Disclaimer: No I do not own Yugioh.
Tournament of Tears
Chapter 15: Time's Signs (Part 3)
Eon pointed his mask at the face-down card…and then drew. "During my standby phase, I lose 1000 life points."
Ichigo- 350
Eon- 14700
"Of course…" Eon's dragon roared as loudly as it could. "That won't matter in the end, will it? Burst Stream of Ages!" The dragon's jaws snapped open, in its baby form, and it unleashed a little balloon of energy that hurtled straight at Ichigo.
Ichigo gritted his teeth and pointed at his newly set card. "Reveal Fate's Dice!" A single crystal die appeared in the air above him. "This trap card rolls a single die, and depending on the number rolled we'll see just what happens!" The die dropped to his feet, and landed on a four. "Whew…all monsters in play are destroyed."
The Dragon of Ages roared in protest and then it was blown to ash.
Ichigo slid three cards off of his deck. "And since Mirage of Nightmare is still in play, I still have to keep drawing even if I don't want to anymore."
Eon went silent, and then looked at his drawn card. "I am not completely impressed, considering you were leaving your fate to a die roll instead of a set trap that could kill my dragon no matter what. Still…good job."
Ichigo felt strange when he heard that…he actually felt a little proud of himself. ("Yeah…I can do this as long as I keep my focus.")
("He's slipping again…he's losing what I sensed a few moments before.") Eon knew that if he ended his turn now, that Ichigo's weakened focus would result in Mirage of Nightmare draining his hand to one card, excluding the interference of the River of Time. "However, you are still completely incapable of attacking me. Your entire strategy now is simply to not die, and in the end that will never result in a victory against any opponent."
Ichigo's face hardened. "Hurry up and end your turn."
Eon felt Ichigo's aura rise up again to a solid sheath of blue around his body. ("Good, he stopped slipping.") "I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn."
Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck…
Eon tilted his head to the side…and then caught a card that was spat out of his deck. "The opponent of the player may now special summon a level four monster from their deck. My choice is Goddess of Time." (1200/1000) A heavenly woman in glittering crystal blue robes appeared on the field, her smile radiant in the dimension.
Ichigo didn't react beyond holding up the drawn card. "Emergency Provisions, finally. I sacrifice Mirage of Nightmare and my face-down card to gain 2000 life points!" Both of the cards on his field vanished.
Ichigo- 2350
Eon- 14700
Eon nodded imperceptibly. ("Excellent play, Ichigo. Excellent draw.")
Ichigo snapped up a card. "I activate DA Emblem! This magic card could be a Polymerization for a DA Force monster, but I'm using its other effect instead! It's other effect which allows me to add one DA Force monster from my deck to my hand, as long as I have no monsters in play!" Grabbing the new card, he slammed it onto his disk. "Emerge now, DA Force-Adriel the Phantom Dragon!" (2400/1400) "This monster can be summoned without sacrifice if I have no monsters in play!" A roar shook the dimension, and a giant pitch black dragon lowered onto the field. "Adriel…"
The dragon didn't respond to the voice, its eyes locked on Eon.
Ichigo smiled slightly. "Yeah, I feel the same. Let's kick his ass. First though, a change of scenery!" The air around them changed and warped, now looking like an arena in the Duelist Academy. "The field magic card Duelist Academy raises the attack power of all DA Force monsters in play by 300!" (2700/1400) "Adriel's special ability allows me to attack you directly if your monsters are all either in defense mode or are weaker than Adriel! Direct attack now, Phantom Fire Burst!" Adriel launched up into the air above the goddess, wisps of black fire along his jaws.
Eon's face-down card flipped up. "I activate the quickplay magic card Time Crush. If there is a monster in play that has Time in its title, I can target and destroy one monster in play on your field. Then you'll take 300 points of damage."
Ichigo's right eye lifted a little and he smiled in a way that made him seem momentarily crazy. "Nice card, bad timing!"
The quickplay magic card released a blast of energy that hurtled towards Adriel like a missile…and the missed when the dragon demon disappeared into thin air. "What?" If Eon's face wasn't hidden, he would have been completely confused.
Ichigo held up Adriel's card. "Duelist Academy allows me, once per turn, to return a DA Force monster that is targeted by a magic, trap, or monster effect to my hand. After the targeting card's effect has resolved, I can special summon one DA Force monster from my hand to the field! Return Adriel!" And then the giant black dragon returned in the same position he had been before.
Eon gasped in surprise, right before waves upon waves of black fire slammed down onto him.
Ichigo- 2350
Eon- 12000
Ichigo clenched his fist slightly. ("I can do this!") "I set one card face-down on the field and I'll call it quits after that!"
Eon grew quiet for a moment…before he drew. "Prepare yourself…" Small cracks could be seen along his mask. "I'm not going to hold back as much."
"Quit talking and draw." Ichigo didn't like how this guy constantly seemed to act like he was somehow stopping himself from drawing perfect cards. ("All of his draws have been great so far, so I doubt he truly is holding back.)
Eon felt his energy flare momentarily. ("If I push too hard, I'll break him. However, if I hold back too much of the energy, he'll continue to push me backwards and his own focus will break as his confidence rises. Both are not desirable options, so therefore I'll fight him with my instinct. For now, I'll let my normal skill dictate my draws.") He drew. "River of Time activates the effect which gives us both a 1000 life point boost."
Ichigo- 3350
Eon- 13000
Ichigo grimaced at that. ("This dimension is so chaotic…and yet it's strangely orderly. What a weird place. No wonder this guy is off his rocker.")
Eon pointed at Ichigo. "Goddess of Time, while River of Time is in play, allows me to attack directly! Go!" The goddess lifted her arms into the sky, and they released a glowing crystal blue energy that washed over Ichigo, burning him slightly.
Ichigo- 2150
Eon- 13000
Eon held up his drawn card. "Now I play the quickplay magic card Cosmic Backlash. All monsters in play will be destroyed!" Both Goddess of Time and Adriel blew apart. "Of course, that brings my turn to an end."
Ichigo drew slowly, praying that the River of Time didn't do anything to give Eon an advantage. As he looked at the drawn card, he braced himself as he felt the River of Time suck energy out of him. ("I lose 1000 life points.")
Ichigo- 1150
Eon- 13000
Eon crossed his arms across his chest. "This is your chance to attack me once more, and possibly bring my life points down to a manageable level."
Ichigo knew that even if he wanted to, the card he had drawn wasn't meant to fight. "I'll just set a monster face-down on the field and end my turn."
Eon drew, and all of Ichigo's cards disappeared. "All cards on both fields are sent back to their owner's decks, and during this turn I cannot battle." Looking at his drawn card, he inserted it into his disk. "I'll simply set this card face-down on the field. End turn."
Ichigo snapped the top card off of his deck, and a meager smile crossed his lips as he heard the song of the River of Time. "Your face-down card is destroyed." The card shattered instantly. "And since I have no face-down cards at the moment, that effect doesn't do anything to me. Plus, the Warrior Returning Alive card I just got allows me to bring back Griff from my graveyard to my hand!" He slid a card from his hand into his disk and then slapped Griff's card down onto the disk. "Come on back, Griff!" There was a blast of light and Griff, in his Don Zaloog outfit, appeared on the field.
There was a long silence, and then Griff punched Ichigo right in the chin. "You stupid fool!"
Ichigo rubbed his chin and sighed. "I deserve that, but nows seriously not the time. Because I'm about to activate Griff's second effect! If I have no cards in my hand when he is summoned, I can roll a single six-sided die!" A white die appeared in his palm. "Whatever number is rolled equals the number of cards I draw. Afterwards, that same number of cards is discarded from my deck to the graveyard. Then, if any DA Force monsters were discarded with that effect, they are shuffled back into my deck!" He practically threw the die across the space between Eon and him.
Eon looked down at his boot, where the die had stopped on a four.
Ichigo grinned and drew four cards. Then he slid four more cards off of his deck, and after frowning discarded them all. ("Alright, I'm set!") "Griff, attack his life points directly!"
Griff held up a pair of knives, which he threw across the field. They both blew through Eon's body and then disappeared off into space. "Take that, you weirdo."
Ichigo- 1150
Eon- 12200
Ichigo slid a card into his disk. "Now I set one card face-down on the field and end my turn." ("If everything goes according to plan, I'll win this easily.")
("His aura is fading again, stupid fool!") Eon snapped the top card off of his deck. ("I'll not hold back in this turn.") "The effect of River of Time returns all cards on your field to your deck! Also, I draw a card for every returned card! During this turn I cannot attack though, luckily for you!"
Griff gulped right before he vanished, along with Ichigo's two face-down cards.
Ichigo gritted his teeth…right until a blast of blue energy blew right through his body. "What…" Clutching his chest, he dropped to one knee.
"I activated the quickplay magic card Return Backlash. For every card that was sent back to your deck or hand, you take 300 points of damage." Eon slid three cards into his disk. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn."
Ichigo- 250
Eon- 12200
Ichigo slowly stood up, a little blood coming from the left side of his mouth. ("I'll show you!") He drew and smirked. "My opponent loses 1000 life points. Too bad for you…"
Ichigo- 250
Eon- 11200
Eon scoffed. "You think I'm in danger of losing, as compared to your pitiful performance?"
Ichigo looked at the drawn card. "I'm playing Pot of Greed, so sit back and watch as during this turn you lose another hunk of life points!" Drawing two more cards, he held one of them up. "It's time for a Time-out! So I activate the magic card Restful Time-out to shuffle all DA Force monsters from my graveyard and removed from play pile back into my deck!" His graveyard flashed for a moment as this happened.
Eon stopped scoffing. ("This building power…is it what I was hoping for?")
Ichigo snapped up another DA Emblem. "I'm getting myself this time!" Catching a card that was spat out of his deck, he slammed it down and suddenly he was surrounded by the powered armor from before. (1600/1400) "Ichigo the True Hero is here to take you down!" Striking a pose, Ichigo felt stronger than before…
Eon motioned to his three set cards. "Are these bluffs then?"
Ichigo held up another card. "Honestly, I don't care. I'm about to go wild on your ass! Go Demon Lineage!" An aura of red energy sprang to life around him. "I sacrifice myself!" And then the peaceful blue flow of the dimension was shattered as a red storm overtook everything.
Eon braced himself, but otherwise didn't seem too afraid. He did have three face-down cards that would be able to defend him.
As the storm cleared, the armor Ichigo had been wearing was gone completely. In its place stood the wild full demon Ichigo from before. "Now then…I believe I owe you for trying to seal me back up!" Roaring, Ichigo charged right at Eon.
"Reveal Sakuretsu Armor, which will destroy you!" Eon gasped as Ichigo barreled right through it. "RevealEncore Performance to copy the effect of my last trap!" And Ichigo barreled right through it. "Why won't you…"
Ichigo slammed his fist as hard as he possibly could into Eon's face, the cracks on the mask multiplying exponentially. "Because I'm the toughest card this deck can produce!" Landing a side kick to Eon, he flipped away and returned to Ichigo's field. "DA Force-Ichigo the Unleashed!" (2800/2300)
Eon dropped to his knees, now having trouble drawing in breath. ("This isn't what I was expecting…he simply brought the Splinter out again.")
Ichigo- 250
Eon- 8400
Ichigo held up one of his hand cards. "Now I play Sebek's Blessing, which will allow me to gain life points equal to the number I just kicked out of you."
Ichigo- 3050
Eon- 8400
Eon slowly stood back up. "So you're immune to traps then?"
"No, I'm immune to being destroyed by magic, trap and monster card effects three times. That was two, such a shame." Ichigo crossed his arms across his chest coldly. "I'll set the last card in my hand face-down on the field, and end my turn."
Another piece of Eon's mask fell away, revealing a part of his chin. "Indeed…you are strong then. However…I see now that Ichigo cannot truly do anything without you. For that, I must end this now." He drew. "It ends here, for the effect of River of Time drops both of our life point totals by 1000!"
Ichigo- 2050
Eon- 7400
Ichigo snickered. "What do you think I am? I won't crumble to anything but a killing blow."
"Then let me reveal my killing blow! Ring of Destruction!" Eon's face-down card flipped face-up. "Your savage attack caught me off guard, but that's fine…it is over." A metal ring appeared around Ichigo's neck. "This will destroy you and deal damage to yourself equal to your attack points. And in case you thought I would take damage too…" He slid a card into his disk and a strange metal ring appeared on the field. "Ring of Defense makes that a moot point, as all life point damage to me through effects is negated during this turn."
Ichigo grabbed the ring and tugged as hard as he could. "No…not like this…not like…" And then the ring exploded with enough force to shake the entire dimension.
As the smoke cleared, it revealed the original form of Ichigo face-down on the ground, smoke rising off of him slowly.
Ichigo- 0
Eon- 7400
Eon sighed quietly. "You almost got there…you almost got there." He turned to walk away…
Ichigo's empty eyes stared down into the endless sea of light, and he felt so many conflicting emotions. ("But I can't lose here, I have to save mom.")
("Why am I still trying?") ("I don't want to make everyone cry.") ("I don't want to die, please…no…I don't want to die!") ("I'll kill that bastard…") ("Dad, save me please…somebody help me.")
Eon didn't even look back. "Perhaps you were never meant to be the one who saved the world from this tragedy. Perhaps maybe there was just too much pressure being placed on you. It's a shame though, because I know the truth. I know that if you would just stop being so afraid, then you could truly be exactly what you have declared yourself to be so many times before this. You could not just a hero, but The Hero. You could be the one who is remembered forever…" He went silent, still not slowing in his strides at all. "Then again, it doesn't matter anymore, does it? Find peace in death, Ichigo Pilkington."
"No…" Ichigo tried to stand, but he couldn't find the strength to move. It felt like every part of him was truly dead…and maybe that was because the explosion had put him in critical condition. "I…I…."
"What is your motivation?" Eon stopped and turned to face Ichigo. "What drives you to risk your entire existence?"
Ichigo went silent, both from pain and from the fact he wasn't sure anymore. ("My mother? No…that doesn't feel like the true reason. Why do I fight? Why do I…fight?") Pain spiked through his entire being as his heart shut down for a couple of milliseconds. He was dying, regardless of what he did or figured out, he would be dead in just a short while. ("I won't cry anymore…I'm beyond sadness of dying. My death won't sadden me…but…but…")
Eon turned and walked off, disgusted by this sight. ("You were too weak to understand. For that, death is your only reward in the end.")
Ichigo's eyes slowly closed, a single mote of light touching his forehead.
To be continued…