Chapter 36 – Jorann's Strength
When Jorann ran into Yugi and the others, the first thing he saw was Jack being heavily supported by Yusei, the man looking like he had been hit by a freight train. Tanion. Rushing to help him, he was surprised to find himself quickly turned away by Yusei.
"I'm going to find a bed for him," Yusei said. "You need to go with Yugi and get in contact with Felirae and the others."
"Right," Jorann said with a nod. "Take the next right and head up the flight of stairs. There's a small medical bay there with two nurses that I woke. Darrien and Elise are there too, so they should be able to help Jack."
"Thank you," Yusei replied before heading off.
"Tanion did that I presume?" Jorann asked Yugi as Yusei and Jack left.
Yugi nodded grimly. "He found him unconscious after we saw a transport leave the hangar bay. It had to have been Tanion."
"Did no one try and stop him?" Jorann asked as they walked for the communications centre at a hurried pace.
"Everyone was asleep when we got there, just like the guards," Yugi answered. "The only reason we were scared for Jack was because of the condition he's in."
"He must have somehow got one of the pilots on his side," Jorann theorised. "If his newfound abilities are able to put people to sleep in an instant, then surely he'd be able to do something like that."
"I hope that's the case," Yugi replied as the doors to the communications centre came into view. "You try and get a hold of the transport Tanion is in. I'm going to contact Seto and the others in China and inform them of what's happened."
Jorann pushed open the doors before them and they immediately headed for two different points of the centre. Taking control of the tracking technology they had, Jorann had to manually go through each of the transports currently under the control of the forces at Stromberg Castle. After a few minutes of sifting through the long list of names, he came across one that was currently positioned just on the edge of the American coast, slightly north of San Francisco and moving at speed. It had to be him, Jorann thought to himself. Tapping into their coms, he was quickly greeted with the sound of the call connecting.
"Troop Transport E-5, this is Jorann Fulmann. Report," Jorann ordered.
There was a moment of silence before a reply came through. "This does not concern you, Jorann," came Tanion's voice. "Do not interfere."
"Tanion, tell me what is happening," Jorann ordered. "You can't just put an entire base to sleep and take out three of our best duelists and not expect repercussions. Now answer me."
"They got in my way," Tanion replied. "If you try to interfere, you will be met with the same fate."
"It'd be best if you stayed out of this, boss," came a new voice. "None of you can match him."
"So you do have a pilot," Jorann noted.
"He's helping me reach where I want to go, and then from there he will be free to go," Tanion said. "I do not want to hurt anyone, Jorann. But if you try and stop me, I will not show mercy."
"Tanion, you have no idea what you're capable of," Jorann pressed. "We can help you."
"On the contrary, I am well aware of my current situation," Tanion answered. "That is why I know that no one here can help me. Goodbye, Jorann."
The line went dead before he had a chance to react, but an idea suddenly popped into his mind. No one here… Switching over to a different computer, Jorann hastily began to analyse the flight path that the troop transport was taking. After a couple of minutes of tracking, the answer came to him in an instant. By The Three…
"Yugi, I know where Tanion is going!"
This caught Yugi's attention, who turned away from the screen with Felirae, Seto and the others on it to face the advancing Jorann. "I've caught them all up on the situation. What news do you have?"
"Tanion is under the belief that no one here can help him," Jorann said to Yugi and those on the other end of the video call. "Therefore, judging by his flight pattern, I believe he is trying to enter the Spirit World to seek help."
"The Spirit World?" Quinn scoffed. "Only Jaden has the ability to enter that place fully. How does the boy intend on doing it?"
"His current flight path is heading straight for Devil's Lake," Jorann informed them, putting up an image of the predicted flight path. "I took him there once to show him that card spirits were real. However, I also told him that it was a weak spot between our worlds. With the amount of power he now possesses…"
"He could force his way through," Ming realised. "Given what Jaden said..."
"It's imperative he doesn't make it through," Rafael finished. "If he's trying to meet in person with the spirits of his Knights, there's no telling what could happen with the power he now has."
"The question is what we do now," Jorann stated. "If he stays his current course, he will arrive at the lake in 5 hours. None of us can beat him there by transport, as far as I know."
"You sound like you have a plan," Felirae noted.
Jorann nodded. "I do. I approximate that Edilisna, from what I've learned over the years, can fly a little faster than that transport is going. I believe I can catch up in around four hours."
"Do it," Seto ordered. "Delay him as best you can. We won't be able to get to Devil's Lake in time, but Yugi, you can. You need to get there before he does, and take Yusei as well."
"Agreed," Yugi said with a nod. "I'll try and see if I can get a hold of Jaden on the way over. Hopefully I can get through to him through meditation."
"Yugi, there's two other things you must do," Seto declared. "Take the prototype I made with you. It could come in handy. But Yugi… it's time."
Yugi knew immediately what Seto was taking about. "No," Yugi snapped. "I'm not using the Gods."
"Yugi, you know that they're time is now. You can sense it, just like I can," Seto retorted. "Atem gave them back to you for a reason. And since they weren't used in the war, why else do you think he gave them to you."
Yugi's expression began to turn fowl. "I…"
"This is not up for debate, Yugi," Seto cut off. "You know that it's time for the Gods to be used. Don't try and hold them back just because of your personal feelings towards it all. Now get moving. We don't have much time."
The call ended, and Yugi didn't move. "Go, Jorann," he ordered. "Catch Tanion. Do what you can."
"And you?" Jorann asked.
Yugi sighed. "I'll do what I must."
10 minutes later, Jorann was in the air, riding on the back of High Dragon Edilisna as she soared through the cool air. His duel disk was strapped tightly to his arm, deck tucked carefully into its deck box on the inside of his jacket. He wore goggles to protect himself from the wind, and also had a microphone secured to the side of his face. Once he was within range of the transport, he could use it to communicate once again with Tanion and the pilot. Hopefully I can convince the pilot to land the transport, Jorann through to himself as Edilisna sped forward. Considering what Tanion has already done to those who have crossed him, though…
The ocean gave way to land, and Jorann's mind began to slip into automatic as the monotony of the land below him continued for miles on end. Edilisna continued on as fast as she could go, and Jorann knew that he would have to do whatever it took to slow Tanion down. Even if I have to shoot down the transport to do it, I will slow him down. It was imperative that he did so, as it would allow Yugi and Yusei to reach Devil's Lake before him, and hopefully meet Jaden there, if Yugi was able to reach him somehow. I still have no idea how he does that.
Facing the grim reality that Tanion was likely to overpower him very easily, Jorann tried to think of strategies to use against him. It was an arduous task, but it meant that the next couple of hours went past rather quickly. And then, as the fifth hour of his flight began to approach, a speck of black appeared against the greening horizon, and Jorann jolted back into focus. Tanion. It has to be. As he drew closer, he became more and more certain that this was the case. Readying his headset, he began to patch into the communications of the troop transport just as they began to pass over the natural borders of the forest below.
"Tanion, can you hear me?" Jorann shouted into his microphone.
A silence. "So you're the blip that's appearing on our radar," the boy's voice came shortly after. "I told you to stay out of this, Jorann."
"You are our responsibility, Tanion," Jorann said back. "I'm here to take you home."
Another silence followed, before something that sounded like a sigh came over to the radio. Not a moment later, Jorann could see the sliding door of the transport open, and as he finally pulled alongside it, he could see Tanion standing in the opening, duel disk at the ready. What are you trying to do, Tanion?
As if to answer his question, a sword then appeared in front of Tanion, one that Jorann recognised as Divine Blade Pinrith. Suddenly, Duel Energy began to envelop Tanion, surrounding him in a white, glowing aura. Realising in horror what was about to happen, Jorann pushed down on Edilisna and flew under the troop transport just as a beam of energy erupted from the edge of the sword, slicing through the air that he and his dragon had just occupied. Dammit, that was too close…
"Pilot, can you hear me?" Jorann asked, thinking quickly.
"Loud and clear, sir."
"Jump out. I'll catch you," Jorann ordered.
"I'm sorry, sir?" the pilot asked in confusion.
"Just do it! That is an order soldier!" Jorann shouted. "Come forth, High Dragon Wyrm!"
Thankfully for Jorann, the pilot did as he was ordered, and as he did he was immediately caught by Jorann's Wyrm, who began to descend towards the forest floor. As the transport began to falter, Jorann saw the sliding door shut, and he assumed Tanion was heading for the controls. On his duel disk, he activated the tracking technology that was built into it, hoping that Yugi and the others would find it and realise what he was doing. They can come pick up the pilot as well…
Turning his attention back towards the troop transport, he found that it was descending at a rapid, yet controlled rate. Preparing himself for what was to come, Jorann willed both his Wyrm and Edilisna forward as the transport landed in a plain surrounded by trees, skidding and spinning on its side as it ground to a halt, blades digging into the surface as metal ground against the earth. If it had been anyone else, Jorann might have been concerned for their well being, but he had a feeling that the crash had meant very little to Tanion.
Confirming his belief, the pilot side door was sent flying as Jorann and the Wyrm landed on the ground around 30 metres away, and out of the transport came Tanion, still enveloped in the white Duel Energy aura that he had seen previously. However, as he began to walk away from the wreckage, the aura began to fade away into nothingness, and Jorann quickly deduced as his dragons disappeared that it had been used as a safety precaution by Tanion. Very clever…
"You should not have done that," Tanion muttered, and it took Jorann a moment to realise that he was talking to the pilot rather than himself.
"Leave him out of this, Tanion," Jorann ordered. "He's a bystander in this."
Tanion glanced at Jorann for a moment, before waving a hand and causing the pilot to fall unconscious. "There, I put him to sleep," Tanion said. "Happy?"
"Not until you return with me," Jorann answered. "You already know why."
"And you know why I can't do that," Tanion replied.
Jorann readied his disk. "Shall we, then?" he asked solemnly.
"You'll regret getting in my way, Jorann," Tanion said, readying his disk.
DUEL!
"My turn," Tanion declared. "From my hand, I summon Caller of the Knight! (Lvl:4/ATK:1700/DEF:1400). If summoned, its effect allows me to call out another 'Knight' monster from my hand! Come, the Tuner monster, Knight's Squire! (Lvl:3/ATK:1000/DEF:1000). I now tune my Level 4 Caller to my Level 3 Knight's Squire! Synchro Summon! Appear before us now, Level 7! Advisor of the Knight! (ATK:2300/DEF:2300)."
"What? You aren't going for Royal Knight?" Jorann asked quizzically.
"Advisor's monster effect activates," Tanion stated. "Since he was summoned using only 'Knight' monsters, I can draw one card. I then set two cards face-down. Turn over!"
Tanion – 4000 LP
Jorann – 4000 LP
Just what are you planning, Tanion? "My turn!" Jorann declared, drawing a card. Whatever it is, I'm not going to hold back against you. I won't. Not now. "From my hand, I summon High Dragon Yolmir! (Lvl:4/ATK:1500/DEF:1000). Then, I activate the effect of the Tuner monster High Dragon Chameleon in my hand! If I summon a 'High Dragon' monster, I can special summon this card from my hand, and give it a Level, ATK and DEF equal to the monster I summoned previously. Appear, the Tuner monster, High Dragon Chameleon! (Lvl:4/ATK:1500/DEF:1000)."
"Allanon won't be enough Jorann, and you know it," Tanion commented.
"That's why I intend on calling forth another dragon to support him," Jorann replied. "Since you control a Synchro monster, I can special summon this card from my hand. Appear, High Dragon Triminac! (Lvl:4/ATK:1600/DEF:1250). And then, since I control a 'High Dragon' monster, I can special summon this monster from my hand. Rise, the Tuner monster, High Dragon Paranel! (Lvl:4/ATK:1800/DEF:1400)."
"A double Synchro Summon then…" Tanion whispered.
"You're damn right, boy!" Jorann said. "I tune my Level 4 Yolmir to my Level 4 Chameleon! Synchro Summon! Descend before us now, oh mighty dragon of the skies! Level 8! High Dragon Allanon! (ATK:2900/DEF:2400)."
"We meet again, Allanon," Tanion said.
"Yolmir's monster effect activates!" Jorann declared. "Since he was used for the summon of a 'High Dragon' Synchro monster, I can draw one card. And then, Allanon allows me to send one card on the field to the graveyard upon summon. Say goodbye to your spell or trap on the far right, Tanion!"
"I activate that card, Knight Bulwark!" Tanion countered, revealing the trap. "This turn, 'Knight' monsters cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects."
"Of course it was," Jorann muttered. "Fine then. I tune my Level 4 Triminac to my Level 4 Paranel! Synchro Summon! Soar, Level 8! High Dragon Domanar! (Lvl:8/ATK:3000/DEF:2500)."
A dragon with red scales appeared next to the light blue of Allanon. "You think two dragons scare me, Jorann?" Tanion asked him. "I could finish this on my next turn if I wanted to."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Jorann replied. "Domanar's monster effect activates! Since he was summoned to the field, until the end of your next turn, 'High Dragon' monsters cannot be destroyed by card effects! And now, I attack! High Dragon Domanar, attack Advisor! Roaring Thunder!"
"I play another trap card, Knight's Resolve!" Tanion countered as the dragon prepared to attack. "Since the monsters on your field have over 3000 ATK more in total than the monsters on my field, I can activate this card. This turn, you must attack with every monster you have, and you take all the battle damage I would take from those attacks!"
Jorann clenched his fist. "You set me up."
"I knew you'd try and show your superiority Jorann," Tanion told him. "You've always strived to do that from the moment I met you. So now, I'm turning that against you, and there's nothing you can do about it."
Unbelievable… "High Dragon Domanar, continue your attack! Roaring Thunder! Allanon, follow him into battle! Sky Assault!"
The attacks came quickly, but thanks to effect of Knight Bulwark, Advisor was immune to both of the attacks, brushing off the lightning strike and blast of wind like it was nothing. Then, raising a palm, a bolt of lightning identical to the one Domanar had summoned surged forth and struck Jorann in the chest, dealing him the 1300 damage that Tanion would have taken normally.
"I… I set one card face-down," Jorann murmured, clutching at his chest where he had been struck. "Turn over."
Tanion – 4000 LP
Jorann – 2700 LP
"My turn then," Tanion said, drawing. "I activate the spell card Ingenuity of the Knight, since you control more cards than I do, and I only control one 'Knight' monster, I get to draw two cards!"
He is so much stronger than the last time we fought, Jorann thought to himself as Tanion drew his cards. There is no way that gaining all that power so suddenly hasn't affected him mentally. I have to find a way to beat him. Somehow…
"I then summon the Tuner monster, Intellect of the Knight! (Lvl:1/ATK:200/DEF:400)," Tanion announced. "I now tune my Level 7 Advisor to my Level 1 Intellect! Synchro Summon! Appear, level 8! Strategist of the Knight! (ATK:2800/DEF:2300)."
"Not Royal Knight?" Jorann wondered to himself.
"Intellect effect activates!" Tanion announced. "Since he was used to summon a 'Knight' Synchro, I can negate the effects of Allanon! Additionally, since Advisor was used to summon a 'Knight' Synchro, I can add one 'Knight' monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose Woodsman Knight!"
"Woodsman?" Jorann whispered. "But that monster is useless now…"
"I then equip Strategist with Divine Blade Amlan!" Tanion continued. "Strategist's gains 800 ATK to 3600, and it can now attack all of your monsters once each!"
Jorann's eyes widened. "What did you say?"
"Battle! Strategist, attack High Dragon Domanar! Decisive Strike!"
The blade ripped through Jorann's dragon, tearing it apart with one slash as Jorann took the brunt of the damage. However, the battle was far from over, as Tanion's Knight turned his attention to the weakened Allanon.
"Strategist, attack once more!" Tanion ordered. "Decisive Strike!"
As the attack hit, Jorann could see that Tanion seemed to be somewhat enjoying himself. Is it possible that's he toying with me? He thought as his Life Points dropped to 1400. Even though he's heading for the portal, he's so confident in his abilities that he doesn't think anyone can stop him. Considering what he said earlier, that has to be it. And now, he's trying to show me just how powerful he really is…
"Strategist's effect allows me to draw a card for every monster he destroys by battle," Tanion told him as the dust settled. "Therefore, I draw two cards from my deck once again."
"I… I won't go down that easily," Jorann declared. "I activate the trap card Revival of the High Dragons! I revive the fallen Allanon (Lvl:8/ATK:2900/DEF:2400), and then summon a Level 4 or lower 'High Dragon' monster from my deck! Come, the Tuner monster, High Dragon Wyrm! (Lvl:1/ATK:0/DEF:0)."
"Edilisna won't stop me, Jorann," Tanion said, reading through his plays. "I play one card face-down. Turn over!"
Tanion – 4000 LP
Jorann – 1400 LP
"My turn!" Jorann declared, drawing a card. "Tanion, it doesn't matter to me how much power you've obtained. I'll prove to you here and now that my dragons and I are more than a match for you! I activate the spell card Bond of the High Dragons! Since I control a 'High Dragon' Synchro monster in High Dragon Allanon, I can special summon one 'High Dragon' monster from my graveyard whose level is equal to his! Revive, High Dragon Domanar! (Lvl:8/ATK:3000/DEF:2500)."
"That won't save you…" Tanion repeated.
"High Dragon Domanar's second monster effect activates!" Jorann announced. "It allows me to destroy spell and trap cards equal to the number of 'High Dragon' Synchro monsters I control. Say goodbye to Amlan and your face-down, Tanion!"
Tanion watched as the cards disappeared. "If Amlan is sent to the graveyard, I can shuffle one 'Knight' monster from my graveyard into the deck, and I choose Caller of the Knight," he said, seemingly unperturbed by the loss of his cards.
"I then summon High Dragon Servant from my hand!" Jorann said. "I tune my Level 1 Servant with my Level 1 Wyrm! Synchro Summon! Appear before us now, my very soul! The Synchro Tuner, Carer of the High Dragons! (ATK:500/DEF:500)."
"And now for Edilisna…" Tanion whispered.
"After drawing a card off Carer's effect, I tune my Level 8 High Dragon Allanon to my Level 2 Carer! Dragon and man, become one within the light's embrace and shine forth with your everlasting might! Accel Synchro! Appear before us now, Level 10! High Dragon Edilisna! (ATK:3600/DEF:2800)," Jorann proclaimed, the mighty beast descending from above, basking him in it's warm glow. Let's end this, Edilisna. "Edilisna's monster effect activates! I can select one card in your hand and reveal it, then activate an effect based off of what type of card it is!"
"I know how it works," Tanion said, holding his hand out clearly. "Make your choice."
Monster or trap, and this is over. "I choose the one on the far left," Jorann said.
Tanion flipped the card over. "The spell card, Fast Recruitment," he said nonchalantly. "It goes to the bottom of the deck, does it not?"
Jorann gritted his teeth. "You just got lucky," he uttered.
"There is no such thing as luck in a duel," Tanion said. "All things that would come down to chance, like draws, are influenced by the duelist and the bond he has with his deck. Is that not what you and Elise strove to teach me?"
"Why you…" Jorann muttered bitterly, despite knowing that Tanion was right. "Battle! High Dragon Edilisna, attack Strategist of the Knight! High Judgement!"
Edilisna flew into the sky before summoning forth an attack of pure white flames, engulfing both Tanion and his monster. Unnervingly, Jorann watched as Tanion didn't so much as flinch as the flames, instead standing in them calmly until they had all disappeared along with 800 of his Life Points.
"High Dragon Domanar, keep up the assault," Jorann ordered. "Roaring Thunder!"
Tanion took the hit, but once again showed no signs of damage even as another 3000 of his Life Points whittled away. "Is that all you've got, Jorann?" Tanion asked him eventually.
"You only have 200 Life Points left, boy," Jorann pointed out. "I wouldn't be so cocky."
"And you have nothing left that you can play, correct?" Tanion asked.
Glancing at his hand, he could see that the card he held was High Dragon Maraen, a useless card in this situation. Is he… is he influencing my draws? Jorann wondered to himself. Is that even possible? How could that be?
"I end my turn," Jorann said, refusing to show his concern.
"And that was your last mistake," Tanion said, his tone much more serious than before. "My turn!"
Tanion – 200 LP
Jorann – 1400 LP
"Since you control monsters and I control no cards, I can special summon this card from my hand!" Tanion continued. "Come, Woodsman Knight! (Lvl:5/ATK:2100/DEF:1200)."
"You knew this was coming, didn't you," Jorann realised suddenly. To predict such a thing… how strong is he?
"I did," Tanion admitted. "I wanted to show you just how powerless you really are, by giving you a chance at victory before snatching it away forever. And, although I have grown to enjoy your company, I must continue towards my goal. I now activate the spell card Summoning of the Knights! Since you control more monsters than I do, I can special summon one Level 4 or lower 'Knight' monster from my graveyard, as well as one from my deck whose Level is the same of the one in the grave! Therefore, I summon Magical Knight Merlin (Lvl:1/ATK:0/DEF:1800) and the Tuner monster, Intellect of the Knight! (Lvl:1/ATK:200/DEF:400)."
"You intend to Accel Synchro as well?" Jorann asked him.
"No, Jorann," Tanion said. "For you, I have something special in store. Since I control two or more 'Knight' monsters, I can special summon this card from my hand, but his ATK and DEF become 0. Come, Soldier of the Knight! (Lvl:4/ATK:0/DEF:0)."
Not a Tuner, Jorann noted. But he still hasn't used his normal summon…
"I now tune my Level 1 Magical Knight Merlin to my Level 1 Intellect of the Knight!" Tanion said. "Synchro Summon! Appear, the Synchro Tuner, High Enchanter of the Knight! (ATK:600/DEF:600)."
"No, it can't be…" Jorann whispered, slowing realising what was about to happen.
"I choose not to activate High Enchanter's effect, as I do not need to in order to beat you, Jorann!" Tanion exclaimed. "I now tune my Level 5 Woodsman Knight and my Level 4 Soldier of the Knight to my Level 2 High Enchanter! When the Knights of old revel in their tales, one name rings loud above all! Come forth from myth and grace us with your everlasting valour! Synchro Summon! Appear, Level 11! The Knight of Legend, Lancelot! (ATK:3800/DEF:3600)."
"Level 11…" Jorann uttered unintentionally as the gold-plated knight appeared on the field. "Tanion, what in the world…"
"If summoned, Lancelot negates the effects of all other monsters on the battlefield, and during this turn, you cannot activate spell or trap cards!" Tanion informed him. "Battle! Lancelot, attack High Dragon Domanar! Mythic Force!"
"Wait, you're attacking?!" Jorann exclaimed in confusion as the attack hit, causing him to fall to one knee in the face of 800 damage. But he still has three cards in his hand, as well as his normal summon…
"It's all I need to beat you, Jorann," Tanion said solemnly. "This duel is over. If Lancelot destroys an opponent's monster by battle, he gains 1000 ATK and can attack once more."
Jorann's face dropped in resignation. "To do all this…"
"Jorann, things have changed," Tanion told him. "I'm far stronger than any of you now, and you just have to accept that."
"Never," Jorann muttered. "I don't care if you went easy on me. There are others who will come for you. We won't let you go, not in the state you're in."
Tanion huffed in amusement. "I'd like to see them try," he said. "Lancelot, attack High Dragon Edilisna and end this duel! Mythic Force!"
I hope that was enough, Yugi… Yusei… As the blade came down upon his dragon, Jorann closed his eyes in defeat and didn't resist as the blast knocked him off his feet and tore and his clothes, his body failing as his strength left him. This was… all I could do for you. Good luck…
Coming Soon - Stand of The Three