OK.......yeah.....so (Puts of magical barrier to block off all bladed weapons and atomic attacks headed in my general direction)........OK, yeah, I know this is really late. First off, I left for vacation the day after I put up chapter ten, then I had to finish painting my room (Which is now done..........I just have to clean it now), then I had writers block for about a month, add in some writers block, having to completely change the angle for this chapter, summer reading, work, school starting with three AP courses, mor work, evil lawyer fathers who don't compromise, the fact that Kevin Hunter is hard to write for (At least for me, as he has a very different personality than what I'm used to) etc, I had a lot of trouble getting this chapter up. Sorry again. Luckily for you all, I'm really excited about chapter's twelve, thirteen, and so forth for a while, so I hope to do better with them. Also, the DOOM Arc has begun here in the U.S. (I can't believe they changed Varon's name to Valon, and gave him that HORRIBLE voice. At least I can stand Dartz and Raphael's voices.), so that may inspire me as well.
Anyway, for the sake of tradition:
Legend Devil (Dark/Devil/6/1500/1800): Each Standby Phase, raise this monsters attack points by 700.
OK, so here's an interesting card. For a brief history, it first appeared in the Yami Malik/Joey Duel at Battle City.
In truth, it's not that bad. One sacrifice for a monster that's a limitless attack-wise as is Magical Marionet is nothing to scoff at. I mean, sure, first turn it seems like a waste, and turn two he's only standard for a one sacrifice monster. But by turn three, you've got a one sacrifice monster with 2900 attack points. After turn four, not even Injection Fairy Lily can stand against it. You get were I'm going with this?
Any, aside from that, it's a pointless card. Me, I'd run it in a Fiend deck (With a Mystical Tomato for easy summoning), but that's about it.
Rating:3/5 It has as many pros as it does cons. That's all there is to it.
Advertisement for this Chapter goes to Gearfried the Iron Angel. This guy has done one of the most original ideas I know of. You see, he, I, and a bunch of others were all in an online Dueling League that was started by Chuck ZFB. Using the people and decks from that tournament, he has created and AWESOME fantasy story, complete with Duels, fight scenes, possible romance, an real people. I tip my hat to Gearfried (And anyone who can figure out who I am without looking at the reviews and who isn't a member of the DDL). Also, it's fast passed, and if you start now, you don't need a jumbo vat-o-caffeine to get through it. Go and read! I command you!
Anyway, enough time and patience has been wasted. On with the fic!
Chapter Eleven: Wrath of the Rare Hunters
Somewhere within the ruins that were once the prosperous and flourishing Domino City there was a small, abandoned shop. It had once been a store which distributed all sorts of weapons from the ancient and feudal eras of Asia. To this day it housed still a variety of swords, knives, staffs, spears, and more. Of course, they were not really from the long forgotten periods of time that they seemed to be, but were merely tourist bait, and so were not properly made for the sake of mass production. However, this did nothing to disturb their wicked and bloodthirsty appearance.
And so it should come as no surprise that this building now hosted a meeting a equally cutthroat men, all garbed in purple robes, and sitting tensely around a table with a single lamp above them while a few scraps of paper littered the desk.
"These boys, Kevin Hunter and Kai Kaethan, must be dealt with." one said. "Not only do they bother possess a number of rare cards, but now they've gone and dishonored us by defeating Umbrak and Amatsu." To emphasize this, he slammed his fist onto the table.
"I agree with Tray." a second voiced. "If word of this get's out, it could-" but whatever could happen as a result of the two Rare Hunters defeat was never learned, as the door to the shop was kicked open and three figured appeared in the frame, the middle one being supported by the two on either side of him.
"Mishiwaki?!" the third of the men at the table called. The slumped man raised his head at the sound of what was apparently his name. "What happened?"
"I was defeated by my target." the man replied. "When I tried to over power him after my defeat, he struck back with intense speed and strength. Within seconds, that Vaun Hiten had me out cold. I laid in the streets for hours, all the way through the night until Kado and Sora found me this morning." Again, Mishiwaki hung his head as he was dragged into a back room by his supporter, who returned minutes later.
"Tray," the left one, Kado, spoke. "We have a bit of information concerning the boys who we targeted yesterday."
"Tell us then." Tray, who seemed to be the leader, snapped. The two new soldiers took seats within the ring around the table. Sora then began to give out the newfound information.
"Vaun was defeated shortly after he assaulted Mishiwaki by Kai Kaethan." she began. The three original Rare Hunters each raised and eyebrow in intrigue before she continued. "Not only that, but despite his defeat, he seemed to have made a friendship with his adversary, inviting Kai to join him in a reunion after the tournaments end."
"And how do you know this?" the third Rare Hunter asked.
"Because, Kano, Mishiwaki managed to gain consciousness, just not mobility, towards their Duels end."
"Not only that, but Kevin Hunter has had some interesting encounters since his meeting with Umbrak and Amatsu." Kado explained. "First off, he ran into the great-granddaughter of Seto Kaiba, who holds the other two Blue Eyes White Dragons." Tray, Kano, and the third of the original group gasped. "Then, last night, he Dueled a young girl named Sakura Haeru, who nearly beat him."
"What's your point?" Kano snapped.
"Tray, Kano, Katashi, he loves her." Kado explained with a twisted grin. "When he was about to win, he called off his attack for the sake of the fact that she loved her monster. Then, he took her on a date, and all the time that I fallowed him, he seemed absolutely absorbed by her."
Tray leaned back in his chair as Kado finished explaining this, tapping his chin in thought. "You've done well, Kado and Sora. In fact, I think I have a plan." he said, standing up and waltzing over to the wall that his back had been facing. "Kai and Kevin seem rather innocent enough; meaning that they're easily subdued by their emotions and feeling for others." Tray wrapped his fingers around a knife that was hanging from the wall. "So, we'll take advantage of that, and then we'll crush them with ease." he finished, spinning rapidly, hurling the knife across the room, which then embedded itself in a picture of Kevin Hunter. "However, to make sure this works, we'll need to make sure that they're kept busy. Fallow them, and if you must, engage them in a Duel until you receive further instruction." With that, he flung a second knife at the wall, which found a new home in the forehead of Kai Kaethen.
'I wonder where she is.' Kevin pondered within the confines of his mind as he wandered the streets of the city, looking for Sakura Haeru. 'I wanted to fallow up with her on how she felt about last night.' Again, he rubbed the spot on his cheek where she had kissed him. He smiled as he savored the moment.
A few moments later, Kevin noticed a burst of light out of the corner of his eye, which he quickly turned to pull into his full field of vision, resulting in a smile. It was a bust of swirling cherry blossom petals spinning above the rooftops of what were once stores and apartments, meaning Sakura was Dueling not to far from where he was.
Taking off at a sprint, Kevin began to close the distance between himself and where he hoped to find the young lady who currently held his heart. However, as he turned one of the last corners, he was forced toc ome to an abrupt stop, due to the fact that two men in purple robes stood before him.
"Kevin Hunter," one of them croaked, his face displaying a sick and twisted grin, as if he enjoyed the frustrated expression Kevin bore, which he probably did. "Tell me, where are you going in such a hurry. To a Duel, I hope. After all, less than ten hours remain until the Battle City Finals begin, and it would be such a shame if all three of the Blue Eyes White Dragons were not present there."
"What do you want?" Kevin demanded, glancing behind him for an escape route, only to learn that a third Rare Hunter had cut him off.
"Revenge for what you did to Umbrak and Amatsu." the other one spoke. "We will Duel in a special format, and if we win, you'll forfeit you entire Dueling Deck to us."
"And why should I put up my entire deck against just one rare card from you?" he asked.
"Because it will not be just one rare card, but three." the one from behind sneered. "Three of the rarest cards that exist in the archives of the Rare Hunters." At this, Kevin raised an eyebrow of interest.
'Beat these three and get three mega-rare cards.' he began to weigh the positive and negative aspects of this proposition. However, first he had to get one thing cleared up. "What do you mean by 'special format?'"
The first Rare Hunter grinned savagely at this question. "It will be a Gauntlet Match." he explained. "You will start out with 4000 Life Points, while Katashi starts with 1000, Sora with 2000, and then I, Ryo, with 3000. You will not restart your score nor you deck between opponents, and we will each start out with the same number of cards that our predecessor had when they were defeated, if they are defeated."
"So, are you ready?" Katashi asked, shoving his shuffled deck into his Duel Disk. Kevin fallowed suite. However, before he could draw a hand, Katashi tossed him a silicon card, the same size and shape as that of a Duel Monster card, yet Kevin knew better. It was a programming chip, which held the software for the Duel format they'd be using, and would set his Duel Disk appropriately, just like how any computer required the proper disk for running any excess software. Kevin reached to the left-most end of his Duel Disk, where a small compartment, exactly like that of the Field magic card zone o/nly on the opposite end, and slipped the card in, his Duel Disk instantly resetting itself.
Kevin-4000/Katashi-1000
"I'll make the first move." Katashi smiled crudely. "I play one monster in defense mode, fallowed by a single card face down." The two brown backed cards appeared on his field, silently taunting Kevin, begging him to come after them.
And come he would. "I draw!" he shouted. 'Alright, I need to end this quickly so that I can get back to finding Sakura.' he decided quietly. "Alright, first off, I'll summon my Plasma, the Starlight Ryu (1800/1100) in attack mode!" he called as the glowing dragon appeared, spreading its wings and roaring proudly. "Plasma, attack his defense monster!" he commanded as a gold ball of energy gathered in the mouth of the reptilian beast. Quickly it unleashed the blast, which struck the horizontal card, revealing a massive figure made of solid granite kneeling with his arms clutched over his chest protectively.
"You've attacked my Giant Soldier of Stone (1300/2000)!" Katashi laughed. "And because of his superior defensive power, you'll lose 200 Life Points!"
Kevin-3800/Katashi-1000
Grimacing, Kevin ended his turn. Kai would never had let something so insignificant get to him, especially not this early on in the Duel, but then again, Kevin was not Kai.
Katashi drew his card, giving him a hand of five before he set another monster in defense mode and ended his turn.
"I summon Vorse Raider (1900/1200) in attack mode!" he shouted as the brown skinned demon appeared "Plasma, attack his set monster!" Another beam of gold light lanced through the air, striking the set card.
"Reveal Gear Golem the Moving Fortress (800/2200)!" Katashi shouted as a ball inside of two steel ring brackets that were lined with spikes. "And so now you lose another 400 Life Points!" he laughed as the attack canceled out.
Kevin-3400/Katashi-1000
"I'll set a card face down and end my turn." Kevin growled.
Chuckling, Katashi drew a card and held it in his hands, first taking one from the set of cards in his left hand. "I summon Soul Tiger (0/2100) in attack mode!" he called as a wild cat of blue vapor appeared on his field.
'What is he planning?' Kevin asked himself. Katashi simply continued to smirk as he then shifted his other two monsters on the field into attack mode.
"Finally, I'll activate my magic card, Shield and Sword!" he shouted as the magic card activated. "This will switch the defense strength with the attack strength of all monsters on the field, meaning that I know control a monster with 2000 attack points, one with 2100 attack points, and one with 2200 attack points, while you have two simple monsters who possess simple attack strengths of just 1100 and 1200." Kevin stepped back in realization as Katashi raised his hand and pointed accusingly at Kevin. "Attack!" he shouted.
"Reveal trap card!" Kevin shouted. "Diamond Shield will generate a protective barrier around my monsters, blocking your attacks!" he explained as a sapphire blue dome with rugged and crystal edges appeared around his two creatures, blocking the attacks. "Also, the secondary effect of my card allows me to specially summon any of the Jeweled Dragons in my hand, so I choose to summon my Sapphire Dragon (1900/1600)!"
"No!" Katashi shouted in horror as he stared at his monsters who's points were reversing. "Fine, I'll end my turn. I may fall, Kevin, but I've done my part." he snarled, eyeing his three monsters with their low attack points, then to his one face down card, then to his comrades, and finally to the boy who'd completely wipe him out as the boy snapped a card free.
"Sapphire Dragon, Plasma, and Vorse Raider, attack!" Kevin commanded as the three beastly creatures moved in to attack, the two dragons firing beams of light at their targets while the third creature moved in and savagely slashed down with his glaive.
"Before I fall, I shall activate my face down card," Katashi shouted, flinging his arm out in front of him, stretching over his down card. "Reveal trap card, Last Stand! This rare card will deal you 300 points of damage whenever you destroy one of my monsters!"
Kevin-2900/Katashi-0
Without hesitation, Sora stepped up, her Duel Disk already lit up and three cards in her hand. However, it was still Kevin's turn. "Because Katashi's gone, his Last Stand trap card is also gone. So, I'll end my turn there." Nodding, Sora drew a card. Quickly, Kevin examined her eyes closely. They were full of confidence. Either the cards she had drawn were that powerful, or she really had no intention of defeating Kevin. Yes, that was it! She, like Katashi, didn't care about beating Kevin, so long as they could lower his Life Points and make him use up his best cards before Ryo got his chance at Kevin.
"Very well Mr. Hunter. I shall set a card face down, and then summon my Flying Fish (800500) in attack mode!"
"If that's all, then you wont last any longer than Katashi did." Kevin laughed, increasing his hand to a size of five. "Oh well. I summon Newt Warrior (1900/400) in attack mode-"
"Reveal trap card!" Sora screamed as the trap card flipped over and a wall of water blasted forth from it, washing over her single fish monster before colliding with Kevin's four monsters. "Torrential Tribute will destroy all monsters on the field!"
"Crap!" Kevin cursed, setting a card and ending his turn.
"Then I shall play my Lost City of Atlantis field magic card!" she shouted as her field magic zone opened and she tossed the card in. Instantly the ground began to quake as a massive castle appeared behind her and a wave of holographic water collected on the field, but not soaking them, do to the fact that it was simply an illusion. "Now all of my water monsters have their level lowered by one, while also giving them a 200 attack and defense increase." she smiled wickedly. "Now I summon Seven Colored Fish (1800/700) in attack mode!" she shouted as a long fish with rainbow colored scales and a large mouth full of massive teeth appeared. "Attack!"
"Reveal Forced Ejection Machine!" Kevin shouted as a metal dome appeared around the fish and fired it back at Sora's hand, disappearing on contact with her body. "My trap card sent your monster back to your hand, saving me for one turn." Kevin sighed.
"Fine, I'll end my turn." Sora said without even the slightest bit of frustration. It was just as Kevin suspected: she didn't care if she lost, so long as she could take Kevin down in Life Points even slightly.
"Alright, I've got someone to meet up with, so I'll have to end this fast." he commented as he drew a fourth card. "Now I play Reparations, allowing us to each discard up to three cards from our hand and then draw that same number from our decks." Without hesitation, both had placed three cards in the Grave and drawn their new cards. "Now I'll summon my Sangan (1000/600) in defense mode and end my turn."
"I summon Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness (1800/1500200) in attack mode." she grinned as the monster that normally had 1800 attack points appeared, powered up by the legendary city on the field. "Attack!" The creature raised his spear and lunged down, smashing it into the small fuzzy monster on Kevin's field with ease.
"Now I can search my deck for a monster with 1500 or fewer attack points." Kevin grinned, pulling his deck free. Of course his initial plan involved grabbing one of his Giant Germs to start dealing damage directly to Sora's life points, but then something else caught his eye. 'Surge, the Torrential Ryu...' he pondered. Quickly making his decision, Kevin chose the monster he wanted and added it to his hand before shuffling his deck.
"I summon Big Shield Guardna (100/2600) in defense mode!" Kevin called as the Indian man crouching behind the massive shield appeared. "That ends my turn."
"If you think that playing defensively will do you any good, your wrong." Sora chuckled, choosing form her hand of what was now four cards large. "I summon Catapult Turtle (1000/2000200) in defense mode!" As she said this, a massive amphibian of steel with a large sling mounted on its back appeared. "And now I can sacrifice my Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness for my Turtle's effect, dealing you half my sacrificed monsters attack points in damage to your Life Points instantly." As she said this, the sea warrior leaped onto the slingshot, which then hurled it in Kevin's direction, going past his monster and hitting him in the chest, knocking him to the ground.
Kevin-1900/Sora-2000
"Alright, lucky shot." he insisted as he drew a card, giving him four from which to choose. "I'll set two cards face down and then I'll summon my Surge, the Torrential Ryu (1500/1500) in defense mode." A blue serpent dragon appeared on Kevin's field as he massaged his sore chest.
"All too easy." Sora commented. "At this rate, we wont even need Ryo." As she said this, the other two Rare Hunters joined her in laughter. "Now because of my Lost City of Atlantis field card, I was allowed to summon my Catapult Turtle without a sacrifice, and now I can summon my Fortress Whale of Darkness (2100/1200200) in attack mode!" she called as another monster, this one a killer whale with massive gun turrets equipped to its back, appeared on her field, again powered up by the field magic card she had played. "First my Whale will destroy your little dragon!" she ordered as the black orca trained all of its guns on the small blue dragon. "Tidal Blast attack!" The various cannons unleashed their wrath upon the dragon, which jolted upon each impact. However, when the smoke cleared, it was still standing. "How?" Sora gasped.
"My monster's special ability." Kevin explained. "It, like a handful of other monsters, is immune to attacks from monsters with more than 1900 attack points."
"Fine, but you'll never stop this! Fortress Whale of Darkness, onto the Catapult!" she shouted in rage. The orca somehow lifted itself onto the turtles back, it's body nearly the same size as the entire launcher. Quickly it was rushing towards Kevin, who then pressed a button on his Duel Disk. "Activate Guard of Card!" he shouted, slipping his one remaining card into his Graveyard. The large shield appeared, taking the blow of the bolt of light that had been the charging monster.
"My turn." Kevin smiled as he looked at the card. "I play Pot of Greed!" he smiled, happily increasing his hand size to two. "Now I'll play my Monster Reborn magic card to revive a monster I discarded for my Reparation's magic card, Hyozanryu (2100/2800)!" he laughed as the diamond coated beast appeared. "Next, I'll switch my Surge, the Torrential Ryu into attack mode!" The blue dragon left it's coiled position and raised it's head, hissing at the defending mechanical turtle.
"Go ahead and try." Sora snorted. "Don't forget, neither of your monsters can get past my defending Catapult Turtle."
"Oh really." Kevin shot back. "I activate my trap card, Graverobber!" he shouted as his last face down card revealed itself as a small elf with various mining tools strapped to his back a single, oversized card held in his arms, which he then flipped over to show. "My trap card can activate any magic card in my opponents Graveyard, and although his field is gone, Katashi's Graveyard is still around." Kevin pointed out as the elf revealed the stolen Shield and Sword card. "Now my dragons have attack strengths of 1500 and 2800 respectively, while your Catapult Turtle only has 1200 defense points." he pointed out. "Surge, move turtles from the Endangered Species list, to the Extinct list!" he jested as the azure beast reared back it's head and released a burst of water that overpowered the now weaker turtle. "Hyozanryu, attack! Crystal Shard Breath!"
The white diamond beast reared back it's head and then released a wind filled with razor diamond shards when ripped the robes of Sora apart, leaving a collapsed figure with various minor cuts along her arms.
Kevin-1900/Sora-0
Quickly, Katashi ran to her and picked her up, seeming far more concerned with moving her away from the battle field than for her own safety, as was evident in his haste. When Kevin's kind yet determined eyes turned back to where Sora had been, Ryo was already in place with a hand of one card, as that was the amount that Sora ended with.
Kevin-1900/Ryo-3000
"Are you done, brat?" he asked with a swift and curt voice. Kevin nodded. "Good." he replied, slipping a new card into his hand. "I shall set one card face down, and then I'll summon a monster in defense mode. Go."
"Fine with me." Kevin shrugged, drawing a second card.
"One second!" Ryo cut him off. "Go Trade Your Left Arm!" As the trap activated, Kevin saw the image of a man whose left arm was chained at the wrist to some sort of support while he reached with his right for a box of gold, and while a shadowed figure in the background with a massive scimitar about to remove the mans shackled limb. "This trap allows me to discard my entire hand to search my deck for any magic card I want and add it to my hand. However, I have no hand to discard, thanks to Sora." he grinned malevolently, discharging his deck and pulling the card he wanted, showing Kevin a Card of Sanctity.
"Anyway, as I was saying, I'll play my Dangerous Machine Type-6!" To Kevin's right side appeared a large metal sphere with six baseball sized orbs making a circle on the face of the ball. "Next, I'll play Baby Dragon (1200/700) in defense mode!" Beside Kevin's other three monsters appeared a young orange dragon monster with bright, childish eyes and young, immature wings. "Hyozanryu, attack!" he commanded, which the Dragon responded to by firing a blast of wind and ice-like shrapnel at the defense monster, which exploded. "Surge, attack him directly!" The blue dragon fired it's attack, which forced Ryo back, but he stayed on his feet.
Kevin-1900/Ryo-1500
Quickly Ryu regained his stance, raising his head and smirking cruelly. "Thank-you, Kevin." he chuckled. "Now I know of your full strength, and," he paused a second to take in the fullness of shock and puzzlement on Kevin's face. "And now I know that you stand no chance against me. Now watch as I set one card face down and then I'll play my magic card, Card of Sanctity!" Both players drew their new hands of six without much comment. "Now I'll summon a monster in defense mode, and end my turn." Ryu chuckled coldly.
Quickly, Kevin snatched a seventh card off of his deck, about half of which was gone, his eye's widening slightly at the sight of the new card. "First off, my Dangerous Machine Type-6 will activate!" The six spheres on the face of the green mechanism began to spin rapidly downward, stopping suddenly, all six displaying a red number '2'. "Alright, that means you have to discard one card from your hand!" Kevin cheered as Ryo unceremoniously placed a card into his Graveyard. "Next, I summon my Tyrant Dragon (2900/2500) by sacrificing my Surge, the Torrential Ryu and Hyozanryu!" he shouted as the great winged beast with brown scales and golden eyes appeared. "Next, I'll set one card face down, and then I'll have my Tyrant Dragon attack!" In a blaze of Hell-fire the likes of which could only come from a creature as incredible as the wyrm Kevin now wielded, the holographic face down card turned to ashes. "That ends my turn."
"Very well, Kevin. Indeed, you've proven that you won't go down quite as easily as I had originally expected;" Ryu smirked. "Yet, it's still not enough. You see, the laws of nature dictate that I defeat you." he chuckled, drawing another card. "The strong shall suffer and fall prey to others while the weak survive, which is why I'll now summon my Igzarian Universe (1800/1900) in attack mode!" he called. His new monster was one of the most bizarre Kevin had ever encountered.
From the Torso down it had the body of a horse. It's upper body, however, was rather humanoid, but the skin seemed to be plated and was an acid green. Finally, its head was almost bird shaped, having a beak-like mouth, but instead of feathers it's head was also plated in scales.
"Next, I'll force the process of evolution to speed up, by playing the magic card, Wild Natures Release!" he laughed as the centaur mutant began to howl into the air. Quickly muscles on its arms began to bloat to more than double their original size, while the size of its lower body began to increase as well. Soon, it completely overpowered Kevin's Tyrant Dragon. "Allow me to explain." Ryu began, noting the obvious fear and shock in Kevin's eyes, as well as the trembling of his legs. "This magic card increases the attack points of all Beast and Beast-Warrior monsters on the field for this turn by their defense value. So now, my Igzarion Universe has an attack power of 3700 for this turn." he laughed. Kevin involuntarily took a step back once again. Indeed, his laughter seemed to drown out the sudden shrieks coming from his own monster, which was now stamping on the ground and flailing uncontrollably at the air.
"Now then, Igzarion Universe, attack his Tyrant Dragon!" Ryo commanded. The beast leapt into the air, staff raised. The dragon fired a burst of fire to ward it off, but it seemed to be in vain, as the creature, in it's sudden berserk state, did not seem to feel the pain of any burns it may have received. With ease, it decapitated Kevin's dragon, which exploded in a shower of light pixels. Upon the destruction of its foe, the beast began to sedate, it's breathing becoming more regular, until it did not breathe at all, and it collapsed, the frenzy having been far too much strain for its body to survive.
Kevin-1100/Ryo-1500
"I activate my face down card," Kevin interjected as his one concealed card flipped over. "Half-Dead will revive one monster in my Graveyard whose level is equal to half that of the destroyed monster!" he explained as Surge, the Torrential Ryu (1500/1500) appeared once again.
"Well, I'll activate a trap of my own." Ryu glared maliciously. "Genocide!" A red beam blasted from the face down card and into Kevin's deck. From said deck appeared an image of his Chaos Emperor Dragon and Blue Eyes White Dragon, both of which howled in agony before disintegrating into nothingness.
"What have you done to my dragons?" Kevin demanded, his voice raising a fraction.
"My trap card destroyed all of the dragon monsters in your deck of the same level as the one I just destroyed. You Tyrant Dragon had eight stars, and so did your Chaos Emperor Dragon and Blue Eyes, so they've all been removed from play." Ryo explained. "Now then, I'll set one card face down and end my turn."
"I draw." Kevin called, increasing his hand to five. "Now, Dangerous Machine Type-6, activate!" Again, the lottery machine whirred to life, spinning the white balls until they came to a stop on the number six. "No!" Kevin shouted as the sphere began to glow until it exploded. "Getting a six destroys itself." he muttered. "How could this have happened?"
"I'll explain it, real simple kid." Ryo smirked. "If you're strong you live; if you're weak, you die. You're too weak to beat me, and so nature has banded against you, working towards your destruction"
"What about that card I discarded from your hand earlier?" Kevin shot back, searching for some basis of argument to retaliate with. "What about that, huh?"
"If you really think that made any difference to someone as powerful as me, you've got another thing coming."
"Yeah, right." Kevin snarled. "I'll end my turn there."
"Alright, then I'll draw, summon a monster in defense mode, and end my turn." Ryo completed his move in a single, simple motion, grinning happily at his monster.
"Whatever that monster is, it won't help you." Kevin called in frustration, pulling a sixth card from his thinning deck. "I'll pass again."
"Very well." Ryo smiled crudely. "Now it is time to show you a true creature of strength. One which will destroy the weak and leave them with nothing."
"There's no card you could play that could do that." Kevin insisted, yet a tone of fear hiding in his voice.
"Really? Let's just wait and see what you think of this." Ryo's low, cold voice seethed as he grabbed the monster card on his Duel Disk. "I'll flip over my Bubonic Vermin (900/600) into attack mode, who then let's me search my deck for a second one and summon it to the field." On Ryo's field appeared to small mice, their fur filled with dirt and their hands hoarding bits of decaying flesh. "Now I'll sacrifice them both to summon my ultimate creature!"
The two rodents simultaneously vanished and a dot of light appeared in their place, quickly growing until it was the size of a very large person. Quickly the light dissipated and left behind a monster which stood on two legs covered in stiff, winery fur. It's torso and chest was wrapped in ancient garments while an Egyptian headdress was set on its hear, which was not human, but resembled that of a dog-beast. Grasped in each arm was a narrow shield which extended into wide bladed spears. "Behold a king of nature. An unstoppable force. The personification of strength!" Ryo shouted into the air while his new monster howled. "Mystic Knight of Jackal (2700/1200)! Now my beast, attack!"
The majestic beast from Hell charged forward and thrust both of its spears into Surge, which put up a blue barrier of ice around it. The shields dug deep, forcing the ice bubble to crack uncontrollably, eventually shattering into thousands of pieces of ice which fell to the ground.
"You forgot about Surge's special ability!" Kevin called as the last pieces of ice fell to the ground, in obscuring both Duelists vision, and allowing both to see that the blue dragon of water had survived. "Your Mystic Knight of Jackal has way more than 1900 attack points. That's why I chose to bring it back rather than any of my other monsters."
"That may be," Ryo agreed, his face once again twisting to that horrid grin he had worn for most of the say. "But you've all out of powerful monsters, Kevin. There's nothing left in your deck that can save you."
"We'll see." Kevin staunchly countered, ignoring the apprehension he felt. He stared at the seventh card he held, sighed, and set the monster in defense mode.
"Defense cannot face you." Ryo chuckled, drawing a third card. "I'll now order my Jackal to attack your new monster." The being which resembled the Egyptian God Anubis bolted up to the horizontal card, his right arm raised. Kevin suddenly felt much smaller, now that he was so close to it. Or maybe it was the fact that the Mystic Knight of Jackal suddenly seemed much bigger. "Attack!" Ryo commanded firmly. The beast swung down with his arm, cutting it in half, the image of a purple dragon with two heads appeared for a second.
"You've activated my Twin-Headed Behemoth's special ability! Now he'll reform-" Kevin stopped myis sentence by Ryo's abrupt laughter and the fact that his Behemoth wasn't returning. "Where's my monster?"
"Tell me, Kevin, are you familiar with the belief of reincarnation?" Ryo ask, his head tilted and a malevolent smirk plastered on his face, one far more devious than any other he had shown all Duel long. His smile widened when Kevin shook his head in response to the question. "It is a belief harbored by the weak. To escape their fears of death, they hold onto a delusion that after death, their spirit goes to a resting place for a period, then it returns to this world in a new body. It is an inescapable, never-ending cycle."
"What's that got to do with my monsters effect getting canceled out?"
"You see," Ryo paused for second. "Every monster my Jackal destroys is sent to the top of your Deck. Therefor, you Twin-Headed Behemoth's effect, which activates from the Graveyard, can't activate. You've trapped in the perpetual cycle of life, death, and reborn!"
"This can't be." Kevin whispered, falling to his knees.
"Yes, that's it Kevin. Fall to your knees. Fulfill your place as a weakling, for it is through you that I shall obtain the first of the three Blue Eyes White Dragons. I shall become stronger because of your defeat."
"It's over." Kevin slurred, reaching for his deck to surrender. However, before his hand reached the small stack of card, a small pick and white petal blew across his vision.
Blinking, Kevin shook his head, and stared at the cherry-blossom petal. He turned his head towards the end of the alley, where he spotted the tree which had released the petal which now rested on his deck.
"Sakura?" he stammered, using the flowers Japanese name without even thinking about it.
You know Kevin, you're a lot stronger than I had expected you to be." Sakura praised the young American as they both stood along the rail of the Domino Peer, staring into the moon reflecting waters. "I can't believe all of the rare dragon cards you used. I've never faced anyone who used such cards."
"They are impressive, I guess." he replied, his voice lacking enthusiasm. "Then again, they do have their limits. Most of the opponents I've faced here in Battle City already knew about them, and managed to target them before I could summon them."
"Then you need something they would never expect." Sakura replied, her tone implying that it was common sense.
"I already have." Kevin smiled, fingering the powerful card combination. One which merged the forces of nature into one.
"I'd like for you to show it to me some day." she said, nearly bouncing at the idea of it. Kevin couldn't help but grin as he looked at her, realizing how childlike she seemed at times.
"And so the laws of nature have proven themselves unchanging once again." Ryo chortled.
"Even if it is law, I'll prove you wrong about who's weak." At the sound of the voice, Ryo nearly choked on his own laughter. Lowering his gaze to the crouching boy once again, he found that the young man had changed. An intense fire was alight in him. A fire of both determination and hope.
"Prove me wrong?" he leered. "I'd like to see you try. I end my turn."
"Fine with me." Kevin said, almost off-handedly as he casually redrew his Twin-Headed Behemoth. "Fortunately, I already had the cards I needed in my hand. I was just so shaken up by your monster that I completely overlooked them."
Ryo rolled his eyes.
"Mock me all you want, Rare Hunter. In the end, you'll be handing over you Mystic Knight of Jackal, Sora's Torrential Tribute, and whatever Katashi's rarest card may be." This bold statement was challenged not just by Ryo, but by Katashi and Sora as well. Grabbing two cards, Kevin glared fiercely at his three assailants. "First I'll play Silent Doom to revive my Plasma, the Starlight Ryu (1800/1100)!" Instantly, Kevin's white beast appeared, stretching its wings and roaring into the air. "And now, I'll summon the third of the Ryu's, Magma, the Hellfire Ryu (1600/1300)!" Kevin's third creature stood on all four of its legs, it's body being composed of what appeared to be volcanic rock, black rough, hundreds of wire thin cracks of scarlet wrapping its body, while a single horn was protruding forward from directly between it's sapphire eyes.
"Now I'll sacrifice all three of my monsters to summon the ultimate dragon of nature!" The three dragons faded away, becoming spheres of light which began to spin together. "Watch as the light of the stars, the waves of the ocean, and the flames of Hell merge together to create the creature of the end. For after the world is decimated by the forces of light, burned with fire, and then cleansed by water, all that will be left is shadow." As he said this, a mass of black matter appeared between him and Ryu. Slowly it took for, towering over the Mystic Knight of Jackal, with claws and teeth itching to taste blood. Fire began to exude from its mouth with each breath it took. It's black wings seemed to create tempest with each beat. A low growl escaped its lungs as its obsidian arms and neck arched back, stretching in the new space it stood in. "Wraith, the Shadow Ryu (2900/2800)!"
"It may be strong, but not strong enough to defeat me now." Ryo smiled. "For I activate my trap card, Natural Selection, which will create a copy of your dragon that will mortal wound your beast and destroy it at this turns end." However, just as when the two-headed creature did not return to Kevin, now was Ryu untterly perplexed by the fact that his trap card wasn't taking effect.
"Wraith's special ability allows me to discard one card from my hand to negate your trap cards." Kevin explained. "Not only that, not each time a magic card is activated, he gains 300 attack points!" Kevin explained, grabbing at a few of the last five cards in his hand. "First I'll play Premature Burial, paying 800 Life Points to revive my Hyozanryu (2100/2800) (Wraith-3200)."
Kevin-300/Ryo-1500
"Next, I'll play Dragon Nails on Ryu, rasing his attack points by another 600, plus 300 more for his effect." The thick claws of bone began to glow and eerie black and were suddenly replaced by razor sharp gauntlets of black steel (4100). "Now I'll set one card face down, and then I'll have Wraith attack your Mystic Knight of Jackal!"
The black beast reared back its black head, his eyes glowing a fierce blue while black and red fires filled his mouth. Soon it could not hold back the fury that it had created, and it let the surge of Hell dance across the field, leaving not even a soul of the beast, returning it to the pit of its master.
Kevin-300/Ryo-100
"Now, I could end this with my Hyozanryu, but just to show you how weak you are, I'll activate this card, Task Master!" Kevin called as his Quick-Play magic card turned over and a man with a whip appeared. First he cracked the flail down on Kevin's Hyozanryu, destroying it. Next it struck the blackened dragon, which howled into the endless sky, and then began to form a new ball of flames. "By sacrificing a monster with 2000 or more attack points, Task Master allows me to attack a second time with all of my other monsters on the field. So first off, Wraith gains another 300 attack points, rasing him to 4400, but also your field is empty!" Kevin flashed his own smirk towards Ryo, who now possessed a look of fear. "And you were saying I'm weak. You allowed your opponent to clear your field and come at you with a creature far stronger than he really needs." Ryo began to raise him arms to cover his face as the dragons head arched back, signaling that it was ready to attack. "Now, I've got someone to find, so I'm gonna end this now. Go Wraith, Shadow Flame!" The black and red flares struck Ryo directly, knocking him back and depleting his Life Points.
Kevin-300/Ryo-0
Glaring, Kevin approached the Rare Hunters, each of whom extended their hands, and Locator Card and rare card in each. Snatching them out of the sinister fingers, Kevin quickly checked to make sure he got the correct cards.
"Torrential Tribute, Mystic Knight of Jackal, and Kings Ransom." Raising an eyebrow at the last card, Kevin quickly realized that Katashi had not had a chance to raw his rarest card.
Taking one last glance at the Rare Hunters, Kevin snarled one more time, and was about to pivot on his heel when the three dark soldiers began to scream, each clutching their head. For the second time in twenty-four hours, Kevin witnessed the spectacle of souls being extracted. The horror that was fixed to the three people peirced his very being, and for the first time in quite a while, Kevin felt fear and guilt.
"Who could wield such power? And why would anyone play for stakes that cost them their soul?" he asked of himself as the three bodies fell to the earth, seemingly dead. Quickly, Kevin fled, as if trying to outrun the cold sweat that had washed over his entire body.
Vaun Hiten kneeled at the shortened table where the small dish and bottle of sake sat, Despite how much he drank, his young age prevented him from developing much of a tolerance. Closing his eyes, he gently held up the saucer, raised it to his lips, and drank the last few drops he dare take in, lest he lose his ability to fight, for the samurai is always on guard and prepared to defend, as is the code of Zenshin, or awareness, as some would call it. And it was do to this awareness, this Zenshin, that he did not turn about or even open his eyes when the six men stepped up behind hin.
"Vaun Hiten?" one of them asked. Taking the silence of the boy in the blue hakama (The gi worn by fighters from the later Tokugawa Era) as a yes, the two front men reach to grab him.
Swiftly and silently, Vaun's arm reached out to the one on his left, grasping his wrist and twisting, while smashing the Sake dish into the others face. The assailant to the right fell back, clutching his face and twisting about on the ground. Vaun stood, keeping hold of first man, but forcing his victim to fall to his knees do to the way his arm was caught and the pressure point Vaun was abusing.
Two of the mans accomplices charged in to aid him, but instead were tossed back by their comrades body being flung into them. The three quickly scrambled to their feet, the last two standing next to them, ignoring the last one of their group, who was still withering in pain. Instantly, all five men reached into their robes, drawing forth either knives, short clubs, or brass knuckles.
"I see." Vaun replied, stepping back with his left foot so that his right was ahead. He grasped his bokken where the base of the blade would be if it had an sort of guard using his left hand, and gripping the handle with the right. With undaunted focus, he awaited for his attackers to make the first move.
He did not wait long.
The five men charge at the same time, but their own physical limitations promptly separated them, the fastest being in a position to be the first to attack. However, it made not difference to Vaun, who sprung off of his right foot, twisted his sword so that it the edge faced outward while his right foot stepped, and then drawing the wooden blade forward as his right leg touched the earth. The speed of the draw and the momentum of his step both transferred to the blade as Vaun became a storm of wood amidst the men who had tried to attack him. Within seconds, he stood at the other end of the group, sword arm extended directly to the right.
As he stood to his full height, Vaun was unaffected by the thud of bodies falling to the earth. He cast a cold glance at the man who had receive a ceramic dish in his face, who was sitting paralyze and bleeding against a wall, silent and frozen with shock. Vaun shifted his foot towards the man, who then screamed and dived behind the small table. Vaun snorted at the mans cowardice.
Stepping out into the streets, Vaun was suddenly alerted by a feminine near by. Forcing all other thoughts and sounds from his mind, it was easy for him to decide on the general direction from which the shriek had come. Dashing to the other corner of the large building which he had stood next to, Vaun found a group of nearly twenty men advancing on a single young woman.
"Halt!" Vaun shouted, earning one of the mens attention. He turned, his face coming into Vaun's view. And as it did, an air of recognition filled Vaun's features. "You!"
To Be Continued....
I know, you're all wondering why I made you wait three months for that piece of crap. Well, at least the plot has been moved along a bit. And also, here's a bit of a preview for next time, just to wet your taste buds:
Kai finds himself locked in a Duel with an opponent who uses the most peculiar strategies. Or does this passive young man have something far more sinister up his sleeve? And what awaits Vaun Hiten? Who is this Rare Hunter from his past? Find out in chapter twelve of 'Return of Battle City: Wandering Souls'.
Original Card:
Kevin- Half Dead, Diamond Shield, Plasma, Surge, Magma, and Wraith, Kings Ransom (Well, it's his now), Task Master
Rare Hunters: Last Stand, Genocide
OK, gotta go. See ya.