Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX.
A/N: Just a little heads-up: This chapter will contain a 2 on 1 duel. The exact rules for such duels are a little murky, so I'll clarify: I'll be using a variation of the rules that the 2 on 2 duel in episodes 10 and 11 used, namely giving each side a shared life point pool instead of one for each player. The full rules will be explained later. Now, on with the fic!
Yu-Gi-Oh GX - A New Duelist Legend
Chapter 3 - Darkness Approaches
It was a nice, sunny day. Not a cloud in the sky. The perfect kind of day to be a passenger on a ship, just relaxing as you make your slow, leisurely way to whatever your destination might be.
"Rrrrggghhh..."
Of course, if you happen to be in a cramped, sweltering black helicopter with no air conditioning, that's a completely different story.
"Why aren't we back yet, pilot?"
That particular complaint came from a man, sitting within the dim, cramped crew compartment of the helicopter, which, despite being as large as a 747 commercial jet, had far to much space devoted to it's "cargo" to leave much room for comfort.
"Well?"
The man himself would have elicited comment almost anywhere but here, dressed as he was. He wore a black, almost draconic mask with blue lenses which covered the top half of his face. All his other clothes, from his gravity-defying leather duster to his tight leather shirt and pants, were black as well.
"PILOT!"
And, as the man had recently become aware of, wearing heavy black leather in a sealed black metal box with fifty other people when it's 98 degrees outside is not very comfortable.
"Sorry sir," the pilot, a middle-aged man in black military-cut clothes responded, "I was talking with the scanner operator. It seems we'll be taking a detour."
"Really." Behind his mask, the man's eyes narrowed. "And why is that?"
"Because," responded the pilot, "The scanner picked up a number of signatures."
"How many?"
"The scanner couldn't say for sure. Fifty at least."
"Fifty!" The man stood up so fast his chair - which was fastened to the floor - almost tipped over. "We've been trolling the globe for weeks and we haven't found two together, but now that we're finally done, we find enough to fill our entire quota in the same place!"
"Looks that way."
"RRAAGGGHHH!" The man sat down so hard he almost dented his chair's metal seat. Then he sighed, and rubbed his temples. "How strong are the signatures?"
The pilot hit several buttons on his control panel, and a readout appeared on one of the small screens. "Pretty wide disparity," he responded, going over the readout, "Most weak or average, although a couple are stronger then most of what we've got in the hold put together."
The masked man sighed and started rubbing his temples harder. "This would have to happen on my watch..." The man looked over his shoulder to address the third man in the cabin, a 20-something year old with a crew cut, cameo pants, combat boots and a muscle shirt. "Zak, how many more can we fit in the hold?"
"Not many," the obviously military Zak replied, looking over a list on a clipboard, "We're pretty full. Two, maybe three if they're small. We had a good run."
"Yes," the masked man replied in an exasperated voice, "And, of course, at the end of said run, we find the biggest goldmine anyone's ever seen." He sighed again, shifted in his chair, and addressed the pilot again. "We're flying over the middle of the ocean, and there are no islands nearby, so they must be on a ship. We'll go in, get the two strongest, and plant a tracer so we can come back for the rest later. Zak!"
"Hm?"
"Prepare the shadow-warp chamber. And tell the technicians to get a good lock this time, we need our 'guests' in one piece."
"Roger." Replied Zak, walking out of the cabin.
"And get someone to fix the blasted air conditioner!" The masked man called after him.
In the cooler, brighter, and generally nicer atmosphere of the ship to Duel Academy, things are a lot less tense. For instance, we can look to Jaden and Syrus, who are...
"Ahhhhh! Jaden, stop! Hahahah!"
"Why?"
...who are apparently either wrestling again, or still wrestling.
"Jaaaaddennnn!"
I really hope it's the former.
"Honestly Jaden, why don't you just sit still and relax?" asked Bastion, laying in a deck chair under an umbrella, his new Ra Yellow jacket bunched under his head as a makeshift pillow. "Once classes start, we probably won't get many chances to."
"I can't help it, Bastion!" Jaden replied, getting up off the deck as he finally ceased his good-natured torment of Syrus, "I want to duel! I need to duel! That's what I came here to do, not take naps!"
"Well," Bastion replied, "They told us when we got on that there was no dueling allowed on the boat. There are too many people in to small a space."
"I know that!" replied Jaden, who was practically hopping up and down with unreleased energy, "But I can't just sit around! I've gotta do something!"
Bastion sighed and closed his eyes. "If you're really that desperate for something to do, why don't you go for a run around the deck? Maybe that will tire you out enough that you can sit still for the rest of the trip."
"That's a great idea! Thanks Bastion!" Jaden yelled, jumping up as he began a mad dash down towards the rear of the ship, "Come on, Syrus! You're falling behind!"
"But Jaden, I don't- Oohhhh..." Syrus groaned as Jaden dashed off, "Why me?" He then started running as fast as his legs could carry him. "Wait for me, Jaden!" He yelled at Jaden's swiftly departing backside, "I can't run as fast as you! My legs are shorter! Jaaaddeeeennn!"
Bastion sighed contentedly as the two's footsteps faded. "Now maybe I can get some sleep."
"I don't see what your problem is, Chazz."
Alexis sipped her virgin Pina Colada in the Obelisk Blue lounge and (non-alcoholic) drink bar, as, across the table from her, Chazz seemed about to shatter the glass containing his own drink with the sheer amount of force he was gripping it with.
"Don't see my problem? I don't see why you don't have a problem!"
"So some people get lower scores then others on the entrance exams. That's why we have different dorms - so the lower-achieving students are in an environment that will motivate them to do better."
Chazz slammed his fist on the table. "Slackers like them shouldn't be here at all! Duel Academy if for the best! Not morons who got lucky on their exams!"
"Luck is as much a part of dueling as skill, Chazz." Alexis replied, taking another sip of her drink, "Even the greatest players in the world will lose if they never draw the right cards."
"That's not the point!" Chazz shouted, attracting an irritated glance of two, "It's the principle of it! We're the best, so we should go to the best school! They're not, so they shouldn't!"
"How does that make sense?" Alexis replied calmly, "If they're worse, then they need the better school more then we do."
"You don't get it!" Chazz almost screamed, causing more people to glare in his direction, "They're worse. We're better. We'll always be better, so Duel Academy is wasted on those losers!"
Alexis slowly shook her head. "You're argument doesn't make logical sense, Chazz. If we give people who aren't doing well what they need to do well, then there's no reason they can't do as well as we do."
"RRRAAAGGHHH! NEVER MIND!" Chazz yelled, knocking over his chair before stalking out of the lounge, a number of now-curious stares following him.
Alexis sighed. "He's going to be trouble this year..."
On the lower deck, Jaden and a winded Syrus had almost reached the rear of the ship.
"Jaden," Syrus gasped from his position about ten feet behind Jaden, "Could we take a break?"
"Just as soon as we get to the ship's rear!" Jaden called back.
Syrus just groaned and concentrated on keeping up.
"We're almost there!" Jaden called about half a minute later, "Just a few more- WOAH!" Before he could finish his, sentence, Jaden tripped, his forward momentum making him roll for half a dozen feet before stopping, sprawled of his back.
"Jaden! Are you alright?" Syrus called as he ran to Jaden's side, "What happened?"
"I'm fine." Jaden replied as he got up, wincing as he did so, "and I tripped."
"Over what?"
"Good question." Jaden turned around and looked back the way they came. It didn't take long to find what he had tripped over: A pair of legs in grey cargo pants.
Jaden followed the legs up to a female torso clad in a loose black tank top and an unbuttoned Slifer Red jacket. The torso was connected to arms, the left of which had a fingerless glove that went up under the jacket sleeve. On top of the torso was perched a head, on which was a mass of bell-adorned red and black braids. And, if the closed state of the head's eyes was any indication, the person who those collected parts made was asleep.
"Hey! Wake up!" Jaden yelled.
"...huh?" The girl said, blinking sleep out of her eyes. "What?"
"You tripped me!"
"...I did?"
"Yes!"
"...when?"
"Just now!"
"...oh. Sorry." The girl stood up, yawned, stretched, and shook her head, causing the bells on her head to chime chaotically. She then straightened, and looked Jaden in the eyes. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be back here, so I figured it would be a good place for a nap."
Jaden just stared for a second.
"...what?"
"Your eyes..."
"What about my eyes?"
"...they're purple."
"Yeah? And?"
"I don't think people a supposed to have purple eyes."
The girl just shrugged. "I do. So what?"
Jaden scratched his head. "I dunno."
"..."
"..."
Jaden glanced around for something that would break the uncomfortable silence. His eyes fell on the girl's jacket. "So, you're in Slifer Red too?"
The girl smirked. "Yep."
Syrus, who had been silent up to this point, put his two cents in. "So, let me guess... you failed the written test, right?"
"Nope. Aced it."
Syrus blinked. "So... then you failed your exam duel?"
"Nope. Aced that too."
At this point, Syrus was throughly confused. "Then why are you in Slifer Red?"
"Well," the girl said musingly, "My examiner wanted to put me in Ra Yellow... but I turned her down."
"What!" Both Jaden and Syrus yelled, "WHY?"
"Well..." the girl responded, tapping her chin, "I don't like Ra. Or the color yellow, as a matter of fact."
Jaden and Syrus facevaulted.
The girl looked at them quizzically. "What?"
"...nothing." Jaden said, coughing. "Well, regardless of circumstances, let me welcome you to Slifer Red!" He finished, extending his hand.
The girl shook it. "It's a pleasure. My name's Tsukanna. Tsukanna Kanshisha."
"Nice to meet you!" Jaden replied, "I'm..."
"Jaden Yuki." Tsukanna finished as she released Jaden's hand.
Jaden blinked. "How'd you know that?"
Tsukanna grinned. "I watched your duel. You're pretty good. Elemental Hero decks are tough to use if you don't know what you're doing."
"Thanks!" Jaden said, "One day, I'm gonna be King of Games!"
"Hah!" Tsukanna replied, "With you current skill? While Yugi holds the title? I doubt it."
"Well..." Jaden started, simpering.
"Don't get your head in a knot over it." Tsukanna said, clapping him on the shoulder and smiling, "'One day' is still a long way off. You've got plenty of time to get better."
Jaden smiled back.
"Well," Tsukanna continued, clapping Jaden on the shoulder again, "I'll see you around. I'm gonna go find another place to sleep."
With that declaration, Tsukanna walked off, and several seconds of silence followed.
"She has really weird hair." Syrus proclaimed suddenly.
"Yep."
"Grrrrr... stupid Alexis..." Chazz stalked down the hallway to his cabin, muttering all the while. "Stupid Slifer slackers..."
As Chazz was stalking and muttering down the hall, unfortunately for him, he wasn't paying to much attention to his surroundings. Even considering that however, one still wonders...
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"
...how on earth anyone could possibly miss a big black hole suddenly appearing in the floor.
"What the hell is going on!" Chazz shrieked as he fell. Despite the fact that physics said that, if holes could spontaneously in floors, he should just fall one level down the ship, he was instead falling through a seemingly endless black tunnel. When Chazz took a second to examine one of the walls, he wished he hadn't. The walls appeared almost fleshy, and there were vague, moving outlines, as if screaming faces were pressed against the other side.
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!" Chazz shrieked again, before suddenly tumbling out of the tunnel and landing - hard - on a metal floor. He looked up, and saw what appeared to be a sphere of black energy, suspended in the air by three black lightning bolts, which were being generated by devices that looked suspiciously like ray guns.
"Fools. Be more gentle with the other one, they're no use to us with broken spines."
Chazz turned his in the direction the voice was coming from, and, just for a moment, saw the masked man. Then he blacked out.
Back on the ship, Jaden and Syrus were having a much easier time of things. After their encounter with Tsukanna, they had finished their run around the deck, which, unfortunately for Bastion's nap, meant they were in the same place they started. With Jaden getting bored, and Bastion getting irritated, Jaden and Syrus had fallen back on a most rudimentary and childish activity.
"Jaden! Where are you?"
Hide and seek. After Jaden had soundly defeated Syrus in their first game, now Syrus was 'it'.
"Jaaaddeeeennn!"
He really wasn't having much luck. Not particularly surprising, seeing as how Jaden had decided to hide in an obscure, out-of-the-way broom closet.
"Hehehehe!" Jaden chuckled to himself, "Syrus'll never find me here!" No truer statement has ever been made. The very dark broom closet was a highly conducive environment for not seeing a half dozen arms made out of shadow energy come out of a wall.
"Heheh - Oomph!" The arms caught Jaden completely by surprise, and, ignoring the laws of physics (as such things do), pulled him into a the wall they had come out of.
It was an exceedingly uncomfortable experience, as Jaden found himself transported to a place completely devoid of light. Although he couldn't see, Jaden could still feel, and he felt like he was floating in a sea of disembodied hands, which were silently passing him through the strange place Jaden had found himself. After a minute, Jaden was unceremoniously dumped out of the same black orb Chazz fell out of, blissfully unconscious.
The masked man sighed as Jaden fell next to Chazz and didn't stir. "Idiots!" He yelled, whirling to face the technicians who were working on a nearby console. "This one's unconscious to! We have a schedule to keep, and I can't afford delays!"
"Sorry, sir." One of the technicians replied, "Teleporting living matter through the Shadow Realm isn't exactly a precise science."
The masked man simply sighed, the growled, "Just wake them up..."
"Oohhhh..." Several minutes and one injection later, Jaden stirred. Next to him, Chazz was waking up as well.
"Where the heck am I?" Chazz asked, "What happened?"
"A question I'd be happy to answer."
Chazz jerked his head in the direction of the voice, and saw the masked man standing on the other side of the small, cramped room the three of them occupied. "Who the heck are you?" He asked.
The masked man smirked. "You may call me Nightshroud."
"What do you want with us?" Jaden called as he got to his feet.
"That's simple." Nightshroud replied, "I'm going to give you a choice."
"I'm listening..." Chazz responded.
"Option A is simple: I knock you both out and take you with me back to my headquarters."
"What!" Chazz yelled, echoed by Jaden's simultaneous "No way!"
"Or," Nightshroud continued as if he hadn't heard them, "You can duel me."
"Huh?" Jaden said, "A duel?"
"Exactly." Nightshroud responded, as he opened up a crate next to him and took out a spiky, angular, black duel disk and affixed it to his arm. He then took two normal discs out and slid them across the floor to Jaden and Chazz. "A simple duel with a simple wager. If you two can defeat me in a two on one duel, then I'll send you back to your ship. If I win, however, then you have to come with me willingly." He smirked. "Your choice?"
"We duel!" Jaden proclaimed, pointing straight at Nightshroud, "Let's go!"
Chazz sighed. "Do I really have to duel with that slacker?" He asked, "Couldn't I just duel you one on one?"
"No," Nightshroud replied, "This duel affects you both, so you must both participate."
Chazz groaned, and picked up one of the duel discs.
Jaden picked up another and all three of them inserted their decks.
"Do you both know the rules for a 2 on 1 duel?" Nightshroud said questioningly.
Chazz nodded.
Jaden simpered. "Actually, no."
Nightshroud sighed. "Fool boy..."
"Don't call me boy!" Jaden shouted, "The name's Jaden Yuki! And I'm gonna be King of Games!"
"Stupid slacker," Chazz muttered, "Making idiot declarations before a life and death duel."
"Why me?" Nightshroud sighed, and began explaining the rules of a 2 on 1 duel.
"Your team shares Life points," he started, "Instead of having 8000 for each player, both of you have pool of 16000. I have only 8000. Chazz will go first, then me, then Jaden then back to Chazz. No one can attack until all players have taken their first turn. If your partner has no monsters, you may defend him with your own. Players may tribute cards on their partner's field, and any monster summoned using cards from your partner's field is considered to be controlled by both players. Also, players may not look at their partner's facedowns, the cards in their partner's hands, or share strategies with their partners. Got it?"
Jaden nodded.
"Very well." Nightshroud shouted, going to activate his duel disk, but stopping. "Oh, I almost forgot."
"Forgot what?" Chazz asked impatiently.
"This duel will be special..." Nightshroud began, as he raised his free hand, and a sadistic smirk affixed itself on his face, "This will be a SHADOW GAME!"
"What?" Chazz and Jaden yelled at the same time.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Nightshroud clenched his raised hand into a fist, and shadow energy gathered around it, beginning to expand. As the energy engulfed them, Jaden and Chazz shut their eyes. When they opened them, they were standing on a flat black 'plain' under a black 'sky' which seemed to extend for forever in every direction.
"Hahahahahaha!" Nightshroud laughed like a maniac, spreading his arms as if in greeting. "Welcome to the Shadow Realm! A far better place for a duel then that dingy cargo hold! Now, let us begin! Duel disc, on!"
Jaden and Chazz gulped, shaken by Nightshroud's display, but still activated their duel discs, and as the three drew their starting hands, the duel began.
J+CLP: 16000
NLP: 8000
"I draw!" Chazz shouted, drawing a card from his deck. He looked at the card, then the cards in his hand. "Heh. Everything I need."
Chazz added the card he drew to his hand and selected another. "I play Chthonian Soldier in attack mode!" The grey-armored warrior appeared and brandished his curved greatsword menacingly at Nightshroud. (1200/1400)
"Next, I play four facedowns!" The facedown cards appeared, hovering behind Chazz's soldier.
"I end my turn. Beat that, Night-curtain." Chazz said arrogantly.
Nightshroud drew. "Trash talk. Juvenile. I'm not going to be goaded by your silly taunts, boy."
Chazz just growled.
"And I will beat that." Nightshroud looked at his cards. "Not this turn, however. This turn, I'll simply summon Dark Blade attack mode." A hulking warrior is spiky black armor appeared, brandishing a massive curved sword in one hand and a smaller sword in the other as his red cape fluttered in the wind. (1800/1500)
"Next," Nightshroud continued, "I'll play three cards facedown. Then I play a continuous spell: Crimson Egg." The facedown cards appeared behind Dark Blade, then next to it appeared a spell card with... well, a red egg on it.
"Crimson Egg? What does that do?" Jaden asked cluelessly.
Nightshroud smirked. "You'll find out on my next turn. On that note, I'm done for now."
"My draw!" Jaden shouted. He smirked as he put the card he drew in his hand, and selected three others.
"I'll summon Elemental Hero Sparkman in attack mode!" In front of Jaden, Sparkman appeared in a flash of lightning and got into a fighting stance. (1600/1400)
"Now, I play the field card Skyscraper!" Jaden shouted as he placed the named card in his field slot. All around the three combatants, massive buildings sprung up, and the shadowy plain was replaced with concrete. Sparkman looked around for a moment, and then looked back at Nightshroud and got into a more aggressive fighting stance.
"Last, I play a facedown! Your turn, Chazz!" Jaden called, as his facedown appeared and Chazz drew his card. He looked at it and smirked. "You shouldn't have played your field card, slacker," Chazz began as he opened his own field slot, "Because now I play my own! Mystic Plasma Zone!" The buildings and streets shattered as Jaden's field was replaced with a more sinister one. The black sky and plain reappeared, along with red clouds shooting purple lightning as a dark mist surrounded the three duelists.
"Hey!" Jaden yelled at Chazz, "Why'd you do that?"
Chazz smirked again. "Because, slacker, my Mystic Plasma Zone gives every dark-attribute monster on the field, such as my Chthonian Soldier, 500 extra attack points at the cost of 400 defense points. Your Skyscraper got me nothing." True to Chazz's word, the mists seeped into his soldier's armor, bulking up it's already impressive muscles. (1200/1400)–(1700/1000)
Jaden just growled.
"Unfortunately for you," Nightshroud said, "As the name suggests, Dark Blade is dark monster, so he gets a boost from Mystic Plasma Zone as well!" Dark mist seeped into the Dark Blade's armor. He shifted, as if to accommodate more muscle. (1800/1500)–(2300/1100)
"I don't care!" Chazz shouted, "I'll have Chthonian Soldier attack Dark Blade!"
"Wait!" Jaden exclaimed, "Chazz, his monster is stronger!"
Chazz just smirked.
The Chthonian Soldier charged towards Dark Blade with his sword upraised, but Dark Blade just slashed him before he got a chance to swing it. Instead of shattering, however, Chthonian Soldier exploded.
J+CLP: 15400
NLP: 7400
As the explosion washed over Jaden and Chazz, they both stiffened for a moment. They felt like someone has simultaneously slapped them all over their bodies. Nightshroud didn't even flinch. He just smirked and said, "Enjoying your first Shadow Game?"
"Huh?" Jaden asked, confused, "What just happened?"
"Shadow Games," Nightshroud began, "Make things a little more real! Whenever you take damage you actually feel it!"
Jaden gasped.
"Of course, If what you were asking about was why I took damage..." Nightshroud started.
"...it's because of Chthonian Soldier's special ability." Chazz finished cockily, "Whenever he's destroyed in battle, both sides take damage."
Jaden smirked. "Nice move, Chazz. You're pretty good!"
Chazz just grunted.
"Yes, indeed, nice move." Nightshroud said sarcastically, "You sacrificed you only defense to deal me 600 points of damage."
"Did I?" Chazz smirked again. "I activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted, and I use it to revive Chthonian Soldier!" The trap card flipped up and Chthonian Soldier reappeared on the field, once again brandishing his sword. (1200/1400)–(1700/1000)
"And," Chazz continued, "Because I special summoned a monster, I can use this: go, Inferno Reckless Summon!" The second of Chazz's facedowns, a quickplay magic card, flipped up. As it did, two more Chthonian Soldiers appeared next to the first one, lifting their swords as well. (1200/1400)x2–(1700/1000)x2
"Inferno Reckless Summon allows me to special summon every monster in my hand, deck and graveyard with the same name as the one I just special summoned," Explained Chazz, "Of course, you get to choose a monster on your side and do the same for that monster, but it won't do you much good."
Nightshroud smirked. "I choose Dark Blade."
"Fine!" Chazz replied, "I activate two more traps: first, Bottomless Trap Hole to remove the two monsters you special summon because of Inferno Reckless Summon..." As the Dark Blades appeared, they fell into a deep hole, which closed after them. "And also," Chazz continued, "Ring of Destruction! Destroy his Dark Blade!"
The bomb-laden collar attached itself around Dark Blade's neck, and, after a few seconds, exploded, blasting both players with debris. As the debris hit them, Jaden wobbled, and Chazz's knees buckled. The pain had been worse that time. Unfortunately for them, when the smoke cleared, a ring with four metal "fans" on it hovered in front of Nightshroud.
"Sorry," He said, smirking, "My Ring of Defense reduces the damage to me from your trap to zero."
J+CLP: 13100
NLP: 7400
Chazz growled. "My battle phase isn't done yet! Chthonian Soldier, attack him directly!"
"I have a trap as well!" Nightshroud announced, "I activate Aerial Dive! When I'm attacked, I can activate this trap to summon any dragon of level four or lower from my hand! So, Troop Dragon, in defense mode!"
A green dragonlike humanoid in armor appeared in front of Nightshroud, crouching behind it's sword. (700/800)
Chthonian Soldier lunged forward and swung his sword, shattering Nightshroud's dragon with a single swing.
Nightshroud smirked. "Watch." As he said that, another Troop Dragon appeared in place of the destroyed one. (700/800)
"What the heck?" Chazz yelled, "Where did that come from?"
Nightshroud smirked again. "Whenever Troop Dragon is destroyed in battle, I can summon another one from my deck."
Chazz growled. "Fine. My second Chthonian Soldier, destroy his second dragon!" Chazz's second soldier charged, and, as the first one did, destroyed the Troop Dragon with one swing. As soon as he did, however, a third dragon appeared in place of the second. (700/800)
"Rrrgggghhhh!" Chazz growled. "I'll have my last soldier destroy your third dragon!" As Chazz's soldier charged, he laughed triumphantly, "Hahahahahah! Since this is your third dragon, and you can only have three copies of a single card in your deck, after this your defense is gone!" As Chazz said, After the third dragon shattered, no more appeared.
"Unfortunately," Chazz continued, "That's all my attacks for this turn. But, before I finish, I'll play the equip spell Chthonian Alliance to one of my Soldiers! This will increase his attack by 800 points for every other monster with the same name as him." As Chazz placed the card in his disc, purple energy flew to his center soldier from the two beside him and the soldier's muscles got even bigger. (1700/1000)–(3300/1000)
"I end my turn." Chazz finished with a smirk, "What was that about beating me, Nightcurtain?"
Nightshroud drew his card. "I'll show you," He replied. "First, during my standby phase, the effect of my Crimson Egg activates." The card he named vanished in a flash of light. "I merely send Crimson Egg to the graveyard, and I can special summon this monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard: Red-Eyes Black Chick!" In front of Nightshroud's facedown, a small red egg appeared. A few cracks appeared in it, and part of the top popped off. Out of the hole poked the head of a cute, miniature Red-Eyes Black Dragon. (800/500)–(1300/100)
"Hahahahahah!" Chazz laughed hysterically, "That's your big move? That thing doesn't even have the power to destroy one of my regular soldiers, let alone my powered-up one!"
"Yeah, he's right," Jaden said, "Even boosted by the field, that thing doesn't isn't all that strong."
"Actually, no," Nightshroud replied, "That's not my big move. I activate Red-Eyes Black Chick's special ability!" The tiny dragon vanished in a flash of light. "By tributing Red-Eyes Black Chick, I can special summon a certain monster from my hand. Now rise, Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"
The field rumbled as a massive form materialize in front of Nightshroud. A giant, horned head, curving claws, and gleaming scales of a deep black, offset by a pair of burning crimson eyes. One of the strongest of all dragons had arrived. (2400/2000)–(2900/1600)
Chazz looked at it, shaken. "It still can't beat my soldier!"
"It doesn't have to." Nightshroud responded, "Because he was a special summon, I can also summon Spirit Ryu in attack mode." A creature which was little more then a dragon's head and wings connected by a rope of white energy appeared next to the Red-Eyes, growling. (1000/1000)
"Not strong, I know," Nightshroud said, "But he serves my purpose. I activate my last facedown - Burst Breath!" Nightshroud's trap flipped up, and Spirit Ryu drew it's head back and covered the field with a massive blast of fire that consumed Spirit Ryu and Chazz's soldiers, but left Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Jaden's Sparkman unharmed.
"What!" Chazz shouted in disbelief, "What happened?"
"Simple." Nightshroud replied. "Burst Breath allows me to tribute a dragon on my field to destroy every monster with defense equal or less then the sacrificed dragon's attack. So, it appears you essentially wasted your last turn."
"No..." Chazz stuttered.
"Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Nightshroud called, "Attack Chazz directly with Inferno Fire Blast!"
"Not so fast!" Jaden called, "Sparkman, defend Chazz!"
Sparkman rushed in between Chazz and the onrushing fireball, which consumed him but protected Jaden and Chazz's life points somewhat.
"I also active my facedown! Hero Spirits!" Jaden called as his facedown flipped up, and a ghostly version of sparkman appeared. "I can activate this when an Elemental Hero is destroyed, and, if I do, we don't take damage this turn!" True to Jaden's word, their Life Points remained untouched.
J+CLP: 13100
NLP: 7400
"I forgot about you." Nightshroud said, irritated. "I suppose I'll just play a facedown and end my turn, then."
"Alright! I draw!" Jaden called. He smirked as he saw his card. "First, I'm going to play Polymerization to fuse Elemental Heroes Avian and Burstinatrix from my hand to create Elemental Hero Flame Wingman!" As in Jaden's duel with Crowler, a vortex appeared, Avian and Burstinatrix were sucked in, and the one-winged, dragon-armed Elemental Hero appeared on Jaden's field. (2100/1200)
"Nice," Nightshroud said, "But not good enough."
"I'm not done!" Jaden replied, "I play Fusion Weapon! I can equip this card to a level six or below fusion monster and it's attack and defense increase by 1500 points!" The dragon-head on Flame Wingman's arm shifted and warped into a biogenetic cannon, and his stats skyrocketed. (2100/1200)–(3600/2700)
"What?" Nightshroud's eyes widened behind his mask. "Impossible!"
"It's not just possible, it's happening!" Jaden yelled, "Elemental Hero Flame Wingman, destroy Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Fusion Scorcher!" Flame Wingman took to the air and pointed his arm cannon at the Red-Eyes. He powered up a massive blast of flame and shot it right at the dark dragon. The resulting explosion obliterated Red Eyes and took a chunk out of Nightshroud's life points.
J+CLP: 13100
NLP: 6800
"And don't forget Flame Wingman's special ability!" Jaden called, "When he destroys a monster, you take damage equal to that monster's attack points!" Flame Wingman flew down and landed in front of Nightshroud. He pointed his arm-cannon and shot the masked man with a point-blank blast of flame, knocking him over.
J+CLP: 13100
NLP: 3900
"Now I end my turn." Jaden finished.
"I draw!" Chazz drew his card, looked at it, and played it immediately. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards." The green jar appeared, and Chazz drew twice. He looked at what he drew and laughed.
"Now, I play Silent Doom, which lets me revive Chthonian Soldier in defense mode!" The armored soldier once again appeared on Chazz's field, this time crouching defensively behind his sword. (1200/1400)–(1700/1000)
"But," Chazz continued "He's not staying. I tribute him to summon Mefist the Infernal General in attack mode!" The Chthonian Soldier disappeared, and is his place appeared a heavily armored knight on a black horse who was carrying a long-handled axe in one hand. His horse stomped impatiently. (1800/1700)–(2300/1300).
"But don't think I'm done!" Chazz shouted as he placed another card in his duel disc, "I equip him with Axe of Despair to increase his attack by 1000!" Mefist's normal axe vanished, and in it's place appeared a single-headed axe with a short handle that looked almost... fleshy. Mefist swung it experimentally. (2300/1300)–(3300/1300)
"And don't forget about Mefist's special abilities!" Chazz exclaimed, "Not only does he still damage your life points when he attacks a monster in defense mode, whenever he damages a player, they have to discard a random card from their hand. Now, Mefist, attack directly!"
"Negate attack!" Nightshroud called, activating his facedown, "This stops your attack and ends the battle phase!"
"What!" Chazz yelled, as Mefist skidded to a stop before crashing into a force field.
"I end my turn." Chazz growled "And next turn, I'll crush you!"
Nightshroud silently drew a card, looked at it, and laughed. "You've put up a good fight, children, but now, it's over!"
"What do you mean?" Jaden asked, "Why is it over?"
"I'll show you!" Nightshroud shouted, "I play Card of Sanctity, so we all draw until we have six cards in our hands!" As each player drew, Nightshroud laughed again. "This is the beginning of the end! I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Red-Eyes!" A shining ankh appeared on the field, out of which rose Red-Eyes. (2400/2000)–(2900/1600)
"However," Nightshroud continued, "He's only the means to an end! I call a monster so fearsome, it can only be summoned by tributing a Red-Eyes Black Dragon on my field! Rise, my ultimate beast! RED EYES DARKNESS DRAGON!" The Red-Eyes' body covered with red cracks before abruptly bursting. In the place of Red-Eyes Black Dragon was an even larger, more fearsome beast, with tri-sectional wings and massive veins of fiery red-orange running over it's body. (2400/2000)–(2900/1600)
"Ultimate beast?" Chazz exclaimed, "What a joke! It has the same points as a normal Red-Eyes!"
"For the moment, yes." Nightshroud replied, smirking "But not for long! I play three copies of the magic card Foolish Cemetery!"
"Foolish Cemetery?" Jaden asked, "Never heard of it. What's it do?"
"Simple," Nightshroud replied, "It lets each player search their deck for up to five monster cards and place them into their graveyards. Since I played three, that makes fifteen monsters total."
"And I," stated Nightshroud, "Will take the full fifteen!" Nightshroud quickly searched his deck and took out almost half the cards, then placed them in his graveyard. He then shuffled his deck and returned it to it's slot.
"What a stupid move!" Chazz shouted, "Now you've got almost no monsters! I won't take any."
"Me neither!" Jaden exclaimed, "I'd never do that to my cards!"
"Fine." Nightshroud said, "Now, I play the spell Double Attack! By discarding a monster from my hand," He said, as he discarded a fearsome-looking dragon, "One monster of lower level on my field can attack twice this turn. Since the monster I discarded was level 10, my level nine Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon can attack twice this turn!"
"I still don't get it," said Jaden, "Even if it can attack twice, your monster's still weaker then either of ours."
"I suppose, then," Nightshroud said, grinning cruelly, "I should let you in on the secret."
"Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon," He finished with a shout, "Gains 300 attack points for every dragon in my graveyard!"
"What!" Jaden gasped at the same moment Chazz screamed, "No!"
"And," Nightshroud continued, a smirk affixed on his face, "The three Troop Dragons, Spirit Ryu, Red-Eyes Black Chick, Red-Eyes Black Dragon, The monster I discarded for Double Attack, and the fifteen dragons I buried with Foolish Cemetery make 22 dragons in my graveyard. 22 times 300 is 6600. 6600 plus 2900 equals... 9500 attack points!"
Jaden and Chazz were speechless as the ethereal forms of a dozen different kinds of dragons appeared and phased into Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's body, making it grow to astronomical proportions, and it's attack score climbed higher then anything they had ever seen. (2900/1600)–(9500/1600)
"And don't forget," Nightshroud said mockingly, "It can attack twice this turn! Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon, annihilate them! Double Infernal Hellfire Blast!" The titanic dragon reared it's head back and shot two fireballs the size of small buildings at Flame Wingman and Mefist. The massive explosions sent Jaden and Chazz flying thirty feet through the air, as well as cutting their life points to almost zero.
J+CLP: 1000
NLP: 3900
"So, do you want to surrender?" Nightshroud asked the two prone students mockingly.
Jaden struggled to his knees, in agony from the enormous power of the direct attack. "I'm... not... gonna... give... up..."
"Your resolve is admirable, but foolish. You can't win. If you wish to continue, however, I will end..." Before he could finish his sentence. He was interrupted by a ringing sound.
"What? Who on earth..." Nightshroud exclaimed as he pulled a cell phone from his pocket, opened it, and put it to his ear. "What?"
A few moments of mumbled talking followed.
"WHAT!" Nightshroud yelled suddenly, "HOW?"
More mumbled talking.
"That shouldn't have been... yes... very well." Nightshroud sighed, and returned the phone to his pocket. "It seems, children," he said, addressing the kneeling Jaden and Chazz, "That I have more important business to attend to." He shut off his duel disc and the massive dragon vanished. He also gestured with one hand, and the shadows vanished as well. "So I must concede."
Nightshroud walked towards Jaden and Chazz, pulling a syringe out of his pocket. "I will keep my end of the deal and send you back. Just remember, we will meet again. And next time, I hope you provide some small challenge..."
As he said that, he injected Jaden, then Chazz. After a moment, the grips of unconsciousness claimed them.
New Cards:
Aerial Dive
Normal Trap
You may activate this card when you are attacked by an opponent's monster. Special summon one level four or lower Dragon-type monster from your hand.
Image: A Spear Dragon diving to attack a Buster Blader.
Crimson Egg
Continuous Spell
During your standby phase, you may send this face-up card to your graveyard to special summon one "Red-Eyes B. Chick" from your hand, deck, or graveyard.
Image: A red egg.
Foolish Cemetery
Normal Spell
Both players may search their decks for up to five monster cards and put those cards in their graveyard. If a player does so, they then shuffle their deck afterwards.
Image: A gravedigger scratching his head and looking a an overfilled graveyard.
Changes:
I'm using the anime effect for Card of Sanctity. The actual effect has you discard all cards in your hand and on your field, then draw until you have two cards in your hand.
Next time: Jaden and co. finally reach Duel Academy! Everyone's given a week settle in and mingle before classes start, but it doesn't even take a day for a conflict to erupt between Tsukanna and the tyrannical headmistress of the Slifer Red girl's dorm! Don't miss "Harpie's Hunting Ground"