Team Zero: Orichalcos

Chapter 22: Demonic Fiends and Ghastly Dragons Pt 2

The light green glow from the seal illuminated the wall of the hotel. Three men, two locked inside the great seal, one with arms crossed watching the ensuing battle inside.

"Face it, you are out of options. I have you beat." Ryokurio proud voice angered the drawing Archip.

"What are you talking about, I still lead in life points and you are out of hand cards. Looks to me like you are the one out of options." Archip growled sliding the new card into his hand.

"Look at the field, my Phantom Dragon Drake has 3200 attack points." Ryokurio said pointing to his metallic looking dragon. "Thanks to the magic card Phantom Dragon Silver Soul, I have taken the lead in this duel."

"In monsters yea, but not in actuality. I activate my trap card, Call of the Haunted!" Archip boomed as his trap flipped up. A luminous spark of light and the Summoned Skull stood once again on Archip's field enhanced with the seals power coursing through its body (3000/1500).

"What good will the Summoned Skull do now? In my last turn I crushed it." Ryokurio shrugged at the attempt made by Archip.

"Well then watch this. I used thisstrategy against that zombie boy." Archip said picking up the skull card.

"Gurabe!" Ryokurio's eyes widened as he realized who Archip was talking about.

"So you do know him." Archip seemed friendly as he slid the card onto his duel disk. "I sacrifice my Summoned Skull to summon Great Maju Garzett (0/0)!" A large red boned armored monster appeared in the spot of the skull monster howling and moaning evilly. It gargled out a howl of power as it jumped upwards (5000/0)(5500/0). "Great Maju Garzett is able to double the original attack of the monster sacrificed for it plus gain 500 points from the Seal of Orichalcos that we are surrounded by."

Ryokurio gritted his teeth at the attack score of the new monster. "That thing is overly too powerful. If an attack hits my monster I will lose 2300 life points." Growling he looked down at his duel disk. The life point meter read 2400.

"Looks like your life points are all but gone on this move." Archip smirked at his own power. "You could never understand the power I possess. Now watch and be amazed! Great Maju Garzett attacks your Phantom Dragon Drake!" Roaring, the large behemoth monster stomped across the field. Grabbing the serpent dragon by its body it squeezed it until it broke into little triangles of data. A pain fill roar was heard as his monster was blown apart.

Ryokurio-100 LP
Archip-2600 LP

"Your move. So what will you do?" Archip asked the dragon duelist who was looking down at his duel disk at his side. "I have never seen a duelist come back with only 100 life points. I don't think it can be done, especially when facing a power as great as the Seal of Orichalcos. Face it, you are trapped in my circle of doom, and your soul is ours." Throwing his head back, his wicked laughter filled the air.

"I can do it." Ryokurio said slightly softer. "You may not think I can, but I will."

"Oh yea?" Archip questioned with a smug look on his face. Nothing he could think of in a Phantom Dragon deck could he pull in one card to even stall for a turn. "It is hopeless, give it up and come peacefully."

"Never, watch this and maybe you'll learn something." Ryokurio said pulling his duel disk up to look at his deck. Taking a deep breath he hopped he could do this. "Draw!" A flick of the wrist and he snapped the card off his deck. Turning it over he glared at is face. "Not what I wanted but it will work for now at least." Slowly he moved the card into his duel disk. "Feast your eyes on this. The magic card Demonic Phantom Puppetry!" The holographic card appeared on his field. It was showing a large shadowed figure pulling long strings connected to a ghostly white monster below the shadows.

"What is that?" Archip asked getting a shrug from Hygin who didn't know either.

"It is simple. I first pick up cards off my deck until I come to two monsters with Phantom in their names. The rest of the cards I will have to discard." Drawing the top two cards off his deck he smirked and flipped them around. One was a Phantom Dragon Drake and the other was a Phantom Dragon Defender. "Now you get to randomly pick one of them." He said flipping the cards back around and shuffling them up. Next he slid them onto his duel disk face down so that the brown backed cards appeared on the field before him.

"What will happen when he does?" Hygin questioned from his spot outside the seal.

"Well, I am glad you asked." Ryokurio said pointing to the downed cards. "There are two choices. You chose one of them, and which ever one you chose you will lose that many life points equal to its attack points. The other monster will be specialsummoned on my field in face up attack or defense mode. So chose wisely."

Archip stepped backwards slightly at the realization of the situation. "If I chose his Phantom Dragon Drake I will lose 2500 life points! That would tie me with him at only 100 life points left." Growling he thought carefully. "I chose the card there!" He yelled pointing to the card on Ryokurio's right. Smiling, he picked it up and showed him the face of the card. The hologram flipped up revealing the monster.The Phantom Dragon Drake on itseemed the snicker at him as teh card began glowing bright white before exploding into small data bits. Growling in his throat, Archip watched his life point meter drop.

Ryokurio-100 LP
Archip-100 LP

"Now I summon Phantom Dragon Defender in defense mode (300/1800) and end my turn." Ryokurio said seeming almost darker, not himself anymore.

A black outline of a human stood in a roaring flames. She couldn't make out who it was but Aliya knew she recognized the person standing in the flames. Squinting she tried to make out who it was, but the shadows were too hard to see though. Lifting its arm it showed a green duel disk like the one Team Orichalcos had used in the tournament. Then on the outline of the figures head, the green seal of the Orichalcos began to glow brightly.

Aliya jerked up. She was still laying on her bed in the room. She had sat up in a start, so fast that she soon felt dizzy from the quick movement.

"Are you ok Aliya?" Lucien's voice came from across the room. He was sitting at the table where Raoul was sitting before. He had his deck laid out before him. Raoul was now laying on his bed and he had moved the TV so it pointed to wards him.

"Yea, I think I will be fine." She said looking at him then turning to look out the window. "I must have just nodded off. Just startled by something." Closing her eyes, she pinched the upper bridge of her nose. "What is this burning I feel inside?"

"You sure?" Lucien asked again noticing her worried look.

"Yea, thanks for your concern Lucien." She said getting up and walking into the bathroom.

"Ok then." He said watching her as she moved to the bathroom. Once she shut the door and he heard it click for the lock he looked back down to his deck. "Alright, so I did well that first time around but I don't know if I can do it like that again. Plus I need to prepare for anything. I am not sure what strange cards I will be up against in the up and coming matches." He said picking up a card and sliding a new one in its place. "I just hope we don't have to face the Team Orichalcos, that was un human what they did."

"So what do we do now?" Ronin asked Order as she moved across the room and sat down in a large chair.

"You must keep your guard up first and foremost." She replied looking at the group walking up to her. "Team Orichalcos must be stopped but with drawing as little attention to you as possible. I suggest playing out this tournament and hope you face them before to long. You then need to beat them, and that treacherous daughter of mine will be gone."

"Then will we have to face you son?" Sachiko asked looking around at the looks she was getting from the others.

"No no, don't you worry about him. His duty is not to cause chaos and disorder like some members of my family. Despite a legacy passed to him by his father. He is an alright kid." Order smiled. "Well I guess I will send you back. Keep up the good work chosen ones. Never let evil win the war." She said waving her arm. In a burst of light the entire group was gone from the room.

The light faded leaving the seven kids standing in a hotel room. The one Team Zero was assigned to. Looking around, they noticed the calmness and shadows of the room. Looking around they noticed that it was closing in on nine o'clock at night.

"Well, I guess we should go then." Joe said stretching his arms out above his head.

"Yea, we could all use some rest." Sachiko said walking to her bed and flopping down.

"See ya tomorrow." Ronin waved as the three members of Team Striker opened the door to the room and started to walk out. "Prepare to duel hard."

"We will." Joe said flashing the thumbs up. Once out in the hall way the three of them started walking. "Well I am going to hit the sack. I don't know about the two of you." Joe said slipping the key into the door of their room which was just down the hall from Team Zero.

"Well I was going out for supper." Kevin said looking at them. "I was hopping that maybe Usami would like to join me." He said rather quickly and started to blush slightly. Joe looked interested, looking back and forth between Kevin and Usami.

"Are you asking me out on a date?" Usami asked the blushing kid who was finding it hard to keep eye contact.

"Um..." He sputtered out. "...yea."

"Ok." Usami said closing her eyes and smiling. "See ya Joe, we'll be back latter." She said waving to their team mate and walking down the hall. Kevin who was in complete shock still began to follow her. He soon felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking he saw Joe smiling at him, flashing him the thumbs up and winking.

"No more playing around." Archip growled snapping a card off his deck. "You have made some good moves in my weak defense this time, but you won't be getting away with them again."

"And what if he does?" A female's voice asked from behind Archip. Eyes widening he pivoted on his heel to see Chime standing there. "Did I keep you on my team because you were weak and a poor duelist?"

"No, you kept me because I am worthy of the seals power." Archip said turning around renewed in his faith.

Chime smiled at the duel. "True but if I can find a better replacement then all the better. He already seems to be infused with the darkness."

"I set one card face down and attack your..." Archip stopped in mid sentence as the card appeared behind his monster. "I will just end my turn without attacking."

"Idiot." Ryokurio said pulling the top card off his deck but not looking at it. "If a Phantom Dragon is special summoned they don't have the ability to not be attacked. That is only when they are normal summoned or flipped summoned unless stated other wise by the card that Special Summoned them." Holding the card up he smirked at it. "I set this face down and end my turn." He smirked as the card appeared behind his defending monster.

"Well that is just stupid." Archip said to himself under his breath angry with his mistake.

"Like you?" Ryokurio asked as he heard what Archip was muttering.

"Just shut up. I draw!" He yelled drawing his card. "I summon my Opticlops (1800/1700)(2300/1700) in attack mode!" Archip roared as a large cyclops monster appeared on Archip's field. The large beast took a crouching position as it was preparing for a push start to a forceful charge. "Your toast! Attack his defender Opticlops!" Archip yelled as his monster shot off towards the monster. A surprising energy burst from a worm hole pushed the cyclops back to Archip's field.

"The trap you hit is called Rifter Hole! It works off your attack. Now I get to turn that brute energy into the power needed for us to each draw three cards. See? What did you accomplish by rushing into attacking me?" Ryokurio gave a cocky grin as he snapped three cards off his deck.

"So what? You card helps me too." Archip growled as he drew the top three cards off his deck. "Now Great Maju Garzett will destroy your defender!" Archip yelled as the large fiend monster reached across the field and squashed the ghastly dragon. "The strength of the Orichalcos is on my side of the field, you stand no chance, give up now!"

"No." Ryokurio said looking down at his deck. "Last I checked I still have 100 life points. Ironically so do you. I also seem to recall someone saying I couldn't hold on with only 100 life points." Ryokurio smirked as veins on Archip's forehead began to pop out.

"Fine, your move." He growled.

Yugi set the puzzle on the bed next to his pillow. Laying his head down on his pillow in his personalroom that the Kaiba corp and Industrial Illusions had made for him, Joey and Kaiba. Pulling the covers up over his body the astro form of Yami appeared at the end of the bed.

("You should sleep well Yugi, tomorrow is a big day.") Yami wasn't even looking at Yugi as he spoke but rather out the window to the black sky of night.

"I know but..." Yugi sighed as he rolled over so his back was to his yami. "All these hopeful duelist are getting involved in something I thought we took care of."

("I know how you are feeling but we have not yet heard anything about our role in this.") Yami said finally looking at the back of the body he shared. ("I am starting to wonder if we even have a purpose. You would think that the legendary dragons would have made an appearance if we were meant to do something.")

"But last time they showed up in duels for the most part. We got ours in a dream but Joey and Kaiba both got theirs in duels." Yugi said still not facing the spirit form of the pharaoh.

("Too bad that if we interfere they will kill millions.") Yami said moving his head to rest on his arms which were resting on his knees. ("I still have the feeling that the destiny of others are crossed in this path. Maybe it has something with those two teams that Chime was looking at when her and Kaiba spoke.")

"Maybe..." Yugi said, his voice tiered and soon trailed off into snores.

("Sleep well partner.") Yami sighed and pushed his spirit body up from the bed. Turning he looked at Yugi. ("You have a very strong heart Yugi. You show compassion to all and hope for the well being of everyone. You would have made a fine Pharaoh.") Yami said before vanishing completely. The Eye of Ra on the Millennium Puzzle glowed for a second before dying out leaving the room calm and dead.

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To Dragon and Sword Master: Oh no, I miss read it assuming that I e-mailed you. Well I am honored that you have taken the time to read through basically the pride and joy of my writing career here. Oh and I really don't care if you point out spelling errors with a few exceptions. If you find a spelling error like a mixed letter or a missing letter that only happened once then don't worry about it. If I do it constantly please do tell me. I, for a long time, had a problem with trial/trail but sense Lucien pointed it out I have made sure that I don't do it again. So if you don't nit pick my work out for every little pixel out of place I would really enjoy some constructive criticism. I am well willing to accept any help you are willing to offer.

To Vyser Adept of Dragons: Well, would a box work?

To LuicenShadowMaster: Well I hope you enjoy your book. I hear from a lot of Harry Potter fans that it is pretty good. I won't say I am a fan of it hard core, but I have read them.
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