And we're opening with the theme song.
Darren finished shuffling his deck. He scouted the large room for the man from the plane. There was no trace of him, but Darren did notice a lot of duels ending. Monsters were fading and people were leaving the building. Darren looked disappointed.
'This sucks, I leave today. I wanted to stay here in LA. I don't want to wake up from this dream', he thought. He flipped through his deck. He came across Breaker and Neo. 'You guys really came through for me'.
'It's important to form bonds with your monsters. That was the first thing King Atem taught me', Arcturas told him. Darren held his deck face down and stared at the back of the top card.
'I don't get something Arcturas', Darren thought to his counterpart.
'What is that Darren?' the spirit responded.
'Well, last night when you and Andy were dueling the Paradox brothers, Andy seemed different. And he had a necklace like the Millenium Medallion. Did you know what was going on'.
There was a sigh from inside Darren's head. 'Yes, it did resemble the Millenium Medallion. It's because it was also a Millenium Item. The Millenium Ring is one of the eight Millenium Items used by the Pharaoh and his guardians. We are the last line of defense for the Pharaoh. Before us are the Emblem Knights, and before them are the royal knights. Just try not to think about it', Arcturas told his host.
Darren looked confused. 'But, he seemed different. Kinda like he was possessed like when you take over. Does the Millenium Ring have a spirit inside of it, too'.
'To my knowledge it doesn't. If it did, I didn't sense the same owner as when I was sealed in the medallion. Please Darren, I don't know too much about this. And I don't think this is any of your business',
'Well what about that monster he played. The Great God Diabound, it reminded me of Thanatos for some reason.', Darren continued.
'DARREN! This conversation is over. I don't know the answers and if I did, I wouldn't tell you because this isn't the business of a child. Now please just ignore what happens relating to the Shadow Realm. I'll deal with that place'. Darren ripped the Millenium Medallion from around his neck and was about to through it, but lowered his arm. He slipped the Medallion into his pocket. He reached into his deck box and pulled out a card and looked deeply at it.
'I'll show him. I can manage just fine. The next time a creep attacks me with the Shadow Realm, I'll be the one dueling. And with Thanatos in my deck, I can't lose', he thought. He pulled three other cards from his deck box. These weren't in the black and red cases that were on his deck. One was in a rainbow case, the other in a clear case, and the last in a case with a picture of a dinosaur on it. 'Well at least my collection of rare cards is growing'. He put the cards back into the deck box. He sat back down in his chair.
/Flashback/
"Keeper of the book, Master Cairo has ordered us to relieve you of the mystical book. But due to failures in the past, you will have to duel both of us at once", the men said in unison.
"No he won't", said an evil voice beside Darren. He turned to see Andy standing next him with a duel disk strapped to his arm. Something was different about him. There was a ghostly look in his malicious smile. There was also a golden necklace with five needles dangling around his neck. "I will duel along side him".
Andy drew his card, giving him one. "Ah perfect. I sacrifice Dark Necrofear, Invader of Darkness, and Skull Knight to summon my beast of absolute destruction, The Great God Diabound (A3900, D0)". Andy's monster was a muscular beast with a black snake instead of legs. "Diabound, attack the Gate Guardian". The new monster punched a hole in the Gate Guardian, causing it to shatter. "I end my turn"
"Andy, where did you get that necklace?" he asked. Andy laughed and turned to walk the way he was initially headed.
"Like I said before Darren, maybe we'll meet again someday". He walked off into the dark and disappeared. The Millenium Medallion shimmered and Darren once again to control of his body.
/End Flashback/
'What was going on with that guy. He seemed so cool in the club. But when we started dueling, he was someone completely different. Like Andy was gone and some evil apparition had taken over his body', Darren pondered. Something moved into his light and loomed a shadow over him. He looked up. The familiar man with blue hair from the card shop was standing over him.
"Yeah Weevil, that's him. Take him out good", Rex said from behind the man. Darren stood up and loaded his deck into his duel disk.
"What can I help you with Weevil?" he asked with annoyance. The creepy man grinned behind his huge glasses.
"Well you can start by getting ready for a duel. While you were sitting there daydreaming, the next round of the tournament started". Darren looked up to the monitor and right at the top was his name and picture next to Weevil Underwood and his picture.
"Oh, I'm sorry to keep you waiting", Darren said with false politeness. Weevil curled his upped lip.
"You won't be such a smart ass when my bugs are done crawling all over you. You'll fall before the power of my mighty bugs", Weevil said in his irritating voice. When he spoke, his voice gave Darren goose bumps.
"We'll see about that. I'll go first bug boy", he said. He moved to draw a sixth card.
"I think not. Age before beauty", Weevil interrupted. Darren raised one of his eyebrows. "Now then, I'll begin this one with my Howling Insect (A1200, D1300) in attack mode. Next I toss two cards face down and equip my howler with Laser Cannon Armor, giving him a 300 attack point power bonus. I end my turn". Darren drew his sixth card. "Wait, at the beginning of your turn I activate my Gravity Bind trap card. This will keep all of your level four or high monsters from attacking". Darren moaned.
'So it's an insect control deck. How lame. Well whatever, at least I'll get my Queen Widow by the end of this', Darren concluded. He looked down at his hand. 'Only one monster. I guess I'll have to make due'.
"I'll summon my first monster, the Rapid-Fire Magician (A1600, D1200) in attack mode". A green laser grid scanned down the magician wielding two staffs and pinned it to the ground.
"Your monster's level is too high so he can't attack", Weevil reminded. Darren grinned.
"He'll be just fine. I activate my Mystical Space Typhoon. This destroys one magic or trap card on the field. So say goodbye to your Gravity Bind. Rapid-Fire Magician, attack his Howling Insect with Magic Bombardment". The magician raised the staff in its left hand and the orbs floating around it fell onto the small bug. "I end my turn by throwing a card face down".
Weevil- 7900LP
Darren- 8000LP
Weevil snickered in a nerdy way. "You must not have known about my Howling Insect's special ability. When it is destroyed and sent to the graveyard as a result of battle, I'm allowed to special summon on wind monster with less than 1500 attack points. So I summon my Ultimate Insect Lv 1 (A0, D0)". A disgusting red and blue larva took the place of the first bug.
Darren looked shocked at the monster. "That's a monster. It doesn't have any attack points. My Rapid-Fire Magician will tear through it like air", he protested. Weevil just continued smiling.
"My monster may be weaker than yours in attack. But that magician can't compare to the power my insect will be able to unleash". The insect duelist drew a card. "Now for my standby phase. My insect grows up to Lv 3 (A1400, D900)". The insect grew into a less gagging form.
"So what, my mage is still too powerful for your pathetic little bug".
"Do you really think so? Look again". Darren looked at the monster on his field and saw that it's attack power was dropping. "My insect's ability weakens all of your monsters by 300 points. Now who was the stronger monster. Ultimate insect, attack his monster". The insect charged forward and head butted the spellcaster. "I end my turn".
Weevil- 7900LP
Darren- 7900LP
Darren pulled the card on the top of his deck into his hand. "I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (A1800, D1000) in attack mode. Then I set one card face down and attack your insect". La Jinn hurled a ball of magic at the bug, blowing it to pieces. "I end my turn".
Weevil- 7800LP
Darren- 7900LP
Weevil looked unhappy at his loss. "I summon Insect Knight (A1900, D1500) in attack mode". A bug with a long sword and a shield formed from data particles. "Then I reveal my face down trap card, DNA Surgery. This lets me make every monster on the field one type, and I choose insects". La Jinn sprouted extra bug-like limbs. "Now my Insect Knight, attack with Buzzing Blade". The bug spread a pair of wings and flew at La Jinn, cutting through the genie. "I end my turn".
Weevil- 7800LP
Darren- 7800LP
Darren drew a card and placed it in his hand. "I summon my Skilled Dark Magician (A1900, D1700) in attack mode. His attack equals your bug's so he can't be destroyed without blowing away your own monster. I end my turn".
Weevil drew his next card and began giggling again. "I set one card face down. Now, go Gokipon (A800, D800) in attack mode". A small red ant with wings and big eyes crawled out of a digital ant hole. "Now for my trick. I activate Eradicating Aerosol, destroying my Gokipon". A can of bug spray appeared and sprayed the ant, poisoning it to death. Darren had a puzzled look on his face. "Now I get to move one insect with less than 1500 attack points from my deck to my hand". He ejected his deck from the slot and began searching through it. When he found a card, he placed it into his hand. "I end my turn".
Darren drew his card and pointed to the Skilled Dark Magician. "Because you activated that magic card last turn, my Dark Magician gets a counter". A black orb floated around behind the magician. Weevil looked at it wide eyed.
"What does that counter do?" he asked.
"It's not important right now. It's not like I can use it anyway. Now, I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior (A1600, D1000) in attack mode". The swordsman in red armor appeared in a cyclone of magic dust. "He also gets a counter, increasing his attack points to 1900. I end my turn".
Weevil's huge smile didn't get any smaller when he drew his card. "I summon my second Ultimate Insect Lv 1. Then I play my Insect Barrier magic card". A net of golden energy formed in front of Weevil. "You see, as long as this card is on the field, all insects on your field can't attack. And with my DNA Surgery making all of your monsters bugs, that means you can't attack at all". Another black orb rose up behind the Skilled Dark Magician. "I end my turn".
Darren drew his next card. "I activate Breaker's special ability. I sacrifice the counter on him to destroy one of your magic or trap cards. So I blow away your DNA Surgery". Breaker fired a ray of red magic at the card, burning it up. "Then I sacrifice my monster to summon the Dark Magician Girl (A2000, D1800) in attack mode". A cute girl with long blonde hair and blue armor that resembled the dark magician's, only a little more revealing, flew from the projectors and twirled a small staff like a baton. She landed softly on the ground and flinched at the sight of Weevil. "Dark Magician Girl, destroy the Ultimate Insect with Dark Burning Attack". The girl raised her staff and blasted pink energy at the small maggot. The golden net wrapped itself around the attack. "Hey, what's going on".
"Hehehehehehe, I reveal my face down card, my second DNA Surgery. Now all your monsters are stopped from attacking again", Weevil said as the Dark Magician Girl landed back on the ground and heaved her staff over her shoulder.
"I end my turn Weevil".
The creepy insect duelist drew his next card. "During my standby phase, my Ultimate Insect grows into Lv 3 again. Then I summon the Pinch Hopper (A1000, D1200) in attack mode. And don't forget my Ultimate Insect weakens your monsters by 300". Darren's monster shrank slightly as their attack points dropped. "Insect Knight, attack his Dark Magician Girl". The bug flew at the girl and brought his sword through her armor. Darren shielded his eyes as the monster exploded in front of him. "I end my turn".
Weevil- 7800LP
Darren- 7600LP
Darren drew his next card and looked out at the monsters opposing him. 'Maybe I should let Arcturas help me. This guys seems to good for me. No, if I'm gonna win this tournament, I have to be able to win on my own. Besides, I don't know if I want to talk to him yet. All I can do is make a wall and protect my life points for now. As soon as I get three monsters on the field, this game is over.
"I summon Neo the Mystic Swordsman (A1700, D1000) in defense mode. Then I switch my Skilled Dark Magician to defense mode as well. Then I'll finish with one card face down". Neo rose up in a kneeling position.
Weevil drew his next card. "Now things are going to get interesting. First my standby phase ushers in a new monster as my Ultimate insect evolves to Lv 5 (A2300, D900). His special ability decreases your attack by 500 points. Next I sacrifice my Insect Knight and Pinch Hopper to summon the Queen Widow (A2700, 2000). Her effect also kicks in. Once per turn, I can remove up to three monsters from play. She then receives a 300 point power bonus for each insect removed. Now she is at 3600. And of course my Pinch Hopper has a special effect, too. When he's sent from the field to the graveyard, I can special summon one insect from my hand, namely my Atomic Firefly. And for my final card of the turn, my Forest field card, again strengthening my monsters by 200". The floor was covered by trees and grass. "Ultimate Insect, attack Neo". The bug lifted itself into the air and flew over toward Darren's monster.
"Go trap card, Negate Attack". A vortex stopped the bug from breaking through to the swordsman.
Weevil balled his hand up into a fist. "I end my turn", he said.
Darren closed his eyes and pulled the next card from the top of his deck. "Okay, I reveal my face down trap card, Call of the Haunted. This will bring back my Breaker. Then I use my Pot of Greed magic card, letting me draw two cards. Now go Polymerization, fuse my magic warriors together to summon Walker the Mystic Warrior (A2600, D2200) in attack mode. Then I activate my final face down card, Pitch-Black Power Stone. This puts three counters into play". The golden triangle shown brightly on the black ball.
"Weevil watch out, that's the same thing he did against me", Rex called out. Weevil shrugged him off.
"Now Walker, use your counter to weaken his Ultimate Insect by using your counter". Walker blasted a red aura through the giant bug. Weevil cried out in horror as his bug lost 1000 attack points. "Next I use the other three tokens to weaken your Ultimate Insect once and the Queen Widow twice". Walked fired off three more shots. Tears were streaming down Weevil's face. "However, since I can't attack this turn, I end with one card face down".
Weevil didn't look nearly as pissed off as Darren thought he would be. "I again transform my Ultimate Insect to Lv 7 (A2600, D1200). The beautiful creature weakens your monsters by 700 points. Next I'll remove three more insect monsters, boosting my Queen Widow up to 2700". The woman with long black hair and white skin, wearing a dress with a red hourglass on it nearly doubled in size. Now my widow, attack that warrior". The beautiful lady ran through the forest and made an attempt to bite Walker.
"Activate De-fusion. This now gives you two monsters to target", Darren explained. Weevil sneered.
"Widow, attack Breaker". The woman sank a pair of long fangs into Breaker. The monster turned purple and exploded into data bits. "Now my Ultimate Insect, you attack Neo". The other giant bug bit down on Neo and he to exploded away. "I end my turn".
Weevil- 7800LP
Darren- 4000LP
Darren placed two fingers on the top of his deck. "This is it. If I don't draw something to save me, I'm out of the tournament". He slowly slipped the card off the deck and looked at it. "I play my Card of Sanctity. This allows both of us to draw until we have six cards in our hands". Both duelists drew five cards. "Now then, this is more like it. In case you didn't notice, there are three counters on my Skilled Dark Magician. This means I can sacrifice him to special summon Dark Magician (A2500, D2100) from my deck". The Dark Magician erupted from the ground of the forest. "Then I use my Dark Magic Attack card to destroy every magic and trap card on your side of the field. Next I sacrifice him to special summon Dark Eradicator Warlock (A2500, D2100). His special ability unlocks whenever someone activates a magic card; he makes you take 1000 points of damage".
"No, my perfect defense. How could you break through that unstoppable wall. Not like it matters. My monsters are still too strong for your weakened wizard", Weevil cried out.
Darren grinned as he pulled a card out of his hand. "I use Re-Fusion to special summon a fusion monster from my graveyard to my field. And since my only one is Walker, it looks like he comes back for another round. And don't forget his counter. Next for my summon for the turn, Blast Magician (A1400, D1700). And my Re-Fusion deals 1000 point of damage to you. Walker, remove 1000 points from Ultimate Insect. Now Warlock, blast it away with Dark Magic Explosion". The heavily robed magician formed an enormous ball of purple magic and destroyed the bug and itself in the explosion. "Now Walker, attack the Widow". Walker swung his sword and a blue wave of energy cut through the woman.
"No stop. My precious insects. Stop right now. I command you to stop destroying my bugs", Weevil shouted with tears running down his face.
"Not until they're all gone. Blast Magician, attack the Atomic Firefly with Blast Force. Now that your field is completely empty, I end my turn by playing one card face down.
Weevil- 6300LP
Darren- 3000LP
Weevil wiped the tears from his face and drew his next card. "I summon my third Ultimate Insect Lv 3 in defense mode and lay one card face down. Then I'll take 1000 points of damage by activating another Insect Barrier. I end my turn".
Weevil- 5300LP
Darren- 3000LP
Darren drew his next card. "I think it's time to star winning this game. Blast Magician, attack the Ultimate Insect". The magician raised its staff and a jet of fire flew at the insect, but a wall made entirely of light rose in front of it.
"Sorry to disappoint you, but my Wall of Revealing Light lets me stop your attacks. All I have to do is offer life points equal to the limit I choose and only if it is a multiple of 1000. I'd say 3000 is enough to hold you off", Weevil said more confidently.
Darren pressed a button on his duel disk. "My Dust Tornado says otherwise. I can destroy one magic or trap card on the field. So Blast Magician, destroy the bug. And now Walker, finish the job". Walker pointed a finger at Weevil and fired a beam of blue energy at him and taking out the rest of his life points. "Now hand over the Queen Widow", Darren demanded. Weevil clenched his teeth so hard that one of his front ones cracked.
"I hate you! Here, take the card. But don't think this is over. I swear on my life we'll get you back for this". He and Rex turned to the exit and ran out at full speed. Darren sighed and put the Queen Widow and the last card in his hand into his deck box. He stumbled on his way back to the chairs. He shuffled his deck and put it back into his duel disk.
'Arcturas was right, this would put a lot of pressure on me. But at least I made it to the next round. Tomorrow, no more playing around. I have to start each game as if it were the final round. Or if were another game against Sicily. And I can't use Thanatos'. He looked down at the bulge in his pocket from the Millenium Medallion.
At another part of the room, the man from the plane was standing in a clearing of people. His eyes were closed and the duel disk on his arm was in the standby position. He held his right hand over the rings on his left and a blue light fell into them. 'Another soul to add to my collection. And soon, the keeper of the book will join the ones I already have. But I must be patient. I will obtain the book. All in due time'. The eye tattoo on his forehead blinked and he opened his eyes with shock. 'It's impossible. I sense Para taking another soul. But how can this be? I felt him lose to the boy and yet, he has claimed two souls since then. When I have the chance, I'll have to look into this as well.'
Andy was standing back in the preparation room by himself. His deck sprawled out before him. The Great God Diabound was in the very front. The necklace glowed and the cards flew around him and landed in one straight pile on the table he was at. 'Apparently, two souls still isn't enough. How many will it take before this wretched thing reforms. I must find out what connection to the Shadow Realm it has'.
"Mr. Jones, we will be leaving for Ottawa in Canada shortly. I advise you to get ready for the flight", an attendant to the tournament said.
"Oh thank you", Andy replied innocently. When the attendant left, Andy looked at the red dust that looked as though it was already connecting in some places. 'How much longer must I wait?'
So Darren has gotten rid of Rex and Weevil. I know the duel was slow and then ended quickly with a dumb Card of Sanctity turn, but I couldn't think of a single card that would have pulled Darren out of that. And that's right, I'm sending Andy to Canada. Mwahahahaha!