Pro League Circuit!
Chapter 9: The Trouble with the Past (3)
Soutou put his hand on the door handle and turned it. He hesitated as he was about to open it. Suddenly Soutou let go of the handle and took a few steps back. He looked over at the window to Shinsei's room. The blinds were down and closed. He remembered Mrs. Konjou's recount of Shinsei's duel with the Shinseki.
"But you only have one facedown card left! Unless you draw a monster, I'll just attack again next turn and win!" Shinsei declared confidently. The man's other facedown card revealed itself. "Trap card open, Cross Heart. After a monster of yours attacks me directly, control of it will switch to me!"
Shinsei dropped to his knees. "I-impossible…." he said as his card shot over to the man's duel disk. He laughed as Victory Dragon appeared on his side of the field. "Now this is how it should be! With no cards left, I guess your turns over!"
He drew a card, but he didn't even look at it. "What was that about bonds? About the heart of the cards? About me being a terrible duelist? Where are your bonds now! Your monster easily betrayed you in your time of need. And now he'll end you! Victory Dragon, attack directly! Victory Flame!"
Shinsei screamed as the giant fireball blasted him backwards onto the ground. He didn't move, even as electricity coursed through his body. "Finish him with your effect, Victory Dragon! Blazing Victory!" The dragon opened its mouth once more and let out a stream f fire on Shinsei, causing even more electricity to course through his body. The man laughed as he pulled Victory Dragon off his duel disk and put it in his pocket.
"Shinsei!" His mother screamed as she knelt down next to him. She felt for a pulse and found one, but it was slow and irregular. "Shinsei….. Shinsei….." She cried
Soutou sat down in a chair that was next too the door. He didn't know if Shinsei was asleep, or unconscious, or possibly in a coma. I have no idea what kind of situation he's in. All I know is that this boy believes strongly in the will of a duelist… and that in the end his beliefs were crushed by that thief….
Soutou confidently put his hand on the door handle and turned it. He slowly opened the door. I have to confront him as a duelist and restore his spirit…
Soutou wavered slightly when he saw Shinsei. He was laying in bed with several machines hooked up to his body. He had a breathing tube in his nose, and was currently sitting up and playing video games.
However, it wasn't the medical equipment that made him look like an entirely different boy then the one Soutou saw on the news. It was his body. His skin was pale white, and he had large black rings around his eyes, as though he hadn't been sleeping. In some places Soutou could see large chunks of his light brown hair. In others, he was bald. His face bore an expression of hate and anger. Soutou almost trembled as he approached the young man.
Shinsei didn't even glance at Soutou as he walked up to his bed. "Hello Shinsei." Soutou said pleasantly as he knelt next to the bed. Shinsei still refused to look at him. "What do you want?" He spat, his voice heavy with malice. Soutou maintained his pleasant expression. "Just to talk, that's all." He said with a smile on his face.
Shinsei turned his game off and put it on the nightstand next to his bed. Soutou now had his attention. "About what? Are you a police officer? I don't want to talk about that anymore." He said angrily. "No no, I'm not a police officer. I'm a lawyer." Soutou explained.
"But you know, after I got out of law school I dueled in the Pro Leagues for a few years. You might have been too young to remember me, I was the A-" "SHUT UP!" Soutou was interrupted by Shinsei's scream. "I don't want to hear about dueling ever ever ever ever EVER again! It's a stupid game for stupid people!" He yelled. Shinsei crossed his arms and turned onto his sides.
Soutou's kindness vanished and was replaced by sadness. "I know that your angry Shinsei. But I can see that deep down, the duelist inside of you is still there. Right now your crying out in pain because of what happened. Your love for the game has been replaced with spite for it."
Shinsei didn't respond. Soutou put a hand on his back. "You weren't wrong, Shinsei. Everything you said during that duel was true. I'm sorry that that man's vile tactics defeated you. It's always painful when one of your monster's is taken. It happens to everyone. And when it does, all you can think of is how much it hurts to see your own monster turning against you, damaging you. Tearing at the bonds you've formed. All you can think of is 'How is it fair? I'm the one who shares ties with my monster. I'm the one who did everything I could to summon it, protect it, win with it.'"
"But you have to understand that your monster is crying out too for every moment that your opponent uses it. Even right now, Victory Dragon is screaming in pain as that man uses it for his own evil intentions. You can't give up, Shinsei. Victory Dragon will return to you. I swear that I will do everything in my power to bring him back to you."
Shinsei rolled over and reached into the nightstand next to him. He pulled out a deck of cards and whipped it at Soutou. The deck split apart in front of him and tons of cards gently floated to the floor. "I told you it's a stupid game! I'm not going to play it any more! Take these too! I don't want to have to see another Duel Monster's card again! Victory Dragon betrayed me! He made me look like a fool!" At this point Shinsei's eyes were overflowing with tears. "He… he stomped on everything I thought dueling was about….." He cried. Unable to continue speaking, Shinsei burst out into tears. Soutou got up and picked up all of his cards off the ground.
"I'll trade you then." Soutou sad as he put the cards he had picked up into his pocket. "I'll hold onto these, and when I give it back to you it will have all of your cards in it, even Victory Dragon." Shinsei continued to cry with his head down. Soutou put a hand on his shoulder and placed a card in his hand. "And in return, I want you to hold onto this. Don't let that evil man's ways poison you, Shinsei. Keep on believing in what you bravely said to him that night. Don't let him pollute your mind, your world."
Shinsei looked down at the card Soutou had placed in his hand. "Remove Brainwashing?" Soutou patted Shinsei on the head and walked to the door. "See you later, Shinsei." He said before walking out. Shinsei wiped his eyes and laughed. Tears started flowing once more, but they were different this time. This time they were tears of happiness.
Soutou's personality changed entirely as he stepped out into the hallway. He stomped down the halls of the hospital like a man on a mission, his face red with rage, his eyes darkened with hate. Stealing a small child's card with such vile tactics. Churning up so much damage and pain. Not showing a single shred of remorse….!
"There's no way in hell I'm going to let this guy off easy." Soutou declared to himself as he stepped out of the hallway.
Soutou spent the next few days ordering various types of metals online and working in his garage. Against his better judgment, he called his brother Koto and told him about his hospital trip. Koto was slightly angry at Soutou for impersonating a family member, but he was glad that he tried to help the family.
Knowing that Soutou had taken an interest in the case, Koto began working vigorously on it. Although not in charge of the entire thing, he was one of the main detectives who had been given the task of locating the thief and hopefully catching him.
It was a Saturday night when Soutou received a call from Koto. He had just finished welding his latest project. He set down his blowtorch, took off his mask and answered the phone.
Before Soutou could say anything Koto began speaking. "Yo, Soutou! Your gonna love this!" Koto said happily. "Geeze, your so mild mannered. The least you could do is let me ask who's calling before you start blabbing about stuff."
Koto laughed. "Who cares about manners? Your going to love this! You know that case I've been working on? We found someone who says that there's someone who was talking about him the other day. Guess who that person is?"
"Who?" Soutou asked, slightly confused about what Koto had just told him. "Touzoku Kusemono, the guy that walked in your last trial." Soutou's eyes widened and he almost dropped the phone. "What! You mean he's connected to the robber?" Soutou said excitedly.
"Slow down there Soutou. It was just a tip, we don't know anything for sure yet. Were going to ask him to come in for questioning in a few days though. Hopefully this can give us some sort of-"
"What!" Soutou interrupted. "Your not inviting him over for tea Koto!" He's a criminal that walked free, and now he has ties to someone ever worse then him! You can put him away for a day or two at least for questioning, and your just gonna take your sweet time and invite him over for a casual interrogation!" Soutou slammed a fist on the wall.
"That's unacceptable!" The other line was silent for a minute. "Look, Soutou, I know your very passionate about what's going on with this case, but you need to settle down. I know that guy shouldn't have walked, but we have to treat him just like an other person with a clean slate, because that's what the law says he is. We have a lot of other work to do here too, and since there's only a slim chance that this source is correct, we cant just drop everything and go after him."
Soutou was silent. "I have to go. Goodbye." He suddenly said, and quickly hung up the phone and walked back into his garage. If everyone will turn a blind eye to crime…. And forfeit the idea of justice…. He picked up a large chunk of metal. It was shaped like a mask, and shined a bright silver. Yellow metal spikes jutted off of it in every direction, and in the center there was a metal circle with a blue piece of glass in its center. Soutou took the mask and placed it over his face.
Then I'll be the one to enforce it from now on. I won't have any rules or regulations. I won't let wrong doers roam the streets. This world's system is broken… Soutou lifted another large piece of metal off of the table. It was a large metal shield in the shape of an arm. Soutou slipped this on over his left arm. The fingers were separated so that he could open and close his hand, and there was a large plate over his shoulder.
Aside from his new mask and armor, Soutou had on black dress pants and a black dress shirt, which was tucked in. He had a silver handkerchief in his shirt pocket and a silver tie to match it. And if nobody else will, then I will fix it. I will cleanse this world of evil! I will make it perfect through nothing less then absolute justice!
Soutou walked down the street, his head down, and his hands in his pockets. It was 10:00 at night, but the streets were empty. The air was heavy with smog and the scent of garbage. The buildings that Soutou passed were filthy. Run down, graffiti everywhere, broken windows. He ignored the grim scenery around him and continued walking.
A faint light shone in front of him. In a parking lot down the street, a barrel had a fire burning in it. There were four boys, around 18-21 standing around it talking and laughing. They didn't notice Soutou as he trudged along towards them.
Even when he stood just two feet away from the group, nobody noticed him. Soutou remained silent until one of the men pointed to him. The group got up and walked over to him.
"You lookin for somethin, bro?" One of them asked in a cocky tone. Soutou remained motionless. "Hey, what up with his mask? This guy thinks hes some kinda superhero or somethin.!" The group laughed at this and began to circle him.
"What is that, some kinda sex costume bro?" They laughed again. "You lookin for a good time with one of us?" The man continued. Everyone laughed again. "Hey, show us your face, bro!" One of them said. He reached for Soutou's mask.
Suddenly Soutou's hand shot out of his pocket and grabbed the man's hand. His other hand then grabbed lower on his arm and flipped him over his shoulder, swinging his body down onto another one of his friends. The other two went to act, but Soutou was surprisingly fast. Without letting go, Soutou heaved and swung the man he was holding into the two in front of him. He crashed into their stomachs and sent them hurdling backwards.
The first one who had gotten hit was unconscious. The one he had used as a weapon was swearing about his arm, which had made a sickening popping noise after Soutou has swung him into his friends. A third was still trapped underneath his comrade who had been used as a weapon. The fourth had jumped up and assumed a fighting position.
"You." Soutou said, pointing a finger at the fourth. "Touzoku Kusemono, right?" Kusemono lowered his guard a little. "Yeah, what do you want?" Soutou grinned underneath his mask. With amazing agility he took a step forward and slammed his armored fist into Touzoku's stomach. He let out a yell as he was knocked off his feet and send backwards into the burning barrel. He hit its side and knocked it backwards, causing its burning contents to spill out onto the pavement.
"W-what do you want from me!" He cried as Soutou grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him off the ground. "What do you know about the guy who stole that Victory Dragon card?" Soutou asked very nonchalantly.
"I-I don't know what your talking about! I didn't even know it got stolen!" Soutou dragged Touzoku over to the burning pile of wood on the ground. "I don't have time for lies Touzoku." He said as he held his face over the fire. "Tell me what I want to know, or I will burn you."
Touzoku began whimpering with fear. "Ok, OK! His name is Houseki! I don't know the rest of his name, but he's an underground duelist! He's one of the underground's top duelists, and also in charge of several duel gangs! He just showed up here the other day asking me and my crew to join up with him! He asked us to show up at his duel tonight at the warehouse on yellowtail! That's all I know, PLEASE LET ME GO!"
Soutou brought Touzoku's face dangerously close to the fire. Touzoku began whimpering even more. Suddenly Soutou released him. Touzoku caught himself before his face could touch the fire and crawled away. "Stay out of trouble and I wont be back." Soutou said emotionlessly as he turned to walk away.
Suddenly he felt something clamp down on his leg. His eyes shot open with surprise as he looked down. Touzoku was grinning like a maniac with two hands around his leg. Soutou shook him free and jumped back, but it was too late. A metal band had already been placed around it. Touzoku pulled out a small switch and pressed it. Soutou stifled a yell as electricity coursed through his body. He dropped to one knee and started breathing heavily.
"Hold on there, bro. We've got a big opportunity here. I cant let you just waltz right in here and walk away with everything you want. Besides, what would Houseki say if he found out?" Touzoku pulled out a blood red duel disk and activated it. "That's a duel disk on your arm, aint it?" He asked, pointing to Soutou's orange duel disk. "Why don't we have some fun, huh?"
Soutou scowled behind his mask. Damnit, I didn't plan on getting mixed up in a duel with this guy. But now that he's got this duel shocker on me it looks like I don't have a choice. I'll just end this quickly…
"I'll be nice and let you go first, bro! Just to give you a chance before I end you!" Touzoku yelled confidently. Soutou casually drew a card from his deck. "I place two cards facedown. Turn end."
Touzoku laughed. "That it, bro? This is gonna be easier then I thought!" Touzoku snapped a card off of his deck. "I play my spell card, Burning Coals! This card allows me to send a number of fire monsters from my hand to the grave to send an equal number from my deck to the grave. I'll send 3 from my hand, and 3 from my deck!"
Soutou didn't bother asking what Touzoku planned on doing with this. He must have some sort of card that summons monsters from the graveyard….
Touzoku began laughing madly. "Good game, bro! I activate my spell card, Pureflame Eruption! This card will special summon as many pyro monsters in my grave with 200 defense as possible to the field! I summon Frembell Dragunov, Frembell Baby, Frembell Archer, Frembell Gurukina, and Frembell Hound to the field in attack position!"
Soutou watched as Touzoku amassed 5 monsters in a single turn. "That's 6500 points of hurt waiting for you on my field! Now, I'll end it! My frembell army, attack directly!"
Soutou didn't even flinch as all of Touzoku's monsters began charging towards him. "Trap card activate, Wotan's Judgment." A green clothed man appeared on the field holding a bright white staff. He trusted it forward and a giant barrier appeared, blocking all of Touzoku's attacks. "I will draw 1 card, then place my "Element Mastery" on top of my deck and shuffle it. Your battle phase then ends."
Touzoku growled angrily at Soutou. "Your monsters will dissapear during the end phase, wont they?" Soutou asked. "Not if I get rid of them before that! Tuning my level 1 Frembell Baby to my level 4 Frembell Gurukina! Synchro Summon, Frembell Urquizas!"
Soutou was unmoved by Urquizas's appearance. "The strongest Frembell monster. He shouldn't be too hard to deal with." Touzoku laughed upon hearing that. "You don't stand a chance against him! During my end phase, all of my Frembell monsters summoned by Pureflame Eruption will be removed from the field!" All of Touzoku's monsters except for Urquizas began fading away, like ashes in a breeze.
Soutou smiled. "During the end phase, I'll activate my facedown card, Equal Opportunity. During the end phase of your turn, I can special summon monsters from my deck equal to the number of monsters you special summoned on your turn. All effects of summoned monsters are negated."
Soutou fanned through his deck and selected 5 monsters. "I summon Ally of Justice - Galadholg, Ally of Justice - D.D. Checker, Ally of Justice - Light Reflector, Ally of Justice - Thousand Arms and Ally of Justice - Reverse Breaker."
Touzoku started to sweat a little as Soutou swarmed the field just as quickly as he had. "B-but none of them can stand up to Urquizas! Its futile!" Soutou ignored him. "Its my turn, draw."
Soutou looked over his hand. "I activate my spell card, Inescapable Refinement. This card returns all cards that are removed from play to the graveyard. Also, monsters cannot be special summoned from the graveyard. That means that all of your Frembell monsters will return to the grave."
"Now, tuning my level 1 Light Reflector to my level 4 Reverse Breaker and my level 4 Thousand Arms. As darkness engulfs everything, the world cries out for justice! Become the one to answer that call!"
Light Reflector began glowing and transformed into a single green ring. Reverse Breaker and Thousand Arms passed through this rings and began fading away until they were nothing but glowing yellow outlines. Each had 4 shining stars inside of them. The eight stars passed through the one green ring, causing a giant beam of green light to shoot down onto Soutou's field. "Synchro Summon, Ally of Justice - Field Marshall."
Touzoku began to quake with fear as Soutou's massive humanoid machine descended onto the field. The entire parking lot was illuminated by the beams of light shooting off from Field Marshall.
Calm down. Touzoku thought to himself. The monsters he summoned with his Equal Opportunity card cant attack or use their effects. And now that he's out of tuners, theyre useless! I just have to withstand this turn! Then I can use my Smashing Ground spell on hand and destroy Field Marshal!
Light Reflector appeared from the graveyard and hovered above the field. Field Marshall directed all of its search lights on the glass prism, causing blinding light to illuminate the field. "Light Reflector will make all monsters on the field and the graveyard light attribute monsters. Which will allow me to play my next card, Light Wave Tuning. This will turn Ally of Justice - Galadholg into a tuner monster."
"Damnit, another synchro summon!" Touzoku yelled. "Tuning my level 4 Galadholg to my level 4 D.D. Checker. As darkness engulfs everything, the world cries out for justice! Become the one to answer that call! Synchro Summon! Ally of Justice - Light Gazer!"
Touzoku could barely see anything. The field was bathed in nothing but pure light. He could just barely make out the outlines of Light Gazer and Field Marshall. "Light Gazer gains 200 attack points for every light monster in your graveyard. You have 6 due to Light Reflector's effect, giving Light Gazer 1200 attack." (Attack: 3600)
"An attack of 3600!" Touzoku yelled. "I won't let you off that easy though. No, I wont let you get off easy by ending it with just one attack…I'm going to brutally attack you many times until you repent for your sins! I activate my spell card, Thousand Punisher!"
Touzoku watched as Light Gazer's attack began to decrease. It went down and down until it reached 1000. After that, it exploded. "B-But why!" Touzoku asked.
Soutou pointed to Field Marshall. "Thousand Punisher decreases one of my monsters attack to 1000. After that, another one of my monsters can attack an additional time for each 1000 point decrease. This will give Field Marshall 2 more attacks." Touzoku's started shaking as he realized what was about to happen. "Ally of Justice - Field Marshall, attack his Frembell Urquizas! Field Control!"
Field Marshall raised one of its massive hands and brought it crashing down on Urquizas, breaking the flaming beast into pieces.
Soutou's Life Points: 4000
Touzoku's Life Points: 3200
"Field Marshall, direct attack! Spotlight Terror!" Touzoku screamed as all of Field Marshall's spotlights focused on him. The light was so bright that his eyes went white and he collapsed to the ground, dazed and blinded by the attack. "S-stop…. Please just stop… I cant see… oh God… oh GOD! I CANT SEE!" He shrieked.
Soutou's Life Points: 4000
Touzoku's Life Points: 300
Soutou didn't show even the slightest hesitation. "Ally of Justice - Field Marshall, direct attack. Field Control." Touzoku screamed at the top of his lungs as Field Marshall's hand came crashing down on him.
Soutou's Life Points: 4000
Touzoku's Life Points: 0
Touzoku clambered to his feet, still unable to see. "*******. YOU *******! I CANT SEE! I'LL KILL YOU FOR THIS!" Touzoku whipped out the remote he had used earlier to shock Soutou. Soutou ran at him as he cranked the dial up to its maximum level. He put his thumb on the button. "I'll-!"
Soutou's metal fist plowed through Touzoku's duel disk like tissue paper and into his stomach. Touzoku didn't move, and simply stood there, supported only by Soutou's fist. Soutou looked down and saw that he had punched a hole straight through Touzoku's mostly plastic disk. Electricity was sparking from the hole he had made. Soutou slowly pulled his fist back and free from the duel disk.
Touzoku dropped to his knees, and Soutou could see that he was just barely conscious. His duel disk crackled with sparks before suddenly exploding on his arm. Soutou turned around and began walking away, not even bothering to look back as Touzoku dropped to the ground.
"I guess that kind of duel disk is all that scum like you can afford." He muttered. "Now, on to important matters…."
Sneaking into the warehouse was going to be harder then Soutou expected. The average-looking run down building was guarded by two large men in suits and sunglasses. The only people they were letting in were the ones who handed them envelopes that appeared to contain invitations.
Disgusting…. Soutou thought to himself. The only reason the underground dueling business rakes in millions is because these rich, filthy pigs come here to see people kill each other for their own entertainment. Absolutely vulgar.
The only other entrance inside was through the backdoor in the alley. Unfortunately this area was occupied by who he could only guess was Houseki as well as his manager, and someone else.
Soutou was positioned on the roof of the building next door. He blended in perfectly with the darkness. As Soutou watched person after person enter the building, he came up with a plan.
Soutou crawled to the other end of the building he was on top of and silently descended the wall to the ground. The alley behind the building connected with the alley that Houseki was standing in. Soutou grabbed a large rock and threw it as hard as he could at two old garbage cans at the end of the alley. It smashed into them and knocked them over. He watched as Houseki, his manager, and the third man all stopped talking and peered down the alley.
"Who's there?" His manager asked. No response. "Heh, I bet some street rats hopping around in the trash and trying to sneak in. I'll take care of him." Houseki said happily. His manager put a hand on his chest as he stepped forward. "Are you crazy? The duel starts in 5 minutes, get your ass in there and get ready. We'll take a look, just don't worry about it."
Houseki didn't protest, but turned around and went into the building. Soutou quickly ran back to the ladder he had climbed down while the manager and third man slowly crept into the alley. Soutou pulled himself up the ladder as quickly and silently as he could. He heard their voices echo in the alley below as he sprinted across the rooftop.
"Maybe it was nothing." He heard the third man say. "I wanna make sure it was nothing." The manager responded. "I don't want no little kids snooping around here getting an earful about our strategy for everyone to hear."
Soutou looked around and saw that there was no ladder on this end of the building. He swore under his breath and grabbed the ledge of the building with his hands. He then swung his feet over and let go. He slowly began to descend, his shoes and metal hand sc****** the brick and slowing his fall. He was five feet from the ground when he couldn't hold it anymore and released.
His feet clacked against cement as he hit the ground. Luckily for him, the manager and the man were so far down the alley that they didn't hear it. Soutou raced over to the door and snuck inside.
The second he entered he was ready to attack Houseki. But as he looked around the small dressing room, he saw that it was empty. He looked to his left and saw a door, and light leaking out from underneath it. He heard the sound of running water. In the bathroom…
Soutou spotted his duel disk sitting on a table in front of him. Soutou pulled the deck out and began flipping through it, looking for Victory Dragon. This is perfect. I'm getting luckier then I thought I would. Now after this I can just sneak out into the crowd and take a seat. I'll have to watch the duel, but with my mask I'll blend in perfectly. Houseki will just assume that he didn't draw Victory Dragon, and once he checks his deck for it I'll be-
Soutou's thoughts were cut short as he was sent flying across the room. He smashed into the wall, dazed and confused. He pulled himself up as fast as he could, his head spinning.
He looked to his left and saw Houseki standing where Soutou once stood, a huge grin on his face. His fist was still outstretched from the punch he had delivered to Soutou. "What's up, faceless guy?" Soutou assumed a fighting stance as Houseki greeted him.
"Like my deck?" He asked casually. "It's got a lot of rare cards in it, huh? That's how I build all of my decks. If it aint got a lot of rare cards in it, its not worth crap." Soutou's head was still spinning from Houseki's first punch. Why is he so calm and casual after I just tried to steal his cards? Any normal person would be furious!
It was then that Soutou noticed it. The plate on his shoulder that was meant to act as a shield for his head had been obliterated. It was now lying flat against his shoulder, completely smashed down by Houseki's punch. What the hell is this guy, some sort of monster!
Houseki suddenly reacted, throwing another strong right aimed at Soutou's face. Soutou was just barely able to lean back and avoid the punch. He grabbed Houseki's outstretched wrist with his right hand and pulled forward, causing him to stumble forward slightly. Soutou took this opportunity and lifted his left fist and swung at him, slamming his shielded hand into Houseki's jaw.
Houseki's face jerked to the left, Soutou's fist pressed hard against it. "Ahah…..ahahahahahaha!" He laughed. Soutou was startled by Houseki's laughing. He turned his head and looked at Soutou. "That all you got?" He asked. Soutou was about to ready another punch when Houseki gave him a right hook. His fist shattered the bottom half of his mask and knocked him into the air. Soutou came crashing down to the ground in a heap, his vision spinning.
Suddenly the door opened. "Houseki, what the hell is going on down here!" His manager yelled. Houseki cracked his knuckles and picked up his duel disk. "Some guy snuck in and tried to take my deck." He said, pointing at Soutou. "I don't know who the hell you think you are buddy, you've made a big mistake coming in here!" The manager reached for his mask and went to remove it. "Wait." Houseki said, grabbing his manager's hand.
"Why don't we give the crowd a little bit of excitement before the real show?" He said with a huge grin plastered on his face. His manager smiled at the idea as well. "That's a pretty good idea. I'll be right back to OK it with the owner." He said.
"Then after I humiliate him in front of everyone I can pull off his mask and show everyone his face. After all, that's pretty insulting to superheroes, isn't it?" Houseki laughed. "Faceless guy, you've just stepped right into hell."
His head still spinning, Soutou was attached with duel shockers on his neck, arms, and legs and hoisted up by two large men. He heard someone speaking into a microphone, but he couldn't focus enough to hear what they were saying. Suddenly he was thrown forward into a bright light. Soutou slowly got up as a series of boo's erupted from the audience.
He heard the person on the microphone again, and then a series of cheers as someone else stepped into the light. The person was apparently talking to Soutou. "C-cccomuon anseless urai. Duuuuwlesses starsin."
Soutou squinted as though it would clarify things. His focus slowly started to return. Houseki was standing on the other end of a circle of light from him. He saw what looked like a giant net surrounding both of them. As his vision finally focused, he saw that it was actually a cage.
"I said come on, faceless guy. The duels already started." Houseki's clear voice snapped Soutou back into reality. He clambered to his feet and took a few steps back. "Duel?" He asked. Houseki grinned and nodded. "That's right. This is a death cage match. There aint nowhere for you to run to get out of this duel. Only the one left alive can escape." Soutou looked around at all of the evil, grinning masked faces staring at the ring. There was a dull murmur in the crowd. They were anxious for a duel.
"I wont duel you." Soutou declared defiantly. "I wont get wrapped up in your evil ways." The crowd began booing Soutou, but Houseki just laughed. "So you are a super hero after all, huh? A stupid one, but you still think that you're a hero!" Houseki pointed to the metal band attached to his neck. "See these things on your body? If you refuse to duel they'll shock you to death. You aint got a choice in the matter."
Soutou remained defiant. "This isn't the way I want to reap my revenge. I wont do it." He declared once more. "I get it now. Revenge, huh?" Houseki pulled his deck out and began flipping through it. He pulled a card out and showed it to Soutou. It was Victory Dragon. "I guess this is what you were after then, huh? I'll ante it then. If you beat me in this duel, you can pry Victory Dragon out of my cold, dead hands."
Soutou was starting to sweat underneath his mask. Damnit, I didn't want to have to get involved in this disgusting way of dueling. But if he's offering Victory Dragon up as an ante, I have no choice but to accept. I have to get that card back to Shinsei by any means necessary…. No matter what.
"Fine then. I'll accept your challenge!" Houseki grinned with delight and drew 5 cards. "Good, good! You'll be a nice warm up for me!"
"Duel!" They both declared. "You can have the first turn, faceless guy." Houseki said as he motioned for Soutou to go. "My turn, draw! I place two cards facedown. Then I activate my continuous spell card, Light Law - Equality! With this card, all monsters on the field and in the graveyard will become light-attribute monsters. Then Ill summon my Ally of Justice - Unknown Crusher in attack position!" Turn end.
"Such a pathetic monster. I'll crush it quickly so that you don't have to bear with such a disgraceful thing sitting on your field. First I'll activate my spell card, Dark World Dealings. We are both allowed to draw 1 card. Then we must discard 1 card from our hands."
"I'll chain my facedown card, Respect Play! With this card, during each of our turns, we must play with our hands revealed." Houseki gritted his teeth and swore under his breath as 5 card images appeared above him, revealing his hand. He had Topaz Dragon, Sapphire Dragon, Carboneddon, Empty Nesting Grounds, and Super Rejuvination."
More boos erupted from the crowd. "You seem unhappy with this play Houseki. You criminals are always hiding things… are you scared now that everything is out in the open?" Houseki growled as he drew Spell books of the Pot and discarded Carboneddon.
"I summon my Topaz Dragon in attack position!"(Attack: 1800) Houseki declared as a shining yellow dragon appeared on his field. "Topaz Dragon, destroy his Unknown Crusher! Topaz Stream!"
Soutou braced himself for the electric shock as Unknown Crusher was blown apart by Topaz Dragon's yellow jet of flame.
Soutou's Life Points: 3400
Houseki's Life Points: 4000
The crowd cheered as electricity erupted from Soutou's body. He clenched his teeth and did his best to remain still to avoid giving the crowd the satisfaction of seeing him in pain.
"Ally of Justice - Unknown Crusher's effect will activate! When he battles a light-type monster, that monster will be removed from the game!" Houseki furrowed his brow as his Topaz Dragon suddenly vanished. The crowd began booing Soutou and throwing garbage at him.
"What a cowardly trick. However, when Topaz Dragon is removed from the field, I can add 1 level 4 or lower dragon type monster from my deck to my hand. I'll place my "Ruby Dragon" in my deck from my hand. Turn end."
"My turn, draw!" Soutou declared as he pulled a card off of his deck. His hand appeared above him due to Respect Plays effect. It consisted of Ally of Justice - Galadholg, Ally of Justice - Lethal Weapon and Continuance.
"I place one more card facedown. Turn end." Soutou said calmly. "Its my turn, draw!" the image of Pot of Greed appeared above Houseki in his hand. "What kind of cheap trick are you getting at, faceless guy? You have a summon able monster on hand, you could have easily played him and attacked directly."
"Who knows?" Soutou taunted. "Maybe I've given up? The only way to find out is by attacking me." Houseki grinned. "Don't get cocky on me faceless guy. You may think that you have a plan. But regardless of what it is, I'll break it! I play Pot of Greed! This card allows me to draw two cards from my deck!"
Lord of D. and Flute of Summoning Dragon appeared in Houseki's hand. "Now, I summon Lord of D. In attack position! While Lord of D is on the field, I can play my spell card, The Flute of Summoning Dragon! This will special summon the Ruby Dragon and Sapphire Dragon in my hand!"
The crowd cheered as Houseki swarmed 3 monsters onto the field in one turn. "With Lord of D. on the field, my dragon-type monsters cant be targeted by your spell, trap, or monster effects! Now my monsters have protection from your set cards! With Sapphire Dragon and Ruby Dragon alone, I can reduce your life points to 0! Sapphire Dragon, attack Soutou directly! Sapphire Blaze!"
Soutou blocked Sapphire Dragon's burst of fire with his metal arm, but the ensuing electricity caused him to drop to a knee. It coursed through his body for several minutes before dying down. Soutou began panting heavily once it disappeared.
Soutou's Life Points: 1500
Houseki's Life Points: 4000
"I activate my trap card, Crime and Punishment! When I receive a direct attack from my opponent, I can destroy 1 monster on your side of the field!" Houseki laughed. "But Lord of D. prevents my monsters from being targeted by card effects! Even if you destroy Lord of D., Ruby Dragon still has his attack left!" Soutou pointed a finger at Lord of D. "I'll destroy your lord of D.!"
Even as Lord of D. exploded, Houseki was unmoved. "Ruby Dragon, direct attack! Ruby Flame Stream!" Houseki smiled. "Its over, faceless guy!"
"I activate my quick-play spell, Continuance! When I receive battle damage, I can select one of my opponents face up monsters. The battle phase will end, and that monster cannot attack during the next 2 battle phases." Houseki was unmoved by Soutou's play. "Trying to stall, huh? It's a shame you couldn't have used that on Sapphire Dragon. I end my turn."
"Crime and Punishment's effect will activate! During your end phase, I can special summon 1 level 4 or lower monster from my hand! I summon Ally of Justice - Galadholg in attack!" Houseki thought back to Soutou's hand. So that's why he didn't summon his monster….he knew that I had Sapphire Dragon in hand, and that Galadholg would be destroyed. But with Crime and Punishment he was able to summon him at a time when I could no longer battle. Still, Galadholg doesn't stand a chance against Sapphire Dragon….but wait!
Soutou drew a card from his deck. "Its my turn!" Criminal's Accomplice was added to the image of his hand. "It seems like you've caught on Houseki. I tribute my Ally of Justice -Galadholg to summon Ally of Justice - Lethal Weapon in attack position!"
Houseki started to sweat as Lethal Weapon appeared on the field. ****, if he gets lucky with that monster he could end me! If only I had something to negate his attack! "Ally of Justice - Lethal Weapon, attack his Sapphire Dragon! Dangerous Destruction!" Soutou's monster drove at Sapphire Dragon at top speed and rammed a large drill into the monsters stomach. The drill began turning and put a hole in Sapphire Dragon. The machine then smashed the dragon's head in with a hammer and large fist.
Soutou's Life Points: 1500
Houseki's Life Points: 3700
Houseki laughed happily as electricity charged through his body. "This is nothing, Soutou! Come on, hit me again! Let me feel some REAL damage!" He yelled excitedly. Soutou grinned. "Ally of Justice - Lethal Weapon's effect will activate! When he destroys a monster in battle, I can draw 1 card! If that card is a level 4 or lower dark machine monster, I can special summon it!" Soutou closed his eyes and slowly drew a card from his deck. He grinned when he saw it. "I'll summon Ally of Justice - Cycle Leader in attack position!"
"Heh, its not even close to strong enough to take out Ruby Dragon!" Soutou ignored Houseki. "He wont be attacking Ruby Dragon. I activate my quick-play spell, Criminal's Accomplice! This card will allow Lethal Weapon to attack your Ruby Dragon! Go, Ally of Justice - Lethal Weapon! Attack his Ruby Dragon! Dangerous Destruction!"
Soutou's Life Points: 1500
Houseki's Life Points: 3100
Houseki started cracking up again as his body overflowed with electricity. Soutou drew another card. "I'll summon Ally of Justice - Unlimiter in defense with Lethal Weapon's effect! Now, Cycle Leader, attack Houseki directly!"
Soutou's Life Points: 1500
Houseki's Life Points: 2100
The crowd cheered as Houseki's body continued to let off bursts of electricity, and he was enjoying every second of it. "Since your out of cards, I'm going to guess that its my turn! Draw!"
Houseki's hand revealed his latest drawn card, Stamping Destruction. "I activate my spell card, Spell books of the Pot! This card allows us to both draw 3 cards from our deck!" While Soutou's three draws were temporarily concealed, Houseki's were not. Soutou saw Emerald Dragon, Immortal Dragon, and Phantom Flyer."
"I'll activate the effect of my Phantom Flyer. If my opponent tribute summoned a monster in their last turn, I can special summon him in attack position!" (Attack: 1400) "I'll continue with my Super Rejuvination spell. During the end phase, I can draw 1 card for each dragon type monster tributed this turn.
Soutou paid little attention to the small ghostly dragon. He already knew what he planned to do. "I release my Phantom Flyer to summon Emerald Dragon in attack position!" Soutou watched as a giant green dragon appeared onto Houseki's field. Damn, its strong enough to take out Lethal Weapon…this isn't going to end well.
"Next I'll activate my spell card, Stamping Destruction! When I control a dragon type monster, I can destroy one of your spell or trap cards and inflicts 500 damage to your life points! The card I choose is your Light Law - Equality!"
Soutou couldn't help but utter a scream as a huge amount of electricity passed through his body. Houseki didn't hesitated as he continued his attack. "Emerald Dragon, attack his Ally of Justice - Lethal Weapon! Emerald Flare!"
More electricity charged through Soutou as his monster was engulfed in green flames. The crowd clapped and cheered as Soutou stumbled backwards, his body shaking as though he were possessed, and fell against the cage.
Soutou's Life Points: 800
Houseki's Life Points: 2100
"Heh, is that the end then, faceless guy? That's a shame, you were putting up a better fight then I thought you would!" Houseki held up his arms and the crowd erupted in applause. "Nobody is stronger then me, nobody! I am the underground dueling league's #1 duelist! Let that be remembered by all challengers!"
"Wait…" Houseki turned back to Soutou. "Heh, still alive?" He laughed. Soutou pulled himself to his feet. "Wait just a damn minute…. Who do you think you are, claiming your victory before the duels even over? You…..should be ashamed…."
Houseki gave him a puzzled look. "What's wrong with declaring my victory while your laying dead on the ground? Even if you get back up, the same thing will just happen in a turn or two. Except next time, your life points will be totally gone."
Soutou glared at Houseki through his mask. "Your right…..except my life points wont be gone. Yours will. And I'm going to guarantee that with my next move!"
"So what've we got here chief?" Koto asked the police officer as he hopped out of his car. The officer looked puzzled. "Ummm, Mr. Kougi, he's the chief." He said, pointing to the large man sitting next to him. "I'm just-" "I know, I know! Its just a phrase, you know?" Koto interrupted.
The officer ignored him. "Uhh, ok….well, we only have 2 victims. There were 4 of them when it all happened. One was knocked unconscious, but he's fine now. Another had his arm dislocated at the shoulder, were shipping him off to a hospital right now, were going to question him there. A third fled the scene, were still locating him right now. And the fourth…. Well….."
"Christ, what the hell happened to him?" Koto blurted out as the officer and police chief led him over to a body lying on the ground. His face was disgustingly mangled. It was covered in burns, and parts of it were melted off. He also had large chunks of red plastic jutting out of his face. Attached to his arm was a red duel disk with a large hole in the center.
Koto eyed it over for a minute before speaking. "Well, if I were to take a guess at how he died, I'd say that someone took a sharp object, like a sword or pipe or something, and smashed into his duel disk with it, maybe in the middle of a duel? This disk is pretty cheap, I think a wooden bat could've done this damage even. After the disk was broken it exploded on him, doing….. All of this." He said, motioning to the burns and pieces of plastic on his face.
"That's correct. Paramedics claim that a large piece of plastic went through his right temple. That's what killed him. They say that he also has a few broken ribs, but they didn't cause his death. That was defiantly the explosion." The officer said. "Alright then, thank you. You can be on your way now." Koto said, dismissing the officer.
That left only Koto and the chief. Koto pulled out a pair of rubber gloves and put them on as he looked over the victim. "I have a bad feeling about this Koto. Do you have any idea who this is?"
Koto shook his head. "Sorry to say I don't chief. Maybe if his face wasn't melted off I could have a better shot at guessing." He joked. "Touzoku Kusemono." The chief said. Koto's eyes widened. "No kidding?" Koto said, trying to maintain his cool.
"We think that someone found out that someone had dirt on him knowing about that thief that blew up that house awhile back. Other then being your average street kid, we can't find out anyone who would want to off him." The chief continued. Koto slowly pried open his hand. He pulled out a small remote and eyed it over.
"Know what this is chief?" Koto asked. The chief shook his head. "No idea." Koto flipped it over and opened the back, pulling out a watch battery. "It's a remote to a duel shocker device. This kid was using it for underground dueling I'm guessing."
The chief shook his head. "Impossible. We've scanned the entire area, searched his cloths. He doesn't have any duel shockers on him." Soutou stood up and held the remote up. "That's because whoever he was dueling has it on them now. My best bet is that Touzoku over here lost the game and got pissed, so he pulls this out and goes to off the person. The person sees this, picks up a nearby piece of garbage, maybe a pipe, maybe a hunk of wood, and goes to stop him. He gets blown up, they get scared, and they high tail it out of here."
"Then it could be anyone in the area." The chief said, finishing Koto's theory. "Wrong." Koto responded. "Each duel shocker has a different frequency so that they don't get mixed up with other remotes. If we trace the frequency of the last shock from this remote, we'll find our culprit."
"How soon can you figure this out?" The chief asked. Koto smiled. "5 minutes tops." He said happily
"I'll place 2 cards facedown." Houseki declared. "Turn end. Super Rejuvenation's effect will allow me to draw 1 card from my deck! Now show me if you really can turn this duel around! Go ahead, try! I'll enjoy every second of your failure. A duelist like you who relies on crappy cards that enforce justice and make things right has no place in this game! Strength, Power, Money! These are the things that it takes to be a strong duelist! Without these, you have no hopes of making a comeback!"
Soutou's rage boiled over as he heard the same words he had heard in Mrs. Konjou's story. How many duelists have heard his filthy lies…how many have suffered from his false preaching? "How many have had to drown in the despair you put on their shoulders? The number is already more then one, and that's too many! What you do is unforgivable! I wont spare you even the slightest shred of sympathy! People like you don't belong in this world! And for polluting this world with your evil, I will enforce justice on you!"
Houseki laughed. "JUST TRY IT THEN!" Soutou ripped a card out from his deck. "ITS MY TURN!" His hand revealed itself above him. It consisted of Ally of Justice - D.D. Checker, Attribute Bomb, Ally of Justice - Researcher, and Dark Computer Virus.
"I summon Ally of Justice - D.D. Checker in attack position!" Soutou declared. Houseki laughed. "What can this weak assortment of monsters do for you?" Soutou's glared even harder at Houseki. "Tuning my level 3 Cycle Leader to my level 2 Unlimiter and my level 4 D.D. Checker."
Cycle Leader split into 3 green rings. D.D. Checker and Unlimiter flew into the air, and as the green rings passed over them, their bodies vanished and were replaced by white stars. "As darkness engulfs everything, the world cries out for justice! BECOME THE ONE TO ANSWER THAT CALL!"
"Synchro Summon! Ally of Justice - Field Marshall!" From the green light behind Soutou the titan known as Field Marshall emerged. It directed one of each of its spotlights at everyone in the room, illuminating the entire place. "Now, bathe in it! The light that comes from unwavering, absolute justice! Let it expose your evil ways and show the world your true natures!" Soutou laughed.
Houseki started to sweat as Soutou's massive monster revealed itself. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Ally of Justice - Field Enforcer that I discarded due to your Dark World Dealings! When I synchro summon an Ally of Justice monster, I can special summon him from the graveyard in attack position!" (Attack: 0)
A large mechanical whistle appeared out of Soutou's graveyard. It was all silver except for two orange and yellow stripes running around its sides. It also had two awkward robotic legs sticking out of it. "Next I'll equip Field Marshall with Attribute Bomb! Now when Field Marshall destroys a wind type monster, you'll take 1000 points of damage! Now, Field Enforcer, attack his Emerald Dragon! Whistle Blower!"
The large mechanical whistle emitted a screeching noise so high pitched that the audience and Houseki had to cover their ears. Soutou endured it with a smile on his face. "When Field Enforcer attacks an opponents monster, by returning him to my hand, I can flip that monster into face down defense position!"
Emerald Dragon roared as its card image rose up from underneath it and tackled it, flipping the monster facedown. "Now, Ally of Justice - Field Marshall! Attack his facedown Emerald Dragon! Field Control!" Field Marshall raised one of its enormous hands and brought its palm crashing down on the facedown Emerald Dragon. "When Field Marshall destroys a facedown monster in battle, I can draw one card!" Field Marshall directed one of its giant hands to Soutou. The hand shot off a burst of energy. Soutou took in a deep breath as the energy engulfed his body and he drew a card. It appeared above him in his hand as Book of Total Solar Eclipse.
"Also, Attribute Bomb will inflict 1000 points of damage to your life points!" Field Marshall raised its other hand and shot a ball of green fire at Houseki. He screamed as his body coursed with electrical energy.
Soutou's Life Points: 800
Houseki's Life Points: 1100
"Seems like your finally starting to feel the damage." Soutou said with a grin on his face. "I play one card facedown. Turn end." Houseki was panting heavily. "Shut up! I activate my facedown card, Immortal Dragon! By removing my Ruby Dragon in the graveyard from the game, Emerald Dragon is resummoned!"
Soutou watched as Emerald Dragon returned to the field. But as long as Field Marshall has higher attack points, I'll be ok… He thought to himself. His vision wavered as Houseki drew a card. He has two cards in hand… but I can't see them…focus…focus! What are those two cards….?
"I activate my spell card, Adamantine Sword Revival! I'll tribute my Emerald Dragon to summon Diamond Head Dragon in attack position!" Soutou watched as Emerald Dragon vanished in a bright white beam of light. The light expanded and the giant green diamond studded Diamond Head Dragon stepped onto the field. It let out a deep roar. The audience cheered at the appearance of Houseki's ace. (Attack: 3400)
"Diamond Head Dragon has more then enough attack points to finish off Field Marshall! Go, Diamond Head Dragon! Attack his Ally of Justice - Field Marshall! Diamond Crusher!" The dragon lifted his spiked tail and swung at Field Marshall.
"I activate my quick-play spell, Book of Solar Eclipse! This card will flip all monsters on the field face-down until the end of the turn!" A black book appeared out of Soutou's spell card. It opened itself and began flipping through the pages as though possessed. With the turn of each page, darkness erupted from the book until the entire field was black. Soutou heard a few people in the audience shriek.
Houseki laughed. "Bathing the field in light, then coating it in darkness? Your ideals are all over the place faceless guy!" Soutou ignored him. The world might be engulfed in darkness now, but I'll bring the light back into it! I swear it!
"I place one card facedown! Go ahead, take your turn!" Houseki laughed. 'First, Book of Solar Eclipse flips all of your monsters into face up defense. (Defense: 2800) Then your allowed to draw 1 card for each monster flipped face up. Houseki silently drew a card. Soutou quickly snapped a card off of the top of his deck. It appeared above him as Aftermath of Impact.
"The game is over, Houseki! I summon Ally of Justice - Researcher in attack position!" Houseki remained calm, even with the appearance of Soutou's new monster. If I attack with Field Marshall and destroy his Diamond Head Dragon, then the path is clear for Researcher to make a direct attack…. But he has two facedown cards…damnit, what was that last card he drew? Soutou felt himself wobble and steadied himself.
I have to end this fast and get out of here. I don't have time to sit around and think or wait for a spell destruction card. I can't even remember his other facedown card…but if I don't take this chance, I'll lose! "Ally of Justice - Field Marshall, attack his Diamond Head Dragon! Field Control!"
Houseki was unmoved by his monster's destruction. "I activate my facedown card, Empty Nesting Grounds. When a level 8 or higher Dragon type monster on my field is sent to the grave, I can summon 2 "Egg Tokens" to the field in defense position." (Defense: 500)
Soutou gritted his teeth. "But I can still do damage! Researcher, attack his Egg Token! Claw Reach!" The small green machine shot a giant yellow claw at one of the helpless eggs on Houseki's field. "Then I'll activate my quick-play spell, Aftermath of Impact! For this battle, Researcher will do piercing damage!"
Houseki let out a roar as the duel shock system sent more charges of electricity throughout his body.
Soutou's Life Points: 800
Houseki's Life Points: 200
"Trap card activate, Left Arm Offering! By sending my hand to the graveyard, I can add 1 spell card in my deck to my hand!" Houseki placed the card he was holding into the graveyard and grabbed the card his deck spat out. "During the turn I use Empty Nesting Grounds, monsters on my field cannot be destroyed! Although I take damage, my token remains!"
"One card facedown, turn end! Take your last turn, Houseki!" Soutou declared confidently. Houseki slowly drew his next card. His look of uncertainty was replaced with one of absolute confidence when he saw his drawn card. He looked about Houseki and could just barely make out the image of Victory Dragon.
"Your trap card, Respect Play, has helped you several times in this duel faceless guy. But even if you know my every move, that doesn't mean you can stop me!" Houseki laughed. "Its kinda like the justice of this world that you uphold so strongly, isn't it? Even if you know that someone has committed a crime, you can't just get rid of them! In this world, it doesn't matter what crimes you have committed! All that matters is if you have the power to get away with them!"
Houseki flashed a cocky grin at Soutou. "You'll never get justice for what I did to that boy. Regardless of what you may or may not know, I'm stronger then the law! I activate the effect of Carboneddon in my graveyard!" Houseki declared.
"By removing Carboneddon in my graveyard from the game when there are 10 or more cards on top of him, I can special summon Diamond Dragon from my deck in attack position!"
Soutou watched as Houseki's elegant white dragon descended onto the field. "Now I'll tribute all 3 of my monsters in order to summon VICTORY DRAGON!" The crowd gasped in awe as Victory Dragon descended onto the field. They clapped and cheered as its golden figured dwarfed even Field Marshall.
"I activate my trap card, Dark Computer Virus! By tributing Ally of Justice - Researcher, I can change the target of your next continuous spell card to another correct target! However, as you can see my real intentions are to remove the one monster who you could attack and end the game! Without Researcher on the field, Victory Dragon doesn't stand a chance against Field Marshall!"
Houseki began cackling madly. "I've already prepared for that! The spell card I added to my hand with Trade Your Left Arm is none other then Dark Dragon Claws! This will increase Victory Dragon's attack by 800!" Soutou gasped and watched as Victory Dragon's attack climbed to 3100. "Be glad that I'm going to end you with Victory Dragon's strike. It'll save you the embarrassment of having to stumble through another useless turn!"
Soutou was speechless. I-Impossible….. He dropped to his knees with tears in his eyes. How could I….lose?
"Your existence is a mystery to me, faceless guy!" Houseki called out. "But regardless of who you are, I'm going to crush you! Everyone is powerless in front of Victory Dragon, no matter who they are! Victory Dragon, attack his Ally of Justice - Field Marshall! Victory Flame!"
Soutou threw his arms up to defend himself as Victory Dragon launched a massive fireball at Field Marshall. The strike nearly knocked him off of his feet. Soutou screamed as he felt electricity surge through his body. It was more then he had ever felt before. He slowly turned his head to look at his duel disk. Victory Dragon's effect was coming into play. His life points were slowly reducing themselves to 0. The lower they got, the higher the electric voltage.
Soutou's Life Points: 600
Houseki's Life Points: 200
Houseki turned his back to Soutou and began waving to the crowd, which was in an uproar over his final move. Soutou turned his head to see him. Houseki was a few feet in front of him, flailing his arms in the air victoriously. Soutou began taking slow, labored steps towards him.
"That's right! I'm the strong and rich Houseki-sama! I am king of underground duels! I rule this hell with an iron fist! All who stand in my way will die, face or no face! They will all be confronted with death!"
Soutou slowly reached his hands forward. He tried to clench them shut, but he couldn't move them anymore then he already was. He placed them on Houseki's back. Several members of the crowd jumped in shock as Houseki began twitching and screaming. Soutou grinned slightly as he heard Houseki cry out in pain.
"Let….go!" Houseki managed to yell out. Soutou didn't answer him. Houseki's eyes moved down to Soutou's life point counter.
200.….
100.…..
0.…
It looked like a streak of lightning had broken through the ceiling and struck the two duelists. Their eyes went white and their mouths hung agape as the electricity coursed through their bodies. They shook and spasmed as the intense power flowed through them. After a minute the electricity stopped. The crowd was silent.
Soutou and Houseki slowly dropped to the ground unconscious. Houseki's manager threw open the cage door and ran to his side.
There were more screams as the front door was kicked in. "POLICE, NOBODY MOVE!" echoed throughout the entire building. People began screaming and running as detectives flooded the building. Tables were knocked over, items were thrown, people were knocked over.
Houseki's manager already had Houseki over his shoulder and was out the backdoor by the time detectives had even come close to the cage. Soutou wobbled to his feet and began stumbling towards the exit. He almost fell over once he got out of the gate. All he could think of, all he could focus on, was the back door Houseki had been carried out of.
So close… I'm so close… He faintly thought. Just have to beat his manager and Victory Dragon is mine… The room was filled with noise, but everything was silent to Soutou. All he could hear was the faint thumping of his heart. He crashed into the doorway, causing the door to break off its hinges. He faintly heard the thudding of boots behind him.
Soutou used almost the last of his energy to pull himself back to his feet. He lazily dropped a hand on the door handle, twisted it open, and fell face first into the alleyway.
Koto slowly approached the body laying in the doorway. His heart raced as he put a hand on the person's neck. "Faint, but its there…." He mumbled to himself. He carefully flipped them over. He was surprised by the mask that covered their face. It had a large chunk of it missing near the chin. Koto went to remove it when he noticed the metal plating on their arm. A part of it on the shoulder seemed to have taken a hit as well.
"Wait a minute…." Koto imagined the metal arm punching through Touzoku's duel disk and crashing into his ribcage. "Its definitely possible… after all, the only way it could have happened was with a stabbing motion. I'll have to take it in for analysis. But first…."
Koto loosened the strap on the back of the person's head and gently pulled the mask off. His face went pale when he saw the face underneath. "S-Soutou….." He mumbled quietly. It felt like all the air had left his lungs. Koto felt like his legs and arms were numb, awkward attachments to his body. He wanted to believe that it wasn't possible, that it wasn't him, it was just someone who looked like him. But he knew in the back of his mind that this was without a doubt his little brother.
"Soutou…..SOUTOU!" Koto yelled. Soutou's eyes slowly opened. "K-Koto…?" He mumbled. Koto grabbed him by his shirt and pulled his face close to his. "What the hell are you doing out here! Running around like some sort of hero, are you insane!"
Soutou slowly lifted a hand and pointed into the alley. "His name…..Houseki….escaped down there….Victory Dragon, Koto. He has it… I was so close, I almost…" Koto could tell that Soutou was starting to fade back into unconsciousness.
"So this is it then, is it Soutou?" Koto asked with tears in his eyes. "THIS IS HOW FAR YOUR JUSTICE TAKES YOU? YOU CROSSED THE LINE A LONG TIME AGO!" He yelled. "This isn't justice anymore Soutou, this is insanity! Your justice… it's taken you to the bottom of hell! How could you do something like this!"
"Just wanted….to help him…." Soutou mumbled. "HELP!" Koto screamed, infuriated. "YOU KILLED A MAN SOUTOU! YOU KILLED HIM! HE'S DEAD NOW!" Koto pulled Soutou's face closer, tears streaming down his face. "I ASKED YOU TO KEEP ME IN THE LOOP! TO CALM DOWN! I THOUGHT WE WERE A TEAM, DAMNIT! AND NOW YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON ME AND STOOP TO THEIR LEVEL!"
Koto roughly released Soutou's shirt. "I…..need…..justice…." Soutou mumbled. Koto pulled out a walkie talkie. "This is Koto Kougi, I've just apprehended a murder suspect with involvement in the recent underground death match. Suspect is in critical condition, I need some paramedics stat."
Koto looked down at Soutou, tears still in his eyes. He felt hundreds and hundreds of memories churning inside of him as he stared down at his calm face.
"Koto, arent you supposed to be the older brother! How can you let Soutou outdo you in sports and your stuides!"
"It's not that big of a deal." Koto heard in his head. After all, I'll always be taller then him at least!
Koto heard these things repeat themselves over and over inside of his head.
"Koto, is Soutou really leaving the university! I thought that he was about to enter into the Cabinet as a detective!"
"What can I say? The guy thinks that he can do more good as a lawyer. He got into a top-class university, so I aint complaining. But still, can you believe him? We were gonna be a team once we got out of school. I'm telling you, he's obsessed with tossing guys in jail.
Koto wiped his eyes. The voices just wouldn't stop.
"You were impersonating a health inspector! If it weren't for me, and your court record you'd be doing time for that right now! If you had come to me, I could have gotten a warrant, and officially taken the stuff into custody so that you could use it in your court case. It doesn't work when you get the stuff yourself and then bring it to me. You've been taking the law into your own hands lately, and its starting to scare me. I need you to settle down, and relax, even if you don't trust the system as much as you used to. I need you to trust me, and trust that everything will work out, ok?"
He couldn't restrain himself anymore. He lifted his unconscious brother and hugged him as hard as he could, tears streaming down his eyes. He heard sirens and the sound of footsteps coming towards him.
"Soutou, from this day forward…. Were no longer brothers…."
-I believe that the wikia once again has an incorrect effect for Thousand Punisher. Since it doesnt affect the duels outcome though, I'm not too worried about it.
-While writing the duel between Houseki and Soutou, I came to a lot of points where there was a lot of couldves, and shouldves, and wouldves. But when I assessed them based on everything that happened later, I realized that they all would have ended with Soutou losing earlier . Im pretty sure they all were "If Soutou had done this" situations, so if you come across any that I might not have played out in my head, feel free to post them and I'll tell ya whats up.
-I know Im going to get someone who's going to say "Hey, Soutou is a lawyer! Whats he doing going kung fu on everyones ass?" It was just a small snippet, but Koto's flashbacks show that Soutou did infact have training (this includes combat) to become a detective, but dropped out to be a lawyer instead.
-Houseki's deck is meant to be very greedy and focused on beatdown. I chose the gem dragons as his theme because I want to portray him as a person who truly is obsessed with power and money. I think his draw cards symbolize that message aswell.
-Not much of a fan of next chapter previews... I'm just not that good at them XD. I'll leave it a mystery from now on so that nobody'll see any of the twists and turns coming.
This chapter's custom cards
Hot Coals
[Normal Spell]
Discard a number of pyro type monsters from your hand to the graveyard to send an equal number of pyro type monsters from your deck to the graveyard.
Equal Opportunity
[Normal Trap]
Activate this card during the end phase of your opponents turn. Special summon a number of level 4 or lower monsters from your deck equal to the number of monsters special summoned by your opponent this turn. Monsters summoned by this card cannot activate any effects, and cannot attack during your next turn.
Inescapable Refinement
[Continuous Spell]
Return all monsters that are removed from play to the graveyard. Monster's in the graveyard cannot be removed from play, or special summoned.
Ally of Justice - Light Reflector
Dark/Machine/Level 1/Attack: 100/Defense: 1700/Tuner/Effect
When this monster is used for the synchro summon of an "Ally of Justice" monster, you can remove this monster in the graveyard from the game to make all monsters on the field and in the graveyard light attribute monsters until your next standbye phase. Monsters that are special summoned are not affected by this effect.
Light Law - Equality
[Continuous Spell]
As long as this card remains face up on the field, all monsters on the field and in the graveyard are treated as being light-type monsters.
Topaz Dragon
Wind/Dragon/Level 4/Attack: 1800/Defense: 1200/Effect
When this monster is removed from the field, select 1 level 4 or lower normal dragon type monster and add it to your hand. Your deck is then shuffled.
Continuance
[Quick-Play Spell]
Activate this card only when you receive battle damage. End the current battle phase, and select 1 face up monster on the opponents side of the field. That monster cannot attack during the battle phase until the 2nd battle phase after you activate this card.
Criminal's Accomplice
[Quick-Play Spell]
When you destroy an opponents monster, you can activate this card. If your opponent has another face up monster on their side of the field, the monster which destroyed an opponents monster can attack that monster.
Phantom Flyer
Wind/Dragon/Level 4/Attack: 1400/Defense: 1000/Effect
When you control no monsters and your opponent controls 2, you can special summon this monster. When this monster is selected as an attack target, you can remove it from the game until your next standbye phase.
Ally of Justice - Field Enforcer
Dark/Machine/Level 2/Attack: 0/Defense: 0/Effect
When you synchro summon a synchro monster with "Ally of Justice" in its name, you can special summon this card from your hand. When this monster attacks an opponents monster, by returning this monster to your hand, you can flip that monster into face down defense position. When this monster is discarded from your hand to the graveyard, special summon it in face up defense position.
Empty Nesting Grounds
[Normal Trap]
When a level 5 or higher Dragon or Winged Beast type monster is destroyed, select and activate one of the following effects
- Level 5-6: Special summon 1 "Egg Token (Level 1/Attribute: ?/Type: ?/Attack: 500/Defense: 500) to your side of the field with the same type and attribute as the destroyed monster.
- level 7-8: Special summon 2 "Egg Token(s) (Level 1/Attribute: ?/Type: ?/Attack: 500/Defense: 500) to your side of the field with the same type and attribute as the destroyed monster. Monsters on your side of the field cannot be destroyed as a result of battle this turn