Disclaimer: The following piece is in no way a claim to ownership of the depicted characters. Yu-Gi-Oh, Yu-Gi-Oh R, Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Yu-Gi-Oh 5D's are owned by TV Tokyo, Konami Corporation and Kazuki Takahashi. This story as presented is strictly for entertainment purposes, both for its owner and readers.
Author's Note: The fourth last episode of Best/Worst, and one I hope you get some real kicks out of. If you don't like what I've created, then I am truly sorry. But I can guarantee you; my next project (excluding potential upcoming One Shots) will be quite interesting.
Chapter 9 – Darkness Trap Combo! Misty Lost in the Shadows!
Misty walked slowly and quietly through the streets, looking everywhere she could think of for any sign of what had transpired. Many emotions flowed through her mind; fear for her safety, anger for the loss of her comrades, and a renewed sense of importance. Without Carly around, she felt more wanted for being the only female. It was a selfish thought, she realized, but a true one. Just like how it used to be. That was all she wanted.
Turning a dark alley, she found herself along a narrow road with lower buildings than normal on either side. A perfect place to be, if you were not trying very hard to hide your presence; but for hiding, it was useless. However, Misty could tell where the being had gone to; a familiar scream echoed out from about 15 blocks away, followed by dark chuckling, so she knew which way to go.
After running in that direction for several minutes, Misty came across a sight she could not fathom. Her former combatant, Izayoi Aki, stood there terrified, barely able to stand, before a towering skeletal figure in a robe with five wings on its back; and in front of it a more towering pink-skinned, angel-like creature with eyes on its body but with no face save for a slit on its face top to bottom. All Aki had before her was her plant-like beast, Black Rose Dragon (ATK: 2400).
Aki: LP 1600
Darkness: LP 8600
"Well, Izayoi Aki," the skeletal figure addressed, "You have nothing left to save you from my creature, Darkness Neosphere (ATK: 4000), or my Darkness Trap Combo. Your fate is within my world." The creature's hand motioned towards five set cards when he said this; but how he said it intrigued Misty. She had heard him address Aki with "Nanji", and used the possessive term "Waga".
"So he uses the old dialect. He must be the one I seek."
"I set three cards and end my turn." Izayoi gasped out.
"During the End Phase, the effect of the Darkness Field Magic randomly replaces my five set cards." The five set cards each turned into black energy and shuffled around until each one had found its new place. What was interesting was that their counterparts as actual cards, not Solid Vision, on his wings did the same, enlightening Misty to their purpose.
"My turn," Darkness declared, the card materializing into his hand instantly, "And I activate my Neosphere's effect to look at and rearrange my set cards." The eyes on the angel creature glowed purple; causing his set cards flipped up to Darkness, then did just as they had before they changed places.
"Next, Trap Activate: Zero and Infinity!" the far left card flipped up, causing the far right to do the same, which made all the traps in between to do the same due to their effects. "When Darkness 1 activates first, it repeats its effect as the effect of each subsequent trap. Its effect is to destroy 1 card the opponent controls."
"What?" Aki gasped as her 3 set cards shattered instantly.
"Now, Darkness Neosphere, destroy Black Rose Dragon. Darkness Explosion." The angel's head spun around 180 degrees and its scalp parted to reveal yet another sinister-looking eye. From it purple energy shot out and hit the dragon, exploding it before striking Aki as well. With a finial scream she collapsed on her knees before disintegrating into dark fog, before the cards in Darkness' field faded away.
"So, you are the one whose presence I felt," Darkness said, turning to a shocked Misty. She hadn't realized he knew she was there.
"And I yours," Misty replied. Turning serious, she added, "I'm here to make you pay for what you did to Kiryu and Carly!"
Chuckling darkly again, Darkness replied, "and just how does a mere mortal like you intend to defeat a God with the strength of three Gods? Your strength is weak before me. Even your Earthbound God is weak."
Growing annoyed by his calm tone and insulting language, Misty snapped out, "Oh really? Then you should have to problem beating me in a duel!" As she said this, her black duel disk snapped to the ready, her deck popping out of the tray.
"Then so we shall duel," Darkness replied, five new cards integrating into his hand. As Misty pulled her five cards, Darkness integrated one into his hand and declared, "It is my turn. I summon the Darkness Specter in Defence Position (DEF: 0)." Darkness' far left card in his hand evaporated; then before him appeared a faceless ghost of black fog that very much resembled his bodiless form. "I also set 2 cards. Turn concluded."
Misty: LP 4000
Darkness: LP 4000
"It's my turn. Draw." Misty pulled her card, then immediately played a card from her hand. "I summon Lamia (ATK: 1300)." Before her appeared a female creature with a serpentine body below her waist and a human body above. "And next, I activate Savage Coliseum." With this card in play, the field changed into a Roman-style coliseum with demonic-looking spectators. Darkness took no notice of this, but instead stayed focused on Misty, the same indifferent expression on his face.
"Each turn," Misty explained, "The turn player must attack with all monsters they can. So I attack your monster." The serpent lady produced a venomous fog from her hands that swept over the ghostly figure and dissolved it into vapour.
"If that is your wish," Darkness declared ominously, the black fog of his creature reforming into another figure (much to Misty's chagrin). "I activate Darkness Specter's effect: When destroyed during the opponent's turn, from my deck I Special Summon a Darkness monster with 2000 or less DEF. I select Darkness Eye (ATK: 0)." The figure revealed its form as a partly decomposed eye with a stem of retinal nerve to support it, appearing almost plant-like.
"You summoned a creature with no ATK to your field in Attack Position?" Misty pondered, seeming confident in her abilities. "You clearly are going easy on me."
"I would do no such thing for the evil that pollutes this world and my own," Darkness flatly and hostilely retorted. "For the effect of my Specter, I must now send Darkness monsters from my deck to my Cemetery equal to that of my Eye. Since it is Level Four, I send my Level Two Darkness Seed and my Level Two Darkness Outsider to their graves." Before him appeared the two such mentioned cards, which dissolved into particles before him.
"I also set 2 cards, and end my turn." Confused by Darkness' move, she tried in vain to figure out his plan before he took his turn.
"During your End Phase," Darkness explained, "the Darkness field effect rearranges the set Trap Cards on my field." As before, the Traps on his field all turned to fog and reformed before him while those on his wings did the same.
"It is my turn," Darkness declared as his card materialized, "And from my hand I activate the effect of Darkness Wraeth." Spinning around, the card was revealed to Misty, including the word "Wraeth" written in English alphabets above its katakana. "By discarding this card from my hand, I activate the Field Magic Darkness from my deck." Completely overtaken by this news, Misty watched as the card in his hand disappeared while the coliseum was overtaken by more black fog until nothing remained but blackness.
"What… is this place?" Misty stuttered.
"My world, and your new home," Darkness replied darkly. "Due to the Field Effect, I destroy my set cards to randomly set 5 Trap Cards from my deck." The two cards at his feet exploded as five more took their places.
"Why would you destroy those cards of yours?"
"Because they were the Trap Cards that activate when destroyed by the Darkness Field effect." Appearing before him again, hovering above their former zones, were the two revealed cards. "Darkness Idol and Darkness Curse. The first Trap, Darkness Idol, allows me to draw 1 card for each set card destroyed. That is two." Two overlapped cards appeared in the hand that held the rest of his cards while the trap card faded away.
"That isn't too bad." Misty sounded relieved at this, but this was short-lived when she saw what the other card said.
"Next Darkness Curse activates. I destroy a set card on your field for each set card destroyed." The two set traps before Misty exploded, before the same occurred of this trap. "But your damage is far from finished; I activate Darkness Eye's effect: this turn with it in Attack Position, I do not need to sacrifice my monsters in order to summon a Darkness monster such as Darkness Destroyer (ATK: 2300) just once."
Darkness disintegrated the card from his hand as his Eye's iris began to glow deep purple. Soon, a geyser of black water erupted beside it, until from it appeared his new creature. It was a skeletal, purple-skinned zombie with a skull face, broad wings and huge paw-like claws. The beast snarled angrily at Misty as it appeared, slightly intimidating her.
"Darkness Destroyer can attack twice during a Battle Phase, and when it attacks a defending position monster it inflicts penetration damage. I will have it attack Lamia." Shooting up in the air, the foul beast slashed at the reptilian creature with its right claw hard enough to cleave it in two and shatter it.
Misty: LP 3100
Darkness: LP 4000
"And that is not all. I attack you directly as well." The creature then swung at Misty herself with its left paw, making her scream from the impact before she was knocked over on her back.
Misty: LP 800
Darkness: LP 4000
"You leader Rudger disappoints me," Darkness taunted in his monotone. "He sent me his weakest member to be destroyed. He must have thought you would make a good sacrifice to keep me away." His words stung at Misty as she got to her feet, and so she cringed in anger. "Or perhaps… you are all this weak and he has chosen to just give in."
"That's enough!" Misty yelled back, his last sentence having sent her over the edge. "You dare to insult our cause?! We control the greatest power of this world!"
"That does not matter to me, nor would it ever concern me," Darkness informed her, causing her further anger. "I hold a power that transcends this earth, this dimension… and I also hold the power of two of your Earthbound Gods." These words shocked Misty out of her anger, and explaining to her where their power had gone. "Once I hold your God's power, I will be beyond your remaining Gods or the Crimson Dragon."
"You know of that creature?" Misty questioned.
"I do, but that is not of your concern. Let us continue the duel. I change Darkness Eye to Defence Position (DEF: 1000). Turn concluded." Once again as he said this, the traps dematerialized and rearranged. "But be warned; Darkness Eye lets me see my set cards regardless of Darkness' field effect."
"Then I'll keep that in mind. Draw!" Misty pulled, frantic to regain some control. "I activate Angel's Gift!' Showing the card and sending it away to her Cemetery, she pulled three cards and placed two cards within it. "Then I activate my Reptiless Spawn, so I remove Reptiless Gorgon from my Cemetery to spawn 2 Reptiless Tokens (DEF: 0) (DEF: 0)." Before her appeared a pair of humanoid man-serpents that looked tough, but held nothing against the zombie creature.
"Now I release my 2 Tokens to summon Earthbound God Ccarayhua (ATK: 2800)." Disintegrating into particles of green energy, the pieces created a huge beam of energy that shot up into the sky of this blackened world. Soon, the beam materialized into the shape of a reptilian figure covered in glowing green lines. Towering at Darkness' height, the creature seemed to hold a power all its own, though Darkness was not intimidated by it.
"My Earthbound God will lose its effects and be destroyed if a Field Magic is not active on the field. While one is in play, however, it can attack the opposing player directly. So I will do just that!" Swinging its gigantic claw at Darkness, it seemed ready to deliver a huge blow, but the skeletal figure immediately countered.
"In see," Darkness declared. "Because of its effect, I cannot destroy it with Darkness 1's effect, so I must allow your attack to go through." Standing strong against the green lizard creature, Darkness snarled as it slashed the skeletal figure across the chest hard enough to crack some of its ribs and make it growl in contempt and hostility.
Misty: LP 800
Darkness: LP 1200
"In addition to this," Misty declared as Darkness eyed her angrily, "Ccarayhua cannot be attacked, and if it is destroyed so are all other cards in the field. I end my turn." After having said this, Darkness' traps yet again changed their places.
"Your monster buys you but a temporary reprieve, but you are still not safe from the Darkness deck. It is my turn." As his card materialized, another one appeared behind his head, one Misty had only briefly seen. "On my Standby Phase, since I sent Darkness Seed to the Cemetery 2 turns ago, I can Special Summon it from my Cemetery by its own effect (ATK: 1000)." The card vanished a moment later, and as soon as it was gone 5 tentacles from the black sphere in the sky shot out and speared Darkness in the back of his chest.
Misty then watched in horror as a huge black mass began to form within his rib cage. Gradually it changed form, and then two cleaver-like leaves cracked through his chest. It was soon joined by the rest of the creature; a plant-like monstrosity with a bulbous face littered with eyes and spikes. It leapt down from the hole in Darkness' chest while the tentacles latched onto him.
"Next I activate Darkness Bramble's effect from my hand," Darkness continued, seemingly oblivious to the gaping hole in his body. "By sacrificing by Seed, I Special Summon it from my hand (ATK: 2000)." As the far left card in his hand disappeared, the plant creature was overtaken by a blight of dark green, thorny vines that shot up from the ground below, destroying it. Soon these vines assembled into a creature resembling the last, but with a flower-like red face covered in eyes.
"What… is that thing?" Misty asked in shock at the vile-looking botanical nightmare before her.
"The first part of your downfall," Darkness responded evilly. "This plant allows me to check the positions of my set cards, much like Darkness Eye. Therefore, there is no use for it any longer. I sacrifice Darkness Eye to Sacrifice Summon the next phase of my plan. Behold, Darkness Ivy (DEF: 2500)." The eye suddenly generated black jagged vines from its iris that scattered around in a rabid frenzy. Soon the new creature's body, an orb of entangled plants with an eye at the middle, ruptured through the eye's body and shattered it.
Immediately after that, the vines from the first plant creature latched onto Darkness' leg and wound up his body like a coil. When it reached his chest they tangled together over his huge hole, and almost immediately transformed into new rib bones. At that time, his body glowed in dark blue while his Life Point meter shot way up.
Misty: LP 800
Darkness: LP 4000
"What… what just happened" Misty managed to stutter out.
"During my End Phase, if my Life Points are fewer than 4000…" Darkness explained confidently, "…they recover back to their original 4000 Life Points. And once again, my Field card changes the positions of my set cards. Turn concluded."
"Alright… my turn!" Misty pulled her card and immediately seized her chance. "Ccarayhua, attack his Life Points directly!"
"I don't think so," Darkness responded as his orb of vines shot out its arms to latch onto the reptilian figure. "Darkness Ivy allows its controller to select all targets for opposing attacks and effects. Therefore, you shall attack Darkness Bramble."
"Why would you do that?"
"Take a look in my hand." As Darkness said this, a card flipped around in his hand and disappeared. Moments later, a card appeared behind him that showed a faceless reaper with a doubled scythe on a rainbow background. "When Darkness Bramble is attacked and Darkness Raincrow is in my hand, I send both to the Cemetery to Special Summon the Darkness Neosphere from my deck."
"Not… that thing." But Misty's plea would go unheeded; above the red and green plant appeared the reaper on the card, which the plant shot its vines up onto and consumed. When the reaper was no more, the vines became a single closed flower, and when it opened it revealed the robed pink angel from earlier. Below it appeared the number 4000 for its ATK.
"I… end my turn." She shook horribly, began to tear up at the corners of her eyes, and finally collapsed onto her knees weeping in fear as Darkness' trap changed places.
"Very well. It is my turn, and now I shall put you out of your misery." His final card appearing in his hand, Darkness then pointed to his angel and said, "I activate Darkness Neosphere's effect to rearrange my set cards." His cards all turned to black fog again, but this time they reformed as flipped-up cards. From left to right, Misty saw Zero, Darkness 2, Darkness 1, Darkness 3 and Infinity flip over as their forms returned.
"With Darkness 2 my first card activated, my Neosphere gains 1000 ATK for each Darkness Trap played. Since I managed to activate 3, it gains 3000 ATK (ATK: 7000)." After this effect was announced, the angel glowed red while its power grew. Misty looked up with her eyes completely covered in water before it finished.
"7… 7000 ATK?"
"Exactly. Now I activate the final effect of Darkness Neosphere; I turn the Darkness field magic face-down." The dark fog that made up the arena all receded into the spot below Darkness' feet rapidly, leaving only the empty street. "With the field now inactive, your Earthbound God is powerless." The green lines on the reptile faded to a dull, stony green as the head of Darkness Neosphere did an instant 180 on its neck.
"No… no… please, don't do this to me," Misty pleaded in her crying voice.
"It is too late for that," Darkness scorned. "You have already sinned against my world and this one. Darkness Neosphere, hand me the God's power and punish this misguided soul." The back of the angel's head split open to reveal another eye, this one creating a beam of energy that shot through the reptilian figure and shattered it to fragments. Misty's body was enveloped in the darkness as she sank into nothing, and the green power of the God flowed through Darkness' body.
In moments the creatures on the field vanished, leaving Darkness standing alone against the blackness of the night. "Now I am only 2 of these Gods away from completing the cleansing of these Signers. But I fear Yuki Judai and his friends may dare stand in my way."
Waving his hand over the ground before him, up from the ground he called yet another cloud of dark fog. This one condensed into the form of a human being, one whose face was covered with stubble and whose clothes were ragged. Looking up hatefully at his captor, the human declared, "What do you want with me?"
"A simple deal," Darkness replied. "In return for serving me in carrying out one task, I shall grant you amnesty from my world." With that, black veins like Hell Kaiser's appeared on the human's face.
"Alright," the human responded. "I'll complete your mission. What is it I must do?"
"The human Yuki Judai and a few companions of his are nearby. I will not allow them to interfere with my goal. You must either drag them into my world, or if you fail, at least buy me the time I need to finish draining the Earthbound Gods of their power. To accomplish this, I bestow you this."
Appearing on the human's arm was a black Neo Domino duel disc with a blade-like trap appeared on his arm, followed by the appearance of the Darkness trench coat and mask over his face. Beside him a black D-Wheel with a human skull for a front spoiler and spiked wheels and rims. "Do you understand?"
"I do." The human then got onto the black D-Wheel and started it up. The eyes of the skull lit up red as the wheels began to spin in place until it created movement. With that the bike rode off into the streets with a great screeching noise.
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Judai, Yusei, Jack, Johan, Kenzan and Jim all froze in their tracks when they heard the sound of a dark scream echoing around the corner of the street they were on. Trying to get somewhere, Kenzan asked, "What was that-don?"
His eyes flashing over in red and orange again, Judai replied with, "I sense the presence of Darkness. He must be nearby."
"Darkness nearby?" Johan sounded panicked "Where?" As he asked this, Yusei and Jack both cringed in pain and grasped their right arms tightly. "What's wrong?"
"Dark Signers – or their Earthbound Gods – are nearby," Jack grunted out. "Their power… it's reacting to our marks."
In a few milliseconds, everyone noticed that the sound had grown louder. Turning ahead to the street, they saw a demonic black D-Wheel round the bend and stop in front of them. The rider was wearing dark clothing and a mask over his face, which everyone recognized right away.
"Darkness!" Judai spat. Yubel's voice then continued from his lips, "What do you want from us now?"
Getting off the bike, the figure turned to them and pulled off the mask. When he saw the face, Yusei managed to say, "No, not you! Saiga?"
Noticing his recognition, Yubel turned and asked, "You know him?"
"That he does," Saiga replied. However, Yusei noticed that his voice was darker than before, just as Hell Kaiser's had been, his face had black veins, and that his pupils were glossed over by darkness. "I have been sent to see that none of you interfere with our plan."
"Plan? What plan?" Jack roared.
"We have already absorbed the power of three Earthbound Gods, and soon we will absorb the remaining two. Then we will have enough energy to perform the revised version of our goal."
"Revised?" Judai's voice resurfaced to ask.
"Last time, we tried to pull the world's people into the World of Darkness. This time, we will use Alchemy to pull this entire planet into our World. It will be much simpler."
"That's insane!" Yusei shouted.
"It is what must be done to correct the evil of man."
"That's enough!" Jack snapped, pulling out his long trap of a duel disc. "Plan or not, if I have to defeat you to send you away I will!"
"Very well then," Saiga said as he snapped his fingers. Soon more darkness took the form of Jack's old D-Wheel, complete with a slot for his disc. "We shall Riding Duel to complete this saga of Darkness."
"Fine by me." Saying this, Jack started toward the runner, but Yusei tapped his shoulder to stop him. Without turning around or waiting for a statement, Jack tried to reassure his friend. "I'll be alright. Don't worry."
Getting back on the D-Wheel he arrived on, Saiga placed his duel disc on the console in front of him. Jack then got on his D-Wheel and fixed his left arm in place to lock in his tray. Both vehicles started up as a track of red energy formed up into the sky with twists and turns; whether or not this was to please his lust for the extreme Jack did not know. Both players locked drew their hands as Speed World went into ply for both of them. Then, they both started up and shot onto the track and up into the air as both players yelled the Duel Monster's mantra:
"Let's duel!"
Jack: LP 4000
Saiga: LP 4000
Falling in behind Jack, Saiga pulled his card and started off with, "It's my turn. I set 1 monster card face-down." Before him appeared a set card image horizontally. "I also set 2 Magic & Trap Cards." Along his two sides appeared 2 more set cards, before they vanished. "I end my turn."
"I draw!" Jack roared as both players gained an SPC (Jack: 1 SPC/Saiga: 1 SPC). "I summon Masked Dragon (ATK: 1400)." In front of Jack, a blue rift opened up that spawned a red dragon with white spines and a rigid mask over its face. "And like you I set 2 cards to end my turn." As with Saiga, Jack's 2 set cards appeared quickly before vanishing.
"My turn. I draw (Jack: 2 SPC/Saiga: 2 SPC). And I flip face-up my Machiner's Defender (ATK: 1200)." Before Saiga flipped up a blue artillery port that held many gun barrels. "This monster's flip effect allows me to add 1 Command General Covington to my hand." From his deck the card slid into his hand as he pulled another card out to play."
"I see. The Machiner's deck."
"Next I summon Machiner's Soldier (ATK: 1600)." Along with the artillery panel, a green-armored warrior with a blade for a hand took up a battle stance. "And next I open my set Trap: Compensation of Blood! By paying 500 Life Points, I summon an additional monster; therefore, I use this effect to summon Machiner's Sniper (ATK: 1800)." In addition to the warrior, another lean beige figure with a silver rifle over his shoulder appeared before him.
Jack: LP 4000
Saiga: LP 3500
"Next I use this effect again, and summon Command General Covington (ATK: 1000)." Finally, a red figure with important military clothing appeared.
Jack: LP 4000
Saiga: LP 3000
"And last, I activate Covington's monster effect: by sending my three Machiner's monsters to the Cemetery, I unite them into Machiner's Force (ATK: 4600)!" Jack had just enough time to gasp as the pieces of the artillery panel, the green warrior and the beige figure separated and fused together. The artillery formed the lower legs and shoulder, the warrior the head and upper legs, and the figure everything else.
Seeing the new creature in behind him, Jack snarled as Saiga boasted, "With this, Jack Atlus, victory shall be mine."
Card of the Week – Darkness
Darkness Neosphere
Level: 10
Attribute: DARK
Type(s): [Fiend/Effect]
Effect: This card cannot be Normal Summoned or Set. This card cannot be Special Summoned except by the effect of [Darkness Raincrow] or by its own effect. The controller of this card can change the zones of Magic and Trap Cards on the field, and can change face-up cards to face-down position. During the End Phase, if your Life Points are lower than 4000, they recover to 4000. If this card is destroyed, Special Summon it during your End Phase in Defence Position.
ATK: 4000
DEF: 4000
*** Well, this chapter was a bit different. R&R if you so wish. ***