The Duel Masters Tournament

The Blade Bros soon left their limelight to head home, for Aaron, it would be the first time in over six months. But no sooner than when they got to the parking lot, a familiar face was waiting by Dan's truck.

"Alice, to what do we owe the pleasure." Aaron said, stopping dead in his tracks. This was the girl whose talking statue friend sent him on six months of hell.

"Destiny, Aaron of Defense. It is time for you to complete what you have started." She said.

"You mean that evil you were talking about has finally shown up?" Dan asked, with a hint of excitement.

"Yes, it seems to finally have become active, and we need you to handle it." She said, reaching into a purse and taking out a pair of pink envelopes.

Dan took one and raised his left eyebrow, "The evil's a valentine shop owner, at this time of year?"

"Take a look at the seal, it's from the Maciejko Foundation." She said, pointing a gold stamp, it was likeness of an Emperor Penguin.

"Maciejko? You can't mean him! The multibillionaire who creates the interaction research for the Kaiba Corporation? What's he want with us?" Aaron demanded.

"See for yourselves, open the envelope." Alice said, crossing her arms.

Aaron looked to Dan for his opinion, he just shrugged and the two opened the envelopes. Inside was a letter and a plastic ID badge, each with a profile and a number. Aaron unfolded the letter and read it aloud.
To Aaron Marec,
We have received word that you trained under the Duel Monsters champion, Derek Domino. In order to gauge your expertise, you have been invited to participate in a tournament like no other, where the previous tournaments of Duelist Kingdom and Battle City will be picnics in comparison. Where you must not only duel with your deck, but with your heart and cunning, You have been invited to the Duel Masters Tournament. All participants are to report to the Mirage Tower in Domino City with in a week of receiving this letter, and be sure, this tournament with be championship of the greatest Duel Masters of all time.

Sincerely, Jargon Maciejko.

"We've been invited to a Duel Monster tournament?" Dan asked.

"Yes, but as the letter says, it will be different from any previous tournament held by either Seto Kaiba or Pegasus, so you will need to be cautious." Alice said, with a twinge of concern.

"But don't you think this is out of our league? Why not call Yugi Moto? He won both Battle City and Duelist Kingdom." Aaron said.

"We need you," She stressed, "If we didn't, we wouldn't have called you in, this is something only the Senvas can be trusted to handle."

"Speaking of which, where's Jess? Has she been invited?" Dan asked.

"Being a regional champion herself, yes, she has already on route to Domino as we speak." Alice said, reaching again into her purse.

"What else you got in there?" Aaron asked.

"You're Passports, and you're tickets, you leave tomorrow morning at Eleven thirty." She said, handing them out, with no emotion on her face.

Aaron had nothing to do, but sigh, once again, he would have to leave his foster home, to start another mission. He reached out to take his ticket, when then all of a sudden, his Crest of Defense began shining!

"What the-?" He asked, as Dan's Crest of Offense began to shine as well.

"We're not alone here." Dan said, as two figures emerged from the darkness.
One was dressed like a Romanian Count with blue skin, pointy ears, fangs, and ghastly white hair. The other was about size of your average two story house, was hideous, an ugly shade of orange, green tentacles, unicloptic, topped off with a crown atop it's gourd body. They were the Patrician of Darkness and the Pumpking, King of Ghosts.

"Zombie monsters, great." Aaron's sarcastic nature spout.

"We're here for you Senvas, our master wants to talk to you." Said the typical Dracula sounding vampire.

"How bout no?" Dan said, the crest on his hand shining brighter.

"We must insist." Said the Halloween wannabe.

"Then well have to tell you the hard way." Aaron said, raising his crest. Both Dan and he took out a duel monster card, and raised it to the sky. Then each of them began to transform.

Aaron's skin began to turn metallic, his hands vanished and replaced by a blade the length of a baseball bat, and a shield. His body's portions began to change as well, until his body was made of black iron and red jewel.

Dan's body began to grow, and grow, until his height matched the Pumpking, his body turned to stone, and his body turned into block form, until his face became in distinguishable except for his eyes. Adorned on his shoulders were a pair of stone sword hilts and sheaths.

Together they were Gearfried the Iron Knight and The Giant Soldier of Stone.

"I'll take Drac." Gearfried stated, raising his blade.

The Giant only acknowledged the statement by cracking his giant knuckles, signifying he had no problem handling the one eyed pumpkin.

"I shall feast on your blood!" The Count exclaimed as he unsheathed a sword of Dark Destruction.

"I'd hate to see you're dental bills if you tried." Gearfried said, advancing slowly.

Alice watched from the side lines as Stone Soldier prepared to grapple with the giant pumpkin. The Soldier swung its massive fists and sent the Pumpking back a few yards, but then the zombie king countered, by wrapping his tentacles around The Soldier, trying to crush him!

Gearfried lunged, swiping his blade, the patrician blocked and tried a down slash, Gearfried flipped his blade and blocked. "Not bad, for an old guy." He said, struggling to keep up with dark energy flowing through the sword.

"Wit is your only real weapon, and I will miss it!" The vampire said as he parried and grabbed a hold of Gearfried's shoulder, and clamped down hard. Gearfried could only gasp as his energy was being sapped away.

Dan, saw what was happening, he pulled his right arm free and grabbed a hold of his left shoulder sword, and with a single slice slashed his tentacles apart!

The Pumpking wailed in agony, and Dan turned to his friend, Hold on Bud, I've got him, He though. He held back his sword, and began spinning. The stone giant spun and spun, and finally stopped, "Gaia Discus!" He shouted and threw his blade sword in a speedy spiral.

The Vamp turned, and its dark eyes shrinked to beads, as the blade nailed him. The next second, only his severed arms, still attached to Gearfried, remained.

The Stone soldier relaxed to see him safe, but didn't notice The Pumpking open its mouth, "Breath of Decay!" A massive fume of corrosive gases shot out of it's gapping mouth and hit Dan point blank! The fumes already began to erode the stone's body.

Aaron's crest began shining on Gearfried's blade, he turned to see Dan in pain, "Time I return the favor." He said, shaking off the vampire's remains and raised his shield. It began glowing in a mysterious light.

A Millennium Shield appeared and plugged the Pumpking's mouth shut and it began to blow up like a balloon!

Gearfried raised his blade behind him, and began spinning it, it began sparkling with golden light.

Dan saw what Gearfried was doing and closed his hand into a fist, and his crest appeared, "I'll give you a little push."

Gearfried's blade was surging with energy, "TRICK OR TREAT! IRON FREICE!!!" He swung with all his might. A blast of energy flew from the blade, and blew up the Millennium Shield, and lit the gases that had filled up inside. Gearfried braced himself, as the Pumpking exploded. A hail of foul smelling pumpkin chunks fell all over the parking lot. Dan's sword flew back into its sheath, and he and Aaron's bodies changed back to normal.

"That was fun." Aaron muttered.

"Oh NO!!!" Dan wailed. His truck was covered in Pumpking's entails. But beside it, Dan's despair turned to laughter, "Ha Ha Ha Ha!"

Beside his truck, was an Alice Engin, covered in pumpkin slime, and was fuming mad, "Wait till I get you!!!" She shouted as she chased after Dan as continued laugh as he ran away.

Aaron chuckled to himself, "Maybe it won't be all that bad."

Next time: Aaron and Dan have made it to Domino city Japan, However, a Pain from Aaron's past comes back to haunt him as he travels alone on the streets of Domino. Meanwhile Dan is looking for Jess, and has a strange encounter with something not human.

Next time at The Duel Masters Tournament,

A Stranger Familiar.