Hello once again everyone! Well, this week has been a mostly quiet one, other than I've been doing some testing for work. It's been cool and all, but it seems more tedious than programming, but oh well. Ah yes, good news on the grandpa front. He was moved to the skilled nursing home near where him and my grandmother live. It's like only 5 minutes away from their home, which is awesome for my grandmother. She has no more long trips for a while at the least. It's still nearly an hour from me, but that's cool. Better than an hour and a half or more, lol. But he's doing well, and can stay for 20 days thanks to Medicare. There is a possibility that after the 20 days are up he can go back to the rehab facility for more therapy, but only if he shows improvement. Hopefully he will show some. Still, eh, I'm half and half on him going back. I want to see him get better and become more independent like he once was, but at the same time, I know he wants to go home too. I'm kind of tore on the idea both ways. (/sighs\) It's such a tough call too. I guess in 20 days time, we'll find out what the deal is.
Hmm, I also got some writing done in the last day or so. I'm nearly done with the last duel I had to write. I'm like a turn or two from finishing. Once I finish it up, that should be it for this story, and it can stay permanently on a 3 chapter posting a week. I've also gotten a few more ideas for characters for my next story, Another, the Inuyasha fic. Finally, I've decided to do another one-shot or two also on some other songs I found that I had strong visions on for Inuyasha, and possibly a Fullmetal Alchemist one.
Last time, the Sacred Beast Cards were stolen by the mysterious stranger, who has begun terrorizing the students with Shadow Games. Syrus and Hasselberry appear to be the next victims with them now facing two Sacred Beasts. Can the pair survive this duel, or will the end result be the same as the others?
Happy day, it's time once more for reviews!
Isis the Sphinx: LOL! Hmm, you think Syrus and Hasselberry are toast, eh? Well, we'll see. They could pull an upset win! Or probably not, lol. Thanks for the comments.
Ultimate Legendary Master: Yep, two Sacred Beasts already. Heh, I'm not sure Syrus and Hasselberry can get out of it, lol. They could pull it off though. Never know… Thanks for the comments.
Knives91: Lol, yes, big trouble. I don't think rocket launchers will work though, hehe. Thanks about the chapter. Eh, you never know about Roxas and Namine's names. Thanks again.
pink-kiss-candy: Yep, that's the name. Heh, Gaara nearly disarmed him completely, lol. Ah, you have a crush on him? (/Whispers to Ryon: "Go set them up."\)
ardee: Yes, he stole the Sacred Beasts. Lol, dumbest students, eh, I don't know about that one. But yes, he's a true badass villain. As for defeating the most powerful ones, I think he's just out to prove a point… or to get certain someone's attention maybe. True, it would be cool to see him duel Zane. Will it happen or not, who knows (other than me, hehe)? Eh, his identity is a mystery. It'll be revealed soon… maybe this chapter, or not, lol. Yeah, it is a real shame to not have had a chance to add in the season 3 characters. I really have had a thought about writing another sequel, but I'd rather not. Where I leave this story at the end, it's pretty much over. Besides, Illidan and Marie can't save the world forever, hehe. Ah, I thought you might have been talking about Armityle. Eh, the card isn't that bad, if it has the right combo. As for using it, I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. Thanks about grandpa.
Metal Overlord 2.0: LOL! Yes, that describes things. The fact that this guy is using the Sacred Beasts much better than Kagemaru is one thing I wanted to do. After all, Kagemaru didn't use them very well in his duel with Jaden. He kind of just winged it. Eh, Sy and the soldier may go down, but it's early in the duel yet. They could win… maybe… or not, lol. Wow! You actually figured out where I got the robed figure motif idea! I'm surprised no one else has yet to mention that. Yes, the stranger is dressed like one of Organization 13 members. Hmm, could that mean something about Roxas? That's yet to be determined. Lol, it's a good ramble though. Thanks about the work. Yeah, the holiday chapters were slow, but kind of semi boring, other than showing the figure finally confronted Illidan, and that he's a bit skilled. Yes, this duel is a serious bang. Thanks again for the comments.
x-knight20: Thank you. Yep, two Legendary Demons, aka Sacred Beasts, in a single turn. I know, they are called Legendary Demons in Japan, but I stuck with the American names. Or maybe I'm calling them Sacred Beasts due that no one knows they're true names is Legendary Demons? (/Mischievously smirks.\) Yes, I actually went to the theater to see the Transformers Movie. It was great, although my mate didn't like it. (/Knows she secretly didn't want to go.\) I liked it really well. Heh, so many hilarious moments, plus so many good battle scenes. I got the game to it also for PS2. It rocked!
Thank you everyone for your continuing support and reviews. I'm glad everyone has taken a liking to this duel, even though it's two minor characters battling on with someone seemingly invincible, lol. Ah yes, thank you Raymond Barrett for your PM.
Well, that's all I have for this time around everyone. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and just to give you all a hint, things shall be revealed soon. Enjoy!
Chapter 37
"Not two of them…" Syrus murmured in dismay.
Seeing Syrus faltering, Hasselberry called out "Buck up soldier! Don't let those things scare you!"
"They will do more than scare you in moments." the stranger interjected.
Pulling a card from his hand, he added "I play the spell Heavy Storm, meaning whatever plans you two had on stopping my Sacred Beasts are gone!"
A powerful set of winds blew up, forcing both face down cards to fly into the air and shatter. One was revealed to be Magic Cylinder, and the other was Amber Pitfall.
"Darn it, our monsters are wide open!" Hasselberry blurted out.
Chuckling evilly, the stranger said "It's worse than that. You're about to become very defenseless. It is time I activated these two equip spell cards! I play two copies of Big Bang Shot, which each raise a selected monster's attack points by 400. So, I equip a copy to each of my Sacred Beasts (4000 + 400 4400/4000) (x 2)!"
Both creatures roared loudly once more as their strength increased. Their auras each flared up and began glowing darker and darker as they glared down at Syrus and Hasselberry.
"Ah yes, I forgot the most important part about these spell cards. When equipped, they give my monsters a new ability. When they battle a monster in defense, the difference in my monster's attack points and your monster's defense points are dealt directly to your life points!"
"Trample…" Syrus murmured with a bit of shock.
Laughing manically, the stranger confidently responded with "Exactly! Hamon, attack Mr. Truesdale's monster with Raining Lightning!"
Roaring loudly, the dull gold creature began glowing with white electrical energy. Turning it's head towards the face down card image, the creature opened it's jaws, revealing lightning crackling full of energy within them. In a single motion, a streak of lightning went flying out of it's jaws and began racing across the field at high speed. The blast struck the face down card image, forcing it to reveal the combination robot once more. The robot let out a loud mechanical scream before it exploded into millions of pieces. The remainder of the blast continued on after boring through the robot and struck Syrus, who instantly cried out in pain as he sank to one knee, panting hard.
While he sat on his knee, small wisps of white energy seemed to slowly rise out of his back, making him shudder. He began panting harder than before, as if he had begun feeling even weaker than before.
"What are you doing to him!?" Hasselberry demanded in a gruff voice.
Chuckling darkly, the stranger replied "Taking what is mine. As we lose life points, we lose portions of our souls and the Sacred Beasts absorb it. Of course, if you win, your soul will be made whole once more, but only when you win."
Sneering, the stranger added "Ah yes, that reminds me that when Hamon attacks and destroys a monster in battle, his effect activates and you lose an additional 1000 life points!"
Bolts of lightning instantly began raining down onto Syrus, who only screamed out in pain once more before he fell completely flat onto the ground. His body instantly began nervously twitching while laying there. Slowly, the same white misty energy that had come out before began to pour out of his back once more.
"SYUS!" Hasselberry cried out with great concern.
"I wouldn't worry about your friend, for you're next!" the stranger yelled. "Raviel, dig your claws into that stegosaurus. Shimmering Slash!"
The blue creature roared loudly and pulled back it's powerful arm. It's sharp and deadly looking claws began to glow bright white as it made a sweeping motion across the dinosaur. The dinosaur roared out in pain while it was gutted before finally exploding. The massive explosion pushed Hasselberry backwards a few feet. He gritted his teeth and managed to keep from screaming out in pain, but fell to one knee as the blast subsided.
Panting hard, he grimaced when the white energy mist began escaping his body. Gradually, with difficulty, he stood back up fully and tried hard to slow his breathing.
"Sy…" he called out in a raspy voice.
Slowly, Syrus began to stir, and after a moment, began to move his body. With a look of pain, he pushed his body back up onto shaky hands and knees. He was panting heavily, and appeared not capable of standing, but after nearly a minute of resting, he managed to stand at long last.
Holding his side, Syrus said with a wheezing voice "We're not … finished yet."
Laughing at the statement, the stranger mockingly said "You will be soon enough. I place three cards face down. Let's see what the pair of you two can accomplish." (Syrus 2200, Hasselberry 1600; Stranger 5000)
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At the Slifer Dorm, Jaden and his friends were sitting in the recreation room reminiscing over old times with their new friends. Jaden had just told the tale about him facing off with the young girl, Blair, who was in love with Zane. After beating her in a duel, he had found out that the kid was only in grade school.
The gang all laughed at the story's end, where the girl told Jaden she liked him, and would be back for him. Jaden glared at Bastion who had told that part, and was about to start a tale about Bastion when suddenly he felt something and noticed the presence of his Duel Spirit, Winged Kuriboh.
Alexis, Chazz, and Mariah seemed to notice it immediately as well, with each gasping and turning to Jaden, whose eyes were wide.
"It can't be…" he muttered while his Duel Spirit was squawking.
Seeing something was wrong with the four, Bastion asked "What is it guys?"
Standing up and running for the door, Jaden called back "There's a Shadow Game going on, and I sense the Sacred Beasts too!"
While running in the direction of where he sensed the duel and that Winged Kuriboh appeared to be leading him in, he mumbled "And I sense Syrus and Hasselberry are there too."
The others immediately began following, each seemingly knowing danger was near.
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The calming sound of waves crashing against the pier could be heard in the background, and the familiar sight of the light from the lighthouse sweeping over the ocean was a wonderful sight in Zane's eyes.
Standing there, he sighed. "Why haven't I told her how I truly feel? Is it due that I'm afraid of the answer, or is it due that she's still in school?"
Sighing once more, his thoughts were interrupted by a sudden feeling that something evil had appeared. Ever since the year before, when he had a Spirit Key, he had been able to sense something different on a whole other plane of existence. He wasn't sure what it was, but the feeling he had gotten when he sensed things like this always had served him well before.
Glancing off in the direction of the disturbance, he saw darkness seemingly descending towards the Ra Dorm. "Strange…" he mumbled.
Then a feeling of someone he knew being there hit him. The person felt very familiar, and then it clicked.
"SYRUS!" he exclaimed as he ran in the duel's direction.
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"You damn cat, I warned you!" Illidan yelled as he held Pharaoh over a large tub of water by the scruff of his neck.
"No, please, don't do it! It was an accident, I swear!" Banner argued back, trying desperately to grab onto Illidan once more with his paws.
Marie stood behind Illidan with her arms crossed. The pair were in their casual clothes, which they normally wore in the evenings once classes were over. She only glared at the cat, saying "Sure it was! You just happened to accidentally push the door open to the bathroom while I happened to be changing clothes! It's a good thing I was still wearing clothes at least!"
Growling loudly at the thought of Banner peeking at Marie's body infuriated him even more, causing Illidan to evilly say "Bath time kitty!"
"Please, don't!" Banner protested.
Illidan was about to release the cat when suddenly his senses detected something. Stretching out with his Shadow Powers, he quickly realized it was a Shadow Game, and that he could sense the presence of the Sacred Beasts. He also sensed the energy of the stranger he had encountered, making him even more worried.
Something else then came to him. He knew immediately who was facing off with the stranger.
"SYRUS, HASSELBERRY!" he exclaimed in shock as he tossed the cat into the corner.
Marie had sensed it as well, and had her hand covering her mouth. "It can't be…" she softly said with worry covering her face.
Running out of the bathroom, Illidan made it to the door and slipped on his shoes quickly. Marie followed suit, and to their surprise, Banner joined them.
"There is still time to save them!" he called out as he ran out of the house when Illidan opened the door.
Following behind him, Illidan and Marie began running towards the duel.
"If they're facing the Sacred Beasts, this can't be good! Neither has had experience fighting in the Shadow Realm either! We have to hurry!" he called to Marie as he picked up speed.
Marie quickly matched his speed. The three ran hard, hoping they wouldn't be too late for the young students.
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Snickering at the pair before him, the stranger said "You two are pathetic. You'll never defeat me. Soon your souls shall be mine, and I will plunge this world into a new era!"
"You have to beat the two of us to do that!" Hasselberry spat back angrily.
Nodding, Syrus added "And we're not about to let that happen!"
Picking up his next card, Syrus lightly smirked. "Time to pay you back for last turn! I play the spell Monster Reborn, meaning I can bring back a monster. I choose my Drillroid (1600/1600)!"
The purple drill creature with a drill nose, drill hands, and tank tracks for feet reappeared onto the field with a loud drilling noise.
"Next, I play the spell card Power Bond! This card was given to me by my brother, and it's high time I use it correctly! With Power Bond, I can create a Machine Type Fusion monster, so I fuse Drillroid, Steamroid (1800/1800), and Submarineroid (800/1800) together to create Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill (3000/2000)!"
A red and grey locomotive with wheel shaped hands and a face, along with a blue and yellow submarine that carefully held a torpedo in it's hands appeared beside the drill creature. The three suddenly were engulfed in a blinding light and vanished. In their place stood a new creature that was mainly purple with some pink, and had a huge drill bit nose on the front of it's body. It's eyes seemed to swivel a little while they looked about. It had massive tank tracks and a periscope like structure on the top as well.
"Thanks to Power Bond, my monster's attack points are now doubled (3000 2 6000/2000)!"
The purple/pink creature began to glow with white light as it's drill revved up. It glared at the two monsters across the field and seemed to dare them to attack.
"Next up, I play Gyroid (1000/1000) in defense."
A small blue helicopter with landing gear crossed as arms in defense took to the field on top of a horizontal card image.
Chuckling darkly, the stranger said "Big mistake. When you normal summon a monster, Raviel's special ability kicks in, allowing me to special summon a Phantasm Token (1000/1000) to my field, and I'll place it in defense."
A miniature version of the large blue and purple creature instantly appeared on the field with it's arms crossed.
Smirking, Syrus confidently said "I was hoping that would happen."
Curious, the stranger asked "Oh? What makes you think it matters?"
"Because now that token is wide open to an attack!" Syrus declared. "Jumbo Drill, attack that token with Drilling Smash!"
The large purple and pink creature revved up it's large drill and dug into the ground. Slowly, it began tunneling straight towards it's target.
Along the way, Syrus called out "Oh, by the way, something I may have forgotten to mention was my Jumbo Drill has a special ability. It has Trample effect, which means when it strikes that token, this duel is over!"
"Nice move soldier!" Hasselberry congratulated.
Pointing at the token, Syrus called out "Finish this duel Jumbo Drill!"
The drill creature suddenly broke through the top of the ground and began rushing forward towards the small creature. The small monster showed no fear as the drill monster continued on towards it.
Chuckling evilly, the stranger pointed a finger at one of his face down cards, saying "I activate a trap known as Astral Barrier! With this trap, I can redirect your attack from my monster to my life points directly!"
Both Syrus and Hasselberry could only gasp in shock as the small blue and purple creature dodged the drill creature, who was sent charging straight at the stranger.
"But that makes no sense!" exclaimed Syrus.
Laughing, the stranger replied "Of course it does, for I have another trap! I activate Spirit Barrier! Thanks to this, I take zero Battle Damage so long as I have a monster on the field. So, your little attack is pointless."
Syrus only gasped in horror as his drill monster struck a golden barrier surrounding the stranger. At long last, after grinding away on the barrier for a few moments, the creature called it quits and returned to Syrus's field.
"Great, just great. Now we can't attack his monsters, plus we can't do any damage to him! Just perfect!" Syrus said with frustration and a touch of worry.
Seeing Syrus starting to fall apart, Hasselberry encouragingly said "Buck up soldier. It's not over yet. Remember, a duel isn't over till the last card is played. That means we still have a chance, so hang on."
In a low mumble, Syrus said "Yeah…"
"You won't be around much longer anyways Mr. Truesdale." the stranger confidently stated. "Don't forget, Power Bond has a hefty price for using it. You will take damage equal to your monster's original attack points, thus finishing you off. Too bad, I was looking forward to a pummeling you some more."
Smirking at the stranger, Syrus replied "Oh, I'm not finished yet. I activate the spell card Mystik Wok! With this, I can sacrifice a monster on my field and add it's attack or defense points to my life points. I'll go ahead and sacrifice my Jumbo Drill, and add it's attack points to my score."
A large metal pot with a metal stirring rod above it instantly appeared above the field. The drill creature was immediately scooped up into the spoon and thrown into the pot. The pot shook slightly a few time before the creature within vanished.
"To end, I'll place a face down card. That's it…"
Interrupting, the stranger said "Not quite! Don't forget, you now take damage equal to your monster's original attack points due to Power Bond's effect!"
Syrus instantly began glowing with a dark aura and grabbed hold of his sides while screaming out in pain. He immediately sank to his hands and knees panting hard once the aura faded. Small wisps of his soul began to pour out of his back.
"I'll take it you end now?" the stranger mocked. (Syrus 5200, Hasselberry 1600; Stranger 5000)
Growling with anger, Hasselberry drew his next card. Glaring daggers at the stranger, he kindly said to Syrus "Take a break Sy, and let me handle this!"
Returning his attention to the stranger, he snarled out "I start by special summoning my second Gilasaurus (1400/400) to the field."
A new brown raptor dinosaur appeared beside of the face down monster card image.
"Next, I flip summon my face down monster back up, so welcome back Ultimate Tyranno (3000/2200)!"
The large black tyrannosaurus with large black spikes reappeared onto the field, letting out a large roar to make his presence known once more.
"Now I'll summon Archaeopteryx (300/1300) to the field!"
A blue and yellow ancient bird appeared on the field, letting out a loud squawk.
"Foolish move my young friend. Thanks to that, I can special summon another Phantasm Token (1000/1000) thanks to Raviel's effect." the stranger interjected.
Another miniature clone of the blue and purple creature appeared onto the field with it's arms crossed in a defensive stance.
Shrugging it off, Hasselberry replied "Don't matter to me. Time to get another Dino back in my platoon, so I play the spell Ultra Evolution Pill – Revised Formula. With this, I can sacrifice a Winged-Beast Type of monster for a Dinosaur Type. So, farewell Archaeopteryx and hello Super Conductor Tyranno (3300/1400)!"
The bird creature vanished in a small flash of light, only to be replaced by a large green tyrannosaurus, with metal covering parts of his body, mostly it's chest, tail, and part of it's arms. It had some spikes on the top of it's head, and red glowing eyes. It let out a loud roar, showing it meant business.
Chuckling, the stranger said "You're a fool. You can't even attack me with that thing, let alone do any damage."
Shaking his head, Hasselberry retorted "Not quite. You see, my dino has a very special ability. For each monster I sacrifice from our field, I can deal you 1000 points of damage! So, I sacrifice both my other dinos, which means you lose 2000 life points!"
Both the black tyrannosaurus and the brown raptor glowed brightly as the green tyrannosaurus roared loudly. Opening it's jaws, a red glow began to fill them. With a spitting motion, it shot two flaming red fireballs at the stranger, each impacting him heavily. The stranger slightly slid backwards a little bit, but showed no signs of pain.
As with Syrus and Hasselberry, small wisps of energy began to seep out of the strangers back, but again, he seemed to not even show any signs of pain.
"Sy, can I borrow a monster from you?" Hasselberry asked.
Slowly standing back up, Syrus nodded, causing Hasselberry to say "I now sacrifice Gyroid in order to deal you another 1000 points. Go get him boy!"
The small helicopter monster vanished in a display of glitter, causing the green dinosaur to roar loudly. Opening it's jaws once more, a red fireball began to form. With ease, the creature spat the blast out at the stranger, who was hit straight on. Again, he didn't seem to flinch in pain at all, even when wisp like energy began to pour out of his back.
"I place two cards face down. Let's see what you got!" (Syrus 5200, Hasselberry 1600; Stranger 2000)
Darkly chuckling, the stranger said "Before I draw, I activate the trap card Solemn Wishes. This allows me to gain 500 life points each time I draw a card. Now then, where was I?"
Picking up a card, the stranger laughed evilly, saying "I'm very surprised you two managed to hang on this long. Of course, it has been too long! I no longer need these three trap cards!"
"It can't be…" Syrus said in shock.
Laughing evilly again, the stranger yelled "I sacrifice my three trap cards in order to summon Uria, Lord of Searing Flames (0/0)!
Without warning, a large towering burst of flames went shooting into the air. From the tower of flames came a set of large red wings that had thin skin covering them that appeared to be attached to arms. Slowly, a red snake like body with a grey underbelly appeared from the flames that had many scales. The head of the monster had many spikes, and it had a massive set of sharp teeth. It let out a loud roar, making the ground shake from the power of it.
Staring at the monster with disbelief, Hasselberry slowly said with great fear in his voice "There is no way…"
Still laughing, the stranger said "You fools will soon be finished. I'm sure the two of you have noticed first of all that Uria has zero points. Well, he has a very special ability. For each continuous trap card in my Graveyard, he gains 1000 points. Currently, there are four in there, meaning he gains 4000 points (4000/4000)!"
The snake like dragon creature roared loudly once more as it's strength increased greatly.
"Four!? But how!? You've only played three trap cards so far!" Syrus said with confusion.
Chuckling, the stranger nodded, saying "True, but don't forget, I also discarded two cards earlier. One was a monster as you two saw, and the other was the continuous trap known as Wall of Revealing Light."
Both Syrus and Hasselberry lightly growled in frustration, knowing they hadn't caught this. They then turned their attention to the three powerful monsters glaring down at them.