Hey there everyone! This weekend was pretty cool. I went up to see my grandfather, who is doing so much better. They took him off the ventilator, but put him on a trake (I can't spell it. The tube that goes in your neck) temporarily. He's possibly off of it by now, but I'm unsure due that I forgot to call my grandmother last night… Anyways, he looked a lot better, and he was opening his eyes a bit. He knew who was there, and answered questions with nods. Plus, he has movement in his left leg now, which is excellent since the doctors weren't sure if he'd ever regain use in it. All that is left now is his left arm, but that will come in time we hope. They were preparing to move him from ICU (intensive care unit) down to a step down room, and then from there, if possible, my grandmother is going to move him closer to home for rehabilitation. I'm so happy to see him doing much better, and he is definitely recognizing things, answering questions, and such.
Alright, moving on. Last time, Illidan had a nightmare/memory, but who is this person he had it of, and why now? And the duel between Illidan and Crowler is heating up, with Illidan seemingly trying to wrestle control away, only to have Crowler battle back. Can Illidan manage to hang on, or is Crowler too much for Illidan to handle?
Time for my favorite part of the morning! It is once again review time!
Very Swampeh: It's alright. He's doing much better, thankfully. Yeah, it's somewhat hard, but I've managed. At the rate he's moving, hopefully when it's all said and done, he will fully recovered. He's showing good signs that he will. Yes, the Dorm Wars did come from the House competitions. It's all good about missing the chapter. Yes, it's going to be entertaining. Lol, yes, Crowler's duels have always been interesting. Heh, we'll see about Illidan winning though.
Ultimate Legendary Master: Thanks, and yep, a cliffy, hehe. Heh, it would have been alright to guess. No one else did, well, other than Isis originally, lol. Afterwards, everyone knew, lol.
Isis the Sphinx: Lol, yes, Crowler seems to have short term memory. Possibly he should be reminded. Yeah, no one else got the answer to the question till after the fact, lol. I was somewhat surprised myself, hehe. Yeah, I'm glad he's getting better too. I'm sure he can't wait to get out of there also.
Metal Overlord 2.0: Heh, well, you get to see Crowler and Illidan go at it now, one on one. It's alright about my grandpa. Yeah, he's tough, and I'm sure he'll continue to only get better. Yep, Marie and Izumi had a nice clash, and the duel between Illidan and Crowler should be intense. Eh, I wouldn't count on the new dragon. It came out after I wrote this duel, lol. Plus, you need the gear creatures to even make the thing work right, which sucks. Thanks for the comments.
x-knight20: Thanks. Yeah, grandpa is slowly recovering. Hopefully, before I know it, he'll be out of the hospital. He's on his way, but it'll just take time.
Thank you everyone for your continuous support of my story, and for the support towards my grandfather. It means the world to me. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart for it.
Ok, here is a quick update on my writings. I'm still finishing up on the end of this story, but it looks like it might be another week or so, pending on how hard I work at it. I can't get in the mood to write at home, so I do most of it at work when I have some free time. Still, there isn't much time either, lol. But I'll try and finish up so I can post more chapters a week. Also, my other short stories are on hold till I finish this story up, so I'll maybe put more effort into finishing this story. We'll just have to see.
At any rate, thank you to the new person who has added me to their favs. Feel free to drop a review if you have an opinion or comment on my story. As for everyone else, again, thank you for your continuing reviews. I appreciate all of them. Till next time, enjoy this chapter. Later!
Chapter 23
Crowler snapped his fingers and a die appeared in the air. It began spinning wildly and finally flung itself higher into the air. It soon came crashing down to the ground and rolled for what seemed forever. At long last, it stopped on a three, making Crowler annoyingly laugh.
"It's a three, meaning my Ancient Gear Golem's level is three! Since it's level three, I don't need any sacrifices for it, so without further ado, I summon Ancient Gear Golem (3000/3000)!"
With a simple motion, Crowler slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, causing the large mechanical behemoth to slowly rise out of the ground. Like the previous monstrosity, the creature let out a small mechanical moan as it's single red eye lit up.
"Ancient Gear Golem, grind that mage into dust!"
Another loud mechanical moan was heard as the whirling of gears filled the air also. Pulling back his right arm, the machine launched it's fist forward into the mage, who had a look of surprise on his face as he exploded into millions of pieces.
Laughing at the destruction, Crowler braggingly said "I think that should put you in your place. But to make sure, I activate the spell card Ancient Gear Drill! This card allows me to send one card from my hand to the Graveyard, and now I get to place one spell card from my deck onto the field face down."
A large metal drill like structure appeared onto the field. It slowly began to drill into the ground as Crowler pulled his deck and glanced through it. At long last, he picked a card and placed it in his spell/trap card slot, causing the large drill to vanish.
"I think that one will do. Go ahead and do your worst!" (Illidan 5200, Crowler 5200)
Remaining calm, Illidan drew his next card. After staring at it for a moment, he finally said "I start by summoning my Magician's Valkyrie (1600/1800) in defense."
A young female mage with long chestnut colored hair that reached her mid-back that wore a mostly light blue with some light purple like dress and an odd looking light blue mage's hat appeared onto the field. She held a scepter in her right hand that looked like a ram's horn on the end of a stick that had three green jewels on each side. The scepter itself was a light grey. She took a one kneed stance with her arms crossed.
"Next I'll play the spell card Mirage of Nightmare. During your Standby Phase, I get to draw till I hold four cards in my hand, but during my Standby Phase, I have to toss out the same number of cards I drew. To end, I'll place two cards face down, and that'll do it for me." (Illidan 5200, Crowler 5200)
Sneering at Illidan, Crowler picked up his next card and laughed, saying "You're finished this turn!"
Interrupting, Illidan called out "You'll have to wait to finish that sentence actually. Since it's your Standby Phase, I get to draw four new cards thanks to Mirage of Nightmare."
Grumbling, Crowler smirked once more and arrogantly said "It won't matter! I will begin your destruction by playing a spell card known as Ancient Gear Explosive! Thanks to this little spell card, I get to pick one Ancient Gear creature on my field. I then get to deal you damage equal to half my monster's original attack points to you life points!"
"That means he'll lose 1500 points!" Jaden said aloud in somewhat shock.
Crowler only smirked once more, saying "I pick my Ancient Gear Golem naturally, so Ancient Gear Golem, give him a little surprise!"
A small bomb like device appeared in the large machine's hands. Immediately, the device activated, with small gears grinding away. With ease, the large monstrosity threw the grenade like device at Illidan, which exploded directly in front of him, making him fall to one knee.
Laughing manically, Crowler was quick to say "Just stay down and admit defeat. I'd hate to embarrass you any further than I already have."
Standing easily, Illidan confidently replied "No worries here. Go ahead and attack if you want."
"Wow, Professor Illidan sure is playing calmly." Syrus commented.
Jaden simply nodded, saying "Yeah, it's like he's not losing his cool over what's going on."
"It is quite a talent. Most duelists instantly lose their cool when they're backed into a corner like this." Bastion added.
Nodding, Alexis said "Yeah, but Professor Illidan is in trouble right now. Even though he's got enough life points to pad him for now, he won't survive forever playing defense."
All nodded, hoping that Illidan would find a way to beat Crowler. Marie however looked on with hopeful eyes. "You can do it Illidan. Don't give up yet."
On the field, Crowler chuckled once more, saying "You seem confident you'll survive, don't you?"
"I'm unafraid of your creature. Even if you strike down my mage, I'll survive this round." Illidan calmly replied.
Smirking, Crowler called out "Then let's see you survive this! I activate my face down card, Limiter Removal! This card now doubles my Ancient Gear Golem's attack points for this turn (3000 2 6000/3000)!"
The large mechanical monster let out a loud mechanical groan as all of it's gears came to life, spinning at an incredible speed. The eye of the creature glowed twice as bright as it glared at the young female mage.
"You won't survive this blast! Ancient Gear Golem, attack that mage with Mechanized Melee!"
The gears in the ancient machine creature whirled louder than ever as it pulled it's right arm back. In an instant, it released it's powerful arm at the young female mage, who could do nothing but take the brunt of the assault. She cried out in pain as she finally exploded into pieces, leaving Illidan wide open.
He was struck hard by the large mechanical fist, causing a large explosion with plenty of smoke to appear on the field.
Crowler only laughed, saying "I told you no Slifer Slacker would beat me! That's what you get for being such a …"
Before he could finish, he saw the smoke clearing with Illidan still standing. He was panting hard and hunched over, but still remained standing.
"Fall already!" cried out Crowler.
Slightly smirking, Illidan stood up straight and caught his breath. Pointing at a face down card, he called out "Not yet. I activate my spell card, Emergency Provisions! By sacrificing a spell or trap card on the field, I gain 1000 life points, so I'll send Mirage of Nightmare and a face down card, Magic Cylinder, both to the Graveyard, thus granting me 2000 more life points! That means your assault didn't win the game, just yet."
Infuriated by Illidan's move, Crowler yelled "You should have lost!"
After a moment of loudly growling, Crowler pulled the last card in his hand out and showed it, saying "I activate the spell card Dimension Hole! With this, I can remove my Ancient Gear Golem from the field till my next Standby Phase!"
A small black hole opened up above the field and sucked the large creature in, leaving no sign of the ancient machine creature.
"That's all for now, but in one turn, I will finish you!" (Illidan 1500, Crowler 5200)
Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Bastion said "This is one intense duel."
Nodding in agreement, Syrus added "It's like no matter what, Professor Illidan finds a way to hang on."
"He's hanging on like a pit bull to a steak dinner." Hasselberry commented.
Smiling, Jaden chimed in with "I told you guys this would be sweet. I think Professor Illidan still has a chance!"
"Get a clue you dork. Crowler's monster will be back next turn to finish him off, and then it'll be over." Chazz smartly commented.
"I don't know Chazz. So far, Professor Illidan has found a way to hang with Dr. Crowler. He's not giving any quarter to him." Alexis analyzed.
Marie only smirked at the students' conversation. "I know you won't give up Illidan. Just hang on a little longer. I know you can do this."
"He is in a tough spot. It'll take a miracle for him to escape Crowler's grasp now." Zane silently said to himself.
Back on the field, Illidan glanced at his deck. "It's now or never. I need something here and now to win this duel. Here goes something!"
Pulling a card from his deck, Illidan examined it and smiled. "I summon Magician's Valkyrie (1600/1800) to the field!"
A similar female mage that looked exactly like the mage destroyed the turn before appeared on the field, but this one took an offensive stance with her scepter raised in a fighting position.
"That pathetic creature again? Why bother!?" Crowler questioned.
Smirking, Illidan calmly replied "You'll see. For now though, Magician's Valkyrie, give Dr. Crowler a show! Attack him directly with Misfit Scepter Blast!"
Pointing her staff directly at Crowler, she released a green sphere of energy that rapidly approached him on a collision course.
Before it could hit, Illidan called out as he pointed to his face down card "Before my mage pummels you, I activate a trap card! Go Magician's Circle!"
A large green circle with four yellow like patterns and a question mark like symbol formed on top of an iceberg like structure above the field. It let off a brilliant glow, showing it was truly powerful.
"What is that!?" Crowler frantically asked.
Slightly smirking at Crowler's question, Illidan replied "It's my Magician's Circle."
"I know that! What does it do!?" snapped Crowler.
Lightly chuckling at his confusion, Illidan simply stated "It activates when a Spellcaster type monster attacks. Each of us now get to special summon one Spellcaster type monster from our decks to the field in attack mode so long as it has 2000 or less attack points."
Pulling his deck out, Illidan sorted through is deck till finally he found he card he wanted and slapped it down onto his Duel Disk, declaring "And the mage I want is none other than my good pal Silent Magician LV4 (1000/1000)!"
A small mage dressed in white robes and a blue spandex like material under the robes with pale skin, icy blue eyes, and long silver hair, and held a scepter in his hand appeared on the field.
"So, what Spellcaster you going to pick?" Illidan teasingly questioned.
Growling loudly, Crowler snapped back "I have none!"
Smirking lightly, Illidan replied "What a shame! Oh yeah, don't forget about my Magician's Valkyrie's attack."
As the small floating iceberg vanished, the green sphere that had stopped near Crowler came back to life, flying at a rapid speed towards him. He let out a small shriek as the blast struck him, making him slide backwards a bit.
"Silent Magician, why don't you strut your stuff. Hit him with Silent Scepter Blast!"
Nodding, the smaller mage leapt into the air and released a small white sphere of energy from his staff, which struck Crowler hard, causing him to slide backwards once again. This time, he fell to one knee as he came to a stop.
"I'll end with one card face down." (Illidan 1500, Crowler 2600)
"YOU WON'T MAKE A FOOL OF ME!" snarled Crowler as he angrily drew his card.
Wagging his finger, Illidan calmly stated "I'm not intending to, but there is something important you should know."
"WHAT!?" snapped Crowler.
Softly smirking, Illidan replied "You just triggered my Silent Magician's special ability. Each time you draw a card, he gains a Spell Counter, which also grants him an additional 500 attack points (1000 + 500 1500/1000)."
The small mage softly glowed white as his strength increased.
"NO MATTER!" Crowler angrily replied.
His expression then turned to arrogance, as he declared "Don't forget, during my Standby Phase, my Ancient Gear Golem returns, so come back to me my creature!"
A small black holed formed above the field, and slowly, the large mechanical giant fell from it. It landed solidly on the ground with a huge thud, shaking the entire arena.
"As you noticed, he has retained all 6000 of his attack points. That is due that Limiter Removal's effect didn't get cancelled out before he left. Now I shall use his ultimate power to finish you off! An…"
Pointing to a face down card, Illidan called out "Not so fast Crowler! I activate the trap card Waboku!"
Three female mages dressed in blue robes with strange hoods on their head appeared on the field. They held out their hands, seemingly sending out some kind of strange spell onto the field.
"Thanks to this card, even if our monsters battle, there will be zero damage done, plus the battling monsters won't be destroyed in battle. So go ahead, battle my mages if you wish, but it'll be pointless!"
Growling in frustration, Crowler muttered "I end my turn." (Illidan 1500, Crowler 2600)
"He bought himself another turn, but Professor Illidan can't keep going on like this." Syrus stated.
"It's all good Sy." Jaden calmly replied.
Looking on, Hasselberry said "Sam Hill, there is no way to beat that tin can Serg. Professor Illidan is finished."
"Without a doubt he is. I told you Slackers he wouldn't win." Chazz added with a grumpy tone.
"You guys are wrong. Professor Illidan isn't beat yet. I can see it in his eyes. He won't quit, and he still has a chance, I know it!" Jaden replied with confidence.
On the field, Illidan calmly drew his card and examined it. "This should help."
Looking up, he coolly said "I place once card face down. Next, I switch my Valkyrie to defense."
The female mage shifted from an attacking stance to a one kneed stance with her arms crossed. A hologram card image appeared below her as she took a knee.
"That's it for me." (Illidan 1500, Crowler 2600)
"Good, because you're finished this turn!" gloated Crowler as he drew his card.
Slightly smirking, Illidan called out "Don't forget, each time you draw a card, my mage gets stronger by 500 attack points (1500 + 500 2000/1000)."
The small white mage once again glowed white as his strength increased.
Shrugging it off, Crowler replied "A pointless gesture. And now, to finish this …"
"Not quite! I activate a trap card known as Spellbinding Circle!" Illidan declared.
A large circle, exactly like the one that had been on the iceberg earlier, appeared hovering above the field.
"This trap card will immobilize that Ancient Gear Golem of yours!"
The circle quickly crossed the field and slipped around the large machine creature. Soon enough, it totally ensnared the creature, leaving it struggling against the circle.
"What have you done to my monster!?" huffed Crowler.
Smirking, Illidan coolly stated "I placed my Spellbinding Circle on it. Thanks to that trap card, your monster can't attack or switch it's mode so long as my trap is active."
Infuriated, Crowler bellowed "That's cheating!"
"Feh, that's not cheating. It's called using a trap card." Illidan replied.
Further angered, Crowler growled "I'll place a card face down and end my turn." (Illidan 1500, Crowler 2600)
"Sam hill, he managed to disable that tin can!" exclaimed an excited Hasselberry.
Smiling, Jaden said "I told you guys!"
"Yeah, yeah, you told us he'd win, but all he's done is delay the inevitable." Chazz simply reiterated.
"I wouldn't bet on it. I'd say he has a plan, and I'm sure Dr. Crowler is so infuriated that he won't know what hit him." Jaden simply replied to Chazz.
Back on the field, Illidan drew his card and was about to say something when Crowler called out "Oh Illidan, I have a surprise for you! I activate my trap card, Dust Tornado! Thanks to this trap, I can destroy one spell or trap card on the field, so say goodbye to that trap of yours!"
A large brown tornado appeared on the field and began to circle the large machine creature. Soon enough, the tail of the tornado struck the glowing circle, instantly shattering it, causing Illidan's trap card image to shatter as well.
"My Ancient Gear Golem is free again, and next turn he'll finish you!" boasted Crowler.