Today's duel is best enjoyed with the theme of the man himself. And a fair warning up front; I'm taking the liberty of using Bubblemans anime effect. Except similiar decisions in the future.
Chapter 12:
"Do we really want to do this?", Bright asked in a serious tone, staring at the plate of steaming curry in front of her. The mix of spices was strong enough to overpower every other scent in the room, and while the food looked delicious, maybe they should've taken theirs from a container that wasn't labelled 'extra hot, proceed with caution'.
"What, you scared?", Blake taunted from across the table. He and Bastion sat opposed to Bright, while Yuma was seated next to her as usual. "Feel free to pull out, your bet is gone either way."
Bastion, who had been studying the meal carefully and tried to find out what spices their dorm head might've put in, stood up from his chair. "Wait just a minute, I'll be right back." He vanished into the sea of yellow-clothed students, only to return with a basket full of white bread and a jug of milk. He explained himself when Blake raised an eyebrow at him. "Judging by the different scents and the mixed colour of the curry – as well as the information I got from the other students – we will most likely need those in order to deal with the hotness. I don't know about you, but I'm not eating spicy food often."
"Oh please, that's for babies", Yuma chuckled and waved him off, but poured herself a cup of milk either way. "But isn't it funny that the dorm where everyone wears yellow has curry as its signature meal?"
"Makes you think if Prof Satyr was made the head of this dorm because he can cook a sick curry", Blake nodded and took a piece of bread, just in case.
"Well, from an economic and laborious standpoint curry is in fact the best choice for feeding these many students, the Ra dorm has over half of the student body after all. You can throw in everything, it's easy to learn, and the ingredients are relatively inexpensive", Bastion stated, grabbing bread and milk for himself.
Bright did the same and turned to Blake. "Isn't whatever the Slifer dorm got the least expensive?"
"Oh, definitely. They got like, plain rice and canned fish. The fanciest dish you can get there is shrimp fried rice", he acknowledged with a shudder. "Never again."
"Wow, now if that's not a great motivation to study I don't know what is", she deadpanned. "Must be quite the shock for anyone getting demoted there. Kind of sucks that the bottom 20 percent of students will always be Slifer's with conditions like that."
"The academy is a competitive place after all. And what better motivation to improve than food and comfort", Bastion nodded but then his eyes lit up with an idea. "But maybe a fairer system would drive them more. Imagine; instead of needing to perform greater than a fifth of the student body in one's year, you'd only had to exceed a certain threshold. So, if every student did well in their studies and duels -"
"- maybe there'd be no Slifer students at all?", Blake finished, holding his chin in thought. "Well, with a system like that whoever would be left in that dorm could be called a slacker for real." He took a spoonful of his curry and checked its temperature. "It's not boiling anymore, last chance to back out if you're a chicken."
The others followed suit and Bright visibly gulped at the smell of it. "It's unrealistic anyway; the schools board wouldn't change it, so the whole student council would be needed for that. You know, the fancy titles that are impossible to get?"
"We'll see about that …"
The next day, classes went as usual. Although Dr. Crowlers lessons were a waste of time for Blake, he had to remain on the man's good side – which he now was on, thanks to not being a Slifer anymore – so no sleeping in class. For him, that is, not for a certain duo of Slifer's, where one of them needed those lessons as much as he needed a kick. Blake knew he shouldn't be bothered and that this matter would get resolved in time, but it irked him nonetheless. That and the comment from the day before.
After an excruciatingly boring lesson with Professor Stein after lunch, and a deal with Bright to buy her smoothies whenever he wanted to copy her notes for that subject, they all met up at the cliffside once again. The way Syrus did everything to keep out of his field of vision, hiding behind or beside Chumley in order to do so, helped Blake in keeping his mind on more important matters. But even after visiting the nurse and drinking a bunch of tea, Yuma was still clutching her stomach as she sat down on a nearby rock.
"Don't say it", she pleaded, but her friend had none of that.
"I told you! You barely managed to eat more than three spoonsful of it without needing milk, you should've stopped right then and there", Bright scolded her as she handed her a thermos of tea along with some stomach pills. "You should know your limits by now."
"I know …"
"And you!", the bespectacled girl pointed at Blake with a frown that turned into a slight smile when the tall boy actually backed away. "Don't encourage her to do something like that!"
He looked at her before his eyes went to Yuma and his shoulders slumped ever so slightly. "Yeah …"
Satisfied with that, as that was the first time she got a reaction like that from him, Bright softly punched his shoulder. "You better put on a good show for her to make up for it, you hear me?"
That brought back his ever so confident smirk. "Do you expect anything less from me?"
"Not until our duel, no", she smirked right back. "So, get going, poor Jaden's getting all antsy already."
With that he was off and made his way over to the boys, while Yuma's outstretched arm prompted her to take back the thermos. Bright could only sigh when she saw her friend watching after him. "You could just try and talk to him, you know. If you want to get to know him better, I can distract Bastion no problem. There's really no reason to make a fool out of yourself like that."
Caught in the act, the smaller girl turned towards her with a startled look. "Y-you think so? He's pretty closed off about anything but dueling."
"How else would you learn anything? You could ask Bastion, sure, but I don't think he told him much more than us", Bright replied, realigning her glasses. "Not that I get your infatuation to begin with. What would your father say about you chasing someone like him, like a lovesick puppy no less?"
"L-lovesick puppy?!", Yuma cried out, her cheeks flushing in embarrassment. "And what do you mean, 'someone like him'?"
"A troublemaker", Bright sighed. Their conversation was cut short when Blake and Jaden activated their duel disks.
"Looks like I'm going first. You ready, Jaden?", Blake smirked at his opponent, the very thought of dueling someone who'd be one of the greatest duelists alive hyping him up.
Jaden threw him a two-finger wave with an excited smile. "You bet! Get your game on!" (Blake 4000 / Jaden 4000)
"You asked for it", Blake said and looked at his cards. He'd have to start slow but could easily bring out his counter to Jaden's fusions early. "I set a monster and another card." 'And please waste a card to remove my bluff. Can't have you destroy my good traps.'
"Aww man, and here I hoped you'd go all out from the get-go", Jaden lamented but didn't lose his smile as he drew. "Guess I'll just have to make you pull out the big guns then! First, I summon Elemental HERO Wildheart!" A dark-skinned warrior with tribal tattoos appeared, drawing a large sword from his back (1500/1600), before a swirl of blue and orange appeared above the field. "Then I use Polymerization to fuse my Elemental HERO Avian and Burstinatrix to summon one of my favourites: Say hello the Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!"
The forms of the green-furred and white-feathered Avian and the scarcely red-robed Burstinatrix flew up into the swirl, before a new monster appeared out of the bright light. Retaining the masculine green body and one wing from Avian, the monster touched down on the field, presenting its right arm resembling a red dragon's maw as its similarly coloured tail hit the ground behind it (2100/1200). "I hope you don't mind a little heat, 'cause this one sure is fired up!"
While Blake didn't groan at that pun like his fellow Ra's, the spectacle of a fusion summon – one that doesn't just put a knight on a dragon's back – and especially Jaden's HERO's excited him greatly, going so far as making the hair on his neck stand. "Bring it on."
"That's the spirit! I attack your set monster with Flame Wingman!", Jaden exclaimed and his monster busted into action, snapping at its target with its right hand before shooting out a burst of flames. The set monster was revealed to be a Mystic Tomato, which cackled as it exploded, only to be substituted by another one (1400/1100). "While your monster was in defence position, my Wingman's effect deals damage equal to the attack points of a monster he destroyed!" Shooting out a stream of flames at Blake, Wingman propelled himself back to its owner's side of the field. (Blake 2600 / Jaden 4000) "But I'm not done yet! Wildheart attacks your new monster!" And with a swift motion, that tomato was sliced up nicely before something new burst out of its form. (Blake 2500 / Jaden 4000)
"And I'll have to thank you for that, Jaden. Because it allows me to summon Fusion Devourer from my deck!", Blake stated as his new monster appeared. Its initial body was a round, black-scaled blob with a wide mouth, but then a dozen of gross looking grey tendrils with faces on their ends broke out of its upper half, earning some disgusted reactions from their audience (1400/1200).
Jaden blinked for a moment before resuming his turn. "Damn, that's one scary looking monster you got there, pal. Looks like I'll have to keep it away from my fusions, eh? Before I end my turn, I activate this! Mirage of Nightmare! And to end things of I'll throw down a face-down."
'Of course, replenish your hand instantly, won't you?' Blake thought as he started his turn, only for Jaden to draw four cards due to his cards effect. 'Gotta take care of that face-down though, last thing I need right now is some kind of trap hole.' "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon and target your face-down!", he declared and the winds ripped over to its target.
"Great! Then I can activate my Emergency Provisions!" Jaden announced happily, the effect taking apart his other card like eating a cracker. "That'll let me send my Mirage to the graveyard, so I not only don't have to deal with its drawback but also get 1000 lifepoints! Pretty cool, eh?" (Blake 2500 / Jaden 5000)
Mentally chiding himself for thinking Jaden would use that card without a back-up, Blake continued. "You're right, but not even a few more lifepoints will help you. I summon Pitch-Black Warwolf in attack position!" Being true to its name, a bi-pedal wolf with pitch-black fur appeared, drawing its blade with a snarl (1600/600). "I think it's time I returned damage to you. I attack your Wildheart with my Warwolf!" His monster sprung right into action, the two sword-wielding monsters duking it out for a few seconds. "And to hit even harder I activate my face-down, Rush Recklessly!" His wolf became of blur as it tore its target apart with the increased power (2300/600). (Blake 2500 / Jaden 4200) "Then I attack Wingman with Devourer, and thanks to its effect all Fusion Monsters it battles have their attack points reduced to zero!" Floating forward, the tentacles on his other monster send out shockwaves that sounded like cries, depowering their target (0/1200) before the Devourers mouth chomped down on it, causing a similar shockwave that made Jaden shield his eyes and buckle a bit under the pressure. (Blake 2500 / Jaden 2800)
"I end my turn with another face-down. Your move, Jaden", Blake said, satisfied with his teched-in monsters' performance. A cold shiver ran down his spine when Jaden lowered the arm in front of his face, however, and his eyes appeared golden just for a brief moment.
"Man, there sure are quite a few counters to fusions monsters, eh? You're not the first to pull one out and I doubt you'll be the last", Jaden laughed as if nothing happened. "I'm afraid I'll have to get rid of it, and you even showed me how! I active Lightning Vortex to destroy your monsters in exchange for sending Elemental HERO Knospe to the graveyard!"
As the torrent of lightning touched down and fried his monsters, Blake was a bit bewildered. 'Wait, Knospe?' That bewilderment only grew with his opponent's next move.
"And since I'm not that fond of your traps either, I also activate a Mystical Space Typhoon for your new face-down!" Blake sighed as his set trap was destroyed, but it was to be expected. "Now I summon Elemental HERO Lady Heat! While Burstinatrix might've been the first female elemental hero, she certainly wasn't the last!" A tower of flames erupted in front of Jaden, out of which came another fire-wielding hero. Dressed in red and white, the fiery woman brushed he golden locks over her shoulder with a smirk, whips made of fire erupting from her bracelets. "And with nothing on your field she can attack you directly." The female hero swung wide with her right and whipped across the battlefield with her fire, slapping Blake right across the chest. (Blake 1200 / Jaden 2800)
"And here comes the neat part; when I end my turn Lady Heat deals you 200 points of damage for every Elemental HERO I control!" Only having waited for the announcement, his monster whipped her left hand this time, grazing Blake's shoulder. He actually felt the heat of that one. (Blake 1000 / Jaden 2800)
'Why does he have Knospe and Lady Heat? They came out way into the show when Jaden already had his Neospaciens …' Blake thought to himself as he drew. The implications of change from what he knew about worried him, but he'd have to do that later. "You sweeped me clean right away, good job. Luckily, I have just the thing I need to restock; Pot of Greed!" A broken green vase later and he had more – and more importantly better – traps to better his position. "And I've got just the right opponent for your lady; I summon Dark Blade!" The black knight took his place out of a kneeling position, waving his long cape away to draw his twin blades (1800/1500).
Although he had acquired quite a few cards during his short time on the island, Blake never had the heart to switch out that particular monster. It was a serviceable beatstick and could occasionally be fused for a bigger body and cleaning up his opponents GY, but it wasn't what people would consider a 'good card'. But it was one that helped him win back in the … he shook his head briefly and focused back onto the duel, catching a glimpse of his knight giving him a nod.
"Dark Blade, attack!", he declared, glad that his voice didn't break as his ears only registered static noise. His opponent's monster could only resist briefly, before his knight sliced her apart with a cross slash. (Blake 1200 / Jaden 2300) He took a deep breath and his ears went back to normal. "I'll end my turn with two face-downs."
"And I thought you liked it hot after what I heard from Bastion", Jaden laughed. "How about some change in scenery instead? I'm sure you'll love my Skycraper!" Just as the tall building began to appear, so did a magical seal with a glowing hexagram in its middle.
"No, I think I like it here", Blake replied. 'And I totally can't deal with that 1000 points increase right now' "I hope you don't mind that I chained my Magic Jammer." He sent his trusty virus to the GY, as his chance of getting it off seemed rather slim at the moment, but Jaden didn't seem bothered by the interruption.
No, he smiled even brighter. "Great, then I can use this one; Graceful Charity!" Apparently pleased with what he drew, he continued. "Thanks to that, I could send Elemental HERO Necroshade to the graveyard, and his effect allows me to summon a high-level Elemental HERO monster without needing a tribute. So please welcome Elemental HERO Bladedge!" Out of the grave rose the spirit of the crimson-coloured and skeletal-themed dark warrior, its form condensing into pure energy and making way for the golden hero. Standing with a tall frame, the metallic armour shined brightly in the afternoon sun as Jaden's new hero extended the blades on his arm.
"I hope you've got no surprise for me left, 'cause I'll attack with Bladedge right away!", Jaden exclaimed happily, his golden warrior sprung up into the air and divebombed at its target, cutting it cleanly in half. (Blake 200 / Jaden 2300) "I throw down a face-down and end my turn. Come on man, I wanna battle your big guys too!" That move left him with an empty hand, which was the only good thing about how that turn went.
Blake was a bit bothered by how easily Jaden kept taking control of the field. He knew he's a great duelist and would only get better, but at this point in time he should be at his weakest. And it didn't feel like that. A breath of relief hit him with his next draw. "I know, I just want to make this more dramatic. But first, I need more cards." A second Pot of Greed later he didn't get what he wanted, but he could work with it. "Your golden boy is a bit much, let me deal with that real quick", he said with a grin as another Lightning Vortex hit the field, just not his this time. Sadly, he didn't draw one of his high-level monsters, otherwise he might've ended the duel here, but the Necro Gardna that was now in his GY would surely pull its weight too.
"Next, I activate my remaining face-down; Call of the Haunted! And since I don't know what's the deal with your set card, I bring back Pitch-Black Warwolf! Then I attack you directly." With a howl, the returned monster shot forth and sliced at Jaden, who backed away from the sudden attack. (Blake 200 / Jaden 700) With no cards left as well, Blake ended his turn.
"I guess we have to duel again, because I'm ending things here!" Jaden said after he drew his card. "I activate Card of Sanctity, which allows us to draw until we have six cards on our hand! And now I can do this; I activate Fusion Recovery to get my Polymerization and Burstinatrix back!" Jaden was in the flow, so much so that Blake could feel him radiating some kind of aura. But hidden deep within the bright energy that he saw in front of him was a speck of darkness. One that drew him in and- "With this I can activate Polymerization once again, so I fuse Elemental HERO Burstinatrix and Elemental HERO Heat from my hand to summon Elemental HERO Nova Master!"
The bright light of the fusion spell tore Blake's eyes away from Jaden, just in time to see the form of the red and yellow hero erupting from a great flame, its red cape bellowing behind it (2600/2100). "Nova Master, attack his Warwolf!" The new warrior created a blazing ball of fire as big as its target and threw it, but it was interrupted by an emerging ghost, negating the attack. "Wha- but when did you- … aww man, you sent it with your Lightning Vortex, right? Alright, then I set a monster and a face-down."
That was way too close for comfort for Blake, so much so that he almost accepted the loss once Jaden drew a full hand. If he'd have to lose to anyone, then it should be Jaden after all. It was a good thing that Jaden didn't check his GY, a blunder he begrudgingly accepted as a stroke of luck. Whether Jaden had another monster that could've ended this duel was still up in the air, but with a fresh hand of powerful cards, he felt at ease again.
"You sure you didn't just let me live so you could fight whatever I drew?", Blake taunted in a joyous manner. Jaden's sheepish smile didn't comfort him, however. No, in fact it kinda hurt his pride, which only made this turn better. "I activate another MST to destroy your new face-down", Blake said and was pleasantly surprised that it actually destroyed something that'd hinder him, that being Hero Barrier. "Next I tribute my Warwolf to summon Caius the Shadow Monarch, so say goodbye to your Nova Master." What surprised not only him but also everyone else was the violent and agitated manner in which his monarch hit the field. Instead of just blinking away its target in a void, the dark portal made by Caius ripped apart the monster instead, and while he still looked regal, he wasn't as relaxed as usually (2400/1000).
"Caius, get rid of his set monster", Blake commanded, a shiver running through his body as his monster nodded and acted out its order. Something was different in this duel, he just didn't couldn't place it.
With the defending Clayman destroyed, Jaden flipped his last face-down. "Thanks to you destroying my monster in battle I can activate Hero Signal, which lets me special summon this one from my deck: Elemental HERO Woodsman!" Another hero appeared, this one having green skin with almost half its body covered in bark (1000/2000).
"No destroying my monster? Fine with me, then I'll activate Pot of Avarice. I shuffle back my two Mystic Tomatoes, Fusion Devourer, Dark Blade and Pitch-Black Warwolf, allowing me to draw two cards." This looked good, he just had to live through next turn. "I end my turn with three face-downs. I hope you're satisfied now, Jaden."
"You bet! But don't think this is over just yet", Jaden laughed and made his move. "After I draw, I activate Woodsman effect, which lets me add one Polymerization from my graveyard or deck to the hand. Next, I'll activate a Pot of Greed myself, pretty neat huh?" A bright, confident smile took over Jaden's face. "Oh man, you guys are in for a treat! I activate E – Emergency Call, which lets me one Elemental HERO monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose Elemental HERO Ocean! Now I've got everything I need; first I bring back Bladeedge with Monster Reborn, then I activate Polymerization to fuse Ocean and Woodsman into Elemental HERO Terra Firma!"
The fusion swirl appeared once again, the two heroes flying in together and out came a pale white warrior with a bright red crystal set in the centre of its chest and dark blue plates covering his shoulders and the top of its head. The image of the planet Earth briefly appeared behind it as it took its place at the side of the revived Bladedge, both of them had a serious but eager look on their faces (2500/2000). "Now it's time to battle, Bladeedge attack his Caius!" This time the golden warrior rushed forward in a straight line to attack, only for an opening portal to drain away its power and sending it back.
"Not when I activate Negate Attack. No battles for you this turn, Jaden", Blake smirked, a drop of sweat running down the side of his face.
"Alright! Then I'll throw down a face-down and end my turn!", his opponent announced with a wide but somewhat tired grin as he looked at his monsters with pride. A pride they shared from the way the reacted, but for their owner instead. A sharp wind of kicked up dust immediately took care of his face-down.
"Sorry for that, but I can't have you putting another wrench in my turn, so my Dust Tornado took care of that card", Blake said. He shared a look with his own monster, which let dark energy cackle between its fingers as they made eye-contact, and took a deep breath. "I activate Allure of Darkness; I draw two cards and then banish a Dark monster from my hand!" As he put his hands on his deck he felt a tingling sensation, so he drew, and an excited smile took the place of his smirk. "I banish Dark Valkyria from my hand, then I summon Dark Crusader!" Another knight covered in black armor entered his side of the field, but this one had striking red hair and a matching cape, with a skull mask covering his face. Instead of wielding two blades, he drew a wide greatsword and stuck its tip in the ground before him (1600/200).
"Next I activate Dark Crusader's effect; I can send one Dark Monster from my hand to the graveyard, which boosts his attack by 400 points!" Blake sent his second copy of Necro Gardna to the GY, causing his crusader to lift his large sword as the sacrificed monster appeared in front of it and was subsequently stabbed, the dark knight absorbing its power (2000/200).
Jaden was a bit confused by this, tilting his head to the side. "Okay, but that's not enough to beat either of my monsters." He was even more confused when Blake's monarch charged forward to attack Terra Firma, only to be destroyed by the hero's fist piercing the attacker's stomach. (Blake 100 / Jaden 700) "No seriously, what are you-"
His question was answered with the sound of screeching metal, as Blake's ace finally entered the fray. It towered over the heroes with bloodlust in its eyes, as the various drills and spikes across its body sprang into action (2800/1000). "I was just filling up my graveyard nicely. You wanted me to pull out the big guns, and what bigger gun than the Dark Armed Dragon?", Blake announced, to which his dragon let out a thundering roar that shook the earth they stood upon, causing everyone but Blake to stumble in an effort to keep standing. "Now I activate his effect two times, banishing my Warwolf and Caius from the graveyard to destroy your Bladedge and Terra Firma!"
The beast of a monster crushed the spirits of the banished monsters which had appeared in its hands, both fueling one spike-covered metal orb on each of its shoulders. Sizing up and letting out a disappointed huff at the monsters that stood against it, the dragon shot out the morning stars on its shoulders, which struck the heroes in the middle of their chest just after they failed to evade the attack, destroying them both. "I'll have to end my turn here. Time to show me your hero's comeback, Jaden."
Swiping away some sweat from his brow, Jaden drew. "Man, this is the most intense duel since I had ever since dueling Mr. Hibiki. We really have to do this more often", he chuckled, receiving a nod from his opponent. "You want a hero's comeback? I'll show you one! I activate Pot of Avarice, shuffling back Wildheart, Bladedge and Bubbleman to the Main Deck, along with Flame Wingman and Terra Firma who go back to my Fusion Deck! Then I set a monster and two additional face-downs."
"Alright, lets end this, I draw!", Blake shouted, satisfied with the card he drew. "I activate Dark Crusader's effect one again and send my Twin-Headed Wolf to the graveyard!" The scene from his last turn repeated, his knight growing even stronger (2400/200) but more importantly giving his dragon ammunition for its effect. "Then I activate my dragon's effect! First, I banish the wolf I just sent to destroy the face-down to your right-" The card destroyed was Sakuretsu Armor "- and then banish my second Necro Gardna to destroy the other!"
"Not so fast, pal! Before you destroy it, I'll activate it; The Flute of Summoning Kuriboh! And it lets me summon this little guy here!" A pan flute appeared in front of Jaden, and just before it was destroyed by the Dark Armed Dragons attack the energy surrounding Jaden flew right through it, creating a soft melody. With an equally soft coo, the Winged Kuriboh appeared (300/200). The little ball of fluff and armed-to-the-teeth dragon stared at each other, before the former broke eye contact with a soft cry, causing its adversary to smirk and let out a metallic roar.
With a click of his tongue, Blake continued. "Crusader; take out his set monster! Dark Armed; don't be too harsh on the little guy." With a disappointed sigh, the dragon followed its order, swiftly stomping on the brave-looking ball of fur, while the crusader destroyed the other monster, revealing a mechanical dog.
Jaden thanked him for that with a tired smile. "Thanks for that. By destroying Wroughtweiler I get to add one Elemental HERO and one Polymerization from my graveyard back to my hand, and I choose Elemental HERO Bubbleman whom I sent there back when our duel just started! You ready for the big finale?"
"Bring it on", Blake replied as he placed his last card face-down, his dragon's tail coiling protectively around him. He felt incredibly tired ever since summoning him, but Jaden looked just as tired as he felt, if not more.
"Alright, here I come! First I'll activate Heavy Storm to destroy your two remaining face-downs!" A great tornado blew across the whole field, but not before a group of blue-robed monks cast a spell to protect Blake's side of the field. Both them and the set Shadow Spell were ripped apart moments later.
Letting out a cough, Blake smirked. "That was one nasty storm, but it's not enough for my Waboku. Neither can my monsters be destroyed this turn, nor will I take any battle damage."
"Man, you really love those traps, don't you? But that won't stop me; I summon Elemental HERO Bubbleman, and since he's the only card on my side of the field I get to draw two cards!" The hero had a shorter statue than his colleagues, the white cape that hid his blue armor flying back as he readied the blaster attached to his arm, shooting two bubbles at Jaden's duel disk. "Just what I needed for the big finale; first I activate the Polymerization I just got back to fuse Bubbleman and the Sparkman from my hand to summon Elemental HERO Absolute Zero!"
For the first time since he dueled without shock collars on his body, Blake reacted to what happened in a duel; he shivered when the pristine white-armoured hero touched down on the field and let out a wave of cold air, its cape waving behind it. It was so bad that his left leg actually gave out due to the mix of shivers and spasms, causing him to fall down on his other knee. Making it even worse was another flash of Jaden's eyes, prompting Blake to gulp and struggle for breath for a moment, the cold floor not helping in that regard.
Seeing Blake suddenly react in such a strong way made their audience cry out, which made Jaden focus back on him and shake of whatever he felt himself. "You okay man?", he asked, his voice filled with worry as his hands tightened into fists.
"Yeah, don't mind me …", Blake wheezed out and waved him off. "Keep going, we're almost done."
While not looking any less worried, Jaden did as he was told, his newest hero crossing his arms in front of his chest (2500/2000). "Alright … I activate Miracle Fusion, combining Elemental HERO Ocean and Woodsman from my graveyard to bring out Elemental HERO Terra Firma once more!" With the other white-armoured hero returning, the two of them gave each other a nod, only waiting for the command. "Now I activate Terra Firma's effect! I tribute Absolute Zero to transfer his attack points to Terra Firma until my turn ends!" The icy hero knelt down, while the other pulled out two sword handles and stuck them into the heroes' shoulders. With this, Absolute Zero was transformed into a mass of energy which was absorbed by the handles and created two icy-blue energy blades, but not before a wave of cold rolled over the field and froze solid all of Blakes monsters, shattering them mere seconds after (5000/2000).
"That was one nice play, Jaden", Blake complimented as he slowly got up into a standing position again, even if he looked like a new-born fawn standing on ice.
"Thanks! While Terra Firma got some additional fire power, the moment Absolute Zero leaves the field he destroys all monsters my opponent controls, leaving you wide open", Jaden replied. "Couldn't risk you keep using that dragon of yours, could I? But since you won't take any damage, this is where I end my turn."
Blake laughed – or coughed, really – before he drew. "It's been fun, Jaden. Real fun. I don't think I was challenged this much in a duel … ever. No offense Bastion!", he stated and shouted out the last part to his friend who only waved him off. "But as much as you earned that win, I can't let you win, not yet." Taking one last deep breath, Blake drew the card he knew would decide the duel. "I activate my second copy of Allure of Darkness!" Another draw later, he made eye contact with Jaden as he banished one of his cards. "It's only fair to end the duel how it started; I summon Fusion Devourer!" Once again, the tentacle-ridden fiend appeared on the field (1400/1200). Seeing that monster appear and swiftly move to attack, Jaden gave Blake a satisfied smile, one they shared. (Blake 100 / Jaden 0)
And thats it folks! The longest chapter up until now, as well as the longest duel; 15 turns! Took me quite a while to properly script hisone, but I believe I made it satisfying. There was some nice back and forth, and while I feel a bit scummy for droppong all the greedy pots, the draw-power was definitely needed here. That duel was a close one and something else for sure, in more ways than one. What do you think? Lemme know!
A bit of fluff at the beginning, bonding time, and a reason to make even Blake feel bad. Since the show was never clear on how bad one had to be to become a Slifer, I added my explanation for it. Maybe Bastions idea comes up again in the future, who knows?
Thank y'all for reading and your kind reviews, hope to see you next time ~