Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar
The Orichalcos Saga
Fanfic Chapter 225: To Light the Darkest Hour Pt 1: Call to Battle
Episode Basis: A Duel with Dartz Pt 1
Previously on Yu-Gi-Oh! The Seal of Orichalcos showed a scene from Raphael's past, where Dartz took him to his family's gravesites to make him let go of the past and embrace his way. When Guardian Eatos appeared, Raphael played the Seal of Orichalcos setting her ablaze and forming Guardian Deathscythe. Back in reality, Yami was determined to make Raphael see the error of his ways. Using Raphael's Monster Reborn card, he summoned Guardian Eatos and used The Claw of Hermos to form a Goddess Bow which was able to defeat Guardian Deathscythe. Raphael was free from the Seal of Orichalcos and somehow his soul didn't get snatched. But before anybody could breathe a sigh of relief, the building started shaking.
The Doma building was coming apart at the seams. "You have to get out of here!" Raphael shouted.
"You don't have to tell me twice," Tristan said. But as they turned to leave, a fissure formed between them and the elevator which soon after collapsed. "There goes our way out." The chasm got bigger causing everyone to fall back.
"Mr. Kaiba!" Kaiba looked up to see Roland in the helicopter landing on the helipad a level above them.
"Everyone, follow me," Mokuba instructed. He, Tristan (who along with Amara was carrying Joey), Tea, and Kaiba all ran up the stairs and leapt into the rear hatch.
Yami picked up Raphael and started dragging him up the steps. "Just hang on," he said.
"I'll try," the weakened Doma Warrior replied. Yami and Raphael staggered up the stairs. But just before they reached the top, the staircase started to collapse. Raphael threw Yami to safety.
The helipad split open under Roland's feet. "Mister Kaiba, sir, we have to leave!"
"Raphael, grab my hand!" Yami called. Raphael took out a microchip and threw it up to Yami.
"Here," he said. "You're going to need it if you're going to take out Dartz."
"I'm not leaving you!"
"Go while you can!" Then Raphael let go and fell into the chasm.
"RAPHAEL!"
"Mister Kaiba, we have to go now," Roland insisted. The rotors started up as Kaiba leapt onto the rear ramp. The ramp hovered around to Yami's ledge.
"Pharaoh, jump!" Tea called. Pharaoh leapt on just as the ledge he was standing on collapsed. As the helicopter pulled away the rest of the building fell away, being replaced by a new building, a blood-red building with horns and as Tea put it, "Some kind of ancient temple."
"Looks like Dartz's showing his true colors," Kaiba critiqued.
Yami looked at the object Raphael had gave him and handed it to Kaiba. "Kaiba, take a look at this."
"What is it?"
"It's some kind of microchip. Raphael gave it to me just before he fell." Kaiba inserted it into his PDA. A topographical map appeared with a red dot fixed towards the center of a screen.
"It's a map," Kaiba identified.
"To where?" Mokuba asked.
"Straight to Dartz's lair, no doubt," Yami guessed.Kaiba tossed the PDA to a freaked-out Roland, "Here, follow it."
"Sir, we have a problem," the pilot announced. Everyone stared out a window to see another helicopter, this one equipped with rockets and machine guns. More choppers surrounded the Kaiba Corp. one.
"Great, does Dartz have his own air force now?" Tristan asked.
Amara looked at Mokuba. "What did you do now?"
Mokuba scratched the back of his head and put on an embarrassed look, "Well earlier we kind of escaped from some fighter jets so…"
"Oyvey," Amara sighed. "You Kaibas like living life on the edge, don't you?"
The pilot noticed something. "Sir, they want us to follow them," he told Kaiba.
"To where?" Mokuba asked.
"Don't know but it doesn't look like we have much of a choice." The Kaiba Corp. chopper and its escort flew low. They noticed a dark cloud approaching them. Tristan recoiled as a piece of the cloud hit him in the face. Kaiba reached out and grabbed a piece of the cloud, studying his catch in his hand.
It was a locust.
The kids looked bewildered as the insect.
"Hey slow down!"
"Yeah, where'd you learn how to drive?"
"Hey don't make me throw you two in the trailer." The Hawkins trailer was rushing down the street. Duke, Kevin, and Rebecca were all crunched up in the front. Suddenly Duke slammed on the breaks causing Rebecca and Kevin to fall over each other.
"I said slow down, not stop," Rebecca said disentangling herself from underneath Kevin's arm.
"Couldn't be helped," Duke said. "Take a look." The two younger kids looked and saw an Orichalcos Soldier up ahead.
"Uh… I change my mind," Rebecca said. "Gun it, Duke!"
"Yes, ma'am." But as Duke backed up, more Orichalcos Soldiers appeared out of alleyways. "Oh crap!"
"Looks like it's time for Plan B," Rebecca said grabbing her Duel Disk and hopping out.
"What's Plan B?" Kevin asked as he got out with her.
"Stand and fight!" The two stood back to back, Duel Disks at the ready.
"Uh… Rebecca," Kevin said. "If… if we don't come through this, I just wanted to say…"
"Save it, bucko," Rebecca interrupted. "I'll have no more of depressing thoughts from you. Yugi wouldn't give up when facing a challenge and neither will I!"
Kevin nodded, "Yeah."
"Return home, my Orichalcos Soldiers," Dartz commanded. "It's time to begin the next phase of the battle."
All over the world, Orichalcos Soldiers transformed into beams of light and soared into the air.
Meanwhile, the Kaiba Corp. chopper was escorted to an aircraft carrier in the ocean. Once touched down, the helicopter was refueled while the passengers met with the Captain. "I apologize for the way in which you were brought here," he began. "But we tracked you down because we need your help in dealing with a world-wide threat. As crazy as it sounds, we think our only hope lies in a card game."
"You're right," Yami agreed. "Somebody is using the game of Duel Monsters to wipe us out."
"Precisely; so who better to call in than the Duel Monsters experts."
"So in other words, you want us to do your job," Kaiba translated.
"Like I say, you can't trust authorities for anything."
"Amara," Tea hissed.
"No, your friend is right," the Captain agrees. "As much as I would love to take Dartz out myself, his political influence is too powerful and too vast. Our hands are tied but yours are not. Please, we need your help." Everyone looked out the bow of the aircraft carrier to see an island in the distance.
"Fine," Kaiba grumped. "But understand this; I'm only doing it to save my company."
"That may be true, but if you beat him, you'll be saving more than just your company." The aircraft carrier rocked as they approached what looked like a tornado. "I'm sorry, but this is as far as we can take you safely. The rest is up to you, good luck."
The helicopter powered up and took off. But flying wasn't easy. The winds were so fierce that they rocked the helicopter causing everyone but Kaiba to fall over. "We should've been there by now," Kaiba said to the pilot.
"I'm sorry, sir," the pilot replied. "It's the weather, we can't get any closer."
"Everyone, stay calm," Yami instructed. "Dartz wants us to reach him." Eventually the winds calmed down and the helicopter approached an island with a temple set at the peak of a mountain. The helicopter landed and everyone got out. The large doors at the front of the temple parted allowing access to a darkened hallway. "There's no turning back now," Yami said.
"Let's go," Kaiba added. As the group entered the temple, they were quickly immersed in darkness.
"I wish we had some light so we could see where we're going," Tristan said. The white orb quickly flew to the forefront of the group and lit up the hallway. "Cool," Tristan commented and turned to Yami. "I don't suppose it can produce drinks too?"
The hallway was covered with depictions of snakes or serpents. "I'm not a big fan of the snake motif," Tea critiqued.
"Can't you geeks just wait outside?" Kaiba asked.
"We need to stick together," Yami said.
They were rapidly running out of hallway and soon they arrived at what seemed to be the main chamber.
Tea's scream prompted everybody to look at her. Her face was as white as a ghost and she was pointing to something in the corner. Amara and the boys followed her glance and their faces went white too upon seeing Harold's body slumped against the wall next to the Doma Warrior Jonah. Yami went to check on him as Tea staggered, "Is… is he… is he…"
Yami leaned in to listen for breathing and check for a pulse. When he looked up, he shook his head. "He's gone."
Tea sunk to her knees. "No… Harold can't be…"
Tristan lowered his head morosely when he noticed the walls. "Hey, what's with all the people chiseled in stone?"
Amara pointed to the far wall. "They're not just any people, look!"
On the far wall was Mai, and Weevil, and Pegasus, and Valon and Alister. And…
"YUGI!" Yami cried. He started to run towards Yugi's edifice.
"A shame your friends turned out to be such stiffs," a voice joked. Dartz appeared in a flash of light. "Greetings, gentlemen," he said to Yami and Kaiba. "Welcome to my temple. Due to the carelessness of my employees, I am the only one left."
"I want my company back so can the small talk," Kaiba said making a fist.
"I'm sorry but I'm afraid your company… or what's left of it… is now part of my company! Oh, don't sound so glum, we all want things. Take me for instance, I want your souls. I even have a place picked out for them." Two stone slabs next to Yugi were cleared.
"Your party tricks don't scare me," Kaiba said defiantly.
"Now release our friends," Yami commanded.
"Even if I wanted to, it's just not possible. You see they're already being put to use, supplying life energy to the most powerful beast that ever lived. My ten thousand year old collection is almost complete. Once I get you two, the Great Beast will rise."
"If you've been collecting souls for all these years," Yami said, a look of horror and disgust on his face, "How many lives have you destroyed?"
"Millions!" Dartz replied rather proudly. "Take a look." The entire room lit up revealing wall-to-wall soul plaques. They were even on the floor.
"Check it out," Tea said noting the Civil War uniform on one of Dartz's victims. "Some of these outfits are really ancient."
"Since it's taken me ten millennia to complete, it's quite the history lesson."
"It's junk," Kaiba said dismissively.
"Then duel me and I'll make a believer out of you yet."
"Now you're talking, let's stop talking and start dueling."
"Not alone, you're not," Yami said stepping up besides Kaiba. "This lunatic is far too dangerous to face by yourself."
"Then join him," Dartz suggested. "And together I'll get two souls for the price of one!" A Dark Duel Disk appeared on his arm.
Yami and Kaiba both activated their Duel Disks. "Ready, Kaiba?"
"I'm way ahead of you." They inserted their decks in synch.
"Duel!"
(K: 4000)
(Y: 4000)
(D: 4000)
Raphael placed Valon's prone body into the back seat of a jeep besides Mai's. He thought back on how he was rescued.
Raphael was falling, he tried reaching out for anything that was anchored down. Suddenly he felt someone's hands catch him. He looked up to see Guardian Eatos easing him to the ground right by Mai's body.
"Eatos," he mused. "You saved me again, didn't you? Thank you." He looked around and spotted a jeep. He hotwired it and threw Mai into the backseat.
"Just hold on, you two," Raphael said to Valon and Mai. "I'll rescue you very soon. And Dartz is going to pay."
"Let the games commence," Dartz said drawing five cards.
Kaiba drew a sixth. "I'll begin, I play White Dragon Ritual now by discarding Vorse Raider from my hand, I can summon Paladin of White Dragon. But I'm not done there, next I sacrifice my Paladin in order to summon Blue-Eyes White Dragon.' Kaiba's trademark dragon appeared and stared Dartz down. "As much as I would love to waste you with my Blue-Eyes, I can't attack on my first turn so I'll end it there and let my partner take over." Kaiba decided that having Yugi was a necessary evil if it meant getting his company back.
"Don't mind if I do," Yami said drawing his sixth card with just as much gusto as Kaiba. "I play Black Luster Ritual. Now by sending my Valkyrion straight to the graveyard…" The giant monster appeared before descending into the ground. "I can summon Black Luster Soldier (1)!" A blue armored warrior carrying a sword appeared. Yami also played a card face-down. "There, now you have two monsters each with 3000 attack points to worry about."
"Dartz better watch out," Mokuba cracked.
"Those pitiful creatures may work in your little card tournaments but I play by different rules." He held up his sixth card. "Behold a power born from the very darkness itself!"
"Oh no!" Kaiba gasped.
"Oh yeah," Yami confirmed.
"I play the Seal of Orichalcos!" Immediately all the torches except for the two behind Dartz flickered out. The ground around the Duelists started to glow.
"Does anyone feel that?" Mokuba asked.
"If you mean the sudden drop in temperature and the freaky vibe in the air, yeah I do."
The seal formed. Unlike the others, the seal didn't appear on Dartz's forehead though his eyes did take on a red tint. "That's better," Dartz said. "Now let's get on with it, I summon Orichalcos Gigas in defense mode."
"I've faced this monster once before," Yami said. "And it was almost impossible to defeat."
"That's because you didn't have me to bail you out," Kaiba said.
"Next I pay 500 life points to summon another monster, Orichalcos Kyutora (2)! I think I'll leave it at that."
(K: 4000)
(Y: 4000)
(D: 3500)
Kaiba drew a new card and laughed, "And to think, I actually believed I was up against a talented Duelist, but after seeing that opening move, I can see I was mistaken! You left two weak monsters on the field with no protection and now I'm about to blow them both away! I am president of the world's largest gaming corporation, you should've thought twice about challenging me! I play Polymerization and fuse the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on the field with two more in my hand to form the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon (3)!" Kaiba's three-headed dragon breathed smoke out its noses. Kaiba turned to Yami, "If you're a true Duelist, you'll have the right card," he said.
Yami drew his card and nodded to Kaiba. He turned to Dartz saying, "This is it, you won't withstand the combined power of our dueling decks! I play Polymerization to fuse Kaiba's Ultimate Dragon with my Black Luster Soldier to form… the Master of Dragon Soldier (4)!" The Black Luster Soldier was riding on top of Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.
"Talk about the dream team," Mokuba cheered.
"Next I reveal my trap card Meteorain. Now, when our monster attacks the difference between this monster's attack points and our opponent's defense points get taken out of your life points."
"If I'm doing my math correctly, that's more than 3500 attack points damage," Tea said happily.
"Master of Dragon Soldier, attack Orichalcos Gigas," Yami commanded. "Your twisted game is done!"
"Finish this duel," Kaiba added.
"SABER BLAST!" The two finished together. Energy poured out of all three dragons' mouths as well as the soldier's sword. Orichalcos Gigas was obliterated.
"It's over!" Tea cried happily.
But Dartz's laugh said otherwise. "Such a valiant effort but your attack was in vain." The seal started pulsating and in a flash of light, all three of them were outside the temple, floating in deep space.
"Take us back," Kaiba commanded.
"You never left, this is a vision generated by the Orichalcos. It's how the seal communicates, showing us visions of what once was, and what shall be."
"What are you trying to prove with all this?" Yami asked.
"Human beings have always been filled with darkness. When a corrupt individual comes across the Orichalcos, it releases the darkness inside. Thousands of years ago I came upon this power and it opened my eyes."
"You mean it corrupted your mind," Yami said.
"You shut yourself off from the truth just as my people did thousands of years ago." In a flash of light, the three were hovering over a strange city. "This is the legendary city of Atlantis, a city that I ruled over, and a city that I destroyed with my bear hands!" He stared down at the city with an almost nostalgic look. "Atlantis was a city of great beauty… but it was destined for destruction… at my own hands!" Yami and Kaiba gasped.
To Be Continued
Duel Monster Database
(1)
Name: Black Luster Soldier
Level: 8
Type: Warrior/Ritual
Attribute: Earth
ATK: 3000
DEF: 2800
(2)
Name: Orichalcos Kyutora
Level: 3
Type: Fiend/Effect
Attribute: Dark
ATK: 500
DEF: 500
(3)
Name: Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon
Level: 12
Type: Dragon/Fusion
Attribute: Light
ATK: 4500
DEF: 3800
(4)
Name: Master of Dragon Soldier
Level: 12
Type: Dragon/Fusion/Effect
Attribute: Light
ATK: 5000
DEF: 5000
A/N: It's official, Yu-Gi-Oh! Avatar is now longer than the actual series. The canon series had over 224 episodes, and we're now on episode 225. Party hats for all!