-Azzathoth Ein and O'Lantern Ein-
It was a normal day today at Misora. Students went about, getting to their classes, and studying. However, the Ojamajos weren't quite in the normal today given what had happened yesterday.
Not only had Onpu and Hazuki been kidnapped by the Shadow Ojamajos and forced to duel, but they had lost too. And then when Doremi challenged Shadow Hazuki for their freedom, she lost…brutally. She had been depressed ever since.
"Hey, Dojimi!" Kotake called, "You wanna duel? I'm using a different deck this time!"
Doremi turned and glanced at him. She shook her head and continued on to class. Kotake looked a little worried.
"I think you may have humiliated her one time too many, Kotake," Kotake's friend, Takao Kimura, said, "You might want to give her some space."
Kotake nodded, but he wished to get to the bottom of it.
Class let out at the usual time. Kotake wasn't the first out, as he found Masaru and Takao sitting at a table, dueling. The former's field had one Shooting Quasar Dragon while the latter had a set monster and two set spells or traps.
"Shooting Quasar attacks your set monster?" Masaru asked stoically.
Takao flipped over one of his set cards. "Dimensional Imprisonment. And you've already used Quasar's omni-negate."
Masaru shrugged and banished his monster. "Quasar effect?"
Takao flipped his other set card. "Warning of God."
Masaru passed his turn. Takao drew a card from his deck. He then placed it on his field face-up. "Tour Guide. Effect: Special summon another. Overlay both for Number 30. Flip Poison Mummy. You take 500. Swing for game?"
Masaru sighed and shook Takao's hand. It was then the two of them noticed Kotake standing there. Both got up and stretched a bit.
"So what brings you over?" Takao asked.
"Doremi-chan," Kotake replied.
Meanwhile, the Ojamajos had made it to the Maho-Dou and began their usual routine. At least, they would have if Doremi had broken out of her sadness by then.
The others knew good and well to give the red-haired girl some space. As such, they decided to talk about it amongst themselves.
"You think Doremi-chan will be okay?" Aiko asked.
"She has to," Hazuki replied, "If it weren't for her, then…then we wouldn't be best friends."
"We would all be much worse off without her," Onpu added, "We have to make it up to her somehow…"
"Simply letting her win against one of us won't do any good," Pop reminded, "Shadow Hazuki did a number on her, even if we were able get out of the deal."
The six of them turned back over to Doremi. She was sitting by herself, staring at a middle distance and not focusing on anything in particular. She had a card in her hand; the angle prevented anyone from getting a good look at it, but the girls could safely assume that it was Number 33: OOPArts Super Weapon – Machu Mach.
"Do you…do you think her ace monster getting destroyed like that…had an effect on her?" Aiko asked.
"I can't say for sure," Onpu replied, "Whatever the case, Shadow Hazuki destroying Machu Mach like that was horrible."
"And it was overkill too," Pop added, "I'm afraid for Onee-chan. Someone has to do something! Anyone!"
Hana gave Pop a determined look. "Pop-chan?"
"Nani?"
"Hana-chan has an idea!"
The girls came in close to listen to the White Ojamajo's idea. Once she finished telling them, they gasped in shock.
"You can't be serious!" Momoko half-shouted. She was fortunate she was able to keep control of herself so as to keep Doremi from noticing.
Hana shook her head. "Hana-chan is serious! If we stage it and have Mama beat one of us in disguise, then-!"
"I already told you, Hana-chan," Pop warned, "It won't work."
"But we won't know until we try!"
"And if Onee-chan finds out?"
Hana looked down in disappointment. She was beginning to think her friends were right. "Then mama will…"
"Don't finish, Hana-chan," Hazuki comforted, "We'll think of something."
Hana frowned. Her plan wasn't as good as she thought it would be. Having one of the Ojamajos disguise themselves as a Shadow Ojamajo Doremi hadn't dueled yet and staging a kidnapping where Doremi had to win for their freedom sounded like a good idea at first. But looking back over it, it wasn't as good as she intended. Onpu was the only one with any real acting experience…and Doremi had witnessed her Shadow's deck, so she was out. And then there was the issue of replicating the Duel Tendril -as they called it- without it being the real deal and hurting the poor girl.
"I…Hana-chan needs some alone time…" Hana said in a defeated tone, "I guess I'll go out for a bit."
And with that, the white Ojamajo slowly walked out the door. Pop looked back and forth between each of the other Ojamajos. All of them looked worried. And for a good reason…
"Haha-chan!" Pop called. She ran after the white Ojamajo. "Chotto matte!"
"Nani?"
"I'm coming with you. It's too dangerous out there with our Shadows attacking us left and right!"
Hana looked at the red Ojamajo and nodded. "Un."
And with that, both young girls left the Maho-Dou. The others bid them farewell and returned to try and do something about Doremi's mood themselves. Yet none of them knew of three young boys who had been eavesdropping on them…
"Any idea where we're going?" Pop asked.
Hana and Pop had long since transformed and were now in the skies over Misora. It was nearing sunset and the red Ojamajo was starting to worry. She knew good and well how much more dangerous Shadows were at night and did not want to stick around until then. But her fellow wasn't as eager to return yet.
"Hana-chan want's to help Mama somehow," Hana replied, "But…Hana's idea didn't work."
At that, the white Ojamajo flew down to the ground. Pop followed with haste, but became alarmed when Hana began heading for a clearing. And considering what keeps happening when they go to cleainrgs…
"Hana-chan!" Pop called.
It was too late. Hana had already landed…and nothing happened.
"Shadow Ojamajos!" Hana shouted, "Hana-chan challenges you!"
Just then, a dark tendril shot out of the bushes and wrapped around the blonde-haired girl's arm. Hana jumped slightly in surprise, but quickly calmed down when she recalled that she pretty much asked for this.
The tendril's origin, Shadow Hana, emerged from the bushes.
"I'm lucky Black Queen-sama was there to guide me here," Shadow Hana remarked, "Otherwise, I would've missed the chance to tear you apart!"
Pop stayed in the air, watching the two. And then another tendril shot out of the bushes and wrapped around her arm. Moments later, the red Ojamajo was forced down by the tendrils' origin: Shadow Pop.
"And you thought you could watch them safely from up there?" Shadow Pop mocked.
"If it's a duel you want," Shadow Hana began. She clapped her hands once. Seconds later, five wine-like protrusions emerged from her glove and quickly made the shape of five circles. A deck holster and graveyard slot appeared as well.
"Then it's a duel you get!" Shadow Pop finished. She inserted her Shadow Poron into a slot on a bracelet she wore. Moments later, a Duel Disk had sprung from it.
"But do we really have to fight to kill?" Hana asked sadly, "Can't we just play for fun?"
"Let me think," Shadow Hana sarcastically replied, "Oh wait: NO. FREAKING. WAY!"
"Just get your Duel Disks ready," Shadow Pop griped.
Pop replied by inserting her Poron into the slot on her bracelet. Moments later, her Duel Disk sprung out. Hana reluctantly followed suit. She clapped her hands once. Right then and there, five vines emerged from her glove, the ends of which sprouted into flowers. A deck holster and graveyard slot also appeared in their usual places.
"What Shadow Hazuki did to Onee-chan," Pop began, "It's unforgivable!"
"And we're supposed to care, why?" Shadow Pop retorted.
"Do we have to fight like this?" Hana asked tearfully.
"You're the one who challenged us, Light Hana," Shadow Hana retorted, "Your idealism…and your 'happy-go-lucky' BS…not to mention all that unwarranted attention you get! You deserve what we're about to do to you!"
Hana felt her resolve falter. Pop looed angrily at the white Shadow, who replied with a smug grin. Shadow Pop shrugged and similar smugness and set her deck.
"This duel will be a tag duel," Shadow Hana explained, "But all players will have separate fields, graveyards, etc. and will not be able to activate anything once they're beaten. Got all of that?"
"I believe we do," Pop retorted.
All four of the LP meters raced to 8000. Their Duel Disks resonated with one another, drawing all four of them to the realm between Ningen Kai and Kage Kai.
"Duel!" all four of them shouted.
It had been about an hour since Hana and Pop left the shop. Doremi was still in her state of shock and it was making her fellow Ojamajos more and more worried by the minute. Onpu had managed to get permission from Doremi to take the card she held, confirming that it was indeed Machu Mach; she was also thankful that Doremi was still able to be reasonable when she needed to be. But the purple Ojamajo felt odd holding the card and took it to the others. They too felt strange with it.
"Do any of you feel that?" Onpu asked as she passed the card.
"Yeah," Aiko replied after touching it, "But…what is it?"
"It…doesn't feel right," Momoko added, touching it too.
"It feels like…" Hazuki began.
"Pain," Onpu finished, "And it isn't just the card's pain either."
"So you're saying that Doremi-chan felt the same pain as the card when it was…" Aiko began, but gulped when she reached the last part.
"I believe so. And judging by how Shadow Hazuki did it…it's no wonder Doremi-chan is like this now."
"But how can the card itself feel pain?" Aiko asked, "It just that: A card that we pooled our money to buy for Doremi-chan."
The girls exchanged looks of distress and confusion. None of them could come up with an answer. Though a bit of thinking later…
"Maybe it has something to do with this 'resonance' Majo Toron-san spoke of earlier?" Hazuki guessed.
"Then let's head on over to Majo Kai then?" Aiko suggested.
The girls nodded in agreement.
"Losers go first, Light Hana," Shadow Hana said.
Hana nodded. "Atashi no Turn! Draw!" Hana looked at the card she drew along with her opening hand. Hana-chan activates Reinforcement! With this, Hana-chan can add any Lv4 or below Warrior-type to her hand! Pollux-san will do!" Hana took the card from her deck and added it to her hand. "Hana-chan summons Sacred Gredi!"
At once, a celestial knight appeared. She wielded a scepter and glistened like stars in the sky (1600/1400).
"Gredi-chan no kouka hatsudou! When normal summoned, Hana-chan can special summon any Lv4 Sacred from her hand! Awareru, Sacred Kaust!"
Gredi waved her scepter. Moments later, a portal opened, from which another knight appeared; he was seemingly part horse, wielded a bow and arrow, and, like Gredi, glistened like the stars on the sky (1800/700).
"And now Kaust-kun can activate his ability! Sacred Charge!" Hana shouted. Kaust glowed brilliantly as his level rose by 1. "And Kaust-kun can use this twice per turn, so do it again!" Kaust obeyed and turned to Gredi. Hi glow illuminated her too, raising her level by 1. "Hana-chan follows with this: Star Sign of the Sacred!"
Then and there, the insignia of the Sacreds speared in the sky.
"And now…with these two Lv5 LIGHT monsters, Hana-chan can build the Overlay Network!"
Gredi and Kaust transformed into golden orbs of energy and quickly spiraled upward. A vortex, one the glowed a brilliant silver and white, opened and accepted both monsters. An explosion of golden energy erupted from within.
"Descend, Sacred Pleiades!" Hana called. And as on command, a large warrior appeared from the vortex and floated down to Hana's side. He wielded a large, crescent-shaped blade and his cape's underside was the very sky itself (2500/1500). And no sooner than he arrived, the Star Sign glowed. Whenever a Sacred xyz monster is special summoned to my field, Star Sign gives Hana-chan a new card!"
Hana took the card from her deck. She smiled at what she drew.
"Hana-chan sets two cards. Turn end!"
And just like that, two reversed cards appeared behind Pleiades.
Shadow Hana sighed with annoyance. "Generic Sacred plays, blah blah blah, two set card, blah blah blah," she deadpanned, "Give me a break. So you really believe that the standard first turn Pleiades is at all scary?"
"Eh…"
"Watashi no Turn! Draw!" Shadow Hana half-shouted, "First, I play Hieroglyphic Seal of Gatheirng! This lets me add any Hieroglyph Dragon to my hand! I choose this!" Shadow Hana revealed Hieroglyphic dragon – Tfeni Dragon and added it to her hand. "And since you have a monster and I have none, I can bring it out immediately!"
Shadow Hana placed her card on the slot. Immediately, a large sphere appeared before everyone. It quickly began unfolding, sprouting limbs, appendages, and finally a pair of wings. A head with horns below the jaw sprouted outward. Once it was finished, it was no longer a sphere but a grand dragon (2100/1400).
Hana looked alarmed by the dragon's appearance. "Pleiades no kouka hatsudou!" Hana said desperately, "By detaching one Overlay, Pleiades can return any card to the hand! Hana-chan chooses Tfeni!"
Pleiades absorbed one of the lights orbiting through his blade. Immediately, he swung hard, sending a crescent at the dragon. It could withstand the blast and found itself retreating back into its mitress's hand.
Shadow Hana gave a look of smugness. "You amateur! My dragon wasn't 'normal summoned' per se. Observe!" She placed the card back on the slot. Immediately, Tfeni reappeared on the field. It looked more than a little annoyed at Pleiades. "I can special summon him all day as long as the field remains to his liking."
Hana bit her lip at her mistake.
"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll normal summon Hieroglyphic Dragon – Dragon Giev!" Another, smaller sphere appeared by Tfeni's side. It too unfolded just like the formers and, soon enough, it resembled a dragon. This one was more bipedal and seemed more into physical combat (1800/400). "And now, I'll activate Dragonic Tactics! By tributing any two dragons on my field, I can special summon any Lv8 Dragon-type monster from my deck!"
Tfeni and Giev withdrew back into their spherical forms. Then, their current forms became clear while energy transferred to the spell card. Finally, the card transformed into a portal, from which a massive, red dagger appeared. Shadow Hana picked it up.
"The galaxy that lurks in the darkness. Become the light of despair and my very minion." Shadow Hana threw the dagger-like piece upward. "Embodiment of light, descend now! Appear now, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
Stars began swirling into the dagger. A massive brilliance erupted form it. Once it finally subsided, a massive, bluish dragon flew down and landed by the white Shadow's side. Its eyes were miniature galaxies (3000/2500).
"And when Tfeni and Giev are tributed, I can special summon any Normal Dragon-type monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard!...so long as their ATK and DEF becomes 0. So come, Blue-Eyes white Dragon! And Hieroglyphic Seal of the God Dragon!"
At once, the empty spheres glowed. Once that subsided, a Blue-Eyes White Dragon inhabited one of them; it seemed to be in a slumber (3000-0/2500-0). The other one transformed into a massive golden sphere (0/0).
"That's three Lv8 monsters!" Pop warned. She dreaded what was coming next.
"Oh, don't get tied in a knot," Shadow Hana retorted, "None of us can attack until we all take a turn, so it's better if I do this!" All three of her monsters transformed into orbs of golden energy. "With these three monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Al three orbs spiraled into a red vortex. An explosion of red energy erupted from it immediately after. "Appear now! Enthusiastic Coach King Giantrainer!"
And with that, the massive warrior emerged. He cracked his neck in anticipation for what was about to come (2800/2000).
"And I will activate Coach King's ability! By detaching one Overlay, I can draw a card and reveal it, and if it's a monster, one of you will get burned for 800 damage! And I can use his effect three times per turn!" The three orange lights orbiting coach King vanished into his club. He slammed it down three times while Shadow Hana drew her cards. They were Hieroglyphic Dragon – Shiyu Dragon, Tfeni, and Giev. Shadow Hana smirked. "Guess who's receiving the damage?"
The shockwaves from Coach King's club rippled across the field. Hana braced herself, but the attack was too much for her. She was knocked to the ground as her Life Points fell to 5600.
"And now, I will follow by activating Rank Up Magic – Barian's Force! And I target Coach King!" Shadow Hana shouted. Hana and Pop gasped in shock while Shadow Pop gave a deadpan smirk. "With this monster, I rebuild the Overlay Network! Chaos Xyz Change!" The Barian Insignia appeared beneath Coach King for a brief moment. Then, Coach King turned into a magenta orb of energy and spiraled up into a dark vortex. "The true emerging power of Barian, bring your might to my side! Chaos Xyz: Enthusiastic Coach God Ultimatrainer!"
A massive gate appeared from the vortex, one that was locked with the Barian Emblem. The being behind it struck repeatedly until the lock finally broke. The Gate opened, and the powerful, Barian-powered upgraded form of Giantrainer burst forth and landed by Shadow Hana's side (3800/2300). He had a magenta crystal hovering before him.
"And don't forget the other power of Barian's Force," Shadow Hana said in a faux-warning manner. A magenta lash emerged from one of Ultimatrainer's massive swords and took the last light from Pleiades. He collapsed to one knee as his last material was forcibly taken from him and transformed into another crystalized material for his enemy. "And as long as Ultimatrainer has any Xyz monster attached to him, I can detach any Overlay to draw and reveal a card; you take 800 damage if it happens to be a monster!"
The same magenta crystal that used to be Pleiades's overlay transformed back into energy and was absorbed into Ultimatrainer's blade. He then swung it as Shadow Hana drew her card: It was Xyz Reborn, so the blade's energy couldn't make it to Hana.
"What a shame," Shadow Hana sighed, "I will activate Trade-In. By discarding any Lv8 monster from hand, I can draw two cards!" She discarded her card, and drew two new ones. She then inserted a card into a slot, causing a reversed card to appear behind Ultimatrainer. "I will set one card. Turn end!"
"And during our End Phase, Hana-chan will activate Proclamation of the Royal Palace!" Hana exclaimed. One of her set cards, the aforementioned trap, revealed itself. "With this in place, all other trap cards are negated!"
"Tch! Whatever!" Shadow Hana turned toward Pop. "Kisama no Turn!"
Pop grit her teeth and drew her card. She gave it a hard look before continuing.
"Since you have monsters and my field fits, I can special summon Haze Beast Gryps in Defense Position!" A burst of fire erupted before the red Ojamajo. And from it, a gryphon seemingly made partly from that fire emerged (200/2100). "Next, I will tribute it to summon Haze Beast Peryton!" Gryps burst into fire. Then, a creature of flame that looked like a cross between a deer and a phoenix took its place (1600/1700).
"I know what that thing can do," Shadow Pop said, "So I think I'll use this on it!" Shadow Pop discarded a card. Then and there, a winged figure appeared over the field (0/0) "Effect Veiler!" Effect Veiler shot the red Shadow a confused look. "What are you doing? Null that thing's effects!"
"He can't," Pop retorted, "Look closer at Peryton!" Shadow Hana face-palmed while Shadow Pop couldn't make heads or tails on what was going on. To her, the beast seemed to have a slight haze. "Haze Beasts cannot be targeted by card effects, including Effect Veiler!"
"Damn it!" Shadow Pop screeched, "Whatever then. I'll just negate Pleiades' abilities instead!"
"Even though Pleiades can't use them anyway?" Shadow Hana deadpanned.
Shadow Pop groaned as Effect Veiler gave a disapproving shake of his head. He flew over to Pleiades and sheathed him in his suppressing light, but the powerful knight really didn't feel it. Once that was finished, the angelic spellcaster vanished.
"That…was embarrassing…" Shadow Pop groaned.
"Remember this next time, Shadow Pop-chan," the white Shadow advised. The pink-haired Shadow nodded in agreement.
Even Pop felt a bit bad -and amused- at her Shadow's slip-up. "Uh, well, I think I'm just going to use Peryton's ability. By tributing him and sending a FIRE monster from my hand to my graveyard, I can special summon any two Haze Beasts from my deck!" Peryton immolated itself. Then, another monster, a creature that resembled a sphinx, appeared and merged with the flames too. Finally, two shapes took form: Another sphinx (1900/1900) and a three-headed dog of fire (2000/200). Meet Haze Beast Spinx and Haze Beast Cerberus!"
"And let me guess: They're also untargetable?" Shadow Pop asked. Pop nodded. "Relying on target-proof monsters, huh?"
"Urusai! I activate Spinx's ability! I call one type of card…monster, spell, or trap…and then send one card from the top of my deck to my gravreyard. If the sent card is the declared type, then Spinx can revive any FIRE monster from my graveyard!" Spinx began to flare up. It then looked at Pop and presented its riddle. "I call…spell!"
Spinx spread her wings. Pop took the top card from her deck and revealed it. It made her feel relief and anger at the same time.
The card she lost…was Black Hole.
Pop mentally cursed herself as she placed the card into the slot. Shadow Pop and Shadow Hana snickered, but the red Ojamajo shot them a slightly smug look.
"Even if it was a powerful card, a spell card is still a spell card," Pop explained, "Which means Spinx will bring back any FIRE monster from my graveyard. So come on back, Gryps!"
Spinx gave an approving smile and her spread wings burst into flame. A portel formed from that same fire and allowed Gryps to come back to life. The burning gryphon screeched as it landed by Pop's side.
"She has three Lv6 FIRE monsters," Shadow Hana said grimly.
"Exactly!" Pop shouted, "With these three monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Gryps, Cerberus, and Spinx transformed into orbs of red energy and quickly spiraled into a red vortex. "From the haze of flame comes a great new power. Come forth and transform all into fiery stone! Xyz summon! Be born, Haze Beast Basilicock!"
"And this is the part where Shadow Hazuki-chan would say 'Basili-WHAT?!', wouldn't you agree?" Shadow Pop deadpanned.
"Try again," Shadow Hana replied.
Basilicock emerged from the vortex. It resembled a large chicken, but its tail was long and snake-like and its eyes seemed to stare into the souls of everyone who looked into them (2500/1800).
"And since Basilicock has three Overlays, it gains 200 for each one!" Pop explained defiantly. The three red lights orbiting Basilicock glowed brightly. The creature seemed to draw power from them. (2500-3100/1800). "And it had a special ability too!"
"I know what it does, Light Pop," shadow Hana replied, "Basilicock can detach an Overlay to banish any monster from our fields or graveyards." She snickered, "But Ultimatrainer has another ability that he doesn't need Xyz monsters for…He cannot be targeted by ANY card effects!"
Pop took a step back. She looked at the card itself, and sure enough it had that effect Shadow Hana claimed it had. She couldn't argue with Shadow Hana's words this time and she didn't feel the need to banish anything from the white Shadow's graveyard.
"I will set one card. Turn end!"
"So you set a trap card…while Proclamation is out?" Shadow Pop asked, "I see what you're planning, Light Pop. You're trying to prepare for when we use something to get rid of Light Hana's trap card…" she snickered, "Watashi no Turn! Draw!" She frowned at her opening hand. "I…really could've used that Effect Veiler later…But for now, I activate the spell Foolish Burial! With this, I can send any monster from my deck to the graveyard…like Burning Knuckler Switchhitter!"
Shadow Pop took the card from her deck and tossed it into the graveyard. An after image of Switchhitter appeared for a brief moment before vanishing again.
"Next, I summon Burning Knuckler Headgear!" Shadow Pop placed the card on her Duel Disk. Immediately, a rocky being appeared. He wore the headgear of a boxer (1000/1800). "Headgear no kouka hatsudou! When he's normal summoned, I can send any Burning Knuckler from my deck to my graveyard! I choose Burning Knuckler Glass Jaw!" A massive, muscle-bound, green boxer appeared for a brief moment before vanishing as well. "And since I control a Burning Knuckler, I can special summon Burning Knuckler Spar to my field!"
At once, another boxer appeared. This one had protection on his forearms and seemed built more for practice than actual combat (1200/1400).
"Of course, I have to forgo my Battle Phase this turn…but then again, why not?"
This isn't good, Pop thought, both of them took advantage of the fact that they can't conduct their Battle Phases anyway. And now Shadow Pop has two Lv4 Burning Knucklers on her field. And I hate fighting that Xyz monster!
"With these two Lv4 monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Shadow Pop shouted. Immediately, Spar and Headgear transformed into orbs of red energy and spiraled down into another red vortex. "Xyz summon! Appear now, Burning Knuckler – Leadblow the Bound Barbarian!"
And just like that, a fiery explosion erupted from the vortex. When it cleared, a lone being stood in its place. He was massive, even when compared to the earlier green Burning Knuckler, but his arms were held in a brace (2200/2000).
"Turn end." Shadow Pop smirked. "And just try to survive it!"
Hana looked at both Shadow Hana's and Shadow Pop's monsters. She was shocked to see something so powerful at the moment. She then shot a tearful look at her Shadow.
"Shadow Hana?" Hana began, "Why can't we be friends?"
"Because you're a Light Being and I'm a Shadow," Shadow Hana replied, "Do you really think it's possible?"
"But what about Kada and Skaj? They seem like buddies!"
"That bastard and that heartless monster don't look like it to me! But I think we're going off topic here. Kisama no Turn!"
"Demo ne-!"
Shadow Hana gave an aggravated sigh. "Tell you what. If you want to be friends this badly, then how about a deal? If you win, I'll put aside my hate for you…permanently. If you lose, then you're coming with me as my prisoner!"
"Weren't you and Shadow Pop going to do that to us anyway?" Pop inquired.
"Not anymore. When she loses, you will be the messenger."
"Hana-chan! You can't make this deal!" Pop begged, "She's trying to trick you! Don't listen to her!"
Hana looked back and forth between Pop and Shadow Hana. The former looked back with fear in her eyes while the latter had a predatory look on her face. She closed her eyes to think.
What do you think I should do, Pleiades? Hana mentally asked.
Pleiades seemed to hear her as he had turned toward the white Ojamajo. Hana felt is response.
"Shadow Hana…You have a deal!"
"Hana-chan…!" Pop said with despair.
"Hana-chan wants to believe there's good in the Shadows, Pop-chan," Hana replied, "And this…this is the only way to be sure." She then turned to the duel at hand. "Atashi no Turn! Draw!" Hana looked at the card she drew and smiled. "Hana-chan summons Sacred Leonis!"
At once, another knight of the stars descended. No sooner than he did, he brandished his weapon: Energy claws (1000/1800).
"Leonis-kun has an ability! Once per turn, he can call another Sacred as a normal summon! And Hana-chan chooses Sacred Sheratan!" Leonis slashed the air with his claws, creating the Sacred's insignia. Another knight of the stars descended in response, this one having a theme based on a goat or ram (700/1900). "And Sheratan-san has an ability too! When normal summoned, he can prepare another Sacred and add it to my hand!" Hana took a card from her deck -Sombre- and added it to her hand. Then, Sheratan and Leonis turned into orbs of golden energy. "And with these two Lv3 LIGHT monsters, Hana-chan builds the Overlay Network!"
Both monsters spiraled into a new vortex. This one was no different from the one Pleiades emerged from other than it being smaller. Moments later, another knight of the stars emerged, this one being like a minotaur who dual-wielding heavy blades that had red rings below their hilts (1900/1100).
"Meet Sacred Hyades!" Hana chortled. Shadow Hana gave a deadpan sigh in annoyance just as the Star Sign began glowing. "Oh! Hana-chan almost forgot! She summoned a Sacred Xyz to her field, so Star Sign gives Hana-chan a card!" The light form the Star Sign touched Hana's deck, making it glow too and letting her draw a card. She smiled again "Here's another Star Sign!" Hana inserted the card she just drew into the slot. And sure enough, anther Sacred insignia appeared by the first one. "And now for Hyades-kun's ability! By detaching one Overlay, Hyades can force all opponent's monsters to defend themselves! Go! Heaven's Warning!"
One of the lights orbiting Hyades entered his blade. He then raised it, where it began glowing brightly. Ultimatrainer and Leadblow were unable to stand the light and felt threatened by it, causing them to switch to Defense Position.
"And now, Hana-chan uses Hyades to build the Overlay Network!" Hana declared. Hyades nodded at Pleiades and turned into golden energy. He then spiraled up into a silver and gold vortex. "Light of the stars, unite as one! Descend and be the guide of my path! Xyz summon! Descend from the stars, Sacred Ptolemys Messier 7!"
And just like that, a massive, mechanical dragon appeared from the vortex. Its wings had the stars on them and is body had many similarities with the other Sacred Xyz monsters (2700/2000). It seemed to have rushed there and was now paying the price. The second Star Sign glowed, allowing Hana to draw yet another card.
"This is really a shame, Light Hana," Shadow Hana said, "When Messier 7 is Xyz summoned that way, you can't use any of its abilities this turn…and it will be destroyed long before then!"
"We'll see, shadow Hana," Hana replied, "But your Chaos Xyz is defending…" The white Ojamajo looked up at Pleiades and Messier 7. "Messier 7! Attack Ultimatrainer! Supreme Radiance of the Sacred!"
Messier 7 flew up into the sky and gathered its power together. Despite not quite being in top shape, the powerful Sacred managed the job, blasting upgraded Xyz monster with a powerful beam of light. Coach God was disintegrated.
"And now…Pleiades! Attack Shadow Hana directly!" Pleiades obeyed Hana. He leapt into the air and swung down hard, striking the white Shadow and sending her down to 5500 Life Points. "Turn end!"
Shadow Hana got back up after that. She was giggling menacingly. "You know, Light Hana? I'm starting to think you're not as good of heart as you think you are…but enough of that. Watashi no Turn! Draw!" The white Shadow gave her new card a hard look. The rest of her hand made her smile maliciously. "Since you control monsters and I don't, guess who's here to say 'hello'!" Right then and there, a familiar-looking sphere appeared. It unfolded, revealing Tfeni. "And now, I will tribute it to special summon Hieroglyphic Dragon – Shiyu Dragon!"
Tfeni withdrew into is spherical form while its essence was used to enable another sphere to emerge. This one had blue lines about it. And as it unfolded, it quickly became apparent that it was more formidable than Tfeni (2200/1000).
"And don't forget what happens when Tfeni is tributed…and the card I special summon is Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" The mighty dragon appeared within Tfeni's empty sphere (3000-0/2500-0). It appeared ready to battle, despite its seeming slumber. "And now, I will normal summon Giev!" Once again, the smaller sphere of give appeared and unfolded. "Next, I will activate another Dragonic Tactics! No points for guessing who's coming…"
And just like that, Shiyu and Giev withdrew into their spherical forms as their energy was taken and formed into a portal. Another giant dagger appeared in Shadow Hana's hands. And after throwing it into the air, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon formed around it again and descended.
"And I think I'll put my final Blue-Eyes in Shiyu's sphere while a Hieroglyphic Seal of the God Dragon goes into Giev's!" At once, another Blue-Eyes appeared, this one inside Shiyu's now-empty sphere (3000-0/2500-0) while Giev's sphere expanded and became filled again. The former also looked ready to battle despite its slumber. "Next, I play Resurrection of the Dead! With this, I can bring back any monster from any graveyard. I choose my other Seal of the God Dragon!"
And with that, the ankh that appeared forced open a portal to the graveyard, from which the giant sphere emerged.
"The time has come, Light Hana! The time to see just how powerful my monsters are!" Both Seals turned into golden orbs of energy and spiraled into a new, galaxy-like vortex. "With these two Lv8 monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Just after the two monsters entered, an explosion of rainbow-colored energy erupted from within. And no sooner than it did, a familiar-looking sealed core appeared. "Roar throughout the universe! Revive, from the source of all galaxies that flows back far through time! Manifest yourself and lead me to victory! Xyz summon! Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon!"
Immediately, the core began opening up. It split into four separate halves before extending numerous members, each of which becoming the very limbs and wings of the mighty dragon sealed within. Once fully formed, the dragon let out a powerful roar as it seemed to stretch (3000/2500).
"And now I'll enter my Battle Phase," Shadow Hana said, "And since I'm doing that, I may as well use Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon's ability! Go! Tachyon Transmigration!"
On its mistress's orders, Tachyon Dragon absorbed one of the lights orbiting it and returned to its sealed form. Then, it exuded a brilliant rainbow light in all directions. Leadblow, Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, Pleiades, Messeir 7, and Basilicock (3100-1500/1800) were all weakened by the light while the two Blue-Eyes White Dragons burst forth from their spheres, fully awake and roaring to battle (0-3000/0-2500).
"What…what happened?" Hana asked, scared.
"Tachyon Transmigration allows Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon to reset time to a degree and choose its destiny according to its wishes…all while nulling the abilities of every other monster on the field and resetting their ATK and DEF!" Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon re-emerged from its sealed form, slightly bigger than its previous form. "And it does wonders for releasing my Blue-Eyes White Dragons' power!"
Hana didn't like the look of this. Four monsters with 3000 ATK now existed on Shadow Hana's field, one of which presented a very dangerous threat in its own right. She looked at her hand and saw only one hope. Unfortunately, it could only stall for some time until she gets a viable enough card to finish the job.
"Now, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Shadow Hana shouted, "Attack Sacred Ptolemys Messier 7! Burst Stream of Destruction!"
The first Blue-Eyes white Dragon flew high into the air. It took aim…and launched its signature and infamous breath weapon. The weakened Sacred looked up into it, expecting it to be over soon.
"Hana-chan activates the effect of Honest!" Hana shouted as she discarded her card. Moments later, The angel known as Honest appeared above Messier 7. Its presence empowered the Sacred (2700-5700/2000). "Messier 7! Attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Supreme Radiance of the Sacred!"
Sacred Ptolemys Messier 7 retaliated with its own breath weapon. The two powerful attacks collided head-on. It seemed to equal out, but with Honest supporting Messier 7's power, its victory was assured. The Burst Stream of Destruction was halted and split apart as the Supreme Radiance of the Sacred powered through. It impacted with the mighty dragon, which gaze one final roar as it fell in battle and disintegrated. What remained of both the dragon and the attack that slew it rained down on Shadow Hana, reducing her to 2800 Life Points.
"So what if you did a number on me? Big deal!" Shadow Hana griped. She built upon her point by turning her attention to Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon. It observed what had transpired minutes earlier and seemed to gain a knowing look (3000-4000/2500). "My Galacy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon only got stronger because of your Honest! And it can attack twice this turn! But first…Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon! Attack Basilicock! Photon Stream of Destruction!"
Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon recovered somewhat form its counterpart's energy upon its mistress's command. It let out a roar as it charged its breath weapon. Basilicock glared at the dragon before launching a barrage of fire balls, but to no avail. Galaxy-Eyes' attack effortlessly pushed aside the attempted counter attack and struck true, vaporizing Basilicock and throwing Pop to the ground. Her Life Points fell to 7500 as a result.
"I'm not done yet! I need as few opponents as possible for this to work. Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon! Attack Light Pop directly! Tachyon Spiral of Annihilation!" Pop had only a brief moment to register what was happening when the blast struck. She screamed in agony as her Life Points fell to 3500.
"Pop-chan!" Hana screamed.
"Hit her again," Shadow Hana nonchalantly commanded. Tachyon Dragon seemed all too eager to comply. Pop recovered just in time to see Shadow Hana's dragon charge up another attack. She closed her eyes…
Tachyon Dragon's attack struck true once again, knocking Pop to the ground and making her lose consciousness as her Life Points fell to 0.
Pop loses!
"Hey!" Shadow Pop griped, "I'M the one who's supposed to beat Light Pop!"
"Who else was there to target?!" Shadow Hana retorted, "Besides, the fewer opponents, the better!"
Hana was beside herself. "How…how can you do this?!"
Shadow Hana turned toward the white Ojamajo. "Still want to be friends with me, Light Hana?!" she angrily inquired, "I've asked you this before, Light Hana. And now I ask again: What makes you think we want to be friends with Light Beings?"
Hana thought back on that day. The day she first met Shadow Hana. She remembered it quite well, including how she violently rejected her offer of friendship, how she chased and attacked her repeatedly, and how she killed her.
"And what makes you think we want to be friends with Light Beings now?" Shadow Hana added, "Face it! Your desire to befriend a Shadow is a lost cause! Always has been, always will be!"
"That's…That's not true!" Hana shouted, "Hana-chan can hear it in your voice…you don't have as much hatred as you say you do…"
"URUSAI!" Shadow Hana grit her teeth in rage. "Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Destroy that Pleiades! Burst Stream of Destruction!"
Hana looked on in horror as her opponent's last monster fired its breath weapon at Pleiades. The powerful knight from the stars tried to withstand the attack, but to no avail. He was vaporized by the powerful attack…and it kept going until it struck Hana, dropping her to 5100 Life Points.
"So what does that tell you?!" Shadow Hana yelled, "Anyway, Kisama no Turn!"
"…nani?" Hana asked in confusion.
"Light Pop already lost," Shadow Pop explained, "So you get to take her turn."
"Eh? Oh! Gomen ne! Atashi no Turn! Draw!" Hana half-shouted. She looked at the card she drew and gulped. "Hana-chan will summon Sacred Sombres!" As soon as Hana placed the card on the slot, a figure appeared. This one seemed humanoid in appearance, but its wings were the same as Messier 7's, as was most of the rest of its body (1550/1600). "Sombres no kouka hatsudou! By banishing one Sacred from Hana-chan's graveyard, Sombres-san can take a fallen Sacred and return it to my hand! Hana-chan sacrifices Leonis to return Pollux!"
Sombres conjured two orbs; the first contained Pollux while the second contained Leonis. Leonis nodded and allowed Sombres to drain his energy to give Pollux a second chance. Hana added Pollux's card to her hand while pocketing Leonis' card.
"And whenever Sombres uses her ability, Hana-chan can summon another Sacred! So come on back, Pollux-san!" Pollux appeared back on the field as per Sombres' call. The two of them nodded at one another and turned into orbs of golden energy and wasted no time in spiraling into a silvery vortex. "And with these two Lv4 Sacred monsters, Hana-chan can build the Overlay Network! Descend, Sacred Beehive!"
It was as Hana ordered: Another knight from the stars emerged from the vortex. He wielded two powered gauntlets that seemed to produce energy. He wasn't obviously mechanical, but there was evidence (2400/800). At the same time, both Star Signs glowed brilliantly, allowing Hana to draw two cards.
"And now…Beehive! Attack Leadblow!" Beehive obeyed Hana's request and brandished his powered gauntlets. Leadblow braced himself, but without his abilities, he could not withstand the powerful fist his adversary and was quickly KO'd. "Attack her directly…Messier 7! Supreme Radiance of the Sacred!"
Messier 7 obeyed Hana's command and blasted Shadow Pop. She was thrown to the ground as her Life Points fell to 5300.
"Hana-chan ends."
"I have a theory, girls," Majo Toron began.
The girls had arrived at the Majo Kai clinic roughly an hour ago and had been listening intently to what the inventive Witch had been saying. So far, she had explained that the resonance that had been going on had the power to weaken those who lose in the card game. But when she learned of the pain Number 33 seemed to be exuding, she was stumped.
In addition, Majo Heart had detected some injuries that had lingered from when Hazuki was nearly killed by Shadow Onpu earlier. Majorin quickly retrieved the Seven Seals and used their combined power, via her Super Witch form, to heal those remaining injuries. She quickly powered down so as not to waste anything.
"It has been established that our magic can do anything if the Witch using it is strong enough. But all Witches are collectively resonating with it; therefore, I believe we may be inadvertently bringing this game and its monsters…to life!"
The five Ojamajos, Majo Heart, Majo Rika, and Majorin were speechless. It explained a lot about what had been happening recently, but it was still a lot to take in.
"Is it possible that certain storylines in the cards are also coming to life too?" Majo Heart asked.
"It's highly possible," Majo Toron replied, "No. I'm certain that's what's happening."
"The storyline of the Verz," Majorin surmised, "It starts back at the beginning of the Duel Terminal storyline."
"Not a lot of us really know that one," Aiko remarked, "But if those cards are what we think they are…"
"Then we could be facing a horde eventually!" Momoko gasped.
"In which case, we will have to seal off Majo Kai from Mahoutsukai Kai and Ningen Kai," Majo Heart said urgently. She then looked at Jou-sama's slumbering form. "Going by what we've learned, I'm willing to bet the reason Jou-sama is so ill is because she's rejecting the Verz's power."
"So you're saying that if Jou-sama perseveres, then she'll overcome the infection?" Onpu asked. Majo Heart shook her head. "Oh…"
"But what about Doremi-chan?" Hazuki asked, changing back.
Majo Toron clutched her chin. "One thing I've detected about her card is that…well…it's hard to explain." The inventive Witch shook her head. "Okay, in short: It isn't just Doremi's magic running through her deck, though hers is easily the most apparent. I'm picking up several magicks. More specifically, the rest of you as well as Hana-chan's and Pop-chan's! If that's the case, then the resonation is more powerful with her and therefore literally brings the card to life and even grants it sentience!"
Majo Rika, Aiko, Momoko, and Doremi gave weird looks at Majo Toron. Hazuki and Onpu gasped. Majorin and Majo Heart raised their eyebrows.
"Sentience appearing in these cards…?" Majorin inquired.
Aiko's eyes went wide. "And it ain't just Doremi-chan's cards, but everyone else's!"
"Such as that Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon Shadow Hazuki used!" Onpu added, "Shadow Hana claimed it was hers and that Shadow Hazuki stole it…and it seemed to hate her a lot and even approved of Doremi-chan using its own power to attack Shadow Hazuki!"
"Then the resonance is proceeding faster than anyone ever thought possible," Majo Toron surmised, "And if these cards are gaining sentience, then…then…!"
"I don't even want to think of it!" Majorin interrupted. She then turned to the Ojamajos. "You girls go on ahead. I'll see if I can rid Jou-sama of the Verz. Then we can try sealing it all away…"
The girls nodded and began their departure.
"I have perfected my Verz detection spell," Majo Heart explained, "It will be useful as long as this crisis persists."
"We will keep that in mind," Majo Rika replied, "Now we have to relay this to Hana-chan and Pop-chan. I'm sure they're back at the shop by now…"
And with that, Majo Rika and the Ojamajos departed from the clinic.
Things weren't looking up for Hana whatsoever. She had just ended her turn without defeating any of her opponents and Pop was already down. Her field had a number of cards out, but her own Proclamation of the Royal Palace prevented the stronger ones from activating.
And it was now Shadow Pop's turn.
"It's really a shame your own trap is working against you, Light Hana," Shadow Hana remarked, "Maybe you should've taken that card out?"
"Can I have my turn now?!" Shadow Pop griped. Shadow Hana gave a deadpan sigh. "Arigatou! Watashi no Turn! Draw!" The red Shadow smirked at the card she had drawn. "First, I will normal summon Burning Knuckler Switchhitter!" A hooded boxer appeared by Shadow Pop's side (1500/1400). "Switchhiter no kouka hatsudou! When he's normal summoned, I can bring back ANY Burning Knuckler from my graveyard! I think I'll revive Glassjaw!"
Switchhitter launched a number of lightning-fast jabs at the air. For some inexplicable reason, the barrage was able to create a portal from which the massive green boxer from earlier emerged (2000/0).
"Next, I will activate the spell Resurrection of the Dead! With this, I can bring back any monster from any graveyard! I choose Burning Knuckler Headgear!" The trademark ankh from the card appeared. A portal opened from beneath it, allowing Headgear to come back from the graveyard. All three Burning Knucklers exchanged looks and nodded before transforming into orbs of red energy. "And with these three Lv4 monsters, I build the Overlay Network!"
All three orbs spiraled into a galaxy-like vortex not unlike the one Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon dragon emerged from. Once all three had entered, a rainbow-colored explosion erupted from its center. Then, a sealed form shaped like an infinity symbol made of squares emerged. It quickly split apart and transformed into a blue and yellow humanoid shape with very much oversized shoulder blades (2500/1600).
"Rise! Number 105: Burning Knuckler – Cestus the Meteor!" Shadow Pop shouted. "But I'm not done yet! I follow by activating Rank Up Magic – Barian's Force! With this, I use Cestus the Meteor to rebuild the Overlay Network!"
The Barian Emblem appeared beneath Cestus for a brief moment. He then transformed into an orb of magenta energy and spiraled upward into a dark vortex. Immediately afterward, a dark rainbow-colored explosion erupted from within…and then the Barian Gate appeared once again. It opened, allowing a sealed form to emerged. It unfolded into yet another humanoid, this one purple and magenta colored. He had what seemed to be a four-pointed star on his back and had four armored magenta crystals floating near him (2800/2000).
"Say hello to my little friend," Shadow Pop said mockingly, "Chaos Number 105: Burning Kuckler – Caestus the Comet! And don't forget about Barian's Force!" Immediately, a lash made of magenta energy emerged from Caestus' fist and quickly took one of the lights orbiting Beehive, transforming it into a fifth armored Crystal. "And now for Caestus' ability! By detaching one Overlay, I can destroy any monster you control! And if it succeeds, you take damage equal to its ATK!"
One of the armored crystals floating by Caestus reverted to magenta energy and went into one of the points of the four-pointed star on his back. He immediately gathered the energy into his fist and threw it with intense force at Sacred Ptolemys Messier 7. The powerful Sacred braced itself, but the blast's energy struck hard, blowing it to pieces. Hana was caught in the explosion and thrown backward…only for Shadow Hana to yank forward and force the poor Ojamajo to the ground. Her Life Points fell to 2400 as a result.
"Hana-chan…is still able to fight!" Hana said defiantly, getting back up, "Hana-chan…can still win this!"
"I still haven't battled yet this turn," Shadow Pop deadpanned, "Let's fix that, shall we? Caestus! Attack Beehive! Comet Explosion!"
And with that, Caestus leapt forward against Beehive. Beehive braced himself and managed to catch the attack.
"During the Bamage Step, Beehive can detach an Overlay to boost his ATK by 1000!" Hana shouted. The last of Beehive's Overlays vanished into his gauntlets, empowering his blows (2400-3400/800).
"Don't think I'm out yet, Light Hana!" shadow Pop shouted back, "I banish Burning Knuckler Counterblow from my hand or graveyard, I can raise the ATK of ANY Burning Knuckler by 1000! Guess who gets the boost?"
Counterblow's form appeared beside Caestus. His power flowed into the bare-fisted warrior and lent power to his blows (2800-3800/2000).
"Don't leave me out just yet," Shadow Hana retorted, "Reverse card, open! Forbidden Holy Spear, hatsudou! And I think I will target Beehive!"
At once, the Holy Spear depicted on the card appeared and flew into Beehive's hand. It was heavy but protective…but ultimately proved to be a complete liability (3400-2600/800).
"Nani?!" Hana gasped.
"Say goodbye to Beehive, Light Hana!" Shadow Pop laughed.
Caestus and Beehive's deadlock broke just like that…and Caestus was the one who came out on top. Beehive was thrown to the ground with more than enough force to destroy him outright. And his remains were sent flying into Hana, dropping her to 1200 Life Points.
"This is game," Shadow Pop mocked.
"Demo ne…how?" Hana sked.
"Caestus has a special ability: Whenever he destroyed a monster in battle and sends it to the graveyard, my opponent takes damage equal to half of its original ATK. Guess what Beehive's original ATK was?"
Hana's eyes went wide as Caestus turned his attention to her. She shut her eyes…and was immediately blasted by a jet of fire, reducing her to 0 Life Points.
Hana loses!
"How do you like that, Shadow Hana-chan?" Shadow Pop asked cheerfully.
"Everything 50/50, I guess," Shadow Hana replied, "But right now…" She snickered. "I guess I have a new prisoner to 'have fun' with…"
Hana got back up and stared at her Shadow in a mixture of terror…and admiration. She then lowered her head in defeat.
"Good game…Shadow Hana," Hana said slowly.
Shadow Hana smile maliciously. "Yes. It was a good game, wasn't it?"
Shadow Pop conjured a bucket of water and splashed it onto Pop's still-unconscious form. It did the trick, and Pop woke up with a start. Any questions she would have asked died in her throat as she saw Shadow Hana applying freshly-conjured shackles to Hana.
"No…" Pop said in denial.
"I'm afraid it is, Light Pop," Shadow Pop replied. She then withdrew her Duel Anchor. "Lucky for you, we need a messenger. And you will serve that purpose quite well!"
"What are you planning to do?" Pop half-demanded.
"Tell your friends this," Shadow Hana instructed, "Tell them to meet me at the clearing with the skull and crossbones in three days. That symbol with be carved into the ground, so you can't miss it. Light Doremi will duel me for Light Hana's freedom. If she wins, Light Hana goes free. Lose, and she and the rest of you will be our prisoners…forever!"
"So you better show up!" Shadow Pop added. She then grabbed Pop's arm and used the shadows themselves to warp her to the clearing in Ningen Kai. Shadow Hana had followed with Hana in tow.
"Don't worry about Hana-chan!" Hana called, "Hana-chan will be fine. Just please tell Mama that…Hana-chan loves her!"
And with that, Shadow Hana and Shadow Pop used the shadows to leave, smirking maliciously as they did so. It was in the very late evening, and Pop, now alone in the wilderness, broke down in tears.
"It's…it's all my fault!" Pop cried, "Onee-chan…Minna-san…I failed you…!"
It was late by the time Majo Rika and the Ojamajos managed to return to the Maho-Dou. It had been less-than hectic yet disturbing, but they made it nonetheless. Not one of them had fully digested the information they had received from the Witches. But before they could begin, they noticed something wasn't right about the shop.
"Um, guys?" Momoko began, "Weren't Hana-chan and Pop-chan supposed to be back by now?"
The girls looked at the time and immediately became worried.
"Don't tell me they got ambushed by those Shadow Ojamajos!" Onpu said, slightly panicking.
"Minna-san!" Aiko called, "Let's use Magical Stage!"
"Un!" the other four replied.
"It won't help," came a voice form the other room. The door opened, and out came Pop. "I…I have some ad news…"
"Pop-chan!" Doremi cried. She rushed over to her younger sibling and gave her a hug. "I'm so glad you're safe! But…where's Hana-chan?"
"That…is the bad news…"
Everyone in the room gasped in abject horror.
The cell door slid open with a loud creak. Shadow Hana wasted no time in throwing the bound white Ojamajo in. And as soon as she was inside, she shut the door, smirking as she did so.
"I hope the quarters are to your comfort, Light Hana," Shadow Hana said in a faux affable tone, "But if they're not, then tough break."
Hana looked at her Shadow with a defeated look in her eye. "Shadow Hana? Why did you let Pop-chan escape?"
"I already told you: I needed a messenger." The white Shadow gave an aggravated sigh. "Black Queen-sama said that you're going to be my responsibility. So I'll be sure to 'take good care' of you."
Shadow Hana left on that note. Hana felt more than a little frightened. It was dark, dreary, and dank inside the dungeons. For a moment, she began contemplating what she was thinking when she wanted to use this as a means of earning her Shadow's friendship.
"Well, Hana-chan," Hana said to herself, "You can't say you didn't ask for this…"
"So…you're implying you enjoy being jailed?" asked a voice from another cell. Hana's eyes went wide since she knew that voice…at least, she thought she knew that voice. "Oh, don't mind me. I used to be a free lady like you. Then I got a jailing to my life."
"Don't you dare reference that old joke!" another, more dangerous sounding voice spoke from yet another cell, "Si, and it used to be funny too…"
Hana knew both of those voices. They sounded exactly like Majo Ruka and Majo Isabelle, respectively. But there was a problem: Why are they in here now when they were last seen in their respective lairs?
Featured Duel: Hana and Pop vs. Shadow Hana and Shadow Pop
This Tag Duel has each player having their own separate fields, graveyards, and LP meters; no player can attack until all of them have had a turn and cannot revive from each other's graveyards unless the card in question specifies otherwise.
Hana LP (8000) – Pop LP (8000) – Shadow Hana LP (8000) – Shadow Pop LP (8000)
Hana's turn:
Hana has Constellar Algeidi, Constellar Kaus, Constellar Star Chart, Royal Decree, and Reinforcement of the Army as her opening hand. She draws Constellar Sheratan.
Hana activates Reinforcement of the Army and uses it to add Constellar Pollux to her hand. She then normal summons Algeidi; since it was normal summoned, Hana can special summon any Lv4 or below Constellar from her hand; she chooses Constellar Kaus. She then activates Kaus' effect twice to increase Algeidi and Kaus to Lv5.
Hana activates Constellar Star Chart. She follows up by overlaying Kaus and Algeidi to Xyz summon Constellar Pleiades. Since a Constellar Xyz monster was special summoned to her field, Hana can draw a card thanks to Star Chart; she draws Xyz Reborn. She sets Royal Decree and Xyz Reborn and ends.
Shadow Hana's turn:
Shadow Hana has Trade-In, Rank-Up Magic Barian's Force, Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb, Hieratic Seal of Convocation, and Dragonic Tactics as her opening hand. She draws Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon.
Shadow Hana activates Hieratic Seal of Convocation and uses it to add a Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit to her hand. Since she controls no monsters while Hana has one, she can special summon it immediately. Hana activates Pleiades' effect, detaching Kaus to return Tefnuit to Shadow Hana's hand. Shadow Hana simply special summons Tefnuit again. She then normal summons Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb. She follows this by activating Dragonic Tactics, tributing Tefnuit and Gebeb to special summon 1 Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from her deck. Since Tefnuit and Gebeb were tributed, Shadow Hana can special summon two Normal Dragon-type monsters so long as their ATKs and DEFs become 0; she special summons a Blue-Eyes White Dragon and a Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord.
Shadow Hana overlays Galaxy-Eyes with Blue-Eyes and the Hieratic Seal to Xyz summon Coach King Giantrainer. She activates its effect three times, detaching all Xyz materials and drawing three cards; 800 damage is inflicted to 1 opponent for each monster drawn this way; she draws Hieratic Dragon of Su, Hieratic Dragon of Tefnuit, and Hieratic Dragon of Gebeb. Shadow Hana choose to inflict the damage to Hana. She then activates Rank-Up Magic Barian's Force, using Coach King Giantamer to Xyz summon CXyz Coach Lord Ultimatamer; Barian's Force takes Pleiades' last Xyz material and attaches it to Coach Lord. Shadow Hana activates Coach Lord's effect, detaching the stolen Algeidi and drawing Xyz Reborn.
Shadow Hana activates Trade-In, discarding Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon and drawing Monster Reborn and Forbidden Lance. She sets Xyz Reborn and ends.
During Shadow Hana's End Phase, Hana activates Royal Decree.
Pop's turn:
Pop has Hazy Flame Sphynx, Hazy Flame Griffin, Hazy Flame Peryton, Mirror Force, and Monster Reborn as her opening hand. She draws Onslaught of the Fire Kings.
Since Pop controls no monsters and one of her opponents controls a monster, she can special summon Hazy Flame Griffin. She then tributes it to normal summon Hazy Flame Peryton. Shadow Pop tries to use Effect Veiler to negate Peryton's effect, but Peryton cannot be targeted by card effects, forcing her to target Pleiades instead.
Pop activates Peryton's effect, tributing it and sending the Hazy Flame Sphynx in her hand to the graveyard to special summon another Sphynx and a Hazy Flame Cerberus from her deck. She then activates Sphynx's effect and declares Spell; she sends Dark Hole from the top of her deck to the graveyard, so Sphynx can revive Griffin. She overlays Griffin, Cerberus, and Sphynx to Xyz summon Hazy flame Basiltrice; it has 3 materials, so it gains 600 ATK.
She sets Mirror Force and ends.
Shadow Pop's turn:
Shadow Pop has Battlin' Boxer Headgeared, Battlin' Boxer Counterpunch, Battlin' Boxer Sparrer, and Monster Reborn as her opening hand. She draws Foolish Burial.
Shadow Pop activates Foolish Burial and uses it to send Battlin' boxer Switchitter from her deck to her graveyard. She then normal summons Headgeared and uses his effect to send Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw from her deck to her graveyard. And since she controls a face-up Battlin' Boxer, Shadow Pop can special summon Sparrer as long as she forgoes her Battle Phase.
Shadow Pop overlays Headgeared and Sparrer to Xyz summon Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke. She ends.
Hana LP (5600) – Pop LP – (8000) – Shadow Hana LP (8000) – Shadow Pop LP (8000)
Hana's turn:
Hana draws Constellar Leonis.
Hana normal summons Leonis and uses his effect to normal summon Sheratan. She then uses Sheratan's effect to add Constellar Sombre to her hand. She follows by overlaying sheratan and Leonis to Xyz summon Constellar Hyades; since she special summoned a Constellar Xyz monster to her field, Hana can draw a card; she draws Constellar Star Chart.
Hana activates her second Star Chart. She follows by activating Hyades' effect, detaching Leonis to force Lead Yoke and Coach Lord to Defense Position. She then uses Hyades as Xyz material to Xyz summon Constellar Ptolemy M7; since she special summoned a Constellar Xyz monster to her field again, she is able to draw another card off of her second Star Chart; she draws Honest.
Hana attacks CXyz Coach Lord Ultimatrainer with Constellar Ptolemy M7, destroying it. She then attacks Shadow Hana directly with Pleiades.
Hana ends.
Shadow Hana's turn:
Shadow Hana draws Dragonic Tactics.
Shadow Hana special summons Tefnuit again since she no longer has any monsters. She then tributes it to special summon Hieratic Dragon of Su; Shadow Hana special summons Blue-Eyes White Dragon using Tefnuit's effect. She then normal summons Gebeb.
Shadow Hana activates Dragonic Tactics, tributing Gebeb and Su and special summoning her last Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon from her deck; she special summons Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Hieratic Seal of the Sun Dragon Overlord thanks to Su and Gebeb's effects. She follows by activating Monster Reborn to revive the other Hieratic Seal. She then overlays both Hieratic Seals to Xyz summon Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon.
Shadow Hana enters the Battle Phase and activates Tachyon Dragon's effect, detaching a material and negating all other monster effects and resetting their ATKs. She then attacks Constellar Ptolemy M7 with her first Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Hana discards Honest since M7 is a LIGHT monster, giving it 3000 more ATK and destroying Blue-Eyes; since an effect resolved, Tachyon Dragon gains 1000 ATK and can attack twice this Battle Phase. She attacks Basiltrice with Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon, destroying it. She then attacks Pop directly with Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon twice.
Hana LP (5600) – Pop LP (0) – Shadow Hana LP (2800) – Shadow Pop LP (8000)
Pop loses!
Shadow Hana attacks Pleiades with Blue-Eyes White Dragon, destroying him.
Shadow Hana sets Forbidden Lance and ends.
Since Pop lost, Hana takes her turn instead.
Hana's turn:
Hana draws Constellar Rasalhague.
Hana normal summons Sombre. She uses her effect, banishing Leonis and returning Pollux to her hand and then normal summoning him. She then overlays Sombre with Pollux to Xyz summon Constellar Praesepe; Hana draws Pot of Avarice and Kaus off of her Star Charts.
Hana attacks Lead Yoke with Praesepe; as Lead Yoke's effect was negated, it is destroyed. Hana then attacks Shadow Pop directly with M7.
Hana ends.
Hana LP (5100) – Pop LP (0) – Shadow Hana LP (2800) – Shadow Pop LP (5300)
Shadow Pop's turn:
Shadow Pop draws Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force.
Shadow Pop normal summons Switchitter and uses his effect to revive Glassjaw. She then activates Monster Reborn and uses it to revive Headgeared. She then overlays Headgeared, Switchitter, and Glassjaw to Xyz summon Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus. She follows by activating Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force, using Star Cestus to Xyz summon Number C105: Battlin' Boxer Comet Cestus; Barian's Force takes the Pollux attached to Praesepe as a new Xyz material. She then activates Comet Cestus' effect, detaching GLassjaw to target and destroy M7, and then inflict 2700 damage to Hana.
Shadow Pop attacks Constellar Praesepe with Comet Cestus. During the Damage Step, Hana activates Praesepe's effect, detaching Sombre to give it 1000 more ATK. Shadow Pop chains by banishing Counterpunch from her hand to boost Comet Cestus' ATK by 1000. Shadow Hana chains by activating Forbidden Lance, targeting Praesepe and dropping its ATK by 800. Praesepe is destroyed, and Comet Cestus' effect inflicts damage to Hana equal to half of Praesepe's original ATK.
She ends.
Hana LP (0) – Pop LP (0) – Shadow Hana LP (2800) – Shadow Pop LP (5300)
Shadow Hana and Shadow Pop are the winners!
I…I can't believe it. I have to fight again. But after what Shadow Hazuki did last time, I don't think I have it in me anymore. But I have no choice. I must take this brute down if I am to save Hana-chan and Pop-chan. But what am I to do? Nani? The card Kotake-kun gave me? It's speaking to me…somehow?
Does this amateur really think she can beat me? I mean, really? A bunch of random cards, several staples, and no actual draw engine for consistency? It's no wonder this idiot lost to Shadow Hazuki-chan! Hehehe! This duel is in the bag. But that card she's holding…why do I feel like I can't win if she uses it?
Golem Ein has begun its approach…
A/N: Had to do a near-complete overhaul on this duel because of several mistakes such as using a targeting effect to kill Coach Lord and using M7's effect even after it had been nulled by Tachyon Dragon. Really embarrassing, but worth learning from.