BACK TO DUEL! This time, we're dealing with a dueling legend and I'm not talking about Yugi or Kaiba! You'll just have to find out! ROLL IT!
We're in an Ancient Egyptian tomb, surrounded by hoards of servants. Two of which open a sarcophagus, which awakens an ancient pharaoh. The servants knelt to this ancient king.
"Why has my slumber been disrupted?" The pharaoh questioned.
"To fulfill your duty to the shadows..." a voice beckoned to the pharaoh.
"READY MY VESSEL!"
It was time for Duel History class with Professor Banner. Today's lesson was on legendary Duelists like Yugi and Kaiba - the best of their generation.
"And best looking, too!" Reggie gushed.
"Total dreamboats!" Clio chimed in.
"HEY!" Twister and Otto chided.
However, there were other duelists before the days of Yugi and Kaiba. They used to play Duel Monsters in Ancient Egypt. This revelation shocked Jaden.
"Guess you must've fallen asleep in that class, Jaden-man!" Twister reprimanded.
Professor Banner went on to explain that one of the best in Ancient Egypt was a powerful pharaoh known as Abidos the Third. He was so powerful that he was undefeated. Hearing this, Jaden's eyes lit up. The Slifer Red duelist went on to say that he would've taken down that unbeaten record. Chazz then sarcastically rebuttalled that then he would've taken down Yugi and Kaiba. Not knowing the sarcasm, Jaden took this as a show of confidence. This led to a small tussle that leads right to a detention.
"Again, Syrus?" Sam questioned.
"Aw, man! 5th time this week!" Syrus cowered.
That night, Alexis, Zane, Reggie and Clio meet up at the pier. Alexis has been going through a lot between her brother returning and all the Shadow Rider business.
"Thanks for coming, you guys," Alexis started. "I thought having my brother back would clear everything up, but...it hasn't. There's more questions than ever now. Then there's this whole Shadow Rider deal...I just don't know what to do, guys."
"Nor do I, Alexis," Zane replied stoically.
"Same goes for Clio and myself, Alexis," Reggie said.
"But right now, just know that you're safe and if you ever need anyone to talk to, we're here," Clio told Alexis.
"Clio, Reggie...I don't know what I did to deserve friends like you...so, thanks..."
Just then, the ground started shaking and out of it came an army of mummies that surrounded the group. Another group of mummies surrounded Otto, Twister, Syrus, Chazz, Sam and Jaden.
"GIVE US THE SPIRIT KEYS!" One of the mummies growled.
"Our keys?!" Otto freaked.
"That can only mean one thing...A SHADOW RIDER!" Twister said as a gold plane descended.
"DUELISTS...I HAVE COME FOR YOU!"
The Key Keepers and their friends were soon taken aboard the plane in question. Jaden woke up and was soon greeted by Otto.
"Welcome back, Jaden."
"Where are we, Otto?" Jaden asked.
"Feels like we're in Ancient Egypt, if you ask me," Reggie said to Jaden.
"And that guy...looks like the picture Banner showed us in class today," Clio pointed out.
"That's Abidos the Third, Clio?"
Clio nodded. "No doubt about it. He's a Shadow Rider - after those Sacred Beasts, I'm sure of it."
"WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA?!" Twister called out.
"Come now, young man. That's no way to address an Egyptian pharaoh!" Abidos chided as he turned his attention to Reggie, Clio and Alexis. "You'd make fine palace girls, my darlings."
"BACK OFF, PUNK! THAT'S MY GIRLFRIEND AND MY COUSIN YOU'RE TALKING TO THERE!"
"Well your cousin is right...I'm one of the 7 Shadow Riders. So leave your keys and walk away. You don't want to duel me," Abidos taunted.
"You're sorely mistaken! You tried to hit on my girlfriend, which makes this personal!" Twister fumed, activating his Duel Disk. Jaden and Zane soon followed.
"If Twist is dueling, so am I! GET YOUR GAME ON!" Jaden called out, activating his Duel Disk.
"This guy's undefeated, Twister. You'll need all the help you can get," Zane said as his Duel Disk activated.
"FINE! Since this is a 3 on 1 duel, you'll all start with 8000 Life Points, while I begin with 3 times that amount - 24,000! Additionally, no player may attack on the first turn, unless it's with a Quick-Attack card. Agreed?"
"BRING IT!" The trio called out.
"DUEL!"
Jaden: 8000
Twister: 8000
Zane: 8000
Abidos: 24000
"I'll make the first move!" Abidos declared, drawing his card. "Let's see...I think I'll summon PHARONIC PROTECTOR in Defense Mode!"
ATK: 900
DEF: 0
"I'll then play one card face down. Your turn."
"Time to show you how we duel in the 21st century!" Jaden exclaimed, drawing his card.
"Not before I play my Trap Card - THE FIRST SARCOPHAGUS!"
"What's that do?" Twister asked.
"I'm afraid you'll have to wait until I play another two Sarcophagi first, Key Keepers."
"Whatever. Now for some Duel Monsters tricks of my own! So first...here's ELEMENTAL HERO AVIAN!"
ATK: 1000
DEF: 1000
"Next I play E-EMERGENCY CALL! This will let me bring an Elemental Hero from my deck to my hand! That ends my turn. You're up, Twister!"
"Don't mind if I do! Here goes!" Twister said, drawing his card. "I play POLYMERIZATION to fuse the Avian and Lady Heat in my hand to summon out...ELEMENTAL HERO GREAT TORNADO!"
ATK: 2800
DEF: 2200
"While Great Tornado is out, any monster you dare summon will have its points cut in half!"
"NO!"
"Afraid so! Next, I play my QUICK-ATTACK card! This lets my Great Tornado attack right now! Go, HURRICANE HAMMER SHOT!"
Great Tornado flew in and punched Pharonic Protector, destroying it.
"I'll throw down 2 face-downs and end my turn. Zane, you're up!"
"Right. Here goes!" Zane declared, drawing his first card. "Since you have a monster and I don't, I can call my CYBER DRAGON to the field!"
ATK: 2100
DEF: 1600
"Next, I'll summon CYBER PHOENIX to the field in Attack Mode!"
ATK: 1200
DEF: 1600
"I'll conclude by playing 2 cards face-down. Now let's see what you got, Pharaoh!"
"Don't mind if I do! But first, I play SECOND SARCOPHAGUS! And once the third comes out, this duel, your souls and your Spirit Keys WILL BE MINE!" Abidos taunted, drawing his next card. "I play POT OF GREED! This lets me draw 2 more cards from my deck! Now, how about I give you a taste of the old school...RAIGEKI! All your monsters are now destroyed!"
A lightning bolt soon crashed onto Jaden, Twister and Zane's fields, destroying their monsters.
"Not a bad move there, Abidos...BUT I HAVE TRAPS! First is CHANGE OF HERO-REFLECTOR RAY! When an 'Elemental Hero' Fusion Monster is destroyed, I can spring this Trap on you to deal 300 points of damage to you times the level of that monster! Great Tornado's level is 8, so that means you're getting hit for 2400 points of damage!" Twister explained as a laser beam shot out of the card, hitting Abidos.
Abidos: 21600
"Next is my HERO SIGNAL! Since you destroyed one of my Heroes, I can spring another from my deck! And the Hero I'm springing is WILDHEART!"
ATK: 1500
DEF: 1600
"That may protect you, but your teammates are still wide open for assault! I play MONSTER REBORN! This brings back my Pharonic Protector! Next, I summon PHARAOH'S SERVANT!"
ATK: 900
DEF: 0
"Now, stick 'em both!" Abidos commanded as both his monsters speared Zane and Jaden.
Jaden: 7100
Zane: 7100
"I'll lay a card face-down and end my turn. Your move...if you have the strength to make it, that is!"
Jaden chuckled. "Come on! Give us present-day peeps...SOME CREDIT! My draw! I play O-OVERSOUL! This will let me bring back my Avian! Then I'll summon out my SPARKMAN!"
ATK: 1600
DEF: 1400
"Next up is this card! H-HEATED HEART! This will give my Sparkman 500 extra points! Plus, if it strikes a defensive monster, the extra damage is dealt right to you! Finally comes R-RIGHTEOUS JUSTICE!"
"Uh, Rocket Girl...what's that card do?" Otto asked.
"For every Elemental Hero that Jaden and Twister have out, one of Abidos's Spell or Trap Cards gets destroyed. Since there are 3 Heroes out between Jaden and Twister, Righteous Justice can clear out Abidos's back row," Reggie explained.
"And I'm getting rid of that First Sarcophagus you have there! Guess we won't be seeing what it does after all!" Jaden said.
"Or so you think...I chain my MAGIC JAMMER! This turns your Righteous Justice into a righteous waste!" Abidos countered as his card destroyed Jaden's Spell.
"But I can still attack! Avian, Sparkman...YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO! TAKE OUT HIS MONSTERS!"
On command, Sparkman launched lightning from his palms while Avian shot quills from his fists, destroying Abidos's monsters.
Abidos: 20300
"I'll throw down a face down and it's over to Twister!"
Twister nodded, drawing his card. "HERE GOES! I play FUSION RECOVERY! This returns a Polymerization and a Fusion Material Monster from the Grave to my hand! Next comes CARD OF SANCTITY! This forces us to draw until we're all holding 6 cards! Now I play POLYMERIZATION to fuse the Bladedge in my hand with the Wildheart I have out on the field in order to summon...ELEMENTAL HERO WILDEDGE!" he declared as his new monster appeared on the field.
ATK: 2600
DEF: 2300
"Wildedge, ATTACK ABIDOS DIRECTLY!"
Wildedge shot blades from his arms, slashing Abidos.
Abidos: 17700
"After throwing these 2 cards face-down, it's off to Zane!"
"And I know just what to do!" Zane declared after drawing his card. "First, I play my own Monster Reborn, bringing back my Cyber Dragon! Next...my POWER BOND Spell! I merge the Cyber Dragon on my field with the 2 other Cyber Dragons in my hand to summon the almighty, all-powerful...CYBER END DRAGON!"
ATK: 4000 - 8000
DEF: 2800
"Of course, at the end of the turn, I take damage equal to Cyber End Dragon's Attack Points...but it's worth it to take a serious bite out of your Life Points! CYBER END DRAGON, ATTACK! SUPER STRIDENT BLAZE!"
Abidos: 9700
"I'll also play 2 cards face-down and end my turn. With it, comes Power Bond's drawback - 4000 points of damage."
Zane: 3100
"Also with the end of your turn comes THE THIRD SARCOPHAGUS! Now I'll draw! I'll sacrifice all three sarcophagi to summon...SPIRIT OF THE PHAROAH!"
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2000
"When he comes out, I can summon up to 4 Level 2 Zombie-type monsters from my Graveyard! I'll summon 2 Pharonic Protectors and 2 Pharaoh's Servants!"
"Those guys again?" Clio questioned.
"So much for a legendary duelist. His cards look like they come from a starter deck," Reggie quipped.
This comment angered Abidos. "I'll show you not to make fun of me! I play DARK HOLE! This will destroy all of your monsters!"
A black hole appeared on the field, swallowing Cyber End Dragon, Wildedge and Avian. However, Sparkman stayed strong.
"WHAT?! How's your Sparkman still in play?"
Jaden had a Trap!
"It's a Trap called INVINCIBLE HERO! When this card is played, one Hero monster I pick can't be destroyed this turn and I choose my Sparkman!"
Twister wanted in on the fun too, Jaden!
"Hold it there, Jaden! I've got another CHANGE OF HERO-REFLECTOR RAY! Since Wildedge's level is 8, you're taking another 2400 points of damage!"
Abidos: 7300
"Then it's a good thing I have the power of THOUSAND ENERGY! This gives all my Level 2 monsters 1000 points for the duration of the turn! MONSTERS, ATTACK!" Abidos declared as his monsters swooped in and attacked Sparkman.
"Sparkman may survive the battles, but all that extra damage is going right to Jaden...for a grand total of 2100 points of damage," Sam calculated.
Jaden: 5000
"I'm not done yet! I play MISCHIEF OF THE TIME GODDESS! This lets me skip your turns and go right back to me! I choose to attack Zane and Twister directly!"
The Pharonic Protectors attacked Zane while the Spirit and the Servants hit Twister.
Zane: 0
Twister: 1700
Twister still had a trick up his sleeve.
"Open Trap Card! HERO COUNTERATTACK! Since you destroyed one of my Heroes this turn, you get to choose a card from my hand and if it's an Elemental Hero monster, I can destroy a monster on your field and Special Summon the monster you picked!" Twister explained.
"Very well. I choose the middle card!" Abidos declared. This caused Twister to laugh.
"Bad choice for you! Looks like you chose...ELEMENTAL HERO NEOS! That means your Spirit of the Pharaoh is destroyed and I get to summon Neos to the field!"
Spirit of the Pharaoh shattered and in its place on Twister's field came an 8 foot tall muscular spaceman - NEOS.
ATK: 2500
DEF: 2000
"Well then, I'll just play my SOUL GUIDE Spell Card. This lets me sacrifice one of my Servants to gain Life Points equal to its Attack Points, then move another copy of Pharaoh's Servant to my hand! While all monsters affected by Thousand Energy will be destroyed after this turn, my record will remain intact, but you most certainly will not!" Abidos gloated.
Abidos: 9200
"I beg to differ!" Jaden said as he drew his card. "First, I play my own Monster Reborn! Come on back, AVIAN! Next, I call Burstinatrix to the field in Attack Mode!"
ATK: 1200
DEF: 800
"Your 3 card combo is pretty sweet, but I have a 4 card combo! First is Heated Heart, followed by Emergency Call, Righteous Justice, and finally Oversoul! Together, they form the one and only...HERO FLASH!" Jaden explained.
"Never heard of it!" Abidos dismissed.
"Well, you'll never forget it! First, Hero Flash lets me summon Clayman to the field!"
ATK: 800
DEF: 2000
"Then, all Elemental Heroes on the field can strike you directly!"
Avian, Burstinatrix, Sparkman, Clayman and Neos all swooped in and punched Abidos.
Abidos: 2100
"Twister, you know what to do!"
"Right! I Contact Fuse Neos with the Air Hummingbird and Aqua Dolphin in my hand! From the depths of space, I call forth the most powerful Hero! Meet ELEMENTAL HERO STORM NEOS!"
Neos's armor became aqua with sharp talons, red highlights, a beaked helmet and wings. Storm Neos flew into the air, hovering above Twister.
ATK: 3000
DEF: 2500
"Storm Neos...END THIS DUEL! GALACTIC STORM STRIKE!"
On command, Storm Neos divebombed Abidos and slashed him, knocking him to the floor.
Abidos: 0
Jaden and Twister: WIN!
Upon Abidos's defeat, Zane woke up, but his Spirit Key was no longer around his neck. The 5th of the 14 Spirit Gates had been opened. After the duel, Abidos offered Jaden, Twister and Zane the opportunity to train him to be a real duelist, as all his past duels were staged to allow him to win easily. However, the trio turned him down, stating that they've got a better deal at Duel Academy. With Abidos defeated, our heroes were returned to Duel Academy and Abidos returned to his home, his plane disappearing into the air.
"5 down...2 to go," Twister quipped as Jaden collected Abidos's Shadow Charm.
"Jaden the Legend Slayer...I like the sound of that!"
Unknown to the group, Professor Banner was watching them.
"Good, Jaden...because soon you will get the chance to truly earn it. Soon you will face your true test."
Ooooh boy...could Banner be the 7th Shadow Rider? Only time will tell! Until next time, Duelists...GET YOUR GAME ON!