Disclaimer: See Chapter 1
Chapter 14: Double Duel II, Super Combo!
Ryo and Sakura couldn't help but stare at the ominous monster known as the Gate Guardian. Its body was pieced from three parts, Kazejin, Suijin, and Sanga of Thunder, each of them clearly visible and all of them menacing.
The Paradox brothers confidently laughed. "With Gate Guardian you shall surely lose." Para said.
"Now it is time for us to choose." Dox continued.
"The monster whose fate is cursed." They both said in unison. "For Gate Guardian shall destroy it first. And we pick. . ."
"The Dark Magician Girl!" Para shouted.
"Muka Muka!" Dox declared at the same time. The brothers then looked at each other in confusion. Their confusion turned to anger and frustration.
"The Dark Magician Girl has more attack points and should be wiped out." Para argued.
"Attacking Muka Muka would do more damage though without a doubt." Dox countered.
'They're arguing?' Sakura thought to herself as she watched the brothers quarrel amongst themselves. 'This might disrupt their teamwork and allow us to beat their Gate Guardian. I just hope Ryo has a good move coming up.'
"You will lose us the duel, brother. That, I cannot allow." Para said.
"The Gate Guardian is my monster, so attack Muka Muka now!" Dox ordered, unheeding his dueling partner. "Thunder Stroke attack!" The divine combination of three monsters unleashed a powerful storm attack upon Ryo's Muka Muka, wiping it from the field immediately and knocking Ryo off of his feet.
"Ryo!" Sakura shouted agonizingly. But her concerns were quickly washed away as the hyperactive duelist pushed himself back into a kneeling position. Suddenly, he began to chuckle.
"It's my turn now." Ryo said, still chuckling. He drew his card, which increased his life points by 500 and widened his grin. "I'll activate my facedown card now, Call of the Haunted, to bring back my Muka Muka in attack mode." The Muka Muka rose back onto the field in front of Ryo. "And I play the magic card, Giant Trunade! It returns all magic and trap cards back into their duelists' hands. And because my Call of the Haunted wasn't destroyed but rather returned, Muka Muka stays onto the field and holds an attack power of 3900!"
"Impossible! It'll destroy the Gate Guardian with one smash!" Para cried.
"Our Gate Guardian will be reduced to ash!" Dox bellowed in distress.
"That's true, but I don't plan on destroying your Gate Guardian and the Giant Trunade was just so I can clear up space in my magic/trap slots for my next cards." Ryo explained. He then turned to Sakura and gave her a thumbs up sign. "It's time to begin Ryo's Super Combo! First, I play the magic card, Snatch Steal! This allows me to gain full control of your Gate Guardian in exchange for you gaining 1000 life points each turn!"
"How can this be? Our monster will destroy us in one jolt!" Para shouted.
"Don't blame me, it wasn't my fault!" Dox defended with a similar worried look.
"Alright, Muka Muka." Ryo said as he pointed his finger towards Dox. "Lets do away with this annoying Labyrinth Wall, attack!" The giant rock monster quickly bulldozed through the complex stone walls that surrounded the duelists, clearing the way for a direct attack. "Now, Gate Guardian, direct attack on Para!" A familiar beam of energy fired onto the opposite side of the field, striking Para.
"Way to go, Ryo!" Sakura cheered. "This duel is ours!"
"I'll end my turn by replaying Infinate Cards and two cards face down." Ryo concluded as his Muka Muka dropped to an attack power of 2700.
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End of Turn 4
Sakura: 3900 (Dark Magician Girl in attack mode)
Ryo: 9150 (Muka Muka and Gate Guardian in attack mode, Snatch Steal, Infinite Cards, 2 cards face down)
Para: 3050 (nothing)
Dox: 5200 (nothing)
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"We are no match for the Gate Guardian's rage." Para said as he inserted a card into his duel disk. "So I play the card Nightmare Steel Cage."
"How annoying." Sakura muttered. "Now we can't attack for two turns."
"But our defenses still need to improve." Para concluded. "So I summon a monster in defense mode and end my move."
"I'll start my turn, then." Sakura said, drawing a card. "I'll set a monster face down in defense mode and that will be all. It's your move, Dox."
"Not yet." Ryo interrupted. "Before Dox takes his turn, I will activate my two face down cards and continue my super combo! The Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi!"
"Huh?" Sakura asked with a quizzical look at her partner. "What do those trap cards do?"
"The Eye of Truth allows us to see our opponents' hands at the risk of having them gain 1000 life points if they hold a magic card in their hand." Ryo explained. "But that's okay because Bad Reaction to Simochi's effect is that whenever the opponent gains life points, this trap will activate and reduce their life points instead."
'I see.' Sakura thought to herself. 'Incredible. That trap card converts a negative effect into a positive one. Furthermore, because this combo of trap and magic cards is difficult to obtain in your hand at one point in time, Ryo uses a deck that allows him to draw a lot of cards. He uses Muka Muka as a front to lead the opponent away from his true strategy so he can catch them off guard. He really is a super duelist.'
"So before you take your turn, show us your hand." Ryo told the Paradox brothers. The two grunted as they revealed their cards, which consisted of weaker monsters such as Mystic Tomato, Shining Angel, and other monsters that would special summon more monsters onto the field obviously used for tribute for the Gate Guardian pieces. Other cards followed the labyrinth theme such as Wall Shadow and Magical Labyrinth.
"You have a Magical Labyrinth magic card in your hand, so you lose 1000 life points thanks to my two trap cards." Ryo pointed out to Dox. "And my Snatch Steal forces you to gain, or actually lose, another 1000 life points."
Dox gritted his teeth. "Protecting my life points further, hence, I play a monster in defense." His two opponents watched as he played his Mystic Tomato in defense mode. They also watched him set his Magical Labyrinth down onto the field to rid his hand of magic cards in fear of losing additional life points.
"My turn." Ryo said as he drew his next card. "I play Upstart Goblin. It allows me to draw one card at the cost of my opponent gaining 1000 life points, so you two lose another 1000 life points." The Paradox brothers winced in fear as they watched their life points count drop.
Sakura stared at Ryo in awe. Never had she seen such an effective use of a single trap card. 'Is this really the same person that idiotically enters and leaves houses through windows?' She thought to herself. 'He's so deceptively strong.'
"I'll end my turn for now, but next turn you're finished!" Ryo shouted.
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End of Turn 5
Sakura: 3900 (Dark Magician Girl in attack mode, 1 monster face down in defense mode)
Ryo: 9150 (Muka Muka and Gate Guardian in attack mode, Snatch Steal, Infinite Cards, Eye of Truth, Bad Reaction to Simochi)
Para: 2050 (Nightmare Steel Cage, 1 monster face down in defense mode)
Dox: 2200 (Mystic Tomato face down in defense mode, Magical Labyrinth face down)
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"Brother." Dox said to his counterpart. "Our chances of winning are small."
"True." Para concurred as he drew his card. "But this magic card can win it all."
"A magic card?" Ryo said with a giant smirk. "That means my Eye of Truth and Bad Reaction to Simochi makes you lose another 1000 life points."
"Correct, due to the combo that your cards form." Para said. "But I shall now blow all of it away with Heavy Storm!"
"My super combo!" Ryo cried as all of his magic and trap cards went to the graveyard.
"Oh no!" Sakura gasped. "Heavy Storm destroys all magic and trap cards on the field! That means not only is the combo destroyed, but Dox also gains control of the Gate Guardian again."
"I also tribute my monster for another in defense and my turn ends here." Para concluded. "But with Gate Guardian on our side, the end is near."
Sakura looked at her cards on the field. 'I have only one card that can turn this duel around. I hope I draw it.' She closed her eyes as she removed the top card from her deck. She peeked at the card she just drew, hoping it was the one she needed.
A grin grew onto her face.
"You're right about one thing." The female duelist said to her bald opponents. "The end is near. First I summon my Dunames Dark Witch (1800/1050) in attack mode. Now you guys get to watch a little combo of my own. I flip my defense card face up. Go Ameba (300/350)!"
"But Ameba is weak." Ryo whispered to himself. "It's no match for the Gate Guardian."
"Ameba may seem useless." Sakura said. "But its special ability is what makes it powerful. When the Ameba turns its control to my opponents, they lose 2000 life points. So that's why I now play the magic card, Mystic Box!"
The Paradox brothers had once seen the powerful effects of this magic card from their previous duel with Yugi Moto and Joey Wheeler. They watched as two boxes materialized onto the field, one next to the Ameba and the other surrounding the Gate Guardian. As the two monsters were inserted into the Mystic Boxes, swords appeared around the one that housed the Ameba and skewered it instantaneously. But as the doors of the box reopened, the skewered card revealed itself to be the Gate Guardian as the Ameba popped out the other side unharmed.
"The Gate Guardian!" Both brothers screamed.
"Totally destroyed." Sakura said. "But that's not all, Ameba is now Dox's monster so its special effect activates and deals 2000 damage to him. Furthermore, it creates a pathway to his life points. Now, Dark Magician Girl, attack Dox's Ameba and take him out of this game!" The Dark Magician Girl flew straight at the weak monster and unleashed her attack, destroying the Ameba and reducing Dox's life point count to zero. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Para. Dunames Dark Witch, attack his face down monster!" Now it was the Dark Witch's turn to attack, which destroyed Para's face down Monster Tamer with no problem.
"Impossible!" Para shouted. "How could this be?"
"We were inches away from victory." Dox said in distress.
"My turn is over." Sakura concluded. "And so is this duel. Take him out Ryo!"
"With pleasure." Ryo replied. "Because Dox lost already, it's my turn. Muka Muka, attack Para directly!"
"No!" Para screamed as Ryo's monster struck him with its rocky claws, ending the duel. As Para's life points hit zero, the four sets of holographic projectors retreated to the duel disks. Sakura and Ryo walked over to the two brothers, who were kneeling in defeat.
"You two lost the duel, so hand over your decks." Sakura demanded.
"Rules are rules." Ryo continued. "Even super crazy ones like yours can't be ignored.
"He is right brother." Para said as he handed his deck over. "We must do as they say."
"Indeed." Dox conformed as he too gave his deck to his two opponents. "Our master will make us pay."
"And to these two fine duelists of few, we bid both of you adieu." The Paradox brothers said as they flipped into the darkness, disappearing from their opponents' sights.
"Well, I take back what I said." Sakura said as she turned towards Ryo. "You're not a bad duelist. Not bad at all."
"Thanks." Ryo said, blushing a bit as he scratched the back of his head. "And that was super fun. I spend a lot of time working on my strategy and it's exciting to finally be able to show it to people."
"Yeah." Sakura agreed. "I think you might be strong enough to give Yugi a good challenge. So how about it, want to go find Yugi and Joey?"
Ryo nodded as he flashed another smile at the female duelist. The two quickly ran off into the city in search for their friends.
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Elsewhere.
Three figures stood in front of a large building complex, all of them wearing duel disks on their arms. One of them had large signature spiky hair, accompanied by his tall blonde friend and another man who wore a large white trench coat.
"Are you sure this is where they are hiding?" Joey asked.
"Of course. My satellites and computer spy ware never fail me." Kaiba replied. "This is definitely where the Dark Monarchs are using as their headquarters."
"Thanks for your help, Kaiba." Yugi said.
"Don't misunderstand me, Yugi." Kaiba coldly scoffed. "I'm only here because you said these Dark Monarchs had the Egyptian god cards. The sole purpose of my being here is not to help you, but to get Obelisk the Tormentor back. Helping you was just a convenience to do so."
"Yeah, suck it up Kaiba." Joey said. "Let's just go in there and kick some ass."
Little did the three know, they were being watched as they entered the building complex. Another three figures watched the surveillance cameras as they prepared their own duel disks.
"It would seem that the pharaoh has brought himself to me." Sebek, the master of the Dark Monarchs, said. "It saves me the trouble of having to find him."
"He has brought reinforcements." Nagisa noted as he dimmed his eyes on Kaiba. "More duelists to defeat, more blood to spill."
"This will be too easy." Sebek smirked as he held his deck in front of himself. The two figures also took their decks into their hand. The three decks lay before their respective owners that held power unimaginable, each carrying an Egyptian god card.