Hi, everyone! Hope you're enjoying the first month of the year 2017! So far, it hasn't been bad for me other than some dumb homework and tests and exams later coming up, but I'm still willing to continue this story!
Disclaimer: Mage of Hope doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh series, only the OCs!
Bright and early in the morning, Bastion, standing on top of a cliff, gazed upon the morning sun which laid across faraway into the gleaming, sky blue sea. Feeling a bit refreshed from waking up so early to see the warmth of the sun and the morning winds, Bastion began stretching, creating a small exercise portion for himself.
'Ever since that duel with Camula, things have been quiet for a while. Too quiet,' thought Bastion, thinking about their current situation. 'When the next Shadow Rider arrives, it could be my turn to duel. Two of the Spirit Keys have already been unlocked, so there's only five of us left. I definitely won't let them take my key that easily without a fight! Good thing I'm well equipped!'
Unbuttoning his jacket, Bastion revealed his vest full of six pockets, each containing one deck each. Taking one of his decks out, Bastion shuffled through each card, checking them carefully when he came across a rather peculiar card he himself didn't place in. That card happened to be White Magician Pikeru.
"Hmm? I don't recall putting this card in my deck," Bastion said, puzzled. Glancing around to see if anyone was around, which they weren't, Bastion then turned back to White Magician Pikeru. "Perhaps it slipped in? Eh, I'll take care of it later."
Placing the card back in his deck and slipping it back inside his deck pocket, Bastion buttoned up his Ra Yellow jacket and headed straight for the Slifer Red Dorm, intending to wake up three individuals. He knew their door was always unlocked, so it was easy for him to slip inside the room they shared, and sure enough, they were fast asleep.
Activating his duel disk, Bastion quickly summoned one of his Monsters, Barrel Dragon, into the room. With the preparations set, Bastion covered his ears, instructing his Monster, "Alright, ready? 3...2...1...FIRE!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! Letting out three shots from the barrels of his cannons, Barrel Dragon's shots rang out like gunshot noises, enough to wake up the trio residing in the room. Luckily, Barrel Dragon was only a hologram, otherwise there would have been three huge holes in the room by now.
"Man, you scared me!" cried out Chumley, trembling under his bed covers.
"What was that so early in the morning?!" wondered Syrus, covering his ringing ears.
"Ow...my back..." complained Jaden, who had tumbled out of bed from the explosive noises. Hearing someone's footsteps approaching, Jaden glanced up and saw Bastion upside down, or at least from her perspective. "Bastion?"
Chuckling at the state the three were, Bastion said with a bright tone, "Good morning, sleepyheads! Did I wake you all up?"
"Y-Yeah...you sure woke us up, alright," said Syrus; the ringing in his ears ceasing.
"Good! Now that that's settled, how about we settle for our Early-Morning Intensive Dueling Training at once?"
Immediantly, the trio groaned and tried to head back to bed, intent on ignoring Bastion and instead going back to sleep. THAT'S what he wanted them to get up for? They'd rather sleep in than train at dueling! Besides, why would they continue training for something they already knew?
And of course, Bastion knew something like this would happen, so he came prepared as he cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention.
"Did you know that at breakfast today, they're going to be serving something special at the Ra Yellow dorms?"
"..."
"Well, I should tell you that they'll be serving seafood for breakfast. Especially fried shrimp."
"...!"
"...!"
"In addition, for bread, there's some special butter for it. Any kinds of butter, like regular butter, cheddar cheese butter, jam butter, and even...grilled cheese butter."
"...!"
"And all you have to do to join me for breakfast today is just some training. That's all."
It took less than 3 seconds for the group to immediantly make their decision.
About an hour later...
"One, two, draw! One, two, draw! One, two, draw!"
Around the rocky beach area, Bastion was training the three Slifer Reds in the art of drawing by making them draw until they held all cards in their deck in their hands. Then, they had to put them back in the deck slot of the duel disk and restart again. Bastion was the only enthusiastic one, while the other three were just plain tired.
"Man...why so early in the morning?" wondered Jaden, still groggy in the morning.
"All for the breakfast, Jaden. All for the breakfast," Syrus reminded, still drawing his cards.
Glancing at one of the cards Syrus drew, Chumley noticed a certain card Syrus had and gently grasped his wrist to take a closer look at the card. "Oh! Is that Thunder Nyan Nyan?"
"Y-yeah...I got her a while ago. I kinda got a card crush on her," admitted Syrus, blushing like crazy.
"Well, I've got a special card too," Chumley bragged, revealing the card he just drew to Syrus, which happened to be Dian Keto the Cure Master.
"Oh, so you like older women, huh? That's your type of women?"
Chumley smiled and looked at the card some more. "That's not it. It's a sort of different love. Parental love. This card reminds me of my Mom. It's like a good luck charm to me."
"Hey, Jaden? You have a card crush too, right?" asked Syrus, interested in hearing Jaden's own favorite card.
"Card crush...? I've never heard of that card before. Does that mean I want to crush cards?! No way!" exclaimed Jaden, being oblivious as ever.
"..." 'Why does she have to be so cute and dumb at the same time?' "Okay, Jaden. Let me rephrase that. What's your favorite card?"
"Well, all of my cards are my favorite!" Jaden replied. "But...If I had to guess which one was my absolute favorite of all...It's Flame Wingman! After all, he's the ace in my deck!"
In the Spirit World...
"Yes! Fuck yeah! Yeah! Take that! I'm her favorite!" cheered Flame Wingman excitedly while the rest of the Elemental Heroes sweatdropped at Flame Wingman's enthusiasm.
However, the three Hero Kids along with Winged Kuriboh, were sobbing and clinging onto each other, being defeated by the stronger member. How could they lose against such an overprotective, Jaden-obsessed, moron?! Granted, the Hero Kids were also Jaden-obsessed, but they thought that Jaden would pick them! And Winged Kuriboh thought because he was the cutest, he would be the most favorite!
Someday, the four of them were going to form an alliance to erase Flame Wingman's existence, and when they do, it'll be sweet satisfaction.
"HEY! What's with all the chatting?!" yelled Bastion, noticing the trio had ceased drawing. "Instead of chatting about card crushes and cute girls and boys, how about you use all that effort into training?! You'll never be able to defeat the Shadow Riders with the state you're in!"
"But...we're not fighting the Shadow Riders right now," pointed out Syrus.
"I'm starting to think Bastion doesn't have a card crush," Chumley mumbled to Syrus.
"A crush on a card? Of course not! That's just plain, illogical, impossible, ridiculous logic!" Bastion shouted. Despite his denial, he could help but think back on the cute White Magician Pikeru card he had in his posession before shaking his head to clear his thoughts. "Anyways, let's just get back to training, shall we?!"
"Yeah, yeah. But you gotta admit, just looking at this card really cures you out of a pinch!~" Syrus said, addressing to his Thunder Nyan Nyan card.
"ENOUGH!" hollered Bastion, startling both Chumley and Syrus to accidentally fall back onto the ground. "By clearing your mind of ridiculous thoughts, even your senses will heighten and help you through a pinch in a duel! Wipe away your bad thoughts and practice!"
Syrus wondered, "I wonder if Bastion isn't really into girls...Maybe he's gay?"
"What does 'gay' mean?" Jaden asked.
Chumley sighed, not wanting to deal with this sort of conversation with poor, innocent, Jaden. "Someday, Jaden. Someday."
With that said, the three of them resumed their training with Bastion, continuously drawing their cards with all of their efforts before joining him in the breakfast he promised them.
Later, in class...
Baring a concern expression on his face, Banner continued stroking Pharaoh on his lap as he examined the classroom. "Hmm...I wonder what's going on here? There are certainly a lot of absences today, and without proper reason, either."
'Yes, this is indeed strange,' Bastion thought, noticing that only a couple of students remained while most were gone. 'It wouldn't matter if only a few were missing, but more than half of the classroom is gone. Could it be...?!'
Just then, an attendant of Duel Academy entered, carrying a student's bag in her arms as she approached Banner. "May I help you?" Banner asked the female attendant.
Whispering something into Banner's ear, Banner's expression grew more tense and worried. He nodded and took the bag away from the attendant before she exited the room.
After class, in the forest...
Having gathered some volunteers in the search for the missing students, Banner took the lead since he was the adult while the others followed behind him, also wishing to find the missing students just like back in the Abandoned Dorm.
"So, everyone ended up vanishing in this forest?" wondered Jaden. "And the only proof we've got was some student's bag being discovered around here?"
"Just as I thought...This must have something to do with the Shadow Riders!" Bastion declared, as it could be the only possible reasoning.
"I just hope everyone's alright," said Banner. The group began calling out for the students, attempting to find them as quickly as possible or at least some clues as to where they've been.
Eventually, their search led them out of the forest and into a deserted terrain, where in the middle of that, laid a large coliseum, much to everyone's surprise.
"Where did this come from?" wondered Jaden, astonished just like everyone else.
"Let's find out!" Bastion set off as soon as he said that, causing the others to follow after him inside the coliseum, where they were taken aback by the grand appearance inside the coliseum.
Good news was that they found the missing students, hard at labor and work as they were fixing up the coliseum. The group recognized some of the students, thus confirming that they were safe and sound.
"Crowler?!" exclaimed Chazz, having spotted the flamboyant teacher among the working students.
"What are you doing?" called out Syrus, catching Crowler's attention as the teacher tried to move a large block of rock using a crowbar.
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen Dr. Crowler in a few days either," recalled Banner.
Suddenly, a growl erupted the air as a tiger revealed itself, pouncing from a rock and onto the ground as it confronted Jaden and the others before giving chase. Panicking, the group started making a break for it in order not to get devoured.
"Dr. Crowler?! What's going on?!" cried out Banner, still running for his life like his other students.
"Well, that tiger brought us all here and then we met this wonderful Amazon lady!" replied Crowler, obviously head over heels for the Amazon.
"An Amazon?!" By that point, the tiger was clawing at the pillars the students and Banner were clinging on to, not daring to let go in fear for their lives.
"That's right!" announced a strong muscled women, approaching as she gazed upon the coliseum with awe, being impressed with the design. "And thanks to all these wonderful men, my coliseum is now finished! I give you all my gratitude!"
"Who is that lady?" wondered Jaden. Much to her astonishment, the Amazon leapt up and somersaulted before landing perfectly on her own two feet. The tiger calmly paced towards her, now ignoring the group before the Amazon ruffled the tiger's head.
"Well done, everyone!" spoke the Amazon cheerfully, holding up a bunch of envelopes as the missing students and Crowler lined up for their reward. "Thank you for your cooperation! Thanks to you, a splendid coliseum was built! As promised, here's your payment! Some rare dueling cards and some money! You all deserved it!"
When she got to the final worker, Crowler, he asked, "And where's my payment, Miss?"
"Not you! You give me the creeps!" shouted the Amazon, having noticed the...passes he gives to her.
"Oh, come on! I worked hard, didn't I?"
As if on cue, the Amazon's pet tiger rushed forward before stopping in front of Crowler, growling at him. That was enough for Crowler to flee, being frightened of the dangerous predator.
"Hey! What's going on? Who are you anyways, lady?!" demanded Jaden as she and her companions safely climbed down the pillar, now knowing that the tiger wasn't a threat at the moment.
"My name's Tania, head and descendant of the great Amazoness tribe!" announced Tania. "Not only that, but I'm also one of the Shadow Riders, Key Keeper."
"Great...another one of them!"
"Oh no, not another Shadow Rider!" cried out Syrus, wondering what sort of tricks or mysterious powers this Shadow Rider had in store for them.
"I heard that Amazoness is just a tribe full of female warriors only," spoke up Chumley, sharing some of his knowledge.
"Now that the battlefield has been established, we'll conduct a special duel in this coliseum, with the Spirit Keys at stake!" said Tania. "Now, which one of you big, strong, handsome men should I challenge next? After all, I never duel or harm females!"
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?!" exclaimed Jaden and Alexis, being females themselves.
"Now then, which man should I challenge first? Step forward, all males who wish to duel me!" commanded Tania.
"Me! I'll duel!" shouted Jaden, Chazz, and Bastion, having stepped forward.
Both Chazz and Bastion glanced at Jaden. It was pretty obvious they would want to duel Tania since they're guys, but Jaden, no matter what her tomboyish appearance, was still a girl inside. But of course, Tania didn't know that.
"Jaden," spoke up Chazz. "You do realize that you're a gi-"
"GREAT GUY!" finished Jaden, interrupting Chazz, pushing a hand onto his mouth to silence him. "I'm a great guy, and I should duel Tania! Yeah!"
Slapping her hand away, Chazz twitched his eye. "Hey, what was tha-"
Quickly, Jaden grabbed his collar and pulled him forward with a determined and stern look on her face as her cheeks puffed up in anger, resembling a hamster. "I swear to God, Chazz, if you say anything, I'll smother you in your sleep! I've been waiting for an awesome duel for too long, you will never take this opportunity away from me!"
"Alright, alright! Jeez! Okay!" Chazz quickly agreed, putting up his hands as a sign of his surrender. Besides, he didn't want to spend another episode with one of her overprotective Duel Spirits, like a really hotheaded Fusion Monster.
Examining the three candidates in front of her, Tania had a bit of a hard decision to make. 'Hmm...the one in black seems kinda wimpy and weak, since he gave up so easily. But the one in red...Mmm...I love some anger inside...even I can feel the anger pulsing inside me! But, I don't like hotheaded guys so much...So, there's only one answer.'
"You!" declared Tanya, pointing to Bastion, who stood proudly.
"NOOOOOOOO! CHAZZ, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" Jaden yelled, shaking Chazz rapidly back and forth.
"That does it!" Yanking her hands off his coat collar, Chazz tackled Jaden to the ground, thus starting an actual physical fight between them with dust clouds sporting up as the others sighed, knowing they should just let the two rivals duke it out.
"What's your name?" Tania asked as soon as she and Bastion distanced themselves for their duel.
"Bastion. Bastion Misawa!"
"Mmm..." She loved the sound of his name...Bastion Misawa. It didn't sound weak, and it was strong and firm. Just the way she liked in a man. Maybe her choice wasn't so bad after all, even if he didn't look as physically strong as her.
"Go get her, Bastion!" cheered Jaden; her arm wrapped around Chazz's neck as he was pulling on her arm and hair, trying to force her to let go before they proceeded to continue fighting some more.
"Don't let your guard down! Even if she's a girl!" encouraged Syrus.
"We'll be cheering you on!" promised Chumley.
"Right, I've been training for this day to come," assured Bastion before unbuttoning his jacket, showing off his six deck cases to Tania. "The only question is, which deck to choose?"
"Really? How interesting," said Tania, pulling out two decks of her own. "I have the same problem myself. I have two decks. One is a deck of knowledge, while the other is a deck of courage. How about you go ahead and pick which of the two I should use?"
"Fine, then! Naturally, I'll choose the deck of knowledge!"
"Very well," Tania accepted, placing her deck of knowledge into her duel disk.
"And as for me, I'll choose my Earth deck, seeing how it might fit the environment!" said Bastion, unstrapping one of his duel cases and placing the Earth deck inside his duel disk.
"Oh, I should tell you one more thing," Tania said, clasping her hands together with a lovestruck expression. "This isn't a Shadow Game, but a duel for love! I want you, big boy!~
"W-WHAT?!" Even Bastion was taken aback by this and nearly fell over out of shock.
"In other words, if I win, you'll be my groom! No, my fiancée!" squealed Tania, loving the thought of having a handsome and strong man by her side.
"Oh, wow! Bastion's gonna be her best friend! That's awesome!" said Jaden excitedly. "Go, Tanya! Beat him, and then you can duel me!"
"What the hell?! Why are you cheering for the enemy?" questioned Chazz, successfully managing to push her off him and pin her down, glaring down at her.
"Simple!~ Once, there was guy named Harrington, and he wanted Alexis to be his fiancée, and then...well, I don't remember, but we ended up dueling and I won, and now I'm Alexis' fiancée! Yay! I'm her BFF forever!"
"What? I don't understand what you're saying!"
Alexis sighed, recalling the event that happened a long time ago. "Oh boy...And here comes the truth. Chazz, Jaden doesn't know what a fiancée really means."
"How rude!" cried out Jaden, pouting. "I do know! You told me! It means we're friends!"
"..." Chazz raised his fist and whacked it against Jaden's forehead.
"Owie!"
"Hey!" shouted Syrus, wanting to run over and pretty much strangle Chazz to death for what he's done.
"How did you even get accepted in this academy?!" demanded Chazz, unable to believe his ears. He knew Jaden was stupid and oblivious, but this?! This has to cross the line!
"Easy! I beat Crowler to get in!" giggled Jaden.
"I...That...is true." In fact, Chazz had been watching from the sidelines the entire time, being a witness himself.
"Can we focus, people? I'm trying to win my duel here!" shouted Bastion, not wishing to waste anymore time.
"What duel? You haven't even started yet," pointed out Chumley.
"I was getting to that!" Turning to Tania, he asked, "And what will happen if I win?"
"Why, of course, I'll be your bride! Either way, you'll be my fiancée, and it's a win-win situation for both of us!~" giggled Tania like an obsessed fangirl.
"Wait, so if Bastion wins, he still gets to be her fiancée? In that case, go Bastion!" cheered Jaden.
"Idiot! You don't understand anything!" shouted Chazz.
"Shut it, Chazzy! This is a duel of eternal friendship! I will not let you intervene!"
"Gah! You're hopeless!"
"ANYWAYS!" yelled Bastion, hoping his voice would reach over to Tania. "I have no intention of taking you as my bride, but I do plan to win this duel! So, bring it on!"
"Let's!" agreed Tania, winking flirtatious at him as they drew their cards. Meanwhile, the others retreated to the seats of the coliseum where they could watch the duel safely.
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Tania - 4000 LP
VS
Bastion - 4000 LP
"I'll go first!" Tania said, drawing her card. "I'll summon Amazoness Swords Woman in Attack Mode!"
Amazoness Swords Woman - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1500/1600)
"Next, I'll set a card before ending my turn!"
"My turn, draw!" Bastion said. "And I summon to the field Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus in Attack Mode!"
Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus - (EARTH/Rock) - LV4 - (1800/1500)
"Using my Magnet Warrior, I attack Amazoness Swords Woman!"
Twirling his rod filled with electrical energy, the warrior garbed in mechanical armor thrusted his rod forward, striking the female warrior and defeating her in the process. Unfortunately, this caused a bit of a downfall for Bastion's part as his Life Points were wounded.
Tania - 4000 LP
Bastion - 3700 LP
"Wait, what? Why did Bastion suddenly lose Life Points?" wondered Syrus, confused.
"That's because of Amazoness Swords Woman's ability," said Tania. "Her opponent takes all Battle Damage that was dealt to her instead of me."
"Wow, what an ability!" said Chumley, impressed.
"Yeah, but this isn't like Bastion to attack rashly," said Alexis, concerned.
Jaden shook his head. "No, I'm sure he's not that sort of type. But this is the sort of strategy to take out her Monsters, even if it means cutting down his Life Points. Luckily, it's only a little."
"Very good, but not enough!" Tania shouted. "I activate my Trap card, Pride of Tribe! This Trap activates when an Amazoness Monster I control is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard. Now I can Special Summon another Amazoness Monster from my deck, which the one I chose is Amazoness Swords Woman."
Amazoness Swords Woman - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1500/1600)
"It seems that I've messed up this clever little strategy of yours. Awww, but don't worry, my darling little Bastion!"
Still a bit uneased by Tania's romantic attempts, Bastion took a deep breath to relax. "I'll place a card facedown and end my turn!"
"Ooooh!~" cooed Tania, getting a bit too over excited. "That's so cool, how you ended your turn like that in a calm and cool manner!"
"I'm starting to think Tania's a fangirl. And I don't think Bastion likes the fangirl types," Syrus spoke to the others.
"That's okay! Either way, one of them will win and become best friends as fiancées! Go, Bastion!" cheered Jaden.
"Idiot, that's not how it works!" shouted Chazz.
"I see, I get your little strategy now, Tania!" said Bastion confidently. "You're trying to seduce me and get me to lower my guard, and once you do, that'll be the moment when you strike! But unfortunately for you, I'm too focused! It'll take more than your petty little tricks to beat me!"
"Oh, we'll see! My turn!" shouted Tania, sounding determined. "I summon Amazoness Blowpiper in Attack Mode!"
Amazoness Blowpiper - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV3 - (800/1500)
"And I play my facedown! Magnet Force Minus!" Bastion suddenly declared.
Upon the activation of the Trap card, rays of red lightning shot out and stunned Amazoness Blowpiper, keeping her in place.
"Thanks to Magnet Force Minus, it becomes an Equip Spell for Amazoness Blowpiper! And the card it's equipped to gains a negative magnetism, making Amazoness Blowpiper a Minus Monster! However, Minus Monsters cannot engage in battle with each other, thus negating each other's attacks! But if a Plus Monster and a Minus Monster are out, they must fight!"
"My Amazoness Blowpiper is a Minus Monster!" said Tania, now understanding the red electricity surrounding her Monster.
"And my Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus is a Plus Monster!" commented Bastion as his Monster crackled with green lightning. "And because they're opposites, they must fight!"
"Oh, yes! Because opposites attract, right? So, we must also attract each other as well!" Tania moaned, loving the thought of them together.
"Oh, stop it! Get serious about this!" scolded Bastion, having enough of her lovey-dovey personality.
"But I am! I activate the Spell card, Amazoness Spellcaster from my hand! Thanks to this card, it switches the original Attack Points of one Amazoness Monster with that of one of my opponent's face-up Monsters!"
Amazoness Blowpiper - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV3 - (1800/1500)
Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus - (EARTH/Rock) - LV4 - (800/1500)
"This isn't good! Now her Monster's way stronger than Bastion's Monster!" Syrus cried out, getting up from his seat.
"Now attack, Amazoness Blowpiper!" commanded Tania.
Taking a deep breath, Amazoness Blowpiper exhaled it and aimed a sharp needle from her blowpipe which struck Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus, destroying him.
Tania - 4000 LP
Bastion - 2700 LP
"And now Amazoness Swords Woman attacks you directly!"
Hearing the command from her owner, Amazoness Swords Woman leapt up and slashed downwards from Bastion's left shoulder down to his right hip.
Tania - 4000 LP
Bastion - 1200 LP
"I end my turn!"
Regaining his composure from receiving two attacks, Bastion grunted, "Impossible...She's already outsmarted me! Twice! And I never let anyone outsmart me!"
"Uh...I outsmarted you back in our duel!" pointed out Jaden, raising her hand.
"I NEVER LET ANYONE OUTSMART ME!"
Tania chuckled. "Well, women are far more skilled and smarter than men. I guess I know where our kids are gonna get their smarts from!~"
"What?! Our kids?!" exclaimed Bastion, flustered. "What is going on with you and this fiancée that and love?! We. Are. Enemies!"
"During this duel, maybe," said Tania. "But afterwards, we'll both be fiancées! Bethroned to one another! Ah...it's as they say! Love truly conquers all!"
"Jeez..." sighed Bastion, exhausted and almost ready to give up. "Are you truly smitten by me?"
"No, of course not!"
"Whew!"
"I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU!~"
"You hardly know me!" argued Bastion. "Alright then, answer me this! Just what is it that makes you attractive towards me?"
"Your strong, yet cute-looking face!~" replied Tania.
Bastion's eye twitched. 'Oh, I see! Damn women and their constant fangirling for cool looks! She's just like them! No, keep your cool, Bastion! I'm not like one of those card fanatics like Syrus and Chumley! I have a mutual pride of my own! And why do I keep thinking of White Magician Pikeru?! STOP GETTING IN MY HEAD!'
The others sweatdropped upon seeing Bastion holding his head with his hands as he was having a sort of internal conflict with himself. They chose not to say anything and simply watch their possibly insane friend going through love problems all caused by his opponent.
'I still can't believe that she likes me because of that! I'll show her that men are just as superior as women by taking her down!' Bastion thought before drawing. "My turn! I activate Magnet Conductor Plus from my hand! This returns a Plus Monster from my Graveyard to my hand! So, I'll add Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus to my hand! And now with him back in my hand, I'll send him along with Magnet Warrior Omega Minus back to the Graveyard in order to Special Summon Conduction Warrior Linear Magnum ±!"
With the two Plus and Minus Monsters vanishing, a brand new, stronger version of the combined Monsters formed up.
Conduction Warrior Linear Magnum ± - (EARTH/Machine) - LV7 - (2700/1300)
"And now I'll activate Warrior Linear Magnum ±'s special ability! Once per turn, when he attacks, half of the Attack of one opponent's Monster on the field gets added to Conduction Warrior Linear Magnum ±'s Attack Points so long as it's an Plus or Minus Monster and until the End Phase! And last I checked, Amazoness Blowpiper is a Minus Monster!"
Conduction Warrior Linear Magnum ± - (EARTH/Machine) - LV7 - (3100/1300)
"Whoa, 3100?! That's the strongest on the field!" said Jaden.
"Now, Conduction Warrior Linear Magnum ±! Attack Amazoness Blowpiper!" ordered Bastion.
Standing by, the strong Machine-Type laid low and charged up his beams until they were fully charged before firing them and blasting Amazoness Blowpiper away.
Tania - 1700 LP
Bastion - 1200 LP
"I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn!"
Conduction Warrior Linear Magnum ± - (EARTH/Machine) - LV7 - (2700/1300)
"Amazing! How incredible! What power!~" squealed Tania before growing serious. "My turn, draw! I'm sure a genius such as yourself wouldn't forget about Amazoness Swords Woman's effect, right? Even if she loses in battle, you still take the Battle Damage instead of me! I'll use my Monster to try and take out yours, and once she attacks, it's all over!"
Charging forward despite the risks, Amazoness Swords Woman prepared to engage in battle with the stronger opponent.
'I have to think fast! Now's my chance!' Bastion thought frantically, knowing he needed to move. "I play the Quick-Play Spell, Power Off! Because of its effect,I send a Plus Minus Monster from the field to the Graveyard, and the ones who Special Summoned it get to return to the field!"
As Amazoness Swords Woman was about to lunge her sword through, the attack was quickly negated as both Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus and Magnet Warrior Omega Minus appeared to take Conduction Warrior Linear Magnum ±'s place.
Magnet Warrior Sigma Plus - (EARTH/Rock) - LV4 - (1800/1500)
Magnet Warrior Omega Minus - (EARTH/Rock) - LV4 - (1900/1600)
"Fine, you may have avoided that strike, but I'll get you next time," promised Tania. "For now, I'll summon Amazoness Paladin in Attack Mode."
Amazoness Paladin - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/300)
"For each card with the name 'Amazoness' on the field, my Paladin gains 100 extra Attack Points! There are two, including herself, so she gains 200 extra Attack Points!"
Amazoness Paladin - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1900/300)
"Now I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."
"A-alright, my turn!" said Bastion. 'Why am I hesitating now? What's with her? Why is she making me like this?'
"Speaking of which, did I forget to mention how handsome and attactive you are, staring at me even though we're foes in this duel!~" cooed Tania, winking at him. "I've seen all of your parts so far! Your kind side, your smart side, your handsome and sexy side, but more importantly, your strong side! Aaahhhh...just seeing you like this makes me wonder what we're going to do after our wedding!~"
"But...weddings are for brides and groom," said Jaden.
"Yes! Thank you! You finally understand!" shouted Chazz, clapping once and raising his arms to the heavens as if blessing them.
"So, fiancées have weddings as parties? Awesome!"
"GAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"
"I'm sorry if I'm distracting you, darling! I just can't help myself, so do your best!" encouraged Tania, blushing pink in the face before widening her arms as if wishing to embrace him. "My Bastion!~"
Placing a hand over his throbbing heart, Bastion's eyes widen before narrowing to gaze upon Tania with pure love in his eyes and expression. "Tania..."
"...I don't get it. I'm not that hot, so why are their faces red?" questioned Jaden.
"Jaden?"
"Yeah, Chazz?"
"Just...please. Be quiet, for like, five minutes!"
"Okay! ...So, Syrus-"
"GAAAAAHHH!"
Infatuated with his newfound love for Tania, Bastion was a bit too quick for drawing. "My turn! I summon Magnet Warrior Sigma Minus in Attack Mode!"
Magnet Warrior Sigma Minus - (EARTH/Rock) - LV4 - (1500/1800)
"Next, I activate my Trap card, 100,000 Gauss! This card can be activated as long as I have a Plus and Minus Monster on my field! It lets me target one Monster on your field and reduce its power by 800! I choose Amazoness Paladin!"
Amazoness Paladin - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1100/300)
"Alright! Besides Swords Woman's nasty effect, Bastion can endure a little more damage and then finish her off!" said Jaden excitedly.
"I activate my Trap card!" declared Tania. "Dramatic Rescue! It lets me return an Amazoness Monster on the field back to my hand and then Special Summon a different Monster onto the field! I Special Summon Amazoness Tiger after returning Paladin back to my hand!"
Amazoness Tiger - (EARTH/Beast) - LV4 - (1100/1500)
"For each Amazoness Monster on the field, Tiger gains 400 extra Attack Points! There are two, so Tiger gains 800 extra Attack Points!"
Amazoness Tiger - (EARTH/Beast) - LV4 - (1900/1500)
"Also, as long as this card's on the field, you cannot attack any other Amazoness Monster except for Tiger!"
"Wait, but then the only Monster Bastion can attack is that Tiger!" said Alexis.
Even while infatuated, Bastion's intelligent mind was still at work. 'Hmm...I have three Monsters out, but Magnet Warrior Sigma Omega Minus has the same Attack Points as her Tiger. I'll destroys it with my Omega Minus, and then use one of my other to cause a draw with her Swords Woman, then lay the finishing blow to the other available Monster! Okay! I got it!'
"Now! I use Magnet Warrior Omega Minus to attack Amazoness Tiger!"
"Wow, charging in without a single thought of another risk? Just what I love to see in a guy! But all's for naught!" said Tania. "I activate my Trap, Amazoness Archers! Now all of your Monsters are switched into Attack Mode, their Attack Points decreased by 600 Attack Points, and they must engage battle!"
"But then, no matter what, Bastion has to attack!" cried out Syrus.
"And she has Monsters with more Attack Points!" said Jaden.
"That idiot! What was he thinking?! He should have known he was walking into a trap!" yelled Chazz.
With all of Bastion's Monsters armed for battle, they charged forward and in a futile effort, they were slashed and taken down by Amazoness Tiger.
Tania - 1700 LP
Bastion - 0 LP
Winner: Tania
The shockwave and the dust arising caused everyone to brace themselves so they didn't get blown away. Bastion was unlucky as he not only lost a duel but was sent flying with a happy smile on his face despite his loss.
"You win...my dear...' With that done, he closed his eyes and fell unconscious. Due to his loss, his Spirit Key vanished, and thus another Spirit Gate was unlocked.
"Bastion!" Jaden leapt off the coliseum seats, trying to rush towards her fallen friend like everyone else. Unfortunately, the pet tiger Tania kept growled at them and practically chased them out of the coliseum where once they went outside, it was sealed up with bars, thus disallowing anyone to enter at all.
This caused the group no other choice but to wait for Bastion outside of the coliseum. Apparently, that meant waiting for hours even during the nighttime where they gathered around for a campfire, tired and growing impatient.
"AAAAAAAHHHHH!" Bastion's shrill scream startled everyone before it surprisingly turned into...moans?
"Hey, what's going on? I wanna see! I wanna see!" giggled Jaden, getting up.
"What are you so happy for?" questioned Chazz, poking the fire with a stick. "He's probably being tortured or something."
"No, not true! I heard that sound before! I remember it like it was yesterday! I was a kid, so one night, when I went to go to the bathroom, I heard that same noise coming from my parents' bedroom!"
"..." Everyone gave each other uneased and horrified expressions.
"Jaden, would you like to hear some scary stories? Extra credit!" Banner quickly said, wanting to change the subject.
"Yay!"
The next morning, at sunrise...
While successfully gaining some sleep through the night, the gang couldn't stop worrying about their friend Bastion, whose screams could still be heard at night. They stopped after a while, but that only raised their concerns even more. For now, all they could do it wait around a new campfire they cooked up as Alexis tried to keep it nice and warm using a stick.
"I wonder if Bastion's alright? I just can't stand the thought of unable of being able to help him," sighed Alexis.
"Nah, I'm sure he's fine. Tania did say she'll make Bastion her fiancée! He's such a lucky guy!" squealed Syrus, imagining himself in Tania's situation.
"Yeah! They're going to be the best of friends!~" agreed Jaden.
"Jaden-You know what? Never mind. I stopped caring," said Chazz. "And anyways, they've been dueling all night, and those screams definitely weren't screams of victory."
Getting up with a face filled with happiness, Jaden spoke up, "I'm gonna go check out what's going on! Maybe they're engaging in some friendly activites or something! They should have invited the rest of us, too!"
'Pass,' everyone thought, not wanting to spend time with the Amazon woman.
Before Jaden could attempt anything, the gates blocking the entrance and exits out of the coliseum sprang upwards, providing a new pathway for the group to enter. Of course, before they could enter, they saw a familiar silhouette leaving the coliseum.
"Bastion?" gasped Jaden before she and the group rushed forward to aid Bastion as he collapsed to his knees while staring up at the sky. "Bastion, are you okay? Bastion, speak to me!" Taking in Bastion's shoulders, she began shaking them, yet Bastion had no reaction to her actions.
It didn't appear as though Bastion was acting like his normal self. Other than staring upwards, he seemed to be dazed and not focused on the others. In addition, he had a flustered expression on his face, yet his mouth was slightly open and he didn't so much as blink.
After a short while, Bastion finally responded to his friends' pleas and looked at Jaden. "W-what? I'm fine..."
"Just what the hell happened in there?" wondered Chazz.
"It appears as though that Tania lady did something horrible to you," commented Banner.
"She did. She...she rejected me!~" sighed Bastion, smiling despite the situation he had been through. "After countless duels with her, she finally decided that I wasn't good or strong enough for her, and she proved that by winning every single duel we had together...A strong and beautiful woman like her...definitely deserves better..."
"Bastion..." Slowly, but surely, Jaden was beginning to figure out that fiancée might not be what she thought it might be after all.
The next day...
Bastion was as dazed as ever, even though it's only been at least a day since his "breakup" with Tania. Ever since yesterday, he's been acting all lovesick and hasn't been paying attention to anyone, with Tania still in his mind. Right now, he was sitting in the empty Slifer Red Dorm dining hall, with a plate of food along with some spices on his table. He was still staring up at nothing as his body began unconsciously moving on its own.
Jaden, Chazz, Alexis, Syrus, and Chumley had been keeping an eye on Bastion's actions, worried that he might do something drastic like commit suicide. Instead, Bastion's been doing ridiculous things without even realizing it. Even now, he's already poured more than enough ketchup onto his omelette, and he's proceeding to drink and suck the rest of the ketchup bottle like he doesn't care.
"Okay, it's official. He's lost it," deadpanned Chazz.
"I've never seen Bastion lose his composure before! This is awful!" commented Alexis as she and the others grew more concern for Bastion along with his health.
Later on, Alexis and Jaden were spying on Bastion, who kept staring at the sky, as if wishing for his beloved angel Tania to swoop down and embrace him. He just couldn't stop thinking about their first, romantic duel together and it was greatly affecting him.
"Wow, I still can't believe he's still thinking about her," said Jaden.
"Poor Bastion...I don't know what it's like to breakup with someone, yet I feel hurt inside," admitted Alexis.
Later during the day, all of the Spirit Key wielders gathered at the Duel Arena, waiting for their other companion, Bastion, to arrive after messaging him to come. "What was the urgent message about for me to come here?" asked Bastion.
Holding up her deck, Jaden flashed a grin. "Come on, let's duel!"
Bastion shook his head, gently declining her offer. "I apologize, but I can't. I just...can't find it in me to duel right now."
"But why? What's stopping you? This isn't like you, Bastion! Where's the cool, calm, and awesome and smart Bastion that lets me copy his notes every time I sleep through one of Crowler's stupid lectures?"
"Excuse me, what?!" demanded Crowler.
"Er...What happened to you, Bastion? Why aren't you doing calculations, or doing some high-tech project, or winning duels like when you won that duel against Chazz?"
"Hey!" Chazz shouted.
"I...I just don't know. I don't feel like dueling now," said Bastion.
"Is it that Tania girl?" Chazz asked.
"N-No! It's dueling!"
"I'm really confused. Like, do you need more practice in dueling? Is that it?" wondered Jaden.
Bastion sighed, thinking now might be as good as ever to explain what was on his mind. "Look, let me explain. When me and Taiya dueled...it was a...feeling I've never felt before. A spark of hope, as you might call it. When we clashed and danced with our cards, we each put everything we had into it, and with each blow we successfully delivered, it was an overwhelming feeling of excitement and compassion!"
"Wait, that's it? But I feel that all the time in my duels! How is that different?" questioned Jaden.
"It is too different! You're too naive to understand that what I'm feeling is love!"
"Love? You mean the stuff that couples do like kiss and hug and stuff like that?"
"Yes!"
'I'm actually really surprised that Jaden knows at least that stuff,' thought Chazz, Syrus, Alexis, and Chumley.
"So, you're telling us you wish to experience those feelings with Tania again?" asked Zane, having a bit more visual understanding on Bastion's situation.
Bastion nodded. "Yes, but with the poor skills I have now, Tania won't be satisfied!"
"Jeez, did that Tania woman really seduce you that much?" questioned Chazz. He was beginning to wonder whether it was just her dueling skills or her good looks that Bastion was after.
"Well, don't give up!" encouraged Jaden. "If you really want to get stronger, get stronger! I will too, of course! I wanna duel Tania one day! She seems like a strong person!"
Seeing Jaden confident in herself, Bastion couldn't help but feel a surge of hope inside. Maybe she's right, since the only one to get stronger was to improve.
That night, in the Slifer Red Dorm...
"Jaden, how long are you gonna keep arranging your deck? Aren't you tired?" yawned Syrus as he and Chumley were already tucked in their beds while Jaden was sitting by the table with her cards scattered around.
"No way! After hearing about Bastion and his determination to beat Tania, how could I sleep? I'm all pumped up!" giggled Jaden as she gathered her cards all together to make the perfect deck.
Then, the door started knocking with Bastion calling out, "It's me! Bastion! Jaden, open up!"
Hurriedly, Jaden stood up from her seat and went towards the front door, opening it up for Bastion. "Hmm? What's wrong, Bastion?"
"I can feel it! Tania's fighting spirit! She wants a duel! Now!"
"What? Right now?"
Near the coliseum...
"Couldn't this wait until morning?" complained Jaden as she and Bastion managed to make it towards entrance of the coliseum, though it did take them a long while to get there because the dark didn't exactly provide a clear path in the forest.
"No!" said Bastion.
"Jaden! Bastion!" After both had left, Syrus and Chumley rushed to get the others, as evident as they managed to catch up to Jaden and Bastion, arriving just in time.
"Are you really going to duel her now?" questioned Alexis before letting out a small yawn. Considering that she and the others were forced out of bed to watch anothe rmatch involving a Shadow Rider, this better be worth it.
"Well, we don't have a choice. I mean, we're already here," pointed out Jaden.
A low growl caught everyone's attention as the bushes behind them rustled back and forth, where the source of the growl came from. Everyone was on edge, preparing themselves for what's to come.
Leaping out of the lush bushes, Tania along with her pet tiger approached the group, appearing to be ready for a duel anytime. There was a slight glint of hunger in Tania's eyes, indicating her desire for a duel.
"Mmm...I see you're already here. Funny, I was just about to kidnap one of you and force you into a duel," admitted Tania. "After all, I do still need a strong groom. Unlike that yellow jacket amateur I dumped."
"Duel me! I'll take you on!" shouted Jaden.
"Wait a minute," spoke up Chazz. "Don't you remember? She doesn't take on gi-"
"LALALALALALALA! LET'S DUEL! LALALALALALALA!" yelled Jaden, covering her ears as she squeezed her eyelids shut, being as loud as she possibly could. She will NOT let Chazz ruin her dueling opportunity!
Tania smirked. "Hmph. Good-looking, but a bit foolish as well."
"Hey!" said Jaden, irritated. "Oh wait, were you talking about Chazz? Yeah, you're right! He's totally both!"
"She was talking about you, dimwit!" shouted Chazz, hitting her on the head. 'Wait a minute...did she just admit that I was pretty...good-looking?'
"Well then, shall we get this duel going? I'll be your opponent after all," challenged Tania. "What's your name anyways?"
"Jaden Yuki! And I'm absolutely flawless!~" said Jaden, grinning. "I hate tests and homework, love cute things, but my main specialty is dueling! I'm gonna be the next King of Games, so watch out! I'm gonna rock your world!"
'Overconfident much?' everyone thought, sweatdropping.
Once the preparations were set, Jaden and Tania were face-to-face as they stood by for their duel while everyone else seated in the sidelines just like last time. The entire coliseum along with the stars and moon shining down on both duelists were the perfect setting for their duel.
Holding up two decks just as before, Tania explained, "You know the drill. If I win, I get your Spirit Key and you get to be my fiancée."
"Sorry, but I'm Alexis' fiancée! Unless you can have more than one fiancée!" Jaden turned her head and called out, "Hey, Alexis! Can you have two fi-"
"FOR GOD'S SAKE, JADEN! THAT TERM ACTUALLY MEANS MARRIAGE!" hollered Chazz, losing his temper. "IF THAT HAPPENS, THEN YOU'RE ENGAGED!"
"Huh?" Shocked at the true meaning of "fiancée," Jaden questioned, "Then, why did Alexis say we were friends before? She said that it meant-"
"I said that because you got the term mistaken! I'm not in love with you romantically, Jaden!" explained Alexis. "I-"
"Can we just get this duel going on already?" demanded Tania, growing impatient. "Now, let's get this duel going on already!"
"Right back at ya, Tania!" agreed Jaden, having forgotten all about fiancées.
"DUEL!"
- DUEL -
Jaden - 4000 LP
VS
Tania - 4000 LP
"Alright, Tania! Get your game on! My turn!" said Jaden, beginning the duel with a draw of a card. "I summon a brand new hero! Elemental Hero Shadow Mist in Defense Mode!"
Elemental Hero Shadow Mist - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (1000/1500)
"I'll end my turn with that!"
"My turn! Draw!" Since it was now Tania's turn, she drew her card. "I summon Amazoness Paladin!"
Amazoness Paladin - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1700/300)
"And her special ability activates! For every Monster with the name 'Amazoness' on my field, her Attack Points increase by 100 each! She's the only one so far, so her Attack Points increase by 100!"
Amazoness Paladin - (EARTH/Warrior) - LV4 - (1800/300)
"Now I activate Amazoness Charm! I select 1 Monster on your field that's in Defense Mode, and I can change that Monster's Mode into Attack Mode and it gains 200 extra Attack Points!"
Struggling due to the magic of the Spell card, Shadow Mist was forced to stand up on her own two feet, feeling a bit of power flowing into her through Amazoness Charm.
Elemental Hero Shadow Mist - (DARK/Warrior) - LV4 - (1200/1500)
"I don't get it! Why would she play a card that would increase Jaden's Monster's Attack Points?" wondered Crowler.
"That's just the sort of person Tania is. She enjoys battling no matter what," answered Bastion, still high over heels about her. "I should know, considering I spent an entire night with her."
"Yeah, we don't even want to know what you guys did," said Chazz, disgusted.
"It's not just Tania's fighting style," spoke up Zane. "Look, normally players can't be inflicted damage as long as their Monsters are in Defense Mode. She must have switched Jaden's Monster into Attack Mode to inflict damage directly through battle."
"And before I attack, I have another surprise for you!" said Tania. "I activate the Field Spell, Amazoness Arena! When this card is activated, both of our Life Points automatically increase by 600!"
Afterwards, large bars emerged until it covered the entirety of the sky inside the coliseum, providing no escape for either duelists.
Jaden - 4600 LP
Tania - 4600 LP
"Wow, she must REALLY be desperate to have a husband," commented Chazz. "Still, you gotta admire her for restoring Life Points, but there's gotta be more to Amazoness Arena..."
"Amazoness Arena is a special field where not only do our Monsters clash, but our souls as well," replied Tania.
"Our souls? How are our souls going to fight?" wondered Jaden.
"Oh, you'll see. But for now, Amazoness Paladin! Strike down her Shadow Mist right now!"
Amazoness Paladin took a simple fighting stance before leaping upwards and slashing at the female Elemental Hero.
Jaden - 4000 LP
Tania - 4600 LP
"Shadow Mist's effect activates!" said Jaden. "When she's sent to the Graveyard, I can add an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand!"
"And now Amazoness Arena's effect will activate!" shouted Tania. "After our Monsters battle, by paying 100 of our Life Points, we can deal 100 Points of Damage to the other player!"
"Cost and Effect Damage at the same time?!" exclaimed Alexis.
"So, it's a win-win situation for both of us either way? Neat!" said Jaden, getting all excited.
"Of course. We can't have just our Monsters have all the fun. But remember, only our souls will clash. Of course, you're free to do it if you want to or not," reminded Tania, giving him a bit of a warning of the consequences.
"Well, of course I'll do it!" said Jaden, concentrating on her energy. Sure enough, a manifestation of her soul appeared along with Tania's soul, but at a small cost due to Amazoness Arena's effect.
Jaden - 3900 LP
Tania - 4500 LP
Charging forward, both manifested souls flew towards each other with their fists clenched. However, seeing how Tania was more experienced with dueling and actual combat, it was clear that she'd deliver the first blow, knocking Jaden back.
Jaden - 3800 LP
Tania - 4500 LP
"She got hit! She got hit!" cried out Syrus.
"Amazing! It's just like Tania said! Their souls will clash and fight!" said Chumley, amazed just like the others.
Not willing to lose to a fist fight, Jaden's soul threw a punch at Tania's soul, causing her soul to bounce back at its original owner. Apparently, the damage caused during their soul battle also somewhat inflicts on their real bodies, as Tania felt that punch.
"Hmm...Not too bad. A bit weak, almost like a girl punching me," muttered Tania. "I end my turn!"
"Jeez, she's complimenting her? I can see this'll end badly," stated Chazz.
Bastion sighed, staring lovingly at Tania. "That's my Tania...complimenting others even though she's on the winning end..."
"My turn, draw!" said Jaden. "If you thought that was all the power I had, you're dead wrong! I activate Polymerization and fuse together Avian and Burstinatrix to Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!"
With both Monsters out of the picture, the red and green hot-tempered, yet loyally devoted Fusion Monster flew down from the air with his arms crossed.
Elemental Hero Flame Wingman - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2100/1200)
"Attack, Flame Wingman! Destroy Amazoness Paladin!"
Flame Wingman remained in place, raising his demonic arm and widening its jaws as he concentrated on forming a gigantic fireball. He laid his demonic arm downwards, causing the fireball to burst out and hit Amazoness Paladin.
Jaden - 3800 LP
Tania - 4200 LP
"And Flame Wingman's effect activates! Because he destroyed Paladin in battle, you take damage equal to her Attack Points!"
This time, Flame Wingman blasted out a smaller fireball that exploded the moment it hit Tania, causing dust clouds to spread around as she fell down.
Jaden - 3800 LP
Tania - 2400 LP
"Tania! Are you okay?" called out Jaden, worried for the young woman.
Tania grunted and shook her head several times before leaping to her feet, seemingly fine to everyone else's eyes even though she did take a major hit. "It's my turn! I activate Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards! I then activate Polymerization and fuse together Amazoness Queen and Amazoness Blowpiper from my hand! I Fusion Summon one of my most powerful Amazoness Monsters! Amazoness Empress!"
The ruler among all Amazonesses made her grand appearance by donning a cape over her revealing clothing as she wielded a large broadsword in her hands.
Amazoness Empress - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2800/2400)
"Now I activate Amazoness Call! This can only be activated if I control a face-up Amazoness Monster on my field! I can then select a Fusion Monster on the field and defuse it, allowing the Fusion Material Monsters to be Special Summoned back to your field!"
Seeing how both Avian and Burstinatrix were no match for Amazoness Empress, Jaden was forced to send Flame Wingman back to her Extra Deck and Special Summon both Fusion-Materials in Defense Mode.
Elemental Hero Avian - (WIND/Warrior) - LV3 - (1000/1000)
Elemental Hero Burstinatrix - (FIRE/Warrior) - LV3 - (800/1200)
"Now, attack Burstinatrix, Amazoness Empress!" ordered Tania. "And here's a nice fact to know! Because of Amazoness Empress's effect, if an Amazoness Monster I control attacks a Monster in Defense Mode, I can inflict piercing Battle Damage to you!"
Amazoness Empress stood her ground and raised her broadsword above her head before swinging it down, creating a crescent-like sword slash at Burstinatrix from a far distance and slicing her in half.
Jaden - 2200 LP
Tania - 2400 LP
"And now we'll battle using Amazoness Arena!" shouted Tania as she charged up her manifested soul.
Accepting her challenge, Jaden allowed her soul to manifest before both souls continued with Round 2 of their fighting. In a short time later, both managed to give the other a blow before retreating back to their bodies where they felt the impact of their punches.
Jaden - 2000 LP
Tania - 2200 LP
Breathing heavily, both female opponents couldn't help but gaze at each other with admiration and respect. This was just like turning dueling into a whole new level as long as Amazoness Arena was active. Now Jaden could fully understand the exciting and pulsing feeling Bastion experienced every time he kept dueling Tania. It felt so unreal and good at the same time!
"Wow! This is so interesting! I've never had a duel like this before!" cried out Jaden with a grin.
"I, too, am also having fun for the first time in a while!" agreed Tania, understanding what Jaden was going through. "I'll set a card and end my turn now. I'd like to see how you'll be able to overpower my Amazoness Empress!"
"Challenge accepted!" Jaden shouted, drawing her card. "I activate Fusion Sage, allowing me to add Polymerization from my deck to my hand! I'll activate it right now and fuse Elemental Hero Clayman with Elemental Hero Lady Heat! I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Gaia!"
Armored palm bursting out from underneath the ground, Gaia forced himself out and revealed his dark, robotic armor as he stood by for battle.
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2200/2600)
"Gaia's effect activates! When he's Fusion Summoned, I can target a Monster you control, and until the End Phase, your Monster's Attack is halved, and Gaia receives the same amount of Attack Points!"
Amazoness Empress - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (1400/2400)
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (3600/2600)
"If this attack pulls through, Jaden could actually win!" cried out Alexis.
"Now, go! Gaia! Attack Amazoness Empress!" ordered Jaden.
Running slowly due to his heavily weighted armor, Gaia's movements were slow, but they should be enough to crush the weakened Amazoness Empress.
"Not so fast! As if I'll lose that quickly! I activate my facedown Trap, Amazoness Archers!" declared Tania. "This can be activated when you declare an attack while I still control an Amazoness Monster! All Monsters you have are changed to Attack Mode and lose 500 Attack Points as long as they remain faceup on the field! Also, you must attack with all your Monsters!"
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (3100/2600)
"Fine, but my Monster's still stronger and still going to destroy Amazoness Empress!" reminded Jaden.
Gaia lifted up his armored arm before bringing it down onto Amazoness Empress, who counterattacked by blocking with the blunt side of her broadsword, struggling with all of her strength as she was forced down to one knee.
"Amazoness Empress has another effect! Amazoness Monsters I control can't be destroyed by battle or card effects!" revealed Tania.
"Doesn't mean you can't avoid any Battle Damage!" said Jaden.
Jaden - 2000 LP
Tania - 500 LP
"It's truly fitting, isn't it? My Monster, who can't be destroyed by battle or card effects, is still standing like a true female warrior should!" spoke Tania, confident and feeling pride for her Amazoness Monster.
"Yeah, but we still battled, so that means I'm initiating the Amazoness Arena effect!" said Jaden, making her manifested soul to make its appearance.
"Bring it!" said Tania, getting all heated up for their match.
Jaden - 1900 LP
Tania - 400 LP
Round 3 came for them as the two female souls clashed and rumbled with each other once again and both came out as both winners and losers in their fist fight matchup.
Jaden - 1800 LP
Tania - 300 LP
After their Round 3 match came to a close, both were left satisfied and panting, growing more excited with the urge to win from both of them while the others watching in a bit of confusion, but mostly to cheer up Jaden from their current positions.
"I'll..." Jaden gulped down some air before starting to speak again. "I'll just end my turn. And during this time, Gaia's effect ends and his Attack Points return to normal along with Amazoness Empress."
"But because of Amazoness Archers, his Attack Points will also decrease by 500 so long as he remains faceup on the field," reminded Tania.
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (2200/2600)
Elemental Hero Gaia - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV6 - (1700/2600)
Amazoness Empress - (EARTH/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2800/2400)
"My turn, draw!" said Tania. "Now is the time to attack! I attack with Amazoness Empress! Destroy Gaia!"
Now recuperating and recovering her strength back, Amazoness Empress stood up straight before rushing towards the Elemental Hero and slashed past him, destroying his armored body with one swift and powerful slash.
Jaden - 900 LP
Tania - 300 LP
Jaden grunted in pain as she held herself together before shouting, "Let's settle this by using Amazoness Arena!"
"Both hardly have any Life Points left," said Zane calmly.
"Have they've gotten too passionate in their dueling to notice the difference between their Life Points?" wondered Chazz.
Both females charged up their spirits again to summon forth their manifested souls, which then engaged each other in battle, throwing punches and kicks here and there until they each landed one blow each.
Jaden - 700 LP
Tania - 100 LP
With all the strain and stress from using Amazoness Arena, it was no surprise that both duelists fell to their knees, gasping for breath and winching in pain while trying to keep it together.
"Man, what is she thinking?! If she keeps at it, she'll lose!" said Chumley.
"Not necessarily," told Zane. "Jaden has more Life Points than Tania, so if they start the Amazoness Arena again, Tania will automatically lose. But, Tania has the field advantage as her Amazoness Empress not only can inflict piercing damage, but can no longer be destroyed by any normal means. In this match, anything could happen."
"I don't know what Jaden's thinking, but this goes to show that both Jaden and my beloved Tania are putting everything they've got into this duel. Their bodies, minds, and souls," spoke Bastion.
"I'm...not done yet...! I can still keep going!" shouted Jaden, quickly getting to her feet, though it was a bit of an obstacle given her injuries slowing her down.
"Heh, that's what I like to hear!" said Tania, smirking. "I end my turn! Show me what you've got, Jaden Yuki!"
The sun started to slowly rise from the dark depths of night and towards the bright, early morning where the sunlight would shine upon the victor of the duel. This duel would determine who would be the chosen victor, as it appeared from dusk till dawn.
"Here goes! My move!" said Jaden. "I activate Fusion Recovery! I'll add Polymerization along with a Fusion Material Monster that was used for a Fusion Monster from my Graveyard and into my hand! I add Avian to my hand and next, I activate Reinforcement of the Army to add a Level 4 or lower Warrior-Type Monster from my deck to my hand! I choose Bubbleman and summon him in Attack Mode!"
Elemental Hero Bubbleman - (WATER/Warrior) - LV4 - (800/1200)
"And if he's out on the field all by himself, I can draw two more cards! Now all the requirements are set! I use Polymerization and fuse Avian, Sparkman, and Bubbleman from my hand! I Fusion Summon Elemental Hero Tempest!"
Merging the trio's powers together, Tempest's sharp appearance made it all the more better while his wings flapped as he landed down right in front of Jaden.
Elemental Hero Tempest - (WIND/Warrior/Fusion) - LV8 - (2800/2800)
"Now I set a card facedown and attack!"
"But why? Jaden's Monster may have the same Attack Points as Amazoness Empress, but he's still gonna get destroyed!" said Syrus. "It's pointless!"
"I activate Tempest's effect!" said Jaden. "By sending the set card I control to the Graveyard, I can target a Monster I control, and that Monster isn't destroyed by battle! Obviously, I'll pick Tempest!"
With her set card blown away and destroyed, both Tempest and Amazoness Empress attacked each other, but nothing good came out of their battle since they were both equally matched, so they retreated back to their original sides.
"Let's go, Tania!" encouraged Jaden, summoning her manifested soul one more time.
"Right!" Tania complied, having already summoned her own soul to battle.
"But why? There's no point! With this, Tania will lose!" said Alexis, confused.
"No, not exactly. While it's true that Tania will lose, she's not giving in and instead, she's fighting with all of the remaining strength she has," complimented Bastion, cheering for both duelists, though mostly to Tania. "That's the sort of amazing woman Tania is!"
Jumping off the ground, both manifested souls threw one more punch, hitting each other at the same time right as the sun shined down on them.
Both staggered back once their souls returned to their bodies, tired and exhausted from all of the fighting they strained themselves with.
"So, Bastion? Have you recovered from your little love problem now? After all, both Jaden and Tania fought with everything they had," questioned Zane.
Bastion smiled as tears whelmed up at the corner of his eyes. "Still in love, but thanks to this duel, it's helped me realize my love and passion for dueling once again."
"Man...that's game!" said Jaden, tiredly putting up her finger signature. "This feeling...it hurts, but it's a good kind of hurt, you know?"
Tania nodded. "I can relate. I joined the Shadow Riders in order to find a good mate for myself, but I realized that I'm the one not worthy to be with a much stronger duelist. But thanks for the duel anyways, even if you weren't a man."
"Tania...?" wondered Jaden. So, she did notice that Jaden was a girl, after all.
Jaden - 500 LP
Tania - 0 LP
Winner: Jaden
With the duel over, the entire Amazoness Arena vanished and a purple glowing light illuminated Tania's body, transforming her into a white female tiger, shocking everyone present to watch.
Tania the female tiger glanced at Jaden, and then at Bastion, which was when her eyes softened. Sure, he's not as strong as Jaden, but she's learned her lesson from her, and knows that Bastion will continue to grow even more stronger from here on as she left her Shadow Charm on the ground so the others could retrieve it. With that task done, she followed after her white tiger as they left.
"Man, she was a fine woman, wasn't she?" chuckled Chazz, patting Bastion on the back.
Jaden yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I'm gonna sleep..." Not caring about anything else, she laid down on the ground and closed her eyes, instantly sleeping.
"Hey! You can't just sleep on the ground!" shouted Syrus.
"Jaden! At least wait until we get back to the dorm!" scolded Chumley, picking up the Shadow Charm.
'...Damnit, Jaden! You owe me one!' thought Chazz, wanting to put his plan in motion as he leapt over the stone railing and walked towards Jaden. He scooped her up in his arms; one arm wrapped around her shoulders, and one under her knees. Surprisingly, she was a lot lighter than he thought.
"Ooh! Does Chazz have a crush?" questioned Chumley, hiding his smile behind his hand as the others came over to Chazz. Syrus was twitching and formulating a plan to somehow beat Chazz up.
Panicking and not wanting his reputation ruined or for Jaden to find out, Chazz rushed over and shoved Jaden's sleeping body over to Zane. "N-No! Of course not! Idiot! I just wanted to give her to Zane! Yeah!"
'Damnit! I lost my chance! I should have been the one to carry her back to the dorm! If it weren't for all these witnesses, my plan would have succeeded!' thought Chazz, wanting to complain out loud.
Zane shuffled his arms around to make Jaden more comfortable, something that Alexis noticed. "Zane? Are you sure you want to carry her? It'll be a long while, and one of us can take turns to-"
"No, it'll be fine. This doesn't bother me one bit," said Zane, secretly wanting to get to know Jaden a bit better. "Let's go."
'DAMNIT! I WANTED TO CARRY HER!' Both Syrus and Chazz thought, seething behind Zane.
"Oh, Dr. Crowler?" called out Banner. "I hope that you will excuse these students from class today as a reward for beating another Shadow Rider!"
"Eh? And why would I do that?" questioned Crowler, turning around only to find Banner a bit too close to his face. "EEEK!" Shrieking, he backed away several inches from the cat-loving teacher.
Banner, not bothered by Crowler's behavior, simply stroked his fur. "Oh, let's see...I could always tell some students about a certain secret you and I both know...and we do know how fast rumors will spread..."
"...You are evil, Banner. EVIL."
"Thank you, Dr. Crowler."
"I WASN'T COMPLIMENTING YOU!"
And so ends another day along with another Shadow Rider defeated.
Whew! This took longer than expected, but I'm glad it worked out in the end! And yes, Amazoness Empress came from the anime in Arc V, and it looks like more support for the Amazoness Archetype will be in store! I recently gotten a bit of an interest to Amazoness, but not as much as Lyrical Luscinias or Wind Witches! Those Archetypes are pretty cool too!~
Also, I'd like to make an apology to all transgendered folks out there! I wrote a comment that might have offended some transgendered people, even though I had no intention of hurting anyone. So, I went back to the chapter I wrote that comment from and changed it for the better. So, I apologize if I hurt any of you! I'll try to be more careful next time!
Anyways, read and review!