Angelis
"So let me get this straight. You trained me to fight the approaching darkness, erased my memory, and now you're back to give me my memory back," Mateo analyzed, "and the only reason you are giving me my memory back is because you're concerned that with me being depressed that I killed someone that I'll let the darkness come to me and destroy me, right?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes." Illeya replied. "So long as you despair, the darkness has the upper hand."
"Why is the darkness doing this?" Mateo asked. "Why does it desire all this destruction?"
"It desires the absolute rule over all those who stand against it, including the Light." Illeya answered. "It will not stop until it has absolute control over everything. And everyone. But in the meantime, I believe we have a duel to finish."
"True." Mateo replied. "And I know exactly how I'm going to beat you, Illeya."
Mateo: 2000 LP
Illeya: 3600 LP
"Do you, now?" Illeya replied. So far this duel has gone exactly the same as it did fifteen years ago. He will summon out another of his weaker dragons and power it up with a spell card known only to some as the Dragon Sanctuary. This dragon will be able to destroy my Neo-Parshath. But not if I draw the card necessary to destroy his monster.
"It's my turn! I summon Alexandrite Dragon in defense mode! Next, I'll place one card facedown," Mateo continued, "and—
"End my turn!" Young Mateo said as he placed his cards onto the field.
"It's my turn, then." Illeya drew her top card, and then looked at Mateo. "Neo-Parshath will attack your Alexandrite Dragon."
"Will it? Cause if I activate my facedown Threatening Roar just before you can enter the battle phase, you can't make an attack!" Mateo replied, flipping the trap card face up. "Ha!"
"Excellent work, Mateo." Illeya replied. "But this duel isn't over yet."
While you relive your memories of this duel, I'll place this card facedown. Illeya placed the card she drew down on the field. You won't see this one coming at all!
"My turn, Illeya! Okay, I think I'll summon the Maiden with Eyes of Blue in Attack mode!" Mateo summoned his monster to the field, placing the card down on the table. "With that, I think I'm gunna end my turn!"
"Maiden with Eyes of Blue, huh? Very well then. You've made a bit of a mistake by playing her in attack mode, though." Illeya replied, and Mateo smirked.
"Really?" Mateo replied, looking down at the card. "Aww, man! She's got 0 attack points!"
"I'm going to use Neo-Parshath to attack your Maiden." Illeya commanded. Mateo has no means of defending from this attack. Looks as though he needs more training before he is ready.
"You fell for it!" Mateo exclaimed, smiling. "I activate a special ability. The special ability of my Maiden with Eyes of Blue!"
"What?"
"When you declare an attack on my Maiden, I can negate the attack and switch the battle position of my monster. If I had a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I would be able to summon it, but as I don't it's not important right now." Mateo explained as he switched the monster to defense position. "This means your attack is negated, and my monster is safe!"
"Very, very good, Mateo." Illeya applauded him. "Now, do you have what it takes to win?"
"Damn straight I do." Mateo replied. He looked down at his cards. You may think I've been lost in my memories, but I've been paying attention. I know you've set a card facedown, a trap set to see if I'm ready for anything. But I've got a plan to defeat you, and it's gonna blow your mind.
"Well then, Mateo. I implore you to show me what you've learned." Illeya replied.
"I intend to. It's my turn!" Mateo drew a card off the top of his deck. He smirked. "Let's start this turn with the Chest of Greed spell card! This card will allow me to draw until I have six cards in my hand! Next, I'll destroy your field spell to activate my own! The Dragon Sanctuary!"
Mateo placed the card down on the table, and the dimension seemed to shake. A green light started to wrap around them, and a large stone gazebo with dragons carved into the walls and statues rose from the ground. Mateo looked around at the sanctuary, and then back to Illeya. "I know you have a card set facedown on the field, Illeya. Was your plan to see if I had grown as a duelist?"
"Frankly, yes." Illeya replied as her illusion spell shattered, revealing the card. "It has been fifteen long years, Mateo. You are the one that is destined to save us all, and I need to see how you've grown."
"Then let's show you how much I've grown." Mateo replied. "I summon Luster Dragon!"
"Sorry, Mateo. But I'm gonna have to counter that with my Bottomless Trap Hole." Illeya replied as the monster was enveloped by the hole.
"A good counter. Too bad that's what I was expecting."
"What?"
"I activate Double Summon!" Mateo called as he played the card, causing a glowing circle to appear on the field. "You should know what this card does. It lets me perform another Normal Summon this turn!"
"Whatever you have in your hand, it won't come close to my monster." Illeya replied. "Even if you've broken through destiny's determined outcome, your deck was pre-determined, meaning there is no way you could have drawn the Blue-Eyes White Dragon."
"I have more powerful monsters than that, Illeya." Mateo replied as he revealed the monster in his hand. "I summon Bright Star Dragon! And with his special ability, I can raise the level of one monster I control by two, so I'm going to increase the level of my Maiden by two, making it level three! So I tune all three of my monsters together!"
"What?" Illeya watched in wonder as the three level stars of the Maiden flew out of her body and encircled Bright Star Dragon and Alexandrite Dragon in three green Synchro rings. The combined eight level stars of the monsters inside flew out and aligned themselves in a straight line, which was pierced by a green light.
"Poisoned skies and darkening galaxies. A whole universe full of feasts ripe for the picking! Illuminate the path of destiny! Synchro Summon!" Mateo raised his hand into the air with his card in his hand, and revealed it to be one of his most powerful monsters. "Consume, O mighty Star Eater!"
The light exploded around them, surrounding both Mateo and Illeya in green light that faded away to reveal nothing, until a roar pierced the dimension. An impossibly large red dragon appeared, wrapping itself around the Dragon Sanctuary several times while it glared at Illeya's monster. She looked at the monster with wonder and terror. "That's quite the monster you've got there."
"Yup. And that's not all. Dragon Sanctuary increases all Dragon-type monsters on the field's attack by two hundred points for every level star it has, and since Star Eater is a level eleven monster, it gains twenty-two hundred attack points!" Mateo called as the Sanctuary started to glow, giving the mighty dragon strength. "And I've got much more where that came from!"
"Really?"
"Fifteen years ago, this duel lasted three more turns after I barely managed to destroy your Neo-Parshath, and I almost lost that duel." Mateo replied. "This time, that's not happening!"
"Then show me what you can do, Mateo!"
"I activate Monster Reborn! With it, I call back from the grave my Dragonic Synchron!" Mateo called as his monster appeared to the field. "And as he is a Dragon-type monster, he gains two hundred attack for every level star it possesses, which is two, meaning it gains four hundred attack points."
He has become a masterful duelist, his deck providing a very flexible amount of maneuverability. Illeya thought to herself. He has much improved over these past fifteen years.
"I also banish the Alexandrite Dragon sleeping in my graveyard, which allows me to increase my Star Eater's attack by an additional seven hundred!" Mateo called as his monster gained power from the Castle of Dragon Souls. And don't you worry about my Star Eater losing its attack when it attacks, because both the Castle of Dragon Souls and the Dragon Sanctuary continue to increase the attack of my monsters even if they become unaffected by card effects!"
"A masterful strategy, Mateo." Illeya commented. "You have truly become the master duelist I wanted you to be."
"Star Eater! Attack Neo-Parshath, the Sky Paladin with your Extreme Heat attack!" Mateo commanded as his immensely large dragon roared before breathing fire, blasting through the sanctuary, which opened to accommodate the blast, and destroyed Illeya's monster.
"Ahhhhh!"
Illeya: 3600 LP-1400 LP
"That was a brilliant attack." Illeya replied as the stones of the Dragon Sanctuary floated together to rebuild the mighty building. "And when you attack with the Dragonic Synchron, you will have defeated me."
"That's right. Now, Dragonic Synchron! Attack Illeya directly!" Mateo called as his monster breathed flame on Illeya, taking away the last of her life points.
Illeya: 1400 LP-0 LP
"Wonderful strategies, Mateo." Illeya replied as the monsters and the buildings of the duel vanished. Mateo looked at them as they faded, and then turned back to Illeya, and the table had been made whole with her standing in front of him. "You have the strength to defeat the darkness."
"It doesn't matter, Illeya. They broke my spirit."
"They're going to do a whole lot worse than that if you do nothing." Illeya replied. "I know that you were forced to do something terrible, but they plan on doing a lot worse."
"How do you know?"
"You may be their primary target, but they'll stop anyone who gets in the way. Come. Allow me to show you." Illeya turned and waved her hand, and a blue sky appeared before them. She turned to Mateo. "Follow me. And you will see the truth in the Darkness' motives."
Mateo looked from the sky to Illeya, and nodded. Illeya started walking to the portion of sky, with Mateo following. As they stepped through, Mateo found that he was suspended several meters above the air of the plaza in front of Yusei's house. In the middle was a Dark Seal. Inside, Shiho was dueling.