Chapter 23: The Evolved Ruler; Evolzar Laggia: Maira vs Albus Part 2

" What!? What happened to my little boy?"

Kyoko; Kageru's mother yelled frantically across the phone as she spoke to the school nurse.

"I'm terribly sorry Ms. Hinodama. From what I've heard, it seems that the cause of his injuries is due a game of Duel Monsters….Yes…Yes… No need to worry. His good friends brought him in, and his injuries are nothing too threatening."

"(Duel Monsters...!)" Kyoko froze with horror. She seemed to understand the cause of her son's predicament.

"Mrs. Hinodama? Are you still there?"

"Oh...Um...Yes...I would like to come and pick up my son now if possible. Just please make sure he stays in bed before my arrival."

"Yes. Of course. I shall see to it he gets as much rest as possible."

As the nurse was about to hang up, the bed Kageru was in was suddenly empty.

*pant*pant*pant*

Kageru desperately traversed the school grounds, sensing his friend and the presence of a certain someone.

"Somethin doesn't feel right...Urgh ..."

Kageru was greeted with surprise to find Maira in the middle of a duel.

"M-Maira!?... What are you... Albus!" Kageru's eyes began to fill with fury at the sight of the person standing in front of Maira.

"You!"

"Hello...Kageru...It's been a long time hasn't it?"

Maira was so focused on the duel, having clinched her teeth and a drip of sweat slowly making its trail down the side of her head; when suddenly Albus pointed out Kageru's presence. She quickly turned her head, in shock, "Kageru!? What are you doing here!? You're not well! Get back to the nurse's office!... Don't be an idiot.." she whispered the last part, worried he might do something rash again. However his focused stood towards her opponent.

"Albus Castelle… Now I remember! How dare you show your face here! I'm gonna make you pay for what you did! Duel me right now!"

Albus turned his sights back to Maira. "It seems that my sister has given you quite the beating in the head as well, because as you can see, I'm occupied in entertaining your friend right now. So sit down, relax, and watch as I put her in her place."

"Now now Kageru. Instead of antagonizing my brother, I suggest you take the opportunity to review his new deck."

"Heh...I already know his deck...It's...Huh!?"
Kageru was surprised to find Albus using a completely new set of cards at his disposal.
"Those...Those aren't Jurrac monsters….. are they?"

"No. These are my brother's new Evols. A deck surpassing the capabilities of the Jurracs, and though they may not have been involved in the Termina Wars, they still possess far greater power than those primitive dinosaurs. Watch Kageru Hinodama, as Ms. Yune trembles against the powers of the new breed of clans."

Maira looked to the ground, having her eyes covered, and smirked. "Heh." she spat out with confidence. "You think I'm afraid..? I'm just THRILLED to be here!" she spread her arms out, getting herself pumped. "Besides! You GREATLY underestimate the future Duel Queen! My move! Alright then... let's see if I can expose the flaws in your.. Heh, "advanced species" she smiled and took a card from her hand, then switched it with the one she had drawn...

"First things, first. I'll flip-summon my face down monster! Come forth! Drowned Soul!" the card flipped over, revealing a silhouette of a little girl in a ball of murky water, a tattered white dress floated in the center and rippled through the water, as if the child still possessed it on.

Drowned Soul LV3 WATER/Fiend
ATK 900

DEF 1100

"Now I'll activate Drowned Soul's special ability, once per turn, she can select a spell or trap in my graveyard and copy its effects for this turn and with this, I'll copy my Dark Vortex trap card that you destroyed earlier. Dark Vortex's effect allows me to add a WATER support spell or trap from my deck to my hand. I'll add the spell Bermuda Triangle to my hand." Maira search her deck for a spell and quickly shuffled afterwards.

"Next I'll activate Bermuda Triangle since Drowned Soul is on my field; this spell card allows me to reverse a monster summon from your previous turn." I'll use this effect to override your last move! Your Xyz monster goes back to its original, PRIMITIVE, forms! And also, the monsters that were summoned back can't switch battle positions, and their effects are negated. And did I mention, that does monsters lose 1000 ATK?"

Evolzar Laggia was suddenly sucked into a mist and split back into the original monsters that summoned it, which were Evoltile Westlo and Evolsaur Diplo. Both monsters began to sink under the field of water that quickly weakened them.

Evoltile Westlo ATK 700-1000= 0

Evolsaur Pelta ATK 1600-1000=600

"Ha! How's that for ADVANCED thinking!" teased Maira."Now then, Drowned Soul! Attack Evoltile Westlo! Show this Albus guy we're not going down without a fight!" The drowned soul used her special ability and then whipped her arms out toward the monster. The orb of water around her began to move rapidly towards it, as she disappeared and her dress now floated and rippled in air, away from the orb. The orb drowned the monster and returned to the dress, which then revealed the silhouette still within it.

Albus LP 8000-900=7100

Maira wiped her forehead and relaxed a little bit. "Now,... I think I'll place one last card... and end my turn. Hehe." she giggled slightly, unlike herself, however this duel was turning out to be more difficult to combat then Kell's and Kageru's decks combined. "(Oh man, give me Kell over this guy any day!)" she teased.

"Albus, don't tell me you have forgotten the ability of your Evolzar Laggia already." Aria commented.

Albus shrugged off the damage he received from Maira's attack.

"Relax Aria...I have no problem taking such miniscule damage. To me that's not worth the use of Laggia's power. My turn...draw. I shall activate the spell Fossil Dig; this allows me to search for a LV6 or lower dinosaur monster from my deck to my hand. I shall add Evolsaur Pelta to my hand. Then I shall summon it to my field."

Albus made haste to bring out another dinosaur monster to his field, but it wouldn't stay for long. "Once again. I shall overlay both my LV 4 Evolsaur Diplo and Pelta to Xyz summon. Evolzar Laggia!"

Once more, Laggia stepped into the field intimidating Maira's monster. "Now enter my battle phase. Evolzar Laggia, attack her Drowned Soul! Spiral Haze!"

Laggia 's eyes and mouth glowed bright as it concentrated its energy before firing a green flaming breath attack at its target. Maira, without a moment's hesitation activated her trap. " I activate Sailor's Mist. This trap activates when an opponent's monster attacks a LV4 or lower WATER monster on my field. My monster isn't destroyed and all the damage I'd take goes to you instead!"

Maira felt relieved that she had the trap ready. However….. "I activate my Evolzar Laggia's special ability; When my opponent activates a spell or trap, or summons a monster, I can detach 2 of his overlay units to negate and destroy that card! Judgment Haze!"

"What!?"

Laggia devoured both its Xyz materials and absorbed the energy within their essence. A burning aura flowed around its bright body, followed by a large flaming shockwave that nullified and destroyed Maira's trap.

"Hmph. Now….Recommence your attack Laggia! Spiral Haze!"

Maira braced herself for damage, trying to endure the heat of Laggia's flames " Grr!...Argh!... alright, this is isn't over yet!" she watched as Drowned Soul was completely vaporized from her field.

"I'll place one card facedown and that shall conclude my turn."

"Urrgh! Don't let him take you out Maira!" Kageru gripped on his shoulder, enduring the pain as he continued to watch.

" Kageru! I thought I told you to go back to the nurse's office! Get going, you're still in bad shape!"

" Argh! Urgh! J-just focus on your match…. Urgh! Don't worry about me! This is nothing. But if you want me to heal up so badly, then do me a favor….. and clobber this guy!" He took a deep breath and relaxed his arm to ease the pain. He looked at the field before him, worried about Maira's current situation. " ( This is…..arrrgh….just like….ack….the last…Red Nova Tournament… This pain…. Maira…..be careful… I don't know what Albus is planning, but…..Don't end up like my big sis!...Urgh… Please..win!)"

Aria glanced at Kageru who began to feel an unusual pain in his body, as if the heat from Albus monster began to affect him. "(Hmmm….. Is he….. Beginning to awaken?... Heh… I guess we can't say for sure yet…. Now then…. Keep watching Kageru Hinodama…Once my brother is through with Yune…. You will finally understand the strength that you lack. The fate that shall that has been bestowed upon you. Watch…watch and learn…)