"This is not looking good at all."
"We've already lost Luna and Crow, that just leaves the three of us to combat this demon."
"How many times do I have to tell you guys?!" said Jack "There's no such thing as ghosts!"
"How do you explain the fact that my sister was engulfed by fire and just disappeared?!" said Leo.
"It's all just a bunch of hocus pocus. And I'm going to prove it to all of you by beating this so called specter in a duel and unmasking him."
They watched Jack stomp off.
"Well he's either really brave or really stupid." said Akiza.
"At least he's brave enough to go looking for this creep!" exclaimed Carly.
"What good will it do us if he gets himself killed?" said Yusei.
That night Jack was out on his runner patrolling the city while Yusei was keeping his eyes open in the satellite. Akiza's parents had insisted she stay home that evening for her own protection.
"Shooting star, this is Miles Prower, come in Shooting star!"
"Rally, this is a secure line, you don't need to talk in code."
"I know, but it's so much cooler that way. I just wanted to say there's no activity where we are."
"What is this, a stake out?" said Tank "I'd rather have a stake in, as in a big juicy stake in me."
"Remind me why we're trying to catch a ghost." said Nervin.
"We don't even know if it's really a ghost."
"Blitz is right Nervin." said Yusei "First we need to see if this guy is really Damian the Bad or just some hotshot in a mask, then we'll make him tell us where the others are."
Hours passed and it was late into the night, still nothing had happened.
"Eleven o'clock and all's well!"
"Hey Gramps, how is Leo or anyone else in the city supposed to sleep with you yelling, all's well, every hour?" said Tanner.
"Blister, anything on your end?" asked Yusei.
"Nadda, it's like a ghost town here."
"Akiza, anything?"
"It's as quiet as a tomb. It might as well be a tomb the way my father has the place locked up."
"Okay, just let me know if anything happens."
"You'll be the first one I call, be careful out there."
"I will."
Before the connection broke Yusei wanted to say something else to her, but he couldn't find the guts to say it.
"Mina, found anything yet?" asked Jack.
"Nothing yet."
"Make sure those surveillance goons keep their eyes open, it's time we found this clown and…"
Suddenly Jack received another call.
"Yes?"
"Jack! It's me! I think he's coming!"
"Carly, calm down. Where are you?"
"I'm on 616th, the lights are flashing and it really stinks!"
Jack started speeding through the city streets heading towards the place Carly had mentioned.
"Jack! It's him! I just saw him going down the street!"
In a matter of seconds Jack saw what looked like a burning duel runner heading down the street in front of him. Jack sped to keep up with him.
"Jack… Are you there? Jack!"
Jack ignored Yusei's question, he knew he was going to warn him not go after the nutjob, it was time he proved it to Yusei and the others that it was just some freak with a hologram projector.
"Hey bonehead!"
Damian turned his head around to see his pursuer.
"Well if it isn't the dragon's wings, for a moment I was worried it was just more of those pathetic mortals who call themselves security."
"So are we gonna duel or what?!"
"You actually want to duel me? Very well, your soul."
"Save the acting for a musical and let's duel!"
"Very well."
Duel mode engaged
Autopilot activated.
"Let's ride!"
(Damian Speed: 1)
"I know all about you Jack Atlas. You think I'm just a hoax, you think this is where Scooby Doo and Shaggy unmask the villain and spoil his ill gotten gains, and you shall pay for such ignorance with your very soul. I place two cards face down, next I'll summon a monster in defense mode, finally I play the continuous speed spell Hellfire Acceleration and discard my entire hand. I hope you enjoy whatever turns you have, because this duel will be your last."
(Jack Speed: 1)
"He doesn't scare me." thought Jack "I have this duel all figured out, if my hunch is correct about that face down card of his then I'll have eliminated his biggest threat in no time."
Jack looked over the cards in his hand.
"I summon Twin-Sword Marauder in attack mode!"
(ATK: 1600 DEF: 1000)
"Twin-Sword Marauder, attack his face down monster!"
Twin-Sword Marauder sliced right through Damian's monster.
"Since you destroyed my Emissary of the Afterlife I get to take a normal monster from my deck that is level 3 or lower, and I choose Left Leg of the Forbidden One. You'd get to pick a card too, if there were any normal monster's in your deck."
"I don't need any normal monsters. Due to my Twin-Sword Marauder's special effect, since I destroyed one of your monsters in defense mode, you take damage equal to the difference between its defense points and my monster's attack points."
(Damian Life Points: 3000 Speed: 0)
"And Twin-Sword Marauder has another effect, on the turn it destroys a defense position monster it can attack again!"
Twin-Sword Marauder attacked Damian directly.
(Damian: 1400)
"And as if that wasn't enough for you I'll play three cards face down."
"You truly are a singer Mr. Atlas. Most duelists are lucky if they manage to damage my life points at all, and you've managed to take more than half of them on your first turn. But an early lead means nothing; all that matters is who wins in the end"
"I couldn't agree more, so I going to make sure that it's me who wins in the end!"
Damian just laughed.
"In the meantime it's my turn. And due to the effect of Hellfire Acceleration I draw two cards instead of one, in addition I also gain two speed counters."
(Damian Speed: 2)
"I'll place one card face down, and summon a monster in defense mode. Your turn."
(Jack Speed: 2)
Jack noticed that Damian had three cards face down. He knew what two of them must be.
"I activate my face down trap, Nightmare Archfiends!"
"In that case I activate Dark Bribe, this negates your trap card and allows you to draw one card, which activates my Appropriate trap, allowing me to draw two cards."
Now Jack was laughing, his plan had worked.
"Sorry bonehead, Nightmare Archfiends was a trick to get you to waste your trap card. Now I activate the trap known as Mind Crush! Now I say the name of a card, and if it happens to be in your hand then you have to send it to the graveyard, and I choose Left Leg of the Forbidden One!"
Damian's left leg was sent to the graveyard.
"Now if you were going for Exodia, that's got to hurt."
Damian made no comment.
"What's the matter? Upset that I've won so easily? Well to bad, now I'll sacrifice my Twin-Sword Marauder in order to summon Strong Wind Dragon!"
(ATK: 2400 DEF: 1000)
"Strong Wind Dragon, attack and destroy his face down monster!"
Due to Strong Wind Dragon's effect Jack would have won the duel, but unfortunately Damian's face down monster was Demon with a Shield.
"No matter, the others may have been stuck by that monster's effect, but I know how to beat it." said Jack.
Damian still hadn't lost his cool.
(Damian Speed: 4)
"I pass."
Jack knew if he could just draw the right card then he could end the duel right here.
(Jack Speed: 3)
"This has been mildly entertaining, but it's time to lose the mask. I summon Dark Tinker!"
(ATK: 1000 DEF: 1300)
"Now I'll tune him to my Strong Wind Dragon in order to summon Red Dragon Archfiend!"
(ATK: 3000 DEF: 2000)
"Red Dragon Archfiend, attack his Demon with a Shield with Scorching Crimson Flare!"
Red Dragon Archfiend blasted Demon with a shield, for a moment nothing happened, and then the Demon just disintegrated.
"Sorry bone breath, but if my Red Dragon Archfiend attacks a defense position monster, even if that attack is unsuccessful, all defense position monsters on my opponent's side of the field are destroyed after damage calculation. And now for the grand finale, I activate Lineage of Destruction! Now my Red Dragon Archfiend can attack again, this duel is over!"
"You're right Jack Atlas, this duel is over! I activate my face down trap card, Backup Soldier!"
"WHAT!?!"
"When there are five or more monsters in my graveyard I can take up to three normal monsters with 1500 or less attack points from my graveyard and add them to my hand, but I only need one."
Damian took a card from his graveyard, suddenly the seal was broken and Exodia was released.
"NO!"
"Exodia, OBLIERATE!!!"
When Exodia's attack hit Jack was flung off his duel runner and sent skidding down the street. For a moment he just lay there being glad that he had worn a helmet, then Damian started to approach. Jack forced himself to get up and punched Damian in the jaw, but…
"AAAAAGHHHHH!!!"
Jack's hand was on fire, the flame around Damian's head was real after all. And Jack watched in horror as Damian just snapped his jaw back into place.
"Never try and hurt… what you can't kill."
"NO! THIS CAN'T BE REAL!" he said falling to the ground.
"Not real says you." growled Damian "As real as pain and death says I."
Jack backed against the wall of a nearby building.
"No… that's not… you're not human… STAY AWAY! DON'T COME ANY CLOSER! This isn't happening… I'm not afraid of you… I'm not afraid of you…"
Damian's glowing crimson eyes stared into Jack's.
"I'm… not… afraid…"
"You should be…"
"!!!"
Jack was engulfed in fire and his image appeared on the blank card Damian was holding.
"Now do you believe?"
