Disclaimer: I do not own Yu-Gi-Oh! GX.
Chapter 10: Rite of the Primal Flame
Jaden awoke and found that he was lying in a vast expanse of darkness all around him. It took him a moment to recall how he had been knocked out while dueling Tabitha. But as to where he was or how he had gotten there, Jaden couldn't say. Slowly Jaden got back to his feet. The back of his head throbbed as he stood up. Jaden quickly found that the darkness was even beneath his feet.
"Where am I?" Jaden wondered.
"Jaden?" a familiar voice responded. Jaden turned around and saw Yubel's glowing orange and teal eyes behind him.
"Yubel, do you know where we are?" Jaden asked.
"Not a clue." Yubel replied. "Are you okay?"
"I think so." Jaden answered. "But what I want to know right now is how we ended up here."
Suddenly a large ball of red flames flared to life beside Jaden and Yubel, finally giving light to the darkness. The ball of flames looked very much like a star. Soon Jaden and Yubel noticed a familiar white figure standing and gazing at the ball of fire with his arms crossed.
"Neos?" a surprised Jaden identified. "What're you doing here? What is all this?"
"The darkness you see around us is the darkness where life began." Neos explained, not once taking his green eyes of the ball of flames. "This ball that's giving light to the darkness is the Primal Flame, the first star to burn in Neo Space."
"And you're showing us this because…" Yubel began to ask.
"In ancient times, the power of this star was called upon to destroy a great and terrible evil." Neos explained. "It is that very same evil that we now face."
"Are you talking about whatever it is that's causing problems at Duel Academy America?" Jaden asked. "I thought that was the Light of Destruction."
"Evil takes many forms, as does the Light." Neos pointed out. "To defeat this form, I believe we will need the power of the Primal Flame once more."
"But how do I use this power?" Jaden asked.
"The Primal Flame is a power that is fueled by the heart and answers to an indomitable will." Neos answered. "Jaden, you wish to save your friend Sheila, correct?"
"Not just Sheila." Jaden admitted. "I also want to save Tabitha from herself."
"I am at your service whenever you need me, my king." Neos responded. "Use me to call upon the flame, and together we can save them both."
"You got it." Jaden replied as a smile came to his face.
Jaden's eyes snapped back open and he found that he was back in the duel. The cloudy sky of the Domain of Rituals was above him. Jaden got back to his feet and saw Tabitha still standing on the other side of the battlefield with Chakra.
"So you're still alive." Tabitha observed. "I'm actually a bit glad. It would've been disappointing to end things like that."
"Tabitha… this has to stop." Jaden told her. "You don't have to serve some evil god just to be who you are."
"You know nothing!" Tabitha argued. "Now then, because you no longer have any cards on the field, my darling Chakra's ATK has returned to 2450. But the moment you play even a single card, it will rise back up. With that, I end my turn."
"Looks like there's no talking to you while you're like this." Jaden observed. "So I'm going to knock you back to your senses by winning this duel!"
With that, Jaden's eyes flashed gold before they began to glow with the orange and teal colors of Yubel's eyes. As Jaden drew his next card, that card burned with a flash of red flames.
"I activate the Spell, Fake Hero and summon Elemental Hero Neos!" Jaden announced. The white hero of space materialized on the battlefield. "Next I play the Spell card, Primal Awakening! Since Neos is on the field, I can add a certain pair of cards to my hand!" Jaden took two more flaming cards from his deck. "And now I activate one of the two cards I just added to my hand! The Ritual Spell card, Rite of the Primal Flame!"
"What?" a surprised Tabitha exclaimed.
Two ornate golden torches appeared on Neos' left and right sides. The heads of both torches bore the symbol that was on Neos' chest. A red circle lined with strange ancient text then appeared on the ground around the hero's feet.
"So Jaden has a Ritual Monster too?" a surprised Reggie asked from the sidelines.
"This is the first I've heard of it." Atticus replied.
"Normally I'd have to offer up monsters who's total levels added up to eight or more to perform this Ritual." Jaden continued. "But Rite of the Primal Flame also lets me use Elemental Hero Neos as the entire tribute. So I now sacrifice Neos in order to transform him into… Primal Neos!"
Two small red fireballs shot from the torch flames into the gem on Neos' chest. A pillar of red flames shot up from the ground inside the circle and completely engulfed the white hero of space. In moments the flames subsided and the torches used for the ritual vanished. Much of Neos' body had turned light blue. The only parts that had remained white were the front of his neck and the curved horn on his head, and the undersides of his shoulder pads. The red lines on the front of the hero's torso and legs had taken on a more curved appearance.
Grey spikes had grown on Neos' shoulders and he had wide bronze-colored bracelets on his wrists. Hanging down around his waist like a skirt was a tattered brown piece of cloth. With the cloth was a grey belt that had a golden buckle in the shape of a human skull with horns. On his feet, Neos now wore a pair of knee-high boots lined with brown fur. The gem in the center of Neos' chest had turned pinkish-red and had taken on a heart shape. Five red markings in the shape of flames adorned the warrior's chest around them gem, and he had four more flame-shaped markings on his arms. Long orange hair had grown down from the back of Neos' head, and his face had taken on a mask-like appearance with a mouth lined with flat white teeth.
"A Neos Ritual Monster?" a surprised Atticus observed.
"This is Neos' ancestral form that's been revived by the power of the Primal Flame." Jaden explained. "The first hero of Neo Space!"
Tabitha chuckled a bit after getting over her initial shock. "I'll admit that your ancient hero looks quite formidable. But he only has 2800 ATK. And because you now have a card on the field, my darling Chakra's ATK has gone back up to 3450. There's no way Neos can beat it."
"That's where you're wrong!" Jaden told her. "Whenever Primal Neos attacks a monster that has higher ATK, he gains 1000 extra ATK during that battle!"
"But… that means…" Tabitha spoke as her eyes widened in shock.
"Neos, let's take Chakra out!" Jaden commanded. "Primal Wrath!"
Neos roared and leapt high into the air with his fist raised. His fist began to burn with red flames as he came down and punched Chakra in the chest. The demon shattered apart into bits of light and Tabitha's life points dropped to 2150.
"Because the monster Primal Neos destroyed was a Dark attribute monster, I get to draw one more card!" Jaden announced.
"Damn… you!" an enraged Tabitha cursed. "I'll make you pay for that! I activate my Trap, Ritual Revenge!"
Suddenly a column of blue light burst up from the ground. The light faded and Chakra had reappeared at twice its original size. Tabitha began laughing madly.
"What the hell?" a stunned Atticus exclaimed.
"Because my darling Chakra was destroyed in battle, Ritual Revenge has now brought it back with twice its original ATK!" Tabitha explained with a mad grin.
"Which means now that thing has almost 5000 ATK!" Atticus realized.
"At least Chakra lost the effect it gained from Sheila's card because it was sent to the Graveyard." Reggie pointed out. "But then again I don't see how Jaden can take down a monster that strong."
"Let's see your ancient hero come back from this upset!" Tabitha told Jaden.
"I'll lay down a face-down and end my turn." Jaden calmly announced.
Tabitha chuckled as she drew her next card. "Prepare for the end, Supreme King! Chakra, destroy Primal Neos with Life Stealer Gaze!"
"I activate my Trap, Negate Attack!" Jaden quickly announced.
The large demon fired another massive red beam from its eye. But just as it was about to strike Neos, a vortex appeared in front of him and sucked the entire beam in.
"So you managed to extend your life a little longer." Tabitha observed. "I'll end my turn here. But as soon as your next turn ends, I'll finally bring your demise!"
"Wrong, Tabitha. On my next turn, I'm going to save you from yourself!" Jaden declared.
"I don't need saving." Tabitha told him. "I've finally become my true self! And soon I and my followers will usher in the glorious new era of light that is to come!"
"No, Tabitha. Electra's only using you and your followers for her own twisted plans." Jaden argued.
"You know nothing of the mistress!" Tabitha insisted. "You are only an enemy that stands in the way of Lord Zott's revival! And soon you will finally be destroyed!"
"Guess again, because I'm ending this duel now!" Jaden declared as he drew his next card. "I equip Primal Neos with Sword of the Supreme King!"
The black sword that Jaden had used to defeat Reggie fell from the sky and drove itself into the ground. Primal Neos drew the sword from the earth and gave it one swing with his muscular arm. The ancient warrior began to give off a black aura and his eyes began to glow gold.
"When Neos attacks a monster with higher ATK using the sword, that monster loses 2000 ATK during the battle!" Jaden continued.
"But even with that sword's effect, Chakra will still have 2900 ATK." Reggie pointed out on the sidelines.
"Yeah, but Primal Neos will still gain 1000 extra ATK from his own effect." Atticus pointed out. "Which means Jaden's got this."
"Neos! Take down Chakra and end this!" Jaden commanded. "Wrath of the King!"
Noes roared and swung the blade with both arms, sending a massive blade of black energy across the field. Chakra was struck by the massive blast and was cut down the middle. The two halves of the demon quickly disintegrated into nothing. The attack kept going and struck Tabitha, knocking her onto her back. Her life points dropped down to 1250.
"I activate another effect of Sword of the Supreme King!" Jaden announced. "By sending the sword to the Graveyard, Primal Neos can make a second attack this turn! Neos, attack Tabitha directly! King's Sword Throw!"
As soon as Tabitha got back to her feet, Neos threw his black sword and impaled her through the chest. Tabitha screamed and her remaining life points dropped to zero. With the end of the duel came a massive explosion of white light that emanated from Tabitha and washed out the entire area. The light quickly faded and the area had returned to normal. Tabitha was on the ground unconscious, as were her followers.
With the duel finally at its end, Jaden's eyes returned to their normal brown. Suddenly he noticed an unconscious Sheila lying in the middle of the field wearing the same pink dress she had on in her Duel Monster form. Immediately, Jaden rushed to side.
"Is she okay?" Atticus asked as Jaden kneeled down beside the unconscious redhead.
"Yeah, I think she's just knocked out." Jaden answered. "You and Mac check on Tabitha's followers."
As Atticus and Reggie went to work checking on Tabitha's hooded followers, a dazed Tabitha suddenly woke up and rose to her feet. "What's going on? What have I been doing?"
"You okay, Tabitha?" Jaden asked.
"Who… who are you?" Tabitha responded.
"Looks like she doesn't remember much of what she did while she was brainwashed, just like Reggie." Yubel observed as she reappeared.
"That's… Sheila Tate." Tabitha noticed upon glancing down at the unconscious redhead. "Is she okay?"
"She should be fine." Jaden assured her.
Tabitha's expression saddened as she came over and knelt at Sheila's side. "I feel like I've done something terrible to her."
"Look, don't worry about it." Jaden told her. "You weren't really yourself at the time."
Before Tabitha could respond, Sheila began to stir. Slowly the redhead opened her eyes and managed to sit up.
"You okay, Sheila?" a concerned Jaden asked.
"Jaden?" a somewhat groggy Sheila responded. "What's going on? What happened?"
"It's a long story." Jaden replied. "But you're fine, right?"
"I think so." Sheila answered. "Some of the night's kind of a blur."
"What's the last thing you remember?" Jaden asked.
Sheila paused and turned to look at Tabitha. The redhead's lips curved into a smirk and she suddenly gave Tabitha a hard kiss on the lips, surprising both Tabitha and Jaden.
After a moment, Sheila pulled away and smiled. "You silly girl. If you were really that interested in me, all you had to do was say so. You didn't have to go to all that trouble."
"I-I, uh, I…" a very flustered Tabitha responded as her face turned bright red.
Sheila captured Tabitha in another kiss and pushed her onto her back. After a moment, Tabitha relaxed into the kiss and closed her eyes as she began running her fingers through Sheila's long red hair.
"Uh…" a wide-eyed Jaden spoke, getting Sheila and Tabitha's attention.
"Oh, sorry Jaden. Kinda forgot you were there." Sheila admitted.
"No… that's fine." Jaden replied. "But maybe the two of you should take that to somewhere a little more private?"
"Good idea." Sheila agreed as she got up and pulled Tabitha to her feet. "Hey Tabitha, mind staying the night in my room?"
"I, um… I guess not." Tabitha replied.
"Good. Maybe this time I can tie you down." Sheila suggested with a sly grin as she led Tabitha by the hand.
"O-okay." Tabitha somewhat reluctantly agreed as they walked off.
"Looks like they're in for a fun night." Yubel chuckled.
"Hey Jaden!" Atticus called, getting his attention. "Looks like Tabitha's followers are just knocked out too. We should probably get them to the infirmary though."
"Good idea." Jaden agreed as he rose back to his feet. "Well, it looks like I was actually able to save someone this time."
"They won't be safe for long, Jaden Yuki!" a familiar voice interrupted.
Jaden and the others looked and saw Electra standing just a few feet away. The blunette's expression seemed calm, though her golden eyes were filled with a murderous rage.
"Electra!" Jaden responded as his eyes flashed gold before turning orange and teal again. "You've got a hell of a lot to answer for!"
"As do you, Supreme King!" Electra told him. "My grudge with you goes back a long ways!"
"I don't know what your problem is with me, but I'm going to take you down!" Jaden declared.
"I'm afraid it's already too late for you to win." Electra told him as a small smile came to her face. "Tomorrow the stars will finally be right for Lord Zott's revival! All that's left is to prepare the ultimate sacrifice."
"What does that mean?" Jaden demanded to know.
"You'll find out soon enough." Electra answered as her smile widened into a grin. "Our time of reckoning is finally at hand, Supreme King. Until then, I shall take my leave."
With that, Electra vanished in a flash of white light. With Electra gone, Jaden relaxed and his eyes turned back to their normal brown.
"What the heck was all that about?" Atticus wondered.
"Not sure." Jaden answered. "But I get the feeling that whatever's going on is going to be settled tomorrow."
Author's Note: I don't quite recall how the idea first came to me, but somewhere along the line while I was planing the original version of this story I decided that Jaden should use a Ritual Monster of his own. The idea behind Primal Neos was to create a counterpart to Yugi's Magician of Black Chaos. Primal Neos even has the same level and ATK. A little of the inspiration behind Primal Neos and a few parts of this story came a little bit from the movies, Conan the Barbarian (Original) and Conan the Destroyer. Both terrible movies in my opinion, though I like the soundtrack of the first film and the second one had a cheesy monster to enjoy. Anyway, I wanted Primal Neos to have a sort of atavistic appearance, and as a result much of his form ended up being heavily based upon the hollow form of Ichigo Kurosaki from Bleach.
I actually ended up doing a drawing of Primal Neos while planning the original story. Those who wish to see it can find it on the otaku .com.
Please review and let me know what you think.