Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! ZEXAL.
Chapter 5: The Coven
By the time Droite and Kotori got to Heartland Tower, Kotori had calmed down just enough to tell the butterfly duelist about the latest developments with Yuma. She told her that the only way for Yuma to be saved was for someone other than Samantha to get it on with him, and that Yuma had just gone out on a date with Anna. When Kotori finished her story, Droite had her take a nap in one of the rooms at the tower and went down to the lab where Kaito, Vector and Alit were waiting for her. Once there, Droite told Kaito and the others what Kotori had just told her.
"Oh man! This is messed up in so many ways!" Alit declared after Droite finished her little briefing.
"I don't think any of us expected these Death Queens to pull anything like this." Kaito spoke. "Fixing all this is going to be a whole lot harder than we thought, and we don't have a lot of time to work."
"You know, things might end up fixing themselves on their own." Vector interjected. "With Anna in the picture, she might just end up breaking the curse for us."
"That's no way to solve anything!" Droite told him. "Let's say Yuma did have sex with Anna to break the curse and got his memory back. Yuma would be devastated for betraying Kotori, and Kotori's heart would be in pieces."
"Besides Vector, I wouldn't wish that psycho, Anna on anyone." Alit told him.
"Oh yeah, Shark mentioned that you and Anna dated once about a year ago." Kaito recalled.
"It was one date, and it lasted barely a minute!" Alit revealed. "All I did was make some harmless little joke about how she seemed to like pink, and the next thing I know she's chasing me through the city on that cannon of hers trying to blow my head off!"
"The way I see, the only way for us to fix things is to get Kotori and Yuma together somehow." Droite told them.
"I agree. But the question is how." Kaito replied.
"Whatever it we, we'll need to do it pretty quick." Alit told them. "If the curse doesn't get Yuma, Samantha or Anna will."
"At the very least, we should try to keep an eye on Yuma and try and keep him from doing anything stupid." Kaito decided. "And considering who we're talking about, there's a pretty high risk of that happening."
"We should also try and back up Kotori as best we can." Droite added. "Right now, she's the only major threat to Mitaka's plan. She'll try and come after her again."
"Then we better get started." Kaito decided. "I'm sure from here on out, things are only going to get harder."
It was the start of another rainy day at Heartland Academy as Yuma headed for the classroom. He was in a fairly good mood, despite the lingering concern about the mark on his chest. The rash around it seemed like it had spread some during the night. Despite the strange mark though, things seemed to be going well for. Yuma had actually enjoyed his date with Anna the previous afternoon. Though Anna had a short fuse, Yuma found that she was actually quite fun to be around. Yet while he had enjoyed his date with Anna, Yuma couldn't help but feel that something was wrong.
"Excuse me, Yuma." A voice spoke from behind. Yuma turned around to see Alice standing behind him.
"Oh, you're um… Alice Kono, right?" Yuma identified.
"Right you are." The white-haired girl confirmed. "I've been wanting to talk to you for days now, and this is the first chance I've had."
"What do you want to talk to me about?" Yuma asked.
"Well, actually what I want to talk to you about is a bit… well private." Alice told him. "Do you think you could meet me in the auditorium later after lunch?"
"Um, I guess I could do that." Yuma agreed.
"Great! I'll be waiting." Alice told him before giving him a peck on the cheek and leaving.
Yuma blushed a bit and touched the kiss as Alice had kissed as he watched her leave. It seemed to him that he was getting much more attention from the ladies of his school, which was something that was completely new to him, as no girl had ever been interested in him before. Yuma was snapped from his thoughts by the sound of his friend, Tetsuo calling him to the classroom. Brushing off the earlier encounter with Alice, Yuma hurried off to class.
Kotori was in poor spirits as she walked into the school. Her mind was still very much on the thought of Yuma and Anna together, perhaps doing the very thing that was supposed to save Yuma's life. Kotori thought that perhaps it might be for the best though. After all, Yuma didn't even remember who she was, and the chance that he would be willing to jump into bed with a total stranger didn't seem likely to her. What mattered most to Kotori was saving Yuma's life, and if that meant letting Anna take him and not her, Kotori felt that she might be willing to stand by and let that happen.
By the time Kotori got to her shoe locker, she found a note sticking out of it. Kotori immediately pulled out that note and read its contents.
'To my dear Ms. Mezuki, please come to the school auditorium as soon as you're done with lunch. There's something I wish to discuss with you, and it involves Yuma Tsukumo. It is very important that you come and see me about this, and even more important that you come alone. Sincerely, a friend.'
Needless to say, Kotori found the note to be quite suspicious. She thought about telling Droite about it, but after a moment decided against it. Kotori didn't want to scare this person off if he or she really did have something important to tell her about Yuma. Perhaps it was another ally that she didn't even know she had, and she knew she could use all the allies she could get. After carefully disposing of the note, Kotori headed for class and waited for the time of the meeting.
The rain had only just cleared as Yuma headed across the school ground to the auditorium. He found that he really wanted to know what it was that Alice wanted to talk to him about. As Yuma came near the auditorium, he found Kaito standing in his path. The photon duelist merely glared at Yuma as he stood there with his arms crossed.
"Um, hi there." Yuma greeted. "Do I know you?"
"Right now you don't know me, but I do know you." Kaito answered. "Where are you off to right now."
"Well, not that it's really your business, but I'm off to meet someone in the auditorium." Yuma answered. "She says she has something important to talk to me about."
"Is the girl you're going to meet Anna Kozuki?" Kaito asked.
"Um, no actually." Yuma answered. "Wait, how do you know Anna? Who are you, anyway?"
"Orbital, knock him out." Kaito ordered.
Before Yuma could respond, Orbital 7 rolled up behind Yuma and shocked him in the back with a stun gun attachment built into his right arm. Upon being shocked, Yuma fell to the ground face-first. Kaito watched for a moment as the body of his younger friend twitched on the ground.
"That should keep him out for a bit." Kaito assumed.
"M-Master Kaito. Why didn't you just t-tell Yuma what's really going on?" Orbital 7 asked.
"Because I really doubt he'd believe me." Kaito answered. "And I get the feeling that we don't have the time to try and convince him right now. There's something about him meeting someone at the auditorium that's bothering me."
"What should we do?" the robot asked.
"Stay here and keep an eye on Yuma." Kaito ordered. "And try to stay out of sight. Hopefully when I return, we can take Yuma back to the tower and start trying to convince him of how things are really supposed to be."
Kotori entered the auditorium to find the whole building dimly lit. As she walked in, she quickly heard the sound of moaning coming from the direction of the stage. She looked and saw Alice pinned against the back wall of the stage by a fully clothed young man with pale-green hair under a spotlight. The only article of clothing that Alice had on was a short pink silk robe that was open in the front. Her legs were wrapped tightly around the young man's waist as he plowed into her.
Blushing, Kotori found her eyes glued to the stage as Alice and the young man reached their climax. After a moment, the young man withdrew himself and put down Alice before zipping up his pants.
"Thank you, Genta. That will be all for now." Alice told him as she closed her robe.
The young man merely left the stage with a blank expression on his face. Alice meanwhile noticed Kotori and grinned.
"Ah! There you are, Mezuki." Alice greeted. "I was hoping that you would show up. Though I was hoping that dear Yuma would get here before you did. Then again I am running a little behind schedule, as you just saw."
"What do you want?" Kotori asked.
"Why to kill you, of course." Alice answered, as if it were obvious. "I was hoping for you to see me and Yuma getting it on before I killed you of course, but getting rid of you before Yuma arrives will work just as well."
"But why do you want to kill me?" Kotori asked. Then in an instant the answer came to her. "Are you working with Mitaka?"
"Very good." Alice confirmed. "Although I call her Sammy, but yes. I'm part of the little coven she put together to help her take Yuma, and the Numeron Code along with him."
"But why?" Kotori asked.
"Well, I actually have had my eye on Yuma for some time now." Alice admitted. "He's actually quite attractive in his own way. And as a duelist he's actually not bad. I actually tried to approach him once after he won the World Duel Carnival years ago, but he didn't even notice that I existed. How he could overlook a goddess like me for some nobody like you is beyond me. But that little problem has changed thanks to Sammy's little spell. Once Yuma arrives, I'm going to give him the ride of his life."
"I'm afraid your little meeting with Yuma is canceled!" a voice interrupted. Alice and Kotori looked to see Kaito standing near the back of the auditorium.
"Kaito Tenjo!" Alice identified. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"I stopped Yuma from coming here and decided to see who he was meeting." Kaito explained as he walked towards the stage. "So Mitaka has recruited some followers to help her out. I guess I shouldn't be surprised."
"I don't know how you still know about Sammy and Yuma, but I'm not going to let you ruin anything!" Alice declared.
"Kotori. Let me handle this girl." Kaito requested. "I get the feeling that you could use a little break from dueling."
"Okay." Kotori agreed. "Be careful."
As Kaito walked up onto the stage, Alice put on a purple D-Gazer and duel disk that she had earlier placed on a little wooden table. Kaito meanwhile activated his D-Gazer tattoo and his black coat and pants turned white. Kotori took a seat in one of the auditorium chairs and switched on her own D-Gazer to watch.
"I'll go first!" Kaito declared as he drew his first card. "I set one card on the field. Then I summon Photon Crusher in Attack Mode!"
Appearing on Kaito's side of the battlefield was a warrior covered in bulky green and white futuristic armor. He had a single glowing red eye, and in his left hand he carried a large grey double-sided club.
"That ends my turn." Kaito announced.
Alice drew her first card. "I activate the Spell, Polymerization! I fuse two Cyber Dragons in my hand to summon Cyber Twin Dragon!"
A small vortex appeared in the air above the stage, and appearing on the field were two silver mechanical dragons with serpent-like bodies. Both dragons flew up into the vortex, and dropping out of it onto the field a moment later was a new mechanical dragon with two heads and a serpent-like body.
"A Cyber Dragon deck?" Kaito observed with a quirk of his brow. "I have to admit I'm a little impressed. Though I'm surprised you're not using an Xyz deck of some kind."
"Then I guess I shouldn't disappoint you." Alice replied. "I activate the Spell card, De-Fusion! With this card I split Cyber Twin Dragon back into the two Cyber Dragons that created it!" With that, Cyber Twin Dragon glowed with a white light and split back into the two robotic dragons from before. "And now I use my two level five Cyber Dragons to Xyz Summon Cyber Dragon Nova!"
A swirling orange vortex appeared in the middle of the stage and pulled in the two Cyber Dragons as balls of orange energy. Rising out of the vortex a moment later was a new mechanical dragon with a black head and a mostly silver serpent-like body. On the sides of a black torso that contained a glowing orange orb it had two large metal silver and black wings. Orbiting around the dragon were two balls made of orange light.
"A Cyber Dragon Xyz Monster?" a stunned Kaito exclaimed.
"But why give up Cyber Twin Dragon to summon that?" Kotori wondered. "This monster has the same 2100 ATK as the regular Cyber Dragon."
"And now I use Cyber Dragon Nova to rebuild the overlay network and Xyz Summon a monster one Rank higher!" Alice announced. "Arise, Cyber Dragon Infinity!"
A red vortex appeared in the middle of the field and pulled in the black and silver mechanical dragon as a ball of red energy. A moment later the dragon rose out of the vortex in a new and larger form. It had a sleeker build and the side of its silver body had turned black. A row of golden spines ran down the length of its back all the way to the end of its massively long tail, which seemed to have an almost satellite dish-like weapon with gold spikes attached. The sides of its head had gained golden horns, and it had a silver face with four glowing orange eyes. Above its two massive metal wings were two golden fin-like blades, which were beside a pair of large blade-like fins on its back. Its torso contained a large glowing red orb, and orbiting around the dragon were three balls of red light.
"I activate Cyber Dragon Infinity's effect!" Alice announced. "Once per turn I can select a monster on the field in Attack Mode and attach it to Cyber Dragon Infinity as an overlay unit! And of course the monster I choose is Photon Crusher!"
Cyber Dragon Infinity fired four orange beams from its eyes that struck Photon Crusher in the chest. Photon Crusher turned into a ball of red light and was pulled into Cyber Dragon Infinity's orbit.
"It's like Shark's Silent Honor ARK!" Kaito exclaimed.
"Cyber Dragon Infinity gains 200 ATK for each of its overlay units." Alice continued. "Which means its ATK goes up from 2100 to 2900. Cyber Dragon Infinity, attack him directly! Infinity Burst Stream!"
"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!" Kaito quickly announced.
Cyber Dragon Infinity opened its mouth and fired a swirling blast of red energy at Kaito. At the last moment, a vortex appeared in front of the photon duelist and sucked the energy in.
"Well then, I guess I'll set one card on the field and end my turn." Alice announced. "Alright Tenjo, since I'm sure I've just given you a thrill by summoning my Cyber Dragon Infinity, how 'bout you return the favor by summoning that infamous Photon Dragon of yours?"
"Are you really that eager to see my dragon?" Kaito asked.
"Oh I don't just want to see it. I want to crush it." Alice told him. "Nothing pleases me more than grinding my opponent's strongest monster under my foot."
"Be careful what you wish for, because you're about to get it!" Kaito declared as he drew his next card. "I activate the Spell card, Luminous Dragon Ritual! From my hand I sacrifice the level four Photon Thrasher to Ritual Summon the Paladin of Photon Dragon!"
A warrior with a single red eye and a grey mask carrying a sword appeared on Kaito's side of the field, only to be enveloped in a burst of purple flames. Appearing in the warrior's place was a knight covered in silver armor and wearing a blue cape riding the back of a small purple dragon with yellow eyes and glowing blue transparent wings. In his right hand, the warrior carried a silver two-pointed spear.
"And now I activate Paladin of Photon Dragon's effect!" Kaito announced. "By sacrificing my Paladin, I can summon from deck the ultimate beast of light!"
With that, the paladin raised his spear in the air and he and his mount ignited into a swirling vortex of white flames. Appearing in Kaito's hand was a large red cross-shaped blade with a blue gemstone on the front.
"Arise, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!" Kaito called as he threw the cross.
The cross went into the flaming white vortex, triggering a massive explosion of light. The light died down to was a large dragon with a mainly purple body. In the center of its chest was the same gem from the cross that Kaito had thrown. Swirling around in its glowing blue eyes was the image of a galaxy.
"Now we're talking." Alice declared.
"I'm not done yet!" Kaito told her. "I summon Galaxy Falcon in Attack Mode!"
Flying down to join Photon Dragon was a silver mechanical falcon with yellow eyes and a blue spherical orb in the center of its chest. A pair of smaller yellow orbs were embedded in its wings.
"I activate Galaxy Falcon's effect!" Kaito announced. "Since I have another Galaxy monster on the field, I can double Galaxy Falcon's level from four to eight. But because I used this effect, I can only Xyz Summon Light monster for the rest of the turn."
"Wait, why are you performing an Xyz Summon?" Alice asked.
"You said you wanted my ultimate monster, well now you're going to get it!" Kaito told her. "Using Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and Galaxy Falcon, I build the overlay network and Xyz Summon my dragon's true form!"
With that, a vortex in the form of a galaxy appeared in the middle of the battlefield and pulled in Kaito's monsters into two balls of blue energy. Suddenly Kaito's white outfit began to glow a brilliant blue.
"Arise, Number 62: Galaxy-Eyes Prime Photon Dragon!" Kaito called.
Rising out of the vortex as a large blue sword with red alien writing engraved on the blade, and a glowing blue orb embedded just above the handle. The orb flashed and the sword transformed into a newly evolved Photon Dragon. His body glowed with a blue light, and he had black armor covering his arms. Growing from his back behind his wings were two more long tails. On the upper part of the dragon's left glowing wing in red alien writing was the number 62. Orbiting around the dragon were two balls made of blue light.
"Okay, that is impressive." Alice admitted.
"I activate Prime Photon Dragon's effect and increase the Ranks of all monsters on the field by one!" Kaito announced. "And when Prime Photon Dragon attacks a monster, he gains ATK equal to the combined Ranks of all monster on the field times 200 during the battle!"
'If this attack gets through, Kaito wins!' Kotori mentally realized.
"Prime Photon Dragon, attack Cyber Dragon Infinity and end this!" Kaito commanded. "Eternal Photon Stream!"
Prime Photon Dragon opened his jaws and fired a massive blast of blue light. Cyber Dragon Infinity was hit and exploded in a massive burst of fire and smoke. When the smoke cleared though, Alice still had 3800 life points.
"What? How's that possible?" a stunned Kaito asked.
At this, Alice grinned. "When you attacked I activated my Trap, Nutrient Z. Since I was going to take more than 2000 points of damage from that battle, Nutrient Z boosted my life points by 4000 to help minimize the damage. So Tenjo, what're you going to do now?"
Kaito gritted his teeth in frustration. "I set one card face-down and end my turn!"
Alice drew her next card. "You've really exceeded my expectations with that Number of yours, Tenjo. It's going to make grinding you underneath my heel all the more enjoyable. I activate the Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Rune Revival! With this card, I can take a Rank five or higher monster from my Graveyard and use it to Xyz Summon a Rune Mystic monster of the same attribute and one Rank higher! So I revive Cyber Dragon Infinity and use it to Xyz Summon Rune Mystic Cyber Drake!"
The glowing orange symbol of the Rune Mystic monsters appeared on the ground and released a massive pillar of orange light into the air. The light died down to reveal Cyber Dragon Infinity in a new form. The silver parts of its body had turned gold and it had gained two extra heads. On the forehead of its original head glowed the symbol of the Rune Mystic monsters. The lower half of its body had gained a second tail, and attached to the two golden fin blades where shoulders might be were two small golden arms.
"And now, Kaito Tenjo," Alice continued, "watch as I reduce your ultimate monster to nothing."
Author's Note: There was actually a fair bit of difficulty writing this duel because I've never used Kaito's Photon monsters in a duel. It also didn't help that the effects of a lot of Kaito's cards differ vastly between the anime and the real world. In fact in many ways the anime versions seem worse.
Please review and let me know what you think.