How it had come this far, I had no idea. Well, I could blame Yuma, but it wasn't really his fault so... I guess I am the one to blame. I shouldn't have pulled Yuma, and Astral as well, on this path of destruction.
"I activate his effect! With this I shall bring despair to the world and take back what it mine!" her distorted voice spoke.
I'm sorry, for this, and for showing this side I promised never to bury forever…
(a while earlier)
"Duel!" they said in union and drew their cards.
"Ladies first. Draw!" the girl said and drew her card.
"I set one monster in face-down defense position and two cards face-down. That's it." She said.
"I draw!" Yuma yelled. "Anyway, I never got your name."
"Alissya. And now we're at the small talk, why not make this duel a little more interesting?" She smirked. "The winner gets to choose one card from the loser's deck... and take it!"
"What?" He turned towards Astral next to him. "The numbers?" Astral shook his head.
"She's under influence of something, however it is not a number, and that's not what it's after either."
"He." I said, getting myself into their conversation and turning their attention to me. "it's a he, and he's after me."
"How come?" Astral asked.
"We've been... associates for a while, but that was a very long time ago" I answered.
They looked at me with questioning looks.
"I've done things in the past I'm not proud of, and the past is the past. No one can change it." I snapped, not in the mood for this.
"Hey! Are you going to do something or what?" the girl yelled.
"I have to agree with her, Yuma is taking a long time to do something" Tori commented.
"He's probably talking with Astral, I wonder if something is wrong…" Bronk said, mumbling the last part.
"I don't think he's talking to Astral, or at least not only him" Flip remarked and Caswell nodded in agreement.
"Yubel?" Cathy wondered.
The others nodded.
"Fine then! I'll play Gagaga Magician in attack mode!" Yuma said and summoned the spellcaster to the field. "Now I attack your face-down monster!"
"Yuma don't! it might be-" Astral started, but was cut off.
"I reveal my facedown monster, Stealth Bird, and seeing as it has more defense, you take 200 damage! I also activate the trap solemn wishes, but you'll see what that does later," the girl countered and Gagaga's attack was reflected to Yuma, sending him flying back.
"A trap…" he finished, while Yuma got back to his place.
"I place two card face-down and I end my turn," Yuma said, clenching his teeth.
[Alissya 4000LP, 3 cih | Yuma 3800 LP, 3 cih]
"I draw! And now my trap's effect activates, I gain 500 life points. Next now that it's my standby phase, I can activate my golden ladybug's effect, that gives me another 500 life points," she said. "Then I use Goblin Thief! With it, I gain 500 Life Points, while you lose 500."
"She just gained 1500 life points like it was nothing..." Yuma mumbled dumbfounded.
You really haven't changed, Demise, staying to such a simple tactic.
"Basic. I wouldn't worry about it," I answered. Yuma, a bit confused, just nodded.
"Next, I flip my Stealth Bird facedown using its effect, then flip it back up, dealing 1000 points of damage to you. I then I summon Djinn presider of rituals, in attack mode. Attack." she ordered. The fiend easily beat the magician, inflicting 300 points of damage.
"I end my turn" she finished.
[Alissya 5500LP, 2 cih | Yuma 2000LP 3 cih]
"My move! I draw!" Yuma exclaimed.
"Not so fast! I activate Hand of Destruction. Now, we both discard 2 cards, and then draw the same number we discarded."
"Very well," Yuma said, sending 2 cards to the graveyard reluctantly. "I summon Gogogo Giant, and I activate its special ability. By switching it to defense mode, I can special summon a Gogogo Golem from my graveyard in defense mode. Next, I use the spell card, Gagaga Revenge. With it, I can special summon the Gagaga Magician you sent to the graveyard last turn, and equip it with this card. Last but not least, I activate Monster Reborn, in order to summon Gagaga Girl from my graveyard."
"Why waste your time summoning a whole lot of low level monsters? It's not going to help you in any sort of way."
"I'm not finished yet. With Gogogo Golem and Gogogo Giant, I build the overlay network, and Xyz Summon Number 39: Utopia.
"So that's a Number… I can't wait to crush it." Demise thought to himself.
"That's not all, I then change Gagaga Magician to level 3. And using Gagaga Girl and Gagaga Magician, I build the Overlay Network again, and Xyz Summon Temtempo, the Percussion Djinn. And now, Gagaga Revenge's second effect activates, with all my Xyz Monsters gaining 300 extra attack points."
"First, I'll attack with Utopia. Rising Sun Slash!" And with that, Utopia demolished the fiend in blinding light, and inflicted 1000 Damage.
"Next up, here comes an attack at Stealth Bird from Temtempo!"
"You're so easy to fool! I activate the trap card Dimension Wall, and with it, all battle damage that I would have taken from that attack is redirected at you."
"But that means that I'll take 1300 Damage!"
"Exactly," Alissya smiled evilly, as the blast from the redirection knocked Yuma back.
"Well, I guess I have no choice. I lay a face down, and end my turn."
[Alissya 4500LP, 2 cih | Yuma 700LP 0 cih]
"I draw! Seeing as it is my Standby Phase, Solemn wishes now activates, allowing me to once again gain 500 Life Points. Then I activate the spell Magic Planter, which by sending Solemn Wishes to the graveyard, I get to draw 2 cards."
"That doesn't seem too bad," Yuma wondered.
"Trust me, its only the beginning," Alissya responded. "I then summon Skull Mark Ladybug in attack mode, and I'll follow that up with Pot of Greed, letting me draw another two cards. Perfect. The time has come Yubel!"
"It can't be!" I exclaimed. "She's about to summon Demise."
"I use the ritual spell End of the World. By using Senju on the field, and Presider of Rituals in my grave, I ritual summon the one and only, Demise, King of Armageddon!"
"It's here…" Astral spoke.
"That's right, bow before the emperor of darkness. And just to be sure, I equip the spell Vicious Claw for good measure. I now attack your Temtempo, the Percussion Djinn."
"I use Tasuke Knight's ability in the graveyard. Seeing as I have no cards in hand, I can special summon him from the graveyard, and end the battle phase."
You were lucky this time, Yuma. But you are simply delaying the inevitable. I place a card face down. It's your move."
[Alissya 5000LP, 0 cih | Yuma 700LP 0 cih]
"It's my turn, I draw. I attack Demise with Number 39: Utopia," Yuma declared.
"You are hopeless if this is the way you-" Alissya commented, before being interrupted.
"I activate Utopia's special ability, negating his attack."
"What?! Why would you ever get rid of the one chance you had at winning?!"
"It's because I'm activating my face down spell card, 'Double or Nothing!'. When one of my monster's attack is negated, I can double its atk points, and allow it to attack again," Yuma explained, dealing 2900 points of damage.
"This is why you are a fool, Yuma," Alissya stated, as she appears out from the dust cloud created from the battle. "I activate Vicious Claw's effect. With it, I can return it to my hand to negate my monster's destruction. Not only that, but I can destroy a monster on the field, and deal 600 points of damage. The card I choose to destroy is my Skull Mark Ladybug, and with its special ability, I gain 1000 Life Points."
"You're kidding me, right?" Yuma asked, as his lifepoints fell to 100.
"Not at all, Yuma. And I'm not even close to finishing yet. Because you took damage from Vicious Claw, I summon an Evil Token to your side of the field. And I'll top that off with my facedown, Evil Blast. I was able to activate it due to a monster being summoned to your side of the field. With its effect, I give the summoned monster 500 atk, but by your next standby phase, should that monster still be on the field, you will be dealt 500 points of damage."
"But then… that means that!-"
"That's right, only one card can save you. The one card that both of us need: Yubel."
"Yuma, I suggest you not summon her," Astral broke in. "It's exactly what that girl wants. We can't fall into her trap."
"I know that, Astral, but I don't think we have a choice," Yuma responded back. "If we don't get rid of that Evil Token, we will not only lose the duel, but also Yubel."
"It's alright, I'll be fine, I promise Astral," I kicked in, even though I was doubting my own words.
"Alright Yuma, guess it'll have to be done. I believe you will pull through in the end."
"Thanks Astral." After saying that, Yuma turns back to Alissya. "By tributing the Evil Token and Tasuke Knight, I summon Yubel in attack position. And due to its ability, I have to send Temtempo to the graveyard. I end my turn there."
[Alissya 3100LP, 1 cih | Yuma 100LP 0 cih]
"My move, and I draw," Alissya announces. "I activate Demise's special ability, destroying all cards on the field other that the dark lord himself. Say goodbye to Utopia."
"I say no way. I activate the trap card, Utopian Aura. By detaching an Overlay unit, I can negate his destruction this turn."
"Fine then, but Yubel will still have to pay the price. Destroy her Demise!" Alissya commanded.
"With pleasure, Alissya," Demise replied with content.
[Astral's POV]
"Yubel!" I yelled, but it was too late. The smoke from Demise's powers still covered the field, making it hard to see.
This feeling… loss? I've imagined what it felt like, multiple times even. During the duels, but with Yuma it's different.
i feel weak… weakness… I cannot tolerate it! not when there's an enemy left to fight! Something caught my attention, from the corner of my eye. The smoke was clearing, and a huge creature took it's place. My eyes went wide, and I looked to both Yuma and our opponent, I wasn't the only one that's surprised.
"What… is that?" I muttered, asking everyone's question out loud.
"I have no idea..." Yuma answered.
The creature resembled a two headed dragon, standing on its hind legs and its back was facing our way. The monster turned one of its heads towards us, giving us a sympathetic look.
No...
Even Demise seemed to be surprised, how his voice sounded at least, his expression was unreadable due to his mask.
"Where… How did you obtain you other forms?! They are gone!" he roared, a mix of anger and surprise in his voice.
It can't...
"They were never gone, I just never used or revealed them, nor did I ever tell I still had them. That's for the pure purpose of protecting myself and the ones around me," a double feminine voice said.
That voice…
My eyes widened even more.
"Yubel?!" I exclaimed, totally shocked. Yuma turned to his duel disk.
"Yubel-Terror Incarnate..." he read.
"I didn't want to show you this… I never wanted to take this form again, however he gives me no other option," she said, and some sadness seemed to have found its way in her voice.
She griefs… Because of that form… why? Every part of her is wonderful, this one as well.
"Don't worry Yubel," Yuma told Yubel, comforting her while doing so. "I'll take from here, don't you worry. Have you ended your turn yet, Alissya?"
"Not a chance. Even though Yubel wasn't destroyed, I can still beat you. I equip Vicious Claw once again, giving Demise 300 more atk points. And with it, I attack your Utopia, and with that hit, you shall lose this duel."
"Not a chance, I use Utopia's special ability, negating your attack."
"Arrgh. Can't believe I was thwarted again. I end my turn."
[Alissya 1100LP, 1 cih | Yuma 100LP 0 cih]
"This is our last chance Yuma," I reminded him. "Make it count."
"That's the plan. I draw! I summon Mystic Donator in attack mode. Now go! Chaos Xyz Evolution! And appear, Number C39: Utopia Ray!"
"What's is this?! I've never seen anything like it," Alissya stuttered.
"I use Mystic Donator's ability, giving Utopia Ray 800 atk points. Next I activate Utopia Ray's special ability. For every overlay unit that I use, it gains 500 atk points. Go Overlay Charge! Then your monster loses 1000 atk points for every overlay unit used."
"It… it can't be… and Demise said I would win this duel.." Alissya muttered, her eyes shaking.
"I attack Demise. Now go Utopia Ray! End this duel with Rising Sun Chaos Slash!" And with that one move, Utopia Ray swiftly sliced through Demise, inflicting 2100 damage.
[Alissya 0LP | Yuma 100LP]
[Winner: Yuma]
"I will get you for this! No one defies me! And that creature… your little lover… I'll destroy it!" he exclaimed, looking at me before vanishing into a shroud of darkness.
He could see me all along? Then he disappeared. What did he mean with lover?
The girl's dark aura left, and she fell to the ground, unconscious. I sat back as Yuma and the others ran to her to help the her.
"I am terribly sorry for this, and for what you had to see," a familiar voice behind me said. I turned around to face her. Her spirit form was covered in smudges and other kinds of dirt, but I didn't care.
"Yubel..." I said softly and smiled, embracing the female. "I'm just glad you're alright."
She froze for a moment, out of surprise I guess, before slowly returning the embrace. "what are you doing?" she whispered, sounding confused. I looked at her.
Didn't she… like it?
"The humans call it a hug, I think, it is used when feeling a certain emotion of grief or of relief… isn't it right to do now?" I asked, loosening my grip around her waist, but her grip seemed to tighten.
"N-no, i-it's alright," she stammered. "But you'll get dirty..."
"I don't mind" I answered. I didn't even care the least. A black smudge covered one of her now red cheeks. Is that, what did Yuma call it? Blushing? Was she blushing, why? I raised my hand and carefully rubbed it away with my thumb. Her cheeks reddened even more.
I realized I treat her so frail, while she is often in more danger than I am, goes through more pain, hurts so much… I was reminded that Yubel is a duel monster, a spirit.
Can I love something… someone… that is not of my own kind?
Is this feeling really love?
So many questions.
How do I get an answer to them, when I cannot ask someone?
"Astral? Are you alright?" she interrupted my thoughts. Slowly we let go of each other. I looked down at the ground as silence filled the air.
When someone cleared its throat broke the silence, I looked up to see it was Ruin, Queen of oblivion. I took a defensive position, however Yubel stayed relaxed.
"Thank you for saving me," the woman said smiling and giving a grateful nod.
"No one should be held captive and no innocents should be harmed. How is the girl?" Yubel answered, her voice sounded relieved. Probably because everyone was now safe.
"Physically she's feeling better, since his control faded. however mentally… I don't think she'll ever touch a card again..." the queen explained with a sigh.
"Can you blame her?" she said with a half-hearted smile. "Anyway, this is Ruin, an old friend of mine i've known for a long time. But since Demise came, I lost contact. And then this happened." Yubel said.
Ruin then turned to me, her look questioning. "I don't want to offend you, and forgive me if I sound rude, but what are you?"
"This is my friend, his name is Astral. But he's not a duel spirit, like you've already figured out," Yubel answered in my place. I just nodded.
Ruin gave Yubel a strange look, it resembled a smile, but i'm sure it had another meaning.
"A special friend?" Ruin asked with a wink.
What is this about?
Sometimes I wonder if i'm ever going to understand duel spirits, they seemed to be even more complicated than humans.
Yubel's face reddened once again, and for some reason that amused me.
"N-no! It's not like that! What are you talking about!" she stammered frustrated.
"You're stuttering..." Ruin pointed out, quite amused herself.
"Bu-but-"
"Anyway… Just don't forget to send me an invitation to the wedding!" she finished, then she just disappeared.
What is a wedding?
"H-hey! Get back here you!" She also muttered other things under her breath, I couldn't understand what though.
"Hey, are you guys coming or what?" Yuma yelled up at us.
"Well I'm going to get some recovery rest, I haven't felt this dirty in years. But please forget what Ruin said, she has this… thing… for teasing friends," Yubel sighed. I just nodded, not really knowing what else to do. She answered me with a tired smile and then disappeared.
I then went to Yuma. "Uh… what was that yelling about?" he asked, and I just shrugged in response.
"Ugh… girls..."
"Hey!" Tori exclaimed, slapping him in the face.
"I'm sorry!"
No, I'll never understand the human mind, nor do I understand the mind of a duel spirit, no matter how much I observe. However, maybe I don't need to know how they work entirely, maybe just enough, just enough to accept them for who and what they are, and what they represent.
AN: so, again, this took way too long than it should've, please forgive me (though I hope that you won't mind because it's a lot longer than usual). Here are some of my own comments on this chapter:
-I suck at writing duels so much I had to have someone else write it for me! (many, many thanks Ryker777 for helping me out with this almost impossible duel)
-Astral likes saying Yubel's name!
-Astral asks too many questions! (i dare you to count them and put them in a review)
-I like to use the word 'however' way too often!
-Super-cliché ending!
-Ruin and Yubel are old friends for no other reason than for this scene!
-I still need ideas for some side stories since I only have 1…
anyway, stay tuned and see ya!