"Vanessa is down to only 700 lifepoints, while Alexis has over 2500!"
Chancellor Shepard nodded. "Quite right Jaden, and Alexis has been dominating this entire duel. Every move she has made has worked out perfectly, and she has managed to stop each of Vanessa's advances. Add in the fact that Nessa has yet to play a single spell or trap card…" He shook his head. "I knew the girl didn't have a chance, but I had hoped for a closer fight."
'I don't know.' Jaden thought. 'I've got a weird feeling about this duel…I think Vanessa has something planned. It just can't be this easy.'
"Next, I will set one monster on the field in defense mode, and end my turn."
They both paused as the crowd gasped, looking over to see Bastion holding up a card. On his field were his Oyxgedon, and a large dark cloud that kept spinning counter clockwise, sending lightning bolts towards the ground every so often.
"I will now activate Downdraft. When I combined this card with my Supercell and my Oxygedon, I am able to sacrifice them all to summon form Vortex Dragon!" The two monsters shot towards one another, while the Dowdraft magic card blasted it's own wind into the maelstrom. The ending result was a terrible blast that sent nearly all the other duelists toppling. Where once had been the Oxygedon and the Supercell, there now stood a great serpentine dragon, it's body curled in the shape of a funnel, it's giant wings flapping as it's tail corkscrewed around.
"That's all nice and interesting…" Arliss commented. "But I believe there are other duels?" he looked at Nessa and nodded his head towards Alexis.
Nessa nodded as she drew her next card. "Alright Alexis, you've done pretty good for yourself."
"Thanks." Alexis said, her voice level and emotionless.
Nessa ran her tongue over her teeth. "but it's time I showed you how it's done. First, I am going to use my ShadowSlayer's special effect." The slayer leapt into the rafters. "When all you have are defense monsters on the field, my ShadowSlayer is allowed to attack directly." Alexis cried out as the monster leapt behind her, plunging it's blade into her spine. She fell to her knees, hugging her waist. "And now, my Opticlops will take care of your defense monster." The giant demon bellowed and stomped towards the card, pressing it's foot down. However, it was surprised when the card pushed back, sending the beast toppling back to Nessa's side of the field.
"Unfortunately for you, my downface monster is Cyber Gymnast, whose defense is equal to your monsters attack points." (Alexis:1600)
Nessa nodded, and placed three cards quietly on the field, ending her turn.
"And now that Cyber Gymnast has been revealed, I can activate her effect." Alexis held out a card. "By sending this card to the graveyard, I am able to destroy one of your monsters. And I chose to get rid of your Opticlops!"
The Gymnast sprung from her stance, doing a series of back flips until she landed on the giant's head. It bellowed as the warrioress placed her hands on the sides of its head and gave a hard twist. The audience gasped at the sickening crunch, Nessa's monster shattering to bits.
"But there is more. I am going to sacrifice my Gymnast to bring out a new monster, Cyber Prima!" The gymnast shattered as another ballerina-type monster pirouetted onto the field. "Now I will have my Cyber Prima attack your ShadowSlayer, with Diva's Revenge!"
"This is it." Chancellor Shepard said. "With this attack, Alexis will be able to destroy the last of Nessa's lifepoints. She's a goner."
"I don't think so Chancellor." Jaden said.
"What do you mean? It's a sure thing!"
"If there is one thing I've learned about dueling, nothing is sure until the counter hits zero."
The crowd watched as Cyber Prima attacked, leaping down onto the ShadowSlayer and sending her boot right into its head. The fiend let out a final cry before it shattered. "And that is the match…what?"
Everyone looked in shock as the scoreboard revealed that Nessa's lifepoints hadn't decreased. No, they had infact increased to 2200. Everyone looked at Nessa, who was grinning like the cat that got the cannery, and Arliss, who was nodding his head, a smirk on his face.
"What…how is that possible?" Alexis asked.
Nessa brushed her bangs back. "When you declared an attack, I activated the two cards I had set last turn: Poison of the Old Man. I chose to increase my lp by 1200 for each card. I lost my monster, but I'm still in this duel!"
"She's cheated!" Dr. Crowler cried out. "Cyber Prima should have destroyed all her magic cards!" He clung to Zane, whimpering. "Tell the judges to disqualify her! We'll have her kicked out, expelled…"
"She didn't cheat." Zane said coldly. "According the school's ruling, Prima's effect only works on face up spells. Since Nessa's two instant spells were face down, they were unaffected."
"I will change that rule! I will make it that no one can ever cheat their way out of a lost like that again…"
Zane sighed, focusing on the duel at hand.
"It's my turn." Nessa said, drawing a card. Her eyes flashed black for a moment, and she laughed. "This will do very nicely. Tell me Alexis, do you know what kind of deck I am running now?"
"A generic demon deck." She said.
"Wrong…" Nessa's eye's flashed as she tapped the card. Only the most skilled of eyes could have seen the black light around her fingertips when she touched the card. "I am running a nightmare deck."
"A what-mare deck?" Jaden asked.
"A nightmare deck." Chancellor Shepard said grimly. "It is a rare but dangerous deck type."
"How so?" Jaden questioned.
"The duelist that uses a deck like that has cards that focus around the worst fears of people. Their cards are handpicked to strike terror into the hearts of all that duel against them. The monsters are creatures that go bump in the night. The spells reflect the most horrid of situations. The traps can make the bravest man experience a cold shiver. To take one on is to stare terror right in the face."
Jaden blinked. "Whoa." He broke out into a grin. "I have soooo got to duel Vanessa now!"
"Are you ready to face your fears Alexis?" Nessa asked.
"I can take whatever you can give me." Alexis challenged.
Nessa nodded. "Then I'll give you this!" She slammed a card on her duel disk, and Alexis looked around, confused when nothing happened. "Wait for it…" Alexis jumped back as a large cage fell from the sky, landing right on her and her Prima, trapping them inside.
&&&
Looking through the bars, Alexis noticed that something strange had happened. The world around her had distorted, becoming dark and twisted. The arena was covered in shadows, with the main dueling area filled with fire pits that shot out jets of smoke. The crowd was now filled with leering monsters of all shapes and sizes, snarling and crying out at her, their glowing eyes making her back away in fright. Never had she seen anything like this in a duel.
Arliss and Nessa seemed to have grown a hundred feet, towering over her. Their skin was pale compared to the dark aura around them, and their eyes were black and lifeless. "What's wrong Alexis?" Nessa asked, her voice distorted and deep. She smiled, and blood poured from her mouth and drenched her body, causing Alexis to scream. "SCARED!"
&&&
Everyone looked confused as Alexis cowered in the corner of the cage. "What's wrong with her?" Dr. Crowler asked. "Why is she scared of that little thing?"
"I don't know." Zane said emotionlessly. "But I think we aren't seeing what Alexis is right now."
Jaden frowned, looking down at the field. Something was wrong…out of place. Yes, Alexis was freaking out, and that was strange in itself. But there was something going on with Vanessa. He had thought he had seen her hand glow when she had activated the spell, and now, if he strained his eyesight, he could see some strange dark light coming off of her.
'What is going on down there?' Jaden wondered.
"Hey Alexis?" Syrus called out, having already finished with his duel. "Are you ok?"
&&&
Alexis turned when she heard her voice and screamed as she took in the creatures coming towards her. "Get away! Get away from me!" She cried out at the short little demon with wild blue hair and 4 eyes. The other demon, a tall golden demon with beady eyes looked at her, growling every once and a while to it's companion. Alexis didn't know how she had gotten here…but this wasn't a duel. No, something had happened to her…forced her into this dark place…
She remembered when she was little, and the power had gone out at her school during a storm. She had been in the supply closet, getting paint, when everything went dark. Through the frightened cried outside in the classroom from her classmates, the teacher hadn't heard her sobbing, trying to find the doorknob. Everywhere she had turned, strange things had poked and prodded her, making her think something was inside the closet. It wasn't until the power had come back on that the teacher realized she was missing, and opened the closet to find her curled in the fetal position, thumb stuck in her mouth in pure fright. Her parents had nearly gotten the teacher fired after that day, and Atticus had slept in her room for 3 months before she could stand to be alone in the dark. Now, there was no Atticus, no parents, no teacher.
Alexis whimpered. "Please…stay away…"
&&&
"Syrus, do what she says." Bastion said, pulling the slifer away. "Whatever Nessa has done to her, she is not seeing things correctly."
Jaden stared hard at Vanessa, and now knew she was somehow responsible for all of this. He didn't know how, but he just knew it. He reached over, grabbing the mike, his voice filling the arena and making Alexis cower. "Vanessa, what have you done to her?" He noticed Arliss' head jerk up, his eyes pure black for a moment before they were back to normal. 'What the?'
"She has done this to herself! I merely played Nightmare Cage, which prevents her from attacking for 2 turns. How she reacts to the cage is none of my concern." She gave Jaden a sickly sweet smile. Of course, she would not let them know that she had placed some of her shadow magic into the card, letting Alexis experience a taste of a shadow game. She glanced over at Arliss, who nodded, allowing her to continue. He had told her not to kill Alexis, as he had plans for the Queen of Obelisk Blue. She could tell he was focused on the teen, ready to step in if Nessa took things too far and exposed them. "But don't worry, she'll be out soon. I set this card, and end my turn."
Arliss continued to watch Jaden, his brow creased. 'He saw…he does have the gift…' He smiled. 'I knew it.'
&&&
Inside the cage, Alexis realized that the giant that was Nessa had ended her turn, and it was now her chance to try and save herself. She quickly drew and card and looked at her hand, which was hard with all the trembling. "I-I will set this c-c-card and end m-my turn." She managed to stammer.
&&&
Nessa frowned. "What the heck is wrong with you? It's just a hologram." She shrugged.
"Don't mind her Nessa." Arliss said. "Just keep duelin'." He mentally added, 'And watch it with the power…Jaden can see you, and we need him in the dark for a bit longer.'
The dark duelist nodded. "You're right. Besides, the cage will be gone in one more turn. Might as well plug along, hope that she snaps out of this." Nessa picked up her face down monster. "I flip summon Jowls of Dark Demise." On the field, the purple mouth appeared, opening wide to reveal yellow eyes and a long red tongue. "This card allows me to take control of one monster of Alexis' side of the field, and use it as my own until the end of my turn." Nessa lightly ran her finger over her lips. "And since there is only one…"
"This doesn't make any sense." Dr. Crowler said. "Nightmare cage prevents any attacks. That means that Prima can't be used against Alexis." He frowned, deep in thought. "Really, I think Nessa has screwed up."
"No, she is setting up for something big."
&&&
Alexis let out a sob of fright as Nessa looked down at her. "That little prima looks yummy." She said, her deep booming voice shaking the Obelisk Blue duelist. "Think I'll have a taste!" She opened her mouth, shooting her tongue out like it was some kraken tentacle, dragging the Cyber Prima out of the cage. Alexis whined like a lost puppy when the only other being in the cage left her alone.
Giant Nessa sucked the monster up and pushed her around her mouth, savoring the taste. "There…I think I made her much better!" She spat her out and Alexis screamed. The Prima's flesh had been ripped off, making her a muscular and skeletal creature. It looked at her, the uncovered mandible bone clacking as she reached out a hand, the last of her skin plopping off.
"Look at her shiver." Arliss said, Alexis cringing as bugs poured out of his nose and ears, blood spilling from his eyes. "I bet her brother shivered like that." He leaned way down, his giant eye staring at her. "Oh yes…"
"M-my brother?" Alexis whispered. She turned, to look at Nessa, and noticed that her hands seemed awfully small. Looking down, she gasped as she found that she had shrunk, and looked to be about 5 years old, swallowed up by her normal sized clothing. She shook her head, trying to wake herself from this horrid dream.
"ALEXIS!"
"ATTICUS!" She screamed, startled by her tiny voice. She let out a sob, unable to control herself at seeing him tied to a post near her, struggling to get free . "HOLD ON, I'LL SAVE YOU BIG BWOTHER!"
"Save him?" Nessa asked, reaching down and grabbing him. Atticus Rhodes yelled as she lifted him up, looking at him as if he were a doll. "How can you save him, when you can't save yourself?" She began to squeeze, Atticus' eyes bulging. "You could never save him…"
"STOP IT!" Alexis cried out in terror. "STOP IT PWEASE!"
"Ok." Nessa said, only to ball her fist up tight, Atticus flaying as his insides burst out of his head. "Oops…" She held the remains of the body to Arliss. "Could you please clean me up?"
Arliss grinned and licked the goo from Nessa's hand.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Little Alexis cried, falling to her knees.
&&&
"Atticus…" Alexis sobbed, rocking back and forth. "You ate him!" She screamed. "How could you eat him Aw-wiss?"
"HEY!" Arliss roared in shock, wondering what the heck Nessa had made Alexis see. He couldn't risk using his own 6th sight to see what Alexis was envisioning. "I was never with this Atticus guy! I ain't gay!" He looked around. "I love the ladies…really…you all believe me right…I know there are rumors about Crowler and me…"
"Did she say 'Aw-wiss'?" Syrus asked.
Bastion frowned. "I think she is suffering from a mental breakdown. I think it's time to stop this."
"What rumors?" Dr. Crowler asked , confused.
"Those were just rumors?" Souta, who had returned to his seat, asked his fellow slifer Johnny. "I thought you said they were true!"
"Damn." Johnny muttered. His friend Hector frowned and stood up. "Oh, comeon Hector…you know I was just kidding…I don't think of Arliss like that…you're the only one for me…" he sighed, watching Hector go. "It's going to be a long night when I get back to the dorm. Souta merely nodded.
"Stop the duel." Zane said, rushing to the stage. "Stop it at once." Arliss spirited forward and restrained the Kaiser. No one had ever seen Zane so passionate. "She is in no condition to duel. Stop this match at once."
Chancellor Shepard's voice cut in. "It is up to Alexis."
There was a commotion, and Jaden's voice cut in. "Don't you dare quit Alexis…you can still win this! I don't know what is going on, but it's all a trick! None of it is real! Snap out of it!"
&&&
Little Alexis blinked, and looked up through the bars of her cage. High above her, she could see through the dark clouds of this strange hell…a single star, bright and wonderful. It calmed her, and she closed her eyes, sniffling only slightly.
"IT isn't real!" Jaden's voice called out. "Fight it…"
Little Alexis nodded weakly, then looked back at the dark gods that were Nessa and Arliss. "It's not weal…it's not weal…" She repeated.
"Oh, it isn't, is it?" Nessa asked. "Do you know why I took over your Pima?" Alexis shook her head violently. "I took her over so I could use her in a summoning, to bring out a very special monster, the monster that will so you the true meaning of fear." She held out her hand. "I sacrifice the soul of Cyber Prima to bring forth my great and terrible king of demons, the lord of this world and your worst nightmare: Dark Lord HA Des!"
Little Alexis let out a whimper as Cyber Prima turned to dust, soaking into the ground. The earth trembled as the Dark Lord burst forth, robes fluttering as he pulled himself free of the hell below and into the hell above.
'It's not weal…it's just a duel…and wike a duel…' Little Alexis shook her head once more, getting rid of her fears. "Your demon can't hurt me! He's not real!"
"I believe he would say differently…" Nessa said
"I didn't finish!" Alexis shouted, stomping her little foot in a rage. "He isn't weal. All of this is just boogieman and campfire stowies. And all those things, while being very scawy, can go away with the light and with pwayer."
Giant Nessa rolled her eyes. "No thanks, I would not like to hear the joys of Jesus Christ. Thank you Miss Jehovah's Witness."
"You won't make fun of me with this! Solemn Judgment!" The dark goddess bellowed as the light from the card struck her monster directly, destroying it. (Alexis-800)
&&&
"See." Arliss said, watching as the attack was reduced to zero. "She can still duel." He glared at Zane. "So back off."
Zane frowned but did take a few steps back. Alexis seemed calm now, but he would be glad when she was free of that strange cage.
Nessa frowned, disappointed that she hadn't been able to finish this duel with her Dark Lord and the little magic she had gave him. The damage was done, but having Alexis cowering would have been the icing on the cake. "I will end my turn."
&&&
Alexis puzzled over what to do next. In her hand, she had Monster Reborn. She could use it to bring back any of her monsters, but which one? Gymnast could protect her, and if it survived a turn, had her effect. But Prima was strong, and could easily help finish the duel. Attack or defense…
Giant Nessa scoffed. "Just summon your little defense monster. You're too cowardly to attack me, Alexis. You are a weakling, just like I said before."
Giant Arliss nodded. "Yes…look at her, all scared. Almost feel bad for her, the little girl unable to stand up to us." He leaned down. "I say we keep her as a pet. Always wanted a pet…"
"I don't know…"
"But she's all tame!" Giant Arliss said, poking the cage. "We could let her out and I bet she would never run away! And I'll feed her and play with her, and I know she'll never bite!"
Giant Nessa put her finger to her chin. "Hmmm…I guess it might be fun…we could buy a pet carrier and take her to class…show her off to Zane and Jaden…maybe even let them have her for a few days…"
Alexis growled. It was bad enough they tortured her…now they thought they could control her…make her a trained monkey!
"NO!" She shouted. "I am thwough playing your games!" She stood up, shaking a fist at the two of them. "You 'ear me? I am thwough!" Her body glowed as she began to age. "I am done! This is all just some trick, to convince me to give up! Well, it won't work!" Alexis, back to normal, stood proud, staring down the two dark gods. "I use Monster Reborn to summon Prima back to my side of the field. And next turn, I will take you out!"
&&&
The crowd cheered as the cage faded away, leaving Alexis standing there, ready to face the duelist that had terrorized her.
"That's it Alexis!" Jaden cheered, pounding on the glass that separated him from her. "You show them why you are the best!"
"I never doubted her!" Dr. Crowler cried. "You have made me proud Alexis. Now, finish this game once and for all!"
"Whatever happened, it can't hurt you anymore!" Syrus called out.
"I agree!" Bastion said. "This is your game!"
"Alexis." Zane said calmly. "You've done well…now take the last step."
Alexis nodded, looking at each of her friends. "They're right…there is nothing you can do to me Nessa! I understand how you work! I don't know how you rigged those holograms, but they were all designed to throw me off, make me timid. But it did the reverse! I am stronger and more ready then ever. So make your last move, because in one turn, you're are through!"
The crowd burst into applause, cheering for the Queen of the Obelisk Dorm. Alexis grinned, waving to each of them, thanking them for their support…
"I wouldn't celebrate just yet." Nessa said, silencing the celebration. "Because there won't be a next turn." She tapped the card she had set with her two Poisons of the Old Man. "Not with this. I activate Call of the Haunted, bringing back my ShadowSlayer. I will then sacrifice it and my Jowls of Dark Demise to bring forth Invader of Darkness!" The two monsters shattered, and the lights flickered as the lord of darkness marched onto the field, his twisted armor clanging together as he came to a stop next to Nessa. "And next, I will use Premature Burial, bringing back my ShadowSlayer once more!" The horse headed assassin burst out of the field, neighing in glee.
"No…" Alexis whispered, eyes wide. It suddenly made sense, everything that last turn. "You wanted me to have Prima! You wanted to finish of my best monster...just to…" Alexis began to stammer in shock. "j-just to beat me."
Arliss smirked from where he stood, keeping Zane from Alexis. "The trick to the long con? Get the pigeon to think it was all their idea."
Nessa grinned like a lioness cornering a Gazelle. She began to speak low, so only Alexis could hear her. "All of this was to break you, Alexis. I had to take you to the lowest point, so that the highest would seem so wonderful. And when you pulled yourself from your sorrow, and reached the height of joy…I brought you right back down, where you belong." She cackled in delight. "Invader of Darkness, destroy Prima with Final Shadow!"
Alexis looked on in horror as the dark lord fired blast form his hand, incinerating Prima, only to gasp as ShadowSlayer's blade cut into her, sending her tumbling to the ground. The crowd was stunned silent as Nessa made her way over to Alexis' prone form, toeing her slightly.
"I use to look up to you…you were my hero. When I saw you duel, I wanted to be just like you. All I wanted to be was your friend." She frowned, her eyes downcast. "And you spit on my hand of friendship. You never cared about me, never bothered to get to know me. It was always about Zane, Jaden…Arliss." She sneered. "Well, Arliss is mine…and what man would have you now…a broken little thing that you can't even poke?" She began to walk away, before turning back to look at Alexis. "You were my hero…but I've outgrown you."
Next Time: Nessa has won, and now she is looking to celebrate…but not with ice cream or party balloons. No, our favorite queen has something much sweeter in mind: Arliss.
Meanwhile, Alexis is still shell shocked from the horrors she has witnessed during Nessa's spell, and Jaden begins to think more about Arliss. All of this is leading to the next duel, where Arliss will take on Samantha Ciro, a Greek Duelist that wishes to see just how strong Arliss is.
Next time, The Choices we make Part One: To Love.
Author's Note: This chapter was a pain in the butt. I swore I had written in Nessa playing a card her first turn and never using it, but I can't find any reference to that. Then, I had to totally change the middle, as I thought Nightmare Cage allowed the controller to attack. Originally, Nessa wanted to bring Prima out over Gymnast because Alexis still had 1800 points, and she couldn't have won that turn.
But, all I had to do was add her setting it with the Poisons, and then a better reason for bringing out Prima, and I was all set. And I do think this new ending is more yummy yummy evil. I know this all takes the magic out of what you just read, but I thought you all should know how much this chapter hurt me.