Yu-Gi-Oh! GX: Virtual Nightmare
Episode 3: Industrial Revolution, Part 1
Story by: jodalita
Written by: jodalita
A pier is seen in the distance with a large bridge connecting it to the shore. Next to the pier we can see a ship ready to sail. Noah walks along the bridge with Syrus close behind. The two have been walking for a while on their way to the pier.
Noah (concerned): Syrus, is everything okay?
Syrus (startled): Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just worried about Jaden.
Noah: Why are you so worried about him when you're here in the middle of nowhere? You should be more worried about yourself.
Syrus: Well, Jaden is my best friend. I'm pretty sure he's worried about me too.
Noah: You're a better duelist than you think, you know? You like to see Jaden duel because it gives you confidence on your own skills.
Syrus (confused): What? What are you saying?
Noah: You need to toughen up if you're going to face the challenges life presents you. Jaden might not be there next time.
Syrus: Of course he will. We're friends and we're always there to support each other.
Noah: I'm just saying you should be prepared in case you're left on your own. You don't know what might happen next.
While they continue walking along the bridge, Jaden is far away, running along the valley and trying to find Syrus. He can see the Greek temple in the distance, where he almost lost his freedom to Johnson of the Big Five.
Jaden: Man, talk about life and death experiences. These guys are going to do whatever it takes to get our bodies.
Suddenly, Jaden's deck begins to glow and Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird comes out, floating next to Jaden as a spirit.
Air Hummingbird: Don't worry. Just as I helped you during your last duel, we will help you overcome anything that comes in your way.
Jaden: Thanks, but I'm more worried about Syrus right now. What if they try to take him too?
Air Hummingbird: That is why we need to hurry.
Jaden: You're right. Let's go.
Jaden turns his back on the temple and keeps running in hopes of finding Syrus. Back in the pier, Noah and Syrus have arrived at its entrance. Syrus seems content as he begins to enter the magnificent structure, but Noah remains put.
Syrus: What's wrong? We're almost there.
Noah: I'm sorry, Syrus. I can't come with you. You must go on your own.
Syrus: But why? I though you said you would help me.
Noah: I already have. Don't forget what I told you and always believe in yourself. Go find Jaden.
Syrus: Thank you, Noah. I will.
Syrus quickly runs inside the complex while Noah begins to walk away.
Noah (thinking): "Poor little Syrus. You're not who I thought you were, but you might still have a shot at surviving this if you try hard enough. Let's see if you can handle the Big Five on your own."
Noah smiles to himself and disintegrates into thousands of pixels. Syrus turns around to see Noah one last time, but he's no longer there.
Syrus: This keeps getting weirder and weirder. Now, where is that ship?
Syrus keeps walking while looking around him, contemplating the enormous inside of the pier where he's in. The place is completely empty, with no one to be seen aside from the wooden walls. The wooden floor makes squeaking sounds with each step.
Syrus: This place is kind of big for a pier.
Voice (out loud): Of course it is. Wars are usually settled on big places!
Syrus is startled by the voice that is suddenly heard all over the place. He looks around and sees a small bridge leading to a ship on the other side of the pier. He runs towards it, but suddenly he sees a man in a black suit standing in his way. Scared, Syrus moves a few steps back away from the man.
Syrus: Who are you?
Voice: I'm Nesbitt, mechanical engineer and former Vice President of New Technology at Kaiba Corp, also a member of the Big Five. Get ready because our battle is about to begin.
Syrus: A battle? What do you mean?
Nesbitt: A duel, if you must. To me, duels are like wars, battles to the very end to test the strength of each contender. In this case, the one with the strongest deck and strategy shall win. I've designed many weapons of mass destruction during my life, so I say you stand no chance against me.
Syrus: So you're a weapon expert?
Nesbitt: Affirmative, and once I defeat you I'll be able to escape to the real world in your body. Although, the body of a small boy is not exactly what I was planning, I guess it will have to do. The body of your brother Zane would be much more fitting.
Syrus: Zane? How do you know about my brother?
Nesbitt: Defeating your opponent in battle implicates knowing everything about them, both their strengths and weaknesses.
Syrus: I don't know what you're planning to do, but I'm not interested in dueling you.
Nesbitt: Of course. Syrus Truesdale, Ra Yellow student at Duel Academy, always cowering behind your little friend, Jaden. Never able to make a decision of your own!
Syrus: That's not true! Sure I'm not as good as Jaden, but I can duel on my own.
Nesbitt: If that's the case, then toughen up, young man, and duel me… although it's not like I'm giving you much of a choice…
Nesbit raises his left arm and a duel disk appears on it. He motions his other hand towards Syrus and another duel disk appears on his arm as well, much to Syrus' surprise.
Nesbitt: Very well. If I win, I shall escape from this virtual prison in your body, one that you certainly don't deserve. And if you win, which you won't, I'll let you see your little friend.
Syrus: I'm not sure about this, but here goes.
Nesbitt motions his hand once again and a column of cards appears in front of Syrus, slowly moving upwards. Another column appears on Nesbitt's side as well.
Nesbitt: Since your real cards are useless in this world, pick your virtual deck from this card database. Choose wisely.
Both Syrus and Nesbitt choose their cards. After they're finished, each deck materializes on their respective duel disks.
Nesbitt: Rules state that each duelist must choose a monster from their decks to serve as his Deckmaster. Now select a monster so that we can begin.
Syrus: Okay… I'll choose… Patroid!
A small vehicle-type monster with the shape of a police car appears next to Syrus.
Nesbitt: A puny Deckmaster for a puny duelist. As my Deckmaster, I think I'll pick one of my most advanced war machines… Barrel Dragon!
An enormous mechanical dragon appears behind Nesbitt. Laser cannons assemble on its head and on each of its arms, for a total of three cannons.
Syrus (to himself): Oh, man. That's not good. Okay, everything will be just fine…
Nesbitt: That's where you're wrong. My machines of destruction will tear you apart.
Syrus/Nesbitt: Let's duel!
Syrus LP 4000
Nesbitt LP 4000
Syrus: I guess I'll go first, if you don't mind (Draws).
Nesbitt: Wait a moment… Well, this is just not an appropriate place for a war. What do you say we change the battlefield?
Nesbitt snaps his fingers, causing the entire pier to rumble. Suddenly, the wooden walls are torn down and replaced by new metallic walls. The floor also changes to metal and wires begin covering the walls, as the entire pier is suddenly turned into a naval base. Weapons and missiles can be seen everywhere.
Syrus: What's… going on?
Nesbitt: Welcome to my Technology Research Lab, back when I was working for Seto Kaiba. This is where I designed most of my machines that brought this company to prosperity.
Syrus: But why?
Nesbitt: Let's just say it was appropriate for us to duel in a place that reminds us of how superior machines are.
Syrus: Anyway, I think I'll start by summoning my Gyroid in defense mode (DEF/1000). Then I'll place one card face down. That's all, for now.
Nesbitt: Is this some kind of joke? Let me show you the true power of machines (Draws). I summon Yellow Gadget to the field (ATK/1200). Now for its special ability, it lets me take Green Gadget from my deck and add it to my hand.
Syrus: Nice effort, but my Gyroid also has a special ability of its own. You can't destroy him in battle, so he's not going anywhere.
Nesbitt: I'm aware of that, which is why I now activate my Deckmaster's special ability.
Syrus: What special ability?
Nesbitt: Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot to mention this small technicality. My Barrel Dragon comes with its very own special ability and so does your Patroid, but you'll have to figure that out on your own. Now, since your Gyroid can't be destroyed in battle, I'll do this instead.
Nesbitt grabs Green Gadget from his hand and tosses it to his graveyard. In response, Barrel Dragon shoots a laser beam from one of its cannons, destroying Gyroid completely and leaving Syrus unprotected.
Nesbitt: As you can see, my Barrel Dragon can destroy one monster on your side of the field, as long as I discard one machine from my hand first. My Green Gadget will have to do. Now you're wide open for a direct attack. Yellow Gadget, attack!
Syrus: I still have this… go, Life Force! Thanks to this trap card, I can negate your attack, as long as I pay 400 life points, that is.
Syrus LP 3600
Nesbitt LP 4000
Nesbitt: That changes nothing. You still have to pay the price for the life points you just lost.
Syrus (confused): What do you mean?
Suddenly, the floor under Syrus is charged with electricity and a magnetic force begins to pull him down to the ground. Syrus makes a big effort to remain standing.
Syrus (painfully): What's happening? I feel like the floor is pulling me down…
Nesbitt: One more rule to this battlefield of ours. Whenever your life points go down, a gravitational force will begin to pull you towards the ground, making you feel as if your body were being crushed. The lower your life points are, the stronger the pull becomes and the more pain you feel.
Syrus: No way. This is insane. Why am I feeling real pain?
Nesbitt: This is a real battle, Mr. Truesdale. As the commander of your army of little toys, you'll feel their pain as well.
Syrus: Don't celebrate just yet. This duel is still on.
Nesbitt: That might be, but how long do you think you can remain standing?
Syrus: Here goes (Draws). I summon Submarineroid in attack mode (ATK/800)! As for his special ability, he can attack you directly.
Submarineroid dives into the metallic floor and launches a subterranean missile, bypassing Yellow Gadget and attacking Nesbitt directly with a small explosion. Afterwards, a magnetic force begins pulling Nesbitt under his feet. He seems bothered but doesn't budge.
Syrus LP 3600
Nesbitt LP 3200
Syrus: After attacking, Submarineroid switches to defense mode (DEF/1800). Then I place two cards face down and that's all for now. What do you think, huh? How does it feel?
Nesbitt: I admit the pressure is excruciating, but it's nothing compared to what you're feeling. After all, I'm a full-grown man, while you're just a weak little boy. Your body will give in long before mine does.
Syrus: As if. I plan on beating you before that happens.
Nesbitt: Is that so? Then let's see how much more damage you can take before you fall (Draws). I think it's time to activate my Deckmaster's special ability once more to destroy your Life Force trap card.
Syrus: What? But how? I thought your Barrel Dragon could only destroy monsters.
Nesbitt: You thought wrong. Take a closer look… My Barrel Dragon possesses three different laser cannons. By discarding one trap card from my hand, I activate my Deckmaster's second cannon to destroy one face-up spell or trap card on your side of the field.
Nesbitt discards a trap card to the graveyard and Barrel Dragon once again shoot a beam from the second of its cannons, destroying Syrus' Life Force.
Nesbitt: Fortunately for you, I can only use one of the laser cannons once per turn.
Syrus: Then how am I supposed to defeat you when you can wipe out my field every turn?
Nesbitt: Simple, you're not. Your toys can't stand up to my machines and I'm about to prove it. I summon my Boot-Up Soldier – Dread Dynamo to the field (ATK/ 0).
Syrus: Your monster doesn't have a single attack point.
Nesbitt: You better look more closely. Since there's a Gadget monster on my side of the field, my Boot-Up Soldier gains an additional 2000 attack points (ATK/2000). Now, attack his Submarineroid at once.
Syrus: Hold on. Before that, I activate my face down card, Supercharge! This trap lets me draw two cards whenever one of my monsters is attacked (Draws).
Nesbitt: You'll need them. Boot-Up Soldier and Yellow Gadget, attack him now!
Boot-Up Soldier runs up to Submarineroid and destroys it with its enormous hand. Yellow Gadget then attacks Syrus, knocking him backwards.
Syrus LP 2400
Nesbitt LP 3200
The gravitational pull increases as his life points decrease, pushing Syrus even more to the ground. He makes an even greater effort to fight it.
Nesbitt: Well, you do seem to have a lot of determination. Tell me, why are you fighting?
Syrus (painfully): For my friends, but also for myself. I need to prove to myself that I'm ready to be on my own, instead of being overshadowed by my big brother. That's something you'd never understand.
Nesbitt: How noble of you. But these are exactly the reasons why you're going to lose this duel.
Syrus: Oh, yeah? And why is that?
Nesbitt: In order to win, you need a true purpose in life that pushes you forward. For example, someone with my talents for developing advanced weaponry shouldn't be trapped in this world. Don't you see? Once I escape in your body I'll be able to fulfill my destiny.
Syrus: So that you can create more weapons of war? Forget it.
Nesbitt: Look around you. This weapon factory where we are dueling is just a reflection of how the real world looks like. Imminent wars are coming our way and only the strongest will survive.
Syrus: The world is not how you think it is. And I'm not going to let you create any more machines.
Nesbitt: Nice speech, kid. Let's see you try and stop me.
Syrus: Are you done?
Nesbitt: Almost. I place one card face down and end my turn.
Syrus (thinking): "Okay, things aren't looking so good, but I think I can get though this. If only Jaden were here, I'm pretty sure he'd know what to do."
Nesbitt: If you're going to look at your cards all day, you might as well just give up.
Syrus: I'm not done yet (Draws). I summon Steamroid in attack mode (ATK/1800).
Nesbitt: That's a pretty strong toy car you got there. Too bad it won't help you.
Syrus: I wouldn't be so sure of that. See? My "toys", as you call them, come with special abilities that make them powerful. Maybe you should think twice before underestimating them.
Nesbitt: Is that so? Then why don't you show me what they can do?
Syrus: With pleasure. Since you can easily replace your Yellow Gadget with another one, I'll do this instead. Steamroid, turn his Boot-Up Soldier into scrap metal! Oh, and did I mention that my Steamroid gets an extra 500 attack points when he's attacking (ATK/2300)?
Steamroid rams into Boot-Up Soldier like a powerful train. The gravitational pull affects Nesbitt once again as his life points decrease.
Syrus: And that's all for now.
Meanwhile, another one of Jaden's friends, Tyranno Hassleberry, wakes up on another side of the Virtual World. As he slowly begins to regain consciousness, he notices many trees surrounding him.
Tyranno: Is this a forest? What in the world am I doing here? Jaden?
Tyranno is already on his feet, contemplating the vast forest surrounding him. He suddenly feels a very sharp pain in his head and grabs it with his hand in response.
Tyranno: Oh, man! Why does my head hurt so much? Huh?
He sees an egg, as big as his own head, just floating a few feet ahead. Tyranno runs towards it and grabs it with both hands and with a weird look on his face.
Tyranno: I've seen this egg somewhere before. Now where have I…
Before he can finish his sentence, the egg begins to hatch. A few pieces of its shell fall to the ground, revealing a baby dinosaur with small spikes on its head.
Tyranno: Is that… Babycerasaurus? Hey, little guy… I don't suppose you know where we are, right?
Babycerasurus suddenly jumps off Tyranno's arms and begins to run away from him. Tyranno looks worried and begins to chase after it.
Tyranno: Hey! Wait up, little fella! Where are you going?
While re runs after the baby dinosaur through the forest, the duel at Nesbitt's Technology Research Lab, which was previously a pier, continues. Nesbitt recovers from the damage dealt by Syrus' Steamroid.
Syrus LP 2400
Nesbitt LP 2900
Syrus: How do you like that?
Nesbitt: Not bad at all. Don't worry. Once I defeat you, I'll make sure to put your body to good use. On with the duel (Draws). You should've destroyed my Yellow Gadget when you had the chance. Now I'll sacrifice him in order to summon a powerful war machine known as Ancient Gear Gadgiltron Chimera (ATK/2300)!
Yellow Gadget disassembles into many mechanical pieces and a giant mechanical monster with several heads appears in its place. The pieces that once formed Yellow Gadget reassemble together as part of the newly formed Ancient Gear Gadgiltron Chimera.
Syrus: What is that thing?
Nesbitt: Meet my Chimera, the machine that will destroy you. Now, I've noticed that you have a face down card which you haven't activated yet.
Syrus: What's your point?
Nesbitt: The point is that I can't risk letting you use that face down against my Chimera. Fortunately, my Deckmaster still has a third cannon which activates by discarding one spell card from my hand. This allows me to destroy one face down spell or trap card on your side of the field. Barrel Dragon! Activate your third cannon and destroy his last face down card!
Barrel Dragon charges its third cannon and shoots a laser beam towards Syrus' face down card, destroying it completely. However, a dome-like structure appears in its place, much to Nesbitt's surprise. He looks even more surprised when he sees Syrus smiling.
Nesbitt: What in the world is that? What did you do?
Syrus (smiling): It's not what I did, but what you did. The card you just destroyed was Wonder Garage and it lets me summon a monster from my hand as soon as it's destroyed.
Nesbitt: Impossible! You tricked me!
Syrus: Since your Deckmaster can destroy cards I have on the field, I thought I could take advantage of that by playing Wonder Garage. Now, for its effect, meet Decoyroid (DEF/500). As long as Decoyroid is on the field, you can attack only him, so my Steamroid and my life points are safe.
Nesbitt: Negative. Your Steamroid might be spared, but your life points won't.
Chimera charges towards Decoyroid and destroys it. Surprisingly, Syrus loses more life points and feels an even stronger force pulling him to the ground.
Syrus LP 1700
Nesbitt LP 2900
Nesbitt: By the way, depending on what type of Gadget I sacrificed, Chimera gains a special ability of its own. Since Yellow Gadget was the one I sacrificed, Chimera gains the ability to deal 700 points of damage to you whenever it destroys one of your monsters.
He can't hold on any longer and falls flat on the floor. Syrus seems to be in pain as he struggles to barely even move, unable to stand up.
Nesbitt: It seems this war will end in my victory. How can you win a war when you can't even remain standing?
A few miles away, while Syrus struggles, Jaden is seen approaching from afar. Though still far away, he can see the pier as a tiny structure in the distance. With Air Hummingbird pointing at it, Jaden knows that is where he's supposed to go.
Jaden (screaming): SYRUS!
To be continued…
CARD OF THE DAY:
Ancient Gear Gadgiltron Chimera
Earth, Level 6
[Machine/Effect
If you Tribute Summon this card by Tributing one of the following monsters, this card gets the appropriate effect: ● Green Gadget: This card gains 300 ATK. ● Red Gadget: If this card successfully attacks your opponent directly, inflict 500 damage to your opponent. ● Yellow Gadget: If this card destroys your opponent's monster by battle, inflict 700 damage to your opponent.
ATK/2300 DEF/1300