Chapter 21: The Phoenix Rises

Jack Atlas is doing practice runs on the base's track with Zack Kendo timing him. Crow and Vizor are watching him zoom through the asphalt when Yuya and Zuzu come out holding each other's hands.

"Hiya, Crow, Vizor, Zack."

"Hey, you two lovebirds." Zack said. "How'd the rescue go?"

"The Doktor tried to get his revenge on me, but he underestimated my dueltaining." Yuya smirked.

"No surprise there." Crow spoke.

"It was amazing. He managed to conquer his nightmare and summoned Supreme King Z-ARC." Zuzu said.

"No way! He did?" Vizor asked in total surprise.

"I saw it with my own eyes. The Doktor was no match for him."

"Like I said, no surprise." Crow smirked. Kaiba then walked in just before Jack finished his run.

"Kaiba. I was just finishing my run. Why are you here?" Jack asked.

Kaiba responded by revealing a DVD labeled "Play Me".

"That's a video message." Zack confirmed.

"I wonder who's it from." Crow asked.

"Only one way to find out." Kaiba put the DVD in the media player and the Jumbotron screen revealed Gozaburo at his desk.

"Greetings."

"Gozaburo!" Kaiba scowled, recognizing him.

"To those of you seeing me for the first time, I am Gozaburo Kaiba, founder and former president of KaibaCorp."

"Former president?" Crow asked Kaiba.

"Long story."

"If you are watching this, then I am issuing a challenge to the one called Jack Atlas."

"So, the guy wants me to duel him?"

"As much as I want to face my son Seto, I am looking to test my new power against the Master of Faster. Meet me at the peak of Mt. Orichalcum in one hour. And don't be late." The video message ended with Gozaburo's challenge to Jack.

"If it's a duel he wants, that's exactly what he'll get."

"Jack, before you go, I have just one small piece of advice: be careful around that snake." Kaiba warned him.

"Right." Jack nods before turning to Zack. "Where is this Mt. Orichalcum?"

"A few miles northeast of here."

"Kaiba, during the video, that old guy said he was the former president of KaibaCorp." Vizor said. "Any idea what he meant by that?"

"When Mokuba and I were young, we were left at an orphanage after our parents passed away. Though we were left without a family, Mokuba and I were much closer than ever. Then, when I was 12 years old, I met Gozaburo, live and in person." Kaiba explained. "I challenged him to a game of chess, where he would adopt me and Mokuba if I won. I've studied his moves during his tournaments and with that knowledge, I beat him. And surprising enough, he kept his word. Back then, KaibaCorp was the nation's leading military weapons manufacturer. Gozaburo ran me to the ground in hopes that I'd inherit his company. I wasn't able to keep up, so to guarantee that I picked up the pace, Gozaburo had all my childhood toys confiscated!"

"That's just mean!" Crow said.

"At least Mokuba was kind enough to stash a Duel Monsters deck in an old book, which had a drawing of my best monster: the Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Kaiba continued. "But when my birthday came, everything changed. Gozaburo gave me $10 million, and though I was free to spend it however I wanted, I must return 10 times that amount by the following year.

"10 times?!" Yuya gasped.

"That's $100 million! It's impossible to make that much in a year!" Zuzu said.

"For most people, yes, but not for me." Kaiba smirked. "I easily made the money I needed by buying 51% of a small company and then by pushing the right buttons, the president of that company bought it back. And that was all in a single day."

"Really?! A whole day?!" Crow gasped. "That was amazing."

"Later on, I created my first virtual software. Gozaburo intended to use that technology for warfare. I spoke with him on the matter, and I received quite an earful. His guards had me dragged away. That was when I had the plan to take over KaibaCorp."

"So, how'd you pull it off? Taking over KaibaCorp, I mean." Vizor asked.

"It's simple: I struck a deal with KaibaCorp's Board of Directors, the Big Five. I told them that Gozaburo doesn't respect them and promised them equality once I'm in charge." Kaiba responded. "They had bought 49% of the company shares. That left Mokuba with 2% and Gozaburo 49%. Once Gozaburo got wind of the plan, I pinned the leak on Mokuba and that made him turn to Gozaburo for comfort, for the moment. Though Gozaburo had already knew of my plan to overthrow me, Mokuba was in total support of my dream all along. With his support, KaibaCorp was now mine."

"That left the geezer pretty broken, didn't it?"

"It did. In fact, it forced him to leave the company and digitize his mind." Kaiba finished. "But now, he's resurfaced, looking for revenge."

"Don't you worry about a thing, Kaiba. I'll make quick work of him."

"Who says I'm worried?" Kaiba smirked.

"Jack, be careful." Zack told him. "They say Mt. Orichalcum is one of the most dangerous volcanoes on the planet."

"A little lava and molten rock won't put out the fire in my soul!"

"If the lava won't take you down, Jack, Gozaburo's best monster will." Kaiba warned him. "It's a dark version of Exodia that's virtually invincible."

"No monster is invincible, that much I know." Jack boarded his Duel Runner and took off for the dangerous Mt. Orichalcum.

"Good luck, old friend." Crow said a brief farewell.

Later, at the top of Mt. Orichalcum, Gozaburo is waiting for his opponent to arrive. The ex-president then hears an engine. He turns and sees Jack Atlas below.

"Welcome, Mr. Atlas." Gozaburo greeted his opponent.

"Enough formalities. Why have you called me here?" Jack asked.

"Why not? It's not every day you get to face someone as famous as Jack Atlas."

"Enough stalling. Are we going to duel or what?"

"Eager to lose, aren't you? Fine, but first, I want to share something with you." Gozaburo said. "You probably learned from Seto about the day I adopted him, right? Well, it's about time you heard my end of the tale. I did push him to become better, but only for a different reason altogether."

"Which is?"

"Like Seto, my true son Noah has studied in many academic fields, only Noah was happy to receive those lessons. I originally adopted Seto so that I can motivate Noah into doing better and have someone to contend with. Unfortunately, before Seto and Mokuba were to settle in, there was a terrible accident that left Noah incapable of recovery. Having no other alternative, I downloaded his mind into the KaibaCorp database." Gozaburo explained.

"You digitized your son's mind?!" Jack said in shock.

"I did. Noah's Virtual World was small, but it eventually expanded, and Noah was happy, but…"

"Let me guess: your Virtual World had some glitches."

"Exactly. That was when I realized without any human interaction, the longer Noah remained in that cybernetic world, the smarter and more egotistical he became." Gozaburo continued. "I'm sure you know the rest from Seto."

"I've heard enough out of you!" Jack yelled. "The sooner I take you down, the better." Jack raised his Duel Disk as it boots up.

"Fine, I'm done rambling anyway." Gozaburo agreed as his Duel Disk powers on. A lava plume shoots up, followed by three words.

"Time to duel!"

Gozaburo Kaiba: 4000 LP

VS.

Jack Atlas: 4000 LP

"Age before talent." Gozaburo opts to go first.

Turn 1: Gozaburo (4000)

He looks at his hand and sees Exodia Necross and some other cards. "I'll begin by playing Painful Choice." Gozaburo plays his Spell card. "I'm sure you know what it can do, right?"

"Yeah, I do. You show me five cards in your deck, and I pick one for you to keep. As for the rest, they go the Graveyard." Jack replied. "Now, show me your five cards already!"

"Well, someone's in a hurry to lose. So, feast your eyes on my cards. I'm sure you know what they are." He reveals his five Exodia pieces. "Do these cards ring any bells?" Jack sees the cards and a look of complete shock as to what they are appeared on his face.

"No way! Impossible!" Jack gasped. "Those are the five cards that form Duel Monsters' strongest monster: Exodia the Forbidden One!"

"That's right! I have all five pieces of Exodia in my deck!" Gozaburo confirmed.

"But not for much longer! Trust me!" Jack said.

"We'll see about that, Jack. After all, we've just begun. You may not have seen Exodia in person, but I'm sure you know what they can do when brought together."

"That's none of your concern! Besides, I'm about to send four pieces of Exodia to the Graveyard!" Jack countered.

Gozaburo laughs. "Then what are you waiting for?"

"I heard somewhere that any duelist holding all five pieces of Exodia automatically wins. But since he drew them using his Painful Choice spell, I can send four of them to the Graveyard!"

"When it comes to facing your enemies, Jack, hesitation begets weakness." Gozaburo spoke.

Jack glared. "He must be up to something. Even he's not dumb enough to throw away his best cards." After careful thinking, Jack makes his choice. "I'll let you keep that one, Exodia's Right Arm."

"A wise choice, Mr. Atlas." Gozaburo said as four Exodia pieces disappear, leaving the Right Arm. "Now I'll place one monster in Defense Mode and end my turn for now. But it won't be long before you hear me say "Checkmate!""

"Stand back, it's my move now!"

Turn 2: Jack Atlas (4000)

"I draw!" Jack draws his card. He looks at his hand and starts his move.

"To start, I'm summoning a monster that'll help me speed my way to victory: Red Sprinter!" Jack summons his first monster, a fiendish red horse with a flaming mane and tail. (Level 4/1700/1200)

"And when Red Sprinter the only monster I have out, I can summon a Level 3 or below Fiend-Type Tuner monster from my hand. And I choose this one… Reveal yourself, Red Resonator!" His fiery Tuner Monster appears with a cackle. (Level 2/600/200)

"Now watch as my Level 2 Red Resonator tunes with Level 4 Red Sprinter." Jack declares his next move. Red Resonator cackles as it uses its tuning equipment, turning into two motes of light. They turn into green energy rings that surround Sprinter, turning it transparent and revealing four motes of light.

"Witness the power of this ultimate pairing! Witness the power of my Synchro Summon! Now rise, Red Wyvern!" Jack's Synchro Monster emerges, taking the form a red-scaled drake with flaming wings. (Level 6/2400/2000)

"His face-down monster is in defense mode. It could be more powerful than my Red Wyvern. But then again, knowing Gozaburo, he could be bluffing."

"Red Wyvern, take out his face-down monster!" Jack commands his monster. Red Wyvern shoots a stream of flame from its mouth and torches Gozaburo's monster, revealed as Exodia's Right Arm. "What?! Why would you put Exodia's Right Arm on the field?!"

"You're about to find out."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Jack asks him as he places two cards face-down, ending his turn.

"Nothing… now that I have what I need. It's over, Jack! My turn."

Turn 3: Gozaburo (4000 LP)

"I draw!" Gozaburo draws his card and grins maliciously. "Everything has now fallen into place for my victory. I activate the Spell Contract with Exodia!"

"That's something I haven't seen before! What is it?" Jack asks.

"I can only play this card when the five pieces of Exodia are sent to my Graveyard. Next, I'll have to give up 2000 Life Points, allowing me to summon Exodia Necross."

"Exodia Necross?! What on earth are you talking about?!"

"It's all over, Jack! Prepare for defeat! Meet the most feared creature in all of Duel Monsters: the mighty Exodia Necross!" Gozaburo chants as he calls forth his strongest monster. (Gozaburo: 4000→2000)

"It's the very last monster you'll ever see!" Gozaburo shouts. "Checkmate, Jack!" Gozaburo's monster takes the form of Exodia, only its skin is pitch black. (Level 4/1800/0)

"Kaiba was right! It really does look like Exodia." Jack said in awe.

Gozaburo laughs. "Well, Jack, are you frightened?"

"Not exactly. In case you forgot, your Exodia Necross only has 1800 Attack Points. And my monster's stronger." Jack reminded him.

"Don't judge a monster by its cover. Exodia Necross may be stronger than it appears, boy!" Gozaburo countered. "And I'll prove it. Exodia Necross, attack his Red Wyvern now!"

"What?! Why would you attack me with a weaker monster, Gozaburo?!" Jack gasped in surprise. Exodia Necross swings a powerful right punch. Red Wyvern counters with a flame blast. The flames are deflected. (Gozaburo: 2000→1400) "Why is your monster still standing? Tell me! My Red Wyvern should've destroyed it!"

"It cannot be destroyed by another monster. Furthermore, it gains 1000 Attack Points each time it wages in battle." Gozaburo explains as Exodia Necross grows stronger. (ATK: 1800→2800)

"No way!"

"Are you beginning to understand that there's no way for you to win this duel? Exodia Necross is invincible. You're finished!" Gozaburo placed a face-down ending his turn.

Turn 4: Jack (4000)

"Not quite. My turn." Jack draws his card. "He may think his Exodia can't be destroyed, but he's mistaken!"

"Alright! Say goodbye to your monster! I activate Red Wyvern's ability! Whenever a monster has more Attack Points than it, I can destroy the strongest monster in play! So much for your Exodia!" Red Wyvern fires a stream of fire that envelops Exodia Necross.

"Don't be so sure, Jack!" Gozaburo counters. Exodia Necross demonstrates its immense power by breaking free from the flames.

"What?! Exodia Necross has 2800 Attack Points, so why wasn't it destroyed?!"

"Allow me to explain. My monster is granted special effects from the five Exodia cards that are in my Graveyard. Listen carefully." Gozaburo spoke as he began to list Exodia Necross' powers. "As long as the Left Leg is in my Graveyard, no Spell card can destroy Exodia Necross. Exodia's Right Leg protects my creature from all your Trap cards. The Left Arm in my Graveyard ensures that Exodia Necross is protected from the special effects of your monsters. Exodia's Right Arm allows my creature to gain 1000 Attack Points with every battle. And finally, having he Head of Exodia in my Graveyard protects my beast from being destroyed by any of your monsters in battle."

"That's insane! The five pieces of Exodia are even powerful when they're sent to the Graveyard!" Jack gasped with horror. "None of my Spell, Trap, or monster effects can destroy his Exodia Necross! It is invincible."

Gozaburo laughs. "You may as well give up and admit defeat! There's nothing you can do to stop me!"

"I refuse to be beaten by you. I switch Red Wyvern to Defense Mode and end my turn."

"You never stood a chance! It's time for me to clip those wings of yours."

Turn 5: Gozaburo (1400)

"My move. Are you ready?" Gozaburo analyzed his hand. "Exodia Necross, attack Jack's Red Wyvern now!" He commands Exodia Necross to attack. The darkened Exodia prepares to deliver a right punch to Red Wyvern.

"Guess again! I activate the Trap card King's Synchro!" Jack reveals his King's Synchro trap card. "Since your attack targeted a Synchro Monster, King's Synchro negates it." The attack is deflected by a red barrier. "Then, I can Synchro Summon by banishing Red Wyvern and a Tuner monster in my Graveyard. I tune Level 2 Red Resonator with Leve 6 Red Wyvern!" Red Resonator emerges from the Graveyard and transforms into two motes of light, which then become green energy rings. Red Wyvern flies within the rings, turning it transparent and revealing six motes of light. "Now, from the ancient chasms of a lost world, I awake a great and terrible power!" A beam of light shines behind Jack. "I Synchro Summon Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack's powerhouse monster appears with a roar. The monster is a large scarlet dragon with a broken right horn and a cast-like bind on its right wrist. (Level 8/3000/2500)

"Gozaburo said his Exodia Necross couldn't be destroyed by Trap cards, but I can still stop its attacks with them."

"Look, all you're doing is just delaying your inevitable defeat. My Exodia Necross is unstoppable, so just admit that I've outsmarted you, Jack."

"You're mistaken. Your Exodia is far from unstoppable, and I've already figured out a way to defeat it."

"Then do it, boy!" Gozaburo challenged.

Turn 6: Jack (4000)

"Where were we? Ah, yes." Jack draws his card. "Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend will attack your Exodia Necross!" Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend attacks Exodia Necross. The dragon prepares to deliver a strong punch.

"Just try your luck. I activate Graceful Tear!" Gozaburo reveals his trap. "This card allows me to give you a card in my hand, so here!" Gozaburo throws a card to Jack. "And I get a simple payment for that card: 2000 extra Life Points for me. Consider it a business deal." Gozaburo glows green for a second. (Gozaburo: 1400→3400)

"Giving me a card won't matter. You're still taking the damage." The punch connects. Gozaburo reels back. (Gozaburo: 3400→3200)

"How about that. Even though your monster seems to be invincible, it does have a weakness after all. As I suspected."

"What weakness? Tell me!" Gozaburo commanded.

"Even though Exodia Necross can't be destroyed, if I attack it with a more powerful monster, you still lose Life Points."

"Get to the point already!"

"While it is true that Exodia Necross is invincible… that generally doesn't mean you are, too." Jack places a face-down ending his turn.

"We'll see about that! Exodia Necross gains 1000 points with every battle, making it stronger than your dragon!" Gozaburo speaks as Exodia's aura becomes darker. (ATK: 2800→3800)

Turn 7: Gozaburo (3200)

"Exodia, attack!" Gozaburo commands his monster after drawing his card. "Destroy his dragon with your mighty fist!" Exodia Necross delivers a devastating left hook, and it hits Scarlight.

"I reveal a Trap! King's Scarlet!" Jack reveals his Trap. "When you attack me, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend isn't destroyed. And my Trap card transforms into a Tuner monster." The card turns into a living flame crown. (Level 1/0/0) (Jack: 4000→3200)

"Jack, prepare for your flame to be extinguished while my strength grows!" Gozaburo boasts as Exodia Necross grows stronger. (ATK 3800→4800)

Turn 8: Jack (3200)

"It's my turn now!" Jack draws his card.

"I activate Red Dragon Vase!" Jack plays his Spell. "Since I have a Red Dragon Archfiend out, I can draw twice." Jack draws two cards. "I place this face-down and switch both monsters to defense mode. And that's all for now."

Gozaburo growls, agitated. "How can you be so confident when it's obvious that I am dealt the winning hand? Exodia Necross has 4800 attack points now. You'll never summon a more powerful monster."

"We'll just see. You have a lot to learn about the game of Duel Monsters. And you have forgotten the first and most important rule: Never rely on the power of a single monster to win a duel."

Turn 9: Gozaburo (3200)

"Prepare to have your flame snuffed out!" Gozaburo draws his card.

"Exodia, attack! Destroy his Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" Exodia Necross punches the scarred dragon, destroying it. "Now Exodia Necross gains even more attack points." Exodia Necross powers up. (ATK 4800→5800)

"Too bad! Now all you have left is that paltry King Scarlet. And once I attack it, your flame will be permanently snuffed!"

Turn 10: Jack (3200)

Jack draws Power Giant and sees an array of Tuner monsters in his hand. "Perfect. First things first, I discard Attack Gainer to summon Power Giant!" Jack plays a giant made of multi-colored stones. (Level 6/2200/0)

"And when I summon Power Giant this way, its Level drops by that of the monster I discarded. Since Attack Gainer is Level 1, Power Giant loses one Level." A purple aura envelops Power Giant for a moment. (Level 6→5)

"Next I summon Dark Resonator!" Jack plays a fiendish Tuner monster with tuning forks and gongs on its back. (Level 3/1300/300)

"And now I activate Rage Resynchro!" Jack reveals his Trap. "By sending the appropriate monsters that allow me to summon a Synchro Monster to the graveyard, I can summon a Synchro Monster from my Graveyard! Level 3 Dark Resonator and Level 5 Power Giant! Be gone with you!" Dark Resonator strikes its tuning tools together, turning into three motes of light. They become three energy rings and surround Power Giant, turning it transparent and revealing five motes of light. A beam of light shines above. "But your sacrifice won't be in vain. With your demise, new life is given and given to a great and mighty monster. Rise again, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend reemerges with a vengeful roar. (Level 8/3000/2500)

"And when my Synchro Monster is revived using Rage Resynchro, it gains 500 attack points." Scarlight roars as its power rises. (ATK: 3000→3500)

"A nice play, but there is one small drawback: at the end of my next turn, your dragon is destroyed." Gozaburo reminded him.

"I'm not worried. In fact, he's about to bring me victory." Jack retorted. "Since there is a Level 8 or above Synchro Monster, I can summon Creation Resonator!" His next monster is a fiend with tuning equipment and a giant fan on its back. (Level 3/800/600)

"It's true they're not powerful, but when brought together, my soul will blaze like a phoenix!" Jack shouts as his body glows red.

"What's happening?"

"Gozaburo! I want you to look very closely upon me. Do you see this glow? It's the glow of my raging spirit. My Blazing Soul! Level 1 King Scarlet and Level 3 Creation Resonator both tune Level 8 Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"

"A Double Tune?!" Gozaburo gasps.

King Scarlet turns into one ring of fire and Creation Resonator turns into three. Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend flies into the four rings, its body glowing red. "Behold as the stars high above in the sky and the fire deep down below in the earth collide in a cosmic explosion! I Synchro Summon! Red Nova Dragon!" Jack's most powerful monster emerges from the flames. The red bodied dragon has large wings, long horns and tusks, and a spined tail. (Level 12/3500/3000)

"I've never seen a monster that humongous." Gozaburo said in surprise.

"You should be surprised. After all, Red Nova Dragon gains 500 extra attack points for every Tuner monster in my Graveyard. And in case you lost count, which I'm sure you didn't, I currently have three. So, Red Nova Dragon gains 1500 Attack Points." Red Nova Dragon roars as a red aura envelops it. (ATK: 3500→5000)

"There's a reason why I haven't been able to destroy your Exodia Necross. I've been so focused on attacking its body, I should've been focusing on destroying its soul!" Jack shouts.

"You're bluffing! You don't have a card that can dispel my Exodia!"

"That's where you're wrong. I activate Red Cocoon! And I equip it onto Red Nova Dragon!" Jack reveals his Trap card. Red Cocoon is absorbed into Red Nova Dragon.

"Go ahead! Your monster's still not powerful enough to destroy my Exodia Necross!" Gozaburo said.

"Wrong again. See, when a monster equipped with Red Cocoon attacks your monster, the abilities of every one of your monsters is negated. And Red Nova Dragon is preparing to attack, so now, your Exodia Necross loses its power!" Red Nova Dragon lets out a deafening roar, creating a shockwave that evaporates Exodia Necross' dark aura, turning its dark color into Exodia's normal colors. (ATK: 5800→1800)

"NO!" Gozaburo yelled in horror.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid that's checkmate! Red Nova Dragon, destroy his Exodia Necross once and for all! Blazing Soul Strike!" Red Nova Dragon's body envelops in a powerful inferno and flies straight through Exodia Necross. Some of Exodia Necross' pieces fall before it explodes. Gozaburo screams in agony. Once the smoke cleared, Gozaburo fell to his knees with a look of terror frozen on his face. His deck drops to the ground, scattering about.

"You lose, old man!" Jack declared his victory. (Gozaburo: 3200→0)

"This can't be! How could I lose!?"

"That's what happens when you challenge someone who's superior to you in every way imaginable." Jack said. He walked over to the scattered deck and picked up the pieces of Exodia. "Cards like these don't belong to someone who's weak."

"Weak? I'll show you weak!" Gozaburo said before lunging at Jack, trying to recover his cards. Jack shook him off, forcing Gozaburo to fall into the mouth of the volcano. He manages to hang on by grabbing the edge.

"As I said, a snake like you stands no chance against a duelist like me." Jack gives Gozaburo a word of wisdom before taking off on his Duel Runner. Gozaburo manages to climb up just as he left.

"Mark my words, Jack Atlas: you may have defeated me, but this won't be the last time you see me!" Gozaburo seethes as he teleports from the volcano, just before it erupts.

Gozaburo returns to Shade. The former bows in respect to the latter. His face shows that he is seething, and not from the volcano's heat earlier. "From that disgruntled look on your face, it's safe to say that you lost."

"Forgive me, Emperor. I had underestimated him." Gozaburo apologized.

"At least you managed to escape Mt. Orichalcum unharmed." Shade sighs. "However, the overwhelming heat of that place must've got to you."

"Speak for yourself. I was lucky I haven't been burned alive. And to make matters worse, Jack took off with my Exodia cards." Gozaburo told him.

"Exactly what I wanted you to say." Shade said as he walked to a hidden compartment in his chamber and pulled out a deck. "Gozaburo Kaiba, I bestow upon you the Chessmate deck."

"Chessmate?"

"I had a look into your past and saw that you were a world chess champion, and I built that deck based on some world-class chess strategies."

"I see."

"Of course, handling that deck isn't easy, which is why you're in need of an upgrade."

"What kind of upgrade?"

"Nothing major, just a few cybernetic enhancements. And as an added feature, they'll grant you superhuman speed." Shade explained. "Do you accept this deck?"

"If it means I'll be able to defeat my enemies, I accept."

"Perfect. You will receive your enhancements first thing tomorrow. Dismissed."

Gozaburo bows before leaving with his new deck. "Just you wait, Seto Kaiba. Once you see this new deck, victory will be mine!"