Stronger than Death
Darren sat in his hotel bed. It was just after midnight. He had his deck spread out before him. They were laid out perfectly on a rectangular piece of wood. Each card was face up and Darren was looking at them admiringly. A piece of paper was face down next to Darren. He looked at the Millenium Medallion sitting on his nightstand. His returned his gaze to his cards and gave them a stern look.
"Alright troops, this is it. The moment we've all been waiting for. We've finally made it to the final rounds. Just like anything else in life, it's always darkest before dawn. These duelists aren't going to be a cake walk. If anyone doesn't think they can handle the upcoming duel, then leave now, because after this point there is no turning back. Do you read me". Darren looked at each card individually.
"This is the enemy". He held up the piece of paper that showed a portrait of The Sarge. "This is who we are going to defeat. We are going to grind him into nothing. Now, I want everyone to get a good night sleep. We begin at o ten-hundred hours". He gathered up the cards and shuffled his deck. "You are the best of the best of the best", he said proudly. He set his duel disk on his nightstand. The Millenium Medallion let out a brilliant glow. A transparent image of Arcturas stood before Darren.
"Are you ready for this?" he asked. Darren looked at his deck and a look of doubt washed over him. He looked back at the image and gave it a weak smile. Arcturas looked back with a solemn stare. Darren stood up.
"Of course", he said nervously. Arcturas stared at the boy. "Hey, ready or not, I have to duel tomorrow. So what does it matter?"
"Being ready can make all the difference. I can almost guarantee you that The Sarge isn't giving you a single thought. He figure's he already has this thing won. And Eric isn't sweating it out either". Darren looked down at his feet. "But just because they're not worrying, doesn't mean they'll win. Remember to stay confident. And don't forget to trust in your deck and in yourself. Do that and you can't lose".
Darren looked up with an assured smile. "RIGHT! There's no way I'm gonna lose. Not after everything that's happened so far. I'm winning this thing, the WHOLE thing. And The Sarge, Eric, or anyone else here is gonna stand in my way". Arcturas smiled. His image dissipated. Darren sat back down and slumped his shoulders. 'I wish I believed that', he thought. He looked at his deck.
Eric sat in a chair in his hotel living room. His duel disk and deck sat on the coffee table before him. He held a single card in his hand. "Tomorrow's the first round. I can't wait". He looked at the picture of the card. It bore a pretty woman with short red hair under a metal helmet with wings. Blue lines were painted on her cheeks. She wore very revealing metal armor. There were red feathered wings extending from her wrists and talons for her feet. In one hand she held a short sword. "With you in my deck, I can't lose".
Cairo stood in front of a large window. His gaze was drawn to the bright lights in the city below. 'I need not even trace their minds for strategies. I shall be able to deal with whatever they throw at me. And when I obtain the book from Darren, I shall learn the secrets of the Millenium Medallion and take it for myself', he thought.
Dale Laney lay silently asleep in his bed in his hotel room.
Elsewhere in the world, Andy Jones shuffled through his deck. 'So here we are. The finals begin tomorrow. This is gonna be a cake walk. All these big-shot, superstar duelists are gonna knocked off their ass by this unknown duelist. Isn't that right guys', he thought looking down at his deck. And unfamiliar monster sat on top. It was a heroic monster dressed in blue tights. It's face was covered by a visor with mirrored glass. On his back were two mechanic wings with propellers on the bottom. 'Right', he answered to himself.
Darren laid down and closed his eyes. The Millenium Medallion flashed a golden light through the room. Darren opened his eyes and was lost in a void of darkness. His body felt like it was falling, though he could feel the ground below his feet. It seemed like he was on a terrain that was in free fall. There was a sudden crash and Darren fell to his knees. He stood up slowly and wobbled a little. He found his balance and saw a silhouetted figure running away from him down a dimly lit corridor of stone and sand. Darren followed the figure.
"Hey, wait up", he called out. The figure didn't seem to hear. It ran around a corner and disappeared from sight. Darren ran to the corner and turned it just in time to see two familiar creatures. His Magician of Black Chaos fired a ball of black lightning through a monster that was easily the Summoned Skull.
A man in a cloak began to laugh. "I hope you don't think that my monster will be anywhere as weak as Rocho's was", he said. He formed a red aura around his hand. "My monster is more than capable of killing you Seventh Guardian". The red aura spiraled from his hand and crashed into the ground. A monster masked by the darkness formed in front of him.
The figure Darren followed in looked up at ten glowing red eyes glaring down at him. "Wha… what is that?" he stuttered. All that was heard was the echo of his enemy's maniacal laughter as his monster was destroyed by an unseen attack. The first figure collapsed to his knees, his eyes in a blank gaze. Everything became dark and Darren couldn't see any trace of the corridor or either person.
"Pretty gruesome stuff, huh?" came a familiar voice behind him. Darren whipped around to see Arcturas with a fake smile on his face, as if shamed.
"You saw it, too?" Darren asked. He watched Arcturas's movements wide-eyed.
"Darren, the person who lost that Shadow Game was me. That's how I came to be trapped inside the Millenium Medallion That is the memory I have before you united the ten black rings".
"I thought you were undefeated though", Darren said. Arcturas's pseudo smile faded quickly.
"I was thought of as undefeatable because only I could wield the power of Thanatos. If I didn't have that monster, I would never have been a guardian of the Pharaoh", he explained.
"Just because someone has great power doesn't mean they're strong. They've got to have heart", came a new voice. From out of the shadows walked the younger version of Darren's father.
"Dad?!" Darren said delightedly surprised. Karl laughed.
"Hey, look at me. I'm much too young to be your father. Just call me Karl", he said. Karl looked at the two people before him. "Arcturas, the power that Thanatos gave you didn't make you strong. It was the desire to protect those you care about that gave you your strength". Arcturas looked down at the boy unconvinced. Karl grinned back at him. "Come on, think back to the people you knew. I know there was someone you cared about; someone who was special to you". Arcturas looked away.
Memories of Destiny and Rocho filled his mind, followed by thoughts of the Pharaoh Atem. The other guardians also swam through his thoughts. "So what, they're dead and gone. I have no one to protect now. And I'm still as strong as ever. And if what you say is true, then why did I lose to Vulcan Flare when I could have easily defeated him if I had so many people to protect?" he questioned.
Karl shook his head. "You'll know that when the time comes".
"That's parent talk for you don't know", Darren said sharply. Karl smiled and put his hand on the back of his head.
"So, you think you're as tough now as when you had people to protect? Do you want to test that theory?" Karl asked. He held up his left wrist and a duel disk appeared on it. A deck covered in green cases filled the deck slot. Arcturas grinned.
"You don't know how long I've waited for a good challenge", Arcturas said with friendly aggression. A shadowy duel disk formed on his wrist and cards melted into place from the shadows. He held out the device and as it activated a black orb slowly lowered into the deck.
"I'll start this game", Karl said and pulled six cards out of his deck slot. "I summon my Familiar Knight (1200, D1400) in attack mode". The man dressed in irno gray armor walked nobly from the shadows. His face was covered by a steel mask. His red cape hung down behind his long sword and great shield. "I end my turn".
Darren looked shocked. 'My father was a great duelist and that's the best he can do for his opening move'. He thought.
Arcturas drew his card. "I summon La Jinn the Mystical Genie of the Lamp (A1800, D1000) in attack mode. Then I activate my Brain Control magic card. For the cost of 800 points, I can steal your Knight for a turn". The brain's hands reached out and pulled the Familiar Knight over to Arcturas's side of the field. "Attack his life points directly". Karl was hit with a wave of magic as well as a slash from the sword. "I end my turn". The brain disappeared and the Knight jumped back to its post.
Karl- 5000LP
Arcturas- 8000LP
Karl drew his card. "I set one card face down. Then I summon My Seven Colored Fish (A1800, D800) in attack mode". The long fish with a spectrum of scales flailed through the air a few times before locking its eyes on Arcturas. "Next I activate my Last Will magic card. Should I lose a monster this turn, I can search my deck for one with less than 1500 attack points and add it to my hand". Arcturas looked at the piece of paper that landed on the "ground". "Now attack La Jinn". The fish opened its mouth an a torrent of water issued forth and through the Genie. "Now I can bring the monster to my hand. And I can also attack your life points directly with my Familiar Knight". The warrior slashed through Arcturas. I end my turn".
Karl- 5000LP
Arcturas- 6800LP
'That was a good idea. Da…I mean Karl set up the card and destroyed his own monster so he could get what he needed', he thought to himself. Karl held his hand up to his deck. The purple insignia lit up and a card whipped out from his deck to his hand.
Arcturas drew his card. "I summon Giant Orc (A2200, D0) in attack mode. Attack his small monster". The gray ogre of a monster raised its bone club and cracked the Knight's skull. "Now my monster goes into defense mode", he said smugly.
Karl- 4000LP
Arcturas- 6800LP
Karl drew his card. There was a proud, excited, bring-it-on grin on his face (much like that of Yami Yugi's). Arcturas however, wore a slightly less proud, exhilarated, I'll-prove-you-wrong grin (like a happy Kaiba). Karl pulled one card out of his hand. "Because you destroyed my Familiar Knight, we can both special summon a monster with four levels or lower". He gently set a card face down. Arcturas pulled a card out.
"My Giant Germ (A1000, D100)", was all he said. The floating purple virus oozed a gray liquid.
"For the beginning of my turn, I flip up my face down Cyber Jar". The white metal capsule sucked in every monster on the field and exploded. "Now that our fields are empty, we now special summon every level four or lower monster from the top five cards of our deck and put the others in our hand.
Arcturas pulled three cards from the five he picked up. "I summon two Giant Germs and set a card face down. And because you destroyed my first Germ, you take 500 points of damage".
"Fair enough', Karl said. "Compared to the hurt I'm about to deal out, 500 points will be nothing". I summon Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness (A1800, D1500) and Marauding Captain (A1200, D400)". The Sea Serpent was a green humanoid with purple armor and a round tipped weapon. The Captain was another man in steel armor holding a long sword in one hand and a grand sword in the other. "Next I flip up my face down Soul Resurrection to bring back my Seven Colored Fish. Then I'll activate my Monster Revive magic card. I must discard one card from my hand to special summon a monster from my graveyard, and I choose my Cyber Jar (A900, D900) in attack mode. "And then I activate Contract with the Abyss. As long as I sacrifice enough monsters, which my Seven Colored Fish and Sea Serpent are, then I can special summon my Magician of Black Chaos (A2800, D2600)". The two monsters were replaced by the grand spellcaster. It swung its scepter around like a bow staff several times before resting in its place.
'What could Karl be planning with such a big move', Darren wondered. 'All these monsters and he hasn't even made a normal summon yet this turn. He's still in his first main phase'.
Karl looked at the three remaining cards in his hand. "Now that I've got enough monsters on the field, it's time to end this game. I activate two Soul Exchange magic cards. These let me sacrifice your monsters in place of my own. So I choose to sacrifice your face down monster and a Germ, as well as my own Magician to summon…OBELISK THE TORMENTOR (A4000, D4000)". The blue gargantuan monster loomed over the entire field. It's bared yellow teeth clenched together in a menacing grin. Large spike stuck out from the monsters muscular torso.
Arcturas's eyes grew wide with horror. He knelt down on the field, as if in worship of the great monster. "How is it that you were able to come by such a monster", he asked coldly. He did not dare look the monster in the eyes.
Darren too gaped at the enormous monster. It was as big as Thanatos. And its attack points were almost enough to take on the beast residing in Arcturas's deck.
Karl looked out across the field. "Arcturas, stand and take the attack. If you're as powerful as you think, then you'll be able to win this duel", Karl said sternly. Arcturas reluctantly stood up. Karl pointed to the mighty monster. "I tribute the Marauding Captain and the Cyber Jar to Obelisk in order to activate his special ability. With the two offerings, his attack sky rockets to infinite power". Arcturas closed his eyes. Obelisk's body began to change from calm blue to furious red. Steam was leaking from the monster. Its hand emitted an orange glow. Karl pointed his empty hands at Arcturas. "Obelisk, attack with Fist of Fate". The titan punched through the Germ and shook the entire field to the point that Darren fell down on the side lines.
Arcturas dropped the cards remaining in his hand. He stared out across at his opponent. Karl was putting his deck away and the duel disk had faded from existence. Darren stood up and watched the two.
"As you can see Arcturas, you're not as strong as you once were. And without someone to protect, you never will". Arcturas looked angrily at the young duelist.
"And what about you? Who do you protect that makes you so strong?" Arcturas shouted. Karl closed his eyes and smiled. Memories of a young Sabrina Fantasy, a kid with short curly hair, one with long brown hair, an older kid with gray hair and a cigarette in his hand, a boy with short blonde hair and large glasses, all with glowing insignias on their hands. They were followed by Darren, and then countless other faces that are unfamiliar to us.
"I protect everyone that I cared about when I was alive. My care for them made me strong. And even after death, I continue to care and protect them". Arcturas had a pouting look on his face. Darren and Arcturas began to walk to Karl when a great wall of fire cut them off.
"I'M SORRY, BUT THIS LITTLE REUNION IS TO BE CUT SHORT", came an angry voice. In the "sky" formed a fiery dragon's face. "DIE!" the voice shouted. The dragon opened its mouth and let loose a roar of flames. They were coming fast at Darren and Arcturas.
"Obelisk, protect them!", Karl cried. The blue Goliath flew through the wall, flames sticking to parts of its body. Its fists regained their orange glow and the monster held the flames off from the two. Arcturas grabbed a card from his deck.
"Thanatos, destroy that dragon", he hollered. The gargantuan grim reaped spread its skeletal wings and took flight. Its red eyes narrowed on the dragon in the sky and it slammed the scythe right down the middle of the face. The face dissipated.
"YOU GOT LUCKY THIS TIME. BUT IN ROUND TWO, I'LL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH". The firewall began to shrink, but before it was gone completely, white began to fill the shadows. And a loud banging filled the air.
Darren awoke to a loud banging. He sat bolt upright in his bed and looked at the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was nine forty-nine by his clock. "Oh shit, ten minutes", he shouted. He jumped out of bed and hit the ground running. He put on a fresh set of clothes and ran back to his nightstand. He grabbed his deck and the Millenium Medallion. On his way out, he picked up his duel disk. The man in the who had been banging on the door was the same one that met him and Eric at the landing strip the day before.
"You're lucky I came back for you", he said warmly. He hurried Darren down to the main lobby and into a nice-lookin' black sports car. He started the ignition and before Darren had a chance to put his seatbelt on, the man floored it down the street to the city. Within a minute, they were outside a large coliseum. Darren's eyes were bugged out of his skull and it took two extra men to pry him from the seat because of his nervous grasp. He was shaky the entire way to the waiting room where the other finalists were sitting and standing. He collapsed in a chair against the wall.
The man who had them pick numbers yesterday walked in from a flight of stairs. "Ah Smitty, I see you've brought our last finalist", he said looking at Darren. "Now, let's get down to business. In just a few minutes we'll be calling Dale and Sirius to their match. If you'd like, the rest of you may watch from seats specifically set aside for you. Now if you don't mind, I have an announcement to make". He and Smitty walked back through the doorway and up the stairs to the main arena. Eric motioned to Darren and the two of them went through a separate door. The climbed a long staircase and found three empty seats close to the arena. There were no other seats around, they were in front of the rest of the audience.
"This ought to be fun", Eric said.
"Hell yeah", Darren replied. They looked down at the stadium at the man who had just been talking to them.
"Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen to the Kingda Ka worldwide Duel Monsters Tournament Finals". The crowd exploded. "We hope you enjoy today's entertainment. But let's not waste any time. Our first finalist joins us from Egypt. Let me introduce Dale Laney". The boy with red hair and crimson eyes walked out into the round, white arena. He waved to everyone with an mean grin on his face. "And his opponent, New Zealand's Sirius Canine". The boy walked onto the arena.
"Hey if they say where we're from, then you'll be like a local hero", Darren whispered to Eric. Eric chuckled, but didn't take his eyes off the stage.
"Now that our combatants are here, let the first duel get under war". Dead silence fell over the crowd. Both boys stared each other down while the y shuffled their decks. They slipped them into the correct decks and the piece of gold that hangs around Dale's neck gave a quick shimmer. He gave a cold look into the boys eyes. Darren watched and sense something familiar from Dale. Dale drew six cards from his deck.
"I'll start with Solar Flare Dragon (A1500, D1000) in attack mode". His voice made a light, humming echo that filled the arena. But strangely, he talked very softly but his voice still carried to the back of the screaming audience. From his projectors, a serpentine dragon made of molten rock with long curved horns roared at Sirius. "Then I'll set one card face down and end my turn".
Sirius pulled six cards out of his duel disk at once. He spoke with a heavy Australian accent. "I activate my Dog Yees (Years) magic cod (card) to destroy yaw (your) face down cod". The card shattered. "Next I summon Koi-ote, Hunta (Hunter) of Sirius (A1600, D1400)". A brown dog monster standing on its hind legs howled when it appeared. A quiver rested on the monsters back and a bow in its hand. "Next I give him Canine Denshes (Dentures) to boost his attack points by 600 points". The dog's eyes became blood shot as its teeth grew out of proportion. "Attack his dragon". The dog fired an arrow into the molten dragon. "I end moi (my) turn".
Dale- 7300LP
Sirius- 8000LP
Dale drew his card but didn't look at it. He closed his hand and looked at Dale. "Let's make this duel a little more fun". Sirius looked puzzled. Dale grinned and the piece of gold around his neck started glowing. A dark blanket of cloud spread throughout the entire coliseum. "Ah, much better. Now then, I activate my Change of Heart magic card so that I may take your dog for one turn". The Hunter stood on all fours on Dale's field. Sirius looked mad that his dog was down on all of its legs. "next I'll sacrifice it for Horus the Black Flame Dragon Lv6 (A2300, D1600). The silver bird-like dragon soared in the sky of the darkness.
Darren looked around at the rest of the building. 'Please don't tell me this is what I think it is', he thought.
'I'm afraid so Darren. We're in the Shadow Realm', Arcturas responded.
'That's right, that means the loser of the duel loses his soul'. Echoed Cairo's voice.
"Attack his life points directly with Black Flame Breath", Dale ordered. The dragon charged up its attack and fired a stream of black inferno. "I end my turn".
Dale- 7300LP
Sirius- 5700LP
Sirius drew his next card. 'I don't know what this bloke did, but I don't like it', he thought. "I activate moi field card Wolf Moon". A big full moon with shadows that looked like a wolf's head appeared in the air. "Now because I played that little numbah, I can special summon Wolfe, Knight of Sirius (A2600, D2100). When he inflicts damage, I can declay (declare) a level of monstah (monster) and if you have any monstahs of that level, you must discod (discard) them all". Dale didn't look bothered at all. "Attack his dragon". The wolf leapt into the air at the dragon an swung a great sword right through it.
"So what level do you choose?" Dale asked.
'How is he able to call the Shadow Realm? I don't see a ring on his hand. But what about that piece of gold that's around his neck? Is it a Millenium Item?' Darren asked.
'No I don't think it is. It looks more like…NO! It's impossible, it can't be'.
'What?' Darren asked. Arcturas didn't answer.
"I choose level three monsters". Dale looked down at his hand and shook his head with a smug grin on his face. Sirius motioned the end of his turn".
Dale- 7000LP
Sirius- 5700LP
Dale drew his card. "If my theory is correct, your monster can only be on the field when the moon is full, right?" he asked. Sirius nodded his head. "Then that means he will disappear when I use my Mystical Space Typhoon on the Wolf Moon, destroying it and your monster". A fierce wind blew the moon from view and the wolf monster was destroyed. "Now your field is empty again. So I'll summon Little Chimera (A600, D550) in attack mode. And when he's on the field, all fire type monsters gain 500 attack points, including itself. Then I'll give it the Black Pendant, giving it a total of 1000 extra points". The black Necklace formed around the small animal's neck. "Attack his life points directly". The tiny mammal spit a small ball of fire at Sirius. "I end my turn".
Dale- 7000LP
Sirius- 4100LP
Sirius drew a card. "I set one monstah face down in defense mode. Then I set a cod face down and end moi turn".
Dale drew his card. 'Man, Dale's hitting Sirius pretty hard but Sirius can only hit him with tiny little strikes', Darren thought.
'Of course Dale's doing good. He's one of the greatest duelists out there. He's had almost 5000 years to practice', Arcturas thought back.
'WHAT!?' Darren thought.
"I set two cards face down and send Little Chimera to attack your monster". The small animal spit another fireball and destroyed that face down card.
"Reveal face down trap caod, Dog Eat Dog", Sirius cried. "When you destroy one of my monstahs, I can destroy one of yaws (yours)". Dale's monster burst into data bits.
"I end my turn".
Sirius drew a card and his face fell. "I end moi turn". Up in thee crowd, the spectators had started booing.
"Oh and it seems that Sirius Canine hasn't anything to play. This is truly a bad moment for this duelist"the announcer stated.
Dale drew his card with delight. "I activate my Call of the Haunted to revive my Black Flame Dragon". The bird dragon roared. "Attack his life points directly". The monster blew a wave of black fire over Sirius. "I end my turn".
Dale- 7000LP
Sirius- 1800LP
Sirius drew his next card. "I set moi Mecha Dog Marron (A1000, D1000) in defense mode. Then I'll end moi turn. But I should wahn (warn) you, you don't want to attack this monstah".
Dale grinned at the tiny mechanical dog. "Alright, then I won't". He drew a card. "I activate Pot of Greed to allow myself to draw two cards. "Then I'll set one monster face down and end my turn".
Sirius drew his card. "I sacrifice moi Mecha Dog Marrron, berning (burning) 1000 life points from you to summon Jackal, the Feral (A2100, D2050) in attack mode". A rabid black and gray dog standing on hind legs stared angrily at Dale. "Attack his face down monstah". The monster ran at Dale's monster and swung a paw.
"Reveal face down trap card, Shadow Spell. Your monster is frozen on the field", Dale announced.
"I end moi turn", Sirius muttered. Horus's attack points dropped to 2000. "By the way, Jackal's effect weakens your monster's attack points by 300 at each of my end phases". Dale just continued smiling.
Dale- 6000LP
Sirius- 1800LP
"Hey, it looks like Sirius has finally on top of things", Eric said to Darren.
'Yeah, maybe he'll win this after all', he thought.
'No, this duel is already over. Sirius can't beat Dale', Arcturas replied. Darren decided not to ask this time.
"I summon my Blazing Inpachi (A1850, D0), in attack mode. I end my turn by setting one card face down". The burning statue of wood towered over the other monsters on the field.
Sirius drew the card on the top of his deck. "I activate Croy (Cry) to the Moon. This lets me special summon a second Jackal if I have one". A second rabid dog formed on the field. "But Croy to the Moon skips moi battle phase, so I end moi turn".
Dale looked pleased with his draw. "I sacrifice Blazing Inpachi, Horus, and UFO Turtle to summon Subterranean Lava Dragon (A3000, D2500)". The three monsters disappeared in a column of fire. When they reappeared, they were now in the form of a larger molten serpent dragon with long fiery hair. Darren recognized it instantly as the dragon face from his dream and gasped.
"What? What's wrong?" Eric asked.
"Huh? Oh nothing", Darren quickly said. 'Arcturas, that's the'.
'Yes Darren. Sirius isn't coming out of this duel'.
"My monster does not destroy monsters, here merely burns through them. Allow me to demonstrate. Attack the paralyzed Jackal". The dragon blasted the dog with a rage of flames. The dog did not break, but Sirius felt the pain. "See, your monster is unharmed. Which means I can sacrifice both of your monsters for Lava Golem".
"What? You can't tribute moi monstahs for yaws". Sirius protested.
"Actually, with Lava Golem I can. I sacrifice your monsters instead of mine and the monster goes on your side of the field. So you get a monster with 3000 attack points, the same amount as my Dragon". The molten lava blob rose around Sirius, imprisoning him inside a steel cage wrapped around the monster's neck. "The only downside is, that monster will burn you for 1000 points every one of your standby phases". Sirius's eyes grew wide. "I end my turn".
Dale- 6000LP
Sirius- 900LP
The molten monster collapsed around Sirius, smothering him in lava. Dale grinned, and the Shadow Realm started to retreat from the emerging light. The molten mess disappeared and Sirius was no where to be seen. "Um…It seems that Dale Laney is the winner of the first round of the finals. As tradition in our tournament, once you win a match in the finals, you receive all of the bet cards that your opponent has won, including their own bet card. So let's see what Dale has won". Six cards bubbled from the ground at Dale's feet. He bent over and picked them up. The announcer ran over to him with a microphone. "Tell us what you've won from this duel".
Dale took the microphone. "I won Sirius's deck leader, Sirius Leader of the Pack. I also won Mechanical Hound, Cyber End Dragon, Water Dragon, Cyber Blader, Cyber Barrier Dragon, and Cyber Laser Dragon". The crowd went wild upon hearing of the cards.
'Well congratulations on your victory Dale. We will be starting the next duel shortly". Dale walked across the arena and left down the stairs.
"Crazy stuff huh?" Eric asked, but Darren wasn't there.
At the bottom of the stairs, Dale ran into Darren. But Darren's hair was black and his eyes were filled with hollow rage. The Millenium Medallion around his neck was glowing. A dark aura was surrounding his body. A flaming red aura quickly arose around Dale. "Long time, no see Seventh Guardian; Arcturas the Undefeatable", Dale said maliciously and grinned.
A sneer washed over Arcturas's face. "Took the words right out of my mouth, Vulcan Flare".
Whoa, why is Arcturas calling Dale Laney, Vulcan Flare? Anyways, the first duel of the tournament finals are over. And Arcturas has tasted defeat against Darren's father. What will happen next time on The Seventh Guardian?"