A Warm Welcome of the Fire Fist
Some time earlier, Cody, Jeremy and Cindy did just escape from the junkyard before the authorities showed up. While they were in there, they ran into a mysterious duelist who went on rampage. And for some reason, that individual could cause real damage in a duel, much to Cody's bewilderment. And also, the trio tried to get Cody's duel runner back. Unfortunately, it got crushed by a press, making it completely unusable. They drove off for a while, but they stopped near a bench where they took a seat. Or more accurately, Cindy took a seat, while Cody and Jeremy checked on her right foot, which got hurt during the adventure.
"I-it hurts." Cindy muttered while wincing.
"And I understand why?" Jeremy almost grimaced as he noted the red swelling on her foot.
"We should head back home and get your foot treated." Cody said.
"Right." Cindy was about to put her sock on. "Ow!" But winced due to the pain.
While this happened, someone came out of a nearby store and happened to notice the trio.
"Here, let me help." Jeremy suggested as he took the sock and put it on her foot as carefully as possible.
"Thanks."
"No problem."
"Excuse me." Someone called out. They turned and saw a little boy approach them. He had short, red hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a white t-shirt, blue pants and brown shoes.
"Can we help you with something, kid?" Cody asked carefully.
"Sorry, I was passing by and noticed you guys, and I couldn't help but get curious." As the boy spoke, he turned to Cindy. "Are you hurt, miss?"
"Oh, it's nothing." Cindy assured him, smiling a bit. She tried to put her boot on... "Ow!" But felt pain again.
"Doesn't seem like nothing to me." The boy frowned.
"Master Christopher!" A new voice called out. They all turned and saw an elderly man with a grey mustache approach them. He was wearing a purplish red suit with a bowtie and white gloves. As Cody, Jeremy and Cindy stared at him, they couldn't help but feel some kind of butler kinda aura from him. "You shouldn't run off like that! I told you to stay close to me!"
The boy, apparently now named Christopher, turned to the man. "Sorry, Klaus, but I was a little concerned about the miss here." He pointed to Cindy. "Apparently, her foot is hurt."
The man now named Klaus turned to her. "Is that so?"
Cindy just waved it off. "There's nothing to worry about. We were just about to head home and treat it." She made another attempt to put her boot on. "Ow!" But it was painful.
"I think it'll be easier if you guys come to my place." Christopher suggested. "It's not too far away from here."
Cody raised an eyebrow. "And how do you know we won't cause trouble? We are complete strangers to you."
"That may be, but I noticed that swelling on her foot, just for a very short moment before you guys put her sock on. Her injury is real, and that's reason enough for me to help you." Christopher insisted before turning to the butler. "Klaus, get the car."
"As you wish, sir." He bowed before walking away.
While the gang waited, Christopher spoke up. "Oh right, I haven't introduced myself, right? Though you already know it, my name is Christopher, but my friends call me Chris."
"I'm Cody." Cody simply said.
"I'm Jeremy." Jeremy added.
"I'm... uh..." Cindy hesitated there.
Chris stared at her for a moment before he widened his eyes. "Ah! You're Cindy Storm, aren't you?"
The former pro duelist almost gasped. "How did you...?"
"I saw you on TV once. You used to be a pro duelist." Chris explained, smiling a little. "Your duels were amazing!"
Cindy could only stare at the little boy. 'I don't get it. No one should recognize me. My disguise should be really convincing...' But she stopped when she placed a hand on her head and realized something was missing. 'My wig is gone! Did I drop it at the junkyard?'
Before she could ponder any further a car arrived and stopped in front of them. Cody, Jeremy and Cindy were a little surprised by the fact that it was a black limousine. Klaus got out of the car and walked around it before opening one of the doors for them.
"Alright then, let's get going." Chris declared as he got in.
Jeremy helped Cindy get off the bench. "You two can get in the car." Cody said, getting their attention. "I'll drive Cindy's runner."
"Okay." Cindy nodded as she and Jeremy stepped into the car.
"Very well." Klaus nodded as he closed the door and got ready to drive away while Cody walked over to Cindy's runner.
And so, they were driving across the city, with Cody right behind the limo. The ride was pretty silent inside the car. Cindy didn't seem bothered. But Jeremy kinda felt a little awkward. Chris decided to break the silence and start a conversation. "Is this your first time on a limo?"
"Oh! Um, yeah." Jeremy nodded.
"Same here." Cindy added. "I guess you are rich then."
Christopher nodded. "My mom and dad own a few hotels."
"That sounds really nice. Do they let you in any of them?"
"Only during summer and winter breaks. That's when I get to spend some time with them." Christopher then lowered his head. "Otherwise, they hardly ever get home."
Jeremy frowned a bit. "Do you ever get lonely?"
"Sometimes. But I manage. I have Klaus, after all. And I also have a few friends."
"Which reminds me..." Klaus said while keeping his eyes on the road. "I believe you are expecting visitors, sir?"
"Oh yeah! My friends are supposed to come over today."
"That just makes me feel bad that we intrude." Jeremy replied.
But Chris shook his head. "Not at all. Helping you guys won't be bad for my plans with my friends."
"We have arrived." Klaus announced as he pulled over. After that, he got out off of the driver seat and opened the door for Cindy, Jeremy and Chris. Cindy, Jeremy and Cody, who came up to them with Cindy's runner, were a little astounded of what they saw before them. It was a big mansion that was relatively huge. When they looked around, they noticed a garden with a fountain on each side.
"Wow! That's big." Cody commented.
With Jeremy's help, Cindy got out of the car. "Shall I assist you, miss?" Klaus offered.
"Thanks, but no thanks." Cindy said, placing an arm on Jeremy's shoulder, making him blush a bit. "I've got all the help I need."
"Very well."
"Let's take her to the living room." Chris suggested.
"As you wish, Master Christopher." The butler opened the door, letting everyone inside. The hall was big and luxurious. There was a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling and a big, white marble stairway leading to the upper floor of the mansion. "Follow me, please." Klaus said and walked past the group before turning to right. They followed him and walked through a doorway leading to a big room. There were a number of bookshelves at the walls, a big and comfy sofa with a table, and huge TV screen standing at one end of the room. "Please, take a seat, miss." Klaus said, gesturing to the sofa.
"Gladly." Cindy replied as Jeremy guided her to it, allowing her to sit down.
"Now, let's have a look at your foot." The butler said, bringing a footstool, which Cindy placed her right foot on.
"Now let's see..." Chris trailed off as he took the sock off her foot. He then grimaced when he saw the red swelling. "Man, this looks awful! What happened to you?"
Cody and Jeremy got a little tense, wondering how Cindy was gonna explain this to the kid. And Cindy herself was quiet, trying to come up with a story. And then, when she spoke up... "Earlier, my friends and I were relaxing in town. And then, some guy holding some heavy things passed by. And he ended up tripping, dropping his stuff on my foot."
"Oh my..." Klaus said, seemingly buying her story.
"Talk about bad luck." Chris added. "We should start putting some ice against it."
"I'm on it, sir." The butler left the living room. And after a couple of minutes, Klaus returned, carrying a first aid kit with an ice bag on top. "Here you go, miss." He handed the ice bag to Cindy, who placed it on her foot.
"Aaah, that's better." She sighed in relief.
"Just keep it there for a while, and the swelling should go down." The butler advised.
DING DONG!
"Huh?" Everyone turned to the direction the sound came from.
"Must be your guests, sir." The butler said.
"I'll go get it. You just take care of Cindy's foot." Chris said and walked away.
"Of course, sir." Klaus turned to Cindy. "How's it feeling, miss?"
"Well, a little better." Cindy replied.
"Hi guys!" Chris' voice was heard.
"Hey, Chris." Another young voice, which sounded a little girly, greeted back.
"Yo! What's up, Chris?" Another young voice greeted. This one sounded like it belonged to a boy. "We saw that duel runner outside. How did you get it? Did you convince your mom and dad to buy you one?"
"Don't be stupid!" The girl snapped. "Chris is obviously too young to ride a duel runner!"
"Calm down, will you?" Chris said. "That duel runner belongs to someone else. Someone who got her foot hurt."
"What? Really?" The boy asked.
Moments later, Chris returned to the living room. And right behind him were two people around his age. Cody, Jeremy and Cindy couldn't help but notice how identical these two children looked. Like twins.
The one they assumed was a boy was wearing a short-sleeved white jacket over a sleeveless dark blue shirt with golden markings. He also wore white shorts with a dark blue belt and blue sneakers of the same color. He also had a bracelet on each wrist, and his blue-green hair was pulled into a single, high ponytail with two shoulder-length bangs on both sides of his face. He had gray-gold eyes.
The girl's outfit was similar to the boy's, consisting of a light pink short-sleeved jacket over a long-sleeved red shirt with golden markings that differed from the boy's shirt. She also wore light purple shorts with a red belt and sneakers with black and pink markings and high socks. She had gray-gold eyes, just like the boy. And while her hair had the same color as him, it was done up in two high ponytails on either side of her head with two shoulder-length bangs on both sides of her face.
The boy noticed the trio and eyed on Cindy. "Is she the one who owns that duel runner?"
Cindy smiled to him. "Yup, guilty as charged."
The girl stared at her for a moment before asking. "Wait, aren't you Cindy Storm?"
"Wow! I see my reputation precedes me." Cindy replied jokingly.
"Well, I saw you on TV."
"Yeah, same here." The boy added. "I saw you face off against Jack Atlas. Too bad he was too awesome for you to handle... OW!" He yelped as the girl punched him on his left arm.
"Leo, don't be rude!" The girl scolded.
The boy now named Leo gave her a genuine look of confusion. "What? What did I say?"
"So who are your friends?" Cindy asked, resisting the urge to snort at their shenanigan.
"Oh, this guy is Leonard." Chris said, gesturing to Leo. "But he prefers to be called Leo."
"Hi!" Leo greeted with a wave and a grin on his face.
Chris turned to the girl. "And this is his twin sister, Luna."
The one now named Luna bowed slightly to the gang. "Hey, nice to meet you."
"I'm Cody." Cody greeted back.
"I'm Jeremy." Jeremy added.
"I'm Cindy, but you already guessed it." Cindy said.
"So, what happened to your foot." Luna asked curiously as she gazed at Cindy's foot.
"As I explained to Chris here, some guy passed by and tripped, accidentally dropping his heavy stuff on it."
"Ouch!" Leo grimaced.
"While we're on the subject, may I?" Klaus asked, gesturing the ice bag.
"Sure." Cindy gave it to him as he eyed on the foot.
"Looks like the swelling went down. Now then..." He turned and opened the first aid kit. Cody, Jeremy and the kids watched as the butler wrapped some bandages around Cindy's foot.
"There you go, miss. Just try not to move too much and it'll get better before you know it."
"Thanks." Cindy put her sock on following up with her boot, though she struggled a little with it.
"You know, I'm feeling a little thirsty." Chris spoke up. "Anyone want some lemonade?"
"I do!" Leo replied, raising his right hand enthusiastically.
"Honestly." Luna muttered, annoyed.
"Would you guys like some?" Chris asked, turning to Cody, Jeremy and Cindy.
"Now when you mention it, I'm actually thirsty too." Cindy said.
Cody smiled and nodded. "Same here."
"Me too." Jeremy added.
"Then I'll go and make some." The butler said and left the living room.
A few minutes later
(Gulp! Gulp!) "Ah! That's so good!" Leo said after emptying his glass so fast. "I'll take another round!"
"Sheesh, Leo, that'll make it your third glass." Chris commented with his half-empty glass at hand.
"Seriously." Luna muttered.
"So what? This lemonade is the best! Sooo, give me another!"
"If you insist." Klaus replied as he poured some lemonade into Leo's glass.
"I was wondering." Chris turned to Cody and the others. "What were you guys doing in town?"
Cody and Jeremy looked at each other, wondering how to answer that. Cindy, smiling a bit, beat them to it. "Oh, nothing much. Just walking around, window shopping."
"Window shopping?" Leo repeated before turning to Cody. "Were you maybe looking for some cards?"
"Cards?" Cody blinked. "What gave you that idea?"
"Well, you are a duelist, right? Why else would you have that duel disk?" Leo pointed to the duel disk that happened to be on Cody's arm.
He was actually a little surprised. "I completely forgot about it."
"So are you a duelist then?" Leo kept asking. "Are you even a big time duelist?"
Cody almost laughed. "I wouldn't call myself a big time duelist."
"Maybe not." Cindy replied. "But he has the potential to become one. I know, because I dueled him myself before."
"For real?" Luna asked, surprised.
"Man..." Chris muttered and stared at Cody.
"You did?" Leo turned to Cindy. "So who won? Did you win?"
The former pro duelist lowered her head, despite the smirk on her face. "As much as I hate to admit it, he won."
"For real?" Now Leo was getting very excited. "If you could beat someone like Cindy Storm, then you must be a super strong duelist!" At that moment, a light bulb lit up in his mind. "Oh! I know!" He then turned to Chris. "How about you take him on, Chris?"
"What?" Chris widened his eyes. And so did Luna. Not to mention the rest of the gang.
"I want to see that guy duel! And I bet you can give him a big whooping! So come on! Bring out your deck and challenge him!"
"Knock it off, Leo! You're getting ridiculous!" Luna scolded him.
"What? I just want to see him duel! Don't tell me that you're not a little curious about his skills!"
"Okay kid, no more sugar for you." Cindy remarked.
Leo gave her a pout. "You're not my mom!"
"You know what?" Chris spoke up. "I'm actually curious about his dueling skills."
"What?" Luna gave him a surprised look.
"In fact, I'm always trying to improve my own skills. And I think this might be good for me." Chris turned to Cody. "So, do you want to duel me?"
"Yeah, will you?" Leo added.
"What do you think?" Jeremy asked Cody.
The gemini duelist stared at the kids, who gave him expectant looks. After a little while, Cody smirked. "Alright. I accept your challenge."
"Really?" Chris asked.
"For real?" Leo asked, still excited.
"Sure. I don't really mind."
"Yahoo!" Leo pumped both of his fists in the air. "This is gonna be awesome!"
"But if we're going to duel, we need to get some more space." Chris suggested.
And so, moments later, everyone found themselves on the backyard. And it was a relatively luxurious backyard. It was surrounded by green hedges with white and pink flowers and a big swimming pool. Cody and Chris were standing near the pool, staring at each other from a good distance, while the others watched, standing near a table and a bunch of chairs that were standing right under a parasol. Cindy decided to take a seat there.
Cody was just preparing his duel disk. "So, you ready?" He asked looking up to his opponent.
"Just a moment." Chris before turning to his right, where he saw Klaus approach him with a duel disk at hand. It looked smaller than Cody's duel disk, and had a red and white trim.
"Your duel disk, young sir." The butler said, holding it up for him.
"Thanks, Klaus." Chris took and strapped it on his left arm. He then turned to Cody. "Okay, I'm ready!"
Cody nodded. "In that case..."
"Let's duel!" Both them activated their duel disks and drew their opening hands.
Cody: 4000
Chris: 4000
"You can have the first move, Chris."
"Thanks." Chris drew his sixth card. "I place a monster facedown in defense mode." A facedown card appeared. "And that's all."
"That's it?" Leo said, clearly disappointed. "I was hoping for something bigger."
"Dueling isn't about making flashy moves." Cindy replied. "It's about study your opponent's moves and plan the right strategy."
Cody narrowed his eyes. 'Which makes me wonder what he's planning.' He drew his sixth card. "I summon Gemini Summoner in attack mode!" From a flash of light, a dark robed magician with a cocky smirk appeared. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 0 LV: 4) "Now attack his facedown monster!" The magician chuckled and fired a ball of blue energy from his right palm.
"Sorry, that won't work!" Chris said with a smile as his facedown card flipped up and revealed his monster. It was a man, dressed in a tight purple robe, bare feet, a blue bead necklace, chin-length blue hair that was held down by a headpiece and a belt with a blue talisman. (ATK: 0 DEF: 1900 LV: 4) The man smirked as his fists ignited in blue flames. And then... those flames grew bigger and formed a ferocious wolf. The man used his fiery right fist and smacked the energy ball back to Cody's field. It exploded right near Cody's monster, who backed away from the small explosion.
Cody: 4000-3600
"With 1900 defense points, my monster won't go down so easily. And while I'm talking about it, let me introduce you to him. He's called Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Wolf, and he's got a special ability. If he's flipped up, I can set 1 Fire Formation trap card directly from my deck." A card slid out from Chris' deck, which he grabbed and inserted into his duel disk.
"Fire Fist? Fire Formation?" Jeremy scratched his head. "What's that all about?"
"It's some kind of archetype Chris uses." Luna replied.
"And it's really cool!" Leo added. "From what he told me and Luna, his mom and dad got it for him from another country."
"And how exactly do those cards work?" Cindy asked.
"You'll understand if you keep watching." Klaus replied.
"Alright then..." Cody inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn!" Chris drew. "First, by targeting your facedown card, I activate the spell card Fire Formation - Gyokkou!" A spell card appeared behind Chris' monster. And when it did, the fiery wolf howled before pouncing on Cody's facedown card, much to his shock. After a moment, the wolf returned to Chris' field. And as for Cody's facedown card, it was enveloped in blue flames.
"What just happened?" Cody wondered.
"As soon as my spell card is activated, you can't activate your facedown card in response. And as long as my spell card is in play, that card can't be activated at all."
"For real?" Jeremy asked, surprised.
"There you have it!" Leo grinned. "Nothing can stop him now!"
"Also, as long as my spell card is on the field, my beast-warrior type monsters gain 100 attack points." (ATK: 0-100) "And next I summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon in attack mode!" The man with the fiery wolf was joined by a lean man with long black hair. He was wearing green armor with molten gold inlays a horned helmet. Like his ally, he had a belt with a talisman. But his talisman was orange. He was also wielding a long halberd with a molten edge that was enveloped in orange flames. And just a moment later, the flames expanded and took the shape of 9 dragon heads that gathered around him (ATK: 1800-1900 DEF: 400 LV: 4)
"Not bad." Cody said, a little impressed.
"I'm just getting started! I activate my facedown trap card, Fire Formation - Tensen!" Chris' facedown card flipped up. "When this trap card is activated, one of my beast-warriors gains 700 more attack points until the end of this turn. And I choose Dragon!" The halberd wielding man didn't seem to react. On the other hand, the fiery dragon heads grew bigger and looked more intimidating. (ATK: 1900-2600)
"Wow! 2600 attack points." Cindy noted. "The kid's good."
"It doesn't stop there, Ms. Storm." Klaus replied.
"He's right. My trap card has another effect." Chris explained. "As long as it remains on the field, my beast-warriors gain 300 more attack points." (ATK: 2600-2900) (ATK: 100-400) "And this activates Dragon's special ability! Once per turn, if I activate a Fire Formation spell or trap card, I can take a Fire Formation trap card from my deck and place it facedown." A new facedown card appeared.
"So now there's another trap card to worry about." Cody muttered.
"Now I attack! Dragon, destroy his Gemini Summoner!" The green-armored pointed his halberd towards the magician. And as soon as he did, spellcaster was struck by the many dragon heads, which created a huge fire that enveloped Cody's entire field.
Cody: 3600-2200
"Bullseye!" Leo cheered. "Gemini Summoner has been burned to a crisp!"
"Not really." Luna replied. "Look."
Everyone watched as the dragon heads pulled back. And then, surprisingly enough, Gemini Summoner was still there.
"What? How come your monster wasn't destroyed?" Chris wondered.
"It's all because of his special ability." Cody replied. "You see, my Gemini Summoner can survive in battle once per turn."
"My my." The butler muttered, slightly impressed.
"Nice one, Cody!" Jeremy cheered.
"I see. In that case, I end my turn." Chris concluded. (ATK: 2900-2200)
"Then I activate Gemini Summoner's second ability!" Cody said. "During your end phase, I can pay 500 life points and then summon a Gemini monster from my hand."
Leo scratched his head in confusion. "What's with those Gemini monsters?"
"I think I read about them." Chris replied. "They're some kind of monster cards that are considered normal monsters when they're on the field or in the graveyard. But you can turn them into effect monsters by normal summoning them when they're already on the field."
"Oh." Luna nodded, seemingly understanding what he said, while Leo looked like he was about to get a headache.
"That's right. And the Gemini monster I'm summoning is Gemini Soldier!" The small green soldier appeared. (ATK: 500 DEF: 300 LV: 2)
Cody: 2200-1700
"So he summoned a monster, just like that on Chris' turn." Leo commented with a grin. "That's pretty cool."
"But including the life points he just paid, he already lost more than half of them." Luna noted. "That's a risky move."
"In games like this, you're gonna have to take some risks in order to win." Cindy replied.
"Now then..." Cody drew. "I release Gemini Soldier and Gemini Summoner in order to advance summon Phoenix Gearfried!" The two monsters turned into a rainbow colored portal And from it, the fiery warrior in white and red armor emerged. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2200 LV: 8) "Now attack Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Dragon!" The warrior dashed forward and swung with his sword, cutting his green armored opponent in half.
Chris: 4000-3400
"With that done, I equip Gearfried with the spell card, Supervise." The named spell card appeared behind the warrior and released an orange aura that surrounded him. "Now I end my turn with a facedown!" A card appeared near Cody's feet.
"That was a nice move!" Chris complimented. "But now it's my turn!" He drew. "And I'll start by activating the spell card, Fire Formation - Tensu!" Another spell card appeared. "With this card on the field, I can normal summon 1 extra time, if one of the monsters I summon is a beast-warrior type. And just like my first Fire Formation spell card, this card gives them 100 more attack points." (ATK: 400-500)
"Before you continue, allow me to tell you about my Supervise card!" Cody interrupted. "Since it's equipped to my Phoenix Gearfried, he's now an effect monster."
"You mean you don't have to normal summon him again?" Chris asked, surprised.
"That's right, and this is where his special ability comes in! If you activate a spell card, I can summon a Gemini monster back from my graveyard. So welcome back, Gemini Soldier!" The small green soldier appeared again and kneeled down. (ATK: 500 DEF: 300 LV: 2)
"Wow! But I won't stop there, because now I summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard!" The beast-warrior that appeared was a young man wearing light-red armor and a cape. He also had a blue talisman, just like Wolf. He was holding paper talismans burning with blue flames. Those flames formed into a large, ferocious cat. (ATK: 0-500 DEF: 200 LV: 3) "And now I activate his special ability! During my main phase, after he was summoned, I can release a Fire Fist monster in order to take a Fire Formation spell or trap card directly from my deck and place it facedown." The young warrior vanished as a facedown card appeared.
"But why keep it facedown when I can activate it right now? I reveal the spell card, Fire Formation - Tenki!" The card flipped up. "When this card is activated, I can add a beast-warrior type monster from my deck to my hand, as long as it's level 4 or below." A card slid out of Chris' deck, which he took before the deck was automatically shuffled. "And it also gives my beast-warriors 100 more points." (ATK: 500-600)
"Okay, I understand now." Cindy said. "Those Fire Fist monsters are able to bring out those Fire Formation cards and rely on them to get stronger."
"That's correct." The butler nodded.
"And besides from the extra attack points, those spells and traps have certain effects that give Chris an edge." Jeremy observed.
"Which makes it harder for his opponent." Luna added.
"And now, with the effect of Fire Formation - Tensu, I'm summoning the monster I just added to my hand! Come on out, Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear!" The new monster was a muscular man that looked like a samurai in black and gold armor. He was wielding a sword that released blazing bear made of crimson fire. (ATK: 1600-2200 DEF:1200 LV: 4) "And now I activate his special ability! Once per turn, I can send 1 Fire Formation card from my field to the graveyard, then destroy a monster on the field!"
"Ah!" Cody's eyes widened.
"So I'll send Fire Formation Tenki to the graveyard to destroy Phoenix Gearfried!" The named spell card vanished. (ATK: 2200-2100) (ATK: 600-500) And then, the fiery bear turned into a huge fireball and enveloped Cody's warrior. He cried out in pain before he exploded. The fiery bear returned to Chris' field. "And now all that's left is your Gemini Soldier!"
"Not really!" Cody said and held up a certain spell card. "Supervise has a second effect." He slid the card into his graveyard slot. "When it's sent to the graveyard, I get to summon a normal monster from my graveyard." Cody smirked. "And like you said earlier, Gemini monsters are considered normal monsters while on the field or in the graveyard."
Chris gasped. "Then that means..."
"...my Phoenix Gearfried rises from the ashes!" A pillar of flames erupted on Cody's field, from which the white and red armored warrior appeared. (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2200 LV: 8)
"Woah! He just summoned his monster right after he was destroyed!" Leo said in awe. "He's really good!"
"In that case, I activate the spell card, Fire Formation - Yoko!" A new spell card appeared. "When this card is activated, I can discard a beast-warrior type monster and destroy a face-up card you control."
"Seriously?" Jeremy asked in disbelief.
"So I'll discard Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Boar to destroy you Phoenix Gearfried again!" As soon as Chris discarded one of his cards, a boar made of purple flames emerged from the spell card before it tackled the warrior. And once again, he was crying out in pain as he was enveloped in flames and then exploded. "Now he's really gone!"
"Nicely done." Cody praised. "Didn't think you would destroy my Gearfried twice."
"Thank you." Chris replied with a smile.
"But in that case, I reveal one of my facedown cards! The trap card, Chain Whirlwind!" The trap card was revealed. "Since one of my cards was destroyed because of an effect, I can now destroy two spell or trap cards on the field. Like Fire Formation - Tensen and Gyokkou!"
"Oh no!" Chris watched in horror as a whirlwind was formed and the two named cards were swallowed by it.
"With Gyokkou gone, my other facedown card is free." The blue flames enveloping the card in question vanished. "And since those two cards left the field, your monsters lose some points" (ATK: 2200-1800) (ATK: 600-200)
"That's more like it." Cindy said with a smirk.
"Chris' monsters got weaker." Leo noted.
"And what's more, that facedown card that Cody had since Gyokkou was played is usable again." Luna added.
Chris stared at the card warily. 'Since that card is no longer neutralized, there's a chance Cody could stop my attack with it. But I do have a chance to wrap this up, so...' He pressed a button on his duel disk, making his facedown card flip up. "I activate the trap card, Fire Formation - Kaiyo! For starters, my beast-warrior type monsters gain 300 attack points while this card remains on the field." (ATK: 1800-2100) (ATK: 200-500) "And during this turn, if one of them attacks a monster in defense mode, you take damage equal to the difference between its attack points and your monster's defense points!"
"Gemini Soldier only has 300 defense points." Jeremy pointed out.
"Which means this attack can end this duel." Cindy replied.
"Assuming that Cody's facedown card doesn't stop Master Christopher's attack." Klaus added.
Chris closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, here goes..." He looked up with a determined look. "Now, Bear, attack his Gemini Soldier!" The black and gold armored warrior dashed forward and swung with his katana, sending an arc of crimson fire. When it hit the little soldier, a big explosion occurred.
Everyone covered themselves with their arms as smoke covered the entire place.
"What happened? Did the attack work?" Leo wondered.
"We're gonna have to wait and find out." Cindy replied.
They all waited for a moment before the smoke cleared. When they glanced at Chris' field, he seemed to be fine. And so did his monsters. When they turned to Cody's side, they noticed that Gemini Soldier was gone.
"Cody's monster has been destroyed." Jeremy noted.
"But what about his life points?" Luna wondered.
And when they noticed that Cody seemed to be fine, his life points were shown...
Cody: 1700
"What?!" Leo exclaimed in shock. "He didn't lose any points at all!"
"Then, what was your facedown card?" Chris asked.
Cody smiled and glanced the card that was now face-up. "It was the trap card, Defense Draw. With this, I reduced my battle damage to zero. And of course, my trap card lets me draw a card." He drew.
"Then he's still in this." Cindy said with a smirk.
"And I thought I had you there." Chris said. "Guess I have no choice but to end my turn."
"Then let's see what I can do!" Cody drew his next card and looked at it. He nodded and revealed it. "I activate the spell card, Dragon's Mirror!"
"What's that do?" Leo asked.
"I don't know." Luna replied.
"With this spell card, I can summon a dragon type fusion monster. All I have to do is take monsters from my field or graveyard and remove them from play. And for this fusion summon, I'm going to need two normal monsters... like Gemini Soldier and Phoenix Gearfried!" The two named monsters appeared.
"Did he say normal monsters?" Leo asked, getting confused.
"That's right. Gemini monsters become normal monsters when they're in the graveyard, remember?" Luna reminded him.
"Oh yeah."
A huge mirror appeared behind the two Gemini monsters and absorbed them. The two of them swirled together before shattering out from the mirror in a blinding wave of light. "And now... I fusion summon... First of the Dragons!" And then, moments later, the light died down.
But everyone didn't see the new monster anywhere on the field.
"Huh? What happened? Where is his monster?" Leo wondered as he looked from left to right.
"Ah!" Luna gasped.
"What is it, Luna?"
But instead of answering his brother, she just kept staring at something that was higher up, judging from the direction her gaze was focused on. Leo followed her gaze and almost dropped his jaw.
"W-wha...?"
"Oh dear!" Klaus muttered in shock.
"Incredible!" Cindy muttered in awe.
"Whoa!" Chris was shocked of what he saw.
Floating right above Cody was a titanic serpentine dragon with a pair of horned purple wings. Rows of spikes and dark-purple scales lined its skin, traveling alongside its growing mass until finally, they reached its fearsome head. A series of dark, jagged horns pushed out from the back of its neck. Even more grew out from the bottom of its chin, portraying a silver hue that almost resembled a wiseman's beard. A row of dark-yellow teeth lined its gaping mouth, and another horn sat on the tip of its nose, perfect from butchering its prey as it went in for the kill. Staring down to the world with its gleaming red eyes, it didn't made a sound. But then, after a moment, it let out an earth-shaking roar. (ATK: 2700 DEF: 2000 LV: 9)
"T-t-that dragon is gigantic!" Leo stuttered, staring at the new monster.
"It's really scary-looking too." Luna added, shuddering a little.
"I never thought Cody would have a monster like that." Cindy commented. She then turned to Jeremy. "Have you seen him use that monster before?"
"Only once." Jeremy replied. "He used it when he dueled someone from a dueling gang. That guy got so scared of that monster that he passed out."
Cindy snorted. "I can see why?"
Chris kept staring at the titanic dragon. "Oh my god! It looks like it could swallow the entire city!"
"It sure does." Cody replied. "Fortunately, it only has its eyes on your Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Bear. Now my dragon, attack!" The serpentine dragon unleashed a blast of purple energy from its mouth. And even though Chris' entire field was enveloped by the blast, only the black and gold armored warrior was destroyed.
Chris: 3400-2800
Once it was over, Cody looked at Chris, who was now sitting on the ground, and he seemed to be shaken. "Hey, Chris! Are you okay?"
The boy snapped out of it and shook his head before standing up. "Sorry. I was just a little overwhelmed for a moment. But I'm fine now."
Cody nodded. "Okay, I just wanted to be sure. I end my turn."
"Okay, that dragon looks really strong. But that doesn't mean I can't take it down! My move!" Chris drew. He looked at his new card, and then the one card that was in his hand. He smiled. "Alright!"
"Hm?" Cody got curious.
"First I summon Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Spirit!" A humanoid figure made of black flames, being held together by sparse of silver armor appeared. (ATK: 500-1000 DEF: 200 LV: 3) "And now I activate his special ability! When he's normal summoned, I can summon a fire monster with up to 200 defense points from my graveyard. And I choose Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard!" The warrior with the fiery leopard appeared and kneeled down. (ATK: 0-500 DEF: 200 LV: 3) "And since I still have Fire Formation - Tensu on the field, I can summon another monster. And for that monster... I'm gonna release all three of my monsters!"
"What?" Cody's eyes widened.
"All three of them?" Jeremy muttered in disbelief.
"Oh! He's gonna play that card! He's gonna summon his favorite monster!" Leo said, very excited.
"It's not often he uses that card." Luna added.
"Now I wonder what it could be." Cindy said, interested.
"I release Brotherhood of the Fire Fist - Leopard, Spirit and Wolf in order to advance summon Beast King Barbaros!" The three beast-warriors joined together and became a rainbow colored portal. And from it, a big monster emerged. Not as big as Cody's dragon, but pretty big. It was a creature with a black, four-legged lower body and a muscular human-like upper half with a lion head. The creature carried a red lance in one hand and a round, blue shield in the other. (ATK: 3000-3500 DEF: 1200 LV: 8)
"Outstanding, young sir!" The butler praised.
"So that's his ace monster, huh? That's actually impressive." Jeremy commented.
"Especially since its attack points make up for the difference of the body size." Cindy added.
"I didn't think you needed three monsters to advance summon a stronger one." Cody commented.
"That's because Barbaros' special ability allows me to release three monsters to summon him." Chris explained. "And if I manage to do that... then Barbaros destroys all cards on your field!"
"Yahoo!" Leo cheered. "Which means Chris is gonna win! He's gonna win!"
"Will you stop yelling already!" Luna snapped.
"Now Barbaros, destroy his dragon!" The lion-like creature let out a mighty roar that was mixed with lightning bolts. The titanic dragon was enveloped by electricity. The roar lasted for a few more seconds before Barbaros stopped. But... to everyone's shock, the dragon was still there!
"What?!" Leo stared at the dragon in disbelief. "That dragon should be destroyed!"
"How?" Was all Chris could say.
"Simple." Cody replied. "First of the Dragons can't be affected by other monster effects. That's why your monster's effect failed."
Chris got over his shock and gave him a determined look. "Okay, if Barbaros can't destroy your dragon with his effect, then I'll have him attack! Now go!" The lion-like creature leapt in the air and, amazingly enough, landed on the dragon's snout. It pulled back its lance and then stabbed the dragon right between its eyes.
Cody: 1700-0900
However, the dragon hissed and shook its head, causing Barbaros to fall all the way down, back to Chris' field. "What? Your dragon survived again?" Chris asked in disbelief.
"Sorry, but unless its opponent is a normal monster, my dragon can't be destroyed in battle."
"Are you kidding me?!" Leo flailed his arms wildly. "Barbaros failed to destroy that dragon!? Again?! This is crazy!"
"Calm down, Leo!" Luna scolded. "Chris still has the advantage. Even though that dragon can't be destroyed, it still has fewer attack points."
"Oh yeah."
"So unless Cody has anything to get past Barbaros, that dragon can only act as a shield." Cindy pointed out.
Cody looked at his hand. There was one certain card he had. 'My Future Samurai could destroy it. But to do that, I have to turn it into an effect monster after summoning it to the field. Then I hope I can get something really good from my deck.' He then prepared to draw his next card. 'Here goes nothing.' He paused as he closed his eyes. And then, he drew. "My move!" He glanced at the new card. He smirked. "This is it!"
Chris was now wary. "What? What did you get?"
"Before I tell you, I summon Future Samurai in attack mode!" The blue clad female samurai appeared, her green sword ready. (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "And then I activate the spell card, Super Double Summon!" Cody held up the named card. "Thanks to this, I can now gemini summon my Future Samurai instantly!" The samurai glowed white.
"So does that mean she's a Gemini monster?" Chris asked.
"That's right, and now I can activate her special ability! Once per turn, by taking a monster from my graveyard and remove it from play, Future Samurai lets me destroy a face-up monster on the field!"
Chris, Leo, Luna and Klaus gasped, while Jeremy and Cindy smiled.
"So I'll remove Gemini Summoner to destroy your Beast King Barbaros!" The spirit of Gemini Summoner appeared and entered the samurai's sword, causing it glow brightly. And then she leapt forward and the lion-like creature's head off, causing it to explode.
"Oh no!" Chris said.
"And now, Future Samurai, attack Chris directly!" Chris panicked and held up his duel disk just in time to take the the hit from the samurai's sword. The force of the blow caused him to skid back.
Chris: 2800-1200
"And now my dragon, finish this!" The serpentine dragon unleashed another blast of purple energy that enveloped Chris' entire field. Moments later, the dragon ceased the attack, and everyone saw Chris sitting on the ground, defeated.
Chris: 1200-0000
As the holograms disappeared, Cody walked to Chris.
Klaus reached him first as he rushed over to him. "Are you all right, Master Christopher?"
Chris looked up and gave him a smile. "Don't worry, Klaus. I'm fine." He assured as the butler helped him up.
"That was a great duel, Chris." Cody said as he reached them.
Chris smiled to him. "Thanks. I didn't think I would lose. This just means a need a little more practice."
"And I'm sure you're going to get better." Cody held out his hand.
"Right." Chris nodded and grabbed it for a handshake.
"This was a really good duel, wasn't it, Leo?" Luna said with a smile. But was then confused as she didn't get a response. She turned to her twin brother and saw that he was facing the ground while trembling. "Leo?"
"That was... that was..." He muttered before he looked up and smiled brightly. "SO TOTALLY AWESOME!" He then ran up to Cody and Chris. "That was one epic duel! Your monsters were crazy and cool. Especially that dragon! It was like..."
Luna sweat dropped at her brother's antics. Cindy and Jeremy were amused. "At least they made his day." The former commented.
"Yeah."
"Well, thanks for everything." Cody thanked as he, Jeremy and Cindy were about to get on her duel runner.
"I hope your foot gets better." Chris said to Cindy, who smiled and nodded.
"Right."
"Are you sure you don't need the car to get home?" The butler asked.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine on our own." Jeremy replied.
"It was really nice to meet you all!" Leo replied. "Hey, you think you can give me some dueling tips someday?"
"Even though you already have Chris tutoring you?" Luna asked with a raised eyebrow.
Leo pouted to her while Chris laughed a bit.
"Sure, maybe next time we meet." Cody said.
"Awesome!" Leo pumped his right fist.
"Sure." Chris nodded. "You guys are always welcome here."
"Thanks. Well then... see ya around." At that, Cody and the others got on Cindy's runner.
"Bye bye!" Leo waved to them.
"Goodbye!" Luna added.
Soon after, the trio took off. Klaus decided to speak up. "Quite friendly fellows, aren't they?"
"Yeah." Chris nodded.
"I could especially tell how nice that Cody was." Luna added.
"You mean you could tell how his cards felt?" Leo asked.
Luna nodded. "I could sense how much they cared and trusted him. That he has a good heart."
Claus smiled. "Then I'm glad we met him and his friends."
Took me longer than I hoped for, but at least it took me less than a month. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Until next time.