Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.

Note to the readers: Ignore the information about the DDL universe in the first chapter. This entire story will be held in a different universe, if just because I learned an important lesson about having too many responsibilities in a story. Sorry folks, there won't be any of those demons you love or despise…with one exception, but that comes later.

Vanguard Generations

Chapter 2: Battle in the Air

Shinsei sat back in his chair. ("This is so absolutely boring…I'd think that something would happen which would provide me with some entertainment…") A loud ding noise came from the intercom system above him.

"Attention all passengers aboard Shadow Flight twenty nine, open dueling is allowed down in the hangar bay. All duelists wishing to pass the time or improve their decks before arrival at the tournament may simply ask for permission to be allowed down into the hangar bay." Then the intercom went silent.

Shinsei smirked and stood up, whistling innocently as he walked towards the Hangar Bay of the huge jet-liner. ("This should be worth the time…")

---------------

As Shinsei walked around the expansive hangar bay of the jet-liner, he smiled at the sights that greeted him. All around this place, there were plenty of duelists who were in the middle of duels. ("And my blood is boiling just thinking about dueling one of them…") He flexed his hands and knew that it was time to find someone to fi…er, duel. ("This will be beautiful…another battle between myself and a worthy opponent…")

An explosion of air shook the inside of the hangar bay, and a scream of pain caught Shinsei's attention immediately.

A tornado flew by the boy and crashed into the metal wall of the chamber, revealing a bloodied young man who collapsed in a heap the moment he was no longer held up in the air by the tornado. ("So that's it…an opponent who likes to inflict pain on his enemies…good…") Shinsei sneered and turned to walk over to the location where the tornado had come from. ("I look forward to a duel that will test my limits and beyond…")

The standing duelist was a young man wearing a metal set of dog tags. His eyes were an emerald green and his hair was bright green and spiked up. Wearing a black and green bodysuit, he noticed Shinsei's glance and narrowed his eyes menacingly. "So you want to fight me? I can tell it in your eyes…"

Shinsei flashed a calm smile. "I'd love to beat your face in…metaphorically, of course."

"Of course…" The other boy knew the truth about what Shinsei meant. ("Something about this boy is dangerous…very dangerous. It's like watching a dangerous wild animal at work…he wants to physically fight someone.") "I am Airos Mitsunawa." Airos stepped forward and a strange distortion in the air around him built up. "You look like you wish to battle me with your hands rather than with your cards…"

"That I do…you look like you can take a hit." Shinsei cracked his knuckles. "Perhaps I'll knock you out…"

"I very much doubt that you could actually touch me with your fists, fool." Airos held up his duel disk and it activated. "So how about you stop being a fool and let's begin the game!"

Shinsei sighed and his duel disk activated. "That's fine with me, let's begin!"

As soon as the duel computers realized that they were going to duel, the ground around them warped, and it seemed like the entire airship had disappeared, replaced by nothing but the open night sky.

Airos smiled calmly. "As you should know, the area that the duelists are located in determines the zone of the duel. Because you and I are currently about twenty thousand feet in the air, the field is sky. As such, all Winged Beast, Dragons, and Thunder monsters gain a thirty percent power bonus to their original attack power."

Shinsei blinked a couple of times, and then stupidly rubbed the back of his head and laughed. "Nope, I have no clue what this tournament is about?"

Airos somehow managed to face-fall right into air. "How…how could have made it this far then?"

"I heard there was a tournament, so I decided that I would come here and give it my all, no matter what kind of tournament it was. When I found out it was a Duel Monsters tournament, I was kind of disappointed actually." Shinsei tapped the top card of his deck with a finger. "Well, are you ready to begin?"

"Yes." Airos drew the top six cards off of his deck and looked at all of them. "First, the field that represents my very powers! Rising Air Current, activate!" All around them the calm sky came alive, strong winds blowing across the field ruthlessly. "Now then, can you survive just one monster out of my deck, when the field is against you completely! Do not forget what I am about to tell you about the Sky Zone. While we are in it all monsters that are of the earth, water, or fire attribute and are not Winged Beast, Dragon, or Thunder cannot attack. With this in mind, I offer you my condolences for the fact that you will soon lose. I doubt your deck is ready for such a field."

Shinsei tapped his chin a couple of times and then shrugged. "Actually, I chose to use my Elemental Hero deck. Considering my choice, perhaps it was a foolish one. Oh well. Now come."

"As you wish!" Airos threw a card onto his disk. "Descend from the skies, Air Hunter!" (1600/600) A loud screech filled the air and a giant red-feathered hawk lowered down from the skies to the field. "Sky Zone increases its attack power by 480 points!" (2080/600) "Also, Rising Air Current's special ability raises the power of all wind attribute monsters in play 500, and lowers their defense by 400." (2580/200)

Shinsei whistled in minor amazement. "Amazing…such a big four star…"

"Don't mock me when you're the one put in the position of losing!" Airos slid two more cards into his disk. "After placing two cards face-down on the field I'll give the turn to you. Make good use of it, because when I'm done my Air Hunter will have destroyed you just like it did that last person I dueled against."

"I doubt it." Shinsei drew the top card of his deck and inserted it into his hand. "Anyway, let's get started!" As he looked at the cards in his hand, he sighed. "I hate starting defensive. I summon Elemental Hero-Shieldman (0/2500) to the field in defense mode." A superhero holding a giant shield in front of them appeared on the field. "Also, I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn." As the card appeared behind his monster, he closed his eyes. ("First he'll destroy my Draining Shield.")

"During your end phase, I reveal Dust Tornado!" A blast of wind shot up from one of Airos' two set cards and it blew the set card on Shinsei's field apart. "Also, I reveal Wingbeat of the Sky-Beasts! This trap card allows me to send one monster on the field with less attack points than a Winged Beast monster I have in play to the graveyard!" Another blast of wind slammed into Shieldman and blew it apart. "And now my turn begins!" Airos drew the top card of his deck and pointed at Shinsei. "Go Air Hunter, attack his life points directly!"

Shinsei barely flinched as the giant bird flew past him, its claws trying to stab into his skin but finding they couldn't. "You'll have to hit me harder than that to injure me."

Airos- 4000

Shinsei- 1420

Airos smirked and slid two cards into his disk. "I place two more cards face-down on the field and then I end my turn. Good luck, because next time it will be the end."

Shinsei drew, not worried at all. ("I could tell by his stance and the way he was acting so smug that he had a card combo to destroy my field. Now though, his stance has changed to a more defensive one. He knows that if I don't make some kind of upset in this turn, then I'll during the next. Considering that fact, his face-down cards are most likely a trap to stop a magic or trap card from destroying magic or trap cards, and a trap that is a back-up in case he has to clear the field.") As these thoughts flashed through his head, his eyes went from calm to just relaxed. "Hmmm…I wonder what you will do in response to this."

Airos lifted up an eyebrow, and then hardened his resolve to duel. ("No, I will not fall to you…")

"First, let's start with a personal favorite of mine!" Shinsei's field was covered in little blue bubbles, which all popped at once as a blue-armored superhero appeared on the field. "Elemental Hero-Bubbleman (800/1200) is summoned, and when he is summoned while I have no other cards on my field, I can draw more." Sliding two extra cards off of his deck, Shinsei held up another card. "I play the magic card Right Justice. When I have an Elemental Hero in play then I may destroy a magic or trap card on your field! Now to clear the card on the right…" ("Which is most likely the back-up plan card, because of how you placed it down before you put down the other one. It's the focus of your plan.")

"Reveal South Wind!" Airos' face-down card that wasn't targeted flipped up and a blast of air struck Right Justice right out of Shinsei's hand, shattering it. "This trap activates when the opponent attempts to use an effect to destroy magic or trap cards in play. The effect is negated and the activating card is destroyed!"

Shinsei knew that already. He rarely evaluated the opponent's movements incorrectly. "It doesn't matter….because it's time to get to somewhere I find more pleasant!" His field magic card opened and he slammed a card from his hand into it. "Skyscraper!" All around them, the fierce winds died down and were replaced by towering buildings. "In this place, when an Elemental Hero battles with a stronger monster they gain 1000 attack points for the fight."

Airos gritted his teeth as his field magic card was forced into the graveyard. That wasn't all either, because now the attack of his Air Hunter dropped. (2080/600) "It doesn't matter, because your monster doesn't have enough attack power even with a 1000 boost!"

"That's true…partially." Shinsei held up another card. "Bubbleman's best weapon, the Bubble Shooter!" A large bazooka with what looked to be a water cooler on top of it fell from the sky and landed on the superhero's shoulder. "This equipment magic card raises the attack power of Bubbleman by 800 points!" (1600/1200)

"That means…" Airos gritted his teeth. "You're too stupid for words." Then he started to laugh out loud. "Have you forgotten the Sky Zone so quickly? Sorry, but your monster isn't a Dragon, Winged Beast, or Thunder, so it can't attack because of its water attribute."

Shinsei's face didn't change. "I place one card face-down on the field and end my turn. Honestly, I did forget about that…but it doesn't matter because you still can't attack me as long as my power up combo is in play." As a card shimmered into existence next to Bubbleman, he closed his eyes and mentally went over his change in strategy as he applied the rules of the Sky Zone.

Airos chuckled and drew. "It's too bad, gold and black hair. You could have done so much better had you actually been paying attention to all of the rules, instead of just me. You must be a martial artist through the way that you read all of my plays…but even with that factored in I will still win thanks to my overwhelming tactics! Draw!" Looking at the drawn card, he sneered and held it up. "Terraforming lets me search my deck for one field magic card!" A card slid out of his deck and he added it to his hand. "Now I reveal my next trap card…East Wind!" A blast of air hit Shinsei's face-down card and blew it apart. "This trap destroys all face-down cards in play when activated."

("And because my trap would only work if he attacked, I can't activate it and make it a face-up card.") Shinsei gritted his teeth. "I'm not done yet!"

"Yes you are. Rising Air Current, blow down these little stone structures of his." As Airos inserted his field magic card in place, the skyscrapers around them all exploded into dust. (2580/200) "It ends here for you! Go now Air Hunter! Attack Bubbleman!" The giant hawk launched right at the superhero and slammed into it.

"Bubble Shooter activates when Bubbleman would be destroyed as a result of battle!" Shinsei pointed at the bazooka, which Bubbleman had used to block the attack. "It is destroyed instead of my monster!" The whole thing shattered…

Airos snickered. "Is that so? Think again…thanks to my quickplay magic card!" The green-haired boy held up the other card in his hand and a spear of air pierced into Bubbleman's chest, blowing it apart. "Piercing Winds activates when a Winged Beast monster on my field attacks but does not destroy the monster they battled with. The monster that survived gets killed anyway. And since that was the last card in my hand and all I have left is Rising Air Current and Air Hunter, the turn is now yours."

Shinsei stood there, his eyes narrowed. Looking down at the two cards in his hand, he smiled. ("If this was a fight…now would be the time to show off something this guy doesn't know what to do about.") Then he drew. "Heh…so I can't use water, earth, or fire attribute monsters in this place of yours?"

"You are mostly right, though you can use them. They simply cannot attack, that is all." Airos tapped his foot a couple of times. "Well? Are you just going to enjoy the night air, or will we duel like it matters?"

"Oh trust me, it matters." Shinsei held up a card. "I activate Monster Reincarnation! By discarding one card from my hand I can add one monster card from my graveyard to my hand!" He held up a normal monster card with the picture of a blue and yellow armored superhero on it. "I discard Elemental Hero Sparkman to bring back Elemental Hero Bubbleman! But don't forget Sparkman…he'll be right back!" The card in his hand changed from Sparkman to Bubbleman.

"You intend to summon that weak monster and draw two cards? How foolish…once you've draw those two cards you'll understand your mistake." Airos scoffed…until he saw Shinsei's eyes. "You actually think you will destroy Air Hunter?"

"Think? What think?" Shinsei threw a card onto his disk. "Bubbleman, let's do it!" The superhero appeared on the field again and Shinsei drew two more cards. "Now I play Fusion Sage, which allows me to search my deck for one Polymerization card and add it to my hand!" The image on the card he held up changed into the orange and blue swirl of a Polymerization card.

"A fusion? Obviously that is what you meant…but can you bring out one strong enough to defeat Air Hunter?" Airos felt uneasy now…this Shinsei no longer seemed like easy prey.

"Almost, but first I need to bring out more help!" Shinsei held up another card, this one having a picture of big blue E on it. "Emergency Call allows me to add one Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand!" A giant glowing blue E appeared in the air above him. "My choice is Elemental Hero Featherman!" A small tornado exploded underneath him, and a card shot out of his deck and into his hand. "Also, now that I have my two sure-fire cards, I play my Pot of Greed to add a little bit of chaos to the mix!" Drawing two more cards off of his deck, Shinsei smiled and leaned in towards Airos a little. "Ready, bird boy?"

Airos gulped. ("He's bringing out something big…wait…") His smile slowly returned. ("Considering what Bubbleman is, he must be planning on bringing out a water fusion. The fool…I bet he had forgotten the Sky Zone's effect again.")

"Dark Factory of Mass Production allows me to add up to two normal monsters from my graveyard into my hand!" As the card he was holding changed into Sparkman, he held up three cards from his hand. "Polymerization…fuse the power of water, wind and lightning together. Bring me a storm named Elemental Hero Tempester!" An explosion of powerful winds struck the field as a winged superhero with a blaster for one arm appeared on the field. (2800/2800) "And that isn't all, because Tempester is a wind your field magic card powers him up!" (3300/2300) "Go Chaos Tempest!" Tempester unleashed a swirling drill of blue energy that blew the Air Hunter apart.

Airos- 3280

Shinsei- 1420

Airos stood there in utter silence, his eyes wide at the loss of his monster. ("That bastard actually did it…")

Shinsei held up the last card in his hand and it started to glow. "Fusion Recovery will allow me to take back Polymerization and Sparkman into my hand. After that I place one card face-down in play. End turn." The boy seemed much more confident now that he had a monster which gained some kind of benefit from his opponent's field magic card.

Airos snapped the top card off of his deck, raging winds centered around his body only. "I'll destroy you with this card, you insect! Crown of the Skies can activate without cost if I have no cards in my hand, and it allows me to special summon King of the Skies from my deck to the field!" A loud screech filled the air as an eagle the size of a jet liner flew by, nearly knocking Shinsei over with the force of its sonic speed. "Here is where you end, gold black hair. This monster gains a special bonus when Rising Air Current is in play…which is an extra 400 attack points." (2900/1400) (3770/1400) (4270/1000) (4670/1000)

"4670 attack points?" Shinsei gritted his teeth, amazed that such a duelist could so easily bring out something stronger than Tempester with just one card.

"Go, my strongest monster! Crush him with your Royal Storm!" The giant eagle flapped its winds once, the resulting force blowing Tempester apart. "You're finished now."

"Not yet! Tempester's special ability activates now!" Shinsei's face-down Polymerization flipped up and then disappeared, while Tempester reappeared on the field. "When Tempester would be destroyed as a result of battle, I can send one card on my field to the graveyard to negate that destruction."

Airos- 3280

Shinsei- 50

Airos frowned, but nodded his head. "Very good, you managed to protect your Tempester from destruction. Now, however, the duel is in my favor. I can already see where this will go. You will set every card you draw face-down, after switching Tempester to defense mode. You'll use each and every card as a shield to keep your monster alive until you get something that will allow you to win. Fool…"

"Who said anything about that?" Shinsei drew. "I set one card face-down on the field…" His lips lifted and he pointed at the King of the Skies.

("He can't be that insane…it would kill him…") Airos stood there, slack-jawed. "You…you fool…"

"Tempester, show him why I don't like it when the opponent makes false guesses about my strategy! Chaos Tempest!" The warrior unleashed a blast of energy from his blaster, which drilled towards the giant eagle.

"Counterattack with Royal Storm!" King of the Skies screeched and flapped its wings once, sending the energy attack back at Tempester twice as fast as it had been going before.

"Tempester's special ability activates now!" Shinsei watched the approaching blast…and smirked as it dissolved into nothing when a swirling bubble of green wind came alive around Tempester's body.

"What? How did you negate the attack?" Airos didn't see how it was possible…the boy had only Sparkman in his hand, so it wasn't a quickplay magic card…

"Tempest Vortex!" Shinsei held up the card he had sacrificed to Tempester's effect. "When this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, during that turn all damage to my field is zero. However, if this card is sent to the graveyard through the effect of Tempester, then it does a little more than that…" The bubble shuddered and was sucked into Tempester's body. "Tempester, at this time, may now attack you directly!"

"What?" Airos yelped as suddenly Tempester was in front of him, the blaster inches from his face. (3300/2300) "Crap…"

Shinsei held up his right hand, the index finger and thumb out so it resembled a gun. "Bang." And then Airos disappeared within the power of the direct attack Chaos Tempest.

Airos- 0

Shinsei- 50

As the field disappeared, Airos dropped to his knees in pain. "You…beat me on my own field?"

Shinsei shrugged innocently. "My name is Shinsei Zeru. If you want revenge, get stronger. I'll be around." Then he turned and walked off, knowing he had made an enemy today… ("Which means that it was a success. You can't have fun without having a bit of conflict.")

Airos just kneeled, a slight smile on his face. ("Shinsei Zeru, huh? No…I don't need to get any stronger. You barely pulled that off with you draw. Therefore…") Slowly he stood up and brushed himself off. ("I haven't even gotten to the tournament yet and I already have a rival. Who would have thought it?")

To be continued…

To G.O.T. Nick: Yes and no. You know of Deondre Anderson? Yes, he is the one who contributed Shinsei Zeru, and his great dueling ability isn't just limited to my story. His real life dueling talent is amazing…though I admit it was funny when I told him I wasn't providing him with a list of fusions for the deck. It's rather funny to watch someone who knows nothing about running fusion decks play one.

To Seeker of the Soul: The more things change, the more they stay the same.

To Lucien Shadow Master: Team? Who said this tournament involved teams?

To queenofgames: Heh…errr….I'm sorry.

To Adriel Touchstone: On that note, what happened to you? No offense, but you didn't just stop updating…you seemed to drop off the planet.

To Obsessive Zero Fan: Eh, huh? Yeah, thanks for summing it up like that. Trust me, when my friends and I truly RP something out, it's a lot more intense than just "eh".

To Gryphinwyrm7: You don't always need fusion, despite what other think. The deck can duel without a single Polymerization in it, if just because of the bonus afforded by Skyscraper.

To Darksoulkai: Thanks.

To Sinister: It's not going anywhere, I just can't think 'end of the world' right now.

To Justin: Sorry, but the fifth warrior fusion deck was already determined by me. And besides, there are already two spy decks that compete against each other…why a third?

To John: The E-Heroes are warriors…

To Wolfy: There might be Cyber Dragons…there might just be.