-Nightmare Ein-
Jou-sama glared at Evil Rin as she drew her opening hand. I must be the one to go first! she thought, At least then I will have the advantage.
Evil Rin chuckled. "If you're going to just stand there, then I will take the first move," she smirked. Jou-sama winced while the Shadow Witch drew her first card. "I'll start by activating Foolish Burial! With this, I can send any monster from my deck to my graveyard!" Evil Rin took a card out of her deck: Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. "You'll be of better use in there!"
At once, the dragon appeared for a brief moment right before being thrown into a portal to what may as well have been hell.
"She's even worse than Shadow Doremi," Aiko muttered.
"Next, I will follow up with Allure of Darkness!" Evil Rin gained a dark aura as she inserted the card into its slot. "With this, I can draw two cards…so long as I banish any Dark monster from my hand afterward."
"And if she doesn't have anything to banish?" Hazuki asked.
"Then she loses every card in her hand," Onpu answered, "One of the biggest risks of using that card."
"This one can take a hike!" Evil Rin declared, taking a card called Dark Horus Dragon from her hand and pocketing it. She smirked at what she drew. "And now I will activate Reinforcements of Light! By milling three cards, I can add any level 4 or below 'Lightlord' monster from my deck to my hand. So come to my hand, Lightlord Hunter Raiko!"
Evil Rin added her card. Suddenly, her graveyard began to glow, leading to another of the Shadow Witch's signature smirks. Jou-sama didn't like the look of where things were going at all.
"It seems an Eclipse Wyvern was sent to the graveyard," Evil Rin mused, "Which means I can banish any Level 7 or higher Dragon-type monster from my deck. I choose this!" Evil Rin took out a Dark Armed Dragon and pocketed it. "And now I will banish the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and Eclipse Wyvern so I can summon this!"
A mass of Light energy in the shape of Eclipse Wyvern followed by a mass of Dark energy resembling Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon erupted from the Shadow Witch's graveyard. The two energies collided and merged, forming a new dragon.
"Behold!" Evil Rin shouted, "Lightpulsar Dragon!"
Immediately after being called by its name, the massive dragon shed the last of the energies used to call it and landed by its mistress' side (2500/1500). "And when Eclipse Wyvern is banished from my graveyard, I'm allowed to retrieve the monster my small dragon banished." Evil Rin reached into her pocket and added the Dark Armed Dragon to her hand. "Are you still certain you can win? …my precious snowflake?"
Jou-sama glared at Evil Rin. As much as she despised the Shadow Witch for what she had done ever since her very first appearance, she had to agree with one thing: She probably would lose this duel at the rate things were going. But she had no intention of giving up, not when the fate of Majo Rika, Lala, and the Ojamajos were at stake.
"I will defeat your dragon, no matter how powerful you make it!" Jou-sama firmly declared.
"Go get her, Jou-sama!" Hana cheered.
"Jou-sama, fight!" Hazuki and Onpu cheered too.
Evil Rin simply chuckled. "Do you think this is the only move I'm making this turn?" She inserted a card into a slot. "I activate the spell Arms Hole! With this, I can add any Equip spell to my hand…so long as I do not normal summon or set thing turn and mill one card." She took a card –Different Dimension Revival- and added it to her hand. "And that makes exactly three Dark monsters in my graveyard!"
Jou-sama's eyes went wide. She knew what was required to summon Dark Armed Dragon and how easy it really was to ensure those conditions were met. She counted her blessings about it still being the first turn of the duel and that she was still safe from the upcoming onslaught.
Evil Rin's smirk widened as her powerful and corrupted dragon appeared before her (2800/1000).
"I will now activate the Different Dimension Revival! By discarding one card, I can special summon any banished monster I choose. Guess who's coming back!" A massive vortex that seemed to stretch the fabric of space-time apart appeared. And the powerful half-machine dragon of darkness, now using some kind of cord, appeared before everyone's eyes (2800/2400). "And now I will use my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon's ability: Once per turn, I can summon any dragon from my hand or graveyard…so come on and serve your mistress!"
Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon spread its massive wings and, with a powerful darkness, tore open the gates of hell like paper and dragged out another vicious and corrupted dragon: Dark Horus Dragon (3000/1800). Jou-sama looked at the army of dragons with horror while Evil Rin smirked and gave a slow and evil chuckle.
"You're scared, aren't you?! Aren't you!?" Evil Rin mocked, "That's what I like seeing: Fear! But since you're not my pathetic excuse for a Light Half, it isn't quite as great." She shrugged. "Oh well, I will have that honor next time when I show her your new position! Turn end!"
Jou-sama grit her teeth. Four powerful dragons on the field and…not actually having seen looked at her hand once throughout the entire duel. She was hoping for a Black Hole so as to get rid of them in one fell swoop, but she somehow felt that wasn't going to happen today. With a sigh, she finally looked at her hand…and her blood turned to ice.
"N-No…No way…!" Jou-sama gasped, "I…I thought I-I-!"
"Hmm? What's wrong, my precious snowflake?" Evil Rin said in faux comfort, "Draw a bad hand, did we?" She smirked once again. "I told you that you would never beat me!"
Jou-sama turned and glared at the Shadow Witch. "That isn't it in the slightest!" she snapped, "You know what deck I typically wield, don't you?"
Evil Rin raised her eyebrow. "Is that a trick question? You use the 'Six Warmen', do you not? And that's what you have in your hand, which, judging by your expression, is one of the worst hands ever!"
"If you're so sure, then does THIS look like one of the 'Six Warmen'?!" Jou-sama took a card out of her hand and placed it on her duel disk. "Since you control more monsters than me, I can special summon Verz Mandrago!"
"Nani?!" Evil Rin half-shouted in surprise.
"Wh-what did Jou-sama just say?!" Doremi asked aloud.
"N-No! I-It can't be…!" Hana said shakily, taking a step back.
Hana's words were interrupted by a small plant-like monster sprouting from the ground. It may have retained some of its cuteness to some, but its eyes glowed with a distinctive malice (1550/1450).
"It is," Onpu said gravely, "Jou-sama is using the Verz again."
"B-but why would she use that deck?" Pop stuttered.
"Maybe your dumb queen was desperate?!" Shadow Doremi shouted.
Jou-sama turned her head toward the Ojamajos. "Minna-san! I didn't mean to-! I didn't think this was the deck I brought with me! I thought I had the 'Six Warmen'!"
"But you still won't win, Light Queen," Evil RIn replied, "Do you know why? Well, it's because you didn't summon Verz Ophion before I swarmed the field. And your best monster only has 2750 ATK! Compare with my other monsters if you will." The Shadow Witch pointed at her other monsters and made special emphasis on their ATKs: 2500, 2800, 2800, and 3000. "It will never defeat anything I have!"
"I have no desire to win using these monsters," Jou-sama mutter, "I summon Verz Thunderbird!" The already dark sky took on a more sinister shape as the powerful and corrupted bird of the Mist Valley descended (1650/1050). "And with these two monsters, I build the overlay network!" Both Mandrago and Thunderbird transformed into energy and flew into an opening vortex. Suddenly, it turned into a bubbling whirlpool of putrid blackness as what appeared to be a massive block of ice emerged from it. "Break from the Ice Barrier! Verz Bahamut!"
A pair of menacing yellow eyes glowed from within the ice. It began cracking before the mighty creature sealed within broke free. It what was simultaneously dragon-like roar and the screech of some horrible monster from beyond space and time (2350/1350).
"What a dramatic entrance," Evil Rin deadpanned, "And all for a monster that will never beat mine? For shame!"
"Verz Bahamut has an ability: By detaching one overlay and discarding any 'Verz' monster, I can take any of your face-up monsters as my own!" Jou-sama said angrily. Bahamut consumed one of the lights orbiting it and devoured the second sacrifice the Queen gave to it. It glowed with a brilliance that seemed to draw in all light in the area before releasing it in a burst of darkness. It hit Dark Armed Dragon, which began showing definite signs of Verz corruption as it went over to Jou-sama's side. "I will use your own dragon to defeat you, Evil Rin!"
Evil Rin's smirk vanished and was replaced by a scowl that dripped with murderous anger. Seconds later, she was back to smirking and had begun to chuckle once more. "I didn't think you would reacquire this taste for Darkness, my precious snowflake. Perhaps this is where you ditch that weak Light Being and join my side where you belong!" The Shadow Witch's smirk deepened. Before Jou-sama could voice her reply, Evil Rin glanced over at the Ojamajos and began another speech. "Look at them, Jou-sama! Do you think they approve of your actions?"
Jou-sama turned toward the Ojamajos. Their expressions said everything: Fear, terror, and a crude mixture of both. She had seen it before; when she went crazy the last time she used the deck. It was a moment that would haunt her even after she had been comforted through it.
"I…I promise….I won't go insane while using the deck," Jou-sama said, though a hint of bitterness and anger had managed to find its way in, "I activate Dark Armed Dragon's ability: By banishing any Dark monster from my graveyard, I can destroy anything on the field! Go! Dark Genocide Slicer!" A small pustule from a fallen Verz –Verz Mandrago- rose from the ground and was absorbed by Dark Armed dragon. At once, it whirred its claw and immediately used the energy it had gathered from the essence to vanquish Lightpulsar Dragon. "I will banish every 'Verz' that lands in my graveyard," Jou-sama said defiantly.
Evil Rin chuckled again. "You are aware of my Lightpulsar Dragon's ability, are you not?" A brilliant portal opened up.
"Yes I am…but you have no target." Jou-sama smiled with relief. The portal closed without bringing anything back. "I will now use Dark Armed Dragon's ability once again!"
Another pustule from a fallen Verz –Verz Azathoth- rose from the ground and became absorbed by the massive dragon. With one more whirr of its claws, Dark Horus Dragon was struck down by its fellow's power and cut to ribbons. Jou-sama the turned to Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon.
"I didn't know Jou-sama could be this ruthless," Majo Rika said grimly.
"You've been locked out of the loop," Onpu replied, "A few months ago, we ran into this strange boy who challenged us. Meg-chan, Amelia-san, Majorin, and Jou-sama fought him while we were trapped, but he held his own and nearly won. It was a series of contests and this card game was one of them." Onpu took a deep breath. "When Jou-sama dueled him, she used the Verz deck and we all saw it happen: She became merciless and almost as evil as Black Queen."
"We try not to remember it," Doremi added shakily, "It was just that frightening."
"And now we fear Jou-sama could suffer a repeat of that event," Pop further added.
A snickering from across the duel caught their attention. "Remember what you said about 'treating my cards as expendable'?" Shadow Doremi spoke up, "Maybe you should tell that to your precious queen!"
Doremi was about to reply angrily until Hazuki grabbed her uninjured shoulder. "Please don't let her get to you, Doremi-chan!" she urged.
"I will not rely on these monsters!" Jou-sama cried, "Verz Bahamut! Attack Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" Verz Bahamut's eyes went wide with shock. It screeched at it mistress as though questioning the order. "Just do it…Frozen Verz Spear of Despair!"
The corrupted dragon leered at the Queen before flying up and loosing a stream of cold darkness at the metallic dragon. The more powerful of the two dragons narrowed it eyes hungrily at the lesser one and let loose its own breath weapon: Darkness Metal Flare. The two breath weapons collided but the cold darkness was effortlessly pushed back, incinerating Verz Bahamut and dropping Jou-sama to 7550 LP.
Evil Rin smirked. "Well that was a waste," she taunted, "Maybe you should've rammed my dragon with the one you stole?"
"That's not the point," Jou-sama replied, "With my Verz Bahamut destroyed, I can now use it and its material for Dark Armed Dragon's ability. Now go!" Another pustule, which depicted Verz Thunderbird, appeared and was absorbed by Dark Armed Dragon. And with yet another whirr of its claws, it sliced the cord allowing Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to remain in the world to ribbons. "I will set one card. Turn end."
"She got rid of all of Evil Rin's monsters in one turn…without a power card too!" Majo Rika said in surprise.
"Don't forget," Momoko replied, "Jou-sama could've done things differently. She could've destroyed Bahamut with Dark Armed Dragon and then used it and its material to get rid of Dark Horus Dragon and Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and inflict a lot of damage…without taking any herself."
"She's not perfect," Onpu said sadly, "But she did it her own way and we have to respect that."
All of the girls nodded in agreement. Lala and Majo Rika exchanged looks of worry.
"You're going to regret using my own monster against me, Light Queen!" Evil Rin shouted, "Watashi no turn! Draw!" She drew her card and smirked. "I will activate the spell Cyclone! And I do believe you know what this does?"
Jou-sama gasped as the whirlwind whipped across the field and drilled right in to her set card. God's Pronouncement was destroyed.
"I will set one monster," Evil Rin continued, "Turn end." A reversed monster appeared before the Shadow Witch.
"Then it's my turn then," Jou-sama said, drawing her card. She looks at it and frowns. "I will summon Rescue Rabbit!" At once, the rabbit with a hard hat and goggles appeared (300/100). "And now I will use his ability: By banishing him, I can special summon two level 4 or below normal monsters from my deck…so long as they have the same name."
Rescue Rabbit leapt into a portal and quickly seemed to push two other creatures out. The portal closed before the rabbit could escape, but the two monsters which emerged were largely unscathed. But they resembled a corrupted version of a once-honorable knight of gemstones (1950/650).
"And with these two Verz Heliotropes, I build the overlay network!"
Both Heliotropes turned into energy and spiraled into another opening vortex. And just like before, it went from glowing red to spurting a putrid pool of bubbling darkness. Emerging from it all was another block if ice, one that was larger than the last. A pair of red eyes glowed from within as the massive beast began to stir to wakefulness.
"Break from your prison! Verz Ophion!" And on Jou-sama's cue, the massive and corrupted dragon of the Ice Barrier shattered its icy prison and landed by Jou-sama's side (2550/1650). "And by using one overlay, I can add any 'Infestation' card to my hand!"
Ophion consumed one of the lights orbiting it. Immediately, a brilliance much like the one around Bahamut began emanating from it; unlike Bahamut's, Ophion's turned into a stream that went into Jou-sama's deck, took a card out, and placed it in her hand.
"I will now activate Dark armed Dragon's ability," Jou-sama continued. Another pustule of darkness, one that depicted Verz Heliotrope, was drawn from the ground and used to power Dark Armed Dragon's special ability. And once again, its claws whirred and sliced Evil Rin's reversed monster, God Dragon Apocalypse, to ribbons. "And now that you're defenseless, Ophion! Attack Evil Rin directly! Frozen Verz Spear of Hate!"
Ophion wasted no time in drawing its head back and loosing a jet of cold darkness. Evil Rin braced herself, but it was not enough…and the force of the blast nearly threw her off the edge and into the abyss. She began stumbling to her feet as her LP fell to 5450.
"I'm not finished yet!" Jou-sama yelled, "Dark Armed Dragon! Attack Evil Rin directly with Dark Armed Vanisher!"
Evil Rin had just managed to get back up but was still reeling from the attack when Dark armed Dragon struck with its claws. The attack threw her to the ground hard; she swore she had broken something. She stumbled back to her feet as her LP plummeted to 2650. She began chuckling.
"I don't suppose you're quite the warrior of light as you thought," said Evil Rin, "This alone proves it!"
Jou-sama glared at the Shadow Witch for the umpteenth time. "Urusai, Evil Rin!" she shouted, "This doesn't prove anything!"
"But look at the duel! You've taken the advantage for once and you're actually holding it!" Evil Rin shot her signature smirk at the Queen. "I don't suppose this is the deck you're magic is actually resonating with, is it?"
"It…It isn't! My magic would never resonate with evil monsters such as these!"
"Even though it was the first deck you wielded?" asked a new voice.
Everyone's eyes, with the exceptions of Evil Rin and Shadow Doremi, went wide in surprise. At once, they began glancing around for the source. It was definitely male and sounded just like a certain being they had encountered before. But the tone was different. Far different.
"I guess I'll show myself then?" the voice said with a clearly sarcastic tone. He appeared from the darkness right near the edge of the abyss and wore an outfit that was identical to Kada's transformed state aside from having the colors reversed. He looked toward Shadow Doremi. "Been a while, hadn't it?"
The Ojamajos stared in disbelief. "Who is this guy?" Onpu said incredulously, "He looks like Kada, but…"
Majo Rika and Lala chose not to say anything. They didn't know who Kada was and certainly had no idea who this newcomer was either.
"Who are you?" Doremi asked.
Shadow Doremi clenched her fist. "Why are you here…traitor?!" she angrily demanded.
Evil Rin glared at the young man and then glanced at Shadow Doremi. "Shadow Doremi…this bastard was never on our side to begin with, so stop referring to him as a traitor." She then went back to glaring at him. "He's worse than that."
"Warm welcome, then?" the young man deadpanned, "Shameful…"
His tone… Jou-sama mentally muttered, Why does it make so angry?
"Why. Are. You. HERE?!" Shadow Doremi shouted. The Ojamajos nearly jumped at the outburst.
"Eh, just watching a damn game, nothing more, nothing less," the young man said nonchalantly.
Doremi grit her teeth in anger. How can this guy talk like this?! she thought, Doesn't he know what's at stake?! The pink Ojamajo winced from her dislocated arm. "Who. Are. You?!"
The young man turned his head toward Doremi, but Shadow Doremi spoke up first. "His name is Skaj. I thought he was the one for me, but he betrayed me!"
"That explains the outburst during her and Doremi-chan's duel," Momoko said, recalling Shadow Doremi's reaction to Doremi's speech, "But…?"
"Hey, Light Queen!" Skaj called, "Don't ya have a game to finish?! This'll not be going on forever, y'know!"
Jou-sama grit her teeth in anger. "I set one card. Turn end." A reversed card appeared behind Verz Ophion.
Evil Rin glared at Skaj. "That punk was always a bad influence on Shadow Doremi…for all the wrong reasons, of course."
"Really hard trying to find something similar for the Shadows," Pop deadpanned.
"When I say I will win, I. Will. WIN!" The top of Evil Rin's deck glowed with a black, grey, and silver brilliance; her DESTINY DRAW had happened. She looked at her new card and smirked. "Is this what you were looking for at the start of our duel, Light Queen?!" The Shadow Witch showed Jou-sama what she had drawn: Black Hole She activated it, and a massive vortex appeared and began drawing monster toward its center to be crushed into non-existence.
"Reverse card, open! Pandemic Contagion of the Invasion!" Jou-sama's reversed card flipped over. At once, a darkness enveloped Verz Ophion in a protective force, keeping it grounded while Dark Armed Dragon was drawn into the void and erased. "This card, until the End Phase, gives all 'Verz' monster immunity to spells and traps."
Evil Rin's bared her teeth in frustration. "Turn end."
"Now Jou-sama has a chance!" Hazuki said, "But she's-!"
"You see it too?" Doremi asked.
All of the Ojamajos, along with Majo Rika and Lala, looked at Jou-sama. She had a dark aura not unlike the one she exuded those months ago. At once, they feared that she may be going off the deep end soon and began to internally beg for her to finish before that happened.
"Ore no turn. Draw!" Jou-sama said. She gasped at the card she drew and began panting. "Wh…What's…Going on…?"
Skaj shot another deadpan look at Jou-sama. He smirked.
Shadow Doremi didn't know if she should be scared or relieved at Jou-sama's weakening. But the real question was why she was debating about what to feel in the first place.
The Ojamajos and Majo Rika and Lala were concerned. They knew what was going on and that Jou-sama was now using as much of her strength as possible to stop herself from going into a more manic state. The girls didn't want to see such an event happen again and Majo Rika and Lala didn't wish to see it at all.
Finall,y Jou-sama stopped panting and stood right up. "It's time to finish this. I'm activating the spell Reinforcement! With this, I can add any level 4 or below Warrior-type monster to my hand. And the monster I choose is Verz Castor!" Jou-sama takes the card from her deck and places it in her hand.
"She can use that and win from here!" Aiko said, "But…why isn't she-?"
"I will follow with another spell: Allure of Darkness!" Jou-sama's dark aura intensified, realizing the fears of the Ojamajos. "With this, I will draw two cards and banish one dark monster!" She drew her cards and pocketed another: Verz Mandrago. "And now, I will summon Verz Castor to my field!"
At once, the corrupted knight from the stars descended from the sky, landing beside Verz Ophion (1750/550).
"And if Castor is normal summoned, I can get another one…so long as it is another 'Lswarm' monster. How about this one?" Castor raised his sword and sent out a beacon of darkness. Another monster descended and took its place beside Castor (1600/1550). "Meet Verz Kerykeion!"
Hana's eyes went wide in shock. "Those two monsters…" She quickly got ot her deck and searched it for two of her own cards. She then showed them to the other Ojamajos: Sacred Pollux and Sacred Sombres. "They look just like these two…!" Hana nearly cried.
"Not quite in Kerykeion's case," Onpu replied, "Look."
Hana did so and noted the three orange spheres orbiting the monster. It didn't truly look like a corrupted version of her monster but rather a counterpart to it. But it still didn't do much to lighten the white Ojamajo's spirits.
"Thank you, Onpu-mama," Hana said, "But-!"
The other shook their heads. "It'll be okay, Hana-chan," Doremi said. Hana nodded.
"I will now activate Ophion's ability one more time," Jou-sama muttered. Ophion devoured the last of the lights orbiting it and gave Jou-sama another card. "And now I activate Verz Kerykeion's ability: By banishing one 'Verz' from my graveyard, I can add any fallen 'Verz' to my hand!" Jou-sama explained. Kerykeion raised its hand and then drove it into the ground. When it withdrew its arm, it held two essences: Verz Bahamut and Verz heliotrope. Bahamut's was crushed while Heliotrope's was added to Jou-sama's hand. "And when I use this power, I can normal summon another 'Verz'!"
At once, Verz Heliotrope burst onto the field.
"And do not think you are getting off scot-free, Evil Rin," Jou-sama said menacingly, "With these three level 4 monsters, I build the overlay network!"
Castor, Kerykeion, and Heliotrope all turned into energy and spiraled into one final vortex. And like the previous two, this one quickly turned into a bubbling pool of boiling darkness. And from out of it came a sphere of ice that easily dwarfed the prisons of Bahamut and Ophion. Three pairs of yellow eyes glowed from within as it too stirred to full wakefulness. The ice cracked and pieces of it splintered off. Finally, the incredible monstrosity shattered its icy prison and let out a three-fold roar (2750/1950).
"Was…was this…even necessary?" Hazuki asked. Tears began streaming from her eyes.
"She did it," Aiko said gravely, "She succumbed to that deck's influence again."
Momoko, Hana, and Pop could only look on in horror as the massive, three-headed dragon loomed over Evil Rin.
"Why, Jou-sama?" Doremi asked herself, "Why did you let this happen again?"
Evil Rin gazed up at the monstrosity with a look of both terror and smugness. She was about to speak, but Jou-sama cut her off.
"I have no time to hear anything else you have to say!" Jou-sama shouted angrily, "Verz Ouroboros! Attack Evil Rin directly!" Ouroboros narrowed its six eyes at Evil Rin. Hunger could be glimpsed in them. "Frozen Verz Trident of Rage!"
Verz Ouroboros was all too happy to comply. It drew all three of its heads back and then loosed three spiraling jets of cold darkness at Evil Rin. The Shadow Witch braced herself and even conjured a chain attached to the ground to hold on to.
It hit with what could be described as a blizzard of ice, ash, and smoke that weighed one ton after another. Evil Rin's painful screams reverberated through the air as Ouroboros refused to let up on its assault. Finally, the massive dragon ceased and landed by Jou-sama's side.
Evil Rin stumbled to her feet as her LP fell to 0. She was covered in ice and dust, but alive nonetheless. She shivered from the cold as she gave one final smirk at Jou-sama. "Ruthless. I can see how close to the light you really are, my precious snowflake." She sneezed, and then chuckled. "So I would suggest you reconsider my offer and leave that worthless Light Being." She turned toward the Ojamajos. "Besides, I'm pretty sure they-"
"Boring!" Skaj called out, "Get to the juicy bits! Those are always interesting."
Evil Rin growled in anger. "F**k that little-!" She shook her head. "Oh well, I am a sore loser, so-!"
At that moment, Jou-sama snapped her fingers. In an instant, time stood still. "Minna-san!" she called, "You must leave this place! Now!"
The Ojamajos were still shaking with fear. Jou-sama still exuded the dark aura and the girls didn't want to get killed while trying to escape.
"YOU IDIOTS!" Majo Rika yelled. The girls jumped and snapped out of their stupors. "JOU-SAMA IS GIVING US A CHANCE TO ESCAPE AND YOU'RE JUST GOING TO LET THAT WINDOW PASS BY?!"
The girls stared at Majo Rika before quickly nodding to one another.
"Let's do this, everyone!" Doremi said, getting out her poron, "Pirika Pirilala Nobiyakani!"
"Paipai Ponpoi Shinyakani!" Hazuki chanted.
"Pameruku Laluku Takarakani!" Aiko chanted.
"Pururun Purun Suzuyakani!" Onpu chanted.
"Peruton Petton Sawayakani!" Momoko chanted.
"Pippito Purito Hogarakani!" Pop chanted.
"Magical Stage!" All six shouted in unison, "Return us to Ningen Kai!"
The massive jewel glowed form overhead and descended. At once, the Ojamajos, Majo Rika, Lala, and Jou-sama were enveloped in a light that embodied the six Ojamajos who participated and whisked away. Time immediately began moving forward once again, much to Evil Rin's chagrin.
"They. Got. AWAY?!" Evil Rin shouted. She sneezed again. "Great! Now I'm going to be out for a while!" she sneezed yet again. "F**king dragon and that f**king cold it brought! UGH!"
Skaj burst out laughing. "You mad, Evil Rin?"
Shadow Doremi turned and glared at the Shadow Puer Magi. "I know you could've warded off Light Queen's spell because your magic is different…but why didn't you even try to stop them?!" The pink Shadow clenched her fist even tighter and once again caused her hand to start bleeding. "SKAJ-KUN!"
Skaj didn't bat an eye. "'Cause I'm a prick." He smirked. "Seeya kid."
And with that, Skaj warped off.
Shadow Doremi fell to her knees; some tears had begun dripping from her eyes. "Why, Skaj-kun? Why?"
Evil Rin, sickened by the scene, fought through her present state and furiously rose to her feet. She approached Shadow Doremi. "Shadow Doremi," she said with clear anger in her voice. The Pink Ojamajo shut her eyes…and was struck hard in the stomach. "That's for your failure."
Evil Rin picked up Shadow Doremi by the scruff of her neck and warped off to the Castle of Kage Kai.
The girls found themselves landing on the soft grass in the very clearing where Doremi had run into Shadow Doremi. Jou-sama, whose dark aura had faded, landed on her feet while Majo Rika landed on her rump; Lala landed on top of Majo Rika. Other than a less-than-pleasant landing, all were fine…aside from Doremi, who was still wincing from her injured arm.
"I'll be fine, everyone," Doremi said. Her arm was shaking and was clearly causing her a lot of pain.
"Is there any way to heal her arm?" Aiko asked.
"There is," Pop replied, "But Oto-san and Okaa-san don't need a hospital bill."
"Maybe we don't need a hospital," Hazuki spoke up, "Maybe Majo Heart can help?"
Jou-sama turned and stared sadly at the girls and then at her own hands. Her duel disk reverted to being the Royale Keyblade and vanished as she contemplated what she had done during the duel. Her thoughts wandered, going from being regretful for breaking her promise to letting Evil Rin get to her. Something had changed in her, that was for certain, but she knew not what it was.
"I believe she is more than capable of something," Jou-sama finally said, "We'll head for Majo Kai and meet with Majo Heart there."
The girls warily nodded. Moments later, everyone had mounted their brooms and taken off for the Mahou-Dou. Once there, they entered through the branches of the tree that the shop had been built in to and crossed into Majo Kai itself.
In Kage Kai, things were looking up for neither Shadow Doremi nor Evil Rin. The former was being viciously chewed out for her incompetence and the sheer number of mistakes –real or otherwise- made during the duel while the latter was busy wallowing bitterly in bed with a fever from the cold she caught.
"Sorry! Sorry! SORRY!" Shadow Doremi pleaded, "I'll do better next time! I promise! I PORMISE!"
Black Queen chuckled. She obviously enjoyed seeing the disobedient Shadow squirm and grovel at her feet. "Oh, I do believe you would do well to do better in the coming days," the Queen of the Shadows said in faux comfort, "Which is why I'm going to have you train relentlessly with the other Shadow Ojamajos. Understood?"
Shadow Doremi gulped. "H-H-Hai, B-Black Queen-sama!"
"Excellent. But before you go." Black Queen struck the pink Shadow with a bolt of black lightning. It wasn't too big, but it left Shadow Doremi with a tender spot on her kneecap. "Now run along."
Shadow Doremi slipped off, limping as she did so. It didn't take long for her to reach to practice room where her fellow Shadow Ojamajos –with the exception of Shadow Momoko, for some reason- were waiting. They were watching –or rather, riffing- a recap of the "Doremi vs. shadow Doremi" duel.
"Reverse card, open! Magic Cylinder hatsudou!" shouted the Shadow Doremi from the set.
"Up, Up," Shadow Hazuki deadpanned.
"Down, Down," Shadow Onpu added.
"Left, Right. Left Right," Shadow Aiko mocked.
"B, A, Start!" Shadow Hana and Shadow Pop finished. All five of them hooted with laughter.
"Hey guys!" Shadow Doremi called, "Don't we have better things to do than riff?"
Shadow Hazuki snickered. "Speak of the devil." She got up and walked right up to the pink Shadow…and slapped her in the face.
"AAGH! What the hell was that for?!"
"Making dumb plays." Shadow Hazuki shot a sneer at Shadow Doremi. "Now let's go over what happened in this duel, shall we?"
Shadow Doremi bit back the retort she had in her throat.
"Any idea why you didn't use Effect Veiler when Machu Mach first came out?" Shadow Aiko asked indignantly.
"It wasn't very…optimal?" Shadow Doremi sputtered, "I mean, well, Veiler only stops the target's effects, not the effects of whatever was used to summon it!"
"Except that whatever uses Gagaga Girl for a Xyz summon gains the ATK dropping effect," Shadow Pop retorted, "And since said effect now actually belongs to the Xyz monster…?"
Shadow Doremi face-palmed. "Great. Rub it all in, why don't you?"
"Oh, but we're just getting started," Shadow Onpu retorted menacingly. Shadow Doremi gulped.
It hadn't taken long for the girls to make it to the Majo Kai clinic. Majo Heart was there…and surprisingly, so was Majo Toron. But despite the contrivance, everyone wasted no time in explaining the situation. At the end of it all, Majo Heart had begun making preparations to try and get Doremi's arm back to normal.
"So I just have to sit still, right?" Doremi asked.
"Yes," Majo Heart answered, "But it will hurt a lot." She snapped her fingers. And from a poof of smoke, a soft ball was conjured. "Here. When I give the signal, squeeze it as tight as you can. That should help suppress the pain."
Doremi took the ball and gulped hard. "I'm…ready when you are!"
Majo Heart nodded. She clutched the pink Ojamajo's injured arm. "Squeeze it."
Doremi obeyed and clenched her fist into the ball. At that moment, Majo Heart twisted the girl's arm and then gave a hard push, leading to a resounding popping noise. The red-haired girl winced and breathed heavily through her teeth in pain. But it was now over. Her arm was no longer dislocated, but it still ached.
"The pain will persist for no more than a day, but you should make a full recovery," Majo Heart explained ,"However, I recommend not doing anything strenuous with that arm until tomorrow."
Doremi got up off the chair and bowed her head in respect. "Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Majo Heart-san."
But now we have to ask," Onpu began, "Why are you here, Majo Toron?"
Majo Toron clutched her chin. "I tried to run after Jou-sama after she left with the wrong deck only to twist my ankle." She stared down at her foot; it had an ice pack fixed to it. "Big mistake on my part."
"Well, now that Jou-sama is here, well, do you have Jou-sama's 'Six Warmen' deck?" Hazuki asked.
"Unfortunately, no." Majo Toron let out a sigh. "However…" The inventive Witch snapped her fingers. In another puff of smoke, a deck of "Yu-Gi-OH!" cards was conjured. It was Jou-sama's "Six warmen" deck. "May I see the Verz deck, Jou-sama?"
Jou-sama nodded and placed the deck on the table with the "Six Warmen" deck. Majo Toron immediately produced a small device and began scanning both decks. Her expression never changed from anything other than serious.
"So, what is Majo Toron-san scanning the decks for?" Doremi asked.
Jou-sama and Majo Heart exchanged looks at one another and then gave the pink Ojamajo a stare that implied a promise of an explanation.
"Magical Resonance," Majo Heart finally replied.
"Magical…Resonance?" Onpu asked.
"Yes." Majo Heart gestured for the girls to sit down in the chairs. "Normally, Majo Toro would be the one to explain this since she's the expert, but…" The Ojamajos turned toward the inventive Witch; she was still scanning both decks and apparently had her whole mind devoted to the task. "From what she's gathered on it, our magic seems to be resonating with these cards, allowing us to subconsciously influence what we draw when playing these card games."
"Like how we use that glowy draw?" Hana asked, "Uh, DESTINY DRAW?"
"That's when you gather your energies and directly change your draw in a desperate situation."
"But what you're saying is," Onpu began, "Is if we need a specific card, then the chances of drawing it are a little greater than what it should be?"
"Exactly." Majo Heart glanced over everyone else. "But Majo Toron has theorized that the Resonance varies greatly between Witches, depending on their power and experience." A glance over at Jou-sama caused the head nurse to stop her explanation. "J-Jou-sama?!"
The girls turned to look at the Queen and found that she had her breathing had become labored. Majo Heart felt her forehead and, gritting her teeth, withdrew her hand. She snapped her fingers and levitated Jou-sama over to a cot for her to lie down in.
"How…How bad is it?" Hazuki asked with concern.
"She has a fever, that much I can tell," Majo Heart replied.
Just then, Majo Toron withdrew her device form the two decks and approached the group. "I've finished the scan and-" She stopped talking when she saw the situation at hand. "Oh dear!"
"I'll look after Jou-sama," Majo Heart said, "One of you, get Majorin."
Hazuki chose to follow the request and left quickly. A few minutes later, Majorin burst in and went to Jou-sama's side while the orange Ojamajo re-entered the clinic, panting.
The girls explained to Majorin what had transpired, including her duel with Evil Rin and what had happened during the battle. The red-violet Witch was relieved to learn the Jou-sama was able to defeat Evil Rin but was alarmed to discover that she had used the Verz deck she feared.
"I should've been there," Majorin muttered.
"It wasn't your fault, Majorin-san," Doremi comforted, "Jou-sama will get through this. You'll see!"
Majorin smiled at Doremi and turned back toward Jou-sama. Majo Toron deemed it safe to proceed and sat down in another chair. She was ready to give the news she had.
"Shall I continue?" Majo Toron asked. Everyone else nodded. "Very well then. After scanning both decks, I can confirm that Jou-sama's magic had been resonating with the Verz deck all this time."
The Ojamajos gasped in shock at the revelation. "A-are you sure?" Onpu asked.
Majo Toron nodded. "Yes." Suddenly, the device she was using reacted. "Hmm? It's leading to your deck, Doremi-chan!"
Doremi produced her deck and allowed Majo Toron to scan it. She got it back when she finished.
"Interesting," the inventive Witch said, "Your deck seems to have multiple Resonances in it. Why is that?"
The Ojamajos exchanged looks for a while. And then it clicked in Hazuki's head. "Maybe it's because we all helped Doremi-chan build her deck with our very own cards?"
Majo Toron nodded. "That would certainly explain it, but it's not just the entire deck; one card in particular is giving out a Multi-Resonance reading…and its coming from your Extra deck!"
Doremi immediately searched through her Extra Deck cards until Majo Toron pointed out the card that was giving the reading: Number 33: OOPArts Super Weapon – Machu Mach. Everyone's eyes went wide with surprise.
"Now that I think about it," Aiko began, "The pack Doremi-chan pulled this from…All six of us gave Doremi-chan the money needed to buy it!"
"Then it's-?" Onpu continued.
Majo Toron gasped in shock. "Precisely! Your combined good will is running through this card! That explains the intense Resonance it has with Doremi-chan!"
Onpu gave a grim look. "The Shadows have Magical Resonance too, don't they?"
"That I am certain of," Majo Heart answered, "So you must be careful. We don't any more injuries in the future." Majo Heart looked at Doremi's still-aching arm. "For the time being, I'll take care of Jou-sama. Majo Pi and Majo Pon have their duties at the Kindergarten and I cannot ask them to forgo their responsibilities."
"I understand," Majorin replied, "Jou-sama will get through this. I will make sure of it."
The Ojamajo exchanged looks with one another. Aiko and Onpu agreed with Majorin and Majo Heart while Hazuki and Momoko expressed a desire to do something more about it. Doremi, Hana, and Pop felt the need to practice just in case they were ambushed and forced to duel. All eventually agreed to head back home and let things take their course.
They met up in the Mahou-Dou after hours and practiced. Doremi's deck was officially tested and truly was far more powerful than it was originally. However, she only defeated Hana, Momoko, and Aiko during the test run; everyone else pretty much curbstomped her. She wasn't too shaken up though and was still trying to get a feel for the new strategies within the deck.
"Okay, okay! I get it!" Shadow Doremi shouted, "I won't make those mistakes again, I promise!"
Shadow Doremi was finally out of it. For the last two-and-a-half hours, she had been forced to refine her strategies and view her mistakes in her previous duels. At the same time, the other Shadow Ojamajos had been practicing their dueling strategies with one another. The last of the duels was Shadow Hana and Shadow Pop going tag team against Shadow Aiko and Shadow Hazuki; the two partners in crime won despite a lack of synergy between their decks.
"I would like for you to keep a mental note over what you did during the duel, Shadow Doremi-chan," Shadow Onpu advised.
"Will do," Shadow Doremi replied.
"Now if you excuse me, I'm going to check on Shadow Momo-chan."
Shadow Onpu left without another word and before anyone could voice a reply.
Featured Duel: Evil Rin vs. Majo Kai no Jou-sama.
Evil Rin LP (8000) – Jou-sama LP (8000)
Evil Rin's Turn:
Evil Rin has Divine Dragon Apocralyph, Dark Horus, Foolish Burial, The Dark Creator, and Lightpulsar Dragon. She draws Allure of Darkness.
Evil Rin activates Foolish Burial and sends Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon from her deck to her graveyard. She then activates Allure of Darkness, drawing Charge of the Light Brigade and Hidden Armory and then banishing Dark Horus. She follows with Charge of the Light Brigade; Eclipse Wyvern, Dark Horus, and Phantom of Chaos are sent to the graveyard and Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter is added to her hand. Since Eclipse Wyvern was sent to the graveyard, Evil Rin has to banish one level 7 or higher Light or Dark Dragon-type monster from her deck, she chooses Dark Armed Dragon.
Evil Rin banishes Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and Eclipse Wyvern to special summon Lightpulsar Dragon. Since Eclipse Wyvern was banished from the graveyard, Evil Rin can add the banished Dark Armed Dragon to her hand. She then activates Hidden Armory, sending Dark Grepher to the graveyard and adding D.D.R. – Different Dimension Reincarnation; she is unable to normal summon or set this turn. Since she now has exactly three Dark Monsters in her graveyard, Evil Rin can special summon Dark Armed Dragon. She then activates D.D.R. – Different Dimension Reincarnation, discarding Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter and special summoning Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon. She uses REDMD's effect and revives Dark Horus. She ends.
Jou-sama's turn:
Jou-sama has Evilswarm Mandragora, Evilswarm Azzathoth, Evilswarm Thunderbird, Reinforcement of the Army, and Heavy Storm. She draws Solemn Judgment.
Since Evil Rin has more monsters than she does, Jou-sama can special summon Evilswarm Mandragora from her hand. She then summons Evilswarm Thunderbird and overlays both Lv4 "Lswarm" monsters to Xyz summon Evilswarm Bahamut. She activates Bahamut's effect, detaching Evilswarm Mandragora and discarding Evilswarm Azzathoth and taking control of Dark Armed Dragon. She then uses Dark Armed Dragon's effect, banishing Mandragora and destroying Lightpulsar Dragon. Lightpulsar Dragon's effect activates, but there is no target in the graveyard. Jou-sama activates DAD's effect again, banishing Azzathoth and destroying Dark Horus.
Jou-sama attacks REDMD with Bahamut. Evilswarm Bahamut is destroyed.
Jou-sama then activates DAD's effect, banishing Thunderbird and destroying D.D.R. – Different Dimension Reincarnation. She sets Solemn Judgment and ends.
Evil Rin LP (8000) – Jou-sama LP (7550)
Evil Rin's Turn:
Evil Rin draws Mystical Space Typhoon. She activates it, destroying Jou-sama's set Solemn Judgment. She then sets Divine Dragon Apocralyph and ends.
Jou-sama's Turn:
Jou-sama draws Rescue Rabbit. She summons it and activates its effect, banishing it and special summoning two Evilswarm Heliotropes. She overlays both to Xyz summon Evilswarm Ophion. She activates Ophion's effect, detaching one Heliotrope and adding Infestation Pandemic to her hand. She then activates DAD's effect again, banishing Heliotrope and destroying Evil Rin's set Apocralyph.
Jou-sama attacks Evil Rin directly with Ophion and Dark Armed Dragon. She sets Infestation Pandemic and ends.
Evil Rin LP (2650) – Jou-sama LP (7550)
Evil Rin's Turn:
Evil Rin uses DESINTY DRAW and gets Trade-In. She activate sit, discarding The Dark Creator and drawing another The Dark Creator and Dark Hole. She activates Dark Hole, but Jou-sama chains with Infestation Pandemic. Ophion is immune to spells and traps during this turn while Dark Armed Dragon is destroyed. Evil Rin cannot special summon The Dark Creator and thus has to end.
Jou-sama's turn:
Jou-sama draws Allure of Darkness. She activates Reinforcement of the Army and adds Evilswarm Castor to her hand. She then activates Allure of Darkness, drawing Evilswarm Kerykeion and Evilswarm Mandragora and banishing the latter. She then summons Castor and uses his effect to normal summon Kerykeion. She activates Ophion's effect, detaching the other Heliotrope and adding Infestation Infection to her hand. She follows with Kerykeion's effect, banishing Bahamut and adding Heliotrope to her hand and the normal summoning it. She overlays all three Lv4 monsters to Xyz summon Evilswarm Ouroboros.
Jou-sama attacks directly with Ouroboros.
Evil Rin LP (0) – Jou-sama LP (7550)
Jou-sama is the winner!
I really feel sorry for Shadow Doremi-chan right now, but that' what she gets for being careless in her duel with Light Doremi. But still, this is the perfect opportunity to see about humiliating my Light Half! And to help someone else heal…
WHY?! WHY?! WHY?! Why won't it stop?! I beg it all to stop, I really do…but it won't stop! Why?! Please, someone, anyone! WHY?!
I've never seen her quite like this before. Long ago, she was just as arrogant, cocky, and full of herself as any other Shadow. I don't know what happened to change her, and I don't know if this makes her any less dangerous. Probably not. I think she's even more dangerous now that she's in this unhinged state.
Poor thing. She was one of the most heartless monsters we've fought and even managed to take our friend's life while her fellows did the same with the rest of us. But I never knew she could be like this. Maybe there's really more to the Shadows than we thought? I feel bad for this one and I think maybe we can help somehow.
Heliotrope Ein and Zahak Ein have begun their approach…
A/N: The duel being a curbstomp battle was intentional.