Leon's Private Island, Bay Area
Ocean Radcliffe surfed across the waves, carrying two big fish in her hands. "Woohoo!" she cried out as her friends cheered her on from their campsite on the beach. Onlookers, many of them diehard followers of her on Instagram, filmed her and took pictures of her from the beach and the top of the cliffs. She was clad in a wetsuit jacket and a seafoam green bikini bottom. A necklace with a glass five-pointed star hung around her neck, flipping around as she performed tricks in the waves.
She stuck her hand out and touched the wall of the wave she was riding and laughed. This was living! She thought. The water was crisp and cool and it was so clear when she swam about looking for fish to hunt for dinner tonight. There were Great White Sharks swimming around, but they didn't bother her.
Back in her home in South Africa, the waters were teeming with them. She swam with them multiple times before…without a cage. She didn't fear them because she respected them. The sharks felt neutral about it and left her alone so long as she kept her distance. Even though they were lurking above, she felt calm and cool as she hunted for fish. When they were gone, she swam back to the surface to celebrate.
And nothing beats a successful hunt like riding through some huge waves. The waves on Leon's Private Island were massive, some reaching 15ft high. But Ocean, an appropriate name for a girl like her, surfed through them with the greatest of ease, even jumping and flipping with her surfboard.
"Dinner is served!" she called out to her friends as she got close to the sand. She placed her catch on the top of her board and paddled to the beach to join her friends. They had a fire going inside of a pit they dug earlier and had a small town of tents set up. She undid her bun to let her long hair down so she could dry it and then tie it back up again.
Some of her followers rushed to the camp to get a picture with her, which she happily obliged. They had calendars with her pictures on them, posters, her merchandise, and even napkins ready for her to sign. There was such a warmth to her that nobody was afraid to ask. Everybody just loved her.
She was tall, curvaceous, bore sun-kissed skin, bright blue eyes, and blonde hair streaked with brown. But most of all, she was warm and caring. She had a certain radiance in her that just drew people in like a magnet. Even in an exclusive contest like the Millennium Tournament, she managed to draw quite a crowd.
Once her fans left, her group of sixteen friends took out pink lemonade mixed with vodka out of the coolers. They tapped their drink together, toasting for a successful day. Ocean had defeated a good amount of Duelists today, earning her five gold coins, meaning she was halfway there to make it to the finals. And on top of that, she had three plump fish for her group to eat.
She sat down on a cooler in front of the fire, looking splendidly against the sunset. Her four best friends at around her while the others partied in the center of their tent village, connected and lit up with string lamps.
"Ey, great job today, Ocean!" said her Jamaican friend, Deavon. He clinked his bottle with hers. "Five more! Just five more and we're in de finals."
"Yeah, well, when you got players like those losers running around, it's no surprise our girl got such easy wins," said a girl who stopped by to get some plates and left.
"Yup, they all suck!" said Deavon.
"Now, now, let's not sell them short," Ocean said. If there was one thing she hated, it was showing disrespect to her opponents. "They tried their best. I mean, they wouldn't have been able to make it here if they weren't good, would they?"
Deavon laughed at her humbleness. "Ya, dey was good, but you were better, gurl."
The rest of her friends cheered triumphantly to that.
"Stop being so modest," said another of her female friends, a girl with red hair named Autumn. "You kicked ass today. Those guys didn't stand a chance. If only there was some competition around here worthy of your talents."
"Maybe there is," said Ocean. "Did you all hear the Prince of Phobos Corp is here?"
"Yuri Montgomery?" said Deavon. "No way? You yankin' my chain, gurl?"
"Nope. A couple of creeps approached me earlier today. They said their 'boss," she made air quotes with her fingers as her eyes rolled to the top of her head, "is paying big money and extra coins to anybody who beats him. I told them to fuck off. Talk about unsportsmanlike conduct."
"Damn, you must have been bothered by that," said Autumn. "It takes a hell of a lot to make you start swearing, Ocean."
"You should have taken the bounty," said another friend, a physically fit young man wearing sunglasses and blue shorts. "You remember that fiasco back at the beginning of the year? Yuri's rival Brett Martinetti was paying forty million American dollars to whoever could defeat him."
"Forty million!" yelled Deavon. "I knew dem white boys in Aquarius were rich but DAMN! Forty million just to take out a Dueling rival. Sheet, man. When can we go to Aquarius?"
"Maybe after I win this tournament," said Ocean. "I've always wanted to go to Aquarius ever since I was really little."
"Yeah?" said Autumn. "You going to find a big mansion there or something?"
"Yeah," Ocean replied. She sat back on the cooler she was sitting on and looked daydreamily at the sky. "A nice mansion with a jungle garden and the ocean in my backyard. I found one for sale on their official website. And man, does it cost A-LOT!"
"You're already planning to live on Aquarius, huh?"
"Well, yeah. The prize money is just the stepping stone. To say nothing of all the contracts I'll receive if I win the tournament and become the Duel Monsters World Champion. I'll have enough money to live there comfortably and if you want, I can bring you guys along so you can stay with me!"
Her female friend, a blonde with pigtails in a baby blue bikini named Penny sighed dreamily. "Isn't she an angel?"
"She's da best!" said Deavon. "But like Chris I said, you probably should have accepted da bounty. Deze guys lookin' to beat Yuri pay real big."
"Why?" Ocean wondered.
"Because he's the one to beat," said Chris.
"He is IT, girl," said her pig-tailed friend. "The one everyone wants to beat. He's pissed off a lot of the richest Duelists in Aquarius by taking them down and taking the spotlight from them. Do you guys think the one setting up the bounty is Brett?"
"Ha!" laughed Autumn. "Fat chance! He's got more SEALs on his ass than Bin Laden for what he did to that Senator's son."
"What did she do?" asked Penny.
"You didn't see Crystal Anderson's interview on the news?"
"No," replied Penny.
"Ha! She was probably watching more pony videos on Instagram," said Ocean.
"Hey, I like ponies."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Anyway, Crystal said that Brett and his mafia goons burst into her apartment when she and Lance were hanging out. They suffocated him and then cut off his head right before her eyes."
"Aw, man!" said Deavon.
"And it gets worse. They take her to a meatpacking plant in the docks of the city. They chopped up Lance's body and stuffed it into a meat grinder. Poor Crystal was forced to watch the whole thing."
"My God," said Ocean. "Stop! Stop! I'm going to be sick. How can people be so cruel?"
"It's a cruel world, love," said Deavon. "I guess if scumbags like dem are de ones running these bounties, you won't accept then, huh?"
"Absolutely not. There's no honor in such a thing. Ugh, it's things like this that lead to organizations like that stupid Bounty Hunter's Guild being made. If players can't beat someone better than them, they hire someone else to beat them for them. It's so pathetic and I'm better than that."
"Say no more," said Penny. "Calm down. The last thing any of us want is to see you get flustered. So, uh, change in subject. You going to Duel Yuri, love?"
Ocean tapped her finger on her bottom lip as she thought about it. "Well…I guess so. If it came to that, yes. Yes, I would. Although…"
"Although, what?" Deavon asked.
"I wouldn't mind trying my hand against the rest of them. I heard everyone in Yuri's group are some pretty good Duelists."
"Oh, really?" said Autumn. "And, uh, who in this group of pretty good Duelists do you think you'd like to face?"
"Ren Kakihara," Ocean said at once. She bit her bottom lip and hissed, eyes rolling to the back of her head as she bent her knees in excitement. "If I could have a moment alone with him. You want to talk about power, it's Ren. He was Yuri's teacher."
"Wooow," everyone in her group went.
"But he retired after his third championship reign," Autumn mentioned.
"I'm sure I can get him to play one more match for me."
"Oooooooh!" her friends hooted.
"I'd like to take on Nikki," said Autumn. "But I'd Duel her just to thank her. My cousin is a transgender who's been in the shadows for a while and she motivated her to come out and be herself."
"I heard about her, too," said Deavon. "But she's not the one I'd want to face. If one of them could be my opponent someday, I'd hope it's Nick Rogers. Ren taught him, too, and now he's the Duel Monsters Champ of Aquarius."
"Ooooo," said Penny. "Ren's got a magic touch when it comes to teaching Duel Monsters."
"Nick Rogers is pretty cute," said Ocean. "So yeah, I'd love to take him on, too. What about you, Chris?"
Chris drank some of the alcoholic lemonade as he thought about who to challenge. "If I had to pick between any of them, I'd say Patty McKnight. Besides Ocean, she's my celebrity crush."
"Hey, I follow her on Instagram!" said Ocean. She was swaying from left to right. The vodka was making her tipsy. "Holy shit! Yuri always came across to me as such a sweet and pure guy. What in the world is doing hanging around a girl like her?"
"They used to date, you know," said Chris.
"I know! That's why I find it so hard to believe," Ocean said giggling.
"Was she that bad?" asked Penny.
Ocean laughed. "Is she that bad? Did you guys see the last pic she posted two days ago?"
"I don't follow her, so no," said the red-haired girl.
"Oy! Oh man, you guys gotta see!" Chris said, whipping out his phone.
"You're on top of everything they do, huh, Chris?" said the girl with pigtails. She threw away her empty bottle and wiped her mouth.
Chris replied with a brief laugh as he scrolled around. "Hell yeah. I've been following Yuri's progress since he beat that creep, Randall Lawson. They've all grown as Duelists, and the fact that they're on this island to pose as potential opponents for Ocean is fire!"
He searched for Patty's Instagram. When he found it, he started laughing and told his friends to gather around to see the picture.
"Ah, let's see," said Deavon. He and the other two girls crowded over Chris's shoulder to see what she posted. When they saw the picture Ocean mentioned, their eyes widened and they jumped back hollering.
"OOOOOOH!" they all cried out together.
"OOOOOFFFAH!" Deavon said. He clapped his hands and laughed, then leaned forward to see the picture again. "Damn, look at dat bubble! It's a full moon tonight! Ow! Ow! Owwwwwoooo!"
Penny pounded both her hands on the side of her head. "You mean to tell me Yuri used to date HER!"
Ocean finished the last of the drink and threw away the bottle. "Oh, yeah," she said. "They were the world's hottest couple at the time."
"Now she's dating Nick," said Ocean.
"Yeah, it sucks what happened between her and Yuri but at least she's getting her life back together."
"Hey, yo," said Deavon. "Someone's coming."
"Ugh, more autographs?" scoffed Autumn.
Mandy Arrington giggled nonstop as she dragged Yuri out of the woods, over the hills, and into a field overlooking the ocean.
"See! See!" she said. "We made it! That Aqua Duelist has got to be around here somewhere. She talks a big game, but I know my man, Yuri will take care of him."
"My arm! My arm!" Yuri grunted. "You can let go now!"
"Yes, please," begged Natalya. "Before you yank his arm out of his socket."
Arf! Arf! Rrrrrr! Max growled. He really didn't like Mandy, nor her constant laughter. It was driving everyone nuts.
"Slow down over there!" Ren said. "Come on, woman! What's the rush!?"
"There she is!" said Mandy. "Come on."
"Good God," said Ocean. "Is that Mandy Arrington? What the hell does she want now?"
"She's dragging someone here," said Deavon.
"HOLY SHIT!" exclaimed Chris. "That's Yuri!"
Ocean huffed with all her might. Chris was right. "Yuri? THE Yuri?"
Mandy finally stopped in front of Ocean's camp and confidently placed both her hands on her hips as Yuri grunted and massaged his arm.
"There you are, hotshot! You guys bragged about Ocean not finding decent opposition, well here's her opposition. My boy, Yuri Montgomery."
"Yuri Montgomery?" Ocean asked softly, taking a few steps toward him. She examined him until she found his glowing green eye. "It is you! Wow, this is such an honor. And is this…Ren Kakihara is here, too! Wow! Oh, wow! I'm Ocean Radcliffe and these are my…"
"Ocean Radcliffe!" Yuri said out loud. "Holy crap! I follow you on Instagram!"
Ocean's suntanned cheeks turned a dull shade of pink. "You do? I…I didn't know. Wow!"
Chris planted his hands against the dome of his skull with a loud slap. "Ocean, seriously, how do you not know Yuri Montgomery is following you?"
"I have two million followers, Chris, I can't keep track of them all."
"I know the exact feeling," said Ren. "I have only one million followers, but yeah, it's a hassle to keep track of who follows you."
Mandy snarled. "Okay, I didn't bring you guys here to get buddy, buddy! Yuri! She's the enemy! Stop talking to her and Duel!"
"Enemy?" Ocean chuckled. "I know we're in the middle of a big tournament but I don't think that makes us enemies."
"Ugh, there she goes with her goodie-two-shoes attitude!" said Mandy. "She's all innocent and sweet but we all know what a loudmouth egotist she is."
Deavon frowned. He stepped forward and crossed his arms. "Hey. Easy now, gurl, dem's fighting words. We've tolerated you each and every time we've run into you but now you've gone far enough. You don have no reason being enemies with Ocean. If you wanna Duel, den Duel. No need to get nasty."
"I'm not with her," Yuri said at once.
"Neither am I," said Natalya, standing far away so as not to be seen with Mandy.
"I believe you, man," Deavon said. "Mandy here causes trouble in every tournament she goes to. And for some reason, she's always got it out for Ocean. And when she can't get the job done herself, she finds some macho man Duelist to come and take her out. I'm surprised you stooped so low and brought the Prince of Duel Monsters involved in this mess."
"What's the matter?" Mandy teased. "Afraid that your girl's finally met her match?"
"No disrespect to Yuri," said Chris. "But Ocean's got the talent to take him on and even win."
"Hey…" Yuri said sadly.
Ocean shook her head, holding up both her hands to cool everyone down. "All right, look. There's no need for things to get heated. If anything, Mandy did me a favor bringing Yuri down here. He's one of the Duelists I've been looking to face in the tournament."
"Yeah, but we were all hoping for an Ocean/Yuri match in the finals," said Penny.
"What if that doesn't happen?" Ocean retorted. "I appreciate you guys thinking I'm invincible but I'm not. What if something happens and Yuri or I lose and get kicked off the island? I'll never have this chance again. Yuri, how many gold coins do you have, honey?"
"I got two."
"So I'll wager two. If I lose —"
"Which you won't," said Deavon.
"Ahem! If I lose, I'll still have enough coins to stay in the tournament. If you do beat me, Yuri —"
"Which he won't!" Deavon interrupted again.
"Ahem!" Ocean said loudly, shooting Deavon an angry look. "If you do beat me, Yuri, I expect you to work your ass off and get yourself to the finals."
"I will."
"Good. Because I want to face you there. Then we can settle on who's the better Duelist."
"Wait, if Yuri loses he's out of the tournament," said Natalya.
"I know. So he better hope he doesn't lose."
"Humph," said Mandy. "See, what did I tell you, Yuri? Such an ego she's got on her. It's as big as her fat ass!"
"Whatever!" Yuri yelled. Even he was getting fed up with Mandy. "Are you going to let us Duel or not?" Mandy crossed her arms and pouted. "Thank you!" He looked at Ocean. "Sorry about that. Where do you want to Duel?"
"My Duel Disk needs to charge, so let's go on that platform over there."
"Damn, everyone's Duel Disks are running out of energy really fast."
"It's these new holograms and their advanced combat technology. Have you noticed our monsters brawl now during each attack? Plus the graphics have been updated! My system can barely handle an hour of Duel time. Hopefully, there's a fix for that."
"Tell me about it," said Yuri.
"Come on, the arena is this way, guys."
Her friends hopped to a nearby shower to wash the sand off their feet and legs. Penny put on a t-shirt over her bikini and chased after Ocean, joining her by the arena, which was getting washed by the lights from the double-headed LED street lamps that lined the path to the beach.
"Hold on!" said Chris, trying to catch up with them. He had Ocean's crumpled shorts in his hand. "Don't you want to put your pants on?"
Ocean waved him off. "Nah. Don't need 'em. Besides, I'm going to go back in the water after I'm done with this Duel."
Yuri and Ocean shuffled each other's decks before they climbed aboard the platform, taking them all the way up to the top so they could see the playing field. Next to them, they had a grand view of the ocean, the water turning orange and gold in the setting sun.
"So is this arena your turf, Ocean?" Yuri asked.
"You can say that. The ocean's my home away from home sometimes. So, how should we start things off?"
"I'll let you go first."
"Awww, such a gentleman. All right then I'll start first. Ready?"
"I'm ready, Ocean!"
LP 2000
"Let's Duel!"
Deavon rubbed his hands together in excitement. "Aww, man! This is main event stuff right here. The Dueling Champ of South Africa against the Prince of Duel Monsters."
"No offense to Ocean," said Chris, "but I kind of hope Yuri wins this. If he and Ocean can survive the next round of the tournament, we might just see these two go head-to-head in the finals."
"You'll get your wish!" Mandy boasted. "You just watch. Yuri's gonna knock her bubble butt back to Cape Town!"
"Not so good with people are you?" asked Natalya.
"She's the worst," Penny whispered to Natalya. "She's got it out for girls who are doing way better than her in terms of following."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it's pathetic. She thinks she should be queen or something just because Phobos Corp was so impressed with her Red Dragon archetype. Just between you and me, I don't think they're that good."
"No, but they pack a punch. She just beat Crystal Anderson a little while ago. And I think I know why. She was jealous that her following was better than hers."
"Crystal Anderson is here!" Chris shrieked. He jumped up and down. "Omigod! Omigod! Omigod! Take me to her! I've just got to have her autograph."
"Shh!" said Deavon. "Come on, the match is starting."
Turn I
"All right, Yuri, good luck. For my first move, I'll activate Moray of Greed. I shuffle two Water monsters from my hand and then draw three cards."
Ocean put the selected monsters into her deck and shuffled it before she drew her three cards. "Next, I discard Warrior of Atlantis from my hand to add the field spell, A Legendary Ocean to my hand. And I'm going to play it right now!"
Ocean's side of the field was covered with water. When she leaned over the pod to get a look at the field, she saw the ruins of a sunken city beneath the surface.
"Perfect," she said. "Next, I summon Physalia in attack mode!" A giant purple jellyfish with glowing red markings appeared over the water, letting out an eerie battle cry.
"I don't like the sound of that!" Yuri said.
"Does she scare you already, Yuri?" Ocean giggled. She was impressed with herself for summoning a monster that could make Yuri get the chills. "Her battle cry is the least of your worries."
Electricity sparked from each and every one of the giant jellyfish's tentacles. After Physalia's 1400 ATK and 1700 DEF were displayed, she went into the water and disappeared.
"Oh, FYI," said Ocean. "A Legendary Ocean is treated as Umi. Also, all my fish, sea serpent, and aqua monsters gain a 200 point bonus and their levels are reduced by one. Now, I activate the spell, Fish Sonar. This lets me add a monster that lists Umi in its name to my hand. Also, if Umi is on the field, I can special summon a Normal water monster from my deck. Spiked Seadra!"
From the depth emerged a tall blue sea serpent with a yellow mane. Curved black horns grew from both sides of its mouth. As its name implied, its back was covered with spikes, which could conjure electricity from the serpent's body. Its ATK was 1600 but with Umi on the field, it grew to be 1800.
"I set four cards face-down and end my turn, Yuri."
Turn II
"Draw!" Yuri said. "Okay, Ocean. Let's see how your sea serpents stand up to my dinosaurs. First I'm using the spell, Graceful Charity. I can draw three cards and then discard two as payment. Now I'm going to play the field spell, Jurassic World!"
Yuri's side of the field turned into a prehistoric jungle with volcanos and winding rivers across the terrain. "Now, I special summon Gilasaurus!" He summoned his brown raptor with 1400 ATK now 1700 because of the field power bonus from Jurassic World.
Yuri held up his next card. "Then I use the spell cards, Big Evolution Pill and Double Summon! First, Big Evolution Pill sacrifices my Gilasaurus! Now I can Normal Summon high-level dinosaurs without tribute. Next, Double Summon allows me to make an additional Normal Summon this turn. Say hello to Black Tyranno and Black Giganoto!"
"Black Tyranno!" Ocean cried out with glee. "O-M-G! I can't believe it's him! Chris take a picture, quick!"
Chris took out his phone and tossed it to Ocean. She caught it as Black Tyranno appeared alongside a dinosaur bigger and stronger than he was. Black Giganoto was ten feet taller than Black Tyranno was, and twice as long from nose to tail. He had long rows of black spines on his back and long black crests on both of its brows.
ATK/3500 DEF/2900 LV 9
"He's huge!" exclaimed Autumn.
"Here's the last card of my hand," said Yuri, "I activate Card of Sanctity! Which allows me to refresh our hands by drawing until we each have six."
Impressive, Ser Norman complimented him.
"Well, it's like you said, Ser Norman. If I trust in my deck, there's nothing I can't do."
I'm proud of you, Yuri. You've come a long way since I've met you. The Heart of the Cards is glowing inside of you now, I can feel it.
Not all were impressed by the feat. Deavon eyes widened upon seeing the two creatures. Meanwhile, Ocean was in her pod taking selfies of herself with Black Tyranno and Black Giganoto in the background. She didn't seem worried at all, but Deavon was finding it hard to believe Yuri could have pulled off something like that.
"Now! I activate Monster Reborn and bring back Ultimate Tyranno, who I discarded with Graceful Charity!"
"Ugh!" Ocean croaked as another of Yuri's giant dinosaurs rose out of the ground and roared. She stared down three of his best monsters right now. She was nervous, but she wasn't scared. She had just what she needed to keep herself safe. She smiled and tapped her face-down card.
Deavon waved his arms around calling for a time out. "Ey, yo! Someone check this boy's hand and make sure he ain't cheatin'. He had all the cards to bring those titans out and have a Card of Sanctity at the same time!"
"Yuri doesn't cheat!" Crystal said.
The group turned around to see her, Nick, Patty, Tyson, and Nikki joining them to see the Duel.
"Wow, the whole gang is here!" Penny squealed in delight.
"Don't even think of such a thing!" Crystal continued. She winked at Penny as she walked by to confront Deavon. "I helped teach Yuri. So if you insult his skills, you insult me."
"Sorry," Deavon said. He rubbed the back of his neck to try and hide the embarrassment. "I didn't mean to insinuate anything. It's just that draw had to be the luckiest draw I had ever seen."
"You don't know Yuri like we do," said Patty. "He's been known to pull miracles when you least expect it. You know some of the kids at school started calling him Jesus-kun because of the amount of times he was able to get himself out of a pickle. It's like a miracle."
Chris gasped and placed both hands over his mouth, his legs kicking up and down in excitement and disbelief. For a big, athletic guy, he sure acted like a young girl at a concert meeting her celebrity crush.
"Omigod! Omigod! Omigod!" Chris said. He ran to her with a notebook. "Can I get your autograph, Miss Anderson! Please? I'm a big fan and longtime member of the Crystal Anderson Fan Club of Los Angeles. My group is not going to believe this."
Crystal chuckled softly and signed his notebook. "There you go."
"That autograph isn't going to mean much now," said Mandy. "Crystal Anderson is going to be old news pretty soon."
"What do you mean?"
"I beat her one-on-one earlier. She didn't stand a chance, even with that two-card GX monster."
"Eh, you got a GX monster, Crystal?" said Deavon. "That's sweet! I gave one of those to Ocean but she has yet to use it."
"I think they're overrated," said Ocean. "I've beaten all those guys today and didn't have to use them."
"Hel-lo!" said Mandy. "I just said Crystal lost to me."
"It wasn't an official Duel," said Ren. "So it's nothing to brag about. You two pretty much had a Duel at the lunch table for all we know."
"What!? How dare you!?"
"You in the tournament, too, Crystal?" Ocean asked. "Please tell me you are!"
"I'm not, babe, sorry. I'm just a guest in Yuri and Nick's group."
"Aww, what a shame. I was hoping to play against your dragons."
"Who's to say you can't? Just because I'm not in the tournament doesn't mean we can't play. Maybe when things die down, you and I can have our match."
"I'll take you up on that offer, thank you."
"Hey Ocean," said Yuri. "I've been meaning to ask. Why did you enter this tournament? I mean, you're rich enough, right?"
"I make enough money to travel the world with my friends. But I want to find a place to settle down. And my dream home is in Aquarius."
"My island?"
"Uh-huh. You have no idea how lucky you are to live in a beautiful city like Aquarius, Yuri. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always wanted to live on Aquarius. I saw the city passing by one day when I went to the beach with my mom and dad. Gosh, it was the most wonderful thing I have ever seen. And with the tournament prize money, I'll have what I need to move in. I have it all planned out! I found a house to move in, a place to set up my business. Everything."
"So does this mean you're going to retire from surfing?"
"Competitively, yes."
"So, that's it, huh? Just going to settle down?"
"Yeah," Ocean sighed dreamily. She leaned forward on the table and propped her chin up with her elbow, waving her hips from side to side. "Maybe find a good-looking guy who will…I dunno, settle down with me and cuddle with me when the stars come out in my backyard grotto. Makes me breakfast in bed, cares for me when I'm sick, and whispers 'goodnight beautiful' before I go to sleep."
"A knight in shining armor to put it bluntly," said Yuri.
"Pretty much."
"I had no idea you were such a romantic," said Crystal.
"Aww, that's so sweet," said Patty. "I hope you get your wish someday, Ocean."
"Thanks," Ocean replied softly and brushed some hair off her face with her fingertips.
"Oh, come on!" said Ren. "You mean to tell me you don't have a sweetheart in your life, Ocean?"
"Nah, man," said Deavon. "Ocean's never had any luck when it came to love. Every time she dated someone, they were always some sleazeball trying to elevate their own status. Or bigshots who think they could control her."
"Unfortunately for them, Ocean's tough," said Penny. "Those guys didn't know who they were messing with."
"Sure wish I was that way with the people who took control of my life," Crystal whispered.
"Uh, excuse me!" Mandy yelled, stomping her foot on the ground. "What the hell does all this banter have to do with anything!? We're in the middle of a Duel! MAKE YOUR MOVE, YURI! ATTACK! ATTACK! BEAT THAT BIG-ASSED BIMBO NOW!"
"Sheesh, okay, okay. I'll attack. I'm going to strike you down with Black Giganoto! Oh, and he can attack two monsters in one turn. I'll attack your Spiked Seadra and your Psysalia!"
Black Giganoto roared. He sprinted through the jungle, knocking trees down. Birds flew away, screeching in fear. Suddenly, a wall of water rose out and blocked Black Giganoto's way.
"What's that!"
"You activated my trap card, Yuri. Poseidon's Wave. If you attack one of my Water monsters, I can negate that attack and inflict 800 damage to your Life Points."
"Aw, man!" said Yuri.
LP - 1200
"Well, there's still Ultimate Tyranno, who can attack all of your monsters with one attack! Nice try, Ocean, but not good enough."
Ultimate Tyranno also let out a roar that sounded like it came from another world. Its eyes were glowing red as it swayed its head from side to side. It stampeded across the jungle but it was stopped by another wall of water.
Yuri respired hard, drumming his fingers on the table. "Let me guess, another trap?"
"Yeah, Water Barrier. Attack a Water monster, and your attack gets negated. Lucky for you, this one doesn't inflict any damage to you."
"Yeah, but there's still your Spiked Seadra! Black Tyranno will easily take care of him!"
As soon as Yuri declared the attack, then Black Tyranno and Spiked Seadra sped into action. Yuri couldn't see the sea serpent, but he was able to tell where it was from the shadow underneath the waves and the huge wake it was making as it slithered beneath the surface. Once Black Tyranno stomped to the edge of the jungle into a beach, Spiked Seadra rose out, hissing venomously. Its yellow mane bristled as its body conjured electricity to shoot at Black Tyranno. Black Tyranno dodged and waved through the electric attacks. He then grabbed Spiked Seadra by the throat and shook it around, biting hard until its neck snapped.
Three powerful water cyclones instantaneously rose out of the water, forming a wall in front of Ocean's Duel Pod. She was smiling behind them.
"What gives?" said Nick. "Why didn't Ocean lose any Life Points."
"I know why," said Yuri. "Those twisters. That's Tornado Wall, isn't it?"
"You bet it is, Yuri. So long as Umi is out on the field, I don't take any battle damage. Sorry to say, there's going to be no point in attacking me."
"We'll just see about that. I use Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy Umi!"
Lighting fell from the sky. Then Physalia rose out of the water to absorb it. The creature howled, wiggling its tentacles around in a galvanizing manner.
"What happened?"
Ocean laughed arrogantly at the look on Yuri's face. "You didn't think it was going to be that easy, did you, Yuri? When you activate a Spell or Monster Effect and I have Umi on the field, Physalia can negate the effect and it also gains 600 ATK and DEF points!"
Physalia's eerie cries grew louder as electricity surged all around it. Her ATK went up to 2200 and her DEF climbed to 2500.
"That isn't good," said Natalya.
"No, shit," said Nikki. "If Yuri even tries to take out Umi, she'll just use that jellyfish's effect to negate it."
"And that thing gets stronger each time she does it," added Nick.
"Come on, Yuri," Crystal whispered.
"Yuri might have met his match," boasted Deavon. "He's never faced an opponent like Ocean before."
Yuri gulped. "All right, you want to play like that. Fine. Since I have Jurassic World on the field, I can activate the spell, Deep Jungle Ruins of Axoayaar!"
The prehistoric jungle quaked as the giant stone ruin of a jungle castle made of dark green stones rose out of the ground until it loomed high above the three monsters Yuri summoned. Two torches hanging on the sides of the entrance flickered in the darkness. The long neck and head of a stone dinosaur stretched from the palace's entrance, representing the powerful monster that slept inside.
Won't she be surprised by this, Yuri thought to himself. When I have four dinosaurs with 2000 or more ATK on my side of the field, I can activate my spell card's effect and unleash the monster inside. All I've got to do is play this Giant Rex on my next turn and it's a whole new ball game.
Turn III
"You seem pretty confident in that spell Yuri." Ocean drew, the glass of her tactical watch flashed in the light. "But let's see if you'll remain confident after I pull this off. Your Card of Sanctity may have given you a fresh new hand, but it also works for me, too. So I should say thanks."
Crystal pursed her lips and shifted to her other leg. "That's the downside of Card of Sanctity alright. Your opponent gets a full hand, too. Yuri might have helped her more than he helped himself."
"Seems he did," said Chris. He folded his arms. "I know that look. It's usually spelled doom for many of Ocean's opponents."
"Get ready, Yuri!" Ocean cried out. "Playtime is over. You wanna intimidate me with big monsters? Well, two can play at that game. I set two cards face-down. Next, I activate the trap, Kairyu-Shin of the Reef. I can send Umi to the Graveyard and summon up to two water monsters that are Normal or have Umi in their text in defense mode!"
The ocean dried up and the tornado wall dispersed, revealing her Physalia.
"Here it comes, Yuri! With this card, I call on Spiral Serpent and Kairyu-Shin - Leviathan!"
Yuri remembered Spiral Serpent all too well because he'd seen Nikki use it countless times. But what was this Kairyu-Shin - Leviathan?
He would soon get his answer.
Spiral Serpent swam out of a water vortex and hovered over the field. A terribly shrieking call reverberated from the vortex. Kairyu-Shin slithered out but he was longer than usual; darker in color, too. He had large fins going down his body, starting at the base of his head all the way down his coils to the tail. A row of white cone-shaped spikes went down its back. When it slithered into position, it looked down at Yuri and roared.
ATK/2900 DEF/2900
ATK/2000 DEF/1700
"And my trap has only just begun to take effect, Yuri. If you control a monster, I'm then allowed to summon as many Level 6 or lower Normal Water-type monsters as I can from my hand, Deck, or Graveyard! So here comes Sea King Dragon and the mighty Megalodon!"
A dark yellow sea serpent with a blue shell and a giant gray shark joined the other monsters she summoned. Sea King Dragon was a mighty beast with 2000 ATK and Megaladon had 2800 ATK.
"Don't worry, guys, I'll bring the water back. Because I activate the real Umi spell card, so now my sea creatures return to the water and gain 200 ATK and DEF!"
Physalia - ATK/2200
Kairyu-Shin - Leviathan - ATK/1900
Spiral Serpent - ATK/3100
Megalodon - ATK/ 3000
Sea King Dragon - ATK/2200
"Things are about to turn really bad for you, Yuri. When I have Umi on the field and Kairyu-Shin - Leviathan is in play, the rules change. You cannot control more than one Non-Water monster. If you control more than one water monster, you'll have to destroy them until you control one."
"WHAT! That leaves me with just one monster!"
The Kairyu-Shin - Leviathan summoned a giant tidal wave and flooded the jungle. Black Tyranno, Black Giganoto, and Ultimate Tyranno were washed up in the surf. They snarled desperately, trying to find a place to swim to and save themselves. Megalodon and Sea King Dragon swam underneath the water and swam towards the drawing dinosaurs. There was only one patch of land left and Yuri had a choice to make.
"I choose to save my Black Tyranno," said Yuri.
Black Tyranno huffed and snorted, swimming to the last patch of land with all its might. His two larger brethren were not so fortunate. Megalodon grabbed Ultimate Tyranno by the tail and dragged him into the depths. Sea King Dragon rose out of the water and clamped its jaws on Black Giganot's throat. They struggled around until Black Giganoto's strength failed and he was dragged into the depths.
Black Tyranno climbed up the last patch of land and slumped on the sand.
"Doesn't look good for you, Yuri," Ocean teased. "I'll complete my main phase by activating the effect of my Doom Kraken! If Umi is on the field, I can select one monster I control and a monster you control. The monster I choose — Sea King Dragon — switches places with my Doom Kraken."
Sea King Dragon vanished and was replaced with a new version of the Fiend Kraken monster. It was black with blue marking and glowing tentacles. He dove under the water and vanished.
Before anyone could ask where he went, the monster's tentacles burst out of the water, grabbing Black Tyranno, lifting him high up with ease.
"Black Tyranno!" Yuri yelled.
The tentacles wrapped around him until he shattered to pieces.
"There goes your ace," Ocean jeered. "Oh, did I forget to mention that the monster you control that I chose gets destroyed? You've got no monsters left, Yuri. Now you're wide open for a direct attack. I command Megalodon to attack you directly!"
Yuri saw the shark's fin cutting through the surface. The gang braced themselves. Except for that spell, he had nothing left. This was the end. Megalodon jumped out of the water and soared over the jungle, water dripping from his belly and fins like rain. The creature snarled, opening its jaws wide open as if it were going to eat Yuri whole. He smashed into an arcane circle and was knocked back into the water with a tremendous crash.
"What the hell!?" Ocean blazoned as she leaned forward to see the impact with her own eyes. "What did you do." She looked at the liquid-crystal display over her table. She tapped on the image of the card with her finger to get a larger picture of the card so she could read its text.
"No way!"
"What?" Deavon hollered. "What happened? Why didn't your shark finish him off?"
"That spell he just played!" Ocean looked up at Yuri tempestuously, making her star necklace swing back and forth. "So long as that card is in play with Jurassic World, I can't attack his Life Points directly!"
"Oh, that is bullshit!" Deavon roared, stomping his foot on the ground.
"So is flooding his field and reducing him to using only one monster," Mandy added.
"I mean she's got a point," said Crystal.
"Calm down, Deavon," Ocean said. "It's no big deal. I'll find a way through this by using this card. It's called Parallel Twister. I'll select a spell or trap I control and destroy it, so I'll pop my face-down Hightide card, and then I can destroy a card you control! Say goodbye to your spell, Yuri!"
A water cyclone formed in front of the island that was Yuri's playing field. The trees swayed in the violent wind, some getting ripped from their roots into the air.
"Heh, I don't think so. Once per turn, if my ruins would be targeted or destroyed by a card effect, I can banish a dinosaur from my Graveyard and negate it."
"What!? No!"
A fierce wind blew from the nostrils of the sauropod statue, dispersing the cyclone.
"Got anything else to destroy spells?" Chris asked. "That thing is a spell right?"
"Yeah, it says so right here," Ocean confirmed. "So I can rest assured there's nothing else crazy about that card. Oh, poop! You saved yourself, Yuri. I end my turn."
Turn IV
"Draw!" Yuri declared, but his voice croaked. "You're a good Duelist, Ocean."
"So are you," she complimented back. "You've made me sweat. And that's not an easy thing to do."
"But I think it's time to end this."
"Is that so? Well, bring it on."
"If that's what you want. I activate Pot of Greed and…"
"Sorry, but there's no way I'm letting you get extra cards. Not when I got you where I want you. I use Physalia's effect to negate your spell and increase her attack by 600 points."
"Thank you. Now I have nothing else to worry about this turn."
"You set me up?"
"I don't need any extra cards because I've got what I need right here. In the Graveyard. Black Tyranno."
"Oh, is that so?"
"Yeah, and I'm going to fish him out with this card. Waters of Revival. This will let me special summon a monster from my Graveyard in a face-up attack position. Come on, Black Tyranno! Rise!"
A pool of water began to form in the center of the island. Black Tyranno's head rose out of the ground, greeting the world with a thunderous roar, water splashing everywhere. He stomped out of the pool and then proceeded to the beach.
"Next I activate the spell card, Crown of Jaws! This card will sacrifice Black Tyranno and then let me summon his supreme form from my hand or deck. Come forth, King of the Prehistoric Beasts - Neo Black Tyranno!"
The crown that formed on Black Tyranno's head forced him to make a drastic transformation. He grew taller and longer and was armored with black natural plating and two spines came out of his back.
"That's a powerful card," said Ocean. "Too bad I gotta destroy it. I activate my trap card, Fiendish Trap Hole, which destroys your special summoned monster."
"Aww, man!" Nick growled.
Tyson clawed his face, stomping his feet on the ground.
"Aw, Yuri, tough break," said Natalya.
Neo Black Tyranno roared and then exploded, when the dust cleared, Black Tyranno took his place on the field once again.
"Aw, nuts," said Ren. 'That's just great. He went from Neo Black Tyranno back to normal."
"That's a bad thing for Ocean," Crystal mentioned.
"What's going on!" Ocean shouted. "My monsters! They've been forced into face-down defense position."
Yuri explained. "When Neo Black Tyranno is destroyed, he forces all of your monsters face-down and he sends all your spell and traps back to your hand. On top of that, it can revive my Black Tyranno and double its ATK points."
ATK/5200
"I don't believe it! And because all of my monsters are in defense position, your Black Tyranno can attack me directly!"
Yuri clicked his tongue twice. "Bingo," he said softly.
Black Tyrano charged across the field and tail swiped Ocean, reducing her Life Points to 0.
"Ocean!" Deavon cried.
"Oh no, she lost!" whined Autumn.
"Aww, she tried her best," Penny said.
The holograms disappeared. The two Duelists then took the platforms back to the ground to meet up.
Their friends greeted them. On Ocean's side, her friends patted her on the back, congratulating her for a well-fought Duel. Meanwhile, Yuri's friends were cheering and slapping him high-fives. Yuri saw Ocean coming and his friends parted to let him pass so they could meet.
Ocean smiled at Yuri and shook his hand.
"Here you go, Yuri. Two gold coins. And here's my rarest…"
"No, you keep it," said Yuri. "I can't do that to you."
"But the rules state…"
"I know, but I run a deck of dinosaurs. What's a sea serpent going to do in my deck?"
Ocean tittered at his retort. "Good point. But at least let me give you something." She looked from the camp back to her friends repeatedly before asking Chris if he brought her backpack.
"Yeah, right here," said Chris.
Ocean opened it and took out her binder. "I've got something in here you can definitely use. And its rarity should be enough to count as a prize card for you. Ah, here it is."
She took the card out of the sleeve on the page and handed him it. "It's called Megalosmasher X. Dinosaurs also swam in the seas long ago. It's in ultimate rare, too."
Yuri laughed as he took the card. "Actually they weren't dinosaurs, but I understand." He looked at the card, moving it back and forth under the light of the street lamps. "It's beautiful, Ocean."
"Yeah, and well…since we're friends, I guess you can say that card holds a part of me in it. So whenever you use it, I'll be there."
"Girl, you're one in a million," said Nikki.
"Awww," swooned Patty. "You're a sweet girl, Ocean. I hope you find that special someone one day."
"He's going to be one lucky guy," said Tyson.
Yuri nodded in agreement. "They're right. Thank you, Ocean. And thank you for Dueling me."
"You're a good opponent, Yuri. But your luck's going to run out soon. Believe me. And when it does, it'll be during our rematch. Hope to see you in the finals. It was great meeting you all."
"Hey, hold on," said Deavon. "Yuri, Ocean caught a lot of fish. Why don't you guys join us for dinner?"
"Did someone say dinner?" said Tyson. "If so, show me the grill. I can cook a mean oceanic meal for all of us."
"You can cook?" Ocean asked.
"You bet he can!" said Chris. "He's Tyson Washington. He and his dad own one of the best restaurants on Aquarius. Ocean, you have to let him cook. You're in for a real treat."
Ocean shrugged. "Well, all right. Impress me, Tyson."
"Wait a minute! Wait a minute!" Mandy shouted. "Yuri! What in the hell do you think you're doing?"
"I'm going to go eat."
"With her!?"
"What is your problem?" said Natalya. "I've just about had with you, Mandy! You've been nothing but a pain ever since we ran into you."
"Who asked you?"
"No one did," said Yuri. "But if you're going to hang with us, you're going to have to learn honor and respect. I don't know why you've got it out for Ocean and Crystal, but I won't stand for it. They're my friends. And if you don't like that, you can leave!"
Mandy showed no remorse nor did she care for Yuri's ultimatum. She was more stone-cold, jealous, and cruel than he could ever imagine.
"So now Ocean takes Yuri from me. Fine! I don't need you! Mark my words, Yuri! I'm going to make the rest of your days here hell! There are lots of Duelists who not only want to make name for themselves beating Ocean but you, too! You're the biggest prize of them all. You'll be sorry! And you, too, Ocean! You bubbly-assed whore! Fuck you all!"
Mandy turned and stormed away.
Patty stuck her tongue out and flicked her off. Max scampered to her feet and barked at Mandy as she went up the hill. "What is her deal?"
"She's like this because I have more followers than she does," said Ocean. "She made herself my unofficial rival. I didn't ask for her to be. I didn't even want her to be. I'm sorry she dragged you all into this. Ugh, I hope we never see her again."
"Highly unlikely," said Ren. "But we can handle her."
"You guys took down Brett's Dueling career," said Chris. "So I believe it. Come on, forget about her and let's head to our campsite. It's time to party! You guys drink?"
"Do birds fly?" Patty replied. "Hell yeah!"
They joined Ocean and her friends at the campsite. Tables were set up so Tyson could bring out his cooking things out of his giant backpack. Drinks were poured all around and music played from Deavon's RGB speakers. Autumn brought out the game Twister and set it on the sand. The winner got to keep a crumpled hundred-dollar bill.
She, Natalya, Ocean, Penny, Patty, Nikki, Crystal, and two other girls started to play and the other campers circled them. Deavon took out a sprayer bottle full of water and started squirting the girls to make their job of holding their positions difficult. He sprayed the spot where Crystal placed her palm to make it slippery.
"NO!" she laughed. "You asshole! No!"
He then came behind Ocean and sprayed her butt. She used her free hand to cover it and begged him to stop, for she was teetering to the left. If that happened, she would knock down Crystal and Patty. When the game was done, they started dancing to the wild songs from Deavon's playlist. Ocean playfully pushed Crystal onto a steel chair. She took her pants off and started to twerk on her.
"Woooooo!" cheered the campers.
On the other side, Patty was giving Natalya a lap dance as she sat on another chair. Ocean's other friends jumped around and cheered around them, too.
Despite it being nighttime, Yuri, Tyson, and the others were having fun swimming in the waves close to shore. There were sharks in the water, but they didn't care. That's what made it thrilling. They were too pumped with alcohol and adrenaline to care.
Three of Ocean's guests, who worked as lifeguards during the tourist season, were keeping watch in case of an emergency.
Nick and Chris had a friendly Duel on the table and whenever someone took damage to their Life Points, they had to take a shot. The one who got knocked out or lost Life Points lost. Chris was hanging in there but Nick was already swerving. "Attack!" he said.
"I activate the trap, Trap Hole of Spikes, your monster is destroyed and you take damage equal to half its ATK points!"
"Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot! Shot!" the spectators chanted. Nick chugged it down. He made a few funny faces, but he was still standing strong.
Hours later, the party started to die down. Yuri, Ocean, and the others — trying their best to get sober — sat around the fire. Patty, Tyson, and Nikki came out of the forest holding sticks.
"What took you guys so long?" said Nick. "The fire's dying down and I've been freezing my ass off."
"Sorry," said Tyson. He dumped a few sticks into the fire. "Patty here led us on a wild goose chase."
"What do you mean?" Ocean asked. She drank from a huge bottle of water and had a bowl of peanuts on the arm of her chair.
"She said she saw someone in the woods."
"You saw someone in the woods?" Yuri asked.
"Yeah, but I think I'm still a little drunk," Patty said sitting down on Nick's lap. She kissed his cheek and threw a handful of small sticks into the fire.
"Who did you see?" Ocean asked. She yawned.
"Some guy from school," Patty replied. "But like I said, it's no big deal. I was probably seeing things. I'm still a little tipsy."
"Was he someone important?" Ocean asked again. She yawned again and stretched.
"Depends on who this person was?" said Nick.
"I thought I saw Andre."
"Pfft, then it wasn't important."
"Who's Andre?"
"A boy we used to know," Patty replied.
"And he was a real jackass."
"No he wasn't," said Tyson. "You just didn't like him because he beat you."
"Yeah, he beat me, so what? And he beat Yuri, too."
"He beat you and Yuri?" Ocean said. "Oh my. He sounds strong."
"No, he's not. He Dueled me and Yuri when we weren't at our best. I mean Yuri had Tomozaurus in his deck for God's sake. He liked to beat us down with his Valkyrion the Magna Warrior."
"Now that's a strong monster," said Ocean. "I remember when my cousin gave me trouble every time he summoned it."
"Yeah, but Valkyrion Isn't even that good anymore. Yuri and I have monsters in our decks that can send that overgrown magnet back to the scrap heap, right Yuri?"
"Whatever happened to him?" Ocean asked again. "You said he disappeared?"
"That he did," said Patty. "He uh…" She tapped her bottom lip. "Yeah, that's right. He disappeared after Nick won the tournament qualifier."
"Eh, eh, what did I tell you?" said Nick. "He disappears once we become top-tier Duelists in Aquarius. He's just afraid of us now because we've grown stronger. We're not his Duel fodder anymore. Right, Yuri?"
"I guess," said Yuri. "It's kind of odd how he keeps disappearing and reappearing every now and then. I understand Ren going on his trips with his dad and having to take classes online but Andre didn't seem all that busy. I wonder where he went."
"Who cares? He was just a loudmouth hotshot," said Nick. "Now he's nothing. If what Patty says is true and he is on this island, he better hope he doesn't face me. If he thinks his stupid magna warrior is all it takes to bring me down, he's going to be disappointed."
"I see," said Ocean. "Well, we've got a lot of work to do tomorrow. It's the second round of the tournament. I heard a lot of players got sent home right before we had our dinner. It's round two, guys. Life Points are now at 4000. The real work begins. I suggest we all get some sleep."
"Good thinking," said Yuri. "Goodnight, guys."
As he fell asleep, a slender figure cloaked in black peered from behind a tree at the camp. She smiled, her rosy lips glistening in the light of the moon while her eyes were concealed by the shadow of her hood. She slowly, carefully, leaned against the tree with her hands to get a better look at him.
"Prince Yuri," she said. "So there you are." The hooded girl touched her earpiece. "Confirmed. I've located the prince. Yes. Understood. Yes, I know the risks involved, but you can trust me. Yuri's in good hands. I promise you. I'll secure him once my sleeping charm has put him to sleep. After that, the rest is up to you."
Meanwhile, out in the woods, Mandy was popping corn over her campfire, muttering obscenities and plotting her revenge against Ocean, who seemed to be a Dueling and social media rival. And now Yuri, who she felt betrayed her.
"Hey, toots," someone said in the forest.
"Huh?" Mandy said.
Randall walked out of the forest, glaring at her in the light of the fire.
"Look, pal, if you want to Duel, wait until tomorrow. I'm about ready to go to bed."
"I'm not here to Duel you. I'm here to make a proposition. You having trouble with a girl named Ocean, right? Well, I can help you out."
Mandy looked at him for a moment. She took the popper out of the fire and set it down. "I'm listening."
"Good. Mind if I sit down, beautiful?"
Mandy used her hand to motion it towards the stump in front of the fire. Randall sat down. "Thanks. All right, now here's how it's going down."
Jasmine - Somewhere off the Emboldorian Coast
The Heart of the Ocean, she was called. A year ago, she ventured on a quest to uncover the secrets of a lost gem known as the Nazaleem, a powerful piece of jewelry that allowed the user to control the ocean at their whim. And it also allowed her to summon the mightiest creature in the oceans of Termnnia.
Levia-Dragon Daedalus.
The High King's Navy and pretty much every navy in Termnnia owed her everything. The taming of the lizard people. The quelling of the Pirate Warlords. The control of Termnia's oceans. The Naralian Navy thought to challenge her by sailing close to the Embolodrian border and handing supplies to their new ally, Yuri's cousin, Hector.
Jasmine and her companion, Prince Ven, were tasked in stopping them from aligning themselves with Prince Hector. If they did, the usurper prince would be unmatched in the ocean.
Jasmine and Ven decimated their ships in a matter of hours once they clashed with their ships. Vessels from the Emboldorian capital had arrived to aid them in taking them out. Gunships from the Eredian Marines flew over them to help out as well, but they barely had to do anything.
Great was the power of the Nazaleem and great was Ven's power when he was in the ocean. With his White Aura Whale, he smashed ships to splinters. Using the Nazaleem, Jasmine sunk Naralian ships by summoning hurricanes that ripped them to shreds.
"Is this seriously all that King Forrest could muster?" Jasmine said, riding on the head of Levia-Dragon Daedalus.
The creature breached out of the water and smashed through a ship commandeered by pirates, looking to join Hector for great rewards. Jasmine jumped off the sea serpent's head and climbed aboard the sinking vessel. Even though they were dazed and their ship was sinking, they still drew their swords and ran to challenge her. Even though she was clad in armor, she moved like the wind. She used her twin blades, Anachron and Arkarus, to blow them away. The blades were enchanted to blast her foes with hurricane winds every time she swung. Not only did she knock the pirates into the sky, but she caused further damage to the ship, tearing it asunder.
She ran up the bowsprit as the ship sunk into the water. She jumped off the tip of it, high into the air. Levia-Dragon Daedalus jumped out of the water. "Woohoo!" Jasmine cheered. She flipped around and landed on his head.
"The Naralians are a joke!" Ven agreed. He was riding atop his White Aura Whale. "I can't believe we let them push us around all these years."
"What's the tally?" Jasmine asked.
"I lost count, but I think I sunk more ships than you!"
"Fat chance!" said Jasmine. "I'm winning."
An Eredian military gunship flew down beside them. The door slid open and the marine commander shouted at them. "All right, you two! Good job. Leave some for the rest of us, will ya? Do you have any idea how long our flight was."
"We don't need you guys," said Ven. "But if you want to have a little fun, there are a few Naralian merchant ships with the fleet." He clicked his tongue. "Go crazy."
"Good job, you guys. I don't know where we'd be without you. Wait. Hold on…THERE'S!"
A blue laser appeared out of nowhere and shot the gunship down.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!" Jasmine shouted.
"Look!" cried Ven. He pointed at the Emboldorian fleet. They were stuck down one by one by the laser. Even the Naralian ships weren't safe. They were stuck down as well. The gunships scattered, most of them didn't get away. They blew up in the sky.
"What is that?" Jasmine shouted.
"It's coming toward us!" Ven yelled. "Dive! Dive!"
Jasmine and Ven and their oceanic mounts disappeared under the ocean, helpless to do anything about the strange weapon that was decimating their allies on the surface.
As quickly as it appeared, the laser vanished. Jasmine and Ven returned to the surface. What they saw horrified them. The smoldering wreckage of once-proud ships creaked and moaned in the steaming hot water for miles and miles. There was no sound, save for creaking ships, the water plopping, and the wind howling.
No one survived. They were all alone.
"What did this?" Jasmine asked. She was on the verge of tears. She had been on so many adventures and had never seen such destruction.
"Goddesses help us," said Ven.