A Trip Down Memory Lane
Mason was sitting at his desk in his office, his fingers folded together. "Is that so?" He asked.
The person standing in front was his secretary. "Yes, sir. Cody Cooper has been found. He's currently with Eric Stone, who turned out to be his cousin. I found out about a few minutes ago."
Mason smiled. "Interesting. I didn't expect Cody to have a cousin. Well then, at least now we know where he's hiding."
"Shall I send some men to get him, sir." The secretary asked.
Mason shook his head. "Let's not be hasty. The last time those buffoons hunted him down, it brought some unwanted attention."
Flashback
Mason was watching on a laptop that showed some news on TV. It showed an amateur's video clip that briefly showed his black vans chasing after Cody and Jeremy on the former's old duel runner.
Flashback end
"And on top of that, they got sloppy and let him escape from custody. If we keep making mistakes like that, then everything we worked hard for will be for nothing." He pointed out. "So for now, tell them to observe. And tell them to capture Cody when he's alone. Also, tell them to be more discreet."
"Understood, sir." The secretary bowed to him slightly before walking away.
Mason spun on his chair to face the window, staring at the blue sky. 'Soon, you and your parents' secrets will be mine, Cody Cooper.'
At that moment, a monitor standing on his desk was ringing like a phone. He turned to it and pressed a button, making the screen show the face of a man in a black business. He was bald and had squared glasses over his blue eyes.
"Ah, Mr. Fenton. I'm glad you called." Mason greeted. "I take it you wish to discuss our little business."
"As a matter of fact, I do!" Mr. Fenton replied angrily. "And I have something to say about that... You can't buy my company!"
Mason folded his fingers. "Please, Mr. Fenton. Surely you realize that your company is about to go bankrupt. The chance that you'll be able to rise up seems very unlikely. Why not just let me buy it and get it over with?"
"No! I don't care what you think of my company's state, I can still save it! I know I can! I don't care how much I need to do to accomplish that, but I will! So I say it again. You can't buy my company!"
Mason shook his head. "You can try all you want, but no matter how you look at it, it's doomed." Then, he smirked. "Of course, there is a way to fix that."
Mr. Fenton blinked. "What? What are you talking about?"
"Why, I'm proposing you a chance to save your company. A way to settle our business. If you were to be successful, then your company will have a better future."
After a silent moment, Mr. Fenton asked. "What are you suggesting?"
"A public duel."
"A duel?" Mr. Fenton repeated. "Why?"
"Simple." Mason held up a finger. "If you duel me, and win, then the performance of your dueling skills will certainly make people grow more interested in your business."
"Hmmm." That made Mr. Fenton thoughtful.
"However..." Mason continued. "I only have one condition in case you accept this proposal. If I win, then you have no choice but to sell your company to me."
Now, Mr. Fenton looked conflicted. Of course, why wouldn't he? While this could give him a chance to save his company, it would be devastating if he lost.
"Well, Mr. Fenton? Do we have a bargain?"
Mr. Fenton thought really, really hard about this. After for what felt like a long while, he sighed in defeat. "Fine. I accept."
Mason smirked. "Excellent. I'll arrange it so we can duel later this afternoon. Be sure that you're prepared."
"We're going to keep investigating to see if we can find something more. And if we do, then you'll find out in the next message."
"And we decided to entrust it to your cousin, Eric. We made sure that he won't reveal it to anyone except you. So just go to him and he'll give it to you. Good luck, Cody."
Back in Eric's apartment, Cody and Jeremy were currently showing the pro duelist the message they found a while back, using a laptop he had. In fact, they had the other memory cards gathered together on the table in the living room. Meaning that they spent the last few minutes to watch all the messages they gathered up to this.
Once the last one reached its end, silence filled the room. But only for a moment before Eric, who placed a hand on his head with a shocked expression, spoke up. "This... is... unbelievable! So you guys are telling me that the Morningstar Foundation killed Uncle Cedric and Aunt Sandra, took over New Domino Tech Corp, and tried to capture you... all so Mason Morningstar could get his filthy hands on their secrets?!"
Cody lowered his head with a grim expression. "Unfortunately, that's exactly what we're saying."
"And we've been searching for their clues ever since." Jeremy added.
"Man." Eric almost collapsed on the couch. "No wonder all of those things happened long ago. I can't believe the Morningstar Foundation would do this." He then narrowed his eyes. "If all of this is true... why didn't you head to Sector Security?"
"Come again?" Cody asked, a little caught off guard.
"It's clear that Mason Morningstar is the one behind all of this, right? So why not head to the Sector Security's headquarters? With all these videos you've found, you have enough evidence to put him behind bars..."
"Slow down!" Cody interrupted. "I agree. The videos do have some evidence to use against him. But I think it's too early for that."
"What do you mean?!" Eric asked aggressively.
"Just calm down and listen, okay?" Cody said sternly. "For starters, according to that last message, my parents were supposed to investigate this matter further in hope to find something more. Something that they might tell me in the next message, which they let you to take care of."
Eric's aggressiveness was replaced by thoughtfulness. "Now that you mention it, the very last day I saw Aunt Sandra before their... end, she gave me something." He stood up and walked over to a drawer, from which he took out a small green box. "She said that it was something she made for you. Something that I wasn't supposed to give to anyone else, but you." He walked back to them and handed Cody the box. "I never understood that. Especially since I never once opened this box. But now with all of this craziness in mind, I realize that it must be the next message."
"Yeah, I think so." Cody nodded. "And I also think it's really important to get every last message my mom and dad left for me. Because every message we find gives us more answers about the many questions about the Morningstar Foundation, their interest in me. Everything. That's why we should wait with showing this to the Sector Security. We need to learn everything about Mason's motives. Only then can we show them the evidence."
Eric frowned and rubbed his forehead. "I... I'm sorry. I need a moment." He stood up abruptly and rushed into the bathroom.
"Do you think he'll be okay?" Jeremy asked, looking concerned.
"He just needs some time to swallow all of this." Cody replied.
Inside the bathroom, Eric splashed some water on his face. After a couple of splashing, he stared at his reflection.
'To think so much happened all because of Mason Morningstar. And Cody. He's risking practically everything to stop him.'
He lowered his head. 'Uncle... Aunt... Just what is it that the Morningstar Foundation is hoping to get from you?'
Cody and Jeremy have been sitting on the couch for a while now. Waiting patiently for Eric to come back. Just when they started to get worried, they heard the bathroom door open. And then, Eric walked back with relatively slow steps.
"You okay?" Cody asked.
The pro duelist nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. A little shaken, maybe. But fine." He walked over to them. He narrowed his eyes. "Which is more than I can say about Mason Morningstar, once we take him down. Cody, this whole thing is definitely dangerous. But... if you're really going to risk your life to find the remaining clues, then I'll stand by you. Let's make sure that he's got what's coming for him!"
Cody and Jeremy smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Eric." The former said.
"Anything for you, cousin." Eric smiled back. "Speaking of which, maybe we should take a look at what I've been keeping for you during all these years."
"Right." Cody brought up and opened it. And sure enough, there was another memory card. They inserted the memory card into Eric's laptop, allowing a new video file to appear. Clicking on it, another message from his parents was now revealed.
"Cody. If you're watching this, that means you're getting really close now." Cedric said.
"In our last message, we said that we let you know what we would find. And we did find something." Sandra said.
The boys tensed a bit.
"As you know, we've been trying to access that locked file in Mason's computer." Cedric continued.
"It was really tricky to guess the password. Especially with the limited time we had every time we had a meeting with him." Sandra added. "And also since he never once mentioned anything more about his military idea for us. But that didn't stop us worrying about it."
Cody narrowed his eyes.
"Our point is... with some pure luck, we managed to crack the file open."
The boys widened their eyes.
"And what we found inside it was certainly not what we expected." Cedric said grimly.
"However, given the limited the time we had when we found out, all we could do was memorize what we saw and make some blueprints based on what we saw." Sandra said as the computer now showed what appeared to be designs of tanks, helicopters with machine guns. And what was also shown was the designs of some kind of armor. The helmet looked like it had a visor. The upper part of the armor looked a little bulky and heavy.
"Man..." Eric muttered, a little astounded.
"They designed armor as well?" Jeremy asked in disbelief.
Cody was just staring at the designs.
"But that's not all." Cedric said. "We also noticed something particular about those designs. And that something was this..." The designs were suddenly zoomed in, showing a certain insignia.
An insignia the boys recognized al too well. "SECURITY!?"
"Apparently, these particular war machines seem to be meant for Sector Security." Sandra said with a frown. "Which is very unusual, because there's no real reason for that place to have a military upgrade."
"But whatever reason the Morningstar Foundation has to make these for the Sector Security, it can't be good." Cedric added. "However, things are getting worse." The image of the video changed, showing Cody's parents typing on a computer. "Recently, our computer has been sensing some hacking attempts into the system. Thankfully, our firewalls kept the hackers away."
"It's possible that they're after our secrets." Sandra said, turning serious. "And if it's the Morningstar Foundation, then it could be really awful if Mason intends to use them for his purposes."
"And there's more..." Cedric rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a bandage on his arm. "We have been attacked again. And we barely got away this time."
"It was more ferocious than last time." Sandra added, turning serious. "Something tells us that Mason really wants to get us out of the picture. So, given how much we learned so far, and thought about it very hard, we decided to make one last message. And... we have entrusted it to Sonia." The video showed a small picture near its lower left corner. It showed the face of a woman with brown eyes and green hair in shoulder length. And she seemed to be wearing a maid headband.
"Find Sonia and she'll give you the final message. And Cody... be careful, my son." Cedric said.
"Good luck, Cody." Sandra finished, right before the video reached its end.
And the entire apartment was silent. The boys stared at the laptop with bewildered looks on their faces. Eventually, Cody broke the silence. "No way... The Morningstar Foundation..."
"Is making war machines for Sector Security?" Jeremy filled in.
"That's crazy!" Eric said, almost hysterically. "Sure, it may be the Security's job to keep the city safe and deal with criminals, but giving them stuff like this would be overkill!"
"Just what is Mason Morningstar up to?" Cody muttered. "First producing war machines and now this. And what are those secrets that he wants to get his hands on?"
"Do you think your parents hid those secrets along with the final message?" Jeremy wondered.
"Possibly. However..." Cody rubbed his chin in thought. "My parents said that they left that message to someone named Sonia. And I have no idea who she is."
"Oh right. You have amnesia." Eric remembered. "But maybe I can help with that." Eric stood up and walked over to a drawer. He opened it and took out what looked like an album. He opened it and revealed many photos. "Here, look at this."
Cody and Jeremy focused on the photo the pro duelist pointed at. It showed a younger Cody and Eric standing together, with wide grins while forming peace signs with their fingers. Standing right behind them were his parents. And the both of them looked really happy, unlike how they were in those videos they left for Cody. But the center of the boys' attention was the person standing next to Cody's mom. It was the very person that they just saw in that video. Sonia. And she was, by all means, dressed like a maid. And she was smiling as well. A small, yet very kind one.
"So is that her?" Cody asked.
"Yup, that's her." Eric replied. "Sonia used to work for your mom as a maid, which you probably guessed by her looks. She always served the Cooper family and did all kinds of things for their sake. In fact, she used to be your caretaker. Whenever your parents were out, she was always the one babysitting you."
"Is that so?" He asked, staring at the picture.
"It sure was. There were even a few times I were in your place when she did." Eric smiled fondly. "She was always kind and considerate. Though she could be a little strict sometimes. Especially when we were doing homework..."
Flashback
The younger Cody and Eric sat together at a table, doing some homework. And Sonia was supervising them.
"No, no, no. That's wrong." Sonia said sternly. "Try again."
"Oh, come on!" Eric whined. "Can't we take a break already?!"
Sonia shook her head. "You know the rules. Homework first. TV afterward."
Eric whimpered with anime tears.
Cody was laughing nervously.
Flashback end
"She wouldn't let us go before we were finished." Eric laughed a bit.
"But she would reward us with my mom's homemade cookies after being done." Cody laughed as well.
Eric blinked. "Wait! How do you remember that?"
Cody stopped and looked a little surprised. "I... don't know. It just... came to my mind."
Jeremy smiled. "It sounds like a little bit of your memories came back."
Cody lowered his head. "Memories huh? That's been bothering me quite a lot. For the last 10 years, I've been trying to remember my past. Trying to figure out who I am and where I came from. And ever since I started to look for my parents' messages, I started to learn a little bit. But what I learned so far has been like mere fragments of my past."
Eric placed a hand on his shoulder, getting his attention. "Then I guess you and I have some catching up to do. I might as well tell you the good old times."
Cody smiled appreciatively. "Yes, please."
"Alright then..." Eric flipped the pages. "Let's start with this." He pointed to a photo showing him and Cody in their younger days where they were on a beach. "This is from one time when we went on vacation..."
Flashback
Younger Cody and Eric ran on the sandy beach, laughing joyfully. They stood near the water of the ocean. Whenever the waves met the land, they ran back to avoid it.
"It was in Italy. A nice vacation spot. Especially at the beach near the Amalfi Coast."
Flashback end
As Cody stared at the photo, his eyes widened slowly. "We also went there because... your dad had some things to do at a museum."
"For real?" Jeremy turned to him.
Eric nodded. "Yup, you got that right. You really do remember a little. So, do you happen to remember the name of the museum?"
Cody rubbed the back of his head. "Not really."
"Well, the name is kinda tricky, so I don't blame you. But just for fun, I'll give you a hint. Take a look at this photo."
Cody glanced at the phot Eric was pointing at. It showed him, Eric, and a man with a white shirt and black pants. His hair was brown, just like Eric's, but shorter and had no white highlights. Other than that, he kinda looked like an older version of Eric. The three of them were standing together right in front of a mammoth skeleton.
"Does this photo bring back any memories?" Eric asked.
"Hmmm..." Cody stared at it. "Well, now that I look at it, I feel something coming to me. A name... I think." He closed his eyes, thinking it over really hard. The other boys waited patiently as they stared at him. And then, his eyes opened. "Giacomo Doria!"
"What-the-what?" Jeremy asked confused.
"Giacomo Doria." Cody repeated. "That's the name this photo reminds me of. That name is..." He turned to Eric. "The name of that museum!"
"Ding ding ding! You got it!" The pro duelist replied. "That's the name of the museum we visited."
Flashback
The younger Cody and Eric were inside the museum, staring at an exhibition of different kinds of animalistic skeletons. While they were focused on that, Eric's dad was standing nearby, talking to a man in a business suit, probably the owner of the museum.
"The reason my dad needed to be there was to give them his opinions regarding the evolutionary life related to some fossils."
Flashback end
"He does that kind of stuff. It's a paleontologist thing." Eric explained.
"What's a paleontologist?" Jeremy asked curiously.
"As a paleontologist, my dad studies the ancient life, from dinosaurs to prehistoric plants, mammals, fish, insects, fungi, and even microbes. Fossil evidence reveals how organisms changed over time and what our planet was like long ago."
"Oh." Cody and Jeremy nodded.
"Yeah, I kind of find it fascinating." Eric grinned sheepishly. "And that happens to be the reason why I became a duelist with a dinosaur deck.
Cody smiled a bit at that.
Meanwhile, people were gathered together at the arena in Kaiba Dome. There was excitement in the air. Soon enough, the MC spoke up.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Duelists young and old, professional and amateur alike! We've got something really special for this match! Two duelists, who also happen to be businessmen, are about to settle some affairs between themselves in this duel!"
The crowd cheered, eager to see the match start.
"Now let's meet our competitors. At one end, we have a man whose company is rumored to be almost out of business. Meaning this is his chance to save it. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you... Mr. Damian Fenton!" The crowd applauded as Mr. Fenton appeared on a platform that rose up from the ground.
"And next, we have a respectful man who is the CEO of the most famous data company in the world. A man who likes to 'judge' people by dueling them. That's right, folks! It's Mason Morningstar!" Mason appeared on a second platform coming up from the ground.
"I hope you're ready, Mr. Fenton." Mason said evenly.
"Yes, I am." Mr. Fenton replied, narrowing his eyes.
"You remember our deal, yes?"
"Yes, yes. If I win, then my company is safe. You win, then it's yours."
Mason smiled. "Then let's not waste more time."
"Sounds like they're ready to go!" The MC commented. "Duelists, activate your duel disks!"
The two businessmen did as he said and drew their opening hands.
"LET'S DUEL!"
Mason: 4000
Damian: 4000
"The first move is mine." Mason declared and drew his sixth card. "I play one facedown monster in defense mode." A facedown a card appeared. "Then I'll end my turn with another card facedown." Another facedown card appeared.
"My turn!" Damian drew. "First I summon Marauding Captain in attack mode!" A blonde warrior in a rusty armor with a red cape, wielding a sword appeared. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 400 LV: 3) "And with this monster summoned to the field, I can summon a level 4 or lower monster from my hand. And I choose my second Marauding Captain!" An duplicate of the first warrior appeared. (ATK: 1200 DEF: 400 LV: 3) "Then I activate the spell card, The A. Forces!" A spell card appeared and released some blue energy that entered their bodies. "With this in play, for every warrior or spellcaster type monster on my side of the field, all my warriors gain 200 extra attack points." (ATK: 1200-1600) x2
"And it looks like Mr. Fenton is starting rather big by playing two monsters at once while giving them a power boost! This might be trouble for Mr. Morningstar!"
"Marauding Captain number 1, attack his facedown monster!" One of the warriors charged forward and swung with his sword, cutting the facedown monster card in half. At that moment, a white wolf wearing a few armor pieces was revealed. (ATK: 200 DEF: 100 LV: 2)
"I'm afraid that you just attacked a monster called Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter." Mason spoke up. "And by doing so, you triggered its flip effect, which allows me to do two things. First of all, one card is destroyed. And I choose the Marauding Captain that you haven't attacked yet."
Damian gasped as the wolf pounced on his other warrior, sinking its teeth into his left shoulder before they both exploded. (ATK: 1600-1400)
"And after that, I get to send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard."
Damian gave Mason a confused look as he drew three cards and discarded them.
"Whoa! It looks like Mr. Morningstar was able to save himself. And with just one single monster effect. Talk about a counterattack!"
Damian frowned before inserting a card into his duel disk. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn." Mason drew his next card. "And I summon Jain, Lightsworn Paladin in attack mode." In a flare of radiance, an androgynous female paladin appeared. She was clad in white armor with a cape that was white on the outside and red on the inside, carrying a shield and a glowing white sword. (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1200 LV: 4) "Now attack his Marauding Captain with Lightsworn Slash!" The paladin charged in with her sword at her side.
"I don't think so, Mr. Morningstar!" Damian interjected. "I activate the trap card, Battleguard Rage!" His facedown card flipped up. "With this card, I can increase my warrior type monster's attack points by 1000. Meaning my Marauding Captain is now stronger than your monster!" The blonde warrior roared as power surged through his body. (ATK: 1400-2400)
"Impressive move." Mason said rather calmly. "That means my Paladin won't stand a chance. That is..." He smirked. "If I don't use a trap card from my graveyard."
"Your graveyard!?" Damian repeated, giving him an incredulous look.
"Indeed." Mason pulled out a card from the graveyard slot and revealed it. "Remember, Ryko sent three of my cards to the graveyard, including this one. It's called Skill Successor. And it has an effect that I can use during my turn when it's in the graveyard. By removing it from play, I can give my monster 800 additional attack points for one turn." The Paladin glowed with a white aura. (ATK: 1800-2600)
Damian gasped. "Oh no!"
"I'm afraid it's true. Oh, did I mention Jain's special ability? Whenever she attacks another monster, she gains 300 more attack points." The Paladin's blade glowed brightly. (ATK: 2600-2900) She then swung with it, landing a horizontal slash on the opposing warrior, who cried out before shattering into pixels.
Damian: 4000-3500
(ATK: 2900-2600) "And now I'll end my turn. However, that means Jain's second effect activates, which makes me pay a small price. I must send two cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard." Mason drew two cards and discarded them. (ATK: 2600-1800)
"I draw!" Damian drew. "And I activate the spell card, Pot of Greed, which allows me to draw two more cards." He drew his extra cards and looked at them. "Then I summon Marmiting Captain in defense mode!" A new monster appeared on the field. He looked just like Marauding Captain, except that he was wearing a white apron over his armor while holding a ladle. (ATK: 1200-1400 DEF: 400 LV: 3) "Then I activate his special ability. He lets me select one card from my hand and shuffle it back into my deck." Damian took a card and placed it into his deck, allowing it to shuffle itself automatically. "And then, I draw a new card, and if it happens to be a monster card, then I'm allowed to summon it to the field."
"So Mr. Fenton is gonna depend on luck in the hopes of turning this duel around! Is his gamble gonna pay off?"
Mason remained calm.
"Now I draw!" Damian drew his new card and looked at it. He smiled. "Look at that. It's a monster card. A monster card known as Penumbral Soldier Lady!" From a flash of light, a female warrior appeared. She had long, blonde hair, wearing silver armor. She was wielding a shield with a crescent moon symbol and a sword. (ATK: 2100-2500 DEF: 1400 LV: 6) (ATK: 1400-1600)
"Look at that! Mr. Fenton lucked out and managed to summon a really powerful monster. The question is, can Mr. Morningstar handle his troop of mighty warriors?" The crowd cheered.
Despite witnessing Damian's apparent comeback, Mason smiled.
Back to Cody and the others
"And this is from when we tagged along with my dad to take a look at a few fossils." Eric said, pointing at a photo. It showed him and Cody looking at a table with different samples of fossils, which the former's dad were studying.
"There sure were plenty of them." Cody noted.
"Got that right. Many of different species as well."
"I must say that it's kind of interesting." Jeremy admitted.
"Uh-huh." Eric flipped the page.
At that moment, Cody's eyes were drawn to a certain photo. It showed him, Eric and a few other people having what appeared to be a party. But what really caught his attention was the person standing right next to him. It was a girl, with black hair in shoulder length and light-blue eyes. She was wearing a white t-shirt and a turquoise skirt.
"That girl..." He muttered.
"Huh?" Eric turned to him.
"What is it?" Jeremy asked.
"That girl..." Cody repeated, pointing at the photo. "She looks familiar."
"Really?" Jeremy's eyes widened.
Eric glanced at the photo and smiled. "Oh, that girl. She sure is someone you should recognize. Does this photo bring back any memories?"
"Well, I can't say that it reminds me so much. But that girl in particular... I've seen her in a dream."
"A dream?"
"Yes, I've been dreaming the same kind of dream for a long time." Cody said as he closed his eyes. "It always started with me sitting on one of the swings in the local park. I was alone while other kids were playing. Eventually, I was approached by this girl. But then..." He gritted his teeth.
Flashback
BANG!
"I found myself in a dark place, hearing the sound of a gun. And screaming."
"NOO! NOOOO! HOW DARE YOU-!"
BANG!
"And all I could do was run."
Flashback end
"It's been haunting me for as long as I can remember." Cody almost panted as he finished.
Jeremy gave him a sympathetic look.
"Man that sounds awful." Eric said. "Sorry to hear that."
"Thanks." Cody replied gratefully. "Anyway, that's all I know about this girl. Just who is she?"
"You may not remember her, but I do." Eric smiled. "For starters, her name is Misty Tredwell."
"Misty." Cody repeated.
"Yeah. And the two you have a history. You've been friends back in the day."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. I may not have met her as many times as you did, but what I know is that the two you were always playing together." Eric then pointed to the photo. "And this is from one time when she came over to celebrate your birthday with us..."
Flashback
The party took place in a big garden. There were tables with some food standing nearby. There were some adults talking to each other while the kids were playing with each other.
"And it sure was a great birthday party. Plenty of great food. Of course the best part was when you opened your birthday presents. Oh! And in case you have no memory about it, it was that particular day I gave you the Submareed Tour Ride card."
"Really?" Cody asked.
"Yup."
Younger Cody was approached his cousin, who held up the named card. "Here you go, Cody! Happy birthday!"
"Whoa!" Cody said and took the card. "This card is awesome. Thanks!"
Eric grinned.
"And Misty happened to have a card to give you as well."
The girl walked up to Cody and held up a card. "Here, Cody. Happy birthday!"
Flashback end
"Oh!" Cody's eyes widened.
"What is it?" Jeremy asked.
"Did that remind you of something?" Eric asked.
"I'm not really sure." Cody rubbed his chin. "But there was one time when I dueled someone and I drew a certain card, and something came to my mind when I did. It was a faint memory, but it was a memory of someone giving me that card."
"Oh yeah? And what card was it?"
Cody pulled out his deck and searched through it. After a moment, he found it. "This one." He said, holding up his Cobra Jar card.
Eric stared at it briefly before smiling. "Ah, that's the card Misty gave you on your birthday."
"So it was Misty who gave me this card." Cody muttered, staring at the card.
Flashback
"That's right. And you certainly liked that card."
"Hey, this card's pretty cool!" Cody said happily.
Eric blinked while scratching the side of his head. "Really? It doesn't look that strong though."
"So what? I don't care if it isn't super strong. I think it's really cool."
Misty smiled at his words. "Thanks, Cody." And at that, she gave him a hug, making him blush a bit.
Flashback end
"She certainly was happy with your words." Eric said, giving him a teasing smile.
"I can imagine that." Cody replied before giving him a curious look. "Say, do you know how she's doing?"
Eric hesitated for a moment before lowering his head.. "Well, I haven't met up with her since the day your parents died and you disappeared."
Cody and Jeremy frowned.
"I can imagine how Misty must have felt, especially after learning about your disappearance." He then held up a finger. "But, from what I've heard the last few years, she made quite a name for herself. Nowadays, she's been famous around the world as a supermodel."
"Supermodel?" Cody and Jeremy repeated.
"Yup, she has grown up to be quite the beauty. Let me show you..." Eric then started to type on his laptop. Moments later, an article of some kind appeared. And after clicking on it, one of its pictures enlarged. "Here's one example."
Cody leaned closer to have a look at the picture of Misty. And she was definitely much different in this picture than the one in Eric's album. She was a tall woman of elegance, and her black hair was longer, with her bangs parted. And then, there was her outfit. She was wearing a black dress with one right shoulder, but no left shoulder, and a V-shaped cut on the left side, showing off her left leg. She was also wearing a white feathery armwear on her left forearm and black, high heeled shoes.
"Wow!" Cody muttered as he couldn't help but stare at the picture.
"Right.~" Eric said, giving a teasing smile again. "She seems to be doing fine. But I can imagine how much better she would feel if she gets to see you."
Cody snapped out of it. "Yeah." He nodded before glancing at the picture again.
Back in Kaiba Dome
"Now my Soldier Lady! Attack his Lightsworn Paladin!" At Damian's command, the sword and shield wielding warrior lady charged forward.
"I activate my trap! Lightsworn Barrier!" Mason's facedown card flipped up. And then, a crystallized dome was forming itself around the paladin. Damian's warrior slashed the barrier with her sword, but it had no effect.
"What in the...?" Damian trailed off as his eyes widened.
"I'm sorry about that, Mr. Fenton." Mason apologized, but the apology didn't sound sincere. "But with my Lightsworn Barrier in play, I can negate any attack against one of my Lightsworn monsters. All I have to do is send two cards from the top of my deck to the graveyard." He drew two cards and discarded them. At that moment, there was a small light flashing from the graveyard slot. "Well, look at that."
"What? What is it?" Damian asked nervously.
"One of the cards that I just sent to the graveyard is a certain monster card that can't be summoned in the normal manner. It can only be summoned by the effect of a card. Which includes its very own effect. As soon as it's sent from my deck to the graveyard, it's automatically summoned to the field."
"Huh?!" Damian looked shocked.
"So now I summon Wulf, Lightsworn Beast in attack mode!" From a flash of light, another warrior appeared. This one was a humanoid wolf wearing armor similar to Jain's, and wielding a spear. (ATK: 2100 DEF: 300 LV: 4)
Damian frowned. "I end my turn."
"Very well." Mason drew. "I summon Lyla, Lightsworn Sorceress." From a flash of light, another woman appeared. A woman with long black hair. She was wearing a white dress and cape, while wielding a golden scepter with an emerald on top. (ATK: 1700 DEF: 200 LV: 4) "She has a quite handy ability. In exchange for switching her to defense mode, I can have her destroy one spell or trap card on your field. So, I'm afraid your spell card, The A. Forces, will have to go."
Damian gasped as the sorceress waved her scepter and shot a green light at his spell card, shattering it. (ATK: 2500-2100) (1600-1200) After that, she kneeled down.
"Now without that continuous spell, Mr. Fenton might have his work cut short!" The MC commented.
"Indeed, he will." Mason agreed. "Especially since I'm now equipping Jain with the spell card, Lightsworn Sabre." Jain's sword transformed into a sleek rapier with a glowing blade. "This new weapon grants a Lightsworn monster 700 more attack points." (ATK: 1800-2500) "And that gives my Paladin enough power to eliminate your Penumbral Soldier Lady. Now, attack!" The paladin charged forward.
Everyone watched as she closed in on her opponent. (ATK: 2500-2800) And then, she stabbed her with her rapier...
CLANG!
Only to be blocked by the Soldier Lady's shield.
"Hm?" Mason raised an eyebrow.
"Nice try, Mr. Morningstar." Damian said with a smirk. "But my Soldier Lady has a special ability. If she battles a light attribute monster, she gains 1000 attack points." (ATK: 2100-3100) His warrior monster swung her sword, shattering the paladin to pixels.
Mason: 4000-3700
"Whoa! Despite Mr. Morningstar's effort to weaken his opponent's defense, Mr. Fenton was able to strike back with a strong counterattack!"
(ATK: 3100-2100) Mason simply shrugged. "Well, I didn't expect that. No matter. It's still my turn. And I'll have my Wulf attack your Marmiting Captain!" The humanoid wolf howled and charged forward. It thrusted its spear and stabbed the apron wearing warrior, chattering him to pixels. "And then, I end my turn, meaning Lyla's ability activates. I must send the top 3 cards of my deck to the graveyard." He drew three cards and discarded them.
"I draw!" Damian drew his next card and looked at it. "I activate the spell card, Reload! This lets me shuffle my entire hand into my deck." He inserted his two remaining cards into his deck, which was then automatically shuffled. "And then, I draw the same number of cards." He drew his new cards and took a look at them. He then smiled. "This will do. First I summon Armed Samurai - Ben Kei!" A samurai in a white hood and green tunic appeared, carrying various weapons on his back. He looked like he was in a very tough battle as arrows were in his limbs, yet still able to fight. (ATK: 500 DEF: 800 LV: 4)
"Pardon my rudeness, but that new monster doesn't seem much to me." Mason stated.
"Just you wait, Mr. Morningstar." Damian said and held up his other card. "Because I have an equip spell card known as United We Stand. It gives the equipped monster 800 attack and defense points for every face-up monster I control. And I'll add those points to my samurai." The samurai roared as he was filled with power. (ATK: 500-2100 DEF: 800-2400) "Now attack his Lightsworn Sorceress!" The samurai grabbed a spear with a bladed tip and charged forward.
"Impressive. However, I still have my Lightsworn Barrier in play. So I'll use its effect to block your attack." As Mason got rid of two cards from his deck, the crystalized dome appeared around the sorceress, blocking a slashing strike from the samurai.
"I'm afraid Ben Kei isn't finished yet. Thanks to his special ability, he can attack one more time for every card he's equipped with. So thanks to United We Stand, he can attack again." The samurai prepared to strike.
"Then I'll use my Lightsworn Barrier again." Mason got rid of two more cards. The dome glowed white as the samurai struck it with his weapon, failing again.
"Now, Penumbral Soldier Lady, attack his Wulf!" The female warrior charged forward.
"Activate Lightsworn Barrier!" Mason sent two more cards to the graveyard. And then, the dome was formed around the humanoid wolf, protecting it from a strike from the female warrior's sword.
"So much assault from Mr. Fenton's warriors, but Mr. Morningstar was able to hold on! This duel is so heart pounding!"
"You can't protect yourself forever." Damian pointed out. "Sooner or later, you'll run out of cards, and that will leave you defenseless."
But Mason smirked. 'If you think I'll run out of cards before I defeat you, then you're sadly mistaken.'
"Now, make your move."
"If you insist." Mason drew and looked over his hand. He glanced at a card on the far left. 'I could release my most powerful monster. But that won't be necessary.' He then grabbed another card. "First I'll release Lyla in order to advance summon Celestia, Lightsworn Angel." The sorceress was enveloped in bright light. And then, moments later, she was replaced by a beautiful blue-haired angel. She wore a white armored battle dress that did not hinder her long, elegant wings. She was carrying a long scepter with a sun ornament. (ATK: 2300 DEF: 200 LV: 5) "I'm afraid that you lose, Mr. Fenton."
"What do you mean?!" Damian demanded.
"Allow me to explain. When I summon Celestia by using a Lightsworn monster as a sacrifice, I can send the top 4 cards of my deck to the graveyard and then destroy up to two cards on your field."
Damian gasped as Mason drew 4 cards and discarded them.
Celestia started to ascend while she muttered something in unknown language. While this happened, the sun ornament on her scepter started to glow. And then, she shot a blast of light at both of Mr. Fenton's monsters, leaving him completely defenseless. "And now, my Lightsworn monsters! Attack his life points directly!" The angel spread her wings and emanated a really bright light, which caused Mr. Fenton to cover his eyes with his arms. Because of that, he failed to see the humanoid wolf rush at him and strike him with his spear. He cried out as he fell down on the ground.
Damian: 3500-0000
"It looks like we have winner! Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Mr. Mason Morningstar!" As soon the MC finished that sentence, the crowd applauded rather loudly for the CEO of Morningstar Foundation.
Damian groaned as he got up, only to be approached by his opponent.
"Well, Mr. Fenton. It looks like I won. And you remember our agreement, right?" He reminded him while smirking. "Your company belongs to me now."
Damian gritted his teeth as he lowered he face the ground. "I'm ruined."
Back to Cody and the others
"So yeah, we probably should pay Misty a visit someday." Eric suggested.
"Right." Cody nodded. "I almost forgot. We need to find Sonia if we're going to get the final message. So, do you where she lives?"
At that, Eric frowned and lowered his head. "I'm really sorry, Cody. But I have no idea where she is. After what happened to your parents, she just simply vanished, kind of like you. No one has seen her at all ever since."
Cody and Jeremy frowned. "That is a problem." The latter said.
"Tell me about it." Cody agreed. "I wonder what happened to her."
Somewhere, in a living room, a person was dusting some furnitures. The person reached a shelf with a few photos they stopped to take look at one of them. This photo showed a younger Cody standing together with his parents and their maid, Sonia.
And that's that. And someone mentioned to me recently that it's been one year Kazuki Takahashi passed away. May the Heart of the Cards guide him, and his soul Rest In Peace. Until next time.