We had been walking along the beach since yesterday. I guess the forest must have been shading us more than we realized since everyone was actually sweating a noticeable amount and I think we were even starting to sunburn. Well, that is except for our Duel Spirits of course. At the moment, only my friends' Deck Bosses, as in their favorite cards, were out with them.
Belial and Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon were flying above Erick and Diego, wishing that they could provide their masters with some shade.
Amazoness Queen walked alongside Tanya, checking on her bruise as they walked as if she were an overprotective mother.
Marching with Michael was Michael, The Arch Lightsworn riding atop his white-feathered dragon. With how big his ego was, I think I get why the monster with the same name as him was his favorite.
Silent Swordsman and Silent Magician walked directly behind Jessie and Frank, the two monsters acting standoffish toward one another as if they were rival siblings.
Justin was a bit more special, with his two decks allowing two Deck Bosses to walk with him. The Legendary Six Samurai-Shi En was keeping vigil over his master's surroundings while Dragunity Leyvaten flew above Justin, alongside Belial and the Blue-Eyes.
As for me... Well, my whole crew was bouncing around me as always.
Resting on my shoulder, Ojama Yellow asked, "Hey, Boss. How much longer do we gotta walk?"
A while.
"Naa?! But I'm so tired! And it's so hot out!" Ojama Green complained while laying on my head.
Jumping along the ground, Ojama Black snapped, "Whattaya mean you're tired!? The Boss is the only one here who can actually feel anything in this world, ya bum!"
Thank you, Black.
Flying down and lowering his head next to mine, Ojama Dragon suddenly cut in, "I was just about to tell them that too, Boss! That's my job as the Deck Boss after all!"
I told you, Ojama Dragon, I don't have a Deck Boss. I love you all equally.
Sulking, Ojama Dragon replied, "But I'm your coolest monster..."
As all my other monsters danced around his feet, the massive Ojama King stomped up and said, "Now, now, Dragon. I had to learn the same lesson back when the Boss here first put the deck together. I know you're a bit newer here, but you'll get used to it. It's honestly pretty nice once you do."
Growling a bit, Ojama Dragon insisted, "But the Boss actually designed me herself! I should be her favorite!"
Hey! No getting hostile with each other.
"Yeah! If you do, then the porcupines will eat all the sardines!" Ojama Green interjected with his treasured advice.
Folding his arms, Ojama King went on, "Besides that, the Boss has enough on her plate as is. She already has to deal with this death island and her sex change. She doesn't need us arguing with each other to add to the stress!"
Exactly! Thanks, King. I couldn't have said it better myself. So can you cool it, Ojama Dragon? At least until we get off the island?
Sulking even deeper, Dragon replied, "Grr... No promises are made."
Okay, whatever. I need to focus. So can everyone dial it down for now?
As my Duel Spirits talked with me and amongst each other, I was preoccupied with working on updating the island map. While I usually enjoyed their crazy company, at the moment, I needed them to calm down a bit so I could make more progress on my work. At least it wasn't as hard as redoing the original map that Justin and Erick made. That said, they still gave us a base to start with, and I'm not sure I could've done that myself.
Diego was giving me instructions on what to draw, and I think it was all really starting to come together. We hadn't gotten anywhere near the whole island yet, but we'd at least map out a path for how to get from one end to another, and now we were getting a proper outline of the place.
Taking a second long break to glance up again, I noticed all three of Neo Blue-Eye Ultimate Dragon's heads looking at Diego with concern. Each head was growing more upset the longer they looked at their beaten-up master.
"Aw. Poor guy is worried about his papa. You should tell Diego about that. Oh! But don't forget to tell him that he needs to remember to brush his armpits every day," Ojama Green told me as he leaned his head down in front of my face.
Good idea. I think I should talk to him. But I also think I'll leave out your advice.
"Huh? Why's that?"
Well, everyone keeps giving me funny looks every time I bring up your advice. I don't think they get it.
Folding his arms and legs, Ojama Yellow interjected, "Well, sounds like these people just don't understand good advice when they hear it."
I know, I know. But I gotta go with what they'll listen to, even if I have to dumb it down a bit for them.
Turning my head to the man in question, I told him, "Hey, Diego. Your Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is worried about you with how beat up you are. Maybe you should take a break from helping me with the map for now."
Giving me a dismissive glance, Diego smirked and replied, "I... I appreciate the concern, but resting anymore than I already am isn't a luxury we can afford right now. This is our fifth day here, and if we don't find a way to escape before tomorrow is over, all the people who are avoiding dueling will die."
"What? How do you know there are people who aren't dueling?"
Tapping the back of his finger to his forehead, Diego explained, "Simple deduction. While we Humans may be the most aggressive animal on the planet, we're simultaneously the most compassionate. As such, unless they've been given the training to kill others, such as a military or crime cartel would, a person cannot usually bring themselves to kill or harm another person unless pushed into a corner. Because of this, there are likely many individuals on this island, possibly upwards of half the total, who are avoiding encounters with other people at all costs in order to not be put into such a corner. We've already encountered some such people ourselves, remember?"
Thinking for a second, I answered, "Oh yeah. Those weirdos who ran away as soon as they saw us."
"Exactly... Although with all that said, Humans still are one of the most violent creatures there are on Earth. At the same time, we've met some people who have already decided to throw themselves fully into this game in hopes of enhancing their own chances of survival... And we can't say for certain that there aren't those amongst our own group who aren't willing to do the same if we can't find any way to escape."
Shivering when Diego said that, I asked, "You don't... actually think any of us would actually want to kill other people, do you?"
"Want? No, probably not. Be willing to so that they can survive this tournament? Yes, most certainly," Diego bluntly stated.
"Eeek! So scary!" Ojamas Yellow, Green, and Black shouted all at once.
Gulping, I asked another question, "Do you... Do you have any ideas who would?"
While looking at our group ahead of us, Diego replied, "I have some suspicions, yes. But I don't think raising those concerns is justified until I can verify them. For now, we're all allies and should be treated as such. Alright?"
"I'd feel more comfortable with that anyways, so yeah, no problem," I answered while scratching my head, taking care to avoid Ojama Green in the process.
Noticing my worry, Diego told me, "Don't be afraid. If we do have a traitor in our midst, I'm sure that Erick and Justin will be there to look out for us."
I couldn't help but smile at that, as I retorted, "So, even you have faith in them?"
Nodding, Diego told me, "Erick more so. While I'm certain Justin will do what he can to stand up for us, Erick has always been the emotional center of our click. He's the kind of man who I'm certain would never abandon his friends, and he has the brains to back up that commitment. Not as smart as you or I, though, but still adequate. Unfortunately, outside of pulling us out of ditches or something, Justin's brawn isn't as much use in the battles that will take place here."
"Oh... I guess not... But he's still just as dedicated to protecting us as Erick is! I'm sure of that!" I insisted.
"No doubts from me about that. He's a good man," Diego replied.
Just as we wrapped this conversation up, Erick shouted to everyone from the front of the pack, "Everybody! There's something in the distance! I think it's a...! A dock?!"
As we ran across the beach, the sand slowed us down a bit. However, that didn't do anything to deter our enthusiasm. After all, Erick was right. That was a dock in the distance, it even had a lighthouse and boathouse, and it was becoming clearer the closer we got.
While my monsters either ran alongside me or rode on me, Ojama Black exclaimed, "Are we sure that's really there?! It's not an illusion from the heat or nothing, right?!"
"Oh, come on! You were the one saying that we can't be affected by this world's environment! You're just complaining about having to run," Ojama Dragon snapped as he glided near the ground.
"Guh! I just wish I thought to jump on Boss' shoulder or head like Green and Yellow did!" Ojama Black exclaimed.
Suddenly, Ojama King's large hand picked up Black and dropped him on top of his majesty's head, alongside many of my other monsters.
"Here, just ride with me and stop your bellyaching!" Ojama King exclaimed as he walked next to me.
"Hahaha! That place looks kinda old! I bet they forgot it's here! Maybe we can find an abandoned boat here or something!" Tanya yelled.
"Yes. Then we'd just have to learn how to pilot a boat..." Michael remarked dismissively.
"Oh, don't start again! We'll figure it out!" Erick exclaimed.
"Wait... Pilot? Is that the right word for that if we're talking about a boat?" Justin asked.
"What do you mean?" Jessie asked back.
"Well, you pilot planes, but is that also what you do with boats?" He explained.
"Now that you mention it... I don't actually know."
"Whatever! We'll see what's there when we... Hold it! Stop!" Michael proclaimed as he came to a screeching halt, kicking up sand as he did.
Each of us followed his example and came to a stop as well, with Brie asking, "What's wrong?!"
Pointing directly at the lighthouse, Michael told us, "Looks like someone beat us here. There are some people coming out of the lighthouse."
Focusing on where he was pointing, we all saw the vaguely Human dots Michael was talking about.
"Aw, dang... Think we can negotiate with them?" Justin asked.
"Hmm... No idea. Maybe we should avoid them entirely and go somewhere else?" Erick proposed.
"No way! This place is our best bet for getting out of here. Even if we do have to duel our way through them, we need to get in there," Brie interjected.
"That's a good point..."
Keeping my eyes on the dots, I asked, "Hey... You guys don't think they've seen us already, do you?" Just as I asked that the dots started rushing toward us, making their forms more clear as they got closer, confirming that these were actually people. In addition, it looked like there were five or six of them.
"That's a yes!" Tanya exclaimed.
Taking a step back, Deigo asked, "Alright, what are we doing?!"
As Michael was studdering to say something, Erick spoke up surprisingly fast, "Like Brie said, we need to get to that dock. Everybody, just walk towards them. Hopefully, that'll let them realize we mean no harm. If they don't care, we're gonna have to fight through them anyway, so we best get over there and get it over with. Let's move, gang."
Ahead of the rest of us, Erick started walking toward the approaching gang while Belial landed next to him and readied his blade.
"Wow! He sure knows how to take charge! So cool," Ojama Yellow exclaimed.
Yeah. That's why we can trust him.
Picking up my step, and without a word, I was first to follow behind Erick, with Justin coming up behind me. Then, Diego and Tanya caught up with us right after.
"Uh... I guess that's what we're doing then. Come on, Frank." After I heard that, Jessie and her boyfriend caught up too.
"Wha-? Hey! Wait for me," Micahel shouted.
"Okay. Looks like we're doing this." Brie was the last to speak, as she and Michael power-walked up to us.
Within a few minutes, our group and these strangers caught up to each other, and now I could tell there were definitely six of them. Before this, at about the halfway point, these people had slowed down when they noticed that we weren't in a hurry to get to them. Hopefully, that was a good sign.
Since we were close enough to hear each other now, Erick shouted, "Hey, we come in peace! Who are you guys?"
The guy in the front of the group shouted back with surprising but welcomed tact, "That's what I was gonna ask you lot. We're in charge of this turf. We thought you might be here to attack us. But, I'm guessing that's not the case."
Closing the gap between them and us, so he didn't have to shout, Erick replied, "I see... Well, we're the graduates from Duel Academy. We're in our own alliance, and we're looking for a way to get everybody out of here safely. We thought there might be a boat we could use over there. I'm guessing you guys would've used it if there was, but... Any chance our hopes were right?"
As all these duelists looked a bit more somber, the lead guy replied, "Oh, that... Why don't you come in, and we can tell you guys the whole story?"
"The story?! Why should we trust you guys?!" Tanya snapped.
"She has a point. How do we know this isn't a trap? We've already had to deal with four different people who've tried to kill members of our team," Michael added.
Looking somewhat put-out, the lead man explained, "Look. If you kids don't wanna come in, then you can all just leave. I just don't like talking about what happened. The Boss can tell you about it instead."
"Oh, so there's more of you," Diego deduced.
"A lot more, yeah."
"Okay, well that's even more worrying! You could jump us!" Tanya added
"What? No, we can't. Weren't you there for Jude's explanation of the rules? No violence allowed. We couldn't do that even if we wanted to," the guy insisted.
Speaking up again, Erick explained, "Actually, I was on the receiving end of a pit trap somebody else set. So, setting traps that can hurt people seems to be fine so long as you don't directly attack someone. So... Anyway, can you prove we're not in danger like that?"
A taller but thinner man was the next to speak, replying, "Aside from our word, no. But like Joe said, if you don't trust us, you can just go." His attitude was a bit shorter than the guy whose name was apparently Joe, but the thin guy seemed like he was being honest.
I wonder why I can't see any of their Duel Spirits.
"Duel Spirits don't always have to be out and around. In fact, some duelists don't even have duel spirits if their deck isn't right for them. For those who do have them, it all just depends on the spirits' own personalities and how much they like their masters. And we all love you, so we stay out as much as we can," Ojama King explained to me.
Oh, I guess that makes sense. Thanks, guys!
"No problem, Boss! We got your back!" All my Ojamas said at once.
"Especially me!" Ojama Dragon added hastily.
Hehe... Thank's Dragon.
During the few seconds I was talking with my Duel Spirits, everyone had taken a moment to think quietly.
Finally, Erick asked, "Mind if my gang and I have a group huddle? I just need to talk to them about our options."
"It's not like we could stop you if we wanted to," Joe answered.
"Heh, right... Everyone, come here for a second."
As Erick walked a bit away from these people, Justin, Diego, Tanya, Michael, and I went with him without a word.
Frank, Jessie, and Brie hesitated for a moment until Jessie exclaimed, "Oh, cool! We're doing secret stuff! Come on, Frank."
"Mm!" Frank responded as he followed his girlfriend to us.
Brie was still hesitant, though, as she complained, "Hey, who put Erick in charge, exactly?"
Turning around, Michael was actually the first to give an answer, "Hey, we might be better duelists than him, but he's stepping up, Brie."
"Uh... Well said, Michael. But, yes, would you like to make all the decisions for the group, Brie?" Diego added.
"Come on, guys! Now's not the time! Just get over here so we can talk about what to do," Justin shouted as the other group was murmuring to each other about us.
Looking embarrassed, Brie let out a sigh before walking over and saying, "Fine, whatever."
With everyone in the huddle, Erick softly explained, "Okay, so I was thinking that some of us could go into the building with them while the rest of us stay outside in case something goes wrong."
"Don't you think we should just leave? They aren't gonna stop us," Jessie replied.
"Yeah, I don't think this is worth the trouble," Tanya added.
"Not worth...? Did you forget that our lives are on the line? We're in danger regardless of what we do. Even if they are planning something, that boathouse is our best hope right now," Brie shot back.
Recoiling slightly, Jessie apologized, "Oh... Right. I see what you mean. Sorry."
"So, I suppose you're on board with Erick's plan, then, Brie?" Diego asked.
"Yeah, I guess so."
"Sounds good to me too," Michael added.
Letting out a groan, Tanya remarked, "I guess we don't have much of a choice."
"I'm good with it too," I added.
"Me too," Justin said.
"So... Who's going in, then?" Tanya asked.
His face becoming all business, Erick explained, "I think we should have four people go in. That way, the majority of us will still be safe if something happens, and we'll have enough people in there to hold our own. This was my idea, so I'll volunteer. Aside from me, we could use one or two of our more fit members to come too, just in case brute force is needed for something after all."
"Frank and I can come in then. We can handle anything they can throw at us," Jessie chirped.
Tugging on my ear, Ojama Green told me, "Oh! You should go too, Boss! After all, the pickle farmed is the banana wrapped!"
Smiling, I spoke up next and said, "I'll be the fourth! I'm not threatening at all, so I should make for a good balance from the muscle-heads and Erick's dark demeanor. Besides, the pickle farmed is the banana wrapped."
Everyone looked at me in silence when I said that. I understood why, though. Ojama Green's wisdom is overwhelming, after all, even if you're having trouble getting it.
Eventually, Jessie grinned nervously at me and told me, "Uh... Alright. Just... Stand behind us, smile, look pretty, and... Don't say anything."
"That's the plan! I'm just gonna be there to disarm them with my pleasant aura. Frank and I will be the silent club!" I noticed that Frank gave me a pensive stare when I brought that up.
"I suppose the rest of us will stay just outside the building, then?" Michael asked.
"Sounds like that's the idea, dude," Justin told him.
"Alright then, gang. One, two, three, break!" Erick told us and broke off our huddle.
Making our way back to the other group, Erick explained what we were going to do, and Joe replied, "Alright. That's fine. The Boss is in the boathouse, so let's go."
Without needing to say anything else, we started walking together to the dock. As we got closer, I suppose these guys must've been gone for too long because more people started coming out of the lighthouse. About another six, actually.
Michael must've noticed this too, since he brought up, "Hey, I thought alliances could only have ten people in them. It looks like there's more than ten of you, though. What's going on?"
"Don't worry. You'll understand once you talk to the Boss," Joe told us.
"Do you just not like talking or something?" Brie asked.
"Not really, no. But I'm the head of my unit, so I gotta do what I gotta do."
"Unit? What are you...? The Boss will tell us, right?" Erick asked.
Nodding, Joe answered with a smile, "Now you're getting it."
A few of us, including some of our Duel Spirits, let out a collective groan at this answer.
After reaching the dock, we realized that, while they were still sturdy enough to support our weight, the wood it was made from was very old. It looked like it hadn't received any upkeep for at least a decade.
It was then we were greeted by the other group of six, with a woman from the group walking up and asking, "Joe, what's going on? Who are these people?"
Gesturing to us, Joe explained, "It's alright, Sally. They say they're looking for a way to get everyone off the island and hoped our base would have a boat. They didn't even see we were here at first. So... I figured the Boss could tell them what happened with that. And, if they're interested, maybe they'd join our gang."
"Gang?" Justin asked.
Putting his hand on Justin's shoulder, Erick told him, "Bro. You know what he's gonna say."
"Oh... Right. Well, make sure you guys tell us everything once this Boss tells you everything."
"Of course."
The woman named Sally thought about this for a moment and relented, "Alright. I guess that's not a bad idea. But if you get in trouble with George, I had nothing to do with this. In fact, I tried to talk you out of it."
Chuckling, Joe told her, "Well, of course. Alright, whoever's going in, me and my unit will go with you. Everyone else... I guess, wait here like you said you would."
Walking over to the boathouse, Joe opened the front door and let his people go in ahead of him before he gestured for us to do the same. After exchanging knowing looks, Erick, Jessie, Frank, and I did just that. At the same time, all of my Duel Spirits except for the three main Ojamas went back into my deck.
"Good luck!" We heard some of our friends shout before the door closed behind us.
When we went inside, we were a bit surprised. The layout of the place, of course, had an opening for boats to pull up in. Throughout the wooden structure, there were various barrels and nautical decorations. None of that was the surprising part, though. What took us off guard was the fact that there was a bit under thirty people in here.
"Wow. If we counted those guys outside, there'd be... Uh... A lot of guys here!" Ojama Black exclaimed.
"So where's the Boss? I wanna ask him what's going on here," Erick loudly asked as almost all eyes started falling on us.
Pointing off to his side, Joe told us, "He's right over there with the other leaders."
Looking to where Joe was pointing, we saw the only people who were not looking at us. It was a group of six, each one gathered around a fairly large table that had an actual shark jaw hanging on the ceiling above it. They were all looking at some papers and writing things down on them while talking amongst themselves.
"Ooo! Cool!" Jessie exclaimed as Frank smiled and nodded in agreement.
"Come on. I'll introduce you guys." With that, we followed Joe over to the table.
Once we got close enough, Joe cleared his throat and said, "Um, excuse me. We've got guests."
Looking up from their work, the six people finally noticed us, a few of them giving us nervous and surprised expressions.
The first person was an East-Asian woman with long hair who was dressed in a business casual dress. After her was an African woman with a small afro, who had somewhat worn-out but fashionable clothes. Next to that woman sat a caucasian man with bleach-blond hair, somewhat damaged sunglasses, and a white tanktop. The next person was an older tanned man, possibly in his late forties, with combed-back hair and dressed in archeology clothes. The person next to him was an African guy, about the same age as us, with a different school uniform than ours and dreadlocks. Finally, at the head of the table was a caucasian man that I'd guess to be in his thirties. He had a black long coat with red trim on it, as well as matching pants and shirt beneath. His long black hair was tied into a wolf tail, and his sharp face was in a constant grimace.
At the sight of this man, we all froze for a moment. Even I knew who this guy was, and I assumed he must be the George they were talking about who was in charge here.
"Why aren't ya guys saying anything, Boss?" Ojama Yellow asked me.
"Yeah. You're all just looking at that guy with the coat on," Green added.
That... That's George Jeffery. He's the U.S.A. national champion.
"Ooo! That's impressive! But don't worry, I bet we can take him!" Ojama Black said.
I doubt that very much. Be quiet and let me focus for a second, guys. Okay?
"Alright, alright. Sorry, Boss," Ojama Yellow told me.
Managing to speak up, Erick stuttered out, "You... You... You're George... George Jeffery..."
"Who are these people, Joe?" George asked.
"Heh. See their uniforms? They're Duel Academy drips," the youngest one remarked.
After that, Joe explained who we are why we were here.
"I see. Well, if you were looking for a boat, then this would have been the right place, but it isn't anymore," Geroge told us.
Audibly swallowing what must have been a lump in his throat, Erick asked, "What do you mean? What happened... uh, sir?!"
"Can it with that over-respect. You're all graduates now, so from now on, you're my rivals and competitors. Anyway, there was a motorboat when all our different alliances got here at the same time. Even some fuel cans were here. Unfortunately, it wasn't large enough to fit more than six, so we argued for a bit over who would get it. Eventually, we were able to agree that one person from each alliance should get to go on. We watched them leave through the telescope up on the lighthouse, but once they drove the boat for about a mile, all their duel disks went off and took them out... So, it looks like these things'll also zap us if we get too far from the island."
I looked at the duel disk stuck to my wrist with disgust when I heard that, cursing the thing's existence, as Erick asked another question, "So... What are you all still doing here then? More than ten people can't be in an alliance, and alliances could only be made on the first day."
"Official alliances, kid," the woman with the afro corrected.
"I'm sorry?" Erick replied.
Continuing to talk, George explained, "Only official alliances could be made on the first day, but that doesn't mean you can't still agree to work together with other people. True, we don't get the benefits of a proper alliance, but we still have reasons to bunch up and work together like this. Each person at this table was the leader of their own alliance, so we act as a type of council for our gang, with me at the head. In fact, we were just in the middle of a meeting about what our next moves should be."
"Oh, sorry about interrupting," Jessie replied.
Nodding, the archeologist told us, "No problem at all. In fact, if everyone else here is up for the idea, I believe we agreed that we still have room for new members, correct?"
"We agreed that two more alliances could join our group to make a total of an eight-way alliance," the East-Asian woman explained.
It looked like Erick was thinking for a bit before he remarked, "Hm...? Oh, I get it. That way, each alliance has a chance for at least one of their members to be one of the eight finalists if things come to that."
"Hm. Smart. I like that," the East-Asian woman remarked.
"Thanks, but... Do you guys mind if we come back later with an answer? We're sort of in the middle of mapping out the island, and we can't do that if we stay here."
When Erick explained this, the sunglasses guy asked, "A map? That sounds useful. Mind giving us one?"
"Uh... I don't know."
"Actually, that's not a bad idea, Johnny. If you let us have a map, you could consider it a downpayment of sorts to reserve a spot for you and your alliance with us. Sound good?" George asked.
Erick put his hand to his chin for a moment before turning to me and asking, "Elsa, do you think you and Diego could make another copy for them?"
Pulling out my copy of the map, I looked it over for a bit and answered, "Probably... It'll just take a bit. Maybe an hour?"
Looking at this makeshift council, Erick asked them, "Does that sound good to you guys?"
"No skin off our teeth. Take your time with that. Anyways, while they're doing that, let's get back to business," George stated while turning his attention back to the papers on the table. He was soon followed by the other boathouse council members, with them all seeming to forget we were here fairly quickly.
"Okay... I guess we'll get to rest our legs while you and Diego work on the map for a bit, Elsa," Erick told me.
"That does sound nice, actually... Hm?" Before I turned around, I noticed a Duel Spirit materialize out of the archeologist and stare at us.
The Duel Spirit was a knight in an all-concealing, shiny, silver and bronze armor encrusted with various gems. He had a black cape with a red interior and held a greatsword in one hand with gems going down the center of the blade.
At the same time, Belial, Silent Swordsman, and Silent Magician all stepped between this knight and their masters. As the Deck Bosses stared him down, the knight simply scoffed at them.
"Looks like that Gem-Knight's got a real attitude. Want me to rough him up?" Ojama Black asked.
Oh, Gem-Knight. So that's what type of monster that is. Yeah, seems pretty obvious now that I think about it. Do you guys know what kind of playstyle those guys use?
"If I remember right, the Gem-Knights are all about fusion, just like Brie's HERO deck," Ojama Yellow told me.
Suddenly, I felt myself getting shaken by the shoulder, bringing my attention back to my physical friends.
"Hey, what's up, Elsa? You went all zombie-like there," Jessie asked me while putting a hand on my shoulder.
"Huh? Oh, I just noticed one of those people's Duel Spirits looking at us. The Ojama's were telling me about it."
Glancing between the council and me, Erick asked me, "And... Is it trouble?"
"He's got a bit of an attitude, but that's about as bad as it is right now," I explained.
"Alright... Well, let us know if you think it could be trouble."
Scratching her head, Jessie asked, "Isn't she just imagining things or pretending? I mean, Duel Spirits aren't real... Right?"
I folded my arms in defiance at Jessie's words while her Silent Swordsman broke his stoicism and sulked ever so slightly.
"Another doubter, huh? Well, she'll learn her lesson soon. After all, the pancakes are always sharper on the other side," Ojama Green remarked.
"Don't believe me if you want. You won't have sharp enough pancakes, then." In response to my words, Jessie and Frank just started glaring at me.
Fortunately, Erick came to my defense, "I... I don't know if she's telling the truth, in all honesty. That said, Elsa's never been wrong when she talks about stuff she says she heard from Duel Spirits. So, even if it's not really Duel Spirits, there's something going on with her, and I don't think we should dismiss what she's saying... About Duel Spirits, that is."
"Hrm... Don't talk to Jessie that way again," Frank told me.
Erick and I were both a bit taken off guard by that. We'd heard Frank speak before, but these were the first words we'd heard him say since we got here. While this shook Erick and me, Jessie was completely unphased.
"Um... Right. Sorry, Jessie," I replied.
Shrugging, she told me, "Eh, it's fine. If Erick thinks we can trust your babbling, then I guess I can buy it for now."
"Uh, hey. Are you guys gonna get started on that map, or are you just gonna keep talking about ghosts all day?" Joe suddenly asked us, making Erick and I jump. I guess we'd both forgotten he was there.
Spinning around, Erick told him, "Oh, right! Sorry. We'll get on that. Come on, let's go tell the others."
"Right."
"Kay."
Working hard with Diego's help, he and I actually managed to get another map made in just forty minutes. By then, some of the other members of this dock gang had come out to converse with us. A few people were just watching Diego and I work, while others were talking to the rest of our group about different things, and a handful of them even had Duel Spirits come out when they came to speak with us.
Tanya and Michael were being approached by some people looking to flirt but were all shot down. Michael didn't seem interested in any of the women who went up to him; his standards were always really high about who he'd date. Meanwhile, Tanya was just in a bad mood and told the boys to back off.
Justin, Jessie, and Frank were making friendly chats with some of the more muscular people in this gang, trading work-out advice.
The younger people in the gang went up to Brie for dueling advice, but she'd rejected helping them at first. She said she didn't want to give opponents any help. However, when Erick started helping them in her place, she butted in while picking up on any areas his advice lacked in.
Shortly after Diego and I were done, the archeologist had come outside, accompanied by a taller guy with thick glasses and a sun hat. Behind the archeologist was his Gem-Knight, and behind the glasses guy was the Duel Spirit of a man in a cross between Power Rangers and grasshopper-themed armor.
"Great fashion sense on those two," Diego whispered to me. And I couldn't help but snort in agreement with him.
Walking around the gathering, the archeologist handed out a couple of pieces of paper, telling those he gave them to, "These are your unit's schedules. Who's going to be doing what on which day and so on and so forth... Hm?"
Looking over at Diego and me, the archeologist suddenly walked up to us and asked, "How's the progress on the map going?"
"Good timing. We just wrapped things up, actually. What do you think?" Diego told him while gesturing for me to show off our work. If it hadn't been for his hands being so banged up, I would have told him to do it himself. But, with him being in the state that he was, I acquiesced.
As the older man looked over our craftsmanship, Erick must have realized what was happening, as he jogged over and asked in a friendly tone, "Everything looking good, Mr...? Um..."
"Jared. Jared Hartford. You may call me Jared or Mr. Hartford if you like. I'm the London champion. And this is my friend, Stanly Howard."
"Stan is fine," he added.
Continuing, Jared told us, "He was in third place. As for your question... Yes, it looks quite good. It'll do nicely. Excellent work."
"Well, thank you. We do our best," I replied.
"Well, it certainly shows, my dear... I know this is meant to be a means of holding a spot for your alliance within our group, but... You wouldn't have happened to come around on that idea ahead of time, would you?" Jared asked Erick while straightening his posture.
Shaking his head, Erick answered, "Sorry, but we gotta focus on getting off this island before anything else. We'll come back if we hit a dead-end on that front, though. Promise."
Glancing at his duel disk before looking over at me as his Gem-Knight folded his arms, Jared told me, "Well then... Huh... Seeing as those from my alliance have not dueled anyone since this tournament has started, and we are running short on time, I'm afraid I'll have to challenge you to a duel before you and your friends leave, my dear. Terribly sorry."
As the timer for me to accept his challenge activated, I asked, "Huh...? What?!"
Taking off his hat and putting it to his chest, Jared explained, "Well, I have to duel somebody if I want myself and my companions to survive, and seeing as you're the weakest duelist in your group, I figured you'd be the best target. Again, apologies. Now, hurry up and accept my challenge before your timer goes off. You'll at least be able to put up a fight that way."
Looking at my timer, I saw I had less than thirty seconds left, and, in a shrill shriek, I replied, "Okay! I accept!"
"This guy's nuts!" Yellow, Green, and Black shouted at once while hugging on top of my head.
"What the fuck...!? Hold on! I'm joining in as her tag-partner!" Erick exclaimed furiously.
Raising his hand, Stan responded somberly, "And that's why I'm here. I'll be Jared's partner."
Jumping to his feet, Diego seethed, "What do you think you're doing?! I thought we had a deal!"
"Guys?! What's going on?!" Justin shouted as he ran over to us with Frank and Jessie.
"This scumbag challenged Elsa to a duel right after she just finished working on the map for him!" Erick yelled.
When Erick explained everything, some members of the dock gang actually started murmuring to each other in concern, "Huh?! Why'd Jared do that?" "They must've actually challenged him, right?!" "This isn't happening! This can't be happening!"
Having overheard this as well, Tanya came running up with Michael and roared, "You prick! Didn't you want us to be your teammates!? Real shitty way of doing that!"
Putting his hat back on while raising his hands, Jared interrupted, "Hold on, I resent all that. Would you really call a desperate act of survival, not just for myself, but for my friends as well, something a scumbag would do? I admit it is ungentlemanly of me, but a man has to do what a man has to do for those he cares about. And you're all still free to join us once everything is said and done here."
"Are you serious?!" I yelled.
At the same time, Brie came up and asked fearfully, "What? Elsa's gonna be dueling...? Oh no... Erick! You have to pull her through this!"
Gulping, Michael added, "She'll certainly need him to... I hope she doesn't hold Erick back too much."
"Hey, I'm still in the top ten," I remarked.
"Now, everyone. Would you all mind making some space, so our duel disks have room to operate?" Jared asked the crowd while gesturing for everyone to back up.
"Why the Hell should we listen to you?!" Tanya shouted with raw rage.
Turning to Tanya, Jared calmly told her, "Well, who knows what could happen if the duel isn't able to start in a reasonable amount of time?"
"We'll probably get electrocuted," Stan answered monotnonely.
Nodding, Jared replied, "Most likely, yes... So, would you all be so kind as to back away?"
After a minute of muttering amongst each other, the members of the dock gang stepped back to make a circle around us. Eventually, everyone in our alliance, except for Tanya, backed away too.
Looking at her, I pleaded, "Tanya, please... I don't want to die."
Gritting her teeth and clenching her fists, Tanya closed her eyes and winced. After that, she let out an angry shout and walked up to Diego and Justin.
Now that there was enough room for the holograms to materialize, and we had moved to stand parallel to Jared and Stan, our duel disks activated.
(Life points: Elsa And Erick: 16000. Jared and Stan: 16000)
Pulling out a duel coin from his coat pocket, Jared asked, "Very good. Heads or tails?"
"Your call, Elsa," Erick told me while shuffling his deck.
"Oh. Uh..."
Wiggling their butts, the Ojamas told me, "Tails, tails, tails!"
"I guess I'll go with tails," I answered.
Flipping the coin and catching it in his palm, Jared showed us the result and said, "Luck seems to favor myself and Stan today. Heads. Looks as if I'll be making the first move."
"Oh geez. Sorry, Boss," Yellow told me.
It's alright. I just hope I didn't upset Erick.
"Hey, I'm sorry, Erick," I told him.
"It's fine. You can't control fate. Just get your cards shuffled."
When Erick gave me these instructions, I noticed that he and our enemies had just wrapped up shuffling their own decks. As such, I hastily did the same.
After everyone drew their opening cards, I had Baby Raccoon Tantan, Ojama Blue, Ojamagic, Hand Destruction, and Terraforming in my hand.
Once I'd drawn them, Ojama Blue and Tantan's spirits appeared next to me.
"Ready to die for the cause, Boss!" Ojama Blue exclaimed.
"Scree," Tantan added.
Looking over to Erick, I told him, "Hey, by the way. This old guy uses Gem-Knight cards. It's a fusion-based deck."
"Huh...? Oh! Okay, got it," Erick replied
"Oh, so you've heard of me before?" Jared asked cheerfully.
"Uh... Yeah, you could say that," I answered.
Giving off a playfully dower attitude, Jared remarked, "One of the downsides to being a champion, I suppose. Oh well, on to the duel at hand."
After examining his cards, Jared went on, "Hm. Very good. First off, I'll set a card in my Spell and Trap Zone. After that, I'll activate the Spell Card, Gem-Knight Fusion. This lets me Fusion summon a monster using Gem-Knights from my hand or side of the field. So, I'll be using Gem-Knights Garnet, Sapphire, and Amber to Fusion summon Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond(ATK: 3400. DEF: 2000)." As the holographic effect of the swirling Fusion took place, the Duel Spirit that had been following Jared leaned forward. If it hadn't been for his helmet covering his face, I would've sworn he was grinning.
After the fusion effect finished, a female knight stepped out of the effect. She was covered entirely in fancy steel and light-green armor, with a diamond helmet, diamond breastplates, and diamond waist guards. Her shoulder plates were massive, multilayered, curved, and spiked. She also had a short, red cape, a longsword in one hand, and high-heeled boots.
Gesturing to his fusion monster, Jared went on, "With Brilliant Diamond on the field, I'll go ahead and end my turn."
"I guess that means I'm up, right?" I asked.
"Go for it," Erick told me.
Swallowing hard, I replied, "Alright then. I draw...
Oh, hey, Pink. You're ready for this?
Appearing at my feet, Pink scratched his belly and told me in a chilled-out tone, "You bet, Boss. Just toss me away as soon as you need to."
Smiling, I went on, "Whew. Alright, first, I activate the Spell Card, Terraforming. This card lets me bring a Field Spell from my deck to my hand, and I-."
"Will not be doing that," Jared interrupted.
"Huh?"
Gesturing to his face-down card, Jared explained as it flipped up, "I'll be activating the Trap Card, Dark Bribe. This card allows me to negate the activation of one of my opponent's Spell or Trap Cards and destroy it. In exchange, though, you get to draw a card, so not all bad news."
Just as he said, my Spell fizzled out and failed. I grunted in frustration at this but did as I was supposed to and put Terraforming in my graveyard. But I also drew another card, Polymerization.
Ugh. If he hadn't used up his whole hand, I could activate Hand Destruction. Alright, backup plan then... Which is what again?
"Oh! Set Tantan. His effect will give us the most defense right now," Blue told me.
In response, Tantan made an approving, chittering noise.
Taking a breath, I said, "Alright, um... In that case, next, I'll set one monster in face-down defense position, set one card in the Spell and Trap Zone, and end my turn." As I set Tantan face-down, he hurriedly waddled over to his card and climbed underneath it.
Drawing his card, Stan flatly said, "Guess that means I'm up then... Alright, I'll activate the Spell Card, Allure Of Darkness. This lets me draw two cards so long as I banish a Dark-Attribute monster from my hand. And the card I'm banishing is Inzektor Centipede. After that, I'm setting a card in the Spell and Trap Zone. Now, I summon Inzektor Hopper(ATK: 1700. DEF: 1400)." As the hologram for this monster appeared, Stan's grasshopper Deck Boss jumped onto the field and merged with it.
"After that, I'll equip Hopper with the Equip Spell, Inzektor Sword-Zektkaliber. With this, Hopper's attack and defense points will increase by 800 each." A golden, mechanical-looking blade then materialized in Inzektor Hopper's hands.
As he put another card in his spell and trap zone, Stan explained, "Now, I'll use Hopper's effect. Once per turn, I can equip one Inzektor monster from my hand or grave to him, and I pick Inzektor Ladybug." A metal ball with a ladybug pattern then appeared hovering over Hopper's head.
"When Ladybug is equipped to a monster, that monster's level increases by two, and her attack and defense is added to theirs. What that means is that Hopper gains another 500 Attack and 100 Defense. That'll boost him up to a total of 3000 attack points and 2200 defense points. With all my setup done, I'll have Hopper attack your face-down monster."
Following Stan's orders, Inzektor Hopper rushed my face-down Tantan and slashed at it.
However, when Tantan flipped face-up just before being destroyed, I exclaimed, "Hold on! After Baby Raccoon Tantan is flipped face-up, I can special summon one level 2 Beast-Type monster from my deck! And the card I pick is Ojama Blue, in defense position(ATK: 0. DEF: 1000)."
As I special summoned one copy of his card, Ojama Blue flipped away from my feet and merged with his hologram. Ojama Blue was a tiny thing, not even a foot tall. It had dark blue skin, large, yet squinted and slanted eyes, a large bell-shaped head, and pursed lips. In addition, he wore a red speedo.
Unimpressed, Stan replied, "Hm. In that case, I'll have Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond destroy that monster too. Go get 'em."
Brilliant Diamond came rushing at Blue when ordered to, slashing him in half as I heard Blue squeal in fear while his spirit came tumbling back to my feet.
Once the smoke had cleared, though, I remarked, "Thanks for that! When Ojama Blue is destroyed by battle and sent to the graveyard, I can add two Ojama cards from my deck to my hand... The cards I pick are going to be Ojama Delta Hurricane and Ojama Country."
"Oh, dear. That could be an issue," Jared remarked.
Scratching his ear, Stand replied, "Don't worry. I'm sure we got this."
"Well, yes, obviously. But we can at least give the sprouts a feeling that they're doing well."
Inpatients showing on his face, Erick asked, "Is there anything else you're gonna do on your turn, or is it my move?"
"Huh...? Oh, yeah. I guess I end my turn," Stan answered.
Drawing his card, Erick replied, "Good..." As Erick looked over his hand, I saw Belial appear behind him.
"Okay. For my first move, I activate the Spell Card, Dark World Dealings. This card has all players draw one card, but then everyone has to discard another."
"So, I suppose that just means I'll be sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard," Jared remarked jokingly.
"Guess so. Now, everyone, draw!" Erick commanded.
I smiled at this as I ended up drawing Ojama Red from my deck before discarding Ojamagic.
"I'm ready to bring out the cavalry, Boss!" Red told me with his scratchy voice as he appeared on my shoulder.
After everyone had drawn and discarded their cards, Erick stated, "Alright. With that, I'm activating the effect of the card I discarded, Grapha, Dragon Lord Of Dark World! When he's discarded to the graveyard by a card effect, I can pick one card on the field and destroy it, and I pick Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond."
Suddenly, the hologram of Grapha's massive clawed hand reached out of the ground and crushed Brilliant Diamond in an explosion. The claw then retreated back into the ground.
Speaking up, I added, "And I'm chain-activating the effect of the card I discarded, Ojamagic! When this Spell is sent to the graveyard from my hand or field, I get to bring one copy each of Ojama Yellow, Green, and Black to my hand."
"Well, well, well. It looks as if you two can work fairly well together. Well played," Jared told us.
"Yeah, not bad," Stan added.
"My turn's not over yet. Next, I set two cards in my spell and trap zone. Then, I normal summon Broww, Huntsman Of Dark World(ATK: 1400. DEF: 800). Now that he's on the field, I can activate Grapha's other effect. If he's in the grave and I have another Dark World monster on the field, I can return that monster to my hand, and special summon Grapha. So, Broww, come on back so Grapha can come out in defense position!"
After Erick finished his explanation, Grapha's claw reached out of the ground again, grabbing Broww. The demonic dragon then fully pulled himself out of the Earth as he threw Broww back into Erick's hand(ATK: 2700. DEF: 1800).
"With Grapha in play... That will end my turn. Your move, Jared."
With his monster destroyed, I had expected Jared to be frustrated or panicked. Instead, the man looked completely calm as he drew his next card. In fact, there was even an earnest smile on his face.
"Good show, there. Good show. You two are doing much better than I would have expected. Maybe you really would have been ready to enter the pro-scene," Jared told us.
"Uh... Why... Why are you being so friendly?" I couldn't help but ask.
Raising his brow at that question, Jared replied, "Why? Well, no one benefits from being a bad sport, do they? When you get to my age, if you haven't learned to take mistakes and defeats on the chin and stay polite, then I'm afraid you've failed to grow up into a proper adult."
"But... If you lose here, you die," Erick commented.
Stan was the one to speak up this time, explaining, "We talked about that ahead of time. We don't expect to lose, but we're ready to accept it if we do."
"Quite right. Now come, let's just try to enjoy this duel. We won't all be playing at our best if we don't," Jared remarked.
However, just as Jared said that George and the professionally dressed woman suddenly came storming out of the boathouse.
When they saw the duel taking place, the woman exclaimed, "I can't believe it. Andrew was right!"
"What do you think you're doing, Jared?!" George shouted.
With a stern and proud expression, Jared answered, "Protecting my friends. We had the least amount of time to work with, so if we lost a single duel during tomorrow's plans, then it'd nearly be the end of the road for us."
"But we're supposed to be working with these kids! Are you stupid or something?!" The woman demanded.
"That's what I was saying!" Tanya added.
"Well, you didn't call him stupid specifically," I corrected.
"Well, I should have!"
Keeping his face stern and proud, Jared stated, "It's a little late for harsh words to have any effect on the outcome of events. Would you let me focus on the duel at hand? You're free to yell at me all you'd like afterward, oh great leader."
"You're assuming that you'll win!" George shouted back.
As he activated another card, Jared stated, "I assure you, we will. And my next card will help with that, Heavy Trunade. This Spell Card returns all set Spells and Traps on the field to the hand. Apologies about your face-down, Stan."
"No problem. I'll get it back on the field next turn."
Suddenly, a powerful whirlwind engulfed the field and sent everyone's Spells and Traps were sent back to their owners' hands. However, before one of Erick's cards could be sent back, he activated it.
"Before it's taken off the field, I activate the Continuous Trap, Dark Smog. With this, I can target and remove from play one monster from my opponent's graveyard. After that, I'll have to discard one Fiend-Type monster from my hand to my graveyard. I'm targeting you Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond and discarding my Broww... And now that Broww's been discarded, I get to draw another card."
After that, Erick's Trap Card was sent back to his hand as he drew his next card.
"Hrm... Well, that is unfortunate. Oh well. I suppose I'll have Hopper take a go at attacking Grapha," Jared replied.
However, as Inzektor Hopper rushed at Grapha, Erick interjected, "I don't think so! I activate the effect of a card in my hand, the monster, Darkness Neosphere! When my opponent declares an attack, I can send one Fiend-Type monster from my hand and field each to the graveyard in order to special summon him. So, goodbye, for now, Grapha, and hello to my strongest monster(ATK: 4000. DEF: 4000)!" Honestly, I couldn't help but smile when I heard that.
Suddenly, Inzektor Hopper came to a screeching halt as Grapha was enveloped in a ring of baleful black light and sunk into the ground. Rising up in his place was this very tall humanoid demon. Its body was almost completely composed of this warped and rotting flesh, with large blue eyes embedded in its chest and right shoulder that seemed to be the source of it. In addition, it had a dark-gray cloth wrapped around its waistline. Instead of hands, Darkness Neosphere had two massive claws that were both the size of its torso, and on its back, it had two large wings, one of which was a leathery gargoyle-like wing. The other, though, was one of the two non-corrupted parts of its body, being an equally large, white angelic wing. The second part of its body that was uncorrupted was its head. While the skin was still a gray color, the rest of it was still Human in appearance, with long red hair. Its face was actually quite handsome in fact, although its eyes were covered by a wrapping.
At the same time, Belial's spirit warped into Erick's graveyard, so Erick must have discarded him for the effect.
As Inzektor Hopper stood petrified at Erick's monster, Erick went on, "You can still attack if you want."
"Hahaha! No, no. I think I'm good. Instead, I'll use the effect of the Gem-Knight Fusion in my graveyard. By banishing one Gem-Knight monster from my graveyard, I can return this card to my hand. So, I'll be saying goodbye to Amber for now. Anywho, I believe that ends my turn," Jared told us.
"My move then!" I exclaimed while drawing another card, showing Ojama Delta Volcano to myself.
"Oh! Use that one!" Red told me.
"Yeah, if you fuse Yellow, Green, and Black to summon King, that'll boost Volcano's effect a whole lot," Pink added.
"Hey! What about Hurricane?" Green Complained.
Pointing at Darkness Neosphere, Black commented, "Eh, they only got that bug guy on the field, and with our boy over there, we don't really need to use Hurricane right now. Better to save it for an emergency."
"Good point," Blue added.
"Boy, oh boy, am I glad we're dueling on the same team as Erick this time. Dueling against him was always so scary," Yellow commented.
Alright. I think I get it, gang.
"First off, I activate the Field Spell, Ojama Country! With this in play, so long as an Ojama monster is on the field, the attack and defense points of all monsters on the field are reversed. Though, for Erick, that shouldn't matter right now."
As Erick and I grinned at each other, my Field Spell's hologram overtook the field. Suddenly, the dock beneath us turned into a field of sand, and all around us, we were surrounded by cartoonish sandstone structures.
"Now, I activate Polymerization and fuse Ojamas Yellow, Green, and Black to summon Ojama King(ATK: 0. DEF: 3000)!"
When Ojama King appeared on the field, I and I alone saw as he gave me a thumbs up. Ojama King was huge, about the same size as Grapha, and his skin was pearl white, which went nicely with his egg-shaped body. He had a massive schnoz in the middle of his face, and his huge grin literally went from ear to ear. Also, Ojama King's eyes were dangling from stocks sticking out of his face. On his head was a small crown atop a red speedo that he had stretched across his scalp. Matching it, he wore another red speedo on his nethers. And finally, he had a green cape tied to his back.
"Thanks to Ojama Country, King's attack is now 3000! And when he's Fusion summoned, three of my opponent's unused monster card zones become unusable until King leaves the field." Once I said this, a miniature version of King holding an ink stamp appeared on the opponent's side of the field. It then used the stamp to mark three places with a cross-out symbol.
"With that out of the way, I activate Ojama Country's secondary effect. I can discard one Ojama card from my hand and special summon an Ojama monster from my graveyard. So, the card I'll discard is Ojama Pink, and the card I'll summon is also Ojama Pink(ATK: 0. DEF: 1000). However, before he's summoned back to the field, his effect is activated. If he's ever discarded, everyone gets to draw one card and then discard one card."
Following my instructions, everyone drew and discarded a card. After that, Ojama Pink was summoned to the field.
Ojama Pink was even more obviously fat than Ojama Black was, with fat folds on his face. His skin was, of course, pink, his doofy grin was missing a tooth, and aside from his two normal eyes, he had three eye-orbs encircling his head. Like the other Ojamas before him, he also wore a red speedo.
After that, I said, "But that's not all! Next, since the card I drew and discarded was Ojama Yellow, that means Ojama Pink's other effect goes off. Since I discarded an Ojama card with Pink's effect, that means another one of your monster zones is blocked off until the end of your next turn."
Just as I said he would, Ojama Pink performed a butt-press onto their fourth monster card zone, leaving another cross-out symbol behind as he rolled back into place.
"And I'm guessing the card you discarded has an effect too, right, Erick?"
Just as Erick was about to answer, Jared spoke up, "Well, he's not the only one, but he's your teammate, so I believe he gets priority. I can wait."
Oh no. What's he up to?
"I don't know, but I'll handle whatever it is," Ojama King assured me.
"Hm... Alright. Well, all I did was discard Broww, Huntsman Of Dark World. When he's discarded, I get to draw another card." True to his word, Erick drew yet another card.
"And what about you, Jared?"
Perking up even more than he already was, Jared replied, "So glad you asked. See, the card I discarded was Gem-Knight Obsidian. And when he is sent from my hand to my grave, I can summon one level 4 or lower Normal Monster from my grave. So, I think I'll go with Gem-Knight Garnet, in defense position(ATK: 1900. DEF: 0)." Gem-Knight Garnet was a monster that looked like a man in an all-concealing, ornate suit of red plate armor. He had no weapons, but his fists were burning with flames.
"Now, with your Ojama Country in play, that should boost Garnet's defenses up rather nicely. I'm assuming you're not done, though, correct?"
"That's right! I'm gonna normal summon Ojama Red in attack position(ATK: 0. DEF: 1000)!" Ojama Red was the same size as Blue, but with crimson red skin. His large head had a pointed nub at the top of the skull and a segmented jaw filled with pointed teeth. His eyes were bloodshot and he had somewhat of a pot-belly. He wore the same kind of speedo as King, as well as a yellow scarf around his neck.
"When Red is summoned, I can special summon as many Ojama monsters from my hand as possible, so I'm bringing out another Ojama Blue! Now, with Ojamas Blue, Red, and Pink on the field, I'm going to activate the Spell Card, Ojama Delta Volcano! I need Red, Blue, and Pink on the field in order to activate this Spell, but when it is activated, my opponent takes 500 points of damage for every card in my graveyard. Seeing as how my current number of grave cards stands at seven, that's... Um... Sorry, math is hard... 3500! That's it, 3500 damage!"
With Volcano played, Blue, Red, and Pink jumped into the air, spun around each other while laughing, and then butt-bombed to the ground. Once they hit the Earth, a crack formed along it that went towards and past Jared and Stan. After that, a volcano with Ojama King's face on it appeared behind them and erupted, showering them in lava rocks shaped like the heads of the different Ojamas as they grunted in discomfort.
(Life points: Elsa And Erick: 16000. Jared and Stan: 12500)
Once the Spell finished, I went on, "And time for the last summon of this turn! I'll use Ojama Red and Ojama Pink to XYZ summon Phantom Knights Of Cursed Javelin(ATK: 1600. DEF: 0)!" This monster was a black Humanoid skeleton with massive sharp teeth in place of a proper jaw. It wore a black cloth suit underneath a purple chest piece, as well as white, black, and purple forearm and forelegs guards.
"Say, that monster has no attack points thanks to your own field card," Stand remarked emotionlessly.
Nodding, I replied, "That's right, but I'm more concerned with his effect. See, if I remove an XYZ material from Phantom Knights Of Cursed Javelin, I can make one monster you control drop to 0 attack points and negate any effects it has. And I think I'll target your Inzektor Hopper."
When I said that, Phantom Knight pulled a skull off of his spear and threw it at Inzektor Hopper. It then faded into the insect monster's chest, and as his attack dropped to 0, he weakly fell to his knees.
"With that taken care of, I'll use Ojama Blue and Phantom Knights Of Cursed Javelin to XYZ summon Gachi Gachi Gantetsu in attack mode(ATK: 500. DEF: 1800)!" Gachi Gachi Gantetsu was a large, buff ogre-like creature with a torso that looked like it was made of stone, and red, metal legs. It had a somewhat small head for its body with a horned helmet resting on it. All across its body, it had strips of metal riveted onto it. In its left hand was a shield with a skull emblazoned on it, as well as a spear with three small skulls just below the spearhead.
"While Gachi Gachi Gantetsu is on the field, all monsters on my side gain 200 attack and defense points for each XYZ material attached to him. So, since Phantom Knight still had a material left of his own, that's an extra 600 attack and defense for all of our monsters! And with those bonuses, it's finally time to start attacking!"
"Oh dear," Jared stated while Erick smiled at me.
"Darkness Neosphere, attack Inzektor Hopper!" Using his claws to delicately lift his blindfold, Darkness Neosphere revealed his eyes underneath. This caused a wave of violent darkness to crash into Inzektor Hopper and destroy him.
(Life points: Elsa And Erick: 16000. Jared and Stan: 7900)
"Hold on a sec. You might've stopped Hopper from using his effect, but Zektkaliber still has an effect. When it's sent from the field to the graveyard, I can target one Inzektor monster in my graveyard and bring it to my hand, and I'm bringing back Hopper," Stan told us through the discomfort of the damage he'd just taken.
After he said that, though, I exclaimed, "That doesn't stop my monsters from keeping up their attacks! Gachi Gachi Gantetsu, destroy Gem-Knight Garnet!" Gantetsu then rushed Garnet, delivering a double-fisted smash onto the knight, destroying it.
"Finally, Ojama King, attack directly!"
"Oh, yeah! Time for a bellyflop!" Ojama King exclaimed as he leaped into the air and stretched his proportionally short arms and legs out. He then crashed down onto our opponents, earning another grunt of discomfort from them, before bouncing back into place.
(Life points: Elsa And Erick: 16000. Jared and Stan: 4300)
Letting out a sigh after working out my lungs so much, I said, "Okay, I'm going to set my card back into the Spell and Trap Zone and end my turn. Your move, Stan."
"Oh, man. This might actually turn out pretty bad if I can't turn things around... Oh well, I draw."
After pulling out his next card, Stan spent a moment in deep thought. It was rather obvious he was wracking his brain for the best strategy to use.
Letting out a deep breath, Stan told us, "First, I'm activating another Allure Of Darkness spell... Okay, this can work. I'll banish Inzektor Hopper, then, I'll summon Inzektor Dragonfly in attack position(ATK: 1000. DEF: 1800)." This monster also wore Power Rangers-esque armor, but his was red and black and styled to resemble a dragonfly. In addition, his helmet left his jaw exposed, and he carried a futuristic-looking rifle with him.
"Now, I activate his effect that lets him equip one Inzektor monster to himself from my hand or graveyard, and I choose Ladybug again."
Once more, the Ladybug ball appeared above Stan's monster.
"And now that Dragonfly is level 5, I'll activate my Spell Card, Insect Imitation. This card allows me to sacrifice one monster I have on the field and summon an Insect-Type monster from my deck that is one level higher, so say hello to Inzektor Giga-Weevil, in attack mode(ATK: 0. DEF: 2600)." This monster was a ten-foot-tall robot. Its spiky armor was a silvery-blue color, with glowing red rings around the spikes. Its domed, cylindrical head had an imitation of compound eyes and a hose-like nose/mouth. Its shoulders were guarded by two floating shoulder plates, while shields were connected to its forearms, and a battle ax was held in its right hand.
"I'll then set two cards in my spell and trap zone and have Weevil attack Gantetsu," Stan stated expressionlessly as he pointed at my monster.
Inzektor Giga-Weevil then rushed Gantetsu and brought its ax down on him, causing a huge blast.
(Life points: Elsa And Erick: 15800. Jared and Stan: 4300)
However, once the smoke cleared, Stan saw that Gantetsu was still there and asked, "Huh...? Oh, does that monster have some kind of effect that prevents it from being destroyed?"
Still off-put by how casual he and Jared were being, I answered hesitantly, "Uh... Yeah... If he were to be destroyed, I can choose to detach one of his materials instead."
"Hm... Well, that'll at least decrease the point bonus he gives. Anyways, that ends my turn."
Cocking an eyebrow, Erick drew a card and said, "I'm up then... Alright, first, I activate Foolish Burial. This Spell Card lets me send one monster from my deck to my graveyard. And I pick-."
"Sorry, but no. I activate Ash Blossom & Joyous Spring from my hand," Stan interrupted.
"Huh?" Was all Erick could ask.
"Oh, not that thing again!" Diego suddenly shouted.
Nodding calmly, Stan said, "Look like your friend has seen this card. You see, I can discard this monster from my hand as a Quick Effect and negate the activation of, and destroy, a card that either adds a card from the deck to the hand, special summons from the deck, or sends a card from the deck to the graveyard. So, Foolish Burial is a no-go."
As Erick's card fizzled out, he looked like he was thinking for a second until he suddenly smiled deviously.
Shifting his focus to me, Erick said, "Elsa, let me make it clear just how much I appreciate you going into card art and design."
While I racked my brain over what Erick was trying to tell me, he raised his hand and stated, "From my graveyard, I activate the Contact Fusion conditions for a certain monster and fuse together Belial-Marquis Of Darkness and Grapha, Dragon Lord Of Dark World! Now, I bring on out, Belial-Blew, Supreme Guardian Of Dark World(ATK: 3200. DEF: 2800)!"
Suddenly, a dark portal opened up in the ground once again. Stepping out of it was Belial, except, he had some noticeable difference.
The regular Belial was a tall and muscular Humanoid with huge, dark purple angel wings. He wore a suit of raven-black armor with long white cloth hanging from the shoulders and purple ones from the waistline. He had long white hair and a black band around his head. His mouth was kept covered by a dark purple wrapping. The whites of his eyes were black, and his irises were glowing red. Above his head was a black halo, and in his right hand, he held a huge black and purple greatsword.
Like I said, though, Belial-Blew was different. His dark halo was still there, but his wings had changed. One was still angelic, but its feathers were now a dark-blue color, with the other one having become a draconic wing. In addition, the purple sections of his sword, as well as his previously purple waist cloth had become the same shade of blue. The crimson glow of his irises had changed to a chilling blue. His black armor had turned gray, and now had Grapha's face on the chest piece. In addition, his sword's handguard and hilt now had a draconic design to them. Most striking, though, was how his mouth wrapping was gone, exposing a mouth of jagged teeth with black flames leaking out like spittle.
As soon as Belial-Blew hit the field, I understood what Erick was getting at. I mean, how couldn't I? I was the one who designed this card for him after all.
See, a few of the cards I'd designed back in school were bought and picked up by some of the major card distributors. Among my works that had been officially produced, I made sure a number of them would help my friends. And thanks to me making them, my friends got the first copies of these cards.
Belial-Blew, Supreme Guardian Of Dark World was a special fusion monster that could only be summoned by a Contact Fusion with Grapha and regular Belial while they were both in the graveyard. The downside is that they both get removed from play for the summoning to work. The upside was a wickedly powerful monster that let my friend have a viable reason to put his favorite card in his deck.
With Belial-Blew on the field, Erick exclaimed, "Alright, first off, Belial-Blew, attack Giga-Weevil!"
Spreading his wings, Belial-Blew readied his sword and darted forward. As he flew, he pointed his sword forward and unleashed a torrent of flames that surrounded his entire body. This gave Belial-Blew the appearance of a giant burning spear or perhaps a small meteorite.
As Belial-Blew got close, Stan attempted to flip over one of his face-down cards, only to find it locked in place. While desperately trying to play his card, Erick's monster pierced Inzektor Giga-Weevil, burning it to ashes afterward.
(Life points: Elsa And Erick: 15800. Jared and Stan: 4000)
"Hey, what happened?! Why couldn't I use my card?!" Stan asked, raising his voice for the first time.
Gesturing to Belial-Blew as he landed elegantly at his side, Erick explained, "Well, while he's on the field, all Fiend-Type monsters under my control cannot be affected by the effects of spells, traps, or monsters. Speaking of which... I guess that means you don't have any way to stop Darkness Neosphere from ending this." Those last words left Erick's mouth with tangible regret as he suddenly found himself hesitating.
"Oh... Oh my. Already? I suppose... We underestimated what you two are capable of."
As Erick struggled to make his next move, Jared and Stan both looked shocked.
I wasn't sure what, if anything, I should do, but just as I was about to say something, the two men exchanged knowing glances and approached one another. Once they were close enough, they shook each other's hands with somber smiles on their faces.
"It has been an honor knowing you, my friend," Jared told Stan.
"Likewise, buddy."
Turning to face us, Jared exclaimed, "We're ready whenever you are, worthy opponents."
"Yeah. I wanted to use Negate Attack to buy us another turn but looks like you found a way around that. Well played, you two," Stan added
"Wait, no!" "Please, don't!" "This affects us too!" A few voices rang out from the crowd of onlookers.
As Erick looked at these people with confusion and remorse, Jared yelled to them, "Now calm down, you lot. I know your timers will go down, but you'll still have a day left after that. This just means we'll have to expedite how soon we send out the hunting parties."
"Hunting parties?" I muttered to myself.
"But you're our best duelist, Jared! We can't lose you!" A woman pleaded.
"We can't just sit here and let these brats kill you!" A man exclaimed.
Raising his hand to them, Jared went on, "I understand how you feel, but Stan and I were the ones who started this fight. These fine duelists are simply acting in self-defense. Do you honestly expect them to let themselves die just because I was foolish and bit off more than I could chew? I say, no, sir!"
Putting his hands in his pockets, Stan added, "Yeah, this is our mess. We dug our graves, and we gotta lay in 'em. These guys were better than us. It's not their fault that we got trapped on a death island."
Taking his hat off and putting it to his chest, Jared faced us again and remarked, "Well said, Stanley. We salute you, fine duelists!"
Stan also took off his sunhat and put it to his chest, smiling at us and saying, "Ditto."
Looking at Darkness Neosphere, Erick was trembling. Honestly, if I had been able to finish things off on my turn, I'd probably be reacting even worse and skip my turn entirely.
"I think he needs your help," Ojama King told me somberly.
I think you're right.
Walking up to him, I put my hand on his shoulder and told Erick, "Hey, I get... Well, no, I don't get how you feel. But I understand you've done this once already. It... It hurts, right?"
"A lot... But..."
"But... You also know we have to do this to survive. Right?" I asked.
Nodding, Erick told me, "Yes... Yes, I get that. I promised I'd do everything I can to keep you all safe."
Gently moving me aside, Erick looked directly at Jared and Stan, telling them, "I'm sorry about this. You both seem like very nice people."
"You're sorry?! My lad, I'm the one who needs to apologize! You came here showing us an immense amount of trust, and I spat on it. The least I can do is face my end with honor. Now please, you don't need to hesitate any longer!"
As I saw Erick begin to cry, he pointed forward and said, "Darkness Neosphere... attack... directly."
Unleashing another torrent of shadows from its eyes, Neosphere ended the match then and there. At the same time, I saw Stan and Jared's Duel Spirits appear around them and begin to sob.
(Life points: Elsa And Erick: 15800. Jared and Stan: 0)
After recomposing themselves from the hit they just took, Jared and Stan both flinched as they heard their duel disks start to beep.
Clenching his fists, Jared exclaimed, "With my last breaths, I pray you are all able to find a way to safely escape and bring that mad man who brought us here to justice!"
"Likewise!" Stan shouted.
As the beeping finished, Erick, despite the tears in his eyes, didn't look away. As for me... I didn't have that same willpower.
About an hour later, Erick, Brie, and Michael were wrapping up their goodbyes to the other leaders of the dock gang.
"And... You're sure we're still welcome back here?"
Nodding, George replied, "Jared put it best. You guys didn't start that, and I'd rather have you all as allies instead of enemies. Once you're done with your mapping, if you haven't found a way to escape, you'll find a place to stay with us."
"You guys certainly are an honorable lot. Gotta say it gives me some more faith in Humanity," Brie remarked.
"I'll take that as a compliment," the guy near our age, who I learned was named Doug, replied.
"It is. Trust me, unless you're a really good friend, that's about as nice as she gets," Michael explained.
Frustration exploding across her face, Brie snapped, "Hey, don't go telling people lies about me! I can be nice when I want to."
"Of course, you can," he chided back.
"Anyway...! Thanks for letting us use the charging station here. We'll be on our way, now," Erick cut in.
"Don't mention it... Like, seriously. Don't tell anybody we've got one here," the African woman named Mia, responded.
Nodding, Erick answered, "Of course. Hopefully, we'll see you guys around."
"Likewise. Now don't die out there," George replied while turning around to go back to the dock.
"We have no intentions of that," Michael answered while turning around with the other two to walk back to us.
Once everyone from the dock gang went back to their posts, we all made sure we were ready and left, getting back on our path to walk a circle around the island.
After the dock was out of sight, I saw Justin attempt to approach and talk with Erick.
However, he sent him away with a, "Can we talk about it later?! I just need to be alone for today, okay?!"
Backing away, I could see the visible disappointment and sorrow all throughout Justin's body language.
You want to be alone, Erick...? That's going to be a bit hard.
"Yeah, just look at that parade he's got with him," Ojama Yellow commented a bit tactlessly. Honestly, though, he wasn't wrong.
Nearly all of Erick's Duel Spirits were walking with him as mine almost always did for me. I saw this happen before when he and Justin went to bury those first two guys who tried to take our food. It's just the way spirits without the ability to directly communicate will try to comfort their masters. However, usually, they're comforting them over a loss, not a win.
That was really hard.
"Really? I thought you guys won that duel pretty easily," Ojama Dragon stated.
Not the duel itself. It's just that... Those guys weren't bad people. In fact, I'd say they were abnormally nice. It wasn't like before where those other guys were acting like madmen until they changed at the very end. They were showing us respect the whole time... Ending the lives of people like that... It isn't easy. It's gonna stay with us for a while.
"Oh... Oh. Well... Don't worry, Boss! Erick said that you guys will find a way out of this, so it's as good as guaranteed, I say! I'm sure he'll be back in the game by tomorrow, in fact!" Ojama Dragon assured me.
I hope you're right, Dragon... For his sake and ours.
Duel Academy Student Profile. Elsa Rell
Win/Loss Ratio For Sanctioned Duels: 78.1%
Deck Rating: Ojama Circus
Consistency: 5/5
Power: 1/5
Comeback: 3.5/5
Protection: 3/5
Versatility: 3/5