigo get you down," Sora said encouragingly. "You did awesome."
"I must agree, Wes Mizuhara," 'Cyber Dragon' said. "Your skills have proven satisfactory with this field data. However, your mental state during the latter half of the duel is something I must inquire about."
"Don't worry about it, Cyber," Wes said.
"… That is not listed among my aliases."
"Well list it, please. And while you're at it, just call me Wes."
"Registering aliases," she answered, her eyes glowing red. "Aliases registered."
Wes chuckled. That was going to take some getting used to.
Hearing footsteps, he looked to his left to see Atlas offering him a hand up. Gratefully taking it, he dusted off his jacket and began putting his cards away.
"You did extremely well despite the obvious issues," Atlas told him. "I'm proud of you, Mr. Mizuhara."
"Whoa whoa, Professor!" protested Indigo. "Why are you congratulating the loser?"
The Professor in question offered her a knowing smile, and simply said "One of the greatest traits for a Duelist is good sportsmanship."
"Pfft, I'm a great sportsman. I just don't think he's all that. And clearly, he ain't."
"Just you wait," Wes told her. "I'm not gonna lose next time."
"I'll believe it when I see it, chump."
And with that, Indigo walked off. Atlas sighed.
"You'll have to forgive her," Atlas said. "I don't know her all that well, but during her Exam, I saw something in her eyes. A profound sadness hidden behind all the excitement."
"Sounds about right…" Wes said, being more than able to relate.
"Anyway, I've got to get to the Obelisk Blue dorms and help students get situated. I hope to see you all in class first thing tomorrow. Come along, Cyber."
"Yes Professor Atlas de Medici," Cyber said.
"Register the aliases 'Professor' and 'Atlas' for me, will you?"
The two walked off, with Wes hearing her give the same spiel about registering those nicknames and smiled. Now it was just him and Sora.
"So, not an hour here and I'm already making waves," Wes joked.
"Apparently," agreed Sora. "But what did Cyber mean about your state of mind?"
To this, Wes shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I've just had a lot on my mind lately."
"That's fair. I think a lot of us have…"
The look of sadness on Sora's face did not go unnoticed by Wes, despite the fact that he tried to hide it behind a smile soon after.
"Anyway, we should probably head to the dorms. Seems like you and me are bunk mates."
Wes grinned. "You go on ahead, I'll catch up."
And with that, Wes was left to his own devices, as he cleaned up his cards, only to be left with one single card in his hand. He looked to 'Cards of the Sacred Stone' with extreme disdain.
'Okay…' he mused. 'So, let's go over what we've learned. Apparently, in this world – which I'm now certain is NOT the world I thought it was – I'm not the only one who's been displaced. I'm sharing this world with someone from Destiny Islands, the human version of Canterlot, and what seems to be a humanized Duel Monster spirit, to say nothing of whoever might have been in that crowd, and the Duel Monster Spirits I'm 100% convinced I'm hearing. Not only that, but the Seal of Orichalcos I brought with me has some level of power, including the ability to change my deck as it sees fit, AND the ability to make its own version of Destiny Draw! And because I apparently can't keep my cool for two goddamn seconds… I lost my first duel here.'
Wes took in a deep breath, and then exhaled as he continued to think through the implications.
'Okay, this is fine. Just so long as I don't ever play the Orichalcos, it'll be fine. Maybe it'll go find someone else to bug once it realizes I won't be its pawn. But of course if it did… that could be a problem too…'
He looked over to where the dorms were and sighed. 'I just got here and things are already going bad… I hope Becky and Hikaru are doing alright at least.'
And with nothing else to do, Wes simply decided to head toward the Slifer Red dorms. He had a long day ahead of him, after all…
Celtic Guard of Star Sabers (EARTH, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1700/DEF: 900): When this card is Summoned: you can Normal Summon 1 "Celtic Guard" monster in addition to your Normal Summon/Set this turn. If this card is in the GY: you can target 1 face-up Xyz Monster you control; attach this card to that monster as Material.
Celtic Guard of Lightforce Sword (EARTH, Level 4, Warrior/Effect, ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000): When this card is Summoned: you can Special Summon 1 "Celtic Guard" monster from your Hand or GY. An Xyz Monster that has this card as Material gains the following Effect: - When this card destroys a monster by battle: banish that monster.
Celtic Guard of Sword Breakers (EARTH, Rank 4, Warrior/Xyz/Effect, ATK: 2600/DEF: 0): 2 Level 4 Warrior Monsters. Cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects while this card has a "Celtic Guard" monster as Material. When this card attacks an opponent's monster: you can detach 1 Material; this card gains ATK equal to half the original ATK of the monster it battles until the end of the damage step.