Gate 0087 - Undisclosed Location in the Eredian Border/Termnnia
Tel. X- Year 18 4AOS
"There it is, boys. Pay dirt!" a young man and his friends approached what appeared to be a Gate, undiscovered and open for anyone to pass through. It lay in the center of a ring of mountains in its own sacred sanctuary surrounded by red flowers that looked like roses. They paid a heavy price to get the location of this rare Termnnian artifact, but being the stone-hearted fools that they were, they did not care what needed to be done to get here. On the other side of the Gate was the magical highway that could take them to the Standard Dimension, where Yuri was supposedly hiding.
The leader of the group rubbed his hands together. If he and his friends could just corner Yuri in a dark alley somewhere, they could end his miserable life, take his head and his Black Tyranno and present them to the House of Flowers for billions in gold coins. Of course, after he got the gold, he would finish off his companions so he wouldn't have to share the bounty. It was a nasty move that could lead to Termnnia's potential submission to King Forrest, but he didn't care. With all the gold the House of Flowers would pay, he would have enough money to be safe from the impending storm, living comfortably in a nice penthouse suite in Eredas. Perhaps, he thought, yes, perhaps the legendary Cora Kaiba would become madly in love with me. He heard she was a girl who loved money and power, and with this bounty, he would get both.
It was a dirty deed, but it was going to change his life. Forever. It didn't matter who was sitting on the Diamond Throne, he was going to live and die a rich man.
However, just as he approached the Gate a loud whoosh flew over them, creating a gust of wind that sent the petals of the red flowers dancing into the air. "DRAGON!" one of his friends shouted. Of course, it was unlike any dragon they had ever heard of before. But once they saw the sleek white metallic surface and its serpentine body, their fear grew tenfold. It was a Cyber Dragon. And that meant only one thing. Zane Truesdale had found them. They both cowered in front of the gate as he stepped off his dragon and approached them slowly and menacingly. And there was someone else with him. A beautiful girl with stunning brown eyes and golden hair. Seeing her caused the boys' fear to turn from fear to wonder. Alexis Rhodes, the Queen of Duel Academia. Yes! They all thought! It was her!
"This Gate is hidden by the Termnnian Alliance!" Zane shouted.
"Nobody knows about this artifact but us," said Alexis. "How did you manage to find this place?"
"I'd tell you," said the leader of would-be assassins, "but I won't. You might as well just kill us right now!"
"Or, you know, just him!" said one of his cowardly companions. "It was his idea! He made us come here!"
"You have entered territory owned by the Alliance," said Zane. "You all will be punished."
"We didn't want to kill Yuri, we swear!" the coward continued to wail. "It was his idea!"
"Shut up, will you!" the leader shouted at him.
Zane's anger increased by a million upon hearing what the boy said. He took an angry step forward and shouted: "WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!"
"Kill Yuri?" said Alexis. "You guys came to this Gate to travel to the Standard Dimension and assassinate the Prince of Termnnia!"
The leader gulped. Now we're in for it, he thought.
"Then the law is crystal clear on what I must do!" said Zane. He took a pistol from his trenchcoat and aimed it at the leader.
"WAIT!" the leader shouted. "I demand a Trial by Duel!"
"What?" said Zane.
"A Trial by Duel!" the leader repeated. "If I..." he sneered. He knew his friends had strong cards in their decks that could easily take Zane down. "If WE defeat you — all of us against you, then you let us go. We won't come here again. We swear."
Alexis reared her head back and started laughing at him. "Boy, you really are stupid. Trying to assassinate Prince Yuri AND taking on Zane Truesdale at the same time. Wow! Zane, don't waste your time. End their miserable lives."
"This won't take long," said Zane.
"Huh?" Alexis gasped.
"All six of you against me," said Zane. "I win, you'll all be executed. You win, you can go. Those are the terms. Now let us begin!"
"We'll let you go first!" said the leader. A Duel Disk magically formed around his wrist. "We'll show you we're not to be messed with."
LP 8000
"Fine," said Zane. "I set three cards face-down and end my turn."
The first Duelist with a brilliant combo of spells summoned Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth who had 3500 ATK. Zane activated MAXX C, which allowed him to draw each time his opponent's special summoned a monster. Not that any of them cared, mind you.
"Go ahead and draw whatever you like," said the leader. "Look at that brick you have for a deck. There's no way you'll be able to draw what you need with that. Heh. All right, it's your turn," he said to the second boy.
The second laughed arrogantly as he fusion summoned his Master of Oz with a massive 4200 ATK.
The third summoned Ultra Beetroper Absolute Hercules with 4000 ATK.
The fourth in no time conjured VWXYZ Dragon Catapult Cannon with 3000 ATK.
"Let me finish him right now, boss!" the summoned of the catapult cannon begged.
"No! Nobody makes their move until my turn! I'm taking down Zane! This is my victory! Hurry and summon your monster so I can inflict some punishment on Zane!" he commanded the fifth boy.
The fifth boy did as he was told and summoned Masked Beast Des Gardius with 3300 ATK.
And finally, the leader began his turn and summoned Chaos Ancient Gear Giant with 4500 ATK.
"Not even your Cyber Dragons are a match for our lineup of monsters, Zane!" sneered the leader, proud of his group for Dueling so effectively. This was how they were able to overwhelm their opponents so easily back home, and their plan to beat Yuri into submission. But upon looking at Zane's cool and collected expression, his arrogance turned into impatience. "STOP ACTING SO COOL!" he shouted. "We've got you beat and you know it, so why don't you just surrender and let us be on our way!"
Zane wouldn't allow that. It took a long turn of special summoning repeatedly, but he had what he needed to not only protect himself but to summon the right monster needed to wipe out their line of strong monsters. First, he allowed himself to be attacked by Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, who easily wiped out his Cyber Dragon Zieger, taking a huge hit to his Life Points. Then, when VXWYZ-Dragon Catapult Cannon switched his Cyber Dragon from defense to attack mode, he activated a trap called Power Wall and sent all but one card from his deck to the Graveyard, which was 90 cards in total. The Duel Gang laughed at him for that, wondering why he would do such a thing. Well, thanks to another MAXX "C", he had everything he needed in his hand to end the game. He activated Cybernetic Fusion Support. What it allowed him to do was pay half his Life Points, and if he Fusion summoned a Machine monster, he was allowed to use cards from his hand, field, or Graveyard as materials needed to summon it. Then, he activated Power Bond, which allowed him to Fusion Summon a Machine monster and DOUBLE its ATK points.
Well...there were a total of 107 materials he could use. And he banished them all away to summon Chimeratech Overdragon, a multithreaded cybernetic beast whose ATK points were 800 times the amount of fusion materials used to summon him.
With 107 materials, Chimeratech Overdragon's ATK became 85,600. But...there was a matter of Power Bond. That doubled its ATK to 171,200. And to further toy with them, he activated Limiter Removal, which further doubled its ATK to 342,400. The boys thought they were safe behind their face-down cards but Zane made fun of them by using Anti-Magic Arrows (Anime Effect), which prevented any of them from using their face-down cards. They had Mirror Force, Magic Cylinder, and a lot of deadly traps that would have spelled doom for Zane, but being the Master Duelist that he was, he saw that coming a mile away and was prepared for them. Poor fools. They had what they needed to defend themselves against the creature, but they couldn't use them. Zane was just too good.
As if being strengthened by the number of fusion materials wasn't bad enough, Chimeratech Overdragon could also attack by how many monsters were used to summon it, meaning it could attack 107 times! And Zane wasted none of them. Chimeratech Overdragon vanquished their line of monsters one by one, taking their Life Points down with one hit. And then, even though the Duel was over, Zane still commanded his Overdragon to attack. He loved his High King. He loved Termnnia. And to see any of them threatened by greed was an act punishable by death. The Solid Vision Holograms made monsters real and their damage as well. Being struck over a hundred times by Chimeratech Overdragon proved to be too much for the Duel Gang. The boys were tossed around, their bodies smashing against the ground, against rocks, until they were broken and lifeless. Save for the leader. Before Chimertech Overdragon launched its final attack, Zane held up his hand, forcing it to hold. The dragon snarled and did as it was told.
Zane approached the battered and bloody leader and picked him up by the scruff of his jacket. "WHO GAVE YOU THE LOCATION TO THIS GATE!" he shouted. "WHO!" he shook the boy violently.
"D-d-don't hurt me," the leader coughed and babbled in his blood, which flooded his mouth. "P-p-p-please! I don't want to -gurk- I don't want to die."
"WHO GAVE YOU THE LOCATION OF THE GATE!" Zane shouted.
Alexis could only watch silently from behind him, shaking her head at the boy's failure to reply. "Come on, kid, just tell him," she whispered in her mouth.
"Lord...Lord..."
"LORD WHO!?" Zane roared in his face, shaking him more. "TALK!"
"LORD BALLISTER! S-Some guy for the House of Flowers. He was -cough! cough!- he was offering a reward for the capture of a winged girl hidden in some village."
"Alicia!" gasped Alexis.
"You know her?" Zane asked.
"She's the last of the winged people. An Arva! She traveled with me two years ago when I was questing for the jewels. I'm not surprised the House of Flowers wants to get their grubby hands on her."
"The House of Flowers," said Zane. "Of course. Where did you meet Lord Ballister?"
"He was on his way out of Thara," said the leader. He coughed a few times. "He was transporting something to King Forrest. Or someone. Someone locked in some kind of silver coffin."
"Silver coffin?" said Zane. "Did he say what was in it?"
"No! No! He wouldn't talk about it, I swear."
"How did you know about the Arva?" asked Alexis.
"She was kept hidden in our village," said the leader. "Lord Ballister pays well for girls. We needed the money. But he would only pay with information, so he gave us the location of that Gate behind us. That's how we came up with the idea to kill Yuri and bring his head and the Black Tyranno to the House of Flowers."
"YOU PARASITE!" Zane said and punched him, knocking two of his teeth out.
"How dare you!?" said Alexis, seething with fury. "Betraying the Arva to the House of Flowers and planning to assassinate your High King!? I've heard enough. Your life as of now is null and void."
"Please! Please!" the leader begged.
Zane took a dagger from his coat and jammed it down the leader's mouth. He gurgled for a moment, eyes widening from the pain and the horror, and he was finally gone.
"The House of Flowers is even more dangerous than I thought," said Zane. "They have information on the Gates and Yuri's location."
"The Great Infiltration was a success then," said Alexis, speaking of the horrible event that was caused by the marriage between the Summoner of Dragons and the Prince of Naralia. "So much information was compromised. I...I can't believe it."
"Believe it," said Zane. "That girl's stupidity put us all in great danger."
"You can't really blame Avi for what happened, do you? She was only trying to help."
Zane paused and looked over his shoulder. "She was your friend, wasn't she?"
"I helped her find a dragon back in the day, yeah."
"Damn it, Alexis! You can't stand up for her for something like this. She should have known better than to trust the Naralians. She believed her marriage to King Forrest's son would bring us peace. Instead, this union allowed spies to enter the High King's House of Intelligence and compromise Yuri's location as well as give King Forrest an advantage in the war. I warned her! Master Yugi warned her. She didn't listen. She thought because she could summon True Dragons that she was invincible. Now, look where we are."
"Zane..."
"And instead of helping the Alliance, she runs off into the wild to hide like the coward that she is. She let her fame and power get into her head. Let that be a lesson to all of us. Just because we hold great power, it does not make us unbeatable. Norman the Conqueror was a Champion of the Goddesses. And look what happened to him. Heh! Look what happened to Anubis when he thought he could march on Yuri's door and kill him."
Alexis looked at the ground. "I know, Zane. I know better than that. So what now?"
"I'm going to contact Master Yugi and let him know that we need a detachment of Black Luster Soldiers at this Gate immediately. And we need to keep a closer eye on representatives from the House of Flowers. They should be labeled as enemies of the High King but their members have deep pockets in the Senate, so that's no option. It's going to be up to us to expose their plans."
"All right, sounds good to me, Zane. What's our next move?"
Layla Lovecraft - Eden Island, Aquarius
Young Layla set up her equipment in her room on the top floor of her beachside apartment suite. As she adjusted the settings and height of her camera, she hummed the theme song from season one of Attack on Titan, one of her favorite Animes.
The camera revealed all the materialistic luxuries a person could want behind her. Luxury furniture, expensive electronics, and decorations that would have the average Joe burning in rage. She thanked her career as a professional Duelist, gamer, and online entertainer for her riches. With an allowance of five million a year, she happily retired at the age of twenty-one.
Once all that was taken care of she put on her white hooded sweater in the shape of a dragon. A frill of cloth spikes went down her back and a little tail came out the bottom of the sweater. The hood had two horns and a hot pink interior and her hands were concealed in the sleeves which sealed to form cute dragon claws. Then she pulled up a black frilly skirt and fishnet stockings.
Her bright blonde hair was formed into two long pigtails with pink streaks. White headphones illuminated by pink neon lights hung over her neck.
She turned on the camera and she smiled and waved. The sunlight peering through her white draped windows made her huge blue eyes sparkle giving her the appearance of an anime girl.
"What's up, guys! Layla Lovecraft here at PinkDragon_Gaming with another session of 'Let's Talk'."
Cut to Layla clapping. "Yay!"
"But before we start, here are the Texts of the Day!"
Cuts to Layla with her phone. "Okay, the first one is from LonesomeWarrior069 with: "Hey, PinkDragon_Layla. OMG Ur So HAWT! Show us your tits!"
Layla stares coldly at the camera. "Hey, LonesomeWarrior!" She flips both her middle fingers up. "Fuck you!"
"Sorry about that guys. This next one is from GEEKLORD1020." The video cuts to her snickering at the name. "Ha, ha, Geek lord." Cut to her coughing into her dragon claw sleeve. Her eyes dart from left to right mischievously. Now the video cuts to her reading the text from her fan. She leans back in her elite gaming chair. "Hey, PinkDragon_Layla, did you catch any good memes this week?" she read out loud. "Like seriously guys? I am a Duelist. This is a channel about Dueling and you want me to talk about memes?"
Next clip shows Layla standing in the harbor with a jug of milk. She leaps into the air and flies through space with the soundtrack Shooting Stars by Bag Raiders. Now she's back in her room. A plate of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies is in front of her. Her face is red from her little stunt and she chuckles. She looks into the camera.
"Ahem, sorry you had to see that." She bites into another cookie. "Mmm, my girlfriend made me these. Her cookies are so beast!" She sticks her left thumb up with approval as she takes another bite of her cookie. "Mmm! Love you, baby!"
The video now shows her leaning back in her chair. "Well enough of those you guys. So here's what's making Dueling news. First off, my reaction to Phobos Corp finally releasing their Solid Vision Holographic technology for everyone." She pumps her fist. "YES!" Layla jumps around the room and then twerks as the song Bubble Butt by Major Lazer is playing in the background.
Back to Layla in her chair. "I am so excited about this you guys. Holographic Dueling was normally reserved for championship tournaments and there are some pompous assholes, a.k.a the 'elite' (She makes quotations with her fingers) out there who claim that's only reserved for them. In the words of my friend, AJShim, the Virginia state champion..." The video cuts to an image showing a black and white picture of a woman from the 1950s spraying air freshener all over the room. The words: Smells like Bullshit are written above her in big black letters. Audio plays the sound of AJShim saying his famous quote. "BULL-SHIT!"
Layla points at the camera and pouts while yelling "NO! NO! You guys suck!"
She sits back in her chair "Now Solid Vision Holographic Duels. What are they. Well, being the geniuses they are, the scientists and engineers at Phobos Corp have developed a revolutionary new technology called ARC which stands for Augmented Reality Combat, meaning the AI of the monsters are going to be super smart, super interactive, and super real. Trust me, I've seen firsthand what this technology can do. See, I was part of the super secret, super exclusive Tournament of Champions on Mr. Montgomery's private island. Now, I wasn't supposed to reveal anything about that because I was under contract to keep my lips sealed. And uh...they paid me a shit-ton of money, too, so obviously, I was going to keep my mouth shut. Anyways, guys, Solid Vision Technology is going to change the game. The monsters were rendered in full size, so if I summoned my Tri-Horned Dragon, he towered right over me. He was HUGE! And the way they fought. My God! It was so, so real! Ugh, I'm glad Solid Vision Technology is coming and is going to be free for everyone soon because I am just so-so-sick of those lame low-rez Duel Screens. They're so corny, and cheesy, and they don't exactly immerse you in the battle, which totally sucks the fun out of the game. I felt bad seeing everyone else not have access to this awesome tech. But it appears your voices have been heard and Phobos Corp has begun construction of local arenas here on Aquarius! But that is not all Duel fans!"
A cut to her screeching with excitement and waving her dragon claw sleeves. "Leon Caldwell, the marketing director and head of the Phobos Corp technological division, has also announced that the company is working on its newest toy. As you can see Leon standing in front of a silhouette of the new piece of tech. He said in an interview with Duel Magazine, quote: I am pleased to announce that we are finished working on Phobos Corp.'s newest, most advanced, and most ambitious product yet. With the release of Solid Vision Holographic technology to the public, we quickly got to work on a way to let Duelists play with holograms anywhere, anytime."
Layla droops over her desk. Mouth wide open with shock. A minute goes by before she says: "HO-LY SHIT! Portable hologram Duels?" Clip of Layla throwing hundred-dollar bills at the camera. "I'm throwing money at the screen but nothing is happening!"
Back to her in her chair "Now, while we're on the subject of holographic tech it should be known that Aquarius's first local arena, The Duel Dome, was built just a few nights ago, and WOW! Talk about action. We had Duelists from all over the country flock to our little playground. There were some pretty elite players there including my bestie and former teammate, Crystal Anderson the Queen of Dragons! Okay, now get this. My girlfriend was there that night and says she saw Crystal entering the dome with who else? Well, Yuri. As she entered the dome she was challenged by the regional champion, Randall Lawson. And Crystal put Yuri up to Duel him."
Layla stares at the camera confused. "Like whaaaat?"
"Okay, guys, Yuri may be the son of the CEO of Phobos Corp and Duel Monsters creator, Jacob Montgomery. And heir to this entire island! BUT he has been labeled number one on the list of Aquarius's worst Duelists. You gotta admire Crystal's confidence in him. Now here is where things get interesting. Yuri BEAT him in that Duel." Layla shouts slapping both hands on the sides of her face. "WOOOOOW!"
"No, you guys, this is not a joke. Yuri won. Now, personally, I hate Randall Lawson; he is a nasty, egotistical pervert and there are days I wish I never met him. But he is being trained by the former world champion, Brett Martinetti. Randall may be a creep but I respect his Dueling skills. Which leaves me to wonder. How in the hell could an amateur like Yuri Montgomery beat a guy like him? Well, the answers may lie in a monster that has been labeled as the Black Tyranno. This is a card that has never been seen or heard of before. One of Randall's buddies posted a video of the monster on Instagram. I'll leave the link in the description. And what do you guys think is going on? Is Yuri's father giving Yuri new cards? Possibly. Is it a lie? A hoax? A fake card? Let me know what your opinions are in the comments. As for me. Well, there's only one way I'm going find out if that card is legit or not."
Layla held out her deck.
"I'm going to challenge Yuri to a Duel and see for myself. Yeah, that's right. Me and Yuri. One-on-one. Stay tuned for that boys and girls. Well, that's the video for today guys. Thanks for watching. As always, leave your comments down below. If you enjoyed the video, please give it a Like. And if you're new to my channel make sure you hit that subscribe button." Cut to Layla making a cute pouty face "Or I'm going to be a very sad panda."
Back to Layla being happy and enthusiastic again. "And don't forget to hit Pink_Dragon's website where you can get some cool t-shirts and other merchandise. And promo cards signed by me and the rest of the team. Last week the girls and I posed for this year's calendar." She holds it up, revealing she is on the cover in a bikini, and hides it from the viewer's view while wagging her finger. "Ah, ah, ah! If you want to see the ladies of Pink-Dragon Gaming in some lewd shots be sure to pick it up. If you do so now, I'll give you guys a fifteen percent discount. Not just on the calendar but any other merch you want to get. Just type in the word TYRANNO. But do so now, because this offer is only available for today. And why wouldn't you guys want to get this calendar? I'm topless in March."
She gives a flirtatious wink.
"And Yuri, you better watch out, kiddo. Crystal ain't the only one around here with a powerful dragon deck! Better get your game on, My Dude, cuz it's time to Duel."
Yuri - Montgomery Palace/ Paradiso Prima, Aquarius
Bark! Bark! Meow! Meow!
Dance with me purple cow!
"These Geico commercials get weirder and weirder by the day," Yuri grumbled as he lay there on his bed listening to the radio which was set to wake him for school. He was contemplating whether to get out of bed today, for he just had another nightmare.
This time he was inside of a room. A woman was holding down the door, trying to keep a vile entity from coming in. The door burst open. Then, a shadowy, shapeless mass entered the room chanting something evil before aiming his hand at the woman. He fired a blast of multi-colored light at her, burning her to ashes. Her smoldering skeleton fell to the floor.
The mass approached Yuri. A pyramid, burning with vile light was hanging around its neck. It removed its hood revealing a face, burned to the bone with strips of charred flesh still clinging to the not-so-clean skull.
"FROM THE LIGHT COMES THE DARK!" The thing shouted. And then Yuri woke.
"That's the last time I sleep with Duel Monster cards under my pillow," Yuri grumbled, scratching the back of his head.
He quickly showered, shaved, and got dressed. He then tossed his homework and cards into his backpack before walking out of the room.
"So, there he is," Jacob said as Yuri walked up the stairs from the basement into the kitchen. "Word has finally reached my ears that you beat the regional champion."
"Oh, yeah," Yuri said rubbing his back. "I kind of got lucky."
"I think he's lying," said Andrew, shoving a spoonful of cornflakes into his mouth. "Yuri never beat me in a match. So how could he beat the regional champion?"
"Don't talk with your mouthful, young man!" Mrs. Montgomery snapped while slapping Andrew's head lightly with the newspaper. Buzz snickered with a mouthful of eggs as he pointed at Andrew's mishap. Kathy shook her head, reading a magazine as she ate her toast. Kathy and Buzz, Yuri's two older siblings. Yuri never got to see them much since they were traveling the world, always out and about, working, working, working. He only saw Buzz and Kathy once in a while. They came to stay for the month since Yuri's 18th birthday celebration was coming, and, like everyone else, they were eager to hear about his victory over the regional champion.
"Luck!" Andrew said.
"You should read Duel Monster forums more, Andrew," Buzz said after swallowing his eggs. "And Twitter buzzed about it all night."
"Nice job, bro," said Kathy. She fist-bumped Yuri. "But there's been talk that you brought out a shiny new monster into the field. One that no one had ever seen before."
"Let me see," said Jacob. "You haven't been sneaking into my safe have you, Yuri?"
"No, sir," Yuri said taking out his deck and handing it to his father.
Mr. Montgomery searched through the cards and found the card everyone was talking about. "The Black Tyranno? I never printed this before?"
"Perhaps you missed the memo," Mrs. Montgomery said pouring coffee into his Kuriboh cup. "You can't possibly know every card that pops up."
"No, I suppose not. But this one is powerful. I should have known about it. I guess Two-Headed King Rex is no longer the strongest card of the dinosaur type."
"It must be a fake," said Andrew.
"No, it's not," retorted Mr. Montgomery. "The card is very real. It has its own code. The foil is the same as the ones I use in my business, and it even has its microchip in the corner. Well, folks, I don't know how, but, this is a legit Duel Monsters card."
"Are you going to let me keep it?" Yuri asked.
"For now, anyway," said Mr. Montgomery, handing Yuri his deck back. "Rest assured I will get to the bottom of this."
"I see no need," said Mrs. Montgomery. "Andrew has his signature card, that no one else has. So why shouldn't Yuri?"
"I guess so," Mr. Montgomery said with a smile. "I suppose now that you have beaten the regional champion you're going to need a tough signature creature in your deck. But rest assured, Yuri, if I see any more unknowns appear, I will start an investigation."
"I understand sir," Yuri said stuffing his cards into his pocket.
His baby sister waddled towards him. "Hey, Cindy!" Yuri picked her up and blew on her tummy to make her laugh. "Want to countdown to my birthday? Huh?"
She grinned and waved her arms happily in response. "Let's see," Yuri said picking up her arm and pressing her hand to the days on the calendar. "One…two…three…four more weeks until my birthday."
"Oh whoopee," groaned Andrew, stuffing cornflakes into his mouth.
Yuri checked his watch. "Uh-oh, gotta go. I'm going to be late."
He set Cindy down.
"Have a good day son," said Jacob.
"Be safe out there!" called Paula. "The neighbors have reported some thieves in black hoods walking around out there."
"No worries, mom!" Yuri called out as he ran out the door.
The Platinum Knight
The air inside the castle was so musty. So thick. He could barely breathe. He was weakened from fighting so many horrible creatures on his way up the fortress to find the next creature standing in his way of the next piece to save himself from the hell he was stuck in.
He drank the last of his elixir. His body was rejuvenated, but he still felt fatigued with worry and despair, weighing him down with a deadly burden. His armor clinked and clanked with each movement he made outside the door to the boss of the castle. Someone who was hellbent on keeping him stuck here. To keep him from saving the prince. There would be no help from Dante here. He had gone off to another castle to search for artifacts. What they were, he didn't say.
The knight gathered his courage and burst through the door. When he did, a heavy, shadowy, wind, struck him. Mixing with the wind was the sound of a fiendish chanting. When the wind died down, the knight lowered his arms and found himself in a rotunda lit with thousands of candles. There were figures garbed in dark torn, robes, kneeling around an altar. They were chanting something awful and held out their arms, which looked like nothing more than bone wrapped in leather.
From the altar appeared a portal; a gateway for their master. He chuckled awfully as he arose from the portal. A vile ruler from a dark plane adorned in light, black armor outlined with lavender and a ragged red cape flowed behind him.
Angmarl the Fiendish Monarch had arrived.
And he was ready to do battle. Long had he heard of the Platinum Knight who had stormed his castle and killed many of his fellow guardians. His power was stronger, this he knew with all his heart. He would not fall the way the others did. His treasure was not going to be taken. His burning red eyes pierced the darkness. He towered over the knight, standing eleven feet tall.
The knight felt his legs getting wobbly just looking at Angmarl's height. Did he have the strength to take on such a creature? No! He could not start doubting himself now.
He couldn't.
He closed his eyes and thought of days when the sun used to shine down on him and bring him warmth. The colors of the flowers blooming in the fields all around him. The sweet smell of the apple orchards that surrounded the dirt road to his palace. The sound of water rushing down the river where he bathed with his friend. Her silky, chestnut hair and her smile flashed before his eyes.
The knight readied his weapon and prepared for battle. Angmarl enjoyed this. He wanted the legendary Knight of Broken Hearts to challenge him with his full potential. Otherwise, this battle was going to be very boring. He held out his hand and conjured a sword made from darkness.
The two warriors then circled each other to confirm combat. The robed worshippers made way, sulking into the darkest corners of the castle. Still, they chanted. It was as if the chant was all they knew how to say. All they knew how to do. What a pitiful existence.
Angmarl was the first to strike. The knight rolled out of the way, avoiding the massive sword, which crashed into the ground with tremendous force. The rotunda shook. Dust fell from the cracks above and the iron chandelier that hung from the center rocked back and forth. Angmarl swung his sword back and forth, striking the ground as he tried to get the knight.
He was fast, but he could tell the knight's speed was weakening with each tumble he took. The worshippers still chanted, but it sounded much livelier now. The knight could feel their words pounding down on him like a sack of bricks. It was a curse. They were helping Angmarl defeat him. With each second that passed, the knight could feel his strength waning.
He tried to conjure Curse of Dragonfire, but he could not. He was weak. Tired from all the fighting. It was taking its toll on him. For two decades he had been stuck in this horrible nightmare. There seemed to be no end to it.
Every beast he faced was worse than the last one. Each piece that he found was smaller and smaller. The battle was so excruciatingly slow. At this point, he figured that the quest was nothing more than a farce. The memories of her came back to him. Sweet memories. Her lips. The river. The sunlight shone down on her as she disrobed by the riverbed, coaxing him to join her for a bath.
Her silky skin. Her sweet and naked body glistened with river water…her gorgeous smile. Too much
He let out a frustrated scream as he felt as though his heart exploded. He just had to see her again. And he was not about to let these...these...CREATURES stop him from seeing her. From seeing the sunlight again. He wanted to smell flowers again.
He wanted to eat food again. He wanted to drink something other than those bitter elixirs Della and Yami gave him to replenish his strength and prolong his suffering in this terrible abyss. He wanted peace! Was that too much to ask?
He ran for the worshippers and struck them down relentlessly. Angmarl stood still. He was stunned to see the knight do this. He was told that he was noble. He would never hurt anything more than the guardians.
He smiled. The world was breaking him.
And he soon accepted defeat. He would try his hardest, but he knew he was not going to win this fight.
Despair was beginning to fill the knight's dark soul. That meant he was weakening. Which meant the prince was never going to get the help he needed. Master Bakura pulled out all the stops with his plan. There was no saving him. There was no bringing him back. Even if he would fall now, he would be victorious. The knight was not leaving this world. He was doomed to fight here and suffer here forever.
The knight was then overcome with great power, unlocked by the madness he tried to keep contained. His sword was suddenly engulfed with the flames from Curse of Dragonfire. He slaughtered the last of the worshippers, who were begging for mercy.
He would not listen. They committed the sin of stopping him from achieving his goal. And now they were paying the price. Angmarl laughed at the knight for his cruel deeds. When the last of his followers were killed, the knight looked at Angmarl and charged at him. Angmarl held up his sword and blocked his attack, but at a great cost.
The blow was so powerful, the rotunda began to collapse. Soon, rays of sunlight shined through the cracks and assaulted Angmarl. To any other person, the rays of the sun would be a blessing. But for him. It was like being bathed in the fires of damnation.
He was weakening with each passing second. Steam billowed off his body. He was gurgling with agony. The knight saw his chance and slashed Angmarl's body repeatedly with his large blade. The rotunda echoed with the violent clash of steel against steel and the cracking of bone. Angmarl's body was breaking.
He fell to his knees gasping for air. The knight finally put him out of his misery and cut his head off. Angmarl's body twitched and writhed on the ground like a worm wriggling on the talons of a hawk. And then, it dissolved into nothing, leaving behind another rusty safe as the other monsters he had slain. The knight smashed it open with his fist and ripped it open. What he saw broke his heart.
The treasure inside. He held it tightly against his chest and sobbed. His body ached from the battle, but his grief and even a touch of joy forced him to ignore his discomfort. It was a flower.
The knight roared and smashed his fists on the ground. But he made sure the flower was not harmed. There it stood in his grasp of steel, fluttering back and forth as if it was caressed by a gentle breeze. A fiery portal opened behind him. He had no reason to worry, for it meant she had arrived.
"That is indeed a very sacred treasure," Della said, removing her hood. Long curls of golden hair flowed down to her chest and past her back. She was clad in a sacred, white robe with red designs on the front. A white staff with a bright crystal she held with her fingertips.
"Leave me!" the knight shouted. "You have been of no help. All these years, you have led me to nothing. Nothing but more agony. More fighting. More suffering. I want to go home. But I see now that it is no longer an option. You have filled me with false hope. Prince Yuri is set to come home at any moment. You assured me years ago we would complete this task before his eighteenth birthday. Now that time is nigh. And look at me. I feel the madness taking over."
"Your deeds have not gone to waste, Ser Knight." Della approached him and placed a hand on his pauldron. "Thanks to you, Master Yugi was able to cleanse the darkness The Witch-King Bakura used to cloud his young mind."
"But what of me?" asked the knight. "Too long have I wandered here. I...I cannot bear to throw myself into another battle. What terrible deed have I committed to condemning myself to such a fate?"
Della couldn't help but shed a tear for him. "You're already letting the darkness take over you?"
The knight stood up to release himself from her touch. "Do not lecture me about being strong. I have stayed firm for nye almost a decade now. I have nothing left. Each battle only restores Yuri for but a percentage. And each Fiend I face grows stronger. Yuri isn't getting any better and neither am I. I can't go on like this anymore, Della."
"I assure you this path is not leading you nowhere, Ser Knight. Please, stay strong. That flower in your grasp will be your greatest weapon yet."
"What do you mean?"
"She loved those flowers, didn't she?"
The knight looked away. He then stared up at the red sky. "Yes. She loved them. She always asked for me to touch her with them before we made love." He chuckled. "And if we were to have a daughter, she would name her after this flower. Nanaveal. Hope in the ancient Celtran language. But I suppose you know all about that."
Della smiled. "Yes. I do. Keep that flower close to you, Ser Knight. It just might be the key to opening the doors out of this world."
The knight picked up his sword. "I hope you're right. If my next battle is just another fight for a percentage. I will go no further."
Yuri - St. Augustus High School/ Standard Dimension
Yuri claimed there was great pain in his chest when he put his head down to take a quick nap in the cafeteria. He dreamed again. Of knights and monsters. And treasure. As usual, when the dreams ended, pain followed suit. Yuri was in such discomfort that Tyson had to help him walk to the infirmary where he was looked at by the nurse all day. He was x-rayed and examined with a CT scan. Nothing. He was as fit as a football player.
"Stress," Yuri said walking with his friends out of their math class. "She said stress and anxiety were causing me that pain. But...but it sure doesn't feel that way."
"You feeling better now?" Patty asked. "You had me really worried back there, buddy."
"I'm fine," said Yuri. "It's gone. But..." He wanted to tell them about the dream with the knight, but thought better of it and kept his mouth closed.
They soon noticed there was a commotion in the hallway. Yuri, Patty, Carter, Nick, Tyson, and Natalya headed to the cafeteria to see what was going on and spotted a crowd of students cheering around a table. The Duel Kings of the school were holding up their thumbs in approval and Diego stood up, holding up Andre's arm, announcing that he was the school's newest Duel King.
"You've got to be kidding," Yuri muttered.
Andre shook hands with his fellow classmates and the other Duel Kings patted him on the back and welcomed him to their group.
"He actually did it?" Tyson asked. "Andre became a Duel King?"
Nick stomped his foot on the ground and grunted furiously as he darted out of the school. "Bastard! Comes out of nowhere and starts taking over. You should have taken that spot, Yuri. Everyone was expecting you to."
"I don't want it!" Yuri yelled. He followed Nick out of the school along with the others. "I thought we agreed Duel King was a title none of us need."
"Yeah, Nick, what's the big deal?" said Patty.
"The big deal is it belongs to that guy. I never liked him, you know. Ever since we first ran into him, he's rubbed me the wrong way."
"What made you feel like that?" Tyson asked.
"Forget it! Let's go. I don't wanna be here anymore."
"All right, all right," said Yuri. As he walked out of the school, he ignored whispers as he walked out. Some people called him a cheater. They claimed that a Duelist such as him could never defeat a champion player like Randall. Then, there were some who wanted to get a shot of Black Tyranno for their blogs and some even wanted to buy it from Yuri.
"Things haven't been the same since I summoned that monster," said Yuri.
"You should be happy for this kind of publicity, Yuri," said Tyson.
"Yeah, Carter's right," said Patty. "Even if you're not one of those stupid Duel Kings, a majority of the school finally acknowledges you as the great Duelist you have the potential to be."
"Some have called me a cheater," said Yuri.
"Let the haters hate," said Carter. "They're just jealous that it was you and not them who took down Randall."
"Meh, I'm with Yuri on this one," scoffed Nick. "All this publicity sucks."
"Why?" asked Patty. "Because the cameras are focused on Yuri and not you?"
"I'm talkin' about you, Pats," said Nick. "Ever since Yuri won that Duel every camera on the island chain has been focused on your ass!"
"What the hell is he rambling about?" Yuri asked. They walked down the sidewalk towards the card shop to hang out and have lunch. It was Friday after all and Yuri was free from work today.
"They all think I'm your girlfriend, Yuri," said Patty. "And I've got to admit, my friend list has been spiking on social media."
"This is bullshit!" said Nick. "Patty's my girl!"
Patty scoffed. "What do you mean your girl?"
"Well, not yet, but you will be."
Patty rolled her eyes. She grabbed Yuri by the face and planted a big kiss on his lips all the while flipping her middle finger at Nick.
"See you tomorrow, boys!" Patty said walking off leaving them all stunned.
Yuri smirked confidently and walked away with his hand behind his head.
"Hey!" said Nick. "Don't let that sink into your head, Yuri! Yuri!"
"Yuri Montgomery!" someone called out. "Hey, Yuri! Yuri!"
Yuri looked around for the voice.
"Over here!"
"No way!" said Tyson, spotting Layla Lovecraft waving at them from the top of a hill. "Layla of PinkDragon Gaming?"
"Who's she?" Yuri asked, watching the girl run down the hill towards them.
"She is one of the members of that all-female gaming clan. PinkDragon Gaming."
"Ah," Yuri said, "Of course" Now he remembered. He read an article about them once. They have teams for every well-known game like Call of Duty and Halo. Layla was one of Crystal's teammates in the Duel Monsters Team Tournament two years ago. The famous Sensational Dragon Sisters because they all packed well-built dragon decks and dominated the competition.
"But what does she want with me?"
"We're about to find out."
Layla made it down the hill and jumped from a stone ledge. "Woo, glad I finally caught up with you. You Yuri? The one with the glowing green eye?"
"Yeah, that's me."
"I heard about your Duel against Randall Lawson. Man, he is such a creep, my congratulations on defeating him." She extended her hand towards him.
"Uh, thanks," Yuri replied and shook it.
"Now, I've got a question for you, Yuri. Do you think it was skill that allowed you to beat Lawson? Or was it sheer dumb luck?"
"Sheer dumb luck," Yuri answered immediately.
"Care to find out for yourself?" Layla asked, pulling her deck out of her pocket. The cards had gold trim.
"Wow!" Yuri and the others said.
"Go for it, Yuri!" said Tyson.
"I don't think so."
"Why not?" Layla asked. "If you win, I could end all those nasty rumors about you cheating."
"Huh?"
"Come on, Yuri, take my word for it. My fans always listen to what I have to say. And if I say you're legit, you're legit."
"But that's only if I win," said Yuri. "Which I can't. You're a champion player. I'm not. You could easily beat me. Even with my Black Tyranno."
"Then the rumors are true after all," said Layla. "You're running away from a match and that's cowardice."
"You have made a correct assessment," said Yuri.
"Cheaters are cowards, Yuri," said Layla. "If you walk away from my challenge, you're proving all those naysayers right. Come on, kiddo. Prove them all wrong."
"Why do you care if I do?"
Layla wrinkled her nose. Is this guy for real? Is THIS the Duelist who beat Randall Lawson and could potentially one day own the game after his father? What a joke!
Yuri saw the look of distraught in her face and suddenly had a change in attitude. "Uh, I mean, uh. Very well." He said this with such confidence. He even puffed out his chest and agreed again."Yes, yes, of course, I'll face you. I can't run away forever." Images of a knight clad in platinum flashed through his eyes, filling him with courage. "Come on. The card shop is just down this way."
"We're not going to no card shop, Yuri. I'm playing you at The Duel Dome."
"Oh boy," groaned Carter. "Here we go again. That place is starting to become really popular."
"Come on," said Layla. "I can fit you all in my car."
They jammed into Layla's convertible and took them to the Duel Dome after a short drive. When they were in the elevator, she opened a box full of booster boxes.
"Here," she said. "Fill your deck up with these. There should be some cool dinosaurs in this set you can use."
"Wow," said Nick. "These are from the new set!"
"They're only for Yuri," said Layla, "hands-off."
Yuri knelt down and opened the box. "Wow, thanks, Layla."
"Hey, Yuri, you better think about this," said Carter. "These are brand new cards that won't be released until next month. They're going to contain a lot of cards we've never seen before."
Yuri merely shrugged. "I'm a quick study. Layla, with these new cards and my evolving skill, there's no way you're going to win."
"Ooooh," Layla leaned against the wall. "Well now. Look who's suddenly brimming with confidence. What's with the change in attitude?"
"I don't know," Yuri replied as though she asked what was the meaning of life. "I really don't know. I'm just...I just don't feel that scared anymore." Again, he saw scenes with the platinum knight flashing through his eyes. "I'm not scared." He placed his hand over his heart. "And I don't know why."
Ding!
The elevator took them to the topmost arena. By that time, Yuri had found plenty of new cards to add to his deck. He gave it one last shuffle and put it in his pocket.
"Okay," said Layla. "You take blue I'll take red."
"Okay," said Yuri.
They took their places. The platforms arose. The scoreboard above displayed 2000 Life Points.
"Where do you think you're going!" Brett shouted at Crystal.
"I think I saw them come up here!" said Crystal.
"Who?" Brett said joining her on the balcony suite overlooking the arena below. "Well, well, Yuri. I should have known you'd wet your panties seeing him come up here."
"He's brimming with confidence today," said Crystal. She leaned over the glass railing beaming at him. "The most I've ever seen him."
"And his opponent is Layla!" Brett said softly. "Wow, she looks like she's ready to kick some ass."
"My former teammate should prove a formidable opponent for Yuri," Crystal agreed. "She's sure to take his game to a higher level with this Duel."
"Or give him a most crushing defeat," sniggered Brett, going to the bar to help himself to a drink. "While Randall was goofing around in regionals, Layla was playing a serious game in the world championships. Yuri doesn't stand a chance."
Meanwhile, inside a lounge on the other side of the arena, Ren had arrived, too. He stood there quietly to watch Yuri's match. He kept to the shadows so no one could see him. Most of all Raven. "So you're here, too?" he whispered.
"Hold on, Yuri," Layla said, opening her backpack. She sent a drone into the air. "Just need a little something to record our match."
"Pretty cool," said Yuri. "So we're going to be Dueling live on your streaming channel or something?"
"Got that right. You're going to be live in 3...2...1!"
Layla waved to the camera mounted on the drone and introduced herself and Yuri to her viewers.
"Is this the same Yuri we know?" Tyson asked. He sat down with the others in the first row next to the arena. "Since when is Yuri cool about getting filmed in front of a live audience?"
"Yeah, this is really strange," said Carter. "Yuri should be running for the hills by now at the mere mention of the word camera and live. But look at him. He's just accepting it like it's nothing. I also wonder where this sudden burst of courage came from."
"I don't know where," said Nick. "But I'm just glad Yuri's getting some confidence out there. If this keeps up, he should be on the right path to being the Duelist we all expect him to be."
Layla finished the introductions and then the drone flew higher.
"I appreciate you challenging me, Layla," Yuri said.
"Thanks, you're first!"
"With pleasure," said Yuri. "I summon Trakadon in defense mode!"
Trakadon
ATK/1300 DEF/800
"That all?" Layla laughed. "You're going to have to do better than that. I summon Sky Dragon!"
Sky Dragon
ATK/1900 DEF/1800
After Layla commanded her six-winged beast to attack, the dragon fired a bright blue beam at Trakadon. The little dinosaur screeched and was blasted away. Yuri lost 700 Life Points dropping him to 1300.
"I'm sure you can do better than that," said Layla. "You defeated Randall Lawson. Come on, show me how you did it."
"Yeah, he may have defeated Randall Lawson," said Nick. "But Randall Lawson was not a legendary Sensational Dragon Sister."
Crystal balled her hands into fists and smashed them on the railing. "Damn! Maybe he got a little too confident! What the hell was that?"
"Arrogance can be your greatest enemy," said Brett. "However, just by looking at him, I can tell that's a trait that's very rare for him. Perhaps he's still getting used to his newfound courage. It can be a very strange feeling for someone who's been so fearful and weak the way he's been for his whole life. He's probably exploding with so many emotions right now. He just has to keep them in control."
Crystal looked over her shoulder in bewilderment. "Wow, were my ears deceiving me, or did you just compliment Yuri?"
"I didn't compliment you nitwit"
"Come on, Yuri!" Layla called. "I want you at your best."
"All right," said Yuri. "You want me to do my best, I will. I will play Polymerization to fuse together another Trakadon in my hand with Beast King of the Swamp and create Pragtical!"
Yuri summoned a quadrupedal dinosaur with royal purple skin with its shoulders and head crowned with spikes.
Pragtical
ATK/1900 DEF/1500
"But that's not all!" said Yuri. "I equip him with Raise Body Heat and boost his attack by three hundred points raising Pragtical's attack to twenty-two hundred!"
Pragtical attacked at Yuri's command, slashing Sky Dragon in the chest. The feathered dragon screeched and exploded into a thousand pieces.
"Hm." Layla wrinkled her nose. Her Life Points went down to 1700. "Okay, nice combo attack by the way. But here comes my next monster. I place two cards face down and summon Serpent Night Dragon!"
Crystal clasped her hands together.
"What's with you?" Brett asked, watching Crystal get jittery.
"Oh, I'm so jealous!" said Crystal, seeing the dark serpentine dragon slithering in the air over the field with its four wings. "I've wanted that dragon for years. It's so rare. It's an alternate art card. The chances of getting those are one in a million! Reagan, Layla's girlfriend, gave it to her for her birthday while on a vacation in Hawaii."
Serpent Night Dragon
ATK/2350 DEF/2400
The rare alternate form of Serpent Night Dragon held its body up and spread its red membranous wings which were almost as long as its body. It had sharp blades coming out from behind its scrawny legs and arms. A shadow mane of black hair with a blood-red hue waved ominously from behind its head. Long curved spikes went down its back to its whip-like tail with an ax-shaped weapon at the end.
The dragon screeched and summoned shadows, which flew out and destroyed Yuri's dinosaur.
Yuri-1150
Layla-1700
"So far I'm not impressed, Yuri."
"Well nobody asked you to be impressed!" Yuri retorted. "You're a fool if you think this was going to be like your Duels in those fancy-pants tournaments. I told you, I'm not a good Duelist."
"Come on, kiddo, I meant no disrespect. Crystal sees a lot in you is all."
"She does?"
"Yes. It takes more than sheer dumb luck to defeat a good Duelist like Randall. It takes skill and heart. I want to see something in you, too, Yuri. And I want to help bring out that potential in you. But that's going to be hard to do if you're not putting your all into this Duel. Passionate Duelist is what Crystal calls you. Well, I haven't seen any passion in you. All you've been doing was throwing down random monsters in hopes that I end this Duel quickly. I know you've got something in that deck that can stand up to my dragons."
"I just might," said Yuri. "You know, I'm starting to feel bad."
"Why's that?"
"Crystal. All her life she's tried to cheer me on. Pushing me to be the best. But every time I just shove it in her face. When I beat Randall the other night...I felt alive for the first time in years. But as the days went by, my doubt ate away at my confidence. Doubts that I actually could beat him."
"Doubt is the nastiest monster of them all, Yuri," said Layla. "But it's one we all have to fight at some point. And like any other monster, it can be slain, but that all depends if you want to armor up and fight it."
"You know," said Carter. "She's right."
"Yeah," said Tyson with a nod of his head."
"Hey Layla!" said Nick. "Thanks a bunch for the pep talk. Maybe we can go out for dinner and you can give me some of that motivation."
"Sorry, babe," laughed Layla. "I've got a girlfriend already. It's your move, Yuri. Hit me with your best shot."
"Right," said Yuri. "I place two cards face down. Summon this monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"Now we're talking," said Layla. She drew her card marking the beginning of her turn. "You've got me guessing and on my toes. That's how my opponent should play. But, will it be enough for my next beast?"
"Bring it on, Layla."
"Wow," said Crystal. "He's all geared up and ready to fight."
"Careful what you wish for," jeered Brett. "I think Layla drew her best card."
Layla kissed the card she drew.
"Tri-Horned Dragon!" Layla slapped her strongest monster onto the playing field. She summoned the strongest of the lesser dragons. It was a stubby beast with blue scales, a red underbelly, and yellow claws and spikes.
Tri-Horned Dragon
ATK/2850 DEF/2350
"But hold on there," said Layla. "I activate my trap card, Dragon's Rage. This card will give my dragons the power of piercing damage, which means that even if your monster is in defense mode, you'll still take damage. And at twenty-eight-fifty attack points, my Tri-Horned Dragon will end the game with this attack. Go Tri-Horned Dragon, attack Yuri's face-down monster."
"Activate trap card!" said Yuri. "Sakuretsu Armor."
"Oh no!"
"This card allows me to destroy your attacking monster."
"Close but no cigar, Yuri. I activate a trap card of my own. The Dragon's Bead! At the cost of a card in my hand, my trap card will negate the effect of your trap and destroy it!"
"Fine," said Yuri. "I will flip up my face-down monster, Gale Lizard! I can select your Tri-Horned Dragon and send him back to your hand."
"You still forget," said Layla. "My Serpent Night Dragon is still free to attack your Gale Lizard."
Yuri braced himself for the attack. Gale Lizard was torn to shreds by Serpent Night Dragon's sonic shadows attack.
Yuri-200
Layla-1700
"Revenge never tasted so sweet," said Brett, pouring himself another glass of scotch. "I knew one of my girls would take Yuri out eventually."
Crystal groaned with frustration, remembering that it was Brett who was the manager of her team with the Sensational Sisters. Not that they needed him. He just tagged along to make himself look good.
"I've got to hand it to you, Yuri," said Layla. "That was pretty tense. You saved yourself for the moment."
"If you thought that was amazing wait till you see what I can do next," said Yuri.
"Give me your best shot kiddo!"
"With pleasure. I draw! I activate my Pot of Greed card, which allows me to draw two additional cards. And now I'm summoning Gogiga Gagagigo!"
He summoned a humanoid reptile that stood ten feet high. He had flaming red skin and gold armor covering his torso, crotch, arms, and legs, and barbed the end of his tail which was the size of a full-grown man. The armor covering his elbows and knees was spiked.
Gogiga Gagagigo
ATK/2950 DEF/2800
"Oh geez!" said Layla.
Yuri's monster stormed for Layla's Serpent Night Dragon and tore it to shreds with his sharp golden claws.
Yuri-200
Layla-1100
"Nice move," said Brett. "But she's still in the lead. Damn, I love this game."
"I summon Tri-Horned Dragon in defense mode!" Layla proclaimed. "Now, you can't strike my Life Points!"
"Oh, can't I?" said Yuri. He flipped the card he drew with his fingers to show her.
"Black Tyranno!" cried Layla. "He does exist!"
"Oh no!" said Brett, almost spitting out his drink. "No! No! No! The card that beat Randall!"
Yuri summoned it to the field. Black Tyranno reared its head and roared into the stadium making the Jurassic Park Tyrannosaurus Rex roar.
"You can't use your Black Tyranno's effect anyway!" said Layla. "I have two trap cards on the field, so Tri-Horned Dragon is not the only monster I have on the field."
"Not for long," said Yuri. "I activate the final card of the game, Heavy Storm. With this card, all our spells and traps are destroyed."
A fierce gale erupted from the ground and shattered Layla's two traps.
"This can't be!" said Layla. "I...I lost."
Yuri had not even made the attack yet, but already Layla knew the game was over. Black Tyranno smashed past Tri-Horned Dragon and gave Layla a swipe of his tail.
Yuri-200
Layla-0
Crystal jumped up and down with joy. "He did it!" She looked at Brett. "He really did it!"
"Doesn't surprise me," said Brett. "Layla was the weakest of the sisters. Come along, now. We've got important matters to attend to."
"I have no part in those matters, Brett. You go on!"
"I said let's go!"
"One of these days, Brett. You're going to regret treating me this way."
"Keep on dreaming toots," he slapped her rear as she walked by and winked. "Man! I love doing that."
On the other side of the arena, Ren smiled. "Nice work, Yuri." He turned and left.
"That was amazing," said Layla. "And I streamed the whole game live, so if anyone still has anything negative to say about your skills Yuri, they're idiots."
"Thanks for the game, and the pep talk, Layla," said Yuri. "I'm not afraid to show the world what I'm made of."
"You still have a long way to go if you want to be a champion, Yuri," said Layla. "But with a heart and skill set like yours, I wouldn't be surprised if that day came soon. Good luck in your future Duels."
"You too," Yuri said. He wanted to shake her hand but he got a hug instead.