Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh, but I do own the characters that you don't recognize. Unless you don't know who Mai Valentine is.

Chapter 23: Double Shadow Match Pt. 2

Blocker-18100

Namia-4500

Piercer-6800

Shisei-4800

Shisei smirked as he realized what the drastic reduction in LP meant. 'She's about to summon her strongest Phoenix, now maybe we can get some headway in this duel."' he thought.

"Now I'll use my Phoenix of Blue Fire's (1500/1500) special ability!" Namia exclaimed. "This ability lets me pay any number of LP, then special summon a Phoenix monster with the same attack of the LP paid!" Golden fire spurted up from the depths of the Shadow Realm as a beautiful Phoenix Song filled the room. Soon a giant bird with the brilliantly golden plummage of the God card Ra's standard, appeared. "Say hello to the Phoenix of Gold Fire (3500/3500) in attack mode. Scared yet?" Namia smirked with full confidence in her monster.

"Your not going to touch our LP, even with that overgrown chicken." Piercer squeaked in his annoying voice. "Right Blocko?" he asked his duel partner.

"Your going to lose your Phoenix (3500/3500) if your not careful." Blocker said vaguely.

"Okay, instead of attacking, I'll activate my Phoenix's special ability!" Namia exclaimed. Shisei remebered seeing her use the Phoenix's ability during her duel with Stopper. Blocker smirked in full confidence. "Now I'll sacri-" Namia was cut off as Blocker flipped his trap.

"No you won't, I'll activate Divine Wrath, which lets me discard my last card," he slid the final card in his hand into the duel disk's graveyard slot. "to negate the effect of an effect monster and destroy the monster!" The Phoenix was suddenly struck by a holy bolt of white lightning from the sky, and it's ability was negated. "Nice try, your Phoenix didn't even get one turn of the field!" Blocker smirked as Namia stared in awe at the area where her Phoenix once was.

"I'll end my turn." Namia said, now that she had no cards in her hand, and her Phoenix of Blue Fire (1500/1500) and set monster being her only defense. She was definitely angry that all her Phoenix had managed to do was lower Blocker's LP more.

Blocker-17600

Namia-4500

Piercer-6800

Shisei-4800

Shisei looked at her field with anxiety as Piercer drew his card. "Ah, I've drawn my Piercing Mech (1000/0) and I'll summon him to the field in attack mode!" Another machine, this one with drills and a glowing red eye, appeared next to his Machine King (3700/1200), whose power rose due to it being a machine.

Shsei looked at his opponent's card in wonderment. " I've never heard of that card before." he stated simply.

"I'll bet you haven't!" Piercer was thoroughly over enjoying his opponents' clueless nature. "Now my creature has no effect, but, when combined together with my Perfect Machine King (3700/1200) it has the power to take anything down!" he laughed as he slid another of his two cards into his disk. "Now I play Polymerization, to combine my machinations to form… Perfect Drill Mech (500/0) in attack mode!" he laughed as Shisei blinked in surprise.

The machine that now stood on the field looked like a cross between Machine King and a Drillago. Drills were protruding from every end of the marching machine man as it moved forward, onto the field of Piercer, ready to drill into it's opponent's. "Your monster has a special ability, doesn't it?" Sei asked, ready for the worst.

Piercer's face almost split, he was smiling so widely. "True, my monster may attack your LP directly!" he recited, as his creature glared and charged for an attack. Shisei was unaware of which way to dodge, as suddenly the machine was nowhere to be seen.

I'll activate my facedown card!" Shisei suddenly said, not ready to be drilled into once more. "My Mirror Force wil- Wha!" he blinked as his flipped trap shuddered and burst into thousands of tiny pieces. "Your monster ne- AGHHH!" Shisei didn't get to finish before he was swatting at his left leg, which was being drilled into by the newly formed machine. Finally, the drilling stopped and Shisei clasped his leg with tears in his eyes.

"Fool, my creature negates the effects of all trap and magic cards with widespread effects, nice try!" Piercer informed his opponent. "Now I'll set this last card facedown, and end my turn." the duel turned to Shisei, who had torn off a piece of his suit to rap around his bleeding ankle.

Blocker-17600

Namia-4500

Piercer-6800

Shisei-3800

Namia looked at Shsei's LP in shock. "Wait a minute, your monster had only 500 attack points!" she exclaimed, pointing an accusing finger at Piercer.

"Ah, but my creature is a fusion between Perfect Machine King, and my Pierce Mech! So it has several effects, one of them is to gain 500 attack points for each machine but itself!" he smirked as his Drill Mech (1500/0) grew larger. "Oh, and a successful attack adds 500 additional points to my mechanism!" Piercer tossed back his head as Shisei drew and slid the card into his disk.

"I'll activate, Card of Sanctity!" he said, ignoring Namia's protest. Both other men shrugged and drew six times, Namia growled and did the same. Shisei looked at his own new hand, but Blocker suddenly snickered. "What now?" Shisei asked in a hoarse, worn out voice.

"You've just given me everything I need to win this duel!" Blocker said in a booming voice. "And next turn, I'll play my ultimate monster, and wipe your from the duel!" he roared with laughter, and giving Shisei and Namia no clue as to what monster might emerge in the next turn.

Kamishiro walked through the dense forests, looking for the perfect place for his duel. His white cloak swishing around his heels. The many clearings he had seen earlier would not be suitable to take Chiro's life.

'No, every place I've seen would only dishonor me if I were to defeat the miscreant at the deemed area." he thought in sadness. Just as he was going to settle for a normal shadow game, he found it. 'Ah, yes, now to find Chiro!"' he thought. The place he had found was near the edge of the island. The water was running nice and steady through a stream, and it seemed appropriate, as only just out of human viewing was an orb of shadows…

Kou was sleeping in the most peaceful of ways, beautiful things flashing through his mind's eye. He and Namia on a date. He and Namia moving in together. He and Shisei kissing… Wait, Shisei…? "AHHHH!" Kou jerked awake and shot up to hit his head on the tree branch.

"You idiot!" Chiro's astral form laughed. Reading Kou's mind was so much fun, then imprinting images into his alter ego's mind brought him even more joy. "You and Shisei expecting kids anytime soon?" Chiro commented, he tossed back his head and gave a hearty laugh.

"Hardy har har!" Kou tossed a punch that faded through his other personality as though he was just the air. "Why do have to torture me so?" he stated in tiredness.

Chiro was about to respond, when he suddenly tensed up. 'What the hell, is that…. A duelist!"' he had suddenly sensed a dark energy rushing their way. "Kou, someone's coming!" Chiro said.

Kou blinked and looked around for the noise of a person. "Um, are you sure?" he said, apparently amused.

Chiro only stood up. "Let me use the body." he said. Kou blinked.

"What do you mean, the body !" Kou asked in exasperation. Chiro turned around and faced him, the pupils of his golden yellow eyes slitted. His fangs looking sharper than normal. His look reminded Kou of when they first met, being choked by the strange man. He then nodded meekly.

After a few minutes the glow of soul changing was diminished and Chiro was standing in the same place where Kou was. He jumped through the woods with incredible speed suddenly. 'If this is you, Thalius, then I owe you something big!"' he thought.

'Who's-"' Kou began to think.

'DON'T ASK!"' Chiro responded. Kou only shrugged in his soul room.

"I'll set four cards facedown, and end my turn." Shisei said. Blocker smirked and drew his next card.

He didn't glance at it before sliding another one onto the disk. "I'll bring my Blocking Mech (0/1000) to the field in defense mode." he began. Another defensive monster appeared, this one was a beeping computer kind of machine that had three arms, each with a brilliantly gold shield. "Then I'll activate Polymerization!" he hardly paused before removing two cards from his disk, and adding two more while depositing the others to the graveyard. "Behold, Perfect Defense Mech (0/3000) in defensive mode." a new monster, created from Blocker's older beast's, appeared. This mech was a Machine King surrounded by Shields and it appeared to have slightly tougher armor.

"Holy crap!" Shisei yelled. Both of the beast's were powerful, and each also had a high attack or defense stat. He turned to Namia, who didn't seem to have a plan at the moment.

"Yes, be shocked, be afraid!" Blocker voiced in delight. "My beast gains only 200 additional points for each machine on the field. However.." he smirked as his Perfect Defense Mech (0/3200) grew stronger. "my beast will create a Defense Token, whenever I draw a card!" he smirked and turned the move to Namia. "Make your pathetic move girl!" he commanded.

'He didn't set any cards, I have to risk an attack on Piercer's machine… otherwise, we'll be in deep trouble!" she thought, drawing her next card. 'No, not a monster!"' she looked at her hand, which consisted of useless magic and trap cards. "I'll set two cards facedown!" she stated, ending her turn.

Piercer smirked in delight and drew his next card. "Ah, perfect, I'll start by playing fissure, and bury the girl's monster!" Piercer pointed to Namia's Phoenix (1500/1500), which flew up to stop from falling underground. "DIE!" Piercer finally shrieked. The Phoenix cringed at the loud noise and stopped flapping, just for a second. But it was enough, with one final look of sadness at Namia, it fell into the ground.

"NO!" Namia yelled sadly as the opening in the shadowy floor closed, crushing her Phoenix. This would make three of her best monster's put in their place by Piercer and Blocker. 'Are my Phoenixes to weak… or am I too weak?"' she wondered to herself, sadness setting in. 'I'm sorry."' she thought. Shisei's yell brought her back to reality.

She looked to see he only had three facedown cards on his own field now, and realized he must have used a magic or trap. But apparently to no avail, as he was once more drenched in blood, now looking several shades whiter. "Tr-traps… wo-won't help, an-anot-another ef-effec-t!" he clenched the hole in his chest, which was newly formed, and continued, much to the amusement of Blocker and Piercer. "but ma-magic wo-works, and sw-swords bur-burn thr-through ef-effects." he finally finished with his sentence, and fell back on the realm's evil shadows in exhaustion.

It took a while for Namia to understand why he hadn't just said it negates targeting traps too. 'He's giving me a hint!"' she realized. 'Wait, he said magic and swords…"' she looked at her fusion deck. 'The Dark Magician and the Flaming Swordsman are the only to creatures we could possibly fuse."' she realized. 'Did I add that Flaming Swordsman?"' she bit her lip and prayed she had.

Blocker-17600

Namia-4500

Piercer-6300

Shisei-2300

Shisei weakly drew. A smile crossed his face and he sat up to play his card. "I play Dark Magic Curtain, and pay half my LP." he coughed up a bit of blood, then looked up and went on. "To b-brin-g the D-Dark Mag-magician, to my fi-field!" he said, looking through his deck, he removed a card and put it in the monster slot. "I also play Swords of Revealing Light, on P-Piercer." he finished, collapsing back onto the shadows he was lying on before, as three blades of white energy crashed down in front of Piercer.

Blocker-17600

Namia-4500

Piercer-6300

Shisei-1150

Blocker smirked and drew, his monster popping out a Defense Token (0/1000) in defense mode. "Now I'll gain a defense token, and increase our Mech's (2500/0) (0/3400) attack and defense points!" he smirked and then set three cards to end his turn.

Namia drew and took a steadying breath when she didn't see anything to allow her the Flame Swordsman being brought into play. "End turn." she stated.

Piercer drew, and sighed. "I'll set two more cards and end my turn." he stated. The glow of the swords faded a bit.

Shisei drew. "I'll place another card and end my turn." another facedown magic or trap appeared.

Blocker drew, thus receiving another token, and ended his own turn. Drill Mech (3000/0) and Defense Mech (0/3600) growing ever stronger.

Namia bit her lip and drew. 'Alright, Blue Flame Swordsman (1800/1600)"' she summoned her Swordsman. "I'll summon my Blue Flame Swordsman, and att-" she was cut off as Blocker activated a facedwon card.

"Sorry, my Trap Hole will ensure your Swordsman (1800/1600) is destroyed! Nice reason to lose 500 LP, eh!" he laughed as Namia discarded her card and brought forth the original Flame Swordsman (1800/1600) in the same position. "Ah, yes, you now have your normal fire monster, ah well, you'll still lose it when Piercer can attack!" he smirked and pressed another card. "Which will be next turn, as I activate Dust Tornado, and destroy the Swords of Reavealing Light!" he laughed as a feathery storm swept over Shisei's field, taking with it his magic card.

Blocker-17100

Namia-4500

Piercer-6300

Shisei-1150

Namia bit her lip and ended her turn. 'Hope Sei has a plan!" she thought.

Shisei was hard faced and ready, though he still looked a little too pale.

"You heard the man, now say goodbye, I attack your LP directly boy!" he laughed as Shisei activated a card.

"You ran into my trap card: Dark Magic Blitz!" he informed Piercer quietly.

"What !" Piercer asked.

"It allows me to sacrifice one spell caster, to bring another one forward from my deck, graveyard, or hand!" he told his opponent.

"it's a direct attack you fool, I don't know manymonsters that can win against a 3000 attack monster normally, much less a Spellcaster!" he said, laughter in his voice.

Shisei only fanned out his deck and pressed a monster onto the disk. "Now I'll bring my Dark Sage (2800/3200) forward in defense mode, then I'll activate Shift, to switch the attack of your monster to him!" finished Shisei, as Drill mech (3000/0) came out in the wrong place, and hit a spell muttering sage. "Nice try!" Shisei seemed to have some of his strength back, as he stood up and Piercer, aggravated, ended his turn.

Blocker-17100

Namia-4500

Piercer-6100

Shisei-1150

Shisei drew, looking at the card, he took a deep breath and played it. "I first play Heavy storm and destroy all of our set cards." he started. They all discarded their cards, Blocker and Shisei not really caring. "Next I'll activate Star Draw, which lets me tribute one monster on my field, and draw cards for each level star of the monster!" he grabbed nine cards, praying they were what he needed, as his Dark Sage was turned into nine brown backed cards. He peeked an eye open and smirked from behind his ten hand cards. "You lose." he stated, playing one card. "I'll activate Monster Reborn, and revive the Dark Magician." His favarote card appeared. "Then I'll fuse it with Namia's Swordsman to make… Dark Flare Knight (2200/800)!" a shining knight in black armor appeared in a striking position. "Then I'll attack your monster!" he smirked as his Dark Flare charged at the Drill mech.

"Idiot, my Drill Mech has too many attack points!" Piercer smirked as the beast was destroyed. But in the Knight's place, like a Phoenix Risisng from the ashes, a golden armored Knight appeared. "What is that thing!" asked Piercer worriedly.

"This is my Mirage Knight (2800/2000), it comes into play whenever I lose my Dark Flare Knight, and it's going to allow me to win this duel!" Shisei smirked. "I now activate, DNA Surgery, and make all monsters Spellcasters!" he exclaimed, all of the monsters on the field were now wearing witch hats.

"Our monsters will keep their points, as they negate the effect of DNA Surgery!" Piercer smirked a bit of his own, thinking the reason for this move was something different…

"I'll then activate Limiter Removal times three!" he slid the cards into the disk and the attack of their monsters was increased (24000/0) (0/3600). "Next, Stop Defense on your Defense Mech (0/3600)!" Blocker shrugged and switched his monster to attack mode. "Now, it ends." he slid his final card into the disk.

"You can only get rid of our monsters, boy!" Blocker told him, wagging a finger.

"You wish, I'll activate: Diffusion Wave Motion!" he said. "Now I can attack you both by paying 1000 LP!" he finished. He coughed up a great deal more blood, but he had accomplished what he needed.

Blocker-17100

Namia-4500

Piercer-6100

Shisei-150

"Finally, I'll attack you both!" he ended.

"Fool, your monster has to little attack points to defeat Drill Mech, you l- WHAT!" he looked at the Mirage Knight (26800/2000). "HOW!" he asked alarmed.

"Easy, may increase the attack of my Knight by however many attack points your monster has, at the cost of it being destroyed at my end phase!" Sei informed his shocked opponent. "I may only be able to defeat one-" he was cut off as Namia slid a Quickplay Magic card into her disk.

"Your going to take them both out, because I activate Enemy Controller, to Remove Piercer's Last Defense!" she smirked as Blocker and Piercer desperately looked at their hand for a way out. "Do it Sei!" Namia nodded to him as Shisei looked like Christmas had come early.

"Looks like you lose, Mirage Knight (26800/2000) attack!" he smirked as his opponents' LP dropped to zero.

Blocker-0

Namia-3500

Piercer-0

Shisei-150

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Both of their opponent's screamed. Desperately looking for a way out as they began to turn to shadow.

Namia looked in utter horror as they lost their bodies completely to shadow and she and Shisei were being lifted into a brilliant light.

"Whoa." Namia said lamely.

"I'll get back to you on that." Shisei said, then, without another word, he fell to the grass, still drenched in his own blood.

Next Time: In the dark forests of Dragoon Island, Chiro and Kamishiro meet and began the duel. The mystery of Thalius and the seals seems to be close to revealation. Can Chiro possible come out on top in a duel that will test his emotions, and his duel skill? Find out next time, on Duel Monsters Maximum!

To John: As you can see, Perfect Machine King was needed for the fusion, that's the only reason he had that in there. (and I couldn't find enough high defense machine monsters :

A/N: I will desperately try to update, but the next few chapters will be long, so it will take me a while to post them up. Don't forget to review. Oh, and if you have some extra time, I highly recommend anyone who isn't reading Rex the emerald dragon's story: Team Zero Duelists, to read that, as its really good. Au revoir!