Here's chapter fifteen of my Yu-Gi-Oh GX. Sorry for being behind my normal pace, but you have to admit it is better than about two months when I didn't update for an entire month. As the duel between Trish and Locket comes to an inevitable close Locket seems to be at a disadvantage due to her being stuck between a mecha dragon and an almost certain defeat. Also, as a fruit of their searching Amun, Gaia, Jason, and Kazuya have found an article on Tao to try to find out more about his past and found very troubling news.
Locket is left with three cards in hand and one card face-down, and one Synchro Monster Grim Reaper (1900/2100) along with having 3500 life points.
Trish is left with no cards in hand and one card face-down as well and the monster Machine Maverick Dragoon (3000/2500) along with having 3400 life points.
DISCLAIMER: ALL THE CREDIT FOR YU-GI-OH GOES TO KAZUKI TAKAHASHI AND SHONEN JUMP. I OWN ONLY SOME OF THE OCs AND THE DECKS USED BY THEM.
Duel XV: Terror and Technology; Halloween v. Machine Mavericks, Part 3; Warrior's Path; Windragon Shiron v. Paladins, Part 1
"Attack!" Trish commanded to her mecha dragon. "Vengeful Incineration!"
The dragon's mouth filled with gasoline and then ignited and short out towards the ghastly figure as a bead of sweat dropped from Locket's brow. The fire engulfed the grim reaper and destroyed the figure dropping Locket's life points from 3500 to 1900.
"Hey, what gives?" Fate asked. "That dragon has 3000 attack points; to do damage like that it would require 3500 attack points."
"That's true," Trish agreed looking at her. "But whenever my monster battles another monster it automatically gains 500 attack points for every monster my opponent controls."
"Is that all?" Locket said confidently emerging from the receding dust. "Because I'd figure with your reputation that I'd be in a coma by now. I activate my trap card, Dragon's Cave!"
A large vortex appeared out of a card depicting a darkened and desolate cave that sucked in the dragon and forced it inside the card where it disappeared. The card disappeared in the passing wind leaving the field almost completely empty save for Trish's face-down card.
"With this card your monster is removed from the game for five turns," Locket explained.
"Sounds like fun," Trish said confidently. "But that means in five turns that the Dragoon will return."
"Well then I guess I'll just have to turn things around by then, now won't I?" Locket asked rhetorically. "Draw! And I'll just play a card face-down and end my turn."
"That's all?" Trish asked. "Then it's my turn, draw! I summon Machine Maverick Penguin (1600/1000) in attack mode!" she declared as a mechanical penguin jumped out of the card with ice protruding from its beak. "And thanks to its effect I can freeze one of your cards in your hand for three turns."
The ice traveled across the field and then shot upwards to the far left of Locket's three cards rendering it incapable of being used.
"Now, my penguin will attack your life points directly!" Trish said.
The penguin shot out a continuous beam of ice from its beak that traveled straight towards Locket when it stopped almost five feet away from her face. The ice shattered as a large structure appeared that traveled and stopped in front of the penguin.
"Say hello to the Horseman's Guillotine," Locket explained. "When one of my opponent's monsters attacks I can automatically destroy it!"
The penguin was then fitted into the large wooden frame and locked in. A large blade appeared across the top of it and then dropped slicing off its head instantly destroying it.
"I guess that ends my turn," Trish said when a hole opened in the field.
A large mechanical arm shot out of it and latched onto the edge with a large roar sounding from the bottom.
"Since your turn is over the first of the five turns is also over until your dragon comes back," Locket explained. "But now it's my turn, draw! I summon my Giant Pumpkin (1400/1200) in attack mode!" she declared summoning a large pumpkin with jagged teeth and a candle inside its mouth. "Attack, Candle Fire!"
The pumpkin opened its mouth spewing out a stream of fire that engulfed Trish's body dropping her life points from 3400-2000. Trish cringed as she stood up with a similar fire in her eyes that the pumpkin just attacked her with.
"I play my face-down card, Solitude!" she declared as a card showing a picture of a lone monster in front of a full moon. "Whenever I take more than 1000 points of direct damage I can summon a level six Machine Maverick from my deck, and I choose Machine Maverick Mantis (2450/1800) in attack mode!" she declared summoning a green plated mechanical praying mantis to the field.
"I'll end my turn," Locket declared disdainfully.
Trish was about to draw her card when all five girls heard Amun madly typing at the computer. All four of the guys looked at the computer screen with disbelief in their eyes drawing in the attention of the five girls both participating in and watching the duel.
"What have you found out now that's so wonderful?" Trish asked slightly angry.
"It's about Tao," Amun said not looking up from the screen.
Destiny jerked her head around and took the computer from Amun and began reading the article about Tao's past and began to quicken when she fainted in her seat as Gaia took the computer and began reading from the article.
"This is a personal narrative by Tao so don't be surprised by the way he describes things.
"My name is Tao, well at least now it is, I am currently fourteen years old, and I may have the worst lives in the history of bad lives. I've been the victim of two attacks by monsters that people say don't exist, I have been both abused by my parents and recently been abandoned by them. But it wasn't always like this, you know. The part that makes my life the worst is that I lost so much.
"I've met people in the many countries I've visited, but every time I've had to leave them with no recollection of myself since I was three years old. In my life I've met a girl with the ability to see hidden meanings and predict the future, a boy who has twin personality, a knight from medieval times, a boy who survived going through a pyramid, a girl who has an unhealthy attachment to all things Halloween, a boy who is obsessed with finding a real dragon, a girl who hates to lose to anyone, especially boys, a girl who will sympathize with anyone of you plant you ideals in her head first, a girl who hates another for something the other doesn't even know about, and so many more people, but what brought this montage of misfits together was the game of Duel Monsters. Before I had to move I would duel them and each one made an impression on my now dying heart.
"My godfather has just informed me that I have less than three years to live and to find a cure for an almost incurable disease. I have promised myself one thing…that my life will not end with me being the boy who never had a chance, but the boy that was strong enough to go against the odds, but even as I write I can feel the scars spreading down my arm. The used to be just small scratches on my shoulders but now they are almost halfway down my arm. As the scars spread they infect my heart, they make me into someone I'm not, but what's the most sad part of this I can never tell anyone goodbye because if I can't this I will die alone off in the distant recesses of the world. To those of whom with the heart to read this all the way through, I thank you and wish you well in life. My life is forever in pain because of what those dirty rats made me into."
Gaia closed the lid of the laptop and his eyes and walked back over to the far sidelines and sat down solemnly with the rest of the populace looking at each other.
"I can't believe we've all met Tao down the road," Rose said.
"Am I really that manipulative?" Fate asked randomly.
"I don't think we should worry about that for right now," Amun said with his hands folded. "The point is we now know more about Tao then he wanted us to know. We know he is terminal and that he is capable of taking anything he wants from people because of his power and his unwillingness to lose unless it's by his own hand. This became apparent when he 'lost' to Gaia's alter ego, Aigis."
"More importantly," Trish spoke up. "We have a duel to finish."
The other people looked at her disapprovingly except for Gaia and Kazuya.
"She's right," Gaia said. "Once a duel is instigated it can't be stopped until a winner is decided. What's more? The more we duel the more we can prepare for his return and then defeat and heal him on our terms."
"…I never thought of it like that," Locket said looking up. "Let's go!"
"All right, draw!" Trish declared. "I play my spell card, Seven Completed! This spell card gives any machine monster 700 extra attack points," she explained with the mantis' attack rising from 2450-3150. "Now attack with Mechanical Machete!"
The mantis disappeared for any instant and then reappeared behind Locket and then sliced her back with two blades on its arms dropping her life points 1900-375. Falling forward Locket watched the mantis disappeared again and reappeared on Trish's side of the field. Getting back up with a strain Locket looked up at Trish and expected an explanation.
"It's very simple," Trish explained. "My mantis has the ability to halve its attack and then attack you directly. I concede the turn to you," she declared as the hole in the middle began to rumble with a mechanical leg with claws gripping onto the hole from the opposite side of the current revealed arm.
"Then it's my turn, draw!" Locket declared looking at the card and the one in her hand that was frozen. "I switch my pumpkin to defense mode and end my turn with a face-down card."
The audience watched Locket as she panted from exhaustion and then over at Trish who did the same.
"My move, draw!" Trish declared. "Now I attack with my Mantis, Mechanical Machete!"
The mantis employed the same tactic as before and then froze in place much to the surprise of everyone.
"I activate the quick spell card Pumpkin Smash! It destroys every card on the field that has Pumpkin in its name and then you take 300 points of damage," Locket explained as the candle from inside the former pumpkin fell to her feet and exploded dropping her life points from 2000-1700.
"What's your point?" Trish asked expectantly.
"As long my pumpkin is in the graveyard your Mantis cannot attack," Locket explained as the mantis returned to its field.
"I end my turn," Trish declared as the second of the dragoon's arm shot out of the hole and gripped onto the edge.
"I'm assuming it's my turn, draw!" Locket said taking the initiative. "I'll simply play a face-down card and end my turn."
"That's all? Then it's my turn!" she said drawing her card. "I sacrificed my Mantis for Machine Maverick Spider (2000/2500)!" she declared summoning a green chrome painted monster, but this time one of the arachnid persuasion. "Now I take the initiative and attack you for the game, Toxic Web!"
The spider shot out a large web from its mouth that shot towards Locket when her face-down card blocked its path stopping it in its tracks. The card showed the grim reaper with a scythed that traveled in a complete circle around its body.
"This is the Reaper's Judgment, it stops your attack and then determines your monster's fate," Locket explained vaguely. "With that all I have to do is flip this coin and you guess heads or tails if you guess right than I lose, if not your monster is destroyed," Locket explained more thoroughly holding up a coin with a jack o lantern face on the front and the backside of it on the other.
Trish hesitated as the coin traveled through the air and though for several seconds wracking her brain when the coin landed on top Locket's hand as she covered it with her other.
"Your decision?" Locket asked tauntingly.
"…Tails!" Trish shouted.
"Sorry, you lose," Locket said as a spirit body shot out of the card and sliced the spider in half.
"I end my turn," Trish said as the fourth leg gripped onto the edge of the hole signaling that only one more turn until the dragoon would return.
"Then it's my go," Locket said drawing a card. "And I'm going to pass this turn."
"Then it's my turn, draw!" Trish declared and looked at her cards disdainfully. "No monsters, and even I did I probably couldn't summon it. Ergh, what makes this little girl so obnoxious? It's worse than dealing with all those loud mouth boys that I had to deal with when my father took me to his work on 'Take Your Child to Work' day. Why is she so good with such a weak deck of cards? I have no monsters, but if I can hold out till next turn I can take her down with my dragoon, yeah that's what I'll do."
Trish looked at Locket and shrugged her shoulders, "My turn is over," she declared nonchalantly as the dragoon shot the rest of its body out of the hole and took its place on Trish's side of the field. "If you can't come up with something soon, then it's over."
"We'll see about that," Locket said drawing her card. "Since it's been more than three turns the effect of your penguin's freezing ability is canceled," she reminded as the frozen card thawed. "And now I'm free to use this card, Graveyard Resurrection! This card automatically brings back a dark attribute Synchro monster from my graveyard, its effect is negated, and I cannot attack with it the turn it is summoned. So I summon the Grim Reaper in defense mode!" she declared bringing back the cloaked figure.
"You're going somewhere with this?" Trish asked unconvinced. "You're basically summoning dragon fodder."
"Oh, I'm not done," Locket said. "Now I summon my Halloween Bat (300/500) in attack mode!" she declared summoning a black and orange bat flapping its wings erratically. "Now I tune my Halloween Bat (LV2) to my Grim Reaper (LV6) to Synchro Summon my Halloween Dragon (2800/2500, LV8) in attack mode!"
The bat turned into two rings that covered the Grim Reaper and forced six similar lights to shine. The lights shined brighter and the two monsters bonded and formed a giant black dragon with an orange under belly, orange eyes, and spikes with pumpkin like designs lining its back. The spectators looked at the giant monster in amazement when Amun looked up unimpressed.
"It's still too weak," he said plainly.
Locket fell over on foot and planted both of her feet on the ground and looked at Amun angrily and then calmed her expression and then held a final card in her hand.
"I play Pumpkin Patch!" Locket declared placing the card in the hidden slot on the end of the duel disk conjuring a field of pumpkins lit by a full moon with a giant pumpkin on top of a large hill. "With this spell card all my monsters gain 1000 extra attack points, so attack with Pumpkin Flare!"
The dragon's attack rose from 2800-3800 as it blasted an orange flame from its mouth in the shape of a jack o lantern that the mechanical dragon tried to fight back with its own flame from the ignited gasoline. The mecha dragon's attack rose from 3000-3500, but was still overpowered and was destroyed with a final roar. Trish's life points dropped from 1700-1400 as Locket looked at her confidently.
"Is that it?" Trish asked regaining her confidence.
"Nope," Locket replied plainly.
"Huh?" Trish asked.
"Whenever my dragon destroys a monster by battle you take damage equal to half of the attack points of your monster," Locket explained as the dragon strained and blasted a large fire from the multitude of spikes that literally incinerated Trish's life points from 1400-0.
Trish fell to her knees and looked down at the ground as Locket walked up to her.
"I didn't want to, you know," Locket said.
"Didn't want to what?" Trish asked standing up.
"Win," Locket answered much to the surprise of everyone else. "For a while, I wanted you to duel Amun to get him to realize that dueling is supposed to be fun and that it shouldn't cause you to be depressed no matter what the outcome. So let's both do our best to get him to realize that."
Amun gulped and looked at the other two with a worried expression. "Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" he thought to himself.
One week later Kazuya walked along the path to the school and entered the school building and sat in his seat rather drearily. Looking down at the Slifer Red area Kazuya looked down at the seat that Tao always sat in and sighed depressively.
"He's only been gone for a week and already it feels like the entire two years that I didn't see him after my parents took be back and left him for dead like everyone did," Kazuya thought with his head propped on one hand. "Then finding out that he'll die within five or six months doesn't help at all. Ergh, why did he have to hide everything from us?"
A slam on his desk from the teacher broke his train of thought as the teacher stared at him with cold eyes.
"Just don't follow your friend, Tao," the teacher said reprimanding him in front of the class who all chuckled as Kazuya nodded and for the rest of class wracked his brain over Tao's reasons staying completely emotionless.
After class ended Kazuya left the building slowly and still depressed when he heard a small beep on a pager. Picking it up he read the words, "Come to the Obelisk dueling arena if you want more information about your friend."
Jumping at the summon Kazuya bolted past students and teachers and reached the Obelisk dueling arena within a few minutes to find the arena empty save for an Obelisk student who stood at approximately six feet tall, with a lean muscular build, light skin tone, light brown eyes and hair that fell over his forehead and ears. The doors slammed shut and locked keeping Kazuya inside.
"And you would be?" Kazuya asked cautiously.
"Mori Takai," the boy said. "And now your opponent," he said throwing a duel disk at Kazuya.
"Why would I agree to duel someone like you?" Kazuya asked beginning to get annoyed.
"Because you know I know something you want to know," Mori said. "And I want to know something about your friend as well," he said narrowing his eyes.
"Like what?" Kazuya said narrowing his eyes as well.
"His whereabouts so I can take my revenge on him!" Mori shouted.
"I don't know where he is, but I will duel you to find out what you know," Kazuya said activating the duel disk. "Just make sure you come up on your end of the bargain when you lose."
"You can't know who'll win or lose," Mori said activating the duel disk in kind. "But enough talk, actions speak louder than words!"
"Duel!" the two shouted in unison.
"My move first!" Kazuya declared. "I summon Espada Eagle (1600/700) in attack mode!" he declared summoning a green feathered eagle with streaks of gold in its feathers and eyes. "Next I'll play three cards face-down and end my turn."
"That's all?" Mori asked tauntingly. "Draw! I summon Guardian of Striking Thunder (1300/2000) in attack mode!" he declared summoning a warrior clad in almost no armor but a montage of tunics and a large shield and long thin bladed sword. "Now, I'll also place three cards face-down and end my turn."
"My draw!" Kazuya declared.
"And because it is, Guardian of Striking Thunder takes a slash out of your life points, Thunder Blade!" Mori explained and commanded.
The blade held by the warrior shined a spectral yellow and then shot three bolts of lightning at Kazuya each one taking out 100 points of damage leaving him with 3700 life points. Kazuya strained slightly and held onto his chest and rose to his feet and straitened his legs and pointed at Mori.
"This duel is far from over and when it is you'll tell me everything you know about Tao!" he declared looking into Mori's eyes who simply stared back never shifting his physical emotions.
Chapter fifteen complete. Again I'm sorry for the late update after telling you that I would have it by a certain date (bows apologetically). Please don't flame me. I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me. I swear school is the archenemy of all fanfic writers.
Next time: Kazuya continues his duel with the completely emotionless Mori who seems to be blaming Tao for something. Whether that's going be described is anyone's guess. And In an attempt to cure Amun's duel fear the girls bring in a girl who finds the best in anyone by bringing out her worst. Next time: Warrior's Path; Windragon Shiron v. Paladins, and Egyptian Spirits v. Mahou Shoujo, Part 2.