Coral: Before reading this, I did some re-editing on last chapter's duel. Mainly because of some error in Life Points and card effects that you readers may have not caught up on. If you do not wish to re-read it, I understand. It doesn't change the fact that Kohaku won the duel anyway.
Aki: You just realized that error now?
Coral: Hey, I did an all-nighter on that chapter! Do you really expect me to notice the error after finishing a chapter at around 4:00 in the morning?!
Aki: Okay, I can see your point.
Coral: Yep. So then readers, this chapter may as well be the actual longest I've ever done... EVER! So please, take your time and enjoy~!
Normal dialogue
Life Points/Monster stats
*LOCATION CHANGE/ CHANGE IN P.O.V*
Attacks/Effects
'thoughts'
Language other than Japanese (this is English sub after all)
Judai and the others rushed to the infirmary, all wanting to see Kohaku and how she's doing. Of course, taking all those damages from the Game of Darkness, normal people would've died, like how Kohaku almost did. Seeing how she managed to stand back up after taking over 6000 worth of Game of Darkness damage and withstand another 1000 damage, though, it may be possible that she would still live.
Meanwhile, at the infirmary, Eri, along with other doctors and nurses, somehow managed to save Kohaku from death. Currently, the female Headmaster is right at the Osiris' bed side. When you look at the young duelist, her injuries aren't as bad as you think, if it wasn't for how heavily the bandage around her chest is and the oxygen mask on her face. The heart monitor showed its slow, yet constant, beeping.
Just then, the infirmary door slammed open, surprising the young adult. Eri turned and saw Judai, Shou, Asuka, Misawa, Hayato and Alex, panting by the doorway. The group had worried looks on their faces as they saw Kohaku's condition.
"How's Kohaku?" Asuka asked her Headmaster.
"I did everything I could, but good news is that she's stabilized. With her recovery rate, I'd say she'll wake in a couple of days."
"That's a relief..." Alex sighed.
"It's a miracle how she won and lived," Hayato said.
"Even so, to think that she has a sister," Misawa brought up.
Everyone was silent at that reminder.
"She lost her twin at a young age. That's worse than me knowing that my brother just disappeared," Asuka said.
"Now that I think about, I did hear her saying about how she envies you, Asuka," Alex told the Obelisk. "Back then, I didn't know why she would say that, but now I know what she meant. You know your brother longer than she does with her own twin."
'And it would also explain why I had a feeling like I met her before,' Alex mentally continued. 'I met her twin sister.'
"Not only that, she died because she was accused of something that she didn't..." Judai added.
"I heard that twins can sense how each other are feeling. So the moment when Kohaku's sister died, it must've had a bigger impact than we thought, if it went as far as to have her get revenge," Shou said.
"But still, I can't believe she can use Fusion Summon!" Judai changed the subject and mood. "And the way she did the Fusion is too cool! How did it go? 'Performer that controls time and space, become one with the object-manipulator, and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness!' Man that was awesome!" He then had a face of realization. "That's right! Shou, Hayato, Asuka! We should try doing the Fusion Summon her way!"
Knowing that he was only suggesting that to forget about the life-threatening duel that Kohaku had, the three Fusion users nodded and, along with Misawa and Alex, left the room.
"I'll call you if something comes up!" Eri told them.
"Okay!"
Some time later, Eri left the room. Just after she left, someone else entered the room and walked over to Kohaku's bed side. The new person activated his/her duel disk and summoned a monster. One thing about the monster was that it didn't seem like a hologram at all.
*LATER*
"I fuse Elemental Hero Featherman and Elemental Hero Burstlady! Hero that allies himself with the wind, become one with the hero that allies herself with fire and give birth to a new storm! Fusion Summon! Appear, hero that controls flame and wind alike! Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Judai chanted, summoning his favorite card. "Yes! That sounds perfect! I end my turn here!"
"My turn then. Draw," Asuka drew her next card. "Using your Fusion Gate''s special ability, I banish Etoile Cyber and Blade Skater and fuse them! Elegant ballerina, combine with the ballerina of blades and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Appear, the beautiful and most fearsome ballerina! Cyber Blader!" Her monster appeared on her field. "... I think that last part was a bit too much."
"Couldn't agree more," Alex nodded. "Especially the fearsome part."
"Then my turn now, right? Draw," Shou drew his next card. "I activate Big Bro's Fusion Gate and remove Gyroid and Steamroid from my hand! Great train vehicle, become on with the copter and gain its wind power! Fusion Summon! Appear, great train with wind power! Steam Gyroid!" His monster appeared onto his field. "... It should be okay."
"My turn!" Hayato drew his card. "Using Judai's Fusion Gate, I fuse Big Koala and Des Kangaroo! Powerful koala, gain the ability of the fierce fighting kangaroo and become king of all Australian animals! Fusion Summon! Come, fierce fighting kangaroo koala! Master of Oz!" Hayato's monster appeared onto his field. "That should work!"
"Out of all those chants, I think Judai and Hayato's are practically tied. Asuka's is good, but a bit too into the fearsome part, even though Cyber Blader's effects are fearsome. As for Shou, just a little more work on the chant," Misawa analyzed.
"Got it," the shortest of the group nodded.
"By the way, when would your duel be?" Alex asked Judai and Shou.
"Samejima-sensei didn't say yet," the 'Elemental Hero' duelist replied.
"With what happened, I'd say three days at most," Asuka guessed.
"That's a reasonable time gap. After what we all saw, everyone else need that much time to forget about it," Hayato supported.
Just then, they heard someone's Duel Pilot go off. The owner turned out to be Asuka. "Hello?... Yes... What?!... Got it!"
"What's wrong?" Judai asked.
"Something happened to Kohaku!" Just those four words, and everyone got tensed and rushed back to the infirmary.
"I can't believe this..." Eri spoke. "I just can't believe this happened."
Just then, the door slammed open, harder than the first time. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to break it down.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" Kohaku's friends asked. Like Eri, they all widened their eyes in shock at the scene before them.
"Hey guys~!" Kohaku was jumping from bed to bed, occasionally doing a small tricks and going 'woo-hoo'. "What's up~?"
"'Wh-... What's up'?" Judai repeated.
"How did you recover so fast?" Misawa questioned.
"I don't know~!" Kohaku jumped off a bed by the window and back-flipped out through it. Seeing her do that stunt got Judai and the gang in a panic as they rushed to the window she jumped out of. Out of some miracle, Kohaku landed on a tree branch and, using it as a makeshift trampoline, jumped back to the room she was in. The group of duelists narrowly avoided getting hit by the not-so-injured girl and saw that she was back to jumping on beds again. "I feel like a million bucks~! And I didn't have anything with sugar in it~! Nor did I drink any alcohol, not that I can to begin with! I just woke up and suddenly have all this energy stored in me wanting to get out! AHH! I could take on ten- no, hundred- no, thousand- no, THE WHOLE WORLD IN A DUEL! Actually I can take on the whole universe in a duel~!"
As Kohaku continued to blabber around, her friends just stared at her in shock. How was it possible for someone who was in a near-death situation to fully recover within an hour? That was the only question that went on in their head.
"OH YEAH! Judai, duel me!" The called Osiris just blinked in surprise at the sudden request. "You said it yourself, didn't you?! That you wanted to duel me! So get your disk ready and let's duel! Oh, but then again, I also promised Alex that! Though I never dueled you, Judai! But Alex is first in line! AAH! WHAT TO DOOOO?! Before that... JUDAI! SHOU!" She suddenly got in their face. That sudden movement surprised them to the point where they were knocked off their feet. "How did it go?! Did you win?! You both won, didn't you?! Your Tag Duel! Of course you won! OfwhatIheard, JudaicanpulloffmiraclesandShouhasPowerBond! Loseisnon-existentwiththosetwocombos! Ooh! I got it! Let's have a Tag Duel then! Judai and Shou vs me and Alex! Ah! But Alex also wants to duel me! AHH! Now what?! Iwanttoduelbothofyoubutyoubothdon'tknoweachother'scards! JustasIwithShou! EvenifIdoknowhiscards, itwouldn'tbefairtobothofyousinceyourdecksdon'tmatcheachotheratall! JUSTWHATDOI-?!"
"STOOOOOOP!" the teenagers shouted, managing to keep Kohaku from saying another word out of her current insanely fast mouth.
"We didn't have our Tag Duel yet!" Judai corrected.
"It got postponed!" Shou explained.
"Oh... Why didn't you say so?" Everyone practically did an anime-fall at such a silly and obvious question.
"How can we?! You were speaking too fast for us to say a word!" the remaining accused shouted.
"But how did you recover that fast?" Asuka dared to ask.
"Don't know. Just woke up with so much energy."
"That's impossible. No one can make that quick a recovery," Misawa said.
"As much as I don't want to interrupt your conversation, I must ask you all to leave," Eri spoke. "Kohaku may have gotten back to full health, but that doesn't mean she can skip her check up."
"Aye aye~!" Kohaku suddenly got on a bed, patiently waiting to be checked. "You guys can wait for me outside~. This shouldn't take long~."
"O-Okay..." they let out, still surprised at nead-dead friend's fast recovery. At that, they all left the room.
"I really hope this is the only time you're here. If this keeps up, there will be no door to this room," Eri said.
"Okay~!"
"Just how in the world did she heal that fast?" Hayato asked.
"For all I know, that's a question that will be left unanswered," Misawa said.
"No kidding," Alex agreed. "But you still can't help but wonder."
"Though, it isn't normal for anyone to suddenly get better, especially not from a near-death situation," Asuka pointed out.
"Speaking of which, what about me and Big Bro? We might be going up against a pair of Ghouls, too!" Shou brought up.
"Don't worry, Shou," Judai said. "If Kohaku can beat one, then we can too. Besides she has faith in us."
"That doesn't make me feel any better, Big bro..."
"Come on Shou. Sure it seems bad, but that doesn't mean that it is."
"Then Kohaku wouldn't have almost died!"
"I wouldn't have almost what?" came the sudden voice of the mentioned girl. Everyone jumped back at her sudden appearance.
"W-When did you get here?!" Alex questioned.
"Just now. And I could've sworn I heard something about me dying. What are you talking about?" They were all confused at her question.
"K-Kohaku... Do you remember what happened earlier?" Asuka asked.
"Only that I had a Punishment duel and won."
"That's all?" Misawa asked.
"That's all."
"Nothing about the duel?" Hayato followed.
"Nada."
They all sighed at her answer, mostly in relief that Kohaku didn't remember what dying felt like and her rage from her Punishment duel.
"Speaking of duel... YOU!" Kohaku raised her voice and pointed at Alex, much to the latter's shock. "Now that I think about it, we should duel first after all! Judai and Shou still have their Tag Duel to worry about so we should duel!"
"O-Okay okay," the Light and Dark Osiris agreed.
"And you better go all out too! Not once in our duel did you summon out your dragon at all!"
"What about you?!" Alex got into Kohaku's pace. "Not once did you Fusion Summon during any of our duels!"
"Only because I wanted to see how strong you are when you're serious!"
"You never heard of 'Ladies first'?!"
"You never knew that I was a lady in the first place!"
"What was that?!"
"They look like quite a married couple, don't they?" Hayato questioned, as they, minus Judai, looked on with sweat-drops.
"And they only met on this island a few days ago," Asuka pointed out.
"Few days ago? More like years ago," Misawa spoke out most their thoughts.
"Does seem like it," Shou agreed.
"Isn't because their best friends?" Judai asked them.
"How about we duel? The winner is the one who's telling the truth and right!" Kohaku challenged, as the two bashed their heads against each other.
"You accuse me of lying?! But in any case, you're on!" Alex accepted.
'Now it's like we're seeing two Judais,' the others, minus Judai himself, thought in unison.
"DUEL!"
*MEANWHILE*
"Of all things that happened... Of all mistakes you've made, this is one that takes the bait," Samejima scolded Chronos. He had been giving Chronos a good scolding for quite a while, not realizing that he's been repeating some same exact thing for quite a while.
"I-I understand my mistakes..." the Obelisk male Headmaster tried to stop him. He was on his knees and they had fallen asleep on him.
"If I wasn't me, I may have just sent you back to your dorm..." Chronos didn't hear that part and assumed that he was being off the hook. "And fire you the moment you leave!" He flinched. "Luckily, I believe in second chances, so instead, I'll let you off with a warning and punishment. If you make this kind of mistake again, you will be fired, or do you prefer being a janitor here? As for the punishment... I think confiscating your deck as well as temporarily relieving you of your duties as Obelisk Headmaster would do."
"You'll what?!" Chronos shouted, not believing what he heard. As soon as he saw Samejima's glare, he cleared his throat. "I-I mean of course- no ne!"
"Also..."
"Also?"
"Exactly who did you pair Judai and Shou with? If the pair are also former Ghouls, than the warning is meaningless."
"They are..."
*BACK TO THE GROUP*
Turns passed and the duel was quite close.
Kohaku: 800 LP
Alex: 1000 LP
On Kohaku's field are Circus Freak Time Space Magician with two Circus Counters, Circus Freak Juggler with four Circus Counters, and Circus Freak Spinner with two Circus Counters. On Alex's field are Lightray Diabolos, Dark Armed Dragon, and Kaiser Sea Horse. Kohaku had two cards in her hand and Alex has none. It was Alex's turn.
Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF
Circus Freak Juggler: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 + 800 = 2400 ATK/1000 DEF
Circus Freak Spinner: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1400 DEF
Lightray Diabolos: Level 7/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF
Dark Armed Dragon: Level 7/DARK/Dragon/2800 ATK/1000 DEF
Kaiser Seahorse: Level 4/LIGHT/Sea Serpent/1700 ATK/1650 DEF
"Even without Fusion Summoned, you sure are strong," Alex complimented.
"That's what I should be saying. Without Light and Darkness Dragon, you're already strong enough," Kohaku complimented back.
"I can't believe that they're still going," Misawa said in shock.
Asuka looked at the time on her Duel Pilot. "Unbelievable... They've been at it for almost an hour."
"That's a new dueling record!" Hayato exclaimed.
"Just watching this makes me want to duel both of them now!" Judai complained.
"They're practically on the same level..." Shou stated.
Alex drew his next card. His eyes widened at the card he drew. "Wow... You might get your wish after all, Kohaku." His opponent smiled at those words. "Because now, things are about to get wild around here! Kaiser Sea Horse counts as two tributes when Advance Summoning a LIGHT monster! I release Kaiser Sea Horse as two tributes! Advance Summon! Appear from the rift between light and darkness! Light and Darkness Dragon!" In place of the blue and purple armored monster, a dragon who's white on one side and black on the other side appeared. Unlike its black dragon wing, its white wing seemed more angel-like and it has two tails; one white and one black.
Light and Darkness Dragon: Level 8/LIGHT/Dragon/2800 ATK/2400 DEF
"So that's your ace... It's pretty," Kohaku once again complimented.
"Don't be fooled by its appearance. Since I don't have any more DARK monsters in my Grave and you don't have any set cards, I can't use Darklight Destruction."
'Not like I can while my ace is out,' Alex mentally added.
"However, that doesn't mean I can't attack! Light and Darkness Dragon attacks Spinner! Shining Breath!" Alex declared. His monster prepared a white dragon breath attack at the tanned Defense Position Circus Freak.
"I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's monster effect from my hand! Discarding him to draw one card and summon it, add it to my hand, or activate it immediately!" Kohaku countered, sending her last card to the grave.
"And rejected! Light and Darkness Dragon's monster effect! Once per chain, when a card effect activates, by paying 500 ATK and DEF points, that effect is negated! Dark Baptism!" The dragon canceled its attack for a moment and glowed a dark black aura. It fired that aura towards Kohaku, rather to her Duel Disk's Graveyard Slot, negating her monster's effect.
Light and Darkness Dragon: 2800 - 500 = 2300 ATK/2400 - 500 = 1900 ATK
"No way!" she gasped in shock.
"He negated her monster's effect from the grave!" Hayato exclaimed in shock.
"Awesome! I didn't know that effect existed!" Judai said excitedly.
"Let's try again, Light and Darkness Dragon! Shining Breath!" The white and black dragon once again unleashed its attack onto its target, destroying him. "You're luck Light and Darkness doesn't have piercing damage. Though I'm unlucky that he doesn't. Although, that doesn't mean I can't do any more damage. Lightray Diabolos attacks Juggler! Light Burst Stream!" His monster let out its attack at the juggling monster.
Kohaku: 400 LP
Alex: 1000 LP
"Juggler's monster effect! When destroyed, my opponent takes 200 points of damage for each Circus Counters on it! There were four counters on him, so that's 800 damage! Explosive Balls!"
"Light and Darkness Dragon's effect activates again!"
"What?!"
"I said once per chain, not once per turn. Dark Baptism!" Alex's ace monster negated another effect, saving him from the damage.
Light and Darkness Dragon: 2300 - 500 = 1800 ATK/1900 - 500 = 1400 ATK
"Hey! That's not fair at all!"
"What do you mean not fair?! This is how it is with my monster's effect!"
"What do you mean it's how it is?!"
"Exactly as I say!"
"What?!"
"You know I'm right anyway! That's what we bet on!"
"That was for getting serious during the previous duels!"
"Well now it's the duels and Light and Darkness Dragon's effect!"
"Are they really arguing again?" Misawa questioned, as the bystanders sweat-dropped at the scene before them.
"Looks like it..." Asuka answered.
"Makes it harder to believe that they met few days ago," Shou repeated what was said earlier.
"Anyway, one more attack! Dark Armed Dragon attacks Time Space Magician! Dark Armed Destroyer!" Alex continued. His last monster attacked Kohaku's last monster with its signature attack.
Kohaku: 100 LP
Alex: 1000 LP
"Kohaku's down to a hundred!" Hayato announced in surprise.
"Is she going to lose?!" Judai asked.
"Looks like that win streak of yours is finally going to be broken," Alex stated.
"Not while I still have cards to play!" Kohaku denied. "It's now time for the Grand Finale! Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello everybody~! It's time for today's climatic scene! Will I draw a miracle and overcome the three dragons staring down at me or be overwhelmed by the leader of the three dragons once more?! Do keep your eyes on this show~! My draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "From my hand, I activate the Instant Magic, Early Performance!"
"And rejected~!" Alex countered. "Light and Darkness Dragon's effect negates your attempt for a Special Summon! Dark Baptism!" His dragon once again had that dark aura surrounding him and fired it at Kohaku's card.
Light and Darkness Dragon: 1800 - 500 = 1300 ATK/1400 - 500 = 900 DEF
"That's just what I wanted~!" Kohaku continued, much to his shock. "From my hand, I activate another Instant Magic, Grand Act! By banishing monsters from my Graveyard, I can Fusion Summon a Fusion monster who uses them as Fusion Materials!"
"Oh no!"
"The monsters I'm banishing are Circus Freak Time Space Magician, Circus Freak Juggler and Circus Freak Spinner! Performer who controls time and space, become one with the juggle master and spin master and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! Fusion Summon! Appear, arcane magician with ancient power! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" Kohaku's Fusion monster appeared on her field.
Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2500 DEF
"Last I remember, you said Light and Darkness Dragon's effect works once per chain. I activated Grand Act the moment you used its effect, therefore the summon is possible!"
"To think that this is what you had plan. But, didn't you just made an error? Last I remember, Rune Magician needs Time Space Magician and Contact Juggler," Alex recalled.
"My good friend, unlike most Fusion monsters, Circus Freak Rune Magician is one of the very few who can be Fusion Summoned using any Fusion Materials. In other words, he can be summoned using Circus Freak Time Space Magician and 1-3 Spellcaster-type monsters."
"What did you say?"
"Rune Magician has been Fusion Summoned. Both of my other two Fusion materials were level 3, which equals to level 6. If the combined level is five to seven, that's three attacks!"
"EHHH?!"
"But that's not all. Grand Act grants the Fusion Monster summoned by this effect 400 extra attack points for each of its Fusion Materials~! Three monsters were used, that makes a total of 1200 additional power!"
Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 1200 = 4200 ATK
"EEEEEEHHHHHHHH?!"
"It's showtime~! Rune Magician! Attack Light and Darkness Dragon! Ancient Light Blaster!" The blue magician fired its attacks at the white and black dragon, ending the duel with a turnaround.
Kohaku: 100 LP
Alex: 0000 LP
WINNER: KOHAKU!
"Whew... Now that's what I call a close one..." Kohaku sighed in relief, as she flopped onto the ground.
"Oh man! And I was so close!" Alex complained, stomping his feet. "Just one turn! That was all I needed!"
"Man! Watching you two duel makes me want to duel one of you two now!" Judai exclaimed. "Oh! That's it! Kohaku, Alex, let's have a tag duel!"
"Sure. I already completed my promise to Alex." Just then they heard a loud growl, one that could be mistaken for a tiger's growl.
"W-W-W-What was that?!" Shou panicked, as they all looked around to see where the sound came from.
"But first..."
"First?" Asuka asked, looking back at her female friend.
"I didn't have any breakfast... And I had two duels in one day... Too hungry..." Kohaku flopped onto the ground again.
"That was your stomach?!" they all questioned.
"You'd get this hungry too if you perform for hours in front of people since youth."
"Well, some food does sound nice right about now," Misawa agreed.
"Especially from all that tension and practice duels," Hayato added.
"So, where to?" The group got confused at Kohaku's question.
"What do you mean, Kohaku?" Alex asked.
"We're all friends, aren't we? We don't get to hang out like this so often. Besides, after we eat, while we still have time, we should help Judai and Shou train some more. It's better than to just go back to our dorms and meet up somewhere." They all saw that Kohaku had a good point, especially considering the possibility of Judai and Shou's opponent being a pair of former Ghouls.
"In that case..."
With Asuka's permission, the group went into the Obelisk Blue's cafeteria to eat. Unlike the bedrooms and the bathrooms, both the male and female Obelisks can be in the cafeteria together. The Obelisk's cafe is right in the male's dorm. Before they went to the cafeteria, Asuka took Kohaku to the girl's dorm for a change of clothes, in which Kohaku questioned, "Why are my clothes ripped? And they smell a bit charred too. Also, what's with the bandage around my chest?" Those three sentences were more proof that she had no recollection of what happened during her duel against Pandora.
After getting her changed in Obelisk Blue's female uniform, somewhat to the female Osiris' dismay, they met up with the guys and head over to the blue's cafeteria. At first, all the blues that were at the dorm at that time didn't approve most of the group being in their cafe. But with some... 'sweet' talk from Asuka, and a duel challenge from both Kohaku and Alex, they all backed off. Unexpectedly, the cafe seemed more like a restaurant, one that's for rich people. Other than the tables being covered in tablecloths, the fancy chairs, and a vase holding a few flowers in the middle of the table, there were also waiters, waitresses and chefs. Unlike the blue students, though, they didn't mind people from other dorm coming in.
"Asuka... You get to eat... these kind of food everyday...?" Judai asked, speechless at the lunch menu he was looking at.
"Now I do wish to be on my brother's level before I came here..." Shou said in envy.
"And you get all of this for free?!" Hayato asked.
"Yeah. It was a surprise for me too when I first saw all this," Asuka replied.
"Really?" Misawa spoke in disbelief.
"Excuse me, but I'm not from a rich family. All female students are instantly put in Obelisk Blue, doesn't matter how good or bad you are."
"But I did see some girls who aren't Obelisk Blue," Alex pointed out.
"They either got demoted or just wanted to have the same treatment as guys."
"I see."
"So, everything here is free. So just order to your hearts' content." She then noticed that Kohaku wasn't looking at her menu. "What's wrong, Kohaku?"
"I already know what to order," Kohaku answered.
"That's fast!" Judai practically shouted.
"And you don't seem at all fazed by the number of choices either..." Shou pointed out.
"Back before transferring to this school, while going around the world and perform, my mother would often reserve the best restaurants for us to go to the day after we did our circus performance. So something like this isn't much of a surprise or shock for me."
"As expected of Animer Circus. You must've made so much money," Hayato assumed.
"Oh no. We get to eat for free in those restaurants, as long as we perform for the customers and workers themselves before then."
"SERIOUSLY?!" the group questioned, their eyes bulging out.
"Just one of the advantage of being a performer~" Kohaku smirked and made a peace sign.
"A-Animer Circus Power..." shortest of the group muttered.
*LATER*
After the exquisite lunch, the group went back outside and got to practice. As promised, it was Judai and Shou vs Kohaku and Alex. Putting it in simpler terms, however... the former team was getting horribly beaten...
Judai and Shou: 0000 LP
Kohaku and Alex: 6100 LP
"N-... No use..." Judai muttered, lying on the ground after countless defeat.
"And they didn't held back once..." Shou followed.
"Isn't that obvious?" Kohaku asked.
"Your opponents won't hold back either, you know," Alex stated. "Come on. Get up. If you really are serious about staying here, then stand."
"B-But first... A break..." Judai requested.
"NO BREAKS!"
"YES!" Judai and Shou both instantly got on their knees at Kohaku's sudden shout.
"Are you two really that serious about staying here?! Don't either of you want to graduate Duel Academia?! Do either of you care about your dreams?!"
"Another part of Kohaku has just been revealed..." Misawa muttered.
"We're learning more things about her as the day pass," Asuka stated.
"When I was in both of your position, I too wanted to take breaks. But do you know what my father told me?"
"Smile is number one?" Shou guessed.
"Just have fun, it'll be okay?" Judai also guessed.
"WRONG!" She suddenly had out a whip from who-knows-where and nearly whipped the two poor boys. "That time it was 'take too much breaks and how will you ever reach your dream?! Do you really wish to be what you say you would be?! Then show me! Do not stop until you overcome your current obstacle!'" As she shout those things, she also whipped around her Osiris friends, Judai and Shou just narrowly avoiding each whip.
"Where did you get that whip from?" Alex dared to ask.
"Do not let it bother you."
And so continued the hellish training.
*FEW DAYS LATER*
It was time for part two of the Punishment Duel. Enough time has passed for the students to calm down about what happened to Kohaku's duel. Though after hearing bits and pieces, Kohaku kept asking her friends exactly what happened, all who either changed the subject or dodged it. She even asked her fellow Osiris, but for some reason, AKA Judai, Shou, Hayato and Alex pleading them to say nothing about it, they also dodged the subject.
"Just what exactly happened?" she kept asking from her seat in the audience.
"I honestly don't know," Time Space Magician answered. Yes, even her own Duel Monster Spirit refused to answer.
"You really don't know?"
"You asked me this since you've regained conscious, milady. And I assure you, I know not a thing."
"This is weird though. How could I have forgotten what my duel was like?"
"That I also do not know, milady."
"Yo, Kohaku!" came Alex's voice. Kohaku looked and saw her friends, minus Judai and Shou, walking up to take a seat next to her.
"Hey guys," Kohaku greeted.
"Today's finally the day, huh..." Misawa said.
"Yeah. Let's just hope that all that training helps them," Asuka hoped.
"With all they went through the pass few days... I am only hoping that they have enough strength to stand," Hayato told them.
"Why's that?" Kohaku asked.
"Oh nothing!" After what happened that time when Judai asked for a break, practically more than half the dorm... rather the whole dorm in general, feared Kohaku when she's not her happy self. Sure she doesn't always smile, but ever since she helped Judai and Shou get stronger, it had been hell, even if they weren't involved in the training session.
The two Osiris in question were on the field. From the audience, no one noticed it but, they both have bags under their eyes. Fortunately the bags aren't that visible.
"Shou... You alive?" Judai asked in a whispered voice.
"Yes, Big Bro... Don't want to get another Kohaku Judgement..." Shou answered.
"The only time we can relax is when we sleep... However, because our duel had to be early in the afternoon and we didn't sleep until later, we didn't get enough..."
"And Kohaku even let us sleep early because of it... Why didn't we check our decks after we wake up instead of before we sleep?"
"Well then, we will now begin the Tag Duel!" Chronos announced. Couple days back, his current status was already known throughout the whole island. Judai and the rest, minus Kohaku, wondered why Samejima didn't fire him. The principal's answer: he believes in second chances. He assured Shou, however, that his and Judai's opponents weren't former Ghouls like Pandora. Though, for one reason or another, his face seemed to light up at the topic of who they will be facing.
"Now, in order to give you two impudent ones a thumping... Parmesan Cheese... I have invited some legendary duelists!"
As soon as Chronos said that, two bald men in Chinese robes flipped onto the stage, one in orange and one in green. They both have a Chinese mark on their foreheads. The two kept back-flipping all over the field, much to the two's confusion. Kohaku, Misawa, Asuka, Alex and Hayato knew who those two were. Eventually, the two stopped flipping and landed behind Judai and Shou.
"We are the Roaming Guards!" the orange one introduced.
"The Meikyuu Brothers!" the green one added.
"Whoa! Is this a Hong Kong movie?" Judai asked, sleep completely wore off him.
"Could those two be our opponents?" Shou guessed.
"They are legendary duelists known for having fought against the Duel King, Mutou Yugi- no ne," Chronos informed.
"Against the Duel King?!"
"I've heard of them," Asuka spoke from the audience. "They are sibling duelists who gave the Duel King a hard time with their invincible combinations."
"Those two don't have a chance-" Misawa muttered, but was interrupted by having his mouth covered. He looked to the side and saw ALex putting his finger in front of his lip as to tell him to be quiet. Reason? A dark aura radiated from the 'Circus Freak' duelist on his other side. "I-I mean... Judai and Shou should have a chance in defeating them. After all that hard work."
"We hold no grudge to thee, but..."
"-we're locked into battle for reasons of our own," the green one finished for his brother.
"If you cannot defeat us..."
"-you're path will remain blocked!"
"Now come and fight us!" both said in unison.
Behind the two reds, Chronos was chuckling, thinking they were scared.
"This sounds fun! I can't believe we'll be fighting against legendary duelists who fought against the Duel King!" Judai happily exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. This unexpected reaction made Chronos anime-fall.
"Well, right then..." The blonde teacher got back up. "Now, both sides, get into position!" They four duelists did just that. "You cannot give advice to your tag partner- na no ne. Also, you treat your partner's field as though it's your field. Understand- no ne? Each tag team will share 8000 Life Points! So then..."
"DUEL!"
Meikyuu Brothers: 8000 LP
Judai and Shou: 8000 LP
Both sides drew their starting hand.
"It's my turn! Draw!" Shou went first, drawing his sixth card. "I summon Gyroid in Attack Mode!" A blue cartoonish-helicopter appeared on his field.
Gyroid: Level 3/WIND/Machine/1000 ATK/1000 DEF
"It's my turn. Draw!" the orange brother drew his sixth card. "I summon Landmine Spider in Attack Mode." An orange and brown spider appeared on his field.
Landmine Spider: Level 4/EARTH/Insect/2200 ATK/100 DEF
"My turn. Draw!" Judai began his turn. "I summon Elemental Hero Burstlady in Defense Mode!" Judai's green female warrior in red appeared on his field.
Elemental Hero Burstlady: Level 3/FIRE/Warrior/1200 ATK/800 DEF
"It's my turn. Draw!" the green brother began his turn. "I summon Kaiser Seahorse in Attack Mode!" A familiar blue and purple armored sea serpent appeared on his field.
Kaiser Seahorse: Level 4/LIGHT/Sea Serpent/1700 ATK/1650 DEF
"I activate a Magic Card from my hand. Sacrifice Doll," the green brother continued. "This card activates by sacrificing one monster on my field." He looked at his brother, who nodded. "I use Landmine Spider as a sacrifice..." The spider got destroyed. "... to Special Summon a Level 7 monster from my hand! Come forth! Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga!" Wind suddenly picked up on the field. Appearing from the wind is a green machine-like monster with a kanji for wind on its body(?)
Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga: Level 7/WIND/Spellcaster/2400 ATK/2200 DEF
"He used his Tag Partner's monster as though it was his own to summon out a stronger monster," Misawa analyzed.
"This kind of cooperation on the first turn... simply amazing," Asuka admitted.
"Can't disagree to that," Alex agreed. He looked to the side and saw Kohaku with a frown on her face. "Kohaku, are you okay?"
"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine," she replied with a fake smile.
"Thank you elder brother," the green brother said to his older twin.
"Don't mention it. I would make any sacrifice for you," the orange one replied to his younger brother.
Those words made Kohaku more hurt. Alex noticed and took a guess, but decided to say nothing.
"No. I wouldn't feel right if I didn't give you something in return," the younger brother continued, as he picked out a card from his hand. "The Magic Card, Dark Designator. If a monster that I designate is in my opponent's deck, this card can add that card to my opponent's hand. And I designate... Wicked Thunder Lord- Sanga!"
"I thank you," the older brother chuckled. "Naturally I have Sanga in my deck." Said card was added to his hand. "Allow us..."
"-to give you a lesson..."
"-in the true essence of tag dueling!" both finished in unison. Shou flinched at their declaration.
"U-Unreal... To think they summoned a strong monster on their first turn right off the bat..." Shou looked at his partner. "Big bro?"
"These guys are legendary duelists they cracked up to be, all right!" Judai said in amazement. "But we won't lose, will we?"
"R-Right! No, we won't!" Shou brought his attention right back to the field. "My turn! Draw!" He drew his next card. "I summon Steamroid in Attack Mode!" A familiar-looking train-like monster appeared on his field.
Steamroid: Level 4/EARTH/Machine/1800 ATK/1800 DEF
He then took a deep breath. "From my hand, I activate my Magic Card, Fusion! I fuse Gyroid and Steamroid! Blue helicopter, mix your powers in the black steam train! Fusion Summon! Appear, steam train with wind power! Steam Gyroid!" Shou's two monsters fused together to make a younger version of Steamroid with helicopter blades.
Steam Gyroid: Level 6/EARTH/Machine/2200 ATK/1600 DEF
"Hey! Isn't that my thing?!" Kohaku shouted, completely forgetting about the sadness that was in her. Her friends turned away and covered their ears, not wanting to hear any wrath that was to come. "Nice one, Shou!" Or so they thought.
"You're glad he copied you or not?!" Alex questioned.
Back to the duel, Shou continued his turn.
"I haven't overlooked this important fact! It was the elder of you Meikyuu Brothers that made the sacrifice for Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga's summoning. And that means there aren't any monsters to defend the elder's field!"
"Shou!" Judai seemed to want to warn his partner.
"Go, Steam Gyroid! Attack the elder directly!" Friends of the two Osiris widened their eyes and gasped at the declaration.
"Oh! Damn it!" the elder cursed. The steam train went in to attack the defenseless duelist. However, his expression changed into a smirk. "That won't happen."
"Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga's special ability," the younger brother countered. "Reflection Storm Barricade!" His monster went in front of the orange duelist and summoned a strong wind, preventing Shou's monster's attack. "Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga's ability reduces damage from an opponent's monster to zero once!"
"No way..." Shou muttered.
"You almost made it, Shou," Judai spoke.
"Big bro..."
"Like you said, the duel's just begun. Let's go crazy on them!"
Shou nodded at those words. "I set a reverse card to end my turn."
"It's my turn. Draw." The elder bro drew his next card. "The magic card, Resurrection of the Dead! I summon Landmine Spider back from my Graveyard." The overgrown spider returned to the field. "Next I activate a Magic Card, Sacrifice Doll."
"Again?! This card's effect will use Landmine Spider as a Sacrifice to Special Summon Wicked Water Lord- Suga!" The bug was destroyed again for a blue monster that seemed similar to Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga, only with a kanji for water on it.
Wicked Water Lord- Suga: Level 7/WATER/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2400 DEF
Shou and Judai gasped at the sight before them.
"And I'm not done yet." The older faced the younger. "Now I'll be needing your help."
"Sure thing, older brother," the younger insisted.
"I offer Kaiser Sea Horse as a sacrifice!" Dark aura surrounds the sea serpent.
"When summoning a LIGHT attribute monster, Kaiser Seahorse can be used as two sacrifices," the younger brother explained.
"This summons Wicked Thunder Lord- Sanga!" the older brother shouted. Now on his empty field is a dark yellow and brown monster similar to Suga and Hyuga.
Wicked Thunder Lord- Sanga: Level 7/LIGHT/Spellcaster/2600 ATK/2200 DEF
"What a combo," Misawa spoke in awe.
"No, it's not over yet," Asuka corrected.
"With those three monsters..." Alex muttered.
"It'll be huge trouble for Judai and Shou if that monster is out..." Kohaku finished his thoughts.
Shou trembled at the sight of three monsters floating before him.
The elder brother chuckled. "That makes all of them..."
"Now we shall show you our ultimate monster!" the younger brother announced.
"When Wicked Water Lord- Suga, Wicked Thunder Lord-Sanga, and Wicked Wind Lord- Hyuga are all on the field, by offering all three as sacrifices, I can summon Gate Guardian!" All three monsters got together and formed a bigger and badder monster.
Gate Guardian: Level 11/DARK/Warrior/3750 ATK/3400 DEF
"Gate..."
"Guardian?" Shou and Judai gasped.
"Go, Gate Guardian! Attack Steam Gyroid! Wicked Lord Shockwave!" the older brother ordered. His monster blasted electrifying water at the steam train, destroying it and hitting Shou with its attack.
Meikyuu Brothers: 8000 LP
Judai and Shou: 6450 LP
"Their decks were built specifically for tag duels," Misawa analyzed. "They've left no gaps in it, as would be expected."
"And since they're brothers, they're totally in sync with each other," Asuka added.
Kohaku looked on, the pained look returned on her face. Alex noticed and stayed silent.
"Did you see?" the older began.
"This is tag duel," the younger finished.
"To think Steam Gyroid would be beaten in mere seconds..." Shou spoke in disbelief. Certain people watched the duel in pure bliss, wanting the duel to end already. Shou looked at his partner, worried that his first thoughts about the tag duel idea were right.
"Amazing. I've never seen a monster like that before," Judai said, even more amazed than before. "So, this is the monster that fought against the Duel King, is it? And we've got the opportunity to go against it! Aren't you just pumped?!" His partner could only look on in even more confusion than before.
"I set one reverse card on the field to end my turn," the turn-taker ended.
"All right, now it's my turn! Draw!" the 'Elemental Hero' duelist drew his next card. "Okay. I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in Attack Mode!" Judai's EARTH Attribute hero appeared on his field.
Elemental Hero Clayman: Level 4/EARTH/Warrior/800 ATK/2000 DEF
"Then I activate the Magic Card! Fusion! It'll fuse Burstlady and Clayman together! Fiery warrioress, defensive warrior, become one and give birth to a new power! Fusion Summon! Come forth, defensive hero with high accuracy! Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner!" A monster with machine-like body, a gun as its right arm and shield as its left hand appeared on his field in Defense Position.
Elemental Hero Rampart Gunner: Level 6/EARTH/Warrior/2000 ATK/2500 DEF
"Even though you Fusion Summoned it, its ATK is 2000 and DEF is 2500," Shou noted. "That means it's no match for Gate Guardian, Big Bro."
"Rampart Gunner's special effect activates," the turn-taker continued. "While in Defense Positon, this card can attack the opponent directly!"
The twins cringed at the news. "What?!"
"Go, Rampart Gunner! Rampart Shot!" The armed monster fired a pair of missiles at the pair of duelists. "You'll only get damaged with half its ATK with this effect, though."
Meikyuu Brothers: 7000 LP
Judai and Shou: 6450 LP
"You're not bad," the green robed duelist admitted.
"Cool! That's my Big Bro!" Shou admired.
"Yeah! I end my turn."
"It's my turn, draw!" The younger twin drew his card. "I activate the Equip Magic, Meteor Strike! I equip it with Gate Guardian! When a monster equipped with this card attacks a Defense Position monster, if it exceeds its DEF, it deals damage to the opponent equal to the difference."
"I won't let that happen!" Shou exclaimed with courage. "I'm going to be of some use to my Big Bro! Reverse card open, Cyclone! This card destroys a Magic or Trap card on the field. You won't be able to use Meteor Strike!" His face-down was flipped face-up, summoning a typhoon to destroy the card.
"I activate a Trap card! Judgement of Anubis!" the older twin countered. "By discarding one card from my hand, it can negate an opponent's card that destroys Magic or Trap." The wind dispersed. "In addition, it destroys an opponent's monster and deals that monster's ATK as damage to you!" Judai and Shou's last means of defense was destroyed.
Meikyuu Brothers: 7000 LP
Judai and Shou: 4450 LP
"Next, I summon Defense Wall in Defense Mode," the younger brother continued his turn. A grey wall with arms and legs appeared.
Defense Wall: Level 4/EARTH/Rock/0 ATK/2100 DEF
"As long as Defense Wall is on the field in Defense Mode, all opposing monsters will target this monster for their attacks!"
"For attacking, Gate Guardian. For defense, Gate Guardian. They've left absolutely no gaps at all," Misawa spoke in slight amazement.
"They know the ins-and-outs in tag dueling," Asuka replied. "Yet in comparison..."
"My turn is over," the green robed duelist ended.
"M-My turn... Draw..." Shou nervously drew his next card. "I summon Cycroid in Defense mode." A bicycle monster with handles as arms appeared.
Cycroid: Level 3/EARTH/Machine/800 ATK/1000 DEF
"I end my turn..."
"It's my turn! Draw! Go, Gate Guardian! Wicked Lord Shockwave!" The attacking monster once again used its signature move on Shou's monster. "Meteor Strike's effect will now deal Piercing Damage to the player!" Another round of Wicked Lord Shockwave was shot, this time at Shou.
Meikyuu Brothers: 7000 LP
Judai and Shou: 1700 LP
Watching the duel go on made Kohaku sick to her stomach. "Sorry guys... I gotta go..." Without hearing any word from her friends, Kohaku left the stadium.
"I'll go after her," Alex insisted, already following her out.
"In the face of us brothers..."
"-you are no match!" the two brothers exclaimed.