Hello everybody! My apologies for the delay. I lost count of how long I stared at the screen, trying to get something going. The phobia really puts a cramp on my writing abilities. But, I'm back and with a new chapter the day that classes began at Towson! How's that for awesome?! I have seen the new Star Wars movie, which left me with more questions than answers, but I'm going to try and address those questions in my newest work, Star Wars: The New Force Awakens. With requests pouring in for Pokémon: Rivals Collide, your Nutty Buddy is certainly enjoying life on this site. Now for the chapter you've been patiently waiting for, after the disclaimer.
Hueso: 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, and Kazuki Takahashi. Please support the official release! And please, feel free to let me add your body to my undead horde!
Nuttybuddy792: *shudder* Okay, that's enough from you
Chapter 25: Bring us Life, Ancient Fairy Dragon!
"My old bones can't take much more of this," Martha complained as Jack helped her onto the rooftop. All twelve of her adopted children were on the rooftop, as she had stubbornly refused to leave her home while her kids were in danger. Yusei and Leo were already up there, trying to keep the young ones calm amidst the chaos. Ever since the Pharaoh had given the order to retreat to the upper levels, it had been a constant onslaught of undead, both the garden variety and the new hulking zombies that while numbered in the few, were extremely hard to kill. To add to their woes, as soon as the horde had seen the Signers on the rooftop, they began climbing the walls in order to open another front. Needless to say, it was working.
"Akiza, how're you holding up?" Yusei called to his girlfriend as he lashed out with his impromptu staff. He had had the foresight to grab a broom and a mop from the supply closet during the retreat and now he and Jack were running around with their improvised weapons, keeping the zombies off the rooftop. Yugi and Akiza were by the trapdoor that had enabled them to reach the roof in the first place, using the Dark Magician to prevent the zombies from following.
The Black Rose Duelist gave Yusei a thumbs up sign, though there was some fatigue behind that. "I'll be fine. We just have to hold out until Luna can defeat the man behind this."
"I have a feeling she's in as much trouble as we are," Jack said solemnly, even as he swung his mop handle and knocked a rather eager zombie off the ledge. The fluffy mop head had been snapped off long ago, "These freaks aren't getting any weaker."
Leo mirrored Jack's movements with a baseball bat, producing a sickening thud from another zombie as his swing sent the undead crashing into several of its friends. "My sister will pull through, don't you worry!"
"I'm more worried about us," Jack retorted, separating a zombie from his hands with a well-placed thwack. Obviously some of these were deader than others. "It's not going to do Luna much good if we aren't around to celebrate her triumph."
"We have to stay strong," Yusei agreed, "for the kids." He spared a glance at Martha, who was doing her best to keep her adopted children calm. 'If no one else.' The situation was grim, but they fought on.
Woodland Grove
Luna LP: 4000 Hueso LP: 4000
Ebon Magician Curran: Atk 1300, Def 0, LV 2, Bird of Roses: Atk 1800, Def 1500, LV 4
Zombie Master: Atk 1800, Def 0, LV 4, Spirit Reaper: Atk 300, Def 200, LV 3
Luna was at a loss. The field was something out of a nightmare. She shifted a little and felt the crunch of human skeletons underneath her feet, which normally would have been more than enough for her to book it out of there had it not been for the man responsible for this nightmare scenario. The man in question looked like one of the undead himself, even as he laughed maniacally. The lava pool bubbled beside the zombies on the field, releasing sulfuric gases into the air that only added to the stench of decay. It was sickening. Her gut churned at the field, both at the disgusting odor of death and the fact that her monsters had been zombified. Luna could feel the pain of her monsters, the agony they were in from this Zombie World in the periphery of her senses.
"Now, it is time to put an end to you!" Hueso laughed. It was a dead laugh, one that send shivers up both Kaiba's and Luna's spines. "I Summon the Plaguespreader Zombie to the field in Attack mode!" As the deformed zombie appeared on the field, the Undead Lord continued to smile that insane smile.
Plaguespreader Zombie: Atk 400, Def 200, LV 2
"Now I'll tune him with my Zombie Master!" Hueso announced, cackling as the zombie Tuner dissolved into black slime. The slime rose up and turned into two black rings that encircled the purple zombie girl. The Zombie Master dissolved, revealing four more black stars that aligned within the black rings.
"I think I'm gonna be sick," Luna said quietly as the dark rings erupted into a pillar of darkness. Dark red flames extended out from the pillar, streaking along the ground menacingly. The lava pool was roiling with power.
"Dragon ruler of the burning underworld, come forth once more as one of the undead, and show the world the true power of death!" Hueso chanted, "Synchro Summon! Rise from your hell, Doomkaiser Dragon!" A powerful black foot stepped out of the pillar of darkness. Luna watched in horror as a giant bipedal, if undead, dragon stepped out from the pillar. A red core glowed on its chest as the Doomkaiser Dragon flared his giant tattered black wings and roared, body covered in white bony protrusions. The zombie dragon looked around with its long next, spotting its prey, dark flames frothing around its mouth.
Doomkaiser Dragon: Atk 2400, Def 1500, LV 6
"But the fun doesn't stop there!" Hueso chuckled. "For now I sacrifice my Spirit Reaper in order to Special Summon my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" There was a roar of black and red flames from the lava pool and the zombified version of Joey Wheeler's beloved dragon leaped out of the flames, growling at Luna.
Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon: Atk 2400, Def 2000, LV 7
Kaiba glared at Hueso. This Duel was rapidly spiraling out of control. 'If Luna doesn't do something quick, then this maniac will be free to spread this chaos across the city. We can't allow that.' he thought to himself.
"Now my Red-Eyes, attack that Ebon Magician Curran!" Hueso yelled. The Zombie Dragon punctuated his statement with a roar. "With your Dark Fire Blast!" Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon unleashed a black fireball that struck the zombified Curran, disintegrating the poor monster and striking through the red shield that Luna's Signer mark was projecting, buffeting Luna with black embers.
Luna LP: 2900
Much to Luna and Kaiba's surprise, zombie Ebon Magician Curran suddenly appeared on Hueso's side of the field, crouching down in Defense mode. "Hey!"
"My Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon has another special ability, one that allows me to automatically Summon to my side of the field any zombie monster that my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon destroys!" Hueso explained, that arrogant smirk on his nearly undead face really aggravating Kaiba.
"So you can't just simply use your own monsters, you have to steal your opponent's monsters after mutating them into your own sick version of life?" Kaiba asked rhetorically. "You're pathetic."
"I'll concede that it takes a bold man to say that in the face of death," the Undead Lord admitted, "But words are all you have left Kaiba! All you can do is watch as I take more of little Luna's life away, each Life Point lost bringing you and the Signers that much closer to oblivion! Go Doomkaiser Dragon, attack that Armored White Bear of Luna's with your Shadow Ball Blast!" The other undead dragon on Hueso's field created a dark ball of shadowy energy in its mouth. Doomkaiser roared and launched the shadow ball at Luna's zombified monster, who could do nothing but vainly try and stop the blast. The attack exploded on contact, annihilating Armored White Bear and slamming poor Luna to the ground, stunning her. She couldn't hold back the cry of agony as she fell, which hurt Kaiba more than the shockwaves from the powerful attack.
Luna LP: 2300
"Are you okay?" Kaiba asked, crouching down and checking on Luna. His rage grew as his mind's eye saw Mokuba, lying there on the ground, struggling to get up. "Please, you have to stay strong!"
Luna was fighting through the sudden cloud that had come over her mind. She'd heard Kaiba's plea, but her body didn't want to respond. It took an effort, but she managed to sit up. "Ugh. That hurt."
"Luna, you have to keep fighting," Kaiba said encouragingly. "This maniac can't be allowed to win."
Luna managed to push herself to her feet. "I know." She pulled out a card from her Deck. "Regulus, I don't want to hurt you."
The Duel Spirit materialized next to her. "Do not worry Luna. Though I cannot resist the power of the Zombie World, know that I will always fight by your side, be it through life…or death."
Luna bowed her head in respect to the lion-like Duel monster. "Thank you Regulus." Lifting her head, she faced Hueso with renewed determination. "Since you destroyed by Armored White Bear, I'm allowed to summon Regulus directly from my Deck to the field in Attack mode!" The proud armored lion appeared on the field, apparently doing his best to resist the Field Spell, but even he was overwhelmed. The armor covering him dulled, becoming cracked as the life faded from Regulus, his impressive mane fading in color. Luna couldn't see his face, though she figured she didn't really want to at this point.
Regulus: Atk 1700, Def 1000, LV 4
"Fine then," Hueso snorted, "play all the defense monsters you want! They'll end up serving me in death better than they served you in life! I end my turn!" His two zombie dragons growled, sending reverberations throughout the clearing.
"It's my turn!" Luna said as she drew a card. 'I have to get rid of that Zombie World card and I know just the dragon for the job.'
Kaiba looked at Luna, then at the field. 'I don't know what she can do besides hold on and hope for the best. She better have something more than those weak little monsters.'
"I activate the Soul Taker magic card!" Luna announced, feeding the spell into her Duel Disk. "This lets me destroy one of your monsters at the cost of giving you 1000 Life Points. Say goodbye to the Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!"
"I might be tempted to take the Life Points," Hueso interrupted, "But I need my dragons on the field for now. So I counter your Magic card with my Trap, Tutan Mask! This negates and destroys any Spell or Trap that targets a Zombie for destruction, so you're out of luck!" Luna's card shattered, the shards of light flashing over her before disappearing. "Anything else?"
"I Summon Dreamsprite to the field in Defense mode!" Luna said, a blue fairy with red wings and red hair appearing on the field before getting twisted, corrupted, transformed by the Zombie World. Once zombified, Dreamsprite crouched down, wrinkled skin protecting herself.
Dreamsprite: Atk 300, Def 200, LV 2
"I place one card face down on the field and switch Bird of Roses back into Defense mode. Turn end." Luna finished, focusing on remaining upright.
"Tsk tsk," Hueso tutted, "If that's all you have to offer, then this Duel is over. My turn!" He drew a card, looked at it, and laughed. "And now to finish you off!"
Satellite Shoreline
"Are we there yet?" Dani knew she didn't have the best patience, but this drive was taking an awful long time. "I mean, the scenery is nice." She gestured to the shoreline, the crashing waves coming down on the small Satellite beach. "But I thought you'd wanted to get back to your Nest ASAP!"
"Trust me," Crow shot back, "This is a shortcut. Besides, I let you lead that detour to the graveyard, we could've been there by now if it weren't for that!" He turned down one alley, then another.
"I got some awesome new cards because of it, didn't I?" Dani asked, watching the buildings flash by. She held on tight, still trying to get used to the sensations of riding a Duel Runner. For someone who had never traveled faster than 40 mph before, due to the lack of car rides available in the Satellite, this was still a curious feeling. "Besides, Mom seemed to like you."
"Yeah, you did, but, hold up, what?" Crow began, zooming around another corner. He felt Dani's arms tighten around his waist as the g's took hold. "Look, we're here, okay?" The Blackwing Duelist decelerated quickly, coming to a halt right in front of his hideout. He felt her detach herself from his back and climb off the Blackbird. Crow knew it wasn't the most imposing of hideouts, but the point wasn't to draw attention to himself and the kids he took care of. He took off his helmet and looked at the female Blue-Eyes Duelist, who was looking at the galvanized sheets and other scrap material Crow had used to build the hideout.
"Cozy," she commented dryly. It wasn't the worst place in the world. Not many people would spare this place a second look. She tossed Crow her helmet, who promptly put both helmets back in the Blackbird.
"Anybody home?" Crow called, looking around. It was awfully quiet. Yeah, it was a cloudy day, but there had to be some sort of activity the kids were doing. Finally, a rustle came from inside before the curtain was pulled back from the entrance.
"I thought I heard a Duel Runner!" came the voice of a young boy. Dani watched in surprise as several kids came flying out, excited to see their role model.
"You're back!"
"Yay!"
"Hey Crow! Explain to Ginga that I can use my earth jutsu to stop his water jutsu!" one of the younger boys shouted.
Dani hung back, trying to hide a smile as Crow patiently explained to the boy. "You remember the chakra cycle I told you about. Earth beats water, which beats fire, which beats air, which beats lightning, which beats earth. It's why the game has balance, so that no one is invincible."
"But why?!" the young boy asked, "I mean, nobody uses a Geodude against a Vaporeon, why would ground work against water?"
"You're getting your worlds mixed up," Crow continued. Obviously he'd explained this before. Dani couldn't help but giggle as the boy's face showed how he was trying and failing to comprehend the difference that Crow was elaborating on. She had always had a soft spot for kids, but the female Blue-Eyes Duelist didn't have the time or the resources to help orphaned kids like Crow had been doing.
"Crow, who's this?" one of the little girls asked, noticing Dani.
"She's a friend Hikari," Crow answered simply.
"Yo, she's got silver marks!" one of the boys shouted.
"Is she your girlfriend?" one of the younger girls, Kokoro, asked innocently. It was such an innocent question, but it caught both Dani and Crow off guard. Dani blushed lightly at the comment, though Crow's flustered response was rather touching. As he tried to explain the situation to the young kids, Dani felt a tugging on her jeans. She looked down to see a young girl who couldn't be older than three, holding a little stuffed bunny rabbit tightly. While she was wearing a simple little light blue sundress, there was an innocence about her that hit Dani close to her heart. Then she realized just what it was that got to her. She reminded Dani of herself when she was that young. It wasn't just the long brown hair and piercing blue eyes, but the look she had on her face. It was a look Dani remembered all too well.
"Are you my mommy?" the girl asked. Her question caught the female Blue-Eyes Duelist off guard, much like how Kokoro's question had caught Crow off guard. But she didn't stutter when she knelt down in front of the girl, taking a deep breath before answering.
"What's your name?" Dani asked, stalling. That look on the girl's face. She could remember seeing it in the mirror for years after her mother's death. This girl was an orphan, though Dani wasn't sure if she remembered her real mother. It was a conundrum for Dani.
"Kibo." The response was simple. Much like how she had been for a while after Sara's disappearance. Dani's heart actually ached to help her, especially when her name meant "Hope".
"Well, Kibo," Dani began slowly, trying to let her down gently. "I just can't be your…" She looked into Kibo's eyes and saw the pain there, the loneliness. Perhaps most importantly, Dani saw herself. She was aware of the others looking at them, but that wasn't important right now.
"Dani, what's going on with Kibo?" Crow asked, but Dani held up a hand, motioning him to shush.
With a sigh, Dani picked up the young girl and held her on her hip. 'I just can't let someone like her down. I may not have had someone there for me, but that doesn't mean I can't be there for someone else' she thought to herself. Out loud, Dani answered the question the only way she knew would help such a young soul. "Yes sweetie, I'm your mommy." Kibo smiled broadly and hugged Dani as best a three-year-old could.
"That's so cute!" the blue-haired girl, Hikari, exclaimed, folding her hands together in that endearing way.
"I didn't think they'd all be so young!" Dani said to Crow, facing him and his little gang of kids. "I mean, it looks like the oldest of these guys is only 10!"
"I'm 11, thank you very much," the boy in question, Daichi, said sullenly.
Crow rubbed the back of his head, grinning. "I'm just doing what I can for these kids. I mean, I found little Kibo there just a couple weeks ago. She hasn't been the most talkative, but I figured she was just shy."
"Yeah, Crow's the best!" Taiga said, backing him up. "He got me my Duel monsters Deck from the Securities! My Masked Heroes are the best!"
"Nu-uh!" Daichi shouted, rounding on him. "My Volcanic deck can beat yours any day of the week!" The two boys began arguing over which card would beat which, while Crow began to usher the kids back inside. Dani followed, carrying Kibo with her to see Crow's simple hideout. It was a mess, what place harboring children isn't? Still, the female Blue-Eyes Duelist was impressed to see just how much Crow had managed to scavenge for the kids.
"Wow, you've really got something going here," she commented. A small TV sat in one corner of the room. A game system was attached to the TV, whose screen was showing an orange armored figure fighting a large purple dragon, laser blasts coming out of some arm cannon. There were colorful books scattered around the room for kids of all ages. A Duel Monsters table was set up, no holographic projectors available, but good enough for casual games. A portion of the room was set aside for cooking purposes, though to Dani it seemed sorely underused, what with the ramen cups and pizza boxes scattered throughout the hideout. There were curtains in other doorways that Dani suspected led to individual rooms. "It's better than my place."
"Well, Yusei and the others have helped me with some of the stuff," Crow admitted while the kids began to resume their activities. "But I do what I can for these guys. Looks like the Chaos Movement didn't get here yet."
"Who are they?" Kibo asked, curious.
"You don't need to worry about them," Dani answered her, poking the three-year-old's belly gently with her free hand and getting a giggle for her troubles. "Crow and I will take care of whoever comes this way."
Woodland Grove
"Now, I believe one of your monsters have a special ability that activates during the Standby Phase," Hueso said, leering at Luna. "Ebon Magician Curran will now subtract 300 Life Points for each monster you control. Since I count 3 of them, you now lose 900 Life Points!" Luna watched in horror as her former monster, zombified by the Field Spell and on Hueso's side, waved her cracked wand and shot a beam of black lightning at her. She blinked in surprise when Kaiba stepped in the way of the beam, trying to take the blow for her, then screamed in agony as the beam simply went around Kaiba, striking her and igniting every pain receptor in her body.
"Good try Kaiba, but she's the one Dueling, so she's the one feeling the pain," Hueso chuckled. "I've never seen you this protective around the others. Why?"
"She's only a child," Kaiba answered, voice shaking with rage. "You're just too scared to face me like a man!" He glanced at Luna, who had smoke rising from her shaking frame as she curled up on the ground. That lightning must've hit harder than he thought.
Luna LP: 1600
The Undead Lord shook his head despairingly. "Kaiba, Kaiba, Kaiba, it must gall you to have held so much power once, yet be powerless to stop the inevitable! No matter. You'll get yours soon enough."
Kaiba whirled around as he heard Luna stand back up. She didn't look good. "You have to let me take over for you Luna."
"It's okay Seto," Luna said with a smile. "I understand that you want to protect me. My brother does it all the time."
Kaiba didn't even blink when she addressed him by his first name. He was looking at Mokuba. "But you're getting hurt."
"I have to do this," Luna told him. "I'm a Signer. I have to be strong. You being here is enough for me. Trust me Seto, please." She held his gaze for a moment and it was Kaiba who blinked.
"Fine," he said after the longest pause. "Show him how wrong he was to mess with us."
Luna nodded and took point once again, standing on somewhat shaky legs. Hueso laughed. "How touching. It seems that Seto Kaiba isn't as tough as he wants to be. No matter, because I'm going to end this. I Summon Shutendoji to the field in Attack mode!" A red-skinned demon zombie with wild yellow hair wielding some weird lamp appeared next to the lava lake, snarling in anger.
Shutendoji: Atk 1500, Def 800, LV 4
"Then I'll use his special ability to banish two Zombies from my grave so that I can draw one card!" Hueso announced. The images of Spirit Reaper and Zombie Master flashed briefly above his head as he drew another card. "I'll switch my Ebon Magician into Attack mode as well and will begin the Battle Phase. First, my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon shall destroy your Bird of Roses!" There was a flash of black as the Zombie Dragon darted over and slashed Luna's zombified plant-bird hybrid with its sharp claws, cutting the Bird of Roses in two. The pieces dissolved into nothing, but Luna wasn't surprised when her bird reformed on Hueso's side of the field in Attack mode, giving him five monsters. She wanted that bird to be destroyed.
"When you destroyed my Bird of Roses," Luna began, blinking several times as she faltered for a second. She regained her composure quickly, but knew that her frail condition was taking a toll in this Duel. "I'm allowed to Special Summon two Plant type Tuner Monsters from my Deck!" The Claw Signer fished out the two monsters quickly and placed them on the Duel Disk. "I play Nettles and Spore in Defense position!" A bushy green monster came out on one side of Luna and on the other side a white ball with green eyes appeared. Both monsters were quickly zombified, but she had more monsters and more importantly, Luna had Tuners.
Nettles: Atk 1200, Def 400, LV 2
Spore: Atk 400, Def 800, LV 1
"Trying to bring out your Ancient Fairy Dragon, eh?" Hueso waved a wrinkled hand dismissively, raspy voice grating on Kaiba's ears. "It won't work when you have no monsters on the field! Ebon Magician Curran! Attack that Dreamsprite!" More black lightning began to flash around the battlefield as the spellcaster prepared to attack.
"I activate Dreamsprite's special ability!" Luna countered as her zombified fairy began glowing. "When it's attacked, I can switch the attack target to another monster on my field. Now Curran will attack Regulus!" The black lightning shot from the Ebon Magician curved away from the blue fairy and bounced off of Regulus' armor, striking through the spellcaster, destroying her and hitting Hueso instead for damage.
Hueso LP: 3700
"Very cute," the Undead Lord scoffed, ignoring some of the flesh flaking away on his arm. "Ignoring that one for now then. Doomkaiser Dragon, attack Regulus now! Cloying Breath Attack!" The foul stench made Luna's stomach churn as Regulus was eroded away by the blast of dark energy that came from the other Zombie Dragon on the field. Leaning over to the side, she retched as her stomach dry heaved. For once, Luna was glad she hadn't eaten anything at Martha's.
Luna LP: 900
"And to continue the onslaught of the undead," Hueso continued, uncaring about his opponent's condition, "I'll have Shutendoji and my Bird of Roses attack your two Tuner monsters!" With a slash of a claw and a swing of a bong, the two Plant types were destroyed, leaving Luna with only the Dreamsprite on her side of the field.
"I'll end my turn with a facedown," Hueso finished, looking very pleased with himself. "You're outnumbered and outmatched."
"Not while my friends are behind me!" Luna countered. She drew a card, shouting "It's my turn!"
"You've got to do something," Kaiba warned.
"First, I can Special Summon Spore from my Graveyard through its special ability by removing Nettles from my Graveyard," Luna began, watching the zombified white puff appear in front of her. "Then it gains levels equal to Nettles' level!"
Spore: LV 3
"Now I Summon White Magician Pikeru in Attack mode!" Luna announced. A cute little pink-haired girl dressed in white appeared, smiling right before getting turned into a zombie by Hueso's Field Spell.
White Magician Pikeru: Atk 1200, Def 0, LV 2
"Why would she do that?" Kaiba wondered quietly, "Unless…"
"Now I Tune my Spore with my White Magician Pikeru and my Dreamsprite!" Luna shouted. Spore exploded into several white cotton puffs that began swirling around into white rings, rings that surrounded Pikeru and Dreamsprite as they dissolved into four more stars. "The holy light of protection, shine now and become eternal life!" Luna chanted, throwing her hand into the air as a pillar of white and pink swirling light erupted from the rings. "Synchro Summon! Appear instantly, Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna smiled broadly as her favorite dragon appeared, long serpentine blue frame weaving through the sky effortlessly. Her green mane streaming behind her, Ancient Fairy Dragon flared her pink wings, emitting a soothing light.
Ancient Fairy Dragon: Atk 2100, Def 3000, LV 7
"It won't matter how pretty it is, that dragon is going to become a zombie!" Hueso said with a laugh. Dark energy began to swirl towards the beautiful dragon.
"Not this time," Luna shot back, "I activate Ancient Fairy Dragon's special ability, which allows me to destroy a Field Spell. I'm done with your Zombie World."
"NO!" Hueso reached a deformed hand out, helpless as the Ancient Fairy Dragon began pulsing, waves of life energy visible as the darkness was helpless against the light. The dark skull covered ground began to disappear underneath the dragon, replaced with luscious green grass. It spread out from Ancient Fairy Dragon, the dead world being filled with life. Grass replaced skulls, water replaced lava, life filled Luna's monsters on Hueso's side of the field, it was a complete 180 from the evil that had menaced the grove not too long ago. Much to Luna's surprise, Hueso remained twisted and near-zombie like, even as the last vestiges of Zombie World faded away.
"Because I destroyed a Field Spell using Ancient Fairy Dragon's effect, I gain 1000 Life Points and I get to add a Field Spell from my Deck to my hand," Luna continued, sighing in relief as the Ancient Fairy Dragon flared her wings, allowing a green, life-giving aura to seep towards Luna, soothing her aching limbs and calming her queasy stomach.
Luna LP: 1900
"This isn't over," Hueso vowed, "You may have destroyed my Zombie World, but that Dragon has very poor offensive capabilities all things considered." With that, he suddenly lurched, screaming in pain.
Luna was scared. "What's going on?"
"I don't know," Kaiba said simply, stepping in between her and the Undead Lord. Darkness erupted off of his frame and materialized into several black dragons, none of them showing signs of life bar for the glowing orange eyes. The dragons flew off in the direction of Martha's home, leaving a panting Hueso behind.
"That would be the Master, telling me to finish you off while he finishes off the rest of your pathetic gang," he explained, straightening as best as his mostly dead form would allow. "Now end your turn so I can end you!"
"I play my Equip Spell Horn of the Unicorn!" Luna said, revealing one of her three facedowns. "This gives my Ancient Fairy Dragon an extra 700 Attack and Defense points!" A single, elegant horn grew out from Ancient Fairy Dragon's forehead, radiating power.
Ancient Fairy Dragon: Atk 2800, Def 3700
The Undead Lord recoiled, surprised. "Impossible!"
"Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack his Doomkaiser Dragon now! Eternal Sunshine!" Luna shouted. The blue dragon flared out her wings, light energy pulsing much more brightly than when she brought the field back to life. The waves of life-giving power had a negative effect on the undead dragon, slowly disintegrating Doomkaiser Dragon until nothing but daisies remained. Hueso likewise flinched away as the light burned at his being.
Hueso LP: 3300
"Nice job turning this Duel around," Kaiba complemented Luna, allowing himself a small smile. She may have been a constant reminder of his brother, but she had proven she could take care of herself. When he got back to his time, he resolved to help Mokuba with his own Deck. "Be careful though. It's not over yet."
"I place one card facedown. Turn end!" Luna announced. She had her trusty dragon on the field. She could do this.
"My turn then," Hueso growled as he drew a card. A smile crossed his wrinkled face, cracking some of the dry, white skin. "I believe you're familiar with this card, Kaiba."
"What are you talking about? I don't use zombies," Kaiba shot back.
"Maybe not, but this one ought to ring a bell," Hueso said. "I sacrifice my Shutendoji and my Bird of Roses in order to summon an undead creature of legend!" The two aforementioned monsters sank into the ground, the rejuvenated Bird of Roses letting out a squawk of surprise before a portal opened up in the ground. Blue smoke billowed from the portal, a roar coming up from it.
"It can't be," Kaiba breathed, feeling anger in his chest once again as he recognized the roar, though it sounded off.
"Oh yes it can!" Hueso laughed. "The legendary engine of destruction that was thought to have died has now returned, for even death cannot stop its reign of terror. Come forth, Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" A pasty white claw emerged from the portal, finding leverage as the undead version of Kaiba's favorite monster climbed out. It flared its wings, though they were nothing more than skeletons at this point. The dragon's eyes were glowing dark blue and the roar it emitted send a chill down Kaiba's spine.
Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon: Atk 3000, Def 2500, LV 8
Needless to say, Kaiba was livid. "YOU SNAKE! HOW DARE YOU TARNISH THE NAME OF BLUE-EYES WITH THAT PATHETIC EXCUSE OF A DRAGON!"
"Wait Kaiba!" Luna shouted as the irate Kaibacorp executive stormed forward, intent on ending Hueso once and for all with his bare hands. Unfortunately, the Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon got in the way and swatting Kaiba aside with its large tail. The first Blue-Eyes Duelist was launched backwards, coming crashing to the ground a short ways behind Luna. He sat up, groaning, having learned his lesson, he simply glared at Hueso.
"When this Duel is over," he began threateningly, his raw fury in every word.
"I will take Luna's body and then your own for my purposes," Hueso finished, smiling like a maniac. "I can't help but wonder how that other Blue-Eyes girl would react to my dragon. Now my Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon, take out that Ancient Fairy Dragon with your Black Stream of Destruction!" The zombified Blue-Eyes roared and opened his maw, black energy growing within.
"Magic card activate!" Luna announced, startling Hueso as one of her facedowns flipped up, revealing the Quick-Play Magic Card. "Book of Moon! Now I can take any monster on the field and switch it to face down Defense position."
"Not if I use my Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon's special ability," the Undead Lord countered, "By discarding a zombie monster from my hand, I can prevent my Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon from being affected by Magic and Trap cards for a turn! Fire Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" The undead Dragon roared and fire its black beam of zombie energy at Luna's only monster.
"I use my Book of Moon on my Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna continued, undeterred by Hueso's counter. The Horn of the Unicorn faded from the blue dragon as she folded her wings in front of her to protect herself. Her image was replaced with the back of a Duel Monsters card as Luna placed her Equip Spell in the Graveyard. "This may send my Equip Spell to the Graveyard without destroying it, which would activate its second effect, but my Ancient Fairy Dragon can withstand your attack!" Sure enough, Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon's attack hit the card image, revealing Ancient Fairy Dragon in all her glory as the attack was shunted aside by her powerful defenses.
Ancient Fairy Dragon: Atk 2100, Def 3000
Hueso growled, matching both his Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragons as they paced around the field, snarling at their living opponents. "Fine. I end my turn."
"It's my turn!" Luna shouted, drawing a card. She looked at it and grimaced. "I hope Leo's doing okay…"
Martha's Orphanage, Rooftop
"Guys! Incoming!" Leo shouted as the gang tried to take advantage of the brief respite when the zombie attacks died down.
"What now?" Yusei groaned as he peered over the side at the throng of undead down below. His whole body was aching from various bumps and bruises. Akiza was growing more exhausted with each blast from the Dark Magician, but she struggled on valiantly.
"Don't look down, look up!" Leo corrected, "Those look like dragons!"
"Oh great," Jack groaned, "Just what we needed."
"Well, guess it's now or never," Akiza said simply, "It's time to use our Dragons." She activated her Duel Disk and removed her bang retainer, allowing her full access to her power and her bangs to come tumbling down in front of her face. A pink aura appeared around her. "Play your cards on my Duel Disk and we might be able to fight them off." She winced as she felt her power trying to take control, Dark Akiza lurking in the background. With immense willpower, she forced her dark side back and let her power run through her. It was a rush, but she felt she could handle it.
"Sure thing Aki!" Leo said, handing over Power Tool Dragon quickly.
"Be careful with Jack Atlas' card," Jack warned as he gave Akiza his card.
Yusei had words of his own as he handed Akiza his Stardust Dragon. "You can do this. You have each of us by your side. Together, we can do this!" He grabbed Akiza's hand as she used her other hand to play the three Signer Dragons and Leo's Power Tool Dragon on her Duel Disk, allowing the four mighty dragons to appear over the rooftop with a roar.
"Wow, look at all the dragons!" one of the little kids yelled.
"Yugi, don't you have a dragon too?" Akiza asked, wincing as she felt the fatigue of the earlier fights.
The Pharaoh nodded. "Yes, but this one will not need your power to be of use to us. I was afraid to use it because of its power, but desperate times call for desperate measures."
Above them, the skies erupted with the sound of roaring dragons. Jack and Leo were ordering their dragons around as they dueled with individual zombie dragons. "Go Red Dragon Archfiend, attack with Scorching Crimson Flare!"
"Power Tool Dragon, hit them with your Power Drill Breaker!"
Yusei and Akiza gave Yami one last glance before adding their voices to the fray, Stardust Dragon and Black Rose Dragon working together against the incoming thunder of dragons. "Attack with Black Cosmic Petal Wave!"
Yami pulled the card from his Deck as the Signers engaged the opposing dragons. Despite their superior might, there were many zombie dragons flying around the house, just looking for the opportunity to strike at the humans on the rooftop. "It is time." The Eye of Wdjat appeared on his forehead as the ancient king began to chant, pouring his own power into the card. "Bringer of thunder and skies that roar, dragon god, it is time to soar. Show force of unmatched height. Instill hope with thine might!" The Pharaoh placed the card of the Duel Disk as lightning flashed around them, forcing some of the bolder zombie dragons away. "Come forth now! My Egyptian god card! Slifer the Sky Dragon!" There was a pause on the battlefield as a mighty roar resonated across the heavens. The clouds parted as the mighty dragon descended from the sky, encircling the house several times over with its tremendous length. Slifer roared a challenge that was echoed by the Signer Dragons. Everyone but the Pharaoh were looking up in awe of such a sight. The zombie dragons charged forward once again, their number diminished by still enough to be formidable. The regular humanoid zombies down below also charged, trying to overwhelm the Sky Dragon blocking their way into the house.
"Come on guys, we can still win!" Yusei shouted encouragingly as Stardust tangled with another undead dragon. "We have to hold out until Luna stops this at the source!"
"She better do it soon," Jack said. "Akiza doesn't look like she can hold up for much longer."
"I…can go…for as long…as I have to," Akiza panted, sweat beading on her brow as she fought against the fatigue. The Signer Dragons were less of a drain on her powers than the Dark Magician due to their bond, but there were more of them to power, which strained her mental fortitude at about the same rate.
Woodland Grove
"I place one card facedown," Luna said, trying not to look directly at the Undead Lord standing across from her behind two undead variations of Duel Monsters' most famous dragons. He had become truly disgusting to look at. "Turn end."
"Just you wait!" Hueso gurgled, as his voice was starting to deteriorate from the undead power of both his cards and the zombie dragons attacking the orphanage. "I have a card that can beat your puny little dragon!" He drew a card from his Deck. "Though this one works too. I Summon Nightmare Horse to the field in Attack mode!" A horse-shaped being appeared, covered in tattered rags as cold blue fire appeared to make up its body.
Nightmare Horse: Atk 500, Def 400, LV 2
"Be careful," Kaiba warned Luna, "He wouldn't Summon a monster that weak if it didn't have some sort of special ability."
"Right you are Kaiba!" the Undead Lord said, "For if I can't beat your defenses, I'll just bypass them and use Nightmare Horse's special ability to attack you directly!" The undead horse charged, taking a wide path around Ancient Fairy Dragon.
Luna quickly played a card on her Duel Disk as it approached. "I use Kuribon's special ability to reduce the damage to zero and I'm allowed to Special Summon it from my hand!" The little Kuriboh relative with a cute little bow around its tail appeared and forced Nightmare Horse to divert its path, avoiding Luna and preventing any damage.
Kuribon: Atk 300, Def 200, LV 1
"You've just given me another monster to destroy," Hueso grunted. "Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" The Undead Lord just loved seeing Kaiba's eye twitch every time he said that name. "It's chow time!" The undead dragon took several steps forward and the puffball squealed in fear.
"Trap card open!" Luna shouted, "Pixie Ring! This card prevents you from attacking the monster with the lowest Attack!" Ancient Fairy Dragon quickly flew over and stopped the undead Blue-Eyes from biting Kuribon with her powerful wings. Its attack thwarted, the Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon stomped back to Hueso looking very miffed for an undead dragon.
"Spoil my fun, why don't you," Hueso grumbled, "It's not like that thing is going to help. I end my turn."
"Kuribon means a lot to me," Luna countered, "So do all of my monsters!" The spirit of Regulus appeared next to her, as well as all the other monsters she'd used in this Duel. "They're fighting with me to stop evil people like you. And they aren't the only ones helping me! Yusei, Jack, Aki, Crow, Yugi, Dani." She looked at Kaiba and smiled. "Even Kaiba is here with me, supporting me and everyone else. Our bonds have made us strong and your Chaos Movement will never break that!" As she said that last statement, the Claw Mark of the Crimson Dragon disappeared from her arm.
Martha's Orphanage, Rooftop
There were three collective gasps as three Signers watched their Marks disappear. "That's Luna!" Jack shouted in surprise.
"The Crimson Dragon is giving her all its power!" Yusei said with a grin.
The Crow's Nest
"Dude, you're arm isn't glowing anymore!" one of Crow's orphans shouted.
"What's going on?" Dani asked, still holding Kibo. The little girl refused to be put down, so Dani continued to hold Kibo on her hip.
"It's Luna," Crow answered, sounding a little dazed, "She needs my help as well as everyone else."
Woodland Grove
Luna heard Kaiba's gasp and wasn't surprised to feel the completed Mark of the Crimson Dragon glowing on her back. "See? My friends are with me no matter what!" The top card on her Deck began glowing a brilliant golden color. Luna drew it, shouting "It's my turn!"
"Master, help me!" Hueso shouted to the heavens.
"I Summon Majestic Dragon!" Luna announced, playing the card she had drawn. The pink little dragon appeared, floating next to Ancient Fairy Dragon.
Majestic Dragon: Atk 0, Def 0, LV 1
Chaos Movement Headquarters
The Master sighed as he watched the Majestic Dragon appear. "You've dug your own grave Hueso, I will not deal with your failures any more. You are dead to me and soon to yourself, hehehehehe."
Woodland Grove
"Now I tune Majestic Dragon with Kuribon and Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Luna's eyes gleamed as she watched Majestic Dragon turn into a brilliant pink ring that surrounded Kuribon and Ancient Fairy Dragon.
Luna began chanting. "A single holy light shines in the heavens, bringing life eternal to all whom she finds worthy and protecting them from those who are not!" The two monsters within the ring turned into eight brilliant stars as pink light erupted from the ring, bathing the grove in the glow; it was soothing for Luna and Kaiba, but painful for Hueso, who couldn't bear to look at it. "Synchro Summon! Majestic Fairy Dragon!"
"Impressive," Kaiba admitted quietly as he watched the new, much bigger dragon emerge from the light. Ancient Fairy Dragon's wings had split into three separate wings each, giving her a total of six wings that helped her glide through the air. Her natural yellow armor on her chest and arms had turned orange and had grown slightly larger. It was an extraordinary sight.
Majestic Fairy Dragon: Atk 3100, Def 4000, LV 9
"No!" Hueso cried, fluid leaking from his eyes, though it was green fluid, nothing like tears.
"Aww, what's the matter?" Kaiba taunted, "You're the one who started this game. Now you're losing and you don't want to play anymore."
"I activate Majestic Fairy Dragon's special ability!" Luna began, "She can negate the ability of any of your monsters! Then I gain Life Points equal to that monster's Attack points!"
"But I worked so hard getting those Life Points down…" Hueso said. It was getting rather pitiful. Luna could feel the effect of her dragon, as energy filled her veins. It was like she hadn't been Dueling at all. It felt amazing!
Luna LP: 4900
"Next I play the Equip Spell Mage Power!" Luna continued. "This boosts the power of my Majestic Fairy Dragon by 500 Attack and Defense points for each Magic and Trap card on the field. That gives an extra 2000 points for my dragon!" Power flowed into the Majestic Fairy Dragon, which only added to her presence.
Majestic Fairy Dragon: Atk 5100, Def 6000
Hueso sank to his knees in horror. He said nothing. Luna felt pity for the man, but the die was cast. "Majestic Fairy Dragon, attack his Nightmare Horse with Eternal Holy Light!" Majestic Fairy Dragon nodded and flew up high into the sky. Everyone watched as a blazing light seemed to explode in the sky, comforting those among the living and burning those among the dead. Hueso screamed in agony as the light burned through first his Nightmare Horse, then his Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon, then finally his Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon (much to Kaiba's satisfaction).
"NOOOOOOOO!" Hueso screamed as a black aura blazed around him. He fell forward with a sickening thud, prone against the grass.
Hueso LP: 0
"Now to take care of the garbage," Kaiba said as he stepped forward. "This so-called Undead Lord is going to get what's coming to him."
Luna was watching her Majestic Fairy Dragon fly off towards the orphanage, unaware of what Kaiba was planning. "Wow."
Kaiba started when Hueso's body stirred. "What the?" He took an involuntary step back when Hueso looked at him, though it was hard to even call what was left human. The man had gone and truly become a zombie, perhaps as a warning to those who would mess with death. The newly created zombie groaned and raised a hand, only to see it crumbled away into nothing. There was a pause for confusion, then Kaiba watched as the former human being began to age and decay right before his eyes. It wasn't long before the body lost its shape, eventually becoming nothing more than dust in the wind. "He got what he deserved," Kaiba muttered.
"Where'd Hueso go?" Luna asked, coming up behind him as Hueso's Duel Disk and Deck followed suit and dissolved into black dust.
"He disappeared," Kaiba lied. "I don't know where to. Let's get back to the others." Some things weren't meant for children to know, no matter how wise beyond her years Luna may be. Luna nodded, feeling her Majestic Fairy Dragon still working her magic.
Martha's Orphanage, Rooftop
The situation had become very bleak on the rooftop. Akiza had collapsed in exhaustion and without her psychic powers making the Signer Dragons real, it had been Slifer the Sky Dragon as the only line of defense against the zombie horde. To be fair, the Egyptian god was a very formidable line of defense, but even it was beginning to be overwhelmed. The zombie were crawling all over the god's serpentine body when a light shone from the nearby grove. Everybody froze, even the dragons swarming Slifer. There was a feeling of relief from everybody as Majestic Fairy Dragon rose above the treetops and flew towards the orphanage. Well, everybody but the zombies, who panicked and began scrambling to get away from the life-giving abilities of Luna's dragon.
"Well I'll be," Yusei said as their Signer Marks returned. "So that's Luna's Majestic Dragon."
"That is totally awesome!" Leo shouted, "That's my sister's dragon! Maybe I'll get a Majestic Dragon! What do you think of Majestic Tool Dragon?"
"Maybe later Leo," Yusei said gently, nudging him to be silent. The Majestic Fairy Dragon flew over the orphanage, gentle light soothing the aching muscles of the exhausted Signers.
Akiza's eyes fluttered as her energy was restored. "Did we win?"
"I believe we have," Yami said with a smile on his face as they watched Majestic Fairy Dragon's light destroyed all the zombies. Her task done, the Majestic Fairy Dragon flew high into the sky and disappeared. Slifer soon followed suit, his task done. Now it was time to rebuild the orphanage and then, take down the Chaos Movement.
No worries you undead zombie maniac, we'll send your check to your next of kin. Luna is another character that I felt deserved a Majestic Dragon, which does not belong to me, but instead belongs to one jadenkaiba on Deviantart. Another fan card is the Blue-Eyes Zombie Dragon, which belongs to Batmed, also on Deviantart. Feel free to check out their work! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
I've made several references to outside animes and franchises in this chapter, how many did you catch?
Is there any other dragon you'd like to see get a Majestic version? I realize there are obvious answers like Black Rose, Ancient Fairy, and Black Winged Dragon, but maybe some other dragons would enjoy a Majestic version, even if it wouldn't work in the metagame. But we don't always Duel for tournament pride, sometimes it's fun to stall until you can summon Shooting Quasar Dragon on a friend (which I did once, just for fun). Me personally, I'd love to see Azure-Eyes get a Majestic or even an Accel Synchro, but it's not happening in this fanfic.
Response to Guest Reviews (in order with which they reviewed)
Corina O: Yes, I've seen the movie trailer and I'm looking forward to seeing the movie in a few months. And I hate the Walking Dead, for reasons I've already elaborated on.
Guest 2: Glad you enjoyed it, and hope you're glad Luna won
Guest:
Yes, it most certainly is
Yes he did, and yes I will
I'm not telling, though I will admit that I combined this iteration of the Master with another famous villain, if you're willing to guess who that may be, I've left several hints throughout the chapters
The answer to your question is: You will have to wait and see when Dani Duels again.
And to the Guest whose review I deleted for some of the most hateful things I've seen, please do the world a favor and stay off the internet. My girlfriend is a very strong woman, all things considered, so yes, I do know what a strong woman is. I'm in love with one.
Thoughts? Questions? Concerns? Reviews are always welcome, as is any and all respectful criticism. As an author, I'm always looking to improve and I like to hear your thoughts about the chapter.
Until the next chapter my friends!
From your Nutty Buddy,
The Eagle Nut