The following takes place during Shadow of a Duel.
It's night. I'm walking through the streets searching for Duelists. I still need two Locator Cards or I won't be qualified for the finals. I need to hurry up.
"Hey, I heard there're already four people who collected all Locator Cards!"
"I heard they were six!"
I stop walking as I realize something by listening those people talking. "There're only eight spots total for the finalists" I think "I have no time to screw around"
I approach the three guys and ask: "Hey, do you know where I can find someone to Duel?"
"I heard there're some Duelists wandering around the cemetery" one of them answers.
"The cemetery, huh?"
As I enter the place, I look around. "And I'm supposed to find a Duelist here?"
All of a sudden, a screaming guy runs towards me as he yells: "SAVE YOURSELF!"
He then passes me and loses himself into Domino City.
I look in front of me and smirk. "Guess I am"
I continue walking as a swarm of crows flying in the sky announce my arrival.
After a few minutes a fog manifests as I see three people coming slowly towards me moaning like zombies; they appear to be wearing masks.
"What is the meaning of this?" I ask, more embarassed than frightened.
The three guys stop. One of them tries to tackle me, but I dodge him and I make him trip to the ground. I then remove his mask. "If you three are actually Duelists, then prove your might by fighting, not frigthening"
"What now?" one of them says "We only need one Locator Card"
"Oh, is that so?" I ask "Well, good for you. I still need two. How about we settle this with a Duel?"
"Wait a minute!" the shorter one says "I know you! You're Richard Tsunami! The Underground King!"
"This will be interesting" the other comments removing his mask.
"You're right! I'm challenging him to a Duel!" the shorter one replies removing his own mask and taking a Duel Disk "My name is Bonz. I will do my best to defeat you!"
"It won't take long to take this guy out" I think "But I need to be smart. How about I make things a little bit more interesting?"
They look at me with curious faces.
"If I manage to beat you without losing any Life Points, I will get two Locator Cards instead of one"
"This is ridiculous!" the muscled one answers.
"Don't you know? The amount of finalists has been cut in half"
"What?"
"We don't have much time. Whatever happens, you won't make it in time. The winner of this Duel will get to the finals"
"I got it" Bonz says "I'll show you the power of my Zombie Deck!"
"LET'S DUEL!"
LP Richard 4000
LP Bonz 4000
"I'm going first!" I declare drawing a card and placing it on the Duel Disk "I Summon Torpedo Fish!"
The mechanical fish appears on my field rising from the ground (DEF: 1000).
"I also place one card face-down!" I continue placing the first card on my right into the Duel Disk "With it I end my turn!"
"I'm going to scare you!" Bonz says drawing a card "I play The Snake Hair!"
A green skinned gorgon appears on the field (ATK: 1500).
"Whoever looks at her will be turned into stone!" he declares "Go with Stone Blizzard!"
From the gorgon's eyes two beams come out and hit Torpedo Fish, turning into stone and then destroying it.
"With this you're out of monsters" Bonz states.
"The Duel hasn't even started" I reply drawing a card "I open my face-down card Water of Life!"
A giant golden chalice appears on the field, water coming out of it and wetting the ground.
"Water of Life allows me to bring back a monster from the Graveyard in Attack Mode" I explain "Thus I return Torpedo Fish"
From the wet area created by the water, Torpedo Fish comes out (ATK: 1000).
"Even though you revived it, your monster's too short on attack points" the tallest one points out.
I simply hold up the second card from my right. "I will now sacrifice Torpedo Fish to Summon a stronger monster. Meet Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness!"
Behind Torpedo Fish a giant orca appears, the little monster attaching itself to its chest (ATK: 2100).
"What?! 2100 attack points?!" Bonz cries.
"Take this!" I exclaim "Deepsea Takedown!"
Orca rushes towards The Snake Hair and hits it with its tail, destroying it.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bonz 3400
"I thought you were better than this" I mock him.
"I'll show you!" he answers drawing a card and placing it on the Duel Disk "Come out, Dragon Zombie!"
A purple decaying dragon appears (ATK: 1600).
"I also use Premature Burial!" Bonz continues "This card allows me to pay 800 Life Points to bring back a monster from the Graveyard.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bonz 2600
As The Snake Hair comes back, he takes the second card from his left and slides it into his Duel Disk. "Next I use Polymerization to fuse both my monsters and Summon my strongest creature! Great Mammoth of Goldfine!"
A giant golden skeletan mammoth with just one eyehole appears on the field (ATK: 2200).
"Since I cannot attack with a Fusion Monster the turn it's Summoned, I end here" he declares "How's that?"
I draw my card silently. "I use the Magic Card Furious Wave" I declare "This card increases the attack and defense points of a WATER monster on the field by 1000 points"
Orca Mega-Fortress of Darkness grows in size as its attack power increases to 3100.
"3100 attack points?!" Bonz cries.
"Take this! Furious Deepsea Takedown!"
Once again Orca uses its mighty tail and destroys Bonz's monster, who can only mutter his fallen beast's name.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bonz 1700
My opponent silently draws his card and slides into the Duel Disk. "I activate Nightmare Steelcage!"
All of a sudden a giant spiked cage appears, surrounding me and my monster.
"This will block your monsters for three whole turns" he explains.
"Then it's back to me"
As I draw my card I grunt.
"What's that? Got a bad draw?" the tallest one mocks me.
"I wanted to make the duel as long as possible in order to entertain myself, but it looks like this will be over" I reply.
"What are you talking about?!" Bonz asks "As long as Nightmare Steelcage is on the field, you cannot attack!"
"This kind of trick doesn't work against my WATER Deck" I answer sliding the drawn card into the Duel Disk "I activate De-Spell! This card cancels any magic effect on the field"
In a matter of seconds Nightmare Steelcage is vanished, leaving my opponent surprised.
"Orca, hit him!"
This time Orca's target is Bonz, who lies on the ground defeated.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bonz 0
"What a pity" I comment "Now you owe me two Locator Cards"
They start handing me the cards, but unfortunately a black fog start sorrounding them as one of the two Locator Card falls; I grab it and jump aside. The fog captures the three guys, who disappear screaming.
"What the hell was that?" I ask.
"That was my doing" a British male voice answers.
I turn and see a tall boy with white hair carrying a Duel Disk and holding Bonz's remaining Locator Cards along with another one: it's Bakura!
"I haven't seen you since Duelist Kingdom" he says. His voice seems… deeper.
"What happened to Bonz and the other two?" I ask.
"Let's just say they're in a better place"
Better place? Wait, did he just do what I think he did? "Did you… just send them to the Shadow Realm?"
He chuckles. "Yup"
"How are you able to do that?"
"It's a little secret of mine. Anyway, down to business. I need to access at the finals and with the Locator Cards I got from those fools I only need one more"
"So you targeted me, huh?"
"Very observant"
"Well, let's just not waiste time then" I reply activating my Duel Disk.
"LET'S DUEL!"
LP Richard 4000
LP Bakura 4000
"Show me your Dueling skills, Bakura!" I say.
"I'll do more than that!" he replies drawing his card and placing it on the Duel Disk "I call out this guy!"
Suddenly on Bakura's field a portrait appears, a monster coming out of it: it's The Portrait's Secret (ATK: 1200).
"I end my turn" he concludes.
"He played a monster in Attack Mode with only 1200 attack points. Is he trying to lure me?" I think "For my turn I Summon Amphibious Bugroth MK-3!"
A red scuba diver-like robot appears on my field (ATK: 1500).
"Take down The Portrait's Secret!"
My monster rushes towards the possessed painting and delivers a punch at it, causing its destruction.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bakura 3700
"I'll end my turn by placing one card face-down" I declare.
"Then it's my turn!" he answers "I Summon The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams in Attack Mode!"
On Bakura's field a giant bed appears, a snoring men sleeping in it. From the man's mouth a weird spirit carrying a sword and a shield comes out moaning (ATK: 1300). That is gross!
"In Attack Mode again?" I ask "He doesn't have any Magic or Trap Card face-down. I don't get his strategy"
I silently draw my card and place it on the Duel Disk. "I use this! Mermaid Knight!"
A pink haired mermaid armed with a sword and a shield appears (ATK: 1500).
"Pulverize that monster with Mermaid Slash!"
Mermaid Knight rushes towards The Gross Ghost of Fled Dreams and slashes it with its sword.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bakura 3500
"Next I attack you directly with Amphibious Bugroth MK-3!"
This time the punch hits Bakura, as he has no monsters guarding him.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bakura 2000
He silently draws his card; he then places it on his far right and selects the card near it. "I Summon this! Headless Knight!"
Nothing happens. I stand still for a second then I hear it: metal footsteps. A purple fog sorrounds the field as a knight in a gold and grey armor without its head appears on Bakura's field (ATK: 1450).
"It's your turn!" he concludes.
"Again? What are you planning?" I think as I draw my card "Mermaid Knight, take it down!"
Both our monsters swordfight for a couple of seconds until mine delivers the finishing blow.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bakura 1950
"Then I attack directly!"
Bakura screams as Bugroth hits him again.
LP Richard 4000
LP Bakura 450
We both stand still. "In these three turns, he simply lost his monsters without even counterattacking" I think "I end my turn"
All of a sudden the wind increases as Bakura starts laughing hysterically. "You've fallen right into my trap!"
"Say what?!"
In response he draws his card. "Hidden in my Occult Deck lies one of the most terrifiying cards in existence!" he explains "But there's a special condition to Summon it: I need to sacrifice three souls from my Graveyard"
As he says so, he holds up the rightmost card in his hand. "Now come out, Dark Necrofear!"
A purple ectoplasma appears and rushes over the field for a while before turning into a blue demonic woman holding a creepy laughing baby doll (ATK: 2200).
Fanmade cards:
Furious Wave
Quick-Play Spell Card
Effect: Select 1 WATER monster on the field. It gains 1000 ATK and DEF.
Whoa! Bakura Summoned Dark Necrofear! Didn't expect this one, huh (the fact that Richard is facing Bakura, not Dark Necrofear being Summoned). Will Richard manage to win the Duel and get into the finals? This question will be answered… next chapter, though. Until then, hasta la vista!