Another update from your Nutty Buddy! In less than two weeks no less! Shocking, isn't it?
The following is a non-profit fan-based fanfiction. Yugioh, Yugioh GX, Yugioh 5D's, and Yugioh Zexal are all owned by Konami, 4Kids Entertainment, Toei Animation, Studio Dice and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release!
Chapter 15: Warriors Aplenty, Fight for your Lives!
Yusei ignored the drop of blood trailing down his cheek as he stared at Julius. After having taken a direct attack from Gladiator Beast Sparticus, Yusei was afraid. Not for himself, but for what would happen to the others if he were to fall. He hadn't considered death an option, being young and having been through so much already, the Head Signer knew he wasn't invincible, but he hadn't thought much about contingency plans if he were to fall. Yusei had planned on being there until the very end, protecting his friends. He couldn't give up, not yet, he had to keep fighting; for his friends, for the world which he loved, including one very special woman he held in his heart.
'Akiza, when I get out of this,' he thought to himself, 'I'm going to do what I should've done sooner. First things first, I have to show this meathead what true power really is!' Yusei could feel the doubt there on the edge of his mind. Unbidden, a gruesome picture sprang to his mind of what could happen if he didn't draw the right card with his next turn. Yusei winced, though the gladiator across the sandy arena mistook it for physical pain.
"It is through pain that we are forged into stronger weapons to fight the evils of this world," Julius preached, "Unfortunately for you, I will not allow you to become that weapon, lest the Master actually have some trouble in destroying you all. I'll end my turn with one more facedown."
"Hang in there Yusei!" Luna cried. She too feared for Yusei, because he was the greatest Duelist she knew, greater than even the two legendary Duelists standing next to her, in her humble opinion. They may have been great in their time, but with new rules and new cards, she feared they'd be overwhelmed. If Yusei couldn't defeat this man, then who could? She folded her hands and tried to send positive thoughts towards her friend. Kuribon appeared next to her and offered her comfort. "It's not me you should be worried about, Kuribon, but Yusei."
Yami looked down and saw the fluffy Duel Spirit rubbing up against Luna. Taking this in stride, he knelt next to her. "Don't worry Luna; Yusei's going to be just fine."
"How do you know?" Luna asked, looking at the King of Games.
"So long as he believes in himself, his friends, and the heart of the cards, Yusei cannot fail," Yami explained, "I have faith that Yusei can pull it out."
Kaiba rolled his eyes at Yami's little speech. "You and your ridiculous 'heart of the cards' again. If he's lucky, Yusei might pull this off. If not, then he's going to lose. Simple as that." If looks could kill, Kaiba would have been dead on the spot.
"We're going to have a talk later," Yusei said, placing a finger on the top of his Deck, ready to draw. "First, my draw!"
"Is it enough to save you?" Julius asked, intrigued.
Yusei grinned. "I summon Junk Synchron to the field in Attack Mode!"
Luna smiled as the little orange mechanic appeared on the field. "Yes! That's just what he needed!"
Junk Synchron" Atk 1300, Def 500, LV 3
"And because I was able to Summon him," Yusei continued, "I can bring back a level two or below monster from my Graveyard. Speed Warrior! Come and aid me in Defense mode!" The speedy little man in white armor appeared next to Junk Synchron, holding his arms in front of his defensively.
Speed Warrior: Atk 900, Def 400, LV 2
"Next I play my Quillbolt Hedgehog's ability from my Graveyard," Yusei announced, "An ability that since I have a Tuner monster on the field allows me to summon my Hedgehog to the field!" As the little Hedgehog with bolts instead of spikes appeared next to Speed Warrior, Yami turned to Luna briefly.
"Another Synchro Summon?" Yami asked simply. When Luna nodded in excitement, Yami smiled and faced the field once again.
Quillbolt Hedgehog: Atk 800, Def 800, LV 2
"Bravo Yusei," Julius said, giving a polite golf clap, "Your ability to swarm the field never ceases to impress me."
"They won't be around for long," Yusei said, "Because I'm Tuning them all together!" Junk Synchron pulled his string, revving up his little engines attached to his back before dissolving into three white stars that expanded into three green rings. Quillbolt Hedgehog and Speed Warrior both jumped into the rings, becoming four more stars that began to align themselves in the rings.
Yusei glared at Julius. "Your twisted little crusade stops here. I Tune level three Junk Synchron with both my level two Quillbolt Hedgehog and Speed Warrior to Synchro Summon another old friend. Gathering roars turn into an echoing arrow which tears through the sky. Become the path its light shines upon! Show yourself, Junk Archer!" The stars within the green rings erupted into a bright orange light that quickly faded to reveal an orange and silver robotic archer with one dark blue optic and a bright blue bow at the ready.
Junk Archer: Atk 2300, Def 2000, LV 7
"And now I'll use his special ability," Yusei continued, "With it, I can remove one of your monsters from play until the end of the round! Let your arrow fly Junk Archer and take out Gladiator Beast Alexander with Bulls-Eye Banishing!" Junk Archer drew back on his bow, took aim, and fired a bright blue arrow at the lion-man standing opposite of Junk Archer. Gladiator Beast Alexander raised his gauntlet covered left arm to block the bolt, but the arrow was absorbed by the armor. A portal appeared behind Alexander, who roared as he tried and failed to escape the banishment. The two Equip Spell cards that were attached to Alexander shattered, much to Julius' chagrin.
"Since Alexander was banished, the Equip Spell cards attached to him were destroyed, rather than getting returned to my hand like I had planned," Julius growled, "Well played."
"I'm not done yet!" Yusei countered, "Junk Archer, attack that Gladiator Beast Spartacus!" The orange archer drew another arrow and fired. The arrow landed right between Spartacus' eyes. The dinosaur roared in agony before shattering, buffeting Julius with a minor bit of damage.
Julius LP: 3900
"Impressive move," Julius admitted, "But Alexander will be back soon and he'll tear that hunk of junk apart!"
"We'll see," Yusei said, placing a card in his Spell/Trap zone, "I activate the Spell Card Tuning! By discarding the top card from my Deck, I can add a Synchron monster to my hand. I choose Nitro Synchron!" An image of a red pump-like monster appeared briefly above Yusei before zapping into the card Yusei just drew. "I'll end my turn."
Julius growled. "And since your turn is over, Gladiator Beast Alexander returns to exact his revenge!" A portal appeared next to him and through it stepped the lion-man, minus the shiny gauntlet and glowing golden sword from earlier.
Gladiator Beast Alexander: Atk 2400, Def 600, LV 6
"Now I draw!" Julius declared. He looked at the card and growled. "I summon Gladiator Beast Secutor from my hand in Defense mode!" A green lizard covered in blue armor appeared next to Alexander, clawed hands in front of his face protectively.
Gladiator Beast Secutor: Atk 400, Def 300, LV 4
Luna gave a sigh of relief. "Phew, he doesn't have enough power to wipe out Yusei's Life Points, it stands to reason he would summon it in Defense mode."
"That may be," Kaiba answered, "But Yusei's Junk Archer isn't strong enough to stand up to that Gladiator Beast."
"Kaiba," Yami began warningly.
"What? It was just an observation," Kaiba said defensively, "And his facedowns aren't going to help, otherwise he would've used them to defend Junk Berserker."
'While Kaiba's right,' Yugi admitted, 'He really needs to learn a better sense of timing.' Yami simply nodded and turned his sharp eyes back to the Duel.
"Now, Gladiator Beast Alexander, exact your revenge on that Junk Archer and attack with your Conqueror's Slash attack!" Julius yelled. Alexander roared and extended several glowing golden claws from his paws and charged, slashing at Junk Archer, snapping the bow before shattering the mechanical bowman. With a satisfied grunt, Alexander stomped back over to Julius' side of the arena. Yusei winced as he felts a sting from the Life Point loss.
Yusei LP: 1200
"And now that Junk Archer is out of the way, I'll end my turn." Julius said simply.
Yusei looked at his curiously, half-expecting some other unexpected move that would have caused his damage. "All right then, I draw!" He looked at the two cards in his hand and grinned. "I'll activate my Trap, Descending Lost Star to bring back my Junk Archer from the Graveyard!" The orange archer appeared again in front of Yusei, holding his bow in front of him defensively.
Junk Archer, Def 0, LV 6
"A pointless move," Julius said, "I can destroy him with Secutor now, and that's saying something!"
"Nothing is pointless," Yusei argued, "As I'm going to activate Level Eater's special ability from my Graveyard again and summon him by sacrificing a star from Junk Archer!" The little bug again appeared by flying through Junk Archer, causing the robot to jump in surprise. A yellow star materialized on Level Eater's back as it took its position next to Junk Archer.
Level Eater: Atk 600, Def 0, LV 1
Junk Archer: LV 5
"Why are you lowering your Archer's level?" Julius asked, a look of confusion on his face. Realization soon dawned as the warrior guessed Yusei's strategy. "Unless!"
"Unless I'm Summoning Nitro Synchron to the field in Attack mode!" Yusei finished. The little red pump-like Tuner appeared on the field.
"Another Tuner?" Yami commented quietly, "Just how many does he have?"
"Next, I'll Tune my level two Nitro Synchron with my now level five Junk Archer!" Yusei announced. Nitro Synchron dissolved into two red stars that became green rings that surrounded Junk Archer, who turned into five more stars. The stars aligned within the rings before erupting into a brilliant green light. "Gathering minds will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Blaze on, Nitro Warrior!" A green skinned creature with a giant engine-like tail jutting from his backside appeared from the light, revving the engine as it was ready for battle.
Nitro Warrior: Atk 2800, Def 1800, LV 7
Julius looked grim. "This could be a problem."
"You have no idea," Yusei said, glaring at Julius, "And because I used Nitro Synchron for a Synchro Summon, I get to draw another card!" The Head Signer looked at the card and smiled. "It looks like I get to play this new card as well. I activate Junk Barrage and equip it to my Nitro Warrior!" The green warrior's right fist began glowing briefly before fading back to its normal dark color.
"What does it do?" Yami asked when there was no notification about Nitro Warrior's Attack points.
"You'll see!" Luna answered, eyes glued to the Duel.
"Now I'll have Nitro Warrior attack your Gladiator Beast Alexander with Nitro Boost Strike!" Yusei yelled, "And since I activated a Spell card this turn, Nitro Warrior gains an extra 1000 Attack points for the battle!" Nitro Warrior revved his tail-engine, flames spewing out of the end as the green warrior flew towards Gladiator Beast Alexander, who raised his furry arms defensively.
Nitro Warrior: Atk 3800
Julius began to show alarm for the first time. "3800 Attack Points? That'll do some damage! That with Junk Barrage will definitely take a chunk out of my Life Points. But, I will still have my Gladiator Beasts to work with and finish you off next turn!" Nitro Warrior burst through Gladiator Beast Alexander's defenses, destroying the lion-man in a burst of fire.
Julius LP: 2600
"Now the effect of Junk Barrage kicks in!" Yusei said, "And you take damage equal to half the Attack Points of your Gladiator Beast!" Nitro Warrior turned around and revved his engine, sending a series of scorching flames to wash over Julius, who raised his shield to block as much as possible.
Julius LP: 1400
"I've got news for you, you wannabe gladiator," Yusei said, anger evident in his voice, "This Duel is over."
"It's not over until the last card is played," Julius countered.
"Well, I'm playing the last card," Yusei said, "Because Nitro Warrior has another special ability that activates whenever he destroys another monster; Nitro Warrior can take a monster on your side of the field, switch it from Defense to Attack mode, and then attack that monster!"
"WHAT?!" Julius thundered, "You lie!"
"Just watch," Yusei said. Nitro Warrior fired a stream of fire at Gladiator Beast Secutor, who blocked the stream, then rose up and got ready for attack. "Finish this Nitro Warrior! Attack with Nitro Flare Blitz!" Green flames engulfed Nitro Warrior as it charged and absolutely disintegrated Gladiator Beast Secutor. Nitro Warrior then continued through and blasted Julius with more green fire, slamming the gladiator into the arena wall. The big man's head snapped back upon impact before his body slumped to the ground, knocked out by the ferocity of the attack.
Julius LP: 0
Yami winced at the impact, but other than that he was smiling. "Well done." The red fire began to disappear as Yusei finally began to relax.
"There was no way I was letting a thug like him defeat me," Yusei said with a smile.
"Awesome job Yusei!" Luna said happily.
"So how do we get out of here?" Yusei asked, looking around the arena. A glint of something caught his eye. Yusei walked over to what he had seen for closer examination.
"What is it?" Luna asked.
"His sword," Yusei answered, looking from the locked door to the wall. "I wonder…" The Head Signer picked up the fallen sword and made his way to the door. He then placed the tip of the sword into the lock. The sword slide right in and there was a click.
"Well, I guess that answers my question," Yusei commented as the door began to open. He was greet by a loud roar as a lion prowled beyond that door, ready for it to open wide enough for it to pounce. Yusei slammed the door shut, yanking the sword out of the lock and sealing the door with another click, hearing the lion roar his displeasure at him. "Or maybe not."
"One of these doors has to lead out of here," Yami said, "Keep trying, we'll find the right one eventually."
"So long as whatever's behind these doors doesn't kill us," Kaiba said darkly.
Jungle Room
Akiza and Dani led the way, walking side by side and chatting like old friends, Leo following excitedly behind. Crow trailed behind them, silent after having trying and failed to strike up a conversation with Jack. The Wing Signer was last in their little group, sharp purple eyes sweeping across the road, looking for any sign of trouble. He wasn't in the mood for idle chitchat, not when their lives depended on it. It was Jack's contribution to the team, in his mind. He may seem antisocial, but if his caution managed to protect his friends, then the former Turbo Champion figured it was an even trade-off. Jack's thoughts turned back home in New Domino City, to Carly. He thought about the threat this Chaos Movement was to her and her friends, and the very thought worried him. Jack realized that he was a more dangerous man now that he had something to fight for, rather than fighting for himself. A rustle in the tree beside him made him start, the Wing Signer whirling to see what made the sound. It turned out to be a couple of exotic birds the Master had apparently added to the room to add to the authenticity of the jungle.
"Dude, no need to be so tense," Crow commented, noticing Jack's sudden movement, "You're wound way too tight."
"Perhaps," Jack admitted, still tracking the birds, their bright plumage making them stand out among the trees, "And yet, something doesn't quite feel right…"
Crow shrugged. "Well, if you figure it out, feel free to let us know." He jogged along the path to catch up to the others, while Jack remained standing a couple seconds longer. He slowly turned and followed Crow, unknowingly being tailed by a very stealthy woman. Kuno's form detached from a tree, having darted behind it when Jack startled the birds. She was close to her targets, it was time for her to put her plan into action. She knew who she was going to Duel, but first she had to take out the others to prevent any distractions. The kunoichi darted from tree to tree, slowly stalking the former Turbo Champion. In absolute silence, she crept up behind him. Not completely unaware, Jack whirled around just as Kuno reached out her arms to take him down.
"What?" was all Jack managed to get out before Kuno tackled him, placing her hands over his mouth and cracking a small vial. Jack struggled briefly before the sweet scent of the sedative Kuno used overwhelmed his senses and Jack sank into oblivion. His last thought was along the lines of 'I failed…' The kunoichi dragged Jack's unconscious body into the bushes before continuing along the trail, her plan set in motion.
"And then the Majestic Star Dragon swooped off towards Satellite, taking Jack, Yusei, and Crow with them to go finish the Daedalus Bridge!" Leo finished with a flourish, mimicking the actions that had occurred not too long ago. "It was all whoosh! Roar! Boom! AMAZING!"
Dani had to stifle a giggle. Turning to Akiza, she asked "Is he always like this?"
"You should see him if he gets a soda or two into him," Akiza said, "He'll be bouncing off the walls with excitement."
"Keep the boy away from caffeine," Dani noted, "Got it. Leo, you're definitely staying away from my little secret stash."
"You have a secret stash?" Leo repeated, "Where?"
Dani rolled her eyes. "If I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, now would it?"
"It could be our secret!" Leo said hopefully.
"No."
Crow smiled ruefully. "Jeez, Leo, I've got kids back at the Crow's Nest who know when it's time to give up."
"The Crow's Nest?" Dani repeated, "That sounds like the name of a bar or something."
Crow chuckled. "Naah, it's just where I'm taking care of orphans from around Satellite. I find them, bring them in, take care of them, that sort of thing."
Dani appeared thoughtful for a moment. "That's… very noble of you."
Crow rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I'm just doing what I can to make a difference. It's why I have all these marks."
"How does taking care of children get you marks from Sector Security?" Dani asked, bewildered.
"I stole Decks and gave them to the children," Crow said matter-of-factly, "I got caught a couple of times and got marked for it. No biggie. Which reminds me, I gotta check on them once we get out of this maze." Crow strode ahead and pulled level with Akiza when something none of them expected happened. A woman in a black catsuit leaped out of a tree, black ponytail flying as she leaped towards Akiza and Crow. Flipping over the two of them, she cracked their skulls together, knocking them out instantly. The two Signers slumped, back to back, to the ground. Leo yelped in fright and hide behind Dani, who had crouched into a combat-ready stance. The woman landed gracefully on the ground, a black katana hanging off her hip and a black Duel Disk strapped to her back.
"Jack should be c-coming around the corner soon, right?" Leo asked fearfully.
Dani never took her eyes off the woman. "I think she got to him first. We're the last two."
"Correct," the woman said, eyeing Dani's stance, "A Makashi stance? Really? Who trained you?"
"Nobody," Dani answered, "Growing up on the Satellite forces a girl to get good at self-defense." The female Blue-Eyes Duelist darted forward, throwing a punch right at the woman's head. She leaned to the side and sent Dani flying with a kick.
"Perhaps you aren't as good as you claim to be," Kuno said, "For you would know that a simple Soresu technique defeats any crude Makashi attack."
"What on earth are you talking about?" Dani demanded, getting back to her feet after an undignified fall. "Makashi? Soresu? Sounds like some sort of dinner."
"The seven forms of combat are-" the woman began, then stopped herself, "You are obviously not versed in the ways of fighting. This'll be easier than I thought." She darted towards Dani, who raised her arms in defense. However, the kunoichi wasn't striking at Dani's head like the Blue-Eyes Duelist expected. A quick leg sweep knocked Dani off her feet and she landed with a grunt of pain. Looking up, Dani's eyes widened as she recognized the woman's black boot descending towards her head at a decidedly rapid pace. Rolling to the side, she barely managed to avoid the boot and climbed back to her feet as quickly as she could.
"Leave her alone!" Leo yelled, leaping on the woman's back. He hung on for dear life as the woman began going through several techniques to get him off. The third technique finally succeeded, as the woman flipped Leo off her back and caused the boy to land painfully on her back. Leo gasped for air as Dani lunged at the woman. She sidestepped easily and laughed.
"Such a pity," she said as Dani rolled into a somersault and came up crouched, ready for the woman's next attack, "I expected more of a fight. I guess none of you are able to handle a proper kunoichi."
"There aren't many ninjas running around New Domino City anymore," Dani shot back, "Nor most of the world for that matter. And I'm not counting mutant turtles on TV."
The woman shot her a glare. "Television loves to make a mockery of the noble art of ninjitsu."
It was Dani's turn to laugh. "There's nothing noble about it! I know enough about ninjas to know that they win by any means necessary, including fighting dirty." Dani charged, ready to strike. The woman was faster, leaning to the side before landing a knee right in Dani's gut. The female Blue-Eyes Duelist was left gasping for air before wincing in pain as Kuno lifted Dani up by her own ponytail.
"We do win with whatever it takes," she said to Dani, "it's how we survive." With that said, Kuno slammed Dani against a nearby tree, knocking her out cold. Leo sat up just in time to witness this, recoiling in shock and fear as he realized who was left. He held up his Duel Disk hesitantly, trying not to panic.
"Want to D-Duel to settle this?" he asked as she approached, expecting a knock-out punch for an answer.
The woman, much to his surprise, nodded. "The Master wanted me to attack the weak link."
"Hey!" came the indignant cry.
"And once the link was severed, the rest of your Signer friends would fall like dominos," she finished. She calmly pulled the Duel Disk off her back and attached it to her right arm, activating it in the process. On her forehead, the Japanese symbol for ninja appeared in a black light. Black fire sprang up around the group in a circle, trapping everyone within. This black fire was different from Hueso's black fire; where Hueso's fire seemed to absorb both light and heat, Kuno's fight radiated heat and had a different light to it.
"I'm not the weak link!" Leo protested, turning his Disk on as well, "And I'm going to prove it! Let's Duel!"
Kuno LP: 4000 Leo LP: 4000
"My turn!" Leo shouted, drawing a card. "And I summon Morphtronic Clocken to the field in Defense mode!" A little white robot alarm clock appeared in front of Leo, little arms held in front of what passed for its face defensively.
Morphtronic Clocken: Atk 600, Def 1400, LV 2
Kuno raised an eyebrow. "And you claim you aren't the weak link."
"Hey, my Morphtronics all have special abilities," Leo said, "Morphtronic Clocken can gain a Morph Counter once per turn, and thanks to that, his Attack goes up by 500!" The numbers on Clocken's face changed from 0 to 1, indicating the number of Morph Counters it had.
Morphtronic Clocken: Atk 1100
"I'll set two cards facedown to end my turn!" Leo announced.
The kunoichi smirked as she drew a card. "I shall also play a monster in Defense mode; Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, battle dance!" A blonde lady with a green top, green skirt, green boots, brown cowboy hat, brown cape, and a little sword attached to her back appeared on the field. The Warrior Lady drew her sword and took up a guard position.
Warrior Lady of the Wasteland: Atk 1100, Def 1200, LV 4
"I'll end with one facedown card," Kuno said.
Leo snorted. "No way that weak monster is going to stop me!" He drew a card from his Deck and grinned. "I summon Morphtronic Staplen to the field in Attack mode!" A red and white stapler robot appeared next to Clocken, who beeped excitedly.
Morphtronic Staplen: Atk 1400, Def 1000, LV 4
"Not only that, but Morphtronic Clocken gets another Morph Counter!" Leo announced. Clocken's count rose from 1 to 2.
Morphtronic Clocken: Atk 1600
"I'll keep him in Defense mode for now," Leo said, "But I will attack that Warrior Lady of yours with my Morphtronic Staplen! Show her how tough we really are! ATTACK!" Staplen took aim and fired several large staples at Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, who blocked some of them with her sword before being overwhelmed and destroyed. From her remains formed a very bulky warrior lady who appeared to use just her fists in battle. "What the?"
"When you destroyed Warrior Lady of the Wasteland, you activated her special ability," Kuno explained, "Now I can special summon an Earth Attribute Warrior Type monster with 1500 or less Attack from my Deck; in this case my Amazoness Fighter."
Amazoness Fighter: Atk 1500, Def 1300, LV 4
Leo looked at the strong woman a second longer, unable to believe how much muscles that lady had. It seemed so weird to him. "Fine. I'll end my turn." He grinned as he thought to himself. 'Just you wait til my Morphtronic Clocken has enough Morph Counters; I finish you off with one move!'
Kuno watched him, dark eyes watching every tell Leo had, and Leo had a lot of tells. She knew his poker face was horrible, but she didn't think it'd be that bad. "I summon Amazoness Paladin in Attack mode." A hooded warrior lady with minimal armor and a simple broadsword appeared on the field, sword held in a ready position.
Amazoness Paladin: Atk 1700, Def 300, LV 4
"And like your Morphtronics," Kuno continued, "My Amazons also have special abilities. Paladin here gains 100 Attack points for each Amazoness on the field. Since there are two Amazoness' on the field, that means 200 more Attack points for my Paladin." Amazoness Paladin glowed with a pink light momentarily, performing a complex salute with the sword before resuming her ready stance.
Amazoness Paladin: Atk 1900
"Next I'll activate my Field Spell, Amazoness Village," Kuno announced, placing the card in her Field Spell zone. Several wooden huts sprang up within the circle, a pointed wooden wall encircling the ring of fire. Several Amazons armed with spears began to congregate around Leo and Kuna, ready for action.
"Whoa…" Leo said in amazement. The spell actually worked in concert with the jungle.
"Now, all Amazons get another attack boost to the tune of 200 more Attack points," Kuno said. Indeed, Amazoness Fighter and Paladin seemed more relaxed, more confident, more lethal in their new surroundings.
Amazoness Fighter: Atk 1700 Amazoness Paladin: Atk 2100
"Uh-oh," Leo said simply.
Kuno smiled a predator's smile. "Uh-oh indeed. Amazoness Fighter, destroy that Morphtronic Clocken!"
"I can't let you do that!" Leo shouted, "By activating Morphtransition, I can negate your attack and switch Morphtronic Clocken into Attack mode!" The Trap card was absorbed by the little robot clock while the muscle bound woman charged, fists raised. Amazoness Fighter lashed out at Morphtronic Clocken, who used his little robot arms to catch Amazoness Fighter's attack. Clocken then threw Fighter back to Kuno's side of the field. The warrior woman landed nimble on her feet, but looked indignant that her attack had been thwarted.
The kunoichi shrugged. "Fine, I'll simply destroy your little clock with Amazoness Paladin. Attack!"
"Not if I use my Morphtronic Staplen's ability!" Leo yelled, "Since he's in Attack mode, he automatically becomes the target of your attack!" Morphtronic Staplen fired a couple of staples at the onrushing Paladin, who used her sword to deflect the projectiles. She looked from the clock, back to the stapler, decided the stapler was the more imminent threat, rushed over, slashed Morphtronic Staplen in half, and returned to Kuno's side of the field. Leo groaned as a wave of pain washed over him from the Life Points lost.
Leo LP: 3300
Leo managed to recover from the attack quickly, though he was taken aback by how much pain it was from such little Life Point loss. His Shadow Duel with Devack hadn't been that painful, but it was more exhausting nonetheless. Then again, he had his sister supporting him throughout the Duel, even if it was from the Spirit World. He had to keep going though, for his friends and family. "Since Morphtronic Staplen was destroyed, the monster that destroyed it loses 300 Attack points!"
A red aura hit Amazoness Paladin, who gritted her teeth before the aura disappeared.
Amazoness Paladin: Atk 1800
"I'm not going down without a fight!" Leo shouted, "And I don't plan on going down at all!"
Chaos Movement HQ
Draco Regle strode into the waiting room of the Chaos Movement Headquarters, deep in thought. His Duel with Kaiba had truly been a masterful experience, but at the same time, he was disappointed that he couldn't come out on top. He looked around the room, as his other defeated members of the Chaos Movement sat around the room, a sense of despair prevalent. Draco knew well why everyone was so glum, even the normally cheerful Allana looking like her heart had been broken.
'She's probably worried about Thomas,' Draco thought to himself, 'I wonder if I could get in on the betting ring Julius set up. I could use the spare cash.' He spotted his friend, Louis John, on the far side of the room, sulking. Walking over, he grinned as he remembered hearing who he had lost to.
"Sup Draco?" LJ asked, not looking up.
"Not much, got my ass handed to me by an ancient Dragon Master," Draco said casually, "Where's your fancy cloak?"
"Ruined," LJ said simply. "By that Majestic Red Dragon of Jacks.
Draco sat next to his friend, recognizing the depression LJ was sinking into. "Hey, at least you got beaten by the one man who's ever beaten Fudo, if what the scrubs around Satellite say is true. I lost to freaking Seto Kaiba. He's not even the best of his generation, he should be easy pickings in this time, since it takes too long to get two sacrifices for a Blue-Eyes Summon."
"You ever think there might be something wrong about this Chaos Movement?" LJ asked suddenly, "I mean, none of us had lost while part of the Chaos Movement."
Draco chuckled, "Besides the guards."
LJ finally cracked a smile. "They're just cannon fodder, they don't count. What I'm saying is, we finally start making our big move, and all of a sudden we go 0-fer all day long. Even Julius let Fudo get away!"
"Our time is coming!" interrupted the Master as he entered the room. "Make no mistake, today was a day of testing, probing our enemies to figure out the best way to beat them." The Master looked around at his defeated minions. "I honestly only expected Hueso to win, and only after I discovered Dani's kinemortophobia."
"Wait a second," Draco asked, "You didn't expect us to win?"
"Today was a test," the Master said, tone of one who's patience was being tested, "Clean out your ears, Draco, because I got news for all of you; if the Signers make it out of the maze, then tomorrow will be the day where I send you after people I fully expect you to beat. Otherwise, I'll have no more use for you as minions. Understand?" After hearing the chorus of agreements, the Master chuckled. "Well then, I might as well add that I'll be giving you some new cards to add to your Decks. If you can't win with these, then you might as well leave New Domino City, because if I get my hands on you after another failure, you're going to wish your grandparents had never been born! Got it?" A more subdued chorus of agreements greeted the Master's ear, whos face turned from dead serious to jovial in less than a second. "Now, line up over there and I'll get you your cards."
And there we have it, nearing the halfway mark of this marvelous adventure. I just want you to know that this story has reached the 10,000 view mark, no small feat all things considered. Your support throughout this has been greatly appreciated in all of this.
A couple of references to outside franchises have been made in this. The first one is obvious, can you guess the second?
Darkfrost, I honestly have no clue what you're talking about. Alexander getting defeated by the Pharaoh? I didn't see any mention of the Macedonian in the show.
Something brought up by Guest 2: Do youse guys really want me to do a flash to the past type chapter and see how Joey's faring? It's something a few fans have pestered me about, and it is an interesting possibility, I want to hear your thoughts.
Alright, an update on the fan-choice tag duel
Tag Teams with 3 votes: Jack + Kaiba
Tag Teams with 2 votes: Yugi + Crow
Kaiba + Yusei
Kaiba + Dani
Leo + Yugi
Akiza + Dani
Tag Teams with 1 vote: Yugi + Luna
Leo + Crow
Leo + Dani
Luna + Dani
Yugi + Jack
Luna + Kaiba
It's been interesting so far, I'm looking forward to the final results. Keep the votes coming! The next chapter will eliminate the teams with the lowest number of votes, so if you want your team to make the cut, feel free to vote again!
I'm going to take a week off, cuz I've got a biannual family reunion in the Poconos in Pennsylvania coming up. I will respond when I get the chance, but I'll preferably be spending time with family I haven't seen in 2 years. It's why this chapter is up earlier than usual.
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve.
Until the next chapter my friends!
From your Nutty Buddy, the Eagle Nut