"My mistress," said a Shadow Duelist as they bent down to bow before their liege.
"What is it?" said the person they were addressing as they sat on a throne.
"Our druids have located what you seek," said the person as they pulled out a device to show a hologram of their leader's request.
"Excellent. And what of our World Champion?" asked the person on the throne as she picked up a black chess piece.
"Our spies have spotted him in the city of Zephyr Heights. He's not alone. His family is with him."
"Even better. Go!" said the person as they placed their chess piece on the space before the white king. "Deliver onto them what is just."
"As you wish," said the Shadow Duelist as he disappeared along with several others.
"Time to discover more pieces for my game," said the mysterious figure as she placed two more black pieces before the white King.
"Alright, off the backboard to the door and then into the basket!" called Zipp as she dribbled the basketball before taking her shot.
The girl threw the ball as it did what she called out and soon fell into the basket.
"Top that, lover boy!" stated Zipp as she passed the ball to Mario.
"Alright, let's see," said Mario as he looked about the girl's room to figure out how he wanted to make his basket. "Overhead backward shot, off your closet door and into the basket!"
"Yeah, right," said Zipp as she didn't believe the boy could make that shot.
Mario took a deep breath as he turned around. Before extending his arm over his head, he visualized the basket and where it was. The ball sailed through the air, hit the girl's closet, and bounced off to the basket but hit the rim and failed to go in.
"Come on!" said Mario as he turned around to see.
"Better luck next time, lover boy," snickered Zipp as she patted his shoulder before rubbing his hair.
"Stop that!" said Mario as he didn't like Zipp touching his hair, to which she stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm done!"
The boy headed out of Zipp's room as the girl followed him. The heiress was riding high on her victory against the boy as she wanted to milk it.
"Come on, Mario. What's the matter? Can't handle losing to a girl or… can't handle losing to someone as awesome as me?" taunted Zipp as she walked backward in front of the boy.
"If you're so confident, rich girl? Why don't you face me in a duel right now?" suggested Mario as he wanted to see if Zipp could back up her smack talk.
"You really want to lose to me, lover boy?" teased Zipp.
"Funny, 'cause the last time we faced, I beat you," responded the boy.
"Yeah, but that was one time. Who's to say I won't beat you if we went for a second round?" stated the girl as they turned the corner.
"Who's to say you're gonna beat me at all?" teased Mario.
"Put your money where your mouth is, rich girl."
"Then strap on your duel disk, lover boy, and let's go."
The two teens seemed to be aggressively flirting with each other as they stared into each other's eyes. The pair held their gaze on the other as smiles appeared.
"Hope I'm not interrupting anything!"
The two snapped out of their trance as they turned to see Pipp standing a few meters away. The girl stood there with her arms crossed as she made a face.
"Oh, hey, sis," greeted Zipp casually. "Mario and I were just messing with each other. Having a little fun," said the girl as she playfully punched the boy's arm.
"Sure," responded Pipp, as she kept her stern gaze at her older sister.
"Anyways, Pipp. Remember how I talked about the Shadow Duelists that attacked Mario and Roll on the train? Well, guess what I think I might have a clue. Thanks to Mario over here." said the elder sister as she gave another playful nudge.
"That's lovely. Why don't you tell me later!" said Pipp as she immediately reached for Mario's hand to pull the boy away from her sister. "Right now, I need him for something."
"Uh, okay. What for?"
"None of your business!" yelled the popstar as she began to drag the boy away from her sibling.
"O-kay," said Zipp, unsure of why Pipp acted the way she did as she and Mario disappeared. "Well, let's see if I can get some answers." The girl then left as she went in search of someone.
"Hey, chica! Slow down!" said Mario as Pipp's surprisingly strong strength pulled him.
The girl didn't seem to hear the boy as she was dead set on making sure she put enough distance between her and Zipp.
"Hey! Stop!" shouted Mario as he yanked his arm.
The boy got the girl to look at him as he wasn't anything but pleased.
"What's going on?" asked the boy as he looked the popstar teen in the eye.
"I just… really need your help with something," said Pipp, giving a half-lie.
"With what?" asked Mario.
"Just… follow me," stated the girl.
At Haven's company, the woman was attending a press conference that she had set up. She had put the word out to every TV station in the city that she would talk about her new business plan for the year. The businesswoman wasn't alone, as Isaac was with her. A table was shown as both adults sat and answered some questions.
"So, Ms. Haven? You made a monumental announcement, and that was the signing and sponsorship of the World Champion. How did this all come to be?" asked a reporter.
"Well, in the business world, if you want to expand, you make decisions. And no decision was easier than deciding to back up the World Champion," stated Haven as she looked at Isaac. "The world of Duel Monsters touches so many things, so I finally decided to invest in a piece of it. And what better piece than the reigning World Champion? In business, you either make friends or you make money. And I found a friend, now it's time to make money."
"And Isaac, if I may ask, how do you feel about all this?" asked another reporter.
"At least I know where I'm getting my next meal from," chuckled the World Champion. "Honestly, working with Ms. Haven and her company is an honor. And I look forward to making things happen. I plan to do my part, it's up to Haven to do her part." Isaac glanced over at Haven as he emphasized that last part; he reminded the woman of what she promised him when he initially signed.
"If I may, you're the World Champ. So, the question everyone wants to know is, who's next to challenge you for your title?"
"Whoever wants to step up, feel free. 'Cause at the end of the day, the result will be the same. You come for the Prince, you'd best not miss." stated Isaac.
The press conference continued for a while, and Haven soon wrapped it up.
"As promised, here's your quota," said Haven as she pulled a check and handed it to Isaac.
"Much appreciated," said Isaac, pleased that the woman kept her word about paying him.
"This is only the beginning. I'm already getting reports in that our products and stocks have increased by a whopping 15%."
"Good business," said Isaac, putting the check in his pocket.
"Very good business, now then, there are some things that I want to discuss," said Haven as she and Isaac began to leave her office.
Meanwhile, at the estate, Zipp was wondering about it as she was trying to search for the World Champion but couldn't seem to find him. The girl spotted Roll as she was currently watching some TV in her room.
"Hey, Roll."
"What's up, Zipp?"
"Do you know where your father is?"
The girl pointed to the TV as Zipp saw the press conference that her mother and the girl's father attended.
"What do you want with my father?"
"See, you remember those Shadow Duelists that you fought? Well, I think I'm starting to piece together something. But I wanted to ask your father about this 'Shadow Realm' that he often told you and your brother."
"Hold on. Mario told you?" said Roll as she shut off the TV and stood to look at her friend.
"Yeah, it was, uh, when we got back from our date."
"And how'd you enjoy your date with my brother?" asked Roll, looking to fish for some details.
"It was one of the… hey, wait a minute. I see what you're doing!" said Zipp, as she wasn't gonna fall for Roll's trap. "I ain't taking the bait."
Roll giggled as she followed Zipp, who left her room.
"So, what's the deal?"
"I just want to talk to your father. Hear what he has to say about this type of evil magic he's encountered in the past," stated the heiress.
As the two girls walked, they were unaware of someone watching them as they began to track the pair. While the pair were at the estate, in a mall, another pair was doing their thing.
"So, what do you think? The hot pink or the scarlet red?" asked Pipp as she wanted Mario's opinion on what minidress she should buy.
"Does it matter?" groaned the boy as he was regretting helping Pipp as all they were doing was shopping.
"Well, it does, to you," said Pipp as she placed them on the counter.
"Why?" said Mario, unsure why his decision was so important for the girl in deciding what dress to get.
"Because, just because," smiled Pipp, waving a handout. She then slid up next to Mario and pulled out her phone. "Shopping selfie."
The boy groaned but put on a small smile for the sake of the girl and her photo. Just before Pipp took the photo, she took her chance and turned the boy so that she kissed him on the lips and took the pic. Mario quickly pulled the girl off of him.
"What the hell was that?!" said Mario, as he didn't like Pipp kissing him without his consent.
"Just wanted to get a special pic," said the girl.
"By kissing me?!" stated the boy.
Pipp didn't respond as she was uploading her post to her feeds. The boy groaned as he so badly wanted to walk away and ditch the girl. A water fountain was shown as people were passing by, and their reflection was shown. Soon, a dark figure appeared in the water itself as it spotted the boy and girl before disappearing.
At the company building, Isaac and Haven had exited the place as they were looking to head back to the estate. As the woman's limo was being brought up, nearby were construction workers as they looked down a small ditch.
"What seems to be the problem here?" said Haven, as she didn't like her employees loitering about.
"Beg your pardon, Ms. Haven. We seem to have lost the key to the bulldozer. It fell down the hole, and neither of us can fit our hand down there." said one of the workers.
"Well, start digging then!" shouted Haven.
"Calm down, Haven. Perhaps, I can try," said Isaac.
"By all means," said the worker as he stepped to the side.
Isaac approached the ditch and bent down, extending his arm into the hole. The World Champion began to feel about for any sort of key.
"I think I got something," said Isaac as he tried to pull but couldn't. "Rather stuck!"
"Be careful!" said Haven.
"Come on, you stupid…"
Isaac tugged and tugged, but the thing he was holding onto wouldn't budge. He began to get a bit frustrated and applied more force to pull the stuck thing. Isaac grunted as he started to strain himself, but with one swift motion, he pulled his hand out and opened it as inside was the key.
"The key!" said the worker.
"Here you go. Stubborn little thing," said Isaac as he handed the key to the worker in the bulldozer. He inserted it and turned as the machine came online.
"There we go! Thanks!" said the worker in the machine as he left.
"I can't thank you enough."
"Don't mention it," said Isaac to the head worker as he left.
The World Champion smiled before he felt some pain in his wrist. He shook it to relieve some pain but found it to be rather bothersome.
"Everything okay?" asked Haven as she saw Isaac's wrist.
"Yeah, I'm good," said Isaac, rubbing his wrist with his other hand. "Just… mind if we stop by a clinic really quick?"
The pair entered the limousine, and Haven quickly instructed her driver to take them to their destination. Watching the vehicle take off hurriedly was the worker who asked for Isaac's help as he smiled sinisterly. He then tapped a hidden microphone in his ear as he spoke.
"Deed is done. Move in," said the person to his associates.
The limo was shown outside of a small medical clinic as inside a room, Isaac and Haven were with a doctor.
"Just a minor sprain, is all," said the doctor as he bandaged the wrist of Isaac. "Should be good. All you need is rest."
"That's a relief," said the World Champion.
"Now, I advise you not to put pressure on your wrist, or else it'll take longer."
"Don't worry, doctor. I'll take care of it immediately!" said Haven, as she wasn't going to risk her moneymaker.
The doctor wrote down a prescription and handed it along with the bill to the woman as he left the room.
"I'm not only going to sue that worker but make sure he never works in my city ever again!"
"Okay, calm down, Haven. It's not a big deal," said Isaac as he tried to stop the woman from doing anything rash. "It's just an accident. Happens all the time. Plus, the key was kinda stuck. And I did strain myself on my own accord."
"But it would have been easier if they just dug it out! Let's not discuss this. Let's go!" said Haven as she was going to get Isaac home immediately and rest his wrist so he could return to making her money. "I'll tell the photographer to push back."
The woman grabbed her purse as Isaac put on his hoodie. They began exiting the room and headed to the counter to pay the bill. However, compared to when they walked in, there were nurses and others walking in the halls. Now, after leaving the room, there wasn't a single person in sight.
"Strange, where is everyone?" said Haven as she noticed nobody present.
"Y-Yeah," said Isaac as he got suspicious.
As the pair arrived at the front counter, there was a person with a doctor's coat as they stood there.
"Excuse me, can you help us?" said Haven.
The person didn't respond to the woman as they stood there. Haven didn't appreciate being ignored as she held a grimace expression. Isaac, however, looked at the person as a thought quickly ran through his mind.
"Haven, look out!" shouted the World Champion.
The person took off the doctor's coat as a giant wind began to blow over. Isaac quickly wrapped his left arm around Haven from behind.
"I did not consent!" said the woman before she was turned around as Isaac used his back to protect the woman while the wind blew around them.
Soon, dark flames and mist appeared around them as the papers and nearby pictures were messed up. When the wind died down, Isaac and Haven turned around; they saw the person in front of them now wearing a dark cloak as they wore a pendant that glowed and had a duel disk on their arm.
"Who are you?!" demanded Haven.
"Like a fly caught in the spider's web! You have no hope of escaping!" said the Shadow Duelist.
"I beg your pardon!" said Haven, confused about what was happening.
"The time for our duel has arrived, World Champion. Prepare to be sent to the Shadow Realm!" said the Shadow Duelist as he turned on his duel disk and projected his card tray.
"This isn't good," said Isaac, as he was in no condition to duel since his right hand was still hurt. Not to mention, Haven was in the crossfire as he didn't want to hurt the woman. Still, there was no way to get her to safety as there was no escape until the duel was over. "Very well! If it's a duel you want, then it's a duel you'll get."
"Are you crazy! You're in no condition to duel!" said Haven to her client. "Look, here you. I don't know what theatrics you're pulling, but Isaac will not be dueling you."
"You don't have a choice!" snickered the Shadow Duelist.
"He's right, Haven. We can't leave until someone wins."
"You can't be serious! You heard what the doctor said. You have to rest your wrist!" stated the woman as they looked at Isaac's bandaged right hand.
The World Champion looked at his hand as he still felt some pain and knew if he tried to use it, he could further damage it. Just then, Isaac got an idea as he looked at Haven.
"Say, you know how the game is played, right?" said the World Champion.
"What?"
"Do you know how to play?"
"W-Well, no, I mean, I… well… I just know the general concept," said Haven, as she barely knew how the game was played.
"Well, that's good enough!" said Isaac as he grabbed Haven with his other arm and pulled her in close to him while turning her arm. His duel disk on the arm he had in front of Haven came on and projected a gold card tray.
"Wait, what am I…"
"It's simple. All you have to do is hold my cards for me and play what I say, alright?" said Isaac, giving the woman a smile.
"You make it sound easy!" said the woman, who had no clue what she was doing.
"It is," responded Isaac.
"Let the duel begin!" shouted the Shadow Duelist.
"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the duel disks.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 8000-
Isaac's Life Points: 8000-
"Let's duel!" shouted Isaac and the Shadow Duelist as Haven was shown standing close to him.
"So, what do I do?" asked Haven.
"First, pick up five cards," told Isaac.
"Okay," said the woman as she counted five cards. She then held them for Isaac to see as the World Champion saw his starting hand.
Turn 1: Shadow Duelist (Hand 5)
"I draw! And from my hand, I place a monster facedown in defense mode!" said the Shadow Duelist as a single horizontal card appeared before them. "I end my turn."
Turn 2: Isaac (Hand 5)
"Mmm," muttered Isaac as he looked at his opponent's field and noticed they only played a monster facedown.
"So, what do we do?" asked Haven.
"You draw a card each time it's your turn. So do it."
"Right," said Haven as she went to draw the top card of Isaac's deck.
"Just so you know, when you pick up my Magician's Valkryia, play her in attack mode, and then play the far card on the right facedown."
"What?" said the woman as she picked up the top card and flipped it over. She read the name of the card, and she was stunned to see that Isaac had called the card he would draw without looking. "But how did you…"
"I know my cards like the back of my hand. I know what I'll draw before I do. I have a strong bond with my cards." smiled Isaac.
"Wow," said Haven, impressed by the World Champion as she was getting a newfound appreciation for what he did up close and personal.
"Now then…" said Isaac as he gestured with his head.
"Oh, right," said Haven as she had a job to do.
"From my hand, I summon Magician's Valkryia(1600/1800)!" stated Isaac.
"Uh, it's right side up, correct?" said Haven as she picked up the card and played it upright on Isaac's card tray. Sure enough, the monster appeared on their field. "Now, attack!" Isaac gave his command as his magician twirled her staff before pointing it out and firing her spell. The attack sailed forward as the facedown monster on the Shadow Duelist's field flipped up and was an insect before it vanished.
"You fool! When Needle Worm is flipped up, its special ability activates. Now, you send the top 5 cards of your deck to the graveyard!" laughed the Shadow Duelist.
"That's bad, right?" asked Haven.
"Extremely," said Isaac as he kept staring forward.
"Wait, so I have to do that, right? So the top five?" said the woman as she turned to count off five cards and looked at them. "Seemed like good cards," said Haven, getting a quick glimpse at what they could have drawn before sending them into the graveyard slot of Isaac's duel disk.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn!" said Isaac. Haven remembered what card Isaac told her to set as she slotted it into one of the undercard slots of the duel disk.
"Okay, seems easy enough," said Haven as she felt like this was gonna be harder. Little did she know, it was about to crank up.
Turn 3: Shadow Duelist (Hand 5)
"My turn and I summon Warm Worm(600/1400) in defense mode!" said the Shadow Duelist as he summoned another insect monster. "Then I'll place two cards facedown."
Turn 4: Isaac (Hand 4)
"Something's not right," muttered Isaac as all his opponent was playing defense. "It's my move!"
Haven took that as her cue and drew the top card before letting Isaac look at his hand.
"Magician's Valkria, attack!" said Isaac as his spellcaster fired another spell to take out her foe.
"Now Warm Worm's ability activates. When it's destroyed, you have to send three cards from your deck to the graveyard."
"Again!?" said Haven as she had to take the top 3 cards of Isaac's deck and get rid of them.
"I know what your strategy is!" said Isaac as the Shadow Duelist smiled.
"Uh, what's his strategy?" asked Haven.
"This guy is running a mil deck."
"Uh, what's that mean?" asked the woman.
"Mil, or discard, is a strategy players use to eliminate their opponent's cards. There are cards and decks whose whole purpose is to make their opponent get rid of them," explained Isaac.
"But why? Don't you win by making your opponent's Life Points reach zero?" wondered Haven.
"Traditionally, yes. But there is an alternative to win. If your opponent runs out of cards, then they automatically lose. That's what he's doing. He's trying to get rid of our best cards before we play them." said Isaac.
"That's not good," said Haven as she didn't like that.
Turn 5: Shadow Duelist (Hand 3)
"My turn, and I activate my facedown, Gravekeeper's Servant. Due to the power of this continuous spell card, you have to discard one card from your hand in order to attack."
"Discard?!" said Haven, as she could tell that was bad.
"Next, I activate my other facedown, Present Card. Now you discard your entire hand and draw five new cards!"
"Is that good or bad?" asked Haven as she put all the cards she was holding together into a stack and placed them in the graveyard slot. One by one, the cards were sent away as she drew five new cards and held them up for Isaac to see.
"I play Polymerization and use it to combine my Gravekeeper's Shaman along with my Gravekeeper's Chief!" said the Shadow Duelist as his two monsters appeared before being sucked into a swirling vortex. "I Fusion Summon, Gravekeeper's Supernaturalist(2000/2000)!" A graverobber with white hair and colorful garments appeared as he held out a staff. "Now my monster's ability activates. It gains attack and defense points equal to the combined Levels of the monster used to Fusion Summon it by 100."
"Wait, so that's, uh? Let's see, one, two…"
"Eleven. So Gravekeeper's Servant gains 1100 attack and defense points," said Isaac as his opponent's monster got stronger (2000 → 3100).
"And now, Gravekeeper's Servant! Attack his Magician's Valkyria!" commanded the Shadow Duelist as his monster aimed his staff and blasted an attack at Isaac's monster.
"Haven!" shouted Isaac as he grabbed the woman and pulled her into his chest as he turned around.
Isaac's Life Points: 6900-
The attack continued toward Isaac as the World Champion took the hit while protecting the woman. It ended with Isaac managing to stay standing up as he fought through the pain. However, the attack from the Shadow Duelist's monster caused their surroundings to blow up, as parts of the hallways and the room had holes.
"Why did you do that?!" questioned Haven before she noticed the blown-up holes. "Why did the room blow up?"
"That's because this duel is real," grunted Isaac as he turned around with the woman still surrounded by his free arm and looked at his opponent.
"What do you mean, real?" asked the businesswoman, as she didn't like being left in the dark and in danger.
"Look, I can't fully explain it. But just know it's important that we win so we can get out," said Isaac.
"Now I activate Supernaturalist's other ability, at the end of my turn, I can add 1 'Gravekeeper' or a 'Necrovalley' from my deck. And before I end my turn, I'll place one card facedown. Then I'll use my Supernaturalist's ability to add Gravekeeper Commandant to my hand!" said the Shadow Duelist.
Turn 6: Isaac (Hand 5)
"It's my move now. I draw!" said Isaac as Haven drew the top card and showed it to the World Champion. "I play Dark Magic Veil! So by paying 1000 Life Points, I can summon a Dark spellcaster from my graveyard or hand. So I summon my Dark Magician!" The World Champion's signature monster appeared. "Next, I equip my Dark Magician with the Magic Formula spell card to give my monster an extra 700 attack points."
Isaac's Life Points: 5900-
"Remember, due to my Gravekeeper's Servant. You can't attack unless you discard a card from your hand!" said the Shadow Duelist.
"Oh, right. I forgot about that rule," said Haven as she saw the cards that Isaac had and could see they were good cards that the World Champion wouldn't dare get rid of.
"I'll take that risk."
"You what?!" said Haven, surprised by Isaac's decision.
"Get rid of the third card on the right," ordered the World Champion.
"Okay, then," stated the woman, trusting Isaac.
Haven sent the selected card to the graveyard as Isaac's ultimate wizard leaped into the air and spun his staff before firing his spell; it took out Supernaturalist and made the Shadow Duelist cover-up.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 7900-
"Wow! So this is what it feels like to be in a duel!" said Haven as she felt a rush of adrenaline hit her.
"Pump the brakes, Haven. We're not done yet. Next, I activate Graceful Charity. So I draw three cards and discard two."
"Is getting rid of cards the smart thing to do?" asked the woman as she picked up the cards and showed the hand to let Isaac pick the ones he wanted to get rid of.
"Trust me," said Isaac. "I end my turn."
Turn 7: Shadow Duelist (Hand 1)
"My move! And I play this, Dark Polymerization!"
"What is that?!" said Isaac as he didn't know what card the Shadow Duelist just played.
"Prepare to experience a power like no other. But first, I have something to show you two!" said the Shadow Duelist as his pendant began to glow.
Soon, a holographic image appeared, and what was on it made the two adults go big-eyed. On the screen was Zipp; the girl had bruises along her body as she was in a duel with another Shadow Duelist in the estate. The image then switched as it showed Pipp, also in her own duel, in the shopping mall as she was fighting another associate of the Shadow Duelist.
"My kids?" said Haven as she saw her kids were attacked and tumbled to the floor hard. "What have you done to them!?" demanded the woman.
"As we speak, my associates are currently taking care of your daughters!" snickered the Shadow Duelist. "And once they lose, they'll be banished for you never to see them again!"
"Pipp, Zipp," said Haven as she saw her kids struggling to stand up and continue to duel.
"And once they've been dealt with. They're next!" said the Shadow Duelist as the images of the girls switched to show Mario and Roll as the two siblings were behind the flames that separated them from their friends.
"Oh, no," said Isaac as he saw his kids.
"I hope they enjoy watching their friends succumb to the darkness!"
"What do you want?!" asked Haven.
"For the entire world to be swallowed up by the darkness. So that my mistress may reign for all eternity!" declared the Shadow Duelists as the live feed of the other duels disappeared.
"My girls."
"Haven, concentrate. I know you're worried about your daughters. I am as well. But right now, we need to win so we can get out of here and find them." stated Isaac as he tried to calm the woman down. "They'll be fine. If what my kids say about them, they can hold their own."
"How do you know? You haven't seen them duel!" said Haven, as she wasn't confident if her daughters could handle this kind of pressure given the state she saw them in.
"You're right. I haven't seen them duel. But from what my kids tell me about them, I have faith they'll be alright." said Isaac. "I don't know what dark powers are at work here, but I can't let them go unchecked."
"And now to witness the power of the darkness! Dark Polymerization, do your magic!" declared the Shadow Duelist as a dark swirling vortex appeared. "I can Fusion Summon using monsters in my graveyard. When the shadows are devoured by darker shadows, the curtain pulls back to reveal a world without light! I Dark Fusion Summon! Say hello to Dark Gravekeeper's Pharaoh(2500/2500)!" Out came a coffin as it slowly began to open; soon, a pharaoh, wearing Egyptian garments, appeared as it wore a golden faceplate that was menacing and scary. It stepped out of its coffin and raised a hand as power coursed through its fingertips before a sinister aura seeped off it.
"Dark Fusion Summon? I've never heard of that," said Isaac.
"Since you last faced my comrade, we have gained new power. And with this power, we will crush you and anybody who stands in our way."
"Hold on?" said Isaac as he saw the info his duel disk screen displayed about his foe's monster. "That thing is a negative Level 8 Fusion monster? How's that possible?"
"The monsters of the darkness don't come together and build off of each other the way you and your pathetic monsters do. Instead, they devour each other. They feed off of each other's negative emotions and energy. Like a snake eating its own tail!" snickered the Shadow Duelist.
"Interesting," said Isaac, fascinated by what he just heard.
"And now, I activate Dark Gravekeeper's Pharaoh's ability! Your monster loses attack points equal to its attack points!" declared the Shadow Duelist.
"Wait, wha?!" said Haven as she realized what that meant.
"Furthermore, for every attack point that it loses, you have to send a card from your deck to the graveyard!"
"So, that's 25 cards? Does that leave us with anything?" asked Haven as she began to count off 25 cards from Isaac's deck to send away.
"That leaves us with plenty," said Isaac, not worried he had just 11 cards left.
"Are you sure about that?" asked Haven as she didn't believe Isaac.
"We, the servants of the darkness, came here to rob you of your power and your precious light. We extinguish it and usher in an era of supreme darkness. We will bury you in the shadows. Dark Gravekeeper's Pharaoh, attack his Dark Magician!"
"Bring it on! Because I'm not afraid!" said Isaac. "Especially when I activate my facedown, Magic Cylinder! Thanks to this trap, not only do I negate your attack, but you take the damage instead of me!" said Isaac as two cylinders appeared beside his Dark Magician. One of them absorbed and sucked in the attack as the other cylinder returned fire and shot back toward the Shadow Duelist as he covered up and was pushed back while standing his ground.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 6100-
"Looks like the shadows are gonna have to be put on hold for quite a while," stated Isaac.
"Heh. You didn't think I was ready for your trap, huh? Because I activate Dark Gravekeeper's Pharaoh's other ability! Since you activated a trap, you have a card from your hand to the graveyard!"
"Oh, boy," said Haven.
"You know I really don't like you," responded Isaac with a blank expression and a nonchalant tone.
"I place one card facedown and end my turn!"
Turn 8: Isaac (Hand 2)
"It's my move! And since your Pharaoh's effect wore off, it means my Dark Magician can attack it!"
"But you have to discard a card from your hand to attack due to my Gravekeeper's Servant still in play!" responded the Shadow Duelist.
"Find by me. I'll discard a card so that I can have my Dark Magician attack your Gravekeeper's Pharaoh!" said Isaac as he got Haven to get rid of another card in his hand to allow his monster to attack.
"I forgot about Pharaoh's last ability."
"Seriously? How many abilities does this monster have?" said Haven.
"Enough to drive us mad," said Isaac.
"Gravekeeper's Pharaoh can't be destroyed in battle!"
"Maybe, but you still take damage!" said Isaac as his monster pushed through, and the remaining attack transferred to the Shadow Duelist as he skidded back a bit.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 5400-
"I then place one card facedown and end my turn!"
Turn 9: Shadow Duelist (Hand 0)
"My turn. And I activate my Pharaoh's ability! So your Dark Magician loses 2500 attack points, and you have to get rid of another 25 cards."
"Isaac?" said Haven, as they couldn't afford that many.
"From my hand, I discard Effect Veiler! So I can avoid getting rid of that many cards," said Isaac, as he knew they barely had much left to lose.
"Fine then. Next, I reveal my facedown. Rite of Spirit! Thanks to this trap, I can bring back a 'Gravekeeper' monster from my graveyard. Rise, Gravekeeper Supernaturalist!" said the Shadow Duelist as he had another monster on his field.
"This is really bad!" said Haven.
"Now, Pharaoh, take out his Dark Magician!" said the Shadow Duelist.
"I reveal my facedown, Magicians' Defense! The damage I take is cut in half!" said Isaac as his facedown flipped up.
The Shadow Duelist's monster blasted a wave of dark energy as it took out the World Champion's monster, and the blast transferred to them. Isaac quickly wrapped his arm around Haven and pulled her in to protect her. She took the remaining damage full on, and he did his best to protect the woman. Isaac fell to his knees while still protecting Haven as he started to pant heavily.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-
"Isaac!" said the woman as she was worried for him as the damage was starting to take a toll on him by protecting her.
"When… my Magic Formula is destroyed… I gain 1000 Life Points," grunted Isaac as he struggled to reach his feet.
"It won't matter. Because now you have nothing to protect you! Gravekeepr Supernaturalist, attack him directly!" said the Shadow Duelist as his other monster pointed his staff to fire off a soundwave attack as it was heading toward the World Champion, who was still on his knees and wasn't going to be able to protect himself.
Isaac looked up as he wanted to get to his feet and protect Haven, but he couldn't find the strength to recover. The attack was about to connect when suddenly, Haven stood in front of Isaac with her arms out as she faced him. The soundwave attack made contact with her as she felt it. Isaac saw Haven standing in the way of the attack meant for him as he stood up quickly from the sudden reaction.
"What are you doing?!" said Isaac to the businesswoman.
"I'm… protecting you!" said Haven in pain as the attack died down, and the woman started to fall backward before Isaac caught her in his arm and brought her up to stand close to him.
Isaac's Life Points: 3000-
"I'm so sorry, Isaac. I…"
"It's alright, Haven. You were just trying to help. And I thank you." said the World Champion as he got the woman to look him in the eyes.
Isaac looked over Haven's shoulder as he saw the Shadow Duelist snickering; it made him give him a stern look.
"Say, Haven. What say we end this… together?" said the World Champion to the woman.
She was shocked to hear Isaac saw that but felt a warm feeling of trust upon seeing his smile.
"Twilight is a lucky woman to have someone like you," said Haven as she knew why she fell in love with Isaac.
She turned around as Isaac kept his arm around in front of her as the pair put on serious looks.
Turn 10: Isaac & Haven (Hand 0)
"It's our move!" said both Isaac and Haven as she drew the top card with a flourish.
"And from our hand, we activate the Card of Sanctity spell!" said Isaac. "Now we draw till we're holding six cards."
"Can you afford that?" snickered the Shadow Duelist as only three cards remained in Isaac's deck.
Haven drew the cards and showed them to Isaac as he already saw their roadmap to victory. "Next, we activate Premature Burial. So by paying 800 Life Points, we bring back Dark Magician!"
A portal opened, and out came the ultimate wizard as he looked back at his master and gave a nod.
"Ready, Mahad!" said Isaac to his Dark Magician.
"I'm at your command, my Master," spoke the monster to his owner.
"Next, we play the Eye of Timeaus! Come forth, Timeaus!" shouted Isaac as Haven held the card high above. A giant wind blew over as a giant dragon appeared and roared. The woman was amazed at the sight of the large beast and was glad it was on their side. "Now Timeaus, merge with Dark Magician." The spellcaster then hopped onto Timeaus' back, and the two began to shine as it created a blinding light. "We Fusion Summon, Amulet Dragon(2900/2500)!" Out came Timeaus as he had magical runic symbols along its body as Dark Magician rode on its back.
"Next, we equip the Excalibur spell card. This doubles our Amulet Dragon's attack points!" stated Isaac as his magician grabbed the sword and felt the power course through(2900 → 5800).
"Your monster still doesn't have enough attack points to wipe me out."
"Then I guess Haven, we should activate Amulet Dragon's ability," smiled the World Champion at the woman.
"Let's," smiled the woman.
"Now, for every spell card we choose to banish from our graveyard, Amulet Dragon gains 300 additional attack points!" stated Isaac. Soon his graveyard ejected a massive pile of cards as Haven held the stack in her hand. "And thanks to you for milling most of our deck, we're choosing to remove 30 spell cards. So that's 9000 extra attack points for a grand total of… 14,800!" declared the World Champion as his monster's strength shot through the roof.
"Impossible!" said the Shadow Duelist as he couldn't believe how strong that dragon was.
"Amulet Dragon, attack!" shouted Isaac and Haven in unison as both thrust their arms out.
The dragon began to open his mouth and powered up its attack as the spellcaster on his back also powered up his sword. Soon the two fired their attack as it shot forward and conversed into a single powerful magical beam. The attack headed toward the Shadow Duelist who couldn't block the attack as he let out a shout and flew back to hit the floor.
Shadow Duelist's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Isaac and Haven
The attack from Amulet Dragon blew the roof above Isaac and Haven as an explosion occurred, which caught some people's attention. The sound of sirens could be heard as several firetrucks and ambulances were heading to the clinic to all the calls. Inside, Isaac and Haven stood as they had scuff marks on their skin before the World Champion started falling as the businesswoman caught him.
"Isaac!" said Haven as she held the World Champion.
"Do you mind… helping me get out of this place?" asked Isaac to the woman as he was a bit exhausted.
"Right," said Haven as she switched to his other side and put his arm over her shoulder as she helped guide them to the door.
The businesswoman looked ahead, expecting to see the person they dueled, but found him gone. She didn't have time to question where they might have gone as the sounds of sirens were starting to get closer. Haven then began to walk with Isaac as right now, she was worried about her daughters and hoped they were alright.
Author's Note: Things have escalated quite a bit. Now it seems Haven and her daughters are also a part of whatever agenda is going on. Not to mention, these druids have acquireda new power that allows them to perform dark versions of the special summoning methods to bring out powerful monsters. The next chapter will depict what's going on with Pipp and Zipp's respective duels as they'll get their first taste at what's to come. And it seems, Isaac was able to educate Haven about the game which is a nice touch. But after this, there's no doubt going to be a big discussion between everyone.