Chapter 44: The Great Pretenders

Damian and Chazz were standing on a floating ship made out of solid gold. Damian was currently dueling against Abidos, Chazz watching the duel. On Abidos' side of the field was Pharaoh's Servant (900/0), The First Sarcophagus, and The Second Sarcophagus. Damian currently had a clear field. (Damian 4000/Abidos 4000)

"Pharaoh's Servant, attack directly!" Abidos commanded.

The monster charged at Damian and stabbed him with an iron spear. (Damian 4000-3100) "Heh heh." Damian chuckled. The jolt like sensation was just as thrilling as he remembered."

"I end my turn. Prepare yourself, boy. By the end of your turn, I'll be able to activate The Third Sarcophagus. Then your fate will be sealed."

Damian drew a card. "I was honestly hoping you improved on your deck like Camula and Tania did. Would have actually made the duel a challenge."

"Such impudence. I've never lost a duel before, and I'm one turn away from wiping out your life points. Do you not realize your situation?"

Chazz crossed his arms. It's true that Abidos was in the lead, but he left himself with nothing but a 900 attack point monster for protection. The only reason he got the attack anyway was becaused Abidos used Raigeki to destroy a single monster of Damian's, Giant Rat. Sure, it led to Damian having a clear field, and it prevented Giant Rat's ability from going off. But it felt like a waste to use such a powerful spell card on a single monster. Was this really the undefeated legend?

"Alright, time to win now. With the Scale 1 Superheavy Samurai General Jade and the Scale 8 Superheavy Samurai General Coral I set the pendulum scale!" Two robotic samurais, one in green armor and a bo staff and the other in red armor and a spear, appeared in two blue columns on both sides of Damian.

"So this is the Pendulum Summon that the other Shadow Riders talked about." Abidos said.

"Now, I can special summon monsters that are levels 2 through 7. Swing, pendulum of souls! Draw an arc of light across the ether!" A transparent pendulum swung between the two monsters. "Pendulum Summon!" A vortex in the sky opened up before three different colored rays of lights shot out from it. "I pendulum summon Superheavy Samurai Battleball (100/800), Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves (100/1000), and Superheavy Samurai Soulfire Suit!" (800/800)

"Interesting trick. But all your monsters are weaker than mine."

"If I couldn't overpower a 900 attack point monster, I wouldn't have the right to be a Key Keeper. I use my Jade's effect to raise the level of one of my Superheavy Samurai's by 1. I raise Battleball's level from 2 to 3. Now, it's time for a synchro summon!"

"Synchro Summon?" Abidos asked. "Such things didn't exist in my time."

"Guess what. Games evolve. I tune my level 3 Battlerball to my Level 2 Soulfire Suit and Level 3 Gigagloves!" Battleball transformed into three green circles. Soulfire Suit and Gigagloves went through them before dissolving into several points of light. "Legendary ninja with unmatched agility. Mark your arrival on this battlefield!" Damian chanted. A flash of green light occured before a large sphereical blue and black robot with gold metal arms and hollow fingertips appeared. "It's showtime! I synchro symmon the level 8 Superheavy Samurai Ninja Sarutobi!" (2000/2800)

"You finally have a monster strong enough to overpower mine, yet you summon it in defense position? How foolish."

Damian smirked. "First, I activate Sarutobi's effect. Once per turn, if I have no spells or traps in my graveyard, I can destroy a spell or trap card you control and deal 500 points of damage to you."

Abidos was taken aback. "What?!"

Sarutobi pointed a finger at The First Sarcophagus and fired a shuriken from it, destroying the card. (Abidos 4000-3500)

Abidos reeled back in shock. "Did...did you just destroy The First Sarcophagus?!"

"Yup. And since it was destroyed, your Second Sarcophagus also gets destroyed, and you won't be able to activate the Third Sarcophagus. Your combo is broken."

Abidos said nothing. He dropped to his knees, staring vacantly at the field. "How could...how could this be...? No one's ever tried to do that before."

"Wait, you're seriously telling me that none of your opponents thought to stop your trump card?" Chazz asked. "What were they TRYING to lose?"

Abidos's eyes widened in shock. "Trying to lose..." Abidos stood up and pointed at Damian. "You! Boy! Were my victories-"

"Yup. All your victories were fake. Your servants let you win whenever you dueled them. I assume that in the case where you dueled people who didn't work for you, they bribed them to throw the game." Damian answered.

"Wait, so the entire unit we spent on this guy in Duel History was for nothing?!" Chazz asked.

Abidos simply sighed. "You said that it was time to win. I take it you have a way to depelete the rest of my lifepoints this turn?"

"Yup. Even though Sarutobi is in defense position, it can attack while using it's defense points for damage calculation. Go Sarutobi! Destroy the Pharaoh's Servant!" Damian commanded. Sarutobi lept into the air and fired a shuriken directly through the head of Abidos' monster, causing it to explode.

"Gyahh!" Abidos yelped in pain. (Abidos 3500-1600)

"Fells good, doesn't it? I activate the effect of General Coral from my Pendulum Zone! When a Superheavy Samurai destrous a monster by battle, it can attack a second time!"

"That mean's the game's over." Chazz said.

Abidos closed his eyes before spreading out his arms. "Do it. Show me what it's like to be a real duelist!"

Damian gave out a crazed grin. "Finish it Sarutobi! Hira Rain Storm!"

Sarutobi aimed down at Abidos and fired a barrage of shurikens at him. Each one leaving a small cut on the Pharaoh's skin and clothes, the wounds building up more and more.

"Heh heh! Feels thrilling doesn't it?!" Damian asked.

Chazz simply watched uncomfortably at the scene. The transparent image of the Ojama Brothers popped up next to him. "Sheesh, that kid's a few notches too high on the crazy scale." Ojama Black said.

"He wasn't always like this." Ojama Yellow replied.

"From what you've seen of him that is." A voice said. Chazz and the Ojama Brothers turned their heads, seeing the spirit of D.D Survivor next to them.

"What are you doing here?" Chazz asked.

"To make sure that you get the Shadow Charm. Otherwise, our whole deal is for nothing." D.D Survivor answered.

Eventually, the rain of shruikens stopped. The holograms deactivaed, as Abidos collapsed onto the floor of his airship.

(Abidos 1600-0)

"MAN does it feel good to have another Shadow Duel!" Damian exclaimed.

Abidos' body began to glow a faint yellow light. "What's going on?" Ojama Green asked.

"My guess, he's returning to the afterlife." Chazz answered.

The light around Abidos' body grew brighter and brighter. He turned his head up to Damian. "I always had worries. That I wasn't quite the person I made myself out to be. I acted as if I was a master duelist, but I was merely a preteneder."

"Yeah. I don't really know what you're going through, but I'm sure it sucks." Damian casually said.

Abidos smiled. "Indeed. However, at least I can finally make peace with behing honest to myself, for however short a time. Perhaps you could do the same, boy."

Damian widened his eyes before getting annoyed. "You don't know anything about me."

"True. But as a fellow pretender, I can't help but believe I help others learn from my mistakes."

"Aren't you supposed to be dead or something?"

Abidos chuckled. "I'm sure you'll be honest with yourself soon enough. Just like how you helped me be honest with myself. Thank you Damian...thank you for giving me a real duel..." Abidos faded away as a flash of light engulfed Chazz and Damian.


Chazz and Damian found themselves on the harbor. On the ground near them lwas a yellow metallic circlet. On the center was the Eye of Wdjat.

"Looks we got his Shadow Charm." Damian said.

Chazz walked up to the circlet and picked it up. He then turned around. "Now what do we do?"

Damian was briefly confused before he realized that Chazz was talking with the spirit of D.D Survivor. Sure enough, D.D Survivor suddenly materialized in fron of them, wearing the Eyepatch Shadow Charm.

"Now, you wait for Duel Monsters Spirit Day. That's when the Invader of Darkness will make his move against this dimension. And THAT'S when you'll have the opportunity to destroy him."

"And that's when I'll be 'saved'. AND when we can get Jaden back." Damian said.

D.D Survivor nodded. "I'll see you then." As soon as he popped up, D.D Survivor disappeared.

"So, can we trust this guy?" Chazz asked Damian.

Damian rotated his arms. "No idea. This Invader of Darkness stuff wasn't in the anime. I'm pretty much blind on how that'll go."

"Figured as much." Chazz said. He thought back to the discussion they had with the Duel Spirit earlier today.


"Wait, you know how we can defeat Invader of Darkness?" Bastion asked.

"Not just defeat. Destroy." D.D Survivor said. He was standing in the middle of Sheppard's office. Bastion, Damian, Ghassan, and Scott just entered. Chazz, Alexis, and Sheppard were already there. Naturally, D.D Survivor was wearing the eyepatch Shadow Charm to maintain a physical presence.

"Is that even possible? Killing a Duel Spirit?" Scott asked.

"It is." D.D Survivor turned to Damian. "You saw one die right in front of you after all."

"Hold on, how do we know that we can trust you?" Ghassan asked. "Don't you WORK for the Invader of Darkness?"

"Against my will, yes. I only do what he tells me so that I can buy a few more years of freedom. I'd be more than fine with aiding in it's death."

"That doesn't mean you're on our side though. You kidnapped Jaden after all." Scott pointed out.

"I did. And if the Invader of Darkness is destroyed, your friend can return to this world."

"I came up with the idea for Chazz's Duel Spirits to come into contact with him." Alexis said. "Belowski said he came around the well to ask questions to the Duel Spirits after all."

"So, if we take care of the Invader of Darkness for you, you'll release Jaden?" Sheppard asked D.D Survivor.

"I never welsh on a deal." The Duel Spirit answered.

Ghassan and Scott looked at each other. D.D Survivor was a complete wildcard. But it was the only way to bring Jaden back so that they could awaken the Sacred Beasts. Along with that, taking out the Invader of Darkness might bring Damian back to normal. "Fine. How do we destroy the Invader of Darkness?" Ghassan asked.

Chazz and Alexis took note of how quickly the two agreed to their suggestion. Was D.D Survivor working with them? No, that was impossible. They can't even see Duel Spirits. But then why were they so quick to agree? Was there a special reason they wanted Jaden back?

"I'm aware that once a year, the people of your world celebrate a holiday called Duel Monsters Spirit Day. You might not know this, but that's a day when Duel Spirits are able to physically take form in this world freely." D.D Survivor explained.

"So that's when Invader of Darkness will attack, right?" Damian asked.

D.D Survivor nodded. "But simply beating Invader of Darkness in a duel won't be enough. All that'll do is force him back to the Different Dimension. To destroy him, you'll need to enact a Shadow Duel of your own."

Almost everyone gasped at this. "We'll need to enact our OWN Shadow Duel?!" Bastion asked.

"This is insane!" Chazz protested.

"Hey, if you don't want your friend back, it's your decision." D.D Survivor said.

Damian smiled. "Sweet, I get to duel another Duel Spirit."

"Absolutely not." Sheppard replied. "It's his powers that corrupted you to begin with Damian. Who's to say he won't be able to control your mind if you duel him?"

"That makes sense." Scott said.

"Agreed. That's why you'll need another method to enact a Shadow Duel against the Invader of Darkness." D.D Survivor said.

"But how will we do that?" Alexis asked.

D.D Survivor smiled. "I heard that you're dealing with a group of duelists called the Shadow Riders. They can enact Shadow Duels with certain talismans." D.D Survivor pointed to his eyepatch. "If I'm not mistaken, I'm wearing one right now."

"So you'll give us your eyepatch?" Ghassan asked.

"No. Invader of Darkness will absolutely be suspicious if I do that. But there's still a few Shadow Riders you haven't defeated, correct?"

"I get it. Take their Shadow Charms after we beat them." Damian realized.

Sheppard, Chazz, Alexis, and Bastion all looked uncomfortable. "Well...I guess it could work but..." Alexis began to say.

"Well, unless you kids think you're strong enough to physically kill Invader of Darkness with nothing but your bodies, this is your only shot." D.D Survivor replied.

"And if we try and find a different way?" Chazz asked.

"You can try. But I already let the Invader of Darkness know about Duel Spirit Day. You guys have less than a month until his forces attack your world. Sure you want to risk it?"

"So this isn't so much a negotiation as it is blackmail." Ghassan said.

"I guess that's one way to put it."

Scott shrugged. "Guess we have no choice. We need to get a Shadow Charm."

Sheppard turned to Damian. "Do you know who the next Shadow Rider will be?"

"Yeah. Abidos the Third." Damian answered.

"The undefeated God of Dueling." Shepard thought for a little bit. "Damian, you'll duel him for his Shadow Charm. Chazz, you alone will accompany him."

"Hold on, what?!" Ghassan protested.

"Chancellor Sheppard, with all due respect, you can't expect us to-" Bastion began to say.

"It's too dangerous to put the rest of you in danger. I wouldn't want Chazz to go either, but he can see Duel Spirits. So Chazz, you'll be able to see if D.D Survivor or any other Duel Spirit interferes in any way. But if things get dangerous, leave immediately. Also, leave your Spirit Key with me. That way, you won't be challenged for it by the Shadow Rider. I'll give it back to you after Damian's duel with Abidos."

Chazz said nothing for a little while. "Fine."


"I have to say though, I wasn't expecting Sheppard to have a wicked side to him." Damian said.

"You mean how he had you duel against Abidos?" Chazz asked.

Damian nodded. "The one who was thought to have never lost a duel. The fact that Sheppard's sent me out as the first person to duel him makes things kinda obvious. He views me as expendable death bait against the Shadow Riders."

Chazz widened his eyes. "What the-?!"

"And it makes sense. After the Shadow Riders and Invader of Darkness are dealt with, I'm kinda next on the enemy list. Odds are, he wanted you to watch the duel and tell the others about what Abidos' deck is for in case I lost. Of course, he didn't know that Abidos was actually an amateur duelist."

Chazz was stunned. There's no way Sheppard would be willing to throw away a student's life like that. Then again, it wasn't as if Damian was a regular student anymore. "So, why didn't you tell them the truth about Abidos?"

"Because I was craving a Shadow Game. Even if it's against an amateur, a duel with my life on the line is just so thrilling, you know what I mean?"

"I don't. And I don't want to."

"There you are." A southern sounding voice said.

Chazz and Damian turned their heads and saw two students walking towards. Topher and Conklin, Chazz's former flunkies. Topher now wearing his old Obelisk Blue uniform.

"What are you two losers doing here?" Chazz asked. The sight of his two former 'friends' caused Chazz's annoyance to grow. When Chazz was risk of being demoted to Ra Yellow, those two didn't hesitate for a milisecond to turn on him. They weren't actually friends. They just wanted to look cool following around the richest kid in school.

Conklin pointed at Damian. "We've been looking for you." He said.

"Ooh, ooh. Let me guess. You two want revenge on me for what I did to you guys last semester? Beat you in a duel and ruined your chances with a girl?" Damian asked. He then turned to the bespectacled Obelisk. "Hey Topher. Looks like you forgot to wear the Slifer Red jacket I gave you after you lost our bet." Damian said.

Topher simply smirked. "You think I'm scared of you? We all saw you learn from Adrian just what happens when you disrespect the Obelisk Blues."

"Was that supposed to make you look good. 'Yeah, a transfer student who wasn't even an Obelisk at the time did what none of us could do, and beat you in a duel. THAT'LL show you a thing or two!' Yeah, if anything, that only strengthened why I don't take fodder like you guys seriously."

Topher and Conklin got angry as they put on their Duel Disks. "Then how about we show you just why you shouldn't mess with us?" Topher asked.

Damian shrugged, changed decks, and put on his duel disk. "So, what are the stakes? When I win, I'm thinking I'll make you guys do my laundry and pay for my meals. But what will you guys get in the alternate reality where you win?"

The two grinned. "When we win, none of the Obelisks will have to see your ugly mug again." Conklin answered.

Chazz put a hand on Damian's shoulder. "Don't waste your time on them. You know what Sheppard said. If you duel against someone who isn't a Shadow Rider or in a midterm exam, you'll get expelled. And sent to prison."

Damian groaned. "Ah man. Fine."

Damian and Chazz began to walk away. "Then I guess you won't mind me taking the first move!" Topher said.

(Topher 4000/Damian 4000)

"Wait, why does my Duel Disk say I started a duel?" Damian asked.

"I activate the continuous spell Dark Room of Nightmare. Then, I use her own effect to special summon Windwitch - Ice Bell!" (1000/1000) A young woman with hair of many shades of blue arrived on the field, riding a floating staff of ice. She was also wielding a small wand made out of ice in her hand.

"Windwitches?" Damian asked.

"I use her effect to special summon another Windwitch from my deck. I special summon Windwitch - Glass Bell!" (1500/1500) A green haired witch with a pointy blue hat riding on a glass staff appeared.

"When Glass Bell is summoned, I can add a Windwitch monster to my hand, like my Windwitch - Snow Bell. And now, I activate the second effect of my Ice Bell! Since I user her effect to special summon her, I can inflict 500 points of damage to you!"

The Windwitch pointed at Damian with her wand. Suddenly, a shard of ice was hurled at him, cutting through his jacket to cut his skin. (Damian 4000-3500)

"Augh!" Damian reacted.

"Wait, was that-?!" Chazz began to ask.

"And with Dark Room of Nightmare, whenever you take effect damage, 300 more points of damage is dealt to you!" Topher said. From the continuous spell, a dark bolt of lightning was shot towards Damian, electrocuting him.

"AHHHH!" (Damian 3500-3200) Damian barely stopped himself from falling to the ground.

"Are you kidding?! When did you two know how to enact a Shadow Game?!" Chazz asked.

"Heh. Beat us in a duel, and maybe we'll tell you." Conklin replied. "We've been wanting to take you out for a while too Chazz."

"All of us were." Topher said. "Who didn't want the spoiled brat of Obelisk Blue taken down a peg? Anyway, since I control two Windwitches, I can special summon my Windwitch - Snow Bell (100/100) from my hand." A small blue bell with saphhires on it and tiny wings at the top appeared.

"Looks like we're getting a Synchro Summon." Damian said.

"That's right. I tune my level 4 Glass Bell to my level 3 Ice Bell!" Glass Bell transformed into four green circles. Ice Bell flew through them, dissolving into three points of light. "Midwinter wind. Make ice and snow my power and blow through! Synchro Summon!" A femine creature with a blue jet-like figure and razor sharp wing-like appendages emerged. Rather than a normal body, she had a green orb. "Appear! Level 7! Wind Witch - Winter Bell (2400/2000)!"

"I know for a fact that Topher didn't have this deck before." Chazz said.

"I activate Winter Bell's effect. Once perturn, I can target a Windwitch in my graveyard, and do damage to you equal to it's level times 200. I choose my level 4 Glass Bell to inflict 800 points of damage to you!" A barrage of ice shards were hurled at Damian, inflicting more cuts to his skin. Soon afterwards, a bolt of dark lightning shot out from Topher's continuous spell to electrocute him again. (Damian 3200-2400-2100)

"Heh heh heh. Man, that stings." Damian said happilly.

"Hold on Topher, how come you get to kill him?" Conklin complained.

"Because I called dibs since the beginning of the school year." Topher answered. "Besides." Topher tilted his head over to Chazz. "It's not like you don't have anyone for yourself."

Conklin chuckled. "Works for me."

"What's with these guys? They were always obnoxious, but they were never-"

"Murderous?" Damian asked. "Yeah, I have a feeling that they aren't acting entirely of their free will."

"I'm not done yet! I tune my level 1 Snow Bell to my Level 7 Winter Bell!" Snow bell transformed into a single green circle, that Winter Bell flew through. "Cruel wind that decides the fate of life. Make your presence known to those who stand against us! Synchro Summon!" A feminine creature with a diamond semispherical body and razor sharp diamonds sticking out of it's arms, shoulders, and head appeared. "The level 8, Windwitch - Diamond Bell!" (2800/2400)

"And let me guess. You're going to do more effect damage, right?"

"You know it! With Diamond Bell, I can target a Windwitch in my graveyard, and inflict half of it's attack points as damage to you! I choose my Winter Bell to inflict 1200 points of damage!" Topher yelled. Several shining shards of ice were generated by Diamon Bell before being hured at Damian. Each shard impaling one of his limbs or shoulders.

"Gah!" Damian coughed up blood. (Damian 2100-900)

"And don't forget my Dark Room of Nightmare!" Topher taunted.

A dark bolt of lightning electrocuted Damian once more. "GYAHHHHHH!" Damian screamed. (900-600)

"Damian!" Chazz yelled in concern.

"You better stop worrying about your new best friend, and more about yourself Chazz." Chazz noticed Conklin walk up to him, Duel Disk activated. "Don't worry. You don't have to die. Neither of you have to. You two just need to know what side's the right one."

Chazz widened his eyes as he noticed something. A white aura was shrouding both Conklin and Topher. "Wait a minute...don't tell me."


Scott opened his eyes. "They're dueling them. I don't know how I know that. But I just feel it."

Ghassan and Adrian were in Scott's dorm room. "You sure that those two will be able to beat them?" Adrian asked.

"At the very least, they'll put up a hell of a fight. I gave both of those two some of my strongest decks after me and Ghassan brainwashed them." Scott replied. "And I even gave them some cards to make swarming harder for Damian's Abyss Actor deck."

Ghassan sighed. "It's possible that even if Damian loses, he'll just be brainwashed, right?"

"Yes." The Light of Destruction answered. "Of course, if I don't think he'll be able to be brainwashed, he'll have to die."

"Besides, even if Damian wins, he'll break Sheppard's rule of no dueling unless it's a Shadow Rider or an exam. Meaning he'll be getting expelled and imprisoned. It's a win-win." Scott added.

Adrian said nothing. He didn't want to give back the Windwitch deck to Scott, especially after what Scott talked about the plan to get rid of Damian. But he couldn't let them know he was allying up with him. They already had their sights on Damian. Adrian couldn't let himself be a target either.

Scott got out his PDA. "And now, we just need to inform a certain someone."


"Don't bother with your duel." Damian told Chazz and Conklin. "This'll be over soon."

"For once, I agree with you." Topher said. "I set a card facedown and end my turn."

Damian drew. Topher then smiled. "It's over! During my opponent's Main Phase, since I control a Windwitch monster, I can discard Windwitch - Blizzard Bell to deal 500 points of damage to my opponent!"

Conklin smiled. "Combine that with Dark Room of Nightmare, and it's over."

Chazz gasped. The transparent image of a large cyan bell with wings at the top appeared, before said image formed a massively sized icicle. "You think you're hot shit, huh? The rising upstart who wants to show the elite what for. Well guess what kid! Obelisks are on the top for a reason! And no matter what jacket you wear, no matter what you pretend to be, you'll always be nothing more than a cocky little poser!"

"And you'll always just be a cocky little poser who's ALSO a mediocre duelist." Damian retorted.

"Tough talk. But time to die" Topher yelled. Suddenly, the icicle dropped. "What the-?!"

"My Hanewata once during either player's turn, I can discard it, and negate all effect damage dealt to me." Damian answered.

Topher grunted. "Got lucky with the draw, huh?"

"No. I had it in my hand from the beginning."

"What the...then why didn't you use it before?!" Topher asked.

"Because then I wouldn't have taken any damage. That's no fun" Damian answered.

Topher gritted his teeth. Damian was mocking him. "You bastard."

"Anyway, with my Scale 2 Abyss Actor - Leading Lady and my Scale 9 Abyss Actor - Twinkle Little Star I set the Pendulum Scale!" Damian declared. The two little demon girls appeared in blue colums of light. "I can Pendulum summons monsters that are levels 3 through 9 now. Pendulum Summon!" A transparent pendulum swung from side to side in the sky. A vortex opened up before two rays of light shot out from it. "I special summon Abyss Actor - Sassy Rookie (1700/1000) and Abyss Actor - Wild Hope!" (1600/1000)

"Not like that'll do you much good! I activate my trap card, Metaverse! This lets me add a field spell from my deck directly to my field zone! I activate Mystic Mine!" Cave walls began to rise up around the duelists. "Now, if you have more monsters than me, you can't attack OR activate monster effects!"

Damian smiled. "Man, you are stupid."

"What?"

"You should have put in a Secret Village of the Spellcasters or something and use that for Metaverse. Then I wouldn't have been able to even activate my Pendulum Cards since they count as spell cards. If that deck was in the hands of somebody competent, I'd be dead."

Topher widened his eyes before getting angry. "Sh-shut up! It's not like that'll matter! You're gonna lose anyway! And unless you realize the difference in our skill, you're gonna die!"

"Oh, I know the difference more than you do." Damian said. "I overlay my Level 4 Sassy Rookie with my Level 4 Wild Hope!" From the light vortex in the sky, a second darker vortex opened up, similar to the one used for Xyz Summoning.

"Wh-what the?!" Topher asked.

"What is that?" Conklin wondered.

The two Pendulum Monsters dissolved into light before flying up into the vortex. "The fangs of rebellion who live in the pitch black darkness, give in and obey me! Pendulum-Xyz!" Damian chanted.

"Pendulum Xyz?" Chazz repeated.

"I special summon the Rank 4, Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion!" (2500/2000) Damian yelled. A monster descended onto the battlefield. A dragon nearly identical to Chazz's own Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. The biggest difference however was that several portions on the body, wings, limbs, and tail of Damian's dragon was shining a bright green light.

"I call it Pendulum Xyz since this monster can only be special summon with Pendulum Monsters." Damian explained. "Anyway, now that we have the same number of monsterds, it's time for the battle phase! Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion! Attack his Windwitch Diamond Bell!" The Dragon charged at Topher's monster.

"Hah! You moron! Diamond Bell has more attack points than yours!" Topher mocked.

"You really haven't learned a thing about this game." Damian said. "Supreme King Dark's effect! When it battles an opponent's monster, I can detatch an Xyz material from it to make your monster lose all it's attack points! Dominance Discharge!"

Electricity began to build up around Diamond Bell before it shot out from it and towards Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion. (Windwitch - Diamond Bell 2800-0/2400)

Topher frowned but looked at his hand. 'Monster Reborn. Even if he destroys my Windwitch this turn, I can bring it back from the graveyard. Then I'll use Diamond Bell's effect to finish him off.'

Then, Damian said four words that nearly caused Topher's heart to stop. "And that's not all."

"What?!"

Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion glowed with energy and electricitiy. "My monster gains attack points equal to the original attack of your monster!" Damian told him. (Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion 2500-5300/2000)

"WHAT?!"

"Finish him off! Lightning Strike of Anarchy!" The Dragon bit into Diamond Bell, electrocuting it. A strike of lightning shot out and electrocuted Topher as soon as the Xyz Monster bit into the Windwitch.

"GYAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" (Topher 4000-0)

"AHAHAHAHAHA! This is the all time high! Barely avoiding the brink of death before making a comeback! THIS is what dueling's all about!" Damian yelled.

Suddenly, Damian felt a fist collide with the side of his face, knocking him to the ground. "WHAT'S THE MATTER WITH YOU?!" Chazz yelled.

The images of both monsters disappeared. A heavilly charred Topher collapsed onto the ground.

Chazz grabbed Damian by the shirt collar and pulled him up. "The reason I stuck up for you back when we were voting on what to do with you was because I thought a part of you was still in there! Me and Alexis saw you crying after your duel with Crowler! I saw Invader of Darkness mess with your mind!" Chazz threw Damian on the ground. "But now you're just going to turn into some murdering freakshow?!"

Damian stood up and brushed some dust off himself. "I never asked for you to stick up for me. And I already told you this before. This is the real me, through and through."

Chazz and Damian glared silently at each other. Chazz was debating on whether he should walk away, or beat some sense into his former friend. Chazz knew that this wasn't the real Damian. But why did Damian himself keep denying it?

"NOBODY MOVE!" A voice yelled.

"Huh?" Chazz, Damian, and Conklin all turned their heads. What looked to be half a dozen security members were at the pier, led by a woman wearing a black beret.

"Campus Security?" Chazz asked.

One of the security kneeled down to Topher and put a finger on his neck. "He has no pulse." He told the woman.

The leader clenched her fist. "We were too late."

"What made you guys come here?" Conklin asked.

"A student sent a message letting us know about a suspicious duel on the docks."

'Wait, who did that? I know I didn't text them, and I never saw Conklin get out his PDA.' Chazz thought.

The woman leading the security pointed a finger at Damian. "Damian Abunura, you're coming with us right now! Not only did you break Sheppard's agreement, but you murdered a Duel Academy Student!"


Things are heating up. Not only did the Key Keepers come up with a plan on how to destroy the Invader of Darkness, but Scott and Ghassan have sent out two Obelisk Blue students to brainwash and/or kill Chazz and Damian. And now, it looks like Sheppard will take action against Damian for killing a student in a Shadow Duel. Will Damian be expelled and jailed? And hass Chazz given up on his friend?

Sorry for the wait. Working on my other story and preparing to move for Grad School eats up at time. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and are looking forward to the next one!