A New Duelist Legend

by AngelOfBlades

The Assault on Duel Academy: As East Duel Academy is under siege from the forces of the dark, unexpected heroes my rise... and fall. The games are over. The war has begun.

8. The Eye of Truth

Disclaimer: I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh GX

A/N: I apologize for taking so long. I had to re-do this duel twice in order to get everything balanced. Is it just my imagination, or do I spend every other author's note apologizing for being late? Well, whatever. On with the fic!

Yu-Gi-Oh GX - A New Duelist Legend

Chapter Eight - The Eye of Truth

Zane Truesdale was worried. Not something that happened often. The object of his worries? Tsukanna Kanshisha. A duelist skilled enough to win a Grandmaster tournament at thirteen. And she enrolled in Duel Academy, despite probably knowing more about Duel Monsters then some of the teachers.

Zane was currently sitting in one of the Obelisk Blue common rooms, mulling over his worries. "Logically," He thought to himself, "There's no reason I should be concerned. There are plenty of reasons someone that skilled would come here. Easy formal recognition of those skills, for example. However..." Zane's eyes narrowed. "Despite that... she still worries me..."

As Zane's thoughts continued to circle, his PDA beeped, jarring him out of his thoughts. "Alexis?" He said, "What could she want?"

Shrugging, Zane sent her back a message saying he'd meet her.

About ten minutes later, Zane had met Alexis outside, and she'd given him a brief overview of her duel with Tsukanna.

"So, let me get this straight." Zane said, "You saw Tsukanna running around outside, in the dead of night, and challenged her to a duel."

Alexis nodded.

"And in the subsequent duel, you lost, and Tsukanna went on her way."

Alexis nodded again.

Zane sighed. "Didn't I say that she might be dangerous?"

"I know." Alexis replied, "But... you being worried makes me worried. I wanted to know how strong she was, to find out if those worries were justified."

Zane nodded, understanding. "And how strong was she?"

"Very." Alexis replied. "The more it replay the duel in my mind, the more certain I become... she was hardly putting any effort into the duel. It was like... despite my reputation, my skills, and the fact that I might be able to get her suspended or expelled, she felt I wasn't worth her time."

Zane's eyes narrowed. "I see... if she's as skilled as you say she is, then maybe I'll have to duel her myself."

Alexis just frowned slightly.

"And," Zane continued, "It seems that she likes to wager on her duels..." Zane smirked. "Maybe I'll make a wager of my own."

"So," Alexis asked, "When will you duel her?"

"Probably tonight." Zane replied, "I need to make a few preparations."

Later that night, Tsukanna, Rita, Jaden, Bastion, and Syrus had all gathered in Jaden's room.

"...and then," Jaden was saying, "I attacked him directly with Mariner, and bam! Victory!"

"Heh. Nice." Tsukanna replied. "Rita's duel with Ms. Kojima was still better, though."

"N-not really..." Rita said uncomfortably.

"Of course it was!" Tsukanna responded, slapping Rita on the back and nearly knocking her over. "Come on, you gotta give yourself more credit!"

"Yeah, Rita," Jaden said, "That was a sweet duel!"

"Well... maybe..." Rita replied, "It was pretty fun..."

"See?" Tsukanna asked, "My point! Any duel's good, as long as it's fun!"

The five of them continued their conversation for several more minutes, until Tsukanna's PDA rang. "Just a sec." Tsukanna said, opening her PDA. She read the message, then looked up. "Anyone know someone named 'Zane'?"

"Zane?" Bastion and Syrus said at the same moment, standing up so fast they knocked their chairs over.

Tsukanna blinked. "So.. Who is he?"

"Zane Truesdale is the best duelist in the school!" Bastion said, "I can't believe you've never heard of him!"

"Truesdale..." Jaden said thoughtfully, "Isn't that your last name, Syrus?"

Syrus reluctantly nodded. "Yeah... he's my brother."

"Your brother is the best duelist in the school, and you never told me about it?" Jaden exclaimed.

"Well... yeah..." Syrus replied, "Because he's a lot better the me... I don't want to drag him down."

"You wouldn't drag him down, Syrus! You're a great duelist!"

"Not really..."

Throughout that entire exchange, Tsukanna had remained silent. "What could he want?" She asked herself.

"What could who want?" Jaden replied.

"Zane." Tsukanna replied, "He wants to duel me."

"MY BROTHER WANTS TO DUEL YOU!"

"ZANE WANTS TO DUEL YOU!"

Tsukanna nodded at Jaden and Syrus' simultaneous outbursts. "Yep."

"WHY?"

"WHEN?"

"I don't know, and now."

"Accept, already!" Jaden yelled.

"I already did." Tsukanna replied, standing up. "Anyone want to join me?"

The room's other four occupants all stood up and rushed out the door. Tsukanna blinked. "I never said where..."

Ten minutes of confusion later, Tsukanna and Co. met Zane and Alexis on a cliff overlooking the sea.

"I wasn't expecting you to bring guests." Zane said.

"You didn't say that I couldn't." Tsukanna replied.

"True." Zane said, "And It doesn't really matter."

"So," Tsukanna said, "Why do you want to duel me, anyway?"

"Simple." Zane replied, "I'm in possession of a rather... puzzling piece of information, and I want the other pieces."

Tsukanna's eyes narrowed. "And what would this information be?"

"About two years ago," Zane began, "A thirteen year old girl entered and won the Duel Monsters Eastern Grandmaster finals."

Tsukanna flinched.

"She had her hair in a large number of braids,"

Tsukanna flinched again.

"She used a Gravekeeper deck,"

Tsukanna flinched a third time.

"And she was an expert at predicting and countering her opponent's moves."

Tsukanna flinched again, and her mouth set in a grim line.

"In other words," Zane said, pointing at Tsukanna, "You."

Tsukanna grimaced. "Crap."

Her four companions stared at her with varying degrees of amazement. "You won a grandmaster tournament...?" Jaden said in awe.

Tsukanna frowned harder. "Double crap."

"So..." Zane asked, "What do you know about it?"

Tsukanna unconsciously clenched her left hand. "That tournament was a mistake. A mistake I already payed for."

"Really?" Zane said, "That's not good enough." His disc snapped into position. "I have a wager for you. We'll duel. If I win, you tell me what I want to know."

Tsukanna's disc also snapped on. "What if I win?"

"You won't."

The two of them drew their first five cards, and the duel began.

ZLP: 8000

TLP: 8000

"How about you make the first move?" Zane said.

"Alright." Tsukanna replied, pulling a sixth card off of her deck.

"Anyone have a clue what's going on?" Jaden asked.

"Not at all..." Syrus replied.

"I don't have much of an idea either." Alexis said, walking over to them.

Jaden blinked. "And you are...?"

"Alexis Rhodes. I'm a friend of Zane's."

"So, you don't know what's going on either?" Bastion said.

Alexis shook her head. "Not really. But, knowing Zane, we'll find out soon enough..."

"Let's see..." Tsukanna said, surveying her hand, "I'll summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier in attack mode." In a flash of light, the spear-wielding Gravekeeper appeared on Tsukanna's field, brandishing his weapon. (1500/1000)

"Now," Tsukanna said, "I'll set these four cards facedown." Four facedown cards appeared behind the Spear Soldier, bringing Tsukanna's hand down to a single card.

"I'll end my turn with that." Tsukanna finished.

"Very well. My draw." Zane pulled the top card off of his deck, and smirked at the sight of a familiar serpentine machine.

"First," Zane said, "Because you have a monster on your field and I don't, I can special summon Cyber Dragon!" Zane slipped a card into his disc, and a large metal snake-looking dragon appeared on his field, roaring. (2100/1600)

"And since that was a special summon," Zane continued, "I now summon Proto-Cyber Dragon." Zane slid a second card onto his disc next to Cyber Dragon, and a half-size, less streamlined version of Cyber Dragon appeared next to the real thing. It roared, although less impressively. (1100/600)

"Now," Zane said, "Cyber Dragon, attack Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier! Strident Blast!" Cyber Dragon charged up a blast of energy, and was about to release it when Tsukanna spoke up.

"Hold it." She hit two activation switches on her disc. "I activate Shift!"

Zane blinked. "You only have one monster. You can't switch my target."

Tsukanna smirked. "Yes, I can. I chain Shift to another facedown, A Villain Emerges!"

"Hey Jaden," Syrus said on the sidelines, "Don't you use that card?"

Jaden shook his head. "No, I use A Hero Emerges. I wonder what this one does?"

"Simple," Tsukanna said, overhearing, "A Hero Emerges lets you pick a card from my hand, and, if it's a monster, lets me special summon it. A Villain Emerges is almost the same, but it lets me set the card instead." She held up the single card in her hand. "And, since I only have one card, you don't have to pick, so I just set this guy." A set monster appeared next to the Spear Soldier as Tsukanna placed her last card on her disc.

"Now," She continued, "The effect of my Shift resolves, and I change Cyber Dragon's target to my newly set monster." Cyber Dragon shifted it's aim slightly, and blew away Tsukanna's set card.

Tsukanna chuckled. "Thanks to my Shift, your Cyber Dragon activated the flip effect of Gravekeeper's Spy!" In the space her set card had occupied, the familiar form Gravekeeper's Curse appeared, crouched in defense mode. (800/800)

"Gravekeeper's Spy lets me special summon a Gravekeeper with 1500 or less attack from my deck when flipped." Tsukanna continued, "I chose Gravekeeper's Curse, who, when summoned, hits you for 500 direct damage!" The crouching Curse smirked and shot a bolt of black energy from his crook at Zane, dropping his life points slightly.

ZLP: 7500

TLP: 8000

Zane smirked. "You are good. However, your Curse is weaker then my Proto-Cyber Dragon, so I can destroy it easily! Proto-Cyber Dragon, Demi Strident Blast!" The smaller metal dragon charged a smaller blast of energy, then fired it at the crouching Curse, instantly destroying it.

"I'll play two facedowns, then my turn is done." Zane said.

Tsukanna smirked. "My draw." She pulled a card off of her deck, and added it to her hand.

"First off," She said, "I activate another of my facedowns, Rite of Spirit!" The trap flipped up, and Gravekeeper's Curse reappeared. (800/800)

"This lets me special summon any Gravekeeper from my graveyard. Since Gravekeeper's Curse was summoned, he hits you for another 500 points of damage!" The dreadlocked Gravekeeper once again shot a burst of black energy at Zane, knocking his life points down again.

ZLP: 7000

TLP: 8000

"Next," Tsukanna continued, sliding the card she had drawn into her disc. "I activate a spell called Overbearing Ego!"

The five spectators sweatdropped. "Well..." Alexis said, "That card certainly fits her..."

"This powerful spell," Tsukanna said, "Can only be activated when it's the only card in my hand, I have at least 1000 more life points then you do." She smirked, and her deck shot off half a dozen cards. "I now draw until I have six cards in my hand."

Zane grimaced. "She's better then I had expected. It's only the second turn, but she's already used seven cards and has a six card hand... impressive."

"I think," Tsukanna continued, "I'll play another spell. This time, a continuous spell called Card of Safe Return." Tsukanna slid the spell into her disc, and it appeared next to her last set card. "As long as this spell is in play, whenever a monster is special summoned from my graveyard, I draw a card."

Tsukanna smirked and selected another card in her hand. "Also, I haven't normal summoned yet, so I tribute Gravekeeper's Curse to summon Gravekeeper's Chief!" The crook-wielding gravekeeper vanished, and in his place appeared the leader of the gravekeepers, who brandished his snake-headed staff. (1900/1200)

"Since I tribute-summoned him," Tsukanna said, "His effect activates, letting me special summon a gravekeeper from my graveyard. I chose Gravekeeper's Curse!" For the second time that turn, Gravekeeper's Curse appeared and blasted Zane. (800/800)

ZLP: 6500

TLP: 8000

"And don't forget my Card of Safe Return." Tsukanna said, "I now draw a card." Another card popped off of Tsukanna's deck, and she added it to her hand.

"Now..." Tsukanna said, "I'll activate the key card of my deck! Necrovalley!" Tsukanna slid the card into her field slot, and the entire field changed. Instead of standing on a forest cliff overlooking the ocean, they were now standing on a desert cliff overlooking a tomb-riddled valley. Tsukanna's gravekeepers stared at Zane and his dragons, obviously unhappy with their presence. (1900/1200)–(2400/1700), (1500/1000)–(2000/1500), (800/800)–(1300/1300)

Tsukanna smirked. "Gravekeeper's Chief, attack Cyber Dragon!"

"Not so fast." Zane said, "I activate a trap! Polymeracceleration!"

Tsukanna's eyes bugged out. "You actually have one of those!"

"Actually," Zane said, smirking, "I have three."

"What the heck is Polymeracceleration?" Jaden asked, clueless.

"Well, Jaden," Bastion said, his eyes wide. "You run Elemental Heroes, so you know what Polymerization does, correct?"

Jaden nodded.

"Allow me to finish." Zane said, interrupting. "Polymeracceleration is almost exactly the same as Polymerization, except you can only use monsters on your field, and it's a trap instead of a spell."

"Wow!" Jaden said.

"Exactly." Zane replied. "Now, since, when he's on the field, Proto-Cyber Dragon counts as a Cyber Dragon, I now fuse him with my normal Cyber Dragon to create Cyber Twin Dragon!" The large and small Cyber Dragons were pulled into a fast-moving vortex. After a few seconds, a larger Cyber Dragon with two heads appeared. Both it's heads roared. (2800/2100)

Tsukanna grimaced. "Because the monsters on your field changed, I can recall my attack."

Zane nodded. "Anything else?"

Tsukanna slid another card into her disk. "One card facedown, and I end my turn."

"Very well. My draw." Zane took a card off of his deck and added it to his hand. He looked at his cards for a moment then selected one. "I will play the Continuous Spell card Branch." An image of the card appeared on Zane's field. "As long as this card is in play, whenever a Fusion monster is destroyed, I may special summon one of the monsters that was used to summon it from my graveyard."

"Also," Zane continued, placing another card into his disc, "I activate Different Dimension Capsule." A sarcophagus appeared on Zane's field, and a card shot out of his deck. Zane placed it in the capsule, which sank into the ground. "This Card removes a card in my deck from the game. In two turns, I will add it to my hand."

"Now," Zane said, pointing at Tsukanna, "Cyber Twin Dragon, attack with Double Strident Blast!"

"Sorry," Tsukanna said, "But no. I activate my trap, Windstorm of Etaqua!" A strong wind covered Zane's field, and Cyber Twin dragon curled up into defense position.

"Windstorm of Etaqua changes the battle position of every monster on your field." Tsukanna said, smirking. "So, no attack for you."

Zane's face was impassive. "I end my turn."

"Alright!" Tsukanna pulled a card off of her deck and added it to her hand. "I'll keep this turn short and sweet. Gravekeeper's Chief, attack Cyber Twin Dragon! Grave Spell!" Gravekeeper's Chief shot a beam of black energy out of his staff, which impacted the curled-up Cyber Twin Dragon, blowing it apart.

"Due to my continuous spell," Zane said, "I now summon Cyber Dragon from my graveyard." The smoke cleared, revealing the silver form of Zane's original Cyber Dragon. (2100/1600)

Tsukanna frowned. "I end my turn."

Zane simply drew another card as a response. He slipped it into his disc. "I activate Fiend's Sanctuary, creating a metal fiend token on my field." A small, puppet-like metal creature appeared on Zane's field. (0/0)

"Now," Zane said, "I sacrifice my token to summon a second Cyber Dragon." The token vanished and was replaced by a second one of Zane's metal dragons. (2100/1600)

"My first Cyber Dragon attacks Gravekeeper's Curse! Strident Blast!" Zane said, pointing. Zane's Dragon charged up a blast of energy and fired it at Gravekeeper's Curse.

"Once again, not happening!" Tsukanna said, smirking widely. "I activate the most powerful trap in my deck, one almost guaranteed to bring me victory! Go, The Light of Horakti!"

"Powerful trap or not," Zane said, "It will avail you little. I activate Trap Jammer!"

Tsukanna's eyes bulged as purple smoke from Zane's counter trap enveloped her trap and shattered it. She then looked at the onrushing energy blast from Cyber Dragon. "Oh crap."

The powerful blast hit Gravekeeper's Curse, destroying it instantly and sending Tsukanna sprawling, as well as taking a chunk out of her life points.

ZLP: 6500

TLP: 7200

"And now," Zane continued, "My second Cyber Dragon attacks Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier! Strident Blast!" Zane's other dragon launched a second energy blast, destroying the Spear Soldier and taking another bite out of Tsukanna's life points.

ZLP: 6500

TLP: 7100

"With that," Zane said, "I set my last two cards facedown, then end my turn." Two set cards shimmered into existence behind Zane's dragons as he passed the turn to Tsukanna.

Tsukanna got up and took a card off the top of her deck. "He's better then I had anticipated." She thought, "He set that Trap Jammer first turn, and made me think it was useless by not stopping my Windstorm of Etaqua. That move also let me destroy Cyber Twin Dragon, which got him back Cyber Dragon, which he can use to make several other monsters."

She smirked. "You're good Zane, but I'm better. I activate Monster Reborn!" The familiar shining ankh appeared on her field, and Gravekeeper's Curse rose from it, blasting Zane with black energy once again. (800/800)–(1300/1300)

ZLP: 6000

TLP: 7100

"Of course," Tsukanna said, "Don't forget Card of Safe Return." Another card popped off of Tsukanna's deck, and she placed it in her hand. She immediately slid it into her disc. "I activate Rite of Mind. To activate this spell, I have to discard a spell or trap card with either 'Gravekeeper's' or 'Necrovalley' in it's name or card text from my hand." She slid a card from her hand into the graveyard. "Now," She said, "I can take another spell or trap from my deck with either of those same words." A card popped out of her deck, and she placed in her hand. "This should do nicely."

Tsukanna slid the card she had searched for, along with another card from her hand, onto her disc. "I'll set two facedown cards as well. I'm not stupid enough to attack without a way to counter those facedowns, so I'll end my turn."

Zane took the top card of his deck, looked at it, and placed it in his hand. Then he gestured, and the Different Dimension Capsule returned. "Two turns have passed since I activated Different Dimension Capsule, and now the card I removed is added to my hand." He slid it into his disc. "And I'll activate it now! Power Bond!"

Tsukanna flinched. "I knew this was coming..."

A vortex appeared on Zane's field, and a third Cyber Dragon appeared. "I offer the two Cyber Dragons on my field, as well as a third from my hand." Zane continued, and the three dragons were sucked into the vortex. After a few seconds, a massive form appeared. "Using Power Bond, I now fusion summon Cyber End Dragon!"

The monster that had appeared on Zane's field was a massive metal dragon. It had a somewhat egg shaped body with three long necks, each one the size of a normal Cyber Dragon. It's three heads roared. (4000/4000)

Rita made a small 'Eep!' of fright and hid behind Jaden.

"That's massive!" Jaden exclaimed.

Syrus nodded. "That's my brother's strongest monster. And it's about to get even stronger..."

"What do you mean?" Jaden asked.

"You'll see..." Syrus responded.

"The special effect of Power Bond now activates." Zane said. "It can only be used to summon a machine-type monster, and it doubles that monster's attack." Cyber End Dragon glowed brightly and roared louder. (4000/4000)–(8000/4000)

"Oh." Jaden said. "That's what you meant."

"Of course," Zane continued, "During then end phase of this turn, I take damage equal to his original attack, which is 4000, but I doubt it'll be a problem."

Tsukanna smirked. "Check your math. I'll survive your attack."

"We'll see." Zane said. He flipped one of his set cards. "I activate Card of Sanctity. Now we both draw until we have six cards in our hands." A rain of golden coins fell from the sky, and Zane drew six cards, while Tsukanna drew three.

Zane selected a card from his new hand. "I now summon Cyber Phoenix in attack mode." A silver, metallic bird appeared on Zane's field, next to the colossal Cyber End Dragon. (1200/1600)

"As long as Cyber Phoenix is on the field," Zane continued, "You can't target my Cyber End Dragon with spell or trap cards."

Tsukanna frowned.

Zane smirked. "Cyber End Dragon, attack with Ultimate Strident Blast!" The dragon's three heads charged up a massive blast of energy and launched it at Gravekeeper's Chief. The blast hit the gravekeeper head on, obliterating him instantly and covering Tsukanna's field in a massive explosion.

"Tsukanna!" Rita yelled.

When the smoke cleared, Tsukanna had slid twenty feet back, and her life points had taken a sharp dive. "That... hurt... a lot..."

ZLP: 6500

TLP: 1000

Zane smirked. "Cyber Phoenix attacks you directly for the game!"

Tsukanna grimaced. "I activate another Rite of Spirt, reviving Gravekeeper's Chief!" Her trap card flipped up, and Gravekeeper's Chief reappeared. "Since he wasn't tribute summoned, he can't revive anyone, but he's still stronger then your phoenix. Also, I draw again, due to the effect of Card of Safe Return." (1900/1200)–(2400/1700)

Zane nodded. "I'll end my turn here. Since I am, the effect of Power Bond deals me damage... or at least it would, but I activate Pikeru's Circle of Enchantment to reduce any effect damage to me to 0." Zane's other trap flipped up, and he was briefly surrounded by a glowing barrier.

Tsukanna drew, giving her a grand total of eight cards in her hand. "Let's see..." She looked at her hand, then the field. "Hmmm..." Her eyes widened, and she smirked. "Perfect."

"First," She said, "I summon Gravekeeper's Curse from my hand." Another of the crook-wielding gravekeepers appeared and blasted Zane with black energy. (800/800)–(1300/1300)

ZLP: 6000

TLP: 1000

"Now, I activate my facedown card, Rite of Flesh! In order to activate this card, I have to tribute a Gravekeeper on my field, and Curse fits the bill." Tsukanna's set card flipped up, and Gravekeeper's Curse vanished, only to be replaced by... another Gravekeeper's Curse, which blasted Zane yet again. (800/800)–(1300/1300)

ZLP: 5500

TLP: 1000

"Rite of Flesh let me summon a gravekeeper from my deck, and I obviously chose my third Curse." Tsukanna continued. "Now, Rite of Flesh equips to him, boosting his stats by 500 and allowing him to use Necrovalley-reliant effects without Necrovalley. Also, if it's leaves play he's destroyed, and vice versa." (1300/1300)–(1800/1800)

"Next," Tsukanna continued, "I activate Dimensional Magic! Now watch this." A large, black energy ball appeared on the field, and Gravekeeper's Curse and Cyber Phoenix were sucked in. After a moment, it subsided, revealing the white-robed form of Gravekeeper's Priestess. (1600/1900)–(2100/2400)

Zane arched a eyebrow.

"Dimensional Magic," Tsukanna explained, "Requires I tribute a spellcaster, which was my Curse. After that, it destroys a monster on your field, which was Cyber Phoenix. Lastly, it summons a spellcaster with fewer then 2000 attack points from my hand, such as Gravekeeper's Priestess."

Zane nodded.

"Also, we can't forget about Priestess' Special ability." Tsukanna said, smirking. "She gains 300 attack points for each gravekeeper in my graveyard. There are five, so 1500 extra attack!" Gravekeeper's Priestess was surrounded by incorporeal versions of the fallen gravekeepers, which flowed into her body, increasing her attack. (2100/2400)–(3600/2400)

"It hardly matters." Zane said, "My Cyber End Dragon still has far more attack points." Cyber End Dragon roared, apparently agreeing with it's master.

"Be patient." Tsukanna said, "I'm not done just yet." She placed another card on her disc. "I'll activate one of the strongest Spell Cards there is, Crisis Bonds!"

Bastion's eyes widened. "Crisis Bonds?"

"What's Crisis Bonds do?" Jaden asked.

"Crisis Bonds is a very powerful spell that can only be activated when your opponent has at least twice the life points you do. Now, all of the monsters on Tsukanna's field will share effects!"

Jaden blinked. "What's that mean?"

"How about I just demonstrate?" Tsukanna said. "You see, as long a Crisis Bonds is on the field, each of my monsters is treated as though it had the effect text of each of my other monsters. The effects my Chief gives to my Priestess aren't very useful, but now he gets her effects! First, an extra 300 attack points for every Gravekeeper in my graveyard!" A glow surrounded Tsukanna's two monsters, and Gravekeeper's Chief's attack shot up. (2400/1700)–(3900/1700)

"That's still not enough." Zane said.

"It doesn't need to be." Tsukanna replied, "Because he also gets her second effect. Now, neither of them can be attack targets as long as I have another Gravekeeper on my field. So, therefore, you're locked out of attacking!"

Zane's eyed widened.

Tsukanna smirked. "I'll set two cards facedown, then end my turn."

Zane drew a card and smirked. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Crisis Bonds!" Zane's card appeared, and a tornado launched from it.

"Nope." Tsukanna said, "I activate Big Red Bulls-Eye! Now, I discard a card from my hand to change the target of your spell to my facedown card!" A paintbrush painted a bulls-eye on Tsukanna's set card, which shattered, then reformed.

"The facedown card I had you destroy," Tsukanna continued, "Was Gravekeeper's Lure. So now, I can special summon a Gravekeeper from my graveyard. I think I'll summon the monster I discarded for Big Red Bulls-Eye, Gravekeeper's Assailant!" The reformed trap exploded, and the robed female gravekeeper assassin appeared next to Chief and Priestess. Recognizing her leaders, she bowed deeply before brandishing her kris at Cyber End Dragon. (1500/1500)–(2000/2000)

"And now," Tsukanna said, smirking, "Crisis Bonds goes to work. My Assailant gains 1500 attack points and can't be attacked as long as I have another gravekeeper on my field, and my Chief and Priestess can now change the battle mode of any monster they attack as long as Necrovalley is on the field." The glow surrounded Gravekeeper's Assailant as well, and further intensified around all three monsters. (2000/2000)–(3500/2000)

Zane frowned. "I'll set two cards facedown, then end my turn."

Tsukanna drew. She smirked, and placed the card she had drawn onto her duel disc. "I summon Gravekeeper's Spear Soldier in attack mode!" The spear-wielding gravekeeper appeared next to the other three and bowed to his leaders before getting into a battle position. (1500/1000)–(2000/1500)

"Now," Tsukanna said, as the light from Crisis Bonds enveloped him a well, "All of my monsters can deal damage through defense. Unfortunately, I still can't bring down Cyber End Dragon, but all I need is one more monster in my graveyard." (2000/1500)–(3500/1500)

She smirked again. "I believe that I'll end my turn just as soon as I set these two cards." Two facedowns appeared behind her small army of monsters, further bolstering her defenses.

Zane drew a card and added it to his hand. He looked over his cards, then over Tsukanna's field. He smirked. "I'll break your lock this turn, Tsukanna."

"Will you, now?" She asked. "Go right ahead, if you can."

"Very well." He responded, "I activate Re-Fusion System! At the cost of discarding a Polymerization card in my hand, I can return two monsters that were use for a fusion summon, as well as whatever card fused them, from my graveyard! So I return two Cyber Dragons and Power Bond!" He slipped a card from his hand into the graveyard, three different cards slid out, and he added them to his hand.

Tsukanna grinned. "So what? You can Summon another Cyber Twin Dragon. It still can't attack."

"Next, I summon another Proto-Cyber Dragon!" A second of the small Cyber Dragons appeared on Zane's field, roaring rather unimpressively. (1100/600)

Tsukanna's grin diminished, but only slightly. "Ok, you can summon another Cyber End Dragon. Still not that big a thing."

Zane didn't respond. "Once again, I activate Power Bond, fusing Proto Cyber Dragon and the two Cyber Dragons in my hand into Cyber End Dragon!" Another vortex appeared on Zane's field, and it once again sucked in three metal dragons. A second massive three-headed metal dragon appeared, roaring as Power Bond doubled it's attack. (4000/4000)–(8000/4000)

Tsukanna just smirked. "Still can't attack me."

"True enough." Zane replied. "Next, I activate Card of Demise, allowing me to draw five cards, at the expense of having to discard my hand in five turns." He pulled five more cards off of his deck, then set three of them facedown, filling up his magic/trap slots.

"Now," Zane finished, "I end my turn."

"So," Tsukanna asked cheekily, "By what method shall you avoid Power Bond's side effect this time?"

"I won't" Zane replied.

All of the spectators facevaulted. "Say what?" Tsukanna asked incredulously.

"I won't avoid Power Bond's side effect, and I will take 4000 points of damage."

ZLP: 500

TLP: 1000

Tsukanna laughed. "Aren't you supposed to me the best duelist here? And you used Power Bond when it cut your life points down to 500, despite knowing that I can do that much direct damage easily?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Simple." Zane replied, "Look at your monsters."

Tsukanna looked, and saw that the glow had vanished and her spell card was gone. "How..." Her eyes widened as she realized what had happened. "You did that on purpose!" (3900/1700)–(2400/1700), (3500/2000)–(2000/2000), (3500/1500)–(2000/1500)

Zane smirked.

"Uhhhh... what just happened?" Jaden asked.

"That's what I'd like to know." Bastion said.

"W-well..." Rita answered, "Crisis Bonds gets destroyed if your opponent's life goes below double yours..."

"Ingenious!" Bastion said, "He used Power Bond's negative effect to benefit him by destroying his opponent's greatest advantage!"

Tsukanna growled. "I'll still win!" Tsukanna drew, and placed the card in her hand. "I activate my last Rite of Spirit, bringing back one of my Gravekeeper's Curses to finish the last of your life points!" One of the dreadlocked gravekeepers reappeared and blasted Zane with black energy, bringing his life points down... although not to the amount Tsukanna thought it would.

ZLP: 8000

TLP: 1000

"WHAT IN AMMUT'S NAME JUST HAPPENED!" Tsukanna yelled, "HOW ARE YOU AT 8000 AGAIN!"

"Notice anything missing?" Zane asked, indicating his field.

Tsukanna just stared. "...you used the negative effect of Power Bond to get rid of Crisis Bonds, then offered then Cyber End Dragon you summoned to Mystic Wok to get 8000 more life points, bringing you back to full..."

Zane smirked. "Correct."

Tsukanna's amazed expression was replaced by a fierce grin. "You really are good."

"I'm the best." Zane replied.

Tsukanna's grin became even more fierce. "I definitely can't beat you while holding back..." She thought, "And maybe not even at full power. This duel is yours... but I'll make sure to give it a spectacular finish!"

"Alright!" Tsukanna yelled, "Here I go! First, special summoned Gravekeeper's Curse from my graveyard, so I draw a card!" She pulled another card from her deck and added it to her hand. "Next, I activate Gravekeeper's Secret Stores, letting me draw five cards and gain 2000 life points!" She pulled five more cards off of her deck, and her life points shot up.

ZLP: 8000

TLP: 3000

"But I'm not done!" Tsukanna continued, "Next, I activate Emergency Provisions and Emergency Hospital, allow me to sacrifice all of my monsters as well as my magic and trap cards, except Necrovalley, to gain 6000 more life points!" All of the cards on Tsukanna's field vanished, and her life points rocketed up past Zane's.

ZLP: 8000

TLP: 9000

"Now," Tsukanna said, "I'll activate the strongest of the Gravekeeper's Rites." She slid a card into her disc, and three cards popped out of her graveyard. The held them up, revealing Rite of Flesh, Rite of Mind and Rite of Spirit, then slid them into her removed from play slot. "I activate Gravekeeper's Ascension Rite! This spell can only be activated by removing Rite of Flesh, Rite of Mind and Rite of Spirit in my graveyard from the game! It allows me to special summon any number of Gravekeepers from my graveyard!"

Egyptian chanting filled the air, and five lights flashed, revealing Gravekeeper's Chief, Gravekeeper's Priestess, Gravekeeper's Assailant, and two Gravekeeper's Spear Soldiers. (1900/1200)–(2400/1700), (1600/1900)–(3000/2400), (1500/1500)–(2000/2000), (1500/1000)x2–(2000/1500)x2

Tsukanna grinned. "I set my other five cards facedown, then end my turn." Five set cards appeared behind Tsukanna's small army of Gravekeepers, completely filling her field.

Zane smirked. "It looks like she's actually enjoying herself now." He pulled a card off of his deck and placed it in his hand. "Now," He said, "It begins! I activate my set Harpie's Feather Duster, destroying all magic and trap cards on your field!" Tsukanna's five set cards systematically shattered, and Necrovalley faded as well, reducing the power of her gravekeepers. (2400/1700)–(1900/1200), (3000/2400)–(2500/1900), (2000/2000)–(1500/1500), (2000/1500)x2–(1500/1000)x2

"Cyber End Dragon," Zane yelled, "Attack Gravekeeper's Priestess! Ultimate Strident Blast!" The three-headed Cyber Dragon charged up a massive blast of energy and unleashed it on the white robed gravekeeper, blowing her to pieces and taking out half of Tsukanna's life points.

ZLP: 8000

TLP: 4500

"Next," Zane yelled, "I activate my facedown De-Fusion, separating my Cyber End Dragon into three Cyber Dragons! I'll have them attack Gravekeeper's Assailant and the two Gravekeeper's Spear Soldiers! Triple Strident Blast!" The three newly formed Cyber Dragons let loose three blasts of energy at the named targets, further devastating Tsukanna. (2100/1600)x3

ZLP: 8000

TLP: 2700

"Now," Zane continued, "I activate Polymeracceleration, Re-Fusing the three Cyber Dragons into Cyber End Dragon!" A quick-moving vortex appeared on Zane' field, sucking in the Cyber Dragons and throwing out the massive Cyber End Dragon. (4000/4000)

"Last but not least," Zane called, "I activate Limiter Removal, doubling Cyber End Dragon's attack power, at the cost of him being destroyed in the end phase! However..." Zane smirked, "That won't be a problem." Steam started to shoot out of Cyber End Dragon as it's internal safeties were disengaged.

"Cyber End Dragon," Zane yelled, pointing at Gravekeeper's Chief, "End it! Attack with Unlimited Ultimate Strident Blast!" Cyber End Dragon let loose with a massive blast of power which dwarfed any of it's others. It covered the field, vaporizing Gravekeeper's Chief and obscuring Tsukanna completely.

ZLP: 8000

TLP: 0

When the light faded, Tsukanna was sprawled on the ground, a good thirty feet away from where she'd been standing.

"Tsukanna!" Rita yelled, running up to her. As she approached Tsukanna, the prone girl got to her feet and smirked. "I'm fine, Rita."

Zane, stone faced as always, walked up to Tsukanna. "I believe we had a wager?"

Tsukanna nodded, stone faced as well. "What do you want to know?"

"Why are you here?" Zane asked.

Tsukanna smirked. "I'm looking for something that was... misplaced."

"What?"

"Why should I tell you?"

Zane's eyes narrowed. "Because I beat you, you said you would tell me what I wanted to know."

"I did." Tsukanna replied, "You said you wanted to know what I was doing here. I answered."

Zane's face was grim. "That's hardly all I wanted to know."

Tsukanna shrugged. "Not my problem." She turned around. "I'm heading back to the dorm. It's getting late."

Alexis ran up to Zane. "Are you just going to let her go?"

Zane reluctantly nodded. "For now, yes. But..." His eyes narrowed. "It's not over."

Later that night, having managed to dodge questions from her dorm-mates, Tsukanna was sitting at a computer in an out of the way room.

"...and that's my report." She said, concluding her short speech to the figure on the screen.

"So..." The figure said, "You've been compromised."

Tsukanna shook her head. "Not badly. Zane knows next to nothing. My only concern is... He somehow knows about the tournament."

"Does he, now?" The voice said, "He warrants more investigation..."

"Do you want me to..." Tsukanna started.

"No." The figure interrupted, "That won't be necessary. Not yet, at least."

Tsukanna nodded. "Anything else?"

"Just make sure to keep a low profile. We don't want them finding out about our interests here."

"Very well." Tsukanna replied. The computer blinked off. She sighed. "This is getting harder and harder..."

New Cards:

A Villain Emerges

Normal Trap

Your opponent selects a card at random from your hand. If it's a monster you may set it on the field in face down defense position.

Image: A Giant Orc rushing an unseen target.

Overbearing Ego

Normal Spell

You may only activate this card when it's the only card in your hand and you have at least 1000 more Life Points then your opponent. Draw until you have six cards in your hand.

Image: An arrogant-looking man surrounded by money.

Polymeracceleration

Normal Trap

Send Fusion Material Monsters that are listed by a Fusion Monster Card from your side of the field to the Graveyard, and Special Summon the Fusion Monster from your Fusion Deck.

Image: A vortex.

The Light of Horakti

Normal Trap

Image: A man surrounded by light.

Rite of Mind

Normal Spell

Discard a spell or trap card with 'Gravekeeper's' or 'Necrovalley' in it's name or effect text to activate this card. Take a spell or trap card with 'Gravekeeper's' or 'Necrovalley' in it's name or effect text from your deck and add it to your hand.

Image: An Egyptian man meditating in front of a hieroglyphic-covered slab.

Rite of Flesh: Chapter 5

Gravekeeper's Priestess: Chapter 5

Crisis Bonds

Continuous Spell

If your opponent has less then double your Life Points, this card is destroyed. Each face-up monster on your field is treated as though it had the Effect text of each other monster on the field, in addition to it's own.

Image: Marauding Captain, Freed the Matchless General and Command Knight standing in a destroyed town with Red-Eyes Black Dragon flying overhead.

Big Red Bulls-Eye: Chapter 4

Gravekeeper's Lure: Chapter 4

Re-Fusion System

Normal Spell

Discard 1 'Polymerization' from your hand to activate this card. Select any two fusion material monsters used for a fusion summon in your graveyard and return them to your hand, along with whatever spell was used for the fusion summon they were involved in.

Image: Magical Scientist working on a complicated machine.

Gravekeeper's Secret Stores: Chapter 5

Emergency Hospital

Normal Spell

Send Monster cards on your side of the field to the Graveyard. Increase your Life Points by 1000 points for each card sent to the Graveyard.

Image: A makeshift medical tent.

Gravekeeper's Ascension Rite

Normal Spell

Remove 1 'Rite of Flesh', 1 'Rite of Mind' and 1'Rite of Spirit' in your graveyard from the game to activate this card. Special Summon any number of monsters with 'Gravekeeper's' in their card name from your graveyard to the field.

Image: A gathering of Gravekeepers, with Gravekeeper's Chief and Gravekeeper's Priestess chanting, and spectral forms flying through the air.

Changes: None

Next Time: Crowler is very dissapointed with Chazz for losing to Jaden, so he gives him one chance to redeem himself: beat Jaden! Of course, Crowler wins either way, because if Chazz loses, he and Jaden will switch dorms! Don't miss "Rivalry of Warlords"!