Hello everybody, your Nutty Buddy is alive and well. I'm really sorry about the delay. Everything just kind of snowballed out of control and kept me away from this fanfiction that you have come to love. Organic Chemistry has dominated my life (not to mention Macroeconomics and Differential Equations), as well as my part-time job. Long story short, I haven't been able to get on this story and I'm really sorry. Two things before I get to the story. First off, I've reached the max limit for OC's. Those of you who've submitted OC's, you know who you are. Second, I can't keep up the two-week pace I'd set for myself, so chapter updates are going to be one a month. I promise that I'll have the next chapter done before the release of Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby, but you won't hear from me for about a week after that release. And now, without further ado:
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 17: Beware the Eyes of Red
Thomas looked his opponents over, feeling the Master's power course through him, fueling the flames that stretched into the tunnel. If there was one thing he approved of about the Master's tactics, it was the intimidation factor. As they emerged from the tunnel, Thomas' red eyes were watching for one man only. This was the man he had heard so much about from his grandfather, who had regaled the tales heard from his own father, a very close friend of the short Duelist before him now. His emotions were conflicted. On one hand, he was in awe of the legendary Duelist he had grown up hearing stories about. On the other hand, Muto was the enemy now and had to be stopped. The future depended on it. "I cannot let you pass without a fight."
The man Thomas recognized as Yusei stepped forward. "You really don't want to Duel us."
That drew a grin to Thomas' face. He was going to enjoy this. "You're right, I don't. I want to face you!" His finger was pointed directly at Yugi.
"Me?" Yugi asked.
"Yes, Yugi, you," Thomas said with a dramatic flourish as the firewall herded Luna and Kaiba out from the maze and onto the street. A couple of streetlights lit the street, asides from the intimidating black and red firewall Thomas had created with the help of the Master. Kaiba stood between Luna and the flame protectively as they darted forward while the firewall reasserted itself into a circle, trapping everybody within. In the night sky above, the Japanese symbol for potential glowed in the sky, casting an eerie red glow around.
"Why does he want to Duel Yugi?" Luna wondered.
"Because," Thomas began, "I've heard so much about the King of Games. It was all I heard about when I grew up, stories about your exploits in Duelist Kingdom and Battle City, your crusade against Dartz in America, your journey to Egypt, I heard it all! When I'd heard that you had somehow managed to come to our time, I was glad the Master assigned me to you, because I want to see for myself just how good, or lucky, a Duelist you truly are!"
"How do you know so much about me?" Yugi asked, curious. "We never talked much about the fight against Dartz."
Thomas grinned again. "Because I am the great-grandson of your friend, Joey Wheeler and I will be using his beloved Red-Eyes Black Dragon to test the limits of your power!" He held up said card, and while it looked pretty aged, it was still in great condition. "See for yourself!"
"What?!" Yugi exclaimed, "That's crazy!"
"Time travel," Yusei shrugged, more curious than surprised, "go figure."
"But you're the descendant of Yugi's best friend!" Luna said, "Why?"
"Because," Thomas began, "You're on the wrong side of this conflict. The Master has big plans for this world. You don't understand the vision the Master has to save this world!"
"Save?" Yusei repeated, "I haven't seen anything from the Master that indicates he's going to 'save' this world. What's he planning?"
"The end of corruption," Thomas answered, "The end of inequality, and the dawn of a utopian world! However, with the establishments in place now, that will never become a reality. The politicians and the corporations lied to us! They claim to care for us, but all they care about is advancing their plans for personal power! They employ a form of mental slavery in order to control the population."
"Mental slavery?" Yusei repeated, "Are you mad?"
Thomas chuckled. "No, I'm quite sane, thank you very much. Mental slavery is the worst form of slavery. It gives you the illusion of freedom, makes you trust, love and defend your oppressor while making an enemy of those who are trying to free you or open your eyes. I was once like you, until the Master opened my eyes to the truths of this world; the governments in power now are not your friend and will never be your friend! There is no way for us to get rid of these people until we tear down the current system and get new people in to not rule over us and control our everyday lifestyle, but to merely keep things from getting out of control!"
"You are proposing absolute anarchy," Kaiba said after a brief pause. "If there is nothing to regulate the laws of the land, then humanity will descend into chaos. I already pay some of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, especially from my firms in America! Thirty-five percent of my income is taken away in corporate taxes alone! That doesn't count what I invest in order to keep Kaibacorp ahead of the game, nor the second time my income is taxed when I pay household taxes. What more do you want from me and my business?"
"And while you're living the life of luxury, your minimum wage slaves are laboring in the factory making those Duel Disks!" Thomas countered, "Face it Kaiba, you're no better than any other capitalist! You stand in the way of a world where everybody is equal! Your journey ends here!"
Kaiba looked at the red-eyed man curiously, a half smirk on his face. "So it's the old capitalist versus socialist battle. Go figure. Let me tell you a story about the first Thanksgiving in America, told to me by my adoptive father Gozaburo Kaiba while teaching me how to be the best businessman possible. Everyone knows what happened when the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock; the harsh winter, the Native Americans coming to the rescue. What isn't taught in schools is that the Plymouth colonists were socialists before socialism was cool. They entered into a contract with one another and a finance company called Merchant Adventurers to create an egalitarian commune in which their wealth, food in particular, would be collectively stored and redistributed equally among members. William Bradford, the first governor of the colony was chief among those who believed their colony would flourish as a collective colony. Guess what? He was dead wrong!"
"Get on with it!" Thomas growled, a disturbing red glow highlighting his eyes as he attached his black and red Duel Disk to his arm.
"With pleasure," Kaiba said, "Half the Pilgrims died that first winter, some due to the cold, most of the others to starvation. Now why would that happen if everyone was supposed to work together? Bradford quickly learned the fundamental flaw of collective socialism, something you keep touting with the end of inequality; the lack of incentive to work! The strong, young men of their commune, he noted, should have been their most productive members, but they resented being assigned extra work that benefited another man's family, so they refused. The less productive members, believing someone else would provide for them, had little incentive to improve their ways, so they didn't. The next year, Bradford ditched the socialist contract and gave each surviving individual family a plot of land and told them they had to provide for themselves. With help from the Native Americans in farming techniques, the colonists were able to produce more food than they could possibly eat, as they were working to feed themselves. They were able to trade food with the Natives and even with other colonies! It's amazing what people can do when they only have themselves to rely on. Free-market capitalism, something you hate, will trump socialism any day of the week!"
"You tout one example like it's the be all and end all!" Thomas countered, "100 colonists over 400 years ago is trivial compared to the 10 billion people on this planet now, most of whom are floundering under corrupt governments who hog all the money to themselves! I am not here to argue with some greedy corporate head. I am here to Duel! Will you face me like a man, Yugi, or not?"
"I accept your challenge," Yugi said, stepping forward, "Though I wish I didn't have to Duel my best-friend's descendant." To the Pharaoh, he directed his thoughts inwards. 'This is not going to be easy.'
'Indeed, facing someone like him is never easy,' the Pharaoh replied, 'But together, perhaps we can make him see the error of his ways.'
'Let's rise to the challenge,' Yugi thought and closed his eyes. The Millennium Puzzle around his neck began glowing, adding a yellow tinge to the red light as the Eye of Wdjat appeared on Yugi's forehead. Thomas looked on in awe, having heard the stories about the mysterious Pharaoh, but he didn't expect this to actually happen. There was a flash of yellow light before the Pharaoh took complete control, sending his trademark glare Thomas' way as the Eye of Wdjat faded.
"You may be my best friend's descendant, but that doesn't mean I will be taking it easy on you!" Yami declared.
"I wouldn't want it any other way, Pharaoh," Thomas said calmly, before both Duelists yelled out "It's time to Duel!"
Jungle Room
It had taken some time for everyone to recover from their bruising experience with the kunoichi. Crow had gotten a cut similar to Dani's on his forehead and he held a makeshift cloth to his forehead to keep the blood from dripping into his eyes. Akiza was developing a nasty bruise where her skull had been knocked together with Crow's by the female ninja in order to isolate Leo, who was resting against a nearby tree.
"Do you think we should get moving soon?" Dani asked as she held a rag soaked in the nearby stream to her own head wound, which had stopped bleeding profusely.
"Definitely," Jack said, glancing at his watch, "It's getting late already. We're past sunset!"
Crow glanced at the faux sky, which had the "sun" shining high. "Could've fooled me!"
Dani smirked. "I dunno, Crow, I'm feeling like it's the end of the day. Call it women's intuition."
"You don't need some maternal instinct to tell the time of day," Jack said, partially miffed. "Is Akiza ready to get moving?"
"I'm ready," Akiza said, climbing to her feet, ignoring the pain in her skull. She would later confide to Dani that she could almost feel her dark side trying to get through that small crack in her mental defenses. "Let's see if we can catch Yusei and the others in this crazy maze."
Leo stood up excitedly. "Come on guys! We can tell Yusei all about how I beat that ninja lady!" He darted down the path, leaving the others behind.
"Leo, wait!" Dani shouted, chasing after him, "There could be traps!" Crow was hot on her tail.
Akiza looked at Jack, who just shrugged and followed the others. They didn't have far to chase them, as the three who had ran ahead had stopped at a dark hallway in the "side" of the jungle. "Looks like we found the way out."
Dani rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but do we have a way to light up the darkness?" My flashlight isn't in my bag."
Crow chuckled. "Yeah, I kinda gave that to Yusei before we got separated."
"You went through my bag?!" Dani shouted, whirling on him. "Dude! Really?! What all did you see?"
"I don't see what's so big about that," Leo said quietly, "It's just a bag." Before he could continue, Akiza covered his mouth, silencing the boy before he could say something he'd regret.
"Not much!" Crow said quickly, holding his hands up defensively, "I just felt around for the light!" That seemed to satisfy Dani, but she shot him a dagger-filled glare for good measure.
"Aren't your Signer Marks bright enough to light the tunnel?" Leo asked, pointed at the glowing marks on Akiza's, Crow's, and Jack's arms.
"Not really," Jack said, glancing at the gently glowing Wing mark of the Crimson Dragon pulsing slowly on his arm. "I doubt we'd be able to see more than five feet in front of us in there." Right as he said that, those with Marks doubled over in pain, drawing concerned looks from those without marks.
"Something freaky's going on!" Dani said nervously, hurrying to Akiza's side to try and help her, "I don't like it!"
"Someone's Dueling!" Jack growled through the pain, clutching his arm, "I can't tell who though!"
"I may not know who's Dueling," Crow said with a groan, "But whoever it is is in for the fight of his or her life!" Their marks began glowing a lot more brightly, adding a red tinge to the color scheme in the doorway.
"Well, I guess that solves our lighting problem," Dani quipped with a wry grin, drawing an 'are you freaking kidding me?' look from Crow and Jack.
Akiza simply gave a pained laugh. "Oh Dani."
"What? I'm just pointing out the obvious."
"That's my job!" Leo cried, drawing laughs from everyone. The Signers straightened as the pain lessened to a much more manageable level.
"Let's keep moving," Jack said simply, striding forward and holding his arm up high to illuminate the dark hallway slanting slightly upwards.
"Jeez, he's just like Kaiba," Dani whispered to Akiza as everyone followed the former Turbo Champion.
"You have no idea," Akiza giggled.
Maze Exit
Yugi LP: 4000 Thomas LP: 4000
"You may have the first move," Thomas said, eyeing his opponent over his 5 card hand.
"Very gracious of you," Yami commented, drawing a card. After eyeing his had to formulate a strategy, the King of Games made his move. "I'll place these two cards facedown and summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in Defense mode!" A short, pink, and stout little magnet warrior appeared, a blue S emblazoned on his chest as Gamma knelt down, holding his "wings" in front of him defensively.
Gamma the Magnet Warrior: Atk 1500, Def 1800, LV 4
"I've heard plenty of stories about those warriors," Thomas said, "The three magnets that combine into the mighty Valkyrion. Either that or they were used as tribute to summon the Egyptian god cards. It was a beautiful example of putting aside differences to work together for the greater good."
"Yes, my magnets work well together," Yami admitted, "Just as my friends as I can work together to stop you. You don't have to be our enemy, Thomas. I can sense Joey's determination in you, the determination that helped him nearly defeat Marik in Battle City, which helped him win the trust of Hermos in our battle against Dartz. You don't have to fight us!"
Thomas sighed loudly, shaking his head almost despairingly. "You don't understand. You never understand. The Master said you couldn't understand his brilliant dream. It's not your fault. You're simply too entrenched in the light."
"I have taken a step into the darkness," Yami said after a brief pause. "It nearly cost me everything. It's your move."
Thomas smirked as he drew a card. "Don't tell me you're afraid of the dark. I summon Masked Dragon in Attack mode!" A sturdy little red and white dragon appeared in front of him, flaring his wings out in a threatening manner.
Masked Dragon: Atk 1400, Def 1100, LV 3
"Why summon that monster?" Yugi asked Yami, perplexed, "It doesn't have nearly enough Attack points to defeat Gamma."
"Because of that dragon's special ability," Yami reminded Yugi, "Dani used that same dragon in her Duel against the zombie master in order to summon another dragon to the field. The question is, do we take the bait?"
"I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn," Thomas announced.
"Very well, my move," Yami said, drawing a card. "I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in Defense mode as well." Another magnet warrior, this one shaped like a knight, flecked with red and blue in appropriate places appeared, crouching on the field and holding his shield up defensively.
Alpha the Magnet Warrior: Atk 1400, Def 1700, LV 4
"One more and we'll be seeing Valkyrion," Thomas murmured under his breath.
"I'll place one more card face down on the field and end my turn," Yami finished. "Your move."
Thomas appeared to study his opponent momentarily before drawing a card. "You didn't attack. Hmmm. No matter. I'll summon Delta Flyer in Attack mode and call it a turn." A small yellow dragon with white feathery wings for arms appeared in the night sky above Thomas' head, ready for action.
Delta Flyer: Atk 1500, Def 900, LV 3
"Is Yugi afraid of his facedown cards or something?" Luna asked, "He's not attacking even though Thomas left himself wide open."
"He probably wanted Yugi to attack," Kaiba explained, "So Yugi's going to wait and see what Thomas' strategy is."
"Yeah, well the longer this takes, the better it will be for Yugi," Yusei said, "He'll have more monsters to sacrifice since swarming the field was more difficult in your time."
Kaiba chuckled. "Perhaps, but then again, we didn't have to swarm."
Yami drew a card, glancing at Thomas once more before studying his hand. 'He keeps summoning monsters in Attack mode, but he isn't attacking. I don't have Beta, so I can't summon Valkyrion, but at the same time, I could destroy that Masked Dragon of his. That would probably mean he would Summon another dragon of his choice. I have to tread carefully here."
"Be careful Yugi! That Delta Flyer is a Tuner monster!" Yusei warned.
Yami nodded. "Thanks for the warning Yusei. I know what I have to do now. I summon Skilled Dark Magician to the field in Attack mode!" A spellcaster in dark blue armored robes appeared in a flash of dark energy, holding his staff in front of him in a battle ready position.
Skilled Dark Magician: Atk 1900, Def 1700, LV 4
"This is more like it," Kaiba commented.
"I'll switch Gamma into Attack mode as well," Yami said as the pink magnet warrior shifted out of his crouch and raised his fists. "And I'll attack your Delta Flyer with my Skilled Dark Magician! Magic Orb Burst!" Skilled Dark Magician waved his staff in front of him, gathering energy into a dark orb of powerful magic before shooting it across the field at Delta Flyer, who squawked in surprise before disintegrating, the remnants of the attack washing over Thomas and causing the red-eyed Duelist to growl with the sudden pain.
Thomas LP: 3600
"First blood to Yugi. Typical," Kaiba said with a wistful grin. "Let's see if he can keep it up."
"He's the King of Games," Yusei said matter-of-factly, "He's definitely going to keep it up. The question is, once Thomas' strategy gets going, is whether our time period is too much."
"He can handle this," Kaiba said, waving them off, "He's already handled one Duelist from this era well enough, I'm sure he can handle another."
"Next, Gamma, take out his Masked Dragon!" Yami commanded, "Magnet Bomb Attack!" Gamma darted forward, humming with power as several orbs of iron were pulled out of the ground and began circling Masked Dragon. The dragon growled as the iron suddenly flew towards it, crushing the dragon beneath a ton of iron. Thomas winced as one of the orbs shattered as it attacked the pile, one of the shards struck him in the shoulder to indicate the Life Point loss.
Thomas LP: 3500
"Not bad," Thomas admitted as he pulled a card from his Deck. "But, Masked Dragon has a special ability, one that lets me Summon a dragon with 1500 or less Attack points directly from my Deck, one I think you'll be familiar with. I Special Summon from my Deck the Red-Eyes Black Chick!" There was a burst of black flame that engulfed the pile of iron before it retreated, leaving behind a red egg. The egg wobbled briefly before cracking open, revealing a baby form of the famous Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The little dragon squeaked cutely before hiccupping, releasing a little burst of flame.
Red-Eyes Black Chick: Atk 800, Def 500, LV 1
"Anything else you want to try?" Thomas asked.
"No, my turn's done." Yami said, "Your move."
Thomas smirked as he drew a card. "Well then, as I'm sure you already know, my Black Chick is but the baby form of the monster I'm about to Summon." Black flames began swirling around the baby dragon, hiding the little dragon from view. Soon a huge inferno was swirling about the arena, causing the bystanders to crouch for a meager attempt at cover.
"Get down!" Yusei yelled as Kaiba shielded Luna with his trench coat.
"The anger of the king shall burn forth into the land!" Thomas chanted, "Shatter the world with your darkened flames and bloody crimson eyes! Appear now, anger of my soul! The Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" The fire exploded outward, revealing the famous dragon of legend. The Black Dragon roared at Yugi, bright red eyes locked onto the King of Games.
"Red-Eyes," Yami breathed, remembering how that dragon had saved his bacon in his epic Duel against Kaiba in Battle City,
Back to the Past
Joey paused as he and Tristan searched for Yugi in the streets of Domino City, having been unsuccessful the previous night in finding their friend after the Crimson Dragon took both Yugi and Kaiba. Kaibacorp had kicked him out after Kaiba had disappeared and now Mokuba was pulling out all the stops trying to find his brother. Joey had had a strange feeling run through him, making him stop in his tracks.
"What's wrong?" Tristan asked, noticing the uncharacteristic pause in his friend.
"I dunno," Joey replied, "I just can't shake this feeling like something's happening to Yugi right now, something involving one of my cards."
"One of your cards?" Tristan asked, "You're going nuts man!"
"Naah," Joey said, waving him off. "It's just a gut feeling. Keep going, I'll catch up in a sec." He pulled out his beloved Red-Eyes Black Dragon and looked at it. "I sure hope Yugi's doing alright, though why it feels like you're fighting him, I have no idea. You're with me!"
"If you're done talking to a Duel Monsters card," Tristan interrupted, "We got to keep moving."
Joey glared at him. "Don't get your pants in a bunch, I'm coming!"
Future
"Yes, Yugi, it's kind of ironic how the same dragon that helped you win the first Battle City tournament is now going to destroy you!" Thomas declared, "Perhaps, if you had joined us, it would not have come to blows like this, but sadly, you have made your choice." Red-Eyes roared as if to punctuate that statement.
"This Duel has just begun!" Yami countered, "I know in my heart that my fall will not come at the claws of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, so make your move!"
"I'll make you regret those words," Thomas snarled, raising a fist, "Show him, Red-Eyes! Take out that Skilled Dark Magician with your Inferno Fire Blast!" Yami braced himself as Joey's beloved dragon opened his maw and unleashed a crimson and black orb of energy that shattered the hastily constructed magical shield Skilled Dark Magician created in an attempt to stave off his destruction. It was futile, as the backlash destroyed the Spellcaster and knocked Yami off his feet.
"Hang in there Pharaoh!" Yugi called encouragingly, spirit form unaffected by the blast.
Yugi LP: 3500
"I'm fine," Yami replied to his counterpart as he climbed back to his feet. He shed the Domino City High jacket he was wearing, leaving only the black tank top Yugi wore underneath on top.
"Well done," Thomas said to the Black Dragon, patting it on the nose. He then glanced at Yami. "This is but a taste of what to come."
"Believe me," Yami said, "I am far from beaten! I activate my Soul Rope Trap!"
Kaiba rolled his eyes. "Of course he had that Trap in on the field. What next, Disgraceful Charity?"
"All in due time," Yami said, overhearing the Kaibacorp executive, "For now, I will give up 1000 of my Life Points in order to summon a Level 4 monster directly from my Deck!"
Yami LP: 2500
"Oh crap," Thomas said, eyes widening as he grasped the implications.
"Yes, I think you know which monster I'm about to bring out," Yami grinned, "Come forth, Beta the Magnet Warrior!"
Yusei smirked as the yellow magnet warrior appeared next to Alpha and Gamma. "That's well worth the price, if he's bringing out the big guns."
Beta the Magnet Warrior; Atk 1700, Def 1600, LV 4
"I should have known better than to underestimate the King of Games," Thomas said, closing his eyes sagely, "I've heard all the stories, but now that I'm experiencing it in person, I can't afford to hold anything back. I end my turn."
Yami drew a card and looked at the three cards in his hand. "As you pointed out earlier, my Magnet Warriors do combine. Fuse now, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma! Combine into the mighty Valkyrion, the Ultimate Magnet Warrior!" The three Magnet warriors seemed to shatter, separating into mere parts that swirling around Yami, combining slowly, but steadily, growing in size until it began to become recognizable. With a final clunk, Valkyrion's head settling into place and the giant Magnet Warrior drew his magnet sword, saluted with it, and settled into a ready position in front of Yami, the giant warrior ready for battle.
Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior: Atk 3500, Def 3850, LV 8
"Wow," Thomas said breathlessly, looking up at the behemoth of a warrior standing before him, "One of the toughest monsters to Summon, and yet here it is!"
"Now, Valkyrion, attack Red-Eyes with your Meteor Mash Attack!" Yami shouted. Valkyrion threw his sword high into the air and leaped up after it, plucking the blade out of the air before descending onto Red-Eyes, slicing the dragon in half vertically and destroying the dragon. It was Thomas' turn to be knocked to the ground from the backlash as Valkyrion shook the earth when he landed.
Thomas LP: 2400
"Had enough?" Yami asked.
"Against you, Pharaoh? Never!" Thomas replied, "I'll activate my Trap, Red-Eyes Spirit, which wakes up the Red-Eyes Black Dragon you just sent to the Graveyard!" Another inferno sprung up behind Thomas as the famous dragon appeared once more out of the flames. "It'll take more than that to get rid of my Red-Eyes!"
"Like one Red-Eyes Black Dragon is going to make a difference," Kaiba snorted.
"I'll end my turn," Yami said.
"My draw then!" Thomas said, grinning as he looked at the card he drew. "You're right Kaiba, one Red-Eyes isn't going to make a difference. Two won't either, but why don't we try three!"
"What?!" everyone exclaimed.
"Three Red-Eyes are just as weak as one!" Kaiba retorted after regaining his composure.
"Individually, yes," Thomas acknowledged, "But together, they can become a stronger force than even the mighty Valkyrion!"
"Can it be?" Yami asked in wonder, grasping some of the hidden implications of Thomas' statement.
"I activate Polymerization!" Thomas shouted, holding the card high into the air. "I send from my hand another Red-Eyes Black Dragon and the Fusion substitute card, The Dark – Hex-Sealed Fusion to the Graveyard as well as the Red-Eyes on the field in order to summon my favorite dragon!"
"This cannot be!" Kaiba yelled. A dark rock appeared above Thomas' head and transformed into another Red-Eyes Black Dragon. It, with another Red-Eyes and the one on the field flew up into the sky, swirling into a portal that became a black orb, humming with raw power.
Thomas laughed, exhilarated, "Just as three Blue-Eyes combine into the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, I now send three Red-Eyes to the Grave to Summon forth the Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The orb pulsed with energy, creating a howling maelstrom tinged with black flames, and began growing. Limbs sprouted from the orb as it reached the size of Valkyrion, manifesting into limbs like one would see on the Red-Eyes Black Dragon, but bulkier. A tail grew from the orb, twitching like an anxious cat. Three heads grew from the body, taking full shape and announced its arrival to the battlefield with an earth shaking roar.
Maze
The ground began to shake from the backlash of Valkyrion's attack, knocking everyone to the ground. "What was that?" Crow asked, getting back to his feet first before helping Dani back to her feet.
"There's a big monster on the field right now," Jack stated, "That's all I know, and he probably just attacked."
"How can you guys tell what's going on elsewhere?" Dani asked, perplexed, "For all we know, Zero Reverse just happened again!"
"Our Signer Marks," Crow explained, "And mine's telling me we're close to Yusei and company."
"I'm getting that feeling too," Akiza said, holding her wrist before closing her eyes, trying to cast out her senses like some sort of Jedi. It actually worked, to a certain extent, as she could actually feel where Yusei was located. "We need to take the next right."
"You sure?" Crow asked, who was in the process of taking the next left.
"Trust me," Akiza said, taking the lead.
"Call it women's intuition," Dani said teasingly, sticking her tongue out at the bemused Blackwing Duelist as she followed Akiza down the dark corridor. The group traveled in a steady silence, their footsteps being the only sounds echoing off the passage walls. Each was partially absorbed into their own thoughts, bar Akiza who was completely focused on locating Yusei. There was another rumble from the ground, this one just as bad as the first.
"I see a light!" Leo shouted all of a sudden, breaking the silence. The boy ran excitedly ahead of the group towards the red light.
"Wait, Leo!" Crow shouted, trying and failing to hold Leo back. The Morphtronics Duelist sprinted ahead, climbing up the last few steps out of the maze before being halted by a black and red fire circle.
"Whoa!" was all Leo could say, eyes wide.
"What's going on up there?" Jack asked, right behind him before taking in the sight, "Whoa is right."
Crow summed up the situation quite nicely. "A legendary magnet warrior duking it out with a three-headed Red-Eyes Black Dragon. And I thought I'd seen it all."
"Yusei!" Akiza shouted, finally spotting the one face she had been missing since her Duel.
"Akiza! Jack!" Yusei exclaimed, "You're all right!"
"Of course we are!" Crow said nonchalantly, "That's a nice cut you got there."
"Not as bad as your forehead," Yusei shot back, "What happened?"
Crow shrugged. "Not much. You should see the other guy."
"You didn't even Duel!" Leo pointed out, "I did! You should've seen me Luna!"
Luna smiled. "I'm sure you were awesome Leo."
Dani had eyes for one thing at the moment. "Is that really a three-headed Red-Eyes?"
"Yes it is!" Thomas answered, cutting the reunion short, "Behold, the Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the beast that will lead to your demise!" The dragon behind him roared in agreement.
"That is such an awesome dragon!" Dani said excitedly. A couple of curious glances her way prompted her to continue. "If it weren't about to hurt Yugi, that is."
Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon: Atk 4000, Def 3000, LV 11
Kaiba was dumbfounded. "No! No way should there ever be an ultimate version of Wheeler's pathetic card! What was Pegasus thinking?!"
"The Blue-Eyes White Dragon was all about power," Thomas answered, "Red-Eyes is all about potential. Take a good look, Kaiba, for you are seeing the true potential of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon coming forth on full display!"
"4000 Attack points?!" Yugi exclaimed, "Not even Valkyrion can stop it!
"We've faced tougher monsters before," Yami replied calmly, "We just have to keep out wits about us."
"Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, attack Valkyrion the Magnet Warrior now with your Crimson Fire Blast!" All three jaws on the three-headed dragon opened. The head on the left unleashed a black flame, the head on the right spouted bright red flames and the head in the middle added to the inferno dark red fire that swirled about beautifully, even as it destroyed the mighty Valkyrion. Yami growled as the flames licked at his arms from the backlash of the attack. When the attack ended, soot marks covered his arms.
Yugi LP: 2000
"And to add to the agony," Thomas said, "I'm activating Dragon's Rage, which means you can't hide behind any Defense position monsters, as now my Red-Eyes will inflict piercing damage!"
"Hey, I have that trap!" Dani exclaimed, "So this guy specializes in the Red-Eyes Black Dragon and its support cards."
"Tell us something we don't know!" Kaiba snapped, before turning inward. "Why? Pegasus, why would you give Wheeler something like that?!"
"Hey, not all of us were here for the whole 'lousy backstory' bit!" Dani snapped right back, a part of her irritated that the firewall was in the way from delivering another very satisfying smack to the face.
"Don't mind him," Yami said with a wisp of a wry grin, "I daresay he's in shock from this turn of events."
Kaiba treated him to a glare. "Watch it Yugi. Mocking me is something few people get away with."
Thomas sighed. "Ahh, banter. I never truly had a friend with which to banter with, bar Allana. Enjoy it while you can, for this is your final battle!"
And there we have it, the long awaited chapter 17. I hope you all felt it was worth the wait. The card so many people have wanted to see, the Red-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, has finally appeared. It does not belong to me, however, it belongs to this guy, Kai1411 on Deviantart. I'm looking forward to your comments on this particular Duel.
Fan-Choice Update! This is your last chance to vote for the tag-team combo that will Duel in the next chapter against the much anticipated Six Samurai tag team! The standings are as follows:
1st place: Yusei and Kaiba with 5 votes
2nd place: Dani and Kaiba with 4 votes
3rd place: Dani and Akiza with 3 votes
And in last place: Jack and Kaiba with 2
This is your last chance to vote, repeat votes count in your reviews/PMs!
Responses to Guest Reviews (in order in which they reviewed)
Guest 2: Crow doesn't have Blackwing Dragon yet. I'll be breaking away from the canon a bit, since this is set after the Dark Signer incident, so Crow will get Blackwing Dragon in this story
Guest 2: Joey's opponent is…a victim of misplaced aggression. She will be sent to the past by the Master to take on Joey in the flash to the past chapter coming after the 6 Sam Duel. No furries will be used in the making of this fanfiction.
Corina O: Thank you for the compliment, you'll be happy to learn that it's Mika who'll be facing Joey in the past.
Guest: Thank you for the compliment, I'm just doing the best I can
MaleficKing: Originally, I had no clue what Pendulum monsters were when I started this story. I have the Master's Deck all laid out for the epic final battle, BUT, the more I look into Pendulums, the more intrigued I become. I'm keeping my options open, but Kaiba and Yugi will not advance past the 5D's era in terms of their cards. Sorry to disappoint.
Guest: Kaiba's an anti-hero, not a bad guy. There's a difference.
Guest: Your vote has been counted
Guest: I work in the brotherly moments when I deem them appropriate, but Kaiba is an anti-hero, so he's not going to suddenly develop a heart of gold. He's stubborn like that, but that doesn't mean he doesn't have his soft spots.
Guest: I see what you did there. We got to see the Executive Producer back in Chapter 5, as well as Dani's awestruck reaction. Slifer will appear again, but when is the only question.
Guest: It's a little early to be thinking about sequels, we're not even halfway through this story! That, and I've got a couple of commissions for other stories going on right now, a couple of Pokémon battles that need my attention. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.
Donna: Your vote has been counted
Sexy sinon: #1 I agree whole-heartedly
#2 I mentioned before, Yusei & Yugi are not tagging for this Duel. That combo will feature heavily in the endgame, no need to spoil the combos now
#3 Yeah, the only thing coming from Zexal is the XYZ monsters the Master brought back with him. No Yuma or Kite. Sorry to disappoint, but I don't know those characters well enough to put them in this story. Besides, the flow of the story would be completely disrupted if I threw Yuma in, because then Jaden would have to come in as well. No, it's best if it's just as I had planned. If you want to see a crossover with the first 4 Yugioh protagonists, I'd advise you to check out Shane Kor's story on here. It needs a little work, but it's coming along alright. I help when I can.
Guest: Thanks man, I'm just doing what I can.
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