Summer
From her quarters in the castle, Summer could see smoke rising over the mountains. Explosions popped in the distance like corn over a fire and bright flashes from arcane attacks lit up the mountains.
"Oh, dear," she said. "It must be terrible out there. Do you think our friends will be okay?"
"Perhaps," said Maria. She was leaning against a pillar, rubbing her shoulders to warm her from the chill of the air conditioning. "I cannot believe they prevented us from joining them on the field."
Antoinette sighed softly. Her cheek was resting on her palm as she played a round of Capsule Monsters with herself. "I can turn into a dragon," she said. "I can fight."
"It's still too soon for that, love," said Maria. "You've just been freed from that curse that kept you locked in your dragon form. What if you remain stuck again?"
"And what if the mechs are as strong as Jon says they are?" said Summer. "These things, so I heard, have the power to kill dragons. Maybe even True Dragons. Did you not read the message Aisha just sent? They killed one of the Red-Eyes Black Dragons."
"Dreadful!" Maria said. "I wish there was something we could do. Summer. Wasn't there a special gift that Jon spoke about? What is it? What power do you possess?"
"I'm afraid I cannot use it," said Summer. "I'm not strong enough. If I attempt to use my gift again…" She looked down at her belly and rubbed her hand in circles over it. "I could lose the baby. I'm sorry, but I cannot risk it."
"Damnation! I hate being trapped in here."
"Well, we have a duty," said Anna. "And that's to the royal family. If anything happens, we must do what we can to ensure their safety. Even if it means our lives."
"I sure hope it doesn't come to that," said Summer. She winced and rubbed her chest. "Jon...I...I can feel him. I sense he's in trouble."
Marcel
They've killed one of my Red-Eyes like it was some common pheasant, he thought. I've never seen such power before. Even with the combined efforts of his princely companions and the advanced suits worn by his friends, the CUIRASS pilots were dominating the battlefield. Behind a wall of flames, the Naralian army cheered for the pilots, raising their banners high and singing the anthem of their country loudly. It drowned out the clash of steel against steel and the chaotic cacophony of magic cast by Jon and the others. Even with his legendary Swordmaster and his axe blessed with divine lighting, the mechs were standing their ground against them, almost completely unphased. There was some damage to their paint, but other than that, the mechs were untouched. The pilots were toying with the princes now. So calm and so confident were they of this fight, that one of them began to broadcast his playlist of classical music from the megaphone of his mech.
As they and the princes clashed in the sky, the beautiful, rich, songs from old Naralian composers elegantly played, almost brightening the battlefield. Jaeyoung felt sick to his stomach as he was chased around by missiles. He turned and punched the air, creating balls of fire that intercepted them and destroyed them. The music was louder now that he had a chance to rest. Terrible. Genius compositions created by great men from a time when Naralia was free. When it was a land of art, music, science, beauty, philosophy, and fair politics. Now, thanks to the church, it was a fascist regime fueled by hate caused by a poisonous ideology. How? Jeayoung wondered. In less than 100 years, the superpower that was Naralia crumbled and turned into what it is today.
Marcel began to grow worried. He eventually told Idi, Suma, and Aisha to back away and keep safe in the jungle. Naturally, they refused. They were not going to abandon their friends. When the princes would tire, the pilots' cackles reverberated across the battlefield from their intercoms, and they would unleash a giant volley of missiles into the air. The missiles would then relentlessly chase down their targets while the pilots attacked them from behind. Jon gathered his strength and shot a beam of lighting from his axe, striking the third mech. It damaged his arm, causing it to fall limp. Inside the cockpit, the pilot merely chuckled
"Damn, this is hopeless!" said Jon. His mana was running dry and his arms were growing weary. He could barely move. "They're too strong!"
Michael did not listen to him. With one last ounce of his strength, he jumped up high into the air, accompanied by his Eidolon, Terrorking Archfiend. They chased down Captain Voltis like rabid dogs chasing a stray cat, except this cat was a tiger by comparison. Terrorking Archfiend's sword barely did any damage to the mech, and Michael called on his XIII Blades to slash the hull of the mech in a graceful dance.
"Ah, ah, ah!" teased Prince Kaywen. His mech's thrusters propelled him to the right and then he released a photon shockwave and Michael's swords dispersed, scattering across the air like sticks before they dematerialized. He gave up and fell back to the ground, landing on his feet. His Terrorking Archfiend landed alongside him.
Captain Voltis laughed at him, still hovering in the same position over the field. "Just give up with mangey fools! Our technology is far superior to your magic and your fancy moves. Even your monsters cannot stand against us!" He looked at Gearfried the Swordmaster and Prince Jon, both of them were sitting exhausted by a rock. "All those silly little legends. Tales of the most powerful warriors and monsters in the world. These mechs make things far too easy. But who am I to complain. All of this could have been avoided had you submitted to King Forrest and converted to the true faith. I will give each of you one last chance to lay down your arms, call back your monsters, and surrender. Do this, and I will see to it that you get clean deaths. Fail to comply, and I swear by almighty Yeyu that I will destroy you and all you love. Well, almost all of you. There are some we aim to take as our prizes in battle. Prince Marcel. I heard you have a lovely wife. She will make a fine addition to the House of Flowers. And your lover as well, Prince Jon. Of course, we'll have to get rid of the child you planted in her first."
"Damn you!" shouted Jon. "You're animals! All of you!"
"You fools!" sneered the second pilot. "Look at you! Reduced to name-calling. That's all you have left. That's all you can do. Take a bath in the dust like the swine you are. The Alliance has failed. Once more the might of the Holy Naralian Kingdom has prevailed!"
Marcel stood up. Slowly, Jaeyoung, Michael, Jon, and Stas did so as well.
"You haven't won!" said Marcel. "Not so long as we draw breath! Come on! Take your best shot!"
Crystal
As Lance went to get them something to eat from the food shack near the beach, Crystal received a text from Patty, telling her that Nick had beaten a bounty hunter and got a new card. She then sent her photos of the Black Luster Soldier monster he got and asked if she knew anything about it. She didn't. She was just as confused as Patty was. The warrior was unlike anything she had ever seen. From time to time she saw a very wealthy player summon the Envoy of the Beginning, but nothing like this Envoy of the Evening Twilight. He sure was a beautiful sight to behold. The color scheme of his armor was clever in design with one half being dark and the other being white, representing Light and Darkness, hence his name 'Evening Twilight'.
But, as interesting as the card was, it was the other news regarding Nick that left Crystal surprised. The news regarding him getting accepted into the Aquarius Cup, where he would have to contend with the island's best players for the crown of Aquarius's champion.
"So what did you think when you heard the news?" Crystal asked.
"I was speechless," said Patty. "I can't believe he even qualified. I don't know what he and Ren did in those few weeks when he walked away from us, but, man, they were busy. I knew Nick improved, but never did I think he'd grow to a professional level."
"How about that?" said Crystal. She looked at Lance, still in line to get their snacks. "Well, I guess having a spot in the Millennium Tournament might have something to do with him getting accepted into the cup. Yuri's not even in it."
"How about that?" Patty said. "Nick. The guy who would brag when he summoned weak cards. The guy who thought spells and traps were useless. He's now going to participate in the two biggest Duel Monsters tournaments in the city's history. Huh. If he actually pulls this off, I'll eat my Zera the Mant card."
"No need for that, Patty. Let's just be there for him as he battles through the cup. Oh, I've got to go. I'll talk to you later. Oh, wait, how's Yuri?"
"He's tired. I just messaged him a little while ago. Our conversation was pretty brief, so he must have fallen back asleep."
"Poor thing. Well, you and Nick be careful out there, Patty. I have a feeling those guys aren't going to let up."
"You do the same," said Patty. "See ya."
She hung up and Crystal put the phone back in her purse. Lance came by just in two with two big cones of vanilla ice cream. Together they sat on the bench looking out on the ocean and talked until the sun began to set.
"I wish we could talk here forever," Crystal said, leaning against his shoulder. "You know, when we were kids, Yuri and I would sit on this very bench and talk."
"Yeah?" Lance said, petting the back of her head affectionately.
"Mmm-hmm. One time, I ran away from home because my mom was mad. And wouldn't you know it, Yuri ran away from his home, too. He was really scared."
"What happened?"
"His imagination went crazy, I guess. He said a ghost with pink hair was standing over his bed in the middle of the night. And it started laughing at him. He ran from the house in a fright. He and I ran into each other in the fountain of the central plaza. And then we came here to this very bench. We cuddled up against one another to keep ourselves warm and we fell asleep. Boy, our parents were mad the next day."
"A ghost with pink hair? Was Yuri smoking stuff as a kid?"
"Oh, shut up." Crystal slapped his wrist. "I don't know what he saw that night, Lance, but it scared him. Maybe it was a bully."
"I told you, I don't know!" Natalya shouted from the pier. Crystal raised her head up. She saw that she was being cornered against the end of the pier by five young men.
"Speaking of bullies," said Lance. He held up his wrist to show off his Duel Disk.
"You're one of Yuri's friends, we know this for a fact!"
"So tell us where he is, girly! There's forty mill on the line and we intend to get that money. By any means, you got that."
"What are you going to do?"
"We'll throw you off the pier if that's what we gotta do!"
"HEY!" Crystal shouted. She carefully approached them with Lance by her side. "I know where you can find Yuri. But if you want to get to him, you'll have to Duel me."
"Crystal Anderson!" said one of the two young men wearing Duel Disks. He had a beanie covering his wild dirty hair, an orange vest, and baggy slacks bloused into boots. As he walked, all sorts of things in his pockets jingled. "The Queen of Dragons. Now, this is a challenge worthy of my talents."
"Our talents!" said his companion, he wore the same style of clothing but his attire had different color schemes and there were black flame decals on his pants. "Hey, Grant. I wonder if there's a bonus for taking her down, too."
"Who cares, Mitch! The sooner we take her out, the sooner we can take down Yuri and beat the shit out of him."
"I'm in!" said Lance. "She's not going to Duel you guys alone."
"I can take them on alone," Crystal replied brashly.
"I'm sure you could, but it's been a while since I played. And these guys might actually prove more of a challenge than the last guys we fought. I'm really starting to get bored."
"Oh, we'll give you a run for your money, alright," sneered Mitch. "We've got a monster so powerful, neither of you can stand against it."
"Yeah, like I haven't heard that one before," said Crystal. "So how are we going to do this?"
"We'll let you kick things off!" said Grant. "Then your chump friend can go next. Once he's done, it will go to me and then my buddy, Mitch. Got it? You follow?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Crystal said. "Natalya. Get behind me, girl!"
Natalya ran from the end of the pier and hurried behind Crystal and Lance. "Thanks for getting me out of that mess. They wanted to challenge me all at once."
"Cowards," said Lance. "Don't worry, honey, we'll take care of them. "Crystal. After you."
LP 4000
"All right. You guys are going down!" She drew and her Duel Disk created angel feathers that fluttered off the top of her deck. "I activate the spell, Ancient Rules. This allows me to special summon a high-level normal monster from my hand. And I choose to summon Seiyaryu!" As soon as she set the card down, a geyser of neon pink flames burst in front of her and revealed the powerful dragon. Seiyaryu spread her wings to put out the flames with the gust she created. Her bright yellow eyes flashed with a thirst for battle.
"Beautiful," whispered Lance.
"Next I summon Flamvell Dragnov in attack mode!" Crystal continued and conjured a flaming dragon with tough natural armor as sturdy as steel. Flames burst out of every crevice under the plates of armor it bore. Its eyes burned like a furnace. "I then set two cards face-down and end my turn. Lance, it's your turn."
"All right. I don't think I can top off your brilliant moves, babe, but here goes. First I play the field spell, Sogen." A ring formed around them. Then grass grew from inside the ring, replacing the wood and steel of the pier. "This will give my warriors a nice bonus. Here's one. Marauding Captain. And he lets me special summon one LV 4 monster from my hand. Mystic Swordsman LV 4!"
"Mystic Swordsman?" Crystal said with a giggle. "I see you admired Nick's deck a little."
Lance shrugged his shoulders. "Well, what can I say? He was a total badass and I wanted one. Anyway, I set a card face-down and that will do it for me."
"Now it's my turn!" Grant drew his card. "Ah, perfect. First, I'm going to activate this card. Exchange. This lets me trade a card from my hand with a card from the hand of any participant I choose. And I choose Mitch. I hope you got what I'm looking for."
"Sure, provided you got the cards we need to summon it."
"I do. Now, hand me that Sanga of the Thunder you've got."
"Sanga of the Thunder!" cried Lance. "Oh no. The Gate Guardian. They can't have that monster in their decks, do they?"
Crystal laughed at him. "Gate Guardian? What are the odds of them summoning that thing? First, they've got to get all three pieces out on the field. Sanga, Kazejin, and Suijin. They're all very high-level monsters for one and are going to be hard to bring out."
"Not when I've got this card!" Grant showed them a starlight rare ritual spell. "It's called the Gate Guardian Ritual card (Forbidden Memories)."
"The Gate Guardian Ritual?" Natalya gasped. "Oh no. That card makes summoning the Gate Guardian incredibly easy. All they have to do is sacrifice Sanga, Kazejin, and Suijin from the field or their hands, and they can ritual summon a Gate Guardian from their hands or even their decks!"
"That is so unfair!" shouted Crystal.
"Of course it is!" said Lance. "That's why only so few of them have been printed. The spell is cheap, it's been banned from all tournaments."
"Well, lucky for us this isn't a tournament!" sneered Mitch. "Gate Guardian! Rise!"
The ritual unfolded before their very eyes. The Duel Disks whirred loudly to render the beast in all its glory. At last, Gate Guardian was finally unleashed. It loomed over them and let out a deep grumble.
ATK/3750 DEF/3400
"Oh, shit!" said Crystal.
"Gate Guardian! Attack her ugly pink dragon!"
Gate Guardian's arms rose over its head. The claws produced a beam of lighting. It raced across the field toward Seiyaryu, but he was protected by three priestesses in blue robes.
"Hey! What gives!?" shouted Mitch.
"Lance?" Crystal asked. "Was that you?"
"Yeah. I saved your ass with Waboku. Thanks to this trap card, your monster takes no damage and isn't destroyed."
"Lucky break!" Mitch said with a raised middle finger. "Next time our monster attacks, you won't be so lucky. I set a card face-down and then activate Polymerization, fusing together Giga-Tech Wolf and Cannon Soldier to create the Labyrinth Tank!"
A red drill rose out of the ground. Two beams of light streamed out of the earth. Finally, the
"Look at that thing!" Natalya stepped back a bit in fear of the creature looming over her. "It's so big! How are you going to beat it?"
"We'll figure out a way," said Lance. He gulped. I hope.
Mitch reared his head back and laughed at them. "Please! You have no chance against us! Our Gate Guardian is the strongest monster on the field. And don't forget, I still have my Labyrinth Tank. And I'll use it to attack your puny swordsman, Lance!"
The Labyrinth Tank revved up its engines and sped toward Lance's swordsman. Crystal held up her palm and shouted: "Not so fast! I activate the trap card, Shift!"
"Oh no!" cried Grant. "Not that card!"
"Then I guess I can keep this short and sweet!" said Crystal. "Now I can change the target of your Labyrinth Tank to your Gate Guardian!"
Labyrinth Tank made a sharp U-turn and zoomed at Gate Guardian will all it could muster. Gate Guardian summoned a wall of water to halt its process. Gate Guardian then raised up his claws, summoning a rain of lightning and zapping Labyrinth Tank until it was a smoldering wreck. After the smoke cleared, Grant and Mitch saw Crystal and Lance laughing their heads off.
"Did you see their faces?" said Lance. "Oh, man! We make a great team, Crystal."
"That we do, Lance. Let's finish these guys off, shall we?"
Marcel
Akuuda
Even with all their might, the princes were feeling outmatched by the giant mechs. Once they were on the ground, exhausted, and on their knees, the regular foot soldiers gained enough courage to raise their weapons and charge towards them. As much as they wanted to fight them back, the princes had no strength to even stand. The pilots, feeling that they had done their duty, rose up into the sky to watch their troops massacre the princes. The Akuudan soldiers, not caring that mechs were in the air, raised their weapons and charged into the battlefield as well to protect Marcel and his friends. The CUIRASS pilots shot them with missiles and their giant rifles. They killed a few, but it did not stop their advance.
The Naralians and the Akuudans then clashed against one another. Akuudan Black Knights formed a ring around the weakened princes, holding up their Aurachalcium shields, which then created a red force field with Akuudan runes adorning it. As thankful as Marcel was that his people were coming to his aid, he feared this was the end.
"NO!" Jon roared all of a sudden.
Marcel saw what it was that was distressing his friend so much. Eclipse Wyvern was in the sky. Anna had transformed. And down below, Summer was riding into the battlefield on top of her horse, Honey, who she kept in the stables of Stas's skyship.
"SUMMER NO!" Jon shouted.
Anna soared toward the Naralian cavalry. As she lowered, she raised her wings to slow her descent, and used her feet to plow through the horsemen. The Akuudan troops cheered for her. Others parted ways to let Summer through. She smiled, knowing her plan worked. The mech pilots, longing to bag themselves another dragon, soared after Anna. She took this time to unleash her gift upon the Naralian army. Jon was screaming inside the force field, demanding to be let out.
Summer blew him a kiss, assuring him that everything was going to be all right. She dismounted and formed a white staff, topped with a green gem. "I am a Herald of the Goddess Mana. Wielder of the Secret Magic. I call upon the Lord of all Magicians! Heed my cry. Accept the mana that flows through my body as the tribute needed for your services." Her eyes were glowing like the sun. The offering was accepted.
"SUMMER!" Jon shouted. "PLEASE, DON'T DO IT!"
A triple-layered arcane circle formed underneath her. A burst of energy rose out from it, shredding her clothes until she stood naked. She grasped the staff with both her hands and placed it against her breast. She muttered magical words from a language that was not from this world. Her body was getting covered in magical runes. Then, a gown of white magic formed over her to cover her nudity. Something big was looming over her.
"What's going on!?" shouted Prince Kaywen. "What's the girl doing?"
The second pilot in his team chuckled. "I don't know, but I'm not going to sit around to find out. I'm taking her down!" He soared towards her, then stopped as though someone had pressed the pause button. Ribbons of glowing golden runes formed over his machine and much of the army in the front ranks. They looked at themselves, wondering what on earth was happening to them. The figure looming over Summer took form in the hot Akuudan sun. A magician in black with glowing purple eyes.
"NO!" Jon roared again. "That's Endymion, the Master of Magicians!"
"What?" Michael gasped. "Your girlfriend's Eidolon is the legendary Endymion! How?"
There was no time for Jon to explain. Endymion spun his staff around, causing it to make a deep whirring sound. Everything that was covered in the runes started to crack like glass. The soldiers cried out in horror from the fiery pain that was tearing them apart. Endymion then slammed his staff on the ground, and everything shattered, creating a terrible explosion.
"NO! NO! THIS CAN'T BE!" cried Prince Kaywen. "I AM A PRINCE OF NARALIA! MY LIFE! TAKEN DOWN BY THESE HEATHENS! AAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHH!"
His mech exploded as did the others. The battlefield went silent. Endymion placed his hand on Summer's shoulder, then he vanished, as did the magic dress that gowned Summer. She fell to the ground unconscious. Anna flew down, storm clouds covered the battlefield, and drenched it in rain. She turned back into a human and covered Summer with the cloak of a dead Naralian soldier.
Wasting no time, Jon sprinted towards her. He cradled Summer in his arms and sobbed, asking her why she would summon the creature that was slowly killing her.
The baby! Was the baby all right?
Jon scooped Summer up and stormed into the jungle back to the castle.
"We won," said Michael.
"But at what cost?" said Marcel. "Summer could be in real trouble."
"What about us?" asked Jaeyoung. "We almost lost that fight."
"We're going to need more princes for this alliance," said Marcel.
"Fuck that," said Michael. "We need our king back. Come on, Yuri. Hurry up and come home."
Yuri
Yuri looked across the water at one of the islands. He saw Chaos Emperor Dragon taking flight and bathing the area around it in flames.
"Heh," he chuckled. "Looks like someone is getting their ass kicked tonight." He looked at his reflection in the water. The glossy surface reflected his image perfectly. Even though the giant knight, Ser Norman was standing next to him, clearly visible in Yuri's eyes, the water did not cast his reflection. It was as though Yuri was standing there alone. "I still can't seem to grasp any of this," he said.
"Did he Duel you again last night?" Ser Norman asked. He already knew the answer to that question. He just wanted to hear it from Yuri himself.
"Yeah. And the more he does, the more I start to believe you. So if you're from another world, does that mean he's there, too? Yugi, I mean."
"The world I come from is real, much like this one, Yuri. In time, you will see it for yourself."
"Wow." Yuri looked up at the stars. "You know, when I was a kid, I always just stared off into space and wondered if there was life on other planets. You know, aliens and stuff. I thought about other worlds. Other life forms. Different dimensions. You know, my friend Natalya wrote a paper before we went on break. It was about the theory of black holes being gateways to another dimension or something. I always thought it was just fantasy crap. Things you'd only read about in sci-fi novels or superhero movies. But now...seeing you here and seeing Yugi constantly haunt my dreams. And this Bakura guy I've been seeing. Yugi always talks about him when we Duel in my dreams. He did some really bad stuff to me apparently. And you know," Yuri chuckled "it makes total sense to me. When I was really little, I did a lot of bad things. I stole cards and treats from shops. I formed a gang and I harassed the poor people living in Los Angeles Rojas. I hurt them. I stole from them. I made the girls there do terrible things because I was some chauvinistic little bastard. They weren't people. Just...just candy for me to enjoy." Tears flowed down his cheeks. "I forced two girls to make out in front of me for my pleasure. If they didn't...I would burn down their shacks and have Brett's family deport their families off Aquarius. I was only thirteen years old! What kind of a child would force people to do things like that?"
Ser Norman placed his hand on Yuri's shoulder. Even though he was a phantom, Yuri could feel the weight of his heavy gauntlet pressing down on him. "That was indeed Bakura's malice. I could sense the darkness he emits radiating from this world."
"Why did he do this to me? I thought he was...I thought he was like my guardian angel or something. He was always protecting me and punishing the people who hurt me."
"He wanted you to think he was on your side. It would make things easier for him as he corrupted your soul. He wanted to keep you from becoming king. Yugi and his friends have always been watching you since they put you here. From time to time, they'd send reports back to the regency council that governs Termnnia in your stead. They have to decide if you're ready to come back home. That all depended on two things. The quality of your character and your Dueling skills. Naturally, the darkness that also caused you to turn into a delinquent also caused you to fear Dueling and doubt yourself."
"So he wanted to keep me from being a good person all this time? Just so the people in the other world could think of me as a piece of garbage unfit to be king?"
"Yes, but it is not permanent. Those Duels with Yugi helped you overcome the darkness and heal you of the sin that polluted your body."
"Dude, you're right. You know, when I was still a freshman in high school, I entered underground fight clubs out of my own boredom. But after I started having my Duels with Yugi, I felt those skills slowly drain out of my memory. I once had the power to break jaws with a single punch as a little boy. Yuri Iron-Hands they used to call me. In the cage, I was able to battle three strong men all by myself. Then just like that, I suddenly lost all that knowledge. I learned that hard way as Brett and his goons beat me to a vegetative state. Ever since then, I've come off as delicate. That's why everyone calls me a flower. But my Dueling improved, too. I guess there was some positivity to meeting him. Still, I can't believe Bakura would use his influence to change me into someone horrible."
"Spirits from the Shadow Realm do this to torment the people unfortunate enough to be found by them. Without going too far, just look at what happened to your friend Patty and that Zera the Mant creature. Yugi knew of the foulness polluting your soul. He tried to fight it alone, but he couldn't, so he asked me to help you when I finally reached him."
"Do...do you know him?"
Ser Norman crossed his arms over his thick chestplate. "Yes. Yes, I do know him. He's the reason why I'm here. I know you've had dreams about me as well. Haven't you?"
The corner of Yuri's mouth twitched when he asked him that. "Yes. I've seen images of you from time to time. Was that...was that Yugi's doing, too?"
"Correct. The moment you were born, I knew you and I were destined to be with one another, Yuri. I knew there was great power in you. That you were a strong and special soul. I gathered all my strength and crossed through thousands of lanes in the spirit world to find Yugi. You know, you and Yugi are very much alike. Have you noticed anything different about Yugi when you see him from time to time?"
"Yeah. He screams some word. Yu-Gi-Oh. And then he gets taller and stronger...even scarier."
"He uses the item around his neck to switch places with the spirit living inside of it."
"There's a spirit in that golden pyramid around his neck?"
"Yes. The spirit of an ancient sorcerer-king. I also knew him when we lived thousands of years ago, but much of my memory about him is blank. After the War of the Giants, I lost most of my divine powers and my memory surrounding him."
"What's his name?"
"The spirit has many names. Pharaoh, Yu-Gi-Oh, Master, Spirit. But many who know him personally call him by the name Yami."
"Yami…" Yuri whispered. "Yugi. He's just like me. We both have the spirits of two powerful dead guys inside of us."
Ser Norman laughed. "You two are very much alike. It is destiny that brought us all together. You, me, Yugi, and Yami."
"So how did Yami bring you to me?"
"When I eventually did find him, he opened a gateway that took me into your soul. For years I had to fight hordes of terrible monsters Bakura put in there. They imprisoned the light inside you, but I was able to destroy them and free the goodness in your heart. It was on the eve of your eighteenth year that I finally freed you."
"So if I'm free, how come I still see Yugi?"
"Because there is still a lot of doubt in you, Yuri."
"More of Bakura's work, I suppose."
"Yes. As I said, spirits can do anything they want to influence a person for the worst. Bakura turned you into a juvenile delinquent unfit to be king. And Zera the Mant. He turned your friend Patty into a licentious, vulgar, attention-seeking, young woman who poisoned herself with alcohol and other toxins for the sake of fame and money."
"I'm glad you got rid of that thing," said Yuri. "I thank you for that. She's different now. I mean, sure, she likes to strut her stuff on social media but she's become a little more caring."
"I may have exorcised her of Zera for now, but I fear he is a powerful spirit. He is gone but he will return. That is why I am still wary of Patty."
"Then how do we stop him?" Yuri asked, throwing himself off the railing to face Ser Norman.
Ser Norman chuckled inside his helmet. "You can stop him, Yuri. All you must do is become who you were born to be. You must accept that what I tell you is true. Your friends and family here are counting on it, too. The forces at work, I fear, will also affect this world, too."
"Then what do I have to do? What must I do to get them to acknowledge me?"
"I've told you this already. Duel."
"But I've Dueled so many people since I've last met you! So many! I've defeated a Sensational Dragon Sister. I destroyed the Regional Champion on my first ever hologram Duel. I was this close to beating Brett! I battled countless bounty hunters! What more do you want me to do, Ser Norman?"
Ser Norman chuckled. "You've Dueled a lot of punks who think that one rare and powerful card in their decks makes them invincible. But yes, you have Dueled and gained strength since I first met you. And for that, I'm proud of you. And despite your horrible past, you've grown to be a kind and caring young man. And the doubt you once had is fading. There is but one more test left for you to overcome. This Millennium Tournament I hear so much about."
"I'm not surprised. The winner of that tournament gets to face my brother, Leon, for a shot at the world championship title. And forty million dollars."
"You must win those games, Yuri. Do this. Become the champion of this world, and I promise I will send word to take you home."
"Very well. I guess after this we'll see if you're telling me the truth or are just full of it."
"Yuri! Yuri!" Patty shouted as she ran down the stone pier with Nick by her side. "Didn't you hear me calling you?"
"Who were you talking to?" Nick asked.
"I wasn't talking to anyone," Yuri lied. "I was just looking out into the ocean again. I heard the news from Patty, by the way. Really, Nick? The Aquarius Cup? You qualified?"
"I did win four local events," said Nick. "That's the minimum requirement to get noticed. And I made it in. Are you going to the cup?"
"I'm afraid not. I'm just focused on the games this summer. I don't want to enter another event. Besides, even if I could, I wouldn't be able to attend. The brackets are already full. But be sure that I'll be rooting for you, Nick."
"Same with me," said Patty. "You can count on us to give you support." She chuckled and slapped Nick hard on the back. "Can you believe this guy? A few months ago he was the worst player on the island. Now he's entering both the Aquarius Cup and the Millennium Tournament."
"Not yet," Nick said. "I still gotta win the qualifier to get there."
"I thought you already participated in a qualifier."
"Naw, that was a qualifier for the qualifier. Heh, it's kind of stupid now that I think about it. It kind of feels like someone's barring me from entering the games. If you ask me, I'd say Brett was behind this."
"Fat chance," said Yuri. "The Millennium Tournament is supposed to be the biggest Duel Monsters event in history. Of course, they want to separate the wheat from the chaff."
"And I see plenty of chaff standing before me!" a bounty hunter said, raising his voice so the group could notice him. He was dressed in tactical-style clothes and ridiculously wore a vest over his jacket. It wasn't even a good one. It was a cheaply made airsoft vest. "You're a hard person to find, Yuri. I suppose I don't have to explain what I'm doing here, huh?"
"No, there's no need. I know what it is you want."
"So, are you going to face me? Or are you going to have one of your friends Duel for you since you've been too much of a coward to take us on yourself?"
"Yuri, a coward?" Patty yelled. "Oh, yeah. Real tough talk coming from an asshole who works for a group that thinks that ganging up on someone makes them so big and tough. You're as hypocritical as a democrat!"
"Yuri's tired anyway!" said Nick. "Tired from beating your pathetic friends over and over again. Listen here, hotshot, you wanna take on Yuri, you're going to have to get through me!"
"No, Nick, it's okay. I'll face him myself."
"But Yuri…"
"I'm not afraid to take on my foes. Not anymore. And I won't stoop to their level to get what I want like I used to. Besides, I'm not in this alone. I've got the support of my friends." He looked at Ser Norman. "All of them."
Thank you
LP 4000
Both players drew their opening hands and decided who should go first with a coin toss. Yuri won the toss and started the game. There was a hotel overlooking the pier. There was a party on the sixth floor. Upon seeing the Duelists get ready, a few of the partygoers crowded around the balcony to watch the game. One of them was Ren. "Yuri," he whispered. "Can't seem to catch a break, can you, man?"
T1
"First I summon Ipiria!" Yuri summoned his big blue lizard. It hissed, making the long white mustache over its snout shiver. "When this little creature is summoned, I can draw a card. Next, I play Ultra-Evolution Pill, transforming Ipiria into Megazowler!"
Patty and Nick cheered as Ipiria transformed into the hulking ceratopsian dinosaur monster that became well-known throughout the city. Patty especially loved the black color it had, beautifully melding with the gold stripes that flashed under the pier's lights. He snorted out streams of mist from his nostrils, causing the ring in his nose to move back and forth. He pawed the ground, ready to do combat.
ATK/1800
"Next, I activate the card I drew with Ipiria. Graceful Charity. You know the drill, draw three, discard two. Next, I play the spell, Ancient Rules! Thanks to this card, I can special summon a high-level Normal monster from my hand. And I call on Frostosaurus!"
A whirlwind of ice and snow formed in front of Yuri. When it dispersed, it revealed the towering, long-necked dinosaur. Its eyes and mouth were glowing fluorescent blue and its icy-blue body was shielded by thick layers of ice that acted like armor. It reared up on its hind legs, bellowing loudly so all could hear. Then he smashed his feet on the ground. The rumble devices built into the pier shook to simulate the impact Frostosaurus created when it touched the ground.
ATK/2600
"I set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
"Aw, yes!" Nick cheered, pumping up his fist. "Did ya see that? Yuri summoned two powerful monsters on his first turn. Even though he was better than me back then, he didn't play moves like this. Yuri's really upped his game since Black Tyranno came along, huh?"
"That he has," said Patty. You've come a long way, Yuri. All the improvements you made. All of your victories. You've certainly grown. And not just as a Duelist, but as a person.
"That's impressive," Ren said to himself. He flung his locks of blood-red hair to the right with a wave of his head to get them out of his eyes, then gripped the railing and leaned on it. "You've really grown, buddy. What other surprises do you got in store for this loser?"
T2
"Oh, no!" wailed the bounty hunter. "Two powerful dinosaurs already? What was I thinking? Everything they said about you was true! Oh, man. Serves me right for taking on such a strong and powerful Duelist like you. I guess all I can do is set this monster in defense mode and end my turn."
"He's toying with me."
Indeed he is, said Ser Norman. Be careful, Yuri. Think things through. Plan something before you attack that face-down monster of his. Whatever that card is, I seriously doubt it's as weak as that mercenary claims it to be.
"You're right. I've fallen for this bluff for way too long. If he thinks he can surprise me, he's sadly mistaken. I set one card face-down. Then I'll attack your face-down monster with Megazowler!"
Megazowler dashed across the field, howling with a deep prehistoric call. The card flipped up just in time for Yuri to see before it got destroyed. It looked like a satellite with a grinning face behind a green glass dome.
"Oh no! Cyber Jar!" Yuri yelled. He watched helplessly as Megazowler smashed the jar with his horns.
"Shit!" muttered Ren. His friends cheered and laughed at Yuri's error. Many mocked him for just attacking so indiscriminately.
"You fell for my bluff!" sneered the bounty hunter. "Now Cyber Jar's effect activates. He destroys all monsters on the field first."
Megazowler and Frostosaurus cried out in pain. Their images became static and then they shattered.
"Now for Cyber Jar's second effect. We pick up five cards from our decks. And if any of them are monsters that are summonable, we can put them on the field in whatever mode we want. I summon four monsters! Cyber Falcon! Mechanicalchaser, Robotic Knight, and Overdrive!"
"I summon three!" said Yuri. "Gilasaurus, Uraby, and Trakadon. I'll end my turn by summoning one more monster. Since you special summoned more than three monsters, I can special summon this card from my hand. Trifortressops!"
He summoned a mechanical triceratops that was as tall as a mountain. The giant creature loomed over them behind the pier, its legs submerged into the ocean.
DEF/2800
"WOW! YURI!" Patty cried out when she marveled at the sheer size of the beast he summoned.
T3
"I should thank you for summoning that creature, Yuri. He may look like a dinosaur, but he's just a well-oiled machine that's going to power up my rarest and strongest card. First, I activate the spell card, Pot of Greed. Two more cards just for me. Next, I activate Soul Exchange. It allows me to use one of your monsters as a tribute for one of my monsters. And I'm going to sack that Gilasaurus of yours for this. Say hello to the ace of my deck! Machine King!"
Gilasaurus vanished. The pier trembled and yellow warning lights flashed from out of nowhere as a siren beeped. Mechanical doors manifested on the ground and opened. Slowly, an elevator rose up, revealing a giant robot monster. The creature hummed a deep mechanical call. It scanned the field, checking the stats of all the monsters Yuri had against it. A red light flashed back and forth over the red lenses on the head, which made the creature's eyes.
ATK/2200 DEF/2000
"If you think he's strong now," boasted the bounty hunter, "then just wait till you see his special ability. Machine King gets 100 extra attack points for every machine on the field. Including your Trifortressops, I count six for a grand total of 2800 attack points. But why stop there when I've got this card? Machine Conversion Factory. It increases the attack points of all Machine-Type monsters by 300 points, making Machine King's power rise to 3100! Not even your Black Tyranno's gonna stand up to his power. They call Black Tyranno the king of your deck. Well, I can't wait to see you play it so I can show him the power of a REAL king. But just because he's not out, it doesn't mean I'm not gonna pummel you this turn. Machine King, ice that Trakadon monster of his! Rocket Punch!"
Machine King raised up his left fist. It let out a metallic cackle and launched it at Trakadon. The rocket-propelled fist then grew sharp blades from the wrist, which it used to slice through the dinosaur's body. Trakadon flew through the air and shattered when it was directly over Yuri. The rocket then circled back and smashed Yuri in the back to deal damage.
"AAAAGGGGH!" Yuri groaned. His Life Points to a dive to 2200.
"No! Yuri!" Patty cried.
Ren's grip on the railing tightened. "Come on, Yuri. Fight!"
The bounty hunter pointed at Yuri and laughed. "And I'm not done yet! I'll have Overdrive destroy that Uraby of yours. Go, Overdrive! Send that dino back to extinction!"
Overdrive, an advanced armored military jeep, revved up its engines, clouding the ground in a fog of smoke. It raced across the field, its engines roaring, then it drifted to the left and stopped right in front of Uraby. The chain gun mounted on the top rotated and fired at Uraby, killing it in seconds and reducing Yuri's Life Points down to 2100.
"Now to finish you off with the rest of my machines!"
"You can't!" shouted Nick. "Remember, he's got 2800 defense points. Only your Machine King has the power to take him down, and you already attacked with him."
"Check it again, dufus!" the bounty hunter said with a mean laugh. "Trifortressops was special summoned because I special summoned three monsters. If he was brought to the field because of this effect, he is unaffected by cards, making him a sturdy wall of defense. However, being special summoned came with a price. Trifortressops loses 500 defense points every standby phase, so now his defense points are at 2300."
"Big deal," said Patty. "Your monsters are still too weak to take him out."
"I think not. I use the quick-play spell, Rush Recklessly. With this card, I can increase the attack of one of my monsters by 700 points. I choose Mechanicalchaser, raising his attack to 2550. That's more than enough to take down your fortress! ATTACK!"
Mechnicalchaser fired a laser from its eye, shooting it through a small ventilation port next to Trifortressops's head. The giant cyborg froze for a moment, then explosions started bursting out from every part of its body. The legs collapsed and the giant dinosaur plunged into the sea.
"His fortress has been destroyed!" shouted Nick. Even though the carnage behind him was just holograms, he stepped back as though he were trying to avoid being hit by the giant waves splashing around.
"He's wide open for a direct attack!" yelled Patty. "Yuri! No!"
"Yes! Now the bounty and the Black Tyranno are all mine!"
"I wouldn't celebrate too early if I were you!" Yuri said with a leer. "I activate my trap card!"
"Huh? You laid a trap for me?"
"Yeah, I figured your deck was full of nothing but aggressive machine monsters and cards to supe them up. Luckily I saw through that face-down card ruse of yours. I figured you had one of those nasty Jar monsters."
"You knew? Impossible."
"Believe me. After playing against noobs like you for the past few months, I've seen it all. I know every bluff in the book, man. Did you honestly believe I'd just walk right into that unprepared?"
"Yuri! Hey, Yuri!" Crystal came running down the pier with Natalya, poor Lance was trailing far behind them, calling on them to wait.
"Hey!" Yuri greeted them happily. "That Chaos Emperor Dragon in the distance. That wouldn't have been you by any chance, would it?"
"Guilty as charged. What's going on here?"
"Oh, just the usual bounty hunter who thinks they can go toe-to-toe with Black Tyranno. You came just in time, I was about to summon him."
"You were?" said Natalya. She clapped her hands. "Oh, brilliant. Please, please! Bring him out."
"You got it. All right, merc, you wanted my Black Tyranno, you got it. My trap card is Call of the Haunted. And I'll use it to bring back my Black Tyranno from the graveyard!"
"How did he get there? I didn't destroy him!"
"Like you ever could," Yuri said, chuckling at the audacity of the fool's comment. "No, I just sent him to the graveyard with Graceful Charity."
"So he was one of the two cards you needed to discard, eh?"
"Yeah. But now he's baaaaack!" Yuri said in a sing-song manner.
A tombstone rose out of the ground. It started to crack and beams of light shined through the openings. BOOM! It exploded, revealing the King of Yuri's Deck. Black Tyranno let out its signature roar, causing his friends to jump and cheer. Patty looked at Black Tyranno's green right eye. It was flashing brilliantly. Then she looked at Yuri. As always, his eye was flashing, too. It started doing that more often each time they were in a Duel together.
Meanwhile, up on the balcony, the partygoers also jumped out and raised their drinks up high. Ren gave a nod, happy to see that Yuri was able to call upon his ace. But could he turn things around with it?
"Big deal!" sneered the bounty hunter. "My Machine King is still the strongest card on the field. Your Black Tyranno is nowhere near as strong as my Machine King."
T4
"Not now. But watch this. I equip Black Tyranno with this card. The Crown of Jaws!" A crown formed over Black Tyranno's head. It was made of jagged, sharp, steel and decorated with the teeth of Black Tyranno's fallen foes. "This card not only gives Black Tyranno an 800 point boost in power, but it allows him to make a second attack in a row. And he'll inflict 1000 points of damage when he defeats them. I'll attack your Cyber Falcon and your Overdrive with him. Go, Black Tyranno!"
Black Tyranno stomped towards both of the bounty hunter's monsters, smashing them with his foot.
"You are so done!" shouted the bounty hunter [LP 2000]. "I activate the spell, Limiter Removal. This card doubles my machine Monster's attack points, so now Machine King's attack points increase to 5600! And Robotic Knight and Mechanicalchaser's attack double's too. After this attack, it's all over for you, Yuri! Machine King, attack Black Tyranno now! Super Rocket Punch."
Machine King raised both his fists and fired both of them at Black Tyranno. They took off so fast, they broke the sound barrier, creating a loud clap that shook the buildings around the pier.
"You just never learn, do you?" Yuri said with a chuckle. "Black Tyranno is equipped with the Crown of Jaws. And I can sacrifice him to summon one of his most powerful forms. Black Tyranno, evolve and unleash your true power!"
Black Tyranno started growing taller and taller until he even dwarfed Machine King. "Come forth, King of the Prehistoric Beasts - Neo Black Tyranno!"
Black Tyranno had now grown into a colossal-sized monster. The armor on his body was thicker and larger. He had blue accents flowing down the crevices that faded into purple and twin sails formed out of its back.
ATK/3300 DEF/3000
The bounty hunter breathed a sigh of relief and stuffed his hands in his pockets. "Heh. I knew that monster of yours was just a bluff. He's nowhere near as strong as my Machine King."
"For a guy who dresses tactically, you sure have a poor and slow mind. Neo Black Tyranno's attack and defense increase by 500 for each dinosaur I have on the field and in the graveyard."
"Ecckkk!" The bounty hunter dropped his cards. 500? For each dinosaur on the field AND in the graveyard? If that bonus included himself, that was a total of 3000 extra points, raising Neo Black Tyranno's strength to 6300.
The King of the Prehistoric Beasts blasted the fists away by spitting fireballs. Then the sails on his back started flashing purple and blue. He opened his mouth wide open and released a beam of atomic energy at Machine King, destroying him and reducing the bounty hunter's Life Points to 0.
Winner: Yuri
The bounty hunter left without a word and the holograms disappeared. Crystal dashed toward Yuri and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed his cheek and backed away, holding her hands together. "Yuri! You're getting just too good!"
"Now I'm looking forward to my rematch with him," said Lance. "Well done, Yuri. Such a shame these jerks ruined the Duel Carnival. None of us got enough tokens for even a teddy bear."
Patty shrugged. "Meh, dealing with these bounty hunters was way more fun."
"I'll say," said Nick. "I'm starting to fear my chances of winning that Millennium Tournament. With cards like that Neo Black Tyranno in your deck, I'm starting to think I don't stand a chance."
"Still, it doesn't matter who wins so long as it's either one of you," said Crystal. "All that matters is the prize money to help get you and your family financially sound to get approval from the foster home to get your sister back."
"Still, just because I'm getting the money anyway doesn't mean I don't want to have a go at the world title myself. I'm going all out against you, Yuri."
Yuri and Nick fist-bumped. "I look forward to that, Nick. But, um, you have two things to worry about."
"Oh, that's right!" said Natalya. "You still have to win the Aquarius Cup."
"And the final qualifier for the Millennium Tournament," Nick added. "Which is like a week after the cup."
Patty rubbed her hand up and down his shoulder to soothe him. "Wow, you're going to be really busy, Nick."
"Maybe we can help," Lance suggested. "How about meeting at the card shop tomorrow. Perhaps we can hold some squash matches against one another and help Nick prepare for the events."
"No can do," said Patty. "Tomorrow is Tyson's eighteenth birthday. We're going to the beach. And he's got a special dinner prepared for us and everything."
"That doesn't mean we can't Duel," said Yuri. "We can still celebrate Tyson's big day and help Nick out."
Nick held out his arms and embraced his friends in one tight hug. "Man, that's why I love you guys! It's never a dull moment when we're together, huh?"
Natalya coughed. "No, I suppose not. But a word of warning for the next time you want to cramp us all underneath your pits. Use deodorant."
Yuri's Special Cards
Kaiser Black Tyranno
ATK/3200 DEF/3000
Type: Dinosaur/Effect
Attribute: Light
Level: 9
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned with "Escutcheon of the Golden Kings" and cannot be summoned by other ways. When this card is successfully Special Summoned, activate one of the following effects.
*Destroy all attack position monsters on your opponent's side of the field
*Destroy all Spell/Traps on your opponent's side of the field.
When this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate spell/traps until the end of the damage step. If the only cards your opponent controls are Defense Position monsters, this card can attack directly. If this card is destroyed and by an opponent's card, switch all of your opponent's monsters to face-down Defense Position. Then Special Summon one Black Tyranno from your GY and double its ATK points. Until the end of the next turn, neither player can target it with card effects, also it cannot be destroyed by card effects. You can only use the effect of "Kaiser Black Tyranno" once per turn.
King of the Prehistoric Beasts - Neo Black Tyranno
ATK/3300 DEF/3000
Type: Dinosaur/Effect
Attribute: Earth
Level: 9
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card can only be Special Summoned by the effect of Crown of Jaws and cannot be summoned by other ways. This card gains 500 ATK for each Dinosaur-Type monster on the field or in your GY. When a card or effect is activated that targets a card on the field (Quick Effect): You can discard 1 Dinosaur-Type card; negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. If this card is destroyed by an opponent's card, switch all of your opponent's monsters to face-down Defense Position and destroy all Spell and Trap cards on their side of the field. Then Special Summon one Black Tyranno from your GY and double its ATK points. Until the end of the next turn, neither player can target it with card effects, also it cannot be destroyed by card effects. You can only use this card's effect once per turn.