Dark Magic
The following morning had gone by since Jaden's duel against Nightshroud. And now, free of the influence of his alter ego, Atticus Rhodes was recovering on a bed in the infirmary. Jaden was resting on a different bed and hadn't woken up since winning the shadow game. And that's not surprising since he was injured as a result of the monster attacks he'd gone through. Alexis was sitting in a chair next to her brother, staring at him with sad eyes. And who could blame her? Her precious big brother was gone for a year without a trace. And then, he returned to Duel Academy, only to force her friend into a duel and get his spirit key. And if that wasn't enough, some of her other friends got involved, including Syrus and Chumley, who were almost boiled alive in a volcano, and Andrew who was supposed to be forced into another duel. But at least her brother was back.
And speaking of Syrus and Chumley, they were sitting next to Jaden's bed, watching his unmoving form.
They all sat there alone until the infirmary door opened and let the other key keepers enter.
"Hey Alexis." Andrew greeted. "How's your brother doing?"
"He's still recovering." She answered. "But Ms. Fontaine told me that his condition is stable."
"At least your brother is back, and that's great." Jenny spoke. "But it's awful that he had to go through being possessed by Nightshroud."
"Not to mention what he did to Jaden and you guys." Michael added.
"Speaking of whom…" Andrew turned to the Slifer trio. "How's Jaden doing?"
"A little better, but that's all." Syrus replied.
"Yeah, all those attacks he took was so anti-lishus. And he hasn't woken up yet." Chumley added.
"But at least one Shadow Rider's off our backs." Shiori said.
"But Nightshroud was only the first one." Zaner said. "There are still 11 more we have to face."
"And according to Chancellor Sheppard, another one arrived here at the same time as Nightshroud." Bastion added.
"Meaning another punk is lurking around somewhere on the island." Chazz muttered.
"Come to think of it, Atticus is one of the many victims who disappeared at the abandoned dorm." Michael spoke. "It's quite possible that there are more missing students who joined the Shadow Riders."
"That's true. Many other students are still missing." Jenny added. "But how're we supposed to know who they are?"
"Maybe I can help." Someone spoke up.
The group turned around to see Matt standing at the door.
"Matt? When did you get here?" Shiori asked.
"Just in time to hear about your Shadow Rider dilemma." The flip duelist replied. "I happen to know how you can find out wether any other missing students joined them."
"Oh yeah?" Chazz scoffed and crossed his arms. "And what can you do?"
Matt smirked as he reached into his pocket. "I can give you guys this…" He then pulled out an electronic disk.
Jenny seemed to recognize it for some reason. "That flash drive."
"Do you remember that guy Gerard who came over before the school duels?"
Alexis widened her eyes. "Yes, that's right! He was the one who was asking me and Jenny about the missing students."
"Yup, that's him. And before he left the island, he gave me this. I looked it over and apparently, it has a list of all the students who've gone missing at the abandoned dorm."
"That's perfect, Matt!" Andrew praised.
"I should be able to use my computer to open the files." Bastion suggested. "Then I'll send everyone the info on their duel pilots."
Matt gave the flash drive to him before he headed out. The rest of the gang left the infirmary as well. Jenny was about to leave but noticed that Alexis remained on her chair. "You're not gonna leave, Alexis?"
"I want to stay here a little longer." She replied softly.
Jenny nodded, understanding. "Okay, I'll see you later." With that, she left.
Alexis turned to her brother and smiled a little. 'I'm glad that you're back, big brother. After hearing about how you disappeared, I thought I lost you forever. Whoever did this to you will pay. But at least you're safe now...' She then walked over to Jaden's bed and slightly touched his left cheek. 'And Jaden. I'm sorry you ended up like this, but thanks for bringing my brother back to me...'
Later on, Andrew and Shiori were sitting at a table in the Ra meal hall, along with other students and ate lunch.
"So you think that there could be more missing students who were possessed and joined the Shadow Riders?" Shiori asked before sipping some noodle soup.
"Yeah, that's quite possible." Andrew replied after swallowed some noodles. "I mean, some of the missing students could have been very skilled duelists, which is what they need if they want to get their hands on our spirit keys."
"Isn't that great?" Shiori asked sarcastically. "But from what you told me, Alexis' brother was free from Nisghtshroud's control after Jaden beat him in a duel. Which means the other ones might return to normal if anyone beats them as well."
"My thoughts exactly." Andrew replied. "The more possessed students we beat, the better." It was then his duel pilot started to beep.
And so did Shiori's "A message?"
"It looks like Bastion just sent the student profiles." Andrew said as he opened the first one. "Atticus Rhodes. We already know about him." He scrolled further down the list and came to the image of an Obelisk Blue boy with lime-green hair and blue eyes. "Yusuke Fujiwara. Age: 18... all other info is classified…"
"Classified?" Shiori repeated with a frown. "That doesn't tell us much."
"Next one then." Andrew scrolled down and came to the image of another Obelisk Blue boy. This one had short blonde hair and brown eyes. "Let's see... Kaito Sherman. Age: 16, Dorm: Obelisk Blue, Last known relatives: Father, Mother, Last seen: Millennium House."
"Millennium House?" Shiori repeated.
"I think that's the name of the abandoned dorm. I remember seeing millennium items carved into one of the building's walls."
"Oh yeah, you, Jaden, Syrus and Chumley were there and saved Alexis and Jenny from some shadow duelists."
Andrew shuddered as he remembered his encounter with one of them. "Not a fun experience. Anyway…" He scrolled down and to the next person of the list. This time, it was an Obelisk blue girl with long, wavy grass-green hair and blue eyes. And she was pretty good looking, like Alexis and Jenny. "Cynthia Pepper. Age: 15, Dorm: Obelisk Blue, Last known relatives: Father, Mother, Last seen: Millennium House. That's another one."
But Shiori didn't pay attention to what Andrew said. The moment h came across to the same picture in his Duel Pilot, he was focusing on the picture of the Obelisk Blue girl. While doing that, he thought… 'Man, she's beautiful.'
"Well, the list is long. I'll look at it later." Andrew dismissed as he put the PDA away and resumed eating.
Shiori snapped out of his musing before asking. "You think the next Shadow Rider will come after you?"
"I wouldn't be surprised if that's the case. After all…" Andrew glanced at the armlet on his right arm. "My armlet reacted the same night the two first Shadow Riders arrived on the island."
Shiori frowned. "Then it's most likely that the one who came along with Nightshroud has the other half…"
Unbeknownst to anyone, a mysterious figure was standing in a darkened cave, staring at an object attached to their right arm. A half golden armlet. "Nightshroud may have failed, but I won't make the same mistake. Especially since I'm about to gain more power…"
Later that night, Andrew was standing outside the Ra Dorm, staring at the moon. 'It seems that there are more questions involving the abandoned dorm than we thought. And if it's true that some of the Shadow Riders are students of Duel Academy, then we don't have a choice but let them come after us to free them.'
"Hey, Andrew." Someone greeted. He turned to his left to see Jenny walk up to him.
"Hey, Jenny. What's up?"
"I was just wondering what you were doing, that's all."
Andrew nodded before staring at the moon again. "I was just thinking about those missing students from the abandoned dorm. All of those who used to go over or live there became missing. Can you imagine how many families must have been heartbroken for losing their children like that? I wouldn't be surprised if they prevented their remaining kids to enroll here."
Jenny nodded with a sad look. "Yeah, it's so awful. But Alexis came here after her brother disappeared."
"That's because she was determined to find him. If I lost someone from my family like she did, I'd be searching, no matter the risks."
"Me too." Jenny agreed. She then gave Andrew a concerned look. "I was wondering. Have there been any reactions from your armlet recently?"
He glanced at his mysterious item. "Not ever since the night when Nightshroud arrived along with his friend, whoever he is."
"At least it's been calm around here so far." Jenny said relieved. She then looked up to the sky. "The weather is quite nice."
"Yeah." Andrew agreed and smiled.
Jenny then glanced at him before turning her gaze away for a moment, a light blush tinting on her cheeks. She then turned to him again. "Um, Andrew…"
But whatever she was about to say was interrupted by the sudden glowing from the armlet.
"What the... My armlet!" Andrew exclaimed. And that didn't stop there. Right under his feet, a purple, magic circle appeared. "What is this!?"
"The second Shadow Game is about to begin!" A voice spoke up from nowhere.
"A Shadow Rider!" Jenny said in realization.
And then, the magic circle began to shine so brightly, that Jenny was forced to avert her eyes. And when the light died down, Jenny opened them up again... her friend was gone.
"Oh no!"
Bastion and Shiori chose that moment to rush out of the Ra Dorm, noticing the Obelisk girl when they came out. "Jenny, what happened!?" Bastion asked.
"What was with that light?" Shiori added.
"A Shadow Rider took Andrew!"
"What!?"
Andrew opened his eyes and found himself lying on a stone floor. "Uhh." He groaned as he got on his feet. He couldn't see the starry blue sky anymore. Only darkness and the stone floor he was standing on. "What is place?" He muttered and walked forward. But he didn't get far since it only took him 10 stepes before he reached the edge of the floor. He then looked over the floor until he noticed something about it. This stone floor... was actually a round stone platform floating in the darkness. "Great, I can't go anywhere."
"That's the whole point, key keeper…"
Andrew turned around and noticed a figure standing on the opposite side of the platform. This individual was wearing a dark-purple cloak with magic circle patterns. His face was hidden underneath the hood he was wearing.
Andrew glared at the newcomer. "You're a Shadow Rider, aren't you?"
The cloaked figure nodded. "You are correct. You can call me Death."
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Death? Are you trying to imitate the reaper or something?"
"No, but I do intend to take your soul, after I defeat you in a duel." Death snapped his fingers, causing lines of purple light forming themselves on the stone platform. Andrew watched this as they connected each other until they formed a big magic circle covering the edges of the platform.
"What is this!?"
"Just a special kind of a magic circle I developed. It's made to add a special rule to our Shadow Game... It will take the soul of the person who loses this duel."
Before Andrew could reply, his armlet half started to glow again, making him raise his right arm.
Death noticed and did the same thing with his own right arm, revealing another armlet half. "Oh right. I forgot that you got a nice piece of jewelry I've been after. So, how was your match with the Oracle?"
"What does that matter to you?"
"Actually, nothing. Just curious. Anyway…" Death raised his left arm, revealing a Duel Academy themed duel disk. "How about we get this duel started?" He snapped his fingers again.
Andrew gasped as he suddenly felt something appear on his left arm. It was another duel disk.
"Oh, and by the way. I've made sure to let your friends see your end."
He got over his surprised and gave Death a serious look as he inserted his deck into it. "You're the one who's going down!"
"Let's duel!" Both duelists drew their opening hands.
Andrew: 4000
Death: 4000
"I'll go first." Death declared and drew a card. "I summon Apprentice Magician in defense mode." A blonde man in a purple outfit appeared. It consisted of a cloak, boots and arm guards. He also had a red headband and a white belt and wielded a green staff that he defended himself with. (ATK: 400 DEF: 800 LV: 2) "And that's all for now."
"My turn." Andrew drew. "I summon Elemental HERO Sparkman in attack mode." The blue and golden electric hero rose up on the field. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1400 LV: 4) "Now attack his Apprentice Magician with Static Shockwave!" The hero monster shot a blast of electricity from his right palm, zapping the spellcaster until he shattered into pixels.
"You just triggered my magician's ability." Death spoke up. "After he's destroyed in battle, I can take a level 2 or lower spellcaster type monster from my deck and place it on the field facedown." A facedown card appeared in front of him.
"That can't be good." Andrew muttered as he inserted two cards into his duel disk. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."
Jenny, Bastion and Shiori where standing at the spot where Andrew was taken away. Just one moment after Jenny told them what happened, Bastion sent a message to the other key keepers. After that, they waited. As the time passed, a screen appeared in midair allowing them to see the Shadow Game. Jenny watched worriedly at Andrew's situation.
"Jenny! Bastion! Shiori!" They turned their attention towards the voice and saw Michael, Zane, Chazz, Chumley and Syrus running towards them.
"We got your message." Zane said.
"And felt our spirit keys reacting again, warning us about the Shadow Rider." Michael added.
"So what happened?" Chazz asked.
"According to Jenny, she and Andrew were just standing here outside the dorm, until a magic circle appeared and snatched him away." Bastion explained.
"And now he's stuck in a Shadow Game." Shiori pointed to the screen, showing Andrew facing the one called Death.
"Aw man!" Syrus gasped.
"My move." Death drew a card. "Now I activate the spell card Spell Absorption." A spell card appeared behind his facedown monster. "From now on, I will gain 500 life points whenever a spell card is activated. Like my Pot of Greed, for example." Death drew two new cards.
Death: 4000-4500
"And now I reveal my facedown monster." The facedown card flipped up and released a violet haired woman dressed in purple robes with a moon-like staff in her hand. (ATK: 300 DEF: 400 LV: 1) "Her name is Magician of Faith. And thanks to her flip effect, I can take back a spell card from my graveyard." A certain card came out of his graveyard slot. "So I'll use Pot of Greed a second time to draw two more cards and gain another 500 life points."
Death: 4500-5000
Andrew almost grimaced at this.
Death drew his extra cards. "Next I'll summon Legion the Fiend Jester in attack mode." A yellow, green and red jester made of wood appeared next to the purple robed woman. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And he has a special ability. Once per turn, I can tribute summon a spellcaster type monster in addition to my normal summon."
"No way!"
"But first I'll play the spell card Dark Magical Circle." A second magic circle appeared within the first one. This new circle was glowing with a yellow light with different symbols.
Death: 5000-5500
"What's with you and magic circles?" Andrew asked.
"I just find them useful." Death replied bluntly. "And this circle is very useful indeed. Once it's activated I can take a look at the top three cards from my deck." He drew three cards and looked at them. "And then, I can take one card in particular from among those three and return the other two to the top of my deck in any order I want." Death revealed one of the three cards he drew. Andrew was surprised when he saw a spell card with an unexpected image. An image of Dark Magician firing a blast of magic energy.
"What is that card?"
"You'll find out soon enough."
The group watching the floating screen were surprised by its image as well.
"What's with that card?" Shiori wondered.
"I don't know but I don't like this." Michael replied.
Zane seemed to be narrowing his eyes at the spell card. 'Could it be…?'
"And now…" Death spoke up. "It's time to use my Legion's effect and sacrifice him, along with Magician of Faith in order to summon…" His two monsters disappeared in a flash. And then, the purple circle lit up, surprising Andrew. "The one and only… Dark Magician!" At Death's field, a pillar of purple light erupted, and a figure stepped out of it. To Andrew's shock, it was a Dark Magician indeed. However, this one looked different than the one in Yugi Moto's deck. Instead of having normal skin color and purple hair and wearing purple robes, this one had white hair and pale blue skin, and was wearing dark bluish robes. (ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100 LV: 7)
"Impossible!" Andrew gasped.
"Is that…!" Michael said.
"No way!" Chazz muttered.
Zane nodded to himself. 'I knew it.'
Andrew was still staring at the new monster, not getting over of the fact that it was another Dark Magician.
"Are you scared of my new monster?" Death smirked. "You should be. Especially since the second effect of my Dark Magical Circle is activated. Once per turn, I can remove one of your cards from play when Dark Magician is summoned to the field. So say goodbye to your Sparkman!" The yellow circle glowed brightly, causing Andrew to cover his eyes. Eventually, the glowing died down. When he opened his eyes, he saw that his monster gone.
"Not my Sparkman!"
"That's the least of your problems. Do you remember the first effect of my circle? It allowed me to add a card to my hand. And that can be any card, as long as it's a Dark Magican, or a spell or trap card with his name written in its text. And I think it's time for me to use it…" Death held up the spell card he revealed earlier.
"...Dark Magic Attack!"
"Dark Magic Attack? Isn't that the name of his attack?" Andrew worriedly.
"It is, and since I have Dark Magician on the field, I can use this card to destroy all spells and traps on your field. Now Dark Magician, fire away!" The spellcaster created a ball of magic energy from the tip of his staff and fired it at Andrew's field, destroying his facedown cards with a massive explosion.
Death: 5500-6000
"And now when there's nothing left on your field, you're about to have a second dose. Now Dark Magician! Dark Magic Attack!" The magician fired a second ball of magic energy at Andrew. It exploded at contact, making him cry out in pain.
"AAAAAHHH!"
Andrew: 4000-1500
The students cringed at the damage he just took. His body was steaming with a few burn marks.
"Not lishus." Chumley muttered.
"Damn it." Michael cursed.
"Great, the duel had just begun, and he's already losing." Chazz stated.
"Don't you say that, Chazz!" Jenny snapped.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Chazz." Bastion said. "In one turn, the Shadow Rider destroyed all the cards on Andrew's field and wiped out more than half of his life points. I say he's falling behind."
"That doesn't mean he can't pull through." She turned to screen with a worried look on her face. 'Come on, Andrew.'
Andrew groaned as he fell to one knee.
Death chuckled. "I suggest you stay on your feet. I'm not through with you just yet. I place two cards facedown and end my turn." Two cards appeared at his feet.
Andrew stood up but almost stumbled due to the pain he suffered. "My move." He drew. "I summon Elemental Blazeman in attack mode." The flame headed hero in red armor appeared. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 1800 LV: 4) And now I activate his special ability. After he's summoned I can take a Polymerization from my deck and…"
"I don't think so!" Death interrupted as he discarded a card before one of his facedown cards flipped up. "I activate Divine Wrath! This cancels out your monster's special ability and destroys it."
Andrew gasped as his monster exploded. "Not okay!"
"Cry me a river." Death shrugged.
Andrew glared at him before inserting two cards into his duel disk. "I place two cards facedown and end my turn."
"Fine by me." Death drew a card. "I activate the spell card Arcane Barrier." A spell card appeared behind Dark Magician.
Death: 6000-6500
"Now Dark Magician, attack!" The spellcaster charged up his staff.
"I activate my facedown card!" One of Andrew's facedown cards flipped up. "Booby Trap E! By discarding one card from my hand, I can take a continuous trap card from my hand or grave and place it facedown." He discarded a card as another facedown card appeared.
"What good would that do?"
Andrew smirked. "Well, for starters, my Booby Trap E lets me activate that facedown card during the same turn it was placed on the field."
"What!?"
"So now I play my Call of the Haunted!" The card in question revealed itself. "Now I can summon a monster back from my graveyard. And I choose Elemental HERO Bladedge!" The golden hero with jet wings rose up on the field. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
"I never sent that monster to the graveyard." Death argued.
"No, but I did, thanks to my Booby Trap E." Andrew countered.
Death was silent for a moment before he smirked and held up a spell card. "I play Rush Recklessly! For one turn, I can give a monster 700 more attack points."
"Huh!?" Andrew's eyes widened.
The magician was surrounded by a purple aura. (ATK: 2500-3200)
Death: 6500-7000
He then fired the ball of magic energy at Bladedge and destroyed him. The after-blast extended to Andrew who screamed in pain.
Andrew: 1500-0900
Death laughed at the result of his attack. "How did you like that?"
"I…" Andrew struggled to get up. "I... activate my trap…" His other facedown activated. "Hero Signal. This lets me summon a level 4 or lower Elemental HERO. I summon Elemental HERO Woodsman." The green-skinned, wooden hero appeared and kneeled down. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 2000 LV: 4)
"Hmph. You're just stalling. I end my turn." Death concluded. (ATK: 3200-2500)
Andrew drew. "I activate Woodsman's ability. During my standby phase, I can add a Polymerization from my deck or graveyard to my hand." He went through his deck and took the card he wanted. "Then I activate the spell card Legacy of a Hero. Since I have two Elemental heroes in my grave that are at least level 4, I can draw three cards from my deck." He drew his extra cards.
Death: 7000-7500
"And now I summon Elemental HERO Stratos!" The turbine winged hero joined his wooden comrade. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 300 LV: 4) "And now for his special effect. After he's summoned to the field, I can destroy one spell or trap card for every other HERO monster on my field. So say goodbye to you Dark Magical Circle." The wind hero used his wings to create a cyclone and blew the spell card away, causing the yellow circle to disappear. "And now I play Polymerization to combine Stratos and Woodsman and create the Elemental HERO Gaia!" The two named heroes entered a fusion vortex. And then, the big, black armored hero emerged. (ATK: 2200 DEF: 2600 LV: 6)
Death: 7500-8000
"Nice try, but your monster is a few points short." Death stated.
"That's true, but since he was fusion summoned, Gaia can absorb half of your monster's attack points for one turn."
"What!?" Death watched as the giant hero held up his right hand, and dark energy escaped from the Dark Magician's body and entered his palm, powering him up. (ATK: 2500-1250) (ATK: 2200-3450)
"Now Gaia, take down his Dark Magician! Continent Smash!" The giant hero raised his right arm and slammed the spellcaster so hard the platform shook, causing the Shadow Rider to fall over.
Death: 8000-5800
The Arcane Barrier card glowed for a moment.
"So much for your mighty Dark Magician." Andrew commented. "I end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared at his feet.
"Don't get too cocky." Death drew a card. "I activate the trap card, Birthright!" His facedown card activated. "This let's me summon a normal from my graveyard. And guess who's coming back…" In a flash of light, the Dark Magician appeared again. (ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100 LV: 7)
"Him again." Andrew murmured.
"And that's just the beginning, because now I activate the spell card, Thousand Knives!" A bunch of glowing knives appeared on the field. "With Dark Magician on the field, I can destroy your monster!" All the knives hit Gaia, causing him to explode.
Death: 5800-6300
"And now I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior!" A man in a red, magician-like outfit appeared with a sword and a shield with a stone in the centre. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "And when this monster is normal summoned, he gets a spell counter that gives him 300 extra attack points." The stone on the shield lit up. (ATK: 1600-1900) "Of course, he won't keep it for long, because I'll remove it in order to use his second ability, allowing me to destroy one spell or trap card on the field, like your facedown." The light died down and the Magical Warrior raised his sword as it started to glow...
"I activate Waboku!" Andrew's facedown card activated and created a barrier. "With this trap card activated, I take no battle damage this turn." Breaker swung his sword downward, sending out an arc of energy, only for the barrier to block it.
Death scoffed. "Lucky shot. Make your move."
"Okay then." Andrew drew. "I activate Pot of Greed, and draw two cards." He drew his extra cards.
Death: 6300-6800
"Then I summon Elemental HERO Solid Soldier in attack mode." The purple warrior in silver armor appeared. (ATK: 1300 DEF: 1100 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card Mask Change! This lets me send a HERO monster on my field to the graveyard and summon a Masked HERO with the same attribute. So I'll transform my Solid Soldier into Masked HERO Dian!" The Solid Soldier transformed and became the masked hero in silver armor with blue cape. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 3000 LV: 8)
Death: 6800-7300
Death gasped at this and stepped back.
"And I'm not done. Because now I activate Solid Soldier's ability. Since he was sent to the graveyard by the effect of a spell card, I can summon back a HERO monster in defense mode. And I choose Elemental HERO Woodsman." The green-skinned wooden man appeared again. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 2000 LV: 4) "Now Dian, attack his Dark Magician!" The masked hero dashed forward and struck the magician with her sword, causing to explode.
The Arcane Barrier card glowed again.
Death: 7300-7000
Death hissed. "My Dark Magician… destroyed again."
"And he won't be the only one." Andrew replied. "When Dian destroys a monster in battle, I can summon an Elemental HERO from my deck, as long as it's level 4 or less. Now come forth! Elemental HERO Heat!" The red and white armored fire hero joined the other heroes. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "This guy gains 200 attack points for every Elemental HERO on my field, including himself." (ATK: 1600-2000) "Now attack his Magical Warrior with Burning Fist!" The fire hero ignited his right fist, dashed towards the red clad spellcaster, and punched him on his chest, causing him to explode. The explosion extended to Death who winced.
Death: 7000-6600
Once again, the Arcane Barrier card glowed.
"I end my turn with a facedown." Andrew concluded as he inserted a card into his duel disk.
Death drew a card and looked at it. He then smirked. "Brace yourself, key keeper. Because I'm about to summon a unique creature. All I have to do is remove one light monster and a dark monster from the game." At that, Magician of Faith and Apprentice Magician appeared.
This made Andrew's eyes widen.
"Wait a minute!" Shiori spoke up. "I've seen this before."
"This is just like what Dimitri did, when he dueled Jaden using Yugi's deck!" Bastion realized.
"He did what now?" Chazz asked, surprised by his words.
"Don't tell me…" Michael said worriedly.
"He's not summoning an Envoy." Zane said, confusing everyone.
"What do you mean?" Jenny asked.
"Just watch."
"I remove my two monsters from play in order to summon Chaos Sorcerer!" A dark portal appeared and the two magicians disappeared into it. After that, a new spellcaster emerged. He had pale-blue skin and was wearing a black outfit, consisting of a hat with two red horns on the side of his head, a black shoulder cloak, armbands that went from his elbows to his wrists that were black as well, and finally wore a pair of black leather pants. He grinned sinisterly as his yeloow eyes glowed through the hat. (ATK: 2300 DEF: 2000 LV: 6)
"Huh?" Andrew blinked. "That's no Envoy."
"Well, my Sorcerer may not be as powerful as them, but his special ability makes him useful enough. Once per turn, he can give up his attack in order to remove one of your monsters from play. So say goodbye to your Dian." The Sorcerer chuckled evilly as he clasped his hands together. And then, to Andrew's shock, the purple, magic circle started to glow brightly, causing him to cover his eyes. When the light died down, he opened them again and saw that his masked hero was gone.
"My Dian…"
"Is gone." Death filled in. "But like I said, my Sorcerer can't attack, so I'll end my turn."
Andrew drew. "I'll use Woodsman's ability to add another Polymerization to my hand." He took the named card from his deck. "Then I summon Elemental HERO Voltic in attack mode!" The gold and purple armored, electric hero appeared. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "Now I reveal the trap card, Elemental Recharge!" His facedown card flipped up. "For every Elemental HERO on my field, I gain 1000 life points."
Andrew: 0900-3900
"Your life points won't last for long."
"I'm just getting warmed up. I play Polymerization and fuse Woodsman with Heat in order to form Elemental HERO Nova Master!" The two named monsters entered the fusion vortex and the red and orange fire hero appeared on the field. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 2100 LV: 8)
Death: 6600-7100
"Attack his Chaos Sorcerer with Burning Sphere Bomb!" Nova Master created a fire sphere and threw it at the sorcerer.
Death: 7100-6800
Arcane Barrier glowed again.
"When Nova Master destroys a monster in battle, I get to draw one card from my deck." Andrew drew.
"Hmph. No matter. Even after you attack me with your other monster, my life points won't go down so much."
Andrew smirked. "You think so, huh? Voltic, attack!" The golden and purple hero fired electricity from his hands, and zapped the Shadow Rider, who only grunted.
Death: 6800-5800
"And with that done, Voltic's ability activates…" The hero shot some more electricity at the ground, and opened up a portal. "After giving you battle damage, he lets me summon an Elemental HERO that's removed from the game. So welcome back, Elemental HERO Sparkman!" The blue and golden hero came out of the portal. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1400 LV: 4)
Death gasped.
"Now go, Sparkman! Attack him directly!" Just like Voltic, Sparkman fired a stream of electricity. Only, it was stronger. In fact, the attack caused Death to actually cry out in pain and fall down to one knee.
Death: 5800-4200
"About time your life points got even lower. I end my turn."
Death started to growl. "You'll pay for that!" He stood up and drew. "I summon Witch of the Black Forest!" A purple haired woman with a third eye, wearing black robes appeared. (ATK: 1100 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "And now I activate the effect of Arcane Barrier." The named card glowed brightly.
"What now?" Andrew groaned.
"You don't know? Then allow me to enlighten you. This spell card gets a spell counter whenever a spellcaster is destroyed. And, by sending this card to the graveyard, along with a spellcaster I have on my field, I get to draw one card for each spell counter." The spell card and witch disappeared. "And since Arcane Barrier had 4 counters, that gives me 4 cards." Death drew his extra cards. And then, the spirit of the witch appeared. "And then there's the special ability of my Witch of the Black Forest. After she's sent from the field to the graveyard, I can take a monster with up to 1500 defense points from my deck and add it to my hand." He took a monster card from his deck and held it up. It was a level 5 monster with 2000 attack points and 1000 defense points.
Andrew gritted his teeth. 'Great. He just drew a new hand.'
"Now I play the spell card Double summon. So now I can make a second normal summon this turn."
Death: 4200-4700
"Then I activate the spell card Star Blast. By paying multiples of 500 life points, I can reduce the level of a monster in my hand by one for each 500 points I paid. So I'll give up 500 points and reduce the level of the monster my Witch gave me by one star."
Death: 4700-4200-4700
"Which means I don't have to sacrifice anything in order to summon Magical Marionette!" A red cloaked mage with threads attached to his fingers and a doll holding two knives appeared. (ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 5-4) "Then I activate the spell card Mythical Bestiary. First I must send the top 2 cards of my deck to the graveyard…" Death paused and did what he said. "And then, I can place two spell counters on a card that is able to have spell counters."
Andrew widened his eyes. "Does that mean, your monster…?"
"That's right, my Magical Marionette has a special ability. He gets a spell counter when a spell card is activated. And for each spell counter, he gains 200 attack points. So thanks to my spell card, he gets 3 counters, giving him 600 attack points!" The mage glowed with a golden aura. (ATK: 2000-2600)
Death: 4700-5200
"Now my Marionette, attack his Voltic!" The mage wiggled his fingers, causing his doll to move over to the golden and purple hero and use the knives to cut him to pieces.
Andrew: 3900-2300
After the doll returned to the mage, Death smirked. "And now I activate my Marionette's second ability."
"Say what!?"
"If I remove two of his spell counters, I can destroy a monster on the field. There goes your Nova Master." The blades in the doll's hands glowed brightly. (ATK: 2600-2200) And then, it jumped on the fire hero and slashed him with its blades, making her explode. "And with that, I'll end my turn."
"I draw…" Andrew drew. "I summon Doomcaliber Knight." The fiendish knight riding on his steed appeared. (ATK: 1900 DEF: 1800 LV: 4) "Then I'll switch Sparkman to defense mode and end my turn." The blue and golden hero crossed his arms and kneeled down.
Death drew. "I activate the spell card Pot of Avarice. This lets me take 5 monsters from my graveyard, shuffle them back into my deck and draw two new cards." He took 5 cards from his grave and shuffled them into his deck. Once he was done, he drew. "And with another spell card activated, I gain another 500 life points, while my Marionette gets another spell counter."
Death: 5200-5700
The cloaked mage started to glow with a golden aura...
"Not this time!" Andrew interrupted as the fiendish knight glowed with a purple aura before he disappeared. And then, the Magical Marionette's aura changed to purple before he disappeared as well.
"What!?" Death exclaimed.
"That was Doomcaliber Knight's special ability. When a monster effect is activated, he's automatically sacrificed and that monster's effect is negated, and then destroyed."
Death scowled. "So you saved yourself for now. But you won't last long. I end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared at his feet.
"My move." Andrew drew. "I'll switch Sparkman back to attack mode." The electric hero stood up. "Now Sparkman, attack…"
"I activate my trap!" Death interrupted and revealed his facedown monster. "Spellbinding Circle!" A circle with archaic symbols appeared and latched onto Sparkman.
"What the…!?"
"With this trap card on the field, your monster can't attack or switch battle mode." Death explained.
Andrew clicked his tongue. "Damn."
"And I'm afraid there's more." Death continued. "Whenever I play a spell or trap card during your turn, I can summon a monster called Magician of Dark Illusion." With that said, a pillar of shadows erupted from the platform. And then, the shadows took the shape of a shadow covered version of Dark Magician. (ATK: 2100 DEF: 2500 LV: 7)
"Another Dark Magician?" Andrew asked in shock.
"Yes, or rather, a shadow of the original. But he makes up for it more than you can imagine."
'I don't like the sound of that.' Andrew thought. "I end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared at his feet.
"Then it's my move." Death drew a card and looked at it. And then, he chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"Oh, I just happen to get something to make my magician more powerful. Something that can be summoned by sacrificing a Dark Magician."
Andrew widened his eyes as they were now focused on the shadow creature on Death's field.
"That's right. Thanks to his special ability, Magician of Dark Illusion fits the requirement. Now my Magician, I sacrifice you so I can summon…" The named monster was now swallowed by a giant orb of purple energy. "Dark Eradicator Warlock!" The orb disappeared and a new monster stood tall on the field. He looked similar to Dark Magician. But this spellcaster was wearing massive dark-red armor with gold trimmings and a violet-colored cape. He was wielding a staff with three large arches surrounding a floating orb glowing with dark magic. (ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100 LV: 7)
Andrew was startled by the new monster's appearance.
"Now with my Warlock in play, it's time for you to feel the pain!" Death declared. "Now my Warlock, destroy his Sparkman with Dark Magic Stream!" The warlock pointed his staff to the electric hero. The glowing of floating orb at the tip of the staff started to intensify. And then, it unleashed a stream of dark magic that hit Sparkman, causing a massive explosion.
Death laughed at this. "How do you like that? Even my monster's attack is more powerful than before! Now, are you ready to… huh?" He stopped himself when the smoke cleared, revealing Sparkman, who was standing behind a blue barrier.
Andrew: 2300
"Hold on! Why didn't you take damage?" He demanded.
Andrew smirked and pointed to the trap card on his field. "Before your attack hit, I activated my Hero Barrier. With my Elemental HERO on the field, I was able to block your attack."
"Can't you just accept your fate. You can't possibly win." Death growled.
"Sorry, but I won't stand down until the last life points expire." Andrew replied confidently.
But that confidence changed into confusion when his opponent started to laugh. "Is that so? Well then, let me show you the true power of my Dark Eradicator Warlock!" Death held up a spell card. "I play Magical Blast! This card deals 200 points of damage for every spellcaster on my field."
"But your Warlock is the only spellcaster on your field, so I won't take so much damage."
Death smirked. "You sure about that?" And it was at that moment the warlock staff lit up.
"Huh?"
"My Warlock has a special ability. Whenever a normal spell card is activated, you take 1000 points of damage."
Andrew gasped.
"Which means this will hurt you a lot more!" The warlock absorbed energy from the spell card and then fired another stream of dark magic at Andrew. The attack caused him to cry out as he fell on the platform.
Andrew: 2300-1100
Death: 5700-6200
"If you can get up, it's your turn."
"Andrew, no!" Jenny screamed.
"Aw man!"
"Not lishus!"
"Come on, Andrew! Get up!" Shiori said.
"Okay, now he's losing." Chazz commented.
"Enough, Chazz!" Jenny snapped.
"Man, those attacks are intense." Michael said. "He can't keep this up."
"It's not over yet. The duel is still on." Jenny persisted, watching this with worry. 'Please, Andrew. Don't give up! Keep fighting!'
Andrew groaned and used all his might to get back on his feet. "Okay, I gotta end this now. I draw." He drew. "I activate the spell card Mask Charge. This lets me take back a HERO and a Change card from my graveyard and add them to my hand." He took Voltic and Mask Change from the graveyard slot.
But then, Dark Eradicator Warlock pointed his staff to him. "Looks like that's another normal spell." Death noted. "Which means more damage to you!" The warlock fired another stream of dark magic and hurt Andrew even more, causing him to fall to one knee.
Andrew: 1100-0100
Death: 6200-6700
But the Ra gritted his teeth and forced himself up again. "That… won't... stop me! I summon Elemental HERO Voltic in attack mode!" The golden and purple hero returned. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And then I activate the spell card Mask Change and use it to turn Sparkman into a Masked HERO." The named monster was enveloped in light. "And since this a quick play spell, I'm safe from your monster's ability."
Death growled.
"Now come forth, Masked HERO Koga!" The light died down and Sparkman was replaced by the golden armored hero with blades attached to his arms. (ATK: 2500 DEF: 1800 LV: 8)
Death: 6700-7200
"Get ready, Death. Because you're about to see the light. For every monster on your field, my Koga gains 500 attack points." The golden hero glowed. (ATK: 2500-3000)
"Your monster may be strong enough to destroy my Warlock, but I'll still have enough life points and you will be finished on my next turn!" Death said.
"Let's see how right you are! Now Koga, attack!" The named monster leapt in the air. While he was in the air, Andrew held up a spell card. "And now I play the spell card Battle Fusion! This gives my monster some extra attack points. And those points are equal to the attack points of the monster he battles with!" (ATK: 3000-5500)
Death: 7200-7700
Death started to sweat.
"And there's more. My Koga has another ability. During either player's turn, I can remove a HERO monster from my graveyard. And then, that monster's attack points are subtracted from the attack points of a monster on the field. So I'll remove my Bladedge in order to drain your Warlock's strength!"
Death gasped as the spirit of the named hero monster appeared and entered the warlock's body. He groaned in pain and fell to his knees. (ATK: 2500-0)
"Now Koga, finish that Warlock off with Twin Light Slash!" The golden hero slashed on the spellcaster, shattering him into pixels.
Death: 7700-2200
"Now Voltic, attack him directly!" The named hero shot a stream of electricity from his hands and zapped the Shadow Rider who winced in pain.
Death: 2200-1200
"I'm... still standing." Death stated.
"But not for long, or did you forget Voltic's ability? When he deals battle damage, I can summon an Elemental HERO that's been removed from the game."
"No!"
"So let's give a welcome to Bladedge!" A portal opened and released golden hero with jet wings. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
"Impossible!" Death screamed.
"Now Bladedge, end this duel with Slice and Dice Attack!" The golden hero dashed towards the Shadow Rider and slashed him with his blades. The attack caused the Shadow rider to scream in pain before he collapsed.
Death: 1200-0000
Once the holograms disappeared, Andrew fell to his knees, panting heavily. "I... I did it…" He then collapsed as well. It was then the magic circle surrounding the two duelists started to glow brightly…
The audience sighed in relief to see Andrew win, but was shocked to see the screen relaying the duel to them suddenly disappear.
"What?" Shiori said in confusion. "What just…" He couldn't say more as everyone was suddenly blinded by a purple light. When it died down, they opened their eyes and noticed two bodies laying on the ground a few feet away from them.
Jenny recognized the one of them. "Andrew!" She, along with Shiori rushed towards their friend, making sure he was okay.
Syrus and Chumley followed suit. "Is he okay?" The former asked.
"Is he... is he…?" Syrus tried to ask.
Jenny checked on Andrew and was relieved. "He's okay. He's bruised and exhausted, but still alive."
"But we better get some help and fast." Shiori said.
"On it." Syrus and Chumley said before they ran to the Academy building.
The other key keepers approached the other unconscious figure. Zane noticed a card laying on the ground next to the Shadow Rider. He picked it up and saw that it had the image of the purple, magic circle surrounding a purple cloak with magic circle patterns. He then focused on the unconscious figure, who appeared to be an Obelisk blue boy with short blonde hair. "I thought as much. It's Kaito Sherman."
"So it was another missing student, huh?" Chazz said.
"Now we've got another Shadow Rider out of the picture." Bastion stated.
"But it seems Jaden and Andrew will be out of action for a while." Michael added.
Jenny nodded as she turned to her unconscious friend with sad eyes before they were full of confidence. "Which means if another Shadow Rider shows up before they recover, it will be up to us to protect the keys... and our friends."
And done. And man, it was kinda hard to write the dueling part of this. But I hope you guys liked it. See ya.
