Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh and therefore I don't own most of the stuff in this fic. I'm just borrowing it.
Chapter 11-Surviving Viper's Poison
Viper hissed and waved his hand outwards, "Then allow me to be the first to welcome you to the Shadow Tournament! Though your stay in it won't be a very long one!"
Viper drew his next card. "I'll start with one monster in face-down defense mode and two cards face-down. End turn."
Daniel drew and couldn't help but smile at the irony of the situation he was in now. ("A hand full of tribute monsters and they won't cost me a single sacrifice thanks to the COC rules.") "I summon Jinzo (2400/1500) in attack mode!" The green humanoid robot appeared on the field and gave its customary mechanical chuckle. "Jinzo, blow his face-down monster out of existence!" Jinzo built up a huge ball of dark energy and threw it across the field, the face-down monster instantly destroyed.
Viper hissed in delight. "Fool! You've attacked my Giant Germ (1000/500)! When it is destroyed in battle it summons two more of its brethren to the field in attack mode. Also it deals you 500 life points of damage."
Daniel- 7500
Viper- 8000
Viper searched his deck momentarily and pulled out his other germs, sliding them both out onto the field.
Viper smirked. "By the way, take a look up at your girlfriend."
Daniel glanced up at the unconscious Amy and paled. There was blood soaking one of the arms of her sweater. "I thought you said she was alright!"
Viper's lips curled into some kind of semblance of a smile. "She was, until your life-points took a dip."
Daniel knew what he meant. They had injected Amy with the same nanomachines they had injected him with before. The more damage his life points took, the more damage the nanomachines would deal to Amy's body. His blood started to boil at the thought of innocent people getting involved in this stupid little vendetta Shadow Corp. apparently had against him. "If she dies Viper...you will join her. Am I making myself clear?"
Viper bared his fangs at Daniel. "You dare to threaten me!? For that you must pay. And what better way to make you pay then by making this girl suffer."
Daniel set two cards face-down. "You've been warned," He said coldly.
Viper drew and hissed again. "So I have. I switch my two Giant Germs into defense mode, and set one more monster to join them on the field. Then I play the continuous magic card Dark Snake Syndrome." On both Daniel and Viper's arms a tattoo of a black snake appeared.
Daniel looked at his arm. "What's this supposed to do?"
Viper didn't answer him. "I end my turn."
As soon as Daniel drew his card for the turn the snake leapt free of the tattoo and bit him. He felt no pain, but grimaced as a welt appeared on Amy's forearm. ("Is she wakes up while her body is in that condition....")
The voice in his head finished for him, ("...Then Viper will pay.")
Viper snickered. "Allow me to explain. Every one of our turns my Dark Snake Syndrome will bite us and drain away life points, starting with 200, and then going to 400, then 800, and so on."
Daniel- 7300
Viper- 8000
Daniel chuckled. "Today is a day full of ironies Viper. I'm about to use a monster that I won off your comrade Hawk."
Viper smirked. "Hawk and I were never comrades."
Daniel shrugged. "Regardless, I summon Blowback Dragon (2300/2100) in attack mode." A metal bipedal dragon with a 9mm pistol for a head appeared. "Now I trigger its special ability." Three coins appeared around the dragon and then as one they all launched into the air. "If the coins land on at least two heads, then I can destroy one card on the field."
Viper's smirk started to fade. "What are you aiming for?"
Daniel watched as the first coin landed on a heads. "I'll be aiming for your Dark Snake Syndrome magic card." The other two landed on a tails. "Or maybe I won't be."
Viper's smirk came back in full force. "What a foolish card. Relying on luck will never win you a duel."
Daniel frowned and set one card face-down. "End turn." He flinched at the volume of the voice in his head.
("Why didn't you attack!?!?!?")
His frown got deeper. ("When I destroy one of his Giant Germs Amy's body takes damage. I'll find another way to get rid of them without hurting her.")
The voice snarled in a way that sent shivers down Daniel's spine, ("YOU IDIOT! Win the duel first and then worry about the damage. He's going to be hurting her anyway!")
Viper drew and the snake on his arm bit him. "How very touching...the boy is protecting his woman from harm."
Daniel- 7300
Viper- 7800
Viper looked at his hand and hissed, sliding a card into his duel disk. "Well now you will regret it fool! I activate the magic card Painful Infection! This magic card attaches itself to a player and then every one of your turns it will drain you of 500 life points."
Daniel grimaced but didn't respond.
Viper laughed. "Say hello to the theme deck killer, Tribe-Infecting Virus (1600/800) in attack mode!" The ground around Viper grew dark, and then slowly but surely a mutated blob like creature pulled itself free from the floor and slid up next to the Giant Germs.
Daniel held down his bile as he caught a whiff of the creature's stink. The things very imaged sickened him. The voice in his head whined loudly, ("Trust me; you're lucky compared to what I have to smell.")
Daniel blinked in confusion. ("What do you mean?")
("Stop asking questions and pay attention to the duel!")
Daniel looked up just in time to see Viper discard the last card in his hand. "I discard a card to use my Tribe's special ability. It can kill all monsters on the field that share the sub-type I call. So I call machine." The Trice-Infecting Virus seemed to inflate for a moment, and then it spat out a cloud of bluish gas. It enveloped the field and Daniel's Jinzo and Blowback Dragon instantly rotted to dust.
Daniel growled and slid both of his monsters into his graveyard. ("I'm wide open to his attack.")
Viper turned his two Giant Germ cards into attack mode. "Now my virus monsters attack!" The two Giant Germs launched across the field, followed by the blob-like Tribe-Infecting Virus.
Daniel's growl turned into a chuckle. "Just what I was hoping you would do. I reveal my face-down trap card Des Counterblow!" The Germs flew across the field and slammed into him, and then the Tribe-Infecting Virus followed up with a single touch to his chest that left him feeling dizzy and weak.
Daniel- 3700
Viper- 7800
Viper's eye went wide. "What was the purpose of your trap card? You still took life-point damage."
Daniel watched as an angry red barrier of energy surrounded both players. "Yeah, but it also will destroy all of your attacking monsters this turn." As if on cue Daniel's barrier spat out beams of light that instantly destroyed Viper's monsters.
Viper hissed in anger. "End turn."
Daniel was about to draw but then the voice in his head interjected. ("Let me duel him.")
("You can't duel him, you are a figment of my imagination.") The voice snarled but went silent. "Now then..." Daniel drew, "It's time to turn this game around in my favor. So first off let's have the little snake of yours take its shot." The snake tattoo on Daniel's arm snapped up and bit him. Then the Painful Infection card depleted more of his life points.
Daniel- 2800
Viper- 7800
"Now that we're done with that little effect, I reveal my face-down magic card Rise of the Machines. This allows me to summon one machine-type monster for every turn this card has been set and I haven't attacked. So that equals one turn. Therefore I choose to revive Jinzo!" Daniel's favorite monster reappeared on the field and chuckled once more.
Grabbing another card out of his hand, Daniel slapped it down on disk. "Then I summon Barrel Dragon (2600/2300) in attack mode." A bipedal mechanical dragon with revolver barrels for arms and a head appeared on the field. "Now I'll use its special ability. Just like my Blowback Dragon, I flip three coins. If I manage to get two heads then I can destroy one monster on your field." The same coins that had accompanied the Blowback Dragon's special ability appeared. They went up into the air and when they landed Daniel frowned. ("Three tails? Talk about great luck.")
Viper hissed in delight. "Now would be a good time to trigger my face-down magic card. It's a little something called Ability Negate. With it out one monster on the field will be stripped of all of its special abilities. And my target is Jinzo!" A steel clamp appeared and latched onto Jinzo's head. The monster shook in pain for a moment and then growled at Viper.
Daniel's frown deepened. "Jinzo attack his face-down monster!" As Jinzo powered up its energy ball, Viper pressed a button on his duel disk.
"I would have hoped you'd have been smarter. I reveal my Deck Destruction Virus. I will use it to infect my face-down Sangan (1000/600) with a deadly virus that will wipe you out!" As Jinzo's energy attack blew the face-down monster to bits, both of Daniel's monsters exploded.
"What did you do!?" Daniel gasped as his deck suddenly shrank in size to less than half its original number of cards. Then the Machine King in his hand faded away, leaving him with only two cards left.
Viper's eye slits narrowed slightly. "My Deck Destruction Virus infects your deck, hand and field with a deadly effect. It will destroy all monsters you possess with 1500 or more attack points. Therefore you have almost no monster cards left." He let the last sentence linger in the air as realization dawned on Daniel.
("I...don't...have anything with fewer than 1500 attack points in my deck. I've got no monsters left...."). The voice in his head snorted in disgust. ("You sicken me sometimes idiot. I've had enough of this back-seat dueling. Watching you lose stopped being fun for me a while ago.") Daniel felt a sudden burning pressure in his skull. He dropped his cards to the ground and collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in agony.
Viper stared in confusion at the spectacle. "What's the matter with you?" A cracking noise above him caught his attention. He looked up to see the damaged body of Amy Hiroshi suddenly heal completely. "What is going on? Are the nanomachines malfunctioning?" He looked back down at Daniel and watched as the wounds that had been on the girl's body transferred. Daniel's body started to shift as the welts and cuts that had been on Amy's body appeared on his form. Viper took a step back, shivering in fear. "How are you doing this? It shouldn't be possible."
Daniel's body started to change. His hair grew much longer, nearly reaching the small of his back. It spiked outwards slightly, which was strange considering that before his hair didn't normally have any spike to it at all. He screamed as the nails on his hands lengthened slightly and got harder, gaining a density that was impossible for bone to normally achieve. He let out one last cry of pain before crashing to the ground.
Viper was considering calling Master Garlin and telling him of this little development, but he knew better. If his Master wanted to know this then he already knew it. Daniel climbed to his feet and howled ecstatically. Viper nearly had to cover his ears at the sheer volume of the boy's voice. Finally it ended and he looked upon his opponent in confusion. "What was all that about? What did you do Daniel!?"
Daniel's body smiled just enough to reveal elongated canine fangs. His eyes had changed as well. Both of his irises had become a deep amber-gold mixture, and his pupils were slightly slotted like Viper's were. "I'm sorry but Daniel is not here at the moment." He reached down and scooped up the two cards that had been his hand, careful not to tear the cards with his new claws. He looked them over and laughed. "I hope you didn't expect your pitiful Deck Destruction Virus to slow me down. If anything you have helped me fool."
Viper hissed in rage. "You dare to mock me!?"
Daniel's dark smile widened and he slid the two cards he was holding into his duel disk. "Take your turn, you pitiful excuse of a lackey."
Viper tugged his deck out of disk and pulled a card free. "As you know when Sangan is destroyed I may search my deck for one monster with an attack total of 1500 or less and put it into my hand." He shuffled and slid his deck back into his disk. He drew a card and then watched as his own Dark Snake Syndrome card drained his life points.
Daniel?- 2800
Viper- 7400
Viper placed a monster down on his field in face-down defense mode. Then he slid a card into the magic/trap slot of his disk. "End turn."
Daniel drew a card sneered as the snake tattoo he had ripped a chunk of flesh out of his arm. He didn't even seem to acknowledge the pain. "I'll set the card I drew face-down. End turn."
Daniel?- 2000
Viper- 7400
Viper drew and winced as the bite from his magic card had quite a bit more pain accompanying it this time. "I will set one card face-down and end my turn."
Daniel?- 2000
Viper- 6600
Daniel drew and watched as the snake almost casually bit him. He felt his side open up with a wound, but he simply smiled and winked to Viper as the blood from his numerous wounds ran down his body, leaving him looking like a walking corpse. "Here is what I was looking for. I set one monster in face-down defense mode and end my turn."
Daniel?- 400
Viper- 6600
Viper's nostrils flared as he tried to figure out what his opponent had meant. He drew his card and winced as the Dark Snake Syndrome bit him and drained his life points again. "You understand that you will lose next turn, correct? End turn."
Daniel- 400
Viper- 5000
Daniel drew, but as the snake lunged up to bite him it suddenly spun around and shot over to Viper, clamping down ruthlessly on the Emissary's arm. Viper hissed in surprise and stumbled in pain.
Daniel- 400
Viper- 1200
Viper stared in horror at Daniel. "What happened?"
Yawning casually despite the fatal wounds he had, Daniel pointed to his field as one of his face-down cards flipped up. "This is my Spirit Mirror trap card. It allows me to redirect the effect of any magic card that targets a player. I simply sent the snake back to its master. So guess what that means."
Viper looked at the holographic tattoo on his arm in horror. "When you end your turn, my own magic card will finish me off."
Daniel snapped his clawed fingers together. "Bingo. End turn."
Viper sighed weakly and looked at his deck. He knew that if he tried to run like Hawk had done before, then Master Garlin would punish him for cowardice. "Before I draw my last card, tell me your name. I know you aren't Daniel Pilkington. He was a human, and humans couldn't take the damage you have inflicted upon yourself."
The being within Daniel's ravaged body smiled and bared his fangs once more. "I shall, but only if you tell your master not to involve Daniel's friends and loved ones in his madness. If he wants the boy then come after him directly." When Viper nodded he continued, "As for my name?" His next smile sent fear into Viper's heart. "I am the hunter. I am the wolf. But if you need a name for me then call me...Rikuo."
Viper nodded solemnly. "We shall meet again Rikuo." He drew his card and the Dark Snake Syndrome magic card finished the game with one bite upon its owner's arm.
Rikuo- 400
Viper- 0
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Amy woke up back in her seat. She had a splitting headache and her entire body felt like she had put herself through a meat grinder. ("Plus I had this horrible dream.") She shivered off the shadowed memories of a man with snake eyes and the feeling of blood being drained from her body.
"You had a good nap?" A voice next to her casually asked.
She looked over and blinked at Daniel, who looked like his normal self now. He fought back the blush in his cheeks and offered her a cup of water he had next to him.
She shook her head and laid back, looking out at the darkness. They still had a quite a few hours before they arrived in Japan, and she tried to get some more sleep. Strangely enough she fell asleep instantly. She had no more bad dreams for the rest of the flight.
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Daniel looked around at his surroundings. He was standing the dark abyss that he had seen once before, but this time he was here of his own will. He looked out into the void and yelled, "I know you are here! Now show yourself Rikuo!"
For a moment silence reigned over the blackness, and then the cold voice that had been inside his head for so long murmured sleepily, "What do you want idiot?"
Daniel walked forward and strode into the shroud. The darkness around him parted enough that he could see the dark form of his changed self laying on the ground, looking like he was trying to sleep. "So there you are."
An angry growl came from Rikuo's mental body and he snapped. "Yes here I am. Did you come to gawk at me now that you know I exist?"
Daniel scratched the back of his head. "Calm down man. I just wanted to talk."
Rikuo yawned, his back still to Daniel, and he curled up. "Go away and let me regain my strength. I may need it if you get confronted by another of the Shadow Corporation's Emissaries. I just know you'll screw up and then I'll have to pick up where you left off."
Daniel frowned but complied, floating away from the patch of darkness in the back of his mind. He would confront the "voice in his head" about the events in the cargo bay later. He normally would be freaked out by the entire situation, but the more he thought about it the more he realized that if Rikuo hadn't have shown himself, Amy would be dead right now. Daniel wouldn't have thought to reflect the effect of Viper's Dark Snake Syndrome back at him with Spirit Mirror. ("I guess you can stay in my head for now, at least until I get to understand you better.")
An angry snort caught his attention. ("You'll never understand me at all. And even if you wanted me out, I doubt you could evict me.")
Daniel smiled slightly and drifted off into sleep having just as pleasant dreams as Amy was.
To be continued...
Next Chapter: Arrival at the tournament
Author's notes: Hey there everyone. Well my character's darker half has just made his appearance in the storyline for real. I hope ya like him. By the way, please let me know if you think that Daniel and Rikuo are either too powerful or just overall too omnipotent. I tried to make sure that Daniel had plenty of flaws, and as for Rikuo....well explanations about him come later.