Chapter Five: Deadly Psychic Shocker
While events continue in America with a duel between Yami and Raphael, and other such events, more was also happening back in Japan. Specifically, at Domino Airport. Two teens, one in his school uniform with the jacket hanging open and the other in a floral patterned dress, were heading towards a terminal.
"So, these are who have been sent?" Ryu and Autumn blinked and looked to the side to find a tall blonde haired man standing between them and the terminal. He was wearing a blood red outfit that was in the style of a bodysuit, and on his arm was a pitch black duel disk. The two teenagers grimaced, realizing that they should have known it wouldn't be so simple.
Ryu rolled his eyes and stepped out in front of Autumn. "Lemme guess. Since Autumn already dueled someone like you with your weird duel disks, I'm gonna have to duel you. If I win we get to take the private airplane that we were told about but if I lose then....well whatever happens. Am I right?"
The man grinned and activated his dark duel disk, placing a deck in it. Ryu grimaced and activated his own white duel disk and inserted his deck. "Good guess, looks like you're psychic. Oh but wait, that's my strength, the strength of Thomas Evans of Canada. I know everything about you! But don't let one little thing make throw you off your game, because it's really the great power of my Pyschic Shocker Deck that will leave you high and dry!" (ELP: 4000, RLP: 4000)
"Now, I summon The Jade(1500/1300) in attack mode and set two cards face down. End turn!" Two cards appeared in front of him, followed by a machine monster in attack mode. The monster was, as Evans had said, a dark green color. It had a single eye and seemed to be staring straight through Ryu. It was a fearsome looking monster, but it didn't exactly have a lot of power to back that up. And Ryu could see even from this distance that there was too little color on the card for it to be an effect monster.
"I set one card face down, and now I'll summon Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600)! But....there's no way even you would leave that weak thing out in attack mode unless you had a trap set, so I'll just end my turn at that." Of course he didn't mention that the only reason he hadn't attacked was because Autumn was shaking her head wildly, motioning for him not to. She was the better duelist, so he'd follow her advice. His dragon was a beautiful looking creature of a pure blue color, and its attack power was nothing to laugh about.
Evans drew a card and then immediately activated his Pot of Greed magic card. He let out a laugh at one of the cards he had drawn and then he placed it onto one of his monster zones. "Since I drew Mecha Warmachine(1350/1500) outside of my draw phase I can special summon it to the field!" The monster he summoned was a hulking behemoth with weapons on every inch of it. Despite that, Ryu wasn't worried. With that kind of attack power there was no worry about anything at all. If all the monsters that Evans summoned were this weak, the duel would be a cake walk.
"I set a monster in defense mode. Now I play Hypnotic Spell, allowing me to reduce the attack power of your monster by eight hundred! Now, Mecha Warmachine will destroy it completely!" Ryu's eyes widened in horror as his dizzy Sapphire Dragon dropped to eleven hundred attack points. Then the machine monster unloaded a barrage of missiles at his dragon, completely destroying it. It was minimal life point damage, but now he had no monsters to defend himself with. (RLP: 3750)
"Now, The Jade will attack you directly and cut your life points in half!" The green machine's single eye started to glow, and then it spewed out a ray of green energy that shot straight towards Ryu. Suddenly the card on Ryu's field flipped up. On it was the image of a zombie-like creature with all sorts of tubes and things coming out of it. Behind the zombie was a fat toothy creature with no eyes holding a controller in its hand.
"Its time to reveal my rarest magic card of all, and one of the rarest cards I possess! Diabolic Servitude! This quick-play magic card allows me to choose a monster in my graveyard and put that monster into play! There's more, but you'll have to wait and see." The Sapphire Dragon appeared on the field again with tendrils coming out of its neck and wings. The Jade rammed right into it, and was obliterated easily. (ELP: 3600)
Evans' turn was over, so now Ryu had a chance to go on the offensive. After all, Evans had a weak monster up in attack mode, so this was his perfect chance. Unfortunately he had already forgotten Autumn's warning. "I set two cards face down, and now I attack Mecha Warmachine!" His dragon flapped its wings and flew straight across the field, bearing down upon the warmachine with intent to destroy it.
"Reveal face down cards! Enemy Controller and Shift Payment! Using Enemy Controller I have to pay one thousand life points to choose whether to sacrifice or destroy your monster. But with Shift Payment I force you to pay for it. Now, say goodbye to Sapphire Dragon!" A game controller appeared on the field and connected itself to Sapphire Dragon. It let out a roar of confusion before it exploded into tiny pieces. Ryu's life points dropped. (RLP: 2750)
"Damn it. Fine, since Sapphire Dragon was destroyed after being revived by Diabolic Servitude its removed from the game. Now Diabolic Servitude returns to my hand for future use. I'll end my turn at that. Don't worry Autumn, I've still got this duel." Autumn quirked an eyebrow but nodded anyways, wanting to show Ryu that she had confidence in him even if she didn't. Evans wasn't as high ranked as she was, but he was certainly of a higher ranking than Ryu.
"I play Soulful Draw! At a cost of one thousand life points I can draw three cards. Now, I flip my face down monster, Jinzo #8(200/800)!" The monster appeared, revealing an android with a face-mask. It was small, but it was packing what looked like a flame thrower on it. "According to the effect of Jinzo #8, the effect of a Jinzo no longer hurts me!" He let out a loud laugh and then selected another card from his hand.
"I set two cards face down, and now I sacrifice Mecha Warmachine to summon Jinzo(2400/1500) to the field!" The bulky machine was quickly replaced by the green robed android with its freaky brain. By the effect of Jinzo, Ryu couldn't use his trap cards at all, putting him in a sticky situation. Now he had no monsters and no way to defend himself at all.
"Jinzo and Jinzo #8 will now attack you directly!" Jinzo #8 sent a jet of flame streaking towards Ryu, heating him up a bit. Jinzo gathered dark energy into its palms and then fired it at Ryu, knocking him backwards. With those combined attacks he was almost completely finished off, leaving him with so few life points that it was just about laughable. (RLP: 150)
"My turn might be over, but you're completely over! Not only do you not stand a chance against a duelist of my caliber, but I've still got several deadly cards waiting in the wings! Come next turn you won't be around at all to enjoy anything! Hahaahahhahahahahahahahahahaha!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back in Tokyo Dalin and Kai had finally reached the receptions desk at the Tokyo National Airport, where they had been directed to go. Dalin stood in front of Kai as he was older and would be more likely to be listened to. "Can you tell me the destination that these tickets would take us to?"
The lady receptionist took his took and looked it over, before finally turning to her computer and typing in something. It took several seconds, but finally she seemed to have learned what she wanted to. "The destination is San Francisco Airport. These are very expensive tickets, how did you get them without knowing the destination?"
Dalin took the tickets back and turned away, gesturing for Kai to come with him. After having taken several more steps the large blonde haired man turned back to the woman and gave a response. "They were....a parting gift."
Kai glanced at his companion out of the corner of his eye, and decided to ask the question that was on his mind. "Where exactly are we going? We've got tickets to San Franciso, so why not use them?"
"I
have a better method, one that will allow us more time to think. While
we fly, I want you to continue looking into that book. We need more
information." Kai nodded once, and then the two continued walking.
However, Kai couldn't help but wondering exactly what Dalin's 'better
method' was.
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"This one is learning too much. Deal with it." The figure in front of him bowed, and then turned and left his presence. The man in brown robes sneered beneath the face cover of his robe and turned to his two companions, one wearing all white with one corner pulled down over his face, and the other in all black.
"When do we get to strike?" The other two, both of whom were taller, chuckled at his eager tone. The white robed one held a deck up in front of him and shook his head in slight amusement.
"I'm eager to strike as well. I want to take action just as much as you do. But we can't take action until the time is right. And besides, from what I've seen these people pose no threat. But still, there is one that might prove to be a threat...." His hand disappeared into his robe with his deck, and he turned away from the brown robed man.
"I'm not eager at all. All of them are pathetic weaklings, even the best of them. Not a single one will pose a challenge to us. Feel threatened all you like by Sumatin, I think he's just as weak as the rest. And soon we'll know for sure." The one in white turned on his companion in black who had just spoken and raised his arm, pointing directly at the black one.
"I'm not threatened by Sumatin! He's mine! He will fall to my power, and that is all there is!" The one in black shrugged, and leaned back against the wall, utterly unfazed by his companion's outburst. The one in brown seemed slightly amused though.
"No need to get angry. For now, we wait. But when the moment comes, we will crush each and every last one of them. I'll take great pleasure in making every last one of them suffer before death comes to claim them. Soon their suffering will be eternal!" XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ryu drew his next card and stared down at it. He glanced at one of the other cards in his hand and then he smirked widely. He took the card he had drawn and slapped it onto his monster zone. "Evans, its time to show you the power of my unique deck. A Dragonic Union Deck! So I summon Emerald Paladin(1300/200)!" His monster shimmered into view, revealing a knight with green trappings on his armor and a shield that seemed to be forged of pure emerald.
"Since I normal summoned him I can now special summon a specific monster from my hand. I bring out Emerald Dragon(2400/2000)!" His next monster came into play, revealing a powerful looking green skinned dragon. It issued forth a harsh roar that shook both Jinzo and Jinzo #8. Of course it wasn't strong enough to get past Jinzo.
"Now I'll use the effect of my Emerald Paladin and union it to Emerald Dragon, increasing my dragon's attack by three hundred and granting it a trample effect! Merge yourselves together my monsters!" Evans gasped as the armored warrior jumped straight into the air and landed on the back of the Emerald Dragon, a chain appearing in its hands and wrapping around the dragon's neck. The power of Emerald Dragon rose and it let out yet another roar.
"Emerald Dragon Paladin, vaporize Jinzo #8 with your Emerald Flame Breath!" The dragon opened its jaws wide and launched an attack that was a wave of green energy. It streaked straight towards the smaller android, going right at it to completely vaporize it. But what Ryu had forgotten was the power of that little monster, that invalidated Jinzo's effect on Evans' field.
"Go permanent trap card, Psycho Shocker Screen! I can discard a card to prevent damage when a monster with Jinzo in its name is attacked. Jinzo #8 remains!" The wave of green energy simply washed over the android like it had been coated with extremely slippery wax, making the energy slide right over it. No damage was dealt and the little android remained on the field to have its effect remain in place. All was well.
"I'll end my turn after playing one permanent magic card. Despondency! During each of your standby phases your monsters will lose two hundred attack and defense points. That's all for now." His permanent card appeared to the right and behind his Emerald Dragon Paladin which was standing strong and ready to do battle. Whatever Evans tried to do, he'd be ready. After all, he had become a strong duelist in his own right.
Evans drew a card and watched as his monsters dropped in attack points. Now Jinzo was only at twenty-two hundred and the other android had zero attack power. But he was about to change that. He moved the little android into defense and then took the card he had just drawn. "I know you'll recognize this card. So here it goes, Seal of Orichalcos!" The seal formed around them, and the true duel was about to begin as his monsters gained attack points.
"Now I summon Jinzo #3(500/900)! And it gains three hundred attack points for every magic and trap card on the field, boosting it by fifteen hundred!" Another android, this one in red and green like a smaller version of the regular Jinzo, was summoned to the field. Its attack power rose not only from the seal but also from its effect, sending it to a total of twenty-five hundred attack points. But he wasn't ready to attack quite yet, thanks to that stupid Emerald Paladin.
"I won't be attacking quite yet since I'd have to kill my Jinzo to get past your Emerald Dragon Paladin. Then you'd just be able to use traps again. So I'll end my turn without attacking." Ryu nodded once and drew another cad, giving him two cards in his hand. There wasn't much of a play he could make with the cards he had, but he knew he had to at least make the effort even if it would fail.
"Emerald Dragon Paladin attacks your number eight!" A stream of the green flame streaked out towards the android, but it just slid right off like it had all the other times. However it had done its job because now Evans had no more cards in his hand to discard. Next turn Ryu just might be able to get past that stupid screen card. "End turn!"
As soon as the supposedly psychic duelist drew a card his monsters lost even more attack and defense points. Now Jinzo had twenty-five hundred attack and eleven hundred defense points, while his other monsters were even weaker. Evans glanced at his newest card and then grimaced as he played it. "I sacrifice number three for Jinzo #4(2100/1200)! Then I end my turn." Without anything else to do all that was left was the bigger version of number three to take its place on the field with a power boost.
"Now that it's my turn I'm gonna show you what for. I summon Volstargaf Rider(1700/1400) and use its effect. By discarding a card from my hand I can summon a Death Volstargaf(2200/1700) from my hand to the field!" The earthen dragon roared as it took its place next to Emerald Dragon Paladin and the Volstargaf Rider, a warrior in pitch black armor with a chain wrapped around one arm and a sword at its hip.
"I union it to my Death Volstargaf, increasing its attack by four hundred and increasing its effect damage by three hundred! Join together my monsters!" Like Emerald Paladin before him the Volstargaf Rider jumped onto the back of Death Volstargaf and then slung the chain around it's neck, giving it control. The dragon's attack bumped up to twenty-six hundred, making it only slightly weaker then the boosted Emerald Dragon Paladin. Now Ryu had two dragon's and their riders, each with a great amount of attack power.
"I have Emerald Dragon Paladin and Death Volstargaf attack Jinzo #8 and Jinzo respectively! Blast them into oblivion!" The two dragons launched their attacks and the two named androids were consumed by them. Evans' life points began to trickle downwards, going to be dropped towards zero. The attack of Emerald Dragon Paladin dipped Evans' life points to three hundred, and then Jinzo's demise finished off another one hundred points. Then the effect of Death Volstargaf went off to deal eight hundred damage to Evans' life points.
"I won't die like that, activate Damage Redux! It lets me gain life points from any type of direct damage! So instead of losing eight hundred life points I gain eight hundred, setting me at one thousand!" Ryu shrugged and declared the end of his turn, knowing that with such a great advantage it wouldn't take long for him to win this duel. Not a problem at all, no way whatsoever. (ELP: 1000)
Evans ejected his deck and flipped through it, finally coming across the card he wanted. He put it in his hand and then smirked as he started to explain. "Using the effect of Jinzo #4 I can skip my draw phase to put a card with 'Jinzo' in its name into my hand. So I've selected my card, and now I'll summon Jinzo #7(500/400)! And with its ability to attack directly I've got the duel in the bag. Jinzo #7, annihilate the last of his life points!" The one thousand attacks strength monster shot a beam of energy from its mask straight at Ryu in order to finish off the last of his one hundred and fifty life points.
"Not quite! The card I sent to the cemetery last turn was Super Electric Turtle(0/1800) and I'll use its effect to halt your attack and keep me safe!" He displayed the monster from his cemetery and Evans cursed as its magnetic energy shoved his monster backwards, keeping it from finishing Ryu off. Since Evans had no more cards in his hand the duelist was unable to continue and had to end his turn.
Ryu added another card to his hand, his hand of zero that was, and then quickly slipped it into the appropriate slot. "I set one card face down. Now my two monsters will attack your two monsters and end this duel once and for all!" The two dragons launched their respective attacks right at the two androids. However, moments before the attacks struck the two androids exploded. With nothing there to receive the attacks the two beams of energy flew right past Evans and exploded against the edge of the seal.
"The final effect of Psycho Shocker Screen lets me sacrifice my Jinzos to negate your attacks. Its unfortunate, but it certainly saved me from losing this duel. You done then?" Ryu gave his assent and the duelist gave himself another card. He laughed at the sight of it and then activated its power. Ryu recognized the image that appeared, but he couldn't remember the card's effect. He'd just have to wait and find out.
"Cost of Greed lets me remove monsters from the cemetery to draw a card for each I remove....up to four monsters total. I remove eight, three, and four from the game in order to draw three more cards!" He took the named monsters from his cemetery and placed them into his pocket. Then he put his hand on his deck and drew until he held three cards in his hand, giving him more options to work with. He looked over his hand for several seconds to decide on what he was going to do. Unfortunately for him, since he had no jinzos on the field, Psycho Shocker Screen was no more.
"I set one card face down. Then I play Soul Taker, which increases your life points by one thousand but then lets me use one of your monsters as a sacrifice. The monster I'll summon is a level eight monster, but since your Emerald Dragon Paladin is a union, it counts as two monsters. So say goodbye to it and say hello to Jinzo #6(2800/2000)!" The dragon vanished into the air and then in its place came Emerald Paladin in defense mode thanks to the effect of all his special union monsters. (RLP: 1150)
"Jinzo #6 will blast Death Volstargaf into the stone age!" The attack connected, blasting Death Volstargaf straight to hell. Unfortunately thanks to the effect of the dragon it gained four hundred more attack points from the two magic cards that Evans had played, magic damage rather minimal. He would have been better off sacrificing it and then destroying Emerald Dragon Paladin. Volstargaf Rider returned to the field in defense mode. (RLP: 850)
"Since Jinzo #6 dealt damage to your life points I can choose one type of card in your deck and then you have to send one of that type to your cemetery. So I choose trap and you can say goodbye to another!" Ryu ejected his deck and then quickly picked the trap he wanted, then shuffled his deck and replaced it where it should be. Finally he shoved the trap card into his cemetery slot where it would stay for the rest of the duel. "Now its your turn Ryu!"
"Activate face down card, Diabolic Servitude! I use its effect o summon Death Volstargaf from my cemetery, and then I union it together with Volstragaf Rider once again!" Using the effect of his quick-play magic card he raised the might dragon, know with control slots along its body, and the warrior leapt onto its back again, sending its attack power jumping up to twenty-six hundred. However it was seven hundred attack points weaker then Evans' monster was.
"The card I've drawn will shift the tide to me, so I play Conviction! This effect with boost the attack strength of an earth type monster by five hundred, raising my Death Volstargaf to thirty-one hundred attack points!" The numbers for the card jumped up, coming nearly even with the stronger android. However there was still a difference in attack strength that couldn't be overcome so easily. Evans smirked, knowing his opponent just wanted to wait until the next turn when his own monster would lose two hundred attack, he'd be waiting.
"Have you forgotten Death Vosltargaf's first effect already? Because I played Conviction it gains two hundred attack points, making it even with your Jinzo #6! Since you've only got one monster and one thousand life points left, all I've got to do is attack with my Death Volstargaf and then you're finished! So burn that android my dragon!" The earth dragon opened its fanged mouth and Evans cringed as saliva dripped to the ground. Energy formed between those teeth and then was hurled straight at the duelist's monster.
"No, my monster won't die so easily! Open trap card! Psycho Shocker Cannon! Its effect will destroy your attacking monster!" The trap card flipped up, and as soon as it did a massive energy weapon materialized on Jinzo #6's arm. The machine monster aimed the cannon at the dragon, bracing with its other arm, and then fired. A wave of purple energy rushed out from the end and overtook Death Vosltargaf's attack. The attack was canceled out and the beam traveled onwards until it crashed into Death Volstargaf, destroying it completely.
"Now Psycho Shocker Cannon's two other effects come into play. Since its effect went unhindered I can destroy one card on your field, and I choose to destroy Despondency! The other effect allows me to inflict five hundred points of damage to your life points, so say goodbye to more than half of what you've got left!" A little bit of the energy continued past the remains of the dragon and towards Ryu. The older duelist raised his Millennium Gauntlet and used the invulnerable surface to deflect the attack. It was still quite powerful though, so he was shoved against the seal. (RLP: 350)
"Very well, since Death Volstargaf was destroyed I return Volstargaf Rider to the field in defense mode. I also add my dragon to my removed cards pile that is steadily growing. With nothing else to do, my turn ends." The warrior jumped away from the remains of the dragon it had been riding and landed in a crouch, its shield held up in front of its body. It was just a temporary defense, one that Evans could eliminate quite easily.
Thomas Evans drew a card and swiftly inserted it into one of his magic/trap zones. With that little bit out of the way, he now had the opportunity to eliminate a pesky threat to him. That was Ryu. "Jinzo #6, roast his Emerald Paladin!" The cannon remained equipped to it, but it no longer gave an effect. Now the android simply used the huge weapon to fire a beam of plasma at the green wearing armored warrior. He would stand no chance against it.
"Go, Command Silencer! This card negates your attack and allows me to draw one card!" Evans sneered as his opponent drew a card, giving him a total of two cards in his hand, counting the Diabolic Servitude that had returned to his hand. Evans shook his head in disgust and, since he had no other cards and no more monsters, ended his turn. He'd get Ryu sooner or later, he would just have to wait for the time being.
Ryu's hand now consisted of three cards. Not all of them were necessarily useful to him at all, so he'd have to play it safe. He couldn't take Evans' monster on in a head-to-head battle since it was too strong, but he could defend himself quite well for at least a long enough time to find a way out of the situation. "I place one card down on the field and use Diabolic Servitude to raise Emerald Dragon in defense mode. Next I set a monster and end my turn!" The three named cards appeared, completing what he had on the field.
His opponent grabbed his top card and then quickly activated it, showing a picture of a Jinzo, only the Jinzo was hanging upside down. In fact, the entire picture part was upside down, with the name upside down at the bottom of the border. What kind of card was that? "I play this permanent magic card, Psycho Shocker Reimager! So long as I have an android on the field I can play with my deck face-up, and you can't look at it. So from now on I know what I've got coming!" He laughed and ejected his deck, then casually flipped it up, then placed it back into the deck slot.
Whatever he saw there made his face light up, and it made Ryu worried. He'd just have to hope it wasn't a monster destruction card, or something to force him to discard his Diabolic Servitude. That would end his defenses really quickly. "Jinzo #6, trash his Emerald Dragon!" A single beam tore the dragon apart, leaving it to go into Ryu's pocket with the rest of his removed cards. Sheesh, he was gonna run out of pocket room at this rate.
The former gang member glanced at his newest card and grimaced as if it were the worst card he had ever seen. Evans laughed at the disgusted look on his opponent's face. "I play Diabolic Servitude to revive Super Electric Turtle in defense mode. End turn!" The large turtle with the red letters across its chest appeared next to his three other monsters, one of which was face-down. Four monsters to defend himself with and the opponent only had one monster to take them out with.
"Go Monster Reborn, bring back Jinzo!" Evans' laughter and the appearance of the deadly android froze Ryu's insides. His face-down card wouldn't help him at all, so he'd have to just keep playing defense and keep hoping. But with the trap destroyer and its now stronger counterpart on the field, there was little that Ryu could do to stop his opponent from ripping through his monsters and to his life points.
"I attack Super Electric Turtle and Volstargaf Rider!" The two named monsters were destroyed by two dark energy attacks. The turtle went into Ryu's pocket and the rider into his cemetery slot, but because the turtle had been removed he couldn't use its effect on his opponent. Now all that was left on his field was a set monster and his Emerald Paladin. Not much to work with really.
The eighteen year old's newest card was an effective card for some of the card effects he ran in this deck. Particularly one of the combos he was running just recently. Unfortunately he didn't meet one of the requirements for activating the card, so he'd have to wait and see. It would help him once the time came of course. "I set one card face down, then I play Diabolic Servitude to bring back my Volstargaf Rider." The warrior took its place on the field, a blank look on its face as it stayed in defense. Three monsters on the field now.
The Jinzo duelist laughed as he drew his next card. Since he knew what each of his next cards would be, that gave him at least a slight advantage over Ryu. Ryu, being the observant person that he was, noticed the look of surprise and glee on his opponent's face at the sight of his next card. Whatever it was, it wouldn't bode well for Ryu, that was for sure. "I summon Jinzo #5(1800/1000)!" The next android was in purple and green, clashing colors, but its power hit a total of twenty-three hundred and that made it something to worry about.
"I have my three monsters attack and destroy your three monsters!" The three androids opened fire with their three differing attacks. A wave of plasma blew his Emerald Paladin straight to Hell. A beam of dark energy shattered his Volstargaf Rider into holographic pieces. A barrage of micro-missiles turned his set monster into a pile of dust. That left Ryu essentially completely defenseless.
"You destroyed my set Troop Dragon, so now I special summon another one from my deck in defense mode!" His new monster appeared crouching in defense. It was a humanoid dragon carrying a sword and a shield, and it was preparing itself for any sort of attack. The attack and defense on the thing weren't much, but it was the effect that helped. You could keep up a defense with them really easily, and they made great fodder for sacrifices.
With the opponent's turn now over and five monsters in his pocket as his removed pile, he was ready to keep on the defense. But he hated playing defense....he wanted to show his strength to Evans and to Autumn, to prove that he wasn't a weak duelist. But he couldn't....because he was just a weak duelist. "I play Diabolic Servitude on Emerald Paladin. Next I use my face down magic card, Miracle Dig. I can only activate it if I've got five or more monsters removed from the game. Then I can take three and put them in my grave."
He pulled the five monsters free from his graveyard and then looked them over. Which three should he take. His normal attitude told him to take the strongest of them and put them in the graveyard in case he needed to go on the offensive. But there were his two strongest, and then three others. So what should be his third monster? Shrugging he randomly selected one of the three other monsters and put it with the two chosen ones. "I select these three monsters and place them into my cemetery!" He shoved them into his cemetery slot and then returned his two other monsters back to his pocket. "End turn!"
Suddenly Evans let out a deep belly laugh. "Now its time I showed you the ultimate power of this deck, provided to me by my new masters! The great strength allowed to me will keep me winning and keep me in luxury and out of this tainted world! So here it is, my ultimate beast! I offer up my three monsters in order to summon it!" He took the three monsters up off his field and then shoved them into his cemetery before slapping the next card onto his middle most monster zone.
"This monster requires the sacrifice of three monsters with Jinzo in their name. And its effect is that it prevents the activation or effects of magic and trap cards so long as its in play! So come on out, Jinzo Omega(2700/1000)!" The new Jinzo monster was jet black with the Omega symbol painted onto its chest in blood red. Fearsome eyes stared out from under its cybernetic mask, and a dark aura surrounded it and Espa upon the play. With dark power it was at thirty-two hundred attack strength.
"Go face down card, Omega Amplifier! This card equips to Jinzo Omega and prevents its effect from blanketing my side of the field! Now Jinzo Omega, use your second effect and attack all his monsters on the field!" Ryu's eyes widened as the android opened his palms wide and unleashed a flurry of dark energy blasts, cutting through his Emerald Paladin and then his Troop Dragon. Unfortunately for him, he only had two Troop Dragons in his deck. It wasn't a matter of not planning, it was a matter of he'd only found two for his deck so far. Now he was utterly defenseless.
"How pathetic! You truly are a weak duelist Ryu, and a weak person in general. I know about you, relying on your physical strength to get what you want! But that's not true strength at all now is it? I bet that's how you got into the Battle City Finals, you probably beat up people and stole their locator cards. You disgust me you coward!" Ryu's eyes widened at these words, and his mind flew back in time, propelled by the magic of his gauntlet. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Ryu had just finished dispatching a Rare Hunter, and he had just been about to get an answer out of the remaining hunter. The man's words were cut off as a two toned voice replaced the original one, "Ryu Shigeru...you would have made a great Rare Hunter. You can kill without feeling, take without guilt. How about joining us?"
"Why do you think that? And, by the way, there's no way, I'll join you bastards", said Ryu.
"You
killed one of my men...and smiled when you were done. I think that
maybe you enjoyed it," Ryu didn't reply, whoever this man speaking
through the Rare Hunter was, the truth was that he was right. He had
enjoyed the killing, had enjoyed the battle, enjoyed the thought of his
own power over another person's life. The thrill of the hunt, thrill of
the kill. He was nothing but an animal.
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Evans' words hit home in the same way as Malik's had, and he looked away. It was all true. "You're right Evans....not about how I got into the finals.....but about me. I've got no real strength, I'm just an animal who uses his physical prowess to hurt others....to show my dominance. I'm a nothing, a nobody."
"Don't ever say that!" Evans and Ryu both shot a glance over at the speaker. Autumn stood outside of the seal with her fists clenched, her jaw set tight as she spoke her words with vehemence. Ryu could do nothing but stare, shocked at how sincere she sounded as she said those words. But....but why?
"You're a good person. Things that happened in the past don't determine who you are now...not unless you let them. I know you're a person with true strength because I've been with you and felt that strength. It's a strength of character, of soul....not of body. There are people stronger than you out there, but you still win. Not because of physical prowess, but because of the strength of your heart!" Ryu stared at her, unable to speak for several moments. Then slowly his featureless face slipped into a small smile that he saved just for her.
"Yeah.....you're right. I'd never have believed it out of anybody's mouth but yours....but to hear you say it....then I know it's true. But any strength, any courage I have comes from the people around me that are like you. So I won't disappoint any of them, not you, not Hinata, nobody! Evans, this duel is far from over, and now its my turn! So I draw!" He pulled free the card, and his body was wrapped in a burning red aura....a glowing light that filled him with the feeling of strength.
His eyes came to rest on the card he had drawn, and he felt a surge of shock. The card....it was like.....it was impossible! He looked back at Autumn to find her holding up her deck which was glowing white. She took a card out of it, revealing what card was glowing. "That strength of yours Ryu....show it to us all."
He nodded and held the card aloft, activating the power held within. Instinctively he knew how to work it. "I play Heart of Courage!" The explosion of red power was enough to show Evans that he was dealing with a power that he couldn't understand. The card Ryu played had a red background and the image was completely blank except for the Japanese symbol for courage. The red aura flickered about him as that red symbol formed itself on his forehead.
"Using the power of this card I can now special summon two monsters, one from my deck and one from my cemetery! That's not all the power it has, but that's all the power that I need! So first I summon one of the three monsters I placed back in my cemetery using Miracle Dig. Come out, Sapphire Dragon(1900/1600)!" The blue dragon let out a roar as it rose up on the field, its power surging as the same red symbol that was on Ryu's head appeared on its head. Now he had a strong monster on the field.
"There's more to it than that, so watch and learn my power. Come forth Sapphire God Soldier(2800/2000) and fill the field with your awesome powers!" In a blaze of red light Ryu's newest monster took the field. It was a tall warrior dressed in simple blue armor, though at its side it held a sword that seemed to be forged from the night sky. The shield attached to its left arm was also of the same material.
"As my other monsters before them, I shall union Sapphire God Soldier and Sapphire Dragon together in order to create....Sapphire God Dragoon!" The two monsters merged together as if the fusion card had been played, swirling into a shimmering vortex. When they emerged as one, the Sapphire God Soldier now had sweeping blue wings and a helmet that looked like it had once been the head of the Sapphire Dragon.
"Sapphire God Dragoon has an attack and defense power equal to my two monster's combined strengths, so it is just enough to end this! Sapphire God Dragoon(4700/3600), use your Blade of Gods to end the duel!" The soldier raised its blade and made a sweeping motion. That single slash shattered Jinzo Omega into fragments. The blast continued on to Evans, knocking him up into the air and ripping his outfit slightly apart. (ELP: 0)
The duel was over, and Ryu had come out of it victorious. But was it worth it? Now another man was without his soul....and for what? Who the hell would make them do all this except....no....it couldn't be could it? Only one person was this sick, but he was out of the way wasn't he? "It couldn't be Taichi could it?"
"How ignorant of you. This power that you are fearing is nothing like what you've experience before. It's a power of the mind, body, and soul. A power of absolute conviction that the dark spirit you faced didn't possess. He was insane and disgusting, and despite his lack of humanity he was in truth the most disgusting example of human kind I've ever seen." Walking up behind them was a man dressed just as the brown robed man had been, only he was wearing all black and was much taller.
"You and your buddy sure are arrogant, just like Tobaroshi was. Obviously this guy wasn't as much of a convert as you might have thought, as he wasn't preaching to us. But either way, it pisses me off that you're just using people to test us! So let's do this. I challenge you to a duel!" He reactivated his duel disk, ready to start up at any time. The man in the black robes quirked an eyebrow at him, and then chuckled darkly.
"Dueling you would be no challenge, nor would dueling the two of you together. No, I'm not here to bother with small frys like you. I'm here to collect this shell. And to deliver this to you." He sent a card spinning through the air, which Ryu snatched with one hand. He glared at the man in black and then brought the card level to his eyes. What he saw hit him like a ton of bricks. It was a magic card with a pentagram on it, with Hinata's terrified face staring up at him.
"She was truly pathetic. She didn't even last three turns against our sending, and he was one of the weaker ones. A pity she was so weak, I think she could have made a good convert to the True Path. I leave that card as a message of the fate that may befall you. Sooner or later you'll either end up like that, or become one of us. It's all a matter of inevitability." His body seemed to evaporate into a puff of black smoke which drifted away in the wind and was quickly gone. There was nothing left for them to do but continue onwards.
Ryu clenched his gauntleted fist tightly and titled his head back. "Whoever you are, I'm coming after you! I'll rip your arms off with my bare hands and beat you to death with them! Just know that! Every last one of you fuckers is dead! DEAD!" He continued to rant and rave to the sky, not knowing that he was actually being heard. It was just a matter of getting out his anger, or exploding if he didn't. Yet another soul that suffered because of these religious freaks. And still, there was no explanation as to why.
That was the question he kept asking himself. Why? Why us? Why now? Why is this happening? Why? Why? Why? Why? Perhaps if he had an inkling of the answers he wouldn't have asked, even to himself. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Back in Tokyo one Isis Ishtar was busy pouring over the available ancient texts both physical and digital that she could get her hands, or browser, onto. Dalin had asked to her to stay behind and do research on anything pertaining to Orichalcos or any ancient legends that might point towards why Kevin had ended up having to duel against Kai in such a manner and whatever more she could learn about this strange Order.
She sighed as she leaned back up against her chair. Despite the big man's words, she knew that there was extra meaning behind them. Dalin might not be that expressive about certain things, but over their few months of acquaintance she had come to know him quite well. That was how she knew his real reason for having her stay was that he knew whoever these people were, they were after him and Kai, and not her. He was trying to protect her.
"How utterly chauvinistic. At least it would be if he meant it that way. That man simply confounds me." She sighed and returned to her texts, wishing she had the Book of Fallen Stars, which she had loaned out to Kai in order for the duelist to do some research on it. He wasn't an expert in Latin, but he was good enough at it to understand what he was reading. Things were moving too fast, there just wasn't enough time to react.
She looked up at the sudden sound of someone entering the room, but relaxed immediately at the sight of a familiar face. She had called Rishid around the same time she had called Dalin, however he had a longer way to come. Now that he was here, she felt a bit more easy. "Thank you for coming Rishid."
"We cannot speak yet, someone else wants to talk to you." The tall bronze skinned man stepped aside in order to allow another person to enter the room. It was the skinny man from the front desk. He had always seemed to be a nice man, but he had always been rather nervous. He still looked that way now.
"Yes, how can I help you?" The man blinked and bowed once, then reached into his pocket and started fumbling with something, his hands shaking as he did so. She looked on with confusion as he did so, and idly wondered what he wanted to show her.
"I
respectfully request for you to die." Her eyes widened in shock as he
pulled a small gun, barely the size of his hand, out of his pocket and
aimed it at her. Then there was a bang.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
The circle of robed men stood in front of the image of Ryu and Autumn departing on the private plane. Then the image shifted to one of Dalin and Kai in a bi-plane flying over the ocean. Finally it shifted to a view of Yami and Tea screaming as their train went over a cliff. At the other end of the cliff was a figure, small from the distance, watching the train go down.
"Inform the standby messenger that he is unnecessary. Then inform him what happens to things that are unnecessary. Inform our awaiting messenger that the prey is entering their area."
"Friendship and Courage have been revealed. Two targets await to be tested. Inform that useless messenger that he may still be necessary to retest Kaethen. Our time is running low." XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Author's Notes: Yeah, just another duel to reveal another Heart card. It'll get better, because the major critical stuff hasn't even come yet.
Time Mage: You'll see the answers to your questions about Drake, the robed guys, and the reason for the revealing of the Hearts soon enough. (INSERT EVIL LAUGHTER HERE)
Wolf General: How come Kai scares you? As for the Hearts of Man, just wait and see more. Literally.
Void Templar: Drake's deck doesn't contain a single non-spellcaster monster. What's strange about it? Oh, and wait for Taichi and you'll see. Hmm...that rhymes.
Original Cards
Evans: The Jade, Mecha Warmachine, Shift Payment, Soulful Draw, Jinzo #8, Psycho Shocker Screen(because of Jinzo's japanese name), Jinzo #3, Jinzo #4, Damage Redux, Jinzo #6, Psycho Shocker Cannon, Psycho Shocker Reimager, Jinzo #5, Jinzo Omega, Omega Amplifier
Ryu: Diabolic Servitude(actually a card in Magic: The Gathering with the same effect), Despondency, Emerald Paladin, Volstargaf Rider, Heart of Strength, Sapphire God Soldier
Original Submitted Cards
Evans: Cost of Greed(by Time Mage, not actually submitted but he used it in one of his duels and I chose to use it as well)
