Duel Distractions - Part 2

This was so not a good day for the key keepers. First, they were looking for some students, and to their surprise, those students were building a colosseum. And why would they do that? Well, because someone payed them with rare cards to do that. And that someone happened to be the next Shadow Rider, Tania the Amazon Woman. And unlike the previous Shadow Riders, she didn't want souls, Shadow Charms, or lives. She wanted a husband!

So while leaving Alexis and Jenny out of this, she chose Bastion to be her opponent. And despite of being the smartest out of the current first years, Bastion was getting outsmarted by Tania every turn he had. And if that wasn't bad enough, he eventually fell for her sweet talk, making him... well, fall in love. But before the duel could reach the end, something really unexpected happened. The duel was interrupted by a robot.

The very same dueling robot that Xander thought was turned off when he left it in the junkyard. After making the duelists' duel disks malfunction by releasing some electricity, the robot knocked Bastion out and kidnapped him.

And thus, the key keepers, plus Banner, Clover and Xander were currently looking for their friend.

"Bastion!" Andrew called out.

"Where are you, buddy!?" Jaden called out.

"Bastion!" Shiori called out.

Everyone kept calling out for him, but they got no answer.

"Where could he be?" Jenny asked worriedly.

"This is awful." Banner frowned.

"WHERE IS IT!?" A familiar voice roared. The gang turned around to see Tania riding on her pet tiger. "Where is that robot that kidnapped my future husband!?"

"Um... that's what we want to know." Jaden replied nervously.

The amazon growled angrily. "I'll find it. I'll find that scrap metal, tear it apart and then drag Bastion back here so we can finish what we started!" At that, the tiger took her away into the forest.

"Well... at least she cares about him." Michael said slowly.

"But we better hurry." Andrew declared. "For Bastion's sake, it'll be best if we find him before she does."

"Right." Shiori agreed.

Xander sighed. "I can't believe that robot is going crazy again." He muttered.

But that was loud enough for Clover to hear him. "What? What do you mean 'again'? Have you run into that thing before?"

The mechanic flinched at her question, who caused the others to turn to him. Andrew and Shiori looked a little ashamed because of this.

Silence filled the air as the gang stared at Xander. After what almost felt like a minute, the silence was broken by him as he let out another sigh. "Yes, I did. And it's my fault that robot is going amok."

"Don't hit yourself, Xander." Andrew consoled.

"Yeah, it's not like anyone could have guessed what would happen." Shiori added.

"Uh, hello! What are you guys talking about?" Chazz asked.

Andrew, Shiori and Xander looked at each other and nodded, deciding to tell everyone the truth. "Okay, it all started with this..." Xander began, as he told everyone what they knew. They told them about Xander finding the robot in the junkyard and fixing it, when it went berserk and defeated duelists all around on campus, and when he dueled him himself, defeated it and left it after turning it off.

"I was sure that it was turned off, but apparently, it wasn't." Xander finished.

The gang let the words sink in. They were definitely not expecting something like this.

"Oh my." Banner muttered.

Chazz scowled and crossed his arms. "So basically, you screwed up... OW!" He was then slapped on the back of his head by Jenny who gave him a glare.

"So what do we do now?" Syrus asked nervously.

"I'll tell you what we do!" Jaden responded with determination. "We're going to find that Duel Terminator, take it down and save Bastion!"

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"He's right." Andrew said. "We can't waste any more time standing here. We need to..."

"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" His words were cut off by a frightened, feminine scream that was heard from within the forest.

"Did you guys hear that!?" Michael asked alerted.

"Someone's in trouble!" Shiori replied.

"Come on!" Jaden said as he ran in direction the scream came from.

"Jaden, wait up!" Andrew called out as he and the others followed him.

"Why do we have to run!?" Chumley complained.

The gang ran through the woods, looking for whoever screamed. And then...

"There!" Jaden pointed at a nearby tree. The gang ran over to it and saw the person sitting at it. Someone clad in black, rubbing her head.

"Mahiru!" Andrew noted.

Jenny was the first one to approach her. "Are you okay?"

The goth girl looked up slowly. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just got hit in the head."

"Somehow, that sounds familiar." Xander muttered.

"What happened?" Banner asked.

"I'm not sure. I was walking here when something appeared so quickly and struck on my head. I couldn't fully see who or what it was, but I noticed that the figure was white and carried something with one arm."

That made gang widen their eyes.

"Did you see where it went?" Andrew asked.

"It happened so fast, but I think I saw it go that way." Mahiru answered pointed in a direction.

"I see. Then just take a rest, okay? We'll deal with this." Andrew turned to the others. "Let's go!" At that, they ran in the direction Mahiru pointed at.

"Hang on, Bastion! We're coming for you!" Jaden called out.

Mahiru watched them run away for about 5 seconds before Jaden's words sank in. "Bastion? He's in trouble!?" At that, she got up and followed them.


For a while, the gang had been running through the woods, trying to find Bastion. But so far, they found nothing.

"Where is he?" Shiori asked worriedly.

"Well I don't see him so far." Michael replied.

"He could be anywhere." Chazz stated. "Heck, the robot could have killed him by now."

"Don't say that!" Clover hissed.

"Bastion!" Andrew called out. "Bastion, where are..."

BZZZBZBZZZ

Everyone noticed some electricity above the trees in a distance.

"Could it be...?" Jenny wondered.

"It's gotta be!" Xander said and followed the direction of the electricity.

The gang ran in the direction until they came to a clearing and found the source of the sizzling electricity: The dueling robot.

"There it is!" Jaden pointed out.

"And look!" Alexis said, pointed at a tree behind the robot. Everyone saw Bastion laying on the ground unconscious.

"Bastion!" Andrew said.

"I hope he's okay." Banner said.

"Duelists! Duelists!" The robot said, its entire body enveloped in sparks. "Exterminate duelists!"

"Did that thing just say exterminate?" Syrus asked as he paled.

"Sounds like it." Chumley replied, feeling the same.

"So, who wants to take down that talking garbage can?" Chazz asked.

"I'll do it." Michael said, stepping forward.

"No, Michael. Let me duel." Xander said. "This is my responsibility, because I was the one who tried to fix that robot..."

"Don't say that!" The dark duelist said firmly. "You're not the one who caused its behavior. Whatever the cause was, it was before it ended up in the junkyard. It's not your fault."

"But..." Xander tried to argue but stopped when Michael placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a small smile.

"I'm serious. Sometimes a bad thing can happen when you try to do something good. It can happen to anybody."

Someone placed a hand on Xander's other shoulder. He turned around to see Clover, who gave him a soft look. "He's right. You don't have to force yourself into this because of one mistake."

The mechanic was silent, pondering on what they said. After a while, he sighed and tried to speak up...

"Exterminate! Exterminate!" The robot yelled as it sparked with electricity and held up its duel disk.

"Um, I think that thing is getting impatient, guys." Syrus pointed out nervously.

"Then let's not waste more time!" Michael declared as he stepped forward and activated his duel disk.

The robot did the same.

Mahiru arrived just in time to see the duel begin. She gasped when she noticed Bastion laying on the ground. She wanted to help, but decided it was too risky to step in. So she stayed hidden.

"Duel!"

Michael: 4000

Robot: 4000

"I'll start!" Michael drew his sixth card. "I summon Mystic Tomato in defense mode!" A giant tomato with a scary-looking face appeared. (ATK: 1400 DEF: 1100 LV: 4) "Then I'll end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared behind it.

"Commence turn! Draw a card!" The robot drew its next card. "Summoning The Bistro Butcher in attack mode!" The monster it summoned was a man with deep purple skin, orange/reddish clothes and a chef's hat of the same color. He held a very long knife in one hand and his other was a hook. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "Activate equip spell card, Fairy Meteor Crush!" The image of the named spell card appeared behind the chef-looking fiend. "The Bistro Butcher is now able to cause piercing battle damage!"

Michael's eyes narrowed at that.

"The Bistro Butcher attacks Mystic Tomato!" The fiend dashed forward and sliced the tomato with his knife.

Michael: 4000-3300

"The Bistro Butcher's special ability activates! After causing battle damage, you must draw two cards from your deck!"

Michael raised an eyebrow but drew his extra cards. "Okay, then this is when my Mystic Tomato's effect kicks in. When it's destroyed in battle, I'm allowed to summon a dark monster with up to 1500 attack points. And I choose Sangan!" A three-eyed furry fiend appeared. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 600 LV: 3)

"Placing two cards facedown!" The robot declared and inserted two cards into its duel disk. "Turn complete!"

"My turn then." Michael drew his next card and looked at his hand. He then smirked. "I must thank you for giving me extra cards. I can now use a nice combo. First I activate the field spell, Mystic Plasma Zone!" Dark clouds materialized above the field. "This new scenery gives all dark monsters on the field 500 extra attack points, while draining 400 of their defense points." (ATK: 1000-1500) (ATK: 1800-2300)

"Now that was stupid." Chazz scoffed. "That just made the robot's monster stronger."

"Maybe, but I'm sure Michael is planning to use the field spell for something more." Andrew replied.

"Now I summon Witch of the Black Forest!" A three-eyed woman wearing a black robe appeared next to Sangan. (ATK: 1100-1600 DEF: 1200-800 LV: 4) "And now I play the spell card, Polymerization!"

The gang looked surprised while a fusion vortex appeared.

"Oh, so he's gonna fuse monsters!" Jaden said excited.

"That's kinda new." Shiori added.

"I wonder what it's going to be?" Alexis wondered.

"I fuse My Sangan and Witch in order to create Sanwitch!" The two monsters entered the fusion vortex. Appearing out of it, was a small goblin in white robes and yellow shoes, wielding a bronze staff. (ATK: 2100-2600 DEF: 1800-1400 LV: 6)

"Wow!" Syrus said in awe.

"Lishus!" Chumley added.

"And that's just the beginning." Clover said with a smirk.

"That's right, because by sending both of my monsters from the field to the graveyard, their special abilities activate." Michael explained. "Now I can take two monsters from my deck to my hand. Sangan lets me take a monster with up 1500 attack points, while Witch of the Black Forest lets me take a monster with up to 1500 defense points." He fanned out his deck and took the cards he wanted. "And I think I'll play one of them. With three dark monsters in my graveyard, I can summon my Dark Armed Dragon!" With a mighty roar, the familiar black and silver dragon rose up on the ground behind him. (ATK: 2800-3300 DEF: 1000-600 LV: 7)

"Whoa! Look at that!" Xander said, impressed.

"Michael's best monster!" Shiori said.

"An impressive move." Banner complimented.

"Activate trap card! Treacherous Trap Hole!" The robot interrupted and revealed its facedown card. "With no trap cards in my graveyard, two monsters on the field are destroyed!"

"What!?" Michael exclaimed.

"Destroy Sanwitch and Dark Armed Dragon!" The two named monsters were surrounded by a red aura.

Michael gritted his teeth. "There's no way I can save them from that. But I can do this: By sacrificing a dark monster with 2500 or more attack points, I can activate my trap card..." Sanwitch disappeared as he revealed his facedown card. "Eradicator Epidemic Virus! This lets me choose spells or traps, and then, this trap card destroys all cards of that type on your field, in your hand and that you draw during the next three turns. And I choose trap cards!" On cue, the robot's trap card shattered into pixels. The same thing happened to its other facedown card.

"Sweet! That should give Michael the upper hand now!" Jaden said.

"True, but merely destroying the trap card doesn't negate its effect." Andrew stated. "Michael's dragon is still affected by it."

And true to his words, the dragon roared in pain before it exploded. "Man, this sucks." Michael muttered. "But, since I have no monsters on the field, I can summon Kaiser Vorse Raider!" The familiar, blue-skinned orc appeared, with its double-sided axe ready. (ATK: 1900-2400 DEF: 1200-800 LV: 5) "And next I activate the equip spell, Cursed Armaments." The image of the named card appeared. "This card makes the equipped monster lose 600 attack points for every monster on my field. And I think I'll use this card to weaken your monster." Some dark energy came out of The Bistro Butcher's body before it was absorbed into the spell card. (ATK: 2300-1700)

"Now it's time for battle! Kaiser Vorse Raider, attack!" The orc leapt forward and raised its axe. "This lets me activate the effect of this card." Michael held up a monster card from his hand. "It's called Juragedo, and during the battle phase, when a monster attacks, I can summon it directly from my hand!" A purple, demonic torso with horns and claws appeared. (ATK: 1700-2200 DEF: 1300-900 LV: 4) "And since I summoned it this way, I gain 1000 life points."

Michael: 3300-4300

"And with another monster on my field, your monster gets even weaker." (ATK: 1700-1100) The orc slashed the fiendish chef with its axe, making him explode.

Robot: 4000-2700

"After my Kaiser Vorse Raider destroys a monster in battle, it gains 500 attack points." (ATK: 2400-2900) "And now Juragedo, attack that robot directly!" The purple fiend dashed forward and raised its claws.

"Commence counter strategy!" The robot cried out. "Summoning Juragedo in attack mode!"

"What!?" Michael exclaimed as a copy of his fiend monster appeared in front of the robot. (ATK: 1700-2200 DEF: 1300-900 LV: 4)

"Did that thing just summon one of Michael's monsters?" Chumley asked in shock.

"Oh my." Banner muttered.

"It sure did. And just like Michael, that tin can gains 1000 life points now." Clover pointed out.

Robot: 2700-3700

Michael hesitated for a moment before giving his monster a command. "Juragedo, strike it down." Everyone watched as both Juragedos clawed at each other, shattering each other into pixels. "I end my turn." Michael concluded.

"Drawing new card!" The robot drew its next card.

"Don't forget about my virus, Mr. Roboto." Michael said. "If that card you just drew is a trap card, then it's destroyed."

The robot turned the card around and showed it to everyone. It turned out to be a spell card, which the robot inserted into the duel disk. "Activate Card of Sanctity! We must draw until we hold six cards in our hands!" The robot and Michael drew their new hands. "Depositing two cards in the graveyard!" It slid two cards into its graveyard slot.

'Okay, so it lost two trap cards.' Michael thought. 'My virus is making this easier, but still, I need to be careful.'

"Activate The Dark Door!" The image of the named spell card appeared on the robot's field. "As long as this spell card is active, each player can only attack with one monster per turn!" It then inserted another spell card into its duel disk. "Activate Gravekeeper's Servant! You must send one card from the top of your deck when attacking with a monster!"

Andrew's eyes narrowed. "Hmm... I think I know what kind of deck the robot is using."

"You do?" Jaden asked curiously.

"Yeah. I figured it would be risky for the robot to use some cards that make its opponent to draw extra cards. But now that it played Gravekeeper's Servant, it's starting to become clear."

Clover gasped. "Of course! Instead of focusing on Michael's life points, it's trying to force him to deck out!"

"Not many duelists would use that kind of deck, but it is a clever way to ruin the opponent's strategies." Alexis added.

Michael frowned, hearing their words. 'Which means I need to end this duel as soon as possible.'

"Placing a facedown monster in defense mode!" A card appeared on the robot's field. "Turn complete!"

"Then here goes!" Michael drew.

Michael's deck: 23

"First I activate the effect of Dark Nepthys in my hand." He held up a monster card. "If I have at least 3 dark monsters in my graveyard, I can remove two of them from play and send this card to the grave." The spirits of Sanwitch and Mystic Tomato appeared briefly as Michael slid Dark Nepthys into the graveyard slot. "And then, once we reach my next standby phase, I can summon it to the field."

"I wonder what he plans to do with that monster?" Shiori wondered.

"We just have to wait and see." Jenny said.

"And for my next move, I summon Mataza the Zapper in attack mode!" A warrior in a green samurai-like armor with a katana appeared next to the orc. (ATK: 1300-1800 DEF: 800-400 LV: 3) "And don't think your door can protect you from this guy. Because thanks to his special ability, he can attack twice each turn."

"Nice!" Andrew cheered.

"Not bad. Looks like the robot is about to get trashed." Chazz commented.

"But Michael still have to get rid of one card in order to attack." Jenny stated.

The dark duelist took the top card of his deck and placed it in the graveyard.

Michael's deck: 23-22

"Now Mataza, attack!" The warrior dashed forward and raised his sword. Once he got close to the facedown card, it flipped up and revealed a purple worm with large spikes protruding from its head and side. (ATK: 750 DEF: 600 LV: 2)

"Oh no! That's Needle Worm!" Shiori pointed out as the warrior cut the named monster in half.

"Um, what did that thing do again?" Syrus asked.

"Needle Worm's flip effect activates! You must send 5 cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard!"

Michael grimaced as he was forced to get rid of more cards.

Michael's deck: 22-17

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Jaden muttered.

"If this keeps up, Michael will lose before he can wipe out the robot's life points." Xander said, not liking where his mistake was leading to.

Even Mahiru, who still kept herself hidden, was worried.

"This sucks, but I have to try!" Michael sent another card to the graveyard.

Michael's deck: 17-16

"Mataza, direct attack!" The warrior dashed forward and slashed the robot with his sword.

Robot: 3700-1900

"That's it for me. Your turn."

"Drawing new card!" The robot drew its next card and showed it to everyone. This card wasn't a trap card either. "Activate Pot of Greed! Drawing two additional cards!" It drew its extra cards. Everyone noted that none of them was discarded, which means none of them were trap cards. "Activating spell card! Card Destruction!"

The spectators gasped.

"But that card forces both players to discard their hands and draw the same number of cards they discarded!" Shiori pointed out.

"And Michael's got 5 cards in his hand." Banner added. "That will cost him a lot."

Michael was not pleased at all. Unlike his robotic opponent, his situation was getting bad as both of them discarded their cards and redrew.

Michael's deck: 16-11

The robot didn't appear to get any trap cards, considering the fact it wasn't discarding any of its new cards. "Placing a facedown monster in defense mode!" A facedown monster card appeared. "Placing one card facedown!" Another card appeared behind it. "Turn complete!"

"My move!"

Michael's deck: 11-10

"Now when it's my standby phase, my Dark Nepthys comes back from the graveyard!" At those words, dark flames erupted from the ground. And from those flames, a bird-like creature emerged. Its body was made of black metal. It had arms, legs and a tail. It also had a pair of wings, most of them made of dark flames. (ATK: 2400-2900 DEF: 1600-1200 LV: 8) Michael smirked. "And now when it's special summoned, its special ability activates. One spell or trap card on the field is destroyed. And guess what. I'm gonna destroy Gravekeeper's Servant!" The metallic bird screeched as its flames surrounded its body.

"Perfect! Now he can attack without sending his own cards to the grave!" Andrew said.

"Nice one, Michael!" Jenny cheered.

"Activate spell card! Forbidden Chalice!" The robot's facedown flipped up. And then, a giant golden cup appeared above Dark Nepthys and poured water on it. Most of the flames were extinguished. (ATK: 2900-3300) "Forbidden Chalice increases a monster's attack points by 400 and negates its special abilities for one turn."

"So much for that plan." Chumley muttered.

"Aw man. Now Micheal's in big trouble now." Syrus added.

Michael, on the other hand, smirked. "Not necessarily. My Nepthys' abilities may be negated, but I've got a backup plan!" He held up a card from his hand. "I play the spell, Dark Mambele! If I have at least 3 dark monsters on the field, I can remove one face-up card from play. You can't save Gravekeeper's Servant this time!" Dark energy erupted from the ground and engulfed the named spell card. It was at instant.

"That's more like it!" Jaden cheered.

"Way to go!" Clover added.

"Now Mataza, attack that facedown monster!" The swordsman dashed forward and prepared to slashed the facedown card. When it flipped up, it revealed a small fiend in green clothing with a horn on its head and wings. It was holding a small spear in its right hand. (ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 2) The warrior cut the monster in half.

"Spear Cretin's flip effect activates! Each player summons a monster from their graveyard!"

"Okay, that means the robot can summon something to protect itself from the second attack." Jaden noted. "But Michael get to summon a monster of his own, so it's not all too bad."

"There's more to Spear Cretin's ability than just that, Jaden." Alexis said. "When its flip effect lets you summon a monster, you're given a choice. You can either summon your monster in face-up attack mode, or in facedown defense mode."

Jaden didn't see her point. "Okay, so?"

"So, that means the robot can use its effect to bring out a flip effect monster." Jenny explained.

"Oh!" The brown-haired Slifer started to get it... only a little.

A facedown monster appeared on the robot's field. Michael frowned. 'If I have to guess, that monster is probably Needle Worm. I don't want to suffer its effect again. But then again, it could be risky to leave that monster alone instead of attacking, so I better take the risk. But first...'
"With your Spear Cretin's effect, I summon Pitch-Black Warwolf!" The familiar humanoid wolf with its curved sword appeared. (ATK: 1600-2100 DEF: 600-200 LV: 4) "And now Mataza, attack again!" The swordsman slashed the facedown card. It revealed a familiar worm before it disappeared. Michael narrowed his eyes. 'I knew it!'

"Needle Worm's effect activates. Send 5 cards from your deck to the graveyard!"

Michael did as the robot told him.

Michael's deck: 10-5

"I end my turn." He concluded. (ATK: 3300-2900)

"Drawing new card!" The robot drew its next card and showed it to everyone. Once again, it wasn't a trap card. "Activate Card of Demise! Drawing 5 new cards!" It drew its new hand. Two of the new cards were traps, which it discarded. "Activate Dark World Dealings! Each Player must draw 1 card and then discard 1 card." The robot and Obelisk boy drew, looked at their hands and discarded one card each.

Michael's deck: 5-4

"Activate Graceful Charity! Drawing 3 cards and then discard 2 cards!" The robot drew three cards and discarded two of them.

"Removing two insect type monsters from the graveyard to summon Doom Dozer in attack mode!" The two mentioned insect type monsters appeared in front of the robot. Both of them were Needle Worm.

"Two Needle Worms?" Syrus said.

"But I thought only one Needle Worm was sent to the graveyard." Chumley added.

"Obviously, the second one was sent to grave by getting discarded. Either by Card Destruction, Dark World Dealings, or Graceful Charity." Chazz said.

The two worms disappeared, and then, a big creature came out of the ground. It was a giant centipede with black exoskeleton armor over its pinkish body. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2600 LV: 8) "Summoning Malice Ascendant in defense mode!" A ghoulish-looking skeleton appeared, wearing tattered black clothes and a small scythe in each hand. (ATK: 700-1200 DEF: 600 LV: 4) "Doom Dozer, destroy Mataza the Zapper!" The centipede tackled the swordsman and crushed him with its four mandibles.

Michael: 4300-3300

"Doom Dozer's special ability activates! When it deals battle damage, the top card of your deck is sent to the graveyard."

Michael frowned and got rid of his top card.

Michael's deck: 4-3

"Turn complete!"

"Alright then, my move!" Michael drew.

Michael's deck: 3-2

"Malice Ascendant's special ability activates!" The robot interrupted.

"Huh?" Michael widened his eyes.

"During your standby phase, one card from the top of your deck is sent to the graveyard for every Malice Ascendant in my graveyard. Number of Malice Ascendants in the graveyard: 2!"

Everyone gasped as Michael grabbed the two last cards from his deck and discarded them.

Michael's deck: 2-0

"Now this is bad!" Xander said worriedly.

"Indeed." Banner agreed. "If Michael can't win the duel this turn, then all the robot has to do is draw one card and then end its turn immediately, and it's over."

Deep down, Andrew was worried too. But he was still confident. "Then Michael better make this turn count. I know he can do it!"

The dark duelist looked at the card he drew. He didn't say anything fo a while. Everyone was waiting for his next move. And then...

"Hm..." Michael smirked. "Looks like this is the end for you, tin can! I summon Prometheus, King of the Shadows!" A figure rose up next to Kaiser Vorse Raider. It was wearing a red cloak with golden armor that hid his face. He had muscular arms while the rest of his body was made of shadows. (ATK: 1200-1700 DEF: 800-400 LV: 4) "This monster is gonna end this duel, all thanks to you. See, when this monster is normal summoned, I can take any number of dark monsters from my graveyard and remove them from play. And for each one of them, Prometheus gains 400 attack points!"

"Whoa! That's sweet!" Jaden commented.

"Tell me about." Shiori replied. "After what the robot did to Michael's deck, he's got a bunch a monsters in his grave."

"Now let's see. How many monsters do I need to wipe you out?" Michael asked with a thoughtful look. He then smirked. "I know. How about 8 monsters?" At that, purple glowing spheres came out of his graveyard slot, each one of them having an image of a monster. They then entered Prometheus' body, making a purple aura envelop him. (ATK: 1700-4900) "Now Prometheus, attack his Doom Dozer with Shadow Rage!" The king thrusted his right palm and made a snake made of shadows appear and let it constrict the centipede. Eventually, it was crushed by its grip.

Robot: 1900-0000

"Game over..." The robot said before it collapsed. Michael sighed in relief as the holograms disappeared.

"Nice one, Michael!" Andrew complimented.

"You totally crashed its butt." Jaden added with a grin. "Get it? Crashed?"

"You're pretty lame, you know that?" Chazz asked while rolling his eyes.

Before anyone else could say something, the gang was surprised when Xander suddenly dashed forward.

"Whoa! Xander!" Clover called out.

But the mechanic ignored her words. He was focused on one thing: the dueling robot. He jumped on it and grabbed its head with his hands. And then, he pulled with all his might until he managed to rip the head off its body and tossed it aside. "(pant) There! That should take care of it."

"Kinda extreme, don't you think?" Syrus asked.

"When I turned it off and left it in the junkyard, I assumed it wouldn't go rampage again. This time, I don't take any chances."

"Come on! We gotta check on Bastion!" Shiori urged, rushing over to the unconscious Ra in question.

The gang gathered around them, as the ritual duelist checked on their friend.

"How is he?" Jenny asked.

After a moment, Shiori turned to them and smiled. "He's alright! Just unconscious."

At that, they sighed in relief.

"Is he okay?" A new voice asked.

They turned around to see a familiar goth girl.

"Mahiru?" Michael noted.

"Did you follow us here?" Alexis asked.

Mahiru frowned. "Sorry. I was just worried."

"Well there's no need to worry." Banner assured her. "It's all over."

"Come on. We need to take Bastion to the infirmary." Andrew said.

Everyone agreed to that. And so, they left the area, leaving the robot behind.


Not too long after they left, Tania, on the back of her pet tiger, arrived at the scene and noticed the robot. She noted that the head got separated from its body. "Hmm, looks like the robot is down." She then looked around. "But where is Bastion?" As far as she could tell, Bastion wasn't here. She scowled. "I will find you, Bastion. We will finish our duel, wether you like it or not!"


And so, Bastion was resting on one of the beds in the infirmary. And the others were watching him. Kaito was awake by the time they showed up, and so were Cynthia. Atticus was sleeping.

"A dueling robot?" Kaito asked, surprised by their story. "Sheesh, this is just getting crazier."

"That's putting it mildly." Cynthia replied.

"But at least it's over." Syrus said.

"Nu-huh." Chumley disagreed. "We may have stopped the robot, but that amazon is still on the loose."

"That's true. Sooner or later, we have to face her again." Jenny added.

"Yes. This is most troubling." Banner frowned.

"Those Shadow Riders just don't let up." Kaito muttered.

"That reminds me." Andrew said turning to the bedridden blonde. "We wanted to ask you about your time with them. If there's anything you remember, then tell us."

Kaito closed his eyes and concentrated. After a moment he sighed and turned to the group. "I'm afraid I can't tell you much. Most of it is a blur."

"Same here." Cynthia added. "I don't remember so much."

"What I do remember is that someone called me over to the Millennium house for a test. When I got to the basement, I was swallowed by a sea of black blobs."

"Yeah, I got a call as well. I don't remember much from the time we were with the Shadow Riders. But from what we learned since we woke up, you guys defeated 4 of them, including us."

"So we can confirm you that there are only 8 Shadow Riders left."

"Do you know who called you to the abandoned dorm?" Alexis asked.

"No. For some reason, my PDA didn't show the person's face or number." Cynthia said. "Their voice sounded like it was synthesized."

"It was the same thing with me." Kaito added.

"So you don't know who tricked you into becoming Shadow Riders. Great." Chazz commented.

"Maybe Atticus knows?" Clover suggested, turning to the sleeping Obelisk boy.

"That's a possibility." Kaito said. "Although, he seems to need more time to recover."

"...ugh..."

Everyone turned to the source of the groaning and saw Bastion waking up.

"Ah, Bastion!" Mahiru gasped as she was the first one to approach him.

"Are you okay, buddy?" Jaden asked.

The Ra rubbed his head and groaned. "Ugh, what happened?"

"What is the last thing you remember?" Alexis asked.

Bastion lowered his head thinking back to what happened. The memories of the duel popped up in his head.


Flashback

"Oh, there I go again!~"

The intelligent Ra held a hand over his heart while blushing.

"I guess that I can't simply help myself." Tania said and spread her arms out and wide. "I'm head over heels!~"

Now Bastion was completely infatuated with her. "Yes... me too."

Flashback end


With those memories in mind he blushed and smiled. "That's right. Me and Tania dueled. Our cards danced the dangerous duel monsters' dance..."

The gang looked at him disbelieved. Clover groaned and placed a hand on her face. "Don't tell me that you're still under Tania's spell."

"It's no spell, it's love as pure as the wind driven snow." He argued.

"Oh, gag me." Chazz complained.

"But Bastion, Tania is a Shadow Rider." Jenny reminded him. "Since your duel was interrupted, we still have to take her down. You're lucky that you haven't lost your spirit key."

"We have the world to save." Michael added. "We need you, and you need to get out of this love nonsense."

Bastion frowned. "Nonsense? You don't know what you're saying. Do you have any idea how it feels like to be in love? We had passion!"

Andrew gave him a concerned look. "Bastion."

The intelligent Ra got out of bed. "I'm going back. I'm going back to my dear Tania and..."

SLAP!

He couldn't finish his sentence as he suddenly felt a stinging pain in his left cheek. It took him a few seconds to realize what just happened. He was slapped in the face. He turned to the one who did that. He saw the person who did it and was quite surprised.

The one who slapped him... was Mahiru. And to his second surprise, she looked at him with anger in her eyes. All the others just stared at her, not expecting her to act like that.

"Then what? You're going back to her and then what? Duel her and let her take your spirit key? Letting the Shadow Riders get closer to take over the world?" He voice sounded harsh. She was usually a calm person. But then again, they haven't known her long enough to see her angry before. "I may not know the full story about you guys protecting those keys, but from what I can tell, losing them will lead disaster to the world. What's the meaning of some stupid crush when there is no world to live in?"

Bastion was astounded by her words. And of course, so were the others.

The goth girl sighed and turned around. "I wonder if you're even smart enough to realize the stakes?" At that, she walked away and left the infirmary, leaving a speechless group of key keepers and former Shadow Riders behind.

After a moment, Chazz broke the silence. "What on earth was that all about?"

"I have no idea." Jaden said.

"Okay, I'm not sure why Mahiru acted like that..." Andrew spoke before he turned to Bastion. "But she's right about one thing: If we lose all the spirit keys, then the three Sacred Beasts will be released and destroy the world. If you can't understand that... then you're not in the right mind to face Tania again."

"But..." Bastion tried to speak, but stopped when Michael placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Sorry buddy, but you have to sit this one out. We'll handle this. Just take a rest."

At that, the gang left the infirmary, leaving a concerned Kaito and Cynthia, and a frowning Bastion behind.


Back at the colosseum, Tania was getting very frustrated about not finding Bastion anywhere in the forest. She seethed in anger and pounded her chest like a gorilla. "Nowhere! I've been searching for Bastion everywhere in the forest, but no trace of him!" She gave a wall a few punches and kicked a piece out of the ceiling, scaring her pet tiger.

"I'll find him, even if I have to search the entire island!" She swore, making her way to the exit. The tiger followed her while the ceiling fell behind them.


Later that night, Bastion was standing outside the infirmary, gazing at the view outside one of the windows. He stood there in deep thought. The first thing that popped up in his mind was the amazon.


Flashback

"I guess that I can't simply help myself." She said and spread her arms out and wide. "I'm head over heels!"

Flashback end


And then, he remembered Mahiru's words from earlier.


Flashback'

"You're going back to her and then what? Duel her and let her take your spirit key? Letting the Shadow Riders get closer to take over the world?"

Flashback end


He then reached down and grabbed the spirit key he had around his neck. After staring it for what felt like a minute, he looked up with determination in his eyes.


Later on, Andrew headed to the infirmary. When he arrived, he noted that Kaito and Cynthia returned to sleep. "Hey Bastion, how are you..." He started, but noticed that his fellow Ra Yellow was missing. "Bastion?" He frowned, wondering where he was. He pulled out his PDA and dialed Bastion's number. He waited, but it kept ringing without any answer.

Now he was starting to get really worried. "I don't like this." He then dialed another number and after two rings, Shiori's face appeared on the screen.

"Andrew? What is it?"

"Shiori, I was about to check on Bastion, but he's not here in the infirmary. Have you seen him?"

Shiori widened his eyes. "No, I haven't. Are you telling me he walked away somewhere?"

Andrew was now even more worried. "Go and gather the key keepers! I think Bastion's in trouble!"

Unbeknownst to him, Mahiru was standing outside the infirmary, and was shocked after hearing his words.


The intelligent Ra was walking in the forest, with his duel disk attached to his arm. Eventually, he came to the colosseum. He stared at the building for a moment. 'This is it.' He thought before walking inside. 'Time to end this.' Soon after, he reached the middle of the colosseum. "Tania!"

Right after he called her out, he saw the amazon enter the arena from the opposite side. She looked at him with a pleased look. "Bastion! I was wondering when I would see you again."

"Sorry if I made you worry, my dear." The Ra replied with a small smile. "But now I'm here, and ready to duel."

The amazon smirked. "I thought you'd never ask."


Meanwhile, Andrew was running through the woods, followed by the other key keepers, plus Syrus, Chumley, Clover and Xander.

"I can't believe Bastion just walked off like that!" Shiori said.

"Well apparently, he's still in love with that amazon lady." Chazz replied.

"Come on! We gotta hurry!" Andrew urged.

"Why are we always running!?" Chumley complained.


Back at the colosseum, the duelists were about to start the duel. "You know the rules." She held up her two decks for Bastion to see. "If you lose this duel, you lose your spirit key and single status. That means you move to this arena with me and become my husband forevermore."

"I know." Bastion said. "And if you want me to choose a deck for you, then I choose the deck of courage."

Tania raised an eyebrow. "Hm? I thought you would give the deck of knowledge another try. But if that's what you want, then so be it." She inserted the deck in question into her duel disk. "Now then..."

"Let's duel!"

Bastion: 4000

Tania: 4000

"Bastion!"

His friends arrived just in time to see the duel getting started.

"Aw man, we're too late." Syrus said.

"The duel has begun." Michael added.

The duelists turned to them.

"Everyone." Bastion muttered.

"I see you've come to watch our duel." Tania said.

"If you want to duel someone, then I'll take you on!" Jaden replied. "Let's go!"

The amazon scoffed. "I told you before. Bastion and I are gonna finish what we started. Therefore, he's my opponent, wether you like it or not."

"Great, then Bastion's toast." Chazz said.

"What can we do?" Alexis said, obviously worried about their friend.

"Let's have faith in him." Andrew answered. "All we can do is believe in him and hope that he wins."

"I guess that's all we can do." Jenny said, not finding anything else to say about that.

Everyone was so focused on the duel, that no one noticed Mahiru, who was standing behind them, watching with a worried look on her face.

"Well then..." Tania said. "Let's get this started."

"My pleasure." Bastion replied and drew his sixth card. "I summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in defense mode!" A pink, robotic figure appeared and crossed its arms. Its body was round, with a magnet around its neck and a pair of wings on its back. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1800 LV: 4) "That's all for now."

"That's your move?" Tania questioned and drew a card. "Well, I have someone to clip your Magnet Warrior's wings. I summon Amazoness Paladin!" The familiar amazon in sleeveless battle dress with a sword in her hand appeared. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 300 LV: 4) "I'm pretty sure you remember her. She gains 100 attack points for every Amazoness on the field, including herself." (ATK: 1700-1800) "And next I activate the spell card Amazoness Charm! This card switches all the monsters you have on the field in defense mode to attack mode and gives them an extra 200 attack points." The magnet uncrossed its arms and stood up. (ATK: 1500-1700)

"Looks like she's about to cause some damage." Michael said.

"Yeah, but since that spell card gave Gamma some extra points, it won't be so much battle damage." Shiori replied.

"So, are we enjoying the match so far?" Tania asked Bastion. "I hope you're not getting distracted."

Instead of answering her question, Bastion remained silent for some reason. And his friends were worried because of it.

The amazon found it weird but smirked. "What's wrong? Are you really so distracted that you can't speak? Or, are you trying to charm me by acting like the strong silent type?"

Clover groaned in annoyance. "Is she serious?"

Mahiru scowled at the amazon's words.

"Well," Tania spoke up again and held up another card. "Maybe you'll speak up after this! I activate the field spell card, Amazoness Arena! When this card activates, we both gain 600 life points. And it's not just distracting, it's captivating!" A dome shaped cage rose up around the two duelists, shutting them away from the spectators.

Bastion: 4000-4600

Tania: 4000-4600

"Wow, she must be really desperate to find a husband... if she's gotta use a cage." Chazz commented.

Andrew sweat dropped. "Again, I'm really glad that I'm not her opponent."

"You see, Amazoness Arena is a sacred arena." Tania explained. "In here, you don't just fight with your monsters, but with your soul as well."

That explanation caused Bastion to ask curiously. "And how exactly does that work?"

"You'll find out soon enough. But first, Amazoness Paladin attacks your Magnet Warrior!" The paladin leapt in the air and brought her sword down, striking the magnet warrior who shattered into pixels.

Bastion: 4600-4500

"Now you'll see the power of Amazoness Arena! After our monsters battle, your soul can battle mine. If you sacrifice 100 of your life points, you take away 100 of mine."

"Watch out, Bastion!" Xander warned him.

"I'm not accustomed to hit women." Bastion said.

"And you shouldn't, but this isn't a fight between us." Tania replied. "You see, like I said, our souls will clash."

"Fine then." Bastion said as their souls came out of their bodies, looking ready to fight.

Bastion: 4500-4400

Tania: 4600-4500

Both souls raced at each other and jumped into the air meeting each other in the middle of the arena. Bastion threw a punch, only to miss and get hit by Tania's uppercut, which sent his soul back to the other end of the arena.

Bastion: 4400-4300

"Bastion!" Syrus shouted.

"Come on, man, this is embarrassing for all us guys!" Chumley added.

"Yeah! Fight back Bastion!" Jaden cheered.

At that, Bastion's soul dashed forward and threw another punch with his right fist. And this, it landed successfully on Tania's face.

Tania: 4500-4400

The amazon rubbed her face and smirked. "Not a bad right hook you got there. I end my turn."

"What the... Did she compliment his attack?" Chazz asked incredulously.

"Sounds like it." Clover replied.

"My move then." Bastion drew. "First I activate the spell card, Silent Doom! This lets me summon a monster from the graveyard in defense mode. Now Gamma, return to me!" The pink magnet warrior appeared again. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1800 LV: 4) "But he won't be here for long, because now I sacrifice him, along with two other monsters: Alpha the Magnet Warrior, and Beta the Magnet Warrior!" Two more magnet warriors appeared on the field. Alpha was made of silver, holding a sword and a shield with a magnet emblem. It also had a magnet on its head. Beta was a yellow being with magnet grafted into its head and arms to make it look like horns and hands.

"In exchange for these three monsters, I can summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" At those words, the magnet warriors disassembled, and their pieces jumbled around each other until they formed a new monster. It had a body similar to Alpha's, Gamma's wings, but bigger, a head like Beta's, though it was slimmer and had a visor, and it also carried a wide sword. (ATK: 3500 DEF: 3850 LV: 8)

Michael whistled. "Now that's a monster."

"You said it." Shiori agreed.

"Now Valkyrion, destroy Amazoness Paladin!" The Magna Warrior flew over to the paladin, who tried to strike back with her sword. But it blocked her with its own slicing her in the middle, shattering her into pixels.

Tania: 4400-2700

"Now then, time to use your arena's effect!"

"Wait, so, Bastion's gonna use the arena's effect?" Syrus asked.

"I don't see why not." Andrew replied. "He's taking the lead now, so he might as well do it."

And so, Bastion and Tania's souls appeared in front of them again.

Bastion: 4400-4300

Tania: 2700-2600

And then, they rushed at each other again and exchanged blows, knocking one another away.

Bastion: 4300-4200

Tania: 2600-2500

"Now then..." Bastion spoke after recovering from the face-off. "I'll place one card facedown." A card appeared at his feet. "And before I end my turn, I'll use Valkyrion's special ability. By sacrificing him, I can summon back the monsters that merged together to form him."

"Huh?" His friends were surprised by this and watched as the Magna Warrior's body disassembled and changed back into the three magnet warriors, Alpha, Beta and Gamma. (ATK: 1400 DEF: 1700 LV: 4) (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1800 LV: 4)

"I don't get it. Why did Bastion sacrifice it and summon his three weaker monsters?" Chumley wondered.

"Maybe he's still distracted by Tania's love talk?" Xander guessed.

"That's an interesting move." Tania commented and drew a card. "But nothing I can't handle. First I summon Amazoness Swords Woman in attack mode!" The familiar red-haired amazon with her curved blade appeared. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) "Then I activate Card of Sanctity! This spell card lets us both draw until we hold six cards in our hands. Consider this your wedding gift.~" Both duelists drew their extra cards. "And now I equip my Swords Woman with the spell card, Amazoness Heirloom!" A small wooden figure with a green jewel on its belly appeared around the Swords Woman's neck. "With this card, my Amazoness can survive in battle once per turn."

"That's not good." Jaden said.

"That's putting it mildly." Clover replied. "When that Swords Woman is in battle, all battle damage goes to the opposing player."

"Which means Bastion needs to attack her twice in order to get rid of her. And that will cost him some of his life points."

That made Andrew thoughtful. "Come to think of it, if Valkyrion was still on the field, then he would have taken a lot of damage."

"So then, splitting it up into the three original monsters wasn't a bad move after all." Shiori realized.

"But that doesn't mean I can't cause much damage." Tania said while sending a card from her hand to the graveyard. "Especially after I play this." She held up another spell card. "I activate Twin Swords of Flashing Light - Tryce!" The swords woman's curved blade disappeared and was replaced by two swords with golden handles that were almost shaped like lightning bolts. "These swords drain 500 of my monster's attack points, but in return, they grant her the ability to attack twice per turn!" (ATK: 1500-1000)

Everyone gasped.

"Damn! That means she can cause even more damage!" Michael said.

"Watch out, Bastion!" Xander warned.

"Now, Amazoness Swords Woman, attack his Gamma the Magnet Warrior!" The swords woman dashed forward and slashed the magnet warrior, who used his arms to block the attacks. But a red aura enveloped the grunting Bastion.

Bastion: 4200-3400

And just as the spectators thought it couldn't get worse, they were shocked to see Gamma suddenly explode.

"What!?" Andrew exclaimed.

"It's destroyed!? But how!?" Shiori questioned.

"That would be the second effect of Amazoness Heirloom." Tania explained with a smirk. "After the equipped monster attacks, the monster she attacked is automatically destroyed."

"Aw man." Syrus moaned.

"That is so not lishus." Chumley added.

Mahiru frowned at this. "Come on." She whispered.

"And now... time for round 3!" Tania declared as her soul came out again.

Tania: 2500-2400

"Fine then." Bastion replied as his soul did the same.

Bastion: 3400-3300

They met in the middle of the arena again and punched each other silly before returning back to their bodies.

Bastion: 3300-3400

Tania: 2400-2300

"And as you know, my Amazoness can attack twice, thanks to her Twin Swords. So your Beta is next!" The Swords Woman dashed at the yellow magnet warrior and sliced it to pieces with her swords.

Bastion: 3200-2500

"And once again, my Amazoness Arena takes effect!"

Both duelists' soul jumped in the air, meeting in the middle of the arena, their fists striking at the same time, blowing each other away as they hit.

Bastion: 2500-2300

Tania: 2300-2100

"And now I'll end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared at Tania's feet.

"My move!" Bastion drew. "First I'll play the spell card Block Attack. This lets me switch your monster to defense mode!" Amazoness Swords Woman kneeled down. "Then I'll use the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Amazoness Heirloom." The spell card unleashed a typhoon and blew the small wooden figure away.

"Nice move." Jenny said. "Now he just need to play a monster strong enough to destroy that Amazoness."

"He should have at least one in his hand." Michael added.

"I summon Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus in attack mode!" The orange armored magnet warrior with pole and shield appeared. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "Then I'll switch Alpha to attack mode." The magnet warrior in silver stood up. "Now Sigma Plus, attack the Amazoness Swords Woman with Lode Stone Baton Bash!" The named monster rushed at the swords woman, struck her with its pole, shattering her into pixels. "And with that done, I'm ready to take you on!"

"He's gonna use the soul attack again?" Chazz questioned.

"What are you thinking, Bastion?" Mahiru asked quietly.

And once again, the duelists' souls rushed at each other, trading blows until they managed to land a hit.

Bastion: 2300-2100

Tania: 2100-1900

The amazon smirked. "Not bad. It seems you've got more than brains."

"Now Alpha the Magnet Warrior, attack her directly." The named monster dashed forward.

"Nice try, Bastion. But I've got a trap card." Tania's facedown card flipped up. "It's called Amazoness Willpower. This lets me summon an Amazoness back from my graveyard, and I choose Amazoness Swords Woman." The magnet warrior stopped as the amazon with the curved blade returned. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1600 LV: 4)

It then returned to Bastion's field. He inserted a card into his duel disk. "I end my turn with a facedown."

"My turn!" Tania drew. "First I'll use Pot of Greed to draw two cards." She drew her extra cards. "And now I summon Amazoness Tiger!" The one-eyed tiger appeared, growling. (ATK: 1100 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And this kitty gains 400 attack points for each Amazoness monster I have. She just loves company." (ATK: 1100-1900)

"No kidding. Look how powerful she got." Jaden said.

"How about we try not to sound so impressed, okay?" Alexis shot back.

"Now, Amazoness Tiger, attack Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus!" The tiger roared and leapt in the air.

"I activate the trap card, Magnet Force Plus!" One of Bastion's facedown cards flipped up and released green electricity that enveloped the tiger. And then, right before it could strike the orange armored magnet warrior, its body released its own electricity. As a result, a magnetic force pushed the tiger back to Tania's field. "This trap card lets me turn your monster into a Plus monster. And as you already know, two monsters with the same magnetism cannot engage in battle with each other."

Tania clicked her teeth. "Which means Amazoness Tiger can't touch your Plus monster. Fine, I'll just attack your Alpha with the Swords Woman! Go, Amazon Slash Attack!" The named monster rushed at the magnet warrior in silver and slashed it with her blade.

Bastion: 2100-2000

"Now then..." Was all Tania said before both duelists' souls came out again and fought each other before each of them landed a punch.

Bastion: 2000-1800

Tania: 1900-1700

"I end my turn with two facedowns." Tania inserted two cards into her duel disk. "Now you go, hun.~" She winked.

Bastion drew. "I summon Magnet Warrior Omega Minus in attack mode!" The familiar purple magnet warrior appeared. (ATK: 1900 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card Banner of Courage!" A spell card appeared behind the magnet warriors. "From now on, my monsters gain 200 attack points the battle phase of my turns." (ATK: 1900-2100) (ATK: 1800-2000) "Now, Magnet Warrior Omega Minus! Attack Amazoness Tiger!" The named monster charged forward.

"You must be distracted. Because otherwise you would have realized I was prepared with this trap card." One of Tania's facedown cards flipped up. "I activate Amazoness Archers! When you attack while I have an Amazoness monster on the field, I can drain your monsters by 500 attack points." (ATK: 2100-1600) (ATK: 2000-1500) At that, the tiger pounced on Omega Minus and sank its fangs into its left shoulder, making it explode.

Bastion: 1800-1500

"Well played." Bastion complimented. "Now I'll use the arena again."

"What!? Seriously!?" Shiori questioned.

"Not again!" Syrus cried out.

Both duelists' souls jumped out, swinging for each other, each landing a hit in a short moment.

Bastion: 1500-1300

Tania: 1700-1500

"Let's see." Tania said, looking thoughtful. "Under normal circumstances, my trap card forces all your monsters to attack. But since my tiger protects all other Amazoness monsters from your attacks, and you turned it into a Plus monster, your Sigma Plus can't attack at all."

"Indeed. I end my turn." (ATK: 1500-1300)

"Well then..." Tania drew. "Amazoness Swords Woman, destroy his magnet warrior!" The swords woman cut the magnet warrior in half.

Bastion: 1300-1100

"Now bring it!" The duelists' souls rushed at each other again. Bastion landed a hard punch, while Tania struck back with straight kick.

Bastion: 1100-0900

Tania: 1500-1300

"Now, Amazoness Tiger! Attack him directly." The tiger roared and ran towards Bastion.

"I reveal my spell card! Magnet Reverse!" His facedown card flipped up. "This lets me summon a machine or rock type monster that is removed from play or in my graveyard. But only a monster that can't be normal summoned or set."

"That's very specific." Chazz commented.

"I wonder which monster is like that?" Jaden wondered.

Andrew looked thoughtful until he realized it. "There's only one monster in Bastion's graveyard I can think of..."

"Now come forth, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" In a flash of light, the big and mighty magnet warrior appeared. (ATK: 3500 DEF: 3850 LV: 8) The tiger stopped before it got too close.

Tania narrowed her eyes. "Almost had you there. I end my turn."

"This is it." Michael said. "Bastion can attack that tiger with Valkyrion. And if the attack lands successfully..."

"Then Tania will lose the rest of her life points." Xander filled in.

"Then let's hope for the best." Clover said.

"My turn!" Bastion drew. "Now Valkyrion, destroy the Amazoness Tiger!" (ATK: 3500-3700) The magna warrior flew over to Tania's field.

"You won't get me so easily! I activate Amazoness Shamanism!" Tania's facedown card flipped up. And then, her monsters shattered into pixels, much to everyone's confusion. The smirking amazon explained. "With this trap card, I can destroy all Amazoness monsters on my field. And then, for each monster I destroyed, I get to summon a level 4 or lower Amazoness from my graveyard in defense mode. So now I'll bring back Amazoness Tiger and Swords Woman." The monsters that were destroyed moments ago reappeared. (ATK: 1100-1900 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1600 LV: 4)

And then, Valkyrion brought his sword down on the tiger and destroyed it. "It seems you saved yourself." Bastion noted. "But I can still damage your life points!"

"Is he serious?" Jenny asked disbelieved.

"He's going to use the arena again? But he doesn't have many life points left!" Shiori pointed out.

The duelists' souls faced each other again. Bastion landed a right hook on Tania's cheek, and the amazon landed a punch on his chest.

Bastion: 0900-0700

Tania: 1300-1100

(ATK: 3700-3500) Bastion inserted two cards into his duel disk. "I place two cards facedown, and activate Valkyrion's special ability. Once again, I'll sacrifice him and summon back the three original magnet warriors." And just like before, Valkyrion's body disassembled and changed back into the the three magnet warriors. (ATK: 1400 DEF: 1700 LV: 4) (ATK: 1700 DEF: 1600 LV: 4) (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1800 LV: 4)

Tania smirked. "Well done. You really duel with passion. That's the kind of man I want as a husband. You really live up to my expectations, sweetie.~"

The spectators groaned in annoyance. Mahiru started to like the Amazon less by the minute.

However, Bastion closed his eyes and said a few words. "It's a shame that your goal is meaningless."

"Huh?" His friends gave him a surprised look.

Tania was more surprised. "Meaningless? What on earth are you talking about, sweetheart?"

Bastion opened his eyes and gave her a serious look. "I'm talking about your role as a Shadow Rider. You were sent here to get our spirit keys, right? The same keys that are needed to unleash the three Sacred Beasts. And if those cards are released, it will be the end of the world. That is what makes your goal of making me your husband meaningless."

The amazon gasped at those words.

And so did Bastion's friends. "So then..." Syrus said.

"Yup. Bastion knows the stakes here." Jaden replied.

Mahiru was relieved by this.

Tania looked down toward the ground with a soft look on her face. "I never thought of it like that. I was so focused to find a worthy man, I never realized the consequences that can be caused by this." She then looked up and faced Bastion. "You make a good point. If the Sacred Beasts are released, we won't have a future. However..." She then looked serious. "I'm afraid I can't stop now. We amazons are a proud, warrior tribe. We never run away from our battles. So my pride demands me to keep dueling until the end."

Bastion nodded, understanding. "In that case, make your move."

"Gladly." Tania drew and held up one of her cards. "Now, Amazoness Swords Woman! Stand up and attack Gamma the Magnet Warrior with Amazon Slash Attack!" The swords woman stood up and dashed towards the pink magnet warrior.

"I activate Defense Draw!" One of Bastion's facedown card flipped up. "With this trap card, I can negate my battle damage from your attack and draw a card." Gamma blocked the swords woman's attack while Bastion drew a card.

"Nice move." Alexis complimented. "That card protected him from her special ability."

Jenny frowned. "That's true, but Tania can still her arena."

Once again, the duelists' souls battled each other until each of them landed a hit.

Bastion: 0700-0500

Tania: 1100-0900

"Now then..." Tania spoke. "I place one card facedown." A card appeared at her feet. "Next I'll sacrifice my Swords Woman in order to summon the Amazoness Queen!" The swords woman disappeared as a taller and more imposing woman took her place. She had long blue hair, wearing sturdy garb similar to the other Amazoness', had a crown on her head with a skull on the front, and was holding a wicked looking sword. (ATK: 2400 DEF: 1800 LV. 6) "There's a reason this Amazoness is the strongest of them. She keeps all Amazoness monsters from being destroyed in battle. And that ends my turn."

"A monster that can't be destroyed?" Jaden asked.

"Aw man. That sounds very tough." Syrus added.

"True, but Bastion can still turn this around." Andrew said. "Especially now when he's more focused than ever."

Mahiru watched the duel worriedly. "Come on, Bastion. I know you can win."

The intelligent Ra looked at his hand. 'She's got a powerful monster and a facedown card on the field. If I'm going to end this duel, I need one more card, and my plan will be complete...'
"My move!" He drew his next card. He paused for a moment before looking at it. He then smirked and nodded. "Alright. Everything is set."

Tania's eyes widened at those words.

"First I activate the trap card Xing Zhen Hu Replica!" He revealed his facedown card. "This lets me choose a facedown spell or trap card on the field. That card can't be activated as long as my trap card remains on the field. And no cards and effects cannot be activated in response to this card's activation."

The amazon gasped. 'Then I can't use my Spirit Barrier!'

"So now your facedown card is neutralized!" Purple smoke covered Tania's facedown card. "And now I'll switch Alpha and Beta the Magnet Warriors to attack mode." The two named monsters stood up. "And now I activate the equip spell, Unstable Evolution!" The spell card appeared behind Beta. "Now, since my life points are lower than yours, the equipped monster's original attacks points are now 2400." The magnet warrior glowed briefly. (ATK: 1700-2400)

"Whoa! It's the same as the Queen." Xander noted.

"But she's invincible in battle, so that won't do much, even with Banner of Courage on the field." Shiori replied.

"Yes, that's true, but I have another equip spell." Bastion held up the card in question. "Invigoration! This gives an earth monster 400 attack points, at the mere cost of 200 defense points." Beta glowed briefly again. (ATK: 2400-2800) "And that should be enough for the upcoming battle!" (ATK: 2800-3000) (ATK: 1400-1600) "Now Beta, attack her Amazoness Queen!" The yellow magnet warrior tackled the queen, but she managed to hold on.

Tania: 0900-0300

"And now... one final soul battle!" Bastion declared as he and Tania brought their souls again. They threw punches at each other until both of them got hit.

Bastion: 0500-0300

Tania: 0300-0100

Tania recovered quickly and smirked. "An impressive effort Bastion. But it seems you miscalculated. I still got 100 life points left, and now your life points are higher than mine, so your monsters original attack points become 1000, thanks to equip spell." A purple aura surrounded Beta. (ATK: 3000-1600)

"Looks like Bastion blew it." Chazz scoffed.

"Just when I thought he could win this." Chumley said worriedly.

"Don't say that, guys!" Jaden protested. "A duel is not over until the last card is played."

Bastion smiled. "He's right."

"Huh?" Tania blinked.

"In fact... I've got one last card to play!" He held up the remaining card in his hand. "I activate the spell card, Tailor of the Fickle!"

Andrew smiled. "Yes! That's perfect!"

"What can that do?" Tania asked curiously.

"It's simple." Bastion began to explain. "This lets me switch 1 equip card equipped to a monster to another correct target. For example... I can free Beta from the Unstable Evolution and add it to your monster!" (ATK: 1600-2300) Purple aura came out of the spell card in question and surrounded the Amazoness Queen. (ATK: 2400-1000) "Which means my other monster can end this now. Now Alpha, attack Amazoness Queen!" The magnet warrior in silver dashed forward.

Tania watched it getting closer before she closed her eyes and smiled. "Well played, Bastion."

The magnet warrior struck the queen with its sword. Even though she survived, the queen cried out and fell to her knees.

Tania: 0100-0000

While the holograms disappeared, the sunrise peeked over the colosseum. The spectators cheered at their friend's victory.

"Tight duel, Bastion!" Jaden complimented as he and the others approached.

"So I'll take it you're no longer in love?" Andrew asked.

Bastion turned to them and smiled. "Actually, I'm still in love." They were surprised until he spoke up again. "In dueling, that is. I see now, where the passion lies once again."

"Speaking of passion..." Shiori spoke. "That duel was certainly one of them most passionate ones I've ever seen."

"Tell me about it." Clover agreed.

"Totally." Jaden added. He turned to the amazon. "So if you want to duel again, then let us know."

"No." Tania said softly. "I joined the Shadow Riders to find a duelist worthy of being my husband, but I've discovered I am not worthy of being with someone as strong as Bastion. And if the rest of you boys are on his level, I doubt I'd be worthy of any of you." She was then surrounded by a purple energy, kneeling down and transforming into a white tiger with two scars over its right eye. This was shocking for the whole gang.

"A tiger!?" Syrus remarked.

"Okay... that was really unexpected." Andrew commented.

"Tell me about it." Jenny added.

Bastion blinked in shock and confusion. "Tania? Is that you?"

The white tiger glanced at him. 'Farewell Bastion...' She turned around and walked away, followed by her pet tiger, leaving a black glove with a millennium symbol on it.

"Well then... I guess that this is it..." Bastion said slowly.

"You sure know how to pick 'em, Bastion." Chazz said, patting the Ra on his back.

"Don't worry, buddy." Jaden said. "There's plenty of fish in the sea."

"Yes, but not too many tigers. Thank goodness." Bastion added.

Mahiru, who was still hiding from the others, sighed in relief before smiling. "You did well, Bastion." At that, she walked away.

"Never thought animals could become people." Andrew said.

"Me neither. But I guess everything is possible." Clover added.

"I wonder what would have happened if you two actually got in bed?" Chazz teased Bastion with a smirk. "Especially since Tania might become the dominant one."

SLAP!

SLAP!

The black clad Slifer found himself laying on the ground, groaning with a red hand mark on each of his cheek, courtesy of Alexis and Jenny, who slapped him angrily.

Michael leaned over him. "Dude, you were so asking for that."


Later on, everything was back to normal. But there was one issue that bothered Xander.

The dueling robot.

He was sitting outside the Slifer dorm, staring at the robotic body and the head that that right next to it.

"What am I gonna do to you?" He muttered.

"Never thought I would see that again." Someone spoke up from behind. The mechanic turned around and was surprised to see Sheppard, staring at the robot with a frown.

"Chancellor Sheppard?"

Sheppard came closer, still eyeing on the robot. "I suppose you found it at the junkyard."

Xander lowered his head, ashamed. "I did. I thought it would be great if I made it go again. But clearly I was wrong, considering what it did."

The Chancellor gave him a sympathetic look. "Well, it wouldn't be the first time it went berserk. A few years ago, a group of scientists created the robot in hope to help the students improve their skills. However, just when they turned it on, it started to act crazy, attacking anyone it ran into. Eventually, we managed to stop it. Because of that incident, the scientists saw the project as a failure, and thus they left it in the junkyard."

"Then I guess I just have to take it back where it belongs." Xander said standing up.

"Not necessarily." Someone else said. Both of them turned to see Bastion.

"Bastion?" Xander noted.

"Some machineries may have flaws, but doesn't mean you can give up on them. You just have to discover these flaws and fix them."

Xander looked unsure. "I don't know. I know I'm good to fix machines that are broken or so, but..."

"And you don't have to always do that alone." Bastion interrupted. "I can help you look into its programs and systems."

The mechanic hesitated before speaking up. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. With both us together, I'm sure we can find the flaws and fix it."

Xander thought about it carefully. He still doubted the crazy robot could be fixed, but if Bastion can give him the support needed to do that, it might be worth a shot. He then nodded and smiled slightly. "Okay then, let's give it a try."

Sheppard smiled at this and nodded in approval.


A few days later

"What do you know? It seems to do very well." Xander said.

"Indeed." Bastion agreed.

Those two, along with the other key keepers, plus Syrus and Chumley found themselves inside a big hall, where a bunch were standing in a line. Why? Because they wanted a chance to duel the robot that facing the student who was first in the line.

"Summoning Luster Dragon in attack mode!" It said with a lighter voice, summoning a blue dragon.

"I can't believe you actually managed to fix that robot, Xander." Clover said.

"Yeah, how did you do that?" Jaden asked.

"I don't deserve all the credit." Xander replied, scratching the back of his head. "Bastion helped me."

The intelligent Ra nodded. "Yes, I checked on its systems, and apparently, its AI was affected by a virus. That's why it went berserk. It took me a while, but I managed to fix that problem."

"I'm surprised no one did that in the first place." Andrew said.

"At least we don't have to worry about it going crazy again." Jenny added.

"And everyone can practice to improve their dueling skills." Alexis said.

"Like that tin can duel like a real duelist." Chazz scoffed. But then shivered upon sensing the looks sent from Alexis and Jenny and moved away.

"Still mad you, huh?" Shiori teased.

Michael grinned. "Well, you know what they say: Hell hath no fury like a woman."

Chazz grumbled annoyingly.


Okay, that's enough. It's been over 4 weeks since my last update. The reason I took so long is because I visited my grandparents and have been gone for two weeks. But I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Until next time.