This story was done in collaboration between me, Jriddle41 (Sodormatchmaker on DeviantART), and DaveMan1000 (both here and on DeviantART), and we own the OCs that are used in the story. AaronCottrell97 (known as stevecottrell on DeviantART) provided the Duel Layouts and additional ideas. 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
Gundam SEED characters, Orb, Blue Cosmos, M1 Astray, Strike Rouge, Murasame (c) Sunrise
Character of Lisa Drake (c) DaveMan1000
Character of David Xadashi (c) DaveMan1000
WARNING: Once again, this story is rated T for violence, some blood, suggestive themes, and some language. Reader discretion is advised.
WARNING 2: If you haven't read "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 2", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles Season 4", "Yu-Gi-Oh! The Sodor Chronicles (Pyramid of Light", "David Xadashi", "Lisa Drake", or "Team 4D's", you might want to do so before reading this story
Title: Let the Past Die
Opening up within the New York City stadium, the Turbo Duel between Lisa and Sherry was not getting any nicer. In fact, it was getting more brutal and personal…
-Lisa (LP: 1200) controlled 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' (Level: 7/ATK: 2900/DEF: 3000), 'Naturia Dragonfly' (Level: 4/ATK: 2400/DEF: 400), "Naturia Sacred Tree' (Trap Card), 'Ancient Forest' (Spell Card), and a face-down card on her own field.
-Sherry (LP: 100) controlled both 'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights' (Rank: 4/ATK: 3000/DEF: 2000) and 'Noble Arms - Gallatin' (Spell Card) on her field, and it was currently her turn.
"It's my turn!" announced Sherry, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Five: Sherry LeBlanc (LP: 100)
Deck: 49
Current Hand (1): "Pot of Greed"
Action Card: N/A
"Don't forget about the second effect of 'Noble Arms - Gallatin'," reminded Lisa, "During your Standby Phases, the equipped monster loses 200 ATK."
"I'm aware of that," acknowledged Sherry.
'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights' began to grow a little weaker (ATK: 3000 → 2800).
"Now, I'll activate ze Spell Card 'Pot of Greed'!" Sherry continued, holding her drawn card out. Seconds later, she drew two more cards, "I must draw 2 cards."
The two cards were 'Noble Knight Artorigus' (Effect Monster Card) and 'Monster Reborn' (Spell Card).
"From there, I'll activate the effect of 'Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms'!" explained Sherry, mentioning the monster. Speaking of which, the 'Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms' Monster Card ejected from her GY, "I can target 1 'Noble Knight' monster I control; I must equip this card from my hand or GY to that target."
From there, the spirit of 'Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms' briefly appeared before equipping herself to 'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights'.
"Great, that will increase 'Artorigus's' ATK by 300," remembered Lisa unhappily.
As expected, 'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights' grew stronger (ATK: 2800 → 3100).
"'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and 'Naturia Dragonfly' both are sitting ducks," Lisa thought to herself, "Still, I do have this card of mine…" She motioned her right arm about, causing her face-down card to reappear on the field in-front of Strike Rouge, "I activate a Trap, 'Ancient Radiance'!"
The Set card flipped face-up and revealed itself.
"'Ancient Radiance'?" pondered Sherry.
"I must activate this card by targeting 1 face-up 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' I control; I must equip this card to that target," explained Lisa, "While this card is equipped, the equipped monster cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, even if this card leaves the field this turn."
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' let out a roar as she glowed a golden yellow, which would protect her from destruction should an attack be declared or a card effect activated.
"You are desperate just to survive," commented Sherry harshly, before taking and placing another card onto her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Noble Knight Artorigus' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was the short brown-haired knight (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1800).
"Furthermore, I'll also activate the first effect of 'Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn'!" Sherry went on, "I can send 1 face-up LIGHT Normal Monster I control to the GY; I must Special Summon this card from my hand or GY," She pointed at her newly Summoned 'Noble Knight Artorigus', "I offer 'Noble Knight Artorigus' as a Tribute in order to Special Summon 'Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn' from my GY!"
Appearing onto the field was the Black Knight himself, 'Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn' (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 800).
"I take it you have much more to do?" said Lisa sarcastically.
"I do," confirmed Sherry, "I will activate the first effect of 'Noble Knight Eachtar'! I can banish 2 'Noble Knight' monsters from my GY; I must Special Summon zis card from my hand or GY."
Two cards ('Noble Knight Iyvanne' and 'Noble Knight Joan') ejected from the blonde-haired young French woman's GY before fading away into oblivion.
"By banishing both 'Noble Knight Iyvanne' and 'Noble Knight Joan', I'll Special Summon 'Noble Knight Eachtar' from my GY in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was the brown-haired knight with a green cape (Level: 5/ATK: 1600/DEF: 2000).
"A Synchro or Xyz Summon of a 'Noble Knight' monster using this card as material cannot be negated, also my opponent cannot activate cards or effects when that monster is Special Summoned," explained Sherry, while in her mind… "The pieces are almost together… I just need a few more parts."
Lisa remained pretty quiet, wondering what her opponent was trying to do. She looked up at 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' (ATK: 2900) and 'Naturia Dragonfly' (ATK: 2400). Both were in danger of being attacked (the latter especially), and while neither monster would be destroyed through battle she would still take damage. At last, Sherry continued with her turn…
"The next effect of 'Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn'!" she declared, "I can Tribute 1 'Noble Knight' monster; I must add 1 'Noble Arms' card from my Deck to my hand."
To the audience's surprise, 'Noble Knight Eachtar' faded away in a blue streak, which meant Sherry was offering him as a Tribute.
"I'll Tribute my 'Noble Knight Eachtar'…" Sherry was saying, while taking a card ('Noble Arms - Caliburn') from her Deck and adding it into her hand, "…in order to add 'Noble Arms - Caliburn' into my hand!"
Lisa didn't know what to make of this strategy, but she didn't have time to worry about it; an Action Card was up ahead on the track. Surprisingly, Sherry, seeing as she was still a good distance ahead, ignored it, giving Lisa a chance to pick it up.
"Come to mama!" called Lisa, grabbing the Action Card.
"However, 'Noble Knight Eachtar' will not remain gone for long," reassured Sherry, before holding up one of her final cards, "I activate 'Monster Reborn'!"
The brown-haired knight returned to the field.
"Sherry now controls two Level 5 monsters!" The voice of the MC exclaimed, "Will she do what I think she'll do?"
Oh, big time…
"I overlay Level 5 'Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn' and 'Noble Knight Eachtar'!" announced Sherry.
The two knights turned into balls of energy and flew into the Overlay Network.
"I know what's coming!" realized Asagi, "Sherry's Xyz Summoning one of the remaining monsters that beat me!"
"Lisa!" hollered Juri.
Back on the track, Sherry began another Summon Chant…
"Obtain the strongest power of the paladin king, and defeat those who threaten the majestic kingdom!" chanted Sherry, as the Overlay Network exploded and released something from it, "Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 5! 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus'!"
Appearing onto the field was an even more evolved version of 'Noble Knight Artorigus' (Rank: 5/ATK: 2200/DEF: 2200).
"'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus'…!" grimaced Lisa.
"I activate 'King Artorigus's' second effect!" cut in Sherry, just as 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' allowed one of his Overlay Units to enter his right sword, "Once per turn: I can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 other monster on the field; I must destroy that target."
Lisa scowled, waiting for the attack to come for her.
"Go forth, 'King Artorigus'!" commanded Sherry, "Destroy 'Naturia Dragonfly'!"
'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' obeyed, slashing his sword at 'Naturia Dragonfly'. The attack struck, but the dragonfly-like monster was not destroyed.
"What?!" Sherry cringed, "It wasn't destroyed?!"
"Well, that's too bad," joked Lisa, holding out a card ('Naturia Synthesis') she took from her GY, "My Trap Card, 'Naturia Synthesis', has one more effect… If my 'Naturia' monster(s) would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish this card from my GY instead. You want to get rid of my monsters? You'd best do it by battle."
Sherry fumed, before taking and holding her final card out.
"Equip Spell, 'Noble Arms - Caliburn', activate!" she yelled out, before going over the initial two effects of her card, "I can only control 1 'Noble Arms - Caliburn'. I must equip only to a Warrior monster. It gains 500 ATK. I will equip this to 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus'!"
A new sword appeared in 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus's' hands as he grew stronger (ATK: 2200 → 2700).
"Also, I'll activate 'Caliburn's' third effect!" continued Sherry, gaining some LP (LP: 100 → 600), "Once per turn: I can gain 500 LP," She then noticed and picked up an Action Card, "I'll save this for later."
"Damn…" muttered Lisa, talking to herself, "What Action Card could she have picked up?"
No time to worry about that; 'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights' gave up its remaining Overlay Unit at that very moment.
"Now, I'll give up 'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights's' last Overlay Unit in order to target and destroy Spell Cards and Trap Cards you control based on the number of 'Noble Arms' Equip Spells I control!" recalled Sherry, "I control three such cards, and that means 'Ancient Forest', 'Ancient Radiance', and 'Naturia Sacred Tree' each will be destroyed!"
'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights' raised his sword into the air, and brought it down with a mighty yell. This caused a shockwave-like slash to rip across the track and strike all three of Lisa's face-up Spell Cards and Trap Cards. With the 'Ancient Forest' Spell Card destroyed, the scenery returned to normal.
"I activate the third effect of my Trap Card, 'Naturia Sacred Tree'," exclaimed Lisa, drawing a card ('Naturia Bamboo Shoot'), "If this card is sent to the GY: I must add 1 'Naturia' card from my Deck to my hand, except 'Naturia Sacred Tree'!"
"It matters not," dismissed Sherry, entering the Battle Phase, "This duel is ending, right here and now! 'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights', attack 'Naturia Dragonfly'!"
'Artorigus, King of the Noble Knights' obeyed, slashing his blade at 'Naturia Dragonfly'.
"'Naturia Dragonfly' cannot be destroyed by battle with a monster that has 2000 or more ATK," reminded Lisa, taking some damage from the attack (LP: 1200 → 500).
"That is something I'm keenly aware of," said Sherry, before giving a command to her other monster, "'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus', attack 'Naturia Dragonfly'!" She then held her Action Card out, "Also, I'll activate my Action Card, 'Charge Recklessly'! When a monster I control battles an opponent's monster, during damage calculation: My monster gains 600 ATK, during that damage calculation only."
'Sacred Noble Knight of Artorigus' grew even stronger (ATK: 2700 → 3300), before he motioned both swords and charged towards 'Naturia Dragonfly'.
"Action Spell, 'Choice Choice', activate!" announced Lisa, holding her Action Spell Card out, "During damage calculation: I must activate 1 of these effects."
These were the effects written on the card in-question:
-"Monsters cannot be destroyed by this battle."
-"Any battle damage from this battle becomes halved."
"'Naturia Dragonfly' cannot be destroyed by battle anyway," remembered Sherry, "That means you'll pick the second choice and halve the battle damage."
"Bingo!" winked Lisa.
'Naturia Dragonfly' was hit by 'Sacred Noble Knight of Artorigus's' swords, but it was not destroyed. Lisa, meanwhile, glowed red for a moment and winced as her LP took another hit (LP: 500 → 50). With the damage calculation section over, 'Sacred Noble Knight of Artorigus's' ATK returned to normal—or as normal as it could get with an Equip Spell Card still being equipped (ATK: 3300 → 2700).
"Hmph! In that case, I'll end my turn here," finished Sherry.
Both Duel Runners roared down the track as they started yet another lap, and the audience was cheering over how exciting the duel was.
"And Lisa survives those vicious attacks by the skin of her teeth!" wailed the MC, "Can she turn things around? Or will Sherry win on her next turn?"
"So far, you've slightly impressed me, but you're only delaying the inevitable," warned Sherry, "On my next turn, both my 'Noble Knights' will slay your 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and eliminate you from the tournament."
Lisa said nothing in response.
(elsewhere…)
Within the hallway of the arena, both Michael and Zack were still dragging the ranting and raving James R. away. But by now, he'd had enough and, with enough strength, broke free!
"I can't stand it anymore!" howled James R. in anger, "I just can't! I don't care if Carlie wants to handle Sherry on her own terms, I'm fed up with how she is treating her! I have to speak up 'now'!"
"James…" mumbled Zack.
Before Michael could say anything, James R. turned and stormed off.
(elsewhere…)
Back outside, a smile started to form on Lisa's face as she uttered a few simple words…
"Sorry, but there won't be a next turn."
"What?!" gasped Sherry, "You're saying I won't get another turn?"
"What are ya, deaf?" joked Lisa, "That's precisely what I said."
"C'est de la foutaise!" Sherry swore accusingly in French, "There is nothing else you can do to defeat my two 'Noble Knights'!"
"Wanna bet on that?" countered Lisa, "There's a big difference between you and me; you duel to win and get revenge, while I duel for the thrills and excitement."
"What's your point?!" demanded Sherry angrily.
"My point is that your obsession with victory will be your own downfall," replied Lisa, before pressing two fingers of her right hand onto her Deck, "I'm gonna prove that, right now!" In her mind, "I still need one more card to pull that off, though… Come on my cards, I need you to pull through for me!"
In the stands, Asagi, Mayura, Juri, Mr. Kisaka, and Ms. Simmons all watched carefully, hoping that Lisa would pull off a game-winning move. David also watched, but his expression had softened a little bit. Despite his earlier fight with Lisa, the aqua blue-haired boy did secretly hope that his new friend would win the duel. Back on the track, Lisa drew a card with a Destiny Draw and began the turn.
Turn Six: Lisa Drake (LP: 50)
Deck: 48
Current Hand (2): "Naturia Bamboo Shoot" and "Blustering Winds"
Action Card: N/A
Seconds later, another small smile appeared on her face.
"It's here," whispered Lisa.
Sherry became concerned when she overheard those words; did Lisa draw a card she needed? Regardless, Sherry shook her head to deny such a thing. 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' was not strong enough to finish her off, and Lisa knew that. And if Lisa did try to declare an attack, Sherry could just pick up an Action Card and use it to easily ward the attack off. At last, Lisa made a move…
"I offer my 'Naturia Dragonfly' as a Tribute!" she began, before removing the 'Naturia Dragonfly' Monster Card from the Monster Zones of her Duel Runner and replacing it with the 'Naturia Bamboo Shoot' Monster Card, "In its place, I'll Tribute Summon 'Naturia Bamboo Shoot' in Defense Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a set of bamboo seeds with cartoon eyes and limbs (Level: 5/ATK: 2000/DEF: 2000).
"And there's more," continued Lisa, holding her drawn card out, "Spell Card, "Blustering Winds'! I must target 1 face-up monster I control; it gains 1000 ATK/DEF until my next Standby Phase," She pointed upward at 'Ancient Fairy Dragon', "I'll target 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' and make her ATK go from 2900 to 3900!"
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' immediately grew stronger (ATK: 2900 → 3900/DEF: 3000 → 4000). Sherry's eyes widened when she saw her opponent's ace monster grow stronger, but then noticed an Action Card up ahead on the track.
"Battle!" boomed Lisa, entering the Battle Phase, "'Ancient Fairy Dragon', I think it's about time we put an end to this duel!"
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' gave a roar in agreement. Before long, Sherry grabbed the Action Card and held it out.
"Stop right there!" The blonde-haired young French woman interrupted, "Action Card, '0 Penalty'! I must target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls; its ATK becomes 0!"
Rather than become scared stiff, Lisa instead smiled confidently. All of a sudden, the Action Spell Card in-between the fingers of Sherry's right hand started sparking and shorting out.
"Sacre bleu!" gasped Sherry, tossing the Action Spell Card away, "What's happened to my Action Card?!"
"You could say my 'Naturia Bamboo Shoot' had something to do with it, toots," answered Lisa proudly, before holding her right hand out towards 'Naturia Bamboo Shoot', "While I control this face-up card that was Tribute Summoned by Tributing a 'Naturia' monster, my opponent cannot activate Spell/Trap Cards. That means your Action Card cannot be activated, and it also means you can't save 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus', but, most importantly, it means you can't save your LP."
Sherry was horrified. With 'Ancient Fairy Dragon' still on the offensive, there was nothing she could do to save 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' nor herself this time. It was all over; Sherry knew she lost the duel right at that point. Finally, Lisa gave the final command to her flying through the sky ace monster…
"Eternal Sunshine!" The voice of Lisa shouted out.
'Ancient Fairy Dragon' charged up powerfully bright energy in her wings and let loose a roar as the energy reached blinding levels of brightness. The bright light didn't badly affect the crowd, but it did cause 'Sacred Noble Knight of King Artorigus' to shield his eyes and cry out before he finally shattered into shards of glass from his own destruction.
"'King…Artorigus'…" stammered Sherry in defeat (LP: 600 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Lisa Drake wins!
With Sherry losing, Sturm und Drang overheated and started releasing smoke and steam before coming to a complete stop. Not only that, there was a look of complete shell shocked disbelief on her face.
"That's it!" The voice of the MC was bellowing. He could be seen happily announcing the results, "It was a very, very close duel, but in the end, only one could win it all—and it was Lisa Drake! Let's give both her and Sherry a big hand for the amazing duel!"
The audience responded by doing exactly as the MC said; people, with exceptions to the Blue Cosmos representatives, started clapping and cheering for both duelists. Carlie, meanwhile, stood up from her seat and started making her way to the track. Speaking of track, Lisa's Strike Rouge finally came to a stop after she completed her victory lap, and she whooped with joy.
"Oh yeah! I did it!" The pink-haired girl cheerfully gloated, "I kicked your snooty tail!"
On the other hand…
"How?" complained Sherry, taking her helmet off and looking at it in utter disgust and denial, "'ow could 'I' have lost to a short-tempered beginner such as you?" She then hurled it aside and slammed her left fist down on the dashboard in anger, "This is unacceptable!"
"What's the big deal?" asked Lisa, not being all that surprised by her opponent's not-so-positive reaction to losing, "It's just like I told you before; Duel Monsters is a game about having fun and trying your best. I mean, I won the duel, but you clearly did your best."
Sherry merely seethed in silence. From there, Carlie finally walked down the ramp towards the two duelists onto the track, clearly to congratulate Lisa and try to talk to Sherry.
"That was very impressive, Lisa," Carlie complimented her friend. She then turned towards Sherry while looking more somber, "Sherry, I…"
"I don't want to hear it from you!" snapped Sherry, suddenly getting off her Sturm und Drang and glaring at her so-called enemy in pure hatred, "I may have lost my chance to face you in battle right now, but I promise you, Carlie, that I will-"
"OH, JUST KNOCK IT OFF!" A voice (male) yelled out.
The three females on the track turned to see Michael, Zack, and James R. each approaching. James R. in particular had his hands clenched into fists and judging from the fed up look on his face, it was apparent that 'he' was the one responsible for that outburst.
"What did you just say?" demanded Sherry in a quiet, yet angry tone.
"I said 'knock it off', or, what I would prefer right now, 'shut your mouth and listen good'," growled James R., not losing the look of rage on his face, "As much as we pity you for what Carlie almost did to you years ago, I have had it with you and your vendetta towards her! In fact, if you weren't a woman, I would slug you right in the face for being so cold and nasty to everyone!"
"How dare you!" raged Sherry, before pointing a finger towards Carlie, "That girl is a witch, and you damn well know it!" She then got near James R.'s face and poked at his chest in anger, "She used her powers to summon an actual monster and attack me!"
"In case you've forgotten, that incident happened 'years' ago!" reminded James R., "Besides, Carlie didn't do it on purpose, it was an 'accident'; one that 'you' brought upon yourself!"
"What?!"
The brown-haired young man nodded firmly. From there, a flashback began.
FLASHBACK
In the Flashback, Young Sherry was shown playing a game against some of the other kids. But once she won, she began to laugh triumphantly and brag about her victory while making some of the other children feel bad or annoyed with her.
"Every time you won a game," narrated James R., "instead of being humble about your victories, you saw them as a means to brag and put others down instead of complimenting them for at least trying their hardest. This is why hardly anybody wanted to play with you anymore!"
From there, the scene of Young Sherry's duel with Young Carlie began with Young Sherry's victory and bragging.
"The same can be said for your duel against Carlie," James R. continued, "Even though you two were friends and that you knew full well putting her down like that was wrong, you did it anyway. And Carlie got so upset from your bragging that she lost control of her powers."
From there, Young Carlie accidentally lost control of her powers and summoned a real life 'Rose Tentacle', terrifying Young Sherry until Young Carlie finally snapped out of it and the monster disappeared.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and James R. was still tearing into Sherry like no tomorrow.
"If anybody is to blame for what happened that day, it's 'you'," he accused, now pointing a finger towards Sherry, "If you had just complimented Carlie instead of getting all arrogant and putting her down for losing, none of that would have happened. So what if Carlie has Psychic powers? So what if she at one time used them to hurt people out of anger and sadness for her own parents getting rid of her? Let me make this as clear as I possibly can; NOBODY 'CARES' ABOUT THAT ANYMORE! Everybody has grown up and moved on with their lives. The people Carlie hurt have 'forgiven' her. As for 'you', Sherry? You're still just as we remember you as—a selfish, inconsiderate, spoiled, rotten brat who never thinks of other peoples' feelings! You claimed one time when we were children that you want to build a road to a glorious future, but how can that happen if you keep obsessively living in the past over something that was an accident? In my eyes, you do not deserve to call yourself a duelist, Sherry LeBlanc. In fact, you do not even deserve our respect! Now listen, if you have even a 'shred' of dignity left in that thick skull of yours, you will go back where you came from, and 'never' come near us again! Do you understand me, DO YOU?!"
The whole stadium had been stunned into dead silent, while Megan didn't bother getting Ken to cut the broadcast as she and her friend and co-worker observed from one of the exits. Nobody had ever seen James R. get 'that' angry for as long as they had heard and known of him. And, most importantly, nobody had 'ever' spoken up to Sherry in such a hostile manner. The question now was what would happen next. How would Sherry react to being torn into like that? Would she argue with James R.? Would she go and hit him? Nobody knew what would happen next. Ultimately, the fuming Sherry turned around, cursed to herself in French, and wheeled her Sturm und Drang away without saying anything back. James R. merely glared until the blonde-haired young French woman was out of sight.
"Good riddance," he grumbled, shaking his head in disappointment.
Over in the stands, David, the Astray trio, Mr. Kisaka, and even the usually calm and collected Ms. Simmons were all taken by surprise over what they saw James R. do.
"James…" stammered Mayura, having never seen that side of James R. before.
"Wow," added Asagi, looking highly subdued.
"My thoughts exactly, Asagi-san," finished David, "A vast case of 'beware the nice ones' if I ever witnessed such."
"You're telling me," Juri agreed, "Remind me to never make James mad."
Over with the rest of Team 4D's once Matt showed up to join his friends on the track, James R. finally let out a huge breath of relief now that he got it out of his system…
"Man…" The brown-haired young man sighed calmly, before turning to look at his friends, "You guys have no 'idea' how good it feels to finally let all that out."
"James, was that the right thing to say?" asked Michael, walking up to his best friend.
"I told you earlier, it 'had' to be said," replied James R. seriously, "'Somebody' had to get through that thick head of hers sooner or later, and I got tired of waiting for one of you guys to do it."
"That is true," acknowledged Matt, "However, maybe there was another way you could have spoken to Sherry."
"Yeah," agreed Zack, "A small part of me is worried that this will only serve to make her hate Carlie even more."
"Look, I took my chances," insisted James R., "I had to say something to Sherry before she got worse than she already was. It was the right thing to do in my eyes."
"Sherry…" mumbled Carlie, hoping that somehow, some way, she could still make amends with her ex-friend.
It was then Discord walked past the males of Team 4D's and approached his adopted daughter before laying a hand on her shoulder.
"Don't worry, Carlie," comforted Discord, "I'm certain you'll be able to fix things with Sherry."
"I hope so, Dad," prayed Carlie, "I really hope I can do that."
Yeah, us too.
(elsewhere…)
Later inside the arena itself, Lisa was busy getting a soda from the snack stand. After paying for the drink, she turned…and immediately met up with David.
"Dave?" blinked Lisa.
"Drake-san," greeted David simply.
There was a long, awkward silence between the two teenagers. Before long, Lisa finally said something to break the silence…
"So, what did you think of my duel?" she asked curiously, "I've won it as you and everyone else saw."
"It was…okay," said David, "You performed adequately."
"W-Whaaat?!"
The pink-haired girl was far from being pleased over being told something like that—she had been in a very difficult duel, for goodness sake! Unfortunately for her, David was far from being finished…
"Sherry was indeed correct," he continued, "You could have efficiently ended the match with a simple strike to both of her 'Noble Knight Tokens', but you yet again willingly chose to risk a potential defeat for the sake of a cheap thrill."
"What are you trying to say?" Lisa challenged, staring David down, "Are you telling me that I'm stupid or something?"
"I was going to leave it at 'impulsive', but if you wish to define your actions under a different terminology, don't let me stop you," David fired back with a slight smirk.
Lisa growled, her fists clenching up.
"You keep this up," threatened Lisa, "and I'll have your nose broken so fast it won't heal for a really long time!"
"You continue to prove my assessment of your behaviour correct every second," dismissed David knowingly, "How the Crimson Dragon chose 'you' as a Signer I will never comprehend."
Lisa froze in shock when she heard him say that.
"That's right, Drake-san," David went on, detaching his right gauntlet, "I know all about that mysterious entity…" He pulled his sleeve down his forearm, revealing his birthmark, "…because I, too, was visited by it."
Lisa gazed at the Mark of the Heart adorned on his arm, glancing down slightly at her own glove covered birthmark.
"But what made 'you' so special?" spat Lisa, "I spent almost my life collecting Duel Monster cards and gaining the ability to build a virtually unbeatable collection, enrolled in one of the best Duel schools in the world, and trained with some of the greatest players in the country!"
She saw David's face gradually become less confident with every statement she made.
"Where did you train? In a 'library'?"
Now it was David's turn to freeze in shock. Lisa merely smirked pridefully, removing her right glove from her forearm, revealing the Mark of the Hand.
"Now do me a favor and don't compare yourself to me," The pink-haired girl stated haughtily, "I earned my right to duel here, as well as this birthmark. If anything, you were probably chosen out of pity."
Now very upset, David stared bitterly at Lisa. His eyes were practically flaming with anger and hurt.
"'Never' accuse me of using pity to get where I am, Drake-san!" growled David, "If you knew anything about the kind of trials and tribulations I've had to endure since childhood, you'll find I deserve this opportunity more than you ever will!"
Lisa was about to refute that claim, but David wasn't done with getting his point across.
"People like you have it incredibly easy! You never need to be good; you can mess up again and again and again, but the world will still adore you!" ranted David, "You will never know what it's like to fail, all because you were handed your chance at success on a silver platter!"
The argument between the two teenagers was attracting the attention of some nearby people who were present to watch the tournament. Did either David or Lisa notice the unwanted attention they were getting right now? Not at all.
"Look here, I don't have to take $*#^ from you or anyone," Lisa replied, slightly irritated by David's tirade, "You wanna share stories of childhood, then how about you meet me at Bryant Park this evening? Have I got plenty of tales to tell you! Or is that too much of a tall ask for you?"
David frowned, taking the idea as a challenge of sorts.
"Very well!" he accepted sharply, "If it will appease your boorish mind, then we shall rendezvous there at 7:00 pm after round two ends!"
"Fine! Just don't make me wait forever!" Lisa shot back.
With that said, both teenagers, without realizing what they did, turned and stormed off in different directions. The stand worker who had served Lisa her soda and watched the ensuing argument, merely blinked for a few seconds when it finally ended before shrugging it off and returning to work without any care.
(elsewhere…)
Meanwhile, back outside, the audience was back to cheering because the next duel was hyped to be one of the best of the whole tournament. You see, Matt was about to duel against Clotho of Blue Cosmos. During David and Lisa's argument near the snack stand, the MC had announced for Matt and Clotho to arrive, and currently both duelists with their respective Duel Runners (Matt: Fudo Go, Clotho: Raider) were waiting by the starting line for the countdown to begin. While they waited for the race to start, Clotho cast a quick glance at Matt before having a flashback to getting ready for the duel.
FLASHBACK
Inside one of the garages, Flashback Clotho, decked out in his Blue Cosmos-based motorcyclist suit without the helmet (yet), was looking over his 'Infernity' Deck one more time as Flashback Orga and Flashback Shani both watched. Eventually, Flashback Clotho smiled when he came across a certain card he was looking for.
"There it is…" The orange/red-haired young man whispered.
While looking at the card in-question, Flashback Clotho soon realized that some people (his two best friends) were looking over his shoulders and scowled over it.
"Hey! Do you both mind?!" snapped Flashback Clotho, looking at both Flashback Orga and Flashback Shani with annoyance.
"So, you're going to use that in your duel?" asked Flashback Orga, while looking highly interested in the card, "When you bring it out, there's no doubt you'll defeat Matt easily."
"Though he'll still put up a tough fight either way," reminded Flashback Shani.
"Heh! Even if he does put up a fight, it will be all pointless," reassured Flashback Clotho, inserting his prepared Deck into a holder on the wrist of his left hand. He then grabbed his helmet and slipped it on, "I'm gonna defeat him with my 'Infernity' Deck, and when I do I'll take his title as America's best duelist."
Climbing aboard Raider, Flashback Clotho revved the Duel Runner up and drove out of the garage as both Flashback Orga and Flashback Shani followed suit on foot.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended, and Clotho was grinning dangerously over the memory.
"Mark my words, Matt Fudo," he thought to himself, "This is one duel you won't see coming no matter how prepared you think you are."
Well, there was only one way to find out.
"Oh my goodness!" squealed the MC, "This is one duel nobody would want to miss! Clotho Buer against Matt Fudo! Duelists, get ready to duel!" He then issued a command, "Action Field, on! 'Crossover Acceleration'!"
This caused the dueling track around them to glow as several Duel Monsters cards began to appear floating in little balls of light all around the track. Not only that, both Matt and Clotho pressed a button on their respective Duel Runners.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the two, respective Duel Runners, "Autopilot activated."
In the stands…
"Fudo-san," mumbled David, who had just rejoined his family.
"(お兄ちゃん,) O nīchan, (Big Brother,) Fudo-senpai will win, right?" Gabriella, looking at David, asked hopefully.
"Don't worry, Gabriella," reassured David, "Fudo-san is the strongest duelist in America, and one of the strongest duelists in the world overall. He will be just fine."
Gabriella hoped that her Big Brother was right on that, since many of those 'Infernity' monsters were scary and Clotho demolished Misty-san in the last round. Back on the track, the countdown was about to end…
"Turbo Duel! Acceleration!" The MC yelled out, once the three remaining ticks ran out.
From there, both Duel Runners tore down the track. Both Raider and Fudo Go were equal in speed, and the riders tried outperforming the other by driving along (and even on) the walls to the audience's enjoyment. Before long, Matt, far ahead of Clotho, decided to end the charade.
"Hey, I know you're toying with me!" The dirty blonde-haired young man accused, looking over his shoulder.
"Me? Toying with you?" asked Clotho mockingly, "Why, how did you ever figure that out?"
"Just a lucky guess," said Matt dryly.
With that said, Clotho pressed a few buttons on the dashboard of his Duel Runner. Within seconds, Raider turned into its MA Mode, increasing its speed even further, allowing him to pass Matt and cross the finish line first. With the race over and the first turn officially his, Clotho turned Raider back into its Duel Runner form.
"You ready?" Clotho, looking over his shoulder at the opposition, teased.
"I'm 'always' ready," replied Matt firmly.
Before long…
"Duel!" Matt and Clotho both announced at once (LP: 4000) x2.
And the audience went wild as the Turbo Duel commenced.
"The first stage of this duel is mine!" reminded Clotho, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn One: Clotho Buer (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Infernity Guardian", "Infernity Randomizer", "Infernity Suppression", "Infernity Reflector", "Infernity Patriarch", and "Infernity Launcher"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Infernity Launcher'.
"This will be a good start for my perfect combo," thought Clotho, before looking at his hand (it contained 'Infernity Guardian', 'Infernity Randomizer', 'Infernity Suppression', 'Infernity Reflector', 'Infernity Patriarch'), "And this is also a very good beginning hand…" He then spoke aloud while briefly readying the drawn card in-between the index and middle fingers of his right hand before slotting it into his Duel Runner, "Okay, first things first, I'll activate a Continuous Spell, 'Infernity Launcher'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field behind Raider.
"'Infernity Launcher'?" pondered Matt.
"Once per turn: I can send 1 'Infernity' monster from my hand to the GY," explained Clotho, before taking a card ('Infernity Patriarch') from his hand and sending it to his GY, "The sooner I make my hand empty, the better!"
Matt didn't say anything, because he remembered how deadly that hand-at-0 Handless Combo could be. Not being done with preparations, Clotho took another card from his hand and placed it onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner (sideways).
"Next, I'll Summon 'Infernity Guardian' in Defense Position!" he declared.
Appearing onto the field was a large, fiendish shield with a skull on it (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1700).
"Finally, I'll Set two cards face-down," continued Clotho, motioning his right arm and making two Set cards appear on the field around him, "That ends my turn!"
The two face-down cards faded away for later use. Back in the stands, Lisa, still looking grumpy, approached her friends and teachers and sat down.
"Lisa, the duel's just begun," scolded Juri, "Where have you been?"
Lisa grunted, "I don't wanna talk about it."
And so, nothing more was said. Back on the track, Clotho's first turn had ended.
"So, it's your turn, Matt!" dared Clotho, "Can you do anything better than me?"
Matt looked on calmly and stoically, before bracing two fingers onto his Deck and drawing a card.
"It's my turn!" said Matt, acting all intense-like.
Turn Two: Matt Fudo (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Boost Warrior", "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow", "One for One", "Synchron Carrier", "Regen Warrior", and "Stardust Wish"
Action Card: N/A
His drawn card was the 'Stardust Wish' Trap Card.
"I'll need this for later on," thought Matt, before grinning slightly, "Good answer, my cards."
Meanwhile, Clotho, still looking over his shoulder, saw his opponent grinning.
"What could he be smiling about?" Clotho asked himself, mentally, "He couldn't have drawn something good already, right?"
Before long, Matt added his drawn card into his hand (which also contained 'Boost Warrior', 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow', 'One for One', 'Synchron Carrier', and 'Regen Warrior'), took another card ('One for One'), and readied to play it.
"From my hand," began Matt, slotting the card into a Spell & Trap Zone on his Duel Runner, "I'll activate the Spell Card, 'One for One'!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of Fudo Go.
"I must send 1 monster from my hand to the GY; I must Special Summon 1 Level 1 monster from my hand or Deck," As he explained his card's effect, Matt took another card ('Regen Warrior') from his hand and sent it right into his GY, "I'll send 'Regen Warrior' from my hand to the GY…" His Deck stuck a card out, and he took hold and held it out to show the opponent, "…and Special Summon 'Jet Synchron' from my Deck!"
Appearing onto the field was a jet-like Machine monster (Level: 1/ATK: 500/DEF: 0).
"Also, I'll activate the effect of 'Regen Warrior'!" The voice of Matt went on, just as a card ('Regen Warrior') ejected from his GY and he grabbed and held it out in his right hand for a few seconds, "When this card is sent from my hand to the GY by a card effect, I can Special Summon it (from my GY)!"
Upon placing the card onto his Duel Runner, appearing onto the field was a human female with fiery wings (Level: 4/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"I will also bring out one more monster," Matt pointed out, taking and placing another card onto his Duel Runner, "From my hand, I'll Normal Summon 'Synchron Carrier' in Defense Position!"
Appearing onto the field was an orange robot with a crane on its back (Level: 2/ATK: 0/DEF: 1000). From there, the fun began…
"I tune Level 4 'Regen Warrior' into Level 1 'Jet Synchron'!" declared Matt.
Floating into the air, 'Jet Synchron' turned itself into a single Synchro Ring, which 'Regen Warrior' soared through while turning into four orbs of light as Matt echoed a Summon Chant…
"Gathering magic that lives in each creature will merge and become one! Become the path its light shines upon!" chanted Matt, as the symbols 4 + 1 = 5 briefly appeared just before the orbs of light in the Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Blast off, 'Jet Warrior'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence came to an end, was a humanoid monster made from parts of a black jet plane (Level: 5/ATK: 2100/DEF: 1200).
"Tch! It's 'Jet Warrior', huh?" scowled Clotho.
"I activate the first effect of 'Jet Synchron'!" continued Matt, as a card ('Junk Synchron') ejected from his Deck and he took hold of it, "If this card is sent to the GY as Synchro Material: I can add 1 'Junk' monster from my Deck to my hand. And from there, I'll activate the first effect of 'Jet Warrior'! If this card is Synchro Summoned: I can target 1 card my opponent controls; I must return it to the hand," He then gave a command to his monster, "Go forth, 'Jet Warrior'! Return 'Infernity Guardian' to Clotho's hand!"
'Jet Warrior' obeyed, charging like a sonic jet towards 'Infernity Guardian'.
"Reverse Jet!" The voice of Matt exclaimed.
"Do you think I'm stupid enough to let you try something like that?" cut in Clotho, dismissively.
"Huh?!" gasped Matt.
"Watch this!" As Clotho spoke, one of his Set cards reappeared on the field behind Raider, flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Infernity Suppression'! When my opponent activates a monster effect while I control an 'Infernity' monster: I must negate the effect, then, I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to the activating monster's Level x 100."
"Uh-oh!" panicked the MC, "This is a very bad thing for Matt! 'Jet Warrior' will not only have its effect negated, he'll also take 500 damage!"
As so…
"Your 'Jet Warrior's' effect is going to be rendered moot!" laughed Clotho, "And, because it's a Level 5 monster, you'll take 500 damage!"
The face-up 'Infernity Suppression' Trap Card fired a large orange blast, striking both 'Jet Warrior' and Fudo Go, causing Matt to grimace as he sustained some minor damage (LP: 4000 → 3500).
"I activate the second effect of my 'Synchron Carrier'!" Matt, upon recovering from feeling the attack, announced, causing Clotho to look curious, "If another 'Synchron' monster is sent to my GY as material for the Synchro Summon of a Warrior or Machine Synchro Monster, while I control this card: I can Special Summon 1 'Synchron Token'," He then swept his right arm about, "Come forth, 'Synchron Token'!"
Appearing onto the field was a smaller orange robot (Level: 2/ATK: 1000/DEF: 0).
"Furthermore, I'll also activate the first effect of 'Synchron Carrier'!" Matt went on, "During my Main Phase, I can Normal Summon 1 'Synchron' monster in addition to my Normal Summon/Set!"
"Another Normal Summon?!" complained Clotho.
Without saying anything back, Matt took another card ('Junk Synchron') from his hand and placed it onto another Monster Zone on his Duel Runner.
"I Summon 'Junk Synchron'!" yelled Matt.
Appearing onto the field was the robotic monster with the engine on his back (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 500).
"Geez! How many of those useless low Level monsters are you aiming to bring out?!" demanded Clotho in annoyance, "They won't be of any help to you in defeating my 'Infernity Guardian'!"
"No card, no matter how low Leveled they might be, is useless," retorted Matt hotly, just as a card ('Jet Synchron') ejected from his GY and he took hold of it, "When 'Junk Synchron' is Normal Summoned: I can target 1 Level 2 or lower monster in my GY; I must Special Summon that target in Defense Position, but negate its effects," After a few seconds of readying his card in-between the index and middle fingers of his right, he held it out before placing it onto his Duel Runner, "Resurrect, 'Jet Synchron'!"
'Jet Synchron' reappeared on the field (Level: 1/ATK: 500/DEF: 0). On cue, 'Junk Synchron' pulled a cord on his armor, causing his motor backpack to start revving as his whole body started glowing a golden yellow.
"I tune Level 2 'Synchron Carrier' into Level 3 'Junk Synchron'!" The voice of Matt boomed, as the above scenario played out "Let's rev it up!"
From there, as the command was being given, the golden 'Junk Synchron' turned into three Synchro Rings, which 'Synchron Carrier' dove into. As its body was outlined, it turned into two orbs of light as Matt began a Summon Chant.
"Gathering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shines upon!" chanted Matt, as the symbols 2 + 3 = 5 were also seen for a short period of time just before the orbs of light in the Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Show yourself, 'Junk Warrior'!"
As the beam of light disbursed, the purple robot-like warrior appeared onto the field before jumping into the sky and posing with a loud shout (Level: 5/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1300). The audience immediately cheered over seeing one of Matt's ace monsters.
"Oh, is Clotho in trouble, now!" rejoiced Mayura.
"Indeed… 'Junk Warrior' has a power that makes it stronger," put in Ms. Simmons.
Back on the track, 'Junk Warrior' started glowing a golden yellow.
"This is 'Junk Warrior's monster effect! If this card is Synchro Summoned: It gains ATK equal to the total ATK of all Level 2 or lower monsters I currently control," explained Matt, briefly going over his monster's only effect before issuing a command as 'Junk Warrior' did a multitude of fighting poses, "Power of Fellows!"
With the aid of both 'Synchron Token' and 'Jet Synchron', 'Junk Warrior' grew even stronger (ATK: 2300 → 3800).
"Are you kidding me?!" whined Clotho.
"And I'm still not done; I activate the first effect of 'Boost Warrior'," Matt replied sternly, before placing another card onto his Duel Runner, "If I control a face-up Tuner, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand) in face-up Defense Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a red-haired warrior dressed in armor (Level: 1/ATK: 300/DEF: 300).
"'Boost Warrior's' second effect!" said Matt, "All Warrior monsters I control gain 300 ATK."
Both 'Jet Warrior' and 'Junk Warrior', who were running side-by-side, grew stronger (ATK: 2100 → 2400)(ATK: 3800 → 4100). It was then something happened to 'Jet Synchron'; it was beginning to turn into a Synchro Ring.
"I tune Level 2 'Synchron Token', Level 1 'Boost Warrior' into Level 1 'Jet Synchron'!" The voice of Matt declared, as the above scenario played out.
'Jet Synchron' finally jumped into the air and turned into a single Synchro Ring, which both 'Synchron Token' and 'Boost Warrior' soared through, turning into three orbs of light (two from 'Synchron Token', and one from 'Boost Warrior'). The symbols 2 + 1 + 1 = 4 were shown for only a few seconds when the three orbs of light turned into a massive beam of light.
"Synchro Summon!" shouted Matt, "Show yourself, 'Armory Arm'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was a large clawed gauntlet-like monster (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 1200).
"What?! You've used all of your low Leveled monsters just to bring out THAT?" dismissed Clotho, as Matt listened to the exasperation, "Are you even trying at all in this duel? Do you know that by getting rid of all your weak monsters," His focus then went towards 'Junk Warrior', "'Junk Warrior' loses all of that freshly gained power!"
'Jet Warrior (ATK: 2400 → 2100) and 'Junk Warrior' (ATK: 4100 → 2300) both returned to their default ATK respectively.
"I don't know what you're planning, but all it's done thus far is waste my time!" continued Clotho scornfully, "If you want my two cents, you really should have just kept your weak monsters around to make 'Junk Warrior' more powerful than my other monsters!"
He was dead wrong about that theory.
"I activate the first effect of 'Armory Arm'!" cut in Matt.
"What?!" Clotho cringed in response.
'Armory Arm' came apart as 'Junk Warrior' thrust his right hand forth, allowing the bits and pieces to attach to the Warrior Synchro Monster's right arm before he posed for battle.
"Once per turn, I can either: I must target 1 monster on the field; I must equip this card to that target, OR: I must unequip this card and Special Summon it in Attack Position," The voice of Matt was saying, as the above scenario played out "While equipped by this effect, that target gains 1000 ATK."
'Junk Warrior's' ATK went up again (ATK: 2300 → 3300).
"Why that-!" exclaimed Orga, "The effect 'Armory Arm' has is way too broken!"
Both Shani and Azrael remained on the silent front, but they both were not too happy. Back on the track, the Battle Phase had begun.
"'Junk Warrior', attack 'Infernity Guardian'!" ordered Matt, as 'Junk Warrior' started firing up his jetpacks before diving through the area towards 'Infernity Guardian', "Power Gear Fist!"
'Junk Warrior' obeyed, raising his equipped right super fist back before throwing an energized punch with a loud yell, sending out a claw-like energy wave from the equipped 'Armory Arm' towards the enemy monster he was fighting.
"'Armory Arm's' second effect activates!" Matt went on, as the energy wave got closer and closer, "If that target destroys a monster by battle and sends it to the GY: I must inflict damage to my opponent equal to the destroyed monster's original ATK."
"Say what?!" panicked Clotho, again sounding none too happy, "That's totally unfair!"
Sadly, he had to watch helplessly as the powerful energy attack by both 'Junk Warrior' and 'Armory Arm' swallowed his 'Infernity Guardian' whole. Because it was unable to withstand the much stronger attack, 'Infernity Guardian' exploded from its destruction through the battle and caused Clotho to yell out when he got hit by the backlash of the explosion (LP: 4000 → 2800).
"What a counterattack!" The voice of the MC yelled out, "Matt has now taken the lead in this duel!"
Indeed, Raider stumbled about and allowed Fudo Go to pass by.
"You lousy fool! No one beats me at my own game!" growled Clotho, before pressing a button on his Duel Runner, "I activate a Trap, 'Infernity Reflector'!"
The remaining Set card reappeared on the speeding, flipped face-up, and revealed itself.
"When an 'Infernity' monster I control is destroyed by battle and sent to the GY: I must discard all the cards in my hand, then target the destroyed 'Infernity' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon it, then inflict 1000 damage to my opponent," bragged Clotho, before sending the remaining card ('Infernity Randomizer') from his hand to the GY, "First things first, I have to discard my whole hand!"
After sending the only remaining card from hand to the GY, another card ('Infernity Guardian') ejected from there.
"Now I'll Special Summon 'Infernity Guardian' once more!" The voice of Clotho declared, while taking the card in-question. He then placed it onto a Monster Zone on his Duel Runner (sideways), "Resurrect, 'Infernity Guardian'!"
The fiendish shield reappeared on the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1200/DEF: 1700). Matt was worried, seeing as he would now be hit for 1000 damage. Thankfully, he spotted an Action Card up ahead. Clotho, meanwhile, was so busy laughing and boasting that he didn't pay any attention to what his opponent was up to.
"Now, since I've revived 'Infernity Guardian'," said Clotho eagerly, "I can hit you for exactly 1000 damage!"
The face-up 'Infernity Reflector' started to fire off a blast of Hellish flames, but Matt quickly picked up the Action Card, turned, and held it out.
"Action Card, 'Acceleration'!" he announced quickly, just as the flames hit and overwhelmed him and Fudo Go, "When a card or effect is activated that would inflict damage to me: I must make that effect damage to me 0."
When the flames died down, Matt grinned tauntingly as his LP were shown to be untouched (LP: 3500).
"Phew! What a close one," sighed Asagi.
"No kidding," agreed Juri, "Matt would have been sent to 2500 LP if the attack actually hit him."
Back on the track, Clotho fumed over his failed attack.
"Man, you really piss me off," he said unhappily, before smiling darkly, "Oh well, at least I brought back my 'Infernity Guardian' to protect me."
"Unfortunately, your 'Infernity Guardian's' DEF won't do you any good," reminded Matt, "My 'Jet Warrior' has a higher ATK."
"Oh? Then why don't you try taking 'Infernity Guardian' down again if you're that confident?" offered Clotho.
That request surprised Matt; why would Clotho encourage him to attack and destroy his monster like that? While it was true that 'Infernity Guardian' was weaker than 'Jet Warrior', was there a hidden surprise waiting for him if he did attack? Ultimately, he decided to take a chance and take it down.
"I'll just have to chance it," thought Matt, before speaking aloud and giving a command to his other monster, "'Jet Warrior', attack 'Infernity Guardian'!" He then announced his monster's attack name as the packs on 'Jet Warrior's' back fired up, "Jet Rush!"
And with that, 'Jet Warrior' charged towards 'Infernity Guardian' and collided with it like a fireball. To Matt's surprise, 'Infernity Guardian' was resisting the attack quite easily.
"How?" The dirty blonde-haired young man gawked.
"Allow me to use some words that you said to me before… 'No card, no matter how low Leveled they might be, is useless'," teased Clotho, although he said them in a malicious, uncaring sort of way in order to spite his opponent and his dueling philosophy. He then managed to hold both hands up and reveal no cards in them, "The effect of 'Infernity Guardian'! While I have no cards in my hand, this card cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects."
Matt did not like the sound of that, and so, because 'Infernity Guardian' was impervious to attacks at the moment, was forced to recall 'Jet Warrior'.
"Return now, 'Jet Warrior'!" he commanded.
As the flames around it died down, 'Jet Warrior' stopped its attack and returned to Matt's field as ordered to. Within the audience…
"How dare Clotho say something only Matt would say," grumbled Asagi, folding her arms in disgust.
"I agree," put in Lisa, "Clotho said that in order to mock him on his dueling philosophy."
"What a jerk!" huffed Juri.
Back on the track, things weren't going so smoothly for Matt at the moment. While he did manage to destroy 'Infernity Guardian' on the first try, it was now back and invulnerable to destruction entirely.
"So far, I can't destroy 'Infernity Guardian' while Clotho has an empty hand," thought Matt, "And when he draws a card, he'll quickly get rid of it in order to keep his hand empty. That hand-at-zero Handless Combo of his… What a deadly trick!" He then took the two remaining cards from his hand and slotted them into his Duel Runner, "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
Two face-down cards materialized on the field before fading away for later use.
"And that's all the big bad champion can do?" taunted Clotho, before laughing loudly as he brought his right hand to his forehead in amusement, "Oh man, and I was worried all for nothing! I actually thought this duel would end so soon! I'm so glad I was wrong!"
Matt scowled in response.
"Don't worry though," Clotho rambled on, "Although I defeated that terrible model in the last round, I will, in some way, drag this duel on for our audience's enjoyment!"
"Hey! Ms. Misty is NOT terrible!" hollered Asagi from her seat.
"I'll pretend I didn't hear that," mumbled Clotho, before he resumed addressing Matt, "As I was saying, you, and everybody else here, have yet to see the true terror of my 'Infernity' Deck! Have I got lots more cards I want to show off!"
With the audience…
"Are there more dangerous cards in Clotho's Deck that we've yet to see?" pondered Sean.
"It's hard to say right now, Sean-kun," answered David thoughtfully, "It might be possible. Even though Fudo-san is an amazing duelist, he should probably take care against a duelist like Clotho Buer."
Neither Sean, Janice, nor Gabriella said anything in response. Back on the track…
"It's my turn!" exclaimed Clotho, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Three: Clotho Buer (LP: 2800)
Deck: 53
Current Hand (1): "Infernity General"
Action Card: N/A
"And now, I'll activate the effect of my Continuous Spell, 'Infernity Launcher'!"
With that said, Clotho discarded his drawn card ('Infernity General') without any hesitation. However, then held up his activated 'Infernity Launcher' Spell Card.
"However, this is where I will level-up my chances of winning—with the second effect of 'Infernity Launcher', that is!" continued Clotho, before sending the mentioned card to the GY, "I can send this card to the GY, then target up to 2 'Infernity' monsters in my GY; I must Special Summon them. I must have no cards in my hand to activate and to resolve this effect," He then managed to hold both hands up, "Well, would you look at this; I have 'no' cards in my hand!"
From there, the face-up 'Infernity Launcher' Spell Card shattered into shards of glass.
"Now, I'll Special Summon, from my GY, 'Infernity General' in Attack Position, and 'Infernity Infernity Randomizer' in Defense Position!" yelled Clotho, holding up two cards ('Infernity General' and 'Infernity Randomizer') he took from his GY, "Show yourselves!"
Appearing onto the field at the same time were two more 'Infernity' monsters; one was a fiendish warrior in black armor with a huge sword and a red cape (Level: 7/ATK: 2700/DEF: 1500), and the other was a machine with two laser-like barrels, a fiendish head, and arms as well (Level: 1/ATK: 900/DEF: 0).
"This is gonna be so much fun," said Clotho gleefully, drawing a card, "I activate the effect of my 'Infernity Randomizer'! Once per turn: I can draw a card, then send it to the GY. If that card is a monster, I must inflict damage to my opponent equal to the Level of that monster × 200. If that card is a Spell/Trap, I must take 500 damage. I must have no cards in my hand to activate and to resolve this effect."
He then saw that he drew a Monster Card called 'Infernity Avenger', and the sight of it made him cackle with laughter.
"You see, I've drawn a Monster Card!" While ranting, Clotho held his drawn card out for a few seconds before discarding it, "This is 'Infernity Avenger'! Its Level is 1, and that means I'll send it to the GY and you'll be hit for 200 damage!"
From there, 'Infernity Randomizer' fired a blast towards Matt, hitting him and Fudo Go head on (LP: 3500 → 3300).
"And now, let's see you try and block this attack, homeless scumbag!" requested Clotho, making a pretty nasty statement about his opponent while entering the Battle Phase, "'Infernity General', make 'Jet Warrior' suffer!" While announcing his monster's attack name, 'Infernity General' gripped onto its weapon and prepared to attack, "Infernity Blade!"
'Infernity General' obeyed, slashing its blade at 'Jet Warrior'.
"Not just yet!" cut in Matt, as one of his Set cards reappeared on the field beside him (on his left), flipped face-up, and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow'!"
A metallic scarecrow materialized out of the face-up Trap Card and onto the field.
"When an opponent's monster declares an attack: I must target the attacking monster; I must negate the attack, also, after that, Set this card face-down instead of sending it to the GY."
As the explanation of the card was being done, 'Infernity General' was shown about to strike down 'Jet Warrior', but the metallic scarecrow intercepted and took the attack instead. With its weapon not even scratching the metallic scarecrow, 'Infernity General', without much choice, had to return to Clotho's field without completing its attack.
"Rrrgh!" hissed Clotho, watching as the face-up 'Scrap-Iron Scarecrow' Trap Card went back into a face-down position before fading away for later use, "My attack has failed, and you can use your Trap Card again. Damn you and your broken tricks!"
Within the audience again…
"I must say, Clotho's doing a very good job toying with Matt," commented Azrael calmly, acting as though Clotho's anger was false, "Sooner or later, he'll get exactly what he needs to win, and when that happens," He smiled evilly, "it will be game over."
Orga and Shani, without saying a word, both looked at their headmaster and back at each other, wondering if this meant Clotho would bring out 'that' monster when the duel got to that point. Back on the track, both Raider and Fudo Go were roaring down the road and occasionally riding against the walls.
"Here I go! It's my turn!" announced Matt, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Four: Matt Fudo (LP: 3300)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (1): "Rush Warrior"
Action Card: N/A
Almost immediately, the Battle Phase began.
"'Junk Warrior', destroy 'Infernity General'!" ordered Matt, as 'Junk Warrior' started firing up his jetpacks (again), "Power Gear Fist!"
'Junk Warrior', as the above commend was being given, obeyed, diving through the area towards 'Infernity General' while raising his equipped right super fist back before throwing another energized punch with a mighty howl.
"Hold it! I activate the second effect of 'Infernity Patriarch'!" interrupted Clotho, holding up a card ('Infernity Patriarch') as it ultimately faded away into oblivion, "While I have no cards in my hand, if an 'Infernity' monster(s) I control would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish this card from my GY instead."
'Junk Warrior', equipped with 'Armory Arm', finally struck 'Infernity General' with the energized punch, but the enemy monster simply shrugged off the attack like it was nothing, forcing 'Junk Warrior' to back off.
"Ha! 'Infernity General's' destruction from the battle has been negated!" jeered Clotho.
"But you'll still take the damage!" Matt reminded casually.
As expected, Clotho began glowing red as he winced and lost some LP from the attack (LP: 2800 → 2200).
"My Battle Phase is ongoing!" continued Matt, just before issuing an order to his other monster, "'Jet Warrior', it's your turn to attack 'Infernity General'!" As he announced his monster's attack name, the packs on 'Jet Warrior's' back fired up, "Jet Rush!"
'Jet Warrior' obeyed, diving forth and striking the stronger 'Infernity General' in the stomach, seemingly undamaging the enemy monster in the slightest.
"Why the hell would you even attack with a monster that's weaker than my own?" huffed Clotho.
"Weaker? Are you certain 'Jet Warrior' is weaker than 'Infernity General'?" smirked Matt.
"Huh?"
"In my hand, I have a monster called 'Rush Warrior'," The dirty blonde-haired young man went on, holding his drawn card ('Rush Warrior') out before discarding it, "During damage calculation, if a 'Warrior' Synchro Monster I control battles an opponent's monster (Quick Effect): I can send this card from my hand to the GY; my battling monster's ATK becomes double its current ATK during that damage calculation only."
"What?!" wailed Clotho, "Doing that would make your 'Jet Warrior's' ATK go from 2100 all the way to an even higher 4200!"
And that's exactly what was going on; 'Jet Warrior' got supercharged with considerable amounts of power (ATK: 2100 → 4200), before finally overpowering 'Infernity General' and destroying it much to Clotho's fury as he took even greater damage than from the attack by 'Junk Warrior' (LP: 2200 → 700). With the Damage Step over and done with, 'Jet Warrior's' ATK returned to normal (ATK: 4200 → 2100).
"'Infernity General' has been destroyed!" declared Matt, "Not only that, your LP are also at 700. I should think the odds are not in your favor at the moment, wouldn't you agree?"
"Ha! Go ahead, laugh it up!" Clotho grunted, before grinning once again, "But I'll be the one laughing last! I activate the monster effect of 'Infernity Avenger'!" He took and held up a card ('Infernity Avenger') from his GY, "When a monster I control, except 'Infernity Avenger', is destroyed by battle with an opponent's monster and sent to the GY: I can Special Summon this card from my GY, and if I do, the Level of this card is equal to the Level of my destroyed monster. I must have no cards in my hand to activate and to resolve this effect," He motioned his right arm about while still holding onto the card, "Come forth, 'Infernity Avenger'!"
Appearing onto the field was a small, fiendish cowboy with no torso (Level: 7/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). Its base Level was originally 1, but it increased all the way to 7 as a result of its effect.
"Level 1 and Level 7!" realized Orga, referring to 'Infernity Randomizer' and 'Infernity Avenger' respectively, "And 'Infernity Avenger's' a Tuner monster!"
"Will Clotho's best monster appear on his turn?" added Shani.
The look on Azrael's face signaled that, yes, a deadly surprise for the poor fool facing Clotho was indeed coming real soon. Back on the track…
"I hope you're ready, Matt Fudo!" roared Clotho, looking over his shoulder, "As soon as your turn is over, you'll be in for the fight of your life!" He resumed his focus on what was ahead, "Once I bring it out, my Deck's ace will terminate you, once and forever! And when I'm the winner of this duel, everyone will acknowledge me as North America's best duelist—not you!"
Matt merely gritted his teeth as he stared in defiance. With the already super hot Turbo Duel heating up considerably, would Matt be able to handle whatever Clotho wanted to use against him? There's only one way to find out, and it's to keep on reading.
Once again, the remaining bits from the original copy of the last chapter, "Sacred French Knights", have been moved to the first half of this new chapter.