Going Bananas
"Phew! What a day." Cindy said in relief as she sank into her sofa. She, Cody and Jeremy had just returned from their visit at Chris' mansion.
"Tell me about it." Jeremy replied, sitting down on a chair.
"Yeah, this day was definitely eventful." Cody agreed. "Maybe we should call it a day?"
"I'm fine with that. I don't feel like that I can look for another hidden message today."
It was then Cindy snapped her fingers. "Which reminds me! We still have to look at the one I found at the Sector Security headquarters." She got up and walked over to a desk and opened one of its drawers, from which she picked out the red box she found. "Here you go!" She tossed it over to Cody, who caught it with ease.
He opened the lid and saw the memory card inside. "Good. Time to see what my parents found put..." He picked the memory card up. "Huh? But paused when he found something else.
"What is it?" Jeremy asked curiously.
"Looks like there's a piece of paper in here." Cody replied as he pulled the object out.
"Oh! I didn't notice that." Cindy said. "But then again, it was kinda dark inside that hidden room."
Cody was about to unfold it when something fell out from it. "Huh?" He kneeled down and picked it up. The object was a small key. "A key?"
"A key?" Jeremy repeated. "You think it's for whatever's keeping another message stored?"
"Perhaps. But first things first..." Cody unfolded the piece of paper and widened his eyes. "It's a photo... of my mom and dad!"
"For real?" Jeremy got up and walked over to him. And so did Cindy, after carefully getting up of the sofa.
The photo did indeed show Cody's parents. However, they looked younger than they appeared to be in the videos. They looked to be in their late teens. Cody's dad wore a white t-shirt and blue jeans. His mom, who's hair appeared to be in shoulder-length, wore a green t-shirt and a a black skirt. Both of them were smiling. What was interesting about this photo was the background. They were standing right in front of a cage, from the looks of it. And when the trio focused on that, they noticed a big, black gorilla inside the cage. And another thing that caught their attention... was the duel disk that was strapped on the gorilla's left arm.
"It really looks like your parents." Jeremy noted.
Cindy raised an eyebrow as she stared at the gorilla on the photo. "But what's with that gorilla with the duel disk?"
Cody rubbed his chin in thought. "Something tells me we'll find the answer to that in this message."
The trio gathered on the sofa, where Jeremy placed his laptop on the small table and inserted the memory card. Just a moment later, a new video file popped up. Cody clicked on the file, making a new video of his parents appear.
"Hey, Cody." His father said. "If you found this message, then you're another step closer to the truth behind this case."
"So, here's what we managed to find so far..." His mother added. "As we mentioned before, we have the assumption that the Morningstar Foundation is somehow involved in this. And for that reason, we decided to take a look into this."
"One time, we visited the Morningstar Foundation so we could discuss business with their CEO over some coffee in his office. After a while, something urgent came up, causing him to leave us for a few minutes. That gave us the opportunity to take a look at his computer on his desk." Cody's dad explained.
"There was such a huge number of files that we couldn't look into all of them." His mom said. "But in the files we looked into, we found something peculiar. We sort of expected to find some data programs that the Morningstar Foundation is known for. But instead, we found blueprints. They seemed to be incomplete, but they appeared to be blueprints of different kinds of vehicles. Some of them almost looked like tanks."
"And there was one file we found but couldn't open. A file that required a password in order to open it. We can't say for sure what's inside that file, but it might be something really important."
"And if we manage to find out what's in it, we'll let you know what it is"
"And this is how you'll get our next message. You probably found a photo of us inside the box."
Cody glanced at the photo.
"Your mother and I visited the local zoo one time, and it was there we met a gorilla who's really popular there. He's called 'Bobo, the Dueling Ape'."
"Apparently, the zookeepers trained him to become a duelist." His mom explained. "And the guests coming there were always watching him duel."
"And also, we became friends with the zookeepers. We even became friends with Bobo. So after we became targeted of whoever wants us out of the picture, we decided to entrust our next message to him."
"So in order to get it, you have to head to the zoo, find Bobo's enclosure and face him in a duel."
"Good luck, Cody. And be on your guard."
"Oh! And before we forget, you should show that photo to Bobo." His mom said. "He'll understand once he sees it. Good luck, Cody." And then, the video reached its end.
"Well... this is interesting." Cindy commented. "Who would have guessed that your parents would hide the next message in a local zoo?"
"Yeah..." Cody replied with a serious look on his face. "But what's really unusual is what we just learned about the Morningstar Foundation. That place is a data company, and yet my mom and dad found some blueprints of vehicles they didn't know about. Just what is that company up to? And for what reason would they come after them... and me?"
Jeremy frowned. "It feels like that every time we find a message, we only get more questions than answers."
"It really is quite the mystery." Cindy added. "But there's no doubt we can solve this..." She then yawned and stretched her arms. "But right now, we could use some rest."
"Right." Cody nodded as he and Jeremy stood up.
Later that night
It was peaceful in New Domino City. Even though there were a few people still walking around on the streets, many of them were sleeping in their homes.
But... something suspicious was happening right now in the city. Specifically... on the top of a tall building that had a big insignia in the form of an 'M' and 'S' on the side. A grappling hook showed up and got stuck on one edge of the roof. After a short while, a person wearing completely black came up. He was even wearing a black eye mask and cap. He was wielding what looked like a sports bag. Once he got up, he reached up to his right ear, where he had a earpiece. "I've just reached the top of the building. Once I get inside, all the secrets the Morningstar Foundation is keeping will be ours..."
"Assuming you can even get inside."
The burglar jumped upon hearing the new voice. He turned to the direction it came from. It was someone standing near a door leading downstairs. Because of how dark it was, it difficult to make out this person's appearance. But the burglar could at least tell from the voice that it was a man.
"I was about to take care of some last minute work when the alarm kicked in. How bold of you, to try steal from MY company. That's really unforgivable."
The burglar started to get nervous.
"But still, I'm feeling generous today, so I'm gonna give you a fighting chance..." The man tossed something over to him.
The burglar caught it with ease, and got a good look at it. It was ... a duel disk? "Huh?" The burglar blinked before looking back at the man, who just activated his own duel disk.
"Let us begin..."
Some time later
The few people who were still awake kept walking around on the streets.
Until suddenly, they noticed something happening on top of the MF building. A bright pillar of light erupted from there. It looked like it reached up to the sky. And then, something appeared inside the light pillar. It was difficult to tell what it was. But judging from its silhouette, it was a big, four-legged creature with a pair of feathery wings. And then, the light got even brighter, if it was possible.
"Aaaaah!" The burglar cried before collapsing.
Burglar: 0300-0000
He was just lying down there in shock and fear as his opponent walked over to him slowly, with his duel disk turning itself off. "And with that, you have been judged."
"Huh?" Cody blinked as he found himself in an unfamiliar place...
No... he recognized this place. It was that local park in the city. And he noted that he was sitting on one of the swings. And when he looked at himself, he noticed that he appeared to be smaller than before. Like he became a kid again. "What the..."
"Hey there." A young female voice greeted.
Cody turned to the person who said, and saw a girl wearing a white t-shirt and a turquoise skirt. However... he was more focused on her face. She had light-blue eyes and black hair in shoulder length. She was giving him a smile that almost made his heart skip a beat...
Click!
His eyes widened when he heard that sound coming from behind him. He turned around slowly to see what it was. And then, he came face to face with...
... a pistol!
BANG!
AH!" Cody cried out as he jolted, now fully awake. He was panting heavily, sitting upright on the bed. "Another nightmare. And that girl... just who is she?"
Later on
"Are you guys sure that you'll be fine without me?" Cindy asked, concerned. She was in the doorway while Cody and Jeremy were standing right outside her apartment.
"Positive. We shouldn't get any attention while wearing the hoodies you gave us." Cody replied, putting his hood on.
"And besides, Chris' butler told you to take it easy and let your foot heal." Jeremy added.
Cindy shrugged. "I guess you're right. In that case, take this." She pulled out some money. "You won't get into the zoo for free, after all."
Cody took the money. "Thanks."
"Just be sure to not get into trouble, okay."
"We'll try. Just get some rest." Jeremy replied.
"Sure thing." Cindy winked, earning a blush from him. "Off you go then."
"Right." Cody nodded as he and Jeremy left.
Cindy stretched her arms as she walked into her living room and sat lazily down on her sofa. "Well, I wonder if there's something interesting on TV." She grabbed the remote from the table and turned the TV on. The screen was showing the image of a female reporter with brown hair, clad in red.
"...and so, many people had been eager to know more about the light pillar that erupted from the Morningstar Foundation's building."
"Hm?" Cindy's eyes widened as she got interested.
"And from what we learned, there was apparently a burglar who made an attempt to break into the building and steal from them. However, that attempt failed as the burglar was stopped by the CEO himself, Mr. Mason Morningstar. And we managed to get a few words with him." And with that, the image changed and showed a microphone that held up to a new person. It was a man who appeared to be middle-aged. He was tall and was wearing a white business suit with a black tie. He had short black hair and grey eyes.
"Well, that person made a poor effort to try to sneak into my building. Not a very bright burglar, to be honest. And not much of a duelist either."
"You seem to always prefer to duel your enemies, Mr. Morningstar. Why is that?" The person holding the microphone asked.
"Well... how do I put this?" Mason asked thoughtfully, pausing for a moment before speaking up again. "Dueling is like a... trial to me. When you're in a duel, then it's like that your fate is determined by the outcome. A duel is what decides the judgment... That's what I believe, at least."
"Hmmm." Cindy narrowed her eyes.
"So what do you think we're going to get from the next message?" Jeremy asked, as he and Cody were walking down on the streets, their hoods covering their heads. Cody had his duel disk strapped on his left arm.
"Who knows? Hopefully, it might be something related to that locked file my parents mentioned."
"Yeah. Let's hope for the best." Jeremy then looked ahead. "Oh, there it is!"
Cody followed his gaze and found the entrance of the local zoo. At least they could it was, judging from the big sign with the pictures of happy animals.
They walked over there and saw a bunch of people standing in line, leading to a ticket booth. After standing there for a while, they eventually reached the booth and paid for the tickets they needed for the entrance. And with that, they found themselves inside the big place. There were different kinds of enclosures with a variety of animals. Giraffes. Elephants. Lions. Pandas. Etc.
"Well, Jeremy, we made it." Cody said.
"Yeah. Now where to find ' the Dueling Ape'?" Jeremy wondered.
"Let's look around." At that, they boys walked around in the zoo, making sure that they checked on every place they passed by.
They kept searching, wondering where to find the gorilla enclosure. There were a lot of people watching the animals, so it was a little difficult to have a look on the animals. And then...
"Bobo! Bobo! Bobo! Bobo!" A relatively big crowd was cheering nearby.
"There." Cody nodded as he and Jeremy walked over to the place. When they arrived, they saw many people sitting on the stands that surrounded what they assumed was the gorilla enclosure. There was a grassy area with a few tropical trees. The rest of the enclosure was filled with water. There was a stone path leading from the grassy area to a stony platform that was located in the artificial lake.
And, from a distance from that plat form, there was another stony platform, with a path leading to a gate of sorts.
"Looks like we found the place."
"Yeah." Jeremy eyed on the place and noted something. "But where's that gorilla?"
"Maybe he's somewhere else. Come on." Cody turned and walked a few steps... "Ooff!" But then bumped into someone or something and fell on the ground.
"I'm sorry, are you okay?" A female voice asked.
"Don't worry about it." Cody replied and looked up. The person standing in front of him was a woman in her early thirties. She had green eyes and was wearing a light-beige cap that cover most of her black hair. She was also wearing a matching, short-sleeved shirt and shorts, as well as brown shoes.
"Here, let me help you." The woman held out her hand.
"Thanks." He grabbed it and let her help him up.
"Again, I'm sorry." The woman apologized. "I didn't mean to stand in your way."
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Cody assured her. He then heard the crowd sounding impatient.
"Come on! Where's Bobo!"
"We want Bobo!"
Cody frowned. "Sounds like Bobo's taking too long."
The woman sighed. "Well, it can't be helped. We were waiting for some people who would come here and duel Bobo. Unfortunately, their flight has been delayed, so they haven't come yet. If we don't start the duel soon, then everyone's gonna leave."
After letting all that information sink in, Jeremy whispered into Cody's ear. "Cody, this might be your chance to duel that ape."
"Right." Cody then turned to the woman. "Hey, if it's possible, can you let me duel him?"
The woman gave him a surprised look. "You... want to duel Bobo?"
"I may not be a big time duelist, but I'm sure I can put a good fight. And as you just mentioned, the crowd's gonna leave. So, what do you say?"
The woman seemed unsure for a moment, but then nodded. "Follow me."
All three of them walked around and reached a doorway that seemed to lead downstairs. After a short while, they reached another door. And when they entered, they came into a huge room. "Mr. Thompson?" The woman called out.
"Ah, Alice!" A man came into the view. He was a bit taller than the woman now named Alice. His outfit looked similar to hers. except that his shirt was long-sleeved and he was wearing trousers instead of shorts. And he was also without a cap. He appeared to be in his late forties with short grey hair and a well-trimmed beard. His brown eyes landed on Cody and Jeremy. "And who do we have here? They don't seem like to be the duelists we've been waiting for."
"No, they're not. But one them offered to duel Bobo." Alice explained.
"That's right." Cody added as he stepped forward.
"Is that so?" Mr. Thompson gave him a curious look as he approached them. "And you think yourself capable of facing our dueling ape?"
"I do. If you just let me face him, then I'll show you what I can do." Cody held up his duel disk, as if he was ready. The moment he did that, the photo of his parents fell out of his pocket and landed on the floor. Which Mr. Thompson noticed.
"What's this?" He kneeled down and picked it up. Cody and Jeremy gasped as he grabbed the photo and looked at it. After a moment of silence, Mr. Thompson suddenly widened his eyes. "Well I'll be! I remember when this photo was taken! When Cedric and Sandra first came to our zoo!"
Cody and Jeremy widened their eyes upon hearing what he just said. And then, the former suddenly remembered. 'That's right! Mom and Dad mentioned that they became friends with the zookeepers.'
Mr. Thompson turned to Cody. "Tell me, how do you know these two?"
Cody went silent, not really sure what to do. But, given the fact that this man was one of the zookeepers who knew his parents, he decided to trust him. And so, he pulled off his hood and showed him his face, much to Jeremy's surprise. "I'm their son. My name is Cody."
"Cody..." Mr. Thompson repeated. "Yes, I did hear that they had a son." He then looked between the photo and Cody. "You do have your father's face and your mother's eyes. It really is you."
Alice was watching with wide eyes, while Jeremy seemed to calm down a bit.
"What happened to you? How come you've been missing so long and then suddenly appeared here?" Mr. Thompson questioned.
"It's... a very long story. But I don't think I can tell you right now. Everyone wants to watch the duel, right?" Cody reminded him.
The man paused for a moment before nodding. "You're right. We can't keep them waiting any longer. Very well, I'll let you duel Bobo. But you'd better tell me your story right afterward."
"I will. That's a promise."
"Good. Now then, before we begin, let's go meet Bobo, shall we?" At that, Mr. Thompson guided Cody and Jeremy to the other end. And then, they arrived at some bars. And on the other side... they saw Bobo. The big black gorilla was sitting near a corner, pushing on a hanged tire. There was also lots of leaves covering the floor. And Cody noticed some kind of door on the wall. "Hello there, Bobo."
The gorilla turned to face Mr. Thompson.
"We have some guests here." He said, smiling, as he walked over to the gate and pulled out a key. "Would you like to meet them?" He asked while unlocking the gate.
"Um, are you sure doing that is smart?" Jeremy asked worriedly.
"Oh, don't worry, he won't bite." Alice assured him.
"She's right." Mr, Thompson added. "Bobo lost his family when he was a young ape. After taking him to the zoo, I've been raising him, so he's harmless." He then opened the gate.
"So, how did he learn to duel in the first?" Cody asked.
"I'm the one who taught him. I used to be a duelist myself. But after a few years, I retired and decided to work here on the zoo. Then, one day, when I went down here to check on Bobo, I saw my cards spread out in front of him. And as surprised as I was then, I was about to get even more surprised when I saw what Bobo did. He placed some of the cards together, seemingly performing one of the combos I once used. Clearly, Bobo understood the rules somewhat. And I was certainly pleased to know that he was interested in the game, so I decided to teach him the basics. It took me a couple of weeks, but before I knew it, Bobo became a decent duelist. I even allowed him to face one of my associates in a duel and he did quite well."
"Bobo really likes dueling." Alice added. "And for that reason, we built that special enclosure you two just saw, so everyone could watch him duel guest duelists. And that's how he became known as 'the Dueling Ape'.
"That's actually pretty cool." Cody replied as Jeremy nodded.
Cody and Jeremy watched as the gorilla made his way out of the enclosure slowly. Once he was out, he approached the two of them. Jeremy just stood there, worried about what was going to happen. The gorilla then stood there and stared at the guy. Jeremy was starting to get scared as the ape. But then... the gorilla smiled and made some noises while waving with his right hand. Jeremy could only blink at this.
"See? Not dangerous at all." Alice said.
"Guess there was no need to worry." Cody commented.
Bobo then turned to him and gave him a curious look. Cody just stood there as the gorilla leaned and then started to sniff at him a bit. And then, Bobo widened his eyes and let some slightly higher noises.
"He seems to be more excited to meet Cody." Jeremy noted.
"Perhaps Bobo's able to tell that he's related to Cedric and Sandra." Mr. Thompson guessed.
Cody turned to the man. "Mind if you give me my photo back?"
"Of course." Mr. Thompson gave him the photo.
Cody then turned to the gorilla and held it up. "Nice to meet you, Bobo. My name is Cody. These two were my parents. You used to know them, didn't you?"
Bobo stared at the photo for a moment before his eyes widened. He then made some noises before ruching into his enclosure. The group then watched as he approached the hanged tire and reached into its interior and pulled out a small blue box with a pad lock.
"A box?" Cody noted.
"Ah, I actually forgot about it." Mr. Thompson said. "You see, your parents visited us one time, about over 10 years ago. They seemed to be troubled for some unknown reason. After they spent some time with Bobo, they gave him the box and said..."
Flashback
Cody's parents put the box down in front of Bobo, who picked it up and looked at it strangely.
"Listen Bobo..." Cody's mom said, getting his attention. "That box is really important. Our son Cody will come to you someday, and when he does, you're gonna have to give that box to him."
"Until then, you have to protect it, by any costs." Cody's dad added. "Good luck, Bobo."
Flashback end
"...And that was the last time I saw them before... they died." Mr. Thompson ended with a somber expression.
Alice couldn't help but give Cody a sympathetic look.
He lowered his head. "I see." He then looked up with a determined look. "Well, this is why Jeremy and I came here. To get that box my parents left." He then walked up to Bobo's enclosure. "Did you hear me, Bobo? My parents wanted me to have that box. So, will you give it to me?"
And everything went silent as Bobo stared at him for a moment that felt like minutes, when it actually lasted a half a minute. He then narrowed his eyes as he walked over to another corner of the enclosure. And then, he picked something up from there... a duel disk. He then turned to Cody and let out some growling noises as he raised his arms with duel disk in hand.
"It seems like that he will only hand the box over to you if you can defeat him in a duel." Mr. Thompson deduced.
Cody nodded. "If that's the case..." He then held up his own duel disk. "Bring it on!"
"Hello, everyone!" Alice called out to the crown, speaking with a microphone in her hand. "Sorry about keeping you waiting for long, there were a few problems down here. But now, everything's fine. So... it's time for the first duel to start!"
The crowd cheered loudly, glad that things was getting started. And among those people, Jeremy was taking a seat.
"And now, the first to come out here, is our very own star. The one, the only... Bobo the Dueling Ape!"
The cheers became louder as as a door was opened, allowing Bobo to enter the enclosure, with his duel disk strapped on his left arm. He beat on his chest with his fists before taking his position on one of the stone platforms.
"And his first opponent..." Alice continued as the door at the path leading to the other platform opened. "A guy who's ready to rumble. Let's hear it for... Cody!"
Cody came out of the doorway and made his way to the stone platform. Some people of the crowd gave hims some applause, but that was all.
Which Jeremy noticed. 'Clearly, Bobo is everyone's favorite.'
Once both duelists were in their positions, Alice spoke up again. "And without further ado"... They activated their duel disks. "Let the duel... BEGIN!"
"Duel!" Cody called out as he and Bobo drew their opening hands.
Cody: 4000
Bobo: 4000
Bobo made some noises and drew his sixth card. He then took another card from his hand place it on the duel disk. And then, a brown-haired gorilla with red eyes rose up in front of him. (ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4)
"And it looks like Bobo just summoned Berserk Gorilla to the field." Alice commented as she observed Bobo's moves. She then saw him insert three cards into his duel disk, making three bigger ones appear on the field. "And he just placed three facedown cards." He then pointed a finger to Cody. "That's it for his turn!"
"Alright then, my move!" Cody drew. "And first I summon Featherizer in defense mode!" The fan-shaped spellcaster appeared and kneeled down in front of him (ATK: 700 DEF: 1100 LV: 2) "Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Then it's Bobo's turn again!" Bobo drew his next card, looked at it and placed it on his duel disk. And then, another gorilla appeared. This one had crimson red fur with a golden chest. And when it beat on its chest, its body let loose a bolt of thunder. "And he just summoned Voltic Kong!" (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1000 LV: 4)
Bobo growled and then pressed a button his duel disk, causing one of his facedown cards to flip up. "And now he just activated the trap card, DNA Transplant! When this card is activated, Bobo gets to choose an attribute. And as long as this card remains on the field, all monsters in play will have that chosen attribute!"
Cody watched as all the different attribute symbols appeared in front of the dueling ape. Bobo glanced at each of them before he pointed to the light symbol. And when he did, all of them vanished, before a yellow aura enveloped Berserk Gorilla and Geatherizer. "And it looks like Bobo chose light!"
Jeremy raised an eyebrow. "I wonder what that's good for?"
Bobo then pressed another button, causing another facedown card to flip up. "And now Bobo activated the trap card, Roaring Earth, which allows his beast type monsters to cause damage, even if they attack monsters that are in defense mode!"
Cody widened his eyes.
Bobo then roared and pointed to Voltic Kong, causing it to rush over to Cody's monster. While his monster was moving, Bobo pressed another button, revealing his final facedown card. "Ah! And just as he launched an attack, Bobo activated the continuous trap card, Howl of the Wild!"
And right after Alice made her comment, Voltic Kong slammed Featherizer with an electric fist, shattering it to pixels.
Cody: 4000-3300
And at that moment, Cody's duel disk sparked with electricity.
"And this is when Voltic Kong's effect kicks in! Every time it deals battle damage, the opponent loses one card from the top of his deck for every light attribute monster Bobo has on his side of the field!"
Jeremy's eyes widened. "Oh, so that's what DNA Transplant was for."
Cody drew two cards and slid them into his graveyard slot. He then noticed one of Bobo's trap cards glowing.
"And now the effect of Howl of the Wild activates!" Alice announced. "Since Cody's monster was just destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, Bobo can now deal 300 points of damage for every beast type monster he controls!"
"What!?" Cody then turned to Voltic Kong as it landed right in front of him. And then, the electric ape let out a loud and powerful roar that caused him to slid back a bit.
Cody: 3300-2700
The crowd cheered loudly at that. But Cody recovered quickly. "I activate Featherizer's effect! After he's destroyed in battle, I can send 1 gemini monster from my deck to the graveyard and then draw a card." Cody took a card from his deck and slid it into the graveyard slot. And right the deck was automatically shuffled, he drew.
Bobo then let out a roar, causing Berserk Gorilla to charge forward. "And Berserk Gorilla is attacking next!"
"I activate the trap card, Defense Draw!" Cody's facedown card flipped up. And just as Berserk Gorilla was about to slug him, the trap card moved and took the hit. "Thanks to this, my battle damage from your attack is reduced to zero. And I also get to draw an extra card from my deck." Cody drew.
After Berserk Gorilla returned to Bobo's field, he pointed a finger to Cody again. "And Bobo is finished with this turn!"
"My move!" Cody drew. "Hey, Bobo! I should thank you for earlier!" That earned him a confused look from the black gorilla. "You see, one of the cards your Voltic Kong sent to the graveyard was a monster called Glow-Up Bulb. And by sending the top card of my deck to the graveyard, I can summon it to the field!" As soon Cody got rid of his card, the one-eyed bulb with a white flower appeared. (ATK: 100 DEF: 100 LV: 1) "And believe it or not, I happen to have two normal monsters in my graveyard. Dragon Zombie..." The spirit of the purple zombie dragon appeared. "And Gemini Soldier. A gemini monster that counts as a normal monster while being in the graveyard." The spirit of the small green soldier appeared.
This explanation earned him some muttering from the crowd.
"And since that's the case, I can summon forth Woodland Archer in attack mode!" The blue-skinned, old man with bow and arrow appeared. (ATK: 1400 DEF: 1300 LV: 3) "And for my normal summon, I'm bringing out Synchro Fusionist!" And from a whirling blue portal, an orange demon-like creature emerged. It had a pair of small wings, pointy ears, clawed hands and feet, and sharp teeth that it used to form a creepy grin. It also had as eyes glowed green. And those eyes matched the green glowing that surrounded the monster's body. (ATK: 800 DEF: 600 LV: 2)
"And now I'll let my Glow-Up Bulb give my two friends here a tune up!" The one-eyed bulb turned into one single star which then turned into a ring of green light rose up in the air. The archer and demon took flight and pass through the ring. When they did, their bodies turned transparent and revealed a total of 5 stars. They then lined up and created a beam of light. "I synchro summon Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!" The light died down and revealed a mechanical warrior riding a horse. The knight was wearing blue, red and golden armor, wielding two red lances. His horse was wearing matching armor. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 800 LV: 6) Because of DNA Transplant, a yellow aura surrounded the knight.
A few people in the crowd gasped at the appearance of Cody's monster.
"And my Synchro Fusionist happens to have a special ability. Since it was sent to the graveyard as a synchro material, I can add a spell card from my deck to my hand..." A card slid out of his deck before he grabbed it. "...as long as that card as the word Fusion in its name. Either that, or if it is... Polymerization." He showed Bobo the named card.
"Nice." Jeremy said with a smirk.
"Now, Gaia, destroy his Voltic Kong!" The horse galloped forward with its rider. The knight reached Bobo's field pretty fast and stabbed the electric gorilla with one of his lances, shattering it into pixels.
Bobo: 4000-3200
At that moment, some people cheered for Cody.
"I end my turn." Cody concluded.
Bobo drew his next card and looked at it. He then grinned before inserting it into his duel disk, making a spell card appear on the field. "Looks like Bobo just played Magic Planter! A spell card that lets you draw two cards after sending a continuous trap to the graveyard!" DNA Transplant vanished as Bobo drew his two extra cards. After glancing at them, he rotated his Berserk Gorilla card, causing his monster to turn blue and cross its arms. "And Bobo just switched Berserk Gorilla to defense mode! And if Berserk Gorilla happens to be in defense mode, it's automatically destroyed!"
Cody's eyes widened as Bobo's monster exploded. 'I don't get it. Why would he...' Before he could finish his thought, he was surprised to see a red aura surrounding Bobo.
Bobo: 3200-2200
"What!? What just happened?"
He got his answer when a gigantic baboon with a green face appeared behind Bobo, wearing a leather jerkin and carrying a massive wooden club. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
The crowd cheered loudly at this. "That's right, everyone!" Alice spoke. "It's Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest! A monster that can be summoned from the hand or graveyard when a beast type monster is destroyed!"
'So that's why he lost 1000 life points.' Cody realized. 'It was a cost in order to summon that monster!'
Bobo then inserted another card, causing another spell card appear. "Whoa! And now Bobo activated the spell card, Spiritual Forest! It keeps one of his Beast, Beast-Warrior or plant type monsters from being destroyed in battle once per turn!"
While the crowd cheered, Cody gritted his teeth. 'Which means that baboon can take down Gaia without destroying itself!'
Bobo roared and pointed forward, causing the baboon to jump forward and landed right in front of Gaia before smashing him with its club.
"Cody may not take some battle damage, but Bobo still has Howl of the Wild on the field, so he'll take 300 points of damage now!"
Just like what Voltic Kong did earlier, the baboon let out a loud and powerful roar that caused Cody to slid back a bit.
Cody: 2700-2400
Bobo pointed to Cody once again. "And Bobo ends his turn!"
"Then it's my turn!" Cody drew his next card and looked at it briefly before revealing another card from his hand. "First I activate the spell card, One for One! By sending a monster card from my hand to the graveyard, I can summon a level 1 monster from my hand or deck." He discarded one of his cards before another card slid out of his deck. He then grabbed it. "And the monster I'm bringing out is the tuner monster, Attack Gainer!" The dark-green armored figure appeared from a flash of light. (ATK: 0 DEF: 0 LV: 1) "And then I summon Blazewing Butterfly!" The fiery butterfly emerged from a pillar of flames. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1500 LV: 4) "And now, Attack Gainer, tune with Blazewing Butterfly!" The armored figure turned into a ring of green light and surrounded the butterfly. Its body turned transparent before being replaced by 4 stars that lined up and created a beam of light. "I synchro summon Scarred Warrior!" The light died down and revealed the bandaged warrior. (ATK: 2100 DEF: 1000 LV: 5)
Bobo scoffed before making some noises like he was laughing.
Cody, however, smirked. "So you think Scarred Warrior is too weak to attack your Baboon. Then maybe Attack Gainer will change your opinion!" The named monster appeared right above Green Baboon and landed an axe kick on its head, making it stumble. And then..." (ATK: 2600-1600)
Bobo was surprised by the loss of his monster's attack points.
"Since Attack Gainer was used for a synchro summon, he drained your monster's attack strength by 1000 points. But don't worry, this effect lasts until the end of this turn. But before that... I attack with Scarred Warrior!" The bandaged warrior dashed forward and swung with the blade on his right arm. Green Baboon used its wooden club to block it and then pushed Scarred Warrior back. "Spiritual Forest may protect your monster, but you still take some damage."
Bobo: 2200-1700
"I place one card facedown and end my turn." A card appeared near Cody's feet.
"Then it's Bobo's turn!" Alice announced as Bobo drew his next card. He looked at it and held it up. It was a spell card. "And Bobo activates the spell card, Reasoning! First, his opponent has to choose a monster level from 1 to 12. After that, Bobo gets to excavate cards from the top of his deck until he finds a monster card that can be summoned. If that monster has the level as the one the opponent chose, it goes to the graveyard, along with the other cards he excavated. If not, then Bobo gets to summon his monster and send the other cards to the graveyard."
Jeremy narrowed his eyes. "So it's all about chance. I hope Cody chooses the right level."
Cody narrowed his eyes as well. 'This might be tricky. Bobo is probably hoping for a monster with a high attack strength. So maybe...' He then took a deep breath before speaking up. "Alright! I choose... level 8!"
Bobo then drew a card from his deck and looked at it. And after a short moment... he grinned and revealed it. The monster card's level was 7, to Cody's dismay.
"Ooh, so close! But it's a level seven monster, not level eight. In other words, Bobo gets to summon it!" And then, from a flash of light, another primate appeared next to Green Baboon. This one had red skin and yellowish hair and beard, wearing dark-brown armor, wielding a primitive spear. "And this monster is called Ancient Crimson Ape!" (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
"Oh boy." Jeremy muttered worriedly.
And once again, Bobo roared and pointed at Green Baboon, causing it to charge forward to attack.
"Stop right there! I activate the trap card, Kunai with Chain!" Cody's facedown card flipped up and shot out some kind of blade with a chain. The blade itself was shaped in a strange way, almost like a boomerang. The chain wrapped itself around Green Baboon's legs and caused it to fall backwards, much to everyone's shock. "Thanks to my trap card, your attacking monster was switched to defense mode. And what's more... my trap card is like an equip spell that grants my monster 500 more attack points." The chain was now wrapped around Scarred Warrior's left arm, allowing him to get a hold of the blade. (ATK: 2100-2600)
Bobo grunted, annoyed. He then pointed to Cody. "Well, that was unexpected." Alice commented. "Regardless, it seems Bobo is done with his turn."
Cody drew his next card, glanced at it and revealed it. "I activate the spell card, Pot of Avarice! This lets me take 5 monster cards from my graveyard and shuffle them into my deck. And then, I draw two cards." After 5 cards came out of the graveyard slot, Cody put them into the deck, letting it shuffle itself. And then, he drew his extra cards. "And then I summon Phantom Dragonray Bronto in attack mode!" The large stingray with the reptilian neck sticking out of its mouth appeared. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "Then I activate the spell card, Double Summon! Thanks to this, I can normal summon a second time. So now Bronto, time for a gemini summon!" The aquatic creature glowed white. "And with that done, Bronto has access to its ability, which makes its original attack points become 2300!" (ATK: 1500-2300)
"Yes!" Jeremy cheered.
"Now, Bronto, attack his Green Baboon!" The water monster tackled the armored baboon, causing it to grunt before it swatted it away with its wooden club. "Scarred Warrior, your turn!" The bandaged warrior jumped on the baboon and stabbed it with his personal blade, causing it to explode. "And with that, your baboon is..." Cody started to say, but stopped himself when he saw a blue aura surrounding Bobo.
Bobo: 1700-2700
"Bobo just activated Ancient Crimson Ape's effect!" Alice announced. "Every time one of his monsters is destroyed, he regains 1000 life points!"
"You gotta be kidding me." Jeremy muttered in disbelief.
And then, a portal suddenly appeared right above the spot Green Baboon was. Cody then noticed Bobo taking out two cards from his graveyard. Berserk Gorilla and Voltic Kong. And then, a new monster descended from the portal and landed on the field. It was another baboon with leather armor. This one had a yellow face and carried a bow and arrow. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
"And since Bobo's beast type monster was destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard, he was allowed to remove two beast types from the graveyard and summon Yellow Baboon, Archer of the Forest!" The crowd cheered at this.
"Another baboon." Cody muttered. "First, since my Bronto attacked, it switches to defense mode." The water monster lowered itself. Cody then inserted a card into his duel disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
Bobo drew his next card. When he looked at it, he grinned and revealed it. "Bobo is playing the spell card, Wild Nature's Release! Now increase the attack points of one of his beast or beast type monsters with the same amount as its defense points!" Bobo pointed to Yellow Baboon. In response, it roared out in power. (ATK: 2600-4400)
"4400 attack points!" Cody almost exclaimed.
Jeremy started to get really worried. "And Bobo still has Roaring Earth in play. So if he attacks Bronto, then the battle damage will be more than enough to wipe out Cody's life points!"
Bobo let out a roar and pointed to Bronto, causing the baboon to align its arrow with its bow.
Cody gritted his teeth briefly. "Activate trap!"
The baboon released the arrow, and pierced right through Bronto's neck, causing it shatter into pixels.
Bobo grinned for a moment before he looked at Cody and was surprised at what he saw...
Cody: 2400
"What's this?" Alice asked, just as shocked as everyone else. "Cody didn't lose any life points! Why?"
"Because I activated this card." Cody pointed replied and pointed a face-up trap card on his field. "It's called Trap Stun. When this card is activated, it negates the effects of other traps on the field until the end of this turn. Which means I wasn't affected by your Roaring Earth card."
Some people in the crowd said a few words like 'Whoa', 'Amazing', 'Cool', and such. Jeremy sighed in relief.
"But..." Cody spoke up again. "Like I said, Trap Stun negates all trap effects. And that includes Kunai with Chain." (ATK: 2600-2100)
Bobo saw this as an opportunity and grunted while pointed to his Ancient Crimson Ape. The primate charged forward and thrusted with its spear, getting a hit on Scarred Warrior's chest.
Cody: 2400-1900
"Nice shot." Cody complimented. "But my Scarred Warrior is not easily destroyed." The warrior pushed the red-skinned ape back, surprising Bobo. "You see, thanks to his special ability, he can survive in battle once per turn."
Bobo blinked before turning to Yellow Baboon and grunted a little. And then... the baboon exploded all of sudden.
"Huh?" Cody's eyes widened.
"A monster that gets extra points from Wild Nature's Release is destroyed at the end of the turn." Alice explained.
"I see. Then I guess..." Before Cody could finish his sentence when a blue aura surrounded Bobo. "Oh, right. Ancient Crimson Ape's effect. Now he..."
Bobo then grinned as something strange happened to his aura... It split into two different colors. Red on his right side, and blue on his left side. And then...
Bobo: 2700-1700
"What!? What just happened? Why did he lose..." Cody asked in shock before he gasped. "Of course!"
And just as he feared, a portal appeared, from which the gigantic, green baboon emerged. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
"And Bobo just paid a thousand points to resurrect Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest! And with that done, Ancient Crimson Ape's ability activates!" The aura surrounding Bobo went back to be entirely blue.
Bobo: 1700-2700
"Well, now that the turn has come to an end, Trap Stun's effect is no more, so my Scarred Warrior regains his extra points." (ATK: 2100-2600) "And now it's my turn!" Cody drew his next card and looked at it. He then took another card from his hand inserted it into his duel disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
Bobo drew his next card. He grinned at what he got and inserted it into his duel disk, making a spell card appear on the field.
"Monster Reborn!" Cody noted.
"Bobo just activated the spell card, Monster Reborn! Now he can summon a monster back from the graveyard! And the monster he chooses is..." Alice trailed off as light erupted from Bobo's graveyard slot. And then, his resurrected monster appeared. "...Yellow Baboon, Archer of the Forest!" (ATK: 2600 DEF: 1800 LV: 7)
The crowd cheered loudly. Except for Jeremy who looked worried. "Great, now Cody's dealing three oversized monkeys."
Bobo grunted and pointed to Ancient Crimson Ape, causing it charged forward. It thrusted with its spear, but Scarred Warrior blocked it with his blades. "And Ancient Crimson Ape struck Scarred Warrior without destroying him! And Spiritual Forest kept Bobo's monster from being destroyed!" Bobo then pointed to Green Baboon, causing it to strike next. As it swung with its wooden club, Scarred Warrior swung with the blade on his right arm. And... both monsters hit each other at the same time, and they both exploded. "And since Scarred Warrior could only survive in battle once per turn, Green Baboon took him down with it! Which means Bobo will now regain another 1000 extra life points! But first, the effect of Howl of the Wild activates, causing some extra damage to Cody!"
The trap card in question fired a beam of energy. But Cody smirked. "Not if I use the effect of Hanewata in my hand!" He slid one of his cards, causing a small monster appear right in front of him. It was a small puffball with peach pink fur, wings and antennas. It also had big, orange eyes. And because how cute it looked, many girls in the crowd squealed. But that only lasted a brief moment before the puffball was destroyed by the energy beam, much to their disappointment, and the remaining crowd's shock. "By discarding Hanewata, I can reduce all effect damage I'll take during this turn to zero."
Bobo stared at him for a moment, before he grinned and gave Cody a thumbs up. "Wow! It looks like Bobo is impressed by Cody's move!" Alice commented. Bobo was now surrounded by a blue aura again.
Bobo: 2700-3700
"And now that he regained extra life points from Ancient Crimson Ape, Bobo can attack with one more monster! And it's Yellow Baboon!" Bobo roared as the named monster prepared its bow and arrow again.
"I activate my trap! Reanimation Wave!" Cody's facedown card flipped up. "I can activate it when you attack me directly. First, I choose a synchro monster in my graveyard that's up to the same level as your attacking monster. And I choose Gaia Knight, the Force of Earth!" The named card came out of the graveyard slot. "And then, the battle damage I'll take from your attack is halved." Cody raised his duel disk right at the moment Yellow Baboon fired its arrow, and blocked it.
Cody: 1900-0600
"And finally, my synchro monster comes back to the field. Welcome back, Gaia!" The armored knight and horse appeared again. (ATK: 2600 DEF: 800 LV: 6)
Some people cheered at this. Bobo grunted and pointed to Cody. "And Bobo ends his turn!"
"Then here goes!" Cody drew his next card. He paused for a moment before looking at it. "Nice!" He then revealed his other card. "I activate the spell card, Polymerization!"
"A fusion summon?" Alice asked as a fusion vortex appeared above Cody.
"And with it I fuse Gaia Knight with King of the Swamp!" The knight and horse were dragged into the fusion vortex, along with a slimy creature that took the shape of a head with a pair of arms. "I fusion summon Gaia Drake, the Universal Force!" The vortex released a bright light. "Time to accelerate!" When the light died down and revealed the knight on his horse. But they looked even more impressive than before. They were wearing armor that was mostly made of gold and silver with a few red blades. The knight's two lances were black with golden linings. And on top of that... horse had a pair of majestic wings now, which was the reason why they were in the air. (ATK: 3500 DEF: 2800 LV: 10)
Bobo widened his eyes while the crowd gasped. "Unbelievable!" Alice exclaimed. "3500 attack points!"
"And I'm gonna use them! Gaia Drake, attack his Crimson Ape with Cosmic Air Strike!" Riding on his horse, the knight dove and thrusted with one of his lances. The red ape countered with its spear. The clash caused a powerful shockwave everyone in the entire place could feel it. Bobo grunted as he took damage.
Bobo: 3700-2800
"And with that, I end my turn." Cody concluded.
"Nice one, Cody!" Jeremy cheered.
Bobo drew his next card, but looked disappointed what he got. He then switched his two monsters two monsters to defense mode and ended his turn. "Looks like Bobo could only switch his monsters to defense mode. Well, it can't be helped if you face a monster with 3500 attack points."
Cody drew his next card and looked at it. "Well with Spiritual Forest in play, those monsters make it even harder to get through. I play a facedown and end my turn." A card appeared near his feet.
Bobo drew again. He stared at his new card for a moment before inserting into his duel disk, making a facedown card appear. "And Bobo placed a facedown card of his own." Alice noted. "And that seems to be all for this turn..."
"Hold on!" Cody interrupted. "I activate the trap card, Balance of Judgment!" Cody's facedown card flipped up. "Since the number of the cards on your field is higher than the total number of cards on my field and in my hand is higher, I can draw cards equal to the difference. I've got two cards. You've got 6. That gives me 4 cards." Cody drew his extra cards.
"And they'd better be good ones." Jeremy muttered.
"My turn!" Cody drew. "And I'll start by activating the field spell, Catalyst Field!" The sky turned purple and the field crackled with red electricity. "This should even things up! First I summon Goggle Golem!" The goggle wearing stone golem appeared. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 500 LV: 4) "And then, thanks to my field spell, I can make a second normal summon, so I gemini summon my Goggle Golem!" The golem glowed white. "Now its special ability changes its original attack points to 2100!" (ATK: 1500-2100) "And now I activate another effect of my field spell! Once per turn, by removing a gemini monster that's treated as an effect monster from play, I can destroy one of your cards!"
Bobo's eyes widened.
"So I'll remove Goggle Golem to destroy Spiritual Forest!" The golem vanished before Bobo's spell card shattered into pixels. "And that means my Gaia Drake can take down any of your monsters! Starting with Ancient Crimson Ape!" The knight charged forward and stabbed the red-skinned ape, making it explode. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
Bobo drew his next card. He then grunted while placing another card on his duel disk, causing a second Berserk Gorilla appear. (ATK: 2000 DEF: 1000 LV: 4) "And Bobo summoned another Berserk Gorilla!" After that, Bobo switched his Yellow Baboon back to attack mode. And then, he pressed a button, revealing his facedown card. "Now Bobo activated the trap card, Beast Rising! By removing beast or beast-warrior type monster from play, he cane add its attack points to another monster!" Berserk Gorilla's body turned into light particles that were absorbed into Yellow Baboon's body. (ATK: 2600-4600)
"Uh oh!" Jeremy said worriedly while the crowd cheered.
And then, Bobo roared, causing the baboon prepare its bow and arrow again. And after a moment, it fired away.
"I activate the trap card, Rising Energy!" Cody discarded one of his cards as his facedown card flipped up and released some orange energy that surrounded Gaia Drake. And that moment, the arrow bounced off without causing any harm.
Bobo was shocked by this.
"With this card, I can increase a monster's attack strength by 1500 points for one turn." Cody explained. (ATK: 3500-5000) And then, Gaia Drake fired energy beams from his lances, destroying Yellow Baboon completely.
Bobo: 2800-2400
Bobo panicked a little and looked over his hand. Eventually, he took a card from his hand and inserted it into his duel disk, making a facedown card appear.
"Sorry, Bobo, but that facedown card won't help you." Cody said right before a portal appeared, From which Goggle Golem emerged, shocking the gorilla. (ATK: 1500 DEF: 500 LV: 4) "Due to the effect of my field spell, the monster I removed from play returns at the end of your turn. Which means..." (ATK: 5000-3500) He drew his next card. "I can do this again; gemini summon my monster..." Google Golem glowed white. "...and then remove it from play to destroy your facedown card!" Goggle Golem vanished, and Bobo's facedown card was destroyed. "And that leaves you wide open! Gaia Drake, attack!" The knight charged forward and thrusted with one of his lances. Bobo blocked it with his duel disk, but the force pushed him back and he fell backwards.
Bobo: 2400-0000
It was completely quiet in the entire area. Nobody made a single sound. But then, after about 10 seconds, the crowd cheered loudly, applauding a lot.
"Nice one, Cody! You did it!" Jeremy cheered.
Cody sighed, relieved that it was over. He then turned to Bobo, who still lying on his stone platform. "Hey, Bobo! Are you okay?"
After a moment, Bobo looked and gave him a thumbs up. Cody smiled at that.
"That concludes today's first duel!" Alice spoke up, smiling. "A spectacular match! We'll take a break now, but we'll be right back!"
"Well, you did quite well." Mr. Thompson said as Cody and Jeremy returned to the big room.
"Thanks." Cody replied.
"Hey, I have some good news!" Alice called out as with her cellphone in hand, coming through the doorway in Bobo's enclosure with the dueling ape right behind her. "I just got a call from our guest duelists, and they say that they're coming here shortly."
Mr. Thompson smiled to her. "Excellent." He then turned to Cody. "I'm really grateful for what you did today."
"I'm just glad I could help." Cody walked over to Bobo. "That was a great duel, Bobo. Mr. Thompson taught you well."
Bobo grunted and nodded. Then, his eyes widened before he walked over to the hanged tire. He pulled out the small box and held it up while walking over to Cody.
"Ah, my parents' box. Thanks." Cody took it, grateful. He then turned to Mr. Thompson. "I believe I owe you an explanation."
But, Mr. Thompson simply rubbed his chin and said... "You know what? You don't have to tell me if you don't want to?"
Cody's eyes widened. "What?"
"I always wondered what happened to you when I learned about your parents' death. And I've also been curious about what they were up to when they gave that box to Bobo. From what I could tell though, it must be something of great importance if they wanted you to find it. Your parents were wonderful friends of mine, and I would be dishonoring their memory if I pried into this if you don't want me to."
Cody stared at him, surprised by his words. Eventually, he smiled. "I appreciate it. Thanks."
"Well, with that said, I think I've kept the two you long enough."
"Right." Cody turned to Jeremy. "Let's go."
"Got it." Jeremy nodded as they started to walk away.
But Cody stopped briefly and turned to the zookeepers and gorilla. "Thanks for the duel, Bobo. Take care of yourself."
Bobo smiled and waved to him. At that Cody and Jeremy left the room, heading out.
Hello, everyone! Sorry for the delay. But now I've finished my third 5d's chapter in a row. I hope it was worth the wait.
Also, a little birdie told me that Yu-Gi-Oh creator Kazuki Takahashi passed away recently, so consider this chapter my tribute to him.
May He Rest In Peace