Italics indicate thinking


Yuki's POV

"This better be good." I sighed walking to the principal's office "Huh, what are you all doing here?"

"I would seem we were all called here." Professor Banner smiled.

Standing around in the hall was me, Crowler, Banner, Jaden, Alexis, Chazz, Bastion and Zane.

Some of the best students and teachers here…why?

I opened the door and walked in, Chancellor Shepard was there waiting, staring out the window.

"So what do you need us all for?" I asked.

He let out a bit of a frustrated sigh and started talking about how the school was built on top of a vault that housed three rare Sacred Beast Cards that could bring ruin to the whole world.

"Well I think we found the evil we're supposed to stop." Cleopatra told me.

"You don't say." I laughed "Have you ever heard of these cards?"

"They sound vaguely familiar." She shrugged "odds are over time they mixed with the legend of the God Cards."

Jaden is supposed to save this school from something…really?

"Those who would challenge us want to break the seal on those cards." The Chancellor said "And they've already appeared, the Shadow Riders. But to unseal those cards they require Eight Spirit Keys, that's why I've called you, this academy's strongest, here to protect these eight keys. The keys must be won in a duel so giving them to the strongest duelists is the safest solution."

"Fine." I picked up a key "The Gods are watching everyone, I suggest we play along."

"So superstitious." Zane took his key.

Everyone agreed to take a key and now it was just a matter of not losing them.

"I guess this is what the Gods want us to protect." I talked to Cleopatra that night as I took off my rings.

"Yes…" she hummed.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"I sense…a Shadow Duel." She glared.

"Are you saying someone is already fighting one of the Riders?" I asked.

"I fear so." She hummed "Let's hope we don't lose this first decisive battle."


Later

Jaden was the first one to get into a duel with the Shadow Riders, he ended up surviving a Shadow Duel with the one called Nightshroud who then turned out to be an evil spirit possessing Alexis' older brother.

"The next one is here." I looked out at the fog bank drifting over the lake "HMM?"

"Rolling out the red carpet." Cleopatra smiled as a long dark red rug appeared out of the fog "They must know the greatest ruler in Egyptian history is here!"

"I don't see Atem anywhere?" I teased her.

"You little!" she growled.

"Who's going to fight her?" Chazz asked.

"YAH!" Crowler jumped out.

"We have a volunteer." I shrugged.

"I…Uhh yes exactly it is my duty to take over." Crowler said.

"He's already trembling." Cleopatra noted.

"It's going to be a Shadow Duel, it'd be more worrying if he wasn't trembling." I told her.

A boat stopped at the edge of the carpet and a woman stepped off. She was middle aged, wearing a deep and somewhat exposing red dress, her hair was long and green and her lips as red as her dress.

"Hmm…" she walked up and looked at Crowler "You're my opponent?"

"Indeed."

"Would you consider changing?" the vampire woman asked.

"WHAT?!"

"That's really mean." I tried not to laughed.

"Fine." The woman sighed as her eyes glowed red "I, the Vampire Camula, Mistress of the Dark will be your opponent in this Duel of Darkness. The winner shall continue to fight in this war, while the loser will be sealed into this doll of mine."

"What nonsense." Crowler said "Fairy Tale drivel."

"She's not joking around." I warned.

"You'll soon realize this is no Fairy Tale." Camula laughed, her mouth flaring fangs "Let's DUEL!"

"I begin by summoning Zombie Werewolf!" Camula played a card "Then I set a card and end my turn."

Crowler started his turn and immediately played the Ancient Gear Castle spell card before summoning Ancient Gear Soldier.

"That castle will power up all the other Ancient Gear monsters." I noted as the Soldier destroyed the werewolf.

I give Crowler a lot of flak but he's good when it counts…

"Be revived my Werewolf!" Camula brought her monster back "My Werewolf has an effect, when it's destroyed in battle I can special summon another, stronger copy from my deck. My wolf comes back with an extra 500 ATK points!"

Crowler played a facedown card and ended his turn.

"The it's my turn I draw!" Camula picked up a card "I summon Vampire Bat in attack mode! Due to its effect all Zombie type monsters I control gain 200 attack while this monster is on the field. Now attack!"

A deck of storybook monsters…

Camula used her monsters to destroy the Ancient Gear Soldier and blast Crowler with a Sonic screech from her bats.

It's getting serious now.

"I offered you the chance to switch with him." Camula sighed looking at Zane.

"Never." Crowler stood up "They are my students, I won't allow you to do anything to them. I am the head of the Practical Application Department I won't allow Shadow Duels, I will defeat your darkness with my righteous dueling."

Crowler used a trap to get another Ancient Gear Soldier on the field and once it was his turn again he tribute it to summon Ancient Gear Beast which can attack without triggering effect and was able to destroy Zombie Werewolf.

"If you're done it's my turn." Camula smirked "I play the Field Spell Infernalvania!"

"Where did she get a card like that?" Cleopatra wondered.

"By sending a Zombie monster in my hand to the cemetery I can destroy all monsters on the field!" Camula laughed.

"If you do that you'll destroy your own monster too." Chazz noted "And after that effect you can't Normal summon a monster for the rest of the turn."

"Surely you don't think this is the end." Camula smirked again "By sending a card of the same name to the graveyard I can negate the destruction of Vampire Bat! I send Vampire Lord to the Cemetery and activate the effect! Without your monsters your wide open! Attack my bats!"

"Come on Crowler!" I snapped when he fell down from the attack "Get it together!"

"It's no good, he's not cut out for a duel like this." Cleopatra sighed.

"I should have made him change with me." Zane hissed.

"To think you all trusted this unsightly buffoon." Camula scoffed "A duelist like him is weak compared to me."

"That's not true!" Jaden yelled.

"Hmm, aren't you supposed to be resting." I looked back and saw that he had shown up with his roommates.

"Professor Crowler is strong." Jaden told her "I know that because I battled him myself! You still have life points professor! So stand up and fight!"

"Oh my." Camula smirked as he stood up "It seems you haven't been thoroughly beaten yet."

"I won't lose, I some Dark Duel." Crowler told her "Dueling is something that gives young people hope and light, it will never be something that gives into fear and darkness! It's my turn, I draw and summon Ancient Gear Golem!"

"The power of Ancient Gear Castle lets you use it as sacrifices based on the number of Ancient Gear monsters you've already summoned." I noted.

"Ancient Gear Golem attacks Vampire Bat!"

"I discard the other Vampire Bat in my deck to avoid it's destruction!" Camula said "You cannot stop me! Summon all you want I'll just use Infernalvania to destroy it!"

"I was expecting that." Crowler said "I play the Spell Heavy Storm to destroy every spell and trap card on the field!"

"Tsk…you really are unsightly." Camula hissed.

"Don't make excuses." Crowler told her.

"Am I the one making excuses?!" Camula hissed as her fangs flared and her tongue slithered around out of her mouth "I trigger the Trap Card Zombie Bed!"

"But all the traps were destroyed." Syrus said.

"That triggers upon destruction." I looked at him "And lets you summon a level 4 Zombie monster from your deck."

"Zombie Werewolf!" Camula yelled "Even you can't read this far ahead, I know every trick you have nothing escapes my red eyes! I believe it's my turn now, I draw…I activate the Book of Life Spell to remove Ancient Gear Beast from the game and summon Vampire Lord from my Graveyard!"

This combo…she's.

"I banish Vampire Lord to summon Vampire Genesis in Attack mode!" Camula yelled "Because of my Vampire Bat's effect it's attack goes up by 200!"

"It's over." Cleopatra told me.

"I know." I sighed "And so does he."

I watched Crowler, he knew he'd run out of options and it was just a matter of Camula declaring her last attacks.

"Listen carefully." Crowler looked over "Even if you are defeated in a Shadow Duel darkness can never truly snuff out the light, if you truly believe in that you heart won't waver."

"You've given your last lecture Professor Crowler." Camula smiled "This will be your end!"

"I won't give up." Crowler glared at her "Bring it on!"

"I use Vampire Genesis to attack Ancient Gear Golem!" Camula destroy the last line of defense "Now Zombie Werewolf attacks you directly and so does Vampire Bat!"

"GAH!" Crowler fell over.

"That's the end." Camula smiled walking forward and taking Crowler's key "As agreed upon I get this…and."

She held up the little voodoo doll and let it suck in Crowler Soul.

"He's rather unsightly, I don't really want it in my collection so you can keep it." She dropped the doll and walked down her carpet towards a castle in the fog "I look forward to the next challenge, you'll be receiving an invitation shortly."

And just like that she vanished in a swirl of fog and bats.


Later

"To think that woman would have Vampire Genesis." Cleopatra noted.

"She has a deck like I used to use." I noted playing with my cards and sitting by the lake.

Camula has summoned for us the next night with her mystic fog, given that Crowler was the first to lose everyone was itching to be the next to fight her and get revenge.

"It's a pleasure to see you all again." Camula appeared on the upper level of her foyer "Welcome."

"This time I'm you opponent Camula!" Jaden yelled.

"No I'm fighting her." Chazz said.

"I'll go." Bastion also wanted to fight.

"I have no interest in little boys and girls." Camula smirked "My next opponent will be him."

"Fine." Zane told her walking up to the other staircase.

"You remember the rules correct?" she asked "If I win I get your key and your soul will be sealed in one of my dolls."

"Yes." Zane stood there emotionless.

"DUEL!"

"I go first." Camula smiled "I summon Vampire Lady in defense mode and place one card face down before ending my turn."

"Then it's my turn, I draw." Zane went "I play Power Bond, a fusion card for machine types! I fuse the three Cyber Dragons in my hand to summon Cyber End Dragon!"

The mechanical hydra formed and roared loudly.

"Power Bond will backfire at the end of the turn." I said "If that trap stops his piercing attack he's gonna lose on turn one."

"You do know you'll take all your life as damage correct?" Camula asked.

"You have no reason to concern yourself with the End Phase!" Zane yelled "Attack!"

"I activate my Trap Card, Red Ghost Moon!" Camula yelled "By discarding a Zombie card I gain life equal to your monster's attack and end your attack as well! Now I have 12,000 life points!"

"I play De-Fusion!" Zane yelled "Splitting my Cyber End Dragon back into three Cyber Dragons!"

"Without the target Red Ghost Moon will lose its target and effect." Bastion noted.

"He disabled her trap and power bond all at once." Cleopatra noted "Clever."

"I set a card and end my turn." Zane sighed.

"I'm shivering." Camula moaned "You're just my type. I draw…hmm, I sacrifice Vampire Lady to summon Vampire Lord, then I remove Vampire Lord from play and summon Vampire Genesis!"

"RAAAH!" the hulking vampire roared.

"Attack Cyber Dragon!"

"I play the trap Attack Reflector unit!" Zane said "I tribute one of my Cyber Dragons to summon Cyber Barrier Dragon and activate it's effect to negate your attack."

"Hmm." Camula grumbled "I end my turn."

"Pot of Greed." Zane started his turn "Then I play Photon Generator Unit to turn one of my Cyber Dragons into Cyber Laser Dragon and use its effect to destroy one monster with more attack than it!"

Zane wiped out Genesis and then attacked with the other two dragons to set up his victory before laying a trap and ending the turn.

"Fufufu." Camula laughed as she drew a card and her face got angry "I'll teach you a lesson in hatred! I play the Spell Illusion Gate!"

"What?!" Cleopatra yelled "Where did she get that card?!"

"What is it?" I asked.

"A Dark Card." Cleopatra growled as a stone doorway formed behind the Vampire.

"Illusion Gate destroys all monsters on my opponents field!" Camula yelled as the cyber dragons were obliterated "But there's more."

Her body suddenly split in two, now there was another Camula standing there.

"I can also special summon a monster used during the duel, ignoring any summoning requirements." She laughed "I choose Cyber End Dragon!"

"Destroying all monsters and an unconditional special summon." Zane said "There's no way there's such a card."

"It's true, the price for using this is quite high." Camula said "If I lose the duel I'll lose my soul to the gate, but I was thinking since this is a card of darkness why not use it in a way befitting of a Shadow Duel. For example, why don't I have your brother take my place."

"Syrus run!"

"It's too late." Camula's soul half grabbed him and pulled him to the gate "I sacrifice this boy to summon Cyber End Dragon!"

"Now what will you do?!" she laughed "Defeat the dragon and lose your brother, or lose the duel to save him?"

"GRR!" I growled.

"This is the end!" Camula laughed when Zane dropped his arms "Cyber End Dragon attack him directly!"

The triple headed dragon blasted Zane's life points to nothing, and Camula claimed her second key.

"I win again." She said capturing Zane in a doll "Don't worry I'll fondly keep this one in my collection, until next time."

Again, she vanished into a puff of fog and bats before teleporting us outside.

"Shadow Duels." I growled "I hate them."

A bolt of lightning zapped the castle and I stared up.

"I'm going next." I said.


AN

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Till Next Time!