Author's Note: Damn, it's been a while. Sorry. Well, I can't stop now. I crave these reviews, people. They give me such an awesome sense of completion. This chapter is dedicated to all of you, and I'm sorry it's taken so long to get to you.
Again, I'm open to deck suggestions. Maybe I'll even use your name as a duelist if I run out of those. I used Genki for crying outloud. Monster Rancher? So E-Mail , and give me your deck list and how the deck works. Strength, weakness...and I'll use it. Can't garuntee you'll win, though. Depends on who you are dueling ;)
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"I'll beat you so bad, Yugi Moto," laughed Genki. "I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time. Because of you, our leader, Marik, turned into a freaking softy! Thus, the Rare Hunters disbanded. I lost my job. So many rare cards won, and much sold for money. But we always had the support of other hunters. Now, thanks to you, only a few of use remain. The once awesome Marik Ishtar, keeper of Ra, spends his days in the park with his sister. Maybe I can bring him back to his old ways if I take your Dark Magician and that stupid thing around your neck he wanted so bad."
"I doubt it," said Yugi. "I banished the evil inside Marik away. Besides...you'll never get my Puzzle or Dark Magician anyway. I have faith in Ryan's deck."
"Takawa's deck sucks, Moto!"
"How would you know? You've never went up against it fair and square!"
"Ya will, now," said Joey. "Any cheating seen will result in massive head injuries."
"Now, the rules," said Yugi, while shuffling Ryan's deck. "My deck and puzzle are to the winner. And the Blue-Eyes is a prize, too. Therefore, it cannot be used. Should you win, you'll gain not only my deck, but my Puzzle as well. However, when I win, you will give back Ryan's every card that you have taken from him in these illegit duels and never show your face with a Duel Disk again!"
"It's on!" shouted Genki. "Let's DUEL!"
Yugi: 4000
Genki: 4000
Ryan watched on to the duel as both players drew their cards. He was still in shock of how he didn't see his cheating methods earlier. And the loss of his Blue-Eyes White Dragon just sent him over the edge. However, Genki's fist sent him to the floor. Téa comforted him as much as possible, physically and emotionally. Hugging him and telling him Yugi would get his cards back. But all his losses, even though unfair, had put doubt that Exodia will pull through. Even Necros.
"It'll be okay," Téa told him. He just stared blankly at the duel.
"Exodia can't win..."
"No, don't say that." She turned his face to her's. "Yugi will win."
"I'll make the first move," announced Yugi. He looked into his hand.
"Let's see," he thought to himself. "Luck of the draw has given me Exodia's Left Leg in my hand already. No Sangan. No Witch. But this should help."
"I play this monster face down in defense mode," he announced. "And next, this card face down. And I end my turn."
"Hmmm...do better, Moto!" said Genki. He drew his next card.
"A stupid trap," Genki thought to himself. "Now, watch it become, maybe, Fairy Meteor--" Genki was going to pull his switch-a-roo, until the corner of his eye caught Tristan glaring at him. "Dammit!"
"Call these guys off," Genki ordered. "They're a distraction."
"You mean we're making sure you can't cheat."
"We ain't goin' anywhere," barked Joey. "Now make ya cruddy move."
"FINE!" shouted Genki. "I summon Dark Zebra in attack mode (1800/400). Attack the face down card!" Dark Zebra rammed his head into the face down card, shattering it. The pieces formed a Tomato, which shattered after being formed.
"You've destroyed Mystic Tomato, allowing me to summon a dark monster of 1500 attack or under from the deck in attack mode. And I have selected Witch of the Black Forest.(1100/1200)." Witch of the Black Forest materialized on to the field.
"Oh, here we go!" complained Genki. "You're as bad as Takawa. I don't have to cheat to beat that deck. I know the moves."
"Yes. However, I've added cards from my own deck to this one. It's not quite the same anymore."
"I play a card face down. Let's go, Yugi!" Yugi drew his next card, and formulated the plan of his next move. He had a couple of his own cards in his hand, but none that had use for the moment.
"I'll play the magic card, Dark Hole! It'll suck up every last monster on the field!" A swirling black hole opened up in the sky above the battle. It created a vacuum inside the warehouse. The witch went willingly, but Dark Zebra resisted as much as possible, digging his feet into the ground to save himself. But his efforts were in vain, and the Dark Hole swallowed him up. "Now to activate Witch's effect, and take--"
"Exodia. Just do it!" Yugi took Exodia's head out and placed it in his hand.
"Lastly, I summon a monster. Double Coston (1700/1650), come forth!" Two black smiling 'scooby-doo' ghost appeared on the field, circling each other. "Now! Attack his Life Points directly!" Coston began their assault upon Genki.
"That's not mine," said Ryan to Téa.
"Yugi added some cards to your Exodia deck," Téa told him. "Like I said...he will win."
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"Mai, let me see!" said Serenity to the door.
"I don't know, Serenity," said Mai from the otherside. "It's just not me."
"Mai, this place closes soon. I just want to see how you look."
"Oh, alright. Hang on." Mai stepped out from the dressing room of the clothing store. "It's weird."
"No way! You look great!"
"Really?" Mai turned around and looked in the mirror to her side. She had on a purple tight sweat shirt, and a purple mini skirt. "Hmm, not bad. I got like a sexy school teacher thing going on here." Serenity giggled. "I like it."
"Wear it later. I bet the guys will like it. Ryan would like it."
"Huh? Hey, what's that supposed to mean?"
"Aren't you dating?"
"What? No! I took him for a drink. Anyone who can beat Seto Kaiba deserves one. He told me about his Blue-Eyes, and we talked a bit. That's all."
"Oh...well, do you want to date him?" Mai stopped talking. She just stood in front of the mirror, quiet, silent. Serenity noticed Mai's cheeks turned a bit pink in her reflection. Her silence. Her blushing. "Mai?"
"Attention shoppers," said the PA. "We will be closing in five minutes. Please make your final purchases now."
"That's us," said Mai finally. "I'll change and buy this. I do like it. Do you have what you need?"
"Yup," smiled Serenity.
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"You're about feel the wrath of Double Coston," grinned Yugi.
"I think not," smirked Genki. "Activate Trap! Negate!"
"Arrrgh!" A transparent wall appeared in front of Genki. Coston tried to strike, but the wall absorbed all of the impact. Genki just laughed as he watched Coston try to break through. But to no avail. Coston finally came back to Yugi's side of the field in exhaustion.
"Nice try, Moto. So these are the monsters of yours. Not impressed."
"You haven't seen my good ones. Make your move."
"With pleasure." Genki drew and grinned a huge grin. "Ha ha ha! Yugi, you're about to start losing. I'm sorry, I forgot. You already started losing the minute you decided to face me! Now face my Berserk Gorilla (2000/1000)!" Genki summoned a massive gorilla, with every exhale spitting out some fire. "He has to attack any turn he's able. Including this one! Berserk Gorilla, attack now! Destroy Coston!" Berserk Gorilla took in a deep breath, exhaling a roar and a fireball at Double Coston.
"Not yet," smirked Yugi. "You forget this face down card. Activate trap: Mask of Weakness!" A mask with a voodoo doll on it launched and clung to Berserk Gorilla's face. "I'm afraid he's not as strong as he was anymore (1300/1000). And to make matters worse for you, he's attacking a stronger creature (1700/1650) that is my Double Coston!"
"Oh, hell, noo--AHHHHH!" shouted Genki as the Coston destroyed the Gorilla in a dark wave like attack. The shards of the defeated monster blew in Genki's face. "Lucky shot."
Yugi: 4000
Genki: 3600
"Consider yourself lucky, Moto," growled Genki. "I forgot about your face down card. But unfortunately for you, I'm more observante the next time around. I'll play the magic card, Last Will. I can now summon to the field a monster from my deck with 1500 attack points or less." Genki looked through his deck, but didn't have to go far. He picked his card, shuffled, and placed it back in the holder. "Let's see your Coston get through this. Humanoid Slime, in defense mode (800/2000)." A blue gel creature with gold armor appeared to the field, combining his arms to form a shield. "Lastly, one card face down. Make your move, now, Yugi." Yugi looked into his hand.
"Only one Exodia piece so far," he thought to himself. "I have to get more if I want to summon him."
"All right," announced Yugi. He drew his card and smirked. "I play the magic card Pot of Greed. Now I draw two cards."
"Uh uh!" said Genki, taunting him like a bully holding a little kid's lunch from him. "Don't think so! Activate magic card: Jar Robber!" His face down card rose up, with a picture of a goblin stealing the Pot of Greed. "Your Pot of Greed has been rendered unless." Yugi's Pot of Greed card holo-gram exploded into particles. "And to make things better, I get to draw a card. Now what? Ha ha!"
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Yugi found himself in a strange, yet familiar, area. Everything was blue. The crowd was gone. The creatures and spells were gone. Just standing there was Yugi, Yami next to him with the Duel Disk, and Genki, awaiting his move a few feet away on the opposite side of the field. Yugi goes to this place to talk with Yami mid duel. Outside of this area, time almost stops for him.
"What can we do?" asked Yugi. "He knows Ryan's Exodia moves, and his deck is ready to counter them."
"Calm down," said Yami. "It is true that he knows how to counter us getting Exodia. That's what his deck is for."
"What do we do, then?" he asked.
"I have an idea," Yami said with a smile. "He has a one track mind. So let's give that track a detour." Yami showed Yugi the cards in his hand. Yugi smiled.
"I get ya."
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"Well, Yugi?" asked Genki. "What now, huh?"
"Yugi zoned out again," muttered Joey. "Snap outta it, buddy."
"Very good move," congradulated Yugi. "You do know how to beat Exodia. But, unfortunately, you cannot beat me."
"How so?" asked Genki with interest. "From the looks of it, you're on the ropes, here."
"You can beat Exodia, but you'll never beat my Dark Magician, Genki."
"Is that so? You're Dark Magician is a weakling compared to some of the monsters I have in this deck. I'll destroy it in seconds!"
"Prove it," said Yugi. "I sacrifice Double Coston to summon my Dark Magician (2500/2100) to the field!" Double Coston exploded into shards. Materializing to the field to take his place was Yugi's signature card. Dark Magician.
"Hey! You need two monsters to sacrifice for Dark Magician."
"Do your homework," said Ryan, from behind Yugi. He finally stood up, Téa standing with him. "If summoning a DARK-element monster, Double Coston can count as two sacrifices. Hence his name."
"Heh. How's you face?"
"Tch. You can pound it all day and I'll still look better than you."
"Ow, burn!" laughed Joey.
"You said you can defeat my Magician in seconds," recalled Yugi. "Now it's time to see if you're not just all talk. Dark Magician, attack Humanoid Slime!" Dark Magician pointed his staff at Humanoid Slime, and the battlefield color went negative. Humanoid Slime didn't last long at all. "I end. Put up or shut up time, Genki."
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Kaiba looked at Obelisk in his hand, while sitting in his office chair. Once again, the power of a god was in his hand. One of the most feared monsters in the game at his command. First he lost it to Yugi. Then to that Biker gang with the soul trapping cards. Then given back to Ishizu. Now, in his hand once again. "I'll teach Takawa to embarass me at my own game. His dragon will be mine."
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"Hey, Mai," asked Serenity, driving through the night. "Mai, you never answered my question."
"And what one was that?" she asked all smug. Then she laughed.
"Do you want to date Ryan Takawa?" Mai stopped laughing and began blushing again. "What's the matter?"
"Serenity, it's one of those personal things. Sure, he's nice and he owns rare cards. But he's only that."
"So, just a friend, then?"
"Yes." Serenity smiled and stayed quiet the rest of the ride. But Mai's thoughts went on.
"That's not true," thought Mai. "He is nice, and he's also cute and sweet. I've been looking for a guy like that for a long time. He even duels like a champ. But, then there's Joey. Joey's been at my side since Duelist Kingdom. He even fought the Evil Marik to save me. I have developed feelings for him, too. Sometimes, it sucks to be a girl. I wonder if he's thinking of me right now."
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He wasn't...yet. Ryan watched on as Yugi prepared for Genki's move. Genki drew and looked into his hand. He grinned and nodded. "This'll do," he said. "Okay, Yugi. Ready for this number?" Yugi nodded. "I summon Twin-Headed Behemoth in defense mode (1500/1200)." Twin-Headed Behemoth materialized to the field. A nasty two headed monster with long necks. "That'll do it! Go ahead, Moto."
Yugi drew his card and smiled. "I was hoping for this," he muttered to himself.
"Go get'em, Yuge!" cheered Joey.
"I play this card face down." A face down magic/trap materialized. "Dark Magician, attack his Behemoth!" Dark Magician leaped over to Genki's side of the field, impaling the behemoth with his staff, and releasing his Dark Magic Attack inside it, having it explode into shards. Unlike the other creatures, the shards didn't fade away. They just floated around.
"What's this?" asked Ryan.
"Twin-Headed Behemoth has an effect," Téa told him. Dark Magician hopped back to Yugi's side. Yugi ended. Genki grinned.
"Twin-Headed Behemoth, return to life!" Genki commanded. The shards reformed the monster, without a scratch. There's two downsides to this effect. One, it's only used once a duel. And two, the Behemoth is not as strong as before (1000/1000). Genki drew his next card, but he didn't care. He had his move planned. "I play the magic card Cost Down!"
"I have a bad feeling about this one," said Tristan. A card with a picture of two level stars with swords in them. "All monsters in my hand now have two less level stars. Now I can do this! I sacrifice Twin-Headed Behemoth!" Twin-Headed Behemoth burst into particles. "I picked this one off some poor sap...like Takawa. I summon Levia-Dragon - Daedalus!" Genki summoned a gaint blue sea serpent, with a horn and razor sharp teeth. It roared and growled at Yugi.
"No," said Yugi. "It's stronger than my Magician (2600/1500)!"
"That's right!" Genki laughed. "Okay, so it took more than seconds. It's still defeated! Daedalus, attack Dark Magician!" Daedalus wrapped itself around Dark Magician, squeezing the life out of Dark Magician. Dark Magician struggled to stay alive.
"I'm not stupid!" said Yugi.
"Could have fooled me," Genki laughed.
"Activate magic card!"
"Too late!" Dark Magician burst into particles all over, with Deadalus still in the wrapped position. "I did it! Ha ha ha! You're magician is destroyed!"
"Destroyed...or sacrificed?"
"Huh?" The particles went back to where the Dark Magician was, giving off a bright light. The light was very bright, and Genki couldn't see. "What is this?" The warehouse shook as Deadalus was just obliterated in a massive explosion of light. When the light died away, and the smoke cleared, a figure could be seen on the battlefield. "What was that? Where's my Daedalus?"
"Gone!" said Yugi. "I activated my magic card: Dedication through Light and Darkness! By sacrificing Dark Magician, my new monster takes his place. Dark Magician of Chaos (2800/2600)." The monster finally appeared, though with a different name, this creature was basically Yugi's Magician of Black Chaos, in appearance and power.
Yugi: 4000
Genki: 3400
"This is impossible," growled Genki. "This isn't over. Not by a long shot!"
"Good," grinned Yugi.
(Music: Static X - The Only)
"You're going down, Genki!" Ryan told him with a smirk. Yugi was dueling physically and mentally. But Ryan was dueling spiritually. "Make your move. You can't stop Yugi."
"I'll play another Last Will," announced Genki with a bead of sweat. "And summon Millenium Shield (0/3000) in defense mode." A shield appeared with the Millenium Symbol on it. "Let's see your Magician break that!" Yugi drew his next card. His hand was good. The plan was perfect. He just had to keep this up a little longer.
"I'll play these two cards face down, and this monster face down, too. I end."
"Yeah. Thought so. My move!" Genki drew his card. He looked at his hand carefully, comtemplating what to do. Yugi could have a Snake Fang lying in wait for all he knew. That'll weaken his Shield and Dark Magician of Chaos can destroy it no problem. Ryan stepped up, standing next to Yugi. Yugi smiled at him.
"Your deck has done excellent," Yugi told him.
"Your cards have been doing all the work," Ryan replied.
"My magicians are not meant to beat him," Yugi explained.
"Huh?" Ryan was completely confused.
"You'll understand after this next move."
"Yugi, it's time to defeat your freakin' spellcaster," announced Genki. "I play this Magic card: Tribute to the Doomed!" A card with a picture of a person being mummified by another mummy stood up on the field. "Now, I discard this piece of crap, and..." He placed a card into the graveyard. "Your Magician's dead, Yugi!" Bandages flew from the card towards Yugi's Magician. Suddenly, Ryan felt this tingle...in his left eye. He rubbed eye, but the tingling remained. Confused, he looked to Yugi. That's when he saw something very, very strange. A trap card on Yugi's head. Transparent, and floating there. It had a picture of a fairy, hugging the top of a giant mirror. It then faded away. "Now what, Yugi?"
"I activate my trap card. Fairy's Hand Mirror!" announced Yugi, making one of the face down cards stand up. Ryan's face was in shock. It was the same card he just saw on Yugi's head. "This card will take your Tribute to the Doomed's effect." The mirror absorbed all the bandages being shot at Yugi, sucking them into the portal the glass created. "Now, I'll redirect it at another monster."
"No! Not my shield!" begged Genki.
"Wrong."
"What?"
"Fairy Hand Mirror, redirect the attack on my face down card!"
"Yugi, you snapped."
"I don't think so," chuckled Joey. "I think you're about to get yours." The bandages shot and attacked Yugi's card. They wrapped around the materializing monster. The three-eyed furball himself, Sangan. Sangan was mummified and pulled into the shadows by a demon's hand that came from the floor.
"Now, with him gone, I can draw an Exodia piece," Yugi explained. Yugi searched his deck for Exodia's right arm, took it out, and placed it in his hand. Yugi shuffled.
"This shuffle is all up to luck and fate. Heart of the cards, be with me. Be with Ryan." Yugi placed the deck back in the Duel Disk.
"For my last move, I activate Jar of Greed, enabling to draw now." Yugi drew his card.
"Nice try, Moto," laughed Genki. "But Exodia won't save you."
"Actually, he will," grinned Yugi. Yugi turned his hand to reveal the truth to Genki. All five Exodia pieces. Genki's eyes lite up in fear and sweat dripped down from his head.
"No...no no no! HOW?!?"
"Simple," said Yugi. "You could had easily stopped this from happening. I drew Exodia with luck and the heart of the cards. But even though Sangan and Witch gave me two, the others were luck. You could had easily used a Drop Off or Card Destruction, and I would have been done. But you decided to concentrate on my Dark Magician instead. You forgot all about Exodia, didn't you?"
"I-I-I...y-y-you...NO!" Yugi placed all five pieces on the duel disk.
"Ryan, the honor is yours." Ryan nodded, stepping in front of Yugi. Wind picked up and the ground vibrated.
"EXODIA, COME FORTH!" he summoned. The pentagram with the pieces appeared behind Yugi. The pentagram sucked in the pieces. The vibrations in the ground got bigger as Exodia stepped out from his prison, chains breaking from the cuffs that bind him. He charged up his blast in both hands. "Exodia, I command you..." Genki's eyes slammed shut. "OBLITERATE GENKI, NOW!" Exodia fired his blast from his one hand, destroying the Millennium Shield without even trying. Genki was engulfed inside the blast. The blast blew his hair back and forced a painful cry from his mouth. The blast knocked him backwards, and caused some cards to fall out of his front pocket. The blast died down, and Exodia faded away seconds later. "I win." Joey walked over and collected the cards. He fanned them out, taking a look at them. He walked over towards Ryan.
"Let's see," he said. "Tri-Horn, Serpent Night, Ryu-Ran. These look like yours. Hey, you gotta Red-Eyes Black Dragon, too?" Ryan scratched the back of his head, smiling.
"That wasn't an easy win to get that card," Ryan said. Joey nodded, and handed him his cards back. Ryan held them to his chest. "I'll never lose you guys again. I promise." He fanned them out to look at them. A gasp left his mouth, directing his eyes straight to Genki in an angry glare. "Give it up, Genki!" Genki climbed to his feet, glaring back at Ryan. He reached into his shirt pocket, taking out one card. Blue-Eyes White Dragon. He showed it Ryan. "You lost. That card is no longer yours." Genki clenched his teeth and growled.
"IF I CAN'T HAVE IT," Genki shouted, holding the card above his head with both hands. "I SURE AS HELL WON'T LET YOU HAVE IT! I'LL TEAR IT TO PIECES!"
"No!" shouted Ryan.
"Don't!" ordered Yugi. Genki laughed.
"Say goodbye to it," said Genki. Ryan's heart beat and beat and beat. His card was going to be torn. Suddenly, this calm rage filled his mind. It was a different emotion. One Ryan never experienced, but liked. It was almost an instinct that he let go.
"I won't let him," he thought to himself. He placed his hand out and looked sharply at Genki. Genki stopped laughing as his body became covered in a yellow aura. His laughing shifted to grunting.
"What...What is going on?" Genki said in fear. "I can't move." Ryan walked over to Genki. His face was different. It was so...so...evil. He snatched the card from Genki's hands, holding his creature in his hands. His Blue-Eyes White Dragon was back into his possesion.
"What's going on is I have my card back," laughed Ryan. Yugi looked horrified, as did Téa. Joey and Tristan looked confused.
"Um, Yugi?" asked Joey. "Are you doing that?"
"I wish I was," said Yugi. Ryan took a few steps from Genki. Yugi was shocked to see something too unbelievable. Even for him. The Millennium Symbol appeared on Ryan's forehead. Ryan whipped around, turning to Genki.
"This is for all the trouble you caused me," he told him. "Sweet dreams...in the darkness. MIND CRUSH!" The aura turned Genki's body negative, like in a photo-negative. He screamed in pain as small electrical surges shocked his frozen body. The aura broke, leaving his lifeless body to fall to the ground. The on-lookers all stood frozen. Ryan looked to Genki's lackies, with an evil grin and bright white eyes. "Next?"
"Let's get out of here!" one of them said. At that time, everyone began pouring out of the warehouse into the alley, shouting or screaming.
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"Mai, are we going to be late?" asked Serenity.
"Maybe by a few minutes, but--AARRRGGHHHH!!" Mai slammed on the breaks as about 15 kids came running out from an alley, across the street. One ran into the side of her front. She gave him a nasty glare. "Watch where you're going, creep. I just had this waxed two days ago!"
"That kid is a monster! Run!"
"Monster?" He ran across the road with his buddies. Mai parked on the side of the street. "A monster?" She climbed out as did Serenity.
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Ryan stood there, motionless. Genki was still out cold on the ground. Everyone was behind Ryan, afraid to approach him. "Yami," asked the transparent Yugi next to Yami. "Wasn't that...the move we used a couple of times on guys like Kaiba and Panik?" Yami nodded. Ryan's body shivered, then he too lifeless fell to the ground.
"Oh, no," said Téa. Yugi and Joey snapped into movement, like track racers after the gunshot to go. Joey and Yugi (who was now regular as Yami's spirit was back in the puzzle) helped Ryan up.
"Yo, man," said Joey. "Ya okay?"
"I think," said Ryan, normal.
"What's going on?" asked Mai as her and Serenity arrived at the scene.
"Mai," said Téa.
"Some kids almost got run over, yelling about a monster."
"I'll tell you later."
"Ryan, are you sure you're okay?" asked Yugi.
"I don't know," he replied. "I don't know what that was. It was like a whole different personality. I'm worried, Yugi."
"It's okay," he told him.
"No, it's not," Ryan replied. He stood to his feet, looking at Yugi, Joey, and everyone else. "Yugi, I'm worried, because...though I've never heard of it before..." The next seven words took everyone by complete shock, and opened a new mystery about our fellow duelist. "...I know what the Shadow Realm is."
To be continued...
End Note: I have a good next chapter. But a deck will move it along faster.
