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: Reclaim Orb's Pride!
Opening up within one of the hallways, both Matt and Carlie were stunned by who came to help them out of their situation with the sarcastic punk and some of his friends. It was Sherry LeBlanc, and she was ready to rumble with the enemies standing in her way.
"S-Sherry?" whispered Carlie.
"A woman?" The sarcastic punk pondered, while a few other punks were likewise surprised, "You're a woman?"
Sherry didn't respond to the question from the enemy, and instead turned to face Carlie.
"Carlie, I've been doing some thinking since we last saw the other," she said, just as a flashback started up.
FLASHBACK
In New York City, Flashback Sherry and Flashback Elsworth were at the harbor looking out at the waters. Flashback Sherry was quiet throughout, but Flashback Elsworth broke that silence when he decided to ask a few important questions to his ward.
"M'lady, was it wise?" pressed Flashback Elsworth, which got Flashback Sherry's attention, "Was it wise of you to just turn down Mistress Carlie's request for your help like that?" He then became worried, "I can't help but wonder what will happen to the duelists of Orb and all of their teachers. Will they be rescued?"
"It's not my problem," said Flashback Sherry coldly, turning to leave, "Besides, it's clear that James does not want my help, and, you know what, it's fine by me."
The blonde-haired young French woman started to walk away.
"Wait!" called Flashback Elsworth, causing Flashback Sherry to stop, "That's not what James meant at all! All he really meant was that he's fed up with your cold, uncaring attitude towards others. If anything, he really wants you to help him and his friends with liberating Orb more than anything!" When his ward turned to look at him in silence, he went on, "Look, if you won't do it for Carlie and her friends, you should at least do it for the sake of the duelists and staff at Orb."
Flashback Sherry continued to stare at her mentor as the flashback ended.
END FLASHBACK
The flashback ended.
"Sherry…" whispered Carlie.
"Don't get the wrong idea," Sherry said sternly, "I'm on your side for the time being, but when it comes time, you and I will face each other in battle and settle the score for good."
"Keh! You're wasting your time, blondie!" The sarcastic punk interrupted, before rushing towards the new arrival, "Now die!"
Catching onto the attack immediately, Sherry ducked and the sarcastic punk flew right over her and crashed onto the floor. Turning around, she then punched another punk in the face, sending him right to the floor. As a result of her martial arts training from Elsworth, Sherry was easily holding her own against the group of punks. Matt, meanwhile, used the distraction to stomp on the foot of the punk holding him captive, causing the punk to howl in pain and allowing Matt to break free and knock the punk out with an elbow in the stomach and then a quick roundhouse kick to the face.
"Carlie!" exclaimed Matt.
Fortunately, Sherry attacked the two punks holding the brown-haired young woman captive and freed her.
"Go on, Matt!" encouraged Carlie, "We've got this place covered!"
"If you're gonna stop a Russian madman, then go and do it, now!" added Sherry.
Matt nodded and ran further down the hall. One punk was about to follow, but Carlie quickly intercepted, grabbed, and slammed him into the wall, while Sherry kneed another punk in the chest. Yup, I believe things would be under control for at least a little while longer.
(elsewhere…)
Back outside in the Orb Turbo Duel Arena, Asagi (LP: 4000), Juri (LP: 4000), and Mayura (LP: 1000), were in the middle of their Battle Royale-styled Turbo Duel against the Extended trio. Auel and Stella both were defeated and knocked out, while Sting (LP: 4000) was beginning his turn, and he was furious with the Astray trio for hurting his two best friends like that.
Turn Five: Sting Oakley (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Ruin, Queen of Oblivion", "Turning of the World", "Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion", "Demise, Agent of Armageddon", "Breaking of the World", and "Cycle of the World"
"You three are gonna wish you just accepted the offer to back out when you had the chance!" warned Sting angrily, adding the drawn card into his hand "Now, you will taste the power of this Deck!"
"You'll have to wait for a few seconds," interrupted Juri, before making her Set card reappear on the field in-front of her M1 Astray, "As of now, I'll activate my Continuous Trap, 'Remove Brainwashing'!"
The face-down card flipped up and revealed itself.
"'Remove Brainwashing'?" pondered Sting.
"The control of all monsters on the field returns to the owners," explained Juri, just as 'Scrap Twin Dragon' let out a roar before returning to near Mayura's M1 Astray, "The control of "Scrap Twin Dragon' returns to Mayura."
"Heh! Who even cares about that? All I care about is taking my turn!" Sting scoffed, taking a card and slotting it into his Duel Runner, "From my hand, I'll activate the Field Spell, 'Breaking of the World'!"
The ground all across the track started breaking apart.
"W-What the-?!" cried Asagi, tracking to keep herself on her M1 Astray.
Sting chuckled, "The first effect of this card," he began, "Once per turn: I can target 1 Ritual Monster I control; I must show 1 Ritual Monster in my hand, until the end of this turn. The Level of the shown Ritual Monster becomes the targeted monster's Level, until the end of this turn (even if this card leaves the field)."
"Ritual Monster?" repeated Mayura.
"Its Level becomes the targeted monster's Level?" added Juri.
"Yes, that's what I just said," As he spoke, Sting took and held another card ('Turning of the World') and held it up, "Next, I'll activate a Ritual Spell, 'Turning of the World'!"
The mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself (beside Sting's Chaos on the left).
"This card is used to Ritual Summon 'Ruin, Queen of Oblivion' or 'Demise, King of Armageddon' from my hand or Deck," continued Sting, "I must also Tribute Ritual Monsters from my hand whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster I Ritual Summon," He then took a card ('Ruin, Queen of Oblivion') and sent it to the GY, "I'll send the Level 8 'Ruin, Queen of Oblivion' from my hand to the GY for the Ritual Summon!"
Briefly appearing onto the field was a tall, human-like woman with long silver hair, wearing a black and red dress, and wielding a red scepter of sorts; she was then absorbed into the face-up 'Turning of the World' Spell Card.
"Dark ruler of the apocalypse, step down from the throne of Hell and clear the world of those unworthy!" chanted Sting, before black smog started flowing from the face-up card, "Ritual Summon! Level 8! 'Demise, King of Armageddon'!"
Appearing on the field within the black smoke, was a large, armored Fiend monster wielding a large battle ax (Level: 8/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000). As a result of the 'Ally Dominance' Spell Card, he became a LIGHT monster.
"Wait a moment, you don't play a 'Chaos' Deck like Auel and Stella do?!" accused Mayura.
"Not at all! I play a 'Demise and Ruin' Deck!" corrected Sting, before holding his right hand out, "Next, I'll activate the second effect of 'Breaking of the World'! Once per turn, if 'Ruin, Queen of Oblivion' or 'Demise, King of Armageddon' is Ritual Summoned to my field (except during the Damage Step): I can activate 1 of these effects."
These were the effects written on the Spell Card in-question:
-"I must draw 1 card."
-"I must destroy 1 card on the field."
Juri gritted her teeth in frustration, having a general idea on what effect would be picked.
"To make it oh so obvious," Sting went on, drawing a card ('Pot of Greed'), "I'll draw a card!" He then held his drawn card out, "I activate the Spell Card, 'Pot of Greed'! I must draw 2 cards!"
A few seconds later, he saw his drawn cards were 'Pre-Preparation of Rites' (Spell Card) and 'Ruin, Angel of Oblivion' (Ritual Monster Card).
"Now I'll activate the first effect of 'Breaking of the World'!" announced Sting, taking and revealing a card ('Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion') from his hand, "By targeting my 'Demise, King of Armageddon', I'll reveal the 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' in my hand and reduce its Level from 10 to 8 until the end of my turn!"
"Level 8!" grimaced Asagi.
"And there's more; I activate the special ability of 'Demise, King of Armageddon'!" laughed Sting, halving his LP (LP: 4000 → 2000) without a second thought, "I can pay 2000 LP; I must destroy all other cards on the field. Go on, 'Demise, King of Armageddon'! Rid the field of every single card except for yourself!"
'Demise, King of Armageddon' raised his battle ax and slammed it onto the field, sending several ripples across the area, striking every single monster, Spell Card, and Trap Card that he, Mayura, and Juri each controlled and destroyed them all at once. With Juri's 'Ally Dominance' Spell Card gone, 'Demise, King of Armageddon' returned to being a DARK monster. With Sting's 'Breaking of the World' Spell Card being gone, the ground repaired itself.
"All of our cards are gone," thought Mayura, dismayed, "However…" She held her right hand out, "That's a nice try on your part, Sting, but now's when I activate 'Scrap Twin Dragon's' second effect!" From there, the tomboyish, red-haired young woman took a card ('Scrap Golem') from her GY, held it out for a moment, and placed it onto her Duel Runner (sideways), "If this card in my possession is destroyed by my opponent's card and sent to my GY: I must target 1 non-Synchro 'Scrap' monster in my GY; I must Special Summon it!" Reappearing on the field was 'Scrap Golem', defending itself from a possible incoming attack (Level: 5/ATK: 2300/DEF: 1600), "I Special Summon 'Scrap Golem' from my GY in Defense Position!"
"Ha! That piece of literal scrap won't be enough to defend you!" taunted Sting, "At least not against what I plan to bring out."
"I'm not afraid!" retorted Mayura, "Let's see it!"
"Well, your funeral!" Sting yelled out, as he took and held a card ('Cycle of the World') up, "Ritual Spell, 'Cycle of the World', activate! This card is used to Ritual Summon 'Ruin, Queen of Oblivion' or 'Demise, King of Armageddon'. I must also Tribute monsters from my field whose total Levels equal or exceed the Level of the Ritual Monster I Ritual Summon," He then held up another card ('Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion'), "The first effect of the 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' in my hand! This card's name becomes 'Ruin, Queen of Oblivion' while in the hand or on the field."
"No way!" cried Juri, "You're gonna Ritual Summon that monster…"
"…through using 'Cycle of the World'!" added Mayura.
"And thanks to 'Breaking of the World', her Level has been reduced from 10 to 8!" finished Asagi.
(single screen…)
"Heh! You three catch on quickly!" smirked Sting, before removing the 'Demise, King of Armageddon' Ritual Monster Card from his Duel Runner and then sending it right into his GY. He then held his right hand out, "Be sacrificed, 'Demise, King of Armageddon'!"
'Demise, King of Armageddon' melted away into a pile of black goop.
"Queen of the apocalypse, the time has come for your strongest form to arise and decimate those who defy the darkness!" chanted Sting, as a new female monster that resembled 'Ruin, Queen of Oblivion' started to rise from the goop, "Ritual Summon! Level 8! 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion'!"
As mentioned, 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' resembled 'Ruin, Queen of Oblivion' a bit in terms of body and hair, but there were several key differences; her clothing, while retaining the red and black, was heavily modified, and her scepter resembled more of a sword (Level: 8/ATK: 2900/DEF: 3000).
"That guy-!" winced Mayura.
"His monster has an ATK of 2900!" put in Juri.
"There's more than that," said Asagi in worry, about to reveal the second effect of 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion', "While this Ritual Summoned card is on the field, Ritual Monsters you control cannot be destroyed by card effects."
"How smart you are," cracked Sting, "But what you should really be worried about is the third effect! If all monsters used to Ritual Summon this card were Ritual Monsters, it can make a second attack during each Battle Phase," He swept his right arm about, "The monster used for the Ritual Summon 'was' a Ritual Monster, 'Demise, King of Armageddon', meaning my new monster is able to strike twice per Battle Phase!"
(elsewhere…)
Back inside the school, Matt was still running down the hallway, trying to find the headmaster's office. Eventually, he came across a door with the word 'Headmaster' written on the glass.
"This must be it," thought Matt, before taking out his Deck and looking it over, "Once I'm inside, I'll be in for a duel. But I'm not afraid; I vowed to put an end to Sergey's rampage, and that's what I'll do."
(inside…)
Inside the headmaster's office, the door was forcefully kicked open by Matt, who walked inside and carefully looked around.
"Добро пожаловать," The voice of Sergey greeted, in the Russian language.
"Sergey Volkov," acknowledged Matt calmly, looking up ahead.
Seated in the chair and looking out the window was Sergey Volkov, the hulking Russian criminal. He turned and placed his elbows on the surface of the desk and grinned upon seeing one of the intruders.
"I have been dying to meet you, Matt Fudo," said Sergey, standing up and facing his enemy with malice, "However, you are a fool for coming to see me alone. For you see, I have no intention of giving up the school—especially if the person opposing me happens to be a Coordinator."
Losing his calmness, Matt gasped.
(elsewhere…)
Back outside at the Turbo Duel Arena, Sting's turn was far from being finished.
"As much as I want to off one of you now, I'm not done getting ready," As that was said, Sting made a Spell Card called 'Pre-Preparation of Rites' materialize face-up on the field beside him (on his right), "Spell Card, 'Pre-Preparation of Rites'! I must add 1 Ritual Spell from my Deck to my hand, and add 1 Ritual Monster from my Deck or GY to my hand whose name is listed on that Ritual Spell."
"Add a Ritual Spell from your Deck into your hand?" started Asagi.
"Then add a Ritual Monster from your Deck or GY into your hand?" added Mayura, before getting the idea, "It can't be-! You have one more monster you want to Ritual Summon before going on the offense!"
"Oh, you've figured it all out like that," snickered Sting, drawing a card ('End of the World') and taking a card ('Demise, King of Armageddon') from his GY and adding it into his hand, "It's a simple strategy, but it works," He then held another card ('End of the World') out, "I activate the Ritual Spell, 'End of the World'! This card is used to Ritual Summon 'Ruin, Queen of Oblivion' or 'Demise, King of Armageddon'. I must also Tribute monsters from my hand or field whose total Levels exactly equal the Level of the Ritual Monster I Ritual Summon."
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of Chaos. Sting then held out two more cards ('Ruin, Angel of Oblivion' and 'Demise, Agent of Armageddon') and sent them both to the GY.
"I send Level 4 'Ruin, Angel of Oblivion' and Level 4 'Demise, Agent of Armageddon' both to the GY," continued Sting, "Now, here we go!"
Two monsters in the form of 'Ruin, Angel of Oblivion' (younger version of 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion') and 'Demise, Agent of Armageddon' (weaker version of 'Demise, King of Armageddon') appeared on the field briefly before being absorbed into the face-up 'End of the World' Spell Card.
"Dark ruler of the apocalypse, step down from the throne of Hell and clear the world of those unworthy!" chanted Sting, before black smog started flowing from the face-up card, "Ritual Summon! Level 8! 'Demise, King of Armageddon'!"
Appearing onto the field within the black smoke, was another copy of 'Demise, King of Armageddon' (Level: 8/ATK: 2400/DEF: 2000).
"This may not seem much, but you'll see what I'm aiming for," insisted Sting, "I activate the third effect of the 'Ruin, Angel of Oblivion' in my GY! If this card is sent to the GY: I can target 1 Ritual Monster I control; while it is face-up on my field, my opponent cannot activate cards or effects when my Ritual Monsters declare an attack. Obviously, I'll target my 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' for the ability!"
'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' was energized with power.
"Finally, I'll activate the third effect of the 'Demise, Agent of Armageddon' in my GY!" Sting went on, "If this card is sent to the GY: I can target 1 Ritual Monster I control; while it is face-up on my field, my opponent cannot activate cards or effects in response to the activation of my Ritual Monsters' effects."
Juri and Mayura both cried out in shock, while Asagi just stared without saying anything.
"Do you get it?! Now 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' is basically untouchable should I declare an attack or activate her effects!" boomed Sting, entering the Battle Phase, "Battle! 'Demise, King of Armageddon', attack Juri directly!"
'Demise, King of Armageddon' obeyed, raising his battle ax and taking a swipe, striking the purple M1 Astray and causing Juri to cry out as her Duel Runner stumbled back and she took massive damage (LP: 4000 → 1600).
"Juri!" called Mayura.
"Don't worry, you're next!" declared Sting, "'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion', waste that 'Scrap Golem'!"
'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' obeyed, twirling her weapon a few times before slicing 'Scrap Golem' clean in two, causing both parts to shatter into glass.
"Even though she can attack twice, you can only take either Juri or I down!" reminded Mayura, "In the end, you'll still have two opponents to face!"
"Is that so?" responded Sting quietly, causing the tomboyish, red-haired young woman to shiver slightly from the dark, ominous tone, "Allow me to show you…my monster's fourth effect! If this card destroys an opponent's monster by battle: I can inflict damage to my opponent equal to that destroyed monster's original ATK."
"What?!" panicked Mayura.
"That's exactly what it does, Mayura!" Sting shouted, growing very vicious, "I'm going to knock you out of this duel first!" He held his right hand out and resumed the battle, "Go forth, 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion'! Drain what remains of Mayura's LP!"
'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' obeyed, firing a powerful blast from her staff, which struck and overwhelmed the pink M1 Astray, causing Mayura to let out a scream as she was sent flying off the Duel Runner (resulting in it crashing against the wall and falling over) and her remaining LP completely emptied (LP: 1000 → 0).
Mayura Labatt has been eliminated!
Mayura then hit the ground, head first, tumbled around, and was knocked out a few seconds later. She was lucky she was wearing her helmet, otherwise the blow either would have done serious damage to her brain or even outright killed her. The remaining three Duel Runners raced past Mayura's unconscious body.
"No!" yelled Juri.
"Mayura!" came from Asagi.
Sting, meanwhile, slowly started to lose his sanity over the seemingly unstoppable power that his monsters seemed to have. Despite being the calmest and most stable of the Extended trio, even he was not completely invulnerable and/or fine from the amount of abuse Blue Cosmos put him through. Sure enough, he, drunk on the side of power, started to laugh insanely over how powerful he thought his Deck really was.
"This thing rocks totally!" Sting was cackling. He then narrowed his eyes with his mouth forming a slasher smile because he remembered he had one more attack available for the turn, "Now to take out another piece of the trash!"
Juri gasped in horror.
"'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion', attack Juri directly!" bellowed Sting.
'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' obeyed, charging towards the purple M1 Astray, while Juri, completely helpless to do anything, watched as her Duel Runner got violently slashed, causing an explosion that trashed it and sent its rider flying across the track while screaming. Sting merely started laughing in a deranged way once more, impressed by his Deck's overall strength and ability to take the enemy out.
"Aaaahhh! Mayura! Juri!" Mr. Murdoch and the docking bay staff all cried out.
On the track, Juri, like Mayura from only a minute ago, hit the ground, tumbled about a few times, laid perfectly still, and lost consciousness as her LP gauge also ran out (LP: 1600 → 0).
Juri Wu Nien has been eliminated!
Without wasting any time, Mr. Murdoch and his assistance all hurried onto the track and collected the two unconscious Astray girls (Juri and Mayura) in order to pull them to the sidelines and out of harm's way.
(elsewhere…)
Back inside the headmaster's office of Orb, Matt was confronting Sergey. Unfortunately, Sergey had dropped a bombshell that he knew that Matt was a Coordinator.
"You know…that I'm…a Coordinator?" stammered Matt. He then shook his head and raised his voice, "But how? How do you know that?!"
All of a sudden, Sergey, as some serious pain came upon him within his head, seemed to flinch over the hard question; how exactly did he know that Matt was a Coordinator? He didn't even know what a Coordinator was. The more Sergey tried to figure it out, the greater the pain in his head.
"Well?" demanded Matt frantically, "Tell me! How do you know I'm a Coordinator?" He watched as Sergey clutched the sides of his head and winced, "Answer me, now! I said tell me the answer, damn you!"
"I… I…do not…know," groaned Sergey, before easing up as the pain seemed to go away, "I seemed to just…randomly figure it out."
Matt was left most perplexed by that statement; Sergey revealed that he knew that he (Matt) was a Coordinator, but then claimed he (Sergey) didn't actually know and simply guessed correctly. What was going on? However, when it became clear Sergey would not say anything more about it, Matt changed the subject…
"Still, I can't forgive you," The dirty blonde-haired young man pointed out, frowning, "You tried to kill Asagi and her friends the second you entered the United States, and then you attacked and took over Orb, hurting many inspiring duelists and their teachers along the way…! Sergey!" He pointed at his enemy, "I challenge you to a duel to determine the fate of Orb!"
"A duel?" chuckled Sergey, having waited to hear such a request, "I thought you never ask… Of course, I will duel you! My unquenchable thirst for battle… and my desperate need for blood and destruction… My addiction will never end!" He then banged his fist on the desk and destroyed it, "It simply won't end until I defeat the strongest of duelists here in America! In fact, why don't we make duel even bigger and more beautiful? Instead of dueling in this small area, we go and do it in someplace bigger?"
"Bigger?" pondered Matt.
"Yes!" confirmed Sergey, "We can duel outside in the streets of this small city, where we can show each other the skill of riding a Duel Runner! It's the most beautiful way of dueling!"
Matt stood his ground fearlessly and agreed to the terms, watching as Sergey picked up the microphone from the ruined desk to make an announcement.
"Attention, this is Sergey Volkov speaking," The hulking Russian man began.
(elsewhere…)
Within one hallway, the honorable punk and several of his comrades were listening in on Sergey's speech…
"Today, I will be engaging in a special Turbo Duel with famous duelist," The voice of Sergey went on, "His name is Matt Fudo, and he is champion of all of America!"
(elsewhere…)
Back in the headmaster's office, the quick speech was just wrapping up.
"I want as many of you guys to prepare my Duel Runner and wait by entrance," concluded Sergey, "Until then…" He turned off the microphone and gave Matt a very scary smile, "Now, comrade, will you follow me?"
Without much choice, Matt started to follow the sadomasochistic duelist out of the office.
(elsewhere…)
At the entrance way, the honorable punk and several of his followers had gathered while waiting for Sergey and Matt both to arrive. They were silent throughout the process, knowing that they would have to fess up to their failure to stop David, Zack, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka sooner or later—the honorable punk was even more aware of that, seeing as he was the one who made the wager with David before their duel in the first place.
"Is it ready?" The voice of Sergey called out.
The punks looked nearby, and saw Sergey and Matt both walking towards them. Sergey seemed to be in a good mood due to him smiling, mostly because he was going to be crushing another duelist to hopefully satisfy his addiction. None of the punks said anything, but two of them did step forward with a helmet and a Duel Monsters Deck to present their boss. While Sergey accepted the helmet, he rejected the Deck.
"That won't be needed," refused Sergey, before pulling his own Deck out of his pocket, "I have a new Deck right here. It be perfect for a duel of this magnitude," He then noticed something was wrong with the honorable punk, "What's the matter with you?"
"Lord Sergey, I bring some bad news," began the honorable punk, who knew how Sergey would react to the news, "One of the intruders has defeated me, and he and his friends have found their way to some of the prisoners."
Silence…
"Then…why didn't you go stop them?" questioned Sergey, feeling his temper beginning to boil.
"Well… I did lose the duel, and so I allowed them to move on," murmured the honorable punk, bowing his head a little bit, "I felt it was the right thing to do, since it wouldn't be right to go back on a promise."
All of a sudden, Sergey roughly grabbed the orange-haired punk by the throat and lifted him up menacingly.
"Imbecile! Fool!" yelled Sergey in anger, "You dare to show mercy?!"
"No, Lord Sergey…!" gagged the honorable punk, "Stop! Please!"
"SHUT UP!"
In a fit of madness, Sergey started smashing the honorable punk against the walls. Even while gagging and being violently assaulted, the poor young man still tried to speak up in order to justify his actions.
"S-Sir, I…did the best I could-" he argued.
"What?! Ты чертов дурак!" Sergey continued shouting (including swearing in Russian), then smashing the punk into a glass display case, "You failed me… Failed the family… And more importantly, you failed…yourself!"
With his great strength, he then crushed the honorable punk's neck so badly that there was a sickening snap as his eyes widened before closing and his body went limp. The other punks were absolutely horrified by what they witnessed happen to one of their own.
"Those who fail themselves…do not deserve to live," finished Sergey coldly, dropping the lifeless body of the honorable punk onto the floor.
Matt watched the scene with an absolutely shocked expression on his face, feeling sorry for the punk that Sergey cruelly killed just for doing the right thing. Furious, Matt shuddered as he clenched his right hand into a fist and glared at the Russian man.
"Sergey!" hollered Matt angrily, catching Sergey's attention, "You…! Don't you have any compassion for those who help you? Any sort of care?! Don't you feel any sort of pain or pity for hurting anyone? Whether they be innocent people or even those who work for you? That guy you murdered… Did you not care for him? He seemed to be very loyal and possess a code of honor, and you just killed him for doing the right thing? Does someone like you have any feelings at all?!"
"Compassion? Care? Pity? Feelings?" Sergey scoffed, making it clear he didn't care for anybody, "What ерунда are you even telling me? There's nothing beautiful about those things. I have addiction to destruction… I am killing machine! It's what gives me life and purpose in this world!"
Matt growled, "I swear… I'm going to defeat you," he promised, "I 'will' make sure you are definitely stopped!"
"Interesting!" grinned Sergey, taking those words as a challenge (which he loved), "I dare you to try!"
(outside…)
In the parking lot, Matt was riding on Fudo Go, while Sergey had climbed aboard a unique black and gold Duel Runner with a chariot design reminiscent of Vincent's The Beast. To make things more…interesting, both vehicles were hooked up with shock devices. Sergey had ordered them to be hooked up a few minutes ago, as he believed it would be enough to make the duel very beautiful (in his eyes). The Duel Runners were parked by a traffic light, waiting for it to turn green so they could begin their duel.
"This be my Duel Runner, Duelist Crusher," explained Sergey, "I named it after my personal nickname. Also, if you are wondering about these things, both our Duel Runners are equipped with special shock devices which will enhance our dueling. Now, are you sure you wish to duel me? Because there's chance you will not survive it if you were to somehow…lose."
"I already agreed to your terms for the match, Sergey," retorted Matt, "Regardless of what dirty tricks you have set up, I have no intention of backing away from this duel," In his mind… "It doesn't matter what Sergey even has for a Deck or done to our Duel Runners, I will fight to ensure freedom for this school and that justice is served."
Before long, both duelists then pressed a button on the dashboard of their respective Duel Runners, activating the vehicle's autopilot system.
"Duel Mode, engaged," came a computerized voice aboard the Duel Runner, "Autopilot activated."
(single screen…)
A few seconds later, the lights were beginning to change color, and both duelists revved their respective Duel Runners.
"Turbo Duel!" began Matt.
"Acceleration!" finished Sergey.
The traffic light turned green, and Fudo Go and Duelist Crusher both tore down the road. Before long, they reached the next street; the first duelist to turn the corner and stay ahead successfully would get the first turn. Although Matt stepped on the gas, Sergey simply kept his pace, because whatever was in his opening hand, he wanted to make sure he went second instead of first. Sure enough, Fudo Go made it first, with Duelist Crusher following from behind.
"Duel!" Matt and Sergey both declared at once (LP: 4000) x2.
(elsewhere…)
Back in New York City, the entire NYPD had been informed by Sam (who received a call from Mr. Zimmerman not long ago) about Sergey being in Hartford and having attacked and captured the Orb Duel School.
(inside…)
Inside the NYPD headquarters, various police officers were running about getting ready to leave New York City to travel all the way to Hartford to assist in liberating Orb from Sergey's control. Maria was also getting ready to head out, too. The one who was taking his time was Paul.
"Officer Truman?" pressed Maria.
"Why?" grumbled Paul, looking at his police cap, "Why do we have to help him?"
Maria frowned, "Are you going on about Matt Fudo again?"
"Why should I even help him?" complained Paul, not realizing he was going too far this time around, "He's humiliated me for the uptenth time, and I'm so sick of him hogging the spotlight. If anything, I think he and his friends will be fine in trying to rescue that dueling school without our-"
*SMACK!*
Stopping with his ranting, Paul immediately reeled back when he got slapped across the face by a very angry-looking Maria, who, by now, had finally reached the end of her patience with her boss' attitude towards Matt.
"What the hell do you think you're saying?!" yelled Maria, "Do you not care for what happens to the innocent duelists and their teachers at that school?"
"W-Well…" stammered Paul, clutching his sore cheek.
"Furthermore, Paul, your petty grudge against Matt is completely unacceptable!" continued Maria hotly, once again calling her boss by his real name, "So what if he defeated you in a duel and got you transferred all the way out to New York City? As he mentioned before, he was only defending a child you and your men tried arresting when he was framed for stealing an important computer chip," As she ranted, several faded stills of Paul's various misadventures in trying to get Matt were superimposed over her and him, "Then when you encountered Matt again, you entered Governor Godwin's tournament out of a desire to avenge your bruised ego and render Matt a pariah in the world of dueling, running the risk of getting us both kicked off the force had Chief Waltfeld not kindly given us another chance when he found out. Finally, you arrested Matt, Michael, and James when they were framed for setting an antique shop on fire, plus locked away David and tried to capture Lisa and Carlie, again without checking a security camera and running the risk of allowing the true culprits to get away with their crime."
"But I… I…" Paul tried protesting.
"But 'nothing'!" interrupted Maria, "You claim you're just doing your duty, but, in reality, you're nothing more than an incompetent, selfish man who cares more about himself than the people he swore to protect!" She then got into her boss' face, "I don't know or care what it was in your past that made you like this today, but if you don't smarten up and start acting like a real police officer, then you're never going to be able to return to the San Francisco police force!" The black-haired young woman finally backed away as her fiery speech ended, "Can't you get that through your head?!"
Paul started to think back to his actions during his time working for the SFPD (San Francisco Police Department) and the NYPD. He was a mere man who only wanted to prove himself to his peers after hearing some of his fellow officers jokingly call him incompetent (which he took very personally) during his first few days on the job. But, alas, his initial slip up with that child Nicolas and Matt Fudo was the stepping stones to his downward spiral. And no matter how hard he tried to deny or insist otherwise, it was indeed his own ego and selfish pride which started the mess in the first place.
"I… I…" mumbled Paul, shamefully looking at the palms of both hands.
"Paul, I want you to listen very carefully to me; I'm telling you this not as your assistant, but as your friend," said Maria, now speaking in a more calm, gentle tone, "You have to shape up. Not just for me, not just for our superiors, and not just for the entire force—but for yourself," The ashamed Paul listened carefully to the end of her sentence, "Do you understand?"
Paul took the police cap from the hook and looked at it long and hard; it had been his lifelong dream since he was a teenager to become a police officer, and he wanted to become somebody who people looked up to for guidance and for protection. It was something he would not mess up on (not anymore, at least). Eventually, Paul Truman slipped on the hat and had a more serious look on his face.
"You are right, Officer Strienhart," acknowledged Paul, "It's time I started acting more like a police officer and less like a jerk. The public needs the police more than ever before, and the first thing I should do is go help Matt and his friends in liberating Orb and capturing Sergey."
Maria smiled. At long last, Paul had seen the light (or, rather, common sense). From there, both police officers grabbed their guns and departed with the other members of the force to travel all the way to Hartford.
(elsewhere…)
Back in Orb's Turbo Duel Arena, Sting and Asagi both were the only ones left in the Battle Royale, with the latter being the only one who hadn't taken her turn yet. In the standings, Mr. Murdoch and the staff had gotten Mayura and Juri both off the track after they were defeated and knocked unconscious.
"I end my turn!" finished Sting, still smiling wickedly, "And with that, the first effect of 'Breaking of the World' wears off!"
'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion's' Level returned to normal (Level: 8 → 10).
"Now, Asagi Caldwell, it's your turn!" encouraged Sting madly, "Try chasing me into the bowels of Hell if you can!"
"Sure, I'll chase you all the way into Hell—that way, I can pull you out of it!" accepted Asagi, "Not only will I defeat you and regain Orb's lost pride, but I'll also rescue you from your madness in the process! I promise you that!" She then drew a card, "It's my turn!"
Turn Six: Asagi Caldwell (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Vylon Segment", "Vylon Hept", "Vylon Component", "Vylon Replacement"(!), "Vylon Element", and "Hologram Projection"
Her drawn card was a Spell Card called 'Hologram Projection'. Adding the card into her hand, she took another from there and slotted it into her Duel Runner.
"Continuous Spell, 'Vylon Element'!" began Asagi, as the mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field in-front of her M1 Astray, "When any face-up 'Vylon' Equip Card(s) I control are destroyed (except during the Damage Step): I can Special Summon an equal or lower number of 'Vylon' Tuners from my Deck. They cannot be used as Synchro Material, except for the Synchro Summon of a 'Vylon' Synchro Monster," She then readied another card ('Vylon Hept') in her right hand and placed it onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Runner, "I Summon 'Vylon Hept' in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a winged Fairy monster in white, blocked armor (Level: 4/ATK: 1800/DEF: 800).
"Next, I'll equip my monster with 'Vylon Segment'!" continued Asagi, while slotting another card ('Vylon Segment') into her Duel Runner, "I must equip only to a 'Vylon' monster. It cannot be targeted by the opponent's monster effects or Trap effects," She then held yet another card ('Vylon Component'), "Then I'll equip 'Vylon Hept' with 'Vylon Component'!"
A circle blade-like weapon appeared in the hands of 'Vylon Hept'.
"I must equip only to a 'Vylon' monster. If it attacks a Defense Position monster, I must inflict piercing battle damage!"
"A monster with 1800 ATK against one monster with 2400 ATK and another with 2900 ATK? Pathetic!" dismissed Sting.
"I'm far from being done preparing, Sting; I have another use for my Equip Spell," warned Asagi, before holding another card ('Vylon Replacement') out, "Spell Card, 'Vylon Replacement', activate!"
The mentioned Spell Card materialized face-up on the field.
"'Vylon Replacement'?" pondered Sting, "That's a card I've never heard of before."
"I must destroy 1 'Vylon' Equip Card I control; I must Special Summon 1 non-Tuner 'Vylon' monster from my Deck," explained Asagi, taking a card ('Vylon Ohm') "Now, I'll use my card to destroy my own 'Vylon Component'!"
The circular blade in the hands of 'Vylon Hept' disintegrated into light.
"From there," While speaking, Asagi placed her card onto her Duel Runner, "I'll Special Summon 'Vylon Ohm' from my Deck!"
Another angelic member of the 'Vylon' archetype emerged onto the field (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 200).
"My Equip Spell didn't go to waste either," Asagi pointed out, before drawing a card, "I'll activate the second effect of 'Vylon Component'! If this face-up card on the field is sent to the GY: I can add 1 'Vylon' Spell from my Deck to my hand."
The card she took from her Deck and added into hand, was a Spell Card known as 'Vylon Filament'.
"And do you remember 'Vylon Element'?" smirked Asagi, "As an 'Vylon' Equip Card was destroyed outside the Damage Step, I get to Special Summon a 'Vylon' Tuner monster from my Deck," From there, she made the 'Vylon Cube' Monster Card materialize face-up on the field in-front of her M1 Astray, "From my Deck, I'll Special Summon 'Vylon Cube'!"
Appearing onto the field was a floating 'Vylon' monster with a cube body (Level: 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 800).
"I activate another Equip Spell, 'Vylon Filament'!" pressed Asagi, holding her card ('Vylon Filament') out, "I must equip only to a 'Vylon' monster. If the equipped monster attacks, my opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step," She slotted the card into her Duel Runner, "I equip this onto 'Vylon Hept'!"
A pair of robotic wing components equipped onto 'Vylon Hept', who then used them to fly into the sky as something started happening to 'Vylon Cube'.
"I tune Level 4 'Vylon Hept' into Level 3 'Vylon Cube'!" The voice of Asagi proclaimed
'Vylon Cube' turned into three Synchro Rings which 'Vylon Hept' flew into, turning into four orbs of light in the process as a Summon Chant from Asagi echoed throughout.
"In the realm of the sky, only those of the highest order can serve its great rulers!" chanted Asagi, as the symbols 4 + 3 = 7 were shown briefly just before the four orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Protect, 'Vylon Delta'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and onto the field, was a massive, white-armored fairy with no bottom half (Level: 7/ATK: 1700/DEF: 2800).
"I activate the second effect of 'Vylon Segment'!" declared Asagi, drawing a card ('Vylon Material'), "If this face-up card on the field is sent to the GY: I can add 1 'Vylon' Spell from my Deck to my hand," She then drew another card ('Vylon Polytope'), "The second effect of 'Vylon Filament' also activates! If this face-up card on the field is sent to the GY: I can add 1 'Vylon' Spell from my Deck to my hand."
"Tch! You must love adding Spell Cards from your Deck into your hand," Sting said dryly, "No matter, I still hold the upper hand!"
"Uh uh uh!" cut in Asagi, drawing two more cards ('Vylon Prism' and 'Vylon Sphere') and placing them onto her Duel Runner, "Remember 'Vylon Element'? Since two 'Vylon' Equip Cards were sent to the GY, I get to Special Summon two 'Vylon' Tuner monsters from my Deck!"
Appearing onto the field were 'Vylon Prism' (Level: 4/ATK: 1500/DEF: 1500) and 'Vylon Sphere' (Level: 1/ATK: 400/DEF: 400) respectively.
"I Special Summon 'Vylon Prism' and 'Vylon Sphere'!" The voice of Asagi went on, as the above scenario played out. She then held her right hand out, "I tune Level 7 'Vylon Delta' into Level 1 'Vylon Sphere'!"
'Vylon Sphere' turned itself into a single Synchro Ring, which 'Vylon Delta' soared into before turning into seven orbs of light as another Summon Chant followed.
"Through the eyes of heaven and beyond, touch down upon the mortal realm and pierce against the darkness of ruin!" chanted Asagi, as the symbols 7 + 1 = 8 were shown briefly just before the seven orbs of light within the single Synchro Ring turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Descend! Level 8! 'Vylon Epsilon'!"
Appearing out of the beam of light and onto the field, was the familiar gold and silver, angelic being with large wings and no bottom half (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1200).
"How useless!" insulted Sting.
"I still have one more big monster to bring out," Asagi said passively, as she made a Spell Card known as 'Hologram Projection' materialize face-up on the field in-front of her M1 Astray, "Continuous Spell, 'Hologram Projection'! I must activate this card by targeting 1 face-up monster on the field; I must Special Summon this card with the same name, Type, Attribute, Level, ATK, and DEF as that target. (This card is also still a Spell.) This card cannot attack," She pointed at her 'Vylon Ohm', "By targeting 'Vylon Ohm', I'll Special Summon 'Hologram Projection' as a monster!"
From there, a holographic projection began to form onto the field.
"Now that I have three Level 4 monsters, you can watch as I prepare to win the duel!" offered Asagi, before motioning her right hand out, "I overlay Level 4 'Vylon Ohm', 'Vylon Prism', and 'Hologram Projection'!"
The three monsters turned to light and flew into the forming Overlay Network in the center of the arena.
"You who watches from the skies above. Shine down from the heavens and melt away the shadows of despair!" chanted Asagi, as something shot out of the Overlay Network, "Xyz Summon! Appear! Rank 4! 'Vylon Disigma'!"
Appearing onto the field, as the Xyz Summon sequence ended and the Overlay Network disappeared, was the familiar being that seemed to resemble the combined form of 'Vylon Hept', 'Vylon Vanguard', and 'Vylon Tesseract' (Rank: 4/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2100). Sting, hearing Asagi saw she would win this turn, did not take kindly to those words very well.
"You said you'd win this turn?" uttered Sting, with his right eye twitching from madness, "You're a damn fool! My monsters can't be stopped! My Deck is unstoppable, and you know it! You should just give it up before you get hurt like your two best friends!"
"Are you sure about that?" questioned Asagi confidently.
"What?!"
"I told you, I'm going to win the duel on this turn," The wavy blonde-haired young woman reminded, "In fact, the first effect of my 'Vylon Disigma' will be a good start to showing you that! Once per turn: I can detach 1 material from this card, then target 1 face-up Attack Position Effect Monster my opponent controls; I must equip that target to this card."
Sting flinched, "Huh?!" he gasped, "Does this mean you'll-!"
"Yes!" confirmed Asagi, "I'm going to target your 'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' and equip her onto 'Vylon Disigma'!"
'Ruin, Supreme Queen of Oblivion' found herself being attached onto 'Vylon Disigma' as an Equip Card against her will, reducing Sting's monster group to just a single member.
"Just one more card to play, and everything will be ready," teased Asagi, readying a card ('Vylon Material') in-between the index and middle fingers of her right hand before slotting it into her Duel Runner. This caused the 'Vylon Material' Spell Card to materialize face-up on the field in-front of the M1 Astray, "Equip Spell, 'Vylon Material'! I must equip only to a 'Vylon' monster. It gains 600 ATK. The monster who will accept this power…is going to be 'Vylon Epsilon'!"
'Vylon Epsilon' grew stronger (ATK: 2800 → 3400). Sting flinched once again, this time over the fact he was about to be defeated in the duel. He resisted the urge to scream out of the anger he felt right now, but he was still seething over the reality in-front of him.
"Battle!" announced Asagi, entering the Battle Phase, "'Vylon Epsilon', destroy 'Demise, King of Armageddon'!"
'Vylon Epsilon' obeyed, diving in for the kill. 'Demise, King of Armageddon' was then hit and instantly shattered into shards of glass, causing Sting to cover himself with his right arm as pieces of the remains of his monster flew past him and his LP took a hit (LP: 2000 → 1000).
"My battle has not ended!" continued Asagi, "'Vylon Disigma', get ready to attack!"
'Vylon Disigma' obeyed, taking to the sky. Sting, on the other hand, watched as his madness started leaving him as helplessness was left behind instead.
"I… I just…" uttered Sting in defeat.
Finally, 'Vylon Disigma' charged full speed through the sky until it struck Chaos quite roughly. Sting made no attempt to react to it, not even with his LP gauge emptying completely (LP: 1000 → 0).
DUEL RESULTS: Asagi Caldwell, Mayura Labatt, and Juri Wu Nien win!
The force of the blow from 'Vylon Disigma' was enough to throw Sting from his Chaos, causing the Duel Runner to crash into the wall. To his surprise, Sting saw that he had fallen and landed right near Auel and Stella. Weakly, Sting softened up even more as he smiled sadly that he was near his two best friends.
"Auel… Stella…" whispered Sting, before collapsing into unconsciousness as well.
As for Asagi, she stopped her M1 Astray while huffing and puffing from exhaustion as she removed her helmet. Still, she won the duel for her friends, and that was all that mattered to her at this time.
"Mayura…! Juri…!" realized Asagi, before turning, climbing off her Duel Runner, and running to the nearby stands while leaving her helmet behind, "Mr. Murdoch! How are they?! Will Mayura and Juri both be-"
"Relax, Asagi, they will be just fine," reassured Mr. Murdoch, before he and the docking bay staff started hearing soft groans, "Oh! Like so…"
As pointed out, Mayura and Juri both began to regain consciousness around now, much to Asagi's relief. Once conscious, the two young women removed their helmets while feeling a few minor injuries they sustained from Sting's vicious attacks on them respectively.
"Ouch… My head really hurts," whined Mayura, bringing her left hand to the side of her pounding head. She then winced and retracted her hand before seeing some bits of blood on the glove, "What hit me there?"
"Beats me, but my right leg feels a little sore," Juri pointed out, while being helped up by Mr. Murdoch and feeling some sharp pain in her right leg (as she said), "Augh!"
"You two had a rough landing, that's what," A male docking bay worker remarked.
"Compliments of one of those three former Blue Cosmos students," added a female docking bay worker, "Fortunately, Asagi was able to win the duel against the last of them—Sting, we believe."
"That's for darn sure," agreed Asagi, before looking nearby at the unconscious bodies of the Extended trio, "He claimed his Deck was unbeatable, but I proved to him that all it takes is a balanced Deck to defeat something like that," She looked back at her two best friends as well as the docking bay staff, "We at Orb have to have pride in the Decks we build; it's what we stand for, and I showed Sting—actually, 'we' showed him, Auel, and Stella that."
Mayura and Juri both nodded over that statement.
"Back on topic; with those three duelists defeated, we're one step closer to freeing Orb from Sergey," reminded Mr. Murdoch, much to Asagi, Mayura, and Juri's determination, "However, there's still much more we need to do."
"Matt and Carlie both are going after him," recalled Juri, "Let's hope they are successful in finding and defeating him."
Asagi and Mayura both agreed. However, neither of them nor Juri, Mr. Murdoch, or any of the docking bay staff were aware that Matt was already in the process of dueling Sergey—and they weren't even inside the school itself for their duel.
(elsewhere…)
Out on the streets of Hartford, the Turbo Duel between Matt and Sergey was finally beginning. Since Matt won the race, the first turn would go to him.
"It's my turn!" declared Matt, drawing a card.
Turn One: Matt Fudo (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Tuning", "Devoted Gardna", "Meteor Stream", "Junkuriboh", "Stardust Wish", and "Junk Converter"
He saw his drawn card was a Monster Card known as 'Junk Converter'. Adding the card into his hand, Matt took another card ('Tuning') and slotted it into his Duel Runner.
"Spell Card, 'Tuning', activate!" began Matt, just as a card ejected from his Deck. He then took and held the card up without revealing what it was, "I must add 1 'Synchron' Tuner from my Deck to my hand, then send the top card of my Deck to the GY."
Sergey scowled, while Matt finally turned the card he took from his Deck over and revealed it to be the Monster Card known as 'Jet Synchron'.
"I've added my 'Jet Synchron'!" continued Matt, before drawing a card ('Necro Defender') and sending it to the GY, "Then I'll send the top card of my Deck to the GY," He then held another card ('Junk Converter') out for a few seconds before sending it, plus one more card ('Jet Synchron'), to the GY as well, "Then I'll activate the first effect of the 'Junk Converter' in my hand! I can discard this card and 1 Tuner; I must add 1 'Synchron' monster from my Deck to my hand."
A card ('Junk Synchron') ejected from the middle of the Deck, which the dirty blonde-haired young man took and held out for another few seconds.
"The 'Synchron' monster I pick is 'Junk Synchron'," As he said that, Matt placed the card onto his Duel Runner, "Now I'll Summon it in Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was the robotic monster with the engine on his back (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 500).
"'Junk Synchron's' effect activates!" exclaimed Matt, "When this card 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."
'Junk Converter' reappeared on the field (Level: 2/ATK: 400/DEF: 200).
"I Special Summon 'Junk Converter' from my GY!" The voice of Matt proclaimed, who then gave a very specific command to his monsters, "I tune Level 2 'Junk Converter' into Level 3 'Junk Synchron'!"
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. From there, the golden 'Junk Synchron' turned into three Synchro Rings which 'Junk Converter' dove into. As its body was outlined, it turned into two orbs of light. In addition, a Summon Chant from Matt also was performed.
"Gathering stars will call upon a new force! Become the path its light shines upon!" chanted Matt, as the symbols 2 + 3 = 5 were shown briefly just before the two orbs of light within the three 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).
"'Junk Warrior'?" pressed Sergey, looking upward for a few seconds.
"And there's much more to come!" Matt pointed out, "I use this opportunity to activate the second effect of the 'Junk Converter' now in my GY! If this card is sent to the GY as Synchro Material: I can target 1 Tuner in my GY; I must Special Summon it in Defense Position, but it cannot activate its effects this turn."
"Hold it, you negated 'Junk Converter's' effect when you bring it back with 'Junk Synchron'!" reminded Sergey, "You can't activate effect as a result of it!"
"On the contrary, the second effect can only activate IF 'Junk Converter' is in the GY when used as Synchro Material, meaning the effect activates as required despite 'Junk Synchron's' effect," corrected Matt, much to Sergey's dismay. He then swept his right arm about, "Return to me, 'Junk Synchron'!"
Reappearing on the field was 'Junk Synchron' (Level: 3/ATK: 1300/DEF: 500).
"I tune Level 5 'Junk Warrior' into Level 3 'Junk Synchron'!" declared Matt, before raising his right hand up, "Let's rev it up!"
'Junk Synchron' pulled a cord on his armor, causing his motor backpack to start revving as his whole body started glowing a golden yellow before finally turning into three Synchro Rings, which 'Junk Warrior' soared into before turning into five orbs of light as Matt performed a second Summon Chant.
"Gathering stars will become a new shining star! Become the path its light shines upon!" chanted Matt, as the symbols 5 + 3 = 8 were shown for a brief period of time just before the five orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Take flight, 'Stardust Dragon'!"
Emerging from the beam of light and flying through the sky, was the white, majestic ace monster of Matt Fudo (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000). Sergey simply waited patiently (or impatiently, it was hard to tell with him) for the rest of Matt's turn to finish.
"With 'Stardust' on my field, I'm in a good position for this early in the duel," thought Matt, "But still, I can't get too comfortable, since Sergey is an extremely dangerous opponent," He then took two cards from his hand and slotted them into his Duel Runner a few seconds later (at the same time), "I Set two cards face-down and end my turn!"
On the monitor of Duelist Crusher, Sergey saw that two face-down cards appeared on the Spell & Trap Zones on Matt's field.
"It's my turn!" declared Sergey, drawing a card.
Turn Two: Sergey Volkov (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Earthbound Prison", "Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper", "Earthbound Beginnings", "Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker", "Earthbound Rescue", and "Harmonic Synchro Fusion"
Without wasting a second, he held up a new card ('Earthbound Prison').
"From my hand, I'll activate a Field Spell, 'Earthbound Prison'!" explained Sergey, before placing it into his Duel Runner, "Observe your impending demise, and the beauty of destruction first hand!"
Within seconds of the mentioned card being played, the area around both duelists turned into a bleak, new cemetery-like place with stone statues of hands all around.
"'Earthbound Prison'?" wondered Matt, "What kind of card is this like?"
Sergey chuckled, "This new Deck will be perfect to show you nothing but despair," he thought to himself, before talking aloud, "The first power of 'Earthbound Prison'! I must negate any card effect that would change the ATK of a face-up monster(s) on the field."
"Negate card effects that change ATK?" repeated Matt.
"And there's a second effect, too," continued Sergey, "If this card in the Field Zone is destroyed: I must halve the LP of the player that destroyed this card, and if I do, all face-up monsters they currently control have their effects negated," He then took another card ('Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper') from his hand and placed it onto his Duel Runner, "If there is a card in the Field Zone, I can Special Summon 'Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper' (from my hand)," A Monster Card known as 'Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper' materialized face-up on the field in-front of Duelist Crusher, "Come, 'Stone Sweeper'!"
Suddenly emerging from the ground (from cracking open) and onto the field, was a monster unlike anything Matt had ever seen before; it was a large, black, lizard-like creature with a light blue outline, and a shackle around its tail (Level: 5/ATK: 1600/DEF: 1600).
"Furthermore," Sergey said, while holding up another new card ('Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker') before placing it onto his Duel Runner, "I'll Summon 'Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker'!"
Appearing onto the field was another strange dark being; this one, however, had an orange/yellow-colored outline, and the appearance of the top of an ape (Level: 3/ATK: 800/DEF: 1100).
"'Earthbound Prisoners'?" thought Matt, "This is an archetype I've never heard of before. Did Sergey use this Deck to defeat Asagi that night?"
"I'm not done," interrupted Sergey holding another card ('Harmonic Synchro Fusion') out, "From my hand, I'll activate the Spell Card, 'Harmonic Synchro Fusion'! I must Special Summon 2 monsters from my Extra Deck (1 Fusion Monster and 1 Synchro Monster), by using monsters I control as both Fusion and Synchro Materials. (These Special Summons are treated as a Fusion Summon for the Fusion Monster and a Synchro Summon for the Synchro Monster.)"
"What?!" cried Matt, "A Fusion Summon and Synchro Summon at the same time?!" He then noticed both 'Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper' and 'Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker' splitting into two separate copies, "Oh no!"
"Hmm! I hope you're prepared for Hell!" grinned Sergey, ready to show off the power of his new Deck, "I tune Level 5 'Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper' into Level 3 'Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker'!"
'Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker' soared into the sky and turned itself into three large Synchro Rings, which 'Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper' soared into before turning into five orbs of light as a menacing Summon Chant from Sergey echoed throughout…
"Revive from the depths of the earth. Gigantic beast with wings of punishment!" chanted Sergey, as the symbols 5 + 3 = 8 were shown briefly just before the five orbs of light within the trio of Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Appear! Level 8! 'Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon'!"
Appearing onto the field, when the Synchro Summon sequence ended, was what appeared to look like a large black-colored griffon with yellow lines across its body (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 1500).
"Next, I'll fuse 'Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper' with 'Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker'!" declared Sergey.
The remaining copies of 'Earthbound Prisoner Stone Sweeper' and 'Earthbound Prisoner' started merging together with a large background of the artwork of the 'Polymerization' Spell Card looming behind them.
"Prisoner that crawls across the earth, become one with the prisoner that walks the path of execution and become a gigantic beast that delivers out punishment!" chanted Sergey, as the Fusion Summon sequence slowly came to an end, "Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 8! 'Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken'!"
Appearing onto the field was what appeared to be a large black-colored kraken with purple lines across its body (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1200). Before Matt could say anything about those two new monsters looming over him, he suddenly felt his Mark of the Dragon (Head) beginning to glow and react to them.
"Urgh! What the-?!" groaned Matt, looking down at his clothed right forearm, "Why's my birthmark…reacting to these two monsters? What's going on?"
Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one to feel such destructive power coming from the two 'Earthbound Servant' monsters…
(elsewhere…)
Inside one of Orb's lunchrooms, James R. and Michael both had defeated all of the punks and were preparing to leave to continue their search when they felt their respective birthmarks (James R.: Tail, Michael: Wings) glowing and reacting.
"Aaah!" cried James R., clutching his right forearm, "My birthmark…!"
"I feel it, too," winced Michael, staring at his own forearm, "I feel a force unlike anything I've ever felt before!"
(elsewhere…)
In one of the hallways, Sherry and Carlie both had defeated some more of the loyal minions to Sergey. They were just catching their breath when Carlie started feeling her birthmark (Foot) beginning to glow and react.
"Carlie?" wondered Sherry.
"S-Sorry, Sherry, but…my birthmark is-!" hissed Carlie, clutching her right forearm in pain, "I don't…know why, but I'm feeling a really powerful and dangerous…force coming from somewhere else for some reason!"
(elsewhere…)
In yet another hallway, David, Zack, Ms. Simmons, and Mr. Kisaka were walking around in the direction the honorable punk pointed them in to find some of the trapped students and teachers. Along the way, David's birthmark (Heart) started glowing and reacting, while Zack stopped and felt a powerful headache coming on.
"(なんてこったい?) Nantekotta i? (What the hell?)" uttered David in Japanese, as he cast a glance at his glowing right forearm, "What is this pain I'm feeling?"
"I don't know, but I currently have this…agh…killer headache!" complained Zack, clutching both sides of his throbbing head, "It feels as though something really powerful, and destructive, is coming!"
"Powerful?" repeated Ms. Simmons.
"And destructive?" added Mr. Kisaka, "Are you sure about that?"
"When I have a headache this painful, it's often true and so much more," replied Zack painfully.
Both teachers of Orb remained on the silent front about that statement.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the gym, several punks, including the arrogant punk, were out like a light, and Lisa was brushing her hands with nothing but satisfaction.
"Well, anytime you guys want to get your faces beaten in, you know where to find me," The pink-haired girl proclaimed, before placing both hands on her hips, "Now to get out of here, and-" She stopped and felt her birthmark (Hand) glowing on her gloved right forearm, clutching it with her left hand to try and tone the pain down, "Rrrgh! What the hell is this?! T-The pain… Whatever my birthmark is feeling right now, it's got to be really powerful and stuff if it's this painful…"
Eventually, the pain and glowing both subsided, allowing Lisa to ease up as she continued to stare at her gloved right forearm, wondering why the Mark of the Dragon there suddenly glowed and throbbed with agony.
"Whatever that powerful force was, it was unlike anything I ever felt," thought Lisa, becoming deeply unsettled, "Maybe… maybe I better go find Asagi, Mayura, and Juri… I haven't found anybody else in here anyway, and I'm pretty sure they are having better luck than I am."
(elsewhere…)
Back on the streets of Hartford, both Fudo Go and Duelist Crusher turned onto another street as Matt continued to focus on why his birthmark was glowing and reacting to both 'Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon' and 'Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken'.
"I don't know why, but I think something has the Crimson Dragon worried in some way," thought Matt, "It has to be these two monsters, 'Geo Gryphon' and 'Geo Kraken'. But I don't know anything about them, and that's what has me 'worried'. This simply can't be the kind of Deck that Sergey used to win against Asagi… He must be using a whole different Deck."
"You must be worried," taunted Sergey, breaking Matt out of his thoughts again, "You have no idea what kind of cards this Deck carries? In this Deck are cards that will lead to your beautiful doom! And I will savor every second of your agony!"
From there, Sergey cackled madly as Matt stared on in defiance, while both Duel Runners raced down the street some more.
"I activate the special ability of 'Line Walker'!" continued Sergey, once he calmed down. A card ('Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker') ejected from his GY before fading away into oblivion, "I can banish this card from my GY, then target 1 face-up monster my opponent controls that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck; I must Special Summon it to my opponent's field!"
"Huh?" wondered Matt, "Special Summon a monster that was Special Summoned from the Extra Deck? What does that even mean?"
"You'll find out," replied Sergey, before giving a command, "Now, 'Line Walker', make 'Stardust Dragon' into a Special Summoned monster!"
Reappearing on the field briefly was a spirit of 'Earthbound Prisoner Line Walker', who flew up and engulfed 'Stardust Dragon', making it appear as though it were Special Summoned (Level: 8/ATK: 2500/DEF: 2000).
"What the hell is going on?" thought Matt, "Why would Sergey do something like this? Well, I'll admit that he's right about one thing; I'm going to find out the reason, whether I like it or not."
In a freeze frame, Fudo Go was still ahead of Duelist Crusher on the road, but had to contend with both 'Earthbound Servant Geo Gryphon' and 'Earthbound Servant Geo Kraken' looming over him with malicious intention. Unknowingly, an image of the same cloaked figure who appealed to Sergey was shown from the chest up in the sky, laughing wickedly as the Turbo Duel between Matt and Sergey got fully underway. Would Matt be able to win the duel? Would he be able to liberate the Orb Duel School and return it to its rightful owner? Stay tuned to find out!
The first arc's final battle has come at long last! Many secrets and more to also be revealed in due time.