Chapter 34: Trial of the Century, Part 2

Previously on Legends Unite…

An illusion of Heartland City in the Xyz Dimension has lured Shay Obsidian into a trap set by the Big Five's legal specialist Johnson. Yugi and Zuzu manage to find him in a duel against the lawyer, who has taken the form of his avatar the Judge Man. Just when Shay gains the upper hand, Johnson throws him for a loop with his Skill. Now Johnson has set up a combo in which he gains Life Points with each passing turn. Will Shay be able to win the acquittal? Or will this sinister judge give him the guilty verdict?

Inside the courtroom, where the duel takes place, Shay is backed into a corner by Johnson's Dream Mirror monsters. And Johnson has his Cauldron of the Old Man spell, which will give him Life Points each turn.

"So far, all of the evidence points to your defeat." Johnson told his opponent as he slammed his gavel. "I find you guilty of poor dueling!"

Johnson: 1200 LP

Shay Obsidian: 2500 LP

"Oh, yeah? We'll just see about that." Shay said as his turn begins.

Turn 8: Shay (2500)

"I'm up next!" Shay draws a card from his deck. He sees that he only has two cards in his hand. "I'm in a bit of a bind. As long as he has his cauldron, he gains 500 Life Points with each potion added to it. And his Dream Mirror combo makes his monsters stronger. But I can't worry about that right now. What I need to do is get a monster on the field to keep him from attacking my Life Points. Good thing I have the perfect duo."

"I activate the Spell card Raidraptor - Roost!" Shay activates his Spell card.

"And what will that do?" Johnson asked.

"Good question. I get to take three Raidraptors in my Graveyard and return them to the bottom of my deck to draw one card." Shay explains as Tribute Lanius, Sharp Lanius, and Napalm Dragonius return to Shay's deck and he draws one more card.

"Since I don't have any monsters out that aren't Winged Beasts, I can summon Raidraptor - Bloom Vulture!" Shay said as he summoned an armored vulture.

Raidraptor - Bloom Vulture: Level 4/ATK: 300/DEF: 1900

"And with his ability, I can summon Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius!" Shay calls out Vanishing Lanius as the green-armored bird emerges with a screech.

Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius - Level 4/ATK: 1300/DEF: 1600

Johnson chuckled. "I'm glad you managed to get some monsters out. A shame they won't be of use. You see, my Dream Mirror Phantasms spell weakens your monsters' ATK and DEF by 500 as long as Dream Mirror of Terror is on the field."

"But Johnson doesn't have that card on the field." Zuzu realized.

"Whoever said it has to be on my side, little lady?" Johnson said. "My spell affects his monsters as long as the mirror of darkness is active, regardless of who commands it." A dark purple mist surrounds Shay's monsters, weakening them.

Bloom Vulture: ATK: 300→0/DEF: 1900→1400

Vanishing Lanius: ATK: 1300→800/DEF: 1600→1100

Shay scowls. "You may have weakened my monsters, but I still have plans for them. I overlay Level 4 Vanishing Lanius and Bloom Vulture to build the Overlay Network!" Shay called as the two Raidraptors turned into overlay units and headed into a portal.

"This warrior will guide the flames of rebellion to liberate all chaos! I Xyz Summon! Take to the front line, Raider's Knight!" Shay's Xyz Monster emerges with a mighty battle cry.

Raider's Knight: Rank 4/ATK: 2000/DEF: 0

"I'm impressed that you were able to summon your Xyz monster, but it won't help you as Dream Mirror Phantasms will just weaken it." Johnson said as the purple fog wafts from the dark mirror above Shay.

"Not for much longer. I activate the Trap Raider's Unbreakable Mind!" Shay reveals his Trap. "Once a turn, if I use a Dark Xyz Monster to Xyz Summon, I can destroy one of your cards!"

"Awesome! If this plan of his works, he can get rid of Dream Mirror Phantasms and go on the offensive!" Yugi said.

"How's that for an objection?" Shay smirked.

"I'm afraid that objection's been overruled. I activate Dream Mirror Oneiromancy!" Johnson reveals his Trap card. "Thanks to this Trap card, with Dream Mirror of Joy on the field, any Spell or Trap card you play is negated and destroyed." A beam of light from the white mirror above Johnson shoots out and destroys Shay's Trap.

"And now that it's gone, my Spell will weaken your Knight." The purple fog surrounds Shay's Knight.

Raider's Knight: ATK: 2000→0/DEF: 2000→1500

"Not good! It's almost as if Johnson knew Shay would play that Trap. Hold on…" Yugi noted. He then noticed the Dream Mirror of Terror's position above Shay. He went around the playing field and saw that because of the mirror's position, Johnson could see the cards in Shay's hand. "Zuzu, look!"

Zuzu noticed the same thing Yugi did. "That cheat!" She whispered to Yugi. "He's using his own cards to look at Shay's hand without getting called out for it!"

"This is no different than when Joey dueled him. He altered Joey's dice rolls and coin flips so that he could win." Yugi noted.

"You may have got rid of my Trap, but it has another effect. When an effect destroys Raider's Unbreakable Mind, I can take a Rank-Up-Magic Spell card in my deck and place it on my field." A card appears on Shay's field.

"He may have destroyed my Trap, but I can still utilize my monster's abilities on my next turn." Shay pondered before he spoke. "I end my turn."

"Hmm... His knight is much different comapred to his other monsters. I should be careful of whatever abilities it may have." Johnson thought.

Turn 9: Johnson (1200)

"Now then, where were we?" Johnson asked as he draws a card from his deck. "Ah, yes. I was just about to attack your knight with Phantasos!" Phantasos pounces at Force Strix.

"Look out, Shay!" Zuzu called out.

"I activate my Spell card! Rank-Up-Magic Escape Force!" Shay called.

"What?!" Johnson called.

"You thought I'd wait until my next turn to summon my stronger monsters? Guess again! With Escape Force, I can stop your Phantasos' attack, and then Rank up my Raider's Knight into an Xyz monster that's one rank higher!" Shay called as Raider's Knight blasted into a portal above. "Terror of the skies! Predator of blazing force! With wings that slash and talons that tear! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon!" Blaze Falcon emerges with a screech before taking a defensive stance.

Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon: Rank 5/ATK: 1000/DEF: 2000

"Phantasos' attack is halted and Ikelos is too weak to take out Blaze Falcon! Shay's safe!" Yugi said.

"But not for much longer. Remember my Spell Card? Blaze Falcon loses 500 Attack and Defense points." Johnson reminded him as the purple fog surrounded Shay's Blaze Falcon.

Blaze Falcon: ATK: 1000→500/DEF: 2000→1500

"And my Phantasos still has his special ability. With the two Dream Mirrors in play, he can switch from dark to light and vice versa." Johnson continued. A bright beam of light shone from the white mirror above Johnson, purifying the monstrous black dog and turning it into the graceful white dog.

Phantasos, the Dream Mirror Friend: Level 4/ATK: 900/DEF: 1900

"Oh no. Now Johnson will be able to boost his defense." Zuzu said.

"Yeah, it'll be hard to damage him now, especially since Phantasms boosts Phantasos' defense points.

Phantasos: ATK: 900→1400/DEF: 1900→2400

"And it gets even worse for you, Mr. Obsidian." Johnson said. "Now that Phantasos has switched to its Light counterpart, he can call upon a Dream Mirror monster that's Level 8 or below from the Graveyard. And I know just the one."

"You mean…?!" Shay gasped.

"That's right. The card you forced me to discard earlier in the duel." The black mirror then creates a wave of shadows on Johnson's field and they take the form of a warrior in black armor with a large crimson sword.

"Say hello to Morpheus, the Dream Mirror Black Knight!" Johnson laughed. Shay scowled.

Morpheus, the Dream Mirror Black Knight: Level 8/ATK: 2800/DEF: 1000

"Aw… You don't like him, do you? Well, you're not going to like his special ability. See, when Morpheus the Black Knight is called out due to a Dream Mirror monster's effect, he can destroy one of your cards. Looks like Blaze Falcon's flight has been cut short!" Dark energy from the black mirror enters Morpheus' sword and he blasts it at Blaze Falcon, destroying it instantly.

"Not good! Blaze Falcon was his only defense! And Johnson's monster has enough Attack Points to defeat him, especially since Phantasms raises its Attack and Defense by 500!" Yugi said.

Morpheus the Black Knight: ATK: 2800→3300/DEF: 1000→1500

"And now to close this case. Morpheus the Black Knight, attack Mr. Obsidian directly!" Johnson commanded his monster to attack. "Sweeping Shadow Slice!"

"I can't look!" Zuzu said, covering her eyes.

"Me neither!" Yugi added, closing his eyes.

"There's a saying where I'm from. No matter how many times you knock us down, we always rise back up, stronger than before!" Shay said. "I activate my spell card! Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force!"

"Another one?!" Johnson gasped.

"That's right! On the turn a Raidraptor Xyz Monster was destroyed, I can summon a Raidraptor Xyz Monster from my graveyard, so rise again, Raidraptor Blaze Falcon!" Shay's Blaze Falcon reemerges.

Blaze Falcon: Rank 5/ATK: 1000/DEF: 2000

"Raptor's Force also lets me use it to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher!" Shay continued. "Now I'll use Blaze Falcon to rebuild the Overlay Network!" Blaze Falcon shoots into another portal. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge! Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon!" An even larger falcon appears with a mighty screech.

Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon: Rank 6/ATK: 2000/DEF: 3000

Yugi and Zuzu open their eyes and see the move. "Alright! Shay managed to summon one of his strongest monsters!" Yugi said happily.

"That's right! And thanks to its special ability, it's more than a match for your knight." Shay said. "When Revolution Falcon battles a monster that was Special Summoned, all of their Attack and Defense points drop to zero!"

"That means even with Phantasms weakening it by 500, Revolution Falcon will just weaken my monster. Guess I have no choice." Johnson thought.

Revolution Falcon: ATK: 2000→1500/DEF: 3000→2500

"Morpheus, stand down!" Morpheus stopped its attack.

"A smart move, but as soon as my next turn comes, I'll wipe out your entire offense." Shay said.

"Not while I have my Skill. Time to Clear the Courtroom of your Falcon." Johnson said as he activates his Skill. Revolution Falcon is instantly destroyed.

Johnson: 1200→200 LP

"Not again!" Shay seethed.

Shay: 1900→1400 LP

"And thanks to my Cauldron of the Old Man, I get those Life Points back." Johnson said as a calming aroma soothed Johnson.

Johnson: 200→1200 LP

"I don't like this at all. Now as long as that cauldron is in play, he can use his Skill whenever he pleases." Yugi said. "What Shay needs to do is demolish that cauldron!"

"But how can he do that? Those mirrors let Johnson see all the cards in Shay's hand and we can't seem to call him out!" Zuzu said. That's when a dark purple cloud appears on the duel field. From the cloud, Emperor Shade appears.

"What in the…?" Yugi said agape with shock.

"That's Shade!" Zuzu said.

Meanwhile, at the family grudge match…

Kaiba is backed into a corner by Gozaburo's Chessmate board. It'll take more than a miracle for Kaiba to defeat his estranged stepfather. He's managed to replenish his hand thanks to his Card of Demise spell card.

Seto Kaiba: 2400 LP

Gozaburo Kaiba: 6000 LP

Kaiba's remaining monster is Blue-Eyes Jet Dragon, opposing it are Chessmate Brilliant Queen and Shadow King.

"You may have a new hand, but you'll never be able to get past my monsters." Gozaburo said.

"As I said, I've beaten you once already. What's stopping me from doing it again?" Kaiba smirked.

"As I was being upgraded, the only thing that raced through my mind was defeating you, son!" Gozaburo said. "And once that is accomplished, the Big Five and I will make our way to the finals and win so that I can reclaim my company!"

"Speaking of the Big Five, I wonder what they're up to." Roy said.

"I'm glad you asked." Gozaburo said as he pressed a key on his Duel Disk. "Gansley and Crump appear to have failed, but let's see what Johnson's up to." A live feed of Johnson and Shay's duel appears on the screen above. They notice Shade within the feed.

"Lord Shade?!" Gozaburo gasped.

"That's the emperor?!" Mia gasped.

"He looks scary." Zaria shuddered.

"Seeing a man in purple armor can do that to you." Liane agreed.

Back to the duel…

Shade has appeared in front of everyone. "Time out! Stop the duel!" He spoke.

"What gives?" Zuzu asked.

"Lord Shade… You can't, sir, please!" Johnson pleaded. "I'm only a few moves away from taking this fool's crystals and his mind!"

"You're not worthy of such a prize, Johnson! Not after the stunt you pulled!" Shade said.

"So, he is a cheater." Shay realized.

"Sad to admit it, that's true." Shade agreed. "The honorable Judge Man is nothing but a fraud who's been cheating you since the beginning of the duel. He's been using the mirrors generated by his Field Spells to spy on the cards in your hand."

"I knew it! That must be why he anticipated my Trap earlier!" Shay said.

"But my lord, I couldn't risk losing this!" Johnson pleaded. "Please! You must understand me! I can't take living in my virtual prison for one moment longer! It's torture!"

"Your excuses mean nothing!" Shade barked. "I brought you five out of virtual isolation with the understanding that under my leadership and guidance, you would defeat my brother Koga and his forces. But if you cheat, I can't prove that I alone can guide Zenova to peace."

Kaiba and the Lassards were shocked to hear this revelation. "What did he say?!" Liane gasped.

"Shade is Koga's brother?" Kaiba asked.

"Ever since Koga and I were younger, the two of us were evenly matched in just about everything we could think of. Rock climbing, cycling, puzzle solving, you name it." Shade continued. "But dueling came to Zenova and everything changed. I would practice day and night, perfecting my skills. But no matter how hard I worked or how much I adjusted my deck, my brother always kept beating me! I should be the keeper of the Stars of the Universe, not him! And it's about time I've proven to the Grand Ruler that he should've given that title to me!"

"The Grand Ruler? Who's that?" Mia asked.

Hearing this, Shay thought it best to step in. "Pardon me, gentlemen. If I may interrupt this little disagreement for just a second, the defendant would like permission to speak."

"If Johnson decides to play by the rules, I might be able to win this!" Shay thought.

"Sorry, but this doesn't concern you." Shade said before turning to the lawyer. "Johnson! It's time for me to do what I should've done the day we met!"

"My lord, please, don't!" Johnson begged the emperor.

"Ahem!" Shay coughed, getting the emperor's attention.

"What is it?" Shade asked.

"Listen, as long as this crooked judge agrees to play fair from now on, I may overlook his cheating." Shay suggested. "Emperor, if he wins, you still get to prove your worth. And if I win, I get to prove that I don't let freaky frauds get the better of me!"

Shade can see that Shay is serious. He smirks. "Very well. Good luck. Let this conversation be a reminder of what you just did. The stakes of this duel remain the same." With that, Shade leaves through another cloud of purple smoke.

"Heh, sure beats the bus." Shay joked. "Okay! Let's keep this going!"

"You did hear Lord Shade, right? You lose and not only do I get your crystals, I get to escape… by taking control of you!" Johnson told him.

"I'm aware of that." Shay said.

"Hmm… Then I guess you are as foolish as you look, because you're about to lose everything, Mr. Obsidian." Johnson said. "And with your body under my jurisdiction, your mind will be sentenced to wander the cybernetic realm for all eternity without bail!"

Shay chuckled. "You got me shaking in my boots, your honor. You're really tough. A shame you can't cheat anymore, Johnson!"

"Touché." Johnson said, signaling the end of his turn.

Turn 10: Shay Obsidian (1400)

"Now let's finish this duel!" Shay draws a card from his deck and sees that it's a new card. He smiles.

"Well, looks like things are looking up for me." Shay said.

"What do you mean by that? You've got no monsters left and you only have one card in your hand." Johnson said.

"And that's exactly what I need. Remember Bloom Vulture? If my field has no monsters, I can use his ability to summon him and another Raidraptor monster that's Level 4 or lower from my Graveyard in Defense Mode." Shay explained. "Come on back, Bloom Vulture and Vanishing Lanius!"

"Them again? When will you learn that that trick won't work a second time?" Johnson said.

"That's why I'm mixing things up a notch. I Overlay Vanishing Lanius and Bloom Vulture to build the Overlay Network!" Shay chanted as the two monsters soar into a portal above.

"Blaze with crimson light! Set aflame to my soul!" Shay chants. "I Xyz Summon! Raidraptor - Blade Burner Falcon!" A green and white armored falcon appears with a screech.

Raidraptor - Blade Burner Falcon: Rank 4/ATK: 1000/DEF: 1000

"So you got another Falcon out. It changes nothing, unlike your monster's Attack Points, thanks to my Spell card." Johnson said as the purple fog from the black mirror oozes out and weakens Blade Burner Falcon.

Blade Burner Falcon: ATK: 1000→500/DEF: 1000→500

"Actually, Johnson, it changes everything." Shay said.

"And how, may I ask, is that? As I said, you only have one card in your hand." Johnson said.

"And this one card will help me win. I activate Rise Rank-Up-Magic Raidraptor's Force!" Shay said as he activated a new Spell card.

"A new Rank-Up-Magic card?!" Johnson gasped.

"That's right, and this lets me use the Raidraptor Xyz Monsters on my field and in my Graveyard to Xyz Summon a Raidraptor that has the same Rank equal to their combined Ranks." Shay explains as the portal to the Graveyard opens and Raider's Knight and Blaze Falcon emerge from it. "I overlay Blade Burner Falcon, Raider's Knight, and Blaze Falcon to build the Overlay Network!" The three Xyz Monsters shoot into another portal.

"From within the darkest shadows comes the Raptor that is as eternal as the heavens and Earth, guiding its fellow rebels to victory!" Shay chanted. "Go, Rise-Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Descend! Rank 13 Raidraptor - Rising Rebellion Falcon!" A gigantic armored falcon emerges with a screech that could shatter windows.

Raidraptor - Rising Rebellion Falcon: Rank 13/ATK: 4000/DEF: 3500

"Rank 13?!" Zuzu gasped in total surprise.

"Am I… actually seeing this?" Yugi said in awe.

Everyone looked at the giant black-armored falcon with wings as big as a dragon's. Johnson was awestruck but managed to keep his composure.

"So you managed to call a new monster. Your one monster stands no chance against three." Johnson said. "Especially when I have a Trap card that'll ground his birdie. As soon as he attacks, I'll activate my Enchanted Javelin trap, which will give me enough Life Points to survive, giving me the perfect chance to gain the victory I deserve."

"I activate Raidraptor's Force's effect." Shay declared. "If I use at least two Xyz Monsters to Rank-Up my Falcon, those Xyz Monsters become Rebellion Falcon's Overlay Units." Blade Burner Falcon, Blaze Falcon, and Force Strix become Overlay Units for Rising Rebellion Falcon.

"Your monster is powerful, I'll give you that much, but it won't matter, because as soon as my next turn begins, I'll–" Johnson spoke before Shay cut him off.

"There is no next turn!" Shay snarled.

"Huh?!" Johnson asked in shock.

"I activate Rising Rebellion Falcon's special ability!" Shay declared. "When Rebellion Falcon is successfully Xyz Summoned, all of your cards that are on the field are instantly destroyed!"

"WHAT?!" Johnson gasped in horror.

"Unleash your rage, Rebellion Falcon, and annihilate everything! Lightning Liberation!" Shay commanded as the armored falcon unleashed a lightning blast that destroyed every card on Johnson's field.

"No! This can't be happening!" Johnson said in shock.

"Oh, but it is, and it's about to get a lot worse for you! Since Rising Rebellion Falcon has three different Raidraptor Xyz Monsters as Overlay Units, you take damage equal to the combined original Attack Points of the monsters that were destroyed." Shay explained. Johnson breathed, scared of what'll happen next.

"Morpheus the Black Knight's original Attack Points were 2800, combine that with Ikelos the Mara's 500 and Phantasos the Friend's 900…" Zuzu calculated the total. "That's a grand total of 4200 points!"

"More than enough to close this case once and for all! Rising Rebellion Falcon, finish him!" Shay commanded as his falcon unleashed another lightning blast that struck Johnson. The law specialist of the Big Five screamed in total agony.

Johnson: 1200→0 LP

"Impossible! I never lose a case!" Johnson said as he started dissipating. "I remember when I convinced a jury that a man who can't swim stole a kayak! How could this meddling miscreant defeat me?!" He screamed as his avatar disappeared completely, as did the field, leaving only Johnson's three Link Crystals.

"Make no mistake, Johnson: you chose this fate." Shay said as he picked up the crystals.

"All right!" Yugi cheered for Shay.

"Way to go, Shay!" Zuzu cheered.

"That was awesome!" Yugi cheered.

"Thanks, but now's not the time to celebrate." Shay said. "We still need to find the others."

"You're right, Shay. The other members of the Big Five might be dueling them right about now." Yugi agreed.

"Then we better find them right now! Most of these duelists are fairly new at this!" Shay said.

"We will, and we'll make sure Gozaburo pays for this!" Yugi said with vigor. With that, the three of them took off to find their friends and warn them of the remaining members of the Big Five.