Chapter 40: Eclipse the Bright Sun Dragon!

"It's my turn now. Here goes!"

Izzy drew her next card and immediately afterwards was hit with a powerful burst of heat from Zorro's monster.

Zorro: 12000
Izzy: 2100
Kari: 2800
Andrew: 2800

"I hope you're not getting too comfortable there," Zorro said, "because now I'm activating Secret Barrel to inflict 200 points of damage to each of you for every card you have on your field and in your hand."

Out of nowhere, a flurry of cannons arose from crevices, the floor, the walls, even the ceiling and Creighton's cage had a couple. Aiming their sights at the trio, they fired off, blasting away at each of them with a great deal of damage being inflicted!

Zorro: 12000
Izzy: 700
Kari: 1600
Andrew: 1600

"And since I've inflicted at least 1000 damage, I draw another card thanks to Warrior of the Inferno," Zorro continued, drawing his next card. "I hope that doesn't put a damper on your plans."

Izzy scoffed, "Not at all, especially since all of these monsters have given my monsters more power than ever!"

Series 3-FIRE (3/1900/1900 - 3/2200/2200)

"Hope you didn't forget that for each monster with a certain Attribute powers up my monsters further," Izzy explained. "Now let's go! Series 3-FIRE, extinguish his Warrior of the Inferno!"

The fierce robot charged up its torches and blazed through the warrior with a rocket punch, piercing through it and hitting Zorro with a super-sized infernal punch!

Zorro: 11700
Izzy: 700
Kari: 1600
Andrew: 1600

Series 3-FIRE (3/2200/2200 - 3/1900/1900)

"And now Series 6-BRIGHT attacks Inferno Beast!" Izzy declared, sending her radiant robot to electrify the fiery beast, knocking it for a loop and hitting Zorro with even more damage!

Zorro: 10100
Izzy: 700
Kari: 1600
Andrew: 1600

Series 3-FIRE (3/1900/1900 - 3/1600/1600)

"A good start," Zorro complimented. "What fiery conviction!"

"I'll end my turn by using Series 6-BRIGHT's effect to draw one more card," Izzy said, proceeding to do just that and nodding her head.

"Now it's my move," Kari announced, drawing her next card. "Looks like I won't have to worry about taking damage now that that Inferno Beast is gone. Now I summon the Shining Lord Pax (4/1000/1800) to my field!"

Another nobleman appeared, this time with green seams upon his uniform. In place of a sword he brought a shield, which he placed in front of himself as a means of defense.

"Now that that's done, I activate the Shining Gift of Healing!" Kari continued. "This card gives me 500 Life Points for each of my Shining Lords in play, helping me to recover from that last attack!"

The noblemen united together, two of them crossing blades in front of the third's shield, and a shower of sparkles burst upwards into the air and descended upon Kari, helping her to recover immediately.

Zorro: 10100
Izzy: 700
Kari: 3100
Andrew: 1600

"Now let's see what damage we can do," Kari said. "I attack you directly with Shining Lord Caritas!"

The nobleman with red seams grasped his blade and charged forward towards Zorro, ready to unleash it upon him!

"I think not," Zorro countered. "I activate Vengeful Fire Spirit, which brings out a Fire Spirit Token (1/500/0) to defend my Life Points!"

Sure enough, a wisp appeared in front of Zorro, taking the full brunt of the attack and exploding away into nothingness!

"And now that you've destroyed my Fire Spirit Token, it inflicts 500 points of damage to your Life Points!" Zorro continued.

Kari found herself immediately encased in a fiery inferno for a brief moment, burnt by the wrath of the fire spirit!

Zorro: 10100
Izzy: 700
Kari: 2600
Andrew: 1600

Kari breathed for a moment after the flames ceased. "Well that wasn't so bad," she said. "At least not by comparison of this! Gaudium! Pax! Attack Zorro directly!"

The noblemen each rushed forward, Gaudium striking down with his sword, Pax bashing Zorro with his shield! The impacts knocked him for a loop!

Zorro: 7700
Izzy: 700
Kari: 2600
Andrew: 1600

"You got him on the ropes guys!" Creighton cheered from his spot. "Keep it up!"

"And now I'll Set one card to end my turn," Kari said.

"Feisty," Zorro said. "Once the ball gets rolling, you three really heat things up!"

"Looks like I'm up next," Andrew announced, drawing his next card. "First, I summon Ancient Hero Lucky Death (4/1900/200) to the field!"

The infamous reaper of the heroes emerged from the shadows, cackling with rattling bones as it drew out its signature scythe.

This ought to make a good offense, Andrew thought, but who knows what he's got on defense.

"I'll activate Twist of Fate!" Andrew continued. "This card allows me to double my Life Points when I have fewer Life Points than my opponent. I think you fit the guidelines spectacularly!"

Andrew now began his own recovery, rejuvenating himself in the glow of his spell card.

Zorro: 7700
Izzy: 700
Kari: 2600
Andrew: 3200

"Now let's go for the attack!" Andrew declared. "Go, my Ancient Heroes!"

The reaper and soldier charged forth towards Zorro, knocking him for a loop and reducing his Life Points further!

Zorro: 4800
Izzy: 700
Kari: 2600
Andrew: 3200

"And lastly, I Set one card face-down on the field and end my turn," Andrew finished.

"Not bad," Zorro smirked. "You three know how to put on a show! Course you're not the only ones."

Drawing his next card, Zorro smiled even more. "What's say we finish things off then, eh?"


"It's my turn then."

Matt drew his next card and looked over his hand. There wasn't much among his new cards, but he did spy the Spirit Dragon of Water!

Sure wish I could use you right about now, he thought to himself. But I've got to wait a little longer. And that Aqua Dragon's not going to make that easy!

"I switch Saving Drake to Defense mode," Matt started off, putting his saving grace on the defensive.

Saving Drake (8/2700/1900 - 8/2700/1900)

"Then I'll Set one monster and one card face-down," Matt continued. "And that's the end of my turn."

"Hmph. All that luck, and yet you didn't get what you needed, eh?" Keith said as Strings drew his next card. "Shame too, cause that just makes my guy luckier."

Strings then revealed his drawn card as Pot of Greed, proceeding to draw two more cards from his deck. He then activated a new card: Monster Reborn! He pulled out a monster from his own Graveyard and placed it on the field horizontally, bringing back a colossal being made of magical energy.

"Looks like Strings got just the right set of cards," Keith said. "And now Protector of the Sanctuary's back on the field to keep you from drawing cards outside of your Draw Phase. And…"

Keith looked over at Strings who revealed the other card in his hand. Keith laughed at this revelation and proceeded to explain, "And Strings just got the best card to use it with! Card on Sanctity!"

"What a lethal combination," Yugi noted. "Now Strings can draw up to six cards while Matt's prevented from doing so by the Protector's ability!"

"Dat shouldn't be legal!" Joey complained.

"Heh, tough luck," Keith retorted as Strings drew his new hand. The two looked it over and smiled, with Strings proceeding to reveal a new card from it: Thunder Dragon.

"Strings here just drew a Thunder Dragon (5/1600/1500)," Keith explained, "and that means he can discard it to add two more Thunder Dragons from his deck to his hand."

Strings proceeded to discard the first Thunder Dragon and search for the other two Thunder Dragons, adding them to his hand accordingly. He then revealed another card from his hand: Polymerization!

"And now he fuses the two Thunder Dragons together in order to summon forth Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (7/2800/2100) to the field!" Keith announced as Strings sent the Thunder Dragons to the Graveyard, fusing each green serpentine dragon into a larger red dragon with two heads.

"Well, looks like that's going to wrap this duel up," Keith said. "Go ahead and wipe out his monsters, Strings!"

Strings nodded and pointed towards Matt's monsters, sending forth his dragonic creatures to attack them! The Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon breathed a bolt of lightning out against Saving Drake, electrocuting it as the powered-up Aqua Dragon sent a burst of ice breathe towards Matt's face-down monster, which revealed itself as a large stony dragon. The Golem Dragon (4/200/2000) didn't stand a chance against the blast!

"Oh no! Both of his monsters are gone!" Shannon moaned.

"And with no defenses and only a few cards in hand, you better hope your next card is a golden one," Keith mocked as Strings played two more cards face-down.

Matt looked over his hand. What can I do? he thought to himself. I can't draw more than one card in a turn, and even though I've got plenty of options on how to deal with this in my deck...I don't know if I can draw them reliably now!

He looked down at his deck. "Well, here goes nothing," he said. "It's my turn!"

He drew his next card and looked at-

"I activate the card I just drew!"

"What?"

"Go, Quickdraw Opportunity!"

"That card?!"

"Since it's a Quick-Play Spell card, I can activate it immediately during my Draw Phase," Matt explained. "And since it is still my Draw Phase, Protector of the Sanctuary's effect doesn't activate!"

"Tch, you sly little punk," Keith scoffed.

"And now I draw once more!" Matt declared, drawing his next card. He looked at it and saw-

The Spirit Dragon of Earth!

He looked back over the cards in his hand; he currently had the Spirit Dragon of Water, Card Destruction, and Dragon Shrine.

This...this is it.

Matt realized what had happened and dropped his arms to his side. The others all saw this action and realized that Matt didn't draw the card he needed. Keith laughed as he saw Matt's face frown.

"Well well, looks like your luck's finally run out!" Keith said. "Don't worry, I'll be happy to take your unconditional surrender and those Spirit Dragons you've got."

Matt looked at the cards in his hand and tried to formulate a strategy from them. There had to be something he could do!

It can't...it can't end like this! Not here!

He looked at his empty field and up at the dragons on Strings' field. Both were overwhelming, there was no way he could overpower them with what he had. Was this it?

I...I lost.

Matt reached for his Compass Medallion and held onto it tightly. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. "I end my-"

FLASH!

Suddenly, the Spirit Dragons in Matt's hand began to glow, surrounding themselves in a veil of light! A collective gasp filled the area as everyone watched the light glow brighter and brighter until it was blinding!

"Now what?!" Keith asked, frustrated over this new development.

Matt turned his attention to the Spirit Dragons; somehow the light near him wasn't as overpowering as it was to the others. Then a new light began radiating from where the Compass Medallion was! Matt pulled it out and held the collection together. Then the medallion began to hover in the air alongside the Spirit Dragons, and the dragons themselves emerged from the cards! They flew around Matt, each other, and the floating medallion in an intricate dance before finally-

FLASH!

And just like that the light vanished. Matt blinked trying to comprehend what he had seen. The others' eyes adjusted as the light departed.

"What happened?" Joey asked.

"I don't know," Yugi answered.

Keith and Strings looked over confused as well. "What the hell is going on here?" Keith asked aloud.

Matt looked back down at the cards in his hand. Then his expression changed from confusion to determination; he knew what to do. He grasped the two Spirit Dragons in his hand and revealed them to his opponents.

"I'm going to unleash the true power of the Spirit Dragons!" Matt declared. "I now fuse together the Spirit Dragons of Water and Earth!"

"What?!"

"Can he do that?" Tea asked.

"We've never seen what the Spirit Dragons are capable of," Yugi replied. "Anything's possible!"

As the others watched on, Matt sent the Spirit Dragons to the Graveyard, triggering their presence on the field. The two ethereal dragons then performed their intricate dance once again, now in full view of all of their new spectators. Their bodies began to glow as they ascended upwards into the sky!

"Flowing through the cracks of the earth, dashing through the ocean currents, empowering celestial beings join forces to become one! Fuse together the Spirit Dragons of Water and Earth! Behold! I summon the Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley (12/?/?)!"

A brilliant burst of light shined forth from above as the dragons merged together, forming into another great dragon. Its spectral scales shimmered with green and blue tints, a deep earthy mahogany shining beneath them as the creature descended onto the field.

"Behold the combined power of my Spirit Dragons!" Matt said, cuing the dragon to roar mightily to demonstrate its supremacy.

"All right! He's making a comeback!" Shannon cheered.

"You da man, Matt!" Joey called out.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Keith lamented. "No way could he summon a monster like that!"

Strings watched on wordlessly, a look of awe and disappointment on his face as he looked up at the dragon.

"My Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley has combined the powers of my other two Spirit Dragons," Matt explained. "That means it gains 300 Atk and Def for every WATER and EARTH monster removed from play, as well as for every Dragon-type monster in my Graveyard!

The Spirit Dragon was then surrounded by the spirits of Matt's former dragons, empowered by their presence!

Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley (12/?/? - 12/1500/1500)

"Tch, is that it? All that work for nothing?" Keith taunted. "Your dragon's got nothing compared to Strings' monsters!"

"I activate my Dragon Shrine Spell card," Matt continued, ignoring Keith's remarks. "Now I can send a Dragon-type monster straight from my deck to the Graveyard, and if that monster was a Normal monster, I can send another straight to my Graveyard."

Matt then ran through his deck and discarded a normal monster with a white dragon on the front and another dragon donning a strange mask on its face. As he did, the Spirit Dragon roared mightily as its power rose, and as it did, a strange aura surrounded Matt, increasing his Life Points!

Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley (12/1500/1500 - 12/2100/2100)

Strings: 1800
Matt: 3000

"What the-?!"

"My new Spirit Dragon also has granted me the ability to gain 500 Life Points every time a monster is sent to the Graveyard," Matt explained. "And since I sent two monsters, I gained 1000 Life Points."

"Why you-"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm not done yet," Matt continued. "I discard the last card in my hand to activate the Spirit Dragon's next effect: Soul Revival!"

The dragon then charged up a green burst of energy and blasted it into the ground! A moment's pause followed as a red dragon wearing a mask crawled out of the earth, breathing new life as it spread its wings out.

Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley (12/2100/2100 - 12/1800/1800)

"I've brought back my Masked Dragon (3/1400/1100) to the field!" Matt said.

"Eh? Why'd he do dat?" Joey wondered aloud. "Dat monster doesn't have enough attack points to beat out either of Strings' monsters."

"Now I attack with Masked Dragon!" Matt announced. "Go, charge at Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!"

The masked dragon charged forward, brutally ramming against the twin-headed dragon! It never stood a chance, as the twin heads bit down and electrocuted the poor dragon, wiping it out easily!

Strings: 1800
Matt: 1600

"Hahahahaha! I gotta hand it to ya, if you're going for a suicidal run, you're doing a fantastic job so far!" Keith laughed.

"I activate the effects of my dragons," Matt resumed. "My Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley's power rises and gives me Life Points since a Dragon was sent to the Graveyard."

Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley (12/1800/1800 - 12/2100/2100)

Strings: 1800
Matt: 2100

"And then, my Masked Dragon's effect activates," Matt continued, "allowing me to summon a Dragon-type with 1500 or less Atk points, like another of my Masked Dragons!"

Sure enough, another masked dragon was summoned to Matt's field to replace the one that fell in battle.

"Now, time to get rid of that Protector again," Matt said. "Go, Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley!"

The dragon charged up its energy blast and breathed it down upon the enigmatic guardian, wiping it off the field for good and giving Matt an extra burst of energy!

Strings: 1800
Matt: 2600

"And now Masked Dragon attacks Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon again!" Matt declared, sending his new dragon off to the same result as before, empowering his Spirit Dragon and his Life Points.

Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley (12/2100/2100 - 12/2400/2400)

Strings: 1800
Matt: 1000 - 1500

"And with my next Masked Dragon's effect, I summon Jubilant Dragon (4/200/1900) from my deck in Defense mode, who in turn lets me draw a card when summoned," Matt said, bringing out a golden dragon that laughed merrily and allowed for him to draw his next card.

"Finally, I'll use Stamping Destruction to get rid of your Aqua Dragon's Fusion Weapon and hit you for 500 points of damage!" Matt said, activating the magic card which unleashed a devastating dragon's foot to stomp through the Aqua Dragon's equip card! At that moment, Strings activated his face-down card, which in turn nullified the damage and hit Matt in the head with a board eraser.

Aqua Dragon (6/3750/3400 - 6/2250/1900)

"…eh?"

"What was dat?" Joey asked.

"I think that was his Trap card," Yugi responded.

"That's right," Keith said. "Strings used the Trap of Board Eraser to cancel out the effect damage that he'd take from your spell card. Of course, it would've discarded a card from your hand if you had any left."

Shaking off the bonk, Matt finished, "I'm ending my turn with that!"

"Alright, Strings, let's make a comeback!" Keith said as Strings drew his next card.


"Now then, let's make a comeback!" Zorro said. "I activate Surprising Spark from my hand, which allows me to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower FIRE monster from my deck, so say hello to my Flare Reviver (4/1500/1000)!"

Bursting forth in a fiery blast, a coal-headed minion smiled as it drew its cape around its humanoid body, its smoldering head and hands reminiscent of glowing embers.

"Next I'll activate Flare Reviver's ability," Zorro continued. "By discarding a FIRE monster from my hand, I can bring back a FIRE monster with a Level equal to or less than the one I discard. So by sending my Level 4 Flame Ruler to the Graveyard, I can bring back the Inferno Beast once again!"

The caped minion then started scratching its flint-like hands together, creating a shower of sparks that eventually burst forth as the fiery beast arose once again from the flames!

"Aw man, not that guy again," Creighton moaned.

"And now I'll sacrifice both my Flare Reviver and my Inferno Beast," Zorro announced. "So now I summon forth the Bright Sun Dragon (9/2800/2500)!"

The monsters on Zorro's field glowed like embers before bursting into flames, summoning forth a radiant orange dragon with a large horn on its nose. Fire spewed forth from its mouth as it floated around as though by magic, as there were no wings upon its form to carry it. Its scales shimmered with heat and descended upon the trio, igniting the area surrounding them.

"Behold the power of my Bright Sun Dragon as it annihilates 800 of your Life Points upon being summoned!" Zorro said.

"Oh no!" Creighton said. "Izzy doesn't have 800 Life Points! She's going to lose!"

"I don't think so!" Kari called out. "I activate my Shining Gift of Mercy! Now whenever a player's Life Points would hit 0 during this turn, the damage is negated, and their opponent gets to draw a card."

A shining aura surrounded everyone on the field, veiling them in a white light. The light surrounding Izzy shined the brightest, protecting her from the burning scales as the others took their damage.

Zorro: 4800
Izzy: 700
Kari: 1800
Andrew: 2400

"Well, since I've inflicted at least 1000 damage this turn, I'm allowed to Special Summon my Pyro-Rage Dragon (8/2800/1300) from my hand!" Zorro announced.

A new dragon - this time red - appeared on Zorro's field. A trail of smoke followed behind its tail as it soared around the arena similar to the Bright Sun Dragon, with the exception of not shedding its scales upon flight. It sat next to the orange dragon, both of them snarling and steaming with heat behind Zorro, making for a truly intimidating sight.

"Now then," Zorro said, drawing his card due to Shining Gift of Mercy, "it's time to get rid of some monsters. And I think I've got just the target in mind, so I discard a card from my hand to use Bright Sun Dragon's special ability!"

Offering up one of the last cards in his hand, Zorro fueled the orange dragon, allowing for it to charge up a mighty fireball in its maw.

"Bright Sun Dragon has the limitation that it can't attack in the turn that it's Summoned," Zorro explained, "but to make up for it, it has a powerful ability. With the cost already paid, I can now destroy one of your monsters and inflict damage to the owner equal to its Atk points! And the monster I choose is Ancient Hero Lucky Death!"

Zorro pointed at the reaper to indicate where to strike for his dragon, who then released its fireball towards the target! The fireball struck the reaper with devastating flames, burning away at its cloak until nothing remained of it, with Andrew taking the brunt of the attack!

Zorro: 4800
Izzy: 700
Kari: 1800
Andrew: 500

"I'll activate Ancient Hero Lucky Death's ability," Andrew said. "By discarding a card from my hand, I can bring him back from the Graveyard since he was destroyed by a card effect!"

Sending the card from his hand to the Graveyard, Andrew prompted his monster's return, cued by a skeletal hand bursting forth from the ground. The reaper cackled as it crawled out from the earth, ready to fight again!

"Hmph, typical," Zorro said. "However, this does leave you open for an attack, and with only 500 Life Points remaining, I'll have taken out the biggest threat amongst the three of you!"

"I suppose the others haven't kept quiet about me," Andrew said with a smirk.

"There are no secrets amongst Trinity members," Zorro chuckled. "With that said, I attack Ancient Hero Nomader with my Pyro-Rage Dragon! Go, Furious Inferno!"

The red dragon roared before slithering over to the soldier, igniting its entire body and turning itself into a flaming salamander!

"I don't think so!" Andrew called out. "I activate Fear of the Ancient Heroes, making it so you can't make an attack this turn!"

Just as the dragon lunged forward, the soldier slammed his spear into the ground, causing a shockwave to pulsate from it. The shockwave hit the dragon, stunning it and forcing it to retreat from the soldier with haste.

"Dodged it, eh?" Zorro smiled. "I suppose all I have now is this face-down card. Can the three of you defeat me by my next turn?"

"I'm willing to give it a shot!" Izzy said, drawing her next card. "I activate my face-down card, Series Operation, which allows me to combine my monsters' power together until the End Phase, but I can only have one attack this turn!"

Izzy's monsters radiated with energy, surrounding themselves in an aura that combined into a large power as their stats increased!

Series 3-FIRE (3/2200/2200 - 3/5200/5200)
Series 6-BRIGHT (6/3000/3000 - 6/5200/5200)

"Now go, Series 6-BRIGHT!" Izzy declared. "Strike down Pyro-Rage Dragon!"

The solar machine charged up its bulbs and sent forth a burst of lightning, electrocuting the red dragon and dealing severe damage to Zorro!

Zorro: 2400
Izzy: 700
Kari: 1800
Andrew: 500

"Way to go, Izzy!" Creighton cheered.

Izzy smiled, but that smile quickly faded as she was surrounded by a small circle of flames. The flames got gradually bigger and bigger until they consumed Izzy entirely, burning away at her Life Points!

Zorro: 2400
Izzy: 0
Kari: 1800
Andrew: 500

"I'm afraid my Pyro-Rage Dragon's effect activated when you destroyed it," Zorro explained. "By destroying it, you incurred its wrath and got dealt 1000 damage from it."

"Darn it…I lost," Izzy said as she knelt down on the ground.

"By the rules of this exchange, that means your turn is over," Zorro continued, then he turned his attention to Kari and said, "Now it's your turn."

Kari hesitated for a moment before steeling herself. She drew her next card and looked over her hand.

Even if he's got a play to strike me down, I won't let him, she thought to herself. I'm willing to do whatever it takes!

"I activate my Shining Words of Wisdom!" Kari announced. "This allows me to send any number of the Shining Lords on my field to the Graveyard and then summon an equal number of Shining Kings from my hand! So I send the Shining Lords Caritas and Gaudium to the Graveyard in order to summon the Shining Kings Humilitas (8/2700/2400) and Patientia (8/2300/2800) to my field!"

The holy noblemen glowed with a bright light and disappeared, replacing themselves with larger, more armored, and mightier noblemen! Their clothes radiated with heavenly light, and each carried a new weapon; one brandished a bronze scale in his hands while the other held a mirror.

"Next I'll activate the power of my Shining King Humilitas," Kari continued. "With its power, I can lower his Atk and Def in order to lower your monsters' Atk and Def by the same amount! So I reduce his stats by 2400!"

The king with the scales tipped one side, causing his Atk and Def to lower. Then as he let go of it, the scales tipped to the other side, lowering Zorro's remaining dragon's stats until the scales balanced out.

Shining King Humilitas (8/2700/2400 - 8/300/0)
Bright Sun Dragon (9/2800/2500 - 9/400/100)

"Interesting move," Zorro said. "I can feel my heart racing with the heat of battle!"

"Now go, Shining King Patientia!" Kari declared. "Attack the Bright Sun Dragon!"

The king with the mirror absorbed light into the mirror, charging a mystical energy. It then redirected the mirror towards the orange dragon and fired off a beam of energy at it, destroying it easily and inflicting more damage onto Zorro!

Zorro: 500
Kari: 1800
Andrew: 500

"Not bad," Zorro complimented. "But it won't be enough. I activate the Bright Sun Dragon's special ability! Since you destroyed it, you get to take 1000 damage!"

A similar circle of flames appeared around Kari, spiraling until they ignited into an inferno that burned away at her Life Points!

Zorro: 500
Kari: 800
Andrew: 500

"I'll admit that hurt," Kari said. "But I'm not done yet! Go Shining King Humilitas! Attack-"

"Now now, I didn't say I was done either! I activate my face-down Rekindling the Flame!"

Zorro was then surrounded by a circle of flames, not unlike how Izzy had been mere moments before. The flames then spiraled upwards in a serpentine fashion, writhing away as Zorro's magic began to take form.

"By removing a FIRE monster in my Graveyard from the game," Zorro explained, "I can bring back a FIRE monster from my Graveyard with a Level equal to its Level plus one. So I'm banishing Pyro-Rage Dragon in order to bring back the Bright Sun Dragon! And you know what that means."

Sure enough, the spiraling flames dispersed, revealing a renewed and revived orange dragon. It roared as its scales descended upon the field, surrounding the players once again. Andrew grimaced; he knew he wouldn't survive this.

Kari realized this too, and she quickly said, "I activate Shining King Patientia's ability to negate the effect damage that a player would take from a card effect!"

The king then rushed over to Andrew's side, brandishing his mirror at the scales just as they burst into flames. The mirror created a magical barrier that surrounded Andrew, keeping him safe from the effect as Kari was incinerated by the burning scales near her.

Zorro: 500
Kari: 0
Andrew: 500

"You okay?" Andrew asked.

"I'm fine, just finish this duel!" Kari said.

"Right," Andrew nodded, looking down at his deck. I have to draw it right now.

"My turn!"


Strings looked over his hand once again. He looked back at Bandit Keith who nodded, then he turned his attention back to the field. Strings pointed towards his Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon and then at the Spirit Dragon on Matt's field.

"Strings attacks your Spirit Dragon with Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" Keith announced. "And he'll attack with Aqua Dragon against your Jubilant Dragon!"

The dual-headed beast lunged forward and electrocuted the majestic dragon, destroying it in a high-voltage burst!

Strings: 1800
Matt: 1400

Strings then signaled to his Aqua Dragon to attack the Jubilant Dragon, cuing a frosty burst of breathe to fire off at it. The ice froze the golden dragon in place before it cracked and shattered on the field.

"Since Jubilant Dragon just got destroyed, I get to draw a card," Matt said as he proceeded to do-

"Not so fast, punk!" Keith said. "Strings is activating a magic card!"

Indeed he was, paying 1000 Life Points to do so.

Strings: 800
Matt: 1400

"At the cost of 1000 Life Points, Confiscation lets Strings discard the card you just drew," Keith explained. "There won't be any more miracles here!"

Matt looked at the card carefully before sending it to his Graveyard. "We'll see about that," he replied.

"Go ahead and draw whatever you like," Keith said. "There's no way you're gonna draw a card from your deck to get you out of this one!"

"Are you sure?"

Keith was taken aback by Matt's question. No, not just the question, the confidence that came with it! Matt wasn't out of this duel yet!

"In a deck with as many cards in it as mine," Matt said as he prepared to draw his card, "there's no telling what I'll get. But I've got faith in its ability to give me just what I need!"

"Alright, then prove it!"

"I will! It's my turn!"

Matt then drew his card and looked at it. "I'm going to activate a magic card: Monster Reborn!"

"Impossible!"

"He did it!" Joey cheered.

"By putting his faith in the heart of the cards, he got what he needed most," Yugi nodded.

"Now I summon forth the Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley!"

The great dragon returned to Matt's field, roaring its majestic song as it regained the power it had before - and then some!

Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley (12/?/? - 12/3000/3000)

"Wait, hold on a sec," Keith stammered, "how did its attack get that high? There's only been one other monster in your Graveyard!"

"That would be true, except that you discarded my Decoy Dragon thanks to Confiscation," Matt replied triumphantly. "Looks like your strategy backfired!"

Both Keith and Strings recoiled as Matt continued, "Now go, Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley! Attack the Aqua Dragon!"

The mighty dragon breathed down upon the icy dragon with its natural energy, annihilating it with a single blast while restoring Matt's own life!

Strings: 50
Matt: 1900

"Give it up," Matt said. "There's not much more you can do at this rate."

"Like hell we'll give up!" Keith yelled back as Strings drew his next card. Deep in Keith's gut though was this feeling, something he'd not felt before. It wasn't fear, no, but something else. Excitement? A thrill?

Strings looked at his new card and then Set two other cards in his hand before activating it. The spell summoned forth a large gryphon wing, which swept away all of Strings' Spells and Traps before showering him with delightful sparkles.

Strings: 2050
Matt: 1900

"Why'd he do dat?" Joey asked.

"It must be a last ditch effort," Yugi answered. "Strings used Gryphon's Feather Duster to gain back Life Points, but it's risky as it takes out all of his Spell and Trap cards. He must be in a real bind if that's the case."

Strings then rotated his monster into Defense mode, forcing the twin-headed dragon to kneel down and shield itself before signaling the end of his turn.

Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (7/2800/2100 - 7/2800/2100)

"Looks like it's my turn," Matt said drawing his next card. "And now I'll send a card from my hand to the Graveyard to revive a new monster using my Spirit Dragon's ability!"

The dragon then blasted the earth like before, causing it to tremble and quake before opening up once more. A moment's pause followed just before a great and terrifying roar emitted from the earth.

"It can't be…"

"No way!"

"There's only one monster with a cry like that!"

"I summon back the Blue-Eyes White Dragon (8/3000/2500)!"

Erupting from the depths of the earth arose the great white dragon, soaring around and spreading its triumphant wings!

"Now go forth, my dragons!" Matt declared. "Finish him off!"

The dragons combined their attacks and blasted off a powerful energy beam that shattered the twin-headed dragon, piercing through it and into Strings, wiping out the rest of his Life Points!

Strings: 0
Matt: 2400

"Alright! Way to go!"

"You the man, Matt!"

"He did it!"

Strings fell to his knees and looked down sorrowfully, disappointed in his loss. Keith scowled with contempt, muttering, "I can't believe this," before finally turning away and signaling for the soldiers to release the other heroes.

"You've won this time," Keith said, looking back at Matt, "but next time you won't be so lucky. Count on it!"

He turned and began walking away, with Strings clambering after him in a hurry. Matt watched them as the others regrouped with him.

"He can keep coming at us all he wants," he said. "As long as we've got this group together, he won't be able to get his hands on the Spirit Dragons!"

"You mean as long as he doesn't beat you!" Joey teased.

"Yeah, you really brought it to him!" Tristan added.

Matt smiled at the others. "And I'll keep it up until I've got all the Spirit Dragons!"


"My turn!"

As Andrew drew his card, his Twist of Fate kicked in, cutting his Life Points in half.

Zorro: 500
Andrew: 250

"Well then, it's do-or-die," Zorro said. "Either you defeat me in this turn, or my Bright Sun Dragon will tear you apart."

"Good thing I've got just the card to do it," Andrew retorted with a smile. "I Tribute Ancient Hero Nomader and Ancient Hero Lucky Death in order to summon Ancient Hero Aurora (10/?/?)!"

The soldier and the reaper then turned into two pillars of spiraling rainbow energy that shined forth into the ceiling. The beams bent towards and merged together with each other, forming between them a humanoid being; the new hero was almost entirely human save for the clouds he had for feet and the radiating sun with small beady eyes he had for a head. He skittered around the arena using his cloud feet, the red sash tied around his waist waving in the current across his light-blue harem pants, the cottony-white shirt flapping in the breeze.

"Ancient Hero Aurora," Izzy said looking up at it, admiring its design. Kari silently watched with great anticipation, a smile crossing her face.

"Alright! Go get em, Andrew!" Creighton called out from the cage, swinging around precariously without a whim.

"My Ancient Hero Aurora is one of my most powerful heroes," Andrew announced. "With his abilities, I'm going to defeat you here and now in this turn!"

"Is that so?" Zorro wondered. "Then bring it on!"

"With pleasure!" Andrew declared. "Go, Ancient Hero Aurora! Shining Burst Strike!"

The hero then brought his hands together and pulled back, charging up a radiant ball of multicolored energy. The orange dragon that opposed him began to draw in breath, preparing for a fiery finale! The two continued to charge their attacks until finally at nearly the same moment they unleashed the powerful waves of energy and fire at each other! The attacks collided with each other, blasting off of each other in a powerful burst! The combined combating energies then exploded, blinding everyone as to the outcome!

When the smoke finally cleared, the conclusion was clear: Zorro knelt down on the ground stunned as Andrew stood there, sighing with relief.

Zorro: 0
Andrew: 250

"He did it," Kari smirked.

"Woo-hoo!" Creighton cheered. "Now I can finally get my clothes back!"

"Amazing…simply amazing," Zorro said. "I've not had a loss in so long…I'd almost forgotten this feeling…this excitement that comes with facing a worthy opponent!"

"That was a close game!" Andrew said. "We'll have to duel again sometime!"

"Hehe, I don't think that'll be possible," Zorro chuckled. "The Trinity being secret and all that."

Zorro then snapped his fingers, triggering the cage Creighton was in to slowly lower itself down onto the ground.

"Your friend is all yours, as promised," he said. "He is free to go."

"Ah, finally! I can get my clothes back!" Creighton cheered, heading over to the trio.

"Please don't remind us…" Izzy sighed.

Zorro walked up to Andrew and took off his hat, bowing and holding it out to him. Inside the hat's brim, Andrew saw the shining key.

"I believe to the victor go the spoils, yes?" Zorro asked.

Andrew smiled as he claimed the key. He closed his eyes for a moment, and then the key glowed brightly and flew out of the volcano, headed towards its intended target.

"Another successful venture," Andrew said to himself as the others regrouped around him.

"I imagine you'll want to know the whereabouts of the next key," Zorro said. "After all, you've already challenged three of us and won."

"That would be overall more convenient," Izzy said.

"Wait, you guys can just tell us about the other locations?" Creighton asked.

"I know the reason for your travels, and I'm certain you have nothing but the best of intentions," Zorro replied. "For now, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to help you along your journey."

"That's oddly kind of you," Andrew said.

"Think nothing of it," Zorro said dismissively, pulling out a small map of the world from within his cloak. He handed it over to Kari and continued, "This will mark the spots where the remaining advisors are. I would suggest heading towards the one near Barrow Island."

"Barrow Island? As in Australia?" Kari asked.

"Wait, but that's like the other side of the world!" Creighton pointed out.

"And the other two are close by and close to each other, according to this map," Izzy observed.

"True, but they will be much harder to find than Emilia," Zorro said. "She can bring you back here faster than you would be able to find the other advisors."

"A trick of theirs, I suppose?" Andrew mused.

"You might say that," Zorro laughed. "In any case, it benefits you more to meet with Emilia than it does to try and find those two."

Giving a rather skeptical look at Zorro, Andrew finally shrugged his shoulders and said, "Can't be helped. Thanks for your time."

"Of course! And don't worry about us," Zorro said. "After all, we've the power of fire! We can overcome our enemies if need be!"

Andrew smiled. "Hopefully it won't have to come to that," he said, and he left the cave with the others.

Zorro watched as the group left the volcano, with a little help from the escort from before. As soon as they were gone, he raised a finger to his temple.

"They know."


AUTHOR'S NOTES

What exciting action! What amazing comebacks! But who is Zorro talking to? What do they know about these cards?!

Matt vs. Strings

Pot of Greed (Normal Spell)
Effect: Draw 2 cards.

Monster Reborn (Normal Spell)
Effect: Target 1 monster in either player's GY; Special Summon it.

Card of Sanctity (Normal Spell)
Effect: Each player draws until they have 6 cards in their hands.
NOTE: As always, this is the anime effect of this card, not the real-life card.

Thunder Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 5, 1600 Atk, 1500 Def, Thunder, LIGHT
Effect: You can discard this card; add up to 2 "Thunder Dragon" from your Deck to your hand.

Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon (Fusion Monster)
Level 7, 2800 Atk, 2100 Def, Thunder, LIGHT
"Thunder Dragon" + "Thunder Dragon"

Golem Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 200 Atk, 2000 Def, Dragon, EARTH
Effect: Your opponent cannot target Dragon monsters for attacks, except this one.

Quickdraw Opportunity! (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: Draw 1 card. If you draw this card by a card effect: you can activate it and draw 2 cards instead.

Spirit Dragon of Water (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Oceanic Tranquility". This card's Attribute is also treated as WATER. Unaffected by your opponent's Spell cards. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WATER monster, also gains 200 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. During your Standby Phase: gain 500 LP for every card on the field. Your Level 5 or higher monsters require 1 less Tribute to be Tribute Summoned. Once per turn: you can discard 1 card; until the end of your opponent's turn, your opponent cannot play cards of the same card type (Monster, Spell, Trap) as the card you discarded.

Spirit Dragon of Earth (Ritual Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Ritual Summoned with "Earthquakes of Revival". This card's Attribute is also treated as EARTH. Cannot be destroyed by battle. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished EARTH monster, also gains 200 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. This card can attack all of your opponent's monsters once each. You can activate each of these effect once per turn:
● You can pay 500 Life Points, then target 1 card in your GY; Special Summon it if it's a monster, or Set it if it's Spell/Trap card.
● You can pay 300 Life Points, then target 1 card in your GY; return that target to the bottom of your Deck.
● During your Main Phase: Gains 500 Atk for every monster on the field until the end of the turn.

Spirit Dragon of the Fertile Valley (Fusion Monster)
Level 12, ? Atk, ? Def, Dragon, DIVINE
Effect: Must be Special Summoned (from your Extra Deck) by sending "Spirit Dragon of Water" and "Spirit Dragon of Earth" from your hand or field to the GY (you do not use Polymerization). This card's Attribute is also treated as WATER and EARTH. Gains 300 ATK/DEF for every banished WATER and EARTH monster, also gains 300 ATK/DEF for every Dragon monster in your GY. If a monster(s) is sent to the GY: gain 500 LP for each of those monsters. Once per turn: you can discard 1 card; Special Summon 1 monster from your GY.

Dragon Shrine (Normal Spell)
Effect: Send 1 Dragon monster from your Deck to the GY, then if that monster in your GY is a Dragon Normal Monster, you can send 1 more Dragon monster from your Deck to the GY. You can only activate 1 "Dragon Shrine" per turn.

Masked Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 3, 1400 Atk, 1100 Def, Dragon, FIRE
Effect: When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: you can Special Summon 1 Dragon monster with 1500 or less Atk from your Deck.

Jubilant Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 200 Atk, 1900 Def, Dragon, EARTH
Effect: If this card is Summoned: draw 1 card. If this card is destroyed: draw 1 card. If a Dragon monster is Summoned: you can discard 1 card; draw 1 card.

Stamping Destruction (Normal Spell)
Effect: If you control a Dragon monster: Target 1 Spell/Trap card on the field; destroy that target, and if you do, inflict 500 damage to its controller.

Trap of Board Eraser (Counter Trap)
Effect: When an effect that inflicts damage to your Life Points is activated (except Battle Damage): negate the damage to your Life Points, then your opponent discards 1 card from their hand.
NOTE: Given the way Stamping Destruction inflicts damage, normally in the TCG/OCG, you would not be able to activate Trap of Board Eraser in response to it, as the damage occurs as a result of the card's actions. At the time of Stamping Destruction's activation, you neither know if the Spell or Trap card will be destroyed, nor if it is your Spell or Trap card; therefore, you don't reliably know that the 500 damage will be inflicted on you if at all, and thus you can't counter Stamping Destruction with Trap of Board Eraser. Here, though, I chose to take creative liberties in order to prevent Strings from losing the Duel prematurely, adding a source of tension as well as a comedic effect. I did want to clarify that this would not work in the TCG/OCG, given the ruling; you could chain Trap of Board Eraser to a card like Hinotama that does inflict straight up damage but not to something like Stamping Destruction.

Confiscation (Normal Spell)
Effect: Pay 1000 Life Points; look at your opponent's hand, then discard 1 card from it.

Decoy Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 2, 300 Atk, 200 Def, Dragon, FIRE
Effect: If this card is targeted for an attack: Target 1 Level 7 or higher Dragon monster in your GY; Special Summon it, and if you do, change the attack target to it and perform damage calculation.

Gryphon's Feather Duster (Normal Spell)
Effect: Destroy all Spell and Trap cards you control, then you gain 500 LP for each card destroyed this way.

Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Normal Monster)
Level 8, 3000 Atk, 2500 Def, Dragon, LIGHT

Andrew, Kari, Izzy vs. Zorro

Secret Barrel (Normal Trap)
Effect: Inflict 200 damage to your opponent for every card in their hand and on their side of the field.

Shining Lord Pax (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1000 Atk, 1800 Def, Warrior, LIGHT
Effect: During each turn, you can negate attacks up to the number of "Shining Lords" you control.

Shining Gift of Healing (Normal Spell)
Effect: Gain 500 LP for every "Shining Lord" and "Shining King" you control.

Vengeful Fire Spirit (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: Special Summon 1 "Fire Spirit Token" (1/0/0/Pyro/FIRE) to your field. If it is destroyed, inflict 500 damage to your opponent.

Ancient Hero Lucky Death (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1900 Atk, 200 Def, Zombie, DARK
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. If this card is sent to the GY: you can discard 1 card, and if you do, Special Summon it to your field.

Twist of Fate (Normal Spell)
Effect: Activate only if your LP are lower than your opponent's LP. Double your current LP. During your next Standby Phase: halve your LP.

Surprising Spark (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower FIRE monster from your Deck.

Flare Reviver (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1000 Def, Pyro, FIRE
Effect: Once per turn: you can discard 1 FIRE monster; Special Summon 1 FIRE monster from your GY with a Level less than or equal to the Level of the discarded monster, also this card cannot attack this turn.

Flame Ruler (Effect Monster)
Level 4, 1500 Atk, 1600 Def, Pyro, FIRE
Effect: This card can be treated as 2 Tributes for the Tribute Summon of a FIRE monster.

Bright-Sun Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 9, 2700 Atk, 2500 Def, Dragon, FIRE
Effect: If you Tribute Summon this card, the Tributes must be FIRE. If this card is Summoned: inflict 800 damage to your opponent. Cannot attack the turn it is Summoned. Once per turn: you can discard 1 card, then target 1 monster your opponents controls; destroy that target, and if you do, inflict damage to your opponent equal to that monster's ATK, also this card cannot attack this turn. If this card attacks: you can inflict damage to your opponent equal to this card's ATK, then this card loses 500 ATK. Ifthis card is destroyed: inflict 1000 damage to the player that destroyed it.

Pyro-Rage Dragon (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2800 Atk, 1300 Def, Dragon, FIRE
Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set. If you inflict 1000 or more Effect Damage to your opponent: you can Special Summon this card from your hand. During each player's Standby Phase: inflict 500 damage to their opponent's Life Points. If this card is destroyed: inflict 1000 damage to the player that destroyed it.

Shining Gift of Mercy (Normal Trap)
Effect: If a player would take damage that would reduce their Life Points to 0: negate the damage, then their opponent draws 1 card.

Fear of the Ancient Heroes (Normal Trap)
Effect: Until the End Phase, as long as you control at least 1 "Ancient Hero" monster, monsters your opponent controls cannot declare an attack.

Series Operation (Continuous Trap)
Effect: Once per turn: you can make the ATK/DEF of all "Series" monsters equal to the total ATK/DEF of all "Series" monsters you control, also you can only attack with 1 monster for the rest of this turn.

Shining Words of Wisdom (Normal Spell)
Effect: Send any number of "Shining Lord" monsters you control to the GY; Special Summon the same number of "Shining King" monsters from your hand.

Shining King Humilitas (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2700 Atk, 2400 Def, Warrior, LIGHT
Effect: During your Main Phase: you can reduce this card's ATK/DEF by any amount; monsters your opponent controls lose ATK/DEF equal to that amount.

Shining King Patientia (Effect Monster)
Level 8, 2300 Atk, 2800 Def, Warrior, LIGHT
Effect: You can only activate one "Shining King Patientia" effect per turn, and only once per turn:
● (Quick Effect) Negate a card effect that would destroy a monster(s) up to the number of "Shining Lord" and "Shining King" monsters you control.
● (Quick Effect) Negate the effect damage a player would take from a card effect.

Rekindling the Flame (Quick-Play Spell)
Effect: Banish 1 FIRE monster from your GY; Special Summon 1 FIRE monster from your GY with a Level equal to the banished monster's Level +1.

Ancient Hero Aurora (Effect Monster)
Level 10, ? Atk, ? Def, Warrior, LIGHT
Effect: Cannot be destroyed by battle. Gains Atk and Def equal to...?

Our heroes travel to the mysterious Barrow Island in order to challenge the next advisor! Will they be able to defeat Emilia? Find out next chapter!