Coral: I decided to put up another chapter for this story before moving on to my other stories. Enjoy this long chapter. I guarantee you will love it.
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)
*OPENING*
(Instrumental)(The scene begins with a nice top view of the island)
To the beginning sky... towards the shining light
(The camera looks up to the sky, having a nice view of it and the sun as the anime logo slowly appeared)
There's nothing to fear... because I'm here...
(Freakstar Dragon with Naruto on his back and Time Space Magician flew pass the logo the Spellcaster-type shined the crystal ball on his staff, changing the scene)
Falling countless times to your knees
Not protecting your own pride
(Kohaku slipped on a banana peel and was laughed at by many students. She laughed along with them)
Only coming up with just doubts
Do not close your eyes just yet
(Alex and Bella looked at the scene in slight envy at how she was, in a way, getting along with many others despite her being in Red and daughter of a famous circus' ringmaster and walked their separate ways)
I absolutely cannot see
the possibility that's here and now
(Judai was imagining himself as the next King of Games. Manjoume and his friends along with Chronos glared at how impossible it would be for him while Misawa, Shou and Hayato looked at him with interest or slight admiration)
When these tears turn into rain
I just want you to notice
(Asuka and Ryou were at the entrance of the Abandon Dorm and stared at a picture of the latter's brother with determination)
Spit out all the vexing things
Because there's a meaning for taking things
(Bella was remembering the time when she was younger, getting bullied and being isolated by others because of her powers. Her patience went to her limit as she accidentally summoned a monster and released it onto them)
Even if you desire everything, you don't need to grasp it all
(Alex was remembering when he was accepted into Duel Academy and told the principal that he wished to start at the lowest rank, just to be bullied by those of a higher rank)
Just keep a hold of one most important thing
(Kohaku placed her hands on their shoulders and snapped them out of the memory lane and smiled at them then pushed them to the rest of their friends)
In the beginning of the sky, I welcome you
do not ever look back just look forward
(Judai had out Flame Wingman, who fought against Chronos' Antique Gear Golem and Asuka's Cyber Blader, as Kohaku had out Time Space Magician, who was going head-to-head against Alex's Light and Darkness Dragon and Bella's Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama)
If you feel the wind on your back
then there won't be anything to worry about
(Shou and his monsters were looking at his brother and his monsters with determination, who smirked in approval, causing the younger sibling to smile back)
If you would look around, you'd see all these smiling faces
(In another realm, it showed all of Kohaku, Bella, Alex, Judai, Shou, Hayato, and Asuka's monsters smiling at the camera)
Do not carry everything by yourself
(Kohaku was looking at her late sister's deck in her hand with a solemn look, the deck's monster spirits floating right by her side)
Don't rush either, the answer is along the way
(The scene turned dark and the whole gang were running towards the light)
you'll definitely find it for sure
(They arrived at a lighthouse, looking up at the night sky)
It's been a couple of days since the School Duel. Everyone was in class doing their lesson. In one certain class, a certain boy was sleeping through his lesson.
"And to that end, alchemy in the Middle Ages was used to make gold by mixing chemicals, like this-nya," Daitokuji said, as he started to mix two chemicals together. Seconds later, it exploded, causing everyone to worry for the Headmaster of Osiris Red. As the smoke dissipates, the professor was seen coughing, slightly covered in soot. "But... it doesn't mean they could use it-nya..." He then collapsed. As soon as he passed out, the bell rung.
Judai, who was sleeping through the whole thing with eyelids painted to make it seem like he was awake, woke up with a yawn. "I sure slept a lot. Okay! Now for lunch!"
"You were asleep?!" Shou asked, unaware that his 'brother' was sleeping through the lesson.
"P-Please wait a second-nya," Daitokuji spoke, getting back up with a pile of paper in his hand. "I want you to take this handout with you-nya."
"Huh? Is it homework?" Judai asked.
"No it isn't-nya! I've planned a picnic for this Sunday to visit the dormant ruins on this island-nya! I'd like those interested to come-nya!"
The day of the trip came. The students who were interested in coming were right outside of school, with their professor as their guide.
"I'm so glad everyone came today-nya!" Daitokuji said.
"Everyone? There's only ten of us, you know," Shou said. Of the whole class, he, Hayato, Judai, Asuka, Kohaku, Alex, Bella, Jacko, Seth and Tiffany were attending the trip. Decent number, but not the whole class. "On top of that, it's like Professor Daitokuji was able to get us here against our will..."
"Still, I'm interested in those ruins," Hayato admitted. "Those ruins are close to the volcano, so it's off-limits."
"Then it's a good thing the professor set up a trip for us. Since this may be a once-in-a-life-time experience," Jacko said.
"It's also a good exercise," Tiffany added.
"Well, since we're Osiris Red, we have to go. But what a surprise you guys came," Judai said, referring to the non-Reds.
"Those ruins have a shady history. It's said that they even had something to do with the Duels of Darkness," Asuka gave her reason.
"So they have a connection to your brother's disappearance?"
"Well I don't really know..." Asuka felt a funny look directed to her and slowly looked to see Kohaku with her cat smile. Instantly getting what she was referring to, the Obelisk Blue instantly pulled the female Ra Yellow by her cheeks. "It's not what you think!"
"Ow ow ow ow! I didn't say anything!" the performer of a duelist defended, waving her arms, her smile not leaving her face.
Bella and Alex sighed, expecting this would happen the moment Asuka and Judai spoke with each other. The two pried Asuka's hands off of Kohaku and distanced the two away from each other.
"How did we know this would happen?" Alex asked.
"Instinct, maybe," Bella answered.
"Is this a normal thing for them?" Jacko asked Tiffany and Seth.
"Might as well be," the idol of a duelist answered.
"So to say, yeah," the young Ra also replied.
"They say these ancient ruins are graves of the ancients-nya," Daitokuji informed. When he said that, Shou seemed to have realized something and dragged Judai out of earshot. At the same time, Kohaku had on a saddened look when she heard the word 'grave'.
'Now that I think about it, how long has it been since I last prayed at her grave?' she wondered, referring to her younger twin.
"Are you okay, Kohaku?" Hibiki asked, appearing by her side.
"Just wondering. How long it's been since I last visited," she replied in a whispered tone.
"If it makes you feel better, you can pray while you're in the ruins," Tsubasa suggested. "Your prayers might still reach your sister."
"Maybe."
"Now everyone, let's head out-nya!" the headmaster of Osiris Red called, walking towards their destination. Everyone else followed in suit.
Several hours later, after all the walking and hiking, the group finally arrived at their destination.
"This is the entrance to the ruins-nya," Daitokuji told them. Everyone looked in amazement.
"The ruins are kinda ruined," Judai stated.
"That's why it's called 'ruins'," Jacko said.
"Inside are what are said to be the more-amazing ruins of ancient duel arenas and the ruins of the graves-nya!" their professor continued.
"Is it just me or is the professor more excited about being here than any of us?" Alex asked.
"After such a long hike, I'm a bit envious of his stamina," Tiffany said.
"Before we really go and explore the ruins, let's eat our lunch!" Judai suggested.
"I-I don't see why not-nya," the professor stuttered. "Well then, we'll use this time to eat our boxed lunches-nya!" Everyone cheered in agreement. "As the professor, I have a boxed lunch made specially by Tome-san from the store-nya!"
The students were about to take out their lunch when they heard that.
"You used your whole backpack for your lunch? Share some it with me!" Judai begged.
"I don't want to-nya! There isn't enough to share with everyone-nya!" The boy gave up after hearing those words and sat back down on the picnic blanket. Daitokuji dug in to find his lunch. When he felt something furry, he took it out with an odd look, only to see his cat with crumbs on his face. "Pharaoh! You ate my lunch-nya?!" He went on his hands and knees, fallen into depression.
Noticing his students still have their lunch, he turned to them. "I'd like you to share your lunch with your professor-nya!"
"We don't want to-nya! There isn't any lunch to share with you-nya!" Judai teased, as everyone held their meal protectively, giving the older man the same look he gave the 'Elemental Hero' duelist.
"Don't say such cold thing! What am I suppose to do-nya?!"
"You're the one who said it first, professor!" Shou exclaimed.
As they continued to tease the teacher, Kohaku, Alex and Seth opened their bags for their lunch, only to have their eyes widened at the sight of the inside.
"Hey. You can give your lunch to the professor," the youngest of the three called.
Everyone turned to him with confused looks, minus the other Ra students and the professor.
"See~? He gets it-nya," Daitokuji said.
"What are you saying, Seth?" Jacko asked.
"Well, Kohaku's mom made us some lunch before we left, and from the looks of it..." Alex trailed off, as the three took out their lunch boxes. To their surprise, like the professor, the three Ra's whole backpacks were used for lunchboxes. Each box contained various meal, such as spaghetti, steak, sushi, teriyaki, shish kabobs, pasta, and some fruit salad.
"Wh-Wh-Where...?" Bella asked.
"Like I said, Kohaku's mom made these. We didn't know how much she made exactly that time, but she said to share some with you guys."
"Kohaku's mother is an angel from the heavens-nya~!" Daitokuji said, crying anime tears.
"You're mistaken, professor," Kohaku spoke, much to everyone's confusion. "My mom said and I quote, 'I may have made a bit too much for your three. Why don't you share some with your friends?' You're not our friend; you're our teacher."
He paled at those words, and everyone else gathered around the Ra students, who were sharing their lunch with them.
"Whoa! Your mom's an awesome cook!" Hayato commented, trying a shish kabob.
"Back when the Animer Circus was still up, my mom took it upon herself to cook for everyone. So after we ate at the restaurants, she asked the head chef for the recipes and secrets to some of their dishes and managed to get them right every time," Kohaku explained, eating some sushi.
"So wait, your mom's cooking for Ra Yellow now?! That's nice," Tiffany said.
"Oh no. She's not working as a chef; my mom and dad are going on a picnic somewhere on the island, so while she was making something for them, she made lunch for us." Everyone nodded in understanding.
Just then, green beams of light shot from the ground to the sky. Everyone stood in shock and looked up. They saw the sun split in three and what seemed like an aurora had appeared in the sky. Everyone was in awe at the sight before them.
"Kohaku!" came Time Space Magician's voice. Those who were able to see Duel Monster spirits turned to him. "You all have to run away from here!"
"It's dangerous!" came Sakura's voice, as she appeared by his side. "Hurry up and run!"
Lights started flashing in the sky. "Everyone, run-nya!" Daitokuji shouted. The students did as he said and ran. "Run to the inside of the ruins-nya!"
Suddenly, Freakstar Dragon appeared before them, not that more than half them can see though. "FREEEEAAAAKKKKKK! DON'T HEAD IN THERE!"
"H-Huh?!" they could only ask.
"This way!" came Naruto's voice. The group saw him waving his arm to follow.
"Aniki!" Shou called.
"It's a little cramped-nya," Daitokuji said.
Looking back at the ruins their friends and teacher were hiding in, they saw there was no space left for the rest of them.
"We'll be fine! You guys hide in there!" Judai told them. With that, the psychic duelist group followed the Duel Monster spirits direction to safety. They didn't get far as the light caught up to them.
Later, Judai, Kohaku, Alex, Bella and Seth found themselves lying on the grassy ground. Getting up, they were shocked and amazed to see a pyramid before their eyes.
"What happened?" Seth dared to ask.
"I think I'd remember seeing a pyramid on the island," Alex said.
Judai looked behind them and called out to the group. "Hey guys! Isn't that gate...?"
"That looks like the entrance to the ruins," Bella identified. "But... I don't think I remember it being complete like that."
"Are we all dreaming?" Kohaku wondered. She felt pain on her butt as she yelped, jump and turned to see Freakstar Dragon with his hands clasped, pointer fingers out.
"Still think this is a freaky dream?" he asked with a cackle.
The performer gave him a good hit on the head, knocking him out. "That hurts, dummy!"
Everyone looked at what happened in shock and surprise.
"Kohaku, when were ever able to touch Duel Monster spirits?" Bella asked.
The female Ra looked at her in confusion, when she then realized she actually punched Alex's monster.
"How can you be touched?!" she demanded the downed dragon.
"You people!" called a new voice. "This is a sacred ground, and you should not be here! You must leave here at once!" The group turned and saw a woman in a dark robe with a serious expression.
"You're not someone from Duel Academia, are you?" Judai asked.
The woman heard footsteps and grabbed Judai, dragging him to the blunt side of a staircase. Everyone else followed and leaned against it. "Do you wish to be captured by the gravekeeper's soldiers like the rest?!" she questioned.
"Captured?" Seth repeated.
"What do you mean?" Kohaku asked.
The woman silenced them.
They saw a group of men approaching up the stairs, none who noticed them and walked right past them.
"What do you mean by 'captured'?" Judai asked, as soon as they were gone.
Alex looked down and noticed the bag in the woman's hand. "That's Hayato's-"
"This is the sacred royal family's gravesite," she interrupted. "Those who set foot here without permission will be buried alive in the gravesite."
"Then take us to the others!" Bella told her. "We have to help them! My boyfriend is with them!"
The woman looked deeply in their eyes and saw that they all feel the same way. "You will also be buried," she said, handing Seth Hayato's bag. She then walked off, with the duelists following her.
Eventually, they arrived at a small site. "Wait here," their guide told them.
"We're going too," Judai told her.
"This gravesite is huge. If you blindly walk about, you will only be caught by the palace guards. You must wait."
The group knew what she said was true and obliged.
Just as the woman was about to leave, she seemed to have noticed something and looked back at them. "By the way, weren't there five of you?"
The duelists had confused looks and looked about, noticing there was someone missing.
"Kohaku!" they all carefully shouted in a whispered tone.
With the girl in question, she was never one for obligations. At least, not when she's in an area she's unfamiliar with. The first thing she does whenever she's at a place she doesn't know is to explore, which is exactly what she's doing.
"This place looks a lot like it exists in ancient times," she stated.
"Kohaku! This isn't the time to be fooling around! You have to go back to everyone else!" Time Space Magician scolded, appearing by her side.
"I know that. I know but..." He noticed her trembling. When she looked at him, he couldn't help but widened his eyes in shock. "You should know that being in an unfamiliar place means going on an adventure for me." Kohaku's eyes were sparkling and she had a huge grin on her face.
'I was a fool to think she would take this seriously,' he thought.
"Besides, if we look from high places, we should be able to find the others faster," she added. "Let's go!" She took off at a random direction.
"Wait, Kohaku!" Time Space Magician followed after his master.
Some time later, the two somehow found themselves lost in the place.
"Huh? Didn't we go this way already?" the duelist asked.
"This is why I told you to return to everyone else," the monster said with a sweat drop. His master simply laughed nervously.
"Who are you?!" came a voice. The two looked down and saw a girl wearing clothes fitting for an Egyptian princess looking up at them from a window. "You shouldn't be here. Leave this place immediately!"
"Do you live here? We're looking for our friends," Kohaku tried to explain.
The girl looked behind her and quickly gestured them over to her side. Although slightly confused, the two obliged at the request. The next thing they knew, the girl pushed them in a closet.
"Keep quiet," she whispered, closing the door.
The two stayed still in silence. They heard a door open and footsteps walking in the room.
"Princess, are you okay?!" came a man's voice.
"Yes, I'm fine," the girl answered.
"You sure? We heard you shout," came another man's voice.
"I thought I saw someone unfamiliar. Turns out it was just my imagination."
"I see. Do be careful though. There are some strangers in our sacred ground. You see them, give a shout." At that, footsteps were heard leaving the room, with the door closing.
Kohaku and Time Space Magician looked at each other before the girl opened the closet door and let them out.
"I managed to buy you some time. Now leave, before they come back," she said.
"We can't," Kohaku told her. "Like I said, we're looking for our friends."
"They may be buried alive by now. There's no point in looking for them."
"You don't know that. Like how the audience doesn't know the outcome of a show, I won't know if my friends are okay or not if I don't find them."
"There's no point in trying to find them if you're caught dead."
"I'd rather try than turn my back on those important to me."
The girl looked at Kohaku's eyes and saw that she would still go no matter what she says. "Don't say I didn't warn you." She walked to the window and pointed at a direction. "If you go over there, you'll most likely find your friends in coffins. If they're not there, then that means they're already buried alive."
The two looked at the direction she was pointing at.
Time Space Magician narrowed his eyes at the direction. "Isn't that Judai dueling over there?"
Kohaku narrowed her eyes at the question and saw it to be true. "It's true! He's there!"
"If your friend is going through the ritual of ordeal, then it means he's fortunate," the girl told them. "Now go. And don't be seen by anyone." The two nodded and left the room.
As soon as they arrived at their destination, they found Judai with the rest of their group, along with a masked girl and a man in white robes.
Time Space took this opportunity to disappear as his master shouted, "Hey guys!"
They all turned and saw her running to them. "Kohaku!" Tiffany called in relief.
As soon as she caught up to them, Bella hit her on the head and demanded, "Where did you go, you performer idiot!"
"Haha... I may have a habit of exploring when I'm in a new place," she giggled.
"Even though it's so dangerous here," the man asked. Kohaku could only giggle and rub her head at the question.
"Now, return to your own world with your friends," the man told Judai.
"But how do we get back?" he asked.
"The three heaven lights will overlap as one. Before the curtain of light appears, you must arrive at the gate to the royal family's gravesite." After he finished explaining, the group heard footsteps. Turning to the source, they all saw a lot of guys with spears approaching them angrily. "What are you doing?!"
"Those who raid the royal family's gravesite must face judgement!" one of them answered.
"Face judgement!" the rest of them agreed.
"Stop! This young boy went through our ritual, in accordance with the law, and made it through the ordeal!" the man said.
"It seems you've forgotten, chief," one of the guys said. "The law has changed since the last time you lost the ritual. And besides, one of our men saw her interacting with the princess!" He pointed at Kohaku when he said that.
"Who me?!" she asked.
"Of course! Lord Saniwa will not be pleased to let another intruder leave after interacting with his daughter!"
The chief and the masked woman grimaced at his words and had no choice but to cease the humans.
"Wait a second! What are you doing?!" Judai asked.
"I thought you said we could leave!" Jacko said.
"You could've, but due to another law, should the outsider interact with our princess, it doesn't matter if they passed the ritual, they and their compliances must face dire consequences from our lord, himself," the woman said.
"No way!" Shou exclaimed, crying anime tears.
"Wait a second! It's me the lord wants, isn't it?! Then they shouldn't be involved!" Kohaku pointed out.
"I'm sorry. But a law is a law," the chief apologized, as they dragged the group to a pyramid.
"You just had to separate from us, didn't you Kohaku?!" Alex shouted, as they walked down the hall.
The performer laughed nervously at the situation she got them into. "I guess I deserve that for running off."
"You guess? You guess?! Why did you ever run off?!" Bella asked.
"I can't help it! Whenever I'm in a place I'm not familiar with, the first thing I want to do is to explore! It helps if I want to do some stunts!"
"This isn't one of those places where you can just do your stunts!" Kohaku's best friends shouted.
"Silence!" one of the soldiers shouted, poking them with his spear.
The rest of the walk was silent. Eventually, they arrived in what seemed like a throne room. On the other side of the room, up some stairs, were three men sitting in three thrones. On their left was an elderly woman in white Egyptian robe with a staff. On their right was a man dressed as anubis. In the center was a blonde man in black Egyptian clothes fit for a royal, a staff in his hand.
"Who was it?" the one in the center spoke. "Who was the one who spoke with my daughter?!"
Although slightly frightened, Kohaku stepped up. "It was me! You got a problem with that?!"
"I am Gravekeeper's Saniwa. The last time an outsider spoke with her, he filled her head with lies! Lies about you graverobbers! Not only that, but he turned into a great enemy! I will not have you people leave this place alive!"
"You can't judge us for what another person had done! We're nothing like him! Besides, it's me you want, isn't it? Let the others go! Especially since Judai won that duel for our freedom!"
While Gravekeeper's Saniwa glared at her, the woman next to him spoke. "We understand that your friend there passed our ritual. However, it doesn't change the fact that, since you strayed away from your group, you may be working for the last outsider. Our princess is too kind for her own good. Too trusted, you see."
"To take advantage of my daughter's kindness... I won't forgive you!" Saniwa said.
The anubis man next to him raised a hand, as if to silence him, much to his confusion. He leaned a little closer, whispering something in his ear. Whatever it was caused the center man to widened his eyes for a short second.
"Very well. It seems you're in luck," he spoke. "You have a chance to redeem yourselves, a chance for freedom." Hearing that brought hope in the humans' eyes.
"Great! What is it?!" Daitokuji asked.
"A duel. Against you." He pointed at Kohaku. "Depending on how well you pass my trial, I will release you all."
"If it's a duel you want, it's a duel you'll get!" she accepted.
The group arrived at what seemed to be a duel field used back in ancient times before Duel Monsters were made into cards. On one side of the field was Kohaku, equipped with a duel disk, in which she was handed. On the other side was Gravekeeper's Saniwa, without a duel disk, but still had his staff.
"Good luck, Kohaku!" Tiffany cheered.
"You better not lose!" Jacko said.
"Don't worry!" Kohaku assured.
"I wouldn't tell such a lie, if I were you," Saniwa told her. "I guarantee you, you will not win."
"You can't predict how a show will go. DUEL!" She drew out her starting hand.
"May the trial begin," her opponent spoke. He swung his staff and, out from the head, were five Duel Monster cards.
Kohaku: 4000 LP
Saniwa: 4000 LP
"The first turn is mine. Draw." Saniwa's staff glowed as he gave it a little wave. A card came out and floated with his other cards. "I summon a monster in face-down Defense Mode. Then I set one card face-down and end my turn." Pointing at each cards with his staff, he gave them a small flick, putting them where he wanted them to be.
"Whoa! That's awesome!" Judai said in awe.
"Aniki! This isn't the time to admire how someone duels!" Shou exclaimed.
"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "Everyone~! Good afternoon~!" Her friends had the urge to anime fall at how she was taking the situation. "It is now time to start today's rather interesting duel~!"
"Are you taking our situation seriously?!" the sane ones of the group shouted.
Ignoring them, Kohaku continued her turn. "First off, let's summon out Circus Freak Beast Tamer~!" Appearing on her field was her lion/human hybrid.
Circus Freak Beast Tamer: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1700 ATK/1500 DEF
"And, when he's on the field, I can Special Summon out his partner, Circus Freak Animal Trainer~!" Next to Beast Tamer was the chimera-human monster.
Circus Freak Animal Trainer: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1800 ATK/1400 DEF
"And now Battle! I attack your monster with Circus Freak Animal Trainer!" Her Special Summoned monster leapt into the air and swiped at his face-down. The card was flipped and a boy in black clothes appeared. He blocked the attack directed at him and knocked his opponent back to his duelist.
Gravekeeper's Spy: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1200 ATK/2000 DEF
Kohaku: 3800 LP
Saniwa: 4000 LP
"With Gravekeeper's Spy's DEF points, your monster's attack is nothing to him," Saniwa said. "And, with his effect, I can Special Summon a 'Gravekeeper's' monster from my deck, so long as the ATK is 1500 or less." He looked to the side and called, "Shaman! Lend me your power!"
"That eager to take them out, I see. I suppose I've no choice," the elderly woman spoke. She dissipated and reappeared on the field in Defense Mode.
Gravekeeper's Shaman: Level 6/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1500 DEF
"He already summoned out a strong monster!" Shou panicked slightly.
"It's fine. Although her level is high, her DEF is still weaker than Beast Tamer," Hayato pointed out.
"I attack Shaman with Beast Tamer!" Kohaku continued. Her second monster went in to attack as ordered.
"From my hand, I activate Charm of Shabti's effect! This turn, if a 'Gravekeeper' monster is to be destroyed by battle, they are not destroyed!" A coffin for mummies appeared before Beast Tamer, causing him to cease his attempt to fight his opponent.
"Couldn't do much, huh. In that case, I end my turn."
"The moment you end your turn, I activate the Trap Card, Conscription!" Saniwa interrupted. "I excavate the top card of my opponent's deck. If the card is a monster that can be normal summoned or set, that monster comes to my field!" Hearing that shocked the non-Gravekeepers. "Ever since the last time I've met your kind, I decided to take a page out of your book and take what shouldn't be taken. Now show me your card!"
Kohaku drew her next card, grimaced, and revealed it.
"Oh no!" Seth gasped.
"Time Space Magician!" Jacko identified.
"Your monster will join me!" At Saniwa's words, Time Space Magician appeared on his field. Kohaku gritted her teeth as soon as she saw her friend on the opponent's field.
Circus Freak Time Space Magician: Level 7/DARK/Spellcaster/2500 ATK/2000 DEF
"And now it's my turn. Draw." He drew his next card. He had on an evil smile on his face at the card he drew. "As I said before, you will not win! I activate the Magic card, Dual Summon! With this, I can Normal Summon twice this turn! I will release Gravekeeper's Spy to Advance Summon Gavekeeper's High Priest!" The anubis-like man stood from his spot and was transferred over to the field.
Gravekeeper's High Priest: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/1800 DEF
"Hang on! How can he summon it out?! You need two tributes for that!" Shou asked.
"That may be. But some cards with high level have an effect that bends the rule for Advance Summoning them," Asuka pointed out.
"High Priest's ability states that he can be Advance Summoned by releasing one 'Gravekeeper's' monster," Jacko informed.
"And that's not all," Alex continued. "High Priest gains 200 ATK for each 'Gravekeeper's' monster in the Graveyard, while Shaman gains 200 DEF." True to his words, the two monsters powered up.
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1500 + 200 = 1700 DEF
Gravekeeper's High Priest: 2000 + 200 = 2200 ATK
"However, neither of them are staying on the field for long. Neither is Time Space Magician," Saniwa informed. "I will release all three of these monsters to Advance Summon myself!" To their shock, the three monsters on his field were gone and Saniwa himself entered the field.
Gravekeeper's Saniwa: Level 10/DARK/Spellcaster/2000 ATK/1500 DEF
"His level is 10?!" Tiffany gasped.
"No wonder why he's the leader," Bella said. "And with a level that high, he must have a frightening effect."
"Indeed I do. Depending on the number of 'Gravekeeper's' monster used for my summon, I can use my three effects! Since I used two, two of my effects can activate!" Saniwa said. "First, I gain 100 ATK times the total level of monsters used for my summon!"
"Gravekeeper's Shaman and High Priest are Levels six and eight, respectively. Adding Circus Freak Time Space Magician's Level 7, that's a total of 21 levels," Jacko calculated.
"So that means... his ATK is now 4100!" Alex said, as Saniwa had a powerful aura around him.
Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 2000 + 2100 = 4100 ATK
"That's right. And for my second effect, all monsters my opponent controls loses 2000 ATK and DEF!" Everyone gasped as Kohaku's monsters went on their knees, losing all of their power.
Circus Freak Beast Tamer: 1700 - 2000 = 0 ATK/1500 - 2000 = 0 DEF
Circus Freak Animal Trainer: 1800 - 2000 = 0 ATK/1400 - 2000 = 0 DEF
"Now he has enough power to defeat Kohaku!" Shou panicked.
"It's over for you! I will attack Circus Freak Beast Tamer! Oraculus Sanctum!" His staff glowed quite brightly, as he prepared his attack to end Kohaku.
"I won't let you! I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect from my hand!" she countered. "By discarding this card from my Graveyard, I can draw one card from my deck! If the card is a monster, I can Special Summon it! If it's a Magic or a Trap card, I can activate it! And, once Ventriloquism starts his show, nothing can stop him."
"What?!"
"Depending on the card drawn, Kohaku might be able to turn this around," Asuka said.
"Draw!" The female Ra drew her card. "I drew the Trap card, Miraculous Stunt! A 'Circus Freak' monster I control cannot be destroyed this turn!"
"However, you still take damage!" Saniwa pointed out.
"True, but the damage I'll take is cut in half!" A barrier appeared before Beast Tamer, protecting him from destruction and lessening the damage Kohaku would've taken.
Kohaku: 1750 LP
Saniwa: 4000 LP
"I will commend you for surviving this turn. But a miracle can only happen once! I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Saniwa ended.
In the sidelines, everyone sighed in relief at the miracle.
"That was too close," Tiffany said.
"She almost lost in one turn," Hayato said.
"Well, we should be glad Kohaku hasn't lost yet-nya," Daitokuji pointed out.
"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I switch Beast Tamer and Animal Trainer to Defense Mode! Next I set a monster in Defense Mode! I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
"My turn! Draw!" Saniwa drew his next card. "I activate my Trap card, Jar of Greed to draw an additional card!" He drew his next card. "And I activate the Magic card, Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards!" He drew more cards. "And now I will summon out my daughter, Gravekeeper's Priestess!" Appearing on his field was a familiar girl Kohaku met earlier.
Gravekeeper's Priestess: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1500 DEF
"It's you! From earlier!" she gasped.
"I told you to hurry and leave..." Priestess muttered.
This didn't go unnoticed by Saniwa. "Daughter. After this duel, we will speak about how you tried to hide these Graverobbers."
"But father! These people had done nothing wrong!"
"SILENCE!" Everyone jumped at how loud his voice suddenly got. "You will do as I say." Priestess looked down in shame. "With Gravekeeper's Priestess on the field, all 'Gravekeeper's' monsters gains 200 ATK and DEF."
Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 4100 + 200 = 4300 ATK/1500 + 200 = 1700 DEF
Gravekeeper's Priestess: 1000 + 200 = 1200 ATK/1500 + 200 = 1700 DEF
"And I activate the Continuous Magic, Shrine of the Necrovalley!" The field changed and it seemed more like the group was at a shrine.
"What's going on here?" Alex dared to ask.
"Now I will declare battle! Reveal your monster! Oraculus Sanctum!" He shot out another blast of light, this time at Kohaku's face-down monster. The monster flipped and revealed it to be Circus Freak Trapeze Artist, who got destroyed by the blast.
"Circus Freak Trapeze Artist's effect! When destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Level 4 or lower 'Circus Freak' monster from my deck!" Kohaku said.
"With two 'Circus Freak' monsters already on the field, if she summons out Circus Freak Trampoline, Saniwa's field will be wide open!" Judai said. "Kohaku will have a chance to win!"
Saniwa simply laughed at this. "Do you really think I'll make it that easy for you?" The humans grew confused at this. "I activate the Shrine of Necrovalley's effect! Unless if the monster is a 'Gravekeeper's' monster, no monsters can be Special Summoned!"
"Eh?! Then that means..." Shou began.
"Kohaku-san can't Special Summon, unless if that card is gone," Seth said.
The girl slightly grimaced at the counter.
"Now my daughter, destroy one of her monsters! Miko Bullet!" Saniwa ordered.
"My apologies," Priestess spoke, sending a light bullet from her staff to Beast Tamer, easily destroying him.
"I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
"Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card.
"Trap card open! Necromacy Ritual!" Her opponent interrupted. "With this card I can Special Summon a 'Gravekeeper's' monster from my Graveyard! I will bring back Gravekeeper's Shaman!" The elderly woman came back to his field.
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1500 + 200 = 1700 ATK/1500 + 200 + 200 x 2 = 1700 + 400 = 2100 DEF
"Also, while she's on the field, my opponent cannot activate Field Magic cards while 'Necrovalley' is on the field!"
Hearing that part confused the group.
"Necrovalley? But you don't have it on the field," Kohaku pointed out.
"While I'm on the field, if there are no Field Magic cards, I treat the field as Necrovalley," Priestess explained. The explanation shocked them.
Kohaku looked down at the two cards in her hand, Circus Show being one of them and the one card she drew out. The other card in her hand... "I activate the Magic card, Perform Assistance! For each 'Circus Freak' monster on the field, I can put a Circus Counter on any card on the field!"
"Circus Counter?" Priestess repeated in a confused and slightly interested tone.
"Whatever you have planned, it won't work!" Saniwa said.
"Don't say that. And the place for the counter to go to is Animal Trainer!" A gold star appeared on Animal Trainer's jacket. "And with this short preparation, I will end my turn here."
"Huh?! That's it?!" Shou gasped.
"That can't be," Seth said.
"With her Special Summon specialty blocked off, and the fact that she can't use her Field Magic, Kohaku's chance of winning has gone down," Jacko said.
"It's okay," Tiffany said. "Kohaku's a performer. No matter how tough the obstacle, she will definitely surpass it!"
"Tiffany's right. Besides, this is my rival we're talking about," Alex agreed. "If she lose here, then there's no point in calling her my rival in the first place."
"I don't know if you're cheering her on as a duelist when you both say that," Asuka said with a sweat drop.
"My turn. Draw." Saniwa drew his next card. "And now it is over for you! I switch Shaman back to Attack Mode and have my daughter attack your useless monster! Miko Bullet!"
Against her will, Priestess raised her staff and shot out another light bullet at Animal trainer.
"I thought I said I won't let a show end like this! Trap card open! Performaway!" Kohaku countered. "For each Circus Counter on the field, I return one card on the field back to the owner's hand!"
"I activate my Counter Trap, Royal Tomb of Necrovalley! This card negates the activation of a Magic, Trap or a monster effect so long as there's a 'Gravekeeper's' monster and Necrovalley on the field!" Saniwa countered back, as his face-down card flipped and destroyed Kohaku's revealed face-down.
"That's the one card that can turn this around too!" Hayato exclaimed.
"Now continue my daughter!" At the Level 10 monster's command, Priestess continued her attack at Animal Trainer. Her attack hit, causing smoke to rise up. "With me, Shaman!" At his next command, he and the Level 6 monster charged up their attacks and fired at Kohaku.
"Kohaku!" all her friends cried out in worry.
Priestess was lightly shedding tears, not believing she had actually witnessed someone die before her eyes.
"Judgement has been laid upon," Saniwa simply said. "And now... for the rest of you."
"Hang on a second!" they all heard, to their shock. "Who said this duel is over?"
"What?" They all looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Where are you?!"
Alex looked up at the statues and saw a figure on top of each of them. "Hey! Up there!"
Everyone else looked up and were shocked at the figures on top.
"Hi~!" Kohaku waved, along with Animal Trainer.
"You... When did you?!" Saniwa demanded.
"Surely you didn't think a performer wouldn't be prepared for a counter." A card appeared before Kohaku's side. "Continuous Trap, Another Act! By removing a Circus Counter and a 'Circus Freak' monster from my Graveyard from play, like Trapeze Artist, I can activate a Magic or a Trap card from either of our Graveyard! The card I activated was Miraculous Stunt! Meaning Animal Trainer was never destroyed to begin with~!"
To say that Saniwa was shocked would be an understatement, despite not showing it. Never had he seen such a counter before.
"I end my turn," he ended.
"Then it's my turn. Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "I summon Circus Freak Juggler in Defense Mode!" Her juggling monster appeared on the field.
Circus Freak Juggler: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1000 DEF
"And when he's summoned this way, he gains a Circus Counter! And for each counter on him, he gains 200 ATK!" A ball appeared in his hand as he started to juggle it.
Circus Freak Juggler: 1600 + 200 = 1800 ATK
"And at this time, I activate Another Act's effect! By removing Juggler's Circus Counter and Circus Freak Beast Tamer from my Graveyard, I can activate a Magic or a Trap card from either of our Graveyard! The one I'm activating is Perform Assistance! Give Juggler more counters~!" Her recently summoned monster tossed his ball in the air. It glowed and split in two, giving the juggling monkey two balls to juggle.
Circus Freak Juggler: 1800 + 200 = 2000 ATK
"But there's no point in increasing its power if it's in Defense Mode," Tiffany pointed out.
"Except it's not the power she wants; it's what's giving him the power," Alex corrected.
"He's right. So long as she has Circus Counters, she can keep using Another Act's effect and protect her monster," Jacko supported.
"I told you before right? You can't predict how a show will go," Kohaku said, ending her turn.
Saniwa didn't seem to want to believe in her words and started his turn. "Draw!" He drew more cards. "I summon Gravekeeper's Summoner!" A monk-like monster appeared on the field.
Gravekeeper's Summoner: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1200 + 200 = 1400 ATK/1500 + 200 = 1700 DEF
"Battle! I will attack Circus Freak Juggler myself! Oraculus Sanctum!" He fired his signature attack at his new target.
"Using Another Act's effect, I'll remove a Circus Counter and Circus Freak Ventriloquism from my Graveyard to activate Miraculous Stunt and protect Juggler!" One of Juggler's balls left his hand and became a shield, blocking the attack.
Circus Freak Juggler: 2000 - 200 = 1800 ATK
"I will end my turn."
"He's not going to keep attacking?" Shou wondered.
"That's because there are two conditions that have to be met in order to use Another Act's effect; Circus Counters and 'Circus Freak' monsters in Kohaku's Graveyard. If he keeps attacking, he would be giving Kohaku more opportunities to activate her trap card's effect," Judai explained.
"Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "At this time, I activate Juggler's second effect! During my Standby Phase, he gains another Circus Counter!" Juggler shook his hand for a few seconds, and a ball appeared.
Circus Freak Juggler: 1800 + 200 = 2000 ATK
"And I will set one card face-down and end my turn!"
"My turn! Draw!" Saniwa drew another card.
"At this time, I activate my trap card, Grand Blastoff! Let's brighten up the field a little, Animal Trainer!" The monster nodded at her words and, as a cannon appeared by her side, leapt inside. "Now then, three... two... one... Blastoff!" She pulled the trigger and her monster was shot out, flying above her opponent's heads. He exploded into fireworks, putting the Gravekeeper's on the field and in the sidelines in awe.
Kohaku: 1750 LP
Saniwa: 2200 LP
Well, rather than awe, Saniwa seemed to be in a struggle for some reason. He shook his head and continued his turn. "I activate the Magic card, Allure of Darkness! I draw two cards from my deck and banish one DARK monster from my hand!" He drew more cards. "I banish Gravekeeper's Commandant! And summon Gravekeeper's Cannonholder!" A man with a cannon-like weapon appeared on the field.
Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 + 200 = 1600 ATK/1200 + 200 = 1400 DEF
"If I can't take you down through battle, then try and survive through this effect! I activate Cannonholder's effect! Releasing Summoner to inflict 700 damage to you!" Summoner turned into a cannon ball and was inserted into the weapon.
"Through Another Act's effect, by sending away Juggler's Circus Counter and Circus Freak Animal Trainer from my Graveyard for Miraculous Stunt, I prevent Juggler's destruction, and any damage I take through Battle Damage involving him and effect damage in general is cut in half!"
Kohaku: 1400 LP
Saniwa: 2200 LP
"When Summoner is sent to the Graveyard, I can add a 'Gravekeeper's' monster with 1500 or less DEF from my deck to my hand. I add Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier to my hand. Also, because another 'Gravekeeper's' monster was sent to the Graveyard, Shaman gains 200 more DEF."
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 2100 + 200 = 2300 DEF
"I end my turn."
"My turn! Draw!" Kohaku drew her next card. "And Juggler gains another Counter!"
Circus Freak Juggler: 2000 + 200 = 2200 ATK
"I summon Circus Freak Contact Juggler in Defense Mode! And end my turn!"
"Draw!" Saniwa drew his next card. "I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier!" One of his men in the sidelines appeared on the field.
Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/1000 DEF
"And I will have him attack Juggler!" Saniwa's newly summoned monster charged at his opponent.
"With Another Act's effect, I will remove Circus Freak Time Space Magician from my Graveyard and Juggler's Counter! Again, Miraculous Act!" Kohaku countered.
Circus Freak Juggler: 2200 - 200 = 2000 ATK
Kohaku: 1150 LP
Saniwa: 2200 LP
"Huh?" Shou spoke.
"What's wrong, Shou?" Hayato asked.
"It's just... Kohaku has Performaway in her Graveyard. Why isn't she using it through Another Act's effect?" Everyone else realized that what he said was true. Kohaku could just use the effect to send Saniwa and Priestess back to the hand and not deal with having a lockdown, in terms of her being able to summon out stronger monsters that is and being able to end the duel.
"It's because that's not how she duels," Alex replied, having everyone to turn to him. "Back when she used Grand Blastoff, she didn't use it to inflict damage to him. She did it to see what dueling is like for them. All of them." He looked around at the other Gravekeeper's. "And after seeing their reaction, she knew she can't just win, with them thinking that duels are nothing but trials and rituals."
"That does sound like her," Bella agreed.
"In that case I will activate Cannonholder's effect! Sending Spear Soldier to the Graveyard to deal 700 points of damage to you!" The next victim of the effect turned into a cannon ball, as the holder of the weapon fired at Kohaku.
"With Miraculous Stunt's effect, I only take half the damage!" Kohaku reminded.
Kohaku: 800 LP
Saniwa: 2200 LP
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 2300 + 200 = 2500 DEF
"I set one card face-down and end my turn!" Saniwa ended. "Just a little bit more. Soon, you will lose and you and your friends will face judgement by my hands!"
"Judgement, judgement. Do you ever talk about something else other than that?" Kohaku asked. "Dueling isn't about trials or punishments. They can be fun! I duel to bring smiles to everyone's face! To let everyone have fun! Even if one of them is my opponent who wants to inflict pain onto others!"
"Don't be ridiculous! How can this trial be at all fun?!"
"If you don't understand through words, then just watch!" Kohaku placed a hand on her deck. "My... turn!" She drew her next card and looked at it. "It's here." On cue, somehow, the room darkened and there was a spotlight on Kohaku. "Hola~! Bonjour~! Hello, everybody~!" While the Duel Academia group were slightly excited to see what kind of comeback she had in store, the 'Gravekeeper's' all had looks of confusion on their faces. "We've finally reached the grand climax of this show!"
"Climax?" Saniwa repeated in a confused and questioned tone.
"First, during my Standby Phase, Circus Freak Juggler gains yet another counter~!"
Circus Freak Juggler: 2000 + 200 = 2200 ATK
"Next, let's have some more preparations. With the Magic card, Circus Shuffler~! With this card, I can send 'Circus Freak' monsters from my Banish Zone back into my deck~! So come back, guys!" Spirits of Circus Freak Beast Tamer, Animal Trainer, Ventriloquism, Trapeze Artist, and Time Space Magician appeared. They then became beams of light as they flew around the field, giving everyone a wonderful sight to behold before they went back in Kohaku's deck. "After these magnificent performers return to the deck on standby, I get to draw cards for each one returned plus one! Five monsters returned, so I draw six cards!" She drew more cards, bringing her hand to seven.
"Now her chance went up!" Seth said.
"But there's still that Continuous Magic card," Jacko reminded.
"And now, I will summon Circus Freak Unicycler~!" Her unicycle-riding clown appeared on the field.
Circus Freak Unicycler: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1400 ATK/1800 DEF
"You fool! In the end, you summoned out a weak monster!" Saniwa claimed.
"Huh? Don't be like that. And besides, aren't you getting a bit too tense?" Kohaku asked. "Let's all have some fun~! Let's start with the kind princess~"
"Huh? Me?" Priestess asked.
"Yes! Through Unicycler's effect, I can target one card on the field and negate that monster's effect! After that, they get a Circus Counter!" Unicycler created another unicycle and tossed it at her. Mechanical hands came out and grabbed her, forcing her on it, much to her surprise as the wheel... wheeled her away from the group.
"Father!" she cried out.
"My daughter!" he cried back.
Priestess was getting a bit scared, suddenly traveling so fast. Unicycler came by her side and helped her overcome her fear, showing her how fun it is to ride on it without a single care in the world. Seeing how much fun he's having brought a smile on her face, her fear fading away. She then, with the help of the robotic hands, slowly stood on the seat just like Unicycler is doing. When she was about to lose her balance, either the hands helped her keep her balance, or Unicycler does it himself.
"Priestess! What are you doing?! Stop that madness this instance!" Saniwa ordered. His words couldn't be reached, and Shrine of the Necrovalley was dissipating away and all boost given to them by Priestess wore off the 'Gravekeeper's'.
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1700 - 200 = 1500 ATK/2500 - 200 = 2300 DEF
Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 1600 - 200 = 1400 ATK/1400 - 200 = 1200 DEF
Gravekeeper's Priestess: 1200 - 200 = 1000 ATK/1700 - 200 = 1500 DEF
Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 4300 - 200 = 4100 ATK/1700 - 200 = 1500 DEF
"Well, there's something you certainly don't see everyday," Shaman commented, a small smile forming on her face.
"What happened to the field?" Tiffany asked.
"Looks like the only way for Shrine of the Necrovalley to stay on the field is if Necrovalley is on the field," Bella said. "That being said, Kohaku can now Special Summon as much as she wants."
"That's not all. If the field isn't Necrovalley, Kohaku-san can use her favorite field!" Seth added.
"That's right!" the girl in question said. "That being said, let's change the field! Circus Show activate!" Now the field became one favorable for her monsters. Being the first time to see such a new field, the Gravekeeper's couldn't help but be confused at the new sight.
"And just how is this new field ever going to help you?!" Saniwa demanded.
"Nothing as of yet. But now, let's summon out some more of our allies~! From my hand, I activate the Magic card, Acrobalance! This card allows to me to perform a Fusion Summon using monsters in my hand or field! Let's use this effect to fuse Circus Freak Juggler and Contact Juggler~! Twin jugglers to perform differently, set aside your differences and bring your skill to a new level! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, great master juggler! Circus Freak Grand Juggler!" A four-armed monkey in jester clothes appeared on the field.
Circus Freak Grand Juggler: Level 6/DARK/Spellcaster/2200 ATK/1800 DEF
"And when he is summoned, he gains all his Fusion Materials' Circus Counters!" Three balls appeared in his hand as he started to juggle them. "Not only that, but since Circus Freak Juggler left the field while he had Circus Counters, my opponent takes 200 points of damage for each one!" The balls glowed as Grand Juggler kept juggling them. He then tossed them into the air above Saniwa's field. They exploded, covering their field in white smoke.
Kohaku: 800 LP
Saniwa: 1600 LP
As soon as the smoke faded away, the dueling 'Gravekeeper's' all wore performer clothes.
"Wha-...? What is this?!" the leader of the group demanded.
"It is when a 'Circus Freak' monster is summoned that Circus Show's effect activates! It gains a Circus Counter and, for each counter it gains, monsters my opponent controls loses 200 ATK!" Kohaku explained.
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1500 - 200 = 1300 ATK
Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 1400 - 200 = 1200 ATK
Gravekeeper's Priestess: 1000 - 200 = 800 ATK
Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 4100 - 200 = 3900 ATK
"And I'm not done yet! From my hand, I activate Circus Freak Ventriloquism's effect again!" She revealed the card and discarded it. "Now then everyone! Let's see what the next card is!" Kohaku drew the top card and revealed it. "The card I drew out was Circus Freak Copycat! And since he's a monster card, I will Special Summon him!" The circus-version of Copycat appeared on the field.
Circus Freak Copycat: Level 1/DARK/Spellcaster/0 ATK/0 DEF
"With another 'Circus Freak' monster summoned, a second counter is placed on Circus Show! And you know what that means~!" Each of the 'Gravekeeper's' monsters had on a had of some sort.
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1300 - 200 = 1100 ATK
Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 1200 - 200 = 1000 ATK
Gravekeeper's Priestess: 800 - 200 = 600 ATK
Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 3900 - 200 = 3700 ATK
"Next, I activate the Magic card, Double Performance! This is also a Fusion card! And through it I will fuse Circus Freak Flame Artist from my hand with Circus Freak Copycat on my field as Circus Freak Flame Archer! Two performers who play with the flames. Become one and bring your fiery show to a whole new level! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, dancing performer of the flames! Circus Freak Fire Dancer!" A street dancer-looking monster whose clothes are on fire appeared on the field.
Circus Freak Fire Dancer: Level 5/DARK/Spellcaster/1500 ATK/2400 DEF
"And with another monster summoned, that's another counter!" Now they each had on some silly shoes.
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 1100 - 200 = 900 ATK
Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 1000 - 200 = 800 ATK
Gravekeeper's Priestess: 600 - 200 = 400 ATK
Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 3700 - 200 = 3500 ATK
"One of his monsters ATK is low enough to end this duel!" Shou said.
"But Kohaku isn't done yet," Judai told him, already knowing the female Ra's strategy.
"And now, since I have a 'Circus Freak' monster, I special summon Circus Freak Assistant!" The assistant clown appeared on Kohaku's field. At the same time, her opponents
Circus Freak Assistant: Level 3/DARK/Spellcaster/1000 ATK/1000 DEF
"At this time, his effect activates! For each empty Monster Zone on either side of the field, I get to draw an additional card. There's one empty Monster Zone on each field, so I get to draw two cards!" Kohaku drew two more cards and looked at them. "And now I activate the Instant Magic, Fusion Cancel! I can return a Fusion Monster back to the Extra Deck and Special Summon its Fusion Materials back from the Graveyard! Time to split, Fire Dancer!"
The dancing Fusion Monster did some moves, as the flames on his clothes started to spread about. Once he was completely covered in flames, he leapt into the air and somersaulted. Upon landing, he split, and the flames dissipated to reveal Circus Freak Copycat and Flame Artist in his place.
Circus Freak Flame Artist: Level 4/DARK/Spellcaster/1600 ATK/1400 DEF
"And, since two monsters are summoned, it's time for a full dress up~!" Kohaku declared. At those words, bowties appeared around the opposing monster's necks and their weapons were replaced with dancing cane or a big bowling pin, in Cannonholder's case for the latter.
Gravekeeper's Shaman: 900 - 400 = 500 ATK
Gravekeeper's Cannonholder: 800 - 400 = 400 ATK
Gravekeeper's Priestess: 400 - 400 = 0 ATK
Gravekeeper's Saniwa: 3500 - 400 = 3100 ATK
"This... This is..." Saniwa began to stutter.
"Hmm... Something is missing here..." Kohaku said, placing a finger under her chin. Realization hit her as she placed her fist in her palm. "Now I know!" The girl then waved her arm, causing it to sparkle somehow. She flicked at the direction of the 'audience', changing them in circus or performers' clothes as well.
"Nya?! Our clothes-nya?!" Daitokuji gasped, dressed as a cat.
"Sometimes Kohaku is a bit scary," Jacko said, in a creepy clown outfit, with some make-up on his face to make a scary clown face.
"You're the one who's scary!" Shou, Hayato and Seth claimed, the former dressed as a jester, the middle as a magician, and the latter also as a clown, only more friendly-looking.
"Why did she put me in this?!" Asuka demanded, dressed in a not-so-revealing bunny girl outfit.
"I think this is cool!" Judai said, dressed as a human cannonball with a cape on him.
"Well, I suppose this is to be expected," Bella said, in a ninja outfit.
"It wouldn't be Kohaku if she didn't," Alex pointed out, dressed as a ringmaster.
"End this with a bang, Kohaku!" Tiffany cheered, in a performer's clothes.
"And now... It's time for the Grand Finale~!" At those words from her mouth, Kohaku's friends started to cheer for her. Not only that, little by little, the Gravekeeper's monsters around them were also starting to get excited. "Feast your eyes, ladies and gentlemen, for the grand climax~! I activate the Instant Magic, Grand Act! With this card, I banish monsters on my field or in my Graveyard to Fusion Summon a 'Circus Freak' Fusion Monster! With Copycat as Circus Freak Time Space Magician, I use him, Circus Freak Grand Juggler, Circus Freak Flame Artist, and Circus Freak Unicycler to fuse! Performer of time and space, accept the assistance of your allies and become the new light that vanquishes the evil darkness! FUSION SUMMON! Appear now, arcane magician with ancient powers! Circus Freak Rune Magician!" Kohaku's multi-attacker Fusion Monster appeared on the field.
Circus Freak Rune Magician: Level 8/DARK/Spellcaster/3000 ATK/2200 DEF
"And with another monster summoned, that's another counter for Circus Show~!" Saniwa winced, not wanting to be any more ridicules than he already was. "Is what I want to say but, Circus Show can only hold five Circus Counters."
Saniwa sighed. As he did so, he noticed he didn't do it out of relief, but disappointment. 'Why am I disappointed? I should be happy. No, even if this field would have any more of those troublesome counters, it doesn't change the fact that that girl can just attack my subordinates and still win the duel. Yet, why?'
"But, don't be disappointed just yet! Because the show has yet to end! The monster summoned through Grand Act's effect gains 400 ATK for each of its materials! Rune Magician used 4 materials, so his ATK goes up by 1600! And since he was Fusion Summoned, he gains Circus Counters from his materials!" As three rings appeared on his staff, Rune Magician's power increased.
Circus Freak Rune Magician: 3000 + 1600 = 4600 ATK
"And next, I activate Circus Show's final effect! If this card has five Circus Counters, I can destroy this card destroy all cards on my opponents field!"
"What?!" Saniwa gasped. The field then sparkled all over. All the items were flying around the Gravekeeper's, who felt themselves leaving the ground and exiting the field to the sidelines, with Saniwa returning to the duelist zone, as well as everyone's clothes returning to normal.
"With our guest stars gone, all the counters that were on Circus Show goes to a face-up card of my choice! That's none other than Rune Magician!" Five more rings appeared on his staff. "But, unfortunately, once I use this effect, I cannot declare the battle phase. So much for going off with a big bang." She pouted as she said the last sentence. Everyone sweat dropped at her personality. Her pout was quickly replaced with a smirk. "In that case, we'll end this show flashily~! During my End Phase, I activate Rune Magician's effect! For each Circus Counter on it, 200 points of damage are inflicted onto my opponent! Flashy Arcane Shot!" Her Fusion Monster changed his staff into a bow and pulled back the string, forming an arrow made of light energy. He aimed it at the air and shot, leaving a pretty trail of light. Once it reached the highest point, the arrow exploded, creating a firework. The flares that came from it also exploded, bringing the audience in great awe.
As he watched the sight before him, Saniwa felt something he hadn't felt in years in his chest, as a smile formed on his face.
Kohaku: 800 LP
Saniwa: 0000 LP
WINNER: KOHAKU!
The duel ended at last. Kohaku sighed, as it was the probably the hardest show she had ever done since she started dueling.
"Nice going, Kohaku-san!" Seth cheered.
"Now that's how you duel!" Judai said.
"That was amazing! I've never seen anything like it!" Priestess shouted.
At the crowds' applause and cheers, Kohaku simply smiled and waved at them.
'At least I was able to move their hearts,' she thought.
She heard footsteps approaching her and turned to see Saniwa with a blank look on her face.
By then, one of the Gravekeeper's seemed to have realized something. "Wait a second! That girl defeated our leader!"
At his words, everyone else came to that realization and immediately changed their persona. Kohaku and her friends realized this and distanced themselves away from them.
Priestess seemed to be the only monster who was trying to stop them. "Stop, everyone! That trial ended fair and square! There's no need for further violence!"
"It's too dangerous, princess," the cloaked woman from earlier warned, holding her back as to protect her from the upcoming harm.
Shaman looked at Saniwa, as he was the only one who can stop the upcoming madness, if he wanted to.
All the other Gravekeeper's continued to slowly advance closer to the duelists, who kept moving back.
"Stand down, you fools!" came Saniwa's shout. At his voice, the men ceased their advance and looked over at their leader. The humans did the same. Saniwa had his eyes shadowed, as he advanced towards them himself, mainly to Kohaku.
Fearing the worse for them, Priestess shouted, "You guys! Hurry up and run! You have to run! Now!"
Saniwa stood before Kohaku, who looked up at him, trying to keep a calm face. He slightly raised his staff, which made his daughter cry out louder for them to run.
"... Take this," he spoke, much to their shock and confusion.
"M-Milord?!"
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Aren't you going to give them judgement?!"
"Silence!" The Gravekeeper's kept their mouths shut at his voice. "You've all seen the results! There's no need for judgement to be placed upon these people! Rather, there's no need for judgement to be placed ever!" They were all shocked to hear those words from their leader's lips.
Priestess felt a smile form as she heard those words. "Father..."
"As this human has shown me, not all graverobbers are who we assume them to be! Unlike the ones we saw who thought of nothing but themselves and power, this human cared for many and passed the trial without relying on strength! For such beings to exist, as your lord, I withdraw the law to put judgement on outsiders!" Everyone was shocked to hear those words. Some were happy to hear that he has lifted the law.
Saniwa turned to Kohaku. "As proof of passing my trial, as well as thanks for opening my eyes to the truth, human, I ask you to accept my staff."
Kohaku smiled and accepted the item, which transformed into a pendant. "Whoa, cool." She put it around her neck.
"Nice going, Kohaku!" Tiffany congratulated.
"You saved us and got a nice necklace!" Jacko said.
"And now, I believe it is time for you all to leave," Saniwa told them.
"But how?" Shou asked. "The three lights must've already overlapped during that duel."
The lord of the Gravekeeper's looked to the side. "Visionary."
Everyone turned to where he was looking and saw the called Graveskeeper by the corner.
"When did he?!" Bella gasped in shock.
"Excuse me," Priestess called, causing everyone to turn to her direction. "If you do return to your world, I hope to see you all again someday."
Kohaku smiled at her words. "Of course! And when we do, we should have a fun duel some time!"
The princess of the Gravekeeper's smiled at those words.
Visionary silently walked over to them. He raised his staff, causing it to glow blindingly bright, causing everyone to cover their eyes.
Birds were heard chirping, as Kohaku slowly opened her eyes.
"Huh? What...?" She looked around and saw everyone around her was lying on the floor or against a ruin, asleep. "Was that a dream? But I don't remember falling asleep." Her eyes then laid on two sleeping duelists, causing her to cover her mouth before her laughter was heard. Sleeping against one piece of ruin were Asuka and Judai, the former leaning her head against the latter's shoulder. "I feel so evil~" she whispered, taking a quick picture of the scene. "But still... was that a dream?" She looked down for a second and saw a familiar pendant around her neck. "This is... So that was real! Whoa!"