Summer vacation! I can update now! YAY!

John: Thanks!

Demon Fan: Thanks again!

Chapter 22: Fight for Freedom from Prohibition

Gaston ran as fast as he possibly could, his heart pounding with each step. In the distance, he heard a wild scream that could only have come from the opposing Soul Monster. And then there was a cry of alarm.

He stopped for a second. "Hope!" Then he shook his head. "There's no way I can help her against that Soul Monster. The best thing I can do now is get help!" Then he ran on.

-----

"You doing ok Brandi?" Miles asked.

The group was walking down the tunnel. They had decided to wait for Hope, Gaston, and Zack at the entrance. Brandi, Mana, Gen, and Fell were coming as well, even with their injuries.

"Of course I am," Brandi retorted. "My wounds are healing well, thank you very much."

"Just asking," Miles muttered. "No need to bite my head off."

Rue was the first to arrive at the tunnel, and looked around worriedly. "Draken isn't here."

"Wrong!" a voice called from above. "I'm out here!"

They climbed out to find Draken and Darche looking at the fields.

"Hey Draken, did Zack, Hope, and Gaston run by here?" Rue asked.

"They did. Care to explain what is going on? Zack was acting really weird, and Hope was in too much of a hurry to tell me why."

"It's a long story," Larka sighed. "We can explain later, but we had better find them first. It could be dangerous out here."

"Which way did they go?" Will inquired.

"I have no idea," Draken admitted.

Malon suddenly cocked his left ear, and barked.

"What's wrong?" Larka asked him.

Daine was the one who answered her though. "It's Gaston. He's coming this way."

At that moment, Gaston came over the hill, charging down it towards them.

"Gaston! What's the big hurry?" Neo questioned.

Gaston halted in front of them, panting. "Official… one with Prohibition Order… dinosaur Soul Monster… attacking Hope and Zack!"

Rue swore. "That's just what we need now. Normally I'd be excited to get rid of this guy, but we are in no condition to fight him!"

Draken looked at the sky thoughtfully. "Darche, could you call over a Blue Eyes White Dragon?"

"No problem." Darche held up his sword as it began to glow blue.

"That won't work!" Miles protested. "That official has a Dragon Sealing Jar. The Blue Eyes will be trapped before it can even attack!"

"Drat," Draken muttered. "I hadn't thought of that."

Malon snarled. Larka looked over at him. "Leave it to the two of us. We'll take care of that Jar."

"Great! Hey, Rue, get over here. This is the plan." He quickly whispered some words to Rue, who nodded.

"That should work," Rue agreed.

Suddenly, a roar filled the air. A Blue Eyes White Dragon gracefully landed on the field.

"I'll go on the Blue Eyes!" Draken announced. "Darche, come with me. Everyone else, follow us!"

They mounted the Blue Eyes, and Draken spoke softly to it. The dragon hissed in response, and then took off, flying high into the sky.

-----

Hope had fallen backwards in shock, giving a cry of alarm as she tried to shield her face with her arms as the dinosaur sprung.

Zack leapt in front of her, his left hand pulsing with electricity. As the Tyrannosaurus descended upon them, Zack managed to stop his jaws from closing over them by grasping the top and bottom of its snout with his hands. It took all of his strength to keep the dinosaur at bay.

"Get away!" he yelled to Hope.

She jumped up, and retreated a few feet. When Zack saw that she was far enough back, he let go of the monster's jaw with his left hand. He plunged the charged fist right into its mouth.

The explosion and shriek combined was deafening. When it was finally safe to remove her hands from her ears, Hope looked up.

Smoke was coming from the dinosaur's mouth as it gave little cries of outrage and pain.

"Agro! Attack him! He's much weaker than you, especially after that!"

Hope was alarmed to see that the official was right. Zack was not harmed by the explosion, but he seemed to be much more weary than before.

"Damn it…" he muttered. "I didn't have enough time to charge. I'm already too weak to fight…"

The official seemed amused. "Don't kill the cyborg just yet. Just disable him. Then slaughter the girl!"

The Soul Monster swiftly slammed its tail into Zack's chest. He went flying, crashing onto the ground.

"Zack!" Hope cried. She tried to run over to him, but was forced to jump away from the dinosaur's tail as it came down again.

"It's no use," the official sneered. "You have no way to fight Agro. Just surrender, and perhaps I'll let you live."

"As if I would!" Hope snarled, backing away from Agro.

The official shrugged. "Alright then. No big deal. Agro, she's all yours."

At that moment, a blast of energy slammed into the back of the Soul Monster. It turned around, roaring in rage, to see a Blue Eyes White Dragon descending onto the field. A boy and his Soul Monster leapt off.

"Draken!" Hope exclaimed. "And Darche!"

"I'm glad we weren't too late," Draken stated. Then he looked around. "Um… we weren't, were we? Where's Zack?"

"I'm here," Zack reassured, staggering over.

"Are you ok?" Hope asked.

"Yes… although I wish I wasn't."

Draken kept his eyes on the fight. "Tell me about it later. We have bigger problems at the moment!"

The Blue Eyes White Dragon had flown high into the air, causing the bite Agro had aimed at its leg to miss. Growling furiously, the dinosaur kept snapping, but the swifter dragon had no trouble avoiding him.

"Enough of these games," the official said. He pulled out a Dragon Sealing Jar, and held it up. A huge jar appeared, a vortex pulling the Blue Eyes towards it. The dragon roared in protest, struggling to get away, but it was slowly losing the battle to stay away from it.

A brown blur sped up the hill. Before the official could react, Malon had leapt at him, seizing the Dragon Sealing Jar card in his jaws before running back to Larka. Before anyone could realize what had happened, Larka had taken the card and torn it in half.

The jar broke apart into several fragments. Instantly freed, the Blue Eyes soared away from Agro, who had been trying a sneak attack from the behind.

"Great timing," Draken told her, and the rest of the group. Even Brandi had managed to make it up the hill, carrying Mana with her.

"Thanks," Larka replied. "But that doesn't solve our biggest problem. How are we going to take down that Soul Monster?"

"Leave it to Ruecian," Rue told her. "You ready Draken?"

"Heck yeah!" was his response. Then he called up to the dragon. "Blue Eyes! Come on down! Lend our friend some strength!"

The Blue Eyes White Dragon landed right next to Ruecian, a blue aura coming from its body. Ruecian's sword absorbed the light, causing the blade to glow the same color. Then Ruecian charged.

"Is it my imagination… or is he faster than usual?" Will inquired as they watched him rush at Agro.

"You're not imagining it," Rue informed him. "Do you remember what Black Paladin's effect is?"

"I do!" Hope exclaimed. "It has the same effect as Buster Blader-for every Dragon Sub-Type on the field or in the Cemetery, he gets 500 more attack points."

"Well, that's what's happening here," Draken explained. "My Blue Eyes friend lent Ruecian a little bit of his power. It should make a considerable difference."

He wasn't exaggerating. Ruecian leapt up and brought his sword down, aimed at Agro's head. If the dinosaur hadn't moved, he would have been slain instantly. As it was, the sword sliced his side open. Gallons of blood poured from the cut as Agro cried out.

Ruecian showed no mercy to his victim. He lunged again, but then froze.

Standing between Agro and Ruecian was a barrier of light that shifted several times. For a minute, Hope thought she saw a man, with a dove perched on his shoulder… but then it was gone.

"I've activated Emissary of Peace," the official announced. "No monster above 1500 attack is allowed to attack as long as this card is on the field-or at least, that is how it works in the game."

"So we're at a stalemate," Will concluded.

"Let me guess: to resolve this, we'll have to duel. This is happening way too many times-it's a conspiracy, I'm sure of it!" Miles stated.

"Whether it happens one or a million times, it is the only thing to resort to now," Will pointed out. "Look on the bright side. In a duel, we stand a chance. But fighting that dinosaur with several support cards is considerably dangerous."

"That's true," Rue admitted.

"So, who will accept my challenge?" the official asked.

"I will," Draken volunteered. "It's been a while since I've had a serious duel. By the way, who are you?"

"Call me Ian," the official answered. "Agro, my Soul Monster, is a Black Tyrano. And yours is that Paladin of White Dragon, I assume?"

"You assume correctly. Meet Darche. I'm Draken, by the way."

"Oh, I already knew that," Ian smirked. "Don't bother asking why though-we officials prefer to keep our methods of receiving knowledge to ourselves."

"Typical," Gen muttered.

"The stakes?" Draken asked.

"If I win, you are all brought into custody. If you win, the Prohibition Order is lifted, and I will let you leave. Fair enough?"

"It'll do. Let's begin!"

-----

When Claire woke up, she could immediately tell something wasn't right. But she didn't know what.

In a few seconds, it hit her: she was on the bottom bunk bed Max had been sleeping on. She sat up swiftly, banging her head on one of the wooden beams that supported the bed above her, causing her to yelp in pain. When the pain was finally down to a manageable level, she forced herself to get out of the bed, and looked around.

Then she saw Max, sitting against the wall. On him was an Envoyant Machine and Duel Disk. Olympion was nowhere to be seen.

Claire could only say one thing.

"What the heck happened?"

-----

Draken: 8000

Ian: 8000

"Allow me to start," Ian said. "I'll begin with Sealing Swords of Light, so that you cannot attack for three turns. Then I will lay two cards down, and end my turn."

"No monsters… but with Sealing Swords of Light, I can see why," Draken inferred. "I'll lay one monster in defense mode, and one other card."

"I activate Cyclone on it!"

"So much for Attack Nullification," Draken sighed. "I'll end my turn anyway."

Ian smirked. "Good, because I have the perfect card to play. I draw, and then activate Agro's Deck Master ability. By paying 500 Life Points, I get to search my deck for a Dinosaur or Reptile Sub-Type and add it to my hand. Of course, I can only use this once per turn, but it is very helpful."

Draken: 8000

Ian: 7500

"Very helpful?! That's so cheap it isn't funny!" Rue exclaimed. "Well, Olympion continues to hold the position of the cheapest ability… but still!"

"Olympion? Who's that?" Larka asked.

"Max's Soul Monster," Hope answered. "But he was gone when we found Max." She showed them the empty Soul Card. "I found this in Max's pocket, and have been hanging on to it for him."

Miles seemed unusually serious. "Maybe that's why he lost his memories? Because his Soul Monster was…?"

"We don't know what happened to Olympion," Hope replied. "But what we do know is that Max had severe injuries. That is why he got amnesia, or so the doctor thinks…"

"IF I MAY CONTINUE?!" Ian snarled.

"Nobody's stopping you," Gaston responded.

"I will special summon Fleet-Footed Gilasaurus! (1400/400) Why special summon, you ask? Well, his effect states that I can choose to special summon him, but if I do, then you get to special summon a monster from your Cemetery."

"But I don't have any monsters in my Cemetery," Draken pointed out.

"That's why I wanted to take advantage of Gilasaurus' effect now! After special summoning him, I can sacrifice him to summon Dark Triceratops! (2400/1500)"

Draken stared at the dinosaur that emerged. "Right now, I'm glad that I have a defense monster."

"You probably won't be, once you see what Dark Triceratops can do! He attacks your monster!"

"Dol Dora's been destroyed. (1500/1200)"

"And you lose 1200 Life Points."

"What the hell? Why?"

"Because my Dark Triceratops does damage even when your monster is in defense mode."

"I should have seen that coming," Draken muttered.

Draken: 6800

Ian: 7500

"I'm done with my turn."

"At your end phase, my Dol Dora is special summoned to the field in face up defense mode with 1000 attack and defense! (1000/1000) I'll summon Kaiser Seahorse. (1700/1650) After that, I end my turn."

"I'll use Agro's effect to get another monster."

Draken: 6800

Ian: 7000

"Now I summon Charging Swordhorn Beast! (1400/1200) My Swordhorn Beast will attack Dol Dora! That also causes you to lose 400 Life Points, due to its effect."

"So it basically has the same effect as the Triceratops?" Larka realized.

"Exactly. Now my Triceratops will destroy Kaiser Seahorse!"

Draken: 5700

Ian: 7000

"Time for a comeback," Draken stated. "I activate Raise Dead, to bring back Kaiser Seahorse! Then I sacrifice Kaiser Seahorse to summon my Blue Eyes White Dragon! (3000/2500)"

"Wait a minute!" Ian protested. "The Blue Eyes White Dragon requires two sacrifices!"

"Not with Kaiser Seahorse. He makes it so that he counts for two sacrifices for any Light Main-Type monster. Now I activate Stomping Crash, which destroys your magic or trap card and deals 500 damage to you."

"Curses! My Avatar of Apophis!"

Draken: 5700

Ian: 6500

"My Blue Eyes White Dragon attacks your Triceratops! Then I end my turn."

Draken: 5700

Ian: 5900

Ian smirked when he saw what he had drawn. "I lay one card facedown, and summon Guranadora! (1900/1700) When I summon, reverse summon, or special summon this monster, I get 1000 Life Points."

Draken: 5700

Ian: 6900

"What's the catch?" Draken inquired.

"When Guranadora is destroyed and sent to the Cemetery, I lose 2000 Life Points."

"Oh, then it sucks worse than I thought," Draken commented.

"You'll see why I use this card soon enough. I pay 500 Life Points to add a card to my hand, switch my Swordhorn Beast to defense, and then end my turn."

Draken: 5700

Ian: 6400

"I hate to risk your trap, but it's too tempting to pass up! My Blue Eyes will attack your Guranadora!"

"I activate Holy Barrier-Mirror Force, destroying your Blue Eyes White Dragon."

"Damn it," Draken growled. "I will lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"I pay 500 Life Points once more to get another monster from my deck."

Draken: 5700

Ian: 5900

"Now I play Super Evolution Medicine. By sacrificing one Reptile Sub-Type, I can special summon a Dinosaur Sub-Type from my hand. So I sacrifice Guranadora to call forth Black Tyrano! (2600/1800)"

"So that's why you didn't care about Guranadora's negative effect," Draken realized.

"Exactly. Now I switch Charging Swordhorn Beast to attack mode, and summon Hyper Hammer Head. (1500/1200) Now I will attack with my Swordhorn Beast!"

"You've run into my Sapphire Dragon, (1900/1600)" Draken announced.

Draken: 5700

Ian: 5700

"I'll deal with that pathetic thing next turn. For now, I will attack directly with my Black Tyrano!"

"What?! How can you?!" Draken protested.

The dinosaur's tail went flying right by the Sapphire Dragon to slam into Draken, causing him to smash into the ground.

Draken: 3100

Ian: 5700

"That's my Black Tyrano's effect. As long as the only cards you have on the field are monsters in defense mode, my Black Tyrano can attack directly. Now I will play Stumble. This permanent magic card causes all monsters to go to defense mode when they are summoned. Then I lay one card down, and end."

Draken looked at his next card. "You've got a powerful force, but I have my ways of countering it! I'll play Lord of Dragons, (1200/1100) and then Dragon Calling Horn! This allows me to special summon another Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"That was pointless," Ian sneered. "Your Lord of Dragons and Blue Eyes are switched to defense mode because of Stumble!"

"You think so? Watch and learn! I activate Burst Stream of Destruction. This magic card can only be activated when I have a Blue Eyes on the field. It destroys all monsters on the opponent's side of the field!"

"No!" Ian cried as the Blue Eyes attacked with a blast of blue energy. Everyone shielded their eyes from the bright light. When it faded, all of Ian's monsters were gone.

"Now I switch Sapphire Dragon to attack mode and attack you!"

"Not so fast!" Ian said. "I activate Magic Cylinder, dealing 1900 damage to you."

Draken: 1200

Ian: 5700

"Not good," Draken muttered. "I end my turn."

"I'll pay 500 Life Points once more."

Draken: 1200

Ian: 5200

"Now I lay one monster in defense mode, and end my turn."

"I'll switch Lord of Dragons and my Blue Eyes to attack mode! Sapphire Dragon attacks your set!"

"It's my Death Gremlin! (1600/1800) His effect allows me to put one card from my Cemetery back into my deck and then shuffle it. I'll choose Black Tyrano."

"Figures," Draken sighed. "My Blue Eyes and Lord of Dragons will attack directly."

Draken: 1200

Ian: 1000

"I pay 500 Life Points one last time!"

Draken: 1200

Ian: 500

"Can you say desperate?" Miles commented.

"First, I activate Jar of Greed. Next, I play Magic Shard Evacuation! That allows me to discard two cards from my hand to recover one magic card from my Cemetery! Then I activate a Cyclone on my own Stumble. After that, I summon another Hyper Hammer Head. (1500/1200) The Hyper Hammer Head will attack Lord of Dragons."

Draken: 900

Ian: 500

"My turn? I'll have my Blue Eyes attack and destroy Hyper Hammer Head!"

"I activate Emissary of Harmony, saving my Hyper Hammer Head. Also, since you attacked it and it didn't destroy your Blue Eyes, your monster is sent back to your hand!"

"That could be a problem," Draken admitted. "I'll lay one card down and switch Sapphire Dragon to defense mode."

"And that's where it ends for you!" Ian said triumphantly. "I summon Killer Snake (300/250) and then sacrifice it for Super Evolution Medicine's effect! Come forth Black Tyrano!"

"Damn it, I'm dead," Draken stated.

"Unfortunately, my Black Tyrano can't attack you directly, because you have a magic or trap card on the field. So I'll attack Sapphire Dragon instead! Then Hyper Hammer Head attacks!"

Draken grinned. "Nice try, but you aren't going to get away with it! I activate Cry of the Living Dead, to bring back my Blue Eyes White Dragon!"

"No!" Ian shouted.

"And now that it is my turn, I can simply order my Blue Eyes to attack Hyper Hammer Head, winning me the game!"

Draken: 900

Ian: 0

To Hope's surprise, Ian seemed calm about his loss. "You children are so naïve. You really think I would follow my end of the bargain? Agro, attack!"

Before they could react, the dinosaur leapt forward, throwing Draken and Darche aside with his tail, and then tried to bite Rue, as he was the next closest person. Ruecian, seeing the danger he was in, leapt in front of Agro. Welcoming the chance of revenge, Agro grabbed Ruecian. Only his armor and the power boost from the Blue Eyes saved him from dying instantly. Even so, Agro's teeth went right through several weaker spots of his armor.

"Son of a…!" Rue leapt at Ian, but was knocked back by Agro's tail.

Before anyone else could try anything, Agro suddenly dropped Ruecian, with a roar of pain that caused everyone to wince. The dinosaur tried to turn around to confront the new enemy, but it was too late. Agro's head flew off his body, severed.

"What?" was all that Ian had a chance to say before the Soul Monster descended upon him, plunging his sword right through Ian's body. Hope saw the blade emerge from the other end of Ian's body before the attacker drew it back out.

"Olympion!" Hope exclaimed. "But how?"

Olympion gave a violent snarl in response.

"He's just as friendly as ever," Gaston sighed.

"Hold on. If he's here, then that must mean…" Hope's eyes widened. "I can see someone else coming!"

Everyone turned to see the person, who seemed to be limping somewhat.

Brandi grew pale. "Wait a minute. Isn't that..." She stopped when the person was in full view. "Max?"

He ran his eyes over the group. "How did everyone get injured? And what's with the new people?"

Brandi hardly dared to hope. "What did you say?"

"I just noticed everyone seemed a little beaten up, especially you sis," he replied.

Brandi ran forward, embracing Max, not even trying to conceal the tears that escaped her eyes. "Max! Thank god you're ok!" Then she fainted from exhaustion.

Max looked at the others, bewildered. "Did I miss something?"

-----

"Matt Leo, we have several eye witness accounts that back up your claims," the judge in Supreme Court said. "And your evidence is very convincing. But we will need time to make our decision. We need to interview certain people, and make the final ruling. Come in at nine AM tomorrow, and we will rule our decision."

"Yes sir," Matt replied respectfully.

There was no reason to stay. He left the court.

There's nothing else I can do now, except hope that everything turns out for the best.

To be continued…