This is basically the closest thing to a filler chapter this arc. Either way, it's short. I like how it went myself.
John: I love emotional chapters myself.
Demon Fang: They have one effect but I am not sure if it will ever be shown. It will probably have a chance eventually.
Captain Obvious: Yes, it quite could.
Epyon: The Chimera is pleased. Well, both parts of them anyway, although Ga wonders how you can possibly like Ba more than him! Glad you loved the chapter.
Chapter 17: Rivalry
At around nine thirty, Sarius, the Child, Raid, and Cyrus were waiting in the church. They had arranged to meet with Aya, Adene, Mach, and Shadow at ten, but none of them had arrived yet. Sarius wasn't worried; most of the time, they came in at the last minute. Sometimes Shadow would be late, as would Mach if he was forced to drag him in. Most likely, this time, it would be no different.
That meant Sarius had about thirty minutes of free time. He didn't intend to waste them.
Might as well get it over with now, Sarius thought, rising from the front pew he had been sitting on. It may be the last chance we have in this world.
The Child looked over at him inquiringly. Seeing the glance, Sarius answered his unspoken question. "I am going outside temporarily. I will be back before the others arrive, most likely. If by some chance they do make it before me, tell them to please wait for my return."
Understanding what he was up to, the Child nodded and leaned against the back of the pew. Cyrus was equally silent as Sarius and Raid left.
Sarius and Raid emerged from the lake onto the shore. There was nobody else there at the moment, but Sarius was sure that would soon change. He remained there, seeming to be relaxed while his senses were really on the alert.
Raid was the first to react when the man finally appeared in the distance. He growled, rising to a ready position. Sarius looked over at the figure, but did nothing else.
In a few short moments, Bolt stood in front of him, his usual confident smirk on his face. "Looks like you were already waiting for me, Tirran."
"I know the routine," Sarius replied. "Going to try and win again?"
"I attempt that every world," Bolt stated. "You know full-well that I consider you to be my greatest rival. Despite the fact that I've lost every time so far, these matches are still the things that provide the most fun for me."
"So I have noticed," Sarius said. Although he and Bolt had fought many times with each other before, it never got old to them. Sarius had emerged the winner in all their confrontations so far, but knowing Bolt, there was a large chance that would eventually change.
"However, this world brings about the question as to how we'll fight," Bolt told him.
"I would prefer to duel with cards," Sarius stated.
"Fine. If that's the way you want to do it," Bolt shrugged, bringing out his Soul Card. Baou appeared instantly. "My Soul Monster is Guardian Baou. Yours?"
"Chaos Emperor Dragon, although he is called Raid," Sarius replied, activating his Duel Disk. "Shall we get started?"
"I believe there are no more words that are needed to be said," Bolt agreed.
Sarius: 8000
Bolt: 8000
"You may make the first move," Sarius offered. "It seems you lost your last duel, after all."
"The Limiter was not bad at this game," Bolt admitted, drawing. "But she also had luck on her side. Let us see if you have the same. I lay one monster in defense mode and a card face down. That's all."
"I'll do the same as you, placing a defense monster and a card on the field," Sarius said.
"I summon Igzarion Universe!" (1800/1900) Bolt announced. "Then I activate Baou's Deck Master ability. By discarding a card from my hand, I can permanently raise one of my monster's attack power by 1000. So I will get rid of Meteor Rain to power up my Igzarion Universe! (2800/1900) Then I will attack after I activate his effect! By reducing his attack by 400 for this turn, he does damage to you even if your monster is in defense mode!" (2400/1900)
"I activate my trap card in response to your attack," Sarius stated, flipping it over. "It's called Wicked Barrier-Dark Force. It can only be activated when my opponent attacks. When done so, it removes all of your defense monsters from the game."
"So my Shine Angel (1400/800) is gone for good… not that it matters," Bolt shrugged. "My attack still goes through, correct?"
"Yes, but that is not necessarily a good thing for you," Sarius pointed out. "You have attacked my Twilight Zone Female Warrior." (2000/2100)
"Not her again!" Bolt growled, remembering how Larka had used her.
"It looks like you recognize her; I wouldn't be surprised though, seeing as Larka does run her," Sarius said. "That means you must know what her effect is. I'll remove both her and your Igzarion Universe. Despite that, I still take damage from your attack."
Sarius: 7700
Bolt: 8000
Bolt then noticed something. "Wait a minute. How are her stats that high? They were much lower the last time I saw her."
"That would be due to Raid's Deck Master ability," Sarius explained. "He raises the stats of all my Light and Dark Main-Type monsters by 500."
"Well, won't that be quite the boundary to overcome?" Bolt said. "Go ahead, do your worst. I end my turn."
Sarius looked over his hand. "For now, the best I can do is to summon Swift Black Ninja. (2200/1700) He attacks you directly."
Sarius: 7700
Bolt: 5800
"Not the most threatening play you could make," Bolt smirked. "I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"I summon Blade Knight," (2100/1500) Sarius said. "Swift Black Ninja attacks your defense monster."
"It's my Gear Golem. (800/2200) Not exactly the easiest thing to get by," Bolt informed him.
"I'm sure I'll find a way soon enough," Sarius replied, not looking very concerned. "It's your turn."
"You will have to, because that monster will continue to stand in your way," Bolt stated. "I equip him with Raregold Armor. This forces you to choose him as your attack target at all times. I lay one monster in defense mode and end my turn."
Sarius glanced at the card he drew, and placed it on the field at once. "I lay one monster in defense mode. I am done."
"That means I can finally summon this," Bolt said triumphantly. "I sacrifice my defense monster, Aztec Statue (300/2000) to summon Millennium Scorpion!" (2000/1800)
Sarius eyed the six-legged creature apprehensively while it stared back from the single eyeball on its body. "And what is so special about that?"
"You will see shortly. I attack your defense monster!" Bolt decided.
"You've revealed my White Ninja," (2000/1300) Sarius said. "Since you flipped him over, his reverse effect is activated. He destroys one defense monster on your field, so your Gear Golem is gone."
Bolt watched the White Ninja's shurikens fly into the Gear Golem, causing it to fade away. "No big loss at this point. I only needed him long enough to get Millennium Scorpion out. Now that he's killed one of your monsters, he'll be all I need."
That was when Sarius noticed that the monster had seemed to grow in size slightly. "What happened to it?"
"Whenever Millennium Scorpion destroys one of your monsters in battle, it gains 500 more attack," Bolt explained. (2500/1800) "Now that it is that strong, it should be considerably safe from your attacks. I end my turn."
"I would not be so sure about your Scorpion being able to ward off all of my monsters," Sarius said. "I lay a monster in defense mode, and three cards face down. This means that my Blade Knight's effect comes into play. Do you know what that does?"
"I've seen Blade Knight used, but only as a monster to sacrifice. So I have no idea what he does," Bolt answered.
"When I have one or less cards in my hand, his attack increases by 400. (2500/1500) That puts him dead even with your Millennium Scorpion's attack power. I attack him, killing both!" Sarius declared.
"Afraid not," Bolt said. "I activate my trap card, Dark Spirit of Silence! This allows me to negate your attack and choose another monster to try attacking instead. I will have your Swift Black Ninja attack. Not only do you lose your monster and some of your Life Points, but my Millennium Scorpion also gains 500 attack." (3000/1800)
"Not bad," Sarius commented as his Swift Black Ninja was torn into bits.
Sarius: 7400
Bolt: 5800
"Why thank you. I thought it was rather brilliant myself," Bolt smirked. "Anything else?"
Sarius shook his head. "No."
"You might be thinking of trying to stall to find a way of destroying my Millennium Scorpion," Bolt said as he drew. "But that will only make the situation worse for yourself. I play Early Burial. By paying 800 Life Points, I can bring back a monster from my Cemetery into face up attack mode. I choose Gear Golem."
Sarius: 7400
Bolt: 5000
"Then I sacrifice it to summon Legend Devil!" (1500/1800) Bolt continued. "I discard Satellite Cannon from my hand to have Baou raise his attack by 1000. (2500/1800) Millennium Scorpion attacks your defense monster!"
"It was my Twilight Zone Observation Machine," (1300/1700) Sarius said.
"My Millennium Scorpion gets yet another attack increase. (3500/1800) Legend Devil attacks you directly! It is your turn after that," Bolt finished.
Sarius: 4900
Bolt: 5000
"Considering you have been playing for less time than me, you are doing quite well," Sarius told him as he thought over his options.
"I prefer sparring with weapons instead of cards, but I will do what I must when it comes to adapting to a world," Bolt stated.
"True enough," Sarius agreed. "Anyway, I summon Twilight Zone Survivor. (2300/700) It is your turn."
"Why would you summon that in attack mode of all things?" Bolt asked.
"Igzarion Universe, and more importantly, Meteor Rain," Sarius said simply.
"Ah… already you have been able to figure out that I have cards that specialize in causing my attacking monsters to do damage to you no matter what mode your monsters are in," Bolt realized. "As quick as ever, Tirran. But that is not my deck's specialty. You should be able to figure that one out when I explain what Legend Devil does."
Sarius noticed that Legend Devil seemed to be growing in a way that was very similar to Millennium Scorpion. "All right, go ahead and tell me."
"Every one of my standby phases, his attack goes up by 700," Bolt said. (3200/1800)
"An infinite attack deck," Sarius concluded.
"Exactly. Thanks to the types of monsters I use, the right cards to support them, and Baou to continuously raise their attack, I have unlimited power," Bolt stated.
"It is true that a deck using that strategy can be very deadly," Sarius said. "But it also has a fatal flaw. You only have two monsters, and barely any cards in your hand. What would happen if I were to destroy those monsters?"
"That is why I will not give you the chance to do so," Bolt answered. "You were wise to keep your monster in attack mode, for now I equip my Millennium Scorpion with Meteor Strike! This causes him to do damage to you even if your monster is in defense mode. Millennium Scorpion attacks your Twilight Zone Survivor, which also raises his attack once more! (4000/1800) Legend Devil attacks you directly!"
Sarius: 500
Bolt: 5000
"Are you done?" Sarius asked.
"There's nothing else for me to do," Bolt said.
"First, I play Angel's Gift to draw three cards and discard two." Sarius looked at the cards he had drawn, and smiled. "You were indeed quick to get me down to this amount of Life Points, but you were still one turn too late. I discard Mirage Dragon and Destruction Ring. Then I remove Swift Black Ninja and White Ninja to special summon Chaos Soldier!" (3500/3000)
"What?" Bolt exclaimed as the mighty warrior appeared on the field, sword and shield at the ready.
"Chaos monsters can only be special summoned by removing a Light and Dark Main-Type," Sarius explained.
"So your deck is based around these monsters? How fitting for you, Tirran," Bolt said.
"Very much so," Sarius agreed. "Then I summon Wandering Hero, Freed!" (2200/1700)
"Another one I recognize," Bolt stated. "But again, I don't know his effect."
"I can remove two Light Main-Types from my Cemetery to destroy a monster with higher attack than him," Sarius told him. "I remove Blade Knight and Mirage Dragon to have him destroy your Millennium Scorpion!"
"It seems that both of my monsters are doomed," Bolt said as his Millennium Scorpion was hacked apart. "But you cannot win this turn."
"You did not take my Chaos Soldier's effect into account," Sarius replied. "If he attacks a monster, he is allowed to attack again. I will have him destroy Legend Devil, attack you directly, and then have Freed deplete the rest of your Life Points!"
Sarius: 500
Bolt: 0
"Damn it," Bolt muttered as he turned off his Duel Disk and dismissed Baou.
"It was a good duel," Sarius said as he did the same.
"Perhaps it was, but still…" Bolt glanced down at his katana. "I wish to face you in physical fighting as well."
Sarius considered for a moment, and then drew a sword that looked identical to Bolt's, except that the blade was black. This sword, named Shibien, would have surprised the members of the group, for they had never noticed the sword sheath that had been covered by Sarius' trenchcoat. "Very well then. We shall combat once more!"
With a fierce grin, Bolt pulled out his katana and lunged at Sarius instantly. However, Sarius was used to such tactics, and was more than ready to parry the blow.
Moving too fast for the normal person to be able to see clearly, Sarius and Bolt exchanged strikes. But like usual, they were so evenly matched that it was impossible to predict the victor. They could have kept up this battle for a rather long time, but suddenly, they both halted, facing each other again, their swords pointed towards the ground.
"If your companions are returning, that must mean mine will be arriving shortly," Sarius stated, sheathing his sword. "So I shall take my leave."
"Another draw then," Bolt concluded as he did the same.
"Yes." Sarius turned back to the lake and stepped into it. All he said before vanishing was, "Until the next world." Raid, who had been patiently waiting for the swordfight to finish, went in after him.
Bolt's only response was the same, cocky smile that he usually wore. Then he turned his gaze to the top of the slope, where he saw Flame.
"How did it go for you?" Bolt asked.
Flame shook his head.
"Lost, huh? So did I," Bolt admitted. "They're better than some opponents we've fought, that's for sure." Bolt looked at Flame's expression. "You don't seem to be regretting it much though."
Flame shrugged, but any more conversation they might have had was abruptly cut off by the arrival of another Maverick.
"You two lost?" Gale said in disbelief as he came over to them. "Were your opponents really that strong?"
"When it came to this card game, yeah," Bolt replied. "How did you do?"
"I don't even want to talk about it," Gale growled, still feeling bitter about the embarrassing loss he had faced. "Let's just say I had to give my word that I wouldn't interfere with their group again."
"That means the three of us are out," Bolt said. "So that leaves Dark, Wave, Gaia, and Tundra, since Light is searching for the second Limiter."
"Dark should have at least won his," Gale stated.
"Probably," Bolt agreed. "I wouldn't put too much faith in the others, but who knows. Maybe they managed to get the idiot of the group, if there was one."
"Unfortunately, I was the one to get him," Gale spat.
Bolt stared at him. "And you lost?"
"It was bad luck! Bad luck I say!" Gale protested.
"I'm sure," was all Bolt said on the matter. "But that really does not raise my hopes. Juno himself might have to deal with them."
Gale nodded. "He would be able to take care of them. Wasn't Tirran the one to defeat him before in this world?"
"Yeah. He beat one of those group members first, but then Tirran interfered," Bolt answered. "I think the guy's name was Will?"
Flame blinked, and then indicated to himself.
"You fought him? But you lost your match. Does that mean he got stronger since Juno faced him, or that Juno is just far more experienced than us when it comes to this game?" Bolt wondered.
"Who knows, and who cares?" Gale said. "Juno will probably just go straight for the Limiter if he has to do any work himself."
"Most likely. But we won't know until we talk to him," Bolt replied. "We should report to him now. The others will probably arrive soon."
"They might have already entered through another area of the shore," Gale pointed out.
"True," Bolt said. "Then there's all the more reason to go now."
Without further discussion, they entered the lake as well.
To be continued…