"Virtual systems ready." Opaka reported.
"Activate holographic projectors and uplink duel disks into central computer." Barbas ordered
"Projectors on, uplink engaged." She replied.
"Set Life Point counters to 4000."
"Set."
"Cameras on; raise lights."
-O-
Alan entered the center of the arena stage as lights rose. "Now, I direct your attention to the stage and the first match-up. Enter the mighty Dragon Handler, Cidofolos Orlandu!" Alan called as Cid entered the elevated circular arena in the center of the stadium and assumed his position. "And the opponent, arguably the most brilliant man to ever construct a Duel Disk out of toothpicks, wax paper, and marshmallows, Wesley Whyndam-Pryce!" Wesley entered the other side of the arena, "Duel!" Alan called.
Cid's Duel Disk launched and fused, as it always had. "Let's go, techie."
"Let's, Dragon." The silver semi-sphere on Wes' arm began to open and unfold into a card platform. A Life Point counter jetted out of the top. Wes grabbed a small eyepiece folded on the underside of his disk and placed it over his right eye. "Ready for this?"
"As I'll ever be." Cid smirked, "I summon my Luster Dragon and set one card face-down."
Wes read the data presented by his eyepiece. A small circle targeted the Dragon. Text appeared below it listing it's description, and present ATK and DEF factors.
"Not bad, Orlandu. Set three cards face-down and play my Cyber Falcon!" A great mechanical bird flew onto the field. "Your move."
"It's a risk I'll take. Summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress #1! Luster, show no mercy!" Cid ordered. The flames of the Luster Dragon flew at Wes.
The small white circle locked on to the Winged dragon, but Wes ignored it. "How could you not see that was a trap? Cyber Falcon, activate Draining Shield!" A panel on the Falcon opened and a small ring shot toward the fire. The ring shot green light back behind it as the fire crashed into it. Then a small ray hit Wes, raising his Life Points to 5900. "My turn now." Wes drew, "Sacrifice the Falcon for my Metal Fish in defensive position."
"Offer Winged Dragon and Luster Dragon!" Cid called as the two dragons flew to his side, "To summon the legendary Red Eyes Black Dragon!" The great black dragon landed in front of Cid.
"Red Eyes?" Wes stepped back as the circle locked on to the Red Eyes.
"Yeah. Mop the floor with that tin can!" Cid ordered. A fireball crashed into the Metal Fish, destroying it.
"My move!" Wes drew. "Reveal the two face-down spells, Soul Exchange and Tribute Doll, offering Red Eyes for a monster far worse. The feared Barrel Dragon. I think you've seen its power, used by Mister Vaniver."
Cid clenched his fist, "This has only just begun, Wesley!"
"Talk big, Orlandu. I end my turn."
"Draw!" Cid was truly ticked off, "I activate Monster Reborn! Red Eyes, return to me! Now here goes my Polymerization! This combines my Red Eyes with my Meteor Dragon!" A large rock with arms, legs, and wings appeared on the field, "You know what comes next, techno-punk? They combine to from the Meteor Black Dragon!" The dragons combined. The Red Eyes grew larger, fiery red veins visible all over it. It looked a little rocky, and downright menacing. It's attack power, 3500. "This game is mine. Now my dragon, Meteor Breath!" A large flaming rock shot from the Dragon's mouth and demolished the Barrel Dragon.
"My move!" Wes' Life Points fell to 4800 as his eyepiece locked on to the Meteor Dragon, "And I still have the lead you know! I'll play Polymerization too, fusing my Cannon Solder and Giga Tech Wolf to summon my Labyrinth Tank in defense mode and summon Gear Golem in defense mode as well. Go."
"Meteor Breath!" The Gear Golem fell apart. "Set one card and end." Cid smiled.
"I'm going to come back, Cid. But I'm bound right now." Wes sighed.
"Meteor Breath!"
"My move!" Wes smiled, "It's a start. Set two cards and end my turn."
"Now, fire off a meteor at Wes!" Cid ordered. A meteor shot off, but fizzled out of existence.
"Sorry, Orlandu, reveal Negate Attack!" Wes sighed with relief. "My move!" he drew dramatically, "Blast! I might need to pass this turn! I do..."
"Meteor Breath!" This meteor bound for Wes did not fade.
Wes' eyepiece locked onto the meteor, and a the screen filled with the red flashing word 'Warning'. The flaming rock knocked Wes on his back. Wes staggered to his feet, Life Points at 1300. He drew, "You're done." Wes smiled.
"You're not in much of a place to make threats." Cid laughed.
"On the contrary, Cid. Monster Reborn! This gives me your Red Eyes. And I'll set one more card to complete my turn."
"Your head is so big you odiously can't here that tiny voice of reason in it." Cid threw two cards face-down, "Meteor Black Dragon, OBLITERATE!"
"Nice try, Dragon Handler, but it isn't happening! Activate Metalmorph!"
"So? Red Eyes still isn't strong enough?" Cid watched the Red Eyes coar itself with metal, "Red Eyes Black Metal Dragon's attack factor is only 2800. Mine's 3500."
"That's what this one's for, Mirror Force!" Wes laughed as the meteor, only inches from the Metal Dragon, spun bound for its launcher. The meteor hit the Meteor Dragon, destroying it. "And now, on my turn I play another Tribute Doll, summoning Machine King! Metal Dragon, attack!"
Cid braced himself against the attack, his Life Points down to 1200. He drew, "A valiant effort, Wesley." He smiled, "Reveal Dark Hole, consuming your monsters! Then I play the card I drew, Premature Burial. By reducing myself to 400 Life Points, I return my Meteor Black Dragon to the field!" The giant dragon flew back to the field, "OBLITERATE!" The meteor hit Wesley, knocking him down again.
"And the winner!" Alan ran over to Cid and raised Cid's arm in the air, "Cidofolos Orlandu! But don't worry Wes, there's a few Wild Card Slots coming up later."
-O-
"Up for the next match, is the former God-King of the Primordium, Illarya Eden, versus the dueling unpredictability known as Kaya Theas." Alan called, "Duel!"
The two women launched their Duel Disks.
"So, you're that psycho Sev told me about?" Kaya drew.
"Not exactly," Illarya drew her hand as well.
"Doesn't matter." Kaya set a card face down, "Come forth my Kiser Seahorse!"
"Summon Vorse Raider! Vorse, attack!" Illarya ordered.
"Negate Attack!" Kaya smiled, "Nice try. Stupid girl."
"Do you mock me?" Illarya looked at her Duel Disk, "Perhaps I should not have told Cid I was ready for this..."
"Hey!" Cid screamed from the sidelines, "Once you start thinking of your own defeat, you've lost! You can do it!"
"Touching. Really." Kaya drew, "Too bad she's right. Offer Kiser for my Wingweiver!"
"You'll pull through, Illarya!" Raven cheered.
"No she won't!" Sevanos cheered right next to him.
"Wingweiver, attack!" The six-winged massager shot a beam of light at the beastly solder on Illarya's field.
Illarya drew as her counter dropped to 3150. "Summon Double Caston and set one card face-down."
"You think I'll fall into my own trap? I play Mystical Space Typhoon-"
"Activate trap Wabaku!" Illarya smiled, "I know you won't fall into your own trap, so I set you a different one."
"Turn end." Kaya threw a card face-down.
"Sacrifice my monster for the great Cosmo Queen!" A regal woman of the cosmos appeared before Illarya, "Sorry. Queen, Cosmic Blast!"
"Draw!" her Life Points fell to 3750, "Defend."
"Cosmo, attack!" Illarya ordered, "I set a monster in defense mode."
"So do I." Kaya ended her turn.
"Cosmo, hit it." Illarya shrugged, "Another trap set. Go."
"Summon Rocket Warrior and set two cards. Rocket Warrior, go for the face-down monster!" A small rocket flew at the defensive monster, only to be deflecte3d.
"Gear Golem, the Moving Fortress. That's 700 more damage." Ilarya smiled.
"Nope!" Kaya laughed, "Rocket Warrior takes no damage. Now, I complete my turn."
"Cosmo Queen, attack!"
"Reveal trap Magic Arm-Shield! This takes your Gear Golem to block your attack!" A hand grabbed the Golem and moved it into the way of the Queen's blast. "My move," Kaya drew, "Sacrifice for my Beast of Gilfer in defense mode. Another face down card, and my turn is done."
"Cosmo, attack." Illarya sounded bored.
"Reveal trap card, Call of the Haunted! This returns my, now a little undead, Wingweiver. And, since you destroyed Gilfer, he comes back with a vengeance!" The Beast of Gilfer flew under the Winged Messenger, raising its attack by 500, "Now it's my move. Wingweiver, Holy Gilfer Flame!" A beam of light surrounded by fire tore through the Cosmo Queen.
"Activate trap, Destiny Board!" A large Ouija Board appeared above Illarya, and above it, a ghost heald the letter F.
"Destiny Board?"
"The Ouija Board of Death. There are five Spirit Messages, F, I, N, A, and L."
"Final?" Kaya cocked her head.
"Played in order, FINAL is the countdown to just that, your final turn." Illarya laughed, "Let the fun begin!" Her Life Points fell to 2800, "Now that your turn is done, I beseech the spirits to bring their next message!" The letter I appeared above Illarya, "Hey, looks like they listened. Well, now that it's my move and I have Message L in my hand, perhaps I should play this, Reload!" Illarys slid her hand into her deck and drew a new one, "Scapegoat!" Four sheep-goats appeared before her, "Go."
"Attack the blue scapegoat!" Kaya ordered as she considered her options.
The letter N appeared above Illarya, "Set one monster and complete my turn."
"Summon Shining Angel. My angels will take out two more Scapegoats."
"Then I've won," Illarya smiled as A appeared above her, "at the end of your next turn." She drew, "Reveal my monster, Old Vindictive Magician." The aged caster shot a beam of energy at the Winged Messenger, sending it to the Graveyard. "And sacrifice it for this monster in defense mode. Go."
"Take out the final Scapegoat." Kaya sighed.
L appeared above Illarya. Spirits surrounded the field. They formed into one great creature, which attacked Kaya.
"The winner, Illarya Eden!" Alan raised her hand.
-O-
"Match sixteen, the last match for this evening, the legendary beauty Kaomi Itai versus the perpetual thorn in her side, as if by some odd force of fate or uncreative writing, Arkith Panzer." Cheers rose as the duelists took their positions against he darkening sky. Floodlights blinked on. "Duel!"
"You need to just give up, Panzer." Kaomi launched her Duel Disk.
"What if you gave up back at the American Nationals? Remember joining with your American cousin? Remember being totally demolished at my hand? What if you quit?" Arkith responded, alunching his Duel Disk, "Set two cards face-down and summon Kycoo, the Ghost Destroyer!"
"I'll set two cards and summon my Humanoid Slime in defense mode!" The human-form aquatic creature defended itself.
"I'll set another card, play Rush Recklessly, and activate this spell, Final Countdown!" Twenty fireballs flew into the sky, "Kycoo, Reckless Exorcism" Beams of light shot at the Slime.
"Reveal Mirror Wall!" A wall rose before the beams, weakening them. They crashed harmlessly against the Slime.
Arkith's Life Points fell to 3250. "Turn end." One of the small fiery markers faded.
"Mirror Wall extinguishes, and I sacrifice my slime for my Ryu Kokki! Kokki, attack and destroy Kycoo!" Kaomi orderd, "Yo0u aren't gonna make it nineteen more turns, boyo."
"I disagree, reveal Rope of Life!" A rope stretched into the dark abyss and pulled Kycoo out of the nothingness, with an attack of 2600, while Arkith's Life Points fell to 2650.
"Doesn't matter, Kokki will instantly toast it anyway." Kaomi shrugged. A fireball faded.
"If I keep Kycoo. Activate Snatch Steal, taking your monster and offering both as well as my Tribute Doll for my greatest monster!" Arkith rose a card into the air, "Come forth, my mighty Moisture Creature!" A watery creature swept Kaomi's field clean, "And thanks to my Pyro Clock of Destiny card I cut two from the eighteen turns left for Final Countdown, and my creature is free to attack your Life Points directly! Then I play the Red Medicine spell card, raising my Life Points to 3150!" Red sparkles surrounded him.
Kaomi drew, her Life Points at 1200, with fifteen turns on the clock. She needed a miracle. She did not look at her newly drawn card.
"Perhaps my not quitting is paying off, Itai. I do enjoy watching you struggle!"
"C'mon Kaomi!" Sevanos called, "Send this creep back to L.A., where he belongs!"
"Right." Kaomi added the card to her hand, "Time for you to get the hell outta my country, Panzer! Summon Copycat!" An odd creature with a mirror appeared on Kaomi's field. After a mere moment, the image of the Moisture Creature was burned into the mirror. "Not activate the spell card Giant Trunade and the other spell Riryoku!" The Copycat's attack shot from zero to 2800, then it shot up 1400 more to come to a stop at 3200. "Fry that freak's creature!" From the Copycat's mirror the Moisture Creature attacked. The real creature faded to nothingness and a heavy toll was shot at Arkith's Life Points. The crowd roared. "Set one card and end my turn." Kaomi said coolly.
Arkith's Life Points were a mere 350. "Draw!" he glared upward. Fourteen. That would be of no help. "I defend and complete my turn."
"Activate Soul Exchange, offering your monster and mine for Seiyaryu, then play, get this, Pyro Clock of Destiny!" Two fires faded.
"Idiot!"
"Not really. Seiyaryu can attack now." Kaomi drew her hand back, "Mystic Flame, obliterate!" Kaomi shot her hand forward. The crowd went wild.
"The winner, Kaomi Itai!" Alan called over the cheers, "We will complete the first phase tomorrow morning at eight. See you all then!"
-O-
Raven watched the people leave. The seemed so excited. So energized. They talked of their favorite duelists. Raven looked over to Kaomi, who had several kids talking to her.
"You're awesome!" one of the young boys said.
"Seiyaryu is my favorite too!" another said.
"Will you autograph my Seiyaryu." A girl said. This request seemed awkward to Raven, but he supposed it made sense on some level. Kaomi was only too happy to oblige.
"Will you marry me?" Some creepy guy approached them. This was Raven's cue. Raven walked up behind the creepy guy, not noticed by him, and beat him with his Duel Disk. The creepy man fell unconscious.
"Thanks, Raven." Kaomi laughed, "Bye kids! If that creepy guy wakes up, just do what Raven did."
The kids then started talking of Raven.
"A little hero worship?" Raven smiled.
"Cute kids." Kaomi smiled as well, "I bet that girl's mom sells the Seiyaryu on eBay. Five dollars."
"A hundred." Raven laughed. "I just wonder if the Duel Disk System will render an autographed card differently." Raven laughed more.
"Oh, Raven. Things are so happy now." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Has that Egyptian guy come back for the Scale?"
"Not yet. It's in my room at Stars HQ." Ravens responded.
"Raven."
"Yeah?"
"I love you." Kaomi said
"I love you too." Raven smiled.
-O-
Kaomi knocked on Raven's door. "Raven? I know it's late, but I can't sleep. I'm worried." There was silence, "Raven?"
-O-
Raven stood on the roof staring at the moon, the Millennium Scale in his hand.
"Raven!" Kaomi sighed with relief; "I was worried when you weren't in your room. So I searched and didn't see you anywhere... what are you doing on the roof at three in the morning anyway?"
"I have a bad sense about things. I think these happy times are in danger." Raven did not shift his gaze, "Aura, Lantash, and Shuyin went to Cairo Branch because the said they found something that no one could translate. It looked ancient Egyptian, but a dialect they had never seen. The three of them went there to examine it and bring it back here. They'll be here tomorrow morning."
"How do you know all this?" Kaomi asked.
"Visions induced by the Scale."
"Dreams?" Kaomi suggested.
"No. I was awake."
"Maybe you're right, Raven." Kaomi sighed and walked up next to him, staring at the moon with him, "I have an ominous sense about the end of this tournament. Something bad is going to happen. We should pull out of it now."
"Kaomi!" Raven was shocked, and looked at her.
"I mean it Raven. You've slayed enough demons!" Kaomi said, almost in tears, her glance rapidly shifted to meet his, "Like I said. I love you. I can't risk loosing you anymore!"
"Kaomi, the demons I've slayed both turned out to be fine people. Besides, I want to know why I 'slayed those demons'. And I want to know about Nemesis." Raven embraced her.
"Nemesis is the ranting of a madman. No more." Tears formed in Kaomi's eyes.
"You felt its presence. I saw its opposite." Raven said, calmly.
"You say a hallucination caused by that damn scale!" She burst into full-blown tears.
"Kaomi. This is bigger than us."
"Nothing is bigger than us." Kaomi sobbed. "I won't lose you!"
"That's right. And I won't lose you." Raven closed his eyes, "I promise."
"Raven, what do you think this artifact will tell you?" Kaomi dried her eyes on his sleeve.
"The truth about the events in Ancient Egypt, whatever that is." Raven sighed, "Sevanos' version of events is incomplete, I know that. And I know Seros is a chronic and habitual. But, to quote an American TV show, 'The truth is out there', an I aim to find it."
"Be careful. I fear that this time the danger is much more clear and present." Kaomi choked back more tears, "Don't do anything stupid."
"I won't."