"And underneath the full moon, I see an answer to a cavern that seems abandoned," Syrus was saying to the group of Jaden, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Applejack's roomate, Blair. You see, everyone from both rooms were telling each other scary stories late at night based on the level monster they drew from a deck.
"Really? And then what, Sy?" Jaden was curious to see where the story went to next.
"Then, I noticed a lake in the back of the cavern. Naturally, I went to look and deep in the lake, just under my reflection, I saw a rare and powerful card. Just as I went to reach for the card, a hand popped out of the water and dragged me in! Help! The water! Anything but the water!" Syrus started to yell in response to his story.
"Aw, water isn't scary," Jaden was unimpressed.
"Dirty swamp water?" After a moment of thinking, Syrus decided his story was unimpressive. "Aw, you're right. Only a total chump would be scared of that." Unbeknownst to Syrus, Blair, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were scared by the story, though they wouldn't admit it.
"Still, you did good Syrus. A mid-level scare for a mid-level card," Jaden reassured his friend.. "Now, as for me, I hope I get a high level." Jaden drew a card, only to draw the level one Sinister Serpent. "Aw man."
"Great. You barely have to scare us with that low level card," Syrus complained in response to seeing his friend draw a weak card.
"Yeah, no offense Jaden, but I don't think you can manage scary with such a weak card,"
Rainbow Dash butted in.
"Well, I'll see what I can do guys," Jaden said. "Well, my story is more of a memory. You see, real late at night I used to hear sounds coming from my room. I thought I was dreaming, but I heard the noises coming from my closet. When I went there, I saw no one there. Nothing but my cards."
"And?" Syrus was curious to see where the scary part was.
"And that's it." Jaden simply said.
"Sugarcube, I'm sorry to say this but that story was kinda weak," Applejack responded to how unscary the story was.
"You guys wanna hear the strange part? Lately I've started hearing these strange voices again," Jaden finished.
Suddenly, the group heard a scary laugh that proceeded to frighten everyone. "Hey, I want to join in on the fright fest too," the voice, which came from Professor Banner, said.
"You just did!" Jaden exclaimed.
"Yeah. You may want to work on your entrance," Applejack snarked.
"Still, since you're here, why don't you play too? The higher the level of the card you pick, the scarier the story is," Syrus explained.
"Well, that sounds easy enough. Let's see." Banner picked up the top card of the deck, only to get Five Headed Dragon, a level twelve monster.
"On second thought, maybe I'll go to bed," Syrus nervously said.
"Why? Don't you wanna hear about the abandoned dorm?" Banner questioned the group.
"The abandoned dorm?" Jaden questioned.
"Yes, you see, on the edge of the forest, there was a dorm that was shut down because some students disappeared." Professor Banner explained.
"How did they disappear?" Syrus nervously asked.
"Well, that is the mystery behind it. But some say that the students disappeared due to the mysterious Shadow Games."
"What games?" Rainbow Dash asked, having never heard of the Shadow Games before.
"Shadow Games are played with mystical powerful items," Banner answered.
"Wait, I've heard of this. They are called the Millenium Items," Blair realized.
"Yeah, but they aren't actually real, right?" Jaden doubted the existence of the games.
"Well, some don't believe in the Shadow Games. But I feel that the stories must come from somewhere," Banner finished. "Well, I better get back to my room. Take care students."
As Banner left with Pharaoh, the group was about to return to their game when Jaden suddenly interrupted, "Hey, maybe we should take a look inside this abandoned dorm. If only we knew where it was."
"W-well, I saw a strange looking building at the edge of the forest once," Syrus nervously muttered.
"Well then, you'll be the one to lead us to the dorm tomorrow night," Rainbow Dash agreed with Jaden. "What about the rest of you guys? Want to see what the big deal of this abandoned dorm is?"
"I don't know, Rainbow Dash. It doesn't sound right," Applejack said with uncertainty.
"What, you scared?" Rainbow Dash teased.
"No, I'm not. I'll go if that's what it takes to prove it to you," Applejack stubbornly responded.
"Well, thanks for you agreeing, Applejack. What about you Blair? You wanna go with us?" Rainbow Dash questioned the small kid.
"No thanks I'd rather not get into trouble," Blair nervously answered.
"Then, let's get going!" Jaden and Rainbow Dash yelled.
Unbeknownst to the group, Dr. Crowler and Clarissa were listening in on the group's conversation.
"Perfect! This is just the opportunity I've been looking for!" Crowler said. He then thought, "I think it's about time the Shadow Games make a comeback, Millenium Items and all." Crowler proceeded to laugh wickedly with Clarissa.
The next day, Jaden, Rainbow Dash, and Syrus were all sleeping in the middle of Professor Banner's class. Watching the group sleep was Dr. Crowler, who was watching the trio sleep from outside the classroom. "Go ahead and sleep through this class. Soon enough, you will get a lesson in the Shadow Realm," Crowler thought.
That night, Dr. Crowler and two men named Titan the Undertaker and the Mimic of Doom met up near the lighthouse. "You've made it," Crowler said.
"Of course. We wouldn't miss a job that we were given," the Mimic of Doom responded.
"So, what is our job anyway?" Titan asked the teacher as fog came out of a briefcase he was holding.
"I want you to scare two students so intensely that they leave the island in terror. Think you two are up to the task?" Crowler asked the duo.
"Are you kidding? Scaring people is what I do best," Titan said.
"Don't worry, Dr. Crowler, we'll not only make sure that these students leave, but also end up trapped in the shadows forever!" the Mimic of Doom laughed wickedly as the duo walked away from the lighthouse.
"Man, those two are good," Crowler said.
Earlier that day, Jaden and Rainbow Dash asked the rest of the Mane 6 if they wanted to go to the abandoned dorm. The four of them disagreed with going aside from Pinkie Pie, not only because of how scary the place sounded, but also because they could end up getting into trouble. However, in the end, the other four members of the Mane 6 agreed to go with them to make sure the others were safe.
However, that night when they all looked for the abandoned dorm, they were all met with difficulty with finding the dorm.
"Well, you could look at it as being lost, but you can also say we found a few places where the dorm isn't at," Jaden tried to defend not finding the dorm.
"Come on. I could have found the dorm quicker than you, Jaden," Rainbow Dash countered.
"Guys, can you keep it down. I don't want to get in trouble or for any of you guys to get in trouble," Twilight warned the arguing duo.
"Yeah. I cannot believe we are going there. The abandoned dorm sounds like just the most dreadful place to go," Rarity complained.
"A-and among the scariest," Fluttershy muttered nervously.
"I-I know, right?" Syrus agreed.
It took some time, but eventually the group of eight had made there way to the abandoned dorm. Upon getting there, they noticed a rose that was left behind on the ground in front of the dorm.
"Who do you think left that rose behind, anyway?" Jaden wondered.
"I don't know, but something tells me we should be more careful," Twilight announced.
"Oh, maybe it's a kid spirit who just wants to spruce up his home!" Pinkie Pie guessed.
Suddenly, a twig from behind the group was stepped on. Syrus and Fluttershy proceeded to freak out. Jaden, however, merely turned around to see what made the noise only to see that it came from Alexis.
"Alexis? What are you doing here?" Syrus nervously asked the girl.
"Strange. I was about to ask you the same thing," Alexis responded.
"We were just curious about the abandoned dorm and decided to take a look," Jaden answered.
"That isn't a very smart move, Jaden. Kids tend to have a habit of disappearing around here, Jaden. Why else do you think that the school would make the place completely forbidden. If you get caught then they'll expel you," Alexis warned.
"If that is the case, why are you here then?" Rainbow Dash asked the Obelisk Blue student.
"It's none of your business why I'm here, got that?" Alexis asked with fire suddenly in her voice.
"Sorry, we just were curious that's all. We will try our best to stay out of your way, if that'll help," Twilight apologized on the behalf of insensitivity of Jaden and Rainbow.
"It's just that...One of the students that disappeared here was my brother," Alexis revealed.
As Jaden looked at the rose in front of the dorm, he suddenly realized who left the rose in front of the dorm and why. Before he could say anything further to Alexis, he noticed that she was gone. "She's gone. Well, we should probably get a move on and heads inside."
"Are you sure? The place looks very spooky," Fluttershy nervously muttered.
"Yeah. We'll just stay out here and wait for you guys to return," Syrus agreed with Fluttershy.
"Well, suit yourself, you two, '' Jaden said as he, and the Mane 5 went inside. However, not wanting to be alone, Syrus followed them into the dorm. Fluttershy was also about to follow, only to be intercepted by the Mimic of Doom, causing Fluttershy to cry out in terror.
Meanwhile, hiding in between the trees, was Alexis ready to leave the dorm. "I hope you know what you're doing, Jaden." Before she left, Titan the Undertaker intercepted her and captured her, leaving her to yell out in fear.
Once inside, the group were amazed by what they found. They found several carvings related to the Shadow Games on the walls. Jaden, in particular, was impressed.
"Wow. This place doesn't look half bad. With a little decoration, we could totally move into this place, huh guys?" Jaden asked Rainbow and Syrus.
"You're kidding, right?" Syrus was confused. "This is even worse than the Slifer dorm. I mean, what is this stuff on the walls."
"Maybe it has something to do with the Shadow Games," Rarity nervously wondered.
"Jaden, don't stand so close!" Syrus warned his friend.
"You know, I think that this shows the seven Millenium Items. And there is also a photo of someone I've never seen before," Jaden responded as he looked at the wall.
Suddenly, the group heard a scream.
"That sounds like Alexis," Syrus recognized the voice.
"Let's go!" Jaden decided, as he and the others turned around and went back to the main hall on the second floor. "Alexis?" Jaden shined his flashlight around on the bottom floor only to find nothing. The group then proceeded to go down to the bottom floor to look around. Eventually, Jaden ended up finding the monster card Etoile Cyber on the floor. "This is one of Alexis's cards."
"Well, from the looks of it, there is only one way that she could have gone," Rainbow Dash pointed out towards a passageway on the bottom floor.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go find Alexis!" Twilight said as she and most of the others followed. Just as Rainbow Dash and Rarity were about to follow as well, they were interrupted by another voice from right behind them.
"Greetings, my friends," The mysterious voice said.
"Huh?" Rainbow Dash was confused. "Who are you?" Rainbow Dash and Rarity turned around to see a familiar face. It was Fluttershy, or at least it looked like her. "Fluttershy! So, you decided to come in after all. Well, we better hurry. Alexis is in trouble and she needs our help." Rainbow Dash started to run towards the passageway only for "Fluttershy" to not follow. "Um, hello? Aren't you going to follow us?"
"Why should I follow you? After all, it is because of you that I am now little more than a vengeful spirit." "Fluttershy" said, blaming her friend for her fate.
"What? If you're joking Fluttershy, now is not the time for that," Rainbow Dash nervously responded as she tried to be brave.
"I am not joking. I am merely after my revenge for what you have done to me. I challenge you to a duel. The loser goes to the afterlife while the winner goes free,``''Fluttershy" gave an ultimatum.
"Rainbow Dash, maybe we should think this over. I don't know if this is Fluttershy or not. Either way, we should probably be careful and not jump into a duel like this," Rarity warned her brash friend.
"Look, if you really are my friend then I guess I should duel you so that I can jog your memory of who you really are!" Rainbow Dash boldly said as she got out her duel disk and placed it on her arm. "Ready?"
"Duel!" Both "Fluttershy" and Rainbow Dash said.
The rest of the group was going down the path, calling out for Alexis as they did so. Eventually, everyone got to the end of the passageway and saw an unconscious Alexis inside of an open casket. "There she is! Let's go get her!" Jaden called out as he ran towards their friend. Suddenly, they were interrupted by another voice.
"You'll find that you cannot reach your friend. She is lost within the shadows, never to be seen again," the tall figure in black and with a duel vest revealed as he appeared out of the smoke. "And this Shadow Game will be your last."
"Hand over Alexis right now or you'll be sorry," Jaden warned the tall man, Titan.
"I'm afraid not. You'll have to beat me in a Shadow Game to get her back. Otherwise, she is mine forever," Titan gave his ultimatum.
"Yeah, right. There is no such thing as Shadow Games," Jaden countered.
"Yeah, well the others also didn't believe in the Shadow Games, but they were soon convinced," Titan warned.
"So, you're the one responsible for all of those students disappearing," Jaden guessed. "Well, you're not getting any of us, especially not Alexis."
"Unless you beat me in a duel, she will be all mine as will you be." Titan said confidently.
"Twilight, duel disk?" Jaden asked of his friend.
"Right here, Twilight said as she handed over a duel disk for him to use.
"Thanks. Get your game on!" Jaden started up his duel disk.
"Shadow Game that is," Titan said, trying to be threatening.
"Duel!" Both yelled at once.
"I'll start things off by summoning Infernal Queen Archfiend in attack mode," Titan said as he summoned a creepy Archfiend (900/1500).
"An Archfiend monster? What's that?" Syrus was confused.
"Archfiends are a type of monster that are incredibly powerful. They require you to pay Life Points in order to keep them in play, though, which can be risky without the right setup," Twilight explained what Archfiends do.
"Right, and my Infernal Queen Archfiend can increase the attack points of an Archfiend by 1000 points for a turn," Titan explained as his monster's attack points went up (1900/1500).
"Yeah, well go ahead. Like Twilight said, you need to pay Life Points to play your Archfiends which can prove to be damaging in the long term," Jaden confidently said.
"Maybe so. So that is why I plan to play the Pandamonium field spell," Titan responded as he played the field spell inside of a special slot on his duel disk. After playing the field spell, a bunch of reddish color entered the room, and with it a bunch of spooky statues. In addition, the coffin holding the unconscious Alexis closed and was pulled underground. "With this field spell, I don't have to pay Life Points for my Archfiends and if they ever destroyed outside of battle, I get to add another one to my hand. Looks like your friend is all but lost to the shadows."
"Hey, that isn't fair!" Applejack cried out. "Why don't you actually duel without using Alexis as bait.
"Yeah, why are you doing this to her anyway?" Pinkie Pie asked.
"I'm doing this because it is my job to do so. Though I may add you and your other friends in on the terror if you don't quiet down," Titan darkly warned.
"Hey, don't hurt them!" Jaden said protectively. "Now, it's my draw. I don't have anything in my hand that can go up against 1900 attack points. But still-I summon Elemental Hero Avian in attack mode!" Jaden summoned a hero wearing a green jumpsuit and with talons on both feet and one hand (1000/1000). "I'll also throw two facedowns."
"Too bad you won't get a chance to use them. My turn!" Titan said as he was prepared to make his next move, which could potentially be Jaden's last.
Meanwhile, back in the main room of the dorm, "Fluttershy" and Rainbow Dash were ready to duel.
"Okay, my turn. I start off by summoning Dancing Fairy in attack mode," "Fluttershy" said as she summoned a trio of fairies onto the field (1700/1000). "I'll also play one card facedown for later. It's your turn, so make it count."
"Alright, my turn. First, I'll summon the Black Stone of Legend to the field in attack mode." Rainbow Dash summoned a black stone of powerful energy onto the field (0/0). "Next, I'll sacrifice said stone in order to summon a Red Eyes Black Dragon from my deck in attack mode." Suddenly, a giant black dragon was summoned onto the field (2400/2000). "Next, I'll activate the spell card Inferno Fire Blast. With it, I can inflict damage to your Life Points equal to my dragon's attack power. So, be prepared to lose 2400 Life Points." A powerful surge of red energy shot out at "Fluttershy" and hit her, leaving her unphased by the attack. "I'll end my turn with a facedown."
"Fluttershy"
1600
Rainbow Dash
4000
"Do you think that will be all that is necessary to win? Well, think again."
"All I'm thinking is whether or not you truly are Fluttershy or not." Rainbow Dash responded. "After all, you may have used a card or two that was hers, but you still haven't proved yourself to be her."
"How about I prove myself then? I summon Dark Resonator to the field in attack mode." A mysterious fiend holding a tuning fork was summoned to "Fluttershy's" field (1300/300). "Now, I'll tune my Dark Resonator with my Dancing Fairy in order to synchro summon Ancient Fairy Dragon." A blue elegant serpent-like dragon was summoned to "Fluttershy's" field (2100/3000).
"What? No way. That's impossible! Only Fluttershy has that card!" Rainbow Dash reacted in horror at the idea that something terrible did indeed happen to her friend.
"Well, I guess that settles it. I am the real Fluttershy, and I'm gonna send you into the shadows. Now, I activate the trap card Inverse Universe! With it, the attack and defense points of all effect monsters on the field for as long as they remain faceup on the field. So, that means that my dragon now has 3000 attack points!" (3000/2100) "Now, Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack Rainbow Dash's Red Eyes!" Ancient Fairy Dragon launched out many light vines out that struck the opposing dragon, destroying him.
"Fluttershy"
1600
Rainbow Dash
3400
"I'll end my turn there. It's your move, Rainbow Dash. Make it count as it may be your last," the pink haired duelist threatened.
"Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?" Rarity asked in concern.
Rainbow Dash struggled to get back up, still recovering from the attack that felt somewhat real to her. "Don't worry. I'm fine. It's my opponent who should be worried. Why is Fluttershy like this anyway? Maybe I can reach her by reminding her of the past." Rainbow Dash claimed, even if she didn't completely mean it. Either way, it was clear that she needed to act fast. Otherwise, she could lose one of her best friends forever.
"I'll summon Terrorking Archfiend to the field in attack mode," A powerful fiend brandishing a sword was summoned to Titan's field (2000/1500). "Now you have two vicious Archfiends to deal with. But things get even better as my Terrorking Archfiend will gain 1000 attack points thanks to Infernal Queen Archfiend. Now, Terrorking Archfiend, attack Avian with Locust Storm Barrage!" Terrorking's chest opened up, releasing many large locusts to attack the hero monster.
"Not so fast! I activate the trap card Mirror Gate! With it, our monsters change positions. So, your Terrorking Archfiend's 3000 attack points are going to work for me!" Jaden said confidently.
"You really think you could bait me into a trap?" Titan asked with no worry in his voice.
"Yeah, I think so. Why?" Jaden was confused.
"Because you are the one who is going to be trapped. I activate my Terrorking Archfeind's special ability. Now, with it I get to select a number between 1 and 6 randomly. If it is a 2 or a 5, Terrorking Archfiend stays on my side of the field and the attack will continue as normal. Now, let's spin the wheel shall we?" Six colored orbs appeared that started to have a fire move around the orbs in a clockwise circle, eventually ending up on 2. "It's a two. So, now my Terrorking's attack goes through. Locust Storm Barrage!" Elemental Hero Avian was struck by the Locusts, destroying him and lowering Jaden's Life Points to 2000.
Titan
4000
Jaden Yuki
2000
"Well, that stinks. But I still have my other trap. Hero Signal. With it, I can summon an Elemental Hero Monster to fight on my side of the field from my deck or hand. And I'll summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode." A warrior covered in rubble was summoned to Jaden's field(800/2000).
"Way to duel!" Syrus confidently responded.
"Yeah. That Clayman should keep Jaden safe from any further harm this turn," Pinkie Pie breathed a sigh of relief.
"That's what you think." Titan said, much to everyone else's confusion. "At least, he won't be safe from this!" Titan said as he lifted up what looked like the Millennium Puzzle, which began to shine a yellow light. "Welcome to the Shadow Game." As Titan said this, everyone was shocked to see part of Jaden's body disappear, especially around his arm.
"What? Hey, what happened to my arm?" Jaden was confused. The rest of the group looked on nervously as the field was covered in black smoke, making it hard to breathe.
"There. Doesn't your Life Points now seem insignificant now that it is your very life at stake? Yes, soon you will all fall into a pit of endless darkness and will belong to the shadows for the rest of your days!" Titan grinned sadistically.
"Give me a break. I'm not scared of the dark. We have blackout curtains that allow us to sleep in," Jaden bounced back.
"Well, you will soon be scared. Make your next move. It may be your last," Titan warned.
"A Shadow Game? Who could have asked for a better challenge?" Jaden muttered to himself in full confidence, much to everyone else's confusion. "My turn. And I play the spell card Pot of Greed! This lets me draw two cards. Next, I'll play Polymerization to fuse the Clayman on my field with the Sparkman in my hand in order to summon Elemental Hero Thunder Giant!" A towering golem was summoned onto Jaden's field (2400/1500). "Next, I'll use his special ability to destroy your Terrorking Archfiend. Go, Thunder Giant!"
In response to this, Titan just grinned. "I use my Terrorking's special ability once again. Roulette, go!" Once again, a flame moved from orb to orb, eventually, stopping on a 5. "Looks like I win again. Fate isn't even on your side half of the time!" Titan confidently smirked as Thunder Giant's attack went back to him, destroying him in the process. "Now, you are wide open to an attack from both of my monsters!" Titan grinned as he laughed wickedly. "At this rate, my Archfiend deck will finish off all of your monsters and my Millenium Item will finish off your soul."
"This duel is far from over. I play the spell card Mirage of Nightmare. And I'll throw down a couple of facedowns while I'm at it," Jaden responded.
"So be it. But you won't last long enough to use any more of your cards. Alexis's soul will be lost to the shadows along with yours. My move," Titan confidently smirked.
"Hold on. I think you're forgetting something. See, thanks to the effect of Mirage of Nightmare, I get to draw four cards," Jaden announced.
"Go ahead. You can have four million cards and it still wouldn't make a difference. My monsters will defeat you this turn. Speaking of which, Terrorking Archfiend, attack him directly."
"Good thing I have my facedown card Mirror Force! Say goodbye to all of your monsters in attack mode!" Jaden countered.
"Woo hoo! Jaden's making a comeback! At this rate, we'll be getting out of here okay and with Alexis as well!" Pinkie Pie cheered.
Both Infernal Queen Archfiend and Terrorking Archfiend were suddenly surrounded by flames that proceeded to envelop them, leading to their destruction.
"You may have destroyed my monsters, but this is far from over. I activate the effect of Des Rook Archfiend. By discarding him from my hand I am able to resurrect one of my Archfiends and I choose Terrorking Archfiend." Terrorking Archfiend resurrected himself in attack mode. "And, there is more. Thanks to my field spell, I am able to add a weaker
Archfiend from my deck to my hand. But that won't matter because I can attack you with my Terrorking. Go, Locust Storm Barrage!" Terrorking launched out a bunch of locusts from his chest.
"Hold on! I play my spell card Emergency Provisions. With it, I can sacrifice a spell or trap card and gain 1000 Life Points for each one. So, I'll sacrifice my Mirage of Nightmare and gain 1000 Life Points!" Jaden's Life Points went up to 3000 before they were lowered to 1000 thanks to Terrorking's attack.
Titan
4000
Jaden Yuki
1000
"You still stand?" Titan was surprised to see Jaden still in this duel.
"As long as I still have two good legs."
"But your legs are not fine. And neither are your arms!" Titan said as he got out his Millenium Item. It shined brightly, and in an instant, Jaden's right arm faded away, leaving only his hand.
"Jaden's fading fast!" Syus said in worry for his friend.
"Talk about hanging on by a limb," Jaden muttered. "I better turn this duel around and fast. Jaden drew his card, ready to try and make a comeback. "I play the spell card the Warrior Returning Alive! With it, I'll bring back my Elemental Hero Avian! And then, I'll use Polymerization to fuse Avian with Burtsinatrix to form Elemental Hero Flame Wingman! And, I'll have him attack your Terrorking Archfiend! Skydive Scorcher!" Flame Wingman shot out a barrage of flames at Terrorking, causing damage to Titan's Life Points. "Oh, and did I mention his superpower? When Flame Wingman destroys a monster, you take damage equal to his attack points!" Flame Wingman directly damaged Titan's Life Points, lowering them to 1900. Suddenly, parts of Titan's body started to fade away.
Titan
1900
Jaden Yuki
1000
"Wow. Parts of him are starting to disappear too," Syrus was surprised.
"Sorry, but this duel is far from over. I have another Des Rook Archfiend and I will discard him to bring back my Terrorking Archfiend," Titan said as he discarded his card, bringing back his mighty monster.
"I need to find a way to defeat his Terrorking. But, for now, I better protect myself with Dark Catapulter in defense mode (1000/1500)!" Jaden ended his turn with that. "Go ahead and do your worst!"
"You want my worst? Fine. I'll give it to you," Titan drew his card, grinning all the while. "I sacrifice my Terrorking in order to bring out the Skull Archfiend of Lightning!" A skeleton that looked like the Summoned Skull but more twisted was summoned onto Titan's field (2500/1200). "Every last bolt of electricity that he has will show you that he is indeed my worst!" Skull Archfiend attacked Flame Wingman, bringing Jaden's Life Points down to 600.
Titan
1900
Jaden Yuki
600
"I gotta hang on, for Alexis." Jaden thought in desperation.
"Look into my Millenium Item and watch as you fade even further away," Titan announced as he held up his glowing Millenium Item. "You're almost out of Life Points and your soul will drift even further away."
Jaden fell onto the floor, barely able to stand up at all.
"This is bad! Jaden can't even stand up!" Twilight was worried.
"Yes, the shadows are a powerful weapon indeed, even the ones only in your mind. If only he knew," Titan smirked wickedly as he thought to himself.
Rainbow Dash had just managed to stand back up, ready to turn the duel against "Fluttershy" around. "Alright, it's about time we get things back to normal, Fluttershy. And, I'll start off by summoning Twin Sword Marauder in defense mode." A warrior with swords around both hands appeared, crouching on his knee (1600/1000). "I end my turn with that."
"Go ahead. This turn may very well be your last. My move!" "Fluttershy" smirked.
"Come on, Fluttershy. You have to remember who we are right? I'm an old friend. I raced some bullies to defend your honor. You went with Rarity to the spa once a week. Please, remember us," Rainbow Dash practically pleaded.
"The only thing I remember is how you have caused my demise, which I will now gain revenge for. I start off by summoning Sunlight Unicorn in attack mode (1800/1000) and I'll have her attack your Twin Sword Marauder." The unicorn attacked and destroyed the warrior. "Now, Ancient Fairy Dragon, attack her directly!" Ancient Fairy Dragon launched a barrage of magical vines, lowering Rainbow's Life Points to 400.
"Fluttershy"
1600
Rainbow Dash
400
"Fluttershy," Rainbow Dash moaned as she picked herself up with great difficulty.
"I end my turn. Next turn, I'll win for sure. Go ahead and play as many dragons as you like. I'll destroy all of your creatures and send them to the grave!" "Fluttershy" claimed.
"Wait...Fluttershy is scared of dragons. Even with getting more used to them playing Duel Monsters she is still scared. Rainbow Dash, this person…," Rarity realized.
"Isn't Fluttershy! Well, you big fake. I think it's about time you show us who you really are!" Rainbow Dash yelled out.
"Very well, since you two finally figured it out, I'll show you!" At this, "Fluttershy" suddenly morphed into a balding, overweight clown. "I am known as the Mimic of Doom. I can make myself look like anyone and mimic them flawlessly. I was hired to scare you off, Rainbow Dash, but it looks like I failed at that job. Still, perhaps if you were to lose this duel, I may still get my pay!"
"Well, how about no? You tricked me into thinking that something terrible happened to one of my best friends. Well, it's about time you pay for that!" At this, Rainbow's eyes turned from purple to a light brown. "First, I play the spell card Fissure, which will let me destroy the weakest monster on your field, meaning that your Sunlight Unicorn is destroyed." A bunch of ground broke under Sunlight Unicorn, causing her to fall down into a newly formed pit. "Next, I special summon Vice Dragon from my hand!" A large purple dragon flew down onto Rainbow's field (2000/2400). "When you control one or more monsters and I don't, I can summon Vice Dragon in exchange for halving it's attack and defense points (1000/1200). Next, I summon my own Dark Resonator to the field (1300/300). Now I tune Dark Resonator with my Vice Dragon in order to synchro summon Red Dragon Archfiend!" A powerful dragon colored black and red flew down onto Rainbow's field (3000/2000). "Now, Red Dragon Archfiend, attack and destroy Ancient Fairy Dragon!" The two monsters clashed, leading to both of them being destroyed in the end. "Finally, I'll play Call of the Haunted in order to revive Red Dragon Archfiend. Now, I'll have him attack you directly! Absolute Powerforce!" Red Dragon Archfiend attacked the Mimic of Doom with his burning red claws, reducing his Life Points to 0. As this happened, Rainbow's eyes returned to their normal color.
After the duel had ended, the Mimic of Doom was left sitting on the ground, scared out of his wits by Rainbow Dash's fierce dueling. "I'm sorry! Please, don't hurt me! Here, you can have your friend's deck back!" The Mimic of Doom proceeded to hand back Fluttershy's deck, including Ancient Fairy Dragon. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go and rethink my life." The Mimic of Doom proceeded to run off before either Rainbow Dash and Rarity could ask where Fluttershy was. Fortunately, the heard a voice come from underneath one of the white cloths that was on a couch.
"Um, girls? Are you there? It's pretty dark here and I'm getting scared," the real Fluttershy muttered out in fear.
"Fluttershy!" Both Rarity and Rainbow Dash were relieved to see that their friend was fine, removing the cloth and hugging her tightly.
"Man, we were so worried about you Fluttershy!" Rarity was happy to see her.
"Um, okay? Guys, what is going on?" Fluttershy was confused.
"We'll tell you on the way down this hallway," Rainbow Dash answered as the trio turned to look down the hallway.
As Jaden was suffering, not even being able to stand, he suddenly heard a coo come from Winged Kuriboh. "Winged Kuriboh? Hey pal, what are you trying to tell me?" Jaden thought to himself as Winged Kuriboh formed into a small glowing orb, which proceeded to move around the room around Titan. "Whoa, Winged Kuriboh. Can you please stop moving? You're going to hypnotize me sooner than you help me. Wait. That's it. We're not playing the shadows. He's playing with my mind!" Jaden was finally able to get back up, confidence restored. "Alright, I got this little Shadow Game scam of yours figured out!"
"Wait, did he just say Shadow Game scam?" Twilight realized.
"What does Jaden mean?" Syrus asked in confusion.
"It'll all be cleared up soon enough," Jaden simply answered. "My turn!" Jaden yelled as he drew his card.
"What's wrong? Why isn't he scared anymore?" Titan was confused.
"First, I'm gonna activate Dark Catapulter's special ability. With it, by removing one card from my graveyard, I can destroy a spell or trap card in play for every turn that Catapulter was in defense mode. So, since Catapulter was in defense mode for one turn, I'll remove Avian from my graveyard to destroy your Pandamonium card!" Jaden explained.
At this, Dark Catapulter shot out an orb of energy at Titan's duel disk, which proceeded to shatter the field spell card in play. Titan was not finished trying to play with Jaden's mind, however. "Don't forget, I still have this!" Titan called out as he lifted his Millenium Item.
"Have you ever heard of be careful what you wish for?" Jaden countered as he threw Avian at the Item, cracking the Millenium Item all over the front of it.
"Wait, what did you do," Titan scaredly asked Jaden. All of a sudden, Jaden's missing body returned to him.
"Good job, Jaden! Your body is all back in one piece!" Pinkie Pie congratulated Jaden.
"I never lost my body to begin with. He was just using hypnosis. A bunch of smoke and mirrors to make me think I was losing my soul. In fact, I think this guy must just be some out of work carney," Jaden mocked the malicious man.
"Hey, I can get my job back at the fair anytime I want!" the formerly scary man tried to defend himself.
"I'm sure you could, you big phony, and I'm sure that your Millenium Item works well with the kiddies," Jaden joked.
"Grrr. Oh, but don't forget. I still have the girl's soul," Titan tried to salvage the situation.
"Alexis!" Syrus was concerned for the girl's fate.
"Well, if her fate is as fake as this Shadow Game, I'd say she is likely fine," Twilight figured.
"Not likely, I still have her soul in the recesses of the shadows. This proves this Millenium Pendant is real!" Titan wickedly laughed to himself.
"I don't think so!" Jaden smirked. "We saw all of the Millenium Items carved on a wall. And yours would be the Millenium Puzzle, not Pendant. So, give us back Alexis!"
"No way! After that earlier carney comment you can find your friend on your own!" Titan yelled as he threw a smoke bomb onto the floor.
"No you don't! Get back here!" Jaden called out as he ran after Titan, only for bright lights to shine from the snake head statues in the room, leading to a symbol of the Eye of Wdjat glowing on the ground. "Hey, how did you do that."
"I didn't," Titan answered, just as confused as to the meaning of the symbol as Jaden was.
Suddenly, a bunch of black smoke spiraled around the two duelists, forming a dark colored orb around the two. "Whoa, how did you pull this off?" Jaden asked the phony.
"I didn't. I can't pull off something like this!" Suddenly, many different gray blob creatures surrounded the man as they started to try and devour him. "Jaden, please, save me!" Titan pleaded, with one blob entering his mouth.
Jaden was cautious as the blobs also surrounded Jaden. Fortunately, before they could try and devour him, Winged Kuriboh popped out of Jaden's duel disk and moved towards the blobs. The blobs proceeded to back away from Winged Kuriboh, keeping Jaden safe. "Wow, I'm glad that I have a friend like you, Winged Kuriboh."
Titan, meanwhile, was no longer being devoured. As his eyes started to glow red, the blobs moved away from him. "Jaden Yuki, the shadows yearn for a soul, and only one of us will make it out alive," the now brainwashed man said.
"Oh, come on! Now you have red contacts? You really went all out for this scam, didn't you," Jaden said, not believing that this was a real Shadow Game.
"This duel shall now continue, and the loser's soul will belong to the shadows," Titan said.
"Alright! I'm always willing to duel!" Jaden decided to continue the duel. "I play the spell card Monster Reincarnation! This allows for me to discard one card and bring back another monster to my hand. And then, I'll summon to the field Elemental Hero Sparkman in defense mode (1600/1400)!"
"Very well, now it's my move!" Titan said.
"Hold on, big dark, and scary! Without your Pandamonium card, you have to pay 500 Life Points to play that Archfiend card!" Jaden reminded the man.
Titan released some dark smoke from inside his mouth as he payed 500 Life Points
Titan
1400
Jaden Yuki
600
"A few Life Points is worth getting a soul. Now, Skull Archfiend of Lightning! Attack and destroy that Dark Catapulter!" In a strong flash of lightning, the Dark Catapulter was destroyed.
"Wow, he is really pulling out all the stops for this duel, huh?" Jaden was impressed.
"Now, I place one card facedown and summon the Des Rook Archfiend to end my turn (1100/1800)."
Winged Kuriboh cooed in worry for Jaden, only for Jaden to give some reassurance. "Don't worry Winged Kuriboh. I'll make sure that nothing bad happens. My draw!" Jaden then thought to himself, "They say that a good defense is a good offense, but the good thing about this card is that it lets me have both!" "Alright, I'm putting Sparkman into attack mode! Next, I'll be equipping my Sparkman with the Spark Blaster spell card! It has three shots and each one allows for me to switch the battle mode of a monster. And I think I know the monster to use it on first!"
"Go ahead and use it on my Skull Archfiend of Lightning. His 1200 defense points should make for easy conquest, unless the roulette negates your effect again," Titan reminded Jaden.
"Actually, that wasn't what I had in mind. In fact, I'm not even using the blaster yet. First I'll attack your Des Rook Archfiend. As for who I'm gonna use the Spark Blaster on? The Sparkman himself!" Jaden revealed his plan. Sparkman was switched to defense mode.
Titan
900
Jaden Yuki
600
"You coward! Fist you attack my Life Points then you switch your monster's battle mode to protect your own! But it matters not, because I play the trap card Battle Scarred! Now the 500 Life Point cost for Skull Archfiend of Lightning affects you as well!"
Titan
400
Jaden Yuki
100
"Don't worry, Winged Kuriboh. We still have Sparkman!" Jaden reassured Winged Kuriboh as he scared away more of the blobs.
"Not for long! Skull Archfiend, attack Sparkman! Next, I'll play a card facedown and activate Double Spell. By discarding one meaningless spell card, I can take a spell from your graveyard. And I choose Emergency Provisions!" Titan took the spell from Jaden's graveyard. "And I'll play it to remove my facedown and gain 1000 Life Points. This duel is over. You have no cards on your field or in your hand, Battle Scarred will take your last Life Points on my next turn and you will join the students I have taken!"
Titan
1400
Jaden Yuki
100
"Better make this turn count, because one way or another it's going to be my last. My draw!" Jaden drew his card. "I summon the Elemental Hero Bubbleman in attack mode!" A man in blue armor summoned himself to Jaden's field (800/1200). "You see, if he is the only card in my hand I'm allowed to special summon him. And, if he's the only card on my field when summoned, I get to draw two more cards! And I drew his favorite. Bubble Shuffle. See, this spell card works like this. I switch Bubbleman and a monster you control to defense mode. Then, I get to summon a hero!"
"If my Skull Archfiend's roulette doesn't make your spell card useless that is. If the roulette lands on a 1, 3, or 6 your spell card will get cancelled!" At this, the roulette ran until it hit a 2. "Two?!"Titan was shocked as both monsters switched to defense mode.
"Sweet! Finally, I win. Now give a warm welcome to Elemental Hero Bladedge!" A shiny golden monster was summoned into Jaden's field (2600/1800). "You must be thinking that my Hero's blades are really sharp, well you'd be right! If he attacks a defense mode monster, the difference between them and Bladedge's attack points are dealt as damage to you! Now, Bladedge, attack his Skull Archfiend!" The golden hero attacked the archfiend, reducing Titan's Life Points to 0.
At this, the gray blob creatures proceeded to devour Titan, much to his displeasure.
"Wow. impressive!" Jaden was impressed by what he believed were special effects. Suddenly, Winged Kuriboh noticed a small crack of light, an exit, from this Shadow Game. Jaden fell out of the shadow orb, with the reunited Mane 6 and Syrus there to greet him.
"Jaden! You're okay!" Syrus was relieved to see his friend was fine.
"Of course I am, Syrus! Jaden reassured.
"Hey, Jaden. I also faced another one of those fake Shadow Game players and won! Pretty awesome, huh?" Rainbow Dash boasted.
"You better believe it is. Still, wonder why there were two of these guys here for?" Jaden was curious. Before anyone could answer, the dark orb suddenly vanished completely, leaving behind the group and the still unconscious Alexis.
"That Jaden must be paralyzed with fear by now. Oh, Shadow Duelist! I want to hear every last detail! Every last chattering of his jaw!" Crowler said as he and Clarissa walked down the hall of the abandoned dorm. However, to his shock he saw only the Pandemonium card on the ground. "The Pandamonium card?! He wouldn't just leave this unless...he failed! First that clown says he was leaving in fear and now this?! Grr. What is up with these guys?! Can't hire good help these days!"
"Hey, wake up sleepy head," Jaden playfully teased.
Alexis started to wake up at this. "Huh? What happened?"
Jaden answered, "What happened is that we found trouble, beat the bad guy, and rescued the damsel in distress."
"Huh? Oh, right! That man snatched me," Alexis remembered.
"While we were in there we found your card and this picture," Applejack said as she handed them over.
"This is...my brother. Thank you guys! I've been searching for the longest time and this is the first trace I've had of him," Alexis explained gratefully.
"Hey, just know that all of us are willing to help you look for him if you wish," Rarity offered to help.
"Yeah, I mean, might as well continue to be awesome and save people," Rainbow Dash offered her help as well.
"Just please don't get captured again, at least not in a place like this," Fluttershy said, half joking.
"Oh, the sun's coming up, Jaden!" Syrus pointed out. "Let's get going!"
"Remember, we weren't here!" Jaden called to Alexis as everyone but Rarity and Twilight left.
"It's strange, Rarity. First, Jaden is lured over to the girl's dorm and now some creepy people try to scare him and Rainbow Dash away," Twilight was suspicious.
"What do you think is going on?" Rarity asked her friend.
"I think that we need to investigate. Someone may be trying to expel our friends," Twilight decided.
"Okay, where should we start?" Rarity asked. "Should we try the Obelisk Blue students or go straight to Chancellor Sheppard?
"I think we should ask Alexis for help," Twilight decided.