Rise of the Kitsune Duelist
Disclaimer: I don't own Yugioh GX or Naruto.
Speaking Normally
Thinking/TV(and most technology)/Duel Spirit talking
Demonic Voice
AN/ First and foremost, I'm sorry to say that this chapter does not yet mention Jaden vs Aster. I was surprised to find the volume too much to get into that just yet, but next chapter for certain.
Chapter 4: Bashing Skulls
Flashback News Clip:
"-And as for the cards themselves… In this latest release, I have a few surprises for the lucky few who find them. First, the rerelease of a popular card from the past, but, more importantly, this pack hosts nine individual cards, each, one of a kind in the world. Together, they are called, simply enough, The Biju."
Present News Feed:
"And now, just hours after the release of his latest set of cards, packs are flying from the shelves. Many veteran duelists might see some similarities to the original release of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon as packs are being sold in abundance. Collectors and duelists around the world search for the immediately prized cards Pegasus himself announced the creation of."
Duel Academy Island:
"Aww, man…"
"You can say that again," Syrus huffed. After Pegasus had first made the announcement, closer to home, academy students had thrown themselves at the card store for a chance at any one of the nine special cards. There was no line. As more and more arrived for the delivery, the line turned into a crowd, one that had no intentions of being limited to "one at a time." Meaning that, while they were fairly close to the front, the Slifer group barely got one pack between the three of them. To their joint disappointment, it did not contain one of the aforementioned super rare cards. Still, Hassleberry, Syrus, and Jaden had split the pack between themselves.
"Kitsune Knight…Aspect Dark," Syrus mused, picking up the card, while trying to forget his disappointment. Just like any other who'd bought one of the packs, he'd been hoping to see one of those rare cards. "Isn't that one of the cards Alexis talked about? Y'know, one of the ones that Kyubi guy uses?"
Jaden actually had to think about that, but Hassleberry was more on the ball. "Hey, you're right." Taking the card, he looked it up and down. The name matched, and so did the effect. "Wait, then how'd he get 'em?"
"What?" Jaden asked from the sidelines, not understanding what they weren't saying.
"Exactly," Syrus agreed. "How did he have a card that didn't come out until today?"
Finally understanding, barely, "Oh!" Jaden exclaimed.
"Wow, thought your ears were going to start smoking there, Jaden," Naruto heckled, dropping his tray down on the table.
"Oh, hey, dude."
"Where've you been?" Dropping into his seat, the blonde shrugged nonchalantly.
"Card shop."
Syrus groaned in phantom pain. "No point going there. It's been picked clean!" breaking into tears at the end.
"I know." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a now familiar pack.
"Where'd you get THAT?" the short Ra student practically screamed, eyes boring into the packet in his hand. Jaden and Hassleberry were a little better. At least they didn't scream, but they were no less interested.
"How'd you get one of those, soldier?"
"It fell under the counter," he supplied easily, watching their eyes track the object in his hand like a trio of hungry predators. Just to mess with them, he shook the pack, watching their eyes jerk around. "You want 'em?" and tossed the pack down. The miniscule slapping of the packet against the table might as well have been a gunshot for the momentary silence that it preceded. Either way, Jaden was the fastest, snatching the pack up first. Not that it stopped Syrus and Hassleberry from peering over his shoulders at the cards he pulled out.
Cards flipping before his eyes, the dino-duelist couldn't help but feel more and more disappointment after every card. "Man, I was really hopin' for some dinos," Hassleberry grumbled, pouting.
"I know what you mean," Jaden agreed, flipping through the last card. "I mean, there're some interesting ones here, but nothing that really goes with my deck." Though he had seen a few trap cards that might make the cut.
"Wait a minute." Syrus had spotted something the others hadn't. "There's only eight cards here," looking away from the cards in Jaden's hand and back to where Naruto was sitting, idly munching his lunch while they fed their card hunger. Confused, Jaden ran through the cards again, counting.
"Hey, you're right!"
"Spill, soldier, what'd you get?"
"Yeah, are you holding out on us?" Syrus may have tried to look imposing, but, really, it took a lot more than they could ever have to intimidate him.
Meeting the green-haired boy's hard stare, unblinking, "I may've gotten an interesting card."
Jaden's eyes lit up, "Dude, did you get one?" "One" being one of the sought after Biju cards. Now Hassleberry joined Syrus in his intense, expectant staring.
"Nope." Syrus and Hassleberry went face-first into the table.
Jaden, taking it in stride, "So what'd you get?" Syrus and Hassleberry's heads shot up, showing their resilence.
Calmly sipping his tea, "Dark Magician Girl."
"Well, that's sweet, dude!" Jaden cheered before digging back into his food. Hassleberry was impressed in the rare card, but he accepted it. Syrus on the other hand…
"WHAAAAATT!" he belted, eyes impossibly wide.
"Tarnation, soldier," Hassleberry whined, covering his ears. "Where d'ya hide lungs like those?"
But Syrus was focused entirely on Naruto. "Dark Magician Girl. Are you serious?" For the longest time…he had had the strongest card crush on her, coming to a climax when, in his suspicions, he and the rest of duel academy had met the one and only.
Though such yearnings had…faded over the summer. As a select few knew, and were afterward sworn to secrecy. But still…
"It's a sweet card," Jaden agreed through bites. "I'd bet half the students would want to trade you for it." He liked the card, respected it, but he could live without it.
Syrus nodded furiously. "Yeah!" Perhaps even himself.
"Not trading her," Naruto supplied firmly. "I've got a spot for her all ready in my deck." Most wouldn't have paid much mind to the reference to the card as her instead of it, but even fewer would understand the why, or guess it.
"Aww, maaaaaan," Syrus groaned, sinking back to the table, rubbing circles into the surface with his finger.
"How about a duel then?" Hassleberry proposed toothily.
At the special word, Jaden was on his feet, enthusiasm rolling off of him. "That's a great idea!"
"I been meaning to try my dinos against you for a while now." A smile started to play over Naruto's face. Though not for the reasons anyone would expect.
"Feel like stretching your legs?" he mentally asked.
Giggling, she whispered to him. "Like you really need to ask."
"Now that's perfect, Hassleberry."
"Well, alright then!" Hassleberry cheered. "Let's grub up and get outside!"
Shockingly, it was Jaden who broke in with words no one would have ever expected from him. Thought provoking. "Now hold on, guys," he chastised. "If you're gonna tear things up, do it in style."
Academy Duel Arena:
"So it's true then?" Looking away from the field, the duel not yet underway, Bastian was startled to find Alexis standing right next to him. He must have been quite focused to have not heard or noticed her.
"To which truth do you refer?" he inquired of her. "That Naruto is dueling Hassleberry? Or, that Naruto supposedly got a rare card from the new release?"
Alexis smirked at the analysis. "Well, both, I guess. Hassleberry's good, and, while Naruto's taken a draw with Jade, we haven't seen him duel all that much."
"Hm, quite." Arms crossed, he looked down on the two duelists still finalizing their decks. "Hassleberry's dueling skills are fairly well known given his rough entrance." That is, the week where he kept dueling and beating students to get the faculty to understand he should be in Obelisk. Until he'd faced Jaden. "But Naruto… Other than his duel with Jaden, something we missed a great deal of, we haven't really seen all that much." Interestingly, his duels had been rather inconspicuous. Oh, he had theories though. "It is of interest to me how like Jaden he is."
"Hm?"
"Yes. Like Jaden, he seems to unerringly be able to draw the right card at the right moment." More so, he suspected that the blonde had yet to play up to his true potential. There was just a laziness to his duels that showed. "And then there's his deck."
"Yeah," she agreed. "Elemental Heroes, like Jaden."
"Who's like me?" Noticing the pair of onlookers, Jaden, Syrus in tow, had gravitated to their usual crowd, Chazz even following at a distance. Coming to a stop, next to them, Syrus sat down while Jaden leaned against the rail. "This looks to be a sweet duel," he mused excitedly before his tone turned befuddled. "But who's like me?"
"We were talking about Naruto's deck," Alexis cleared up.
"Oh. What about it? I mean, I know his are Elemental Heroes too, but that's about it." He hadn't been there for Bastian's rundown during their first appearance.
"They're another class of Elemental Heroes," Bastian reminded. "But his are more focused on the elements than yours. More precisely, his are more closely related to nature, if you think about it. While yours have been quite a bit more anthropomorphized."
"…"
"He means yours are more human, dingus," Chazz railed from where he sat, correction, slouched.
"Oh."
"Rumor had it that while they did come out years ago, no one had been able to find any of the rarer cards." Rumors indeed. He knew how to filter myth from fact. While the series wasn't as well-known as those possessed by Jaden, they were still sought after by collectors. The truth was that no one had been able to find them, despite the overwhelming statistics. By the math, someone had to have found at least one of them when they were first released. Yet, again, no one had.
He wanted to see the power of these other heroes. If Naruto was as good as he thought, then he would have those elusive cards. But did he have that card?
Sliding the deck in place, his dueldisk came to life, humming lowly as it lit up. "Time to stretch our legs," he thought to the pinned stack of cards. Though it went unseen, he could still feel the assuring presence, like an immaterial hand on the shoulder. He could feel Terra Firma's confidence, Dark Magician Girl's bubbly enthusiasm, and an unvoiced trust from his deck in general.
They didn't take form, a surprise on DMG's part, but he could sense their readiness.
"Alright, Hassleberry," raising his voice. "Let's get this duel started."
The military styled duelist grinned. "Sounds like "charge" ta me," he agreed. "That bein' the case…I'll start the offensive!"
Naruto: 8000LP
Hassleberry: 8000LP
"I draw!" the dino-duelist declared, ripping a card from his deck. Grinning wildly, he plucked a card from his hand. "First off, I activate the special ability of Gilasaurus and special summon it to the field from my hand." Hassleberry grinned. "Normally, you'd get ta summon a monster from your graveyard because a that, but since it's empty, you get nothin' outta the deal. Next, I tribute my Gilasaurus so I can play the spell card Big Evolution Pill! Hah! Now I can summon a dino of higher rank. Get ready, cuz I summon Dark Driceratops from my hand to the field!" Laying a facedown, the militant duelist passed the reins.
Damn, that was a pretty strong first turn. The monster couldn't attack yet given it being the first turn, but it was still an obstacle. Hand going to his dueldisk, he drew a card from his desk. Looking it over, he smirked before adding it to his hand.
E. H. Heat – Lv4/1600/1200
E. H. Woodsman – Lv4/1000/2000
Polymerization
Trap Hole
Graceful Charity
And the card he'd drawn, Fissure.
"First, I'll play the spell Graceful Charity. I can draw three cards to my hand, but I'll have to discard two." Slipping three cards free…
Hero Barrier
The Warrior Returning Alive
E. H. Heat.
So, that gave him an extra Heat…
Taking the extra E. H. Heat and Hero Barrier, he tossed them into the graveyard. "Sorry to disappoint you, Hassleberry, but your dino's being decommissioned. I activate the spell Fissure! Now, your big bad lizard gets to go extinct all over again." The spell activated and D. Driceratops left the field with a throaty wail.
Leaving, in his hand…
E. H. Heat… E. H. Woodsman… Polymerization… Trap Hole… The Warrior Returning Alive
And Hassleberry with a facedown and the activated Big Evolution Pill on the field, and three cards in his hand.
Okay, so he'd burned through some cards this turn, not that he'd been the only one. Glancing at Hassleberry's field… That spell would only last for three turns, but, then, he knew Hassleberry could recover quickly. A good majority of his creatures were tough. He just had to hope that he didn't draw a high level dino while that card was still on the field. Though…planning ahead helped.
Taking Trap Hole, "I lay a facedown, and then I summon E. Hero Heat!" Slapping down the pair, Heat came forth in a burst of flames, ready and waiting for combat.
If he was right, given Hassleberry's style…
"And with your field empty, I can attack you directly," he announced. "Elemental Hero Heat, scorch the earth!" Launching himself upward, just enough to look down on Hassleberry, the fire monster descended on him, fireball shooting from its extended fist. Hassleberry was bathed in holographic flames.
Hassleberry: 8000LP – 1600 = 6400LP
The trap didn't activate.
He smiled to himself. He'd guessed right. Either it needed a dino to activate, or a simple attack wasn't enough to trigger it.
"I end my turn."
Shaking off the attack, Hassleberry was raring return the favor. "Don't count my troops out jus' yet," drawing a card. "Now I bring out my Oxygeddon!" Wind gathered visibly before swirling into a form reminiscent of a long extinct aerial reptile.
"Well, he's not sticking around," Naruto cut in. Facedown flipping up, "I activate Trap Hole."
Hassleberry grinned toothily. "Sorry, son, but your orders…are rescinded. Cuz I activate my own trap: Malfunction!"
Hassleberry: 6400LP – 500 = 5900LP
Flipped upright, the trap card flashed, disappearing as it took effect. Trap Hole dropped back down into facedown, and Oxygeddon was left unscathed.
"Crud."
"Heh, here I come!" Oxygeddon opened its mouth and unleashed a torrential whirlwind upon the blonde.
1800 – 1600 = 200
Naruto: 8000 – 200 = 7800LP
"I end my turn. Pheh, how ya like me now, son?"
"Let's find out," Naruto countered. "My draw!" Bringing up the card from his deck. Double Summon. Okay, a good card, just not right now. "Then, I summon Elemental Hero Woodsman to the field, in defense!" In front of him, just to the side, holographic plant life burst forth, actually growing into the form of Woodsman, kneeling with his arms across his chest. "I'll lay a facedown, and end my turn." Okay, moment of truth.
"Oh, c'mon," Syrus whined. "He as good as told him to attack him."
Jaden chuckled. "That's the point, Sy. Hassleberry already has to deal with that Trap Hole waiting in the wings. So he can't summon with that trap out."
"And he runs the risk of another as of yet unknown trap with that facedown," Bastian finished, casting a glance over the Slifer. "Rather astute of you to see that, Jaden." But the teen just laughed, not even catching the implication. "Or he could just be bluffing."
Hassleberry growled to himself. Tarnation, but, even with his freshly drawn card, he hadn't a way to decommission his opponent's two facedowns. And he already knew to expect trouble with the Trap Hole. He could either sacrifice a subordinate for the sake of his troops, or bull it out until he could find a way around it.
Naruto may have more Lifepoints than him, but he still had the more commanding presence on the field.
What he also had though…
"Your soldier's not safe from my dino's," he declared. "Not even in defense." He threw down his latest card. "I activate the spell: Axe of Despair!" The card in question materialized on the field beside him, flipping up to activate. "With this, my dino steps up in the world!" Despite its name, Axe of Despair was a general equip spell. It had no requirements of type, but it was powerful nonetheless.
Oxygeddon – Lv4/1800/800 → Lv4/2800/800
He'd just have to risk it. "Oxygeddon, blow away that treehugger!" The wind construct unleashed a gale upon his opponent, flurrying winds consuming the opposite field.
"Damn." And the winds shredded Woodsman before his eyes. With him in defense, at least he held onto his Lifepoints.
Blinking away stars, he grimaced across the field, where his opponent was grinning toothily. "Okay, that happened."
"Lastly, I summon Black Ptera."
"And there it goes," Syrus sighed. Hassleberry had looked to be in control until…well, now.
"It was the only thing he could do," Alexis reasoned. "Without a card to counter that trap, he couldn't summon without losing the monster. So, he sacrificed Black Ptera so he could summon next turn."
Bastian nodded solemnly. "Yes. Better a weaker monster than one he truly needed. But with Trap Hole gone, he need only summon a more powerful monster to make his counteroffensive."
"I end my turn." At least he was in position to strike back next turn.
"Let's try this again, eh?" Reaching for his deck, he withdrew his card.
Everyone around them cocked interested eyes at the wide, cocky grin now adorned by the blonde duelist. His field was empty with the exception of one facedown, and he looked like he'd just struck gold.
"I don't like that look," Jaden mumbled.
Alexis nodded. "Yeah, and I think Hassleberry's going to like it even less."
Looking over at Hassleberry, waiting confidently, "Sorry, sarge, but this is where we separate the men from the boys. First, I activate a few spells. The Warrior Returning Alive. With it, I bring back Woodsman from the grave back to my hand," removing the card and sliding it back into his hand. "And then, Double Summon. Time to take it up a notch," he declared. "I summon the Elemental Hero Ocean to the field." A vortex burst to life on his side of the field before the water funnel dispersed, leaving the amphibious elemental hero in its wake. Trident held aloft, Ocean cut a striking figure. "And with him out, I activate his special ability. Once per turn, I can bring an Elemental Hero back to my hand from either the field, or the graveyard." That said, a card slipped from the discard pile in his dueldisk. "So I bring Heat back to my hand. But I'm not done." Slipping a card into his dueldisk, "I activate the spell card: Polymerization!"
The card appeared on the field before flaring brightly. "I fuse my two Elemental Heroes: Elemental Hero Woodsman in my hand and Elemental Hero Ocean on the field, to summon my most powerful hero!"
Bastian flew from his seat, leaning far forward as his hands clenched the rail tightly. That particular fusion summon… He did have it. Jaden's Elemental Heroes were more popular, but the card Naruto was at that moment summoning was spoken of with far more renown, among the few collectors, as being legendary among all the Elemental Heroes.
The Elemental Hero-
"Terra Firma!" he declared, slapping the card down on his dueldisk. A giant humanoid form fell from above in a blur of movement, hitting the duel field with a resounding "Cr-shm," stirring up a cloud of holographic dust.
"Sam hill!" the dino user exclaimed in his temporary blindness.
"He does have it," Bastian whispered in awed amazement.
Eyes impossibly round, Syrus just stared, jaw gaping. "What is that?"
Jaden was starry eyed. "That is so…sweet!"
"Whoa." Alexis stared in appreciative awe.
It was rather impressive, actually. Standing on Naruto's field, at an impressive two and a half meters, if a centimeter, was a solid white monolithic humanoid monster, blue crystal-like apparatuses fixed atop its shoulders and one on the crest of its head, and a sole red one on its chest. Imposing, in a word.
"That," Bastian began, regaining his composure, "That is Terra Firma, known as the most powerful in the Elemental Hero series."
"Where do I get one?"
Bastian spared the enthusiastic Slifer the smallest glance. "You don't. There was only ever one created. Until now though, I'd never actually thought anyone had found it." Not that he should be surprised, as Naruto, like Jaden, seemed to aspire to do just that.
"I wonder how he got it, then?" Jaden, and most of the others, wondered to themselves.
"You ready?" Naruto asked.
Hassleberry grinned ferociously. "Bring it, soldier!"
But Naruto hadn't really asked the question of him. Blue eyes instead went to the monolithic hero at his side. "Well, what say you?" he murmured.
Head turning just enough to meet the teen's eyes, Terra Firma sent him a look of what he had learned to understand as exasperation. "I should think it obvious," he agreed. "Let us return the extinct back to the earth."
"That's all well 'n good, but your monster's still weaker than my Oxygeddon," Hassleberry pointed out. He didn't want to admit to being intimidated by that new monster.
Elemental Hero Terra Firma – Lv8/2500/2000
Oxygeddon – Lv4/2800/800
Naruto grinned back. "Don't count me out just yet. Remember my Double Summon? I've only normal summoned once this turn. Thanks to it, I can bring out another friend, someone you've already met. Go, Elemental Hero Heat!" In a burst of flame, the pyrokinetic hero stood, dwarfed, alongside Terra Firma.
"Ya still don't have the points!"
Bastian grimaced. He knew Terra Firma's ability.
"Well, I suppose we'll have to show you." Looking to his latest card, "Sorry about this, Heat," before raising his voice. "I activate Terra Firma's ability! By sacrificing an Elemental Hero on the field, Terra Firma's attack in increased by that monster's attack for the duration of the turn!"
Hassleberry paled.
Heat's energy transferring to the giant, Terra Firma glowed red from the influx. His 2500 attack points escalated, increasing by those of Heat, which were a whopping 1600.
Terra Firma (Magma) – Lv8/4100/2000
"Bring him down, Terra Firma!"
They were, to a one, round of eye and open mouthed at the spectacle. One turn and he'd summoned…that, only to increase its attack to just over 4000! Sure, they might've taken it more in stride if someone had actually seen the monster before, but that was just it. No one had seen Terra Firma before. It was a lot to take in.
"Bring him down, Terra Firma!" The monolithic hero reached for the odd, rod-like vertical protrusions at either hip, only to rip them away in twin blazes of fiery energy.
What the…he's a Jedi?" To be fair, Syrus wasn't the only one thinking it. The short Slifer was just the only one to shout it aloud.
Terra Firma crossed the field in a lightning quick bound, bringing his twin energy-sabers down in a cross-slash. Emitting a roar of protest, Oxygeddon was vanquished in an explosion of the wind that it had been composed of.
4100 – 2800 = 1300
Hassleberry: 5900LP – 1300 = 4600
"Dang!" Eyes wide and fierce, he glared across the field. He hadn't seen that coming. Not even close. This was lookin' to get ugly, real fast. His grimace deepened when he thought about what was in his hand. He really needed a good card on his next draw.
Naruto: 7800LP
Hassleberry: 4600LP
"I hope you're not finished, Hassleberry."
Despite the difficult straits before him, the dino duelist never quit. A good soldier never got anywhere by always retreating. "I'm not done just yet," he assured, smirking. "Wait for my turn, then you'll see."
Naruto grinned. He liked that attitude. "Alright. I will. There's not much else I can do, so I'll end my turn."
Drawing his card, Hassleberry set his face in determination. "Alright. I summon Black Stego to the field, and end my turn."
"My draw," and ripped the card from its deck. Eyes running over it, he nodded. He could work with this. First things first though.
"Terra Firma, wipe out Black Stego." Black Stego's ability activated, immediately switching it into defense, but that did little to prevent the explosion that shattered it to pieces.
Naruto ended his turn.
Drawing, "I summon Babycerasaurus in defense. And, I throw a card facedown to end my turn."
That was it? He knew Hassleberry would put up more fight than that. He was curious about the facedown, especially in the presence of a dinosaur. But his own hand was looking pretty thin. He hadn't any cards to negate the hidden card. Well, that was a hasty supposition. He still had yet to pick up his draw for this turn. Pulling another free, he considered his next move.
"Terra Firma?" This was getting repetitive. The ginormous Elemental Hero strode forward.
"Think again, pardner," Hassleberry countered. His card flipped upright, shedding the mystery in the eyes of all, and Terra Firma froze in his steps. "I activate Negate Attack, so my dino gets to hang around a little longer."
Pulling his most recent card free, "I'll lay a facedown to end my turn."
Hassleberry grinned, at his new draw and at balking his opponent. This duel wasn't over just yet. "I activate Premature Burial!"
Hassleberry: 4600LP – 800 = 3800LP
"Now, I bring back an old friend. Dark Driceratops!" In a subterranean explosion, the dino from the start of the duel dug its way out from the earth below, and stood fiercely alongside Babycersaurus.
Dark Driceratops – Lv6/2400/1500
"But my pal's not stickin' around," Hassleberry added. "Oh no, he's introducin' an old friend." Both dinosaurs disappeared from the field, a shadow overcasting Hassleberry's side. Grinning toothily, "I sacrifice my two dinos on the field to bring out Balck Tyranno!" The massive tyrannosaur bellowed throatily, challengingly.
Black Tyranno – Lv7/2600/1800
"I hope you're ready, 'cause my dino's hungry."
"Black Tyranno? Show him who's really at the top of the food chain! Go, Jurassic slam!" Roaring, the massive blackened reptile lunged across the field before turning a sharp corner and delivering a heavy tail strike to his target. As the dust cleared though…
"Who's at the top?" the blonde questioned, his lifepoints unaffected by the attack. "I activated my trap: Magic Cylinder!"
Hassleberry had but a moment to recognize the card, two overly large tubes, seemingly with a darkened void within them, each adorned in purple, red, and blue coloring and markings, before one of the aforementioned tubes emitted a glow at its end, and he was suddenly bombarded by an energy beam.
"Gaah!"
Hassleberry: 3800LP – 2600 = 1200LP
"My draw!" Liking what he was seeing, "I activate the spell card Rush Recklessly! And you know what that means."
Chazz snorted. "Duh, it means "so long" to his dinosaur."
Terra Firma glowed, suffused with the temporary surge in strength, his attack boosted by 700 points. "Terra Firma, send him packing!" The humanoid monolith tensed before bursting forward, striking down the equally large tyrannosaur.
(Terra Firma) 3200 – (Black Tyranno) 2600 = 600
Hassleberry grimaced, the area around him smoking from the ferocity of the attack.
Hassleberry: 1200LP - 600 = 600LP
"I end my turn."
Drawing what he now knew, odds were, was his last card, he readied himself for his last stand. With Black Tyranno off the field, he had nothing to really defend himself, let alone make an offensive. But, if he was gonna lose, he'd take it head on. "I summon Black Stego in defense!" Fierce gaze travelling across the field, "I wanna say, son, it's been a pleasure duelin' ya."
Naruto smirked appreciatively. "Same to you, sarge." He drew his card. "Well, isn't this convenient," he murmured, mostly to himself. "You wanted to see, Hassleberry? Well, here you go! I activate the spell: Blood Sacrifice! With this magic card, I can summon any monster from my deck regardless of level so long as I subtract its attack points from my Lifepoints. The catch though…the card only sticks around for one turn and then it's removed from play, but that'll be more than long enough."
Naruto's Lifepoints dropped by 2000.
Naruto: 7800LP – 2000 = 5800LP
"From my deck, I summon…Dark Magician Girl!" In a burst of light, she appeared on the field, clothes rippling in some holographic wind. Like her card, immediately summoned, her wand hand went to the brim of her conical hat, tugging it down a little, as if demurely reacting to the eyes upon her.
"Yay! I've been summoned! I've been summoned!" she cheered, giggling, extremely proud of her card. It had been made especially for her, because of her. "Well? How do I look?" she questioned, winking at him teasingly.
"Beautiful?" he offered in question of what she was fishing for. The feminine magician's perma-blush deepened.
The audience was awed at her, the guys mostly for attraction issues, and even a few girls, but most of them could agree that she was beautiful, if not just incredibly cute.
A rare few saw something else too.
"Kur kuri!"
Attention jerking away from the duel, Jaden met an energetic Winged Kuriboh bobbing around his head. "Oh, Winged Kuriboh. What's up, pal?" The softball-sized, winged fluffball bounced all over the place, wildly gesturing and making sounds, all at the monster on Naruto's field below. Taking a better look…Jaden's eyes widened in twinned surprise and disbelief. "Oh, hey." That wasn't just Dark Magician Girl the card. Only a handful of people could see what he could, that the monster was actually moving, talking animatedly to its duelist. No, that wasn't just Dark Magician Girl the card…it was Dark Magician Girl the spirit!
"That is sweet!" he cheered in hushed agreement with his spirit partner. He'd had a feeling about his fellow Slyfer. And now he knew for sure that the blonde was like him and could see spirits.
"No way," Syrus breathed. "It really is Dark Magician Girl." Sighing dejectedly, he resigned himself to Naruto having the card, and more than likely never parting with it.
-(The horizontal line button messed up again)
"I respect you, Hassleberry," Naruto offered. "That's why I'm gonna finish this with a bang! Go, Terra Firma! Attack his Black Stego!" The heavyset reptile didn't stand a chance, even with its special ability. Neither its attack nor defense could stand up to Terra Firma. And, all too soon, the field was empty. "Now, Dark Magician Girl, attack his Lifepoints directly! Dark Magic Attack!"
Giving an excited titter, the hovering feminine magician threw her arm out, wand directed at the reeling form of Hassleberry, and let off a shot of pink and black energy which consumed the dinosaur enthusiast.
To his credit, Hassleberry took the blow in stoic silence.
Hassleberry: 600LP – 2000 = 0LP
Five Minutes Later:
"Man-oh-man, that was awesome!" Jaden cheered as they all walked back to the Slifer dorm. Arms behind his head, he grinned broadly. Sure, he hadn't been the one to duel, but a sweet duel was still a sweet duel. The duel hadn't been very long at all, but it had still been a sight to see.
Syrus, meanwhile, shuffled along. He voiced his awe and interest, but he was still a little envious of someone else having a card he'd wanted for so long.
"I ain't gonna take this defeat lyin' down, lieutenant!" Hassleberry declared, getting right up in the blonde's face. If anyone thought the title at all odd, they didn't show it. If any of them had to guess, he'd doled it out simply due to where he ranked him.
Naruto laughed heartily. "Why would I expect that? To heck with that. I want to duel you again later, when we've had time to make our decks better!"
Eyes jammed shut, grinning broadly, "Dude! I so want a piece of that action!" Jaden declared. "I wanna see that Terra Firma card of yours in battle!"
Bastian nodded. "Indeed. Suffice it to say, we were all rather astonished to see you pull that out of your sleeve, as it were." Turning his gaze askance over the blonde, "Where did you find that card anyway?"
"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you."
"Try us."
Alexis leaned in to jog the blonde's shoulder as they walked. "Yeah, c'mon."
"Nothing much to tell, just…weird is all. I'm going through town, passing through is all, and I hear the oddest thing. Don't ask me what, it's hard to describe. I ignore it at first, but it just feels more insistent. Giving up, I follow that feeling into a hobby shop, and head straight to a box of assorted cord packs like I'm being pulled. Whatever the reason, I end up pulling out a pack, buy it, and find Terra Firma inside. So…weird enough for you?"
He got confused, even doubtful looks from some, but Jaden's face was lit up like a Christmas tree. "I knew it!"
Grabbing Naruto for a moment, Jaden bore down on his fellow Slifer. "Dude! I knew it! You can see duel spirits, can't you?"
Naruto grinned. "You guessed it, Jaden. I'm actually surprised you didn't come out and say it while we were with the others."
He laughed uneasily. "Yeah, well, it's kind of a shifty subject. So far, I've only met a few people who could see them, and a lot of people just think I'm crazy."
"Who says that's from the duel spirits?" Naruto ribbed, but, only sweating a little under the implication, Jaden was undeterred.
"So then, Terra Firma and Dark Magician Girl?"
"Most prominently." Jaden blinked at that, the explanation going completely over his head. "Uh, the others don't usually wake up or anything unless it's important or if they feel like it."
"Ahhh…"
"Hi, Jaden!" Her cover more or less blown, the high spirited spirit no longer felt the need to hide herself. Hanging transparently over Naruto's shoulder, she waved energetically at Jaden.
"Oh! Hey there!" Caught off guard, the Slifer managed a hasty greeting and wave to the revealed duel spirit. Finding the atmosphere welcoming, Winged Kuriboh even came into focus, hovering over its partner's shoulder.
"Kuri."
Not that Naruto hadn't already seen the winged furball.
"Aww, cute!" Floating around Naruto, the feminine magician started poking at the tiny duel spirit, going so far as to pull at its cheeks playfully.
"You'll probably meet Terra Firma soon enough," the blonde admitted, apologizing for his first spirit's reserved nature.
"That's cool," Jaden accepted. He was still thrown though. Dark Magician Girl, the spirit.
AN/ I want to apologize for the infrequent updates. The stress of the last few months has been getting to me. Not so much that I've stopped writing, but that it makes it hard to focus, or unwind enough, to get into writing. This chapter is only being finished because I have managed to get away and relax a bit.
Okay, as to the duel, some might say that I described Hassleberry's dueling as a rather poor shadow of the character's skills. Sorry, but I finally understand how difficult it is to write/play both sides in a duel, when you want to be as accurate as possible.
Again, I am still writing.
I'm almost done with another chapter of Shadowed Light, and a little over halfway through my latest Naruto/Winx chapter. Just be patient.