Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, but I do own the characters that you don't recognize. So you better not recognize Shisei and Kouichi!

Chapter 10: The New Player

Kou backed away from the vastly impressive dragon, it was huge and scaly, with scales made of rotting meat, and the rest was no picnic. The smell of the dragon was insanely nauseating as well. He was about to just plain out faint, but before doing so, he managed to squeeze out: "H-h-how?" he looked back at the beast's owner, who had just ended his turn.

"Simple, you pathetic excuse for a warrior, when a level 8 or higher monster is sent from my side of the field to the graveyard, I can activate the quick play magic card, A Deal with the Dark Ruler. Then I can summon my Berserk Dragon." he smiled.

"But, you had to have played that card in your last turn, I didn't destroy a level 8 monster, you used Mystic Wok!" Kou realized.

"Ah, yes, but that was where my Inter dimensional Matter Transporter comes into play, I activated it at the start of your last turn!" Skull smirked at his ingenious plan to throw his opponent out.

"Oh well, I can still win, your dragon only has 3500 attack p-" he looked at the Dragon with shock as its attack points dropped to 3000. "Your dragon just lost some attack points, man." he stated, as he drew his card.

"Alas, power comes with a price, as my creature loses 500 attack points on my end phases."Skull looked at his dragon with disdain.

'If it loses attack points, then maybe I can get rid of it, unfortunately, I only have one monster, and if I summon it, I'll lose too many LP"' Kou contemplated. "I'll end my turn with one card facedown." he set his one card. 'have to bluff."' he thought.

"Now then, allow me to show you the great power of Zombies!" Skull drew his card and placed another monster into attack mode on the duel disk. "Say hello… or goodbye, to my Vampire Lady (1550/1550)!" the mists in the shadow realm hid the monster from view… until…

"OUCH!" Kou jumped in surprise as he felt his neck being pierced. "What in the world!" he looked behind him to see the pale and smiling evilly, woman.

Skull laughed menacingly. "Now then, as you have most certainly noticed, the effects of the shadow realm can become a little to strong." he smiled menacingly once more, as his dragon readied itself. "My Vampire Lady not only gives you a good deal of damage, but when you take damage from her, you must select one card of the type I choose from your deck and send it to the graveyard." he motioned to his smirking Vampire. "So I think I'll have her suck a monster card out of you!" he snickered as Kou selected a monster card and deposited it into the graveyard slot of his disk. "Now for the next step, Berserk Dragon (3000/0) directly attack!" the dragon took a huge breath, and then blew an awful smelling gas at Kou through its nostrils.

Kou gagged and fell to the floor, the noxious gas making his stomach ache. "Woah, hate to have t-t-that thing f-f-or a pet!" he smiled weakly. 'Woah, I'm gonna faint, how come I suddenly feel so weak?"' he questioned himself, trying to keep his eyes open.

Skull smiled and clapped his bones of hands, watching the boy struggle. "Ah, looks like even the Holy Savior cannot withstand the full force of the Shadow Realm!" he snickered as Kou got up with holy anger in his violet eyes.

"I-WILL-NOT-LOSE!" he placed his hand on his deck, and drew his card.


Osmos looked at the deep black of the sphere which covered the warrior in darkness. "Ah, I see now." he stated, he turned to the sentry he spoke to earlier. "Yes, I hope you don't truly want your Maester back…" he stated, looking at the literally dead man standing over Shisei.

"Wh-what do you mean?" the now cloaked figure looked at Osmos in surprise. Higentaka Osmos was more than well-known in business and the darker sides of things, he was deadly powerful and very influential. So it was no surprise that this threat brought fear to the poor low life (or death) sentry. He thought Osmos was threatening them.

"I mean he's about to lose, and what's left of him will expire as per the rulings of the Shadow game." the business man stated simply. The lackey's mouth opened in surprise. "Now, though, I shall take my leave of you." he strode away, as though he had talked about nothing more than an interesting game of baseball. Leaving the sentry scared to death, but with no way of seeing through the black sphere into the Shadow Game between his Maester and Kouichi Nandao.


Kou-1750

Skull-1670

'Come on, focus, focus!"' Kou kept telling himself, but it was just so hard to focus when the weight of your eyelids seemed to have doubled in the past minute. "I'll… um" he looked at his hand, the tiredness sweeping through him made him as useless as his first duel in the Laundromat. His thoughts drifted to that day, the day he had discovered duel monsters. 'No, think about the present, think about saving Namia!"' he told himself. 'I have a winning combo, but I can't focus to see it!"' he desperately tried again to play a card, but he couldn't.

"Don't take all day now, the tiredness won't wait for long, you'll eventually lose to it and then you'll be in no position to duel. So you might as well not exhaust your soul more." Skull tapped his foot impatiently. Kou listened to him and then began to contemplate what his opponent had said.

"My… Soul?" he questioned, falling to one knee, his gaze unfocused.

"Yes my dear boy, that is the whole purpose of this duel, for me to claim your soul through the power of the shadow realm." Skull explained this as though it were obvious.

"But… no soul… will I be alive… if I lose!" he questioned, more to himself than his Zombie opponent, but the zombie explained this anyway.

"You will not be alive, not in the sense your thinking, anyway." he stated simply, then decided to elaborate on his explanation. "Now then, you will have the ability to move, talk, and even think. But you thoughts, movements and talk will be robotic, you will be no more than a puppet, with no dreams, no ambition, and without love." he stated, smirkingly.

Kou looked up into the eyes of his opponent, feeling his eyelids close, feeling sleep overtake him. His cards slipped from his hands and landed in front of him in a mess in front of him. "No, Namia!" he then fell to the floor in a faint.

"Well now, looks like it was true, you lose, and I get to use your soul to bring the entire tribe back… So sad really, I was hoping for a challenge." Skull sighed and began to remove the cards from his duel disk. Just as he touched his Vampire Lady, there was a stir of movement.

"Quitting?" a voice projected the question harshly from directly across the area. This voice was much harsher and darker than Kouichi's.

Skull turned immediately to see… "Who are you!" he questioned. The figure facing him looked slightly more menacing than Kou, and he smiled so evilly you could swear he was a devil in disguise. Kou's once blue hair was now a shining silver color. His violet eyes were now a piercing golden, and they were slitted, like an angry creature. His fangs had elongated and whoever was using his body now had a much more evil look in his eyes than Kou had ever worn.

"Me? I'm no one important." he shrugged the question off, making a motion with his hand as if to say forget it, revealing long claws. He then looked up with a stony expression in his eyes that made him appear to be more evil that Skull, and asked. "So then will you answer my question? Are you quiting?" he repeated, watching the zombie fidget in his space.

"No, but as my opponent is unable to duel, then I seem to have won…" he looked at the figure questioningly.

"I can duel just fine, thank you!" Kou's body flexed his muscle as if to show that he was ready to kill. "And I'll show you now!" the figure picked up the cards Kou had dropped and deposited them into his right hand. "So if you don't duel me, you lose, as per rules of the Shadow Realm!" he smirked, waiting for a response.

Skull cursed under his breath. Whoever this figure was, he knew quite a deal about the Shadow Realm, his rulings were correct, anyway. Since the shadows of the realm swallowed the soul of the loser, if he didn't end the duel once and for all against this guy, the realm would consider him a loser, and take his soul… or what was left of it anyway. "FINE! The stake's of this duel are still on, go!" he glared at the figure.

"Alright, now I can have some fun. Summon, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian (1400/1200) in attack mode!"A mighty warrior in ancient clothing appeared and raised his sword, ready to strike. "Then I'll activate my facedown card, the black pendant!" the creature that stood in front of Kou's body was suddenly wearing an ornate pendant, which upped its attack power (1900). "This gives my creature the ability to be impervious to damage!" he smiled. "And I'll attack your Vampi- what the hell!" the figure looked confused at the spot that the Vampire lady once stood. She was standing directly beside the Berserk dragon, but suddenly she was gone.

"Oh don't worry, I just decided my creature should have a bit of a make over!" Skull pointed maliciously to the same area of the duel field. The shadows began to converge and suddenly, his Vampire appeared again. This time though, it had more than a familiar face…


Floating in the black of his own sleep, Kou suddenly felt a jolt of horror, as though he was being shocked. He peeked open an eye… only to discover he was more than sleeping, he was floating around in the midst of his own soul. In front of him, looking like a window, was and eye, and through it he saw his monster and his opponent's monsters. "Oh my god!" he looked as though he might faint from disbelief. Then, upon closer inspection, he realized what had given him the jolt, and he looked at the face of Namia where the Vampire Lady's face should be with horror. "NAMIA!" he yelled, he began to beat against the window, then stare around wildly for a door to escape, to save Namia.


The figure that inhabited Kou's body could feel the boy trying to wrench himself out of his own soul room to join Namia. 'Guess I better talk to him."' he thought, closing his eyes and receding into Kou's soul.

"Well, how do you like my creature's new face!" Skkull laughed manically again, completely oblivious to the fact that his opponent was deep in his own soul.


"NAMIA!" Kou yelled again, not seeing the silver haired figure approach him from behind. Suddenly he was thrown against the wall with a hand pressed to his throat.

"WOULD-YOU-SHUT-UP!" the figure glared at the shocked Kou.

"Who-" Kou managed, before the figure dropped him, letting him cough on the floor. "Who are you!" he asked after his coughing fit.

"WHY DO THEY ALWAYS ASK QUESTIONS!" the figure lifted his hands exasperated.

"You act like it's a personal question, I just wanted ot know so I could… well, thank you." he stated sheepishly.

"Oh… Well you don't need to, just leave it at that." his silver haired counterpart stated. He then closed his eyes, focusing on placing himself back inside Kou's new body. Then, peeking open a slitted, golden eye, he added: "Don't worry, your girlfriend will be okay." and he disappeared.

Kou stared at the spot where the mysterious new duelist had been just moments before. His fist balled, and he raised them, as well as his voice to shout. "SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!"


Skull twiddled his thumbs, feeling as though he was waiting for the doctor in a crowded waiting room. A crowded waiting room was appropriate because in the absence of the normal dueling noises, there were thousands, of annoying, chirping, insanely loud cricket! "ARGH! WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG!" Skull, still unknowing that his duel opponent had long since receded into his body's soul, thought it was taking him a long time to think of his move.

"Sorry, just had to think how fast I wanted to take out a coward," the previously quiet and thinking figure inhabiting Kou's body stated, opening his eyes. "turns out, not very fast, so I'll end my turn there." he stated triumphantly.

"Alright, if you says so!" Skull drew. "Now then, I'll show you true power, you see, while your monster cannot be destroyed from my Berserk Dragon (2500/0), it can still deal you damage through an attack!" he motioned for his dead dragon to attack the primitive guardian. "Now, my dragon, take out his monster and 600 of his LP!" the creature obliged, and swooped down to attack the smaller monster. It blew noxious gases through it's nose and knocked the blond man's helmet off.

Kou's Body-1150

Skull-1670

The Celtic Guardian(1900/1200) straightened itself and reattached his helmet, he was severely disoriented for a minute, but still alive. "Ha, your monster didn't knock off enough LP for me to worry, and now it's my turn!" Kou's body stated, drawing his card. "Now, behold, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!" the said card appeared and the one in Kou's body smirked evilly.

"Nice bluff, but your going to lose, I'm afraid!" Skull drew and his teeth gave an evil smile. "Now, watch and learn, I'll first sacrifice my Berserk Dragon (2000/0) to summon, the mightiest of all Zombies, the Vampire Lord (2000/1500) in attack mode!" a pale, ghostly Zombie appeared and smiled, extending his hand in a slightly seductive manner. "Not only does my Vampire Lord hold the same ability as my Vampire Lady (1550/1550) he also has a higher attack power, now show him what your made of, attack his Guardian!" the lord of Vampire's (at least in duel monsters) disappeared with a swish of his cape. Reappearing behind a startled warrior, he sunk his fangs deep into the Celtic's neck. Blood splattered from his new meal, but the Guardian was still alive, somehow.

Kou's Body-1050

Skull-1670

"HA! And you said you would be a challenge, looks to me like I've already won! Oh, and for my creature's effect, I'll select trap!" Skull stated. His monster snapped its hand and all of Kou's trap cards appeared before him. The silver haired man selected one and sent it to his graveyard silently. "End turn!" Skull finished triumphantly. Suddenly a stick of dynamite flew from out of nowhere, straight to the Vampire Lord. The creature barely had time to look up, suddenly it was gone, a smoking crater were it was previously. Bits of the bloodsucker raining down on the field. "What happened to my Vampire lord?" questioned Skull nonchalantly.

"Simple, it was destroyed due to my Blast with Chain trap effect!" the mystery man stated, drawing his card. "Now then, I'll summon, The Hunter with Seven weapons (1000/700) in attack mode!" a stout warrior holding a short blade in each hand appeared. He was also carrying several other swords and knives.

Skull would have raised an eyebrow if he could have, but instead he laughed like he never laughed before, therefore not hearing the figure mutter: "Zombie" under his breath.

"What in the world, is that supposed to scare me!" he asked in the same laughing manner, clearly not caring about his opponent's monster. "Well then, if your done, I'll attack with Vampire Lord (2000/1500)! His mighty monster smirked and charged in for an attack. Kou frowned, his opponent took this for a look of misunderstanding and began to explain. "You see, my Vampire Lord (2000/1500) automatically returns to my field if destroyed by anything other than a monster attack!" his smile threatened to split his face at that moment. "Or in other words, you now lose 1000 LP for your stupidity of placing that baldy on the field!" skull smirked as his Vampire's fangs stretched down, and he lunged at the Hunter…

To be Continued.

Next time: The mystery man that has taken Kou's body for himself continues the duel. Just when it looks like he's out of the park, he has to fight real zombie's to protect Shisei! You don't want to miss the next skull bashing (literally) chapter of Duel Monsters: Maximum.