Chapter Nine: Trial By Fire!
Nick couldn't sleep that night. Not with Blackheart holding his Aunt and Laurna. Who knows what that sadistic, evil man was doing to them. Nick sat at his desk, blaming himself for all that happened. If he had just shut his mouth and not caused any trouble, none of them would be in this situation. His Aunt, Laurna...Duo. He didn't know what to do. If he told Tony, he'd be putting him in danger. All he was doing was sitting there, blaming himself for all that's happened. He didn't know what kind of action to take in this situation.
"Blackheart's just playing his sick little games with us because I insulted him. This is all my fault... Blackheart has been through a lot in his life, and he's taking his anger out on us. I have to figure a way to give Blackheart what he wants without putting anyone else in danger... This isn't going to be solved easily..."
Nick looked at the clock. It was 2:27 AM. He decided to go to bed, since he had to wake up in a few hours.
---
Nick woke up the next morning at 10:42. Too late for him to go to school, so he decided to stay home and try to think up a plan on how to deal with Blackheart and his goons.
"Whatever Blackheart has in store for me, it'll probably involve his eliminators. That will mean they'll want me to duel them in some sick game. I have to make sure my deck is ready for them. Blackheart likes to see me in pain, especially after what he's done with Duo... I said that his life has been easy, without any idea of what he has been through himself. I have to put an end to this madness, and put Blackheart in his place."
Nick sat in his room for hours, trying to put together a new deck, a deck that was ready for Blackheart's eliminators, and maybe Blackheart himself. He searched for any cards that could help him. If it was a duel that Blackheart wants, Nick was going to be sure to give one to him.
"An evil man like Blackheart should never be allowed to start a business empire. He indeed has a grasp over this city that no one will be able to break alone. That's why I need my friends to be there with me to help bring Blackheart down."
Nick stepped out onto the balcony outside his room.
"Blackheart!!!! I'm ready to end this!!" he called out into the winds.
"It's nearly 3:45 I better get going..."
Nick picked up his Duel Disk and rushed out of the house.
---
Minutes later...
Tony and Jason arrived at Nick's house.
"Jason, thanks for giving me a ride here. I was a bit worried that Nick wasn't at school. Laurna's mom has also called the police since she's been missing."
"Whoa Tony, wait a minute, the door's open. Stay here and I'll check things out." Jason took a stun gun out of his glove compartment.
Jason went into the house slowly. After stepping into the living room, he noticed the note laying on the table. He picked it up and read it. He quickly got back to his car and showed the note to Tony.
"If I know Nick well enough, he's already on his way there. We have to hurry!"
"I'm on it! Let's go!" Jason started up his car and sped off.
---
Nick rode his bike along the shore, making his way to the wharf as fast as possible. For him, it was a matter of life and death. It was almost 4:30, and the wharf was in his sights. He dismounted and walked towards the abandoned warehouse. There was a note on the door that read, "Come in, Nick. We've been waiting." They were expecting his presence. They knew that Nick wouldn't back down. Cautiously, he entered the old, rundown warehouse. It was pitch black.
"Hello? Anyone here?" A light came on, revealing Jeff Blackheart, standing in the center of the warehouse.
"Welcome, Nick. How've you been? It was such a long time since we last met."
"Cut the crap, Blackheart! Where's Laurna and my Aunt?"
"Oh, you'll see in just a minute. No need to be impatient. And I don't think you should be trying to make demands!"
"Enough, let's duel Blackheart! If I win you'll return my Aunt, Laurna and Duo! Come on! Right now!" Nick had no fear this time. If he lost, he would have nothing left to fight for.
"Nick, again, I advise you to be a little more patient. The time will come for me to defeat you, but in the meantime, allow me to introduce you to another one of my Eliminators!"
Another light came on, shining onto a teenager with fiery red spikey hair. He wore a pair of leather pants, with a deep red tunic. On his wrists were ruby colored gauntlets, and he had a Duel Disk strapped to his arm.
"Meet Ryosuke Nomura. You may have fire in your eyes, Nick, but Ryosuke has fire running through his veins! He'll be your opponent today, and as for your Aunt and your little friend Laurna, well, you can see for yourself."
All the lights inside the warehouse turned on, and near the far wall, Nick's Aunt and Laurna were both tied to a wooden stake.
"What's going on here Blackheart?!"
"Actually, Ryosuke will explain. I have an appointment. This should help the two of you get acquainted." Blackheart exited through the backdoor.
"Heh, well Nicky, as you can see, the stake is surrounded by lots and lots of kindling and wood. Perfect for a fire." Ryosuke had a gleam in his eyes at the mention of fire. "I would duel you, but I heard you already have four Decoder Devices. So, instead of dueling with you, maybe I should just light you on fire!"
"You sick freak! Let Laurna and my Aunt go now!"
Ryosuke picked up a blow torch and lit it. "Perhaps I should light the fire now? I can't duel you because you're already qualified for the finals! I'm sorry you didn't think to bring someone with you...so unfortunately, you have to say goodbye to your Aunt and Laurna!"
"NO! I won't let you!" Nick ran towards Ryosuke, but was grabbed from behind.
"I won't let you stop him Nick." It was Siefer, hookswords and all. "You'll stand here and watch more of your loved ones die!!!"
Ryosuke smiled as he approached the wooden stake, and was about to ignite the kindling with his blowtorch. Nick's Aunt and Laurna were struggling to get free, but to no avail. They couldn't scream for help because they were both gagged. Nick was struggling to free himself from Siefer, but he was too strong.
"AUNTIE!!!! LAURNA!!!!!" Tears started to form in his eyes.
Out of nowhere, something struck Ryosuke's hand, making him drop the torch. As he reached to pick it up, he looked around to see what hit him. It was on the ground. A playing card.
"It's an Ace. Ace of Spades. That means that damn Ace Sotras must be around! Siefer! He's up by the window!"
Ace made a quick wink to Nick, and climbed out of the window.
"I'll take care of Nick, now go get him Siefer!" Siefer threw Nick down and ran outside with his swords unsheathed.
Nick got up and tackled Ryosuke down, and while he was down, Nick slid the blowtorch across the floor. Ryosuke recovered and punched Nick in the stomach, and shoved him down to the floor. Before Nick could get up, Ryosuke took out a remote and pressed a button. This lit fires across the whole warehouse, marking out designs in the floor, and tracing out a duel arena in the center.
"Okay, Nick! That's it! I've had enough. Either you find someone to duel me right now, or I light you, our Aunt, and your girlfriend on fire."
"Why not just duel me? Are you afraid?"
"Yeah right, you're not in any position to be making threats. My orders are to only duel with those who are not qualified for the finals yet."
Nick started to sweat from the heat of the flames.
"What's wrong Nick? Can't stand the heat?" Ryosuke stood there as if he wasn't bothered by the flames.
"Fine, I'll give up one of my Decoders to duel with you."
"Hold on, Nick! That won't be necessary!" It was Tony, standing at the door. Jason was outside in his car.
"Oh, you must be Nick's friends. If any of you want to duel with me, bring it!"
"Tony, this is Ryosuke. He's an Eliminator. Would you like to do the honors and beat the crap outta him?"
"It's a little hot in here for my tastes, but I'll take you on!" Tony strapped on his Duel Disk.
"Then step into the circle of flames."
"No Tony, it's a trap!"
"Don't worry about it, I'll be standing inside of a circle myself." Ryosuke stepped into a circle outlined in the floor with flames. The dueling field was completely surrounded in flames as Tony stepped into the circle across from Ryosuke.
"This wall of flames is to prevent Nick or your other friend from trying anything during our duel. If you win, Tony, I'll set Nick's Aunt and Laurna free. Nick, if you try anything..." Ryosuke took out the remote he used before. "I'll press this button, and the whole warehouse goes down in flames. So this duel will go uninterrupted."
"Don't worry Nick. I'll beat this guy."
"We'll see about that! Now prepare yourself to feel the judgment of my flames of hatred!!"
Tony: 4000 Ryosuke: 4000
---
"Okay, Ryosuke who's going first?" Tony was already breathing heavily, and wiped the sweat off his brow.
"The heat has gotten to him already...This won't take long. At this temperature I'd be surprised if he's able to concentrate!" Thought Ryosuke.
"I'll make the first move. I'll start by summoning my Fire Princess in attack mode! Now I set two magic and traps cards, and play the field magic card, Molten Destruction! Raising the power of all my Fire monsters by 500 points, while lowering their defenses by 400. I'll end my turn."
A giant volcano appeared in the middle of the field, spewing molten lava and ashes all over the field. The image made Tony sweat even more.
"I'll place three magic and trap cards facedown, and set a monster in defense mode."
"I'll play the magic card, Rain of Mercy! Now both of us will gain 1000 lifepoints!"
"And I take 500 damage to my lifepoints because of your Fire Princess..."
"Ha, not only that, but because of my trap card, Bad Reaction to Simochi, you'll lose 1500 lifepoints!"
Tony: 2500 Ryosuke: 5000
"Now I'll play the magic card, Tremendous Fire! HAHAHA!!!!"
A fireball materialized and struck Tony. The heat intensified, and Ryosuke took some of the impact and some damage to his lifepoints as well.
Tony: 1500 Ryosuke: 4500
"I'll end my turn..." Ryosuke smiled as if the end was near.
"I'll draw, and then play the magic card Raigeki to destroy Fire Princess!"
A Thunderbolt struck the Fire Princess and cleared the field of its threat.
"Next, I'll summon my White Magical Hat! And I'll attack!"
Tony: 1500 Ryosuke: 3500
"And since my monster did damage to you, a card must be discarded from your hand!"
"Argh! The only card in my hand was my Monster Reborn!"
"Before I end my turn, I activate Time Seal! You won't be able to draw next turn!"
"You think that you've got me right where you want me, don't you? I'll play my facedown card, Upstart Goblin! I get to draw a card, and you'll lose 1000 lifepoints!"
"Not today, I'll use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Bad Reaction to Simochi! I'll gain 1000 lifepoints!"
Tony: 2500 Ryosuke: 3500
"And now your field is clear, except for your Molten Destruction."
"I won't let this happen! I'll use the card I just drew, Pot of Greed! Now I'll draw 2 cards! Next, I'll summon the monster, Lava Golem, to your side of the field by sacrifcing your monsters!"
"What? You can't do that...You're only allowed to sacrifice your own monsters to summon!"
"Ah, but Lava Golem is a special monster. I'm allowed to sacrifice two of your monsters to summon it, and during yor Standby Phase, you'll lose 1000 lifepoints! I'll end my turn with setting this trap card. Now you feel the burn of my Lava Golem!"
"I'll draw, then and I lose 1000 lifepoints."
Tony: 1500 Ryosuke: 3500
"I wouldn't want to keep that Lava Golem on the field, so I'll get rid of it with Dark Hole. I'll set this monster and this trap card, then I end my turn."
"I'll draw, and play Rain of Mercy, and end my turn."
Tony: 2500 Ryosuke: 4500
"Nothing to defend yourself, eh Ryosuke? Looks like your Rain of Mercy has cooled you down. I play my trap card, Time Seal! Then, I'll flip over my Fiber Jar! It looks like this duel has just begun!"
As soon as Tony flipped over his Fiber Jar, it appeared on the field, releasing energy that returned all the cards in both players hands and graveyards to their decks, then Ryosuke and Tony drew five new cards from their deck.
"I've got to thank you for giving me those lifepoints, because now I can play Delinquent Duo and Confiscation! Three of those new cards you just drew must be discarded to the graveyard!"
"You little...I discarded my Lava Golem, Ring of Destruction, and Tremendous Fire."
"I'll draw two more cards with Pot of Greed, then I play The Forceful Sentry!"
"No! That leaves me with one card in my hand!"
"I'll send Raigeki back to your deck."
Ryosuke scornfully looked back at Tony as he shuffled the card back into his deck.
"Not only that, but I'll summon White Magical Hat, and then attack you directly! That causes the last card in your hand to be discarded."
"Good going Tony! Now go for the Yata-Lock!" Nick cheered from the other side of the wall of fire.
Tony: 500 Ryosuke: 3500
"You have left me with nothing left to defend myself. And not being able to draw this turn worsens the situation. I can't do anything so I'll end my turn."
"You call yourself an eliminator? I'd call you eliminated! I'll summon Yata-Garasu! Both my monsters will attack you directly!"
The gentleman thief and the Eight Giant Crows both attacked Ryosuke, nearly knocking him back into the wall of fire.
Tony: 500 Ryosuke: 2300
"I believe that is the match. You're locked down."
"Fine...I concede." The flames died down a bit. "You're all free to do whatever you want. I'm outta here."
"Hey, I beat you, so I deserve a Decoder Device!"
"Whatever...Here." Ryosuke threw a Decoder Device towards Tony, he caught it.
"And that makes three for me... We'll all be at the finals soon!"
"Tony, if you don't mind, I need some help getting Laurna and Auntie free..." said Nick, who was already trying to untie the ropes that binded them.
Suddenly, they heard a loud cackle coming from the door.
"HAHAHAHA!!! Here's a little personal gift from me!" Ryosuke took out his remote and pressed the button, which lit up the whole warehouse in flames.
"Nick! Tony! Just worry about getting them out of here! I already called the fire department!" Jason yelled from the front door. Just then, some of the roof fell in, blocking their path to the door.
"Looks like we'll have to get to the backdoor." Nick said. "At least it's a bit closer."
"Okay, I've got Laurna free. How's your Aunt?"
"I've just got to get this knot off..."
"Hurry Nick, the fire's getting closer!" his Aunt cried out.
"Okay, I've got you, now let's get out of here!"
The four of them ran outside, Jason had moved his car to the back.
"Come on, get in! I'll bring you guys to the hospital to get checked, just to be safe."
"Thanks," Laurna coughed. "We owe you."
"Now, Nick, what was all that about?" Tony asked.
"I think it's time we all had a little talk, especially about what happened when I went to the Spire that one day...
And so, Nick explained everything to them, including why Blackheart had been after Nick all this time. Jason drove them to the hospital, leaving the fire department to handle the warehouse fire. Luckily, all of them were still in good health, uninjured by the incident. Except for Nick, his blood pressure was a bit high.
"Well, Nick, you need to relax a little more. It's probably just the tournament, and you're really excited about it." the doctor said.
"If you only knew..." Nick rolled his eyes.
"If we're all clear, let's just go home...It's been a long day..." Nick's Aunt said.
"Yeah...Let's go. I'm tired." Nick replied.
"So what did the doctor say to do about your blood pressure?" Laurna asked.
"He said to duel less. That shouldn't be a problem since I have all four Decoder Devices I need!" Nick smiled.
"Yep, that's right good 'ol Nicky, winning two Decoders in one day...So Jason, we ready to go?"
Jason was talking to a nurse. "And so I pulled them out of the burning warehouse..." The nurse giggled.
"Jason! Come on! That wasn't you, it was Nick and I!" Tony yelled.
"Uhh..." Jason wasn't sure what to say. "Uhh...Umm... What was that Tony? We're all ready to go home? I'll be in the car." Jason quickly walked away.
Nick laughed, but his emotions quickly changed. This wasn't the end of everything. Blackheart was still out there, and he wasn't done playing his sick mind games with all of them.
---
At the Blackheart Corporation Headquarters...
"WHAT?!" Blackheart slammed his fist through the wall. "You mean Nick's friends showed up, and defeated you?!"
"I'm sorry, boss, but I only followed your orders." Ryosuke looked at the floor of Jeff's office. "You told me to duel any duelist who challenges me, and I couldn't duel with Nick, so I dueled that Antonio guy."
"RAARRGGH!!" He grabbed a painting off the wall and hurled it across the room, shattering the frame and putting a dent in the wall. "You were supposed to kill them. You were to duel with Nick, and have his Aunt and little girlfriend die in from of his face while he could do nothing."
"A thousand pardons, sir. I wanted to test my own abilities." Ryosuke avoided eye contact.
"I get it. You're a headstrong teenager... Which is exactly why you failed me!"
"What is my punishment going to be, sir?" He was scared, Blackheart was unpredictable when he was angry.
"I won't punish you, Ryosuke. You've been one of my favorites every since I took you under my wing. Next time, follow my orders. Now get out before I change my mind!"
"Yes, sir." Ryosuke rushed out of the office.
"That kid... He's disappointed me in almost every way. His youth, his burning anger, his fury, and his pure inner rage is what keeps me from getting rid of him..."
[IT WILL NOT MATTER ONCE DARKNESS RULES OVER ALL.]
"Yeah, that's true. Once the construction is complete, Darkness will fall upon the city!"
[YES. ALL IN DUE TIME. I WILL HAVE MY VENGEANCE. I WILL DESTROY THOSE WHO RID THE WORLD OF MY PRESENCE!]
"If only those bumbling idiots would do something right, we'd have time to complete the construction... I'll be sure to provide a distraction for them, so that you may arise once again! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"