Chapter Two: Level One
DISCLAIMER: I still don't own Yu Gi Oh, but I do own Diablo, Ice, and the five monsters. I think.
When Yugi woke up, he was sitting in a wide grassy field. He looked around and saw the four others, seemingly unconscious.
"Are you awake?" a deep voice asked.
Yugi spun around and saw a muscular, dark skinned man wearing Egyptian clothes. He held a long, golden spear in his hand.
"Who...are you?"
"I am Pharaoh's Guardian. And you are Yugi, yes?"
"Y...yes," Yugi said. "You're a monster card, right?"
"Yes. I am the one who will protect you."
Something beeped, and Yugi saw a computer-device on his wrist.
"Weird."
"That is the Card Data Device. It shall tell you everything about the cards you meet."
Yugi looked at the device, and pressed the button labeled "Scan". He pointed his wrist at Pharaoh's Guardian, and data appeared on the screen.
Name: Pharaoh's Guardian
Attribute: Light
Type: Warrior
Level: 4
ATK: 1700
DEF: 1400
Effect: When in play, all Spellcasters increase ATK and DEF by 400. Spellcasters are immune to Spells, Traps, and Monster Effects while Pharaoh's Guardian is in play.
"You're quite powerful," Yugi said.
"Thank you, master Yugi."
At last, the others began to stir. As they did, monsters appeared at their sides.
Next to Kaiba was what appeared to be a miniaturized Blue Eyes White Dragon. Yugi scanned it, revealing its information.
Name: Blue Eyes Young Dragon
Attribute: Light
Type: Dragon
Level: 4
ATK: 2000
DEF: 300
Effect: When this monster is destroyed, Special Summon 1 BEWD from your Deck.
Next to Jonouchi was a hulking reptile-man holding a curved sword. Its scales were bright red, and it had plates of black armor on its body.
Name: Black D. Slayer
Attribute: Fire
Type: Beast-Warrior
Level: 4
ATK: 1550
DEF: 1600
Effect: For every Dragon-type in play, increase Black D. Hunter's ATK by 300.
Diablo and Ice both got up together. Standing near Diablo was a pale man in a Goth-style outfit with two large black-feathered wings. Ice petted a metal-plated white wolf.
Name: Fallen Angel ---------- Name: Cobalt Hunter
Attribute: Dark ----------------- Attribute: Light
Type: Fiend --------------------- Type: Machine
Level: 4 --------------------------- Level: 4
ATK: 1600 ---------------------- ATK: 1650
DEF: 1600 ----------------------DEF: 1700
Effect: For every Light and -- Effect: None
Dark Monster in the Grave-
yard, increase ATK by 100.
Yugi could hear beeping coming from all over. The Duelists spoke with their monsters and started pressing buttons on their Card Data Detectors.
"Well, anyone have any ideas of what to do next?" asked Yugi.
"Not a clue," Diablo said, shrugging. "Maybe Pegasus is planning on giving us instructions."
"Not likely," Kaiba growled. "That freak never does things the easy way. Or the smart way."
"Don't talk about Pegasus that way," Ice said, glaring at Kaiba. "I heard he mopped the floor with you."
"Through cheap tricks and scare tactics," Kaiba shot back. "Besides, Yugi here beat him, so he can't be all that tough."
"Didn't Yugi beat YOU before?" Diablo quipped, smirking.
"Like you two should even be talking," Kaiba spat. "If you're so great, why haven't we heard of you?"
"We prefer the underground circuit," Diablo said. "The less hype, the better, we feel."
"Exactly," Ice said, nodding. "The less we're well known, the less people know about us. And the less they know about us, the easier it is to take them down."
Kaiba snorted, but said nothing.
"Uh, hey, guys?" Jonouchi started. "Maybe we should try dat castle over there."
He pointed down, and Yugi realized they must be on a hill. He walked over to Jonouchi and looked down. A huge, gothic castle rose up in the valley, surrounded by a dark moat.
"Well, someone has dark taste," Ice quipped.
"That looks like a good spot to check," Diablo said. He clapped Jonouchi on the back. "Way to stay on top of things, J. Shall we go, then?"
"Nothing better to do," Kaiba muttered.
The five (ten if you count the monsters) marched down the gentle hill. A wind ruffled the grass and, to everyone's surprise, their hair and clothes as well. They could feel the wind, the flying blades of grass. Which left a dark question to pick at their minds:
How much could they feel?
Slowly, they walked up to the castle. A bridge hung over the moat, a dark and murky pool about 10 feet across and how knows how deep.
"I...guess we take the bridge," Yugi said, staring down into the water.
Jonouchi took a step onto the bridge. His shoe rang out against the thick wood, ringing out in the still afternoon.
Suddenly, the moat began to churn. Out of the murky stream burst five monsters. They landed in front of the five duelists, hissing and growling.
The reptilian monsters were lanky and tall, but they stood hunched down. Their skin was slick and brilliant green, in stark contrast with their bright red eyes. The skin was less skin and more armor, spiky and plated. Their feet and hands were webbed and clawed, and they looked quite dangerous.
"What da heck is dat!?" Jonouchi bellowed.
Yugi pressed the Scan button, and read out the results.
"They're Takriminos. Level 4, Water attribute, Sea Serpent type. 1500 attack and 1200 defense."
"Easy," Kaiba sneered. "Blue Eyes, attack!"
The BEYD lunged at the sea serpent, but it jumped over the young dragon and struck Kaiba with its hand. The hit slashed through Kaiba's clothes, and drew blood.
"Bastard!" Kaiba snarled.
A Takriminos launched at Yugi, but Pharaoh's Guardian stepped in the way and lashed out with his spear, knocking it back. It quickly got back to its feet, but had a shallow gash on its shoulder that leaked red blood onto its green skin.
Joey's Slayer had taken up the offensive, its now flaming sword severing the arm of a Takriminos. It reached out with its other arm, gripping the Serpent's neck, and hurled the monster to the ground.
Diablo and Ice looked on calmly as Fallen Angel and Cobalt Hunter held the Takriminos back. Fallen Angel had summoned an ebony sword out of nowhere and was tracing shallow cuts on one of the reptiles, while Cobalt Hunter blasted the other with a small laser cannon.
Even BEYD had managed to wound the last Takriminos, shooting bolts of blue lightning out of its mouth.
"Dese guys ain't so tough!" Jonouchi yelled. "Take 'im down, Slayer!"
"J's right! Finish him, Fallen Angel!"
The dark angel held up one arm and an orb of dark energy materialized. It flung the orb at the Takriminos, vaporizing it.
"Master Yugi, stand back!" Pharaoh's Guardian yelled. "This will get messy!"
Yugi moved back as Guardian jumped high into the air. As he hit the ground, his spear dug into the earth, and the ground exploded around him, crushing the Takriminos.
Cobalt Hunter and Fallen Angel pushed their Takriminos back to the water, the Angel darting behind it to block its escape. Cobalt Hunter charged up one last blast, obliterating the serpent.
"Knock 'is block off!" Jonouchi bellowed.
Black D. Slayer snarled and charged, brining its fiery blade down through the other reptile's body, cleaving it in two.
"We've saved the best for last! Crush him!" Kaiba bellowed.
BEYD let out a fierce shriek, and hit the Takriminos with a powerful bolt of energy. The Takriminos cried in pain before being completely annihilated.
"Yeah! We win!" Jonouchi cheered.
Yugi heard his CDD beep and looked down at it. It read in the LCD screen:
New card acquired: Takriminos.
"Not a bad start, eh?" Diablo said, swinging his arms around Ice and Jonouchi. "So, what do you think is next?"
A loud, low screech rang out, and Yugi got the sneaking suspicion that they would find out fast.
What is the screeching beast? Are the heroes strong enough to face it? Find out next time in...13 Gems of the Zodiac!
