Hey, guys. Sorry for the long wait, I'm trying to get back into the groove of writing. Summer vacation is almost here, so that should give me more time to write. 5 more weeks.
But let's go ahead and get on with the chapter.
Chapter 04: Burning Hell Duel
Heartland City
The city of Heartland was surrounded by pink clouds and crystals rising up from the streets, cutting through skyscrapers and tough concrete easily. The people were all turned into purple lights and heading towards a beacon.
"Everything is going according to plan. This is for the sake of the Barian World." A shadow of a creature with white skin and magenta eyes declared. Lightning flashed revealing an instance of her face.
Kamishiro Residence
Rio gasped as she quickly sat up from her bed and sweat poured down her face. She quickly covered her face with her hands and she tried to steady her breathing. After a few minutes, she finally managed to calm down.
"Why do I keep having that dream?" Rio wondered. She was getting really frustrated with the same dream of Heartland being attacked and people turning into energy and that creature.
She looked at her clock and got out of bed. "Well, time to get ready for the day." Rio got out of bed and went to take a shower before putting on her regular clothes and her hair curved up along the end.
"Okay, today I'll make omelets for me and Ryoga. Let's see…eggs, potatoes, ham, and for Ryoga, extra onions and peppers." Rio giggled at herself since she knows her brother hates those vegetables. "Oh, I should get tomato for myself."
As she pulled out a tomato, she saw the face of a boy that was her age giving her a warm and comforting smile. "Why do I always see him whenever I look at a tomato? Who is he anyway?" Rio was getting frustrated.
"Nope, nothing comes to mind." Rio sliced the tomato as well as the other veggies and cracked the eggs.
Heartland Mall
"I hate you." Ryoga growled as he was spitting pieces of onion and peppers out of his mouth.
"Come on, you need to eat more veggies. I'm doing this because I love you." Rio gave a smile that released a chilly vibe around her.
"And joining us today is Doctor Ruri Kurosaki, Heartland's very own Oneirology." A newsman sat down with a beautiful woman with long purple hair tied by an ornament and wearing yellow canary earrings. "Thank you for joining us today, Doctor."
"It's an honor to be here." Ruri smiled.
"So, Doctor, what can you tell us about your work. What is it that made you want to study dreams to begin with?" The newsman asked.
"Well, after my brother returned from war, he was suffering from PTSD which can be caused by the dreams that we have when we sleep. I wanted to help him get better, and now he is able to sleep in peace." Ruri answered.
"And why is the study of dreams so important in the field of medicine?" The newsman asked.
"Dreams can hold the answers to things we have questions about. Sometimes whenever an answer we can't find to a problem while we are awake, can be found by dreams. As the patient dreams, they run multiple simulations of the problem and come up with one or more answers that can be put into practice once they awake." Ruri explained.
"And how do you deal with patients who are suffering from nightmares or like your brother with PTSD?" The newsman asked.
"Using our latest technology, we can see what a patient sees when they dream. From there, a diagnosis will be given and from there we can implement a treatment that can help them not only sleep better, but also to overcome their fears and their worries." Ruri answered. "So, if you're having problems with your dreams and need help, please come by my office. Walk-ins are accepted."
"You should go to that doctor." Ryoga said.
"What makes you say that?" Rio asked.
"You've been constantly waking me up in the middle of the night with your screaming. It's really annoying. And I've also scheduled an appointment for you to go today." Ryoga answered.
"Aw, does my big brother really care about me after all?" Rio teased.
"Keep it up and I'll send you to the hospital as well." Ryoga glared, but it didn't intimidate Rio who only continue to give him a teasing grin.
Heartland – Alleyway
"Okay, the address should across the street at the end of this alley." Rio looked at the directions on her Duel Disk.
"Hey…" Rio heard a voice to the side and he saw a young man with yellow and black hair, wearing a white outfit leaning against the wall. "You're Rio Kamishiro?"
"Maybe, so what?" Rio narrowed her eyes, looking skeptical.
"My name is IV, and I've heard that you're a very strong Duelist. I'm always looking to face strong opponents, so how about it? I'll even provide a bit of my fanservice while we're at it." IV offered.
"Look, I have an appointment to get to, so maybe some other…" Rio was stopped silent when IV hurled a knife close to her feet.
"I not the kind of guy to take no for an answer." IV said. "Come on, you'll enjoy my fanservice."
"Fine, may me kicking your ass will help my mental state. Duel Disk, set!" Rio activated her Duel Disk. "D-Gazer, set!" Rio put her D-Gazer over her left eye. IV followed suit and smirked as Rio accepted his challenge.
"Duel!" Rio and IV declared.
IV LP: 4000, Hand: 5
Rio LP: 4000, Hand: 5
"I'm going first! My turn! Draw!" IV drew his card. "From my hand, I activate the Field Magic: Royal Family's Resting Place – Necrovalley!" The field transformed itself to a valley.
"As long as this card is on the field, neither player can target cards in the Graveyard, nor use effects to remove them or banish them!" IV smirked. "Then, I set a monster in Defense Position! Finally, I set one card and end my turn!"
IV LP: 4000, Hand: 3
Rio LP: 4000, Hand: 5
"My turn! Draw!" Rio drew his card. "I summon Blizzard Falcon (ATK: 1500, LV: 4)!" Rio summoned her ice falcon.
"Then, I activate the Magic Card: Blizzard Jet! This card allows me to pick one Water Winged Beast type monster on my field and have it gain 1500 Attack Points until the End Phase of this turn! I, of course, choose Blizzard Falcon!" Rio's monster gained a massive power up.
Blizzard Falcon (ATK: 1500→3000)
"At this moment, I activate Blizzard Falcon's effect! When it's Attack Points change, the opponent takes damage equal to the difference between its current and original Attack Points!" An icy wind hit IV but he was unfazed.
IV LP: 4000→2500
"Battle! Blizzard Falcon, attack the defending monster!" Blizzard Falcon unleashed its powerful wind attack and it flipped a large man with a staff.
"Gravekeeper's Guard's Reverse Effect! I return on monster on the opponent's field to their hand! Blizzard Falcon returns to your hand!" IV pointed to Blizzard Falcon and it returned to Rio's hand.
"Gravekeeper's have nasty effects, especially with Necrovalley on the field. But I shouldn't have to worry, not with this card." Rio took a card from her hand. "I set one card and end my turn!" Rio finished her turn.
IV LP: 2500, Hand: 3
Rio LP: 4000, Hand: 4
"My turn! Draw!" IV drew his card. "Reverse card, open! Large Dust Tornado! This card lets me destroy one Magic or Trap card on the opponent's field! I destroy your set card!" A huge tornado blew up Rio's card revealing Holy Barrier – Mirror Force.
"Damn…" Rio cursed.
"It's so obvious that you were setting up a trap for me." IV smirked. "I activate the Magic Card: Fusion!"
Rio gasped as she suddenly had a vision of multiple Duelists activating Fusion and laughing as people were suffering.
"I fuse Gravekeeper's Chief and Gravekeeper's Commandment!" The two monsters entered the spiraling vortex. "Chief of the royal family, merge with the one who holds your divine rule and create a new power! Fusion Summon! Appear! Level 7! Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist (ATK: 2000, LV: 7)!" IV summoned a spellcaster had powerful magic.
Rio started hyperventilating as more visions of Fusion Monsters were destroying everything around her. "Why am I so scared of Fusion? This has never happened before."
"Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist gains Attack and Defense Point equal to the combined original Levels of the monsters used to Fusion Summon him times 100! Gravekeeper's Chief was Level 5 and Gravekeeper's Commandment was Level 4! The combined Level is 9, therefore, he gains 900 Attack Points!"
Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist (ATK: 2000→2900)
"Battle! Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist! Direct Attack!" The Gravekeeper unleashed a powerful fire spell that it burned Rio, making her scream.
Rio LP: 4000→1100
Rio fell to her knees from the attack and panted very hard. "What is with the damage? It felt so real."
"Huh, that's weird. That's never happened before." IV was confused as to how he was able to inflict real damage.
"The flames…" Rio saw Heartland in flames again, she saw people turning into cards, Duelists who were laughing at their misery. Rio shook her head and slapped herself in the face. "Get it together. You're in a middle of a Duel now." Rio stood back up.
"Oh, so you still have the spirit to fight. That's good, I love to give my fans more fanservice! I activate Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist's effect! Once per turn, during the End Phase of my turn, I can add a Gravekeeper monster or a Necrovalley card from my deck to my hand! I choose to add the Continuous Magic: Shrine of Necrovalley!" IV added the card to his hand.
Rio's eyes widened when she saw that card. "That's…"
"So, you know it's effect! That's right, your next turn might as well be your last turn! Once I activate this card, your Special Summons will be sealed and that includes your Xyz Summon! But of course, this was to be expected, there was no way I was going to lose to the sister of the pathetic Ryoga Kamishiro."
"What did you say?" Rio questioned sternly and darkly. "How dare you insult my brother!"
"Oh, did I hit a nerve. Whatever, there's nothing you can do against me. I end my turn." IV finished his turn.
IV LP: 2500, Hand: 2
Rio LP: 1100, Hand: 4
"As long as he has Necrovalley on the field, I can't target cards in my Graveyard, and he'll even seal all of my Special Summons if I do nothing this turn. Not to mention that as long as his Fusion Monster is on the field, Necrovalley can't be destroyed." Rio looked at her hand.
"There's a combo that can beat him, but I don't have the last card to complete it. Please, my deck." Rio reached for her deck. "My turn! Draw!" Rio drew her card. "Yes."
"I summon Blizard Falcon, once more!" Rio summoned her Blizzard Falcon again. "Then, I activate the Magic Card: Dual Summon! This card allows me to Normal Summon once more this turn! I summon Burincess (ATK: 0, LV: 1)!" Rio summoned tiny yellow fish.
"Next, since I control a Fish and Winged-Beast-type monster, I can Special Summon this card from my hand! Appear! Spiritual Water Bird – Sirene Orca (ATK: 2200, LV: 5)!" Rio summoned a winged beast. Then, I can change the Level of all of my monsters on the field to 5!"
Burincess (LV: 1→5)
Blizzard Falcon (LV: 4→5)
"I Overlay my now Level 5 Blizzard Falcon and Burincess!" The two monsters turned into blue lights and entered the spacelike portal in front of her. "With these two monsters, I construct the Overlay Network!"
"It's now time to break through your shell! Xyz Summon! Soar! Rank 5! Zero Bird Princess Riort Harpyia (ATK: 2500, RNK: 5, OVU: 2)!" Rio Xyz Summoned her strongest monster.
"I activate Riort Harpyia's effect! By using one Overlay Unit, I can reduce the opposing monster's Attack Points to 0! Arm Freezing!" Riort Harpyia unleashed a powerful ice burst that caused Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist to become frozen in ice.
"Damn it…" IV cursed.
"Battle! Riort Harpyia, attack Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist!" Riort Harpyia shattered Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist instantly and the explosion engulfed IV.
Rio breathed a sigh of relief. "It's over…" The dust settled down, but IV was still standing.
IV LP: 2500→100
"Huh? How?! You should've lost!" Rio was surprised.
"I think it's time you stop playing around IV." A new voice was heard. Suddenly, a small man appeared between Rio and IV.
"Tron…" IV said.
"Tron?" Rio questioned.
"I had a feeling you would forget the mission that was given to you. You always had too much fun when delivering your fanservice. But this is not about you, it's about our family and the injustice that was done to us by Dr. Faker. III and V are doing their part, so why haven't you?" Tron questioned.
"I know…I know our mission…but…" IV looked troubled.
"I know you have the card I gave you in your hand. You had it since the first turn. Go ahead and activate it and complete your mission." Tron ordered.
"Hey, who are you?!" Rio asked.
"That's none of your business. After all, you're just a pawn in my plan. Do it now, IV." Tron ordered.
"My turn. Draw." IV drew his card and put it in his hand and then grabbed his earliest card. "I activate the Magic Card: Flaming Hell Blessing!" The car appeared on the field and flames shot out. "Wh-What?!" IV was shocked by the power.
The flames danced around and started destroying the alleyway before heading towards Rio. Rio tried to cover herself but the flames engulfed her and she screamed in pain. "A-Again…the pain is…" Rio's mind then went back to the warzone of Heartland.
"What is with these memories?! These flames are too intense!" Rio felt so much pain as the flames kept burning her. "Am I gonna die here? I don't want to die! Save me, Ryoga! Save me, anyone!"
Suddenly, cold air started to fight with the flames and the roar of a dragon was heard. "What?" Tron was surprised that the flames were getting extinguished.
Rio suddenly felt her body get better, in fact, her burns were actually healing from the cold. "My burns…"
A large blue dragon hovered over the group and it roared venomously at Tron and IV. "IV, retreat!" Tron ordered and he disappeared along with IV.
The dragon looked at Rio and she was mesmerized by not only its power, but it's eyes. They were dichromatic, fierce and gentle at the same time. Rio suddenly felt overwhelmed and fell forward. But before her vision went dark, she saw a familiar person in front of her. Eyes just like the dragons, hair like a tomato, and a smile that for some reason, assured her that everyone was gonna be okay.
Kurosaki Medical Office
Rio groaned a bit before opening her eyes and she found herself lying on a bed with calming aromas around her and the sound of birds singing in harmony.
"Where am I?" Rio looked around.
"You're in my mom's serenity station." Rio saw an older teenage girl sitting at a desk and looking through notes. "You were running late for your appointment, so she sent me to find you."
"Your mom?" Rio looked and saw on the desk, Dr. Kurosaki. "You're Dr. Ruri Kurosaki's daughter?"
"Yes, I'm Yumiko Kurosaki." Yumiko went to Rio. "What were you doing in the alley? Playing with fire?"
"No, I was Dueling and he played a card that made actually flames, I would've been a goner if it wasn't for that Duelist and his dragon." Rio said.
"A Duelist and a dragon?" Yumiko raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I uh…didn't really get a good look at his face, but his dragon was amazing. It had different colored eyes and—" Rio was suddenly grabbed by Yumiko.
"Different colored eyes?! Who had that dragon?!" Yumiko interrogated Rio.
"U-Uh…" Rio was a little surprised by Yumiko's aggressiveness.
"Yumiko, that's enough." Ruri entered the room. "She's my last appointment for the day, go ahead and wait in the lobby."
"Yes…" Yumiko left the room.
"I'm sorry about that, my daughter has my looks, but she acts a lot like her father." Ruri admitted. "Now, then. Rio Kamishiro, tell me what's going on with you and your dreams.
"Um, well. I've been having the same dream for a while now. They're always the same and it's really bothering me." Rio admitted.
"What's been repetitive about the dreams." Ruri wrote down some notes.
"Well, Heartland was being attacked by Duelists that were mostly using Fusion Monsters. But then everything was surrounded by some kind of pink energy and this woman, or thing I think is the cause behind it."
"I see." Ruri mumbled. "Can you tell me when these dreams started?"
"I guess…it's been about a month." Rio said. "It just happened out of nowhere."
"Was there anything special about the day before you had the dream?" Ruri asked.
"No, it was pretty much an everyday routine. I wake up, take care of my brother, go to school, Duel a couple times and then go home." Rio answered. "The dreams just appeared out of nowhere. And honestly, I'm scared to even sleep again."
"Hm…well from what I've gathered here, it seems that you are subconsciously trying to remember something important, but your dreams are preventing you from remembering it."
"Something important? Like what?" Rio asked.
"It could anything that's important to you. It could be a birthday, an accomplishment, maybe even a family member or friend." Ruri said.
"A friend…" Rio thought of the Duelist that saved her. The sense familiarity whenever she saw a tomato. "Actually, I think he's here. He saved me from that fire. Maybe if I can find him, he could solve my dream problems."
"Do you know where this friend could be?" Ruri asked.
"I…don't know, he just appeared when I was Dueling." Rio said.
"Then that's the answer to your problems. You have to keep Dueling, maybe that will not only help you remember that friend, but it could also lead you to answers about your dreams. Heh, my husband did always say that Dueling would always lead us to answers, and he was right." Ruri smiled.
"Is your husband…dead?" Rio asked.
"No, he's just really far away right now. It's not like he chose to leave us, but he has a strong sense of duty, it's one of the reasons why I fell in love with him." Ruri smiled as she leaned back in her chair.
"Oh…" Rio got intrigued.
"Uh, sorry. We got off track. We're here for you, not my love life." Ruri blushed before getting her files together. "So, for now until we can learn more about your dreams, I would advise that you would keep Dueling, at least once everyday and when you sleep, drink some warm milk, it will not only relax your body, but it will always relax your brain, allowing you to clearly analyze your dreams. If anything, unusual happens or something new comes up, let me know."
"Okay, thanks, Doctor." Ruri thanked as she left the office.
Ruri went outside to the lobby and found her daughter upset. "Yumiko, if you keep scowling your face is gonna freeze up."
"She saw Dad." Yumiko said. "She said she saw Odd-Eyes and we know there's only one person who has that card."
"Yumiko, your father is in another universe, he's not here." Ruri said. "Look, I know it's been hard for you."
"Hard? It's been brutal, Mom!" Yumiko lashed out. "First, dad is dead. Then, he's alive, but in another world. Then our home turns to shit!"
"Language." Ruri scolded.
"And now we're stuck in a world, where everything is fixed and the only one who can change it back doesn't have her powers anymore." Yumiko said. "We might as well never see Dad again."
"Yumiko, we're still in the beginning. You just have to be patient." Ruri lectured.
"Mom, I still remember those days he was with us." Yumiko said. "He spent more time with Yusaku, Yukio and Yuka than he ever did me."
"Yumiko, your father loved you just as much as he did your other siblings." Ruri said. "In fact, whenever we were alone, he would always talk about you and that you would be something special."
"I just miss him so much." Yumiko broke down.
"I miss him too." Ruri hugged her daughter. "We will see him again. You have to believe. He's fighting hard to come back, and so should we. We can do that by helping Rio."
"Alright…" Yumiko dried her tears.
Kamishiro Residence
Rio finished getting herself ready for bed and she reached for a warm glass of milk. "Okay, here goes." Rio chugged the drink and she laid down on her bed.
"Just relax…calmly analyze the dreams…" Rio closed her eyes and calmed her breathing before going to sleep.
Rio's Dream
Rio found herself on the battlefield again with more Fusion Monsters around her. She took a deep breath and as if she was controlling the dream, the Fusion Monsters disappeared, and the city started to rebuild itself back to its former glory.
"Okay…this is a good start…" Rio muttered. "Okay, dream…what caused all of this?" Rio took deep breaths and she saw Heartland get smaller and smaller before it was shown to be a single world with three others surrounding it.
"Fusion Summon!"
"Synchro Summon!"
"Ritual Summon!"
"Other summon methods…" Rio analyzed.
"Pendulum Summon!" Rio turned around and she saw a giant pendulum swinging, creating a portal and multiple monsters coming out, one of which being the dragon with the different colored eyes.
"Embrace your dreams. And whatever happens protect your honor as a Duelist." A familiar voice spoke.
Suddenly, more worlds started appearing, some where Duel Monsters didn't exist and there were other ways to settled conflicts.
She then saw a world where there was an island with a giant tree and a floating ship in the distance.
"There it is, Hades' Ship."
"I'm looking forward to giving him a good beatdown."
"This isn't an ordinary opponent; he was a former Master of our guild."
"That's right, he's nothing like those Seven Kin."
"So what, we've all gotten stronger from these battles. And as long as we're together. Nothing can stop us."
"Hey, you know that you don't have to come with us. You've already done so much for us already."
"Friendship shouldn't be limited by a common mark. I wanted to help you because I wanted to and you're all good people." The familiar voice Rio heard spoke.
"So, what are you gonna do after all this?"
"I'll keep traveling the multiverse, and hopefully get home to my family and friends. Plus, I got to get this one back home."
"Hey, can I come with you?"
"Wait, you want to go with them?"
"Hey, he helped me, so it's only fair that I help him back."
"Perhaps we can help each other. Who knows if we run into your father, or your other friends' parents. If we can travel the multiverse, then others should too, including dragons."
"It's a deal. Thanks Yuya."
"Yuya…" Rio repeated the name. It was so familiar and nostalgic.
Kamishiro Residence
Rio woke up as the sun's rays hit her in the face. "Looks like it's working." Suddenly, the whole house started shaking. "What, an earthquake?" Rio lost her balance and hit the floor hard. After a couple of seconds the shaking stopped.
"Ow…what the heck was…huh?" Rio saw a card in front of her and picked it up. "Number 94?" Rio looked at the card.
And that is the end of Chapter 4. It was shorter than the rest, but I felt there was no reason to further drag this one along. Don't worry, Rio will get longer chapters in her story.
And before you ask why IV used a Gravekeeper's Deck and not his Gimmick Puppets, it was because the Numbers weren't released and when he faced Shark in the Championship match he was using a Gravekeeper's deck.
But what did you all think of this chapter? Let me know what you think in the reviews and I will see you all next time.
Preview: Jonouchi, Yugi, Anzu and Honda arrive at the Duelist Kingdom Tournament and Yugi goes to face Haga. But while Yugi is facing Haga, Jonouchi witnesses a bully taking other Duelists Star Chips by force and challenges him to a Duel, instantly betting both of his Star Chips.
Next Time: Red-Eyes vs Barbarian King