The sun had begun to spray over the ocean's surface, the orange sky reflecting across the windows of the bus. Ashley squinted from the brightness.
"I'll never get used to this," she grumbled, covering the light with her hand.
"I'm still surprised you still go to school! Didn't you get a diploma from your last school?" a friend of hers inquired.
"Yeah, but the fact of the matter is that I earned that from only half a year of my education, my dad is never going to settle for that," she explained, sounding a little depressed.
"You miss your old home? Don't you like it here?" Her friend asked, acting shocked.
"Yeah, Janice, but someone was left behind. I wonder how he's doing without me?" she wondered.
"Someone? A... Boyfriend, maybe?" The girl asked, eyes gleaming with excitement. Apparently, she was weaseling for more details.
"I guess you could call him that," Ashley sighed. "I wonder, did he think of me in the same way?"
"Whoa, this is some boy. To get you all riled up like this, you must really care about him!" the other girl squealed.
"Yeah. I think I do," Ashley blushed crimson as she stated what would usually have been so simple.
At that tensemoment, the driver hit the brakes. The passengers slammed into the seats from the sudden change in momentum. Ashley nailed her head against the railing that held the seat in place.
"Hey what's the deal!" she raved, waving her fist in the air with vigor. It was a split second later that she shut up. This was no traffic accident.
About 6 feet in front of the bus, was a large red and purple beast. It stood about 6 feet tall and 12 feet long.A pair of heads, each with razor sharp teeth and menacing eyes, roared loudly. They both carried large and serrated horns, and it floated in the air with a pair of leathery wings. Standing in front of it was Tobias, his face a mixture of rage and contempt. He looked at the bus, and knew a rather precious something was on it.
He raised his gauntlet. Out of it came a burst of red energy and blew the window to shards of glass. The driver ducked under the wheel, and the students ducked for cover as the glass flew into the bus. Tobias jumped atop the engine and slid inside, his cold stare scanned the occupants of the vehicle. There she was; his sight was locked on Ashley Lovechild.
As soon as she felt his cold stare, she clutched her wallet as though it would provide salvation. Inside was the card Aaron had given to her when he had said goodbye. Aaron, please give me strength, she prayed to herself. She could hearTobias marching forth, the crushing of broken glass getting louder as he strolled down the narrow path of the seats.
"You're Ashley Lovechild, that bastard's girlfriend!" Tobias sneered upon reaching her seat. Ashley, though terrified, removed herself from her duck-and-cover position.
"Sounds like he gave you what you deserved," she shot back, putting all of her heart into that one statement.
"The same impudence, I'm gonna enjoy watching you beg for merc-" He stopped in mid-sentence as something caught his attention. He turned his gaze as a large figure burst through the rear access door, heading straight for him.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Gearfried roared, his blade aimed right at Tobias' head. Tobias quickly countered with his gauntlet. The blade bounced off, the resulting shockwave sending the metal knight flying backwards.
"Not done!" Gear called out as he fired his Kunai with Chain. The boomerang ensnared itself around Tobias' neck and dragged him out of the bus. Gear crashed hard into the pavement, but Tobias landed with catlike ease.
"How did you get here?" Tobias wondered.
"None of your business," a voice called up from behind Gearfried. Tobias noticed it was Jacob. At his side were Vaurnut, Nick, Sarah, Kuro, Paul, and Kyle.
"I think it's about time you surrender. Else, we may get carried away," Kuro warned.
"Ha, you do realize I didn't come alone," Tobias sneered. Indeed, the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon had floated over the bus and was now standing at his right side. Appearing beside him were Dan and Richard.
"So? I think we can handle the 3 of you losers and that thing with out breaking a sweat," Paul stated.
"If you're counting on another miracle from your new golden boy think again! I've got a special friend for you to meet!" Tobias hissed. Appearing along side Dan, was the mysterious woman from the previous timeline. Her face remained as still as stone. Kyle's eyes flared.
"So you've found her," Kyle growled.
"Yes, she was a hard one to find, but well worth it, now I think its time we settle our little dispute here for all time." Richard said, his Yamata Dragon Duel brace unfolding.
"Oh, a cutie," he observed, facing Sarah. His eyes gleamed like a predator about to spring.
"Oh, no you didn't!" Sarah barked. Stepping forth from the group, her brace unfolded.
The mysterious lady stepped forward. Appearing on her arm was a Blue Eyes White Dragon Brace. Kyle opposed her.
"Ready to finish what started last time Tobias?" Gear asked as he got off of the ground.
"No; he's my opponent, Aaron. I'll settle this," Jacob ordered.The Knight was astonished as Jacob walked past him and faced Tobias.
"Well, now, I never expected you'd come for me. I gladly accept!" Tobias grinned. He had been practically drooling at the chance for a shot against Jacob. Jacob, on the other hand, remained cool and collected.
"You're getting off easy," Aaron spat.
"Too bad you're not! Kissia, bring in the boy," Tobias smirked as his duel brace lit up. A dark form descended from the arch ways.
A large beast of tall size, it stood on two feet. It was covered in ancient style armor with a crimson finish, about 7 feet tall. With a warrior-like build, its serpentine face and green scales added to its furious appearance. In its hands was a crescent blade, which reflected the setting sun.
"What the Hell is that thing?" Nick wondered.
"A Crescent Dragon," Kuro spoke. She shot a death glare at Tobias, who merely winked.
"Let's start the show! Spirit Merge!" Tobias roared as he was swept up in light.The two beasts lunged at the remaining non duelist members of the DDL.
Gear's blade began shining as the others Spirit Merged. Emerging in bursts of light, Dark Fire, Megami, Don and Breaker joined the Knight as they assailed the beasts.
The Lord of Dragons appeared from the haze around Tobias. Dan stepped alongside.
"So the Gladiator Duelist expects to win? This might be fun to watch," Dan smirked.
Jacob gave a slight grin, "Sorry Dan, but you're coming along for the ride," as he vanished in a distortion, it was expanding and growing and soon encompassed the two horsemen.Appearing back on land, a good 3 miles away from the bridge, the 2 horsemen were wondering what just happened.
"I've pulled us away from the others. This will be our battleground, and it will be the last time I let you get away for what you tried to do!" Jacob declared, his brace lighting up with energy.
"Fine then, it's your funeral," Dan agreed, pulling out a card from his deck and slamming it on the duel brace with a "Spirit Merge."
Back at the bridge Sarah drew her fifth card.
"So you're a Horseman? I'd think a guy with your cash would be out playing croquet," she taunted.
"And a looker like you with an attitude problem would be flipping burgers at the local fast food dump. I guess we're both above the norm," he smirked as he drew his cards.
Kyle and Kissia had changed location from the bridge to one of the many arches. The two looked at each other with concern and respect.
"So, we meet again. It's been a long time since we last met," Kyle greeted to the mysterious woman.
"Indeed, but this time, our struggle must end with one of our deaths. I believe you would agree to this," she responded, pulling out 6 cards.
"Agreed. Let us end this contest, once and for all!" Kyle concurred, reaching for his pocket. He thought back to the castle earlier that morning, when he had gone down to the vault. He had stood before a safety deposit box that was among countless others.
Flashback
Kyle reached into his pocket to take out the key given to him from Vaurnut.
"Thanks, V," he murmured solemnly, twisting the key, and unlocking the safe. Inside was a deck of cards, neatly preserved for over a year. He took a breath, and took out the deck, shutting the door. Without wasting any time, he left the vault with all the speed he could muster.
End flashback.
It's time I get back in the game, he urged himself. He pulled out the deck, and threw it into his Brace.
"Duel!" (8000/8000)
Sarah began her turn.
"I set a monster in defense mode, and one card face down. Your turn," she permitted, setting a pair of cards.
"I'm afraid your defenses will not hold out against my attacks, for I summon Inaba White Rabbit," Richard called out, as he put down the card. As some ether cleared, it revealed a spectral being in the shape of a young rabbit. Said lepine spirit was clinging to something that resembled a rocket (700/500).
"Oh, this is not good," Sarah muttered, recognizing the agonizing Spirit Monster. Its infamous ability to attack directly was legendary in the dueling world.
"Inaba attack!" Richard called out. The Easter Bunny on jet fumes launched from its post and blasted off into the sky. Sarah didn't bother waiting for it to show up; she instead focused her mind and formed a bubble of Rema around her. The white beast dove from the sky as quickly as it had mounted the blue heavens, and slammed into the bubble. The impact caused the energy to ripple and discharge, and Sarah's life points dropped by 700 (7300).
"I hope that gave you a little more respect for your superiors. I set one card facedown, and play the Spring of Rebirth," Richard sneered as he played the card. A small pool of water formed under their feet. Sarah watched as the faint image of the Rabbit played in the pool a bit, then vanished.
"By the effect of spirit monsters, Inaba returns to my hand at the end of my turn. Whenever a monster is returned to my hand, I gain 500 life points," he explained. His life points rose to 8500, but he was out of defenses on the field.
"Looks like your little friend left you high and dry! Big mistake! Draw!"she called out as she drew her card.
"I sacrifice my monster on the field to summon my Dark Magician Girl!" Sarah declared.Her facedown card vanished in a wave of light. Emerging from the haze was the familiar, blonde spellcaster apprentice. Her wand glowed brightly as she gave Richard a wink (2000/1700).
"I attack your life points directly!" she commanded as the young girl swung her wand. A blast of pink magic soared straight at Richard. He raised a faint barrier of Rema, which caused the blast to disperse into sparks.
"Not bad," he complimented, his life points dropping to 6500.
"I'm just getting warmed up! I end my turn," Sarah stated, her spellcaster floating close to her.
Atop the arches, Kissia drew her sixth card.
"I play Kaibaman in attack mode, a card facedown, and I end my turn," she said. Appearing before her was a man dressed like a Saturday morning cartoon character. He wore black leather pants and boots, a vest made of an ivory white material, a red under shirt, and black sleeves with red stripes. A familiarly- shaped helmet that covered his eyes, and long red hair fell out from the back (200/700).
"Draw," Kyle shouted, taking his next card. "I summon the Apprentice Magician in attack mode."
Kyle's monster arrived in a burst of energy. He wore similar purple garments on his legs to that of the Dark Magician, a skin tight garb that covered his chest, and a silver belt on his waist. His hair was blonde and tied off with a red headband, and wielded a green scepter (400/800).
"I set these cards facedown, and end my turn," Kyle stated. He looked directly at the woman in front of him, knowing what she had waiting in the wings. A trio of cards appeared on the field to protect the mage.
"Fine, draw," Kissia responded, taking her next card. "I play White Dragon Ritual." Taking a card from her hand,the sky above her began to swirl. A roar echoed from above the clouds.
"I sacrifice this monster in my hand to summon Paladin of White Dragon!" she exclaimed,throwing the card into the graveyard. The roar above got louder as a creature descended to the dueling field. A mounted light blue dragon, seeming to be rather young, descended from the sky and attempted to perch on the bridge. Its rider wore a green suit covered with white and light blue armor. His head was covered by similar metal, making his eyes dark and unreadable. He rode atop his dragon steed with long blade in hand, and faced down Kyle's mini mage (1900/1200).
"Well, that's not good," Kyle muttered under his breath. Not only could Kissia now summon a Blue-Eyes, but her Monster's other effect would make any of his set Monsters useless.
"Lastly, I sacrifice Kaibaman to summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to the field!" she called out. The superhero was surrounded in a ball of blinding light, only to be replaced by a Blue-Eyes. It roared as it entered the field, shaking the bridge's structure with its force (3000/2500).
"Nice try, but I chain with Hidden Soldier!" Kyle called out, showing that one of his traps activated. He took one of his last two cards and placed it on the field. In an instant, the familiar form of the Skilled Dark Magician made its presence known(1900/1700).
"Paladin, Ionic Spear Burst," she commanded. The Paladin dove forth and slashed the apprentice to shreds.Kyle braced himself against the shockwave, his life points plunging to 6500. Appearing on the field was a facedown monster card and then he raised his hand.
"I activate my trap, Light of Intervention," he stated as his card flipped up to shine light across the field. Kyle's facedown monster flipped up to reveal a second Apprentice (400/800). The mage lifted his scepter, and it began to glow. One of the Spell counter orbs on the Skilled Dark Magician glowed as well..
"Blue eyes, Burst Stream," she orderd calmly. Her monstrous servant opened its jaws, and a ball of blue energy formed inside. It became like a light blue laser, and headed straight for the Skilled Mage.
"Shift!" Kyle called out as his last facedown card flipped up and created a small barrier in front of the magician.The beam bounced off the barrier and nailed the Apprentice head on, blowing it apart. Once again, a new Apprentice Magician appeared on the field in defense mode. Another of the Skilled Mage's spell counters began to shone with firefly's light.
"Before I end my turn, I sacrifice my Paladin to special summon another Blue Eyes to the field." she declared. The Paladin reverted into energy, but then solidified to become another Blue Eyes, (3000/2500). Kyle watched as the twin dragons flanked her field. Their white scales reflected the dawn sun, and Kissia had a smile on her face.
"IRON FIERCE!" Gearfried cried out, swinging his blade to blast the Thunder Dragon.The blade of energy bounced harmlessly off the scales of the beast.
"No way!" he gasped.
"Shadow Thrust!" Breaker shouted as he swung his sword. Similarly, the blast of dark magic dispersed on the scales of the dragon.
"This isn't looking good," Paul observed.
"It's about to get worse," Aaron added, suddenly realizing they were about to be floored. The beast's horns began to spark with lightning. Twin thunderbolts rained down, striking the metal- coated warriors.
"Argh!" Paul groaned in pain. He had grabbed the better end of the stick; Aaron's entire body was made of iron. The electricity was flowing right through him and kept him burning and immobilized. It's getting hot in here! he thought to himself as his black armor heated up like an oven.
Dark Fire saw what was happening in the corner of his eye, "Hang on!" He called out, as he dove out of the way of the Crescent Dragon's blade.
"Double Barrel!" Don called out. He pulled out his pistols and fired off a pair of hollow point bullets. The twin bullets shot at amazing speed, but bounced right off the scaly hide of the Dragon.
"Oh, this is not happening," he muttered.
High above the battle, Megami soared higher and higher into the stratosphere.
"Here goes nothing!" she called out as she flipped around and began a mad dive straight at the dragon. The momentum grew as the speed of her descent increased.
Vaurnut swung both of his blades up, catching the crescent blade of the dragon in the scissor. The dragon's strength was still too much for the Soldier to manage, but a stall was better than becoming ribbons. The beast tried to release itself from the blades.
Nick jumped into the air, pulling out one of his blades. With all his strength, smashed it against the beast's neck. The blade snapped in two, leaving the dragon-warrior creature roaring in pain.
"Antimony Slash!" Kuro called out as she plunged straight to the ground, and slashed with all the force she could muster. The Dragon couldn't dodge the impact as the Harpy's sharp talons raked across its face, slamming it down into the asphalt. Moreover, she seemed rather eager to cause further havoc as she licked her claws clean of the blood. Relishing every stain, she gave the dragon a look that any who knew her would normally fear. It was the look of a hungry beast that had just spotted its lunch.
Dark Fire released the scissor and pointed one of the blades at Gear, the blade pulsated for a second, and began to draw the heat off the knight.
"Th…Thanks," Gear panted.
"Not a problem," V assured. The Thunder Dragon halted its assault as it jumped back from the growing number of opponents. Ashley jumped off the bus, running over to the sweltering Gearfried.
"Aaron, are you all right in there?" she panicked.
"I feel like a fried egg, how 'bout you Paul?" Gear responded.
"A baked potato, not much better. I can barely move," Breaker replied. He readjusted himself into a kneeling position.
"I think the heat wielded my joints together, I can't move at all." Gear stated, trying to move his blade.
"I guess we'll have to take care of this," Kuro grinned, changing her form to become the Amazoness Swordswoman. Though not a total carnivore like her Harpy, it would do.
"I wonder how Jacob's doing?" Don asked. The wounded serpent started to pick itself off the ground.
"Hopefully, better than this," V wished. His blades reignited with flame.
"Maybe not," Paul pointed out, aiming his sword to the shoreline. A Giant Soldier of Stone swung its granite blade wildly.
"Oh, give me a break," Aaron moaned."He's going after two of them at once? Is he trying to get himself killed?"
Back at the shore, Reflect Bounder was floating more like a humming bird. The golem was swinging its massive stone blades madly, but the Bounder was dodging at equal speed.
"Dragon Fist!" The Lord called out as he sprang up from behind the machine. His fist was glowing with red energy in the form of a raging dragon head.
The Bounder pointed his hands at the ground, and called out, "PRISM FOCUS!" Twin beams of light fired from his palms, and blasted the ground with incredible force, causing a massive dust cloud to spray up and blind everyone.
The two horsemen waited as the cloud dispersed, to reveal the Reflect atop a hill, watching the two of them. "You both need a lesson in battle tactics." He said, his mirrors charging with light.
"You're better than the average fighter, but you still out numbered." Dan stated, as Tobias landed on his shoulder.
"That's where you're wrong." Jacob said, as the charging completed and his mirrors glowed with power.
"HALO BURST!" He called out as massive blasts of energy came flying out and battering the stone monster.
Tobias jumped off and came with his fist pulled back to smash against the Reflect Bounder's head.
Appearing in front of him was a small leaf. It fluttered in front of the path of his fist and blocked the strike as it broke apart. No sooner had it ripped, 2 more identical leaves appeared in front him.
"What the hell?" he demanded. He began to swing madly, but each strike was blocked by a leaf. Each time one was destroyed, a pair of them took its place, until a massive wall of leaves was cutting Jacob off from him.
"He's using Giant Germ in combination with a leaf?" Dan wondered, as the barrage stopped.
Tobias was soon fed up with the futile effort of trying to break his way through the never-ending wall of foliage.
"That does it!" he roared. He jumped over the leaf wall and tried to land behind Jacob. No sooner had he landed on the ground, when a nearby rock exploded like a pile of oily rags exposed to a match. The shockwave and flames sent him careening over the wall, landing with a thud at the bottom of the hill.
"What was that?" Tobias asked, stunned.
"A Ring of Destruction, combined with a rock. He's fortified his position with card modifications to his surroundings," Dan stated."You think you can win with these tricks?"
"I can try!" Jacob called out, his recharging almost complete. He pointed with his left hand at a nearby tree behind Dan. Dan looked to see a massive tree branch come flying at him, smashing into splinters as he fell to the ground.
"PRISM FOCUS!" Jacob called out as he fired two massive beams straight at the Lord of Dragons. The Lord dodged at the last moment as the ground surrounding him went flying into the air.
The Giant Soldier picked himself off the ground, and with a swipe of his blade, chopped the tree to bits. Dan inside him pulled a card out from his deck and placed it in his Thousand Dragon Duel Brace. "Heavy Storm!"
A massive downpour of rain and strong winds began to blast the area, but it was suddenly halted. Out of the hill emerged a canine muzzle, followed by glowing red eyes and triangular ears. Its open mouth was sucking up the tempest as though by a giant straw.
"Judgment of Anubis!" He called out as he crossed his arms in a defensive stance. The jackal head exhaled the gained wind power, blasting away at the rocky skin of the soldier.
Back at the duel with Sarah, Richard began his next turn.
"I set another card, and summon my Inaba back to the field," he shouted. The spectral mammal appeared, its rocket launcher preparing for take off.
"Inaba, attack!" he called out as the white missile took off and shot straight at Sarah. The rabbit had its teeth bared in attack.
"Urgh!" she groaned, focusing a Rema barrier to intercept. However, Dark Magician Girl dove in front of the bunny as they crashed into her barrier. Sarah's life points dropped off to 6600, but what she saw utterly disgusted her: The little rabbit was fondling her mage.
"That monster's just as perverted as Jordan!" she exclaimed. The DMG's face was red and bothered as she attempted to pry the rabbit off with her wand.
"As I end my turn, I reveal my facedown card: Spirit's Invitation!" he called out, the card flipping up. Inaba began to vanish, still in DMG's cleavage. Wherever the bunny rubbed, a rash of vanishing appeared, spreading until both were gone.
"What the-?" Sarah wondered as she found her DMG back in her hand.
"My card's effect allows me to send a monster back to your hand when one of my Spirits returns to my hand," (7000) (0/3/4) Richard explained. Sarah wasn't happy with that, but she drew her next card.
"I summon Neo the Magical Swordsman, and I attack your life points directly!" she declared. The young magic sword wielder appeared on the field (1700/1000), dressed in medieval clothing. He dove straight towards Richard, lethal swordpoint nearly at his target's throat.
"I chain with Draining Shield! I'll take that attack power and give it to my life points!" Richard called out. A film-thin barrier stood between him and the sword. The barrier scattered the attack about on its surface, adding the damage that would have been done to Richard's Life Points (8700).
"Damn! I end my turn," she stated, snapping her fingers (1/1/5).
"Draw," Richard declared, taking his next card. His life points dropped to 8200 to support his trap card.
"I set one card facedown, and summon Inaba once more to attack your life points!"Richard yelled to her. Sarah tried to focus a Rema barrier, but the rabbit was already flying when it appeared. It shot over her, and nailed her from behind. She crashed to the ground (5900).
"I end my turn. I hope you aren't going easy on me, doll!" Richard sneered as his LP rose to 8700. Inaba vanished from the field, giggling, and Neo disappeared afterwards. (0/3/4)
Sarah, despite her anger, knew he had her cornered. That rabbit is bouncing over anything I have on the field,she pondered, and he's taking everything I throw at him like it's a joke. I need to catch him off guard!
Back atop the arches, Kyle drew his next card.
"I play the Magic card Swords of Revealing Light!" he exclaimed. Blades of light rained from the sky like shooting stars, locking down his foe's Monsters. The final spell counter on the Skilled Dark Magician lit up.
"Now I sacrifice this mage for the Dark Magician!" He called out. The mage was swept up into a swirl of darkness, to emerge as the Dark Magician, ready for battle (2500/2100). The two Blue-Eyes, although they could not attack, showed apparent fury in their azure gaze. They roared and growled at the Dark Magician; they didn't care who was watching. This wasn't normal rage, it was inborn rage that the dragons simply could not contain.
"I end my turn, and that's 3 turns before you can attack." he said. Kissia drew her next card.
"I pass," she said calmly. Had anyone known about their bitter rivalry, they would have dubbed it the "calm before the storm."
Kyle drew his next card. He replied, "I pass as well."The two passed their consecutive turns, until the swords vanished off the field. Both players had 4 cards in their hands, and two monsters on the field. Kissia still had her facedown card, and it was Kyle's turn.
"I sacrifice my Apprentice mage to summon my Dark Magician Girl to the field," he stated. She appeared with a bright grin on her face beside her master, flashing the "V" sign (2000/1700).
"I now play my Pot of Greed, so I can draw another two cards," he said, taking them from his deck. "Now for the Magic Card, Change of Heart! Come to me, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" A spirit in the form a girl, with one wing angelic and the other demonic, slipped into her dragon's body. One of its snowy wings turned midnight black, and the other burst into white feathers. Kissia cringed as her mutated creature flew over to Kyle's field.
"I play the Magic card, Black Magic Ritual! I sacrifice your Dragon to summon my Ritual Magician, the Magician of Black Chaos!"Appearing around the dragon was a pair of torches both giving off black flames and an eerie, purple pentagram. The Dragon roared as the torches incinerated it in black flames. The pentagram changed to neon red as a mysterious figure emerged from it.
It was a tall man, dressed in pitch black leather. His head dress was shaped like an axe, and in the center was a cerulean jewel with a pentagram. Many magenta belts wrapped around his thighs, boots and arms. His hair was an untamed mass of dark black. His face was a light blue with black paint around his chin and eyes which were yellow with a red iris that. In his gloved hands he carried a large staff with similar decals, a blade like bottom, and a spherical jewel in the head. It arose from the pentagram and struck its cold gaze at Kissia (2800/2600).
"Lastly, I sacrifice my two remaining magicians to summon the Sorcerer of Dark Magic!" Kyle slammed the card down in the brace. The Dark Magician girl changed herself into streamers of dark magic energy, and they spun around his magician. His clothes changed from their lavender shade to coal black. A flowing cape fell from under the shoulder armor and down his back, and gloves appeared on his hands. His hair changed from violet to blonde, and his staff had changed form. Instead of its light green shade and shell-like head, it was now black, with a tri claw head and a blue sphere in the center. It and its brother on the field glanced briefly at each other, and then to the dragon on the field. (3200/2800)
"Let's see how your Dragon stands up to this! Celestial Blast!" Kyle commanded his sorcerer swung his scepter at the dragon. Flowing from it was a bright orange flame that headed straight towards it and engulfed it, reducing it to ash. Kissia's composure remained unchanged as her life points dropped to 7800.
"Now taste this, CHAOS SCEPTAR BLAST!" He ordered his magician. The mage spun the weapon over his head, which fired a blast of chaotic energy. It headed straight towards Kissia. The blast nailed her head on, but the woman remained still. Her life points dropped straight to 5000.
"That's all," he declared. She's still as strong as ever. If I know her, she's coming after me with everything she has, Kyle observed.
"Draw," Kissia stated. Her hair began to flow as Rema rushed into the system.
"I play the Magic Card, Dark Factory of Mass Production, following with Polymerization," she grinned. No sooner had the Blue-Eyes spirits returned to her hand, whena massive vortex appeared on the field. In a burst of incredible light, three heads emerged from the portal. Strengthened limbs dragged the rest of the body out, the tip of the new beast's tail trailing with some of the vortex's liquid as the warp vanished. Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon was on the field, staring down the mighty spellcasters (4500/3800).
"Next I play my Monster Reborn, and bring back a Blue Eyes to the field," Kissia flashed the card. As the sky clouded for a brief time, lightning struck one of Kissia's Monster zones. When the blinding flash cleared, another pale dragon stood near its larger sibling (3000/2500).
"Now I play the Magic card, Burst Stream of Destruction. This'll finish off all your magic users in one blast!" she calmly stated. The single-headed BEWD's mouth filled with light. Like a fire hose trying to douse a building, it fired energy in a stream, vaporizing everything on Kyle's field.
"You're turn, Ultimate Dragon. Neutron Blast!" she commanded. The dragon's three heads roared in agreement. Each unified in the creation of an energy body whose brightness rivaled that of the sun, and let it fly with more force than anything thrown during the match so far. It hit Kyle like a small meteor (2000). A placed Rema barrier was the only thing keeping him standing.
When the barrage stopped, he fell to his knees, panting. I hate being right all the time, he complained in his mind.
"You never were the type to accept that sometimes power makes a great deal of difference," Kissia laughed.
"Ha, 5000 years and I'm still a hard learner." Kyle chuckled, pulling himself back to his feet.
"Let's see if your skills can pull you out of this!" she challenged, still remaining stiff and rigid.
Back at the shoreline, Jacob's battery on the horsemen was still going strong.
"TERRA THUNDER SWORD!" Dan called out, as he swung his blades and caused a powerful shockwave that tore the hill to gravel! Jacob took to the skies, and opened his hands.
"Prism Focus!" he yelled. Twin beams lanced out and nailed the Giant in the face, blinding him.
"Heads up!" Jacob called out as his body slammed the Giant's head. This caused him to topple and crash to the ground.
"DRAGON FIRE BURST!" the Lord called out. He cupped his hands, firing a blast of flames. Jacob pivoted his body around his right arm, and swinging his body out of the projectile's path. Teasing with, "Heh, that all you got?" he prepared for a further attack.
"URGH!" Tobias growled.
Meanwhile,at the bridge, Vaurnut, Don, and Kuro were doing everything they could to keep the beasts at bay. Crescent Dragon was swinging around violently at Dark Fire. It was partially blind from Kuro's strike to the face, but continued to fight despite the blood loss.
"Come on, what does it take to keep this thing down?" He wondered as he ducked his head under one of the slices.
"GLADIUS CAEDIS!" Kuro roared as she swung her weapon at the Twin Headed Dragon, but the shockwave of her weapon bounced off the creature with little injury.
"We're getting nowhere like this," Paul stated trying to get up. The electricity was still wrecking havoc with his motor controls.
"You're in no condition to be doing anything! Try and stay still!" Ashley barked, doing the best she could to tend to him.
"Well, we're not getting out of this mess by sitting around," Paul grumbled.
Gear remained stuck. Inside, however, Aaron was watching the worsening situation. He's got a valid point, but I can't even move, if I could just ascend to Truesdale, but if I did, that walking storage battery would fry me. I need to get to a higher form without being a sitting duck, he planned.
Aaron reached into his pocket, and looked at the 4 cards in his hand. This might just work, but I still don't know how I got to Truesdale's level.
He looked over to Paul still arguing with Ashley, and sighed. It looks like I've got no choice. If I do this right, I'll be able to finish these bastards. If Dalin and Josh can do it, so can I!
Sarah drew her next card, and played another from her hand:
"I play Mystical Space Typhoon! I wipe out your Spirit's Invitation!" At her words, the card glowed. A massive twister emerged from her card ripping Richard's card with its gale.
"I set a monster in defense mode, and set a card facedown. I end my turn," she shouted, placing them on the field.
"Draw," he said, taking his next card. "Now I play my Spiritual Energy Settling Machine. This card allows me to keep my spirit monsters on the field for as long as I discard a card at the end of my turn. I summon my Susa Soldier and have him destroy your facedown monster."
Appearing on the field was a man dressed in orange robes, and metal armor, his hair was a mess of white static fuzz. He carried in his hands a long sword that was sizzling with electricity. (2000/1600) He came down hard on Sarah's facedown monster, carving it to bits.
"Cyber Jar!" Sarah revealed (900/900).
"I gotcha!" she exclaimed, as her mechanical monster appeared on the field. Its ocular lense sucked in the Susa Solider, then exploded. Appearing in front of each other were the top five cards of their decks. Sarah's cards were Monster Reborn, Ancient Elf, Rogue Doll, Wall of Illusion, and a Kuriboh. Richard's were Hino-Kagu-Tsuchi, Yamata Dragon, Otohime, Fushi No Tori, and Asura Priest.
All of Sarah's monsters appeared on the field in attack mode, even the Kuriboh, (1450/1200) (1600/1000) (1000/1850) (300/200). All of Richard's monsters remained in his hand.
"I knew I could get the drop on you with my Cyber Jar. Since your monster's aren't permitted to be special summoned, it would clear your field and leave you wide open!" she smiled.
"The duel isn't over yet! I reveal my Ulitmate Offering, and pay up 2000 life points to summon Inaba, Asura, Fushinotori, and Otohime to the field," he declared. Appearing on the field to challenge Sarah's monsters was the familiar rabbit, (700/500) a strange Hindu monk with gray skin and many dagger-bearing arms (1700/1200), a bird of intense flames (1200/0), and a provocatively-dressed young woman (0/100).
"And lastly, I sacrifice all my monsters and 1000 of my life points to summon Hino and Yamata!" Richard announced. His army of monsters on the field vanished in a haze of light.
Appearing first was a man wearing only a robe around his waist. His body had bigger muscles than the average bodybuilder, like he'd been taking steroids all his life. His arms were dappled in tattoos, and his hair was no less than an inferno atop his fleshly skull. A psychotic grin was on his face as he sneered at Sarah's monsters (2800/2900).
Next arrived a massive serpent of flesh and metal. It appeared to be larger than the largest recorded python, and probably weighed somewhere around 1.5 tons. It seemed to be not much more than 8 giant snake heads with corresponding necks. Their red eyes hungrily looked at Sarah's army, especially the Kuriboh, licking their scaly mouths and flicking out red tongues every few seconds (2600/3100).
"Lastly, I throw my Sinister Serpent into the graveyard to keep my monsters on the field for the turn. You're move, Hon," Richard teased. (5700)
"Oh, I'm SO going to wipe that smirk off your face! Here goes!" Sarah drew her card, and gave a sweet grin. "I sacrifice my Wall of Illusion and Kuriboh to summon Sorceress of Light!" In a fluorish of light and roses, the new lady mage made her appearance known.
She stood about 6.1, a woman of great stature. She wore a white gown that covered her long legs, and rather unique footwear. Around her waist was a belt with a images of roses and lilies, with a large crystal pendant around her neck. Her arms were bare except for the material around her shoulders and her pearl wrist gauntlets. She wore a cap that resembled the Magician's Valkyria, but more streamlined and silver-detailed. Her face was a mixture of joy and determination, hazel eyes reflected in the early sunlight. Her light brown hair flowed around in the air, and in her hand was a large staff, a long light blue pole with a head piece made of silver, gold and sapphire. In the dawn light, the woman looked like she had been set afire by the sun itself (2800/2500).
"Whoa," was Richard's only comment.
"I'm impressed. Normally I'd expect a guy like you to make a dick out of himself when seeing my card. I guess you're above the norm," Sarah praised.
Back atop the arch, Kyle looked at the monster in front of him.
"I'll never get used to having that thing hit me," he sighed, struggling to get back up.
"I guess you never will," Kissia laughed. Her dragons looked at him as though he was but a food that needed condiments.
He drew his next card, saying, "Well I guess they'll have to wait. I play Card of Sanctity, allowing us to draw up to six cards."
They both loaded the hands, causing a fluffball that vaguely resembled a ball of cotton candy with blue eyes and antennae to appear on the field (200/300).
"Meet my Watapon, though it won't be around for long. I send him to the graveyard to summon Curse of Dragon in attack mode," he announced. The ball vanished in a puff, leaving behind a dragon covered in a light brown scale covering. It had clawlike horns on the ends of its snout and tail, and it let out a feral screech(2000/1500).
"You expect to win with that thing?" Kissia wondered.
"You could say that, I place a pair of cards facedown and play my Premature Burial and call my Dark Magician Girl back to the field." He said, as his life points dropped to 1200. But appearing before him was his faithful magician, cheerful as ever. (2600/1700)
"Now I play Sage's Stone, allowing me to summon another Dark Magician from my Deck," he stated. Dark Magician Girl fumbled around in her hat, taking out a purple stone shortly afterward. When a purple light emanated from it, a different variety of Dark Magician had appeared. His skin was a slight green, his armor was out lined in red, and his hair was blonde (2500/2100).
"Strange. You once again amass a force of pitiful monsters to face my beasts. I think you should try a new tactic," Kissia advised.
"Well, that's all I'm gonna do. Show me what you got," Kyle challenged.
"Fine. Draw," she declared, taking her card. "I first play Mystik Wok and sacrifice my Blue Eyes to gain 3000 life points." The dragon roared as it was put into the world's largest stir-fry pan and fed into her life points (8000).
"Next, I sacrifice my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to summon my Blue Eyes Shining Dragon! You're finished!" she announced.
The newbeing, more machine than monster, was made of white metal. Its body was now the form of a giant mech-style wyvern. Cerulean orbs were placed on its body, glimmering in such a way that jewel fanciers would be envious. It had become more streamlined and avian in its body, and its wings had changed entirely. They too had become plantium, decorated with a blue sphere in each and edged with metal feathers. Kyle admired the power the new creature had as it floated in the sky (4500/2500).
"Now, attack the Dark Magician and let it be done! Shining Neutron Blast!" she commanded her beast. Its body shone with energy. All of it came flying in a beam at the Dark Magician.
Kyle flipped up his facedown card. "Negate Attack will end your attack and stop you cold." A massive wave of energy emitted from his card, and swirled the incoming beam into nothingness.
"Stubborn as ever. Fine. I first play my magic card, Painful Choice," she announced, taking five cards from her deck. A Spirit Ryu, a Rare Metal Dragon, Spear Dragon, another Paladin of White Dragon, and a Cave Dragon were all discarded.
"The Paladin," Kyle breathed. She cast the monsters into the graveyard.
"Next I play my Soul Release. I remove my Ultimate Dragon, and my three Blue-Eyes," she continued. The monster cards were removed from the game, slipping into a dimensional rift in her graveyard.
"Lastly, I reveal my facedown card, Dimension Fusion, and sacrifice 2000 of my life points to bring back all my monsters," she finished. The brothers and sisters of the Shining on the field emerged in a glorious barrage of light (3(3000/2500) (4500/3800) (4500/2500)).
"I set my remaining cards facedown. Let's see you weasel your way out of this," she challenged, finally starting to show some emotion.
Kyle drew his next card, and announced, "Prepare to face defeat."
"How? You never have ever managed to defeat me with your mages, only bring a stalemate," Kissia doubted.
"Watch, as I first play my facedown card, Dedication Through Light and Darkness!" he declared, flipping up the card. A swirling vortex appeared behind his Dark Magician, and drew him inside. A monster that resembled the Magician of Black Chaos, but quite different, came out of the warp (2800/2600).
"Meet the Dark Magician of Chaos," Kyle introduced.
"Big deal," his opponent scoffed.
"Actually, it is. My new Magician allows me to take a magic card in the graveyard whenever it is summoned. I'll pick Card of Sanctity. First, though, I play the magic card, Dark Magic Curtain, calling my final Dark Magician from my deck at the cost of half my life points," he began. He took the card from his graveyard and played the other in his hand. The familiar curtain appeared on the field. Leaping from it was another Dark Magician, and this one too was unique. Instead of the purple color, his outfit was a dark blue, and his skin a pale blue (2500/2100).
"I'll now play my Card of Sanctity again, allowing me to redraw another 6 cards," he proceeded, taking another batch of cards. Kissia did the same.
"I play my Dark Magic Attack Magic card. Say good bye to whatever surprises you have left!" he shouted. The Dark Magician floated into the air and aimed his staff. A blast of dark energy flew from it and blasted her Magic and Trap cards away.
"So what? Your little army is still no match for mine," Kissia brushed them off.
"It looks like you never learned the value of quality over quantity. Watch as I show you," Kyle demonstrated. He took one of his cards and held it up, "I play the Magic card, Tome of Dark Magic!" Kissia watched as Kyle loaded the card. The image of a book with the symbol of the Dark Magic on the cover appeared for a second. It then appeared in Kyle's hands, where it began to pulse with dark energy.
"What kind of card is that?" Kissia asked in shock.
"My greatest weapon. The Tome's requirement to work is at least 3 monster cards involving the Dark Magician in any form to be played during the duel and at least one on the field. It allows me to sacrifice a monster on my side of the field, permitting me to choose cards from my deck equal to the level of the monster. I choose my Curse of Dragon!" The Dragon shriekes as it became energy, transferring itself into the book. Kyle then pulled out his deck and began to look for what he needed.
Back on the shore, Jacob's Rema was running low. He had been running Tobias and Dan down, but at the cost of the better part of his strength.
Dan's body was cracked and damaged, but his strength remained as he continued to swipe at the floating machine.Tobias wasn't quitting either. He was chucking fireballs at the Bounder, Rema and temper like a raging fire.
If something doesn't happen soon, I'm going to be in big trouble when I lose what Rema I still have left, Jacob thought to himself. He ducked under another of Dan's blades.
"Come on! You're getting slower. Maybe you should cut back on the bear claws," Jacob taunted.
"Who are you, my diet expert?" Dan shot back, clapping his massive hands together. Jacob was nearly suffocated in his grip.
On the pavement, everyone was running low on strength. The two beasts were running low on stamina from the constant battle. The Crescent Dragon in particular was panting extremely from the fatigue and the blood loss. DarkFire, Kuro, and Don were all running low on Rema from all the damage they had been dealing. Their forms were becoming unstable.
Paul's body was still a mess, and to keep him from moving, Ashley was sitting on his chest.
Aaron saw that if something wasn't done soon, the DDL would lose what strength they had left and be the breakfast of the monsters. Without furtherhesitation, he loaded the cards onto his Duel Brace, and his form began to change.
Meanwhile, Sarah was just about to finish her duel. Richard wasn't ready to believe it.
"Sorry Doll. Despite you having a strong chick on the field, I've still got the advantage," Richard sneered.
"Looks can be deceiving, Dick, just like your whole façade of security," she corrected, holding up a card.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"he retorted.
"Watch as you're hopes of victory vanish before your eyes! I activate the De-Spell magic card!" she announced. Her card slapped a purple, gilded padlock on the machine. A turn of the key the Spiritual Energy Settling Machine card.Richard's eyes bulged as his Spirit monsters vanished off the field, leaving him wide open.
"Attack!" she commanded her monsters. They all collected their energy into a massive orb of light.
"This… is going to hurt." Richard muttered. He threw as much Rema as he could into a sphere around him. The orb of power was released into a massive wave of energy and slammed into Richard's sphere. His life points plummetted to zero. The shockwaves generated by the impact had shot the ball of Rema straight down the bridge into San Francisco.
Sarah smiled at her monsters. They waved her farewell as they vanished back into the cards.
"If that's the best a Horseman could do, the tournament's going to be cake. Now, for the other problem I-" she paused. A strong disturbance was in the air, occupying her attention.
What's that feeling? she asked herself. Something's wrong...
Back on the arch, Kyle reloaded his deck with 5 new cards in his hand.
"Took you long enough," Kissia grunted. She wouldn't have to wait long, however.
"I play Polymerization, combining my Dark Magician on the field with the Buster Blader in my hand. Come forth, Dark Paladin!" he called out. The Dark Magician on the field was swept up into the churning warp in the sky. With a flash of black lightning, the Magical Swordsman appeared alongside his fellows (2900/2400).
"What's the point of bringing that thing to the field?" Kissia scoffed.
"He's the real deal. The others are for moral support, and you have no idea how screwed you really are," Kyle began. "The Dark Paladin's power is increased by 500 for every dragon played in this duel. Last I counted, that's 11, so that's 5500 extra attack points!"
"No!"Kissia shrieked.The Paladin's power began surging violently for a grand total of 8400.
"You're finished! Diffusion Wave Motion!" Kyle called out. He threw the Magic card into the brace, and his life points dropped by 1000.The Paladin raised his blade into the air, and swung with an incredible force, sending a barrage of violent aftershocks. This sliced and diced every Blue-Eyes on the field like some superior vegetable chopper. Kissia's life points were cut straight to 0, but her fun wasn't over; when the dust subsided, Kissia's back had sprouted giant, blue-white dragon wings.
"You may have won the duel, Kyle Mahado, but the battle is just beginning!" she roared, flashing pointed teeth. A white-scaled tail snaked from her spine, twitching indeed like a serpent itching to strike. Her fingernails elongated, eventually fusing into three swordlike claws on each hand.
"So be it, Kissia Kisara! Spirit MERGE!" Kyle called out as he grabbed a card from his graveyard and slammed it on the Duel Brace. The boy was swept up in a funnel of energy, and emerged as the Skilled Dark Magician.
Across from him, Kissia's transformation was complete and she had reverted into a real Blue Eyes. She hissed at the mage, knowing that he was her opposite since the dawn of her existence.
Kyle held back his staff, and watched her float into the air, "So it ends here, fine then, let our fates be decided here!"
Back on the ground, Aaron's attempt seemed to be working, his body was fazing in and out, seemingly trying to stretch and grow. It's working! Just a little more.
Kuro dove at the Thunder monster with all her strength, planning to carve the beast in innumerable directions.
"You're going down!
The beast itself was tiring under the constant attack. It wasn't dead yet, but in agony from a slew of strikes. Kuro jumped in between the twin necks, but the behemoth jumped back wards, causing her to hit the pavement.
"Why you- " she cursed as a blast of lightning shot from one of the horns. Her form grew unstable as it dispersed, returning her back to (relatively) normal, right in the beast's bite range.
"KURO!" Don called out as he dove in and snatched her up.
The Thunder beast clamped both of its massive jaws towards them, but when they opened, nothing was inside.
A few feet away, next to Paul and Ashley, Nick was standing with a unconscious Kuro in his arms. She seemed to be barely alive.
"That was too close," he muttered.
"But that just leaves V out there!" Paul exclaimed.
Indeed, Vaurnut was already waning, the odds had just doubled against him and he was about to drop from exhaustion.
Gear's body began pulsating further, as it was trying to change form.
"Aaron, what are you doing?" Ashley asked.
Gearfried didn't answer. Instead he had become a ball of energy, his form shrinking.
"What the hell?" Nick wondered.
The orb of energy suddenly split up into 3 pieces. Each of which took positions that triangulated themselves from one another.
"He spilt himself up!" Sarah gasped. "I thought Dalin was the only one with that skill!"
The energy balls began to change into matter, each of which was about 4 feet tall. They resembled robotic children, each with different aspects of a magnet. The three of them instantly were recognized by everyone in the group save Ashley.
"Magnet Warriors!" Alpha, Beta, and Gamma awakened, moving about in the air.
"Where did he get Magnet Warriors?" Paul wondered.
"Rocky," Nick replied. "Aaron must have found them after I defeated Rocky when Dan raided the Castle."
None of the 3 monsters had mouths, so the only things that could be heard were droning and buzzing noises from their electricities as they took to the air. Then they got into a triangular formation, the seams around their body parts glowing.
"What are they doing?" Ashley asked.
"He's...Gonna try merging together into Valkyrion," Kuro murured, coming around slightly. It wasn't a normal awakening.
"But Josh is the only one who has pulled something like that off before." Paul said, taking into account Josh's Exodia form consisted of 5 parts.
"None of this makes sense. If he can make it happen, though, we'll be all set," Nick analyzed, the creatures beginning their transformation. The magnets' bodies broke apart into their many separate pieces. The pieces began to move on their own, as they combined back together.
Jacob glanced back to the bridge, and saw the mass of parts combining into limbs and body sections.
What the? he wondered, astonished. Is that Valkryion? Impossible! Even if he's a fast learner, there is no way for him to go that far this soon!
That lapse in concentration was all Dan needed. His massive stone blade nailed Jacob like a ton of bricks. The strong impact sent him crashing straight into the ground. The resulting damage was causing Reflect Bounder's form to be come unstable.Tobias towered over him, his fist glowing with red energy.
"How the mighty have fallen. I'm gonna enjoy this," he laughed.
"Don't miss," Jacob spat defiantly, watching only the Valkyrion transformation. The limbs clamped with the main body. Finally, the head came together, and the eyes lit up with digital life.Valkyrion was awake and ready for battle, his sword gleaming in the light.
"Yeah!" the crew called out. Vaurnut was the first to notice something.
"Why is he not moving?" V inquired.The group watched as the giant monster floated motionlessly in the sky. It levitated in the air like a massive statue.
"What's the matter? Why isn't he doing anything?" Ashley asked.
"Oh no! Look!" Sarah called out, pointing at Valkyrion's blade. The blade was cracking. Not only that, the metal was breaking apart, fissures growing all over Valkyrion's body.
"He's losing the stability, he's gonna blow!" Paul exclaimed. The cracking was spreading even faster.
Just then, his left leg exploded! It was soon followed by his right arm, then his wings! The crumbling monster plummeted to the ground as it exploded into thousands of pieces, shrapnel flying in all directions.
"NOO!" Ashley cried in horror, tears streaming down her face. The one she loved was in grave peril, and there wasn't a thing she could do about it.
To be continued…