Chapter 3
Oberon, the Fallen Fairy
Jaden faced Oberon, ready to fight for his new friend's life. He wasn't sure how he was going to beat Oberon, after all, he was an ex-champ, but Jaden had watched many of his duels and knew his fighting style and that his deck was made up of fairies. He could only hope for the best right then, and it was his move.
"I'll take the first move," Jaden said. "I draw!" He looked at his options and smiled as his eyes landed on his favoured option for his present hand. "I summon Elemental Hero Clayman in defense mode. I'll also set a card face down and let you go." Clayman: ATK – 800, DEF – 2000.
"Prepare to be afraid, little boy, I draw," Oberon threatened. "I summon Armageddon Knight in attack mode." Armageddon Knight stood up in front of him: ATK – 1400, DEF-1200.
"What is that?" Jaden asked, gazing at the monster. "That monster wasn't in your deck during any of your duels! I would know, I watched them. What happened to your fairies?"
"These are my fairies," Oberon said, grinning maliciously. "They are my dark fairies, my Dark Lord deck." Jaden's eyes went wide. If he'd changed his deck around, how was he supposed to fight? Perhaps it was also a sign that Oberon had lost faith in his deck and was willing to rely on other means to win. "And when Armageddon Knight is summoned, I can send one Dark monster from my deck to my graveyard. So I think I'll discard Hecatrice, and when I do, I can add one Valhalla Hall of the Fallen to my hand," Oberon continued.
"He hasn't given up," Jaden realized. "He still has his original fairies. Hecatrice was one of his favorites. So what happened? I mean, he lost a duel, but so what."
"Oberon, what's your deal," he asked. "Why do you care if Pearl is psychic or not? What do you have to gain from this?"
"I don't have to answer to you, boy," Oberon said. "I set two cards and end my turn." Jaden was getting frustrated now.
"My turn," he said. He drew a card and considered his opponent. "He left his monster completely vulnerable for a reason. One of his cards has to be Valhalla, a spell card that allows the controller to special summon a monster as long as it's fairy type and there are no monsters on his field. It could be problematic if I can't destroy it, but I have to do something."
"I activate a spell," Jaden said. "Polymerization! I fuse Avian and Burstinatrix together to make Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" Flame Wingman took the field: ATK – 2100, DEF-1200.
"Now, attack with Skydive Scorcher!" Jaden said. Armageddon Knight was easily destroyed and Oberon took 700 points of damage.
"And that's not all," Jaden said. "Since Wingman destroyed your monster, you take damage equal to your monster's attack points." Oberon gasped as he took another 1400 points of damage. "Since my fusion summon was a special summon, I can still normal summon this turn, so I'll summon Wroughtweiler in defense mode." Wroughtweiler pounced onto the field: ATK – 800, DEF – 1200.
"So, you see through my plans, do you?" Oberon asked. "In due time."
"I end my turn," Jaden said. Oberon laughed.
"I expected more from the infamous Jaden Yuki," he said. Jaden was taken aback.
"Wait, you know me?" Jaden asked.
"Infamous?" Pearl asked. "What did you do?" Pharaoh meowed and jumped from Justin's arms to rub against her leg, startling her slightly. But when she realized it was only the cat, she picked him up.
"I'll let you in on a secret," Oberon said. "After my defeat, I went looking for some way to get back on top. I studied every top duellist, learned their style, their history everything I could find out about them, and for some odd reason, your name came up on the list."
"Really?" Jaden asked, slightly proud. "I mean, I knew I was good but that good?"
"Jaden, you're missing the point," Yubel said.
"Jaden Yuki, a Slifer Red for three years, graduate of Duel Academy and general mischief maker," Oberon said. "I've read every tale about you from shadow riders right up to the different dimensions, but after that, it becomes so classified that only the people present and a few others know what happened." Jaden sighed inwardly, relieved. He didn't know the truth about him and that was good.
"However," Oberon continued. "With a duel record of only one loss, you're a pretty talented duellist. But that's not going to stop me from winning. It's my turn now." Oberon drew his card and grinned.
"First, I'll activate Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen, from my hand," Oberon said.
"From your hand?!" Jaden said. "But then what are his face down cards?"
"As you know, it allows me to special summon a fairy type monster, as long as there is no monster already on my field. So with this I special summon Dark Valkyria in attack mode!" Oberon declared. The mischievous demon like girl stood in front of him. ATK – 1800, DEF – 1050. Jaden thought she kind of looked like Yubel.
"Valkyria is a Gemini type monster, so because I special summoned her, it means I can now give up my normal summon to activate her effect," Oberon said. "I can now place one spell counter on her, to raise her attack points by 300."
Dark Valkyria – ATK: 2100
"She's as powerful as Flame Wingman!" Pearl said, from the side.
"Pearl, you need to get out of here," Mrs. Lite said. "They're distracted, go while you have the chance." Pearl gazed at the field for a long moment. Pharaoh meowed quietly in her arms as she set her lips in a firm line.
"No," she said.
"But sweetie."
"No," Pearl said, a little too firmly. "I'm going to stay and support my friend. He risked his life for me, now we're both wanted criminals. It's better to stick together anyway. Besides, there's something different about him. I can feel it. He truly cares what happens to me, just like…" Pearl paused to think a moment. There was only one word to describe someone like Jaden, who would risk his life for a girl he barely knew anything about, just because she needed him, and that word was chivalrous. "Just like a knight," she finished. Justin smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder.
"He'll win," he said. "I know it. We have to be here to support him so that he can." Mrs. Lite didn't look like she liked the idea, but nodded understandingly. She didn't really get the whole game of Duel Monsters, but if there was one thing she did know about it, it was a way to make and keep friends.
"Now, I'll activate one of my face down cards, it's a trap called Karma Cut," Oberon said. "By the effect of this card, I can remove from play one of your monsters and all cards with the same name in your graveyard. And all it costs me is one card." Oberon discarded a card. "So now, your Flame Wingman disappears."
"Wingman!" Jaden said, as he vanished.
"Now, Valkyria attack Clayman!" Oberon said. Valkyria did as she was told and Clayman was destroyed.
"Sorry Clayman," Jaden said.
"You will be soon enough for standing in my way, boy," Oberon said. "I end my turn."
"My turn," Jaden said. He drew his card and gazed at his hand. He had one monster in his hand, specifically Neos, while on his field he had negate attack and Wroughtweiler. He could stop two attacks, and as long as Valkyria remained on his field, Oberon couldn't activate the effect of Valhalla. Plus, Jaden also had all his life points while Oberon was down to 1900. There was only one thing he could do.
"I end my turn," Jaden said, solemnly.
"Jaden!" Pearl called. Oberon simply laughed.
"What? The great Jaden Yuki can't do anything?" he asked, through chuckles. "Well, we'll see how that affects you in the long run. I draw!" Oberon gazed at his hand a moment and then at Jaden's field before laughing to himself.
"You probably think that that little face down card is going to save you, but you're wrong," he said. "I activate the spell card, Heavy Storm." Jaden gasped as all the spell and trap cards on the field disappeared.
"I still have my Wroughtweiler," Jaden said.
"But he doesn't look too well," Oberon said. "I remove one spell counter from Dark Valkyria to destroy your hound!" Dark Valkyria – ATK: 1800. Wroughtweiler exploded in a cloud of smoke, leaving Jaden totally defenseless.
"Darn it!" he thought. "If only I could use his effect."
"Now, I summon Dark Grepher in attack mode!" Oberon said. Dark Grepher – ATK: 1700, DEF: 1600. "Since there's nothing standing in my way, double direct attack!" Oberon ordered. Both dark monsters shot forward and Jaden lost 3500 life points.
"Jaden, no!" Pearl shouted as Jaden knelt on the ground. Oberon chuckled.
"Come on Jaden, get up!" Justin cheered.
"What are you going to do now, boy?" he asked. "500 life points to your name, three cards in your hand and an empty field. You've lost, so you might as well surrender the girl to me."
"…has…" Jaden muttered.
"Come again?" Oberon asked. "I can't hear you over the sound of your defeat."
"She has…a name!" Jaden said, looking Oberon in the eye. Pearl was slightly shocked. Oberon was mocking him and he chose to defend her?! Who was this boy?
"She isn't just some girl, she isn't the key to your success and she shouldn't be looked at just because she has special abilities," Jaden continued. Slowly, he began to stand up and, despite his weak appearance, his voice never faltered. "Her name is Pearl, she may be different, but she's just as beautiful, if not more than her name suggests. She is a person and like any other person, she has feelings, and she shouldn't be treated as some sort of science experiment! I know what it's like to be scared of yourself, to feel loneliness as though no one understands you and to be miserable because of both those things. I've been there, and it's a dark and dismal world without any end in sight." Oberon was confused now.
"You're making no sense," he said.
"People like you really get to me," Jaden said. "You don't care who you hurt as long as you get what you want. I'm here to show you that the people you hurt matter, and I'll be the one who stops you before you go too far! I draw!" Pearl felt a single tear roll down her cheek. She may not have known this boy for long, but he understood her better than anyone she'd been in contact with since the discovery of her powers. Somehow, she was going to help him, if possible repay him for saving her and for believing in her.
"There's no end to how much this boy can amaze me," Justin thought. "He really is just like a knight. A red armoured knight."
Jaden gazed at his hand and smiled. There was a combo that he could use, if it worked, but first he had to come to a decision; if he used his power, Oberon would know and possibly the next door neighbours as well, but if he didn't, he couldn't promise that the both of them could run away from him. It was a difficult decision to make, as he was already attracting attention from helping Pearl escape. He didn't think he could take much more publicity.
"Jaden!" Pearl called. Jaden turned around. "Whatever you're going to do, do it!" Jaden looked slightly surprised. Pearl placed a hand over her heart. "Take him down! We'll support you all the way!" They held eye contact for a moment longer before Jaden nodded and smiled.
"Together then," he said, quietly. "I have your support! I activate the Fake Hero spell card! With this I can special summon one Elemental Hero from my hand, so I pick Elemental Hero Neos!" Elemental Hero Neos – ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000. "Of course, the monster summoned with this card can't attack and returns to my hand at the end phase," Jaden answered.
"What good is it then?" Oberon asked. Jaden grinned.
"You'll see after I activate my Convert Contact spell card," he said. "With this, by sending one Neo-Spacian from my hand and my deck, I'm allowed to draw two cards. I send Black Panther from my hand and Aqua Dolphin from my deck to the graveyard. Here we go." Jaden drew his two cards and looked at them triumphantly. He was holding Air Hummingbird and Winged Kuriboh.
"I summon Air Hummingbird to the field," Jaden said. Air Hummingbird – ATK: 800, DEF: 600. "Now, Neos, Hummingbird, Contact fusion!" Jaden ordered. The two monsters flew into the air and merged. "Now, I fusion summon Elemental Hero Air Neos!" Elemental Hero Air Neos – ATK: 2500, DEF: 2000.
"You still can't beat me," Oberon said. "I'll have some life points left over."
"Not once I activate Air Neos' special ability," Jaden said. "All that damage you dealt me has really come in handy, because the difference between our life points now is given to Air Neos as attack points." Air Neos – ATK: 3900.
"3900?!" Oberon asked. "That's impossible!"
"This is what you get for not valuing a life," Jaden said. "Air Neos, attack Dark Grepher!" Jaden ordered. Just before Air Neos struck, Jaden used his power to make him real. Oberon shouted in fear as he took 2200 points of damage. The explosion caused from his attack knocked Oberon into the fence and charred the backyard. With the fence only half standing and Oberon clearly knocked out, Jaden took his victory. Pearl and Justin ran over to him as Air Neos disappeared and Jaden turned off his duel disk. Pearl was smiling as she handed back his bag and placed Pharaoh on the ground.
"That was amazing," she said. "I've never seen anything like that."
"Get used to it, because I don't think Oberon is going to take this one lying down," Jaden said. "We need to get as far away from here as possible ASAP."
"I know," Pearl said. "But…do you mind if I say goodbye to my brother?" Jaden looked at her curiously. Pearl's gaze softened. "I promised him I'd teach him to duel, and with the current situation, I might not be back for a while," she explained. "I want to tell him that I'll keep my promise to him, someday, when I'm back." Jaden grinned slightly. That was the one thing he'd never done after he left the academy; say goodbye.
"Okay, but we'll need to be quick," he said.
"I'm coming too," Justin said. Jaden nodded.
"Benny is on the fourth floor, emergency department, room number 402," Mrs. Lite said. It was then the sound of sirens could be heard from far away.
"Mrs. Lite, you should tell the police once we're gone," Jaden said. "Tell them Oberon came looking for Pearl, but Pearl showed up and knocked him out before leaving again." Mrs. Lite nodded. Pearl looked at her mom for a second.
"Thanks for everything, mom," she said.
"Be safe," Mrs. Lite said. Jaden placed Pharaoh in his bag for speeds sake and slung the bag over his shoulder. Pearl did the same with her backpack and then the three of them hurried out the backyard towards the hospital.
The hospital didn't seem to be protected or anything, although Jaden had a sneaking suspicion that Benny's room would be under guard. If that was true, they'd have to distract the guards long enough to get in, say goodbye and get out. Either way, they got in the hospital and took the short elevator ride up to the fourth floor.
"We'll need to distract the guards," Pearl said, saying exactly what Jaden was thinking.
"I've been thinking the same thing," Jaden said. "How well can you control your powers?"
"Not well enough," Pearl said, sadly. Justin once again placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. Jaden grinned slightly.
"Can you use it well enough to knock over something big enough that the police officers would have to help?" Jaden asked. Pearl smiled and nodded. The elevator doors opened and the three of them peeked out.
"This way," Pearl said, quietly. Jaden and Justin followed her down the hall until they reached the Emergency Department. Then they took it slowly, checking around every corner just in case, until they saw the officers sitting outside the door.
"Make sure what you knock down isn't going to hurt people," Jaden whispered. Pearl nodded and focused. She knew there were a few wire shelving units in the next hall over. They didn't have a lot of dangerous things on them, but they'd make a loud enough noise and a big enough mess that the two officers would feel obliged to help. A loud bang on the other side and a shocked scream told the two boys that she'd done it. The officers instinctively moved to help and Jaden, Justin and Pearl snuck in behind them and entered the room.
There was only one bed occupied in the room. A young boy, no more than ten with blonde hair was lying there, sleeping peacefully. His both his legs were broken and he had several scars along his face with stiches. It was then that Jaden saw the true capabilities of Pearl's power and the reason she was detained. She was dangerous, both to herself and the people around her. However, locking someone up isn't the way to keep people safe. The best way was to teach them and help them control what power they had. That was what Jaden had to do.
Pearl gazed at her little brother with sorrow in her heart and tears in her eyes. This is what had happened to him because she couldn't control herself. It might have been an accident, but it was still her fault. Somehow, she had to make sure that she wouldn't ever cause this much pain to someone she cared about ever again. Justin gave her a gentle hug and a small push forward so she could sit on the side of Benny's bed.
"Benjamin," she said, quietly. Benny's eyes fluttered open at the sound of his sister's voice.
"Pearl?" he asked, drowsily.
"I'm here, Benny," Pearl said. "I'm so sorry for this."
"It's not your fault," Benny said. Pearl smiled.
"Listen, I'm going away for a while," she said, sadly. "I don't know when I'll be back, but I will be, okay?"
"But our duelling," Benny said. "You promised."
"And I'll keep that promise," Pearl said. She placed a small deck box on the table beside him. "I was saving this for your next birthday, but I might not be here. While I'm gone, I want you to learn this deck, okay? Find combinations and plan strategies, and when I come back, we'll have a duel, okay?"
"Okay," Benny said, with a small nod. Pearl's eyes filled with tears again. She placed her head against his.
"I love you, little bro," she said. "If you don't remember anything else, remember that."
"Okay," Benny said.
"And don't you worry, Pearl," Justin said. "I'll be here to take care of him and help him where he needs it." Pearl nodded.
"Pearl, we should go," Jaden said. Pearl gently kissed her brother's forehead and headed to the door with Justin. Jaden went to follow, but Benny caught his hand.
"Please," he said. "Keep my sister safe." Jaden looked into his hazel eyes and nodded.
"I will," he said. With that they left, but not unnoticed as they had hoped. The guards were just coming back when they spotted the two of them.
"Hey you!" one of them said.
"Run," Jaden said. The three of them ran down the hallway as fast as they could. Jaden knew they couldn't get to the elevator in time, but there was a set of stairs leading to the second story parking garage outside.
"Turn left!" he said. Pearl didn't argue. The three of them made a sharp left and out the emergency exit, setting off an alarm in the process. Jaden cursed under his breath as they ran down the stairs, into the garage and jumped the bar five feet to the next level down. The three of them hid behind a group of cars and waited.
"We need to get out of this city," Jaden said. "Probably out of the state as well."
"How do we do that?" Pearl asked.
"I'm going to call a friend and see if he's gotten us some transportation yet," Jaden said. "Can you hold them off a little?"
"I'll try, but I might end up bringing the place down," Pearl said, carefully.
"We'll keep moving then," Jaden said. "Let's go." Without further discussion, Jaden whipped out his phone while Pearl summoned a familiar monster – namely Gem Knight Garnet.
"My lady, what would you have of me?" Garnet asked, respectfully.
"Please, keep them busy, but don't hurt them if possible," Pearl said.
"I will do as you ask," he said, bowing. Justin smiled proudly. As the police came around the corner, Garnet's firsts burst into flames.
"I will not let you have my lady," he said. "Flaming Iron Fist!" Garnet punched the ground and threw the cops everywhere as they continued out. Jaden was busy on his phone.
"Hello," said a voice on the other end.
"It's me," Jaden said. "We need to get out of state as soon as possible. Have you gotten us the transportation yet?"
"Two train tickets from Great Falls, Montana to Casper, Wyoming," Axel said. "Your train leaves at quarter to two, so get moving."
"Thanks man," Jaden said, as he hung up. Garnet was just sending another barrage of flames at the cops when Jaden grabbed Pearl's hand.
"Train station," he said. "We need to go now."
"Thanks for your help, Garnet," Pearl said.
"I am always at your service, My Lady," Garnet said with a bow before disappearing. Justin led the way out of the parking garage with Jaden and Pearl and ran out into the street and down the nearest alleyway before the cops came out. Vanished without a trace onto the next city.
Did you like the duel? If anyone has any suggestions for the next duels, please message me! Are you guys sensing the suspense I've put in here? Or I guess you could call them clues. Don't ask me about them, all will become clear in the end...not the end of this story. This one is going to turn into a series if I keep at it. Any suggestions, critics, comments or any message is welcome. Don't hold back people, you inspire me. Next chapter will be up soon.