YO! Sup everyone! Welcome back to the next official chapter of Yu-Gi-Oh: The Curse of the Rosario. It's been awhile, but now we are back to the next installment! As you read, if you have checked out or are aware of the RV anime, you may notice some references are not from said anime, and may also not make sense to you. That's because this story is mostly based on the manga, but the characters are still the same. If you are going by anime, then this would be after season 1, which is actually faithful to the manga anyway.
Now lets answer some feedback, and begin!
From Thunderwolf7226:
I don't remember 2018 much but I wonder if the Dark Lords know of the Millennium Items?
Bakuganman: I'm not gonna go too much into the RV Dark Lords right now, but as for you mentioning RV cast as cards, look at a story in this archive called "Dueling Hearts" by Red Rain17. Your review is still there in chapter 12. Quote: I would like to see the girls as dueling cards. VampireSuccubus: Dark Attribute, Mermaid: Aqua Attribute. That mother is one evil witch! turning her kid into a rat and then going to sleep with another one of her son's. Yuck! Still a really good story.
From Guest:
I must say I'm impressed.
My favorite manga and favorite game.
Rosario and yugioh. I like this please keep going.
I agree with kurumus powers.
Oh so you know exodia is based on the egyption God set.
Who was separated after killing osiris(slifer)
Who then decended from the underworld to become it's king.
Really think this has potential
Bakuganman: Glad you approve. I feel the same way, RV one of my fav series, and Yu-Gi-Oh my fav game. Yeah, I've always been a history/legend nut, ESPECIALLY about Egypt. You could only imagine how I felt when I first discovered the game AND get a TV show to boot… even if it was ruined by 4Kids (to its credit though, their crazy censorship made the series darker, with instead if dying you'd be sent to a realm of shadows to suffer forever). I truly believe this has potential as well, as its something different than what the archive has done so far.
From Guest:
Same guest from before that mentioned God set. Being exodia hopefully that comment loads.
Anywho how do u plane to reconcile a ka/ ba spirit.
Vs a flesh blood monster?
Perhaps monsters can actually use there ka.
When using there ba.
But instead of summoning there ka(duel spirit)
They become it? Interested to see where this train goes.
Bakuganman: Back for more, eh? The review loaded fine, hence why I responded to that one first. My plans for Duel Monster Spirits vs Flesh-Blood monsters?… I kinda don't wanna talk about that right now. It'll spoil too much.
Prologue Chapter: The Heart of, or rather IN, the Cards - Part 2
LOCATION: Human World, Domino City
Back in the human world, more specifically KaibaCorp, the President himself had just finished some paperwork when his thoughts drifted back to his Duel with this weird, robed man a few days ago...
-FLASHBACK-
Kaiba had lead Tenmei to a Dueling arena, this one very similar to the one he and Yugi/Yami Yugi first fought. It had been of course updated since then, still having the colosseum-aesthetic, but the LP screens matched the modern-day style. It also had a control center that had 2 technicians looking over the computers in there, also able to watch the battle from a taller vantage point on the top-most part of the colosseum. In this booth was also Mokuba, whom was here anyway, and wasn't gonna miss the chance to watch his big bro Duel.
Him Dueling an old man though?… Déjà vu.
"Ah… so this is how the big kids Duel?" Said Tenmei, though it wasn't clear if he was being fully sarcastic or not. "I must say, it better than those sheets of paper used as game boards."
Kaiba was in the middle of plugging his Duel Disk into the terminal, as he like most other Duelists at this point have gotten used to the Duel Disk system. "Here's how the game works: we each start with 4000 Life Points, and the first person to hit zero loses."
Tenmei sets up his playing area, using the console instead of a Duel Disk. "Heh… sounds simple enough. Ready when you are, Seto Kaiba." Both players stare each other down before saying the game-starting phrase:
Duel:
Kaiba/Tenmei: Let's Duel!
Tenmei LP: 4000
Kaiba LP: 4000
Both players draw 5 cards. Tenmei's Hand isn't seen from this camera angle, but Kaiba's is shown to contain the following cards in this order left to right: Double Summon, Ancient Rules, Keeper of the Shrine, Silver's Cry, and 1 of his 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
Tenmei: Do have permission to go first, Mister Kaiba?
Kaiba: (responds sarcastically) Oh, go ahead, sensei. Age before beauty, they always say.
Tenmei: (smirks) Heh… how kind of you. (Draws a card) I'll end my turn with these cards on the field. (Places 4 cards face-down in his Spell/Trap Zones, ending his turn with no other move)
Mokuba: That's it? No monsters?
Kaiba didn't think much of this. Perhaps Tenmei got a Brick Hand and didn't have any monsters he could play.
Kaiba: That's it? Even Yugi's Grandfather had a better opening move (Draws a card)... Here's how its done, I'll start by Summoning Keeper of the Shrine.
Kaiba Summoned a humanoid Dragon that, as its name implied, sat on some kind of shrine or throne. This dragon also had a white beard, showing clear age behind it, appearing even older than Thousand Dragon. In addition to that, this monster had no ATK points either, so battling with it wasn't an option.
Keeper of the Shrine - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 4, ATK: 0, DEF: 2100
Kaiba: Next I'll activate the Magic Card, Double Summon, which lets me Summon an addition monster this turn. And luckily for me, my Keeper counts as 2 sacrifices for the Summon of a Dragon monster. So I'll sacrifice it to Summon a creature no monster can stand against! (The Tribute applies with Keeper leaving the field in sparkles) The mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
Kaiba's famous 3000 beat-stick takes to the field, replacing the weaker dragon. The new dragon had a long, bluish-white body. This same color carried over to the rest of its body such as its neck, wings, claws, arms, tail, etc. Just its appearance alone, while beautiful, radiated raw power.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon: ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
Blue-Eyes White Dragon - Attribute: LIGHT, Type: Dragon, Level: 8, ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500
Tenmei didn't even flinch at the sight of Blue-Eyes, nor its roar. He just grinned wider.
Kaiba: Blue-Eyes! Atta-…!
Tenmei: Reveal Trap. (Plays one of his 4 face-downs just before Kaiba could launch his attack. Kaiba doesn't recognize the card either. It had what appeared to be 2 girls fighting each other. One was dressed as a Scapegoat, the other was a Bunny Girl. They appeared to be magicians.)
Kaiba: What's that?
Tenmei: A Continuous Trap known as, A Rival Appears. Whenever you Summon a monster, I can Summon a Monster of an equal Level from my Hand. Since your Blue-Eyes is an 8-Star monster, I earn the right to Summon an 8-Star monster of my own.
So Tenmei DID have a brick hand, but was able to compensate for that with his Rival Appears card. Kaiba had to admit, that was a decent play.
Kaiba: Humph. Not bad, for a beginner… so what monster are you going to bring out?... Not that it'll be around for long.
Tenmei: (picks one card up from his Hand and smirks wider) Oh, I have no doubt about that... (plays the card)
The camera focuses on Kaiba and he has no reaction… until he sees the monster Tenmei played, where his eyes widen.
Mobuka: Aw, no way!
The monster Tenmei had just released was also a dragon that also had a long, bluish-white body. This same color carried over to the rest if its body such as its neck, wings, claws, arms, tail, etc. In fact, it was…
Blue-Eyes White Dragon: ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAR!
Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Tenmei's) - Attribute: LIGHT, Type: Dragon, Level: 8, ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500
Kaiba: (was in deep shock, but then switched to annoyance/anger) What are you trying to pull!
Tenmei: (grins and speaks sarcastically) Oh, I'm sorry. Did I misplay, or break a rule?
Kaiba: That's not it (camera focus' on Tenmei's Blue-Eyes)... How the hell do you have a Blue-Eyes White Dragon! (Camera then cuts to his Blue-Eyes) There's only 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons' in the game, and last I checked, I have all three!
Tenmei: (chuckles) Three?... I'm pretty sure Pegasus officially released 4... whatever happened to that 4th one? (adds slyly) Hmm... I wonder...
Kaiba is shown to be gritting his teeth, then looks down at the console he connected his Duel Disk to. Sure enough, the monitor showed Tenmei did indeed have a Blue-Eyes card… but how was that possible? Pegasus reprinting cards was one possibility, but just like when new cards are available, there would be an announcement of some kind beforehand. Basic marketing 101. The camera then cuts back to Tenmei.
Tenmei: In all seriousness, though… (picks up the Blue-Eyes card he has, but it now appears to be different by the time he holds it up)
Kaiba: (shocked at what he's seeing) Huh?!… That cards blank!
Well, it wasn't completely blank, per say. The card had a name and written text, but it couldn't be seen from the distance Kaiba was at. It had ATK/DEF values, a Level, etc. The only thing missing on the card was artwork. It was just pure black, unlike normal blank cards which were white. The card couldn't be illegal as the Solid Vision had programming to not read those cards so unless it was a misprint (a Harpie's Pet Dragon having 3000 ATK was one example, though that was resolved quickly), there was no other explanation.
Kaiba: And that cards Level 3! How could you summon it with A Rival Appears?
This was a good observation, as its Level did not match Blue-Eyes'. So how was he able to play it without the system catching this?
Tenmei: Tell me, Kaiba? Are you aware of the Trap Card, Physical Double?
Kaiba has heard of that card, and it was of common rarity, but it was also a weak and almost useless Trap.
Tenmei: What it if I told you, this was its monster form?
Kaiba: Its… monster form?
Tenmei: Yes. This is Doppelgänger Yokai. A monster that can transform into any monster it desires, for it HAS no physical form. But unlike Cloning or other copy cards, it can activate in my hand. As long as there's at least one monster on the field, I can select any monster on any side, and this card transforms into an exact copy of that monster. Its strengths, weaknesses, powers… even down to its appearance. This includes monsters even as powerful as your Blue-Eyes White Dragons.
Kaiba took all of this in. So Tenmei had a card that activated in the hand? That meant there was barely any way of countering it, which was pretty impressive he had to admit. Tenmei's monster could literally be anything in either players Deck, making it highly versatile.
Tenmei: This leads me to my next Trap, (reveals another face-down) Loop of Destruction.
Now this was a card Kaiba knew about. It was an upgraded form of his Ring of Destruction, and another Continuous Trap, though he had yet to see its effects for himself. Upon triggering, two steel rods shot out of the Trap Card and latched onto each monster on the field by their necks. Both beasts roared upon being squeezed by these rods.
Tenmei: Now as long as this card remains on the field, should a monster be destroyed for any reason, its controller will take damage equal to half that monsters ATK points immediately upon its destruction.
Kaiba remained silent. So this old man was trying to Burn him out, huh?… Literally? So even if he did decide to destroy the opposing Blue-Eyes with his own, he'll still take damage. He could risk it, and just chain Silver's Cry for Game, but Tenmei spoke again before he could make any move.
Tenmei: Oh… that reminds me… (camera cuts to A Rival Appears glowing) My A Rival Appears has a rather nasty secondary effect. Should the monsters Summoned by this card have the exact same original ATK and DEF points… (he smirks) their forced to attack each other.
Kaiba: (eyes widen in shock) WHAT?!
Kaiba's Blue-Eyes roared, then built up energy in its mouth before launching it as a powerful beam, though this appeared to be against its will as its body appeared to struggle. Tenmei's Doppelgänger Blue-Eyes did the same thing. Instead of both attacks colliding, they grazed past each other, hitting the opposing dragon as the targets groaned in pain upon impact, then exploded in unison.
That wasn't the worst part, for as Kaiba growled, both players took damage due to Loop of Destruction, which was 1500 as both Blue-Eyes' had 3000 ATK each. Tenmei didn't seem to care at all.
Tenmei LP: 4000 - 2500
Kaiba LP: 4000 - 2500
Tenmei: (clearly celebrates mockingly) Wow! Look what I did! I destroyed a pro players best monster on the same turn!… Hehe, I guess you can that beginner's luck, Eh? This is so much fun! Let's keep playing!
Kaiba: *Something's not right about this old poser… he claims to have little knowledge of the game, yet executes a perfect combo like that?*
As Kaiba thought this, he recalled Tenmei's words. That some of his students have quote: "ties" to Duel Monsters… what exactly did that mean? The former King of Games had no clue, but what he did know this…
Kaiba: *That could be just dumb luck… or maybe, he knows allot more about this game than he's willing to let on…* (Nevertheless, Kaiba continues his turn) Even with the destruction of our Blue-Eyes', you just triggered my Shrine Keeper's Special Ability! (camera focuses on Kaiba's Graveyard slot) When a Dragon is destroyed while its in the Graveyard, it automatically Summons itself back to the field! (Keeper of the Shrine comes out of the Graveyard slot, which Kaiba then subsequently plays due to its Effect)
Keeper of the Shrine - Attribute: DARK, Type: Dragon, Level: 4, ATK: 0, DEF: 2100
Kaiba: But that's just the start. Had a Dragon with no Abilities been destroyed, it also lets me Draw another Blue-Eyes out from my Deck! (In accordance with Keeper's second Effect, he adds his 2nd Blue-Eyes to his hand since its a Normal Monster) But why wait next turn, when I can Summon it with the Ancient Rules Magic Card! (Holds up said Spell) Which Summons a Level 5 or higher monster from my hand without a single sacrifice!
Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Kaiba's) - Attribute: LIGHT, Type: Dragon, Level: 8, ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500
The new Blue-Eyes White Dragon roared upon its Summoning just like the previous one had done.
Kaiba: Finally, I'll Set this face-down and give you a shot.
Tenmei: Reveal Trap. (As he said this, the camera split-screens to show Kaiba gritting his teeth upon triggering another Trap. This Trap had a giant hole in its card, larger and deeper than Trap Hole, appearing to have been dug by the blue monster on The Shallow Grave or it had fell for its own trap.) The Deep Grave. This card is basically the Trap version of Monster Reborn. It lets me dig up one monster in either of our Graveyards'.
Upon explaining the Trap's Monster Reborn-like power, The Shallow Grave monster spawned from it. After standing there menacing for a few seconds, it pulled out its axe and began digging downward with it, disappearing from sight as it continued downward.
Tenmei: (the camera went back to split-screening between him and Kaiba) Which monster in which Graveyard, you ask?… You'll know at the start of my turn.
As this was Kaiba's End Phase anyway, he could do nothing to stop it (at least not with the cards he had at the time), and Tenmei then took his next Draw Phase. A few seconds after, The Shallow Grave monster frantically climbed back to the surface, appearing to sweat nervously. That's when a Blue-Eyes White Dragon flew out of the hole before taking position on Tenmei's field, also roaring upon being re-summoned, though it was unclear if was Kaiba's dragon or Tenmei's Doppelgänger posing as it again.
Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Tenmei's) - Attribute: LIGHT, Type: Dragon, Level: 8, ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500
Tenmei immediately goes into his Battle Phase and of course, both White Dragons were forced to attack due to A Rival Appears. They destroyed each other the exact same way as last time, also triggering Loop of Destruction a second time.
Tenmei LP: 2500 - 1000
Kaiba LP: 2500 - 1000
Tenmei: (is silent for a moment) I'll pass… that's all…
Mokuba: Pass? No monsters' again? Not even one card?
Normally Kaiba would call out a foolish play… but was it? This guy had only played a single monster, and in combination with two Continuous Traps, had reduced both their LP to their last 4-digits in just 2 turns. He had to play very carefully, for Loop of Destruction was still in play. If he lost a monster, he'll take damage equal to half its ATK. Of course, Keeper of the Shrine had no ATK, so it was unaffected and not bound by the rods of the Trap.
Kaiba: *There's no way this old geezers just some beginner. He's taken down 2 of my Blue-Eyes' with his Doppelgänger Yokai, while at the same time bringing us both down to our last thousand Life Points. Not only that… he almost seems to be toying with me…* (the camera does pan across Tenmei, showing his grin that told Kaiba this) Well, I hope you've enjoyed your beginner's luck; (Draws a card) cuz that's all about to change! (See's he's drawn his final Blue-Eyes) Now I'll sacrifice my Keeper of the Shrine once more to Summon the 3rd Blue-Eyes White Dragon!
Blue-Eyes White Dragon (Kaiba's) - Attribute: LIGHT, Type: Dragon, Level: 8, ATK: 3000 DEF: 2500
Kaiba: *This Duel's over. Even if he does block my attack somehow with that last face-down, all I have to do is play my Silver's Cry Magic Card (camera pans down to his Set card, becoming transparent to show the Silver's Cry Spell), which'll revive any of my Blue-Eyes' from the Grave.* It's been fun, old man. And once my Blue-Eyes attacks you directly, you can go back to that retirement home you crawled out under.
This was the best move Kaiba could make, and if it works, he'll win the Duel. And best of all, Tenmei would be out of his life. Blue-Eyes White Dragon follows the indirect attack order, already charging its White Lightning in its mouth while gaping its jaws.
Tenmei: Aw, your gonna make me cry… (his last Set card opens) Silver's Cry that is.
Kaiba: Nrgh! No way! (He was stunned. Tenmei used a move he was planning to do! But he had no dragons in his Graveyard… unless…)
Tenmei: Judging by your expression, I'm assuming your aware of its Effect. It lets me choose a Dragon in my Graveyard, and Summon it back to the field… (grins even wider, showing teeth now) Oh… did I forget to mention Doppelgänger Yokai is also treated as the monster it last shifted into while in the Grave?
Due to the Effect of Tenmei's Silver's Cry, his Doppelgänger Yokai returned, but in the form of Blue-Eyes White Dragon for the [possible] 3rd time in a row. To make matters worse, the Effects of both Loop of Destruction and A Rival Appears also kicked in; the former binding both dragons, and the latter forcing them to attack. Since Kaiba already gave the order… there was no way to stop it. Both Blue-Eyes fired their White Lightning attacks, where they met dead center of the field and the power between them grew. But as their ATK was equal, the streams of lightning exploded, destroying them both as they roared in distress.
Tenmei LP: 1000 - 0
Kaiba LP: 1000 - 0
Duel Result: Draw.
-END FLASHBACK-
Sure its been a while since, but he couldn't get that old man or the Duel out of his head. It was more embarrassing than his losses to Yugi, for it felt like Tenmei was playing around and not taking him seriously, and the fact his strategy was flawless. Each move he made, even if they didn't Duel for long, was very precise, but it also seemed like he knew what Kaiba would do. The fact he used Silver's Cry to bring back his transformed Yokai… like he KNEW Kaiba would use a Dragon-type monster specifically.
Sure the Duel wasn't public… but that didn't help, as it was still public to Kaiba himself. He reached for the phone on his desk and made a call. "Roland?"
"Mister Kaiba?" Answered the employee on the end.
"Run a full background check on our last guest. Tenmei Mikogami, as he called himself." Kaiba said.
"What are thinking, Mister Kaiba?" Asked Roland.
"I don't know what to think, but that there's something more about this Sensei than he appears to be. I want to know as much as possible. Who is he, where's his school, what he does on the weekend, even down to his favorite flavor of ice cream… I wanna know everything you can find about him." Kaiba stated.
"As you command, Mister Kaiba." Roland confirmed.
"Have it on my desk in an hour, and make it snappy." With that, Kaiba hung up the phone, then stared into space. Just who was that old man? How did he know so much about him? More importantly… where did he come from? All the CEO could do was fold his hands and lean on them in deep thought.
XXX
LOCATION: Monster World, Yokai Academy
Back at Yokai Academy in the cafeteria, as we zoom down towards the school from an aerial view, Tsukune was eating lunch with his harem of monster girls: Moka, Kurumu, Mizore, and Yukari. As for the rest of his friends, they were probably elsewhere in the school. As he took a bite of his food using his chopsticks, he looked over to the side to see a small group of a few students playing that same card game he had learned about a couple of days ago… Duel Monsters, right?
One player flipped up a card in her side of the board, which then a few students behind her that were watching began cheering, as if she either won the game or turned it around. The opponent looked shocked at whatever card she used, but then he smiled and laughed. Tsukune still couldn't believe there was an actual game made by humans based on them, and in an ironic twist, the monsters appeared to be having so much fun with it…
"Tsukune?" Came Moka's voice, snapping Tsukune out of his thoughts.
"Ah? Moka?" He asked in a surprised fashion.
Mizore noticed this and looked to the side, also noticing the game of Duel Monsters take place across the lunchroom. "Having dirty thoughts about them?" She asked, referring to the girls on the other table while looking back to Tsukune, but it was unclear if she was joking or not.
"Wh-What?" Tsukune asked, getting nervous. He hated when the girls put him on the spot like that, and now if he doesn't answer quick enough, something or someone is gonna get blown up.
"Come on, don't be stupid." Kurumu spoke up. "Tsukune only has eyes for me. The last thing he'll fantasize about is a couple of card game skanks."
"Good point," Yukari said, agreeing with Kurumu surprisingly enough… but then her expression to one that could only be described as a Nagatoro Smile. "Unless they have a big, ferocious, Black Dragon…" she said mockingly but instead of getting annoyed, Kurumu began breaking out in a cold sweat. As the Succubus got increasingly nervous, Yukari waved her wand slightly behind her back. "Who knows… maybe one's lurking around the school… just stalking its prey…"
Even Mizore sweat a little from that. As both the Yuki-Onni's and Succubus' nerves were slowly climbing, a small black hand with claws popped up behind Kurumu. Neither attractive A-Class monster noticed it, but it tapped Kurumu with one its claws, causing the Succubus to turn to it and see that was a black claw.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" She immediately screamed in terror, which also freaked out Mizore and humorously made her freeze herself.
"HA-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA!" Yukari laughed while holding her stomach, then she fell backwards to the floor, but that only caused her to start kicking her legs and laugh some more.
Once Kurumu recovered and noticed how hard the Witch was laughing, she looked behind herself to see the claws were NOT attached to anything, and they popped out of existence shortly after… she quickly put 2-and-2 together. Her Yoki began flaring pretty strongly, and Mizore also unfroze herself as her own power flared. Of course, the ominous feeling their combined energy gave off also made Yukari slow her laughter, and stop upon seeing she MAAAAAAAAAAAY have pranked them a little too hard…
"GRRRRRRRRRR!" Kurumu growled, then she held up a hand to show her nails growing out and to their max length. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU, PANCAKES!"
"Not unless I freeze her first…" Mizore said in her usual monotone way, but it had malice in it. She also grew out her ice claws.
"Guys, wait! Calm down!" Tsukune begged them. He hated even more when his friends started fighting physically, especially since its usually about him. He got up from his seat, going to try and break up the fight before it starts. Hopefully it won't hurt too much…
XXX
Upstairs on the roof, a symbol of some kind opens on the floor near one of the towers. A man in a long black cloak appeared from it. While the roof was open to students, he was lucky none were here. He also wore a large hat and hid his face behind a white 5-eyed mask. He was also using a walking stick to balance himself, meaning he must be pretty old. This walking stick looked like a real spinal column, with a realistic skull on the top that also had a VERY realistic-looking brain.
"Hmhmhmmmm…" this being chuckled. "I suppose its time to, as that Bandit Thief would say, let the Shadow Game begin…" he continued, then an intense aura flared around him. That's not all… he also pulled a Deck of cards out from his robe…
XXX
"*ssssssss!* OW, OW, OW!" Tsukune was now sitting in the Nurse's office on a bed, being treated by Ruby, who was acting Nurse today… gezz, this woman had more wardrobe changes than a broadway actress. In any case, she was treating some bruises (some had ice in them by the way) he had gotten from trying to prevent Kurumu, Yukari, and Mizore from breaking out into a brawl for the thousandth time; Ruby using a cotton swab to rub some medical alcohol on the wounds.
"Tsukune-I'm-so-sorry!Please-forgive-me!It-wasn't-my-fault!" Kurumu cried, speaking quickly though making sure to blame someone else other than herself. To her credit though, it wasn't her fault this time, as it was usually her or Mizore's advances toward him that started things off.
Moka herself felt kinda guilty. Before he became a half-breed, she'd usually be the one breaking up the dumb fights between those three, or at least her Other Self did. Ever since Tsukune became a Ghoul, he'd has been trying hard to control that power, which also meant he started doing allot on his own. That's not to say he HASN'T ever done that, sometimes forcing Moka to turn him into a Temporary Vampire by deliberately putting himself in harms way just so Moka would be forced to give him some of her blood, which was ironic as she'd sometimes force him to remove her rosary for Ura Moka to take over… but back then, he was a more vulnerable as a pure human. It was sometimes hard to accept that now, and she could only imagine how the other girls must feel about it.
He was no longer in the same, defenseless human they've come to know… he was one of them… and they STILL managed to hurt him…
"Seriously, Tsukune; your too selfless for your own good." Ruby said as she continued nursing him. Then she smiled and giggled a bit.
"This isn't funny, Ruby. This happens all the time…" Mizore said, also feeling upset she had lost her cool and her future baby maker had gotten hurt for her sake again. Though like she told her mother and the Snow Priestess, as long as she can stay by Tsukune, even if he DOES chose someone else, that'll be all she needs.
"I'm not laughing at him." Ruby assured them. "I just find it funny he does so much for us monsters. How deeply he cares about all of us… kind of like that spiky haired kid from that video the other day."
The spiky haired kid?… Oh, right. The rest of the group remembered now. That human who actually took out not one, but THREE Blue-Eyes White Dragons with an unstoppable monster of his own… Exodia no less. He also seemed to have similar personality traits to Tsukune, appearing to care about playing cards that were based on real monsters like themselves.
"Oh yeah. That one kid…" Kurumu put a finger on her chin and looked upwards, thinking back to that day. It was an close battle, and she as well as the rest of then could only guess how the participants of that Duel felt. "What was his name?… Proto? Toto?" The succubus tried remembering the name of one of those Duelists.
"Yugi… Yugi Muto…" Moka corrected her.
"Yeah, him too." Kurumu said. "Still can't believe he actually brought out the Forbidden One like that…"
"Think he really cares about his cards that much?" Mizore had to ask, cause either he did, or he was a good actor.
"Of course he does!" Yukari suddenly blurted out. "That Duel we saw was probably his big break! Seto Kaiba was the former world champion that relied on simply power… but Yugi brought something different… he brought passion, and trust into the cards he uses. So much that he's won several tournaments against the best players in the world!"
"You seem to know an awful lot about him, shorty." Kurumu said.
"I'd like to hear the story," Tsukune said as Ruby was finishing up treating him. "When he brought out his Black Magician…"
"Dark Magician." Yukari corrected him, cutting him off.
"Right, Dark Magician," the Ghoul corrected himself with a chuckle. "You looked really into it… you a fan of his? Cause it seems like only yesterday you were pranking humans with magic." He made a small joke, referencing the few times Yukari had beaten him up with magic when he was still fully human.
Yukari smiled and blushed a bit. "To be honest, only a few months ago." She admitted, as a flashback played of Yukari watching a Television and seeing Yami Yugi Duel. The one currently on the screen of the TV was his last Duel with Kaiba, after they lost their God Cards in the Battle City Finals and Dark Paladin attacked and destroyed all 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons. "But the more I read about him and what he's fought for, the more I felt respect for him. He never gives up, and is always positive kinda like Tsukune. Heck, even the Egyptian Gods fight by his side."
"Wait, seriously?!" Kurumu asked, shocked by the last bit of information.
"Oh, yeah. You guys mentioned these Egyptian Gods the other day." Tsukune said, remembering the title of those monsters.
"Those 3 are extremely powerful monsters… nothing except Exodia could fight on par with those things. To think a human wields that kind of power, even though to him its just a silly card game." Ruby said.
Before anyone could continue this conversation, they all here a girl scream outside. "The hell was that?" Tsukune said, getting up from his sitting position on the bed and started leaving the room. Typical Tsukune, always looking out for others.
"Tsukune, wait up!" Kurumu said, running after him. The other girls followed them out. Once they exited the room, they saw Tsukune looking down the hall in shock, so they followed his line of sight… and they were shocked too…
What they saw was a dragon skeleton flying, screeching at a girl despite having no organs like lungs and such. "HEY! Leave her alone! Go back your human form!" The Ghoul ordered with gusto. The dragon must have heard him, as it slowly turned to face the group, and it was also shown this dragon had no eyes in its sockets either! It honestly looked pretty scary. "What the…?" Tsukune asked, very confused. Was this dragon undead or something?
The dragon then screeched again, and reared its head back, releasing a stream of flames from its open mouth. This shocked Kurumu, Moka, Yukari, Tsukune and Ruby (who had gotten back into her normal clothes); but an ice wall formed and protected them from the attack. The ice did melt slightly, but it held firm… perhaps this dragon wasn't strong enough to break it despite having a fiery breath? Mizore jumped over and in front of them, before raising her hand and released an ice ray on the dragon skeleton. The undead dragon screeched a third time, but stopped mid-screech as it was quickly frozen solid by Mizore's powers, and it also fell to the ground with a thud. The girl that was being terrorized by that thing also ran for her life.
"Phew. Thanks, Mizore" Tsukune thanked her.
"The hells a Curse of Dragon doing here?!" Kurumu asked, which that was apparently the monsters name. Curse of Dragons were decently strong monsters, but were weaker in comparison to other dragons like Red-Eyes and Blue-Eyes. As such, it was only given an A-Class ranking.
"Curse of what?" Tsukune asked, having not heard that name before. None could answer him as another scream came from the opposite direction. This time, a spider-like creature had captured a boy in its web, appearing like Keito to a degree, but was much larger and much more terrifying to the eyes than she ever could be. This spider was brown and had a large abdomen, but it walked on 6 legs and had only 3 eyes.
"Is that a Jorōgumo?" Tsukune asked, thinking of Keito when he saw this thing. It didn't seem entirely like a normal Jorōgumo, as they had the same amount of legs as a normal spider yet the figure of a woman… THIS thing was something else.
"Worse… Jirai Gumo… the males." Ruby said as the orb on her wand began to glow. Just as the Jirai Gumo was gonna make a snack out of the student, a growl came behind it. The camera panned to show Ruby had summoned 2 plant minions. With the combined power of both, they ripped the spider out of its web, and got the student free as well. "First Curse of Dragon, now Jirai Gumo… I don't understand. The Great Barrier hasn't broken, so why are those monsters here?" Ruby continued, as sounds of the plant monsters gong to town on Jirai Gumo rang through the air. Even if Jirai Gumo was on the line between A-Class and S-Class, being ganged up on was too much for it.
"But why would that be a problem? It just separates my world from yours" Asked Tsukune as from what he understood, the Great Barrier divides this monster world from his own into another dimension.
"Not just yours, Tsukune…" Ruby clarified in a serious tone, which she normally doesn't use unless the situation is dire. "It separates ours…" A fantasy plays here, showing Yokai Academy covered in a protective shield. "As you've seen multiple times, not all monsters wish to get along with humans. The Great Barrier also protects our school from savage beasts all across the monster world." From outside the Barrier, various blacked-out monsters of all shapes and sizes are shown. "Beasts that either don't want to learn to coexist… or simply can't. This Barrier acts not only to conceal us from your world, but also from dangerous creatures. Powered by the 3 Dark Lords, not many of them stand a chance of getting in." Just before this fantasy ends, some of the blacked-out monsters try attacking the Barrier, but they couldn't get through even if some of them worked together.
"Curse of Dragons' are undead dragons that more often than can no longer be tamed… and Jiari Gumos' are highly dangerous predators even for S-Class monsters… how could either species get inside?" Ruby added, then asked a question out loud that none of then had answer for. It was interesting to heard Ruby say this though, as when the Barrier began breaking last year, she had stated some monsters may cross into the human realm and this will cause serious casualties for both sides.
"Could they have broken in back then?" Tsukune asked.
"Maybe… but its unlikely," Mizore said. "Its been said Curse of Dragon's are very territorial. If one had gotten in back then, it would have attacked sooner."
"And we would have gotten reports of missing students if Jiari Gumos' were sneaking around" Yukari added.
Before Tsukune could ask another question or anyone else could make a possible explanation, Tsukune himself felt something thanks to his new monster senses. "You guys feel that?" He asked.
"I've felt it for quite a while." Commented Ura Moka, whom was questioning to herself when the others would sense it too. It was the feeling one would get when someone uses a large amount of Yoki, also known as a monster's Monster Energy. It's also called a being's Ba, but people rarely use that term anymore.
"Now that you mention it, I do." Said Kurumu.
"It feels like someones using an intense amount of Yoki" said Moka, which could be either that, or students were starting to fight back against other invading monsters. Thankfully in this situation, using your monster form and/or abilities won't count as breaking the rules as this was seen as self-defense.
As this school had no elevators, the group ran to the closest stairway. They had seen more monsters' fighting each other, or some in human form running away from others in monster form. It was impossible to help all of them and considering the amount if energy they felt earlier, they may need all the Yoki they can get. They began climbing the stairs, where they got to the top and opened the door… that's when they saw him. The same masked man whom appeared on the roof earlier in the chapter. He was standing in some kind of magic circle with his back facing them.
"Hmmm… took you long enough…" said the man, knowing they had arrived even without looking at them. He did dispel whatever magic he was using, and turned to show he was using a walking stick. Even with that though, something about his appearance and Yoki signature made the group hesitate. Who was this guy? "Oh, pardon me, where are my manners?" He commented, then bowed. "You can call me the Masked King. It's truly a pleasure to meet you…" He then looked up and while his actual eyes could not be seen, the 5 eye-holes in his mask appeared to glow. "… Moka Akashiya. Kurumu Kurono. Mizore Shirayuki. Yukari Sendo. Ruby Tojo… and Tsukune Ano." He added, each of his answers generated a close-up of each named person who also had shocked looks on their faces. This guy… Masked King… knew who they were?
"You… you know us?" Tsukune asked in a nervous voice.
"Oh, I know about all of you… preventing a Witch from wiping out the human race… stopping a Medusa and her artistic plans twice… and even survived against a God of fire… you've all become quite famous in the monster world." said the Masked King, mentioning some of the groups past deeds. He then chuckled. "Quite ironic, considering one of you never used to be one…" he added, also hinting he knew Tsukune wasn't a monster, or at least not a full one. This did cause some concern in the girls, for while headmaster was well aware of Tsukune's statistics, he did nothing to prevent him from remaining except that one time, though he was using the former human as bait to draw out an Anti-Schooler. Of course, if anyone else found out…
"Hmhmhmhm… don't worry. I have no interest in revealing your dirty little secret," the man claimed. "If I wanted you dead, my monsters would have done that already."
"Your… monsters?" Tsukune asked.
"Wait a second…" said Kurumu as she and everyone else in the group began to slowly understand what this masked man was implying. "So YOUR the one who brought those things!" She pointed to him.
The Masked Man chuckled at the accusation, not exactly denying it. "My apologies. Did they cause too much of a ruckus?" He 'apologized', then put a hand under his mask/chin. "Perhaps I should've Summoned weaker monsters instead…"
Summoned?… What was he going on about now? This guy was talking about those monsters like he was controlling them… "Oh! That reminds me!" He then said in a cheery voice, which still had a mocking vibe. "I just got 3 Ultra Rare cards in this really fun game. Would you like to take a look?" He then reached into his cloak and pulled out 3 cards, their backs facing the group.
"You bring deadly monsters to our school, now you wanna show off some dumb cards?" Mizore said.
"What? They're not stupid at all!" The man said. "In fact… I think you'll find them very. Interesting…" He the slowly turned his hand to show the cards' other side, though the camera cuts back to Tsukune. He, then each of his friends cut in along different parts of the screen to show surprised faces.
…
…
The cards are shown with artwork of Haiji Miyamoto, Ginei Morioka, and Fang-Fang Huang (in that order from the left to the right)… three of their friends… and they were on Duel Monsters cards! "Pretty cool cards, eh? And I have the only existing copies!" The Masked King added.
The others didn't know how to react… was this some kind of sick joke?… How the hell were Gin, Haiji and Fang-Fang Duel Monsters' cards?! Fang-Fang was in the same grade as all of them; and Gin and Haiji weren't graduating until next year, nor had they expressed any interest in becoming cards of Duel Monsters at all!
"I could TRY to explain; but I wouldn't expect some silly, lovestruck kids to understand. Of course, if you'd rather, you can always try detecting their Yoki…" said the Masked King, but all five if his eyes appeared to narrow. "Though I assure you, their closer than you think…"
The group couldn't believe it, so they (including Tsukune) concentrated hard to feel the Yoki signature of all monsters in the immediate area, ignoring the Masked One's own. Sure enough, they DID feel the energy of the 3 boys… but they were coming FROM the cards! This was also visibly shown by an aura around those cards. This was getting extremely weird. Why were their friends' energies coming from inside pieces of cardboard?
"What have you done to them?" Ruby asked. Even she and Yukari, the magic users of the group, had a hard time accepting this reality. It was a foreign concept to them, but it appeared either the Yoki of their 3 friends were channeled into those cards… or they somehow WERE the cards…
"Oh, nothing much. Their perfectly fine, they just lost our game." Said the Masked King. "It was quite noble, trying to save everyone else…"
"Everyone else?" Yukari asked, the man's last sentence implying there were MORE students turned into cards, and probably by his hand.
"But… I am a reasonable man. So how's about we play a little game?" He continued from before.
"You trap our friends in cards, now you expect us to play a fucking game?!" Questioned Kurumu in an angry tone.
"Hmhmhmhmhm… Aren't we based on one?" The Masked King countered in amusement. "The game is simple: defeat me." Everyone else blinked… that's it? Just knock him out? "If you do that, then I promise to release your friends and all the students I have captured, immediately… and against an old man like me; that shouldn't be a problem for such strong monsters' like yourselves, right?" He asked rhetorically, also slipping the 3 cards he was currently holding back into his robes.
The group couldn't help but feel a bit cautious. On paper, they had good odds of wining this sick little game with 4 A-Class monsters (Mizore, Ruby, Kurumi, Yukari) and 2 S-Class ones (Moka/Ura Moka and Tsukune)… but this still didn't feel right. There was something fishy about this masked clown, though they couldn't put a finger on it. Regardless, if they took him out right now and saved their friends, that would also mean by extension the invading monsters would also cease.
SINKT!
Kurumu was the first one to take action, not only extending her nails, but also taking her true shape. "Please! I've beaten slugs stronger than you!" She taunted before flying over quickly at the old man with a single flap of her wings.
"Kurumu! Wait a second!" Tsukune warned, but the Succubus was already going in for an attack with her nails ready to strike. What the group didn't see was this masked person had pulled out a pinkish card from behind himself and held it behind his cloak, where the said card gave a slight glow.
CLANG!
When Kurumu finally attacked, she was stunned that it felt like her nails had hit something, yet there was nothing there. This only lasted about a second as the next thing that happened was a wall of light appeared to protect the Masked King, and for some strange reason Kurumu was thrown back with a lot of force, all the way back to the rest of the group.
"GAH!… OOF!" It was so much in fact, she had groaned as she felt pain throughout her body, then landed on her rump, hissing in pain.
"Kurumu? Are you ok?" Moka asked in a worried voice. Rivals for Tsukune or not, she still cared for her friends.
"Y-Yeah… just a scratch…" Kurumu insisted despite being in visible pain. 'The hell was that? It felt like I attacked myself…' she thought to herself, for the moment she hit this masked guy, she felt she had slashed her own body even though there was no blood drawn from herself. It was as if she hit herself, almost like striking her own reflection in a mirror…
Mizore was next to react, and looking really angry at the Masked King, going as far as to scowl at him while gritted her teeth. This was strange as she normally keeps her cool (no pun intended), and rarely lets her emotions show unless she was making an advance on Tsukune or gets upset when someone else (mostly Kurumu) gets too close to him.
"Hey asshole! Why not chill out!" Mizore said as she launched several ice shards the size of a person at the old foe. The Masked Man didn't move at all, as if not intimidated by the display of aggression… he darted to the left, then to the right, then diagonally backwards and forwards a few times, effectively evading each and every single shard thrown at him. Despite his old age, he appeared to have a large agility factor, being possibly S-Class level.
For the final shard, he merely lifted up his walking stick…
SWIPE!
The last shard was sliced in two, both halves harmlessly passing by his sides. No one had EVER done that before, and it came as a shock to everyone with how effortlessly he did it. If that wasn't bad enough, he used the same speed from before to dart up to Mizore, catching her off guard. "Nice try."
FLASH!
With a surge of Yoki bursting from him, the Masked King not only blew Mizore back, but also caused the roofs floor to crack with his power. It was a miracle the floor didn't break completely. The Snow Woman flew back, and slid a little past the group. She struggled to get back up, having never been hit that hard before, not even the amount of times she and the others "learned their place" at the hands (or rather, feet) of Ura Moka.
Yukari went to try next, her wand glowing as she triggered her magic. "Your gonna pay for that, ya big jerk!" She said, then did a few twirls as she began summoning her magical power. "Magic Wand, ABRACADABRA!" She held her wand up high at this point, summoning tarot cards that had wings around her. Before she could actually attack with them, the Masked King had pulled out another card and held it behind him as he did before, and it glowed the same way. Yukari's wand then went dim for some reason, which also caused the magic cards around her to vanish as well, both left her confused. "Huh? What the…?"
"*Grooooooooooooan*~" Suddenly from the floor; skeletal-like monster arose that only had the top half of a full skeleton, having a second skull on its left shoulder though this one didn't appear to function like an actual skull would. It also had black hair going down its head while stuck to its spine, and its ribcage only had purple energy inside it. This was a Dark Spirit of Malice, a decently strong B-Class monster just a little under the ranking of an A-Class one like a Yuki-Onni or Succubus.
It appeared directly in front of Yukari, where she tried using her wand again, but it was useless. It was like someone had switched on the OFF button if they has one, and witches can't fully utilize magic without it! The Dark Spirit raised its hand to attack, and all Yukari could do was scream!
"CAW, CAW!"
All of a sudden, several crows started attacking this monster, pecking and scratching at the Dark Spirit with their talons. The Dark Spirit tried waving them off, but when he touched one, it exploded. This appeared to cause said Spirit a deal of pain, but it still persisted until an orb of energy flew into it, and that exploded too. The monster was nowhere in sight anymore, having been blown up by Ruby, whom had her powered-up wand out and standing protectively in front of Yukari in the next shot.
The card in Masked King's hand wasn't glowing, but instead vanished into particles. The exact moment it completely disappeared, Ruby's wand also shut down, cutting her off from her power. "What's… what's happening?" The oldest witch asked. Even with her magical knowledge thanks to her Guardian, even she was stumped at what was going on.
"Hmhm. I guess you can say, I broke through your skill…" The Masked Man chuckled again, seemingly amused.
It was around this point Moka had seen enough, and grabbed Tsukune's hand. "Tsukune!… My Rosary!" She went to force him to remove it, as her inner power was one thing they haven't tried yet, but before she could get his hand around the cross, her arm was suddenly bound by chains and she was pulled back. She cried out as this occurred, but could do nothing in her current state. She was left hanging in the air.
"MOKA!" Tsukune cried out, but then he too was bound by the same chains and was raised a bit into
"So sorry about that, Tsukune," The Masked King said, then began to walk towards the bounded monsters. The half-human looked around, but his other friends were also trapped by these same chains except they were still on the ground. They struggled with the chains, but none of them could break free. "Although you've removed that Rosary several times before, I can't have you removing it again… at least, not yet." The Masked King continued. "You all did pretty well… haven't had to expend that much Yoki in years…" he added. "And if its any consolation," he then held up a card… Fiendish Chain?… Why was it glowing like that? "I had to use Shadow Spell on the other 3…" He went on, then he raised a hand up to Tsukune…
…
…
FLICK!
"OW!" Tsukune ended up getting flicked right in the center of his forehead, a habit Ura Moka had of doing.
"Direct Attack… your Life Points are now zero." The Masked King said, which might have been a joke, but it was hard to tell. He lowered his had at that point, and put both hands on his walking stick. He also raised it slightly off the ground, keeping it straight. "Game Over."
POW!
The Masked King tapped the ground with it, which was a weird gesture at first, but…
"… Hey! W-What's going on?" Came Kurumu's voice. While bound in her chains, she noticed her body taking on a glow of some sort. She wasn't the only one though, as ALL those trapped by Fiendish Chain also glowed. They kept glowing and glowing until the last thing they all saw was a flash of light.
When it subsided, the flying chains were gone… in fact, everyone was gone except for the Masked King! As the camera focuses on him, he looks down in the floor to see some Duel Monsters cards that were not there before. Holding out one hand, he flared a bit of his power, and those cards floated up in front of him. Each one… had a certain monster on it, of each one that had vanished. They also had an aura of Yoki around them; just like Gin's, Fang-Fang's and Haiji's.
Actually… Moka was missing. The only one that seemed close enough was a green card that had her Rosario as artwork…
"Perfect…" said the Masked King in a very evil tone, you could tell he was smiling behind that mask. "While you all should make a strong Deck…" He took out another card from his robe and looked at it. "THIS. Is only monster I need…" The card he was shown to be looking at was blacked out so we couldn't see it, but it had a VERY thick aura emitting from it. "Thanks to all of you, the seal has slowly been becoming undone. And when it finally breaks… the Beast shall reawaken…" He said, then his mask eyes narrowed. "Not even those cowardly Egyptian Gods will be able to stand against him."
The Masked King then used his power to open a portal next to him, the same kind of portal the Bus Driver rides through to get into this school. He then took one last look at the cards floating around him. "I think you'll be much better off…" he took out a Deck of cards from within his robes. "… In the Human World."
TOSS!
With a toss, he chucked all the cards in that Deck into the portal. As the cards fell, we couldn't see all of them, but the ones we DID see had multiple Yokai Academy students trapped inside. The final ones that followed were the last five that he literally just created, all of them failing into a seemingly endless abyss.
XXX
LOCATION: Human World
In the night sky, the portal from before opened up, where hundreds of not THOUSANDS of cards began falling. However, they all started glowing individually, before they all shot off in random directions in flashes of light. Were they doing that on purpose, did the monsters within try gaining some control or breaking free? We might never know. The cards spread out far and wide, fanning all across the globe.
We switch to a young boy laying in his bed asleep, with a picture of Mai Valentine next to his dresser that was next to his bed. His Dueling Deck was also there, and a card flew in from his bedroom window, phasing through the glass like a ghost, and landed perfectly on top of said Deck. The card glowed for a few seconds before dimming.
The scene changes again, this time to a fisherman with spiky hair, though he was sleeping with fishes… literally. He was at an aquarium of some sort, though he was inside a tent, his Duel Disk loaded next to him. Just like the card from the kids bedroom, this card landed in the Deck, and glowed a few times before fading out.
The scene swapped to a birds-eye view, and dissolves to multiple locations, showing even more cards spawning into many players Decks completely without their knowledge. The final card was the Magic Card that had Moka's Rosary. Unlike the other cards, the camera focused on it so as it flew, we can't see where it was heading. Like the others', it landed in a Deck as well, though it continued to glow for a longer period of time as the screen slowly zooms out to show it was on a desk in a small room… with a kid sleeping with an upside down pyramid around his neck…
On the top floor of a store called: Kame Game.
END OF CHAPTER.
That's that. Now with these two pages of the prologue, the set up is complete and we can begin the actual story. Also despite not being in card form at the time, this chapter does give subtle hints to the other monster girls' Effects/Abilities, as well as their ATK/DEF ranges. Did you catch them? Did you also catch what cards the Masked King had used that were not named? Even more importantly, did you catch the cameo's of certain Duelists that will have the RV monster girls?!
Hope you all enjoyed, and I'll be seeing ya in the next chapter. Until then, its your move!