Hyper Runners: Duel Legacy
All Character © Respective creators
Chapter Six: Natural Selection, Part 2
The scene opens to the highest point of New Domino City: the Tops. At this time of night, Jack Atlas' personal secretary, Mina Simington, was taking time off for a special surprise. For the past five years, Mina had been competing with Carly Carmine for Jack's affections. The only one that seemed oblivious to the hidden contest was Jack – of course. This time, the blue-haired female was preparing a special dinner for his supposed victory at the title.
"Carly may have won during the interview." Mina murmured to herself, setting the table. "But this time, she's way out of her league. There is no way I am going to lose this easily." As she made a reach for the silverware, the building gave a shudder that forced Mina to the floor. "What was that?!"
With the tower still shaking, Mina cautiously walked towards the window – she managed to catch herself on the curtains. On the farthest side of the city, the Gedo Mazo was easily seen over the cluster of towers and houses. The blue-haired secretary gasped in fright – she recognized the blind statue. She turned to warn Jack, only run directly into his arms. If it wasn't for the fact that they were in possible danger, she would have enjoyed it.
"Mina, what's going on?" Jack questioned.
"It's Akira, sir." Mina said formally. "He's using that card."
"Did he say who he was dueling?" Jack asked hesitantly, watching the Gedo Mazo.
"He did ask for someone's dueling record earlier." Mina said thoughtfully. "I believe it was someone named Marcus Kiva."
"Kiva?" Jack repeated fearfully. "That's Yusei's kid." He quickly made a grab for his coat on the couch on the way out the door. "Mina, I want you to call Yusei and tell him of the danger. Hopefully, he can stop the duel before I get there."
And with that, he slammed the door upon exiting – Mina sighed.
"You win this round, Carly." Mina groaned.
The scene returns to the harbor, where the titanic battle was taking place. Marcus Kiva was riding along the coast behind his rival, Akira "Rev" Seta, with Shadow the Hedgehog on his field (2500/2400). But Rev was at a complete advantage with the Gedo Mazo present on his side of the field (4000/0)
Marcus (3300) – Rev (1200)
"Ok, mind explaining to me why I'll lose my soul?" Marcus asked.
"The Gedo Mazo is not a normal card." Rev informed. "Even to be able to use its powers, I was required to sacrifice nine souls in order for it to obey me. And to this day, the Gedo Mazo's hunger is still not satisfied. It requests the soul of those who lose under his blind gaze. And it is your soul he will feast upon!"
"Yeah, nice try to psych me out!" Marcus laughed amusingly. "But do you expect me to be afraid of a five ton boulder that can't even see? You monster may be as strong as Obelisk, but it can't attack!"
"That's why it comes with a secondary ability." Rev proclaimed, catching Marcus off guard. "When the Gedo Mazo removes a card from the game, and it's a monster, it can take half that monster's attack points and strike you directly!"
The redhead duelist knew what was coming next. As the stone statue ripped open its mouth for a second time, Marcus could see the spiritual outline of Sonic the Rider behind its fangs. The hedgehog spirit shot out of the Gedo Mazo's mouth, riding the Gear that was given to him by Marcus and swooped down to kick at the redhead. For that one instant, Marcus lost control of his Duel Runner – Chaos Control – and nearly drove into the ocean. Fortunately, the marked duelist managed to pull himself back onto the walkway.
Marcus (2550) – Rev (1200)
"Hanging in there?" Rev smirked.
"If you're done now..." Marcus hissed; his shoulder was hurting surprisingly. "It's my turn!" He drew a card, activating the speed counter on both players' Duel Runners. (9-10). "For this turn, I just play one card face down."
"Running scared, are we?" Rev smirked, drawing his third card. (10-11). "Now I activate Gedo Mazo's special ability. I can remove one card from the game. And I choose your Shadow the Hedgehog!"
The stone statue once again ripped its jaws open, releasing a serpent of spiritual energy from the back of its throat. The spirit snake hissed and dived down upon its target, but was sadly disappointed. As the snake made its attack, Shadow suddenly deformed into a sphere of yellow, effortlessly avoiding the spirit snake. Rev gasped in shock while the spirit resumed its place in the Gedo Mazo's mouth. Questions were quickly answered when Marcus removed Shadow's card from his onboard Duel Disk.
"What have you done?" Rev questioned.
"I activated my trap card: Ominous Return!" Marcus proclaimed, revealing a card of a metallic hedgehog standing at the edge of a cliff. "This card allows me to return all my cards on field to my deck and draw until I have six cards."
He did so, activating the automatic shuffler, and drew two cards to make a total of six cards in hand.
"I am to expect you had a reason for this." Rev said.
"That's actually where you come in." Marcus smirked. "You can select one card from my hand, and if it's a monster, I can special summon it to the field!"
"The Gedo Mazo's ability only lasts once per turn." Rev analyzed. "That is an unexpected stroke of genius on your part. Very well, I choose the third card on the left!"
"Perfect..." Marcus smirked victoriously. "Cause I summon Shade the Echidna!"
A peach-colored echidna female with curved dreadlocks appeared on the field. She wore a black form-fitting body suit with light-grey boots (1600/1000).
"With that, I end my turn." Rev declared.
"My draw!" Marcus shouted, drawing his next card (11-12). "And now I place my newest speed spell: Warp Belt!" The card appears, forming two grey circlets of Shade's wrists. "What this does, you'll have to find out for yourself. Now I place two face-downs and call it a turn."
"My turn." Rev said coolly, drawing his fourth card (12-12). "Now I use the Gedo Mazo's ability again!"
Much like the previous battles, the stone statue released the spiritual serpent from its mouth. And just as the serpent had attacked, Shade suddenly evaporated away in a white void. The spirit serpent returned to its place in the Gedo Mazo's mouth just as Shade reappeared in her place.
"Apparently you didn't see my Warp Belt card." Marcus grinned. "This leaves Shade immune to all magic, traps, and monster abilities. Which means she is the perfect defense against your giant rock."
"I end my turn." Rev finished.
"This is perfect." Marcus thought proudly. "As long as I have Shade on the field, I have all the time I need to form a counterattack."
"I don't like this, Marcus." Sonic commented at his side. "Doesn't Rev seem a little calm about the situation?"
Without their notice, both duelists turned at the command of their Duel Runners. They were now racing across the famous Daedalus Bridge, but both riders were too busy in their duel to care.
"He always looks like that." Marcus shrugged before speaking. "Next I activate my face-down: Chaos Emerald #3!" He revealed a card with a white Emerald. "By offering one card from my hand, I can cut down one of you monsters attack points by 1000."
A white beam of light escaped the card and shackled the stone statue by its wrists and neck.
Gedo Mazo – (3000/0)
"And now I activate my other face down: Chaos Emerald #5!" Marcus continued, revealing a red emerald. "By offering one card from my hand, I can double one of my monster's attack points! And I choose Shade!
Shade the Echidna – (3200/1300)
"Go, Shade!" Marcus commanded. "Attack with Leech Blade!"
A black/silver helmet covered the echidna's face as she drew a pair of purple laser blades. Shade jumped into the air and slashed her blade across the blindfolded face. Much to Marcus' surprise, the Gedo Mazo was not destroyed. Instead, the statue warrior roared once more – shaking the bridge – and raised its fist to strike for the echidna. Shade fell backward with a painful cry before disintegrating into light particles.
Marcus (1750) – Rev (1200)
"What the?!" Marcus exclaimed. "What happened?! Why was Shade Destroyed?! And why did my life points drop?!"
After taking better look at the Gedo Mazo, he noticed a faint outline of a person gliding in front of the person in front of the statue. It was Hidan – only he had changed completely. He cloak had been removed to reveal that his skin had turned completely black with white skeleton markings appearing around his body.
"What is Hidan doing here?" Marcus questioned. "He was sacrificed near the start of the game."
"And it is in the graveyard where his special ability activates." Rev explained. "Hidan can remove the effects of one card upon my command. And I chose to destroy Chaos Emerald #3. That returned the Gedo Mazo's attack back to its original state."
Gedo Mazo – (4000/0)
"Of course, this ability is only used once." Rev commented, watching Hidan fade. "And I believe it is still your turn."
"Fine, I'll end it." Marcus declared.
"Very smart." Rev smirked, drawing his fifth card. "You're taking advantage of the fact that Gedo Mazo can't attack. This leaves me no choice but to end my turn here."
"This is bad." Marcus thought. "Those Chaos Emeralds were my one shot at destroying that thing. I don't have a single monster in my deck that can take that thing down."
"You can't just quit!" my screeched, appearing at Marcus' left. "You're Yusei's student. Quitting shouldn't be in your vocabulary!"
"But I don't have anything worthwhile in my hand." Marcus responded.
"That can't be true!" Amy yelled. "There has got to be one card left! Just believe in your deck!"
Despite the fear of the pink hedgehog, the marked duelist could see her point. His deck had always pulled through for him in the past – why wouldn't it happen this time? Taking in a deep breath, Marcus reached to his deck and swiped a card from the top. The spiky redhead was hesitant to look, but when he did, a fresh wave of relief washed over him.
"I can't believe I ever doubted you." Marcus whispered before shouting. "Now I play Chaos Emerald #1" He showed a green emerald. "By discarding one card from my hand, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard! And I summon Shade the Echidna!"
The black-suited echidna appeared on the field (1600/1000).
"And now I summon my Tuner Monster: Chaos Zero!"
The aquatic guardian appeared on the field (1200/1600).
"And now I tune my Chaos Zero with Shade the Echidna!" Marcus declared.
The emerald-eyes beast exploded into a wave of water, which surrounded Shade into a sphere of clear substance. A feint outline of the echidna was seen before disappearing completely into the bubble.
"The cruel ocean waves calm at you presence and soothes the savage soul!" Marcus chanted. "Appear from the depths, Perfect Chaos Dragon!"
The bubble expanded into a serpentine form, giving shape to Marcus' signature monster (2800/1600). For reasons unknown, the Gedo Mazo tightened its fist – a deep crack echoed across the bridge. Even Perfect Chaos was acting peculiar as it hissed dangerously at the blind statue. But Marcus didn't notice this and his raised his final card.
"And this ends, Rev!" Marcus declared. "Because now I play – Perfect Chaos, what are you doing?!"
Without being given a command, the aquatic dragon stabbed forward and bit at the Gedo Mazo's throat. However, the blind statue raised its forearm to block and swiped the aquatic dragon into the river – a large splash was made in its wake. Both riders came to a stop when they realized their monsters weren't following them. The Gedo Mazo ripped a piece of the bridge at Perfect Chaos Dragon, who swiped it away with its tail.
"What's going on here?" Marcus questioned.
"I was hoping you would know." Rev replied. Suddenly a shining light appeared under his shirt. The dark duelist reached down and pulled out his necklace – the brown stone was glowing. "What is going on?"
"You got one, too?" Marcus asked, revealing his blue necklace.
Without their notice, both duelists' eyes turned to the same color as their stones – both felt lightheaded. Back to the monster battle, Perfect Chaos lashed its tail across the water to create a tsunami to tower over the bridge. In return, the Gedo Mazo slammed down its fists and formed a row of mountain spikes in its wake. Unfortunately, Marcus and Rev were in between the battling beasts when it happened. Both duelists were slammed into the guardrails by the harsh wave and lost in the forest of spikes. Then, for no apparent reason, both monsters vanished.
Duel Victor: Undecided
"Ugh...that hurt." Rev hissed, clutching his bleeding forearm. "Kiva...Kiva where are you?!"
"Akira!"
The dark duelists turned his attention down the bridge as Jack Atlas came to a stop on his Wheel of Fortune. Yusei Fudo and Akiza Izinski appeared not a few seconds after on Yusei's signature Duel Runner. The trio of Signers quickly dropped from their Runners and kneeled to Rev.
"Akira, what happened?" Jack questioned seriously. "Where is Marcus Kiva?"
Marcus summoned Perfect Chaos Dragon and it fought the Gedo Mazo." Rev explained, looking away in shame. "I don't know what went on, but this is the end result of the battle. I think Kiva is still inside!"
"Marcus!" Akiza yelled worried, running into the think spikes with Yusei. "Marcus, where are you?!"
"Come on!" Jack glared, pulling Rev up by his injured forearm. "You have a lot of explaining to do."
Back in the field of spikes, Yusei and Akiza had separated to cover more ground. Unfortunately, it was Akiza who had discovered had discovered the missing Duel Runners. While Akira's was only dented and scratched, Chaos Control was completely ripped to pieces and looked to be beyond repair. And after climbing across the rocks for several miles, Yusei spotted a hint of red close to the edge of the bridge.
"Akiza, I found him!" Yusei called.
"Is he ok?" Akiza shouted back.
"Marcus..." Yusei whispered once at the redhead's side. "Marcus, are you hurt? Marcus, please say something so that I know you're all right!"
"They're real..." Marcus murmured frightfully. "Duel Monster's are real."
Yusei had no idea what he was talking about, but he had to guess the interactions between the two monsters had affected him mentally. Yusei had removed his coat and placed it on Marcus to keep him warm just as Akiza appeared through the stone maze. Almost instantly, Akiza held Marcus protectively in her arms like a mother to a child – the marked duelist felt safe in her presence. Unfortunately, the peace was shortly shattered as Sonic and Amy appeared before their leader.
"Yo, Marcus, what happened to the duel?" Sonic questioned.
"Forget the duel!" Amy screeched, punching the male in the head. "Marcus could have been injured or worse and all you can think about is dueling?!"
"Just asking." Sonic mumbled, turning to his owner. "But she is right. Are you ok?"
"Stay back..." Marcus muttered fearfully. "Stay back...don't come near me..."
"Marcus, it's us." Amy said soothingly. "We're you friends."
"Stay back!" Marcus screamed.
Yusei and Akiza jumped back at this sudden outburst. Without thinking it through, Marcus grabbed hold of his deck and did what no one would have believed: he threw it over the bridge. Yusei watched shockingly as the cards were scattered across the air and dropped one-by-one into the water, fading into the depths. The Signer Leader looked back at Marcus and noticed him shaking in Akiza's arms. The rose duelist reflected the sense of worry in Yusei's heart.
"Hmm, this is certainly a new development."
Hidden close to the Satellite entrance, a young girl could be spotted atop one of the building structures with a pair of binoculars pressed into her eyes. She looked to be around Marcus' age with waist-length black hair, except for the bangs that covered her left eye, which was surprisingly green. She wore a white shirt with green markings beneath a purple sleeveless jacket and a pair of navy-blue jeans. She lowered the binoculars, staring curiously down the bridge.
"The boss is definitely going to want to hear about this."
Fear and despair wash over the defeated hero. What will become of Marcus after this recent development? What is the history between the two monsters and the necklaces? And who is this mysterious new character? Find out on the next Hyper Runners!
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Duel Trivia:
Name: Gedo Mazo
Attribute: Earth
Type: Rock/Synchro/Effect
Level: 8
ATK/DEF: 4000/0
Effect: As long as this monster is on the field, no other magic, trap, or monsters can be played. This card cannot attack opponent. Once per turn, you can remove from ply one card on the field and activate the following effects.
Monster: Reduce opponent's life points by half the monster's attack points.
Magic: Send top five cards in opponent's deck to the graveyard.
Trap: Destroy all cards on the field excluding this card.
