Intermission Ended
Ichigo looked at the drawn card and then at the Darkstorm Dragon. ("This might we work.") "I activate The Warrior Returning Alive!" He caught a card that was spat out of his graveyard. "This magic card lets me pick up one warrior monster from my graveyard and add it to my hand." He held up Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh. "Now I summon Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh in defense mode!" (300/200) The little tuxedo-wearing furball appeared on his field and chirped happily, hugging his leg as thanks for bringing it back. "Also, I play De-Fusion. This quickplay magic card breaks Big Blaster down into its base components!" The huge warrior blew apart and Shield Bearer (0/2400) and Strongarm (1900/1300) appeared on the field in crouching positions on both sides of Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh. "Finally, I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Alice drew. And she smiled slightly. "I set one card face-down and attack Shield Bearer! Darkstorm Dragon, Unholy Mega Flare!" (3000/2000) The dragon roared and sprayed the shield-carrying monster with black fire, instantly destroying it. "End turn."
Ichigo drew. "You made one mistake. You should have attacked Kuriboh." The little furball turned to stare at its master with tears in its eyes. He gave it a reassuring wink and pointed at his set card. "Mecha-Kuriboh continuous trap card activate!" A human-sized robot appeared on the field. "This card can only target a Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh in play. That monster gains 2000 attack and defense points! Also, it becomes a machine type monster" Giggling, the tuxedo-wearing monster hopped into the cavity in the machine's chest. "I switch Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh into attack mode!" (2300/2200) The machine stood up and pointed at the Darkstorm. "Let's see you anti-warrior dragon deal with this! Go now Kuriboh!" The machine slid forward and punched the head off of the dragon.
Alice- 1300
Ichigo- 200
Alice pointed at her field, where a wall of black fire now sat. "When destroyed this monster makes all battle damage to me zero for the rest of the turn."
Ichigo frowned as Strongarm had to step backwards. "I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Alice drew. "It's for this duel to end. The power of my trap card will be all that I need. Reveal Black Flame Virus! For you see, Darkstorm Dragon wasn't a dragon. It was a machine. And not just any kind of machine, but a special machine that can infect other machines." Her lips lifted slightly. "I can only activate this trap card if Darkstorm Dragon has attacked you directly and it is currently in the graveyard." She motioned with her hand to Ichigo's deck. "Come to me now."
Ichigo gasped in surprise as three cards flew out of his deck and one card flew out of his fusion deck. "What's going on?"
"Black Flame Virus infects all level seven or higher machines in your deck and fusion deck. They become mine to control! Come out now Steel Titans!" Four huge forms materialized on her field.
The first was a giant bipedal robot built to resemble a tyrannosaurus rex. It threw back its head and roared, shaking the room. Next to it a peg-legged green robot appeared, its body more suited to water than land. In the air right above both of them a bird-like robot with jets attached to its wings appeared. And finally behind all three of them and Alice was a huge metal bug-like head, which silently watched Ichigo. "Steel Titans Arsenal, Ray, Rex and Crane." (0/5000) (2500/2300) (2800/2000) (2000/2500) "According to my trap card effect these monsters do not have summon effects, but the fusion monsters do have their effects. And according to Arsenal's effect you cannot attack any other Steel Titan in play until this one is gone."
Ichigo stared in horror at each of his monsters, their eyes now glowing red. ("Oh no…this is the last thing I needed.")
"Steel Titan-Rex, attack Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh! Gatling Destruction!" The machine opened ports in its sides, huge Gatling guns rolling out and pointing right at the much smaller machine. "You're finished! Fire!"
"Reveal Magnetic Defense!" Ichigo pointed at his set card. "This trap card will only work when I have a machine monster in play. You cannot attack during this turn."
Alice smiled confidently and thumbed over at the counter. "End turn."
Countdown- 47:22
Ichigo drew. "I'm not done yet! The Steel Titans are tough but if one person can beat them it will be me! First I activate Reload! I shuffle my hand into my deck and draw an equal number of cards." He drew three times.
Alice watched him calmly, her will alone keeping the Steel Titans from unleashing their fury upon their former master.
Ichigo held up one card. "From my hand I play Pot of Greed!" A green smiling jar appeared on his field. "It's special ability lets me draw two cards!" He snapped two cards off of his deck and the jar exploded into dust. "I summon Cyber Ballista in defense mode!" (1000/2000) A silver-colored robotic turtle appeared on his field. On its back rested a folded crossbow of the same color. "Go Mirage of Nightmare! Then I set two cards face-down, switch Strongarm and Kuriboh into defense mode, and end my turn!"
Alice drew. "It's my turn now…."
"During your standby phase Mirage of Nightmare forces me to draw until I have four cards in my hand!" Ichigo snapped the top four cards off of his deck.
Alice looked at her drawn card. "As long as the controlled monsters are in play I cannot summon anything else. So let's clear away the remains of your defense! Rex, unleash Gatling Destruction upon the furball!" The Titan roared and its guns came to bear on the Kuriboh.
"Reveal Emergency Provisions!" Ichigo pointed at one of his set cards. "This quickplay magic card lets me sacrifice magic and trap cards I have in play to gain 1000 life points per card!" Mirage of Nightmare and Mecha-Kuriboh disappeared. Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh squeaked and closed its eyes right before it was blown apart by a storm of bullets.
Alice- 1300
Ichigo- 2200
Alice pointed at Strongarm. "Go Crane!" The bird-like Titan screeched and launched past the warrior like a jet. It grunted and then started to split in half right before it exploded into dust.
Ichigo grimaced and looked at the Cyber Ballista.
"Now Ray will clear away the last piece of trash in my way!" The aquatic robot opened its face-plate, revealing a heavy laser. A beam of blue energy shot out of the laser and slashed along the stone ground as it approached the ballista.
"Reveal Emergency Alarm!" Ichigo pointed at his set card and it flipped up. "Your attack has now been negated and I take one Cyber Shadow from my graveyard and add it to my hand!" He caught a card that was spat out of his graveyard and held it up. "I choose to add Cyber Shadow-King of Swords to my hand."
Alice frowned at the fact that she had been unable to clear away one of Ichigo's monsters. "End turn."
Ichigo drew. "This is my one chance. The Steel Titans…" He lifted up his eyes and looked at each of the monsters. "One of the most dangerous forces in the dueling world. But I won't fall to them. No…I won't!" He threw a card onto his disk. "I summon Cyber Shadow-Shifter!" (800/1200) A black-clothed ninja appeared on the field and struck a fighting pose. "Also, the magic card Shifter's Trickery. This card can only be activated when Shifter is in play. I draw three cards." He slid three cards off of his deck and smiled at them. "This is my best chance to defeat you. Activate Polymerization!" A glowing vortex appeared in the air above him. "I fuse Cyber Shadow-Ninja (1100/200) and Cyber Shadow-King of Swords together to create…." The monster that appeared on his field was a woman in light golden armor. She held up a pair of fencing rapiers. "Cyber Shadow-Fencing Queen!" (2700/2400)
All of the Steel Titans roared and screeched at the new warrior.
Ichigo frowned and slid a card into his disk. "Activate Special Operative Weapon-Stinger!" A futuristic rocket launcher appeared over the shoulder of Shifter. "When this card is played it is given two counters. I can remove a counter from it to destroy a monster in play with 1500 or more attack points than the equipped monster! Fire!" The ninja hefted the weapon and it spat out two rockets. Both explosives flew across the field and slammed into Rex and Ray, instantly blowing them apart. Then the Stinger disappeared. "Finally, I set one card face-down and end my turn."
Alice slid the two cards in her hand into her graveyard. "Steel Titan-Arsenal's special ability activates now. During the end phase of a turn that Steel Titan monsters were destroyed I can discard a card from my hand to revive one. So Ray and Rex return." The smoking husks of steel that remained from the dead monsters stood up and immediately repaired, now being in full working order.
Ichigo snarled. ("I forgot about that ability…damn…")
Alice drew. "Your defense are about to disappear. Rex, attack with Gatling Destruction!"
"Reveal Alert Tripwire!" Ichigo's face-down card flipped up and Rex stopped before it even had a chance to attack. "This quickplay magic card negates all attacks during this turn and lets me draw a card from my deck for every Cyber Shadow in play. Since Cyber Ballista counts as a Cyber Shadow, I draw three cards." He slid three cards off of his disk.
Alice smiled slightly. "End turn then. But know this…that as long as all four of the Steel Titans are in play I have you beaten."
Ichigo drew. "Not yet. From my hand I play Quickplay Reverse. This magic card lets me pick up one quickplay magic card from my graveyard. Activate De-Fusion!" Fencing Queen blew apart and King of Swords and Ninja appeared on his field. "Then I activate Fusion Return! This magic card lets me pick up one Polymerization magic card from my graveyard and add it to my hand." He held up his key card. "I use Polymerization to fuse Cyber Shadow-Shifter and Cyber Shadow-Ninja together!"
The two ninja monsters were pulled into a swirling vortex. "Emerge now, Cyber Shadow-Reverse Ninja!" (1000/1000) "Defense mode." A ninja in a black body-suit that had numerous tails to it appeared on the field in a crouching position. "This monster's special ability allows me to direct all attacks against me to any target on my field."
Alice scoffed and pointed at Rex. "I have you beaten in the attack department."
Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "I activate Cyber Spear!" A silver spear appeared in the hands of King of Swords. "This equipment magic card raises the attack of the equipped monster by 400 points. Also, when this card is sent to the graveyard I can destroy one magic or trap card in play. I set one card face-down and end my turn." (3000/2300)
Alice drew. "For now I'll have to end my turn then. As long as you have your Reverse Ninja in play the attack of my monsters would be a waste. But as long as Arsenal is in play I'm safe from your attacks."
Ichigo drew. "I set one monster face-down and end my turn."
Alice drew. "End turn."
Ichigo drew. ("She's waiting for something…but what?") "For now…end turn."
Alice drew. "I've got you. I discard a card from my hand to play the continuous magic card Dark Virus Cannon." A huge metal cannon with legs appeared on her field behind the Steel Titans. "By discarding a card from my hand I can destroy a monster in play." She discarded a card from her hand. "First I'll get rid of Reverse Ninja…"
Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Reveal Shadow Barrier!" A silver barrier appeared in front of the ninja and blocked the blast from the cannon. "This trap card negates an effect that targets a Cyber Shadow and destroys its source." The Dark Virus Cannon exploded into dust. "I'll hold this lock as long as I need to until I find a way to defeat you."
Alice slid a card from her hand into her disk. "That will change very soon. End turn." The card shimmered into existence behind Rex.
Ichigo drew. "For now, I'll just set a card face-down and end my turn."
Alice drew…and then smirked. "I've got you now! Reverse card open!" She pointed at her set card. "Redirection Barrier will do the job I need it to do. Now I attack your King of Swords with Rex!" The huge machine snarled. King of Swords response was to throw the Cyber Spear and hit it right in the chest, blowing it apart.
Alice- 1100
Ichigo- 2200
Alice pointed at her face-up card. "Redirection Barrier activates when a monster on my field is destroyed as a result of battle. Now I destroy the monster that battled with it!" King of Swords groaned and blew apart. The Cyber Spear hurtled through the air and slashed through the Barrier, blowing it apart too. "Now attack Ray and Crane!" Both monsters released their attacks and blew Reverse Ninja and set monster apart. "End turn." She discarded a card from her hand and Rex reappeared on the field.
Ichigo removed a card from his graveyard. "Cyber Shadow-Retriever (1000/1000) lets me pick up Cyber Shadow monster from my graveyard when it is destroyed!" He held up Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh and added it to his hand. Then he drew. "Now it's time to show you what mistake you made! Cyber Ballista's special ability activates now! For every turn that has passed it gets a turn counter on it. By removing a monster in my graveyard from play along with a counter I can destroy one face-up monster on the field." He held up four monsters from his graveyard and slid them into his jacket pocket. "Now, destroy the Titans!"
"Activate graveyard effect!" Alice's graveyard spat out a blast of energy that hit the Cyber Ballista and blew it apart. "One of the monsters I discarded earlier was called Shield Anti-Virus. This monster card can remove itself from my graveyard to negate any effect that would destroy a machine monster in play. Also, the user of this effect is destroyed."
Ichigo looked down at his hand. ("That didn't work…but this might.") He closed his eyes…and took a deep breath. "Here goes nothing. I set a monster face-down and end my turn."
Alice drew. "This duel is over! Crane attacks!" The huge machine flew across the field and hit the set monster, destroying it. Immediately after that a horrid screeching filled the air.
"You just attacked Cyber Shadow-Screamer (350/650) and when it is flipped up I end your battle phase and take one Polymerization card and one Cyber Shadow from my graveyard into my hand!" He held up the magic card and Cyber Shadow-Ninja.
Alice frowned. "End turn."
Ichigo drew. ("It's my other Polymerization…and that means trouble for you.") He looked at all of the cards in his hand and smiled. "Here we go! I play Polymerization, fusing Cyber Shadow-Ninja and Cyber Shadow-Disguise (1000/1800) together to create Cyber Shadow-Darkness!" (1500/2000) A patch of night appeared on his field. "Also, the effect of Disguise allows me to draw two cards when it is fused into a Cyber Shadow monster!" He drew twice.
Alice snickered. "Another useless fusion?"
"Alone yes. But it isn't alone." Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "Polymerization…." He held up two cards. "Cyber Shadow-Marksman (1700/1000) and Cyber Shadow Kuriboh fuse together to create Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh Gunman!" (1800/1000) A little furball in a black bodysuit with numerous ammo belts around its body appeared on the field and chirped, landing on Ichigo's head and striking a dramatic pose. "Now…I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Alice drew. "A pair of weaklings. They are no match for the Titans!" She pointed at Cyber Shadow-Kuriboh Gunman. "Go now!" Rex roared and lowered all of its guns to point at the little furball. "It's over."
"For one of us it is!" Ichigo pointed at Darkness. "Cyber Shadow-Darkness can once per turn cut the attack of one monster on the field in half when it attacks!" (1400/2000) "Kuriboh Gunman, Sharp Shot!" The little furball pulled a huge rifle from out of nowhere and pulled the trigger. An echoing explosion later the huge Titan was gone.
Alice- 700
Ichigo- 2200
Alice growled and pointed at the furball. "Die you little nuisance!" Ray's mouth opened, the laser coming to bear on the Kuriboh.
"Reverse card open!" Ichigo pointed at his set card. "Shadow Force!" A glowing silver barrier appeared and absorbed the laser right as it left the machine's mouth. "This trap card will only work when a Cyber Shadow is in play. An attack against that monster will be negated and its attack will increase by the negated attack." (4300/1000)
Alice's hand slowly dropped. "End turn." She discarded a card from her hand and Rex reappeared.
Ichigo drew. "Card of Sanctity forces us both to draw cards until we are holding six in hand." He drew four and she drew four. As he looked at the drawn cards…he looked up at the Steel Titans. All of them roared right in his face, blowing back his hair. "Forgive me for this, guys."
Alice narrowed her eyes. "You can't possibly…"
"From my hand I play Electric Animators!" Ichigo pointed at his field. "This equipment magic card revives one monster from my graveyard to the field in defense mode." A man holding a sniper rifle appeared on the field in a crouching position. "Cyber Shadow-Marksman revives!"
His field magic card opened and he slapped a card into it. "Field magic card Fusion Gate activates now! This card allows both of us to fuse monsters together without the help of Polymerization!" He held up two cards. "Cyber Shadow-Berserker (1900/1200) and Cyber Shadow-Marksman fuse together…" The single monster on the field turned into a ball of light that lifted into the air and combined with two more balls of light that appeared alongside it. "Cyber Shadow-Gunblader!" (2400/1700)
The monster that appeared was a huge warrior with a giant weapon that was a fusion of a gun and a sword strapped to its back. "Cyber Shadow-Gunblader's special ability, when summoned, allows me to destroy one monster in play with attack strength less than its own!" He pointed at Arsenal. "Now you fall! Forgive me, Arsenal!" The warrior removed the weapon from its back and an echoing explosion shook the room as it blasted the giant super Titan apart.
Alice blinked in surprise. "No way…."
Ichigo pointed at Rex. "Go now Kuriboh Gunman!" The little furball, still on Ichigo's head, hefted the rifle and fired, blowing the machine apart.
Alice caught a card that was spat out of her graveyard. "I activate the effect of Steel Armor Defender!" (1300/1800) "When this monster is in play graveyard I can remove it from play to negate all battle damage to my life points for this turn!"
Ichigo wasn't listening. "I won't let the Steel Titans help you destroy the world. Go Gunblader!" The warrior launched forwards and slashed Crane in half with its blade. "Reveal Shadow Optics! This trap card lets me sacrifice a monster on my field to special summon a copy of a monster you have in play!" Darkness disappeared and a giant copy of Ray appeared. "Attack!" It roared and tackled its true self, both machines blowing apart. "End turn." He smiled. "It's over for you now."
"Oh really?" Alice drew. "Because now it's time for my deck to unleash its real power!"
Countdown- 30:00
Brief Intermission
To generic reviewer: Not really. Ichigo grew up learning about dueling, so his skill level is much higher than his father's was at 15.
To G.O.T. Nick: You bet your ass he's proud.
To Voidtemplar: It was a bit of an overreaction, but oh well.
To Bobbomp: But how would it be unsuspected if you just suggested it to me? If I did it then you'd be like 'I knew he'd do that!" And I just can't do that to my public.
To Anime Albino: You're right, I must be. You had better stop reading before my stories get boring.
To Rex: It's getting respect right now.
To Star: Errr…if he blows this he'll be dead.
To Raine: Oh yes, those guys. I might use that. No idea yet.
To LucienShadowMaster: Allow me to explain that. Alright, so Eri's Seal Card made her into Ichigo's 'comfort' right? Well, once the problem he needed to comforted from disappeared Eri's 'curse' wasn't needed to be 'comforting' anymore. More or less, it left with Ichigo's inability to control his curse. And the government can't match Alice. When the timer hits zero the command for the missiles to fire will be sent. They won't have the time to override it.
To falcon demon general: Machine. Just a different kind of machine.
To Erestor Telemnar: This is more interesting to me at the moment. Sorry.