Hunter, Holder, Seeker, Whisperer
Well… something awesome happened at locals yesterday. I managed to take a pure Shaddoll deck down to only 400 life points… with old-school Red Eyes! I used Ring of Destruction and Barrel Behind the Door on Beast, had Red Eyes attack Winda, activated Magic Cylinder against Construct, and whipped out Inferno Fire Blast. The only card left in my hand was Red Eyes Black Chick. If only I had drawn Stamping Destruction…
Disclaimer: I don't own ZeXal. If I did; we wouldn't have gotten those stupid Numeron Gate monsters due to Infection Baal Zebul, Ninja Shadow Mosquito, Cicada King, and Stealth Kragen being far better.
Also, I would like to dedicate this chapter to the memory of Christopher Lee. RIP Saruman the White.
Chapter 002: Ninja Shadow Mosquito
A translucent blue hand, not of this world, reached out… extracting a rectangular mass of energy from the body of the just defeated duelist and absorbed it.
A seemingly disembodied voice then spoke.
"I see… upon obtaining Number 17: Leviathan Dragon, I now know that, in order to regain my memories; I must collect all one hundred Number cards."
Elsewhere…
A young man, name of JT, was sitting in his room and perusing his duel monsters deck.
Hmm, he thought, these Synchro monsters can only take me so far. I'll need an Xyz monster or two… but unfortunately; those are kind of hard to come by.
As he pondered and pondered, a beam of light shone into his room.
He looked over with a start, "hmm… just a trick of the light. This concentration is getting to me."
Appearing before him was the spectral form of a young woman. This young woman had long turquoise hair in twin tails and donned a white ensemble with black stockings and red shoes.
"JT," she spoke to the youth, her voice calm and soothing, "it wasn't a trick of the light. Take a look there on the floor."
JT followed the direction the spirit's finger was pointing… to find a white rectangular form.
He got off his bed, walking over and approaching the object cautiously.
"What is it?" he asked, squatting down to get a better look.
The spirit girl looked at him, "I believe it's a card. But, a card unlike any I've seen."
JT reached out to pick up the supposed card.
"Be careful!" the spirit spoke.
"Relax, Effie," JT smiled, taking hold of the card… only for the light to fade away, revealing a Xyz monster. The picture depicted a man in seemingly Arabian garb, complete with turban, throwing daggers of blue energy. Upon the turban was a numerical designation.
Both the duelist JT and the duel spirit of Effect Veiler looked at the new card.
"Number…?"
Materializing next to them was a large man sporting black armor and spiky red hair with a gigantic sword strapped to his back and his arms were crossed, "I sense power coming from it. But is it malevolent of benign?"
"I'm sure it's safe, Gorz," Effie looked at her fellow spirit, "for if it wasn't; something would have most likely occurred by now."
While Effect Veiler may have been right about the presence of the mystery card, other cards of the same origin were not as benign. For the rest of the scattered enigmas had spread far and wide, landing in the hands of all manner of people; from a young television star and an up-and-coming boxer to a pair of gang leaders, as well as a ruthless mad scientist.
Just to name a few.
JT had decided to head out and look at picking up some new cards, seeing as how this Number monster was rank seven and he currently only had three level seven monsters in his deck… two of which were in his extra, a Fusion and Synchro respectfully.
And so… sporting a green corduroy jacket, black T-shirt, blue jeans, and red high tops; our hero set out on his quest.
An hour or so later, as he was heading home after managing to collect four new level seven monsters, he heard a commotion as he took a shortcut through the park.
Upon investigating, JT saw the source; a group of children at the playground were crying as a somewhat heavyset guy stood over them, a high-schooler from the looks of him.
"Give us back our cards, you bully!"
"That card was a birthday present!"
"Grandpa left me that in his will!"
The offender just smirked at them, "heh, heh. This is what's called spoils of war you little brats. I won so naturally; I get a prize. In this case, it just happened to be your rarest cards!"
JT glared at the troublemaker with utter contempt, having always despised those who would steal another duelist's cards instead of buying them at a shop or taking their chances with booster packs.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size!" he challenged the bully, and upon taking note of his girth, added, "although that appears to be a bit of a long shot, tubby."
His would-be opponent glared back, "don't dis the gut of the Awesome Elroy!"
Elroy was a mildly rotund high-school boy with a tan and was shaved bald. He was wearing an open black hoodie over a black and white striped tee that rode up, exposing his navel, and sported quite a few food stains, along with dark blue jeans hanging down exposing his briefs, and black sneakers.
What really grabbed JT's attention was tattooed to the right of Elroy's bellybutton was what appeared to be a maroon "55."
Materializing beside JT was the monster on his new Xyz card, "master. This undisciplined youth taints one of my kin. I implore you to rescue them from his corrupt clutches."
"So… take his card like he took theirs'?" JT clarified, "I'm down with dispensing some just karma."
He turned back to Elroy, "let's duel it!"
Elroy smirked, "just so long as you cough up your rarest card when you lose!"
"Not if I take yours when I win."
AUGMENTED REALITY VISION LINK ESTABLISHED
JT-4000/Elroy-4000
Elroy grabbed the top card of his deck, "since I set the conditions, I'll go first!"
He drew his sixth card, "I set a monster in defense mode and play a card face-down."
"My move," JT announced, "I summon Skull Meister."
Materializing was the red and black clad man covered in skulls. (1700/400)
"Attack his face-down monster with boneyard blitzkrieg!"
The jaws of the skulls opened and fired concentrated bursts of black magic towards Elroy's monster.
"I activate my face-down card; Demise of the Land!" Elroy countered, "when you attack, I can play a field spell from my deck! And I choose… Catapult Zone!"
The scenery changed into a rocky terrain with a cliff face rearing up behind Elroy. Upon the top of the cliff were squads of men prepping a legion of catapults.
The attack connected, slamming into a bulky green and blue behemoth made of stone. (1800/1500)
"That's my Gogogo Golem," Elroy smirked, "once per turn, he can't be destroyed in battle."
"I'll end my turn," declared JT.
Elroy grinned, "I play the continuous spell, Field Barrier. Now so long as this card's in play, my field spell is safe from any removal. I also summon Gogogo Giant."
Towering over the duelists was a mostly brown mechanical golem. (2000/0)
"Now I overlay my two level four Gogogos," Elroy smirked, "with these two monsters I build the overlay network!"
Appearing before the duelists was a spiral galaxy instead of the usual red vortex that appeared for a Xyz summon. Above the void appeared a red "55."
Rising up from the abyss was a large beast made of stone with a cylindrical body and clunky blue armor over mechanical limbs that were colored red. A pair of massive red columns were attached to its back and gun turrets made up the chest and neck. Emblazoned upon the stone gut was a red "55."
"I Xyz-summon… Number 55: Gogogo Goliath!" (2400/1200)
"Careful mister," one of the children called to JT, "that monster can't be beat by normal monsters!"
Elroy turned and barked at the kid, "shaddup you stinkin' brat! Goliath; attack his Skull Meister!"
The behemoth swung a massive fist, smashing JT's opening monster into pixels.
2400-1700=700
JT-3300/Elroy-4000
"Back to me," JT drew his next card, "I use Monster Reborn to revive Skull Meister." (1700/400)
He plucked another card from his hand, "I also summon Hanewata."
A yellow dust bunny with wings appeared before him. (200/300)
"That's a tuner?!" Elroy gaped.
JT smirked, "that's right. I now use Star Changer, raising him from level one to level two. Now then, onto the fun part… I tune my now level two Hanewata with my level four Skull Meister…"
Elroy and the kids watched in awe as Hanewata turned into a green ring and Skull Meister jumped through, becoming transparent with four stars within him.
"… prowling through the darkness, great beast born from a bite. Synchro-summon! Howl, Celestial Wolf Lord-Blue Sirius!"
The pillar of light faded to reveal a biped canine in silver armor with blue fur and three heads, two of which where the hands should be. (2400/1500)
JT pointed at Gogogo Goliath, "attack his oversized rock pile! Sic' em!"
Elroy smugly looked on as his monster slammed both fists down upon the wolf's head, destroying the beast in a flash of light.
"You fool. Even though our monsters' points were equal, my guy can't be destroyed. You see… only a Number can best another Number in battle."
"That wasn't my intention," JT proclaimed, "I was aiming for my Wolf Lord's effect."
Elroy looked stumped, "what effect?"
JT smirked, "when he's destroyed, he drops the attack points of one of my opponent's monsters down by however many attack points he had. And since they both had 2400 points…"
Elroy's eyes widened, "then my monster's attack is zero!"
2400/1200=0/1200
"That ends my turn."
Elroy grit his teeth as he drew, "I switch Number 55: Gogogo Goliath to defense mode and play another monster in defense mode as well. And when Gogogo Goliath is in defense mode, all my monsters gain 800 defense points."
0/1200=0/2000
"I draw!" JT stated the obvious, "first I use Shield Crush to destroy your face-down monster."
Gogogo Gigas was sent to the graveyard.
"I also summon Eco, Mystical Spirit of the Forest."
Rising up was a plant-like woman. (1700/1000)
"I play Forbidden Chalice," JT continued, "this card not only gives one monster four hundred extra attacks points, but also negates its effect. Meaning I can destroy Gogogo Goliath with a monster that isn't a Number, like Eco for example. Not to mention, you lose the defense point bonus. Attack!"
Eco conjured a red ball of energy in her hands and fired it at the Number monster.
Elroy rolled his eyes, "man you're a doofus! I use the effect of my field spell, Catapult Zone. I'll send another Gogogo Gigas to the graveyard to save my monster from destruction."
JT took one of the two remaining cards in his hand and set it, "I'll play this and end my turn."
Elroy looked at his cards, "I set one card face-down and play Attack the Moon! Now whenever a rock-type monster switches battle mode, I can destroy a spell or trap card. And I'll move Number 55 to attack mode, getting rid of your face-down!"
A large stone sword dropped down, destroying Pinpoint Guard.
"Your move," Elroy smirked.
This guy can put up a fight, he thought, I actually have to work for my prize this round.
"I use the effect of Thunder Dragon in my hand," JT explained, "by discarding him; I can add two more copies from my deck to my hand. Now I use Polymerization to fuse them together!"
Two identical serpentine dragons appeared and zoomed upwards around each other in the shape of a double helix, colliding at the apex in a brilliant flash of light, descending as a red two-headed creature with green talons and purple nasal horns. (2800/2100)
"I give you… Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon! Attack Gogogo Goliath!"
Time to take advantage of his immunity, Elroy thought.
"I activate my trap card, Spirit Barrier! Now as long as I have a monster in play, I take no battle damage!"
Even though his opponent was a jerk, JT was impressed with his field. He seemed to have all the bases covered; monster protection, life point protection, spell and trap destruction.
Elroy drew for his turn, "I switch my monster to defense mode and sit tight. Your move."
JT looked at the card he drew, "hmm… I pass."
"I set a monster in defense mode," Elroy played.
JT drew, "I tribute both of my monsters in order to summon Fog King!"
Standing before them was now a being in gray armor with a blue cape seemingly made of mist. (0/0)
"And before you point out his attack points, let me just say… his attack value becomes the combined total of all monsters I sacrificed to bring him out!"
Elroy gasped as Fog King's points skyrocketed.
1700+2800=4500
Fog King-(4500/0)
"Attack his face-down monster!" JT commanded.
The towering monster swung his sword, cleaving the card in two… revealing a ceramic pot with a troll face peering out from the opening. (700/600)
"That's my grandpa's Morphing Jar!" one of the kids protested.
Elroy smirked, "now we both discard our hands and draw five new cards."
After drawing, JT calmly replied, "I end my turn."
"I play Dark Hole, destroying every monster on the field!" Elroy cried as both monsters were sucked into a swirling abyss.
"Now I use Double Summon to call out two copies of Gogogo Golem!" he declared, "attack this chump directly!"
"Afraid not," JT countered, plucking a card from his hand, "when you attack me directly, I can special-summon Battle Fader and end the battle phase!"
Appearing in defense mode was a small X-shaped imp waving a bell in a pendulum motion. (0/0)
"Now I use Monster Reincarnation," Elroy pressed, "discarding a card to add a monster back to my hand… or in this case, my extra deck. Now I overlay my two level four Gogogo Golems. With these two monsters I build the overlay network…"
The summoning galaxy manifested itself once more.
"… and Xyz-summon Number 55: Gogogo Goliath, back to full power!" (2400/1200)
He smirked, "let's see what you got, punk."
"Famous last words," JT smirked, shooting him a triumphant grin, "I play Magic Stone Excavation. At the cost of two cards from my hand, I get back a spell card. Now I use my just-retrieved Monster Reborn to revive Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon!" (2800/2100)
"I also summon Effect Veiler," he declared as the familiar turquoise-haired cutie appeared before him. (0/0)
"Now I tune my level one Effect Veiler with my level one Battle Fader and level seven Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon…" he began.
Effect Veiler transformed into a green ring as the other two monsters dove through it, going see-through and bearing stars equal to their respective level.
"… great slug of storms who crawls the earth, erupt from beneath the mantle and bring me victory. Synchro-summon! Mist Wurm!"
Towering over the field and duelists was a hulky indigo-colored worm, for lack of a better description. (2500/1500)
"Awesome!" the kids cheered.
Elroy took an unconscious step back.
"When Mist Wurm is Synchro-summoned; three of my opponent's cards go back to their hand," JT explained in a smug tone.
Elroy went cold with horror, knowing full well what that meant.
Spirit Barrier, Field Barrier, and of course Number 55 were blasted off the field, leaving him wide open.
"Before you open your trap saying my great beast doesn't have enough points to take you down, I assure he will," JT continued, taking the last card in his hand, "once I equip him with this: Megamorph! Since my life points are lower than yours, this card doubles his attack strength!"
"WHAT?!" Elroy practically screamed in terror.
2500/1500=5000/1500
"Finish him," JT said flatly.
Mist Wurm dove, head-first, at Elroy… slamming into him, sending him flying back, and his cards flying everywhere.
JT-WIN/Elroy-0
After the augmented reality shut down, JT walked up to him and helped the kids take back their cards. Once they left, JT turned his attention to Elroy's cards, one in particular.
"Karma dictates I take one of your cards so I claim Number 55: Gogogo Goliath as my prize."
He looked at his newest card, "welcome aboard, big guy."
And there's chapter two, ladies and gentlemen. Let me just say that JT won't be the only one with Synchro monsters. Thanks to advice from a fellow fanfic author, I have decided that some canon characters, such as Quinton, shall have a Synchro or two. And yes, the boxer part refers to Alito. He's not on earth yet. That part was just a teaser of some duels down the road. I also mentioned the Sparrow, Dr. Faker, Scorch, and Chills. And I promise, you'll see JT's Number in due time. Although, you've probably figured out which one it is due to the picture's description. I hope to see you next time.