This story was done in collaboration between me and Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and we both own the OCs that are used in the story. Everything else belongs to their respective owners:
Thomas and Friends (c) Hit Entertainment and Mattel
The Railway Series (c) Rev Wilbert Awdry
Yu-Gi-Oh! (c) Konami
WARNING: This story is rated T for some violence. Viewer discretion may be advised.
Opening up on top of the Boxford Corp blimp, Lady Stone, 15-years old, was waiting for Dark Marik, her opponent in the Battle City Finals, to arrive.
"My name is Lady Stone," narrated Lady, "I was competing in the finals of the Battle City tournament, hosted by Boxford Corporation and its CEO, Spencer Gresley," As the narration continued, Recap Dark Marik finally arrived on scene, "My opponent is someone who claims to be the real Marik Ishtar. Having done well in San Francisco, I thought I'd do well here, too."
"The shadows are hungry," remarked Recap Dark Marik, eyeing Recap Lady, "A young girl like you will be a…most interesting appetizer."
Recap Lady just activated her Duel Disk in response—just before getting into a dueling position.
"Spare me the small talk," she said bravely, "I know you have a 'God' Card in your Deck, and I aim to challenge and defeat it!"
Hearing that tone of voice made Recap Dark Marik chuckle as he activated his own Duel Disk in response.
"Prepare for an experience like none you've ever experienced in your life!" warned Recap Dark Marik.
"Oh please, you don't scare me," Recap Lady scoffed.
Recap Dark Marik glared fiendishly, "Oh?" he uttered teasingly, "Then why do I sense the fear in your eyes?"
Just then, Recap Roland walked up to the center of the field in order to announce for the duel to commence.
"Lady Stone and Marik Ishtar, begin the fourth duel!" ordered Recap Roland.
The two duelists drew their opening hands and began the duel. Eventually, as the duel went through its early stages, Recap Lady got the edge over Recap Dark Marik's strategies—or so she thought.
"Playtime's over!" shouted Recap Dark Marik, pointing the glowing Millennium Rod forth, "I'm going to sacrifice you to the darkness, Polly Stone! Let the Shadow Game begin!"
Soon, the whole top of the blimp was covered in thick, purple fog.
"Welcome to the Shadow Realm!" cackled Recap Dark Marik, "The darkness hungers for potential sacrifices!"
"W-What is this fog?" exclaimed Recap Lady, looking around, "I know I've seen it somewhere before, but I-!"
"You're about to experience the world's most terrifying game," Recap Dark Marik interrupted, not letting up with his threats (promises), "There is no going back now, Polly Stone!"
"I was forced into a Shadow Game, where I experienced illusions unlike anything I've ever seen," continued Lady, as her recap self heard what she was being thrown into, "At first I didn't know what I was getting into."
"Now this duel will get a few new…interesting twists," continued Recap Dark Marik, looking very eager to torture someone, "For example; look at your only monster."
Recap Lady took a look at the request… There she saw a red wire being connected to the back of 'Amazoness Swords Woman' all the way towards her chest.
"What is this?!" she demanded, "This string is connected to my monster and me!"
"Heh! Since you're participating in this Shadow Game, you should know what that wire is," teased Recap Dark Marik, "But I'll give you a hint; it's a link to your very life."
Later, during Recap Lady's Battle Phase…
"'Amazoness Swords Woman', strike back at 'Makyura the Destructor'!" ordered Lady, just as 'Amazoness Swords Woman' slashed 'Makyura the Destructor' in half with her sword "Amazoness Slash!"
Seconds later, both halves of 'Makyura the Destructor' shattered into shards of glass.
"Take that, you creep!" cheered Recap Lady.
Suddenly, she heard some sinister laughter coming from Recap Dark Marik, making her confused and such. Dark Marik continued to chuckle as…blood came splurging from his neck.
"Well done," The evil man said in a creepy tone (LP: 2550 → 2050), "You took away more of my LP."
Suddenly, with little warning, Recap Dark Marik's head…fell off his shoulders and onto the ground, leaving behind a very bloody mess coming from Dark Marik's neck (both body and head). Terrified out of her mind, Recap Lady let out a shriek like no other.
"Y-Your head!" stammered Recap Lady.
"That was a very nice hit, indeed," Recap Dark Marik continued, sounding more creepy than normal while also using his headless body (the upper body was also covered in disgusting, oozing blood) to pick up his head and reattach it to his body, staining his right hand with even more blood in the process, "It was nicer for me."
"Now I understood what Marik meant," narrated Lady grimly, "Even though I was winning the duel, I was not having a good time."
'Makyura the Destructor', meanwhile, slashed at 'Amazoness Swords Woman' with its claws, leaving red claw marks on the monster before the wounds ended up destroying her.
"AUGH!" screamed Recap Lady, dropping to her knees and clutching her chest in pain, "W-What's…?" Bringing her free hand up, she saw…blood, "I'm…bleeding?!"
Recap Dark Marik laughed maniacally while Recap Lady shivered like a leaf in terror.
"With Thomas's help, I was able to resume my focus in defeating Marik," reassured Lady, as her recap self stood back up, "As terrifying as his tricks were, I could still win the duel—and there was one way I believed would cripple his Deck."
Before being dragged under, 'Amazoness Chain Master' twirled her chain around before throwing it.
"When this card is destroyed and sent to the GY: I can pay 1000 LP; I must…" The voice of Recap Lady explained, as the chain collided with Dark Marik's Deck, "…look at my opponent's Deck, then add 1 monster from their Deck to my hand! And there's one card I want from it…"
The chain pierced Recap Dark Marik's Deck and dragged a card out of it. Lady caught it and held it ('The Winged Dragon of Ra') out her opponent to see.
"'The Winged Dragon of Ra'!" announced Recap Lady, smirking with triumph.
"By taking 'Ra' from Marik, I figured I could beat him using it," recalled Lady, as 'Harpie Lady Sisters' took to the field before being absorbed into a huge, forming tornado. Recap Dark Marik initially looked furious when he saw Flashback Thomas using the Millennium Puzzle to bestow some power to Recap Lady to allow her some partial control of the 'Egyptian God' monster, but quickly smiled with satisfaction, "First I gathered three monsters, then I Tributed them."
"Come forth, 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'!" shouted Recap Lady, while holding her card ('The Winged Dragon of Ra') up high before slamming it down onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Disk.
A large light shined from the clouds as an object slowly descended. When the light faded away, floating in the sky…was just a giant gold sphere of a sort.
"What is that thing?" asked Recap Lady in surprise.
"That's 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'!" cackled Recap Dark Marik, "It is currently locked within its Sphere Mode just waiting to be released by you."
"But…how do I even use it?" recoiled Recap Lady, looking up in complete shock.
"If you can't get 'Ra' to transform into its battle mode, you'll experience more pain and torture next turn…" reminded Recap Dark Marik, before spreading his arms out, "C'mon already, pray to the 'Egyptian Gods'!"
"Yes, I made a huge mistake by Summoning 'God'," Lady admitted, as her recap self made a Set card appear on the field near her feet—but it was soon returned to her hand though the effect of 'Holding Legs', "I initially thought I could at least protect myself with 'Gravity Bind', but that was a bust when Marik Summoned 'Holding Legs'."
From behind Recap Lady, a huge stone tablet emerged from the ground.
"Huh?!" wailed Recap Lady, turning around in shock, "A wall?!"
"This is 'Sacred Stone of Ojhat'," replied Recap Dark Marik sadistically, "And it will be the key element to prevent you from leaving here alive… Do it, 'Holding Arms' and 'Holding Legs'!"
The two respective shackles attached themselves to Recap Lady.
"Hey!" she exclaimed, "Let me go!"
The two monsters then sealed themselves into the wall, completely preventing Recap Lady from trying to escape.
"This is a Shadow Game, little girl," reminded Recap Dark Marik, "Meaning that everything you experience here is real. Soon, you shall be nothing more than little scraps…" He lost his smile and swung his right arm about, "NOW FACE THE DARKNESS, POLLY STONE! DIRECT ATTACK, NOW!"
'Holding Arms' and 'Holding Legs' both obeyed, shocking Recap Lady and causing her to scream in agony from the very real electric shock (LP: 2200 → 900).
"Without any monsters, Spells, or Traps, I took the full brunt of Marik's torture," continued Lady, "There was no way for me to escape; I knew I was going to die."
Dark Marik crossed his arms together and began to recite the text on the card, allowing the huge sphere to transform into 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'. As the sphere neared its complete transformation, Recap Dark Marik let out a small sinister chuckle.
"This is one of 'Ra's' abilities," he explained, "'God' itself will serve the player who utters the sacred text!"
Recap Lady, meanwhile, could only watch helplessly as the evil man finished reciting the text on the 'The Winged Dragon of Ra' Monster Card.
"Awaken and grant me victory!" boomed Recap Dark Marik, as he spread his arms out in welcome, "Arise, 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'!"
By now, the sphere had transformed into the full Battle Mode of 'The Winged Dragon of Ra', who let out a loud roar to signal its arrival. The roar was so powerful that it unleashed a powerful blast of wind across the top of the blimp that everyone felt. Spencer managed to keep his balance and look up in shock at the glowing dragon.
"Behold 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'!" shouted Recap Dark Marik, while his ace monster lowered itself a bit. Eventually, 'The Winged Dragon of Ra' began to charge a mighty blast of fire in its mouth, "And now, 'The Winged Dragon of Ra', attack and kill all three of them! God Blaze Cannon!"
'The Winged Dragon of Ra' obeyed, firing the blast of fire at the three duelists in an attempt to roast them alive. Seeing what was coming, Recap Lady tried reasoning with her two friends…
"Forget about me!" she cried, "Run away while you both still can!"
"Not a chance in hell," Recap James refused bravely, "I'm sticking by your side."
"Me too!" added Recap Percy, "I won't let anything happen to you—because I love you."
Just as it was all over for the three friends, Recap Thomas suddenly hopped onto the arena and, with his Millennium Puzzle still glowing all gold, he went and…intercepted God Blaze Cannon.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" screamed Recap Thomas, blocking the attack with his back.
"Thomas!" Recap James, Recap Percy, and Recap Lady cried out at once.
"How touching!" commented Recap Dark Marik excitedly, "But now I get to actually kill Thomas, too! It almost makes me want to cry!"
"Never!" Recap Thomas declared, grimacing and feeling the fiery rage of 'God', "You can attack me all you want… but when you try to hurt my friends like this… I will…repel it and…ugh…send you back into the darkness…for it!"
'The Winged Dragon of Ra' continued its attack (increasing its power to the limit), but Recap Thomas wouldn't stand down from it. Eventually, to Recap Dark Marik's great surprise, the attack began to weaken itself. Soon, the attack had ended. Recap James, Recap Percy, and Recap Lady each fell to their knees as the cards all faded away (along with the Shadow Realm fog), but Recap Thomas immediately collapsed from exhaustion and pain.
"Thomas saved me, Percy, and James, but not enough to prevent me from losing the duel," narrated Lady, as Recap Dark Marik approached her recap self, "He won the Shadow Game, so I had to pay the price for it."
"The kind of punishment is what I call…" continued Recap Dark Marik, standing back up and holding up his Millennium Rod forth as it began glowing, "…A PENALTY GAME!"
Recap Lady didn't have time to scream as the air all around her fizzled and flashed in a multitude of colors. She soon collapsed into a coma. Recap Percy had managed to get up on his feet and run back onto the stage.
"I was left in a coma—while my mind was being eaten by insects," revealed Lady, as Recap Dark Marik spoke to Recap Percy before leaving, "I luckily was saved when the evil half of Marik was destroyed, but I was never the same since… And this is where my story officially begins."
END RECAP
Title: Unhealed Wounds
Opening up within the darkness of her mind, a 16-year old Lady Stone found herself all alone.
"Where am I?" whispered Lady, looking around, "Is this my-?" She saw something up ahead—a familiar-looking person, "Wait, there's someone there!"
The beautiful blonde-haired girl ran towards the person, surprised to find it's none other than Percy.
"Percy!" realized Lady, "Boy, am I glad to see you," When Percy didn't respond back, she went on, "But what are you doing in a place like this?" Still, nothing was said back, "Percy? Percy, aren't you going to turn around and say anything?"
"You… you don't love me," uttered Percy.
"What?" gasped Lady, "Percy, that's ridiculous! Of course I love you!"
"No you don't!" snapped Percy, "If you love me, you'd never keep such a secret from my friends or me!" At last, he turned around to face Lady, with tears streaming from his eyes, "Why? Why didn't you trust me?!"
Lady was left very surprised and hurt by the accusation from Percy Avonside.
"Percy, this was 'my' problem!" insisted Lady, "I wanted to handle it by myself and show how strong I am—but I was wrong about it all."
"You 'are' wrong!" The voice of Percy accused, making Lady flinch as he continued to rage at her, "The only thing you've showed me is how truly weak and foolish you are, and how foolish I was to ever fall in love with you in the first place," All of a sudden, as he spoke on, some footsteps were heard, "As a matter of fact, I have a new, older, and better girlfriend! Someone who actually cares and trusts me, unlike you."
All of a sudden, Frieda von Schroeder walked up and stood beside Percy—Lady, on the other hand, was both horrified, heartbroken, and hoping this was all a bad dream.
"Goodbye, Lady Stone," murmured Percy coldly.
Before Lady's own eyes, Percy and Frieda both faded away, leaving her to tearfully scream for Percy to come back and another chance. She then started to hear familiar insane laughter, which elevated her fear to the extreme as familiar flames started rising around her.
END DREAM SEQUENCE
Lady suddenly opened her eyes with a frightened gasp. To her relief, she was seated on a plane with her guardian, Burnett, and many other passengers. Burnett immediately saw the pale look on the face of someone who's almost like a daughter to him.
"Lady…?" started Burnett.
"I'm fine, Burnett," sighed Lady, "Just…had another dream about 'him'."
Before Burnett could respond, an announcement was made…
"Good morning, passengers," The flight attendant was heard on the intercom, "We welcome you to China, and are pleased to inform you we will be landing in Beijing in fifteen minutes."
(outside…)
Outside the massive plane, it was shown flying over many buildings of one of the world's biggest countries. Lady Stone and Burnett had traveled for thousands of miles to Asia in order to seek out the aid of a friend of the latter's, all in the hopes of helping Lady begin her healing process from her PTSD. It was currently February 12th 2010, and the Chinese New Year was to begin on the 14th (Valentine's Day everywhere else), and 2010 also happened to be the Year of a Golden Tiger.
(elsewhere…)
Eventually, the plane landed at the extremely busy Beijing Capital International Airport, the place where Burnett's friend would be waiting at.
(inside…)
Inside the airport, Lady and Burnett emerged from one of the gates. It was barely ten seconds when they started looking for that friend when a familiar female voice was heard calling out to them—but mainly Lady.
"Hey, Lady!" The female voice yelled out, "Over here!"
The two visitors looked over, where they saw two people waving at them. The first was a 16-year old teenage girl who wore the signature Chinese yellow dress and bracelets in her waist. Red high heels adorned her bare feet, and her dark blue hair was put in two buns. The second was a black-haired man far younger than Burnett, who wore a red robe, green trousers, and Asian-styled shoes.
"There they are," smiled Burnett.
He and Lady walked over to greet the two Chinese civilians. The two men immediately shook hands.
"Burnett Stone, I, Yong Bao, welcome you and Lady Stone to China!" The Chinese man, named Yong Bao, greeted, before the blue-haired Chinese girl stepped forward and bowed, "You remember my niece, Hong-Mei, right?"
"Ah, I believe I do," confirmed Burnett, "It's good to see you both."
"Likewise, although you couldn't have come at a busier time; we're all preparing for the New Year."
As the two men enjoyed talking due to being friends, Lady didn't look very responsive towards Hong Mei (as she was named), but Hong-Mei, not to be deterred, still tried her best to strike up a friendly conversation with the girl her age.
"(你好,) Nǐ hǎo, (Hello,) Lady," began Hong-Mei brightly, speaking briefly in Chinese, "It's good to see you again," She (Hong-Mei) held out both her hands towards Lady, "Listen, I know I was a bit of a pain in America, but I'm no longer the same person as I was back then," A big, beautiful smile was on her face as she finished speaking, "I hope you and I can become friends during your visit."
There was still nothing from Lady, which made Hong-Mei feel a little upset over the unwarm welcome she was getting.
"Uncle, is Lady alright?" Hong-Mei asked, looking at Yong Bao as he and Burnett looked a little worried themselves, "It's like she won't talk to me," She then looked ashamed with herself, "I mean, I know I was horrible to her friends a few months ago, but I really have changed for the better."
"Now, now, Hong-Mei, I believe Lady's just a little tired from the long journey," soothed Yong Bao, wrapping a comforting arm around Hong-Mei, "She'll come around before you know it," He then directed his attention to Burnett and Lady, "Now then, why don't we get to my car, and I'll drive all of us to my home?"
"Oh, do please," accepted Burnett.
Again, Lady didn't say anything, but she was able to muster enough strength to nod in agreement.
(elsewhere…)
Outside the airport, after about ten minutes passed, Yong Bao's car was seen pulling out of the parking lot and onto the busy streets of Beijing, the capital of China. As the car drove down some streets before turning onto the main highway, Burnett could be seen admiring the scenery.
(inside…)
In the car, while Burnett was quite happy to look around, Lady was just as quiet as she was getting off the plane. Hong-Mei wanted to talk to Lady, but thought she (Lady) would continue to ignore her (Hong-Mei). Luckily, Yong Bao already knew something that 'might' solve that problem.
"So, Lady, I've seen your duel with Ashima Nilgiri of India back in that tournament in America," he remarked, which caused Lady to look up, "Where you seemed to freak out near the end of it."
"Oh… So you know about my problems, too?" muttered Lady dejectedly.
"You know, Lady, I think you should have told Thomas and the others the first chance you had," said Hong-Mei, "They could have-"
"Settle down, Hong-Mei," The voice of Yong Bao interrupted firmly.
"Sorry, Uncle," Hong-Mei apologized sincerely.
As he drove, Yong Bao looked thoughtful about Lady. He heard about some personal trauma Lady was facing from Burnett's letter, but he didn't know how bad it was. The only way to find out was for him to see it for himself. To that end, he presented the young duelist with a question…
"Lady, when we arrive at my place, would you care to have a duel with me?" offered Yong Bao.
"Huh?" gasped Lady, looking up again, "Did you say a duel?"
"That's what I said," replied Yong Bao, "You see, I want to see how bad your problems are."
"Yong Bao, I do believe this might not be the best of ideas," warned Burnett uncomfortably.
"I need to see everything for myself," countered Yong Bao, "The only way to be sure is to duel."
Hong-Mei was interested in seeing a duel between Lady and Yong Bao, but seemed worried about her Uncle possibly pushing it.
(outside…)
The car continued down the busy highway.
(elsewhere…)
After an hour-long drive, Yong Bao and Hong-Mei brought Lady and Burnett to the former's personal home—which looked very beautiful in terms of housing. It took another hour or so, but soon Yong Bao and Lady, wearing Duel Disks, were prepared to battle it out in the garden as Hong-Mei and Burnett watched from nearby. Hong-Mei even brought out some fresh lemonade for her and Burnett to drink while observing the upcoming match. On the field, Yong Bao inserted his shuffled Deck into the holder of his Duel Disk.
"Let's go, Lady!" dared Yong Bao.
"Mm!" accepted Lady, inserting her own Deck into the holder.
A few seconds later…
"Duel!" Lady and Yong Bao announced at the same time (LP: 4000) x2.
And the match began.
"It's my turn!" began Lady, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn One: Lady Stone (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation", "Harpie's Full Dress", "Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon", "Elegant Egotist", "Harpie Harpist", and "Alluring Mirror Split"
Her drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Alluring Mirror Split', and the rest of her hand contained 'Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation', 'Harpie's Full Dress', 'Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon', 'Elegant Egotist', and 'Harpie Harpist'.
"Okay… Just remember…" Lady was telling herself, "This duel is just for fun—not some life-or-death struggle," She held her drawn card out, "Continuous Spell, 'Alluring Mirror Split'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"'Alluring Mirror Split'? Isn't that-?" began Yong Bao.
"My card's first effect!" explained Lady, "When a 'Harpie Lady' or 'Harpie Lady Sisters' I control is destroyed by battle: I can Special Summon 1 'Harpie' monster from my Deck with a different original name than the destroyed monster," From there, she took another card ('Harpie Harpist') from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Disk, "I Summon 'Harpie Harpist' in Attack Position!"
Appearing on the field was a humanoid female monster with long orange hair, claws, and big green wings, and also decked out in a revealing outfit with the top just barely covering her large breasts with her thighs and midriff completely exposed. She also wielded a staff of sorts (Level: 4/ATK: 1700/DEF: 600).
"This card's name becomes 'Harpie Lady' while on the field or in the GY," continued Lady, going over her monster's first effect, "This is necessary!"
"I know what's coming!" realized Hong-Mei.
"From my hand, I'll activate the Spell Card, 'Elegant Egotist'!" announced Lady, taking and slotting a card into her Duel Disk. On cue, the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field, "If 'Harpie Lady' is on the field: I must Special Summon 1 'Harpie Lady' or 'Harpie Lady Sisters' from my hand or Deck!" Appearing on the field, as she finished speaking, was 'Cyber Harpie Lady'—who resembled 'Harpie Lady' wearing Cyber Shield (Level: 8/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1300), "Appear now, 'Cyber Harpie Lady'!"
With the small, small crowd…
"Whoa! Two monsters with high ATK already!" admired Hong-Mei.
"There's more!" The voice of Lady proclaimed, which made Hong-Mei and Burnett wonder what else was coming. She made a Spell Card called 'Harpie's Full Dress' flip face-up and reveal itself, "I activate the Equip Spell, 'Harpie's Full Dress'! I must equip only to 'Harpie Lady' or 'Harpie Lady Sisters'. It gains 800 ATK and 400 DEF, also if I control 1 or 3 face-up monsters, if the equipped monster attacks a Defense Position monster, I must inflict piercing battle damage!"
"Fascinating," admired Yong Bao.
"I equip this card onto 'Cyber Harpie Lady'!" declared Lady.
Bronze armor materialized over the body of 'Cyber Harpie Lady', and an electrical whip formed in her right hand, causing her to crack the weapon and let out a screeching battle cry as her stats went way up (ATK: 1800 → 2600/DEF: 1300 → 1700).
"For the last move, I'll…" As she spoke, Lady slotted one more card into her Duel Disk. This caused a face-down card to materialize on the field as she finished her turn, "…Set one card face-down and end my turn!" Within her mind, there was nothing but relief, "Okay, things are going good so far. As long as there are no unusual surprises on Yong Bao's turn, I can still duel and hopefully win!"
Yong Bao didn't make an effort to draw a card—instead, he looked down at his five card hand for a few seconds before looking up and addressing the foreigner.
"Lady, in this duel, you will face your fears head on," warned Yong Bao.
"Huh?" blinked Lady.
"During my turn, you will have to face your greatest fears up close and personal," repeated Yong Bao, "It's my turn!" He drew a card, "Draw!"
Turn Two: Yong Bao Sifang (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar", "Fire Formation - Yoko", "Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant", "Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon", "Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote", and "Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak"
His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak'.
"I hope you can take what I'm going to do," advised Yong Bao, "Because there will be no going back once it begins," As he finished speaking, Lady merely listened carefully, "Do you understand that?"
"I…believe so," said Lady curiously.
"Alright… Here I come! I activate…" began Yong Bao, slotting his drawn card into his Duel Disk. This caused the 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' to materialize face-up on the field, "…the Field Spell, 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak'!"
"'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak'?" realized Lady, "That's-!"
The surrounding area began to turn into a large, majestic mountainside. And atop the mountainside was a stone stairway leading to a huge fortress.
"Each time a 'Fire Fist' monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned, I must place 1 Fire Fist Counter on this card," explained Yong Bao.
"'Fire Fist' monster?" cried Burnett.
"That's what my Uncle plays for a Deck!" answered Hong-Mei.
"And now! If I control a 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap, and no monsters, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand)," exclaimed Yong Bao, before placing a card onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Disk, "Come, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote'!"
Appearing on the field was a man with a small beard wearing cyan/purple clothing and wielding a long chain containing the green spirit of a coyote (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 500).
"With the appearance of a 'Fire Fist' monster means a Fire Fist Counter is placed into 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak'!" reminded Yong Bao, as his face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card seemed to get marked, "My card has one counter!"
The field seemed to react to the Fire Fist Counter being added to the 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card, erupting fire only slightly—but still enough to make her feel uncomfortable. Even so, she managed to hold on. Unfortunately, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote' was only the beginning…
"My next card! From my hand, I'll activate…" Yong Bao went on, as he slotted yet another card into his Duel Disk, "…the Continuous Spell, 'Fire Formation - Yoko'!" The mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "When this card is activated: I can target 1 face-up card my opponent controls; I must discard 1 Beast-Warrior monster, and if I do, destroy that card!" He then held up a card for a few seconds before sending it to the GY and pointing forth, "I discard my 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon' to destroy your 'Cyber Harpie Lady'!"
Lady watched as her 'Cyber Harpie Lady' appeared to be in pain before finally exploding from destruction, forcing her to brace herself from the force of the explosion.
"The second effect of 'Fire Formation - Yoko'!" reminded Yong Bao, as his face-up 'Fire Formation - Yoko' Spell Card started glowing, "All Beast-Warrior monsters I control gain 100 ATK!"
'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote' grew stronger (ATK: 2000 → 2100).
"And there are more monsters where that came from!" declared Yong Bao, as he took and placed another card ('Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant') onto his Duel Disk, "I Normal Summon 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant'!"
Appearing onto the field was a warrior dressed in a garb of white, yellow, and blue trims, wielding a fan containing the white spirit of an elephant (Level: 4/ATK: 1100/DEF: 1800). This resulted in a second Fire Fist Counter being placed on the face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card.
"The first effect of 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant' activates!" thundered Yong Bao, as his face-up 'Fire Formation - Yoko' Spell Card burnt away into ash, "If this card is Normal or Special Summoned: I can send 1 face-up 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap I control to the GY; I must…" He took another card ('Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar') from his hand and placed it onto his Duel Disk, "…Special Summon 1 'Fire Fist' monster from my hand, except 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant'! Come, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar'!"
Appearing on the field was a muscular-looking man with a spear-like weapon containing the purple spirit of the boar (Level: 4/ATK: 1100/DEF: 1400). With the loss of 'Fire Formation - Yoko', both 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote' (ATK: 2100 → 2000) and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant' (ATK: 1100 → 1000) lost their power boosts, while 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' received its third Fire Fist Counter.
"Once again, 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' gains a Fire Fist Counter!" recalled Yong Bao, "It now has three counters!" He then pointed towards 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant', "Next, I'll activate 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant's' second effect! I can target 1 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap in my GY; I must shuffle it into the Deck, then, I can add 1 Level 5 or higher 'Fire Fist' monster from my Deck to my hand!"
'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant' raised both hands into the air and let out a yell that sounded like an elephant making a trumpet sound before said spirit flew into the air and fell onto Yong Bao's Duel Disk, allowing a card ('Fire Formation - Yoko') to eject from the GY and him to take and place into the Deck and automatically shuffle it.
"By sending 'Fire Formation - Yoko' back to my Deck, I'll add a Level 5 or higher 'Fire Fist' monster to my hand," said Yong Bao, before taking a card from his Deck and looking at it. The card was a Monster Card called 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swallow', "I choose to add Level 5 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swallow'!"
Nearby, Hong-Mei knew that the Deck Yong Bao played really helped make a name for himself, while Burnett was worried that Lady was not going to be able to handle it if things got too intense. Back on the field…
"I tune Level 4 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant' into Level 4 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar'!" commanded Yong Bao.
'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar' turned into four Synchro Rings, which hovered over, lowered over, and surrounded 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant' before turning him into four orbs of light as a Summon Chant echoed throughout.
"Jade unicorn, appear with the imminent arrival or passing of illustrious authority!" chanted Yong Bao, as the symbols 4 + 4 = 8 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the four Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Conflagrate, Level 8! 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin'!"
Appearing on the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was a large man with a long black beard wearing green clothing and wielding a staff that contained the black spirit of a unicorn (Level: 8/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2800). Lady gasped at the arrival of such a monster, while the 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card gained a fourth Fire Fist Counter, causing the field to erupt at an even greater level.
"'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin's' first effect!" As Yong Bao spoke, he slotted a card taken from his Deck into his Duel Disk. This caused a face-down card to materialize on the field, "When this card is Synchro Summoned: I can Set 1 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap directly from my Deck!" Suddenly, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin' twirled his scepter about and stabbed it into the ground, releasing his spirit and causing it to affect Lady's field, "'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin's' second effect! All monsters my opponent controls lose 100 ATK for each face-up Spell/Trap I control!"
Lady helplessly watched as her 'Harpie Harpist' burst into flames and grew weaker (ATK: 1700 → 1600). But that wasn't the worst part; the fire reminded her of Dark Marik, and how he attempted to burn her to death with 'The Winged Dragon of Ra'. Nearby, Burnett saw that Lady was beginning to panic from her PTSD, and knew he had to call out to her.
"Polly, calm down!" bellowed Burnett, as Hong-Mei looked pretty concerned herself, "This duel isn't going to kill you! Yong Bao won't hurt you!"
Unfortunately, his words fell onto deaf ears. And on the field, though he felt great pity and concern for his opponent, Yong Bao knew that Lady had a long way to go before she could ever begin to heal from her scars (physically and emotionally), so he continued with his turn.
"Face-down card, activate!" announced Yong Bao, as his Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "Continuous Spell, 'Fire Formation - Ingen'!"
"What?!" wailed Lady.
"'Fire Formation - Ingen's' first effect!" began Yong Bao, "When this card is activated: I can Fusion Summon 1 Beast-Warrior Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck, using monsters from my hand or field as Fusion Material!" Focus then went towards 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote' and another monster called 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swallow', which appeared on the field for a short period of time, "I fuse 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote' on my field and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swallow' in my hand!"
'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Coyote' and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swallow' started fusing together while the artwork of the 'Polymerization' Spell Card loomed in the background.
"Resourceful star! Double clubs! Combine your roaring flames and become the Striking Hawk!" chanted Yong Bao, before bringing both hands together, "Fusion Summon! Level 8! Burn, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan'!"
Appearing on the field, as the Fusion Summon sequence ended, was a warrior wearing white clothing and Chinese soldier helmet and wielding a spear that contained the white spirit of a swan—speaking of which, he spun the weapon about before posing with it for battle (Level: 8/ATK: 2600/DEF: 2200). As such, a fifth Fire Fist Counter was placed on the 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card.
"I activate 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan's' first effect!" warned Yong Bao, just as 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' pointed his weapon at Lady and started to summon his fiery spirit, "If this card is Special Summoned: I can inflict 200 damage to my opponent for each 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap I control!"
The flame spirit belonging to 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' roared like 'Egyptian God Phoenix' and flew in Lady's direction before colliding with a *BOOM!*. Screaming loudly from the flames, Lady's LP took a very small hit, but the damage to her heart was massive in comparison (LP: 4000 → 3600). Over with Hong-Mei and Burnett, the latter was amazed by the power of Yong Bao's attack, while the former was not at all surprised—her Uncle used that strategy a lot whenever he dueled.
"My Uncle now has five Fire Fist Counters," thought Hong-Mei, "That means he will unleash his Deck's true power, which Lady won't find enjoyable in the slightest," She frowned a little bit, "Lady…"
Back on the field, Yong Bao continued with his turn…
"As of this moment, I'll activate the second effect of my Field Spell, 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak'!" he announced, as his face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' started glowing all red in response to the Fire Fist Counters attached to it, "Once per turn: I can remove Fire Fist Counters from my field to activate 1 of these effects!"
These were the effects written on the Spell Card in-question:
-"2: If my Beast-Warrior monster attacks this turn, my opponent cannot activate cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step!"
-"6: I must add 1 Beast-Warrior monster from my Deck to my hand!"
-"10: I must Special Summon 1 Beast-Warrior monster from my Deck or Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions!"
Two Fire Fist Counters were removed from the face-up 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' Spell Card, meaning Yong Bao chose the first effect (since he has more than two counters, but less than six). It meant Lady was no longer able to activate any card effects against an attack made by a Beast-Warrior monster controlled by Yong Bao. This only makes Lady feel even more terrified.
"I can't do anything to defend myself…" thought Lady, since her Set 'Harpie Lady Sparrow Formation' Trap Card was already useless without a second 'Harpie Lady' monster anyway, "I'm completely helpless!"
"Battle!" The voice of Yong Bao cut in, which made Lady gasp again. He then gave an order to one of his monsters, "'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan', attack 'Harpie Harpist'! Feel the power of my flaming soul!"
'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' obeyed, letting loose a battle cry, and slashing 'Harpie Harpist' with his spear, empowered by his spirit.
"As of now, I'll activate 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan's' second effect!" shouted Yong Bao, as his face-up 'Fire Formation - Ingen' Spell Card burnt away into ash and poor 'Harpie Harpist' then shattered into shards of glass as the remains of the monster flew past Lady, "During the Battle Phase (Quick Effect): I can send 1 face-up 'Fire Formation' Spell/Trap I control to the GY, then target 1 card my opponent controls; I must destroy it!" He then added a card ('Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Elephant') taken from his GY into his hand, "I also activate the second effect of 'Fire Formation - Ingen'! If this face-up card is sent from the Spell & Trap Zone to the GY: I can target 1 'Fire Fist' monster in my GY; I must add it to my hand!"
"Lady has no monsters to protect her LP!" cried Burnett.
That wasn't the worst part; the fire from the 'Fire Fortress atop Liang Peak' intensified even further, and she even heard a familiar maniacal laugh coming from it.
"Why are you looking downward?" A familiar voice (male) taunted, "You should be looking up!"
Lady froze in further fear. That voice… it couldn't be… Looking up, Lady's fear had come true; emerging from the flames was none other than 'The Winged Dragon of Ra', and on the 'God' monster's head was the mastermind himself, Dark Marik.
"'Ra', attack directly!" cackled Dark Marik, pointing his Millennium Rod down at his victim while his ace monster charged its signature attack, "God Blaze Cannon!"
'The Winged Dragon of Ra' obeyed, firing off its devastating flame blast towards the helpless, defenseless Lady Stone.
"No… NOOOOO!" shrieked Lady, clutching the sides of her head and shutting her eyes tightly, "Stop it! Leave me alone! Someone! Please help me!"
Nearby, Hong-Mei and Burnett saw that Lady was screaming repeatedly, but nothing was even attacking her. There was no Dark Marik, and there was no 'Egyptian God' monster. All there was was 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' and 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin', and they were controlled by Yong Bao. Even so, the situation looked extremely dire as a result of Lady freaking out from her trauma.
"If my Uncle doesn't end this duel as soon as possible," thought Hong-Mei, looking really worried, "Lady's mental state could get even worse…" She spoke aloud, "Uncle! You have to hurry and finish the duel!"
In the field, Yong Bao nodded in agreement and resumed his Battle Phase.
"'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan', attack directly!" he ordered urgently.
Due to the replay, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' obeyed, slashing his blade at Lady, causing her to cry out (LP: 3600 → 1000).
"It's your turn, 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin'!" Yong Bao went on, as 'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Kirin' waited for orders, "Attack directly!"
'Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Swan' obeyed and slashed at Lady with his spear, finishing her off (LP: 1000 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Yong Bao Sifang wins!
With the duel over, the holograms faded away as Lady collapsed onto her hands and knees. Burnett and Hong-Mei immediately ran to see if she was alright. Lady was fine on the outside, but she was shaking like a leaf and her eyes were wide, full, and full of nothing but fright.
"Please forgive me," sighed Yong Bao, as he walked over to see his defeated, traumatized opponent, "But I had to see how bad it is for myself—and now I know it's very bad."
"I saw… I saw that…inhuman monster in the fire," stammered Lady, remembering Dark Marik's voice and laughter, "He was…tormenting me with 'God'…"
"If you aren't able to overcome your fear of dueling and losing, you may never be able to move on from your trauma or be at peace with yourself," Yong Bao pointed out gravely, "This will be a long healing process."
"Lady, why didn't you let your friends know the second the nightmares began?" wondered Hong-Mei, getting onto a knee and placing a hand on Lady's back—who paid no attention to the kind touch, "I'm positive they could have helped you," There was no answer initially, and she (Hong-Mei) raised her voice, "Lady! Answer me! Why didn't you tell your friends? The whole ordeal could have been avoided entirely!"
"Because…I was being stubborn," said Lady at last, looking up slightly, "Hong-Mei, you're right, I should have spoken early on, but I chose not to."
"Lady…" whispered Hong-Mei.
A flashback ensued.
FLASHBACK
Within the darkness of her room, Flashback Lady slept initially peacefully in bed—but started sweating in terror mere seconds later as she started having another nightmare.
"Back when the nightmares began, I kept telling myself that they were merely a phase, and that they would eventually go away on their own," narrated Lady, before her flashback self woke up in a cold sweat, "But when they didn't stop, I began to fear losing everyone's confidence in me if they ever found out."
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, leaving Lady with a look of remorse on her face.
"I was so afraid of losing everyone's respect by telling them about my nightmares," she finished, "that I didn't realize that I'd already lost their respect by giving them the idea I didn't trust them. And honestly, I don't blame them for turning their backs on me. I deserve it after the hypocrisy I spewed, especially about Thomas and his own traumas."
"I'm rather glad you brought Thomas up," interrupted Yong Bao, getting Lady's full attention. When she didn't say anything back, he continued, "Do you remember how he managed to overcome his own traumas? He did it by continuing to fight back against them no matter how badly it hurt him," He smiled fondly, "If he can overcome his personal demons, I'm certain you can do the same thing."
"That's where he and I differ…" The voice of Lady refused.
"What?" blinked Yong Bao, losing his smile.
"I just don't have the courage Thomas has," elaborated Lady sadly, "No matter how hard I try to move on and fight back, I'll never be free from my fears. I'll spend the rest of my life living in misery, and constantly being afraid of what I can never conquer," As Burnett listened to the broken beautiful blonde-haired girl, he didn't notice she took a look over at a nearby upturned sword as if contemplating something, "Sometimes, I believe it's better to just end the pain rather than live through it."
"Lady!" objected Burnett, "You aren't thinking of-!"
"You're not being serious are you?" accused Hong-Mei.
"(我不同意!) Wǒ bù tóngyì! (I disagree!)" boomed Yong Bao in Chinese, not having any of that. Lady weakly looked up and listened to what else he was telling her, "Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem!" He then softened up a little bit, "If you go through with it, it will only cause pain to your friends and loved ones."
Lady looked back down at the ground, wondering how she was ever going to feel good about herself again. It was then Hong-Mei stood back up, grinned, and brushed her hands together.
"Alright, why don't we all go inside and I'll prepare us some tea?" she offered, before eyeing Burnett, "You know, Burnett, you and Lady are more than welcome to stay with my Uncle and I for as long as you need."
"We would love that," accepted Burnett.
"In that case, let's head inside," nodded Yong Bao, "We will talk about the upcoming Lunar New Year."
Lady looked up one more time and finally returned to her feet, slowly agreeing to stay with Yong Bao and Hong-Mei for a little while. From there, she, Burnett, and the two Chinese residents turned and approached the door leading into the home. Unfortunately, none of them were aware that the whole duel had been watched… Somewhere in the nearby trees across the street a short distance from the home, two men were observing with binoculars.
"So, what do you think, Da Li?" The first man asked his partner-in-crime.
"Heh! That poor foreign girl," sneered Da Li, as he was named, before lowering the binoculars, "I think she's just sad, Xiao Hu."
Da Li and Xiao Hu were old enemies of Yong Bao's from several years ago. The grudge mainly stemmed from the duo's time as train robbers, where Yong Bao successfully stopped their final robbery years ago and got them both sent to prison for their actions (including almost causing a serious accident) before they were let out after eight years of serving their time. They've wanted revenge ever since, and by observing the duel—but mainly Lady—it gave Da Li an idea.
"You know something, I do believe we can use her so-called PTSD in dueling to our advantage," continued Da Li.
Xiao Hu was intrigued, "Oh?" he smirked, "Tell me what you have in mind."
"Well, the first thing we need to do is get our hands on Yong Bao's pretty and headstrong niece, as well as that foreign 'old man'."
With that being said, the duo began formulating their plan for payback against Yong Bao.
Bet none of you saw this story coming, did you? In all seriousness, it's a short, four-part fanfic that focuses on Lady and her long road to recovery from personal trauma stemming from her Shadow Game-based duel with Dark Marik during the Battle City Finals and the Penalty Game he inflicted upon her after she lost to him. Yong Bao and Hong-Mey have returned, and we have seen the former in an on-screen (or panel) duel in this chapter, showing he's very formidable. Hong-Mei, meanwhile, has become far nicer and more humble compared to her attitude during Season 4. We also get introduced to two personal enemies of Yong Bao's, who are scheming something big in order to try and get back at him.
Stay tuned for next time, everyone, and, as ever, stay safe during these extremely troubling times.