DISCLAIMER: Yu-Gi-Oh! was created by Kazuki Takahashi.
Yudai and Aoi finally came to a halt in front of an open lot, which had smoke rising up from it and a nearby building. To Yudai's horror, Wataru was being held up by his collar by a figure dressed in a white riding suit and helmet. Wataru looked to have a few bruises here and there, while another boy was curled up in a corner after seemingly being beaten.
"WATARU!" Yudai shouted, getting off his Duel Runner.
Hearing this, the man holding Wataru up dropped him, letting him scramble away before turning to face Yudai and Aoi. Yudai's eyes widened: The man standing before him was dressed to look just like the Turbo Duel King himself, Jack Atlas. There was even a Duel Runner that was a dead ringer for the Wheel of Fortune nearby. However, on closer inspection, it was clear this man wasn't Jack Atlas, but rather...
"Darren King?!" Hikaru demanded, Darren removing his helmet as Ikenami checked on Ross. "What's the meaning of all this?!"
Darren laughed, his voice much deeper and more resembling the man he was dressed up as. "Yudai Hikaru! I knew if I came after the little brat, it'd bring you out! I've been looking for you!"
"What happened to you?!" Yudai demanded, all the while Wataru hid behind him. "You seem...different!"
"What, this?" Darren inquired, gesturing at his clothes. "I've been given a great gift, Yudai! I am now everything I always dreamed of: I! AM! KING!"
Yudai looked confused, leading King to draw an unfamiliar Synchro Monster card from his Extra Deck. "And I owe it all to this: My newest Monster, and the avatar of my very soul, Power Emperor!"
"Power...Emperor?" Yudai asked.
Ikenami stepped forward. "Another card of darkness! The cards that make damage in Duels real!"
"It's true!" Wataru pointed out. "Ross, he...he tried to help me, but Darren Summoned a Monster, and...and it did all this!"
"Attacking children and causing willful destruction like this is an arrestable offense!" Aoi declared, pulling out a pair of handcuffs. As she went to put them on Darren, however, he merely grabbed her by the wrists and tossed her into a wall.
"If you want to try that again, you're welcome!" Darren mocked before pointing a finger at Yudai. "That is, after I'm through with HIM! I want a rematch, Yudai Hikaru, and this time, I'll prove the superior power of my high-Level Monsters to your low-Level trash!"
Yudai clenched his jaw tightly at this, immediately reaching back to retrieve his Duel Disk from his Runner. "You want a rematch?! You're on! Wataru, Officer Ikenami, please stand back!"
Ikenami slowly got back to her feet, giving a nod. "Yudai, good luck!"
"Get him good, cousin!" Wataru cheered as he stepped back, Ikenami joining him.
"DUEL!" Yudai and Darren called together, drawing their opening hands.
"My turn! Draw!" Darren roared as he grabbed his sixth card from the top of the deck. "I set one card face-down! Turn end!"
Yudai blinked in stunned shock at this. He didn't summon a monster. Did he just have a bad hand...or is that card a Trap? Only one way to be sure...
"My turn!" Yudai yelled, drawing his sixth card. He looked over the cards in his hand: The Calculator, Negate Attack, Hoshiningen, Marshmallon, Double Summon, and Shining Angel. His eyes then drifted to the one card on the field: The face-down card in Darren's Spell/Trap Zone. Looking this all over, he came to a decision. "I Normal Summon Hoshiningen (500/700)!" A star with a face and feet appeared on Yudai's side of the field, glowing with a golden aura. "As long as this card remains face-up on the field, the ATK of all LIGHT monsters, including this one, is increased by 500 points, and the ATK of all DARK monsters is decreased by 400 points!"
"Meaning its ATK is actually 1000," Aoi observed from the sidelines.
"Yeah, beat him, beat him!" Wataru called, fists pumping in the air.
His face-down card MUST be a Trap, Hikaru considered, grabbing hold of another card in his hand. If I'm going to spring it, I'll have to do so carefully.
"Next, I activate the Spell card, Double Summon!" Yudai went on, revealing the Spell in his hand. "I can now conduct a second Normal Summon this turn, so I set one monster face-down!" A horizontally-placed card appeared face-down next to Hoshiningen. "Battle! Hoshiningen, attack Darren directly!" Hoshiningen flipped up over the field and kicked Darren straight in the face, causing his Life Points to drop by 1000...all the while Darren looked unfazed and confident.
"When I take battle damage from a card in my opponent's possession, and control no other monsters, I can Special Summon Power Gardna (0/3000) from my hand!" Darren yelled, just as a bulky-looking Fiend-type monster carrying a massive shield with both hands appeared in defense position on the field.
"Shit," Yudai hissed, realizing he'd let Darren trick him into helping him bring out a high-level Monster. "I set one card face-down! Turn end!"
"My turn!" Darren shouted, drawing a new card. "I Tribute Power Gardna to Tribute Summon Gaap the Divine Soldier (2200/2000)!"
Yudai watched as Power Gardna was released from the field and replaced with a glowing, demonic-looking creature. "Hoshiningen's effect lowers its ATK by 400!"
Darren laughed as Gaap's ATK dropped to 1800. "400 ATK makes little difference! Gaap the Divine Soldier's effect activates: All monsters on the field are switched to face-up attack position!"
"Dammit!" Yudai cursed, watching helplessly as his face-down monster was flipped and put into attack position, revealing none other than his Marshmallon.
"Furthermore, once per turn, I can reveal any number of Fiend-type monsters in my hand, and increase Gaap's ATK by 300 for each until the End Phase of my turn!" Darren continued, revealing Emissary from Pandemonium, Lancer Archfiend, and Power Crusher in his hand and raising Gaap's ATK to 2700 before pointing a finger forward. "Battle! Gaap the Divine Soldier, attack Marshmallon!" Gaap rushed across the field, thrusting its massive claws forward at Marshmallon.
"Trap activate: Negate Attack!" Yudai cried, flipping his face-down card up. "When an opponent's monster declares an attack, I target it, negate its attack, and end the Battle Phase!"
Darren didn't look fazed at all, instead flipping his own face-down card up. "Trap card open: Overpower! When a monster I control is targeted by a Spell, Trap, or Effect Monster's effect that negates an attack, I negate the activation of that card and destroy it!"
"What?!" Yudai demanded as his Negate Attack card was wiped from the field, allowing Gaap to continue its attack and slash through Marshmallon. Marshmallon's body reformed from the attack, but Yudai still lost 1900 Life Points. The shock from this attack caused him to fall to one knee, nearly dropping the cards in his hand.
"Y-Yudai!" Wataru cried out, having to be held back by Ikenami. "He's getting whooped out there!"
"If Marshmallon's ATK wasn't enhanced by Hoshiningen, it would've been even worse," Aoi noted. "Yudai needs to turn this around quickly!"
Meanwhile, Yudai found himself clutching his chest in pain, panting as he got back up to both feet. This feeling. It's like what Ikenami said about the damage being real...but how is that even possible?
Shaking it off, Yudai opted to draw his next card. "My turn! Draw!"
Glancing at his new card, Defense Draw, Yudai looked over the scenario. The Calculator could easily destroy Gaap now that its attack power is back down, leaving Hoshiningen and Marshmallon to strike Darren directly, but I might need this card as insurance for the next turn...
"I Normal Summon The Calculator (?/0)!" Yudai declared, slapping the red robot's card onto his disk.
"Hmph, was wondering when THAT would show up," Darren scoffed as The Calculator appeared on the field, its ATK rising to 2600.
"Battle!" Yudai declared. "Calculator, destroy Gaap the Divine Soldier!" At Yudai's command, The Calculator unleashed a massive wave of electricity, blowing Gaap to tiny data bits and costing Darren 800 Life Points. "Hoshiningen, attack Darren directly!" Hoshiningen likewise attacked, giving a flip kick to Darren and sending his Life Points plummeting to 1200...at which point, he started to laugh. "What the-?!"
"You've again allowed me to Special Summon monsters!" Darren announced, slapping a card to his Duel Disk. "When I take damage from a card in my opponent's possession, and control no other cards on the field, I can Special Summon Gorz the Emissary of Darkness (2700/2500) from my hand!" A single demonic-looking man with red hair and dark armour appeared on the field before it raised an arm, a second figure emerging next to it. "Furthermore, if the damage inflicted was battle damage, I can Special Summon 1 Emissary of Darkness Token (?/?), and increase its ATK and DEF by the amount of damage I received!" A red-haired woman materialized on the field, taking an offensive stance alongside Gorz. It gained 1000 ATK and DEF from its effect, and gained an additional 500 as it was a LIGHT monster due to Hoshiningen's effect.
"Wait, I never saw that in his hand before!" Wataru pointed out.
"And that was the point," Ikenami explained. "King could've revealed it to increase Gaap's ATK even higher before, but that would've been giving away his strategy."
Yudai grit his teeth hard, knowing full well he'd been played for the second time this duel, but tried his best to keep his cool as he slid his Defense Draw into his Duel Disk. "I set one card face-down, and switch Marshmallon to defense position! Turn end!"
"So, back on the defense, like a good little coward!" Darren observed. "You should be coming at me with every last bit of strength you have! Where's your Dueling spirit?! Where's your pride?!"
Yudai's eyes narrowed. "You think I'm here just to settle a score?! I'm a cop! I protect people! That's why I'm here! And you, you're letting this new power of yours go to your head! It's making you even more violent than before! You seem to be enjoying causing pain and instilling fear!"
"Only the most powerful can be King!" Darren argued. "And any who wish to deny that I am will be crushed under my heel! No one will stand in my way, especially not someone with zero pride as a Duelist!"
Yudai grit his teeth at this, Darren smirking as he went on. "You honestly think I haven't noticed? That you have a new card in your deck, one not born of this world?"
"...W...What?" Yudai asked, shocked. "How-"
"I'm not sure myself," King admitted. "Call it being able to spot our own. Mind you, yours is different. I can't be sure if what you have is a card of darkness or not. At this point, that's not what matters to me. What matters to me is that you have it, a powerful card that could ensure your victory, and you don't use it! I could never forgive something like that!"
"...Yudai, is that true?" Ikenami inquired, causing Yudai to sweatdrop. "You have a card of darkness?"
"I...I don't know," Hikaru admitted. "I..."
"It's my move!" Darren yelled, smiling in almost murderous glee across the field when he saw what was in his hand. "Yudai, this duel is now officially over! I Tribute my Emissary of Darkness Token to Tribute Summon Emissary from Pandemonium (2600/1800)!" The Emissary of Darkness Token disappeared to the Graveyard as she was replaced with a massive quadrupedal Fiend with large, crimson horns. "I can Normal Summon this Level 7 monster with 1 Tribute by making it a Level 5 Monster and halving its ATK and DEF!"
"Oh no!" Aoi exclaimed, realizing where this was going. "And Emissary from Pandemonium is a Tuner Monster, too!"
"A Tuner Monster THAT high-Leveled?!" Wataru asked Ikenami, getting a nod. "What's he going to do with that?!"
"This!" Darren roared, throwing up a hand. "I tune my Level 7 Gorz the Emissary of Darkness with my Level 5 Emissary from Pandemonium!"
It can't be! Yudai thought, watching as the Emissary of Pandemonium's body erupted into 5 glowing rings that flew down around Gorz's body. A Level 12 Synchro Summon?!
"Behold, the almighty emperor!" Darren chanted as 7 stars began glowing within Gorz's body in a straight path along the rings. "May the world shake and burn from his wrath! Synchro Summon! Rise from thy throne, Power Emperor (3500/3000)!" A mighty burst of light flew up through the rings, blinding everyone in sight momentarily. As the light faded and their sight returned, they all watched as a massive demon wearing a royal mantle and a crown touched down where Gorz once stood, a dark flame burning in the palm of its hand. Even with its power dropped slightly by Hoshiningen, it still was vastly more powerful than anything on the field.
"That's the card he got!" Ikenami guessed. "Be careful, Yudai! With his card of darkness on the field, the risk to you is even greater now!"
"Power Emperor, destroy The Calculator!" Darren roared, his monster drawing a flaming sword from the fire burning in its hand. The Calculator tried to fend it off with a blast of electricity, but the sword pierced through the waves of voltage with ease.
"Trap card, open: Defense Draw!" Yudai called, revealing his face-down card just as Power Emperor ran through The Calculator, destroying it. "By activating this card during my opponent's attack, I make the battle damage I take from this battle 0, and draw 1 card!" Yudai drew his new card, looking it over.
Graceful Revival, Hikaru thought. With this Trap card, I can Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Monster from my Graveyard. If I can just stay on the defensive for now, I can call The Calculator back strong enough to defeat Power Emperor.
Darren smirked evilly. "Whatever you're planning, you won't have time to do it! Power Emperor's effect activates: When it destroys an opponent's monster by battle, after damage calculation, I can target 1 face-up Defense Position monster your opponent controls, change it to Attack Position, then make a second attack in a row on that monster!"
"What?!" Yudai shouted, watching as Power Emperor lifted a finger toward Marshmallon and forced it into attack position. Darren's Synchro Monster then swung its sword hard, releasing a wave of flames that flew straight through Marshmallon's body and then collided with Yudai, sending him sailing into the side of a building with a scream. He slumped to the ground unconscious as his Life Points hit 0.
"YUDAI!" Aoi and Wataru screamed in terror, the latter of whom immediately ran to his older cousin's side.
Darren tilted his head back, laughing to the sky. "With this new card, everyone will bow before me as the new King! No one can stand in the way of my ascension now!"
"You're no King of mine!" Ikenami growled, pointing a finger at Darren. "For assaulting an officer, two children, and causing this havoc, I'm placing you under arrest!"
"Hmph!" Darren scoffed, getting onto his Duel Runner. "If you want to bring me in, you'll have to stop me first!"
Aoi clenched a fist as she heard sirens blaring in the distance, knowing the fire department and ambulances were on the way. "...Wataru, stay with your cousin!"
Wataru nodded hesitantly as Officer Ikenami ran to her Duel Runner and mounted it, starting it up just as Darren peeled out on his Wheel of Fortune replica. Aoi's Runner roared to life as she sped off after King with a force that was as if the devil itself was after him. Meanwhile, all Wataru could do was sit next to Yudai's unmoving body, his eyes starting to well up as the mere sight of his cousin in such a state was almost too much for him to bear.
"...Y-Yudai..." Wataru whimpered, shutting his eyes tightly as he tried and failed to will the tears back.
Yudai gasped as his eyes opened, taking in the area around himself. It was a lush and beautiful forest, spanning a great distance in every direction, seemingly endless in its size. He could feel a gentle breeze blow by as the trees swayed a bit, cherry blossoms fluttering about.
"Where...am I?" Yudai wondered aloud.
This Chapter's Fan-Made Yu-Gi-Oh! Cards
Power Gardna
Card type: Monster
Attribute: DARK
Types: Fiend/Effect
Level: 6
ATK/DEF: 0/3000
Effects: When you take battle damage from a card in your opponent's possession: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. You must control no monsters cards to activate and to resolve this effect.
Power Emperor
Card type: Monster
Attribute: DARK
Types: Fiend/Synchro/Effect
Level: 12
ATK/DEF: 3500/3000
Materials: 1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters
Effects: This card's Synchro Summon cannot be negated. Cannot be destroyed by card effects. If this attacking card destroys an opponent's monster by battle, after damage calculation: You can target 1 face-up Defense Position monster your opponent controls; change that target to Attack Position, then this card can make a second attack in a row, on that monster.
AUTHOR'S NOTES: ...Yup, I killed him off in the third chapter. lol NO, not really. He's not dead. Let's just say he's been taken off the field for a chapter or two while Aoi tries her hand at stopping Darren and his new ace Monster. Where he is...well, that'll be explained soon enough, as will the truth of the card I gave him at the end of Chapter 1.
Anyway, be sure to check back in next time, as Aoi chases Darren down in a Turbo Duel. Ja né!