This Means War - Part 1
It was late at night. It was very quiet at Duel Academy, as everyone was sleeping. But, near the docks, there was a dark figure walking around. Whoever this person was, they had an eye symbol glowing on their forehead.
"And so, it begins." The mysterious person said.
The next day, students from all three dorms were in the main building, going about their usual classes. The remaining key keepers, plus friends, were particularly listening to another one of Banner's lectures. And as usual, Jaden, Syrus and Chumley were snoring through the whole thing.
But... the one thing different in this situation is Jenny. She was hardly paying attention. And the reason to that, is that she was staring at her desk, blushing almost madly. And it all happened after she was taken to the Nurse's office...
Flashback
"Okay, everything seems to be fine." Fontaine concluded as she was done checking up on Jenny.
"So I'm free to go?" The fairy duelist asked.
"Absolutely! Just take it easy for now, okay?
"Okay."
The doors opened, allowing Alexis, Clover, Jasmine and Mindy enter. "Hey, Jenny. How do you feel?" Alexis asked.
"I feel a lot better now."
"That's great." Clover smiled. "At least it took you one day to recover. You were really lucky there."
"She sure was." Jasmine replied. "Especially how Andrew carried her all the way here."
That comment made Jenny curious while Clover flinched. "Andrew?" The former asked.
"Oh yeah, you were unconscious back then." Mindy said as she put her hands on her cheeks with a dreamy look. "While Alexis left with you guys, we decided to visit her brother. And after a while, Andrew showed up. And he was, like, carrying you in bridal style, like a prince carrying his dear princess.~"
"H-HUH!?" Jenny's face was now red like a tomato as steam came out of her ears.
Clover's left eye was twitching in annoyance.
As for Alexis, she gave both of them a glance before sighing.
Flashback end
Back to present, Jenny contemplated that day. 'To think that Andrew carried me like that. Then again, he's always helping others. Although, what he did was sweet. He's such a...' She stopped it there and shook her head, her blush getting darker. 'Where did this come from!?' She then glanced at the Ra Yellow boy in question, who was sitting in a lower row, along with Shiori. She then placed a hand on her chest. 'This feeling. Is it...'
Later on, after the classes were over, a lot of students were leaving the academy building. Jenny and Alexis were walking together, heading to their dorm. The latter noted that her friend has been quiet for a while. "Is something bothering you, Jenny?"
The blue-haired girl faced her. "What makes you say that?"
"You haven't been saying so much today. And I also noticed your behavior while listening to Professor Banner's lecture."
"Oh." Jenny lowered her head. She then stopped walking, which prompted her friend to do the same. "I guess you got me. It's just like you said. It's about... Andrew." Her cheeks reddened.
"Yeah?" Alexis said, waiting for her to continue.
"You see, I've recently got this feeling inside me." The fairy duelist spoke while placing a hand on her chest again. "And it's been like that because of Andrew. As you know, he'd do anything to help. He saved me from Kang, Panik and the Gravekeepers. And there are times that I want us to be more than just friends. You see, what I'm trying to say is..." She trailed off with a blush on her face.
"You got a crush on him." Alexis filled her in, giving her a knowing look.
"Was it that obvious?" Jenny asked, looking more embarrassed.
"Yeah, you and Clover made that clear a few times."
"Oh." Jenny's blush got slightly darker.
"So, you gonna confess to him?"
Jenny frowned. "That's easier said than done. Not only because I'm nervous. But there's also Clover. Like you said, both of us made it clear how we feel. Plus, she's also Andrew's childhood friend. What if he likes her more than me?"
"But if you really like him that much, you should at least try to confess to him, before you lose the chance."
"I know. But like I said, I'm nervous."
"Well, no one ever said that love is easy." Alexis placed a hand on Jenny's shoulder. "But I know you can do it. I believe in you."
Jenny gave her a small smile. "Thanks, Lex."
"You're welcome."
Meanwhile, some students were hanging around in the card shop. At one of the tables, Bastion was looking over his cards.
"Hey Bastion." The intelligent Ra looked up and saw Andrew approaching him, followed by Shiori and Michael.
"How's it going?" Michael asked.
"I'm fine, thank you very much." He replied.
"So what brought you here?" Shiori inquired.
"Oh, I was just looking for new cards to add in one of my decks. Just so I could be prepared for the next Shadow Rider."
"Sounds good." The ritual duelist nodded. He then looked at cards on the tables and whistled. "Those cards are very nice! With right combo, those cards could beat anything."
"Indeed. That is why I'm planning to use them."
"We all need to get ready. We can't let our guard down just because there are only 5 Shadow Riders left." Andrew pointed out.
"And who knows how tough the next one might be?" Michael added.
Later on, the sun was setting and it was dinner time, so everyone was in their respective dorms and eating. But while that happened, a mysterious figure was walking around in the forest near the ocean.
After they finished eating, Jaden, Syrus, Chumley, Xander and Matt went to go back to their rooms. "Boy, that hit the spot!" Jaden said, rubbing his stomach.
"I still can't believe you could eat enough for four plates." Xander commented.
"That's Jaden for ya." Syrus replied, earning a nod from Chumley.
"He's like a bottomless pit." Matt muttered.
Right before Jaden could reach the door leading to one of their rooms, he felt a sudden vibration from his spirit key. "What the...?"
"What is it?" Xander asked.
"My spirit key! It's reacting!"
The boys gasped.
"So does that mean...?" Syrus asked.
"A Shadow Rider!" Jaden said.
"Not lishus."
Chazz just left the cafeteria and felt his own key vibrating around his neck.
At the Obelisk boys' dorm, Michael felt his own key reacting as well. With a determined look on his face, he grabbed his duel disk and left his room.
At the girls' end, Alexis and Jenny were walking towards the exit, when they passed by Clover. "What's happening?" The redhead wondered.
"A Shadow Rider." Jenny answered.
Clover's eyes widened. "Another one already?"
"Yeah, unfortunately." Alexis replied as she and Jenny left the building. Clover stood there for a moment before she followed them.
At the Ra Yellow dorm, Andrew, Shiori and Bastion just left the meal hall when they felt their keys vibrating.
"My key." Shiori muttered.
"That can only mean one thing." Bastion replied.
"They're at it again." Andrew said with a grim look on his face as all three of them immediately left the dorm.
At a running speed, the key keepers, plus friends, met up near the front entrance of the main building.
"Hey guys!" Jaden spoke up. "Did you feel it too?"
"Yeah, we did." Andrew replied.
"Seriously? It's been barely a day, and those punks already decided to strike again?" Chazz questioned.
"Just our typical luck." Michael commented.
"So where do you think they are?" Shiori asked.
Before anyone could answer, the gang suddenly heard the sound of engines from a distance.
"Now what?" Clover muttered.
Syrus was the first to follow the sound and gasped at what he saw. "What is that!?"
Everyone followed his gaze and saw something very big in the air. But because of the distance and how dark it is, it was difficult to tell what it was. But judging from the sound it was giving off, they assumed it was some kind of machine.
"Anyone having idea what it is?" Jenny asked.
"Maybe it's an UFO?" Jaden wondered.
"I doubt it." Bastion replied. "But I believe it has something to do with our next enemy."
"Then let's go!" Michael declared as the gang ran towards the mysterious object in the sky.
They ran in the direction they saw the flying object, which led them to the docks. But the moment they arrived, it suddenly disappeared.
"Where did it go?" Shiori wondered.
"Maybe it returned to outer space?" Jaden said.
"Aliens don't exist, Slacker!" Chazz snapped.
"Jokes aside, why did that thing appear in the first place." Clover wondered.
"To get your attention." A new voice spoke up. Everyone followed it and saw a person approaching them slowly. He looked like an old man with a mustache. He was wearing some kind of pilot uniform. A brown leather jacket, a pair of black pants, and a pilot cap with a golden eye on the forehead. Even though he had his arms behind his back, they noticed the duel disk he had. "I've been waiting for you, key keepers."
"Who are you?" Jaden demanded.
"Why, I'm your challenger." The old man replied and bowed. "My name is Jonathan McClain. World war 2 veteran." The introduction earned him some gasps from the gang.
"You've been part of the Second World War?" Andrew asked in shock.
"Indeed." The old man confirmed. "I was a member of the American Air Force."
"A pilot?" Chumley muttered.
"Aw man." Syrus said in awe.
"A very skillful pilot indeed. Me and my comrades fought bravely against our enemies. We were one of the greatest air forces in history." The old man paused when his eyes were now full of sadness. "Of course, that doesn't mean we were invincible. The opposing air forces were quite formidable enemies. Many of us fell, and so did many other allies as the war went on. When the war reached its end, I, along with many others, came out alive. But, my dear friends didn't make it. The war gave me a few scars. But nothing pained me more than the loss of my precious friends."
The gang looked at him with sympathy. Losing your friends in a war is one of the worst things you could experience.
Bastion was the one who broke the silence. "So why did a brave soldier like you become a Shadow Rider?"
Jonathan gave him a serious look. "To get my friends back!"
Jaden gave him a confused look. "Um, tell me if I'm wrong, but didn't you just say that they're-"
"Yes!" Jonathan interrupted him. "I'm aware what I just told you! However, I've been given a chance to get them back. According to my master, I can use the power of the Sacred Beasts to bring them back from the dead."
Jenny frowned. "But don't you know how dangerous those cards are? If you release them, then the world will be destroyed! Don't you understand? What you're trying to do, is going against what you used to fight for!"
The old man scowled. "I don't expect any of you to understand what I've been through. I'm doing this for my lost friends. And with my experience, I'm going to win this war!" He then held up the arm with his duel disk.
"Looks like the old geezer won't listen to reason." Chazz muttered.
"If he's that desperate to get his friends back, I don't think he won't listen at all." Clover replied.
"Indeed." Bastion agreed and stepped forward. "The only thing to do is defeat him and protect the keys. And that's what I'm going to do!" He then opened his jacket, revealing his deck cases.
"Bastion, are you sure about this?" Alexis asked worriedly.
"I assure you, I most certainly am. Especially since I have my new deck prepared." The Ra pulled out one of his decks and inserted it into his duel disk.
"Do you really believe you can defeat me, young man?" Jonathan questioned.
"According to my calculations, yes I can. And just as you risked your life in the Second World War, me and my friends are willing to take risks to stop you and the other Shadow Riders!"
"Then let us begin." The old man declared as he and Bastion activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.
"DUEL!"
Bastion: 4000
Jonathan: 4000
"For my first move..." Bastion spoke up and drew his sixth card. "I place a facedown monster in defense mode." A facedown card appeared in front of him. "Then I'll place another card facedown and end my turn." Another card appeared at his feet.
"So you start defensive, huh?" Jonathan mused and drew his sixth card. "I think I'll do the same. I place one card facedown..." A card appeared at his feet. "...and summon Heavy Mech Support Platform in defense mode." A twin-barreled laser in the form of a mechanical platform appeared. (ATK: 500 DEF: 500 LV: 3)
"A machine card?" Xander muttered in surprise.
"I end my turn." Jonathan concluded.
"My move then." Bastion drew. "First I'll reveal my facedown monster, Shinobird Crane!" The facedown monster card flipped up and revealed a black humanoid bird with white feather wings dressed in a white robe. It was wielding a bow. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And then I summon Shinobird Pigeon in attack mode!" Another humanoid bird appeared. This one was a pigeon, wearing an eastern orange shirt with a black west, red pants and a gold and green pointed hat. It also had a pair of spectacles on its eyes and was holding a quill and a book. And just like its comrade, the wings on its back were white. (ATK: 1000 DEF: 1800 LV: 4)
"Now he's got two monsters on the field." Syrus noted.
"Not a bad start." Michael commented.
"And it gets better." Bastion replied. "Since a Spirit monster was summoned, Shinobird Crane's special ability activates, allowing me to draw 1 card from my deck." He drew his extra cards.
"Wait! What's a Spirit monster?" Jaden asked.
"Spirit monsters are known for only being able to remain on the field on the turn they are summoned." Andrew explained.
"After that, they return to their owner's hand." Shiori added.
"But that means he'll be defenseless when this turn is over." Matt said worriedly.
"Knowing Bastion, he'll get that covered." Clover replied.
"Let's hope so." Jenny said.
"And now I activate the spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon!" Bastion held up the named card. "And I'll use it to destroy your facedown card!" The card unleashed a blue typhoon that blew Jonathan's facedown card away.
'He destroyed my Time Machine.'
"And now I attack with Shinobird Pigeon! Destroy his Heavy mech Support Platform!" The humanoid pigeon swung its quill, sending out a small energy arc that cut the mechanical platform in half. "Now, Shinobird Crane, attack him directly!" The named monster held up its bow and fired an arrow that pierced through the old man's chest, making him grunt.
Jonathan: 4000-2500
"And now I place one card facedown and activate the spell card, Spring of Rebirth." Another facedown card appeared at Bastion's feet, along with a spell card. "With this spell card in play, I gain 500 life points when a monster on the field goes back to its owner's hand. And with that, I end my turn. Which means my two monsters return to my hand." His two monsters became light orbs and returned to his hand. "And of course, each one of them gives me 500 life points, thanks to my spell card.
Bastion: 4000-5000
"Not bad." Michael complimented. "He dealt some damage, and increased his life points."
"But now he's wide open." Chumley said.
"Don't worry, Chum. He'll be fine. Just watch." Jaden assured him.
"It's your move, mister." Bastion said.
"Very well." Jonathan replied and drew his next card. "Looks like I need to step up my game." He then glanced at the card before he held it up. "I activate the spell card, Night Beam! This lets me destroy a facedown spell or trap card on your field. And once a target has been chosen, you can't activate that card in response. And I'll destroy the left one!" His spell card shot out an energy beam and destroyed the intended target.
'That was my Ultimate Offering!' Bastion thought.
"And now I summon Trap Reactor • Y FI in attack mode!" Another machine appeared on Jonathan's field. This one resembled an old-fashioned single-cockpit fighter plane, standing erect in a humanoid fashion. (ATK: 800 DEF: 1800 LV: 4) "Now attack his life points directly!" The machine monster fired off with small cannons on its body.
"I reveal my facedown card! Counter Gate!" Bastion's remaining facedown card flipped up. "With this trap card, I can negate your direct attack, and then draw a card from my deck. And if that card happens to be a monster, I can summon it to the field."
Jonathan seemed to be calm as he merely closed his eyes. "Not bad. But before you do that, my Trap Reactor is going to use its special ability. Once per turn, when you activate a trap card, my Reactor can destroy it and deal 800 points of damage to you."
"What?" The intelligent Ra exclaimed.
"Of course, that won't stop the effect of your trap card, but that's good enough for me." And so, the Reactor kept shooting with its cannons until Bastion was forced to shield himself with his arms.
Bastion: 5000-4200
Bastion recovered the attack quickly. "Very well, but I still get to draw a card." He drew his new card and looked at it. "And it appears to be a monster. It's Shinobird Crow!" Another humanoid bird rose up on his field. This one was wearing a blue ninja outfit, with a cloak made of blue feathers. He had dark blue wings on his back and a sharp long dagger in his hand. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 4)
"Another Shinobird?" Matt said. "But if that's a Spirit monster as well, it couldn't have been special summoned."
"That's true." Alexis replied. "But thanks to the Counter Gate card, that summoning counts as a normal one."
"So Bastion didn't do anything wrong there." Jenny added.
"I end my turn with a facedown card." Jonathan concluded as he inserted a card into his duel disk.
"And that means my Crow returns to my hand, giving me another 500 life points." The named monster became a light orb and returned to Bastion's hand.
Bastion: 4200-4700
"Now then..." Bastion drew. "First I activate the spell card, Pot of Greed. Now I can draw two more cards." He drew his extra cards. "And once again, I summon Shinobird Crane!" The humanoid bird with bow and arrow appeared again. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card, Double Summon! Now I can summon another monster. And I choose Shinobird Crow!" The humanoid crow joined his comrade. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 4) "And with another Spirit monster summoned, I get to draw another card." Bastion drew an extra card. "Now attack his Trap Reactor!" The crow took flight.
"What!? But that monster has 0 attack points!" Syrus pointed out.
"Don't worry, Sy. Bastion knows what he's doing." Shiori assured him.
As the humanoid crow approached the machine monster, Bastion spoke up. "Now I activate my Crow's special ability. Every time he's in battle, I can discard a Spirit monster from my hand, and add its attack and defense points to his strength. And therefore, I'll discard Shinobird Pigeon from my hand." The spirit of the humanoid pigeon appeared and entered the Crow's body. (ATK: 0-1000 DEF: 0-1800 LV: 4)
"A valiant effort." Jonathan said. "But you just triggered my Roll Out trap card!" His facedown card flipped up. "With this card, I can take a union monster from my graveyard and equip it to a compatible monster."
"And there's only one monster in his graveyard." Xander said grimly.
"Heavy Mech Support Platform." Clover replied.
The mechanical platform in question appeared as the Trap Reactor jumped up in the air and landed on top of it. "Now with this weapon in its disposal, my Trap Reactor gains 500 attack and defense points!" (ATK: 800-1300 1800-2300)
"Looks like Bastion blew it." Chazz stated. "Bye-bye birdie."
"Actually, I was prepared for that." Bastion said and held up one of his cards. "I activate the spell card, Swallow's Nest! By sacrificing a winged beast type monster, I can summon another one with the same level from my deck. So I'll sacrifice my Crow and summon Phantom Gryphon!" The humanoid crow disappeared and was then replaced by a big gryphon. Its main body was blue while its head and wings had golden feathers. (ATK: 2000 DEF: 0 LV: 4)
Jonathan's eyes widened.
"Now Phantom Gryphon, attack his Reactor!" The gryphon took flight dove towards the machine monster. The Reactor jumped up to avoid the attack, letting the winged beast destroy the platform instead.
Jonathan: 2500-1800 (ATK: 1300-800 DEF: 2300-1800)
"And now, Shinobird Crane, finish what Phantom Gryphon started!" The humanoid crane fired another arrow. It pierced through the Reactor's chest, making it explode.
Jonathan: 1800-1100
"And that ends my turn, allowing my Crane to return to my hand." Bastion concluded as his Spirit monster returned to his hand.
Bastion: 4700-5200
"Way to go, Bastion!" Jaden cheered.
"Nice one, man!" Micheal added.
"Looks like he's got the upper hand." Andrew noted.
Jonathan narrowed his eyes. "But the question is how long?" He then drew his next card. "I summon Spell Reactor • RE in defense mode!" Another appeared on his field. This one looked like a blocky, legless device with clawed arms, and a snake-like head and tail, with a supply of missiles underneath. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 900 LV: 3) "Then I'll end my turn with a facedown." A card appeared at his feet. "Your turn, young man."
Bastion narrowed his eyes as he drew his next card. 'Spell Reactor, huh? It doesn't take a genius to tell that this new monster has an ability similar to Trap Reactor. I need to play my cards right. And I know how to start.' He briefly glanced at his new card before taking another one from his hand. "First I summon back my Shinobird Crane." The humanoid crane appeared again. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And then I activate the field spell, Rising Air Current!" When he place the named card in his field spell tray, the sky suddenly became brighter, like it was suddenly middle of the day. And then it was getting windy. "Thanks to my field spell, all wind attribute monsters gain 500 attack points, at the mere cost of 400 defense points." (ATK: 2000-2500 DEF: 0) (ATK: 1500-2000 DEF: 1500-1100)
"That was a big mistake." Jonathan spoke up. "You just activated my Spell Reactor's special ability. Once per turn, it can destroy any spell card you activate and deal 800 points of damage." The snake-looking machine flew over to Bastion's field and then dropped a missile. The explosion caused The Ra to skid back a little.
Bastion: 5200-4400
And his field spell tray was forced open, causing the scenery change back to normal. (ATK: 2500-2000 DEF: 0) (ATK: 2000-1500 DEF: 1100-1500)
"It was foolish of you to use a field spell with my Spell Reactor in play." Jonathan sneered. "I'm actually surprised you didn't predict that."
But then, to his confusion, Bastion smirked. "On the contrary... You did exactly what I wanted you to do." The veteran was shocked by his words.
"Really? Did Bastion really want that old geezer to destroy his field spell?" Chazz questioned. "That's surprisingly stupid of him."
"You're wrong!" Andrew replied.
"What do you mean?" Xander asked.
"Bastion wanted that Spell Reactor to destroy his field spell because he knew it could destroy one. But only once per turn."
Jenny was the one who spoke for everyone who realized what Andrew meant. "Bastion used his field spell as a decoy!"
"Correct." Bastion said. "That move cost me a few points, but that's a small price to pay. Now that Spell Reactor's special ability has been wasted, I can safely use this continuous spell!" A card appeared behind the humanoid crane. "It's called Shinobird Power Spot. And as long it remains on the field, my Spirit monsters gain 500 attack and defense points." (ATK: 1500-2000 DEF: 1500-2000) "Now Shinobird Crane, destroy his Spell Reactor!" The named monster fired another arrow the struck machine monster's head, which caused it to explode. "And now my Phantom Gryphon attacks!" The gryphon screeched and took flight.
"I activate my trap!" Jonathan's facedown card flipped up. "Michizure! Since you destroyed my monster, I can now destroy one of yours!" At those words, the gryphon exploded.
"That was unfortunate. I have no choice but to end my turn. Which means my Shinobird goes back to my hand." The humanoid crane returned to Bastion's hand again.
Bastion: 4400-4900
And then, his spell card glowed. "But at least I can activate the second effect of Shinobird Power Spot. Once per turn, after a wind monster returns to my hand, I'm allowed to take a Spirit monster or ritual spell card from my deck and add it to my hand." Bastion fanned out his deck and took the card he wanted.
"You're going to need it." Jonathan warned him and drew his next card. "Especially since you're now truly defenseless. I play Card of Demise. Now I can draw until I have 5 cards in my hand." He drew his new hand. "And now I activate the spell card, Junk Dealer. This lets me summon up to two monsters from my graveyard in attack mode and halve their original attack points. So I'll bring back Trap Reactor • Y FI and Spell Reactor • RE!" The two familiar machines rose up on his field. (ATK: 800-400 DEF: 1800 LV: 4) (ATK: 1200-600 DEF: 900 LV: 3)
"Uh oh! Those things are back!" Jaden noted.
"Yeah, but due to the effect of Junk dealer, those two can't attack this turn." Michael replied.
"I won't let that stop me." Jonathan said and held up another spell card. "First I activate Iron Draw! Since I have two machine type monsters on my field, I can draw two more cards." He drew his extra cards. "Then I activate the spell card, Star Blast. This lets me pay life points, and reduce the level of a monster in my hand by 1 for each 500 life points I pay. And I only need to pay 500."
Jonathan: 1100-0600
"So now I don't need to sacrifice a monster in order to summon this one! Summon Reactor • SK!" The two Reactor monsters were joined by this new monster. It was another robot shaped like an old fashioned fighter plane. But this one was bigger, with large propellers. (ATK: 2000 DEF: 1400 LV: 5-4)
"Another Reactor card?" Clover muttered.
"Aw man." Syrus groaned.
Bastion narrowed his eyes. "I think it's obvious what that one can do."
Jonathan smirked. "Yes, I guess there's no point for me to hide it. As you probably guessed, my Summon Reactor will deal 800 points of damage the first time you summon a monster each turn. But that's not what my Summon Reactor is about to do. It's actually about to do something worse."
"Something worse?" Chumley said nervously.
"Great. What's he going to do now?" Chazz asked.
"It's simple." Jonathan replied. "Due to Summon Reactor's special ability, I can summon a monster... by sending all three Reactors to my graveyard!"
Everyone gasped at this.
"All three of them!?" Shiori exclaimed.
"So he actually has a stronger monster in his sleeve." Andrew said grimly.
Bastion gritted his teeth.
"And now I send my three monsters to the graveyard in order to summon my ultimate weapon!" The three monsters vanished. And then, everyone suddenly heard the familiar sound of engines.
"What in the..." Xander muttered.
"That's the sound from earlier!" Clover noted.
"So is Jonathan's new monster that big shadow we saw earlier?" Jenny wondered.
Jaden looked up in the sky and... "WHOA!"
"What is it?" Andrew asked before he followed his gaze. "Oh my god!" He gasped in shock.
The rest of gang followed suit and what they saw was really shocking. Bastion was especially sweating a bit by seeing the new monster that appeared in the sky. It was a huge aircraft with its upper body being a combination of the body of SK and the arms of RE. Its legs belonged to Y FI. (ATK: 3000 DEF:2500 LV: 8)
"Magnificent, isn't it?" Jonathan said. "This is the unstoppable Flying Fortress SKY FIRE."
"What is this!? World War 3!?" Xander questioned.
Jonathan scoffed. "I've been asked that before? But more importantly, my new monster is about to attack your friend's life points directly!" The huge aircraft flew right above Bastion and dropped one of the Spell Reactor's bomb. The explosion that came after was massive.
Bastion: 4900-1900
"And now I'll end my turn with a facedown." Jonathan concluded as a card appeared at his feet. "Your move."
Everyone watched their friend who was laying on the ground, moaning a little.
"Is he okay?" Matt asked.
"No way he is." Chazz scowled. "He was just bombarded by some kind of B-17 Flying Fortress knock off."
Bastion then struggled to get up. "A formidable machine monster. But I have all the pieces to put an end to this."
"Let's hope so." Jenny said. "Because that monster looks like it could fire away any second."
"I know he can win." Andrew said determinedly. "Don't give up, Bastion!"
"That didn't even cross my mind. "Bastion got up on his feet and drew. "I shall begin my turn by summoning Sonic Bird in attack mode." A bald eagle with glasses and a jet pack appeared. (ATK: 1400 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "And because it was summoned to the field, I can take a ritual spell card from my deck and add it to my hand." He searched through his deck.
"A ritual spell card?" Jaden repeated.
"Yeah." Shiori smirked. "I saw those new cards he added to his deck. Bastion's gonna play something big!"
Jonathan narrowed his eyes.
"I most certainly will." Bastion said and held up the card he found. "And it starts with the ritual spell card, Shinobird's Calling! And with its power, I sacrifice Sonic Bird on the field, and Shinobird Crane in my hand, in order to summon Shinobaron Peacock!" The named crane monster appeared briefly before it vanished along with Sonic Bird. And then, a man wearing ancient Japanese style clothing descended from above, with a small crown on his head, a white and blue kimono with a pattern of a peacock's feathers all over, a black belt across his chest, golden sleeves and a sword in his hand. (ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500 LV: 8)
Bastion's friends stared at the new monster in awe.
"Wicked!" Jaden said.
"Amazing!" Andrew complimented.
"That's more like it! Go get him, pal!" Michael cheered.
"Now then..." Bastion spoke up again. "My new ritual monster happens to be a Spirit monster, so my Shinobird Power Spot gives him 500 more attack and defense points." (ATK: 3000-3500 DEF: 2500-3000) He then smirked. "However, what's more important... is his special ability. You see, when he's summoned to the field, I'm allowed to force up to 3 monsters on your field back to the hand. So your Flying Fortress SKY FIRE won't be here for long!" The Shinobaron pointed his sword towards the aircraft as the blade started to glow.
"Perfect!" Clover said. "Once that thing is gone, then Bastion can attack him directly! He won..."
"Wrong!" Jonathan said, getting everyone's attention. "Your friend hasn't won. He's actually lost."
Bastion looked at him bewildered. "Preposterous! My strategy is perfect! You can't possibly outmatch it..."
"I can. And it's all thanks to my SKY FIRE's special ability." Jonathan words shocked everyone. "And it works like this: Whenever you summon a monster or place a facedown card on the field, my Flying Fortress can destroy it and deal 800 points of damage!"
"Say what!?" Andrew exclaimed.
"But wait! Bastion's got 1900 life points! The damage won't be enough for you to win!" Shiori protested.
But Jonathan smirked and pointed at his facedown card. "It will be, once I activate my Chain Strike spell card!" It flipped up. "This card deals 400 points pf damage times the chain link number!"
"What's a chain link?" Jaden asked.
"A chain link is simple step within a chain. Each new effect started within a chain adds a new chain link, numbered on greater than the previously greatest chain link number."
"Wait a minute." Bastion muttered. "First, it was my Shinobaron's effect. That's number 1. Then it was Flying Fortress SKY FIRE. That's number 2. That makes Chain Strike number 3, which means..." He then had mixed of realization and horror. "That means that spell card..."
"Is about deal another 1200 points of damage." Jonathan filled in. "So the total damage becomes 2000!"
"But... how could this be?" Bastion muttered. "My calculations... that's not how this was supposed to happen!"
Jonathan closed his eyes. "Well, your strategies were impressive. They showed how intelligent you are. However..." He then gave his opponent a hard look. "When it comes to battles and war, you lack the experience! And you're about to see why!" The aircraft was bathed in blue energy coming from from the Chain Strike card, before it dropped three bombs at Bastion. The explosions caused him to cry out as he was sent flying, and he landed on the ground with a thud.
Bastion: 1900-0000
"Bastion!" Andrew called out as everyone quickly approached him.
"Are you okay, buddy?" Jaden asked.
The Ra groaned in response but didn't wake up.
"He's alive." Michael said in relief.
"You should be grateful that he is." Jonathan spoke up as he slowly approached the gang. "Because unlike the previous Shadow Riders, I have no interest in taking your souls."
They all glared at him.
"I only want..." The golden eye on his pilot cap glowed. "...your spirit keys." And then, the gang gasped upon seeing Bastion's key suddenly floating in the air before flying over to Jonathan who grabbed it with his right hand. "And with the third in my possession, only 7 keys remain. Prepare yourselves, because soon... all of them will be mine." At those words, he turned around and walked away.
Everyone watched his retreating form.
"That bastard." Clover spat.
"He's really strong." Xander said.
"But that doesn't mean we can give up." Andrew said determinedly. "We're gonna put an end to this."
"Got that right." Michael agreed and clenched his right fist. "This means war!"
I was wondering when I'd be able to finish chapter. Regardless, I hope you guys liked it. I'll see you next time.
