The bell rang, signaling the end of Dueling Ethics. As Shun picked up his things and watched Chazz leave, he thought about the irony. A guy as disrespectful and pompous as Chazz Princeton in a class about the very thing that he lacked, ethics. It made him laugh a little.
Shun and Jaden sat down at one of the empty tables in the fields outside for lunch. The monitors displayed the week's greatest highlights by a girl with red and blue hair named Regina, who was a reporter for the school's news.
"And the new field arenas have quickly become the site for incredible duel action around the clock. It's enough to make your head spin!" said Regina, the monitors flashing highlights of the best matches.
"In a stunning display, the Prince of Lambert Jewelers, Jason Lambert, and two fellow Obelisk Blue students in a stunning back-to-back OTK! And in an incredible comeback, Slifer Duelist Shun Fukuhara has defeated Obelisk Blue Duelist Zachary and his mighty Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV 8! Shun joins Jaden Yuki and a select few Slifer Red students in the history of Duel Academy to ever beat Obelisk Blue duelists!"
"That's right!" Jaden said, raising his fist. "Woo-hoo!"
"And now to discuss the latest goings-on, we have just gotten reports of a giant lurking out in the jungle hunting Obelisk Blue students for sport and taking their blazers as trophies! We here at DAN spoke with Dr. Crowler earlier today and he says he and Campus Security are on the case. But so far, they've yet to find the culprit."
"A giant!? That's crazy!" Syrus said. "What if they come after me!"
Jason laughed. He cut into a well-done steak. "Don't worry, Syrus. The giant won't get you. He's only after Obelisk Blue students."
"Which makes you a target for him," said Bastion. He had a rich and tasty meal on the tray before him.
Shun groaned in hunger. Here his upperclassmen were enjoying steaks, lobster tails, scalloped potatoes, and freshly baked bread while he was stuck eating a ham sandwich from one of the hall's vending machines.
"Don't you have anything else to eat?"
"I would bring back food from the dorm," said Shun. "But I'm getting tired of burnt fish and beans. This is criminal, man. We shouldn't have to have lackluster meals while the Ras Obelisks are eating like kings."
"It's how they push you to do better," said Bastion, almost teasingly shoving a forkful of delicious steak into his mouth. "You want better quality, be better students."
"It's like they're trying to force us to go home and quit," said Syrus.
"That's exactly what they're doing," said Jason. "The reason why the Slifer dorm is the way it is is that it's designed to weed out the weak. If you want to go on to the other dorms, you have to be determined enough to make the grade."
"That's stupid!" Syrus said.
"I know. But it's also how things have always been done," Jason said. "What? You plan on being a Slifer forever?"
"Well...no..."
"Then, I suggest you buckle down and get your grades up, Syrus."
Syrus groaned. "Aww, man."
"Then we do what we gotta do," said Shun. "Make the grade somehow."
"Good," said Bastion. "I'm glad to see you getting motivated to move on—especially you two: Jaden and Shun. There is so much potential within both of you. If you apply yourselves, you could go far in this school."
"I'll do my best," said Shun.
"That's the spirit," Jason said. "So who do you guys think this Duel Giant is?" he asked, unrolling his copy of Duel Academy News.
"I'm not sure," Bastion said. "Some are pointing fingers at Aiya Nagase."
"Who?" Shun asked.
Bastion finished chugging down some water before he answered. "A girl from Ra Yellow," he said. "Her little brother Kai is in Slifer Red with you guys, and he's often picked on because of his small size and shyness. Aiya, from what I learned, is very protective of little Kai. Last week, she hunted down the Blues who bullied Kai and gave them a beating with her Ninja deck."
"Are they sure it's her?" Jason asked. "I know she's got it in for Obelisks, but I don't see her attacking them this openly."
"You would be surprised at what people will do when they're angry," Bastion said. "Especially if that someone is defending her younger sibling."
"Well, yeah but Duel GIANT," Jason laughed. "Aiya's frame doesn't exactly fit the part."
"She may not have the height, but she's got the temperament," said Bastion.
"I think we should check out this Aiya Nagase," said Shun.
"Say what?" Syrus said blushing.
Shun laughed and waved his hands around. "At ease, sailor. I meant let's check out her skills. I mean it sounds cool and any duelist who can keep those Obelisk snobs in their place is okay in my book. Uh, no offense, Jason."
"None taken," said Jason, looking back down at his paper. "You're not the first to call us that."
"Well...I...I didn't mean all of you guys were like that I just..."
Jason chuckled, his deep bass-like voice filling the air. "Hey, you're fine, Shun. You can relax. You're not offending me at all. If anything, I'm glad there are some Slifers here who aren't afraid to speak their mind. But you're right. As an Obelisk myself, I can't stand idly by as some punk tries to hunt us down. Whoever they may be, they need to be stopped. Bastion does raise a valid point about Aiya, though. Ever since she got here, that Aiya girl's been on a mean streak against Obelisk Blue students. I tried to be polite to her in class and let her pass down the steps to the seats, but she gave me this look like she was going to kill me or something. The hate for Obelisks is real in that girl. So I'd check her out and see what she's up to."
"Who knows, maybe she's the Duel Giant," Syrus said.
"I have my doubts," said Jason. "But with all the crazy stuff going on around here, we should expect anything."
"Crazy stuff?" Shun asked.
Jason set his paper down and folded his arms. "Well...I didn't want to say much, but I heard Chancellor Sheppard talking to the staff in the hall the other day. He made it highly imperative to keep students away from the jungle north of here."
"Why's that?" Syrus asked.
"I don't know. Something about an abandoned dorm. Anyway, he said last year, students reported seeing Duel Monsters stalking the jungle at night. And there's not a duelist in sight."
"You mean the monsters are showing up without Duel Disks?" Shun asked.
"Yeah. I'm sure there's a logical explanation behind it. But he claims more students he ventured close to the abandoned dorm saw more monsters roaming the area yesterday. He's going to make the area around it off-limits pretty soon."
"Wow, that's nuts," said Syrus.
"It's all crazy," Shun said. "Duel Monsters appearing out of nowhere? How is that even possible?"
"Who knows?" said Bastion. "But we should be fine so long as we abide by the rules and stay close to the campus."
"He's right," Jason said. "Don't go too far past your dorms, guys. And most importantly, don't wander the jungle at night. Besides some holographic monsters going haywire, who knows what else lurks within those trees?"
His PDA beeped. "Gotta go," he said. "My girlfriend needs help with her math homework."
"And I better get back to my dorm as well," said Bastion. He started cleaning up his lunch. "I have to get back at cracking some ATK point quantum mechanics."
Shun leaned close to Jaden. "Is that even thing?"
"Don't question him, dude," said Jaden.
Bastion smiled and grabbed his things. "Do let me know how your investigation goes, gentlemen. I have my doubts about Aiya, but I am very intrigued. She could be the key to figuring out who this Duel Giant is."
"Will do," said Jaden. "Bye, guys."
Once they all cleaned their trays and went their separate ways, Shun and Jaden sat on the edge of the fountain and watched the other students pass by them.
"So what do you think?" Jaden asked.
"About what?"
"Aiya. Do you think she could be the Duel Giant?"
"It's not even our problem to be honest," said Shun. "So I'm not going to sit here and list her a suspect. I just want to see if she's that good. If she can take down an Obelisk, then maybe I want to spar against her."
"Yeah, me, too," said Jaden. "Where should we start looking?"
"Why not go to the arena in the forest?" Shun suggested. "I'm sure a lot of students are dueling over there right now. We might find her. But even if we don't, we can test our decks and see who can beat who."
"I like the way you think, Shun. Let's go."
They sprinted away from the quad and toward the forest. When they entered, the trees grew denser and the sound of rushing water grew stronger. The wind whistled and blew past Shun, pushing the long sleeves of his red jacket, sending chills all over him. As they got closer to the arena, they heard the sounds of explosions and monsters roaring. Vendors took advantage of the throng of duelists by selling sodas, chips, and pretzels. They parked their vans and wagons right by the arenas, honking out their wares for low amounts of DP, creating a carnival-like atmosphere.
A monster called Barrel Rock, a towering behemoth made of cinderblocks with two machine guns mounted on his shoulders fired several volleys at a Fairy's Gift monster, destroying her with a direct attack and sending the crowd into an uproar. "Woohoo!" they shouted as Barrel Rock's Duelist pumped his fists into the air and shouted "Yes!"
"I just love this!" said Jaden. "And to think more arenas are going like these are going to be built. Can you imagine the sheer volume of Duel Monsters battles we're gonna witness here?"
"You said it," said Shun. "Now, I guess all we've got to do now is wait for some hot-headed Ra Yellow girl with a ninja deck to..."
"Disperse!" shouted a horribly pompous and nasally voice.
The two of them looked and saw an Obelisk Blue student with his friends trying to make their way to the venue. Even though there was plenty of room to walk around them, he expected Shun and Jaden to make way for him. "Did you not hear me, you Slifer peasants! Out of the way!"
Jaden and Shun stared at each other. Shun, especially, didn't like his attitude. But instead of starting a fight, the two of them made a path.
The Obelisk and his friends marched on. To Shun, they seemed more unpleasant than usual.
"Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," Jaden said.
"AIYA!" shouted the blue.
"Did you hear that?" Syrus said. "They're looking for Aiya!"
Shun and Jaden whipped around and looked. Aiya and her brother, Kai, stood at the corner, holding hands, while watching the arena in the background. Kai, a young student from the academy's middle school division, had a chocolate chip cookie in his hand that he was eating while watching the Duel. When he saw the Obelisk Blue approaching, he cowered a hid behind his sister's skirt.
When Shun laid eyes on Aiya for the first time, he was struck by her beauty. Her hair was black like midnight and her high ponytail was feathery soft and had a life of its own, bouncing with her every movement she made. Even from where he was, Shun saw her eyes were like the purest amber crystals, glittering under the afternoon sun.
"Oh...man..." he whispered.
"There you are!" the obnoxious Blue shouted. He and his friends formed a line before her. "You think you can attack me and my friends and not pay for it!?"
Aiya took a lick of her ice cream and shrugged. "They shouldn't have messed with my brother."
"He shouldn't have gone around selling counterfeit cards in the first place!" shouted the Blue.
Aiya swirled her tongue around her lips, savoring every bit of the frozen goodness in her mouth before she replied to his claim. "He's learned his lesson. I burned them last night."
"Yeah, she did," Kai said gulping. Underneath his Slifer vest, he wore a shirt that said Pierre Kirby Lives! And he wore a ridiculous headband with the word NINJA.
"Not good enough! You shouldn't have attacked my friends for trying to get their DP back from that thief!"
"So what are you gonna do about it, Randall?" Aiya asked.
"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do," the Blue replied. "You and your shrimpy little brother are gonna pay! Now duel me, Nagase! I'm going to make your ace card my trophy!"
The two friends laughed. "Ha, ha, ha, ha! This should be fun."
When the arena was vacated, Aiya and Randall walked to opposite ends of it. Shun, Syrus, and Jaden snuck through the crowd and sat with Kai.
"Think she'll beat these guys?" Syrus asked.
"You bet she is!" Kai boasted. "My sister will turn them into mush!"
The holographic systems whirred to life and both Duelists stood face to face, preparing themselves.
Aiya Nagase 4000 LP VS Randall MacDonald 4000 LP
"DUEL!" they shouted and drew their starting hand.
Turn 1 - Randall
Cards in hand x6
LP 4000
Randall smirked as he held his hand of six. "I'm taking you down you Ra Yellow flunkie! I set one card face-down and summon a monster in defense mode. I end my turn!"
Turn 2 - Aiya
Cards in hand x5
LP 4000
"Draw!" Aiya said. She drew and added the card to her hand. "First, I set a card face-down and summon Strike Ninja in attack mode!"
She placed a card on the field and summoned her warrior. The ninja clad in black with a red scarf, landed in the air in front of her.
"YYEEEEAW!" the nijna said, spinning in the air before landing.
Strike Ninja
ATK/1700 DEF/1200
"I don't like that look in her eye," Shun said, seeing Aiya staring at Randall like she wanted to rip his heart out of his chest and feed it to her dogs.
"Go get 'em, sis!" Kai said. "Strike Ninja's going to kick your butt!"
"Strike Ninja! Attack!"
The ninja charged and lunged for a slash, only to get kicked in the stomach and thrown back by Randall's defense.
"Sorry, babe," he said. "But that card is just not that big of a threat."
The card revealed was a giant knight in shining armor. No, literally, shining armor. It glowed like a star and his cape was made of bright light that looked like it was made into silk.
"You attacked Shine Knight! And his 1900 DEF is more than enough to hold back your puny ninja!"
The Shine Knight bashed Strike Ninja back to Aiya's side of the field like a baseball. The ninja flipped in midair and made a landing back on the field, dusting himself off as if he never even made the attack.
Aiya narrowed her eyes and her Life Points went down by a trickle leaving her standing at 3800.
"Man, she ran into that one," said Shun.
"Don't worry! She'll bounce back from this!" Kai confidently assured them.
Turn 3 - Randall
Cards in hand x4
LP 4000
"This is the end for you! For now, I sacrifice my Shine Knight to tribute summon the mighty Total Defense Shogun!"
His armor knight vanished, and in its place, was a much bigger armored knight. This one was much bulkier with his shoulder pads resembling huge spiked shields and he had a collection of three huge swords.
Total Defense Shogun
ATK/1550 DEF/2500
"Uh, did I miss something?" Kai asked. "Why would he summon a monster that's weaker than my sister's ninja."
"If you only knew what that card was, you'd be worried for your sister's ninja," said Shun.
"That's right!" Randall boasted. "With Total Defense Shogun's special ability, I can switch him to defense mode. But that's not all! He can attack your monsters while he's in defense mode!"
"Wait! He can do that?" Kai asked.
"Sure can," said Jaden. "But when he attacks monsters, his ATK points still apply, so he can't take out Aiya's ninja."
"Oh no?" Randall chuckled. "Think again! I activate my face-down card, Inspiration! This will increase my Shogun's ATK by 700 points, raising his power to 2250! More than enough to slay that ninja!"
"AIYA!" cried Kai, realizing what was coming.
"Go, my shogun! Slice that ninja to bits!"
His Shogun charged with a battle cry with his massive shield up.
"I activate my trap card!" Aiya shouted. "Ninjitsu Art of Dancing Leaves!" The wind started picking up, and the leaves began swirling around Total Defense Shogun as he got close enough to Strike Ninja. Aiya's ponytail whirled around, and her hair rose as her eyes became shadowy.
"Wow..." Shun said under his breath. He tried not to stare, but Aiya had such a regal aura to her as she commanded the wind. It made him stare and fall into the trance-like dance the leaves created.
"What have you done!?" shouted one of Randall's friends.
"My trap allows me to tribute my Strike Ninja and summon Jioh the Gravity Ninja from my deck!"
Randall and his friends gasped when the leaves began spinning around a humanoid shape that began taking form. When the leaves disappeared, Jioh appeared, landing on the field and terrorizing it with his awesome power. He was an old man with long white hair and a grizzled beard, but his body was rock-hard with abs, and arms like chiseled granite covered in blue sleeves.
Jioh the Gravity Ninja
ATK/2300 DEF/2900
"My ninja will force your shogun into face-down defense mode!" said Aiya. "So your attack is canceled!"
Jioh performed a complex form of ninjutsu and forced Randall's shogun to turn into a rock.
"Ah, one lucky move!" Randall said, growing impatient. "Next turn! That's all! Next turn and you're finished! I have more powerful knights and swordsmen just itching to take you down!"
Aiya narrowed her eyes. "Next turn? Sorry. There is no next turn for you."
"Yeah!" Kai cheered. "I know that look! My sister is gonna finish this loser!"
Turn 4 - Aiya
Cards in hand x4
LP 3800
"Draw!"
The card in her hand seemed to make her smirk. "Since I have a ninja on the field, I can special summon Mitsu the Insect Ninja to the field in defense mode!"
Syrus expected to see an ugly mantis creature in ninja gear to appear, but his cheeks turned bright red when it was actually a beautiful female in a kunoichi costume that resembled the colors of the sunset. Her long black hair was like a cape of ebony.
Mitsu the Insect Ninja
ATK/200 DEF/2100
"Awww, man! She's cute," Syrus said with a sheepish smile.
Shun facepalmed.
"Now, I will fuse Mitsu and Jioh together!" Aiya announced. The two monsters jumped in the air and were sucked into a vortex, creating a ball of fire in the process.
"Wait!" shouted Randall. "You didn't use Polymerization! How were you able to conduct a fusion summoning!?"
"I don't need Polymerization to fuse my ninjas!" Aiya said with a haughty smile. "Now, behold the heart and soul of my deck! Meizen the Battle Ninja!"
The flames spread out, and from it, emerged the fused being Aiya had summoned. He was a powerhouse of muscle, wearing the most menacing set of ninja armor and his face was concealed with a red and black mask with a black horned visor. He jumped in the air and posed before Aiya like a gladiator in the Colosseum, ready for blood.
Meizen the Battle Ninja
ATK/2500 DEF/1500
"Oooh," Randall and his friends all said together. They gulped and looked at each other and Randall was getting nervous. "That...that's the monster that took out my friends!"
"Don't worry, Randall!" shouted one of his buddies. "Your shogun may be face-down but it's still got 2500 DEF. She ain't got nothing that will get passed his defense!"
"Yeah, you got this!" cheered the other friend.
Aiya was quiet as she looked at her monster. He looked down at her with his arms crossed and seemed to chuckle along with her.
"Uh oh," said Jaden. "Those two are up to something."
"Your Shogun won't be able to defend you!" said Aiya. "I now summon Ninja Grandmaster Hanzo to the field!"
There was a puff of smoke and more holographic leaves appeared. From them came a ninja in black and silver armor with red glowing eyes. He landed next to Meizen.
Ninja Gradmaster Hanzo
ATK/1800 DEF/1000
"So what?" said Randall. "That ninja is nowhere near strong enough to take on my shogun!"
"Yes," Aiya agreed with a nod. "You're right, he doesn't. But with Miezen's effect, I won't have to face your shogun."
"What...what do you mean?"
"When Meizen's on the field, all my Ninja monsters can attack your Life Points directly!"
Randall took a step back and began sweating.
Aiya giggled and said: "Game over, pal."
Meizen and Hanzo ran across the field like black and red blurs. They completely disregarded the boulder that was Total Defense Shogun and jumped up into the air with amazing speed. They dug into their robes and tossed shurikens at Randall and struck him hard and fast, knocking his Life Points down to 0.
"NO!" shouted Randall, pounding the ground in anger. "It's impossible!"
Aiya's ninjas turned to static and vanished as the duel was called to an end. The crowd went wild with cheering, especially her little brother. "All right! WAY TO GO, SIS!" he shouted, pumping his fists up and down. Aiya flung a long bang of her hair back over her ear and walked back to the crowd with the most pleased smile. She smiled when Kai jumped into her arms. "You're the best of the best, sis!"
She rubbed her knuckles in his hair playfully, which made the kid groan in protest. "Alright, alright, that's enough," he whined. He wiggled out of her embrace and fixed his headband.
"Wow, Kai. You've been standing next to Jaden Yuki this whole time?" she said.
Kai's cheeks turned a light pink and he gasped. "Jaden! You're Jaden! Aww, man! How did I not know? Dude, you're a Slifer Red legend!"
Jaden laughed nervously and waved his hands, shaking his head. "No, no, not really. I just, you know, had to do what I had to do."
"Well, whatever you did, you did it well," Aiya complimented. "I don't know anyone else who could have possibly pulled that off." She turned her attention to Shun. "Ah, so you're the wind beneath Zachary's wings."
Shun chuckled nervously and blushed, feeling his knees going weak. "That's...that's me," he said.
Aiya smirked. "Impressive. It feels good to know that stuck-up snob was put in his place by a Slifer. You two have proven there are more to Slifers than meets the eye."
"It proves red, yellow, and blue are just colors" Shun said. "Just because I'm stuck in Slifer Red doesn't mean I can't hold my own in a duel."
"Really?" Aiya said. "Want to put that to the test? Why not take on me?"
"You mean... right now?"
"Yeah."
Shun felt fire coursing through his veins. He raised a challenging fist. "All right then. Let's duel!"
Aiya smiled. "That's what I love to see. Let's duel!"
They took to the field, shuffled each other's decks, and placed them in their respective duel disks. After the coin was tossed, it was decided that Shun would start first.
Shun Fukuhara 4000 LP VS Aiya Nagase 4000 LP
"Duel!"
Turn 1 - Shun
LP 4000
Cards in hand x6
"I play Graceful Charity! I can draw three cards and discard two! Next, I summon Dual Avatar Fists - Yuhi!"
He summoned his black-robed fighter. Yuhi punched the air for practice before standing in a defensive stance.
Dual Avatar Fists - Yuhi
ATK/1800 DEF/1000
"Now, I'm going to sacrifice him to activate his effect!"
Yuhi bowed his head and held two fingers in front of his brow, thanking his master for the sacrifice before turning into pixels and disappearing.
"This lets me add Dual Avatar Invitation to my hand. And then I'm going to discard Kaki the Unity Star to activate it and summon five Dual Avatar Spirit Tokens!"
After he declared the effect, a small legion of Komainu hounds with big furry bellies and fluffy tails materialized.
Dual Avatar Spirit Tokens
ATK/0 DEF/0 X5
"And now, I'm going to use these little guys for some fusion summoning! Watch this, Aiya! First, I'll use two of my tokens to create Dual Avatar Fists - Armored Ah-Gyo!"
The two hounds burst into lavender flames and combined to become a fiery sphere. The flames spread out to reveal a warrior in armored red and black fighter's robes with a black ponytail and a red headband similar to Shuns. His hands were covered in thick armor gauntlets that resembled the jaws of a lion
Duel Avatar Fists - Armored An-Gyo
ATK/2100 DEF/1500
"Then, I'll fuse the other three tokens with Dual Avatar Feet - Kokoku and create the mighty Dual Avatar Empowered Mitsu-Jaku!"
Another fiery blaze erupted from the other three tokens. From it emerged another warrior dressed in shiny platinum armor accented in blue. His greaves were heavy and the most adorned of his gear with two golden halos orbiting his ankles.
Dual Avatar - Empowered Mistu-Jaku
ATK/2000 DEF/3000
Aiya let out a confident laugh. "Strong defense he's got. You're going to need it if you hope to stand a chance against me!"
"Oh, he's just one soldier, Aiya. And I've got more," Shun said with a smirk. "But first, a little power up is needed. Since I control a Dual Avatar monster that was fusion summoned with an effect monster, like Mistu-Jaku, Ah-Gyo will power up my fighters' ATK and DEF by 300 points. Ah-Gyo's attack power rises to 2400 and Mitsu-Jaku's unbreakable defense is increased to 3300! Think your flashy ninjas can break through that kind of force?"
"I guess we'll see," Aiya said, accepting the challenge.
"You're kinda cute when you're confident," Shun said.
Aiya rolled her eyes. "Here we go."
"No, I mean it."
"Just end your turn."
Shun chuckled. "Sheesh. Can't take a compliment. I set two cards face-down and end my turn."
Turn 2 - Aiya
LP 4000
Cards in hand x6
"All right, hot shot. Your fighters are pretty strong. But let's see how they fare against my Ninja monsters."
"You better watch yourself, Shun!" Kai shouted. "My sister's gonna bring the pain!"
Shun smirked at the kid and looked back at Aiya, who seemed to be smiling as she stared at her cards.
"First. I activate the field spell, Hidden Village of Ninjistu Arts!"
Their field turned into a traditional Japanese village in the mountains in the dead of night. The advanced systems silenced the other noise around them to enhance the immersion of the field, creating the sounds of crickets chirping and crows cawing in the trees. The wind even changed, blowing through the trees and causing leaves to flutter to the ground.
"Next, I set a card face-down and summon Kagero the Cannon Ninja in attack mode!" She summoned an orange-haired female ninja in leather gear carrying a huge cannon in her powerful toned arms.
Kagero the Cannon Ninja
ATK/1600 DEF/2000
"Now I activate Kagero's effect! When she's summoned, I can special summon a Ninja from my hand!"
"Well, I can't have you with two Ninjas on the field, so I activate Empowerd Mitsu-Jaku's effect! When your monsters activates their effects and I control two or more fusion monsters, he can destroy it!"
His fighter jumped out of defense mode and ran across the village. Kagero aimed her cannon at him and fired in defense. The giant black projectiles flew at Mitsu-Jaku and exploded upon impact. Mitsu-Jaku dodged each of the cannons with incredible flips and jumps. He finally reached Kagero and kicked her hard in the stomach.
"KKYAAK!" she cried out before shattering into pixels and created a blast sending a cloud of dust at Aiya. She blocked the projectiles with her arm, her ponytail blowing in the wind.
"All right, good move! But no good enough! Kageo's effect still takes effect! And I summon Johi the Gravity Ninja face-down in defense mode."
"And I have another effect to activate!" said Shun. "When I have a Level 5 monster on my field, I can special summon Kaiki the Unity Star from my graveyard and I set him in defense mode!"
Kaiki flew out of the ground and landed in front of Shun, crouched. He crossed his arms over his chest as his 2100 DEF showed up next to him.
"And it's going to get worse for you from here, Aiya! Because now, I pay 500 Life Points to fuse together Kaiki the Unity Star and Armored Ah-Gyo so I can fusion summon Idaten the Conquering Star!"
"What!?" Aiya shouted. "You can do that?"
The two fighters jumped into the air and combined their life forces. Their energy formed a sphere that grew to an enormous size. It exploded into a blinding light that engulfed the field and revealed Idaten, who flew in from the light spinning his battle staff with tridents on each end. The evening breeze made his fur collar cape flow in the wind.
Idaten the Conquering Star
ATK/3000 DEF/2200
Aiya stood back, amazed at the incredible force that was before her.
"With Idaten's effect, I can add Hayate the Earth Star to my hand!" Shun said.
"He made that look too easy!" Syrus cheered. "Way to play!"
Shun crossed his arms as his monster stood proudly behind him. "Got anything to say, Aiya?"
"Hmph. All I've got to say is don't get cocky. Your fusions are impressive, Shun, but don't get too full of yourself. I end my turn."
"And I will activate my face-down card. The trap, Dual Avatar Ascendance! Now here's what it does. I target a Duel Avatar monster and destroy it! Then, I can special summon a monster from my deck OR my extra deck who is one level higher or lower than that target. So I'm going to sacrifice the Level 7 Dual Avatar - Empowered Mitsu-Jaku so I can call on the Level 8 Dual Avatar - Empowered Kon-Gyo!"
Empowered Mitsu-Jaku was destroyed by a blast of wind that came from the ground. From the rubble rose a giant in gleaming golden armor with golden halos orbiting his massive arms.
Dual Avatar - Empowered Kon-Gyo
ATK/3000 DEF/1700
"Man, it's kind of weird how Kon-Gyo looks almost like Shun," said Syrus.
"He does look kinda like Shun, doesn't he?" said Jaden, crossing his arms and nodding.
"Who cares?" said Kai. "It's going to take more than that overgrown loser to take my sister down!"
"I don't know how you can stay so confident," sai Syrus. "Shun's got two of his best fusion monsters on the field. And at 3000 ATK points a piece, Aiya's got no chance."
"I wouldn't be so sure. Aiya's gotten out of tougher situations in practice," the boy continued to boast.
"Well, now it's time for her to prove what she's got," said Syrus.
Shun smiled and drew.
Turn 3 - Shun
LP 3500
Cards in hand x2
"Oh man, this is getting too good!" Shun said. "First, I activate Pot of Greed, allowing me to draw two cards. Next, I banish my Dual Avatar Ascendance to add Dual Avatar Fists Yuhi to my hand.
"And I'm going to use my trap!" Aiya pressed the button on her duel disk and her set card was revealed. "Ninjutsu Art of Duplication! Now, I'm going to sacrifice Jioh the Gravity Ninja! And then, I can summon any number of Ninja monsters face-down from my deck whose combined levels are less than or equal to Jioh's Level.
Four shadowy figures started sprinting across the village. They were like black streaks in the moonlight. Syrus shivered when he heard the trees above him shaking and leaves falling around him. He looked up, only to find a shadowy figure darting away.
"What's going on? Who's out there?"
"Aww, man, this is just too cool!" Jaden said.
"So, four ninjas in defense mode, huh?" Shun said. "No matter. They won't stand a chance against my fighters. First, I summon Dual Avatar Fists - Yuhi again! And then, I'm going to discard Hayate the Earth Star from my hand to activate another Dual Avatar Invitation from my hand! So Now I summon two Dual Avatar Spirit Tokens to my field!"
The lavender flames rose again and burned away to reveal the Komainu hounds with their tails wagging in the air.
"Now I offer them both to summon another Dual Avatar Fists Armored An-Gyo!"
The two tokens burst into flames and combined to make the fighter dressed in black and red.
"And now, I combine Dual Avatar Fists and Dual Avatar Feet from my hand to create Dual Avatar Feet - Armored Un-Gyo in defense mode!"
The fighter specializing in kicks appeared on Shun's side of the field. Shun wanted to attack all four of her monsters at once and get things over with, but he knew better than to underestimate Aiya. Un-Gyo was summoned as a back up and a shield, in case she tried anything funny with her Ninjas cards whose effects made them sneaky just like the warriors they were modeled after.
"And don't forget. With Armored Ah-Gyo on the field, my Dual Avatar fighters have their ATK and DEF increased by 300. Idaten may not get the bonus, but he's still got 3000 ATK points, attack the first monster on the right!"
Idaten shot forward and his staff lit up. He launched his trident attack at one of the shadowy figures.
"My field spell activates!" Aiya said. "I banish a Ninja from my Graveyard and stop your attack!"
Shun gasped when he saw Kagero jump out of nowhere and take the shot, defending the monster he attacked, who was Mitsu the Insect Ninja.
"All right, fine! Uh...Empowered Kon-Gyo, attack the card next to Mitsu!"
The golden fist fighter shot across the field, looking for the defense position monster. He saw it dashing on the rooftop. He grunted and chased after it. He made a sharp turn, dust kicking up behind him. He jumped on the roof of the house and caught up with the monster. It was a female ninja with silver hair wearing dark clothing with sleeves making her look like a crow. She smiled at Kon-Gyo and summoned a murder of crows that attacked him. The birds swarmed the warrior and scratched him with their talons and beaks. They left him covered in tiny cuts and gashes. Kon-Gyo grunted and fell to one knee.
"What happened?" Syrus asked.
"You attacked Tobari the Sky Ninja," said Aiya. "And she cannot be destroyed the turn she was special summoned or flip summoned."
"No matter!" said Shun. "Because Kon-Gyo activates his effect! After damage calculation, I can return a monster you control back to your hand. And I chose the far one on the left! No more surprises from you!"
One of the black streaks turned into a white flash that shot back into Aiya's hand.
"And that will trigger the effect of Tobari the Sky Ninja!" Aiya yelled announcing her counter. "During your battle phase, I can fusion summon a Ninja monster using cards on the field or in my hand!"
"Wow!" exclaimed Syrus. "That card's not only packing a good defense but she's got a built-in Polymerization, too!"
Aiya locked her hands together. "Fusion Summon! Appear, Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja!"
A huge ninja in scaled red armor akin to samurai gear flew over the field with golden rocket thrusters for legs.
Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja
ATK/2000 DEF/2000
"Yaguramaru's effect activates, allowing me to banish your Empowered Kon-Gyo from the game!"
"Oh no!"
Yaguramaru slammed his massive iron fists together. There was a burst of smoke and the fists launched out of his arms like rockets. Empowered Kon-Gyo jumped around the village trying to avoid them. He ducked, flipped, and twisted. He even tried deflecting them back wit his own fists, but he eventually succumbed to the effect. The two fists attached themselves together with magnets and their rockets' power increased, taking Kon-Gyo with them. The rockets carried Kon-Gyo to the sky and exploded.
"And then I activate the effect of my village," Aiya added, trying her best not to laugh at the look of shock on Shun's face. "I add Jioh the Gravity Ninja back to my hand."
"You'll pay for that!" Shun yelled. "As impressive as your armored ninja is, he's no match for Armored Ah-Gyo! Attack his Yaguramaru!"
Ah-Gyo sprinted across the village and punched at Yaguramaru. His speed was unparalleled and Yaguramaru had no time to react before his defense points dropped to zero. He shattered into pixels.
"Aaaahh!" Aiya yelled as another gust of wind blew past her.
Shun smirked. "Not bad. Despite our best moves, we've barely made a dent in each other's Life Points."
"You're right," said Aiya. "But don't think this little stalemate is going to last forever."
Shun sighed and chuckled. "We'll see about that. I end my turn."
Turn 4 - Aiya
LP 3600
Cards in hand x2
Aiya flung a bang from her face. "All right. Draw! I'm going to fuse Tobari and Mitsu!"
"Another fusion summoning!" Shun said with a smile. "I wonder which one you're gonna pull out."
"Oh, trust me, Shun, you won't be so happy to see him."
The two monsters jumped in the air and spun around each other, creating a black sphere. "From the shadows of the night, strike my enemies with deadly force! Fusion Summon! Meizen the Battle Ninja!"
Aiya's field was surrounded by smoke and dust. From the dust emerged a figure in full red and black armor with a red shoulder cape
Meizen the Battle Ninja
ATK/2500 DEF/1500
"Oh, I remember him, alright," said Shun. "But don't think for a moment I'm going to let you have him attack me directly! Using Un-Gyo's effect, I can negate your Ninja's effect for the turn!"
"And I'll chain with one of Meizen's effects!" Aiya yelled, "allowing me to special summon Senior Silver Ninja from my deck!"
A ninja covered from head to toe in silver armor and gray robes landed on the field.
"What!? How many effects do these monsters have?" asked Syrus.
"Heh, now you know why my sister is so deadly!" said Kai.
"Okay, that's two Ninjas. What else have you got?" Shun asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Two? Don't forget I have one more ninja left face-down. It's Tobari. But she won't be around for long, because I fuse her with Senior Silver Ninja to create an old friend who just hates saying goodbye. Please welcome back Yaguramaru the Armor Ninja!"
Aiya locked her hands together and the armored rocket-powered ninja returned to the field.
"And with my village's effect, I add Tobari back to my hand. Ah, and you remember his effect, don't you! I can banish a monster on your side of the field! So bid adieu to your Idaten the Conquering Star!"
CLANG! Sparks flew as the armored ninja's metal fists slammed together. A cloud of steam was released from his wrists and the fists shot out of his arms. Idaten tried to fly away, but the fists caught up with him. He let out a sickening grunt when the fists attached themselves to him and rocketed him into the sky. He exploded with a flash of light and a firework display of colors.
"That's...that's impossible!" Shun yelled. "I can't believe you managed to do that!"
Aiya laughed. "This is just a taste of things to come, Shun."
Shun could not believe it. Two of his best monsters were gone. "She's so...strong!"
"Don't lose your confidence now!" Jaden shouted.
"Yeah, we're all behind you!" Syrus cheered. "Keep fighting!"
"Yeah, I'm not giving up. Since it's your turn, I can bring back Kaiki the Unity Star from my graveyard to the field in defense mode."
The fighter came to the field in a fountain of light and crossed his arms as he crouched to his defensive stance.
"Think you've seen the last of Idaten, Aiya! Think again! Because I pay 500 Life Points to fuse Kaiki and Un-Gyo to fusion summon my second Idaten the Conquering Star!"
Aiya gasped and stepped back when the evening breeze grew stronger. It blew through her hair and pushed her back. The flames from the torches flapped around and the smoke trailed behind it, creating a swirling vortex of wind. Lightning flashed and the giant rod-wielding fighter graced the field again.
"No way!" Syrus exclaimed.
"Wow!" said Jaden.
"Well, that's one way to recover," said Kai.
Aiya laughed. "Is that all you've got, Shun? Well, since I have ninjas on the field, I will summon this ninja back to the field face-down."
The trees rustled and the wind stood still as another shadowy figure started to dart around the field.
"Next, I activate the equip spell, Ninjutsu Art Tool - Iron Dagger!" The daggers and shurikens sheathed all over Meizen turned from simple weapons into fantastical blades.
"This spell not only increases Meizen's attack by 500, but it allows me to banish a Ninja from my graveyard. And then, I can target one card on the field and destroy it. Looks like your second Idaten's five seconds of fame are up! Meizen! Get rid of him!"
Meizen charged at Idaten and threw a dagger right through his head. "Ayyye!" Idaten grunted and he shattered into pieces.
"Dude! Did you guys see that!?" Kai boasted, pumping his fist in the air. "She just iced two monsters with 3000 ATK in one turn! I told you guys! My sister is not one to be messed with!"
"That is really good," said Jaden. "Sorry, Shun, but you're in for a world of hurt, man."
"You don't have to tell me twice," Shun said nervously, bracing himself for what was about to come.
Aiya made an annoying giggle and pointed at Shun's Ah-Gyo. "You may have prevented Meizen from allowing my ninjas from attacking you directly, Shun, but he can still take out that armored fighter of yours! Go! Black Shuriken Assault!"
Aiya clapped her hands and Meizen threw dozens of black shurikens at Ah-Gyo. The warrior tried his best to block them all, but soon they were too much for him to handle and he was sliced up by the attack. "DDDOOOAHHH!" He burst into a cloud of smoke.
"Aaauggh!" Shun shielded his eyes with his arm and the wind from the blast hit him, causing his blazer and headband to flap around.
Shun - LP 2100
Aiya - 2600 LP
"Wait a minute!" Aiya gasped. "Why did I lose 1000 Life Points?"
"Because I activated my face-down card!" said Shun. "It was a spell called Mirage Tube! When you attack one of my monsters, you take 1000 points of damage."
"Ha!" Aiya shook her head. "A lame attempt to try and stop me. Well, you failed and now, you face the wrath of another Ninja. Go Yaguramaru, attack Shun directly!"
The giant ninja raised his fists and fired his rockets. The engines whistled and whirred before smacking Shun right on the torso. He slid back a few feet on the bottoms of his boots. His boots crunched and cracked as he dug them into the ground to slow his fall. A trail of dust was left behind him.
Shun - LP 100
"He's down to his last 100 Life Points!" laughed Kai. "I told you guys he wouldn't stand a chance against my sister."
"What am I going to do?" Shun thought to himself. "I've got no cards left in my hand, my best monsters are destroyed, and she's got an army of ninjas waiting to take me out. This is it. If I don't draw the right card this turn, it's over!"
Turn 5 - Shun
LP 100
Cards in hand x0
"It's your move, Shun."
Shun gritted his teeth and growled as he looked at his empty hand. "Draw!" He smiled. "All right! I drew the Roll of Fate of card! Now here's how it works! I roll a six-sided die! And I get to draw cards based on what I roll!"
"Whoa! Talk about a lucky draw!" Syrus clamored
The giant die formed out of nowhere and started to roll.
"Come on! Come on, please be a six!"
Everyone watched in suspense as the die rolled on the floor. It finally settled and Shun wailed in desperation.
A three.
He held out his arms and looked at the heavens. "Awwwww! And the clouds opened up and God said: I HATE you Shun Fukuhara!"
"That's a tough break, man," said Jaden. "But you still get three cards from that."
"Here goes something," said Shun.
"Don't forget," added Aiya, "you have to banish the amount of cards you drew from the top of your deck."
"I know, I know," Shun said, slipping them off his deck and stuffing them into his pocket. He looked at the cards he drew. "Hmm. I think I can use these somehow."
"What'd you get?" Jaden asked.
"It doesn't matter," Kai said with a huff. "My sister has him on the ropes. It's over for him."
"Well, Shun," Aiya said impatiently. "What did you get?"
"All right. I activate the spell card, Feast of the Wild LV 5! Now I get to special summon two Level 5 monsters from my graveyard! So let's welcome back Hayate the Earth Star and Kaiki the Unity Star!"
His two fighters appeared on the field in flashes of light.
"But what good that will do him," said Syrus. "When monsters are summoned with Feast of the Wild, they can't attack or use their effects."
"Hang on, Sy, I think Shun's got a plan," Jaden said.
"Ha! Plan-schman," Kai snorted. "My sister's gonna tear him apart!"
Shun raised his eyebrow and looked at Kai with a cocky smile. "Oh yeah? Let's see about that. True, I can't attack with my monsters. But I can still use them for tribute."
"So you think you got something in your hand that can save you?" Aiya said with a conniving smirk. "Go ahead, summon it then."
Shun held up a card. "I tribute both of my monsters to summon the mighty conqueror of all tribulations! A warrior who faces the darkness and comes out stronger than before! Come forth, Tyler the Great Warrior!"
A cyclone of sand and dust surrounded the field and the mighty warrior with golden hair and glowing white eyes. A golden aura that looked like fire as he stood there in all his glory surrounded him. He wore a white zubon and a black belt with gold kanji printed on it. He was naked from the waist up, revealing his chiseled pecs, abs, and biceps.
Tyler the Great Warrior
ATK/3000 DEF/1500
"What a monster!" Aiya exclaimed. "His stats are insane!"
Shun crossed his arms. "Yeah, he's got some pretty good stats, but there's something else you should know about Tyler. You'll see when I attack your armored ninja! Go, Tyler the Great Warrior! Attack Yaguramaru!"
Tyler drew a sword from his back and sliced through the air. A wave of energy shot from the sword and hit Yaguramaru. He was sliced to bits and Aiya lost 1000 Life Points.
After she recovered from the blast, she grinned. "Looks like you wasted your last turn. Tyler is strong but he's still not strong enough to take on Meizen. On my next turn, my Ninja will destroy your so-called 'Great Warrior". And with only 100 Life Points left, the damage from their battle will be more than enough to win me the duel."
"No, there won't be a next turn, Aiya."
"What...what do you mean?'
"Tyler's got a sweet special ability!" said Jaden. "When he beats your monster, you take damage equal to its ATK points!"
"What!?" Aiya gasped.
Shun nodded and raised his thumb at his friends. "You got that right. Tyler! Finish her off! Equalizer Edge!"
Tyler sheathed his sword on his back and moved his legs back in a combat stance. He held his palms together and started charging a golden ball of energy.
"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! YAAAAAAAH!"
He thrust his arms forward. The ball of energy shot towards Aiya.
Aiya gulped and watched as the attack neared her. The blast first struck Meizen, disintegrating him instantly. Then the blast flew forward and slammed into Aiya. "Gaaahhh!" She cried as she was pushed back by the blast.
Aiya - 0 LP
"I can't believe it!" Kai cried. "He did it! He actually managed to defeat my sister!"
Jaden and Syrus jumped up and down. "Yaaaaaay! You did it, Shun!" they both cheered and ran up the arena.
"Way to go, Shun!" Jaden said, giving Shun a fist bump. "That was awesome."
"Ha, thanks, man!" Shun said. He looked across the field and saw Kai helping up his sister.
"Almost had him!" he whined. "Next time, Shun, I promise you, you won't get so lucky."
"Hey! That's enough," Aiya said to him. He ruffled his hair and stood up. "The game's over, little bro. Let's leave the competitiveness behind us. We've all had our chances to shine tonight. And that includes you, Shun. Good duel."
"Same to you. You really had me against the ropes with those Ninjas of yours."
"Well, now you know what you're up against," said Kai. "And the luck of the draw can only save you so many times."
Shun smiled. "I know. Thanks."
"Well, guess we'll be going now," said Aiya. "We need to head to the library and do your homework."
"Awww, Aiya!" Kai whined.
"No, no, no. You promised if we stopped by the arenas after school you'd finish your homework. Now let's hop to it."
"Fine, fine."
"Great duel, you two," Syrus said to the siblings as they left. "You guys are amazing."
"See you around," Aiya said.
"Yeah, see you," Shun said. "Don't be a stranger now."
Aiya smirked. "I see someone's impressed."
Shun chuckled nervously. "Impressed? I think I'm in love."
"Yuck!" Kai complained. "Can we please go already?"
Aiya laughed and nudged her brother on the shoulder. "All right, you little brat, let's go."
Kai huffed and started running.
"Man..." Shun said, his face going red. "I'd love to duel her again!"
"I'm sure you would," said Jaden. "Come on, Cassanova! Let's go eat."
"Eat!" Syrus said. "We just had lunch!"
Jaden rubbed his belly. "Yeah but after watching all those sweet duels, I've got an appetite. I'm thinking burgers!"
"Sounds good to me!" said Shun. "I earned enough DP from Aiya to get us some decent grub from the food court."
"Woohoo!" Jaden cheered. "Race you there!" And he sprinted away.
"Hey! No fair! You got a head start!" Shun laughed and bolted after him.
Syrus whined. "Awww, guys! Why do we have to run!?" he struggled with his feeble chase after his two physically fit friends.
Halfway there, Jaden felt his PDA vibrating in his pocket. He stopped, arresting Shun's chase.
"What's up?" Shun asked.
"Wait up!" Syrus called, stopping a few feet behind them. "Hey! What gives? Why'd you stop?"
Jaden held up his finger to silence them. "Hold on," he said. He turned his back to them and looked at his screen. It was a message from Chazz.
"Uh oh," said Shun.
Jaden flipped over the protective glass screen and played the video message on his PM.
Chazz appeared on the screen with a malicious grin. "Hey, Slifer Slacker! Tonight at midnight, it's on! Meet me in the Obelisk Blue arena! Oh, and why don't we make things interesting? The loser has to fork over their rarest card to the winner. Do you have the guts to accept my challenge, slacker? I'll be waiting."