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
On a stage inside the Orb Duel School, five face-down cards were lined up on a large blackboard. On cue, David Xadashi and Lisa Drake both showed up and began speaking to the audience.
"Good evening, everyone!" began Lisa, "It's time for another segment of 'This week's noteworthy cards'!"
"It looks like Izayoi-san and Sherry-san both get in on the fun, this time," added David, before looking towards the nearby blackboard with the five cards (still showing their backing) lined up, "Now, let's see what cards we have to show all of you."
The five face-down cards on the blackboard all automatically turned over and revealed themselves to be:
-'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias' (Effect Monster Card)
-'Ecole de Zone' (Spell Card)
-'Immortal Dragon' (Synchro Monster Card)
-'Zombie World' (Spell Card)
-'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms' (Synchro Monster Card)
"Take a good look there, Lisa-chan!" David pointed out, staring at the middle card ('Immortal Dragon'), "It might look like a Dragon monster, but it's actually of the Zombie-Type."
"And listen to the first effect it has…" said Lisa, before reading the card's first effect, "During your Main Phase: You can send 1 Zombie monster from your Deck to your GY, and if you do, this card's Level becomes the difference in the original Levels of that monster and this card," She and David then faced the audience, "Did you all hear that? That effect makes this monster very, very handy for Synchro Summoning! Which is definitely going to give a few of our friends some trouble as they learn to trust each other," The pink-haired girl started waving goodbye, "Well, have a good night, everybody! Make sure you keep rooting for us and our fellow comrades!"
The audience cheered and clapped in response.
Title: The Curtain of Shadows
Opening up in the city of Albany, two days had passed, and it was getting closer to the end of the month of June. Once July started, the summer holidays would really begin picking up steam. However, there was a rather large problem currently going on in the city, and a newswoman was reporting on it in an early evening talk show on some of the television sets being sold on window displays. A few people walking by the shop stopped to watch the news.
"Good evening, this evening, we're reporting on a large number of people in Albany having gone missing," The image of the young woman began, "We do not know who is behind this, or 'why' it is happening, but rest assured. The police department is doing everything in their power to find these lost souls," Before long, as she continued speaking, the camera pulled back a bit and revealed a familiar-looking man with blonde hair and fancy business suit sitting at the table, "But now, I'm pleased to announce that I have the owner of the famous Blue Cosmos Duel School, Muruta Azrael, sitting with me at this table as a special guest. Thanks for coming on the show, Mr. Azrael."
(elsewhere…)
Inside the studio, Muruta Azrael, as he was named, simply smiled and nodded over being a guest on the program.
"But you know, I'm actually surprised you agreed to come onto the program for an interview," The newswoman went on, "We've learned not long ago that you and your school are being investigated by the police due to a series of rumors that you and the staff of Blue Cosmos have been committing a number of crimes and sorts—such as the way you treat your students as your staff teach them the ways of dueling," She looked up from her notes, as Azrael continued to listen, "So, could you perhaps explain if the rumors are true or not, please?"
"First of all, I'll admit it's true we're under investigation, but I can assure you and your viewers we never did anything wrong at Blue Cosmos, and we never will," responded Azrael, without ever changing his expression, "The rumors of us committing crimes and abuse towards our own students is a bunch of nonsense. We only strive to train people to become duelists, and to bring out their best potential. We would never commit crimes of any fashion," He faced the cameras and spread his arms out in welcome, "To show that, I actually welcomed the investigation with open arms—in order to prove that we are, in fact, innocent," As the newswoman listened to the rather dubious explanation, he added a little something else, "Besides, aren't we supposed to be talking about the missing people from our city?"
"Oh! Yes, yes we are," remembered the newswoman.
"Oh dear, those missing people…" sighed Azrael, now appearing distressed, "Whoever is doing this must be stopped soon… I can't bear to think about what those monsters might do to the innocent people if they decide to torture them for information or something…"
"I agree," The newswoman reassured, as the people watching the TV sets listened before moving on with their lives, "I'm hopeful the police or FBI will crack down on the missing person report and bring the group of kidnappers to justice."
(elsewhere…)
Speaking of kidnapping, the so-called 'kidnappers' were on the move once more… Back in the city of Hartford, two Dark Signers were standing in the middle of the street outside a local movie theater. They were trying to appeal to a large crowd gathered before them.
"Hope! Hope in the land of America!" announced Dark Signer 2.
"The Crimson Dragon that came forth in New York City during Governor Godwin's tournament is a Wicked God who brings forth disaster to this world!" accused Dark Signer 3, while the people gathered listened, "Shall all of the United States be destined to tremble at the rage of the Wicked God and perish along with this world?"
"No! The Crimson Dragon has chosen this country, the land of fools!" said Dark Signer 2, "O wise people of America! Embrace hope!" He raised his arms up as more and more people gathered around, "Those who have gathered around us shall definitely be saved from this curse!"
One of the gathered people was a short-haired, gothic-looking young woman who looked to have been from the Orb Duel School. Despite resembling a gloomy goth, she was actually a pretty friendly person—if slightly naive. While watching, the young woman was not sure if she should listen to that duo of what appeared to be mad lunatics who could have been spouting all of that crazy talk simply for attention. Unknowingly to the gathered crowd, several small spiders began lowering themselves from out of nowhere, landing on the back of the necks of the unsuspecting watchers, including the gothic young woman. Pretty soon, they all seemed to fall into a trance of some sorts.
"Hope…" A young man uttered.
"Hope…" Another young man added.
"The hope in America!" The voice of Dark Signer 3 yelled out.
"The hope in America!" The crowd started chanting in anger, "Crimson Dragon, be gone! Be gone!"
With the chanting of "The hope in America! Crimson Dragon, be gone!" growing louder and more clear, the two cloaked figures smiled to themselves, before looking at each other and nodding, realizing it was time for the main event to begin. While that was going on, a confused-looking Shinji was watching from behind the corner of a building. He didn't like what he was seeing, mainly because he was one of the people who believed that the Crimson Dragon was an entity on the side of good; it chose his old friend to become a Signer, for God's sake! Hearing enough, Shinji slipped away before anybody could spot him.
(elsewhere…)
A little later in the evening, outside a local animal shelter, a few voices could be heard coming from inside the building.
"That's it," The voice of a young woman said kindly.
"There we go," The voice of Ashima added.
(inside…)
Inside the building, Ashima and a couple of young adults her age were busy volunteering to help take care of animals like dogs, cats, and the likes that are brought to the shelter for protection and to ultimately find possible new homes for them. Ashima and a young woman volunteer with long, lavender-colored hair were in the process of giving a dog a quick bath in a bathtub. When they were done cleaning the dog, he started shaking the soap and water off, causing both animal lovers to cover themselves whilst laughing.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy!" squealed the female volunteer, "Stop with the shaking!"
Once the dog stopped shaking, Ashima smiled and held out a dog treat in the palm of her left hand, which the animal happily took and ate—before giving the young Indian woman a lick or two as a gesture of thanks. All of a sudden, the building's power went out, causing Ashima and the female volunteer to look around in surprise.
"What the-?" The voice of a male volunteer echoed.
The young man walking into frame had short black hair. The dogs and cats in the room all started to panic over what was going on, and Ashima and the two volunteers had a difficult time trying to get them to calm down. Soon, the owner of the shelter, a woman in her late 30s with medium-length golden blonde hair, showed up, looking concerned.
"The power went out?" pondered the shelter owner, "But there's no thunderstorm going on outside; it's a clear sky."
"Then…what could have caused it?" The female volunteer asked nervously.
"I'll go and check it out," The voice of Ashima offered.
"Huh?"
All eyes were on Ashima, who didn't appear to look afraid at what was going on. She was initially surprised by it, yes, but afraid? Not at all. She then looked towards the volunteers and the animals and smiled reassuringly at them.
"Look, it will all be okay," proclaimed Ashima, "I'll just go downstairs and see what the problem is."
"Ashima…" whispered the shelter owner.
"You sure you'll be alright?" pressed the male volunteer.
"I'm sure it's nothing serious," Ashima pointed out, "Just wait here, you three… I shouldn't be down there for very long."
(elsewhere…)
The door to the darkened basement opened up, and Ashima stepped down the stairs with a flashlight in her right hand until she was at the bottom. She carefully took a look around before looking up ahead and using the flashlight to shine on the fuse box. Frowning, Ashima walked over to the fuse box and looked it over very carefully. It wasn't damaged at all—it was actually turned off.
"That's weird," muttered Ashima, "The fuse box appears to be turned off… I wonder how that could have happened?"
While busy looking at the fuse box and deciding to turn it back on, she didn't notice that a pair of shadowed figures were closing in on her from behind. At the last second, Ashima finally realized she wasn't alone and turned around with a gasp, only for her to receive a pinch to the base of her neck from the first cloaked figure. This caused her to fall unconscious as a result of it, collapsing by the feet of both her attackers. One of the two cloaked figures removed his hood and revealed himself to be Vincent. The other cloaked kept his hood on, but smiled with satisfaction.
"Well, that was easier said than done," he scoffed.
"You did a good job rendering that Indian slave girl unconscious," complimented Vincent, before casting a glance at the unconscious Ashima, "But did you have to use a much too 'science fiction'-like technique to knock her out?" He then looked back up at his companion, "A good, solid punch to the face would have done the trick, too, you know."
"Whatever, we still got part of our job done," dismissed Dark Signer 1 sneeringly, "Now all we need to do is bring this beautiful young woman to our leader—he has big plans for her."
"Tch! I guess you're right," sighed Vincent, before kneeling down and picking Ashima's body up. He stood up and nodded, "Come on, let's get out of here! Leaderman is waiting for us to return."
From there, both Dark Signers made their getaway in the shadows.
(elsewhere…)
Inside one of the classrooms at Orb, the Signers and their friends all were waiting for Ashima to return from her volunteer work at the animal shelter. However, she did not show up at the time she said she'd return, and everyone started to get worried as more and more time passed by. Before long, Ms. Simmons heard the phone on her desk ringing, which got everyone's attention.
"Could that be Ashima calling?" wondered Lisa.
Ms. Simmons walked over to the desk and picked up the phone, answering it.
"Hello? This is Erica Simmons of Orb speaking," began Ms. Simmons. After a few seconds of listening to who's talking to her, she seemed to react with surprise, "Y-Yes, they are currently here…" The brown-haired woman looked nearby, "It's Governor Godwin, everyone."
"Godwin?!" cried Michael.
"What does he want with us, now?" pondered James R..
"Shh! Let's listen and find out," hushed David.
With that said, Ms. Simmons returned her focus to the phone and resumed speaking to Rex on the other line.
"Of course, just give me a few seconds to bring him over, sir," requested Ms. Simmons, before putting the phone down and looking nearby once again, "Matt, New York's governor would like to speak to you."
Matt frowned, but complied with the request. He walked over to the desk as Ms. Simmons handed him the phone, causing him to begin talking to Rex.
"What is it?" requested Matt sternly.
(elsewhere…)
Inside Rex's office in city hall of New York City, Rex was seated at his desk with a very serious expression on his face; he had some important news about the Dark Signers that he just had to share with the leader of Team 6D's.
"I'm glad I caught you at a good time, Matt," claimed Rex, "I bring some news about the Dark Signers that I think you will want to hear."
"What kind of news?" The voice of Matt pressed.
"I'm sure you remember the discussion we had about the Nazca Lines about a month ago, right?" reminded Rex.
(elsewhere…)
"Y-Yeah," replied Matt, not liking where this was heading.
"I just got word from some sources of mine that some of the Nazca Lines have recently disappeared," The voice of Rex reported, and when Matt said nothing back, he continued, "They are Spider, Monkey, Killer Whale, Giant, Hummingbird, and Dog. The only ones left behind are Lizard and Condor."
Less than thrilled when he heard that bit of not-so-good news, Matt was only barely able to hold himself back from cursing aloud in frustration. Now the problems he and his friends all had at the moment just got all the more dire.
"I see," accepted Matt calmly, "Well, thanks for letting me know. I'll tell the others what you told me."
"Very good," The voice of Rex agreed, "I'll continue to let you know of any continuing Dark Signer-related activities. Please enjoy your evening."
"Good night," finished Matt, hanging up the phone. He then looked at his friends and delivered the bad news, "According to Godwin, a large number of Nazca Lines have been disappearing not too long ago."
"Does that mean-?" began Juri.
"Pretty much," confirmed Lisa, "It means those damn Dark Signers are beginning to awaken and make their move."
Just when everyone could not get anymore worried than they already were, this had to happen. Before anything more could be said, as the clock finally struck 10:30, the phone rang again, and, as before, Ms. Simmons answered it.
"Hello?" began Ms. Simmons, "Oh, good evening! Is Ashima all finished with her volunteer duties and ready to return to Orb?" She listened to the explanation from the other line, and started to frown with concern as it went on, "Oh no… I see… Well, thank you for calling and telling me. We'll keep a look out for her…"
Everybody saw the look on Ms. Simmons's face, wondering if something else was wrong. Sure enough, once the phone was hung up, she delivered the news nobody wanted to hear of.
"It's about Ashima, isn't it?" fretted Carlie.
"I'm afraid so," confirmed Ms. Simmons, "At first, I believed the reason she didn't return to Orb because she was volunteering late. But according to the owner of the animal shelter, she seemed to have disappeared when she went into the basement to check out the fuse box when the lights went out there."
"Disappeared?" repeated Asagi.
"Ashima, no…" worried Mayura.
"That does it," cut in Zack, "If she really did disappear, we all need to go out and search for her."
"Right," agreed Michael.
"We'll need some extra help," put in James R., before taking out his cellphone, "I'll give Shinji a quick call and see if he'll help out."
"That's a good idea," said Janice in a positive tone.
A few minutes later, James R. was talking to Shinji on the phone.
"So, a friend of yours has gone missing?" The voice of Shinji asked, before adding in with a reassuring, "Well, don't worry, I'll help out with the search."
"Oh… Thanks a ton, man," sighed James R. in relief.
"Hold on, Sherry's trying to tell me something," The voice of Shinji interrupted. A few seconds later, he resumed speaking, "Well, this is nice, Sherry's just told me she wishes to help out in the search."
"Sherry wants to help?" pressed James R..
Carlie, overhearing that statement, appeared to look happy that her former friend wanted to help out with finding Ashima.
"Alright, meet us here at Orb in ten minutes," requested James R., "See you soon. Bye."
From there, he hung up, looked towards his friends, and gave them a nod that told them that help would be there very soon, which brought reassurance to everyone else.
(outside…)
A little later, everyone, joined by Ren, Futaba, Gabriella, Mr. Kisaka, Shinji, and Sherry, had gathered outside the school with some of the members (Michael, Carlie, the Astray trio, Ms. Simmons, Mr. Kisaka, and Lisa) now dressed in their motorcyclist suits. They were being split into four different groups.
"Okay, here's the game plan," instructed Matt, "Mike, Erica, Zack, and I will head to the animal shelter to see if the people there might have any clues as to what happened to Ashima."
"Of course!" smirked Michael, while Ms. Simmons, and Zack both nodded.
"Asagi, Mayura, Juri, and I will search the eastern part of the city," offered Lisa.
"Yeah!" winked Asagi.
"If our missing friend is out there, we'll definitely find her!" said Mayura confidently.
"Janice, Sean-kun, Ledonir-senpai, and I will scour the western region of the city," insisted David, "We won't rest until we locate Ashima-san!"
Sean, Janice, and Mr. Kisaka all nodded. That just left…
"Carlie, Sherry, Shinji, and I have the downtown area to look around," declared James R., before raising his right fist up, "Alright! Let's hop to it, everyone!"
"Hold up a second, James-boy," interrupted Discord, "I want to say I'll be staying behind with Dave-boy's parents and sister just in case Ashima does end up returning while you're all out."
"Good idea," smiled Ms. Simmons, "That way, you can call and let us know of that."
Soon, different Duel Runners were speeding out of the parking lot and spreading all across the street in different directions. Once the people staying behind were alone, a few of them started talking about Ashima being missing.
"Oh, Discord-senpai, will (お兄ちゃん) O nīchan (Big Brother) and our friends find Ashima-neechan?" worried Gabriella.
"Oh, don't you worry, I'm certain Matty-boy and everyone else will find her," comforted Discord, "You have my word on that."
Gabriella stared at the adult long and hard, but eventually managed a firm nod of agreement. She would hold onto hope that Ashima would be found and safely returned to them.
(elsewhere…)
In downtown Hartford, Bloody Kiss (Carlie), Blackbird (James R.), Killer Wasp (Shinji), and Sturm und Drang (Sherry) all roared down the road.
"Anything?" requested James R..
"No sign of Ashima," replied Carlie, before pointing nearby, "Let's turn onto that street over there."
The four Duel Runners turned onto the left street, continuing with their search. Before long, Carlie, James R., and Shinji heard Sherry call out to them.
"Là bas!" The voice of Sherry announced in French.
They each looked up ahead, spotting someone standing in the middle of the road. All four duelists stopped their Duel Runners a good distance away, climbed off, and addressed the person, currently shadowed, on the street.
"Hey, you!" called Shinji, after making the faceplate of his helmet rise up, "We're looking for someone! Perhaps you can tell us if you saw her or not?" Unfortunately, the person said nothing back, so he tried again, "Hey! Aren't you listening?!"
"Cool it, Shinji," scolded Sherry, "I think she can hear you, but is pretending not to," She decided to try her luck with speaking to the shadowed person, "Listen, we're looking for a friend of Carlie Izayoi's. Her name is Ashima Nilgiri. Do you know of her?"
"Ashima…Nilgiri?" The shadowed young woman repeated slowly, before stepping out of the shadows while retaining a shadow over her eyes, "I believe I do know."
"You do?" asked James R. hopefully.
"Yes… I'll even tell you guys where," As those words left her mouth, the gothic young woman raised her head and revealed her eyes glowing, "if I'm defeated in a dark duel."
The four duelists gasped. To make matters worse, the young woman raised her exposed right arm and revealed the glowing spider birthmark on the forearm.
"This again…!" thought Carlie.
"Just who do you think you are?!" wondered James R., "Give us a name, and be quick about it!"
"My name is Gwen, Gwen Fahlenbock," The gothic young woman, named Gwen, answered, "Again, I want a duel with one of you! Only by winning will I tell any of you where your friend Ashima currently is!"
"Gwen Fahlenbock? That name… Could it be? Could this be the same Gwen who attends Orb?" thought Carlie, "If it is, then it looks like she got possessed by the same thing that got a hold of Grady. I'll have to step in and duel her if we want to free her from control," Before she could speak up, Sherry stepped in-front of her, "Sherry?"
"If it's a duel you want, I'll be your opponent!" requested Sherry.
"Sherry!" objected Carlie, before stepping forward herself, "I'm sorry, but I can't let you. I'll take on this person manipulating Gwen."
"Carlie, you…!" growled Sherry, "Do you believe that I would lose to her?"
As the two former friends and now rivals started to argue, Gwen (possessed) interrupted them with a low, malicious-sounding giggle, catching their attention.
"There's no need for you to fight each other," reassured Gwen (possessed), "I think the both of you should duel with me."
"What?" gasped Carlie.
"The both of us will duel you?" added Sherry.
"I always did like fighting opponents in Battle Royale duels," continued Gwen (possessed). As an insane expression appeared on her face, she activated her Duel Disk, "So, come on! Face me here!"
From there, a flaming ring rose in the middle of the road and trapped Gwen (possessed), Sherry, and Carlie inside, while leaving James R. and Shinji both outside of it.
"Sherry! Carlie!" called Shinji.
"Here we go again," groaned James R., before feeling his birthmark (Dragon's Tail) starting to glow and react, "Ngh!"
Inside the flaming ring, Carlie noticed her Mark of the Dragon (Dragon's Foot) started glowing as well, giving her a clue that she and Sherry both would be in for an extremely difficult fight.
(elsewhere…)
Outside the animal shelter, four Duel Runners had parked outside the building:
-Fudo Go
-Wheel of Fortune
-Murasame
-Ordinary Duel Runner
"Oh, thank goodness you've come!" The voice of the shelter owner was heard saying.
(inside…)
Inside the building's lobby, Matt, Michael, Zack, and Ms. Simmons all were talking to the two volunteers and the owner of the animal shelter. So far, the latter group was giving the former group a recap of the events from earlier before the lights went out and Ashima disappeared when she went downstairs into the basement.
"Everything started out pretty well for all of us," explained the male volunteer, "But while we were busy cleaning some of the animals and feeding them, the lights just went out."
"It was so strange though," added the shelter owner, while shutting her eyes, "It was a lovely night outside, so there should have been no way for the power to get knocked out," She then opened them, "In any case, Ashima decided to go into the basement and check the fuse box, but she never came back upstairs."
"It's as though she vanished into thin-air," fretted the female volunteer, "We're all so worried…"
"That's why we're here," insisted Zack, adjusting the glasses on his face, "Now, would it be alright if we looked over the footage the security cameras might have caught?"
"Security cameras?" repeated the male volunteer.
"Think about it; the cameras might have caught whoever did the deed."
"I don't know about that, Zack," interrupted Michael, "If the power went out, then the cameras would not have worked."
"Don't be so sure, Mike," rebutted Zack, "The cameras likely caught the ones who shut off the power before going out."
"There's also the fact that the cameras of this shelter have a backup power source should there be a power out or a power cut," The shelter owner recalled.
"That's perfect!" exclaimed Ms. Simmons, snapping the fingers of her right hand, "That means we can get the tape from the camera, place it into a VCR, and play back what the camera had captured. We can find out what happened to Ashima when she went downstairs into the basement!"
(elsewhere…)
Back on the streets of downtown Hartford, the dark duel between Sherry and Carlie vs. Gwen (possessed) was about to begin. Carlie and Sherry activated their respective Duel Disks and stood ready.
"Now, let's get it on!" dared Gwen (possessed)
Outside the flaming ring, Shinji, wondering what kind of fire that was, walked over and reached over to touch it, but was stopped by James R. in case it was real flames.
"What the hell is going on?" uttered Shinji, "What kind of fire is this supposed to be?"
"Let's just say…this is a duel unlike any other," replied James R. gravely.
That got Shinji's attention, but he simply resumed focus on watching the duel going on inside the ring of ghostly fire. Speaking of which, the duel finally began.
"Duel!" Carlie, Sherry, and Gwen (possessed) announced at once (LP: 4000) x3.
All three players drew their five card hands and readied them. Without wasting a second, Gwen (possessed) went over the rules of the Battle Royale duel.
"For this duel, Carlie will go first, then me, and finally Sherry," she proclaimed, "And nobody can attack on their first turn. Are those fair enough rules?"
"Fine by me!" agreed Sherry.
"Same here," added Carlie, before drawing a card, "Here I go! Draw!"
Turn One: Carlie Izayoi (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Tytannial, Princess of Camellias", "Greed Grado", "Spore", "Lonefire Blossom", "Twilight Rose Knight", and "Seed of Deception"
Adding the drawn card into her hand, she picked another from there and held it ('Twilight Rose Knight') out.
"I Summon the Tuner monster, 'Twilight Rose Knight', from my hand!" announced Carlie, placing the card onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Disk, "Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was a small warrior wearing black armor and a white cape (Level: 3/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000).
"I activate 'Twilight Rose Knight's' second effect!" continued Carlie, taking another card ('Lonefire Blossom') from her hand, holding it out for a few seconds, and then placing it onto her Duel Disk, "When this card is Normal Summoned: I can Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower Plant monster from my hand."
Appearing onto the field was a yellow/orange-colored Plant monster (Level: 3/ATK: 500/DEF: 1400).
"Come, 'Lonefire Blossom'!" The voice of Carlie commanded.
"Yes, that's the way," thought Sherry, "The total Level your monsters have equals six, which will allow you to Synchro Summon 'Splendid Rose'."
Unfortunately, Carlie decided she wasn't done building her field. To prove that, she took another card from her hand and slotted it into her Duel Disk.
"From my hand, I'll activate the Spell Card, 'Seed of Deception'!" proclaimed Carlie, as the mentioned Spell Card flipped face-up and revealed itself, "I must Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower Plant monster from my hand."
"What the hell?!" thought Sherry.
Not paying any attention to her teammate's anger, Carlie took one more card ('Spore') from her hand and placed it onto her Duel Disk.
"Appear, 'Spore'!" declared Carlie.
Appearing onto the field was a white pollen-like monster (Level: 1/ATK: 400/DEF: 800).
"Carlie, what are you doing?!" demanded Sherry angrily, "You have enough monsters to Synchro Summon! You don't need to Special Summon anymore from your hand!"
"Sherry, I just need you to trust me on this," pleaded Carlie, "I know what I'm doing."
Scowling, Sherry bit her tongue and agreed to watch for a little longer. Sure enough, Carlie went on with her first turn.
"I activate the monster effect of 'Lonefire Blossom'!" announced Carlie, before removing a card ('Spore') from the Monster Zone on her Duel Disk and sending it into her GY as she spoke some more, "Once per turn: I can Tribute 1 face-up Plant monster; I must Special Summon 1 Plant monster from my Deck."
'Spore' faded away in a blue streak, and appearing onto the field in its place was a young woman with long blonde hair and wearing a lovely rose red dress (Level: 1/ATK: 800/DEF: 800).
"This is my 'Rose Lover'," explained Carlie, "She will be needed for my first big play," To prove it, she pointed forward at her three monsters, "I tune Level 3 'Lonefire Blossom', Level 1 'Rose Lover'…" 'Twilight Rose Knight' turned himself into three Synchro Rings, "…into Level 3 'Twilight Rose Knight'!"
The three Synchro Rings hovered over 'Lonefire Blossom' and 'Rose Lover' before lowering and overwhelming them. Their respective bodies turned into outlines.
"Level 7 in total… Carlie isn't thinking of bringing 'Black Rose Dragon' out this soon, is she?" wondered James R..
"Not unless there's another Level 7 Synchro Monster she plans to bring out," realized Shinji.
'Lonefire Blossom' and 'Rose Lover' both turned into four orbs of light (three for 'Lonefire Blossom', and one for 'Rose Lover'), with the symbols 3 + 1 + 3 = 7 being shown for a small period of time before the orbs turned into a massive beam of light which struck the field behind Carlie as she spoke a Summon Chant.
"Ruler of plant-life, protect the garden kingdom against the invaders of injustice!" chanted Carlie, before taking out a card ('Periallis, Empress of Blossoms') from the Extra Deck Zone of her Duel Disk and holding it out, "Synchro Summon! Bloom, Level 7! 'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms'!"
As the beam of light burst apart, standing on the field was a beautiful human woman with long dark green grass-like hair and wearing a royal outfit that's known only to the Plant-Type family (Level: 7/ATK: 1600/DEF: 2400).
"'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms', is it?!" frowned Gwen (possessed).
"She only has an ATK of 1600!" added Sherry.
Outside the fiery ring…
"That's actually a good choice of monster," commented Shinji.
"It is," agreed James R., "'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms' gets 400 ATK stronger for every other Plant monster on her field, and it allows her to Special Summon a high Level Plant monster from her hand or GY in Defense Position once per turn."
Back in the fiery ring, Carlie took a card from her hand and smiled with utmost confidence, which didn't appear to make Gwen (possessed) very happy.
"The second effect of 'Periallis'!" began Carlie, before turning the card ('Tytannial, Princess of Camellias') over and revealing what it was, "During my Main Phase: I can Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher Plant monster from my hand or GY in Defense Position, except 'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms'."
Gwen (possessed) gritted her teeth, while Sherry looked very surprised.
"And now, I'll play my chosen card!" Carlie went on, placing her card ('Tytannial, Princess of Camellias') onto her Duel Disk (sideways), "Appear now, 'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias'!"
Appearing onto the field…was a bed of camellias? Suddenly, a huge camellia started growing from the garden before opening up and revealing, inside, a human woman wearing a camellia bud-like crown and wearing a pink camellia dress with green plant-like parts for the shoulders (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 2600).
"'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms's' first effect!" said Carlie, before holding up her right hand and spreading four of the fingers out, "It gains 400 ATK for each Plant monster I control, except this card," As she explained further, her mentioned monster grew stronger (ATK: 1600 → 2000), "As 'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias' is a Plant monster, 'Periallis's' ATK rises from 1600 to 2000!" The brown-haired young woman entered her End Phase, "I end my turn here."
After a couple of beats from the duelists, Carlie went into her mind and thought out a new strategy for the cards she has on her field and in her GY.
"'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias' can let me Tribute a Plant monster to negate the activation of a card or effect that targets cards on the field," thought Carlie, before looking down at her GY, "Also, since 'Spore' is in my GY, I can banish a Plant monster from my GY in order to Special Summon it and increase its Level for a Synchro Summon," She then looked over at Sherry for her opinion, "Sherry, what do you think? If we work together, we can defeat Gwen and save her from whatever is possessing her."
Sherry scowled, "Whatever," she said rudely, before looking away, "Just do me a favor and don't screw up in this dark duel!"
Carlie reacted in dismay, while, outside the flame ring, James R. and even Shinji both were not very thrilled with what they heard Sherry say.
"Errrgh! Sherry…!" grumbled James R..
"I know you're still hurting, but this duel is important for both you and Carlie-!" came from Shinji.
Within the fiery ring, Gwen (possessed) no longer looked angry, but, rather, seemed amused over the hostility Sherry displayed towards Carlie, her own teammate.
"You seem to have some sort of grudge against your teammate," teased Gwen (possessed), "I cannot help but wonder… Will your inability to work together lead to your downfall? I'm interested in finding that out, starting now!" She drew a card, "It's my turn! Draw!"
Turn Two: Gwen Fahlenbock (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Tatsunecro", "Return of the Zombies", "Beast of the Pharaoh", "Zombie Necronize", "Glow-Up Bloom", and "Haunted Zombies"
Her hand contained 'Tatsunecro', 'Return of the Zombies', 'Beast of the Pharaoh', 'Zombie Necronize', 'Glow-Up Bloom', and the drawn 'Haunted Zombies'. After a few seconds of looking at her cards, Gwen (possessed) looked up and addressed her two opponents.
"I've been in a number of Battle Royale duels during my time at Orb," bragged Gwen (possessed), "Allow me to show you both a few new tricks I picked up!" She picked a card ('Tatsunecro') and placed it onto her Duel Disk, "I Summon a monster in Attack Position, 'Tatsunecro'!"
Appearing onto the field was a small monster that resembled more of a zombified dragon with no legs and wings for arms (Level: 3/ATK: 500/DEF: 1700).
"This is a special Tuner," explained Gwen (possessed), "If I were to use this monster as Synchro Material, any single monster in my hand can be used as another material, but it results in the banishment of both monsters," She took another card ('Beast of the Pharaoh') from her hand and readied it, "It's a pretty costly effect, but I'm prepared to pay it up!"
"What monster from her hand will she use as Synchro Material?" thought Carlie.
The answer came…
"I tune the Level 3 'Beast of the Pharaoh' from my hand into Level 3 'Tatsunecro'!" howled Gwen (possessed).
Appearing onto the field was a monster known as 'Beast of the Pharaoh', while 'Tatsunecro' turned itself into three Synchro Rings. 'Beast of the Pharaoh' jumped into the three Synchro Rings and turned itself into three orbs of light as a dark-sounding Summon Chant was heard throughout.
"Dragonic being of the netherworld, rise from the graves and drag the light down for all eternity!" chanted Gwen (possessed), as the symbols 3 + 3 = 6 were shown briefly just before the three orbs of light within the three Synchro Rings turned into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Show yourself, 'Immortal Dragon'!"
Appearing from the beam of light and onto the field, was what looked to be a bigger, stronger, brown/black-skinned version of 'Tatsunecro' (Level: 6/ATK: 500/DEF: 2400).
"Since I used 'Tatsunecro's' effect, it and 'Beast of the Pharaoh'…" reminded Gwen (possessed), holding out her two mentioned cards ('Tatsunecro' and 'Beast of the Pharaoh') as they faded away in streaks of blue, "…are banished! From there, I'll activate the first effect of 'Immortal Dragon'!" She then took another card ('Necroworld Banshee') from her Deck and placed it in her GY, "During my Main Phase: I can send 1 Zombie monster from my Deck to my GY, and if I do, this card's Level becomes the difference in the original Levels of that monster and this card. The Zombie monster I sent to the GY is 'Necroworld Banshee'."
The spirit of the mentioned monster briefly appeared on the field before merging with 'Immortal Dragon', causing its Level to be reduced by four (Level 6 → 2).
"Since it's a Level 4 monster, 'Immortal Dragon's' Level will be reduced from 6 down to just 2," The voice of Gwen (possessed) went on, as the above scenario played out. She then took two more cards from her hand and slotted them into her Duel Disk, "And finally, I'll Set these two cards face-down…" Two face-down cards on the field by her feet, "…and end my turn!" The gothic young woman smiled wickedly at her two opponents, "Now, beware that the dance of the undead is yet to begin—or, in simpler language, the worst has yet to come."
"Don't give me that sort of nonsense!" yelled Sherry, "I'm not afraid of what you try to use!"
"Sherry, calm down and listen!" begged Carlie, "She's being serious in telling us the worst is yet to-"
"Shut up!" The voice of Sherry responded back, causing Carlie to visibly flinch from being yelled at, "I won't allow myself to lose in a dark duel! This opponent won't know what hit her when I draw my first card!" She then drew a card, "It's my turn! Draw!"
Turn Three: Sherry LeBlanc (LP: 4000)
Deck: 54
Current Hand (6): "Fleur Synchron", "Pennant of Revolution", "Noble Knight's Shield-Bearer", "Necro Fleur", "Floral Shield", and "Ecole de Zone"
Sherry added the card into her hand and looked it over carefully. Her hand contained 'Fleur Synchron', 'Pennant of Revolution', 'Noble Knight's Shield-Bearer', 'Necro Fleur', 'Floral Shield', and the drawn 'Ecole de Zone'.
"I've drawn the perfect hand to defeat this so-called vessel of the Dark Signers," thought Sherry, before taking her drawn card placing it into her Duel Disk (Field Zone), "Field Spell, 'Ecole de Zone', activate!"
The street turned into a castle garden of sorts, with everyone else looking around at their new surroundings for a few seconds.
"If the turn player Summons exactly 1 monster: I must destroy it, and if I do, the controller of that monster Special Summons 1 'Mask Token' to their field, which cannot attack directly, with ATK/DEF equal to what the destroyed monster had on the field," explained Sherry, before returning to her thoughts, "If I Summon 'Necro Fleur' and use the effect of 'Ecole de Zone' to destroy it, I will be able to Special Summon 'Sorciere de Fleur' and use its effect to nab the 'Spore' from Carlie's GY for myself so I can Synchro Summon."
Outside the flame ring…
"That's actually a good move on Sherry's part," commented Shinji.
"Is that right?" interrupted Gwen (possessed), smiling darkly, "The strategy you're attempting will not work against the likes of me."
"What?" gasped Sherry.
"I activate the second effect of 'Necroworld Banshee'!" As she announced that, Gwen (possessed) made a card ('Necroworld Banshee') eject from her GY before vanishing into oblivion, "(Quick Effect): I can banish this card from my field or GY; I must activate 1 'Zombie World' directly from my hand or Deck."
Sherry cried out in a mixture of surprise and anger, watching as her face-up 'Ecole de Zone' Spell Card shattered into shards of glass.
"Now I'll do what you did and activate a Field Spell from my Deck," chuckled Gwen (possessed), before holding up a card ('Zombie World') she took from her Deck, "'Zombie World'!"
The scenery changed from a beautiful-looking castle garden into a creepy-looking graveyard of sorts with rotting skulls of what used to be people lying around the ground. A stunned Sherry could not believe her strategy had been cut short this quickly and easily.
"She actually stopped my-!" stammered Sherry, before growing very angry, "Nom de Dieu!"
"My Field Spell has two effects," explained Gwen (possessed), "The first one… All monsters on the field and in the GYs become Zombie monsters. The second effect… Neither player can Tribute Summon monsters, except Zombie monsters."
'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms' and 'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias' found themselves turning into zombies due to the effect of the new Field Spell.
"Sherry and I don't run Zombie monsters," remembered Carlie grimly, "However, you do," Within her mind… "Not to mention my plans for 'Periallis', 'Tytannial', and 'Spore' have been shot, because with all my Plant monsters on the field and in the GY being Zombie-Types, their effects are useless to me."
"Carlie, espèce de salope stupide!" snarled Sherry in French, actually accusing Carlie of this being her fault. She then eased up and faced the opponent, "Just watch… I will win this dark duel, with or without the need for your help!" The blonde-haired young French woman took another card from her hand, "I activate the second effect of the 'Noble Knight's Shield-Bearer' in my hand!" The card faded away into oblivion, "I can banish this card from my hand or field; I must add 1 Level 6 or lower WIND Beast monster from my Deck to my hand. 'Zombie World' only affects monsters on our fields and in our GYs, but it doesn't affect the monsters in our Decks!"
"So, you found a weak spot in my card," uttered Gwen (possessed), "Whatever! Just because you figured that out, doesn't mean you will be able to get rid of my card that quickly!"
Sherry simply took a card ('White Steed of the Floral Knights') out of her Deck and added it into her hand, then took another card out to play.
"This will be my next card," began Sherry, placing the card ('Fleur Synchron') onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Disk, "'Fleur Synchron', Attack Position!"
Appearing onto the field was what appeared to be a mechanical flower bulb with limbs and eyes (Level: 2/ATK: 400/DEF: 200). Upon appearing, 'Fleur Synchron' found itself becoming a bit…zombified.
"And now, come forth, 'White Steed of the Floral Knights'!" commanded Sherry, placing another card ('White Steed of the Floral Knights') onto her Duel Disk.
Appearing onto the field was a graceful-looking white horse wearing bits of armor (Level: 6/ATK: 2400/DEF: 1800), but became zombified in only a few seconds of being on the field.
"If I control a Level 2 or lower monster, I can Special Summon this card (from my hand) in Defense Position," continued Sherry. From there, she gave the command, "I tune Level 6 'White Steed of the Floral Knights' into Level 2 'Fleur Synchron'!"
'Fleur Synchron' turned itself into two Synchro Rings, which overwhelmed 'White Steed of the Floral Knights' and turned her into six orbs of light as a Summon Chant by Sherry was heard throughout.
"Body born from the speed of light, the time for revolution has come! Bring victory into my grasp!" chanted Sherry, as the symbols 6 + 2 = 8 were shown briefly just before the orbs of light erupted into a massive beam of light, "Synchro Summon! Sparkle, 'Chevalier de Fleur'!"
Appearing onto the field from a flurry of flower petals, was a female warrior with a large red cape and a sword sheathed by her hip, and a pink, flower-like helmet on her head (Level: 8/ATK: 2700/DEF: 2300). Unfortunately, like both monsters used to bring her out, she started to become zombified in only a matter of seconds.
"Sherry brought out a powerful monster," thought Carlie, "However, even it can't escape the power that is 'Zombie World'!"
"I'm not done," The voice of Sherry cut in, which caused Carlie to look over with slight optimism. The blonde-haired young French woman took another card ('Necro Fleur') from her hand and held it out for a few seconds before placing it onto her Duel Disk (sideways), "The effect of 'Fleur Synchron'! If this card is sent to the GY as Synchro Material: I can Special Summon 1 Level 2 or lower monster from my hand. Come forth, 'Necro Fleur'!"
Appearing onto the field was what appeared to be a dying plant-like monster (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). Sherry then took two more cards from her hand, held them up, then slotted them into her Duel Disk.
"As no player can attack on their first turn, I'll Set two cards face-down and end my turn," concluded Sherry, as two face-down cards materialized on the field. She smiled smugly at Gwen (possessed) and then pointed an accusing finger at her, "I don't wish to state the obvious, but it looks to me like you've put yourself in a weak position!"
"Did she, though?" thought Carlie, "Something tells me we have a long way to go before we can beat her."
That they did.
(elsewhere…)
Inside the basement of the animal shelter Ms. Simmons, Zack, the volunteers, and the shelter owner were busy getting the tape from the camera. With the power finally restored, the lights were back on. Ms. Simmons was standing on a small ladder to reach for the camera's system.
"Got it," she proclaimed, before stepping down, turning, and holding up the tape, "Now, let's head back upstairs."
Zack nodded.
(elsewhere…)
Upstairs in the lobby, Matt and Michael both waited for the others to return, and return they did. In Zack's hands was the videotape with the security footage shot.
"Load it up," requested Michael.
Zack approached the TV and inserted the tape into the VCR. Matt then turned the TV on. The TV was showing the footage as everyone else watched from a short distance. At first nothing out of the ordinary was happening. Suddenly, two cloaked figures entered the camera's line of sight and began tampering with the fuse box, shutting off the power. Quickly, Michael paused the video.
"Did you guys see that?" started Zack.
"I did," confirmed Matt, "They were Dark Signers."
"Huh? Dark Signers?" peeped the female volunteer.
"What are they?" added the shelter owner.
"It would take too long to explain," said Michael firmly, "All I'll say is they're bad news."
"Since you said there's a backup power source for the security camera, it should resume once we unpause the device," As he spoke, Matt approached the TV, reached over, and unpaused the VCR, allowing the footage to resume playing, "Let's see what happens next."
The footage no longer had the two Dark Signers in the shot. Eventually, Ashima was shown going over to the fuse box to see what the problem was.
"Ashima!" realized Zack.
"It's just as the owner of this place recalled," remembered Ms. Simmons, as the footage on the TV continued playing, "Ashima went downstairs into the basement to see what the problem was."
After those words were said, the same two Dark Signers returned and stood behind Ashima, who then turned and received a pinch to the base of her neck, falling onto the ground in an unconscious state. Seconds later, one of the Dark Signers removed his hood and revealed himself to be…
"Can't be!" recoiled Matt, taking at least two steps back.
"Isn't that bastard supposed to be Vincent?!" realized Michael.
"Vincent?!" Zack and Ms. Simmons both exclaimed.
The volunteers and the owner of the shelter all gasped with horror, just as the footage ended with Vincent and Dark Signer 1 both leaving with Ashima in their clutches. Matt's right fist slammed against the wall, while he himself looked very angry over what he saw just now.
"The Dark Signers…!" hissed Matt, losing his usual stoicism, "I swear… I swear I'll hunt down and destroy them with only my bare hands! I'll definitely get them-!"
"Take it easy," reassured Zack, "We'll find a way to stop them and get Ashima back, but going to save her in a blind rush is a bad idea."
Matt looked over, wondering what that meant.
"It means…" Zack, as he closed his eyes for a moment and shook his head, sighed, "…it's what the Dark Signers likely want."
"Sorry, but he's right," acknowledged Michael, "I really hate to admit it, but it's probably better for us to wait for the Dark Signers to come directly to us rather than for us to go hunting for them and fall into a trap of theirs."
Matt looked down in dismay; he didn't like the plan at all, but knew that he had no other choice but to accept it, and that Zack and Michael both had a very good point about not going after the Dark Signers. The dirty blonde-haired young man then felt a hand being placed on his shoulder, which came from Ms. Simmons.
"You have every right to be angry, Matt," soothed Ms. Simmons, which caused him to look over at her, "And I can assure you that we will find and save Ashima."
Matt initially looked unconvinced, but upon remembering that he could trust the female teacher from Orb, he nodded in agreement.
(elsewhere…)
Back on the streets of downtown Hartford, the dark duel was ongoing. The first turns of Carlie, Gwen (possessed), and Sherry had passed. This meant the true duel was about to begin, and it was one that James R. and Shinji hoped their friends could win and free an innocent person from the control of the Dark Signers.
"It's my turn!" announced Carlie, drawing a card, "Draw!"
Turn Four: Carlie Izayoi (LP: 4000)
Deck: 52
Current Hand (2): "Greed Grado" and "Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms"
Her drawn card was a Monster Card known as 'Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms', which was another Plant monster with an ATK of 2800. However, its powerful effects were absolutely useless because her Plant monsters would become Zombie monsters when on the field or in the GY.
"As it's your Standby Phase, I'd like to activate my face-down card," exclaimed Gwen (possessed), just before her first Set card on the left flipped face-up and revealed itself, "I activate a Trap, 'Return of the Zombies'!"
All of a sudden, Carlie saw her 'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias' letting out a zombified groan before sinking into the ground.
"'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias'-!" cried Carlie in shock.
"Hmhmhm… The first effect of 'Return of the Zombies'," giggled Gwen (possessed), "I must banish 1 Zombie monster on the field, then Special Summon 1 Zombie monster from the GY of the player who controlled it, to their field, in Defense Position," She shrugged uncaringly, "That monster of yours is way too strong, so I'm going to replace it with a much weaker one…"
Carlie gritted her teeth, before looking down at the ground after hearing a rumbling from her field. Emerging from the ground and replacing 'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias', was none other than 'Lonefire Blossom' (Level: 3/ATK: 500/DEF: 1400).
"She replaced 'Tytannial, Princess of Camellias' with 'Lonefire Blossom'," thought Carlie, before looking at her drawn card ('Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms') one more time, "Luckily, I've drawn another monster with 2800 ATK," She spoke aloud, "Here I go! I activate the monster effect of the 'Rose Lover' in my GY!"
On cue, the spirit of 'Rose Lover' reappeared on the field, raised her hands, and allowed rays of sunshine to rain down on the field. This started growing lots of rose patches, including a few cherry blossoms.
"I can banish this card from my GY; I must Special Summon 1 Plant monster from my hand, and if I do, it is unaffected by my opponent's Trap effects this turn," The voice of Carlie explained, as the above scenario played out. She then took a card from her hand, waited a few seconds, then placed it onto her Duel Disk, "Appear now, 'Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms'!"
Rising from the patch of cherry blossoms was another human woman, this time with long, purple hair, wearing an Asian-styled dress, and armed with a Chinese fan, before becoming zombified (Level: 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1200).
"I see… You had another trump card hidden away," smirked Gwen (possessed), "Very good, very good!"
"Battle!" declared Carlie, entered her Battle Phase. As she ordered her monster to attack, 'Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms' charged towards 'Immortal Dragon', "'Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms' will attack 'Immortal Dragon'!"
With a mighty cry, 'Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms' spun about and used her fan to strike 'Immortal Dragon' as though she was using a sword. 'Immortal Dragon' let out a groan-sounding roar before sinking into the ground in defeat.
"Since my monster was in Defense Position, I don't lose any LP," reminded Gwen (possessed).
"Next, I'll activate a Quick-Play Spell from my hand!" continued Carlie, taking and holding her final card ('Greed Grado'), "'Greed Grado'! If I destroy a face-up Synchro Monster controlled by my opponent this turn…" She then started drawing two more cards, one at a time, "…either by battle or by a card effect: I must draw 2 cards!"
Both cards were 'Red Rose Dragon' (Tuner Monster Card) and 'Rose Blizzard' (Trap Card), which Carlie added into her slightly refreshed hand.
"Alright, Carlie!" James R. and Shinji cheered at once, "Attagirl!"
Inside the flame ring, Carlie was happy to hear words of praise from two of her friends. Still, it would be nice to get a little something from her own teammate. Deciding to risk asking, she looked towards Sherry.
"Sherry, what did you think of my strategy?" pressed Carlie.
Sherry looked over, not saying a word for what seemed like forever. Finally, she looked away with an expression of disinterest on her face.
"Just don't get too comfortable alright?" warned Sherry, "However, I'll tell you it was an 'okayish' strategy on your part."
Carlie sighed; it wasn't what she wanted to hear, but knew that it was better than nothing or just simply having her dueling criticized or something like that. From there, she resumed her focus on the duel.
"I activate a Trap!" proclaimed Gwen (possessed).
"What?!" recoiled Carlie.
The final Set card on the possessed gothic young woman's field flipped face-up and revealed itself to be…
"That's…!" began Sherry.
"…'Haunted Zombies'!" finished Carlie.
"That's correct," confirmed Gwen (possessed), "I must banish 1 Zombie monster from either GY and Special Summon 2 'Haunted Tokens' with the same Level as the banished monster. Sherry!" She pointed forward, "I'll banish the 'White Steed of the Floral Knights' currently in your GY!"
Gasping loudly, Sherry helplessly watched as the mentioned Monster Card ejected from her GY before dissolving away into oblivion.
"Merde!" she swore in French.
"Now, rise from the land of the dead, two 'Haunted Tokens'!" ordered Gwen (possessed).
On cue, two zombies emerged from the ground and let out groans at what they appeared to face (Level: 6/ATK: 0/DEF: 0).
"As 'White Steed of the Floral Knights' was a Level 6 monster, my two 'Haunted Tokens' are Level 6 monsters," explained Gwen (possessed), "I can certainly use them for something, so you, Carlie, might want to get rid of them as fast as you can—if you even can, that is!"
"I can destroy one of them, but Gwen will likely use the other one for a Synchro Summon," thought Carlie, "I suppose I'll have to make do with what I have…" She spoke aloud, "Go forth, 'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms'!" As she gave the command to attack, 'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms' raised her hands, "Take down one of the 'Haunted Tokens'!"
Thorn vines extended from 'Periallis, Empress of Blossoms's' hands and constricted the first 'Haunted Token', squeezing the enemy monster hard enough to make it shatter into shards of glass from destruction. But rather than look worried or frustrated, Gwen (possessed) was thrilled that one of her monsters bit the dust.
"My, that was intense on your part, Carlie," said Gwen (possessed) sarcastically, "Thanks a bunch for destroying one of my Zombie monsters!"
"You wanted me to destroy one of your 'Haunted Tokens'?!" realized Carlie.
"That's correct," Gwen (possessed) answered, nodding, "It will allow me to activate the second effect of the 'Immortal Dragon' currently in my GY!" As she began explaining her monster's effect, 'Immortal Dragon' started emerging from the ground, "When my Zombie monster is destroyed by battle, while this card is in my GY: I can Special Summon this card, but banish it when it leaves the field."
Now fully emerged, 'Immortal Dragon' let out another zombified roar to signal its return (Level: 6/ATK: 500/DEF: 2400), causing Carlie to look frustrated while Sherry again looked in her former friend's direction to shoot her a scowl. Outside the flame ring, Shinji and James R. both continued to watch the duel, but knew that things were not looking very good for their two friends.
"This is bad," frowned Shinji, which caused James R. to look at him, "If Carlie and Sherry don't learn to work together, they will never defeat Gwen."
"That I know," agreed James R., "But the problem is Sherry's stubborn refusal to accept Carlie's help; they aren't doing so well in the duel because of that," He resumed looking into the ring of ghostly fire, "Carlie… Sherry…"
Back in the flame ring, Carlie took a card from her hand and slotted it into her Duel Disk.
"I Set one card face-down and finish my turn there," The brown-haired young woman finished, as a Set card materialized on the field near her feet, "This will also end the effect of 'Rose Lover'!" In her thoughts… "If we want to defeat whoever is possessing Gwen, Sherry and I need to work together."
"It's useless for you both to resist! Just give it up," scoffed Gwen (possessed), before drawing a card, "It's my turn! Draw!"
Turn Five: Gwen Fahlenbock (LP: 4000)
Deck: 51
Current Hand (3): "Zombie Necronize", "Glow-Up Bloom", and "Zombie Power Struggle"
Upon seeing her drawn card, another sinister laugh escaped from her lips.
"I drew another great card!" Gwen (possessed) bragged, adding the card into her hand and taking another one out, "I'll use it in due time… but for now, I'll play this card," She placed the card ('Glow-Up Bloom') onto a Monster Zone on her Duel Disk, "'Glow-Up Bloom', Attack Position!"
Emerging from the ground was what appeared to be a beautiful flower-like monster, but it quickly turned out to be a deadly Venus Fly Trap instead. Far more precisely, it was a zombie-like counterpart to the 'Glow-Up Bulb' monster that Carlie owned (Level: 1/ATK: 0/DEF: 0). From there, 'Glow-Up Bloom' started turning itself into a single Synchro Ring.
"I tune Level 6 'Haunted Token' into Level 1 'Glow-Up Bloom'!" The voice of Gwen (possessed) announced.
As the command was given, the single Synchro Ring hovered over 'Haunted Token', lowered, and overwhelmed it, turning it into six orbs of light as a second dark Summon Chant was heard by Gwen (possessed).
"Wounded eyes of red, absorb the undead miasma to evolve and wage battle once more!" chanted Gwen (possessed), as the symbols 6 + 1 = 7 were shown briefly just before the orbs of light within the lone Synchro Ring turned into a massive beam of light. From within the light beam, a loud, zombified draconic roar could be heard, "Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 7! 'Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon'!"
The beam of light remained behind for a little bit longer, namely to allow a pair of brownish black wings, sharp claws, and both a familiar-looking dragon's head and tail to all emerge—with the full body being shown as the beam of light died down. This monster looked like 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon', but had a more zombified-looking appearance. Carlie, Sherry, James R., and Shinji looked very aghast at seeing this kind of monster.
"This is 'Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon'?" whispered Shinji.
"From what we know, the 'Red-Eyes' archetype is so rare!" came from James R., "Nowadays, you mostly see Percy Avonside using the vast majority of it. I know there's 'Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon' that's built around Zombie monsters instead of the 'Red-Eyes' archetype, but 'this' is a dragon I'm not even aware of."
Back in the flaming ring, 'Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon' let out a zombified roar—which had the combination of 'Red-Eyes Black Dragon's' roar and a zombie's groan.
"'Red-Eyes…Zombie Necro Dragon'… mumbled Carlie.
Sherry remained silent, but even she was stunned over fighting a monster she never heard of before. On the other hand, Gwen (possessed) snickered to herself for a few seconds before beginning to laugh loudly and viciously at having brought one of her big monsters out.
"Are you both ready?!" boomed Gwen (possessed), before addressing her opponents one-by-one, "Carlie Izayoi… Sherry LeBlanc…" She was seen spreading her arms out with an insane-looking smile on her face, "The true horror of the undead is soon to come! Prepare yourselves to witness the zombie apocalypse and so much more!"
Carlie and Sherry both stood in defiance, while 'Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon' loomed over them, while a faded image of a evilly laughing, possessed Gwen Fahlenbock (from shoulders up) appeared near the night sky as her mad laughter echoed throughout. Could Carlie and Sherry both work through their differences and be able to work as a team to defeat whoever had Gwen possessed? And what about Ashima? Would Matt and the others find and save her from the Dark Signers? Stay tuned to find that out and so much more.