Alright, so the first Shadow Duel involving the Shadow Riders begins now!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
In the midst of the night, hidden deep within a cavern, several mysterious individuals gathered for a meeting amongst themselves. The leader of the group spoke in a rasp voice, "Our enemies have been tested...Our allies are in place. The hour is upon us! It's time to cover the world with shadows...Which of you will lead us into battle?"
"I'll be the first to go, Master," offered a young man among the group, standing up and activating his duel disk.
"Nightshroud...So be it."
"I will not fail. Academy Island's prize will be ours."
In the middle of a stormy night...
The harsh, stormy winds clashed with the roaring lightning hidden in the dark clouds as rain poured down disastrously, making the environment more darker and dangerous than it should be. Smoke arose from a volcano, and even though combining a storm with a volcano was bad, it wasn't enough to keep a volcano active and erupting luckily.
Still, the smoke signals that danger approaches, and not just from the storm.
Near the lighthouse awaited Zane, who was accompanied by Alexis carrying an umbrella for the heavy storm. She kept close to him and held the umbrella high above their heads, but not for romantic purposes, but simply because of the rain.
"Alexis."
"Hmm?"
"You've gotten a bit more relaxed lately," commented Zane with a small smile.
Surprised, Alexis said, "R-really? I never noticed. Sorry."
"No, it's a good thing."
BOOM! The flash of lightning made Alexis yelp and flinch while Zane was only slightly startled, but remained calm. "Let's go," he said, noting that the more they stayed here, the more danger they were going to be in with the storm going on.
As they were leaving, another bolt of lightning shot from the sky, and for an instant, the both of them saw some sort of flying black object soar through the darkened skies, making them wonder if what they saw was real or an illusion.
Deep in thought inside of his office, Sheppard was pondering about something when he saw the black object. He frowned, knowing that it was real and that the time must have come for a great battle to begin very soon.
The black object turned out to be a hang glider with the user landing near the volcano. The user was a tall, young man wearing a dark mask, as if he wasn't ominous enough already.
Setting fire to his now useless hang glider, the masked man started to leave when he noticed half of his pendant glowing, catching his interest. Sensing an abnormal power coming from the Slifer Red Dorm, the masked man decided to wait and play things out.
Meanwhile, Jaden was snoring away in her comfty bed, too deeply asleep to even hear the loud noises coming from the storm outside. The only ones awake, whether it was from the storm or Jaden's snoring, were Syrus and Chumley.
"Man! How can Jaden sleep through this storm?!" complained Syrus, covering his ears with his pillow.
Hiding underneath his covers and peeking out, Chumley sighed. "I dunno. Let's just try and get some sleep."
What everyone failed to noticed was half of the pendant Jaden carried was also glowing.
The next day, in class...
RING! RING! RING! The moment the lunch bell started ringing, Jaden unconsciously took that as her cue to wake up from her nap, looking all refreshed. Apparently, in an effort to avoid getting into trouble, she used a smiley face paper mask to make it seem like she was asleep. Obviously, only an idiot would fall for something like that.
"Alright! Lunchtime!" cheered Jaden happily before bending down to fetch her lunchbox.
"You were asleep?!" exclaimed Syrus, not noticing at all her sleeping behavior.
Yes, apparently an idiot whose name is Syrus Truesdale had fallen for her obvious decoy.
"Yeah! Wow! I can't my decoy mask actually worked!" praised Jaden happily, placing her lunchbox in front of her. Rubbing her hands together in preparation, Jaden turned to Syrus and asked, "Want some?"
"Uh..."
Recalling all of the times Jaden practically force fed him, Syrus wanted to gag and throw up. Ever since the whole Eggwich incident, Jaden requested cooking lessons from Dorothy due to her sudden interest in cooking. So far, all of her cooking attempts had been...disastrous.
Syrus was just another victim of her cooking and he wasn't the only victim as several other people were sent to the infirmary after taking even a single bite of her food. Unfortunately, no matter how much the victims complained, since Jaden didn't do any collatoral or physical damage, and since there were side effects other than nausea and fainting, Jaden was allowed to cook as much as she wanted.
In fact, one time, Jaden, without Dorothy's knowledge at the time, even cooked for the whole school, dedicating a few hours of her time to cook her own version of Eggwiches, which consisted of using half of the school's supply of regular eggs. Unfortunately, the end result was pretty bad and Dorothy had to cook new delicious sandwiches, promising the school that they would get free access to sandwiches on Sandwich Day for a month. But that's a story for another time.
Almost afraid to ask, Syrus asked cautiously, "...What's inside it?"
"Hmm? Fried shrimp and other things cooked by Dorothy! She's such a nice lady!" giggled Jaden as Syrus sighed in relief. Great, Dorothy! He'll happily take her cooking over Jaden's!
"Ah, Jaden! Your lunch will have to wait a bit," called Banner, stroking Pharaoh's fur. "You and I are going to the Principal's Office."
"Eh?" With a fried shrimp already stuffed halfway in her mouth, Jaden tilted her head in confusion.
"Jaden, please tell me you didn't do anything bad again," whispered Chumley.
"Jaden! You didn't pull a prank or anything really bad, right?!" cried Syrus, shaking Jaden back and forth.
"Hmm?" Swallowing her fried shrimp, Jaden appeared as clueless as ever. "Dunno why Sheppard wants me. Maybe it's an reward or something!"
An obnoxious laughter coursed through the room as Chazz stood up confidently, though he was a little across the room in a different spot among the Slifer Reds.
"You? Being rewarded? Ha! No way! It's never good news with Sheppard! You are so busted!"
"Actually, Chazz, he wants to see you, too," said Banner, recalling the people he was supposed to bring along for the ride.
"Wha-?!" shouted Chazz; his expression frozen. What'd he do wrong?! He was a good person! He never did a single bad thing ever since he returned to Duel Academy! ...Well, besides beating the crap out of cocky Obelisk Blues in duels, that is. But other than that, he was a good person!
"Oh, and Bastion and Alexis, you two have to come along as well."
"What's going on...?" wondered Jaden, worried. Okay, with this many people coming along, it definitely can't have some punishment involved since Bastion's one of the smartest people she knows and Alexis hardly ever gets in trouble. Something was amiss and they were about to find out.
"Just to let you know, Professor Banner, anything we did wrong was Chazz's fault."
"WHAT?! You wanna say that again, slacker?!"
"Now, now! I'm sure the two of you can handle your love fest later."
"LOVE FEST?! Hey, we're not-"
"What's a love fest, Professor Banner?"
"You see, when two people love each ot-"
"NO! We are not doing that!"
"Awww! I wanna know what he was-Oh! Hi, Zane! Hiya, Professor Crowler!"
As Jaden welcomed the two of them, her group along with Zane and Crowler stopped simultaneously once they encountered one another right near the Chancellor's Office.
"Oh, my! Such a powerful group with such powerful duelists!" gasped Crowler dramatically before looking at Jaden. "Oh, but what's this? Which one of these is not like the other? Clearly, there must be some mistake! Surely there's an odd person among your group!"
"He is not! Chazz was invited!" said Jaden with a cheeky grin.
Eye twitching, Chazz shouted, "He means you!"
Jaden gasped. "Me? ...If I'm so odd, I must be pretty special!~"
'Yeah, specially dumb,' thought Chazz, sweatdropping. "Anyways, let's just head inside!"
Once everyone gathered together right in front of Sheppard's desk, the Chancellor explained as carefully and detailed as he could, leading everyone to more answers and more questions than before.
"The three Sacred Beast cards?" said Jaden, the mention of such cards piping her interest.
Sheppard nodded. "That's right. Sealed within this island, those three cards have been with us due to their overpowered forces they seem to possess."
"Where are they now?"
"Well, this Academy was originally built over where those cards are being sealed even today. Those three Sacred Beast cards lie dormant deep underneath the Academy. Those who have challenged us, who have ambitions of breaking the seal on those cards, have appeared."
"Who exactly are they?" Zane asked.
"...The Shadow Riders," Sheppard spoke gravely. "They are seven duelists who are shrouded in complete mystery, but one of them is already on the island."
"What did you say?!" gasped Bastion. If one of their enemies is already on the island, they have a bit of an advantage on their side since none of them know how powerful the enemy truly is.
"How do we protect the Sacred Beast cards?" Alexis asked.
"By protecting the seven Spirit Gates!" said Sheppard. "Seven enormous stone pillars known as the seven Spirit Gates protect those cards. To get to the cards, one must unlock them! And to unlock them, one must unlock the seven keys to each gate! That, is how we will protect those cards. By protecting the keys, and here they are. One for each of you to guard."
Setting a black box in front of him, Sheppard presented the seven duelists the box which held the sacred Spirit Keys which were meant to open the Spirit Gates. Both the Spirit Keys and Spirit Gates were the only thing standing in the enemies' way.
"Wait, so...we hold the keys?" questioned Bastion. "Won't that make us targets?"
Sheppard nodded. "To that end, I would ask you to protect these seven keys. With these keys, the Shadow Riders will seek you out."
"You want us to protect them, but how are we supposed to do that?" questioned Chazz.
"Naturally, by dueling," spoke Sheppard, surprising everyone. "Fortunately, for our side, the keys can't simply be stolen. An ancient edict states that they must be won in a duel. That is why I had you, the best duelists within our academy, gathered here. Well, I had to call two more to match the amount."
"I'm sure he means you, Slifer slacker!" Crowler whispered and pointed to Jaden, who appeared annoyed.
"Hmph!" Deciding to take her payback, Jaden kicked as hard as she could against Crowler's shin. Crowler cursed under his breath and limped after Jaden, shaking his fist at her. Jaden stuck her tongue out and used both Bastion and Alexis as shields.
Sheppard sighed but continued. "The Shadow Riders will come here to challenge those duelists who possess those seven keys. If you are prepared to battle th Shadow Riders, then I would like you to take these keys."
"Sounds fun! I'll do it!" offered Jaden, opening up the box to reveal seven differently shaped keys with symbols on them. She took one of them and placed them around her neck like a necklace.
Agreeing to such risks of dangerous duels approaching, Zane, Bastion, Alexis, and Chazz all took one each, leaving only two left in the box.
"How could I refuse? I mean, our very world is at stake!" replied Crowler joyfully. "The way of life, the future of the school, and, if I said no, I wouldn't get this lovely piece of jewelry!"
"Y-yes, well...good to know that you're doing it for the right reasons," said Sheppard. "...Kinda..."
With one last Spirit Key left, Banner decided to take it, seeing how he's a teacher and that he should participate in such an interesting challenge himself. "I shall also take one for myself!" Pharaoh began playing with the key in his hand, making the Spirit Key jingle back and forth.
"Challenging and beating us, huh?" started Jaden. "If it were up to me, I'd definitely challenge the strongest guy! No, maybe something more! The strongest duelist in this group versus the strongest member of the Shadow Riders! And the strongest in this group is...well, me!"
"You?!" shouted Crowler, startling Jaden and causing her to fall to the ground. "If we're talking in terms of skill, it should be me! That, or Zane. After all, he is the school's top student and he did manage to beat Jaden!" Sneering at Jaden and getting her back for kicking him in the shin, Crowler bragged, "Yes, that's right! I know all about that little match you had with Zane! And I know you lost to him in no time at all! How pathetic!"
"Hey, I was close to beating him!" pouted Jaden, defending herself.
"Ah, forget the both of them!" scoffed Chazz confidently. "I'm clearly the best choice!"
There's no choice! This isn't some tournament where we choose who goes first!" scolded Sheppard, unable to believe that everyone, save for Bastion, Alexis, Zane, and Banner, were acting this way. "This is war! You could be attacked by your enemy at any time at any place! So, my students, be on guard! That said, thank you for participating. From this moment on, the battle begins! Please, be on standby to duel at any moment. And please, you must protect the three Sacred Beast cards and the seven Spirit Keys without fail."
That night, at the Slifer Red dorms...
"...And that was why I was picked as one of those seven guys!" said Jaden, finishing her explanation with Chumley and Syrus while glancing down at the Spirit Key in her palm.
"That's amazing, Jaden!" said Syrus.
"Still, I gotta wonder what sort of cards are the Sacred Beasts. I'd like to see them sometime," admitted Chumley, slightly interested.
Jaden nodded, thinking of the same thing. "Yeah. They've gotta be awesome cards if they had to be sealed up like that." Yawning, Jaden stretched her arms and proceeded to climb onto bed. "For now, I'm gonna sleep!"
"What? The fate of the entire world is at stake and all you can think about is sleeping?" wondered Syrus, dumbfounded. "What if one of the Shadow Riders come and get you during the night? I would wet my pants if some stranger came while I was asleep!"
"Nah, not to worry! We'll deal with all of that in the morning," yawned Jaden, tugging onto her bed covers. "Besides, my time to shine is still a long way, so I'm just gonna wait patiently. Goodnight..."
Syrus and Chumley glanced at one another, unsure what to do. From what Jaden told them, these Shadow Riders were extremely dangerous, but not as much as the powerful Sacred Beasts. They knew that if those cards were to come out, chaos would erupt. They decided to question more on the topic tommorow after they've gotten some rest.
Later, Alexis, who couldn't sleep, decided to take a walk towards the Slifer Red Dorms, intending to tell Jaden something. She couldn't get that earlier conversation out of her mind; the one involving the Shadow Riders and how they wished to obtain the dangerous Sacred Beast cards.
'If what Chancellor Sheppard says was right and the Shadow Riders get to decide who to duel, then the odds are that they'll go after who's weakest first,' Alexis thought, picking up her pace. 'And with that Slifer Red jacket, it's Jaden! I gotta warn her!'
Stepping a bit from the shadows of the overgrown trees in the forest, the masked man made his entry, though through anyone's perspective, he was difficult to see. His eyes shined red as he began to activate his dark powers from afar, aiming directly towards a certain someone inside one of the Slifer Red Dorm rooms.
Snoring loudly, Jaden and her two friends were fast asleep; not noticing the bright light shining past the windows and curtains in their room. Sensing something amiss, Winged Kuriboh appeared and began bouncing up and down on Jaden's Kuriboh-like hair like a bunny, crying out her name in order to wake her up.
After several attempts, Jaden felt something soft landing up and down on her head as well as the familiar, cute sounds of her Duel Spirits. She yawned and groggily nodded her head back and forth. "What is it...Winged Kuriboh...?"
Winged Kuriboh flew around the room and pointed to the bright windows, causing Jaden to get out of her bed before groggily rubbing her eyes. She blinked several times before realizing something strange with the light and hurried to wake up her roommates.
"Syrus! Chumley! Wake up!" No matter how much she shook them or shouted, both were in a deep sleep. Before she could attempt to wake them up more, Jaden's pendant glowed, catching her attention. "What's this...?"
Alexis, who was close to the Slifer Red Dorms, noticed the light in her friend's room, realizing that the light was abnormal and that Jaden, along with Syrus and Chumley, could be in danger.
"Jaden!" After running up the stairs, she forced opened the door, relieved that Jaden doesn't always lock her front door. Normally, she'd scold Jaden about this matter, but just this once, she'll let it go.
Noticing Alexis, Jaden was about to ask if she knew what was happening. Before either of them could figure out the mysterious light, the source of the light brightened the room even further, blinding them all and teleporting everyone from the room to someplace else.
At the volcano...
With strange powers at use, a solid platform was created, hovering high above the lava beneath it. Jaden and Alexis found themselves on top of the solid area, though they were taken aback by the fact that they were inside and floating in a dangerous, highly explosive volcano.
"W-where are we?" stuttered Alexis, feeling the hot atmosphere inside the volcano.
Crawling towards the edge of the solid platform, Jaden glanced down to check if the volcanic lava was real or not. The hot air was promising, but still didn't clear her doubts. "Isn't this the volcano?
Flames resembling a dragon burst out from the sea of lava, startling Jaden enough to force her to scootch back besides Alexis as the flame dragon spiraled around the air a bit before crashing onto onto the solid platform; creating a huge fire.
Emerging from that same fire was a masked man, approaching the two girls in a menacing manner.
"W-who are you?!" demanded Jaden.
"My name is Nightshroud," spoke the masked man, smirking as the fire behind him died out quickly. "I am one of the Shadow Riders! Jaden Yuki, I have chosen you as my first opponent!"
"YES!" squealed Jaden, jumping up and down excitedly. "Ha! Take that, Crowler and Chazz! I knew I was the strongest out of you guys combined!"
"Jaden, this is no time to be celebrating!" scolded Alexis.
At the same time, Jaden's pendant as well as Nightshroud's lit up, causing Nightshroud to pause and take his pendant in his hand, staring at it with slight interest.
"I'm not sure why, but the light of this pendant led me to you," revealed Nightshroud. "Looks like you've got the other half. Wow, the Gravekeeper must be getting sloppy."
"What are you...?" Jaden asked, scratching her head.
"But enough about the pendant. What I desire is the Spirit Key that you have around your neck! How? By winning it in a Shadow Game!"
"A Shadow Game?!" Jaden asked, knowing full well the high risks and dangers involving a Shadow Game. Gritting her teeth, it took all of her strength not to tremble right in front of the Shadow Rider.
Deep down, she was scared.
Was it fear of losing her life? Well, that was part of the reason, but mostly because her own Duel Spirits warned her of how there are lots of evil Duel Spirits around. Nightshroud didn't seem like a Duel Spirit, but just remembering her past experiences of the Shadow Games somewhat traumatized her a little, so this Shadow Game might be worst than before.
"Oh, and to make sure you cooperate with me, I have...certain methods to force you to," said Nightshroud. "Here, say hello to Syrus and Chumley!"
"Jaden!"
"Jaden! Help us! We're down here!"
"Huh?" Turning to the side and looking below, Jaden's eyes widen in shock when she saw both Chumley and Syrus trapped in a force field orb that hovered slightly above the molten lava. Should the orb vanish, it would be...very, very bad. "Guys!"
"Syrus! Chumley! Are you alright?!" called out Alexis.
"You don't have to worry," assured Nightshroud. "They're being protected by that orb of light, but that barrier will vanish as time goes on. If you don't participate in a Shaodw Game with me right now, well, let's just say that with a snap of my fingers, I can easily disperse that barrier, and they'll fall. Fall and burn in the lava below them."
"No!" Unable to hide her fear any longer, Jaden pleaded, "Look, just duel me! But let them go! They've got nothing to do with this!"
Nightshroud shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. The more you whine, Jaden, the more time will pass and that barrier will disperse. Of course, I can do you a favor and get rid of those annoying friends of yours with a snap of my fingers if you want."
"No! Don't!"
"Relax. That's only if you refuse to cooperate with me. Oh, and one more thing." Holding up a blank card enfused with darkness in his hands, Nightshroud explained, "Whoever loses this Shadow Game will have their soul sealed within this card. Basically, your soul will be sealed in this card when you lose! Of course, when I lose, my soul will also be sealed! But hey, let's be honest with ourselves! Me, lose? No way!"
"Whoa...Is this for real?" whispered Alexis, scared and shocked simultaneously. "But...You can't accept these terms! They're too risky!"
"Tell that to Syrus and Chumley!" reminded Jaden, sweat dripping from her forehead and back of her neck not just out of the hot air, but also out of fear. "Besides, I've already experienced these sort of duels before, so I know what I'm getting myself into. I'm just hoping it doesn't hurt as bad as the others."
First, there was the Shadow Game involving Jinzo which she risked her life for three lives to return. That was actually scary for her, but she hid it with ease in order to avoid worrying everyone. Then, there was the Gravekeeper's Chief she had to duel, and that Shadow Game was twice as worst than the last one since it was also her friends' lives at stake. This Shadow Game was no different, but she was on a time limit and needed to win, fast!
"Let's do this, Nightshroud!" shouted Jaden, putting her duel disk onto her arm as Nightshroud did the same.
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Nightshroud - 4000 LP
VS
Jaden - 4000 LP
"I wil go first! Draw!" shouted Nightshroud. "I summon Troop Dragon in Defense Mode!"
A green-skinned armored dragon wielding a shield and sword as his defenses knelt down in front of Nightshroud to protect him.
Troop Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV2 - (700/800)
"I set one card facedown and end my turn!"
"My turn! Draw!" Jaden said. "Yeah! I summon Elemental Hero Blazeman in Attack Mode!"
Popping out from the lava below and entering the field was a red masked hero garbed in red chest armor and gauntlets as his fiery flame-like hair reflected his personality while he held up his fists to attack.
Elemental Hero Blazeman - (FIRE/Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/1800)
"If he was Normal or Special Summoned, I can add 1 Polymerization from my deck to my hand!" said Jaden, playing it safe. "Now, Blazeman! Attack Troop Dragon!"
Fists blazing with fire, Blazeman leapt forward and smashed his fists down onto Troop Dragon, taking him out.
"At this moment, Troop Dragon's special ability activates!" said Nightshroud. "When he's sent to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon another Troop Dragon from my deck! I Special Summon another one in Defense Mode!"
Troop Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV2 - (700/800)
"Gh-! I end my turn!" said Jaden, gritting her teeth.
"My turn again! I draw! And this time, I activate my Trap, Call of the Haunted! This Special Summons a Monster from my Graveyard in Attack Mode! So, come on back, Troop Dragon!"
Troop Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV2 - (700/800)
"I'm not done yet! Next, I sacrifice both my dragons in order to summon the Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
"What?! Red-Eyes Black Dragon?!" exclaimed both Alexis and Jaden, taken aback that Nightshroud had such a rare and powerful card. Not only that, but it was said to be rivaled to Blue-Eyes White Dragon's superior power.
Shooting out from the lava, a spiral fire swirled around in the air, soaring around its home field and making its presence highly dangerous to all but Nightshroud, its master.
"Whew! At least we're safe in here!" said Chumley, pressing his palms against the force field orb. Tapping it a bit, he didn't expect for parts of the orb to disperse until his hand phased through the orb, and Syrus had to use all of his strength to pull Chumley back up. They both glanced at each other worriedly, knowing that the countdown to their demise was just beginning.
After circling around the field in a fiery dance, the spiral flame flew downwards before bursting into more flames; the flames manifesting into a giant, black dragon with gleaming, red eyes and a terrifying power hidden within.
Red-Eyes Black Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2400/2000)
Wasting no time and enjoying the shocked look on Jaden's expression, Nightshroud commanded, "Red-Eyes Black Dragon! Attack Blazeman now!"
Taking flight into the air, Red-Eyes Black Dragon unleashed an explosive fireball that not only destroyed Blazeman, but also threw Jaden back, causing her to topple around a bit until she landed near Alexis' feet.
"Jaden!" the blond-haired Obelisk Blue cried, helping Jaden stand back up as Nightshroud laughed.
Nightshroud - 4000 LP
Jaden - 2800 LP
"Not done...!" grunted Jaden, getting back up on her feet.
Nightshroud smirked. "That's right! Get back up so I can hurt you some more! After all, this duel has lives at stake, you know! Just one little mistake, and your friends will be pummeling down to the lava before you know it! This is a Shadow Game, after all! Oh, and I end my turn!"
Straightening her back, Jaden called out, "I'm pretty confident about my strength, not just my dueling, you know! My turn! Draw! Awesome! I activate Polymerization! I fuse together Burstinatrix and Lady Heat in order to Fusion Summon! I fuse them both together to create Elemental Hero Nova Master!"
The entire volcano started shaking, though not enough to cause an eruption or anything of the sort luckily. Emerging from the lava while rocks collapsed and splashed onto the lava, a new fully-armored Elemental Hero appeared with his red cape fluttering behind him and acting like a cape of fire.
Elemental Hero Nova Master - (FIRE/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2600/2100)
"Nova Master has higher Attack Points than Red-Eyes! He'll win!" gasped Alexis, glad to find a new ray of hope in a short amount of time.
"Nova Master! Attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Jaden ordered.
Nova Master clasped his hands together as he channeled his energy into one attack. His energy and firepower combined into the form of a flaming fireball between his hands before he threw the fireball at Red-Eyes Black Dragon, who let out one final roar before succumbing to the full force of the explosive fireball.
Nightshroud - 3800 LP
Jaden - 2800 LP
"Yes! I defeated Red-Eyes! And when Nova Master destroys a Monster in battle, I draw one card!" cheered Jaden excitedly before drawing her card. "Now, Nightshroud! You know what you have to do right? If you want to get to me, you'll have to take down Nova Master! I end my turn!"
"Grr...! Shut up!" Nightshroud snapped, upset that his dragon was defeated by the likes of a weak Slifer Red. "My draw! Heh, looks like Lady Luck's on my side! First, I summon Attachment Dragon to the field in Attack Mode!"
A thin, turquoise scaled dragon with a lack of defense and offense flew to the skies.
Attachment Dragon - (WIND/Dragon) - LV1 - (100/100)
"Sure, he doesn't seem all that tough, but wait until you see his special ability!" said Nightshroud. "When he's summoned, I can equip him to your Monster and once per turn, I can change that Monster's battle position! And the good news is that only I can change his mode and not you!"
Attachment Dragon flew towards Nova Master and wrapped his limbs around his body, forcing him to bend down and kneel in Defense Mode.
"Next, I activate Monster Reborn and bring out my all-powerful Red-Eyes!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2400/2000)
"No! Not him again!" cried out Alexis.
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon! This is your chance!" shouted Nightshroud. "Attack Nova Master now!"
Taking in power, Red-Eyes Black Dragon used all of his stored power into the form of a fire breath which destroyed both Attachment Dragon and Nova Master, taking both of them down.
"Of course, since Nova Master is destroyed, Attachment Dragon's effect is cancelled and he's send to my Graveyard as a result. But that's a little minor fact for me. I end my turn!"
Jaden panted heavily, gripping her arm and squeezing it in order to remind herself to win at all costs. She started to feel exhausted and her injuries weren't helping one bit, but she refused to give up. If she did, then she, Chumley, and Syrus would die, and Alexis would be all alone to face against a tough foe like Nightshroud. She couldn't allow that to happen, so...
"My turn! DRAW!" Placing all her sheer will into the card she drew, she flipped it over. "Sweet! I activate Fusion Sage! This lets me add a Polymerization from my deck to my hand! With that done, I'll activate Polymerization and fuse together Clayman and Avian together from my hand! I Fusion Summon one of my most powerful Fusion Monsters! Elemental Hero Gaia!"
Once more, the volcano started shaking and trembling even more crazier than usual. Parts of volcanic rock tore off from the volcano itself and floated towards the field in midair before a Monster burst from the rocks, having been hidden inside. A machine-like Monster that appeared like a robot and a heavy hitter with advanced technology stomped onto the field before raising his fists.
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2200/2600)
"Now for Gaia's special ability!" yelled Jaden, finding a liking to his abilities. "When he's Fusion Summoned, I can target 1 Monster you control, and until the End Phase, I can cut its Attack Power by half and Gaia gains the same amount of Attack Points as the amount he's cut in half! I cut Red-Eyes Black Dragon's strength in half and transfer that power over to Gaia!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (1200/2000)
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (3400/2600)
"No! Not my Red-Eyes!" cried out Nightshroud.
"This is payback for all of my Monsters you destroyed!" Jaden said. "Now, Gaia! Attack Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
Raising his fist onto the air, Gaia brought it down onto the weakened Red-Eyes Black Dragon, smashing his head apart in pieces from his full-grown strength before the dragon could even get a chance to let out a final cry.
Nightshroud - 1600 LP
Jaden - 2800 LP
"Alright! With this, I turned things around!" shouted Jaden excitedly. This was great! Just a little bit more and she'll win and get back Syrus and Chumley!
"Gh-!" Wiping a trickle of blood off his mouth, Nightshroud scoffed. "Progress means nothing in a Shadow Game. Which of us is left standing when everything is over is what matters!"
"Yeah, maybe you're right," Jaden had to admit. "Still, there's no way I'm losing! Not when there's a lot at stake here! I set a card facedown and end my turn! At this moment, Gaia's Attack Points return to normal!"
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2200/2600)
"It's my turn! Draw!" said Nightshroud before smirking. "...I can hear them."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Maybe you can't hear them, but I can! The voices of the fallen Dragons resting in the Graveyard, whispering to me, crying out for their vengeance. They only want one thing! They're yearning to burn the Earth to nothing but ashes with their scorching flames! And now, I'm going to call forth the ultimate dragon that will fufill their desires! To start, I will summon Red-Eyes Black Chick!"
Spewing out from the pool of lava, a hardened red egg floated towards the field and a baby dragon popped out of the countless cracks from the egg.
Red-Eyes Black Chick - (DARK/Dragon) - LV1 - (800/500)
"Then, by sending Black Chick to the Graveyard, I'll Special Summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my hand!"
Red-Eyes Black Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV7 - (2400/2000)
"Now, it's time to release Red-Eyes' true form! I sacrifice Red-Eyes Black Dragon to Special Summon the ultimate dragon I mentioned earlier! Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!"
Emerging from the hottest lava underneath the volcano and using the combined wrath of all the fallen dragons, a brand new and more powerful dragon scaled in black armor and possessing unforgettable red eyes while baring sharper fangs, talons, and wings rose up to avenge his comrades and vanquish the enemy.
Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV9 - (2400/2000)
"The cries of the dragons, from the depths of hell itself, will become my Darkness Dragon's flesh and blood! For every Dragon-Type in my Graveyard, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's Attack Points increase by 300! There are six dragons, so that makes it a total of 1800 extra Attack Points!"
Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon - (DARK/Dragon) - LV9 - (4200/2000)
"Crap! Damnit!" cried out Jaden, protecting herself with her arms as her shield, bracing herself for some hot fire at hand.
"That's right! Try and endure this pain if you can! Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon! Show no mercy! Attack the one that destroyed your previous weaker form! Destroy Elemental Hero Gaia!" ordered Nightshroud, smirking sinisterly.
Roaring loudly at his previous loss, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's rage filled his power as he charged up power onto his next blast. Once he was fully charged up, he blasted out a fire breath which left not even ashes from Gaia's destroyed body.
Nightshroud - 1600 LP
Jaden - 800 LP
Jaden screamed in pain as she was thrown aside; parts of her jacket and clothing burnt off from the massive fire. Once the smokescreen disappeared, her skin showed signs of burnt marks that needed emergency treatment as soon as possible. Clutching her arms tightly, Jaden stepped forward as if to prove her determination before she collasped and fell down.
"Jaden!" screamed Alexis, rushing to her aid while Chumley and Syrus stared in horror and Nightshroud laughed at Jaden's pathetic body.
Meanwhile, near the lighthouse...
Zane was deep in thought and preferred the quiet peace as he thought over today's events and all about what Chancellor Sheppard said before. If the Academy was hiding something as important as the Sacred Beasts, and these Shadow Riders were after them, then he had to be prepared. Who knows how powerful these Shadow Riders really were.
Something caught his eye as he was about to leave for his dorm. Smoke arising from the island's volcano. That was strange as well as bad, since smoke coming from a volcano almost always indicates that a volcano is about to erupt. That, or something else must be at work.
Grasping at his Spirit Key, Zane felt it shaking by itself since he's not the one shaking from fear. Something must be happening in the volcano, and he must hurry and find out what. But researchers should have realized the volcano was safe since Kaiba Corp did build an Academy in the island where there was also a volcano.
That leaves only the work of a Shadow Rider.
In the Ra Yellow dorms...
Bastion was typing away in his computer, working hard as he tried to conjure up new strategies on how to take down the Shadow Riders. But, with so little information about them, the task was very difficult and causing him a major headache.
He ceased typing when his Spirit Key started shaking all by itself, making him sense that something was terribly wrong. He got up and left his room, intent on finding out what was the cause.
In Chazz's room...
"Stop dancing!" shouted Chazz, watching as Ojama Yellow was dancing around in front of him while he was trying to catch some sleep.
"But, I can't help it, Boss! I'm just following the rhythm of that Spirit Key you have!" replied Ojama Yellow, pointing to the shaky Spirit Key.
"Huh, come to think of it, what is causing all that shaking?" wondered Chazz, taking the Spirit Key into his hands.
In Crowler's room...
Crowler was just sleeping. That's all. He didn't even notice his Spirit Key shaking. That's just how deep asleep he is.
Back in the volcano...
Alexis clenched her fists tightly as she watched her friend battered and nearly burnt up. Her friend was dying, Syrus and Chumley's protection won't last them any longer, and she's the only available one left standing and unharmed. Therefore, there was only one solution out of this without any of her friends getting killed.
"Stop it! End this duel already!" yelled Alexis.
"Hmm? And why should I?" questioned Nightshroud.
Revealing her Spirit Key to him, Alexis said, "I also have a Spirit Key. In exchange for this, leave Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley out of this!"
'Why do I feel like I know her?' Nightshroud thought, feeling a bit hesitant. 'I feel like her name's on the tip of my tongue...'
"That's what you want, right? You can even throw my soul into that card! It's a win-win situation for you! You'll get my soul and Spirit Key, and all that'll take is for you to allow Jaden, Syrus, and Chumley to live!"
"N-No...Alexis!" grunted Jaden, struggling to stand up after hearing Alexis' courageous and self-sacrificial words. "I won't let you...! This is my duel, and my duel alone! I DRAW!"
"Jaden! Please hurry!" cried out Syrus as waves of lava splashed around the force field orb trapping Syrus and Chumley as they screamed for help. The force field was at its limits and it wouldn't be long before it shattered and both inhabitants would be swallowed up and burnt by the lava.
'This is it! My last chance! Gotta make it count!' thought Jaden, panicking a bit. "Alright! I activate my Trap, Hero Blast! I target 1 Elemental Hero Normal Monster in my Graveyard and add that Monster to my hand! I return Clayman to my hand! Now, I activate Polymerization one more time! This time, I fuse together Clayman with Necroshade! I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Escuridao!"
Shadows rose from the smoke of the volcano as they swirled around and combined their forces together before flowing onto the field, taking the form of a new Elemental Hero thanks to Jaden's efforts. With sharp claws, wings, and an alluring aura of darkness, Escuridao clutched her claws for battle.
Elemental Hero Escuridao - (DARK/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2500/2000)
"Next, I'll equip her with the Equip Spell card, Megamorph!" Jaden countered. "Because my Life Points are lower than yours, the original Attack Points of the equipped Monster is doubled!"
Elemental Hero Escuridao - (DARK/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (5000/2000)
"Also, for each Elemental Hero in my Graveyard, she gains 100 Attack Points! I have 7 Elemental Heroes, so that makes a total of 700 extra Attack Points!" said Jaden.
Elemental Hero Escuridao - (DARK/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (5700/2000)
"What?!"
"Escuridao! Attack his Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, now!"
Storing up a ball of darkness in her palms, Escuridao, once prepared, threw it waords Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, who got swallowed up by the overwhelming, mass amount of power she possessed before exploding.
Nightshroud - 100 LP
Jaden - 800 LP
"Another effect of Megamorph!" said Jaden. "Because my Life Points are now higher than yours, Escuridao's original Attack Points are cut in half. But she'll still gain that 700 Attack Point bonus."
Elemental Hero Escuridao - (DARK/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (1950/2000)
"I end my turn!"
With his powerful dragon gone, what hope did Nightshroud have? "M-my turn! ...I end my turn!"
"Then, this is the end!" shouted Jaden. "I draw! Battle! Escuridao! Hurry and finish this off!"
Escuridao sharpened her claws and flew towards Nightshroud, slashed at him and ending the duel.
Nightshroud - 0 LP
Jaden - 800 LP
Winner: Jaden
Yeah, not gonna go and include the ending because we all know what happens. Jaden is unconscious and too injured, the others arrived right as Jaden and her friends are teleported out of the volcano, and everyone finds out Nightshroud is Alexis' brother.
I thought it'd be too much work to include the ending, so I decided to leave the duel as the final part instead. Parts of this duel wasn't included in the real anime, so I had to struggle a bit with this duel. At the very least, you guys got to see more of Jaden's never-before-seen-anime Fusion Monsters. Including Gaia! I thought his effect was pretty neat!
That said, I apologize if this chapter's ending didn't exactly satisfy you, but I'm a bit busy and school is almost here for me. This'll be my last update in a while since I gotta return to school and focus on other things.
Also, in case anyone's wondering, I will NOT be including the Masked Heroes, or whatever it is they're called. To start off with, I barely know anything about them other than the fact that Jaden uses them in the manga. Also, it'll take me a while to memorize the effects of the Masked Heroes, so that's bothersome. I'd rather we stick to the regular Elemental Heroes. The Neo Spacians, I will do since they have to be included with the anime. Plus, I like the Neo Spacians, too.
That said, read and review and I apologize for a lack of romantic interest in this chapter. But, hey. It's the start of the Shadow Riders saga. Best of luck!