Bollocks! This hurts! What happened? Where am I? The last thing I remember was...
...
Wait a second. Stone walls? Medieval tapestry? And outside the window... it's the same grass field I've seen only in my memories and dreams.
(I..on...a?)
Am? Am I home? I haven't seen this view since...
...Since... what am I talking about? I've always lived here, haven't I?
(G...t...o...t!)
Oh? Someone is playing the piano. I remember it was down this hallway.
But there was something off. Why did I feel like the hallways were longer than they used to be? And weren't there more branching paths than just the door in front of me? I could have sworn that there wasn't just me and the door.
(...et...ut...! B...f...re... oo... te!)
Wait. I know this song. My mother always played it when we were in the music room. Is my mother behind the door? I haven't seen her in so long, and it has been longer still since I heard her play. I reached for the door—only to see someone grab my wrist.
The being wore a strange hood that covered his entire person. The over-the-top and mysterious cloak irked me for some reason. And then I remembered.
Paradox. Yuki. The Duel. Everything.
The area around me started to melt and what was once grand and ancient became distorted and dark with no sense of space and time. The door that I was about to enter turned into the jaw of some monster. With its guise gone, it quickly ran when the stranger grabbed my wrist.
The imposing man was silent, but his aura was too similar to the likes of the Revendread Slayer and Paradox. I mentally went through all the Shadow Riders and realized one of them never revealed themselves.
Until now.
"You. You're the first of the Shadow Riders, aren't you?" I gasped before the robed being removed his hand.
He pointed to my right, and I saw Honest flying towards me. "Wilona!" Wait, he looked injured. "Are you alright?"
"What happened to you?"
"Duel Spirits, especially those with light, usually do not last long in the Shadow Realm." I looked to the first Shadow Rider. His voice was strange, almost mechanical. But why did I have this weird feeling that he sounded familiar? "You are more powerful than you look."
As he turned to me, I couldn't see past his hood. "Let's talk more once we leave." With a wave of his hand, a portal opened underneath us. Instead of us falling through it, it swallowed the three of us whole, and we arrived right where I was dueling that masked dastard.
"What Paradox did. What he is doing. You weren't meant to be dragged into it." His words caught me by surprise. I could almost feel disdain even though he seemed to be masking his voice.
"Considering the alternative if your team wins? The end of this world does sound like I am involved in it whether I wanted to or not." I dusted myself off. Found that despite being beaten in a card game, I looked worse for wear. And my arm felt like it was beaten to a pulp despite no bone being broken.
I hissed as I grabbed it. It really did hurt for some reason. The First of the Ths Shadow Riders reached for something behind his cloak.
"Paradox has gone too far, and I will need help in stopping him. Take this and give this to the 8th Shadow Rider. I, too, figured out what Paradox's plan was. And I found out the 3rd had asked the 8th for help. The 8th, mysterious as he is, will no doubt help you in saving Jesse Anderson."
I raised my free arm as the First dropped a golden cube with a familiar eye symbol on it. Odd, I feel as if I've seen this symbol before? Oh, it looks like the Shadow Medallion. "How will this help?"
"It gives off the same energy as a Spirit Key. It will also allow you and him to enter a Shadow Game even if one is currently being played."
The 1st wanted me and another Shadow Rider to help Anderson? Granted, Paradox was someone I wouldn't mind falling into the abyss for eternity. But the situation must be terrible if the mysterious leader himself is getting the others and enemies to get rid of him.
Still, "Wait. Paradox messed with my friend, Yuki. He's being hurt by... something. And I feel by the time this is all finished, he might..."
He spoke before I realized what I was implying. "I will take that foreign disease out of him. You have my word." Odd, why do I trust him so completely? "But you must go. I cannot help more than I have now."
I fought the urge to blanch. It would be nice if the first and last Shadow Rider were to deal with Paradox. Maybe all three of them will even take each other out and save us all a headache outside of exams.
But I heard an explosion in the distance. My thought came back to me as I remembered Misawa and Princeton were preparing to face Slayer. Something told me Paradox already made his move. I ran ahead, hoping I could get to the others in time.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
The 1st watched Wilona leave with the Duel Spirit right behind her. When both were gone, the Shadow Rider heard a voice.
"What are you doing? Paradox has gathered more duel energy than all past riders put together. And he has not even dueled yet."
"The fight for the keys was supposed to be limited to the Keepers and the Riders, not civilians." The first sharply stated.
"Bah! The Fifth already broke that rule, and you did not do anything then."
The First stilled. "I was not expecting the scale she would achieve." And it was handled by the very person he is now attempting to stop. "You will get what you want in the end. Isn't that what matters?"
"That is true. But what of you? What is your stake in this?"
"You already know that."
"... I'm getting the feeling it's starting to change."
The First then vanished, leaving the second presence to stare at nothing but air.
Unfortunately for a one, Syrus Truesdale, he proceeded to scream not unlike a girl when a mysterious, tall, and cloaked being appeared in front of him and a weakened Jaden Yuki.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Later on, a Duel that decided the fate of the world played out as an unlikely trio faced the chaotic wild card of the war between Riders and Keepers.
"DUEL!" Paradox screamed as the 3 on 1 duel began.
Paradox: 4000 LP
Trio: 4000 LP
Turn 1.
"I take the first turn, so I draw!" The madman looked at his card. "I think it's time we kicked things off with a new friend! From my extra deck, I send one Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon to the graveyard to summon Malefic Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon!"
Wilona blinked. "Excuse me, I must have hit my head harder than I thought. What name did he just call out?"
"Considering I was just being attacked by dark energies, I might be in the same place as you, Wilona," Jesse rubbed his head as well. "Cause I never heard of a Galaxy-Eyes before."
As soon as Paradox entered the card into the graveyard, another card took its place on the field. Extraterrestrial was the word that came to everyone's mind. As its opening roar caused a shockwave that forced everyone but The 8th Shadow Rider to cover themselves, "Powerful" became the second word.
Malefic Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500]
But all three duelists, and those watching, saw the beast flicker in and out of existence.
"Uhh, might wanna fix your duel disk, buddy," Jesse looked at the creature. "Your monster ain't looking good."
No one noticed the 8th Shadow Rider tensing.
"Let's just say that I'm trying to stop something and that I'm not beyond using their own power to stop it." Paradox took a card out of his hand. "I place one card face down and end my turn.
Turn 2.
"So, who takes the first," Jesse got interrupted when the 8th Shadow Rider moved first and drew his card.
"I special summon Evil HERO Infernal Prodigy in defense position." As the armored and masked man exclaimed this, a strange but monstrous-looking human appeared into the field.
Evil HERO Infernal Prodigy [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Fiend/Attribute: DARK/Level: 3/ATK: 300/DEF: 600]
"Okay, my ears must be cursed now," Jesse looked over to his temporary ally. "Cause did he just call his monster a HERO?"
"I heard the word Evil. Demonic feels like it fits more." Wilona noted. "But Hero? Why Heroes?" And why, Wilona thought to herself again, was this Shadow Rider so familiar? It was weird how the last three Shadow Riders gave off that feeling that everyone met them before.
The 8th Shadow Rider reached for another card. "My monster can be special summoned if there are no monsters on my side of the field. Next, I tribute this monster to summon Evil HERO Malicious Edge!"
Evil HERO Infernal Prodigy [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Fiend/Attribute: DARK/Level: 3/ATK: 300/DEF: 600]
Edge became an appropriate word for the creature that soon appeared in the field. Just looking at the supposed hero threatened to cut something that wasn't its enemy.
Evil HERO Malicious Edge [Type:Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Fiend/Attribute: DARK/Level: 7/ATK: 2600/DEF: 1800]
"Malicious Edge can be tribute summoned with one card if there's a monster on my opponent's side of the field." The 8th Shadow Rider declared. Both Wilona and Jesse figured that it didn't have enough attack points to take on Galaxy-Eyes. But the devastating aura coming from the Shadow Rider clued to everyone that he wasn't done.
"I now play the Field Spell: Supreme King's Castle!" As the Shadow Rider placed a card into his field spot, the ground started to shake. Somehow the sky got darker while thunder loomed in the distance. A giant castle atop a mountain rose behind the three duelists and towered over the area.
"Uh, Wilona?" Jesse started as he started to realize what kind of "teammate" he had. "He is on our side, right?" The North Academy student didn't get an answer and saw Wilona focusing on the cards she drew. "Right?" He asked again.
Jesse noticed Wilona avoiding eye contact with him.
At that moment, The 8th Shadow Rider pointed to Malefic Galaxy-Eyes. "Battle! Malicious Edge attacks! Needle Hellstorm!"
The being wearing an unhealthy amount of leather smiled before he flew into the air and fired a storm of needles at the cosmic space dragon.
"I now activate My field spell's ability! I can send one Evil HERO from my deck or extra deck to the graveyard, then my monster gains attack points equal to its level multiplied by 200! I send a Level 5 monster from my deck to the grave, giving Edge an extra 1000 attack points!"
(2600 → 3600)
"I activate Malefic Galaxy-Eyes effect! When it's the battle step, I can banish both it and the attacking monster!"
As Malicious Edge flew towards the dragon, the cosmic beast unleashed a roar that dragged both it and the Evil HERO into what looked like a void.
Paradox pointed to the tear in space-time. "At the end of the battle step, both cards are brought back."
The two cards returned back to where they appeared. However, Edge retreated back to his owner.
"Now! Malefic Galaxy-Eyes ability activates! He gains 200 attack points for every level/rank my opponent's monster had!" The dragon unleashed a roar again as its points grew.
(3000 → 4400)
"Well, that don't look right." Jesse noticed as the already strong monster grew even stronger.
The 8th Shadow Rider took a card out from his hand. "I play one card down and activate Infernal Prodigy's effect that allows me to draw one card at the end phase."
(3600 → 2600)
Turn 3: Paradox. Cards: 4.
Paradox drew his next card. "Ahh? A shame. I can't use this card since only one Malefic Monster can appear on the field without my Field Spell. I suppose all I can do is attack your monster!" He moved and pointed towards Malicious Edge.
The flickering dragon gathered energy that looked akin to power from the cosmos itself. It then unleashed what Jesse would later describe as a "literal space laser". As the attack raced for the only monster on the field, the 8th Shadow Rider moved his hand. "My field spell is still in play! This time, I move a level 8 Fusion Monster from my extra deck to the graveyard!" (2600 → 4200)
"That's not enough!" Paradox exclaimed before the attack engulfed the only monster on the three's side of the field.
Paradox: 4000 LP
Team: 4000 → 3800 LP
Wilona and Jesse gasped as they felt something being pulled from their souls.
"Huh." Paradox put his hands on his hips. "Why didn't you send a level 10 or higher Fusion monster to your graveyard?"
The 8th made no response to Paradox's question. Instead, he pointed to his facedown, which was already flipped face up. "Before the battle, I activated this trap, Card of Sacrifice. If the combined attack points of my monsters are less than the points of my opponent's face-up Attack Position monster with the lowest attack points. In return for no longer being able to summon or change monster positions for the rest of this turn, I am allowed to draw two cards."
"Ahh. Mitigate the damage for more resources. Now, I see. And that drawback is easy to work around on a trap card." Paradox noted out loud. "Especially since that's all I can do for my turn."
Turn 4.
"Alright! Looks like it's my turn to take the lead!" Jesse exclaimed as he drew his next card. However, when he did, his smile faded as he looked at his hand.
"I guess I'll just put one facedown and call it a turn."
"Anderson?" Wilona turned to the North Academy student.
The teen rubbed the back of his head and gave a laugh that poorly hid his nervousness. "Bad time to draw bad cards, huh?"
Wilona looked down and saw Jesse's Spirit Key still glowing black.
Turn 5. Paradox. Cards: 5
"Now this is an interesting turn of events! It appears you're still cursed by the Dark Spirit Key! You still can't hear your buddies in your deck, can you?"
Wilona's eyes widened as Honest appeared beside her. "Honest?"
"I-I cannot sense a single one of the Crystal Beasts near Jesse." The Duel Spirit admitted.
"Yeah, I can't hear 'em either," Jesse said as he started to sweat but kept a smile. "I gotta admit, Wilona, I'm usually down for these kinda high stakes duels. But not without my friends, so uhhh."
Wilona could tell that even someone as calm and brave as Jesse was unnerved at the fact that his most trusted monsters have been sealed away. The green-haired girl realized that just like Jaden, Jesse also could duel against the odds. But that was only the case if he had those he trusted with him. Now? Without the support of the Crystal Beasts, all Jesse had to rely on was an enemy with a tenuous alliance and someone he knew by acquaintance because they shared the same friend. Wilona was surprised that he was still able to smile.
They were technically down one duelist. Though, it could be worse. If Jesse really was forced to Duel Paradox, he would have lost on Paradox's first turn.
Paradox drew his next card. "Finally! I play Malefic World!" As he exclaimed this, the dome around the three started to change into a dubious starry sky.
"Whoa! This is kinda pretty!" Jesse said aloud but noticed the looks on both Wilona and The 8th Shadow Rider gave to him. (More like he noticed the way the masked man gave an empty stare through the helm.) "I'm guessin' it's not harmless."
"It means everything just got worse," Wilona answered the transfer student.
Paradox took a car out of his hand. "I'm allowed to summon more than one Malefic Monster on the field!" Paradox took another card from his hand. "And I think I'll start off by bringing out this guy, Malefic Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!"
As he claimed this, a new dragon appeared on the field with a strange roar. It was a bizarre, almost circus-like dragon with jeweled bones and bright colors. However, like Galaxy-Eyes it flickered in and out of existence. It also had platings of white and black all over its body.
Malefic Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 7/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000]
"Alright, something ain't right. Why are those monsters acting like that?" Jesse asked aloud.
Paradox scoffed. "Well, honestly, they're not supposed to be here."
"Ya lost me. I understood more when I was being drained by the evil Spirit Key!" Jesse shouted back.
"That is all I'll say on that matter. In the meantime, I'll risk your facedowns for the game! Odd-Eyes attacks you directly!"
"Hold on! We ain't out of it yet! I play Rainbow Life! Instead of losing life points, we gain them instead! So we'll be takin' that there 2500 life points!~"
Paradox: 4000 LP
Team: 3800 → 6300 LP
"I ain't going down yet!" Jesse raised his fist up.
"Very well. In that case, I may as well and bring this bad boy out to play. By sending Borreload Dragon, I now special summon Malefic Borreload Dragon!"
The dragon that came out next exuded pure destructive force. It looked futuristic as it combined both the aspects of a dragon with the robotic enhancements of a gun. Despite looking purely like a machine, its eyes glowed with pride, daring all to fight every ounce of its strength. Even when enslaved by Paradox, some had the feeling it wasn't changed all that much.
Malefic Barreload Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 0]
Wilona raised her brow when she saw the card Paradox put in before this new monster. It looked like a Ritual Card, but something felt off. Did she see arrows on it? But she got distracted as all three dragons flickered in and out of existence as if they weren't meant to be there.
"So that's what's going on." Of all people, Jesse and Wilona turned to the 8th Shadow Rider. "Those monsters that flicker: they're from alternate futures."
"I beg your pardon?" "The what?" The two students asked at the same time.
The 8th glanced briefly at the two. "To keep things to the point, those cards are stolen from alternate futures. I've seen multiple ways to do it, but the one Paradox is seemingly using is unstable. I believe that instead of stealing them, he's copying their power. That is why they're flickering. They're all paradoxes of their counterparts that exist both here and where they're from."
"Sounds complex, but I get the feelin' that he named himself for that reason," Jesse focused back on the duel.
"I don't just steal cards from the alternate futures. I can even steal cards from the not-so-distant future. Isn't that right, Wilona?" Even with a mask, they could all hear his teasing tone.
Wilona flinched as she recalled the two cards Paradox revealed to her during their duel.
"Hey, what did he mean by that?" Jesse asked the other student.
"Why don't you find out? I end my turn there!" Paradox declared.
Turn 6. Cards: 5.
"Come on, Girlie. Let's see you do better than last time." Paradox stretched his hand out and motioned the girl to take a go at him.
Wilona didn't fall for the taunt and silently drew her next card. When she did, she started to recall something about their last duel, and now again that Paradox briefly went through.
Still, "I activate Tenacity of the Monarch! By revealing Caius from my hand, I can add one Monarch Spell or Trap Card to my hand! Then, I'll activate it! I play Pantheism of the Monarchs! By discarding one card, I can draw two cards!" When the girl finished that part of her combo, she eyed the new Malefic Dragon. "I now activate a trap card from the graveyard! By banishing Tenacity, I can use The Prime Monarch as a monster! And I special summon it to the field in defense position!"
Wilona reached for the card she just discarded and placed it on her duel disk. When she did, an elegant and mystical being formed into the field.[ATK: 1000/DEF: 2400]
"Now, I sacrifice this trap to tribute summon Caius, The Shadow Monarch!"
As she claimed this, the light being shattered into pieces. Its pieces fell to the ground and turned dark before they formed together into Caius, whose cape extended as he fully formed.
Caius The Shadow Monarch. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Fiend/Attribute: DARK/Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1000]
"Good to see that monster on our side!" Jesse exclaimed as he recalled how that monster gave Chazz trouble during her time being hypnotized.
Wilona pointed towards Borreload Dragon. "I activate Caius' effect! When tribute summoned, I can target and banish one card on the field!"
Paradox smirked behind his mask. (Oh no. I'm not going to tell her that Borreload is untargetable by even my effects. She's going to have to learn that herself.)
"And I choose Malefic World!"
Paradox snapped out of his stupor when he heard Wilona declare the Field Spell instead of the untargetable monster. "I activate Borreload's quick effect! I can make a monster lose 500 attack and defense points, and I'm using it on Caius!"
The Malefic Dragon fired what looked to be dragon fire in the form of a bullet that smashed into the head of the Shadow Monarch. [ATK: 2400 → 1900/DEF: 1000→ 500] However, the dark one stood his ground, summoned an orb, and used it to suck in Paradox's field spell.
"I remember what you said, Paradox," Wilona yelled even as Caius' Black Hole kept going on. "You can't summon more than one different Malefic Monster without your field spell. Now that it's gone? All your monsters are going to leave the field."
As she claimed this, the three flickering dragons roared as they too were pulled into Caius' power.
"Now, Caius, attack Paradox directly!" The green-haired girl declared.
"Nice try, but I still have my fa—" From above, a dozen or so arrows stabbed and pinned down Paradox's set card. The second Shadow Rider looked back at Wilona, only to see her holding a card out. Anti-Magic Arrows: a quick-play spell card that nullified other traps and spells from activating during the battle phase.
Paradox looked up again, only to see Caius over him with a giant orb of darkness.
He didn't even have time to gasp as the attack slammed him head-on.
Paradox: 4000 → 2100 LP
Team: 6300 LP
Even though the trio literally had 3 times the amount of life points as their opponent, they all knew how wild and unpredictable Paradox was.
"I end my turn there," Wilona exclaimed.
Turn 7: Paradox. Cards: 3.
Before Paradox reappeared, the trio could hear laughter coming from the smoke.
It was calm.
At first.
Then it started to grow into a crescendo of maniacal laughter.
"Ah. There's just something liberating about having a void blast explode directly to the face." Paradox calmed down and dusted himself off. "It seems I am without a way to defend myself. ~Whatever shall I do~?"
Paradox drew his next card, and the three could tell by his body language that this was not a good sign for any of them.
"Alright. Let's get this started! I send Rainbow Dragon from my Extra Deck to the graveyard!"
"Wait! What did you say!?" Jesse shouted as Wilona stopped breathing for a second, and the 8th Shadow Rider stilled after hearing that name.
"Oh?" Paradox fiddled with a card in his hand. "The 8th was right in that I do copy and steal cards from alternate futures. But it's not just alternate futures. I can even steal cards from a few years from now! And guess what you find, Jesse Anderson!?"
"No! There's no way!" The Crystal Beast Duelist's eyes started to shake as if he was losing focus.
"Stay calm." The 8th tried to say.
"No! Don't stay calm! Especially when I special Summon Malefic Rainbow Dragon!"
Malefic Rainbow Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 0]
Wilona knew what was coming. She remembered one of the monsters that made her lose in the first place. What she wasn't expecting, but dreading, was seeing Jesse's reaction to someone getting and perverting the monster he's been spending so much time looking for.
Sadly, it was worse than she thought.
When Rainbow Dragon appeared, Wilona saw how Jesse tried to smile at seeing his dream dragon. But the longer he looked at it, the more he saw the light in his eye die as he witnessed the enslaved dragon that was meant to be his.
"I now activate the Equip Spell, Malefic Anchor, and give it to Malefic Rainbow Dragon!" Paradox pointed to the sky. "Now, I activate Malefic Rainbow Dragon's effect! By removing all Malefic Monsters from my grave and banishing them, I can shuffle all cards on the field back to their decks!"
The dragon unleashed a devastating wave that sent all cards from the field to the graveyard. However, Paradox's Equip Card started to glow.
"Malefic Anchor activates! If an effect forces an equipped Malefic Monster to leave the field via card effect or destruction, then the equipped monster gains immunity to that effect once per turn! In other words, this card prevents Rainbow Dragon from leaving the field through his own effect!"
As the equip spell left the field, everyone realized that only Rainbow Dragon remained.
"When this equip spell leaves the field, I'm allowed to draw one more card." Paradox explained as he did so. "But I am far from done! If you thought all I needed was one field spell, You're sorely mistaken! I play my new field spell, Malefic Horizon!"
As soon as Paradox exclaimed this, everyone expected the world to turn back into the space zone as Malefic World. Instead, the sky behind Paradox started to crack until it reached the size of the main school building. The sky behind the Shadow Rider shattered, and everyone still conscious could see the swirling energy of the Malefic World.
"Malefic Horizon allows me to Special Summon one Malefic Monster from my Graveyard or Banish Pile once per turn so long as their "tributes" are in my graveyard." He raised his hand out as the vortex swirled and created a storm inside the Shadow Dome. "I bring back Malefic Borreload Dragon!"
Familiar claws grabbed onto the edges of the vortex. The dragon pushed its head out of the swirl and gave off a roar that created another shockwave before flying to rejoin Malefic Rainbow Dragon.
"Their total points equal 7000; more than our life points," Wilona noted before she looked over to Jesse, who was still stunned at seeing the dragon he's been searching for all his life... enslaved and perverted by his current opponent.
However, she was forced to keep her guard up when their opponent started to move. "It's time for everyone's favorite game! Can you survive this direct attack!?" Paradox pointed to the trio. "What happens next will surprise you! Let's start off with Malefic Borreload Dragon!"
Wilona took a step back when she saw the dragon firing a powerful bullet-shaped fireball towards them. But the 8th Shadow Rider took a card out of his hand.
"When under a direct attack, I can summon Fiend of the Concealing Light in attack mode!"
As he played the card in his elaborate Duel Disk, a being similar to Swordsman of Revealing Light appeared, but instead of plating, his armor was adorned with skulls and spikes similar to that of the 8th Shadow Rider.
Fiend of Concealing Light. [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Fiend/Attribute: DARK/Level: 8/ATK: 0/DEF: 2400]
Everyone in the duel noticed the lack of attack points on the monster just summoned. Paradox, on the other hand, was the first to speak, "Huh, in attack mode? You know what? I'm a gambling man, so show me what ability it has! Alright, Malefic Borreaload, take on this monster!" Paradox cried out.
The bolt went for the warrior clad in black.
"Fiend of Concealing Light will activate its ability! If it is summoned by its own effect, it gains the power to switch the attack and defense of both itself and the attacking monster during the damage step!"
"That will end the duel in our favor!" Wilona cried out as she noticed Borreaload had no defense points whatsoever.
Yet Paradox remained eerily calm. "Borreaload still has a quick effect! I can make you lose 500 attack and defense points!"
(DEF: 2400 → 1900)
(ATK: 0 → 1900/DEF: 1900 → 0) VS (ATK: 3000 → 0/DEF: 0 → 3000)
The armored fiend summoned six blades of black light and sent them flying through the air. They cut through Borreload's attack and stabbed into the monster, turning the machine dragon into pieces of scrap metal.
Paradox: 2100 → 200 LP
Trio: 6300 LP
Both of Paradox's monsters had 0 Defense points. If Rainbow Dragon were to attack, Paradox would lose the game. But on the bright side, it was almost Paradox's end of the turn. The 8th would be more than strong enough to finish the last of Paradox's life points.
Yet, those in the duel knew something was off as Paradox still showed no signs of being surprised. He pointed to Fiend of Concealing Light. "As handy as that card is, I sense there's more stipulation to being able to reverse situations like that."
For a moment, the 8th Shadow Rider was silent. "At the end of the turn, he goes to defense mode and loses his ability to switch attack and defense points. It is not a drawback when it gets to my turn."
"Oh~?" Wilona's eyes widened when she saw Paradox reach for one of the two remaining cards in his hands. "I discard one card from my hand to activate Diablerie of the Paradox Goddess!"
As he claimed this spell card, everyone watched as a woman wearing an iron mask styled in Malefic armor appeared. Her hands and legs were bound, but her staff floated beside her. The staff had a crack in the center of her crystal and alternated between black and white glowing.
"Tell me, are you all aware of the Valkrie Archetype?" Paradox began before he motioned his hand. "Well, they have a card that I thought was just too good not to steal and make it my own! Diablerie of the Paradox Goddess allows me to skip my opponent's next turn and restart at my next battle phase!"
"What?!" The 8th cried out in alarm for the first time in his stoic nature.
"And he broke his poker face first. Of course," Despite the girl's biting sarcasm, Wilona was worried that between the two Shadow Rider's facades, their ally was the first to break his.
The chained being's staff glowed and distorted the air around the dome. Fiend of Concealing Light moved into a defensive position against its will.
Turn 9: Paradox. Cards: 0.
"Rainbow Dragon! Destroy that annoying monster!" Paradox cried out as the monster meant for Jesse destroyed the last defending monster, making their field empty again.
"Now it's time for my main phase two again! I activate my Field Spell, and this time, I'm bringing back Malefic Galaxy-Eyes Dragon!" Out of the tear, the first of the flickering dragons returned to the field in a majestic roar.
Malefic Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: DARK/Level: 8/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2500]
"Next, I'll activate a trap card that I sent to the graveyard two turns ago!" Everyone could tell he was smirking as Paradox said those last words. "Fragmented Time Stream. By Banishing this trap on the turn it's not sent to the graveyard, I can draw two cards." He did so. "Now, I set them both and give my turn... to Jesse."
Turn 10: Jesse. Cards: 4.
"Wait, what!?" Wilona screamed. "But it's supposed to be..."
"His spell card that skipped a turn," The 8th interrupted. "With how we structured turns in this duel, he skipped my turn. It is now Jesse's turn."
Wilona knew this was bad, especially as she noticed that Jesse was still looking over at his dragon in shock. If Jesse draws as poorly as he did on his first turn, then Paradox would simply bring out powerful Malefic Monsters and clear the rest of their life points! The girl opened her mouth to say something.
Instead, a gasp escaped her as something like a black laser pierced through her heart.
Jesse snapped out of his stupor and screamed. "Wilona!?" He yelled before he saw where the attack came from: not from Paradox, but their ally Shadow Rider!?
Honest unfurled his wings and glared impressively at the 8th. "What have you done!?"
Being non-pulsed, the armored Rider told his answer, "I gave us a fighting chance against the Cursed Key."
The two turned back to the girl, who seemed to catch herself from falling. However, where she was shot, a dark hole started to appear on her right shoulder. The black dot started to grow and grow until something slithered up from Wilona's left foot and swallowed the dot like a snake would. The shadow grew, gaining familiar glowing and ghostly green light for its eyes and maw.
Wilona remembered where she saw such a thing. When she and Jaden first entered the abandoned dorms, they all entered into a dark world where these strange beings of ghostly fire and shadow almost ate them whole.
"You were in the Realms of Darkness, weren't you?" The 8th lowered his hand. "It appears someone hitched a ride on you when you left. But it works perfectly for us at this moment."
"What are you?" Jesse couldn't speak as the small version of the being jumped off Wilona's shoulder and started to latch itself onto Jesse's cursed Spirit Key. Jesse panicked for a second until he saw the small being of darkness starting to devour the dark aura around his Spirit Key.
"It is a Being of Darkness. Or rather, a baby Darkness. I simply gave it the incentive to eat the dark energies of the Cursed Key." The 8th continued to say.
As the darkness of the Spirit Key started to fade, over half a dozen voices cried out, "Jesse!"
The Crystal Beast Duelist's eyes widened, and a smile appeared on his lips when he heard that voice. "Guys!? Where have you been!?"
Even though many voices tried to explain that they were hindered in some way, Jesse seemed to physically relax as he felt their presence again. Wilona instantly noticed that when Jesse opened his eyes, he reminded her of a certain Slifer Ace.
"Are you finally ready to duel as you mean it?" Wilona put her free hand on her hip.
"Yeah," The blue-haired teen smiled at the Slifer Red Girl. "I gotta thank you both ya'll too. It woulda been messy if you didn't come up with backup." Jesse looked up to Malefic Rainbow Dragon. "But I gotta admit, Paradox, I should be thanking ya too!"
The opposing Shadow Rider shook his head and sighed. "Darn it. I was so close to winning."
Jesse didn't hear that and went on. "Now I know exactly what I'm looking for!" He reached for his deck and drew his card. He put it down and reached for another card in his hand. "I play Trap Booster! This Quick Play Spell card allows me to discard one more card so I can play a trap card from my hand! I choose Graverobber!"
A familiar toon-like goblin appeared with a fishing hook. He cast the rod where the hook flew into Paradox's graveyard, and when he yanked the rod back, a card flew all the way to Jesse.
The North Academy Student took the card. As he did, he took a second to really take in the features of Rainbow Dragon. "It's great to finally meet ya. I'm Jesse; I'm gonna be your future partner." Jesse looked back to the field. "I ain't done! See that card I discarded? It was a spell card called Card of Compensation! When this spell card is sent from the hand to the graveyard, I can draw two more cards! ... I now play the card I drew, Painful Choice! I pick five cards from my deck, and you gotta choose one I keep while the rest go the graveyard!"
Jesse soon showed his cards: Ruby Carbuncle, Sapphire Pegasus, Amethyst Cat, Topaz Tiger, and Amber Mammoth.
"I choose Topaz Tiger." Paradox said as the other cards went to the graveyard.
Jesse added another card to his hand. "Oh, and one of the cards I drew with Card of Compensation was Graceful Charity! I draw 3 and discard two!"
"You have got to be kidding me." Paradox slumped as he saw how the turn continued. "How lucky are you?!"
"It ain't luck! My deck is more than cards: it's family! And we're going to show how much our bonds can beat even all your time-stolen monsters!" Jesse pumped his fist.
However, even with a mask, Paradox gave a look that spoke like he didn't believe in that.
Yet Jesse continued on. "I now summon Topaz in attack mode!"
Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Beast/Attribute: EARTH/Level: 4/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1000]
The Crystal Beast gave off a roar that reveled in its restored freedom. "It is good to be back!"
"And now! When I have seven or more Crystal beast monsters... besides the five from Painful Choice, I also sent Silver Wolf and Cobalt Eagle to my grave! But anyway! When there are 7 different names in my field and Graveyard, I can special summon Rainbow Dragon!" Jesse declared as he slammed the card on his Duel Disk.
Then an explosion of light broke through the Shadow Game dome, and out appeared Rainbow Dragon. It too gave off a roar as if basking in its freedom. To many, the image of the dragon behind Jesse simply looked as if it was always meant to be.
Rainbow Dragon [Type: Effect Monster/Sub-Type: Dragon/Attribute: LIGHT/Level: 10/ATK: 4000/DEF: 0]
And when Rainbow Dragon appeared on Jesse's field, Malefic Rainbow Dragon started to flicker in and out of existence.
"I activate one of Rainbow Dragon's abilities! By sending all Crystal beast monsters from my field to the graveyard, Rainbow Dragons 1000 extra attack points! And even though it's just one, that's more than enough for your remaining life points!"
(ATK: 4000 → 5000)
"Rainbow Dragon, end this duel!" Jesse cried out as Topaz's power went into the dragon. "Attack your Malefic Counterpart!"
Rainbow Dragon started to gather energy before firing a majestic beam of the spectrum towards the opposing dragon.
Paradox sighed. "Such a shame. I play my trap card, Gift Card. This trap card gives my opponent 3000 Life Points."
Paradox: 200 LP
Trio: 6300 → 9300 LP
"What? Why did he just increase our life points?" Wilona asked out loud.
The 8th Shadow Rider wondered this too until he spotted Paradox reach for the other facedown.
"I reveal my final trap: Self-Destruct Button! This trap card can only be activated if I have lower life points than my opponent and the difference is 7000 or more points." A podium with a giant red button appeared next to Paradox. "The effect of this card is that it turns both sides' life points to 0."
He then raised his fist and slammed into the button before Rainbow Dragon's attack could connect. When he did, his monsters and the field spell created a chain explosion.
Fires spread towards Jesse and Wilona. At that moment, Rainbow Dragon coiled around the two before they could be consumed by the attack.
Paradox: 200 → 0 LP
Trio: 9300 → 0 LP
(Draw!)
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
As the dust settled, Paradox walked out while dusting himself off. He looked towards the opposite end where Rainbow Dragon faded, but Wilona and Jesse seemed unconscious. The Shadow Rider raised his hand, and Rainbow Dragon flew out of Jesse's duel disk and back into the Shadow Rider's hand.
"Sorry, you can't use this card yet. But I have to admit, you using it before your ready is still a sight to behold." Paradox looked back to see Jesse's Spirt Key relight with a dark glow. It flew out of the unconscious boy's person and flew into the sky. He also noticed the Being of Darkness The 8th Shadow Rider used to sic on the Cursed Key was now the size of a watermelon. It hissed in pain as it crawled; no doubt it was hurt by the Light of Rainbow Dragon. But eventually, it reached Wilona and sunk into her shadow.
Paradox saw more of the dust settle to see...
"Ah, 3rd! You've regained some of your strength I see." Both the 3rd and the 8th Shadow Rider stood across from the 2nd Shadow Rider. "How are you feeling?"
"I feel the need to hit something with enough force to shatter a skyscraper." Revendread Slayer responded with his eyes ablaze. "You seem to fit my specific criteria."
"Ah, do what you want.~ I've already done my part." Paradox tilted his mask towards the other two. They could tell he was smirking at them.
Revendread Slayer stepped forward until the 8th motioned a hand to stop him. "And what part is that?" The 8th asked Paradox.
"Simple: take you two out of the Shadow Wars. The higher-ups didn't like you two snooping around. So I made a deal with them. They let me... bypass a few rules when I want... and I take you two out before you actually won the Sacred Beasts away." Paradox glanced to the 8th Shadow Rider. "My original plan was to goad you into dueling me after I defeated Mr. Not-Blue-Man-from-Las-Vegas."
"Higher-ups?" Revendread Slayer raised his brow before his eyes narrowed after realizing the word was for plurals, not singular beings. "So the First Shadow Rider did have a master."
"Master isn't the right word." Paradox folded his arms. "But like I told him, I don't quite care about the Sacred Beasts. I care about who uses them."
"You sound like you're not interested in using them yourself." The 8th Shadow Rider noted.
"Ueegh." He shrugged his shoulders. "The thought crossed my mind. But seriously, what more can I do with knock-off Egyptian God Cards? An empty and destroyed world doesn't exactly create... what I'm aiming for."
The opposing Shadow Riders noticed that Paradox almost slipped in revealing what his true goals were.
Paradox looked past the two. "But I know when it's time to leave the stage for a reprieve. See you both soon." With that, Paradox left. The remaining two Shadow Riders sensed more people coming and quickly left the area as well.
At the same time, Jaden, Syrus, Chancellor Shepard, Professor Banner, Professor Crowler, and the rest of the Music Club reached the dueling zone.
"Guys!" Jaden cried out as he ran up to both Jesse and Wilona. The others also ran towards anyone else standing around from the fierce duels that night.
[Tag Force: Heroes and Villains]
Jesse groaned when sunlight hit his face. He usually rose when the sun did, but even the best morning people would have problems waking up after a night of aches, pain, and battling dark magic. As he regained his senses, he found himself back in the Nurse's office, only this time he was on the bed instead of...
"Jay!" Jesse got up only to wince as he did. "Is he alright?!"
He looked to his right to see Jaden, sitting on a chair, snoring with his mouth open and a snot bubble growing and shrinking as he breathed in and out. Past Jaden, Wilona seemed to be sleeping on another bed.
"Sure. Shout in the morning," A posh and annoyed voice came from a decidedly not-sleeping girl. Wilona slowly got up. "That's totally what you and I need from last night."
"Oh, Wilona. You alright?" Jesse asked as he relaxed.
"Alright? I woke up hours ago when this fool started snoring." She got up slowly and motioned to the idiot sleeping between their beds. "Guess what happened when I was finally about to sleep?"
"What happened?" Jesse asked too innocently, not remembering his scream that only seemed to wake the green-haired girl.
"... Sod it. I'm too tired for this." The girl sighed and rested in her bed. "You should get some rest too. Yuki is free of the curse."
"Oh." Jesse spotted Jaden's arms, and it seemed much better than before. "Hey, Wilona?"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks. Ya look scary- and ya are, but I kinda got the feeling that even after Paradox beat ya, I found ya hightailing it over to help my sorry behind."
"You better appreciate it. I don't usually do this sort of thing." Wilona realized something: before coming to this school, she never sacrificed anything without something in return, sans her mother.
"And I never seen a place filled with people who could see spirits like me! Duel Academy sure is a lot of fun. Shame I gotta leave by the end of the year."
Those words, while kind, made Wilona groan even harder. "The end of the year is coming, isn't it? I still have to prep the club for this year's school party."
"I'm looking forward to that! J told me that you made your own song!"
Wilona looked back at the sleeping Jaden before turning to Jesse. "He told you about that?" She thought back to when she played Jaden a few notes of what she had. "I wasn't finished. I still am not."
"But I wanna hear it soon, though! From the sounds of it, the song rocks!"
Wilona thought back. Before everyone, she would like her mother to hear the song first. She's postponed her hobby for so long because of all the recent events.
But then her mind went back to the first Shadow Rider. "I will try, but we do recall that there's only one Key Keeper and one Shadow Rider left, right?"
"Ah," Jesse's mood fell, and Wilona had the feeling she shouldn't have brought it up. "What's he like."
"Well, he's not like Paradox, so that's an obvious plus," The girl scoffed. "He does seem to have a sense of honor in him. But if he's anything like the 3rd Shadow Rider..."
Would Jaden be enough to face the leader of the Shadow Riders by himself when it took tag duels to take down the likes of Paradox and Revendread Slayer?
"He either wins, or the world is doomed. That's a fun thought to think." The green-haired girl released a sigh.
"It's fine. He's got us to keep him in check." Wilona wondered how optimistic those two could really be.
"Us? I seem to clearly recall you two attempting to duel on the Slifer Red Roof thinking, and I quote, "Rad as heck!". Only to then get both of your feet stuck when your weight made you fall through." Even a deaf person could hear Wilona's accusing tone as she started. "Remind me again who had to get the teachers while the other Slifer Red just started to panic and make everything worse!?"
As Jesse and Wilona started a new banter, the two didn't realize Jaden stopped snoring.
He was glad his friends were alright.
... The same could not be said for both Chazz and Bastion, who were also similarly injured from their duels. Neither wanted to be woken up by the banter between their piers.
As one could imagine, it was not a pleasant school morning for them.
{Author Notes}
Finally done with this chapter! It took a bit, but I wanted the duel to half-reflect the BBT movie: with a Character regaining a stolen monster. But as much as I wanted Jesse to deliver the final blow, I had to write Paradox forcing the duel to another Draw. The reason why was because of how I constructed the story. If Paradox lost, I would have to write things like how Jesse would lose and more on the 8th Shadow Rider, which I'm keeping on the down-low as humanly possible for obvious reasons that I think all of you know why.
So the draw was sadly more for the story than the characters.
But you know what this means? With only one person from each side remaining, the end of the season is coming up. I AM BEYOND EXCITED to write the season one ending. This has been years in the making, including failed fics, and I'm finally reaching something that I've been meaning to write for a long time.
So I'll leave you with the card details I changed up. The next chapter might come soon if I plan things correctly.
Thanks for reading.
[Changes in dueling!]
More Malefic fun facts. I didn't want the opening move with Malefic World again, mostly because I did it in the last duel(s). But in the anime rules, Malefic Monsters self-destruct if there is no field spell. I borrowed the TCG ruling where only one Malefic Monster can exist.
Malefic Galaxy-Eyes: Yeah. I went there. I thought it would be fun to see Paradox wielding cards from deeper into the future. Why can he access potentially different timelines? Uhh... look over there! A distraction!
Malefic Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon: Oh wow. Lookie here. Another dragon from an alternate future. (Yuya's dragon turned malefic.)
Malefic Borreload Dragon: This dragon is too badass. It might be the only way I could bring it to feasibly exist in GX without bringing all the other mechanics in.
Card of Sacrifice: Anime-only card.
Malefic Anchor: an equip spell to help navigate through Rainbow Dragon's malefic effect.
Malefic Horizon: I thought putting up the same field spell twice in duels not too far from each other would be predictable. So, I created a new Malefic Field Spell.
Fiend of Concealing Light: A version of Swordsman of Revealing Light I created to make this specific situation.
Diablerie of the Paradox Goddess: A malefic version of Mischief of the Time Goddess. The TCG version had combo potential.
Trap Booster: again, this is probably an anime-only card.
Fragmented Time Stream: I needed Paradox to get two more cards.
Card of Compensation: I liked this manga card when I found it. It basically gives a plus one to any discarded cards.
